Bang!
Moyong Seong-geol drove his fist into the wall.
Drip.
Blood ran down his hand, but as if he couldn’t even feel it, he swung his fist at the wall again.
Baaang!
“Damn it! Damn it! Damnnn it! How dare he humiliate me like that?”
He was just about to slam his fist into the wall again, unable to contain his rage, when an attendant carefully called out to him.
“Um, Young Master.”
“What?”
“That wall is stone, so… your hand is bleeding.”
“Aaaagh!”
Only then did Moyong Seong-geol seem to feel the pain, clutching his fist as he screamed.
“Hurry! Call a Physician, now!”
“Before that, you should change your clothes first. If the Physician sees you looking like that…”
“Grr…! What are you standing there for?! Get my bath ready right now!”
“Yes, yes! Right away!”
And after lowering himself into the bathwater the attendant had prepared, Moyong Seong-geol bit his lip.
A few years ago, some people had approached him in secret.
They had offered to make him the Moyong Clan’s Clan Lord.
So he had been dealing with them for the time being, but the results so far had been underwhelming.
“Show me clear proof. I need to know what you’re capable of before I can believe that the youngest son can really become Clan Lord, and only then can I keep doing business with you.”
At his declaration, they thought it over before speaking.
“For a start, we will drive Young Clan Lord Moyong Tae-geol out of his position.”
“How exactly?”
“The sword he received because of the trust placed in him as Young Clan Lord, Lofty Radiance (峨暻). What do you think will happen if he loses that?”
He accepted the proposal, and they succeeded in stealing Lofty Radiance.
The moment Moyong Tae-geol noticed Lofty Radiance was gone, he had become visibly restless, and Seong-geol had found it very amusing to watch.
Then he revealed the matter in an official gathering with the clan’s senior figures present.
But things had gone in a completely unexpected direction.
“I don’t know why Seong-geol is under such a strange misunderstanding, but of course I’ve kept Lofty Radiance safe. It’s a precious sword Grandfather gave me, isn’t it?”
And the sword brought from his residence had clearly been Lofty Radiance.
That was impossible.
They had definitely said they had smuggled Lofty Radiance out and handed it over to the Phantom Market.
When he protested to them about it, they had looked even more flustered instead.
“Th–that just means the matter didn’t go as planned. We won’t make another mistake next time.”
“If you fail again, I won’t trust you any longer.”
“Understood. We heard that among the people visiting the Moyong Clan this time, there’s someone named Eun Seo-ho. Find out exactly how strong he is.”
He had accepted that request and arranged this whole affair.
His father was a Profound martial artist.
That much meant he should be able to judge the true level of Eun Seo-ho, who was known to be only at the Peak Realm, so Seong-geol had egged Moyong Jun-geol on.
Just as he’d expected, the irritation building up inside Eun Seo-ho had finally exploded, and he subdued Moyong Jun-geol in an instant.
At that point, it had only been natural for Father himself to step in and cross swords with him.
After all, Seong-geol had spent all this time nudging things along so his father, the Clan Lord, would grow curious about Eun Seo-ho’s sword.
His father was the type to act before he talked.
Since Eun Seo-ho hadn’t properly shown his swordsmanship, it had been the obvious next step for Father to request a spar and see it for himself.
But then…
Creak!
Because of Young Clan Lord Moyong Tae-geol, every part of his plan had gone wrong.
‘What the hell happened to him? It’s like he became a different person overnight.’
Up until then, he had been the kind of transparent fool whose thoughts showed all over his face and in everything he said.
That was why he had been easy to read.
But today, it had been hard to tell anything from his expressions or his words.
On top of that, he had skillfully used Seong-geol’s own attack against him and turned the situation to his own advantage.
It felt like a crack had formed in his grand ambition to drive him out and take the position of Young Clan Lord for himself.
And then, during today’s spar with Eun Seo-ho, when he had collapsed to the ground and pissed himself without even realizing it…
His grand plan had shattered into pieces.
The disappointed look on his father’s and mother’s faces still wouldn’t leave his mind.
And when he thought about the rumors that would spread among the household servants…
He sharpened the blade of his vengeance against the people who had humiliated him.
As he changed clothes after finishing his bath, the attendant spoke.
“Young Master, I just heard that last night Young Clan Lord and the Handsome Young Hero met at Deepwood Garden.”
“At Deepwood Garden?”
“Yes. Doesn’t it seem likely some sort of deal passed between them? In other words, I believe what the Handsome Young Hero did to shame you today was deliberate.”
