The Grand Clan Lord answered my question with one of his own.
“Didn’t anything ever strike you as strange?”
“Pardon?”
“From the very first time you and Brother Yu came here, I showed open hatred toward the Murim Alliance.”
Now that he mentioned it, he had.
Even though Inner Chief Administrator Yu So-ak, who wasn’t a martial artist, had been present, the moment he saw the Murim Alliance’s letter the Clan Lord had brought, he had been furious enough to release killing intent.
“Were you never curious why?”
At the time, I had assumed he hated them because the Murim Alliance had been constantly looking for an opening to devour the Zhuge Clan.
And since the Zhuge Clan had nearly been ruined by the Murim Alliance, I thought that hatred was only natural.
On top of that, yesterday, I had learned that Young Lord Zhuge Cheon-du’s father, the Grand Clan Lord’s youngest brother, had died because of the Murim Alliance, so I had thought the Grand Clan Lord had every reason to despise them.
The Murim Alliance had called it an accident, but Young Lord Zhuge Cheon-du was certain.
His father had been murdered because he refused to follow the Murim Alliance’s will.
But the true reason the Grand Clan Lord hated the Murim Alliance was something else entirely.
Because they were the ones who had destroyed Snow Wind Palace, his dear friend’s sect.
“It was the Murim Alliance!”
At my words, the Grand Clan Lord nodded.
“Two Trees said he sensed Unorthodox Qi from several people in the Murim Alliance. But I did not agree with him. I told him he must have been mistaken… that he had misunderstood something. But no. The one who had misunderstood was me.”
He continued.
“It shames me to admit this, but even after reading Two Trees’s letter, I doubted it. Only after I lost my youngest brother did I finally understand that my friend’s letter had been true.”
Then he let out a sigh.
There was deep remorse and regret inside that sigh.
“Then what happened to the Blood Cult? Until now, I’ve gone through countless incidents that threw the martial world into chaos, and I was able to confirm that the Blood Cult was involved in those matters.”
“The most likely possibility is that remnants of the Blood Cult are plotting something, but the Blood Cult itself can be considered effectively destroyed.”
“Are you certain?”
“I heard that the man who was once the Blood Cult Leader died because of the incident at Wudang Sect. The Blood Cult Leader’s martial arts are passed down from one generation to the next. Since he is dead, they have no chance of rising again.”
No.
My instincts were telling me otherwise.
The Blood Cult was absolutely not something I could afford to overlook.
“But…”
The Grand Clan Lord continued.
“I once trusted my shallow knowledge and beliefs over Two Trees’s words, and I came to bitterly regret it. So this time, I will not dismiss what you’ve said. From now on, the main family will continue to keep watch.”
That was a relief.
If the Zhuge Clan stepped in like that, it would be a considerable help.
“Thank you.”
“That is all I had to say. Next is Three Trees’s business.”
Three Trees would be Red-Robed Hua Tuo, then?
He pushed forward a small box that had been resting on the table.
“This belongs to you.”
I had been wondering about that box since earlier, and it turned out it had been meant for me.
“Open it.”
I opened the box, and for a moment, I was genuinely startled.
A fragrant floral scent seemed to fill the entire room.
There was a clean, refreshing clarity within that fragrance.
“This is…”
“As expected of the Eunhae Merchant Group’s Deputy Merchant Lord. You recognized it.”
A single red flower, resembling a hibiscus blossom.
It had not withered. It was still vivid and alive.
Thousand-Year Spirit Blood Flower.
It was famous as a spirit herb that increased Internal Power, but it was even more famous as a spirit herb that healed external wounds.
They said any external wound would heal in an instant if this flower was crushed and applied to it.
“That friend entrusted it to me. And he says I should give it to you.”
But from my perspective, there was no need to accept it.
I had Geumryeong, after all.
Geumryeong’s saliva was no less effective than the Thousand-Year Spirit Blood Flower, so if the Zhuge Clan kept this, they might be able to save someone else’s precious life with it.
So it would be better to ask Red-Robed Hua Tuo for something else instead.
“I’m sorry, but I won’t accept that.”
“You won’t accept this?”
The Grand Clan Lord’s eyes widened.
“Yes. I can’t accept something so precious. I didn’t save him because I wanted compensation.”
“Still…”
“If you truly feel indebted, then instead of this, I would rather ask that you treat someone for me next time.”
Because someday, there would come a time when I needed Red-Robed Hua Tuo.
.
.
.
I withdrew from the Grand Clan Lord’s quarters and returned to the detached residence where I was staying.
Then I lay down on the bed.
If Palgap saw me lying in bed while still wearing my outdoor clothes, he would scold me, but right now I simply wanted to lie down.
Haa, I’m exhausted.
Through the Grand Clan Lord, I had finally heard for certain who the culprits were behind Snow Wind Palace’s destruction, and that had drained my mental strength.
I ground my teeth.
Murim Alliance, you bastards!
