At my question, he looked flustered.
“Pardon? W–what do you mean?”
“Didn’t you just say it? ‘Why did it have to be that man from the Murim Alliance’?”
“That…”
He looked deeply troubled.
But my instincts were telling me something.
This was something I absolutely needed to know.
“I just want to avoid doing anything that might upset my uncle. So please.”
At my words, he thought for a moment before speaking.
“Well, Young Master, you’re not the sort to go spreading what I tell you… so I’ll explain.”
After watching Uncle and the man from the Murim Alliance head into the reception hall, we moved somewhere more secluded as well.
“You know about the Dragon-Phoenix Martial Gathering, right?”
“Yes. Of course.”
That was where I became a hero, after all.
“Several decades ago, the Young Clan Lord also competed in the Dragon-Phoenix Martial Gathering. And that was both his first and last time entering it.”
Come to think of it, Mother had told me a little about Uncle before.
“My older brother made it through the preliminaries and joined the ranks of the hundred and eight rising experts. But after that, he never entered the martial gathering again.”
Making it into the hundred and eight meant Uncle’s martial ability at the time had been quite impressive.
After all, placing among the top hundred and eight out of all the children of famous martial figures gathered from across the Empire was no easy feat.
Then again, the realm I sensed from Uncle earlier was Peak.
That put him on par with the Elders of major sects.
The Attendant continued.
“And after the Young Clan Lord returned from the Dragon-Phoenix Martial Gathering, he was deeply disappointed by it. One of the reasons was the man we just saw.”
He cautiously studied my face as he spoke.
“By any chance… do you know what match-fixing is?”
I nodded.
“My goodness! I figured you would. Then this will be easier to explain.”
With a bitter look on his face, he continued.
“That man is called Yeom Gu-seong, a son of the Yeom Family. Back then, he and the Young Clan Lord both made it through the preliminaries, but Yeom Gu-seong did it through match-fixing, and the two of them ended up having a major falling-out over it.”
“Don’t tell me…”
“Yes. You’re thinking exactly right. Back then, the Murim Alliance took Young Lord Yeom Gu-seong’s side, and the Young Clan Lord was forced to apologize to him.”
Now I understood what Mother had meant when she said that.
“The Dragon-Phoenix Martial Gathering is exactly what it sounds like – a tournament for dragons and phoenixes. So don’t even think about entering it…”
“Just live quietly, and if you ever meet someone you love, then as long as he’s not seriously lacking, I’ll persuade Father… so get married and build a happy family… Back then, I honestly didn’t understand what my older brother meant. I thought he was just jealous of me. To be fair, I really was much more talented than he was. But…”
“Now I think I finally understand. My older brother said those things because he was truly worried about me.”
It seemed that filthy tradition of match-fixing had been around for much longer than I’d thought.
I let out a sigh.
“I understand now why my uncle looked so displeased.”
The Murim Alliance taking Yeom Gu-seong’s side meant they had treated the whole matter of match-fixing as though it were nothing.
The Yeom Family was an influential aristocratic family and one with close ties to the Murim Alliance too.
So of course the Murim Alliance had backed them.
Rotten. Completely rotten.
Well, I’d known the Murim Alliance was rotten for a long time already.
.
.
.
I was resting in my room when Palgap came in.
“Young Master! Young Master!”
“What is it? What happened?”
“This is bad!”
“…?”
“They say the Murim Alliance came asking for support this time!”
I frowned and got to my feet.
“They asked for martial support too?”
“That’s right.”
Whew, just as I expected.
Then again, if that hadn’t been the case, there’d have been no reason for someone from the Murim Alliance to come here in person.
“And they asked for supplies too.”
Wow, those thieving bastards.
They’d done nothing for us, but sure knew how to ask for plenty.
“So what are Grandfather and Uncle planning to do?”
“It sounds like they’re going to agree. When it’s the Murim Alliance making the request, how could they refuse?”
“Well… that’s true.”
I fell into thought.
The reason I had come to Gansu Province was to keep an eye on the Embroidered Guard stationed here.
I already needed a reason to head to Yanzhi Mountain without making others suspicious.
