I looked at Geumryeong and asked,
“What’s with you all of a sudden?”
“Kui…”
“Hm? My face looked scary? Scary, my foot. This face is supposed to be pretty handsome…”
“Kui… kui…”
“I looked like I was about to fleece someone down to the bone? Come on. You must’ve seen wrong.”
I gave it a bright smile and inwardly broke out in a cold sweat.
This little thing… how did it know?
The letter Father sent said I could handle things however I wanted.
So, for a very brief moment, I had been thinking about exactly how much I could squeeze out of the Myeongmyeong Merchant Group.
They owed me a debt, so it was not as though I couldn’t strip them clean if I truly wanted to.
But I had to consider our future relationship as well, so I had decided to keep it reasonable. And yet Geumryeong had caught the expression that flashed across my face in that split second.
I gave a small laugh and said,
“Don’t get scared over nothing and just eat your silver. You think I’d go as far as fleecing you too?”
Anyway, today’s meeting was going to be very entertaining.
“Kui, kui…”
Seong Woo-shin, Merchant Lord of the Myeongmyeong Merchant Group, watched the carriage roll farther and farther away.
It was the carriage carrying Eun Jeong-ho and Eun Seo-ho of the Eunhae Merchant Group.
They were the benefactors who had saved the Myeongmyeong Merchant Group, but his personal belief was that a debt was a debt, and a deal was a deal.
Through this morning’s meeting, he had learned that those two men thought the same way.
“Cheong-min.”
“Yes, Father.”
“You worked hard today.”
At those words, Seong Cheong-min shook his head with a drained expression.
“Whew. Honestly, I felt like I’d been reduced to a child. It’s been a very long time since I’ve felt like this. Still, I’m relieved. At least we weren’t pushed any further than that.”
“You think we weren’t pushed? Hahahaha!”
After hearing his son’s words, Seong Woo-shin burst into a hearty laugh.
“Why are you laughing?”
“Do you know whom a merchant should fear most?”
“I’m listening.”
“Someone who knows the right measure.”
“The right measure?”
“Yes, the right measure. Knowing exactly how far they can push and stopping there. Deputy Merchant Lord Eun Jeong-ho and Deputy Merchant Lord Eun Seo-ho clearly understood that.”
He continued,
“They knew that measure, and they stopped there for us.”
“Ah… so that was it.”
“Deputy Merchant Lord Eun Seo-ho. I felt it before, but he’s truly no ordinary man.”
“He’s already like this now. I’m almost afraid to see what he’ll become in the future. I’ll have to work even harder.”
“That’s enough, then.”
Merchant Lord Seong Woo-shin cast one more glance at the disappearing carriage and thought that it was fortunate they had managed to form a connection with the Eunhae Merchant Group, even if it had happened this way.
Then he turned to the side.
His grandson, Seong Yu-jin, was standing there with his mother.
Last night, he had heard a shocking story through one of the Escort Guards.
His grandson had eaten an Elixir mushroom while he was missing, and because of that, he now possessed the inner Qi of a Second-rate warrior.
And Team Leader Do Gyeong, the Escort Guard’s son, had become his grandson’s master.
In a way, he felt relieved.
After all, from now on, the child would be a little healthier and a little safer.
“Grandfather.”
Just then, his grandson called him.
“What is it?”
“I promised our benefactors that I would visit the Eunhae Merchant Group next time. I wanted to ask for your permission in advance.”
Merchant Lord Seong Woo-shin smiled and answered,
“I suspect we’ll have reason to visit the Eunhae Merchant Group soon. When that time comes, we’ll go together.”
We were on our way to the Eunhae Merchant Group’s Sichuan Branch by carriage.
I glanced back over my shoulder.
“What?”
When Brother Jeong-ho asked, I gave an awkward smile.
“It’s just… I was wondering if I went too far.”
“It’s fine. You fleeced them less than I expected.”
“Fleeced? Come on. That was a perfectly fair deal.”
At my words, my brother gave a faint laugh.
“The guy calling it a perfectly fair deal is wondering whether he went too far?”
“Hahaha.”
I laughed awkwardly.
Through this morning’s meeting, our Eunhae Merchant Group had managed to secure a generous shipping fee for bringing in the Myeongmyeong Merchant Group’s pepper.
We had also added several special clauses, one of which was a liability waiver in the event that we were unable to bring the pepper back due to an unavoidable accident.
It was a clause I had absolutely wanted to include, so I was glad we managed to get it in.
I looked outside through the carriage window. Now, all that remained was going home.
“Brother.”
At my call, my brother looked at me as though wondering what this was about.
“Thank you. Really. Thank you for staying alive.”
At my words, he turned his head aside and scratched his cheek.
“Sorry for causing trouble.”
“It’s okay. I’m here, aren’t I? As long as you’re alive, I can fix things. So…”
I spoke seriously.
