At that Escort Guard’s words, Father asked urgently.
“Something happened? What do you mean, something happened?”
“A messenger from the Myeongmyeong Merchant Group is here right now. I believe you will only know for certain once you personally check the letter he brought. He said it was extremely urgent.”
I told Palgap to guide the Yungang Man Clan father and son back to their quarters, then hurried toward Silver Dragon Pavilion with Father.
Someone was standing in front of Father’s office.
Judging by his clothes, he seemed to be the messenger from the Myeongmyeong Merchant Group.
“Are you the Merchant Lord of the Eunhae Merchant Group?”
“I am.”
“My name is Do Gyeong, First Team Leader of the Myeonghwi Division under the Myeongmyeong Merchant Group. I have brought a letter sent by our Merchant Lord.”
“Let us speak inside.”
“Yes, sir.”
We entered the office, and Team Leader Do followed us in as well.
Then he held out a scroll, and Father took it and began reading.
From the way Father’s expression changed by the moment, I could tell something serious had happened.
“Hoo…”
Father set the letter down on the table, sat in his chair, and rubbed his face with both hands.
“Father, what happened?”
“Hoo. You should read it too.”
“Yes, Father.”
I picked up the letter and opened it.
“…!”
[Seong Woo-shin, Merchant Lord of the Myeongmyeong Merchant Group, sends his regards to the Merchant Lord of the Eunhae Merchant Group. First, I must apologize for having to deliver such unfortunate news.]
The letter began with a polite apology.
And then it told us about Brother Jeong-ho.
[Deputy Merchant Lord Eun Jeong-ho of your esteemed the Eunhae Merchant Group has gone missing…]
Missing?
He was missing?
The letter explained what had happened.
It had taken place in Chengdu, the capital of Sichuan and the city where the Myeongmyeong Merchant Group was based.
The incident occurred while they were traveling upstream along the Min River toward Chengdu.
At the time, the river had been raging with strong rapids, and the Myeongmyeong Merchant Lord’s grandson had apparently been fooling around when he fell off the boat.
Brother Jeong-ho, who happened to be nearby, tried to grab the child, only to fall into the river with him.
The two were swept away by the current, and while the Myeongmyeong Merchant Group had dispatched search parties, they still had not found them.
Thud.
I put the letter down.
Normally, if someone got swept away by rapids, they died. It was even hard to find the body.
In other words, the chances that Brother Jeong-ho was still alive were extremely slim.
Damn it!
Father spoke in a trembling voice.
“I have to go to Sichuan. Even his body… Hoo, we have to at least try to find his body.”
The look on Father’s face was unbearably pained.
I was in pain too.
And it hurt even more because I knew this feeling. I had felt it in my previous life, right before I died.
Ha! What is this? What kind of messed-up situation is this supposed to be?!
“Deputy Im, please guide Team Leader Do and the others who came with him to their accommodations.”
“Yes, sir.”
“And Deputy Yu, make preparations for the trip to Sichuan.”
“Understood.”
I returned to my separate residence.
Because there was nothing I could do there.
Still, Sichuan…
Father had so much work he needed to do.
But how could I stop a father who wanted to find even his son’s body…?
“What in the world happened, Young Master? What could have happened for you to be wearing such a terrifying face?”
Palgap, who had taken the Yungang Man Clan father and son to their accommodations and then come to my residence, was startled when he saw my face and asked.
“Hoo, you see…”
“Yes.”
“Brother Jeong-ho… has gone missing.”
“What?”
“He was swept away by rapids. But you know, don’t you? How dangerous the Min River rapids in Sichuan are. If he got caught in those rapids…”
I couldn’t continue.
I had thought that if something happened because of the future I had changed, then I could simply fix it myself…
“Then has Young Master Jeong-ho truly passed away for certain?”
“We don’t know yet. But…”
“Young Master. I understand that your heart is in pain right now. But sitting here with your shoulders slumped like this isn’t like you.”
“Hm?”
“He hasn’t been confirmed dead yet, has he? And the Young Master I know is someone who finds a way out no matter what kind of crisis he’s thrown into.”
But right now, in this situation, what could I possibly do?
“Why not at least take a few deep breaths?”
At Palgap’s words, I closed my eyes and repeatedly breathed in deeply, then exhaled.
The emotions that had been thrown into chaos slowly settled, and I began sensing what was around me.
The snowy weather.
The humidity.
The wind.
And the surrounding sounds.
From outside came Escort Guard Lee Pil and Lady Seohyang’s voices.
“Huh? Deputy Gwak. What are you doing?”
“Preparing for a business trip.”
“Is that so? Then we should prepare as well.”
In that instant, my mind snapped awake.
Lady Seohyang had Ice Crystal Eyes, which meant she could see the future. If she was saying that…
I said to Palgap.
