There was a saying passed around among those who traveled with escort caravans and merchant convoys.
When a beast was with its cub, never lay a hand on the cub first.
A beast that watched its young die would come for revenge even after death, even if it had to return as a vengeful spirit.
And if even beasts were like that, how could a person’s grudge be any weaker than an animal’s?
Was it fine because Young Master Yu-jin hadn’t actually died?
Even if Young Master Yu-jin had survived, they had seen him nearly die right before their eyes.
That was no different from watching him die.
First, I needed to calm Deputy Merchant Lord Seong Cheong-min down.
“Are you all right?”
“Ah, yes.”
I loosened the cloth wrapped around his neck and said,
“Shouldn’t we bind this man and use him as a witness?”
“Ah! You’re right.”
Together with Escort Guard Jin Yu, I subdued the masked man, bound him, and gagged him.
“By the way, do you recognize him?”
“He’s my younger brother Jun-min’s escort guard. If he coveted the Merchant Lord position, he should have competed for it honorably. How could he use such a vile trick?”
“You know better than most that the world is full of vile people, don’t you?”
“Of course. But… I never thought one of them would be my own brother.”
His face looked unbearably bitter as he said it.
.
.
.
Since there was no longer any need to continue the search, Deputy Merchant Lord Seong gathered the men and headed for Chengdu.
However, he did not go to the Myeongmyeong Merchant Group. He went first to the Eunhae Merchant Group’s Sichuan Branch.
“You’ve arrived?”
The guard at the gate greeted me.
“These two are the Deputy Merchant Lord and his wife from the Myeongmyeong Merchant Group.”
“Ah! I see. Please come inside.”
We went in. After hearing the bell, Uncle came out and welcomed us.
“You’re back?”
“Yes, Uncle. I’ve returned.”
“I was wondering what had happened, since you ran out in such a hurry earlier.”
It seemed Brother Jeong-ho hadn’t told Uncle about what happened.
Well, that made sense. It was something that had to be handled very carefully.
When Uncle turned his head, he was startled.
“No! Who do we have here? Aren’t you the Deputy Merchant Lord and his wife from the Myeongmyeong Merchant Group?”
“That is correct. I meet you at last. I heard my son is currently in your care.”
“Ah, you mean Young Master Yu-jin.”
“Yes. Thank you for taking good care of my son.”
“Please don’t say that. Thanks to Young Master Yu-jin, we’ve had much more to smile about lately.”
“Is that so?”
“At my age, even just seeing children is enough to make me smile. Haha.”
Come to think of it, Uncle Dae-seok was already married and even had a child.
Cousin Chung-seok was about to be married.
Since Cousin Hyang-ok was an Emei Sect disciple, marriage was already out of the question for her.
As for Ryeo-ok…
Just then, Brother Jeong-ho and Young Master Yu-jin came out.
Seeing how they rushed over in a fluster, they must have heard that we had arrived.
“Father! Mother!”
Young Master Yu-jin cried out with all his might and ran toward Deputy Merchant Lord Seong Cheong-min and his wife.
“Yu-jin!”
Young Master Yu-jin ran straight into his father and mother’s arms.
He had been acting so mature all this time, but he was still only ten years old.
How badly must he have missed his parents?
Deputy Merchant Lord Seong Cheong-min, his wife, and Young Master Seong Yu-jin clung to one another and sobbed loudly as they were finally reunited.
At the sight, Brother Jeong-ho’s eyes reddened.
He must have thought of his own family at the Eunhae Merchant Group headquarters. After all, his family was there, desperately hoping for his safe return.
A little while later, Deputy Merchant Lord Seong Cheong-min calmed himself, rose to his feet, and bowed to Brother Jeong-ho with a fist salute.
“Thank you for saving my son. Thanks to you, my son is safe. And yet, because of him, you suffered such hardship… I’m sorry, and I’m truly grateful.”
“Please don’t say that. It was my choice. And if a child is about to fall into the water right in front of me, how could I just stand by and do nothing?”
Deputy Merchant Lord Seong Cheong-min looked deeply moved by those words, but soon his expression turned serious.
“In my heart, I want to take Yu-jin with me right now. But he doesn’t seem ready for that yet. So I earnestly ask the Branch Chief and Deputy Merchant Lord Eun to protect him for just a little longer.”
That was something he had already discussed with me before we came here.
“Of course.”
“I will do everything in my power.”
Then Deputy Merchant Lord Seong Cheong-min bent down, looked Yu-jin in the eye, and said,
“Wait for me just a little longer. Your father will make our home safe, no matter what, and then I’ll come back for you.”
“Yes, Father. I’ll wait.”
He rose again and turned toward the Myeongmyeong Merchant Group. His eyes were nothing like before. They were only cold.