I now had one more reason to take revenge on them.
As Snow Wind Palace’s Young Palace Lord, I couldn’t possibly leave them alone.
If they ever learned that I had mastered Snow Wind Palace’s martial arts, they would try to eliminate me at any cost.
So for the sake of my own survival, this was important.
But the problem was that not everyone belonging to the Murim Alliance was a target for revenge.
There had to be plenty of people who knew nothing.
Escort Guard Lee Pil’s father was currently a Hidden Weapon Technique Instructor in the Murim Alliance, after all.
I needed to clearly distinguish friend from foe and find out who exactly the enemy was.
One thing was certain. The Alliance Leader was an enemy.
I had learned that through Escort Guard Jin Yu.
Then where was I supposed to fit the piece called the Blood Cult into the full picture?
As I worried over that, a sudden feeling of emptiness struck me.
For years, I had been desperately struggling and searching for the true culprit behind Snow Wind Palace’s destruction, only to learn that the Zhuge Clan’s Grand Clan Lord had already known.
But soon, I shook my head and drove away those thoughts.
In the end, this was no different from a reward for everything I had worked so hard to accomplish.
If I had not stopped the Grand Clan Lord from nearly being poisoned to death, and if I had not saved the Zhuge Clan from the living hell caused by the Soul-Eye Veiling Formation, then the person who could tell me this truth would have already left this world.
And if I had not clawed and struggled my way through life, I never would have reached the Profound realm.
Which meant my life – the life I had spent struggling to prevent the future disaster that would befall the Eunhae Merchant Group, and to take revenge – had not been meaningless at all.
Drip.
Huh? Why am I crying?
Before I knew it, tears were flowing uncontrollably down my face.
“Kui? Kui! Ku!”
As if it had noticed, Geumryeong crawled out from inside my sleeve and comforted me.
“Kui… ku.”
“I’m fine.”
Yes, I really was fine. These tears were closer to tears of joy than tears of sadness.
So it really was true that people could cry even when they were happy.
“Kui? Ku?”
Hm? Since it comforted me, could it receive a silver tael?
“…”
My tears stopped at once.
Haa. Was this really the time for me to sit here crying?
The Eunhae Merchant Group was still only in twentieth place.
And on top of that, the work ahead of me was piled up like a mountain.
Thanks to Geumryeong, my head cleared instantly.
“Geumryeong. Run an errand for me.”
“Kui?”
“I need to send Master a letter.”
The fact that the Murim Alliance was the culprit was something I had to tell him immediately.
.
.
.
That afternoon.
I was invited to a dinner banquet at the Zhuge Clan.
The banquet hall I arrived at under an attendant’s guidance embodied the Zhuge Clan’s family style perfectly.
It was not extravagant, but it was not frivolous either.
The table was filled with dishes that looked light, neat, and refined.
What stood out was that among the food, there were dumplings.
“Is something the matter?”
Seeing Young Clan Lord Zhuge Yu-a tilt her head and ask, I shook mine.
“It’s nothing. I just found it interesting that dumplings were served at a banquet table.”
At my answer, she smiled.
“Ah, that’s what caught your attention. Usually, dumplings are common food, so they don’t appear at banquets. But this is the Zhuge Clan. Every banquet, we honor Zhuge Liang’s compassion – the man who valued human life so much that he used dumplings to deceive the river god instead of offering human heads.”
“I see.”
There were many different opinions about where dumplings began and who first made them.
But the important thing was probably that heart of his, the one that refused to allow meaningless sacrifices.
“Please sit.”
“Yes.”
Once we sat down, the others soon began arriving at the banquet hall.
This banquet was attended by the Zhuge Clan’s Grand Clan Lord, the Clan Lord and his wife, and Young Lord Zhuge Cheon-du’s family.
In a way, it was a farewell party for Young Lord Zhuge Cheon-du, who would become an Instructor at the Martial Arts Academy being established in Beijing.
And his family was quite large.
His mother and four older brothers.
Seeing that all of them looked fairly advanced in age, I was reminded that Young Lord Zhuge Cheon-du really had been born late.
They had said he was the youngest child among five sons and three daughters.
“Hahaha, please be understanding, even if our youngest has a bit of a personality.”
“Of course. I’m receiving an outstanding talent from the Zhuge Clan, so that much is only natural.”
“Our youngest is…”
“So our youngest…”
His older sisters had married out, so only his brothers were present, but even one comment came at him four times over.
Eventually, under the barrage of worried remarks about him as the youngest, Young Lord Zhuge Cheon-du lost his temper.
“Ah! Brothers! How long do you plan to treat me like a child? I’m all grown up now! I even finished my Hidden Dragon Journey!”
“Yes, your Hidden Dragon Journey…”
Young Lord Zhuge Cheon-du should never have brought up the Hidden Dragon Journey.
“You came back after twenty years while your family waited for you in agony, yes.”
“We thought you were dead!”
