After returning to Beijing, I busily worked my way through a mountain of documents, signing off on each one.
Even after working for three straight days, I still hadn’t cleared the backlog.
That didn’t mean I could just sign them carelessly.
A signature meant I had reviewed the document and found nothing wrong with it, giving permission for it to proceed, but when the final decision-maker signed off, it carried another meaning too.
It meant taking responsibility.
That was why I had no choice but to examine everything carefully.
One wrong signature from me, and dozens, maybe hundreds, of people could suffer for it.
Slide.
“Young Master, didn’t you say you had plans for dinner tonight?”
“Dinner plans?”
“You said you were meeting Seon-il and his wife.”
“Ah!”
At Palgap’s words, I lifted my head.
Tonight, I had to head over to the Yeonjun Merchant Group at Cousin Seon-il and his wife’s invitation.
A little later.
I arrived at the Yeonjun Merchant Group.
“There you are.”
Cousin Seon-il had come all the way to the entrance to welcome me himself.
“I heard you went to Liaoning.”
“Yes. A close friend of mine was getting married, so I went to attend.”
Cousin Seon-il gave me a faint smile.
“So now you should probably start thinking about… no, never mind.”
“Pardon?”
“Now that I’ve experienced it myself, I know telling someone to hurry up and get married can be a lot of pressure. So I’m trying not to say things like that.”
“Thank you.”
“If I wouldn’t want to hear it, the other person probably wouldn’t either. I almost forgot that for a moment.”
That was Cousin Seon-il for you.
A genuinely good man who always tried to live the right way.
“You’re a smart one. I’m sure you’ll handle your own life just fine.”
“Thank you. But where are Uncle and Aunt?”
“Ah, the two of them went to a gathering for married couples.”
“I see.”
“Come on, let’s go inside.”
I headed for the banquet hall with Cousin Seon-il.
He’d said tonight’s banquet was meant as thanks for helping with his marriage to Princess Shina last time.
When I entered the banquet hall, Princess Shina – no, my Cousin-in-law – was already waiting.
“Welcome.”
“Thank you for inviting me.”
“It’s been a while. Please, have a seat.”
After exchanging greetings with her, I sat down, and before long, dish after dish began arriving.
“There’s really not much prepared.”
“Not much? If I eat all this, my stomach’s going to burst.”
There was so much food being laid out that I couldn’t help but laugh.
As I spoke with her, I felt a little awkward.
Something about her appearance felt different from before.
Ah… right.
As more time passed, she would become so beautiful people called her the Maraeseo Kingdom’s jewel.
By then, the two princes who had let her slip through their fingers would definitely be rolling around in regret.
But there was nothing they could do about it.
Cousin Seon-il and Cousin-in-law’s marriage had been personally arranged by His Majesty the Emperor.
After spending a warm and pleasant evening there, I returned to the Beijing branch.
But even though it was late, an unexpected person was waiting for me.
“It’s been a while!”
“Ah! Jin Yeong!”
It was Warrior Jin Yeong.
“I didn’t know you’d arrived.”
“I heard you were at Seon-il’s place. I stopped them from sending word.”
“I see. But what brings you here this late…?”
At my question, Warrior Jin Yeong answered as if it were the most obvious thing in the world.
“You’ve been summoned. Straighten your attire and come.”
Ah…
So His Majesty the Emperor was calling for me.
.
.
.
A little later.
After changing into proper attire, I headed for the imperial palace with Warrior Jin Yeong.
But why was I being summoned this late?
And as soon as I entered the palace grounds, that question only grew stronger.
No matter how late it was, there should have been more people around, but I barely saw anyone, and the path I was being led down was completely empty.
As if it had been arranged that way on purpose.
Please don’t let this be something troublesome.
Before long, I arrived outside His Majesty’s office.
“Deputy Merchant Lord Eun Seo-ho has arrived.”
The doors immediately opened, and I stepped inside before dropping into the deepest possible bow.
“This humble merchant, Eun Seo-ho, greets His August Majesty the Emperor. Ten thousand years! Ten thousand, Ten thousand years!”
“Raise your head.”
I lifted my head and looked at the Emperor. He still looked vigorous as ever.
“You must be wondering why I summoned you so late, and why I had the Imperial Guards cleared from the path you took.”
How did he know?
Then again, His Majesty was one of the very few people I personally acknowledged.
Which meant, in many ways, he was terrifying.
No, not just in many ways. He was genuinely terrifying.
With a single word from him, it would only be a matter of time before the Eunhae Merchant Group was torn to pieces.
“This humble merchant is simply honored to be summoned by Your Majesty.”
“Hah. You do have a smooth tongue.”
At the Emperor’s scoff, I quietly lowered my head.
“So, did your trip to Liaoning go well?”
“Yes, Your Majesty.”