After Deputy Merchant Lord Seong Cheong-min’s group left, Escort Guard Jeon Woo-jin approached Brother Jeong-ho.
“My lord, you’re alive… I’m truly grateful.”
He dropped flat to the ground right there.
“Had you died, I would have followed you.”
The moment Escort Guard Jeon Woo-jin finished speaking, tears began to fall one by one, darkening the dirt beneath him.
“So please…”
I could guess what Escort Guard Jeon Woo-jin wanted to say next.
Even if it was selfish, he wanted Brother Jeong-ho to think of his own survival…
To take care of himself first.
That was probably what he wanted to say.
But because Young Master Yu-jin was here, he couldn’t bring himself to finish. He could only weep.
Thud.
Brother Jeong-ho knelt in front of him.
“…!”
It was something no one had expected, and Escort Guard Jeon Woo-jin was taken aback.
“I’m sorry.”
“M-My lord.”
“I’m truly sorry. For worrying you, and for hurting you. I’m so very sorry.”
“Please get up! Why are you doing this?”
“But… if the same thing ever happens again, I’ll still make the same choice.”
Brother Jeong-ho was now calmly and proudly declaring his conviction.
“I am the Deputy Merchant Lord of the Eunhae Merchant Group. And one day, I will become its Merchant Lord.”
Brother looked at me, and I nodded.
“The Eunhae Merchant Group values trust above all else. But how could I ever ask people to trust someone who turns away from another person’s crisis right before his eyes?”
Brother looked at Escort Guard Jeon Woo-jin.
“So please, understand that.”
Escort Guard Jeon Woo-jin nodded.
“That is the kind of man you are, my lord. For a moment, I almost forgot that is precisely why I swore to serve you with my life.”
He continued,
“I, Jeon Woo-jin, ask for permission to walk the path you walk, my lord.”
“You began walking it with me the moment I chose you as my escort.”
“Khk! My lord…”
I cleared my throat.
“Ahem. I get that this is a touching moment and all… but how long are you two going to stay like that?”
“Huh?”
“I’m hungry. Aren’t we going to eat?”
At my words, Brother Jeong-ho quickly rose to his feet and said with a soft laugh,
“Ah, sorry. I got carried away.”
In any case, perhaps because he had felt Brother Jeong-ho’s sincerity, Young Master Yu-jin’s face looked much more at ease.
He must have realized that Brother Jeong-ho had saved him because of his sense of righteousness.
And that Brother Jeong-ho did not resent him.
We each went to our quarters, washed, and changed our clothes.
Then we ate lunch together.
The Sichuan region was an extremely bountiful land.
Most of the empire was struggling because of the ongoing poor harvests, but things weren’t that bad here.
Grain was no longer overflowing the way it had a few years ago, but at least there were almost no deaths from starvation.
After lunch, I went to see Escort Guard Jeon Woo-jin. He was beside Brother Jeong-ho.
And conveniently, there was no one else around.
“Congratulations on returning to your rightful place.”
At my words, Escort Guard Jeon Woo-jin gave me a fist salute.
“I heard everything from my lord. Had the Third Deputy Merchant Lord not helped him at the right moment, none of this would have been possible. I truly thank you.”
“No need. He’s my brother.”
I grinned.
“By the way, have you noticed anything different?”
“Pardon? What do you mean?”
Looks like he hasn’t realized it yet.
“I mean Brother Jeong-ho’s Qi. Something should feel different.”
He tilted his head at my words, then turned to Brother Jeong-ho.
“Forgive me. May I see your wrist for a moment?”
Brother Jeong-ho obediently held out his hand, and Escort Guard Jeon Woo-jin took his wrist and closed his eyes.
“…!”
A moment later, his eyes flew open in shock.
“H-How… how did this happen…?”
Escort Guard Jeon Woo-jin was a Peak martial artist. Naturally, he was quick to notice the change in Brother Jeong-ho.
“How did my lord’s inner Qi suddenly increase this much? It has more than doubled.”
“Well, apparently what I ate to keep from starving to death was an Elixir.”
I cut in at the right moment.
“Brother Jeong-ho ate a mushroom called a Hundred-Year Purple Spirit Mushroom. That increased his inner Qi. The same is true for Young Master Yu-jin.”
I continued,
“I suppose this is what people call a blessing in disguise.”
“Hah, to think such a fortuitous encounter…”
“I think it will take some time before the Myeongmyeong Merchant Group comes to retrieve Young Master Yu-jin. And as far as I know, inner Qi gained through an Elixir has to be adjusted to the body quickly, or it can cause problems.”
“That is correct.”
Escort Guard Jeon Woo-jin agreed with me.
“Isn’t the best way to make the body adapt to a sudden increase in inner Qi to move it? So I’ll be counting on you.”