“Haa, honestly…”
Under their criticism, Young Lord Zhuge Cheon-du finally surrendered.
“I’m sorry, Brothers. I have committed a crime worthy of death.”
At that, something suddenly made me curious.
“Um, as far as I know, when someone goes on the Hidden Dragon Journey, the family’s Escort Guards secretly keep watch over them. Then didn’t you at least know whether he was alive or dead?”
One of Young Lord Zhuge Cheon-du’s brothers answered my question.
“That is correct. We observe them because of the concern that they might become involved with evil groups. But that fellow was seen returning to the family, and the Escort Guards who were watching him withdrew. He used that gap to slip away somewhere else.”
“Ah… I see.”
I turned my head toward Young Lord Zhuge Cheon-du and said,
“Please don’t wander off halfway when you’re working with me.”
“Ahem, that won’t happen.”
“Of course not. We have a contract, after all.”
“A contract?”
At the Clan Lord’s question, I nodded.
“Yes. It is a tool that adds trust to a transaction between people.”
“I know what a contract is.”
“You seem worried there might be some poisonous clause inside.”
“That’s right. I suppose it showed.”
“As the one who oversees the Zhuge Clan’s major and minor affairs, you have every right to inspect Young Lord Zhuge Cheon-du’s contract. Please take a look.”
I handed the contract I had with me to an attendant, and the attendant delivered it to the Clan Lord.
The Clan Lord carefully examined it, then nodded.
“It is exceedingly reasonable.”
“That is correct.”
My opponent was none other than the Zhuge Clan. There was no way I would play games with the contract.
I took the contract back and tucked it inside my robe again.
“But could Cheon-du not simply run off and pretend he knows nothing?”
“Of course he could. But you need not worry about that part.”
I grinned and continued.
“Because this contract will be notarized by His Majesty the Emperor.”
At those words, Young Lord Zhuge Cheon-du was startled.
“Pardon? Did you say His Majesty the Emperor’s notarization?”
“Of course. This concerns the appointment of an Instructor at a Martial Arts Academy being established in cooperation with the Imperial Family. Did you think we would handle it carelessly?”
A contract’s effectiveness varied wildly depending on who notarized it.
Receiving the Emperor’s notarization was the final boss of notarization.
“In other words, if you decide this job doesn’t suit you, quit, and disappear, you will be chased by the Embroidered Guard and the Eastern Depot for the rest of your life. And once you’re caught, you’ll have to work at the Martial Arts Academy for life.”
“…”
As Young Lord Zhuge Cheon-du looked horrified, the Clan Lord said calmly,
“What are you so worried about? All you have to do is work for ten years without quitting midway.”
“That… is true.”
“Then I look forward to working with you.”
When I raised the corners of my mouth and cupped my fist in salute, he returned the gesture with the expression of someone chewing on a rotten cucumber.
This was the true poisonous clause I had prepared.
Even so, I did not particularly feel sorry, because this was not bad for him either.
Once the disciples he trained began acting in earnest, the Murim Alliance’s influence would weaken, and there would be more chances to screw them over.
Then he would voluntarily work even harder and stay at the Martial Arts Academy even longer.
That was how deep his hatred for the Murim Alliance ran.
Even in my previous life, he had used the Yugang Merchant Group’s strength to interfere with the Baekcheon Merchant Group’s every move.
.
.
.
Before I knew it, five days had passed since we arrived at the Zhuge Clan.
It was about time for us to leave for Beijing.
“Please take care of yourself.”
“Yes.”
The Grand Clan Lord’s farewell sounded ordinary on the surface, but it carried another meaning.
He was telling me to be careful of the Murim Alliance.
“I suppose I’ll see you this fall.”
“Pardon?”
When Young Clan Lord Zhuge Yu-a said that, I tilted my head, and she smiled softly before continuing.
“The Murim Grand Assembly is coming up.”
“Ah!”
The Murim Grand Assembly.
It was the Murim Alliance’s greatest event, held once every nine years, and it was a martial gathering with no age restrictions.
It was also a chance for merchant groups to make a serious profit.
Of course, the Murim Alliance would take a considerable fee under the pretext of seat charges and protection money.
“Are you perhaps participating in the Murim Grand Assembly?”
“Yes. I plan to.”
“It’s dangerous.”
“I imagine it is. But a family’s reputation in the martial world is part of its strength.”
She was right, so I could not stop her.
“I see. Then I will look forward to seeing you this fall.”
I greeted the others as well, then mounted my horse.
“Then I will take my leave now.”
“Travel safely.”
We departed from the Zhuge Clan.
Behind us, I could hear the voices of those seeing Young Lord Zhuge Cheon-du off.
“Young Master, will you be stopping by the Yeochun Inn Mount Song branch on the way?”
At Palgap’s question, I nodded.
“Yes. It’s on the way anyway, and I need to make sure the people I saved returned home safely.”
Only then would my pockets grow that much heavier.
–TL Notes–
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