A short while later.
Not a single one of the Forest bandits who’d attacked us was still standing properly.
“It’s over.”
At Escort Chief Ha Cheol’s words, we all nodded.
“Then let’s get going.”
“Yes.”
Quite a few of the bandits lay dead, and many more were wounded so badly they couldn’t move.
But they’d brought that entirely on themselves.
If they hadn’t messed with us, none of this would ever have happened.
I could feel a few presences hiding in the distance. Since there was no killing intent from them, their goal wasn’t to attack us.
They were just here to see how things had turned out.
After this, the Forest bandits in this region would surely have a bit more fear of the Eunhae Merchant Group’s name.
Infamy with the bandit types is as good as a strong spear, sword, and shield. They’ll be more careful and won’t come after you easily.
I stirred my Qi to shake off the stench of blood clinging to me, then climbed into the carriage.
Then I spoke to Lady Seohyang.
“It’s finished. We’re safe now.”
“Ah, really?”
“Still, it’s not a pretty sight out there, so it’d be better if you opened the window a bit later.”
“All right.”
Neither Lady Seohyang nor her maid had probably ever seen a place drenched in blood like this. If they saw it for no good reason, it could really shock them.
Traveling with me, they’ll end up seeing scenes like that sooner or later, but it’d be better if that waited until they were more used to everything.
The first time I faced something that brutal, it really hit me hard too.
And the aftereffects of taking someone’s life for the first time stayed with me for quite a while.
Of course, I knew neither of them had a weak heart. If anything, they’re strong, which is exactly why they could live through that hellish situation without losing the will to live.
Lady Seohyang’s maid must be just as strong–willed, or she wouldn’t have chosen to serve her.
“We’ll be departing now.”
“Okay.”
Soon, the carriage I was riding in began to move.
.
.
.
Once we entered Hebei Province, our journey became a lot easier.
We were close to the capital, so the official roads were well maintained and public order was very good.
Which also meant we could finally relax a little.
Walking all day while staying on edge is exhausting work.
At last, we arrived at the Eunhae Merchant Group’s Beijing branch.
“Deputy Gwak! You made it!”
“We’ve been waiting for you!”
“Do you have any idea how tough it’s been without you, Deputy Gwak?”
The people from the North Sea branch must’ve heard we were coming, because they were there to welcome us.
But for some reason, it sort of felt like they were happier to see Lady Seohyang than me.
“It was so gloomy around here without you.”
“Things only really liven up when you’re around.”
Ah… so they weren’t talking about me after all.
They were clearly more excited about Lady Seohyang. With a sulky look, I spoke up.
“Now I’m hurt. Am I invisible or something?”
“Hahaha, how could that be?”
“My older brother’s here too, you know…”
“Oh? The second Deputy Merchant Lord came as well? But…”
Deputy Yeo Chang-ui tilted his head.
“You look a lot more worn out than the last time I saw you.”
Well, we’d fought several battles on the way here, and on top of that, we’d been sparring in group drills nonstop.
But if you asked me, the hardest part for Brother Jin-ho was probably writing all those battle review reports…
Right then, Escort Chief Ha spoke up.
“The journey here was a bit rough. After all, what we’re transporting this time is grain…”
“Ah, I see.”
“In that case, it’s no wonder it was hard.”
Everyone nodded in agreement.
Smiling inwardly, I spoke to Branch Chief Eun.
“We plan to rest here for a bit, then head on to the North Sea.”
“Understood. I’ll keep that in mind.”
“And since we’ve stopped in Beijing, I should take care of some work before we leave. I’ll head to the office in a little while.”
With that said, we each went to our own quarters.
When we built the Beijing branch, we’d made it very large with the future in mind, so there was plenty of space to rest.
I went into my room, and before washing up, I called out to Palgap.
“Palgap, don’t you think Deputy Gwak will try to come in and work too?”
“Isn’t that obvious?”
“Exactly, so go tell her this: she shouldn’t even think about coming to the office today. She should eat something and go straight to bed.”
“Got it.”
“Tell her it’s an order, and that I’ll personally check whether she actually goes to sleep or not.”
Lady Seohyang was more stubborn than I’d expected.
If I didn’t spell it out this clearly, she’d absolutely drag herself out to work anyway.
The journey from Hubei to Beijing was no easy trip, and the road ahead wouldn’t be any easier either.
No matter how much martial arts she’s learning, if she overdoes it and collapses, that’s a much bigger loss.
So resting properly today is actually the best way to work more efficiently later.
