They left the merchant group.
Just when they were feeling lost about what to do next, a young man named Eun Seo-ho came to them.
That young master made them an offer.
He asked if they’d like to make a fresh start somewhere else.
They found him audacious.
The very fact that he dared make such an offer to them was bold.
“You’ve already fulfilled your duty to the former Merchant Lord. That alone would be enough for him to understand. Isn’t it time you started thinking about your own future?”
They’d spent years working in the merchant group and prided themselves on their ability to judge people.
They quickly realized this young master was no ordinary person, which made them hesitate and weigh the offer carefully.
In truth, the new Merchant Lord of the Nokok Merchant Group didn’t stop at just expelling them—he even grew resentful of them staying in Yang Province.
He started pressuring them with all sorts of petty pretexts, and they had reached their limit just when that proposal came.
It was tempting.
But one couldn’t judge a person based on appearance alone.
So they reached out through their network to find out more about this Eun Seo-ho.
And then they heard something interesting.
That Eun Seo-ho was closely connected to the Zhuge Clan and had the trust of both the Grand Elder and the Clan Lord.
The Zhuge Clan, of all places!
To those living in western Hubei, they were a spiritual anchor.
And this young master was said to be tied to them.
What’s more, as merchants who had been active in Yang Province for over thirty years, they knew something else.
The Zhuge Clan was not the kind of place to take people lightly.
So the moment they confirmed those rumors were true, they accepted his proposal.
They quickly hired an escort bureau and traveled here.
The escort chief understood their circumstances.
And since he owed them a few favors himself, he did everything he could to protect them on the road and repay their past kindness.
“Still, don’t give up.”
“Thank you. Take care of yourself.”
“Thank you for everything.”
“Watch your health. Your body’s your livelihood, after all.”
“Yes, thank you. Safe travels.”
With that, the escort chief and his guards departed, leaving the group standing before the magistrate’s office, letting out a collective sigh.
“So… is this really the place?”
At someone’s question, Yang Jin-su, the leader of the group, nodded.
“No mistake.”
“He said to wait here, and that someone would come within the half-hour.”
“But why meet in front of the magistrate’s office, of all places…”
They waited about half an hour when—
“Excuse me, are you Master Yang Jin-su from the Yang Province?”
They turned toward the voice and saw a burly man standing before them.
“And you are?”
“I was sent to escort you.”
But Yang Jin-su sensed something dangerous about him.
A merchant’s instinct honed through years of dealing with all sorts of people told him this man wasn’t right.
So Yang Jin-su asked him,
“Who sent you?”
“…I can’t say.”
“If someone wishes to meet us, tell them to come in person.”
“He’s a busy man.”
“No. We won’t go anywhere until he comes himself.”
An argument followed.
“He’s extremely busy. There’s no time for this.”
“Ha! I said he needs to come himself.”
“If you keep this up, he may not give you what he promised.”
As he said this, he subtly revealed his sword.
Feeling the pressure, the group stepped back in alarm and began to move toward the magistrate’s office.
Seeing this, the burly man warned them,
“You really want to do this the hard way?”
“…”
“If you don’t come quietly, I can’t guarantee your safety.”
This man not only knew they were from Yang Province—he even knew their names.
If someone had predicted their arrival here and intended them harm, there was only one possible culprit.
They needed confirmation.
“…Who sent you?”
“Why ask again? Learning the truth will only make you miserable.”
“I said, who sent you?”
And at that moment—
“Huh? That guy… he’s the same one we saw earlier, isn’t he?”
At the sudden voice, they turned and saw a familiar face.
Eun Seo-ho.
Behind him, a line of people bound in ropes were being marched away by constables.
At Eun Seo-ho’s shout, those tied up turned and shouted at the burly man.
“Huh? Hey! That bastard!”
“He’s one of them!”
“What?”
“Arrest that man!”
Just like that, the situation was resolved in an instant.
I brought Master Yang Jin-su and the others from Yang Province to the Ghost-faced Constable’s general store.
The old man was enjoying a lunch of dumplings.
Seeing him made me even hungrier.
“This way.”
I led them to a fairly spacious area in the underground floor.
I planned to establish a merchant group with these people.
And no one could know about its connection to me.
Not even my family.
That’s why I had to move discreetly, but I lacked a proper location.
While I was fretting over it, the old man said,
“If it’s a place like that, I’ve got one.”
“Really?”
“Yup. Right under here.”
“May I take a look?”
“Of course.”
The old man showed me the underground space.
It was surprisingly large and comfortable, and I decided to rent it on the spot.
“The rent’s one plate of dumplings.”
“Understood.”
The dumplings he was eating now were that very rent.
Since I’d been visiting the shop often lately, the Ghost-faced Constable had grown fond of me.
He no longer treated me with a respectful tone but now spoke casually—a clear sign of familiarity.
I asked Yang Jin-su’s party,
“Have you eaten?”
“Oh, yes. We each had a quick bowl of noodles on the way here.”
So I was the only one who hadn’t eaten lunch.
I’d cleared my lunch schedule today to meet and talk with them.
First, I got the old man’s help to mobilize the constables.
I already knew the new head of the Nokok Merchant Group would try to harm them.
After all, I remembered how that downfall had played out.
.
.
.
The seven men before me, including Master Yang Jin-su, were the driving force behind the growth of the Nokok Merchant Group.
They’d been expelled by the late Merchant Lord’s son, the new Merchant Lord.
