Even while I was still reeling, the conversation kept going.
“Are you truly sure about this? We’ll make sure the price for the Meteor Sect’s ultimate technique doesn’t disappoint you.”
“I said no.”
“If not us, then who else could possibly repay that enormous sum for you? The interest on what you already borrowed has ballooned to an outrageous amount, hasn’t it?”
“…Didn’t I say no!”
“Hmph! You’ll regret this.”
With that, the guest got up and left.
I can go see the Sect Master now, right?
I waited a little before moving, but then my eyes met the Sect Master’s.
“…”
Silence hung between us for a moment before he spoke.
“Come up and sit.”
“Yes, sir.”
I headed over to the pavilion where the Sect Master was and sat across from him.
“I made a disgraceful scene. My apologies.”
“Not at all.”
“With your level of skill, I assume you heard everything just now.”
If I claimed I hadn’t, would he really believe me?
There was only one answer I could give.
“My apologies. I ended up overhearing it.”
“Hah, then I suppose an explanation is in order.”
“No, it isn’t.”
I waved my hand.
“It’s fine. I’ll just forget about it.”
Of course, I was curious.
I wanted to know what in the world was going on.
The Sect Master opened his mouth, his expression heavy.
“The truth is, our sect has accumulated quite a lot of debt. My late father was bedridden for many years, and the expenses piled up.”
“I see.”
“And the man I was speaking with just now is the Merchant Lord of the Daegong Merchant Group. I don’t know why he wants it, but he said he’d pay off our debt in full if we handed over the Meteor Sect’s ultimate technique.”
He let out a bitter laugh as he continued.
“As you know, a sect’s ultimate technique is practically everything it stands for. So how could I ever accept such an offer?”
The Sect Master was right.
A martial clan or sect’s ultimate technique was its spirit and its strength.
“Um, I’m not sure if this is something I should ask…”
“What is it?”
“How much debt are we talking about?”
At my question, he answered.
“Thirty thousand silver taels. But with the interest that’s built up over time, it’s reached fifty thousand.”
Damn, what a pack of thieves.
“So… things are a little difficult right now.”
Ah, so that was why Lady In Jeong-yeon had entered the Dragon-Phoenix Martial Gathering.
Back then, I’d been too busy to attend and had only heard about it from Brother Jin-ho.
He said she’d fought with desperate resolve, like someone staking everything on it.
With the sect standing at the edge of ruin, they must have been desperate for financial support.
But then a question suddenly came to mind.
Deputy Merchant Lord Bok Yun was the Deputy Merchant Lord of the Gwangjun Merchant Group, one of the great merchant groups counted among the Hundred Great Merchant Groups Under the Heaven.
Would a man like him really not know about the Meteor Sect’s situation?
“Sect Master, have you ever spoken to my friend about this?”
At my question, he shook his head.
“No. How could I sell my daughter to pay off the sect’s debt?”
“…”
“And if I paid it off with my son-in-law’s help, that burden would weigh on her heart for the rest of her life. She can finally live happily with a well-off family now. I can’t be the one to shackle her.”
Hmm…
Deputy Merchant Lord Bok Yun must be in a difficult spot too.
Honestly, fifty thousand silver taels was a large sum, but if he pushed himself a little, he could absolutely cover it.
But if he paid off the debt, his father-in-law’s pride would be on the line. And if he did nothing, he’d feel awful about it.
“By the way, why did you ask to see me?”
“Ah…”
The Sect Master gave an awkward smile.
“The conversation drifted off track somehow. The reason I called you here… was to ask that you take good care of my daughter.”
He continued.
“If anything were to happen, you’d be the only one she could rely on.”
“Why would you say that? Doesn’t she still have her family home?”
He lightly shook his head.
“I can’t shake the feeling that someone is targeting our sect.”
His instincts were sharp.
Because I’d lived through my previous life, I knew the Sect Master’s premonition was dead on.
“So I’m asking you to take care of what comes after, if the worst should happen.”
But this wasn’t the kind of thing he should be saying to me, someone who was practically a stranger even if I was Deputy Merchant Lord Bok Yun’s close friend.
Carefully, I spoke.
“Sect Master, forgive me for saying this, but are you really comfortable revealing something this personal to an outsider like me?”
The Sect Master studied me for a long moment before answering.
“For some reason, I felt like I could tell you. But I couldn’t very well have this conversation somewhere crowded, could I? That’s why I called you here… but of all times, that man had to show up, and I ended up revealing a side of myself I would’ve preferred not to.”
“It’s fine. Please don’t worry about it.”