“We’re going to Georyang Hall right now!”
“Now you finally look like yourself, Young Master.”
I used Lightness Skill and headed for Georyang Hall.
Perhaps they had already heard the news, because everyone at Georyang Hall, including my eldest sister-in-law, wore dark expressions.
“Ah, Young Master Seo-ho.”
My eldest sister-in-law’s eyes brimmed with tears when she saw me.
“My husband…”
“I know too. More importantly, I need something Brother used. Anything light would do, but something with his scent strongly left on it would be best.”
“Pardon?”
My eldest sister-in-law asked back, but perhaps because my expression looked so serious, she soon moved and brought something over.
“This is one of his undershirts.”
“Thank you.”
I took it, returned to my separate residence, and called Geumryeong.
“Geumryeong!”
“Kui!”
“This is Brother Jeong-ho’s clothing. Find where Brother Jeong-ho is!”
“Kui!”
“And…”
I tied a letter to Geumryeong’s tail and asked.
“If Brother Jeong-ho is alive, deliver this letter to him.”
“Kui!”
“Move as fast as you possibly can! I’ll give you a Gold Tael.”
I offered Geumryeong the highest reward, and Geumryeong vanished from before my eyes in an instant.
Then I turned my head and looked at Palgap.
“Palgap.”
“Yes?”
“Thank you.”
At my words, Palgap looked into the air, as if embarrassed.
Hoo. Because the one missing was Brother Jeong-ho of all people, I had almost lost my reason again.
Last time, it had been because of Brother Jin-ho.
And at that moment, Palgap’s advice had helped me greatly.
Still, the situation was far better than when Brother Jin-ho had been trapped inside No-Exit Mountain and gone missing.
Because I had all the things I had desperately struggled to build until now.
Right. Just like Palgap said, sitting around and digging myself into a hole didn’t suit me.
I was the kind of bastard who struggled until the very last moment.
I spent the entire night wide awake. Then, when dawn finally began to break.
“Kui.”
Geumryeong came in through the window I had left open.
I quickly caught Geumryeong with both hands and looked at its tail. The letter on its tail… was gone.
Which meant.
“Kui! Ku! Kuiik!”
“Brother Jeong-ho and the child are alive, right? And you delivered the letter, right?”
“Kui!”
“Thank you. Thank you so much.”
At the news Geumryeong had brought, the tension drained from me and tears welled up in my eyes.
“Kuiik! Kuiik! Kuiik!”
But Geumryeong was not finished.
“What? He’s injured? And he’s very exhausted and worn out right now?”
Well, in a way, that was only natural.
If he had been swept away by rapids, the fact that he was alive at all was a miracle.
But there was no time to sit here like this.
I had to rescue Brother Jeong-ho and the child as quickly as possible.
So…
“Geumryeong. Will you deliver something I give you to Brother Jeong-ho?”
“Kui.”
“Still, this is a problem. Without you, I can’t find Brother Jeong-ho… but you can’t guide me and protect Brother Jeong-ho at the same time.”
It would be nice if I had an Artifact that could do something like that.
That was when Geumryeong spoke.
“Kui!”
“Hm? Don’t worry?”
“Kui! Kui!”
“You made a subordinate on your way to Brother Jeong-ho?”
Really, at times like this, it was almost divinely mysterious.
I didn’t know exactly what that meant, but if Geumryeong said so, then it must be true.
I immediately sent Geumryeong off with a small bottle containing Geumryeong’s saliva and a box containing pills good for restoring strength.
Then I hurried to Silver Dragon Pavilion.
It was extremely early, but if my guess was right, Father would be in his office.
.
.
.
“Is Father inside?”
I knew he was inside, but I asked out of courtesy.
Deputy Jo, who was just coming out, nodded.
“Ah, yes.”
“Any guests?”
“No, sir.”
“Father! It’s me, Seo-ho.”
I shouted loudly, opened the door, and went inside.
Father asked me with a dark expression.
“What is it?”
“Father! I’ll go to Sichuan.”
“Hm?”
“Brother is still alive!”
Father stared blankly, as though he couldn’t understand what I had just said, and then his eyes went wide.
“I-Is that true? Jeong-ho is alive?”
“Yes! I confirmed it through Geumryeong.”
I continued.
“As you know, Geumryeong’s master is me. That is why I have to go.”
At my words, Father let out a relieved sigh, then nodded.
“Very well. I am counting on you.”
“Of course. Brother Jeong-ho is Father’s son, but he is also my brother.”
Now came the important part.
We quickly finished preparations to leave for Sichuan, and everything was ready before lunch.
After we ate a simple lunch, we headed to the Carriage Yard to depart.
“Young Master Seo-ho.”
Perhaps to see us off, my eldest sister-in-law was standing there with Geon-hyeok and Bo-yeon.
“Why did you come all the way out here? The wind is cold.”