“Enjoying those River-Crossing Horses all to yourself?”
“…”
He really was terrifying. He already knew about that too!
I immediately threw myself flat before him.
“Your Majesty! Please forgive this humble merchant for failing to present a River-Crossing Horse to you! The reason is…”
“Tsk, tsk. Do you think I don’t know you? If you thought handing it over to me would benefit you, you would’ve presented it the moment you got back to Beijing. So what is it? Is there a flaw?”
“That is… the horses only listen to me, so if anyone else were to ride them, I can’t guarantee their safety.”
Since people falling off horses and ending up crippled or dead was more common than one might think, the Emperor nodded.
“That is a serious problem.”
“Yes, Your Majesty.”
“But when did you drop to the floor again? Tsk, tsk. Get up.”
I hurriedly rose.
“When you react like this, it just makes me want to tease you more.”
So… when he asked if I enjoyed hogging the River-Crossing Horses to myself, he had really just been teasing me.
No, Your Majesty!
When you tease me like that, my heart nearly stops!
But of course, I couldn’t openly complain. Good grief.
“Setting that aside, you haven’t been back long, but with the River-Crossing Horse, you should be able to make a quick trip. I need you to go to Gansu Province.”
“What?”
The question slipped out before I could stop it.
G–Gansu Province?
You mean the Gansu Province next to Shaanxi Province?
The Emperor continued.
“Of course, if you don’t want to go, then don’t. I was planning to reward you well if you handled this matter for me… but I suppose that can’t be helped.”
Hah. He really did know me too well.
– Kui!
And judging by Geumryeong’s reaction, I was going after all.
“I’ll consider it favorably.”
“Good. Then listen closely. This is information recently reported through the Eastern Depot – a Sword Tomb has been discovered on Yanzhi Mountain in Gansu Province.”
A Sword Tomb? Yanzhi Mountain?
Ah! Could it be that one?
If it was the Sword Tomb discovered on Yanzhi Mountain in Gansu Province, then I knew exactly what this was.
A Sword Tomb was, quite literally, a grave for swords.
But in reality, there usually weren’t many actual swords inside, and even when there were, they were mostly rusted through and decayed beyond use.
Even so, whenever a Sword Tomb was discovered, every kind of force in the martial world rushed in and fought bloody battles to claim it.
That was because Sword Tombs often held more than swords – vast treasures, gold and silver, and peerless martial arts were frequently hidden inside.
The Sword Tomb on Yanzhi Mountain belonged to the hero Blood Staff Star Monk, the man who had driven the Demonic Cult into a corner roughly five hundred years ago.
According to the tale passed down through the years, he lost his family to Demonic Cult followers, then was taken in by a Shaolin Temple monk and made a Shaolin disciple.
After that, he went around smashing Demonic Cult followers to death with nothing but a staff wherever he found them.
His martial prowess had been so overwhelming that even the Heavenly Demon couldn’t deal with him, and the Demonic Cult’s influence shrank because of it.
It was said that after his death, he built a Sword Tomb and entered nirvana inside it, determined to keep fighting the Demonic Cult even as a spirit.
But Blood Staff Star Monk’s Sword Tomb had never been found all this time, until a mountain herb gatherer finally discovered it.
Normally, since it was the Sword Tomb of a Shaolin monk, Shaolin should have held the rightful claim.
But the situation was complicated.
In his later years, Shaolin had expelled him for violating their precepts, saying his hands had become too stained with blood.
Because of that, even Shaolin couldn’t firmly assert ownership.
On top of that, rumors spread that the secret to Blood Staff Star Monk becoming the greatest under heaven in his era was hidden inside the tomb, so not only Orthodox Sect factions but even the Demonic Cult began to covet it.
Then rumors piled on that there was an enormous amount of treasure inside, drawing in not only fringe sects but also the Unorthodox Sect.
In other words, it was a place where complete chaos was guaranteed – and a place that had, in fact, become exactly that.
You’re sending me to a place where fighting breaks out practically every single day?
Your Majesty.
Are you in your right mi– no, isn’t this a bit much?
Why me of all people?
As if he had seen straight through my question, the Emperor spoke.
“In truth, Embroidered Guard warriors have already set out for that place. According to the report, the reason Blood Staff Star Monk displayed such extraordinary martial might was because he obtained an item from the imperial palace.”
Ah… now I understood why he had summoned me so secretly.
“To keep watch…?”
The Emperor smiled. So I had guessed right.
After all, for surveillance to work, the most effective choice was someone no one would ever expect.
“I trust you’ll know how to handle the rest.”
“…”
.
.
.
I arrived back at the Beijing branch.
According to Warrior Jin Yeong, I had to leave within three days at the latest.
Which meant that as soon as I finished dealing with the paperwork, I’d have to head out immediately without even getting to rest.
Damn it.