“Right. So that’s how it was.”
Grinding his teeth, he thought long and hard, until a clever idea came to him.
The banquet didn’t end until quite late.
The Moyong Clan’s Clan Lord was on his way back to the inner residence with the family members who had attended.
But Second Madam, along with Moyong Jun-geol and Moyong Seong-geol, were not with them.
Moyong Seong-geol still hadn’t returned, and Second Madam and Moyong Jun-geol had gotten up early, saying they would go comfort him.
As everyone walked in silence, the Clan Lord finally spoke.
“Yeon-geol.”
“Yes, Father.”
“What do you think of the Handsome Young Hero?”
“Pardon?”
Moyong Yeon-geol asked back with wide eyes.
“Daughter doesn’t quite understand what Father is asking.”
“I’m asking what you think of him as your husband.”
At that question, her face flushed red in an instant, and she lowered her head deeply.
Seeing that reaction, the Clan Lord let out a hearty laugh.
“So you don’t dislike the idea either!”
In a pleased voice, the Clan Lord continued.
“He certainly impressed me. The way he punished those who tried to put him in a difficult position, yet showed mercy to those who had not, was exactly what a true hero should be.”
There was no way a Profound martial artist like him could have failed to hear the whispering between his two sons.
‘Tsk, tsk. They must’ve pulled that stunt because they didn’t understand the senses of a Peak martial artist.’
That was why he had crushed the two sons plotting together with nothing but his Qi, and had even forced Moyong Seong-geol into making a truly unsightly spectacle of himself.
But it had been different when he faced his eldest son and eldest daughter.
Because he had dealt with them sincerely.
And with his eldest daughter, he had even gone so far as to recommend a weapon that suited her.
“We can become the martial world’s backing that the Handsome Young Hero lacks, so it would not be a bad proposal for him either.”
At those words, Moyong Tae-geol carefully offered his own opinion.
“That’s true, of course, but even so, I think you should ask for his own thoughts before moving forward with anything.”
“That’s only natural. So then, what do you think?”
“I also think it isn’t a bad idea.”
“Then tomorrow, you should ask him yourself. Since the two of you already met at Deepwood Garden, it won’t be awkward to bring it up.”
The Clan Lord had already known about the meeting between his eldest son and Eun Seo-ho.
Moyong Tae-geol did not look flustered that the Clan Lord knew. He simply nodded calmly.
“Understood.”
Looking at Moyong Tae-geol, the Clan Lord smiled to himself in satisfaction.
Unlike before, he now looked like a little viper.
And for some reason, that put him at ease.
He had made him Young Clan Lord because he was the eldest son and the most talented in martial arts, but he had always felt uneasy about him.
The martial world was a snake pit crawling with vipers.
And the only thing that survived in a snake pit was another snake.
But the eldest son he had seen until now had looked like a frog that had wandered into a den of snakes by mistake.
That was why he had been worried all this time… but at today’s banquet, the boy had shown him something surprising.
He had gently restrained his father, who had been indulging the third son’s rhythm until now, and even managed to pull the third son into his own pace.
‘You’ve grown! Well done!’
And he felt even more grateful because he knew Eun Seo-ho had something to do with that growth in his eldest son.
In truth, he had already known that the third son was involved with a suspicious group.
He had only gone along with the third son’s little games so he could learn what those people were really after.
The next day.
I finished circulating my Qi and quietly trained inside my room.
Then, after breakfast, I sat drinking tea with Deputy Merchant Lord Bok Yun.
Looking at me, he let out a breath of admiration.
“I was truly shocked last night.”
“What do you mean?”
“When you saved me at the gathering, I already realized you were remarkable, but after yesterday’s spars with the Moyong Clan’s Four Little Dragons, I honestly felt a chill run down my spine.”
I scratched the back of my neck.
“You really don’t need to praise me that much.”
“If I ever run into trouble with someone in the martial world in the future, I think I’ll have to ask Deputy Merchant Lord Eun for help.”
“I charge a pretty high price.”
“Even if you’re expensive, you’ll still be worth the cost, won’t you? Besides, we’re sworn brothers now, so can’t you give me a discount?”
“You know the closer people are, the more exact the accounting has to be, don’t you? Hahaha.”
We traded that kind of light conversation with a bit of bite in it, then went back to drinking tea.
Deputy Merchant Lord Bok Yun put on a serious expression.
