In the end, I dragged my exhausted body outside.
As a guest, there was no way I could refuse when the host’s son was calling for me.
The moment I opened the door and stepped out, the attendant cupped his fist toward me.
“I’ll escort you.”
“Alright.”
The place I arrived at after following him wasn’t the reception hall.
“This is?”
“One of the Moyong Clan’s gardens. It’s called Deepwood Garden.”
Deepwood Garden.
Just like the name suggested, the place was packed thick with trees.
“This is my first time seeing a garden with this many trees.”
The Sichuan’s Tang Clan Treasure Forest had plenty of trees too, but honestly, that place couldn’t really be called a garden.
At my admiration, the attendant nodded.
“That would only be natural. This garden was built for a purpose.”
“To discuss matters that need to stay hidden?”
At my question, he nodded again.
“That’s right. So sound won’t carry outside, they planted countless trees here.”
“But with the trees packed so tightly, wouldn’t it also make it easy for someone to hide and eavesdrop?”
“Of course, that concern exists. But even if someone did overhear something, do you think they’d leave alive?”
“What?”
“I should warn you just in case—this isn’t a place anyone can enter so casually. Formations have been laid all throughout it. Once you step in carelessly, you’ll wander the maze forever.”
“That’s a frightening place.”
As we talked, we headed deeper into Deepwood Garden.
When we arrived, Young Clan Lord Moyong Tae-geol rose from his seat to greet me.
“Welcome.”
“Thank you for inviting me to such a fine place.”
“Please, sit comfortably.”
He offered me a seat, and I sat down.
Sitting here face-to-face with him like this brought my previous life back to mind.
Honestly, I’d grumbled because I was tired…
But still, seeing him again like this was nice.
“The reason I invited you here… I assume you’ve already guessed.”
Thanks to what I’d heard from the attendant on the way here, I was certain.
There was nothing to gain from letting someone else find out what had happened when we met at the Phantom Market.
“When I saw you in the reception hall today, I was shocked.”
“You recognized me by my voice?”
“Yes. And hearing you say that, then yes—it really was you I met back then, Great Hero!”
I nodded.
He’d already figured out this much. There was no point denying it now.
“Ah…”
He abruptly rose from his seat, cupped his fist to me, and bowed deeply.
“Thank you again. If you hadn’t shown me mercy back then, I would have…”
“Lost your position as Young Clan Lord.”
“Yes, exactly.”
“So, did you figure out how that sword ended up in a place that dangerous?”
“…”
At my words, he bit his lip.
So he had figured out why the sword disappeared.
Since I’d helped him recover it, that whole incident would serve as medicine for Moyong Tae-geol.
Because it had at least taught him caution.
If the heir to a place like this lacked caution, that just meant he could get taken out without anyone ever noticing.
“It seems it would be hard for you to say whose doing it was.”
“That’s right.”
“Tsk, tsk.”
Watching me click my tongue, he tilted his head.
“Why do you say that?”
“You still have a long way to go. If you can’t even hide yourself this much, how are you supposed to lead a great clan like this? No—before that, there’s a good chance you’ll lose that seat.”
“What do you mean by that?”
“Just now, I asked whether you’d figured out how that sword ended up in such a dangerous place. And you didn’t answer.”
“Yes. So what?”
“Silence is an answer in itself. Then when I asked whether it was hard for you to say whose doing it was, you admitted it.”
“So what’s the problem with that?”
“If you react like that, you’re practically confessing that the culprit is someone in your family.”
“…!”
His eyes widened at my words.
“And if I’d had bad intentions, I could’ve used that to manipulate you.”
“…”
“If you’re someone from a martial clan, then yes, carrying yourself proudly and boldly matters. But if you’re going to become the one who leads that clan, then pride and boldness without thought can ruin the whole family.”
I continued.
“The world belongs to snakes. And if you want to understand what those snakes are really thinking—and avoid falling for their schemes—you have to become a snake yourself.”
“Hah!”
A look of deep realization spread across his face.
Now that he knew he’d nearly been driven out of the Young Clan Lord’s seat by his own younger brother, my advice must have hit even harder.
The reason I was giving him this advice was because of memories from my previous life.
“When I think about it now, there’s something I deeply regret.”
“A regret… Isn’t life just a chain of regrets?”
“That’s true. But even among all those regrets, there’s always one that stings the most. In my case, it’s that I lived too stupidly when I was younger.”