So why am I not resting, you ask?
Because I’m the Chief. Damn it.
A little later, after washing up and filling my stomach, I headed to the office.
“I’ll come in for a bit.”
It seemed Deputy Yeo Chang-ui had been waiting for me, because he arrived almost immediately.
“These are the documents that require your approval, Department Chief.”
“There aren’t as many as I expected.”
“I already handled the unimportant ones. These are the matters that absolutely need your authorization.”
Well, I was the one who delegated that to him.
I couldn’t help thinking it had been a great decision. Otherwise, I’d be buried under a mountain of paperwork right now.
He glanced beside me and asked,
“By the way, where’s Deputy Gwak…?”
“Ah, I told her to rest well today. It’d be a real problem if she overworked herself and got sick.”
“You made the right call. Of course, that’s how it should be! Ah, and if you need any explanations, just call me.”
“All right.”
After Deputy Yeo left, I began going through the documents.
But before long, another visitor appeared.
This presence… Branch Chief Eun.
“Department Chief, it’s the Branch Chief.”
“Come in.”
The door opened and Branch Chief Eun stepped inside.
“What is it?”
“Actually, a letter arrived a few days ago.”
He held out the letter he’d been carrying.
“It’s clearly addressed to the Third Deputy Merchant Lord, but there’s no sender.”
I took the letter from him.
From the letter that read [To Deputy Merchant Lord Eun Seo-ho], I could feel a familiar aura.
Cold, like the Qi of the North Sea Ice Palace.
This was a letter from Young Palace Lord Bing Hae-rin. I broke the seal and opened it.
[At the Cheongpung Inn near the Beijing branch, around eight in the evening, ask for someone named Rin.]
So Young Palace Lord Bing Hae-rin had already arrived.
Still, “around eight in the evening,” huh…
Looks like tonight’s going to be a bit busy.
.
.
.
Night fell.
I took Escort Guard Jin Yu and Escort Guard Yeo Eung-am with me and headed for the Cheongpung Inn.
I was familiar with the place, since I stopped by there from time to time while working at the Beijing branch.
Their vegetable porridge is such a delicacy that people line up from the morning just to eat it.
I’d had it a few times myself, and every time I did, I couldn’t help but marvel at how good it was.
When we stepped into the Cheongpung Inn, there weren’t many people eating.
Given the hour, it was just a few people having a late meal or a bit of supper.
“Welcome!”
The server greeted me.
“Is there someone here by the name of Rin?”
At my question, the server answered,
“Ah, I was told you’d be coming. Please have a seat and wait a moment.”
“All right.”
I nodded and headed for an empty table, while the server went upstairs.
A short while later, I felt Young Palace Lord Bing Hae-rin coming down.
Her face was as cold as ever.
And the fragrance of rare orchids that clung to her was the same too.
I rose from my seat and cupped my fists to her.
“It’s been a while.”
“It has. Shall we step outside for a bit?”
At her suggestion, I nodded and followed her out of the inn.
The place Young Palace Lord Bing Hae-rin led me to was somewhere I knew well.
It was where I’d once spoken with the Commissioner of Land Affairs of Guizhou Province.
The memory of that time suddenly came back to me.
Still, the fact that she chose this spot meant she was being careful about security…
And it bothered me a bit that the server’s aura earlier had clearly been that of a North Sea Ice Palace disciple.
I broke the silence first with a light comment.
“It seems the North Sea Ice Palace’s disciples are spread out in more places than I thought.”
“That’s right.”
She nodded.
“The North Sea is so remote that it’s easy for us to be cut off from the outside world. So our disciples work hard to keep us informed.”
She continued,
“It seems you noticed the aura of that server at the inn earlier.”
“I did.”
Young Palace Lord Bing Hae-rin let out a quiet sigh.
“I’ve heard the rumors. They say you’re bringing an enormous amount of grain.”
“Rumors travel fast.”
“First of all, I’d like to thank you for taking on so much trouble for the sake of the North Sea Ice Palace.”
“Not at all. As the Young Palace Lord of Snow Wind Palace, it’s only natural.”
At my words, Young Palace Lord Bing Hae-rin nodded slowly.
“I suspected as much, but you’ve really become the Young Palace Lord. Congratulations.”
“Thank you.”
I cupped my fists lightly and accepted her congratulations.
“So, is there a particular reason you asked me to come somewhere this quiet?”
“Yes.”
She nodded.
“I don’t like the idea of any dangerous group knowing about the North Sea Ice Palace’s current situation.”