“Thank you. Then you may go.”
But instead of leaving, I made him an offer.
“Sect Master, let me lend you the money.”
“What are you talking about?”
“I mean exactly what I said. I’ll lend you the money.”
It was obvious the Murim Alliance was backing the Daegong Merchant Group.
If my memories from my previous life were right, the Meteor Sect’s ultimate technique had eventually ended up in the Moyong Clan’s hands.
That must’ve been their reward for loyalty.
The man who was supposed to become Lady In Jeong-yeon’s husband was the Moyong Clan’s second young master.
He had a rotten personality, and he was incompetent too.
There was no way a marriage to someone like that could ever be a happy one.
The Sect Master I’d just seen was a man who genuinely wanted his daughter to be happy. No matter if the Alliance Leader himself arranged it, there was no way a father like that would’ve wanted to send his daughter to a bastard like that second son.
Actually, now that I thought about it, the Alliance Leader pissed me off too.
If he was going to arrange a marriage, why match her with a worthless piece of trash like that?
Anyway, the fact that she still ended up tied to the Moyong Clan through marriage must have meant the sect’s situation had been that desperate.
If I dealt with the debt in advance, then I could cut the snare aimed at the Meteor Sect’s ultimate technique before it ever tightened.
“Borrow the money from me and pay off the debt.”
“What would you want as collateral?”
“The Meteor Sect’s peace.”
The Sect Master looked like he couldn’t make sense of what I was saying, so I smiled gently and continued.
“I’m Deputy Merchant Lord Bok Yun’s close friend. I can’t stand by and watch him worry because of his in-laws. What son-in-law could possibly be happy when his wife’s family is in turmoil?”
“…You’re not wrong.”
“That’s why I’m offering to lend you the money. You said accepting help from your son-in-law would weigh on you, but I’m an outsider, aren’t I?”
“…”
“Besides, fifty thousand silver taels isn’t all that much to me. So you don’t need to feel burdened by it. One silver tael of interest per year, and no deadline for repayment. What do you think?”
After thinking it over for a moment, he nodded.
“Those are incredibly generous terms.”
“They’re not that generous. It just means the total goes up by one silver tael each year.”
“But would thirty thousand silver taels ever turn into fifty thousand at that rate?”
…Well, I had no answer to that.
Just then, an attendant came over and whispered something to the Sect Master.
“Please wait here a moment. Someone is looking for me. I’ll be back shortly.”
And just like that, I was left alone in the pavilion in the rear garden.
Hmm, lending him the money… that was the right call, wasn’t it.
It wasn’t as if I couldn’t afford it.
“Kui.”
At that moment, Geumryeong poked its head out from my sleeve.
“Hm? You want to have a look around the garden too?”
“Kui?”
Geumryeong slipped out of my sleeve and began scampering around the pavilion.
Then it suddenly plopped into the pond.
Seriously, what’s with the sudden water play? If you get soaked, I’ll have to dry you off.
Grumbling to myself, I pulled out a handkerchief.
– Kui!
Then, out of nowhere, I heard Geumryeong’s Voice Transmission.
Why was it suddenly so excited?
Usually, this little guy only got this happy when it spotted something valuable.
“Geumryeong, come out!”
“Kui!”
Geumryeong popped back out of the water.
“Is there something expensive in there?”
“Kui! Kui kui!”
Geumryeong wagged its tail as it tried to explain. So there was something underneath the pavilion?
What could it be?
I had no idea exactly what it was, but if Geumryeong said it was valuable, then it was probably something that could help the Meteor Sect.
“First, let’s dry you off.”
Geumryeong shook itself to fling off most of the water, and I wiped away the rest with my handkerchief.
“For now, get back inside my sleeve.”
“Kui.”
Geumryeong slipped back inside, and not long after that, the Sect Master returned.
“My apologies for stepping away so suddenly.”
“It’s fine.”
“Then let’s continue our conversation.”
“There’s no need to rush. The wedding banquet isn’t over yet. More guests may come looking for you, so why don’t we finish talking after the ceremony is completely over?”
“That’s true.”
I picked up my teacup and rose from my seat. Then I walked toward the pond and spoke.
“By the way, this really is a beautiful rear garden.”
At my words, the Sect Master nodded, looking faintly proud.
“It was built in my great-great-grandfather’s time. It’s already more than a hundred years old. Back then, our sect was doing quite well for itself.”
“It’s still a sect with plenty of promise.”
He shook his head and went on.