“If anything, you seem quite sharp to me, Captain.”
“That’s not what I mean. I mean I was too naive. I regret trying to fight fair and square against jackals who would’ve used any method they could to tear me apart. If you want to stand above others, you can’t afford to be like that.”
I just didn’t want him to end up carrying the same regret.
And the reason I was advising him wasn’t only because of the tie from my previous life. It was also because I wanted to stop the third son, Moyong Seong-geol, from taking over the Moyong Clan.
My goal was revenge against the Murim Alliance and the Baekcheon Merchant Group.
Naturally, I had to keep the Murim Alliance from growing stronger.
Looking at me, he asked in a serious voice,
“Then how should I act?”
“From here on out, it won’t be free.”
“What?”
“I don’t think learning something for free has any meaning.”
At my words, he pulled a pouch from his robes and placed it on the table.
“Will this do? It’s all the money I currently have on me.”
I opened the pouch.
Then I took out three silver taels and returned the rest.
Seeing that, he asked in confusion,
“That’s really enough?”
“Of course not.”
I shook my head.
“This is just a kind of down payment. If what you learn from me proves useful, then someday you can repay me however much you think is appropriate.”
“That won’t be difficult.”
“Don’t take it too lightly. This could turn into a pretty heavy shackle. Even so, do you still want to learn?”
“I do. Please teach me.”
At that firm look in his eyes, I nodded.
Good. Now he was ready to learn.
Still… I’m making my own life harder again.
I’m the one who offered to advise Young Clan Lord Moyong Tae-geol and teach him, aren’t I?
No one tied me up and dragged me into this.
I’m so tired I could die.
“Why are you crying?”
“Ah, something must’ve gotten in my eye.”
.
.
.
By the time I returned to the detached residence I’d been assigned, it was already breakfast time.
“You’re only coming in now?”
At Palgap’s words, I nodded.
“Sounds like you had yourselves quite a serious discussion.”
“Well, if you want to call it serious, then sure, it was serious.”
I answered firmly.
“Today I’m just going to do breathing exercises, wash up, and sleep. And I’m skipping breakfast, so don’t wake me.”
“Understood.”
When I woke after sleeping my fill, the sun was already hanging low in the sky.
“Ah, that feels amazing.”
Seeing me like that, Palgap grinned and asked,
“You’re in that good a mood?”
“Of course! It’s not often I get to sleep that well.”
Now that I thought about it, it was kind of strange.
It had been years since I’d slept this deeply.
As my realm rose, even the slightest disturbance was enough to wake me.
“Now that you’ve finished stretching, you should get ready to attend the banquet.”
“The banquet? Ah!”
Only then did I remember.
The welcome banquet had originally been meant for yesterday, but because the Clan Lord had been busy, it had been postponed until today.
“You need to get up and wash right away.”
“Got it. I’m going now.”
I got up and went to wash, and when I looked at myself in the mirror, I couldn’t help but admire what I saw.
Sleep really is powerful!
My face was practically glowing.
.
.
.
Evening came.
Deputy Merchant Lord Bok Yun and his wife and I headed to the banquet hall under a maid’s guidance.
The members of the Moyong Clan who had already been seated all rose to welcome us.
Standing from one’s seat was a sign of welcome and respect.
“Welcome.”
Deputy Merchant Lord Bok Yun cupped his fist and offered his thanks.
“Thank you for inviting us to a gathering like this.”
“Oh, it’s nothing. I wanted to prepare an even finer table for you, but I couldn’t, and for that I apologize.”
“Not at all. At a time like this, this is already more than enough.”
“Thank you for understanding. Then let me introduce my family.”
The Clan Lord introduced his children, including the Young Clan Lord.
First, the eldest and Young Clan Lord, Moyong Tae-geol.
Second, the eldest daughter, Moyong Yeon-geol.
Third, the second son, Moyong Jun-geol.
Fourth, the third son, Moyong Seong-geol.
So there were four children in all. And he had two wives. It seemed the second son and fourth child were born to the second wife.
I looked over each of them one by one.
The third child, the second son, Moyong Jun-geol, was the man who had become Lady In Jeong-yeon’s husband in my previous life.
He was watching Moyong Seong-geol closely, clearly reading his mood.
Moyong Seong-geol was staring at us with sharp eyes.
He was definitely thinking about how to use us, how to use this whole situation.
And the eldest daughter, Moyong Yeon-geol, was blushing while looking at me.