“No matter how extreme things get, no matter what kind of situation you end up in, you have to stay alive. If you do that, I’ll save you. No matter what.”
The reason I was telling him this ahead of time was because the Murim Alliance might try something, and my brother could end up in danger because of it.
Did he hear the sincerity in my words?
Brother Jeong-ho looked at me and nodded solemnly.
“Okay. I promise.”
We arrived at the Sichuan Branch, and I briefly told Uncle what had happened at the Myeongmyeong Merchant Group.
“Father will send you a letter later.”
“Understood.”
“And we plan to leave tomorrow, as soon as preparations are complete.”
“Yes, you should head back quickly. They must be waiting so anxiously.”
Since the people who had come with Brother Jeong-ho to Sichuan also had to travel with us, there was a great deal to prepare.
But they had already been getting ready to depart, so we would be able to set out tomorrow.
That evening, Uncle’s family and the senior members of the Sichuan Branch gathered together and held a small banquet.
The next morning, as planned, we departed for Hubei Province under everyone’s send-off.
Because it was not just me and my Escort Guards this time, our pace was considerably slower than when we had come to Sichuan.
That was fine. I had things to organize in my head along the way anyway.
First, that woman named Hwang Min.
Her eyes turning red was strange enough, but the fact that the bloodstained Qi of the Unorthodox Sect vanished from her body the moment she died was also suspicious.
I’ll need to look into that as quickly as possible.
“By the way, Young Master.”
Just then, Brother Jeong-ho’s Attendant, who was seated in front of us, spoke.
“How did you survive those rapids?”
Ah, that was something I had been curious about too.
I just had not gotten around to asking.
In response to the question, Brother Jeong-ho took a hairpin from his robe and showed it to us.
“This.”
“Hm?”
“The truth is, I bought it to give to my wife… but this is what saved my life.”
The hairpin, decorated with coral and cloisonné ornaments, looked extremely sturdy.
When Brother Jeong-ho pressed one of the ornaments, there was a sharp click, and a small, keen dagger sprang out from inside.
Important figures of large merchant groups could be targeted anytime, anywhere, and in any manner, so they tended to keep self-defense items like this on hand.
This hairpin, too, had probably been something he prepared out of concern for Sister-in-law.
But the material used to make this dagger… it doesn’t look like ordinary iron.
“This is… Black Iron.”
“That’s right. Considering my wife’s martial realm, I bought something high quality.”
My brother continued,
“While I was being swept helplessly away by the rapids, I kept thinking I had to somehow get upward. That was when I remembered this. So I drove the blade into a gap between the rocks and used it as a support to climb onto a boulder.”
After that, he recovered enough strength to make it back to land.
In other words, what saved my brother was the heart he had put into thinking of Sister-in-law.
“Brother, keep treating Sister-in-law well.”
“I was planning to do that even without you telling me.”
Before we knew it, we had reached the foot of Mount Emei in eastern Sichuan, and we decided to rest there.
Of course, we chose a good inn.
This trip had been hard enough, so I wanted the journey home to be a little more comfortable.
That night.
I called Escort Guard Seo Wu and Escort Guard Yeo Eung-am.
“There’s somewhere I need to go for a moment.”
“We’ll follow you.”
After telling Palgap I was stepping out for a while, I left the inn with the two Escort Guards.
The place I headed for was where we had found Brother Jeong-ho.
More precisely, it was where we had found the Hundred-Year Purple Spirit Mushroom.
Tap.
As we ran through the forest with our Lightness Skill, we came to a stop. Then we entered the place where the Hundred-Year Purple Spirit Mushroom grew.
“Kahaang!”
Just then, something blocked our path.
It was a fluffy-furred raccoon dog.
Since it was a spirit beast, its presence was nothing ordinary. However…
“Kaha… ang?”
The spirit beast raccoon soon recognized us…
“Kui?”
And when Geumryeong stuck its head out from my sleeve and said something to the spirit beast raccoon, the raccoon hurriedly bowed its head.
Surely it was my imagination that it sounded to me like, “Did you forget who I am?”
The reason I had stopped by this place on the way back was to do something for the raccoon spirit beast guarding the Hundred-Year Purple Spirit Mushroom.
Back then, we had not had much time, but now we had more time to spare.
“Have you been well?”
“Kaang.”
“Looks like you’ve been well. You must’ve hated me for taking half of the Hundred-Year Purple Spirit Mushroom back then. But I had my reasons.”
“Kahang?”
“The Hundred-Year Purple Spirit Mushroom sucks up all the yang Qi in its surroundings. And eventually, it even consumes nearby animals and spirit beasts. In other words, it would eat you too.”
“Kahang? Kang?”
“It’s true. So yes, I’ll admit part of why I took half back then was because I wanted it, but it was also for your sake. The number of mushrooms needed to be controlled.”
I continued,
“With this, you should be able to hold out for another hundred years or so. So make sure you keep it around this level.”