“I appreciate you saying that, but it’s nothing compared to then. We were once counted among the three wealthiest families in all of Liaoning. But… my great-grandfather made some terrible investments, and our fortunes collapsed.”
“I see.”
“In any case, when I look out at this garden, some of my worries fade away. Though with the weather this cold, the water usually isn’t thawed.”
“That’s a shame.”
As I answered, I deliberately let the teacup in my hand slip into the pond.
Splash!
“Ah! Damn it. I’m sorry.”
“It’s fine. Don’t worry about it.”
“I’ll go in and get it. In my family, they say that if you drop the teacup you were drinking from into a pond and can’t retrieve it, you won’t be able to get married.”
Of course, no such saying existed. I’d just made it up on the spot so I’d have an excuse to get into the water myself.
If I climbed into the pond for no reason, he’d obviously find that strange.
“In that case, I’ll have a servant fetch it.”
“No, this is something I have to retrieve myself.”
I took off my outer robe and stepped into the pond. Good thing I wasn’t wearing formal wedding robes.
Though Palgap was definitely going to nag me for this.
Palgap and my guards were waiting outside the gate right now. This rear garden was a private place, so no one without permission could just enter.
I sent Geumryeong a Voice Transmission.
– Geumryeong, so where’s that expensive thing?
— Kui!
Geumryeong popped out of my sleeve and guided me.
Thunk.
A moment later, my hand brushed against something hard.
Is this… a box?
Well, I’d found it, so now I had to get out.
“Sect Master, there’s something sunk down here.”
“What do you mean?”
I lifted up whatever I had grabbed.
The box was about a foot long, made of stone, and heavy enough to be a pain.
I hauled it out and set it down on the pavilion floor.
“Do you have any idea what this might be?”
“None at all.”
I brushed the moss off the top of the box with my hand. Then words came into clear view.
[To the descendants of the Meteor Sect]
“I’ll open it.”
At my words, he nodded, and I carefully opened the box.
Huh? This is…
Both of us were struck speechless.
A brilliant light burst from inside the box and illuminated everything around us.
Night Pearls. And not just any Night Pearls, either, but top-grade ones.
There were five of them inside the stone box.
They were far larger and shone more brightly than the one I’d found in Luoyang before.
The Sect Master grabbed my hands and thanked me over and over.
“Thank you! Truly, thank you! Thanks to you, I’ve found our family treasure!”
“Your family treasure…?”
At my question, the Sect Master nodded, his eyes shimmering with tears.
“Our family records speak of Night Pearls passed down through the generations, but no one ever found them. To think they were here all along!”
Considering they’d been sealed inside a stone box and hidden beneath the pavilion pond, someone must have gone to great lengths to conceal them.
And they’d even written [To the descendants of the Meteor Sect] on the lid.
He’d said the family fell into decline because the Sect Master’s great-grandfather made bad investments, right?
Was this hidden away by someone afraid that, in the past, even these Night Pearls might get sold off?
Honestly, Night Pearls last longer underwater than gold does.
“Would it be possible to appraise these Night Pearls?”
“At this quality, each one would be worth around twenty thousand Taels.”
“Gasp! Th-that much?”
“Yes. As a merchant, I’d normally need to buy them for less to make a profit, but how could I do that to you, Sect Master?”
Smiling, I said,
“This saves us the trouble of drawing up a loan agreement.”
The fact that he was asking about the price meant he was willing to sell them.
“I’ll purchase them for twenty thousand silver taels each.”
Come to think of it, I had no memory from my previous life of ever hearing about these Night Pearls, which meant no one must have found them and they’d stayed buried here the whole time.
According to my memory, the Meteor Sect was wiped out, and everything here was reduced to ruins.
The Sect Master sold three of the five Night Pearls to me.
So I paid him sixty thousand silver taels.
With that, the noose tightening around the Meteor Sect’s neck could finally be cut away.
.
.
.
As expected, Palgap chewed me out the moment he saw me.
“I’m sure there was a good reason for a neat freak like Young Master to personally jump into a pond, sir. But still… you ought to take better care of yourself, sir.”
“Got it.”
“When you went in to see the Sect Master and came back out completely soaked, do you have any idea how shocked we were, sir?”
“Sorry.”
Palgap kept grumbling, but then he let out a snort of laughter.
“So, was it worth it at least, sir?”
“Yeah. Of course it was.”
“But what’s with this little guy, sir?”
What Palgap was pointing at was Geumryeong, rolling around on the bed with a Gold Tael in its arms, delighted out of its mind.
I let out a small laugh and said,
“It earned it.”
–TL Notes–
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