“But when you are going through hardship to save my husband, how could I not come out to see you off?”
I looked at my eldest sister-in-law, then lowered my gaze.
Six-year-old Geon-hyeok and Bo-yeon.
They were still young, but the two bright children seemed to have already realized that something had happened to their father.
“Uncle. You have to come back with Father, no matter what.”
“I will.”
“Uncle. Please.”
“Don’t worry.”
I smiled gently, then crouched down, met their eyes, and said.
“I promise.”
Then I rose again and bowed to Grandfather and my parents, who were standing behind them.
“I’ll be back.”
Then I mounted my horse.
Because we had to move quickly, only my party and I decided to go.
There was no faster way to travel than riding River-Crossing Horses.
And when it came to martial force, there was no need to worry with me and my Escort Guards there.
That was also why we could finish preparations in half a day. We were all far too used to getting ready for trips.
Team Leader Do Gyeong of the Myeonghwi Division from the Myeongmyeong Merchant Group traveled with us, while the people who had come with him would make their way separately to the Myeongmyeong Merchant Group.
After all, we needed at least one person who knew the current situation well and could cooperate with us.
Of course, the Eunhae Merchant Group had a Sichuan Branch in Chengdu.
But it could not wield as much influence as the Myeongmyeong Merchant Group.
Once we had moved some distance away from the civilian homes, I said to the River-Crossing Horse.
“Let’s go!”
“Neeeigh!”
The River-Crossing Horse let out one loud cry, then increased its speed in an instant.
The surrounding scenery vanished behind us in the blink of an eye.
“H-Huuuh! Uuurgh!”
Team Leader Do, who was riding together with Escort Guard Seo Wu, was terrified by the speed, but those of us who had already grown used to it charged on without hesitation.
Even Lady Seohyang did not fall behind our pace.
The Yangtze River lay in our path, but it did not become an obstacle to us.
After all, the River-Crossing Horses could run across rivers.
And just like that, we reached eastern Sichuan in two days.
“S-Sichuan in just two days…”
Team Leader Do wore an expression of disbelief. I sent a Voice Transmission to Geumryeong.
– Guide me to where Brother Jeong-ho is.
– Kui!
Geumryeong began guiding the way.
Eastern Sichuan was a region full of basins and hills.
We quickly made our way through the rough terrain.
How much time had passed?
That was when Escort Guard Seo Wu said with a worried expression.
“My lord, I believe it will begin pouring soon.”
“Then we need to hurry.”
We kept riding without rest, and just as Escort Guard Seo Wu had said, the rain began falling.
Shwaaaaa–!
But we did not stop our horses.
Even if this was Sichuan, getting caught in winter rain would lower one’s body temperature and put one’s life at risk.
Especially when there was a child involved.
That was when I sensed a familiar presence in the distance.
It was Brother Jeong-ho.
We pushed the horses even harder, and soon I saw Brother Jeong-ho and a young child leaning against a tree.
“Brother!”
I jumped down from my horse and shouted as I ran toward Brother Jeong-ho.
But something was strange.
After suffering from dehydration for such a long time, his complexion should have been pale…
The things I had given him were effective, sure, but not to this extent.
“Brother, it’s me. Seo-ho.”
His complexion looked good, but he was unconscious.
The child beside him was the same.
And of all times, it had to be raining…
“Ah, damn it! Seriously!”
I took a deep breath, then swung both hands at Brother Jeong-ho in rapid succession.
Slaaap–! Slaaap! Slap–!
“…!”
Brother Jeong-ho, who had suddenly been slapped by me, was startled awake and opened his eyes.
“Huuuh!”
“Brother Jeong-ho? Are you awake?”
“…”
“Do I need to hit you more?”
“N-No! I’m awake! I’m awake, I said!”
He should have just woken up sooner.
“Thank goodness! Thank goodness you’re alive!”
Brother Jeong-ho looked at me and said.
“You really came to find me, just like you promised in the letter.”
“Of course I did! I always keep my promises. Hurry and get up. Let’s go home.”
“We should.”
Brother Jeong-ho planted his hand on the ground and pushed himself up.
Perhaps because of the commotion, the child also woke and rubbed his eyes, then looked at us with fear.
“It’s all right. He’s my younger brother.”
“The handsome brother?”
“That’s right. Now let’s go home.”
Then Brother Jeong-ho helped the child to his feet.
This child must be the Myeongmyeong Merchant Lord’s grandson.
“But… did you have some kind of grudge against me? That hurt.”
“Good. I’m glad you know.”
“…Sorry.”
But something still felt strange.
If I had hit him that hard, both of Brother’s cheeks should have been swollen.
And Brother’s Qi felt different from before.
In this situation, the most likely possibility was…
No way.
“Brother. What exactly did you pick up and eat?”
–TL Notes–
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