At my words, Escort Guard Jeon Woo-jin thought for a moment, then nodded.
“That is naturally my duty.”
I turned my head and looked at Team Leader Do. Right now, he had been accompanying Young Master Yu-jin as his escort.
“Does the Myeongmyeong Merchant Group have any martial arts they teach separately?”
At my question, he shook his head.
“No. And the Merchant Lord’s family members have not learned martial arts separately either.”
“In that case, would Team Leader Do teach Young Master Yu-jin martial arts?”
“Me?”
He looked startled. I nodded.
“Yes. To learn martial arts properly from now on, he’ll need someone who can stay by his side continuously. That’s not something we can do, is it?”
“That is true, but…”
“And with your level of skill, Team Leader Do, you should be more than qualified to guide the young lord.”
Young Master Yu-jin was learning martial arts for the first time, while Team Leader Do was a martial artist who had almost reached the end of First-rate.
That was when Young Master Yu-jin asked,
“If I learn martial arts, can I protect my parents and the merchant group?”
It was an unexpected question.
He was only ten years old, so I hadn’t thought he would ask something like that.
But he had already tasted bitterness that most ordinary people would never experience. It wouldn’t be right to treat this like an ordinary situation.
And I could also guess why he had asked.
I smiled and said,
“Yes. That’s right. If you learn martial arts, you’ll become stronger. And the stronger you are, the easier it becomes to protect what you want to protect.”
“Then I want to learn martial arts.”
Then he gave Team Leader Do a fist salute.
“I will take you as my master.”
“Y-Young Master…”
“I must become strong. That way, I can protect my parents and the merchant group. Please accept me as your disciple.”
At his words, Team Leader Do returned the fist salute and expressed his gratitude.
“Since you trust me with this, I will give you everything I have.”
I placed my hand on Young Master Yu-jin’s head.
“But, Young Lord, there is one thing you must never forget.”
“Yes? What is it?”
“Whether you’re trying to protect someone or avenge someone, you must never grow impatient. Impatience will only eat away at you.”
Then I turned my head toward Brother and asked,
“You feel the same way, right, Brother?”
“I do. Impatience only turns into poison. So, Yu-jin.”
“Yes, Uncle.”
“Promise me. Promise you’ll never be impatient.”
At those words, Young Master Yu-jin nodded.
“Yes. I won’t be impatient. I promise.”
“Thank you for promising me.”
Then Escort Guard Jeon Woo-jin spoke.
“Then, my lord, we will begin your adaptation training. First… we’ll start with the Eunpoong Division’s basic physical training…”
“The Three Great Basic Trainings?”
“Yes.”
Brother Jeong-ho’s face twisted.
And for good reason. When he had been learning martial arts from External Chief Administrator Go Il-pyeong before, he had done those every single day.
Running, push-ups, and holding the horse stance for a long time.
And he had to do it for two hours.
I had done it myself, so I knew how hard it was, but what could I do?
This was all for Brother’s health and long life.
The Myeongmyeong Merchant Group.
News reached the Merchant Lord’s fourth son, Seong Jun-min.
“T-This is terrible! Song Pyeong, the man we entrusted with the job, failed and was captured!”
“What? That idiotic bastard! If he was going to fail, he should have killed himself!”
He had failed to kill his older brother, Seong Cheong-min, and he had also failed to kill his nephew, Seong Yu-jin.
It had only been a few days since he learned that Seong Yu-jin had miraculously survived and was currently at the Eunhae Merchant Group’s Sichuan Branch.
And today, Seong Cheong-min had returned.
But there had been an unexpected person among his party.
Seong Jun-min’s own escort guard.
If that man testified that Seong Jun-min had ordered him to do it, he would be driven into a corner.
But that did not matter.
There were any number of ways to overturn testimony like that.
The problem was his eldest brother.
He had no way of knowing what the current Deputy Merchant Lord, Seong Cheong-min, would do.
He knew all too well how terrifying Seong Cheong-min could become once angered.
That was why he had resorted to such a vile method in the first place. Otherwise, there was no way he could defeat Seong Cheong-min.
To calm the tightness in his chest, he picked up the teapot a maid had just brought in.
A note lay beneath it.
“…!”
It was a note from them.
[Make sure he is eliminated.]
He crumpled the note tightly in his fist and asked his confidant,
“You said Yu-jin is at the Eunhae Merchant Group’s Sichuan Branch right now.”
“That is correct.”
“Get rid of him.”
In truth, the reason he had tried to kill Seong Yu-jin was partly to shake his brother and create an opening.
But killing Seong Yu-jin was also an objective in itself.
Because Seong Yu-jin had seen something he should never have seen.
–TL Notes–
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