Still, if I suddenly went to Gansu Province for no reason, people would obviously get suspicious.
I needed a decent excuse…
Ah!
A good idea came to me at once.
The Yeongseon Min Family, a martial family in Gansu Province, was my mother’s family.
In my previous life, I could count on one hand the number of times I visited my maternal relatives, and that had always stayed with me as a regret.
Since things had worked out this way, maybe I should visit them.
I immediately wrote a letter and sent it to Father through Geumryeong.
The next day.
Geumryeong returned with Father’s reply.
[If you’re going to visit your maternal relatives, then I suppose something must be going on. I’ve heard forces from across the martial world have been gathering there lately – will you be all right?]
I’m going to Gansu Province because of that, Father.
[Well, anyone who looks into it even a little will figure out that Gansu Province is in turmoil. If you’re going despite that, then you must have your reasons. Go and return safely. And give my regards to your maternal grandparents and your uncle as well.]
Yes, Father.
Murmuring that under my breath, I burned the letter. It contained information that was a little too sensitive.
Two days passed, and it was finally time to depart for Gansu Province.
“I’ll leave things in your hands.”
“Please go without worry.”
Lady Seohyang and the people of the Virtuous Wind Pavilion came to see me off. Just like last time, Lady Seohyang had decided to remain at the Beijing branch.
Gansu Province was a place where countless factions were fighting bitterly.
There was no way I could take Lady Seohyang somewhere that dangerous.
And so, we set out for Gansu Province.
The River-Crossing Horse was absurdly fast.
Did His Majesty give me a full three days before departure because he already knew how quickly the River-Crossing Horse could travel?
Seriously, he was not someone I could ever let my guard down around.
In any case, moving several times faster than expected, we ended up camping overnight in a forest in Shanxi.
Preparations for the night went smoothly.
While Palgap built the campfire, the Escort Guards split into three groups – one went to gather food, another surveyed the area, and the last remained nearby to guard me.
Before long, everything was ready, and we gathered around the fire.
Our destination was Gansu Province.
This time we were traveling on horseback, so we’d chosen the northern route.
We would pass through Shanxi and northern Shaanxi before heading to Lanzhou in Gansu Province. (TL Note: Not a typo. Shanxi [山西] and Shaanxi [陕西] are different places)
Thanks to that, even in the heat of summer, the trip hadn’t felt especially hot.
Ah, well, except for me.
I never felt the heat no matter where I went.
Crackle, crackle.
The sound of sparks popping from the burning wood filled the air.
“It’s ready.”
Palgap held out a fish skewered on a stick. It was cooked just right.
Paired with fire-roasted flatbread, the grilled fish was more than decent.
After finishing my meal, I stared at the campfire for a moment, then spoke.
“Do all of you know why we’re going to Gansu Province this time?”
Palgap answered first.
“Aren’t we going to visit your mother’s family?”
“That’s right. I’m going to see my maternal relatives. But if that were the whole reason, I wouldn’t be asking.”
At my words, everyone’s eyes turned to me.
“The truth is, I received an order from His Majesty the Emperor.”
The real reason I was going to Gansu Province was, of course, top secret. Even so, I still needed to give the people traveling with me some warning.
Sending them into danger without telling them anything, just because their duty was to attend me, would be nothing less than deceiving them.
Besides, they weren’t the kind of men loose-lipped enough to spread confidential information.
“The place we’re headed is Yanzhi Mountain. Blood Staff Star Monk’s Sword Tomb was discovered there.”
At my words, Escort Guard Myeong Jong asked, looking as though something had suddenly clicked in his mind.
“You mean that hero who crushed the Demonic Cult?”
“That’s right.”
“Heavens above…”
Honestly, this was the kind of matter that would make even Escort Guard Myeong Jong let out his Daoist title like a sigh.
Escort Guard Seo Wu spoke with a grave expression.
“This is dangerous. It’s obvious that countless factions will clash there.”
“That’s right. But I have no intention of getting too close.”
What the Emperor had ordered me to do was keep watch, not bring something back from the place.
I intended to carry out that order from as safe a distance as possible.
“Still, if it’s a Sword Tomb, doesn’t that mean there’s got to be something incredible inside? I don’t know who’ll get it, but I’m jealous as hell.”
At Palgap’s words, I let out a quiet chuckle.
There was a reason I hadn’t moved even though I knew about Blood Staff Star Monk’s Sword Tomb on Yanzhi Mountain.
If the rumors about incredible treasures inside were true, I would’ve gone there myself long ago.
That’s right.
There was… nothing there.
–TL Notes–
Tired of seeing Ads? Then please support me on Patreon! Any tier of subscription will make it so you won’t get any ads!
If you want to support me or give me feedback, you can do it at patreon.com/InsanityTheGame
Join my Discord! https://discord.gg/BWaP3AHHpt