The Embroidered Guard was called the Emperor’s sword – it wasn’t some position won in a gamble.
So if I went there under some flimsy excuse, they’d naturally grow suspicious.
And if that happened, I’d definitely be unable to properly carry out the Emperor’s command.
Honestly, the Murim Alliance asking for support was irritating.
But it was also a chance to go to Yanzhi Mountain without arousing anyone’s suspicions.
And since I knew the people who entered the Sword Tomb had suffered heavy casualties, I’d been worried about my mother’s family as well.
Now that things had turned out this way, I might as well make sure they got through it without losses.
That said, did my mother’s family send support in my previous life too?
I couldn’t remember clearly, but I didn’t think they had sent martial artists back then…
Could this be because I sent the Shaolin Temple martial monks back?
After thinking it over for a moment, I suddenly chuckled.
Well, maybe.
But did it matter?
If this was fallout from a future I changed, then I’d just handle that fallout too.
The next morning.
Just as Grandfather had once told Father that he wanted every morning meal shared with family, my mother’s family always ate breakfast together.
After the meal, while we were drinking tea, I said to Grandfather,
“Grandfather. What exactly did the Murim Alliance ask for yesterday?”
“Hm?”
“Did they ask for both manpower and supplies?”
At my words, Grandfather and Uncle both looked at me with mild surprise.
“What makes you think that?”
“As Uncle said yesterday, the Sword Tomb was discovered on Yanzhi Mountain not long ago. It would be hard for the Murim Alliance main branch to dispatch a large number of people and send supplies all the way here, so of course they’d ask nearby martial families and sects for help.”
“…”
After a brief silence, Uncle nodded.
“You’re right. The Murim Alliance asked us to provide twenty martial artists and food supplies.”
“I thought so.”
“Hah… it’s infuriating how they say it like they’re just collecting something we already owed them… but I don’t have the confidence to deal with the backlash that would come from refusing.”
The faint smile at the corner of Uncle’s mouth looked strangely bitter.
“Anyway, I was thinking of sending Min Yu, who’s currently in closed-door training, along with the martial artists.”
“…!”
Come to think of it, Mother did have a younger brother, but I’d barely ever seen his face.
Only a few times when I was little.
If I remembered right, several years later, he died after suffering Qi Deviation during closed-door training.
That was how obsessed he was with martial arts.
I shook my head and said,
“There’s no need to interrupt the closed-door training of someone who entered it for a reason like this.”
“What do you mean by that?”
“I’ll go.”
At my words, Grandfather immediately shook his head, his face full of concern.
“No. Absolutely not. That place is extremely dangerous. If something were to happen to you there, I’d have no face left to show your father and mother.”
“You don’t need to worry about that. I’m more than capable of protecting myself.”
“Hm?”
“You haven’t forgotten whose son I am, have you? I’m the son of a daughter of the great Yeongseon Min Family, and a woman once known as the Graceful Flow Sword.”
“But that place is crawling with first-rate warriors and above.”
“I know.”
They were worrying too much about me… Ah!
They didn’t actually know much about me, did they?
Well, considering what had happened to Uncle, maybe they had chosen to stop paying attention to anything involving the Murim Alliance after that.
And Lanzhou was far removed from the Murim Alliance’s sphere to begin with.
“Have you ever heard of the Handsome Young Hero?”
To think I’d actually have to say that title with my own mouth.
Just as expected, the two of them either shook their heads or looked puzzled.
“Then ask around about someone called the Handsome Young Hero. Once you do, you’ll understand why I’m saying so confidently that I can go there.”
After ending the conversation like that, I returned to my quarters.
Then, while I was passing the time reading, Uncle hurried in to see me.
“I–is that really true?”
“What are you referring to?”
“That you’re the Handsome Young Hero.”
“Yes.”
I nodded.
“It’s embarrassing, but I earned that title a few years ago.”
Uncle furrowed his brow and carefully asked,
“Then… what I said earlier…”
Ah, he meant what he had said about the Murim Alliance this morning.
Since the Murim Alliance had built me up as a hero, he seemed to think I was close to them.
“Oh, that? Honestly, I agree with you.”
“Hm?”