We introduced ourselves as well.
“Then sit.”
“Yes.”
We took our seats and began to eat.
I had no idea what everyone was really thinking, but the banquet was lively enough.
But with so much attention on me, that warm atmosphere just meant more people kept trying to talk to me.
The one who spoke to me the most, especially, was Moyong Seong-geol.
Why he had so much to ask, I had no idea.
But a person only has one mouth.
Which meant that if you kept talking, you didn’t get to eat much.
I’d skipped breakfast and lunch, so I was starving, and yet people kept talking to me nonstop. How was I supposed to eat properly like this?
Talking was fine, but at a banquet, shouldn’t people also actually eat and drink?
So just as my irritation was starting to rise…
“I’ve heard of the great deeds of the Handsome Young Hero, Great Hero, and listening to them made me want to become a hero like that as well. So with that in mind, I’d like to learn about a hero’s sword from you, Handsome Young Hero.”
His words sounded polished enough, but in the end, what Moyong Jun-geol meant was simple.
He wanted to have a match with me.
The Clan Lord caught the meaning right away and gently tried to rein him in.
“Hoh, what are you saying?”
“Father. As a martial artist of the Moyong Clan, isn’t it only natural that I’d be curious about a hero’s sword? You’re curious too, aren’t you?”
“Hm, hmhm.”
Haah, this was that brat Moyong Seong-geol’s doing too.
I’d just seen him whispering something to Moyong Jun-geol.
They’d probably thought I wouldn’t hear it, but I heard it perfectly.
He’d told him to fight me once, saying if he beat me, he could become a hero.
And the idiot actually fell for bait that ridiculous.
Even this roundabout way of asking for a spar had been taught to him by Moyong Seong-geol.
Letting out a small sigh, I looked toward the Clan Lord.
His eyes were gleaming.
Looks like the Clan Lord is curious too.
I was already annoyed because I hadn’t even been allowed to eat in peace, so this worked out nicely.
I rose from my seat.
“When you put it that way, how could I possibly refuse? I’ll oblige you.”
When I said that, the Clan Lord spoke as if he felt apologetic.
“To think you’d indulge my immature son’s request! I’m truly grateful.”
Please, at least control your expression a little.
You’re looking way too excited for someone trying to sound sorry.
Bang! Bang! Bang!
The Clan Lord struck the table three times.
“Open the training ground.”
“Yes!”
At once, one of the doors beside the space where we’d been dining was thrown wide open, revealing a sparring platform.
Wow…
A sparring stage right next to the banquet hall!
A martial clan really is a martial clan.
Moyong Jun-geol and I stepped onto the platform and faced each other.
Wow, the floor’s black ironwood?
Just what you’d expect from a martial clan that took martial arts seriously.
The Clan Lord spoke.
“Then let me explain the rules. If you look at the floor, you’ll see a white line. Crossing that line counts as defeat.”
Ah, so there was an out-of-bounds rule too.
“Other than that, the rules are the same as in Murim Alliance sparring matches.”
“Understood.”
“Then begin.”
I said to Moyong Jun-geol,
“I’ll let you have the first move.”
At my words, he shook his head.
“There’s no need.”
That made me blink.
Where exactly was all that confidence coming from?
His realm was barely at the Second-rate level.
For the child of a prestigious clan to be only Second-rate at that age, that really did make him a complete dullard.
Normally, he should’ve at least reached First-rate by now.
I let out a sigh.
“You seem to be under some sort of misunderstanding. The reason I’m giving you the first move is because this is still a spar, and I figured I should at least let you swing your sword once.”
“Don’t insult me! Do I look like some fool who can’t even swing a sword?”
I glanced at the Clan Lord.
He pressed a hand to his forehead and shook his head, then looked back at me and gave a small nod.
So he meant for me to handle it however I saw fit.
“Very well.”
I raised my internal energy and stared coldly at Moyong Jun-geol.
“Hk!”
He couldn’t even endure my bloodlust. His hand started trembling violently.
And then, before long, he dropped his sword.
Clang.
I walked toward him one step at a time.
With fear all over his face, he backed away—and eventually crossed the white line.
Just like I thought.
“Hoo.”
Gathering my internal energy back in, I said,
“Train harder.”
“D–damn it!”
That was when it happened.
Scrape.
At the sound of someone rising, I turned my head.
“Fight me next.”
Ah, no. Clan Lord! Why are you doing this too?
–TL Notes–
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