Though I didn’t know all the details, it was likely that conflict had erupted between them.
The new Merchant Lord probably thought they looked down on him, and the men before me must’ve found him frustrating and pitiful.
In any case, old water had been replaced with fresh, and that must’ve brought some liveliness to the Nokok Merchant Group.
Wanting to try something new—that part was commendable.
But the new Merchant Lord didn’t understand why stagnant water is stagnant.
It had survived countless droughts, like a stream that endures even when all others dry up—that’s why it stagnated.
When you’re in trade, unexpected events are commonplace.
The new Merchant Lord probably thought he could handle those surprises well since he was born and raised in a merchant group.
In fact, it was said that he once remarked, “Those problems can be solved with money. I don’t get why they wasted time building relationships…”
His idea of solving problems was money.
But that was a mistake.
He didn’t understand that there are plenty of problems money can’t fix, and those problems must be resolved through experience, connections, and personal credibility accumulated over time.
Things like that don’t usually show on the surface.
Or maybe he knew and just chose to ignore it.
Either way, he drove out everyone who held such valuable tools, so it was no wonder he couldn’t respond properly to crises.
What’s worse, the new Merchant Lord didn’t even allow them to stay in Yang Province.
So they decided to leave.
The real problem was that the new head of the Nokok Merchant Group went so far as to hire wandering swordsmen to take their lives.
He must have feared they’d be recruited by another merchant group.
In the future I experienced, the only one to survive was Master Yang Jin-su.
Because of that incident, he came to view the Nokok Merchant Group as his mortal enemy.
Naturally so—among the dead were not only his colleagues but also his family.
He testified about the incident to the local authorities, who investigated the Nokok Merchant Group’s lord, but the officials had already been bribed and released him without charge.
Years passed.
Eventually, the new Merchant Lord realized he’d made a mistake, but by then it was far too late.
There was no one left he could seek advice from.
By then, he was surrounded by vultures eager to devour the Nokok Merchant Group.
Who could he turn to?
In the end, the Nokok Merchant Group collapsed.
The new Merchant Lord was murdered, and people called it his just desserts.
I thought so too.
Seeing the people from that story standing before me, I once again realized I had truly returned to the past.
When I visited Yang Province, where the Zhuge Clan resided, I made contact with them.
Fortunately, it was before they had left Yang Province. I found them in time and brought them here.
I didn’t want innocent people to die a meaningless death this time.
So I picked up the people the Nokok Merchant Group had cast aside.
The true treasure of a merchant group is its people—how could they be discarded so carelessly?
The experience and network they possessed were worth more than gold.
Since I knew they would be killed by those hired swordsmen, I took two measures to protect them.
First, I made sure they came here with the escort of an official escort bureau.
In the future I remembered, Yang Jin-su’s party didn’t hire one.
That’s part of why they were taken down so easily by the wandering swordsmen.
They were trying to save money, so the escort fee felt like too much.
Hiring an escort was more expensive than most people expected.
So I gave them money and strongly urged them to use an escort bureau—and they followed my advice.
Second, I arranged to meet them in front of the magistrate’s office.
In front of a government office, those swordsmen wouldn’t act so rashly.
Since they hadn’t managed to eliminate Yang Jin-su’s party on the road to Sunyang County, their only remaining option was to act before the group had a chance to build local ties.
Otherwise, things would become complicated in many ways.
But the problem was, the party had already arrived at the magistrate’s office.
So the swordsmen had to adjust.
One of them approached, trying to lure them away to another location to handle them quietly.
I just happened to take care of them before that happened.
Though I moved the constables using Ghost-faced Constable’s help, since the swordsmen were already wanted criminals.
They weren’t the ones trying to kidnap Yang Jin-su’s group, but this would help expedite everything.
“Please have some tea.”
Palgap served a cup to each of them, then placed the last cup in front of me.
They drank.
Only then did their trembling hands seem to calm down.
Master Yang Jin-su asked,
“Did… did those men really come from the Merchant Lord?”
“By Merchant Lord… which one do you mean?”
“Well…”
He swallowed and forced out the words.
“From the Nokok Merchant Group… the Merchant Lord…”
“You already know the answer, don’t you?”
At my reply, they let out a deep sigh. Their faces were filled with anger, disappointment, and more.
And understandably so.
They’d been expelled from the group they gave their youth to, only to nearly lose their lives on top of it.
“Then… if we try to start over, won’t they just come after us again?”
“Likely, yes. But.”
I looked them in the eyes.
“Do you think only the Nokok Merchant Group will try to stop you?”
“Ah… I see.”
“You’re people who’ve survived all this despite such interference. I believe you can overcome much more.”
“Thank you for thinking so highly of us.”
Now it was time to begin in earnest.
“As I mentioned before, the reason I’ve brought you here is to propose starting something new together.”
“So, what is this livelihood you’re proposing?”
He remembered what I said.
I looked at Master Yang Jin-su.
He was the de facto leader among them and had handled distribution within the Nokok Merchant Group.
I grinned and answered.
“The business I’d like to start with you is pharmaceuticals.”
“Pharmaceuticals?”
“To buy medicine, what must you do?”
“Well, normally you go to a physician and get a prescription…”
I continued.
“That’s the norm. But that’s expensive, and most commoners can’t afford it. I want to change that norm. At the very least, people shouldn’t die just because of indigestion, right?”
–TL Notes–
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