“At least within the martial world they get treated with some restraint, but do you have any idea how aggravating merchants find them?”
“Huh?”
I’d launched straight into criticizing the Murim Alliance, and Uncle looked completely caught off guard.
But this was the best way to put his mind at ease.
“To be honest, I may have ended up with the title Handsome Young Hero, but that title already existed before me. And the only reason I was hailed as a hero was because the Murim Alliance wanted to cover up their own mistake.”
“Mm…”
“And when I stepped in back then, it wasn’t to show off my martial arts. It was to save my parents. No child would just stand by and watch while danger closed in on their parents. If I had the ability to act, how could I possibly sit back and do nothing?”
“That’s true.”
I continued calmly persuading him.
“It’s not a title I wanted, but it will still help in this matter. Even at Yanzhi Mountain, it’ll let my voice carry some weight.”
At that, Uncle nodded in agreement.
“That part is certainly true.”
In any organization, those with weak influence had no voice, and that always led straight to losses.
And that was probably what Uncle had been worried about too.
“I’ll speak to my father.”
The next morning.
After breakfast, while we were drinking tea, Grandfather said to me,
“Seo-ho.”
“Yes, Grandfather.”
“I’m sorry. Far from helping my grandson, I’ve only gone and become a burden…”
So it had been decided that I would go.
Smiling, I shook my head.
“Grandfather, why would you think that? I’m the one who’s happy I can finally help you.”
“To hear you say that, I…”
Grandfather burst into tears, and I hurriedly held out a handkerchief in a panic.
“Really, Grandfather… if your grandson has grown capable enough to help you with something like this, shouldn’t you be happy?”
“Yes, yes. I should.”
It seemed his tears had come from a sudden rush of emotions – his own sense of inadequacy, his guilt toward me, and everything else mixed together.
I quietly glanced around.
Now that they knew I was that famous Handsome Young Hero, my mother’s family was looking at me with open admiration in their eyes.
They really were a family of martial artists through and through.
They valued high martial skill more than wealth, after all.
“I’ll make sure I don’t bring shame to the Yeongseon Min Family’s name.”
“How could you possibly do anything but well? I’m not worried.”
After tea, I was introduced to the martial artists who would be going with me.
There were twenty of them in total.
They were members of the Raging Wind Squad, one of the Yeongseon Min Family’s martial forces.
If a mid-sized family took losses among this many people… it would take a long time to recover.
No matter what, I had to bring them back without casualties.
“It’s a pleasure to meet you. I’m Eun Seo-ho, Deputy Merchant Lord of the Eunhae Merchant Group and Clan Lord’s grandson.”
“It’s an honor to meet the Handsome Young Hero.”
They had apparently heard about me too, because every one of them looked deeply moved.
Embarrassed, I quietly shot Uncle a look.
“Ahem.”
Judging by this reaction, Uncle was the one who had spread the word.
“I may be the one leading you all, but I still have many shortcomings. So I ask for your support.”
After we exchanged greetings, we moved on to discussing this support mission.
We needed to establish the basic policy our group would follow.
“If the opportunity arises, I believe we should enter the Sword Tomb as well and obtain the treasures inside.”
At one martial artist’s suggestion, I nodded.
“I agree.”
The moment I supported his view, his face brightened. But my agreement was only the beginning of my rebuttal.
“However, I have no intention of deliberately taking risks.”
“Why do you think it’ll be dangerous? It’s Master Blood Staff Star Monk’s Sword Tomb. Since it belongs to someone who understood the Buddhist path, there shouldn’t be any particular danger.”
Yes, that was the normal way people thought.
Which was exactly why they had entered so carelessly back then and suffered even greater losses.
I brought up the reason I had already prepared.
“It may be a Sword Tomb, but it’s still an old structure. There’s always a risk of collapse, so we need to be cautious.”
I continued,
“No matter that I’ve reached Peak, I can’t protect every one of you. More than half the people here would likely die.”
“…”
Then I said firmly,
“Throw away your lives for something when we don’t even know what it is? Is there any reason for that? To me, your lives matter far more than some treasure.”
At my words, the martial artists looked deeply moved.
Persuasion complete.
–TL Notes–
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