“Dangerous group?”
“Anywhere, really. The North Sea Ice Palace has more enemies than you’d think. Whenever we show ourselves in the martial world, it brings a storm of blood, so our ties of grudges and debts are complicated.”
“I can imagine. But in my entire life, I’ve never heard of the North Sea Ice Palace making an appearance in the martial world.”
“And you’re right about that. Still, while gratitude rarely lasts fifty years, hatred can easily endure for a hundred.”
“…”
She had a point, so I couldn’t argue.
There are plenty of people whose descendants keep inheriting old grudges and live on as enemies for generations.
“On top of that, there are many who covet the North Sea Ice Palace’s peerless martial arts.”
“Sounds like it’s a harsher place than I imagined.”
Once again, I was reminded of why Snow Wind Palace existed.
Snow Wind Palace was the one standing at the entrance to the North Sea, blocking those who came hunting for the North Sea Ice Palace.
“Anyway, the letter I received said your food supplies aren’t coming in smoothly. I’d like to know the details.”
At my question, she answered with a troubled expression.
“You know we mainly sell Elixirs to secure food, right?”
“Yes. I’ve heard that before.”
“But…”
She furrowed her brows and went on.
“They’re saying the Elixirs we sold to the merchants are fake.”
“What?”
“They refuse to buy them because they’re supposedly fake Elixirs, so we’ve lost our way of obtaining food.”
There was no way the North Sea Ice Palace would hand over fake Elixirs.
That meant the problem lay with the merchant who appraised the Elixirs.
“Is this merchant someone you’ve been dealing with for a long time?”
“Yes.”
She nodded.
“So we took back the Elixirs from him and had them appraised elsewhere, but the result was the same.”
Bing Hae-rin added,
“We had them appraised in several different places, and they all said the same thing. Because of that, the Ice Palace’s food stores have nearly run dry, so we had no choice but to ask the Young Palace Lord…”
“Just call me Deputy Merchant Lord.”
“All right. We asked you, Deputy Merchant Lord, because, in the end, merchants know merchant business best.”
“So that’s how it is.”
The first merchant who appraised the Elixirs was definitely suspicious given the circumstances, but there was no proof.
If another place had said the Elixirs were genuine, that would be different, but every one of them had declared them fake.
The disciples who brought the Elixirs back were a little suspicious too, but there was no need to bring that up right now.
“Then can’t you bring different Elixirs instead?”
“The Elixirs we supply aren’t common. This time, because the price of grain was so high, we sent out some very precious ones. The most valuable can only be obtained once in a hundred years, and even the cheapest take at least a month to acquire.”
“I see. That does make things difficult.”
“So we had no choice but to bring money and jewels to try to buy food instead, but…”
“That couldn’t have been easy.”
“No, it wasn’t.”
That’s how severe the famine was.
And anyone who still had grain was obviously trying to make obscene profits off the situation.
“We’ve been scraping together what we can and sending it in bit by bit, but it’s nowhere near enough.”
“So that’s what’s been going on. Since things are urgent, let’s move the grain we brought right away.”
“Yes.”
The next day, we set out immediately.
We’d planned to rest a few days before leaving, but from what Young Palace Lord Bing Hae-rin had said, the situation was serious.
Young Palace Lord Bing Hae-rin quietly joined us the day after we departed.
That evening.
We camped out under the open sky, and I asked Young Palace Lord Bing Hae-rin,
“You said the merchant who called those Elixirs fake was from Liaoning, right?”
“Yes.”
Liaoning, huh… it’s a remote border region that’s hard to investigate, but for me, that’s not a problem.
One of my close friends practically has the entire commercial world of Liaoning in his grip.
“I find that merchant from Liaoning very suspicious. The most likely scenario is that he swapped out the Elixirs he was meant to appraise for fakes.”
“I thought the same. So I secretly searched his residence, but there weren’t any Elixirs anywhere. And there was no evidence they’d been sold or traded either.”
“Is that so?”
In that case, I’ll have to take a closer look myself.
Young Palace Lord Bing Hae-rin was a martial artist, and the eyes of a martial artist and those of a merchant see different things.
If I still couldn’t find anything after that, it would mean there was a high chance they’d already been put into circulation.
She’d said there was no proof of any such trade, but in Liaoning, there was one place where something like that could be distributed in secret.
It looked like I’d be paying that place a visit for the first time in a while.
Well, it’s a pretty entertaining place in its own way.
–TL Notes–
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