“I heard your realm is Peak. At that level, wouldn’t you be treated quite well even in the martial world? So why are you still staying with a merchant group?”
That was a fair thing for someone like Deputy Merchant Lord Bok to wonder about.
But my answer was extremely simple.
“Because I’m a merchant.”
“What?”
“I like money. As you know, when an Orthodox Sect martial artist openly chases money, people curse him for it.”
“Mm, that’s true.”
That’s why the Murim Alliance doesn’t run businesses directly, and instead makes money by establishing a merchant group called the Baekcheon Merchant Group.
And all the while, they pretend to be so lofty… tch.
They love money too, yet they sneer at merchants for valuing it. It’s ridiculous.
“And the place where I can make full use of my abilities is the business world.”
At my words, he nodded.
He had probably heard plenty about what I’d done.
“There are a lot of reasons, but the biggest one is what I said a moment ago…”
Smiling, I pointed my thumb at myself.
“Because I’m a merchant. Isn’t it only natural for a merchant to be in a merchant group?”
At my words, Deputy Merchant Lord Bok Yun burst out laughing.
“Hahahaha! Well said. A perfect answer to a foolish question!”
We went on chatting about one thing and another.
Who was it that said it?
The fastest way to reach your destination is to travel with someone who matches your temperament.
Of course, that wasn’t literally true in terms of time, but the time you felt passing seemed to fly by.
That was exactly what I was feeling with him now.
Maybe because Deputy Merchant Lord Bok Yun was the kind of friend I clicked with, before I knew it, it was already time for lunch.
So while we ate, we discussed our schedule afterward.
“Then we’ll depart tomorrow morning.”
“Understood. I’ll be leaving from the Gwangjun Merchant Group the following day. My schedule is packed, so I ask for your understanding.”
“Of course. You’ve already spent a lot of time on my account.”
After lunch.
I was taking a brief walk around the grounds when someone came looking for me.
“I am one of the guards serving Young Clan Lord Moyong Tae-geol. The Young Clan Lord is requesting your presence.”
“You mean me?”
“Yes.”
But for some reason, he looked slightly uneasy. Why?
And on top of that, it was strange that instead of the attendant who had come for me last time, a guard had suddenly shown up.
I quickly realized what was going on.
The one looking for me wasn’t Young Clan Lord Moyong Tae-geol.
Moyong Seong-geol was trying to get revenge for the humiliation I had dealt him at yesterday’s banquet.
I’d been wondering when he would try something, but this was faster than I expected.
To think he’d make his move the very next day.
Even If I knew it was a trap, I would still need to go, cause there were too many eyes on me.
Was that why he had chosen a moment when so many people were watching? So I’d be in an awkward position if I refused the Young Clan Lord’s summons?
“Understood.”
I rose from my seat and followed him.
The place he led me to was Deepwood Garden, where I had come before.
“Only invited guests may enter beyond this point.”
Turning back, I spoke to the Escort Guards.
“Please wait here for a moment.”
“Understood.”
I went into Deepwood Garden under the guidance of the guard who had brought me.
Step, step.
After walking a little way, he suddenly spoke to me in a flustered voice.
“Ah! I just remembered, I forgot the thing the Young Clan Lord told me to bring. Please go on ahead.”
“Pardon?”
“I heard you’ve been here before. Just follow the places where the fallen leaves have been cleared.”
This place had a very clear path for entering and exiting.
Because only the path itself was free of fallen leaves.
“Understood.”
I nodded obediently, and the guard hurried away.
Tilting my head, I followed the path without leaves.
Still, what exactly was he planning to do to make a fool of me?
Thinking that, I reached the inner area, but no one was there.
Well, they told me to wait, so I guess I can sit down.
Once I sat down and thought about it, I realized something was off. The path I had taken was slightly different from the one before.
The path had been straight on the way in last time, but this one had curved a little.
Don’t tell me…?
What the attendant who had guided me before said came back to me.
“There are formations set up all throughout the place, enough to leave you wandering a maze forever.”
A chill ran all over my body.
Huh, what? Then did they deliberately try to trick me into the formation by disguising a non-path as the path?
Now I understood why nobody was here. If I was supposed to get trapped in the formation and never make it this far, there would be no reason for them to wait here.
Moyong Seong-geol was a nastier piece of work than I’d thought.
I made up my mind.
Since it had come to this, I would make sure to send him off properly.
But… this is strange.
The fact that I made it all the way here safely means the formation never activated.
Was there even a formation here?
–TL Notes–
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