“Kang?”
“If you gather nearby fruits and place them there once every few years, you should be able to extend how long you can stay with them.”
“Kaaang!”
I guess that meant it understood.
“Then that’s enough advice. Now, there’s one more thing I need to do to protect this place.”
I drew the Silver Mist Sword.
“Kaaang?”
The reason this sword was called the Silver Mist Sword was because it had the power to control mist.
I still was not at the point where I could use that power in combat. It required quite a lot of concentration.
And controlling mist consumed a fair amount of inner Qi.
I focused my inner Qi into the Silver Mist Sword and swung it in a wide arc.
Sarak.
Mist began to thicken all around us, and after letting some time pass, I sheathed the Silver Mist Sword.
Before long, it had become so foggy that we could barely see an inch ahead.
“This should help protect this place.”
The reason I decided to create mist here was, simply put, to protect this place.
We had harvested the Hundred-Year Purple Spirit Mushroom here and given Team Leader Do a small share.
But you never knew what people might do.
Rumors could spread, or someone might discover this place by chance.
Then the raccoon spirit beast could lose its precious Hundred-Year Purple Spirit Mushrooms, and there might even be bloodshed.
The raccoon spirit beast might be hunted down, too.
Even if it had only been because Geumryeong forced it, the raccoon spirit beast had still helped my brother survive. I couldn’t let it die like that.
I always repaid my debts properly.
Besides, it was one of Geumryeong’s subordinates now.
Ah… of course, I also planned to take a few later if I needed them, so this was partly me marking the place for myself.
“Then take care.”
I left that place. Seeing the raccoon spirit beast wave its paw behind me as though saying goodbye, I gave a small laugh.
On our way out, we planted signboards at regular intervals. They were meant to help anyone who wandered into this place by accident find their way out safely.
The next day, we set out again.
We decided to take a boat from a dock at the foot of Mount Emei all the way to Hubei Province.
“By the way, Brother. Are you okay with taking a boat?”
After suffering an accident on a boat, there were plenty of people who became afraid of boarding one again.
“I’m fine. How am I supposed to serve as Merchant Lord if I’m afraid of boats?”
“But…”
“And if something happens again, you’ll save me, won’t you?”
At those words, I nodded.
“So don’t worry.”
With that, Brother Jeong-ho boarded the boat. Then, for a moment, he closed his eyes and took a deep breath.
And when Brother Jeong-ho opened his eyes again, the look in them was the same as the dependable Merchant Lord I had seen in my previous life.
The boat headed for Hubei Province at high speed.
And a few days later.
At last, we reached a familiar dock. We stayed there for one night, then set out for the Eunhae Merchant Group Headquarters.
And the next day.
“Ah… it’s home. We finally made it home.”
Brother Jeong-ho muttered that with tearful eyes.
That was right. We had arrived at the Eunhae Merchant Group Headquarters.
Home.
When we entered the Carriage Yard, all of our family came out and welcomed us warmly.
“Jeong-ho!”
“Father! Mother!”
“You little rascal, do you have any idea how worried we were?”
“Grandfather…”
“I’m so glad you came back safely.”
“My lady…”
After our parents, Grandfather, and Sister-in-law…
“Father!”
“Waaah! Father!”
Geon-hyeok and Bo-yeon clung to Brother Jeong-ho’s legs, and because of that, Brother Jeong-ho lightly fell back onto his rear.
But his eyes reddened, and he simply held the two children without saying a word.
Seeing that, I felt like I was about to burst into tears too.
I really did well.
Good job, me.
While that was happening, Father came over and patted my shoulder.
“Thank you.”
The heart behind that single sentence landed heavily inside me.
I walked toward them and said,
“You can catch up in a bit. At this rate, everyone’s emotions will run too high and it’ll be bad for your health.”
“Y-yes, I suppose you’re right.”
“And Brother needs to rest too.”
I looked at the two children and said,
“You understand what I mean, don’t you?”
“Yes.”
“Yes, Uncle.”
Sister-in-law took the children and went inside.
Father grasped Brother Jeong-ho’s hand tightly and said,
“I’m truly glad you returned safely.”
“I apologize, Father. Your son has returned alive and well.”
Brother Jeong-ho answered Father’s words with a gentle smile, then suddenly lost consciousness and toppled sideways.
“Ah! Seriously!”
I quickly caught my brother and calmed my startled father.
“The tension must have finally left him. He’ll be all right after some rest.”
No matter how much you had survived, there was no place as comfortable as home, and no place where you could finally let your guard down.
He must have been carrying a great deal of tension all this time.
As I handed my brother over to his Escort Guard, Father spoke to me.
“Ah, and we have a guest waiting. He introduced himself as Warrior Jin Yeong.”
I feel like I had this thought last time too, but…
Should I just run?
– Kui.
Ah, right. It’s no use.
–TL Notes–
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