At Hyang-ok’s words, Uncle shook his head and said,
“I understand how you feel, but it’s not time yet.”
“Not time yet?”
“Seo-ho’s thought up something rather interesting.”
At Uncle’s words, Hyang-ok turned her gaze toward me.
Ugh.
Hyang-ok is currently an outer disciple of Mount Emei.
The truth is, merchant families usually send their children to sects as outer disciples to bask in the sect’s prestige.
That was Hyang-ok’s original reason for joining Mount Emei, but even back then, I’d thought she was better suited to the sword than to trade.
And I know what happens later.
One of Mount Emei’s elders sees her and recognizes her talent for martial arts. So even as an outer disciple, she ends up learning the same martial techniques as their formal disciples.
Anyway, the more martial arts she learned, the sharper her aura became.
Of course, if it came down to a match, I’d win.
But that’s beside the point—she’s just plain scary.
“Something interesting? What is it?”
Then Uncle said,
“Hyang-ok, shouldn’t you greet Seo-ho first?”
Startled, she said, “Oh my! I completely forgot to greet him.”
I waved my hand.
“It’s fine. We’ve seen each other—that’s good enough, right?”
“Then could you tell us about that method you thought up?”
There was a man.
His name was Yeong-po.
He held a Jeong-rank position and was a senior handler in charge of silk at the Eunhae Merchant Group’s Sichuan Branch.
That made him fairly high up in the branch.
Since he often visited auctions and venues related to silk sales, it was only natural he’d cross paths with the Dan Clan Merchant Group.
They were expanding into silk as well.
Then one day, someone from the Dan Clan invited him out for a drink at a very nice place.
Since being seen at a brothel with a rival group’s member would be a serious problem, he tried to refuse.
But the man from the Dan Clan led him through a “back door” only accessible to the highest-tier clients.
There, he was entertained by courtesans so beautiful they made him dizzy.
Before him were delicacies he’d never even seen before, with expensive wine flowing like water.
As a courtesan poured him a drink, smiling sweetly, he found himself dazed.
Still, he felt uneasy.
Nothing this extravagant came for free.
He asked the Dan Clan man who’d brought him,
“So, what do you want from me? You’re treating me like this because you want something, right?”
“Hahaha, why such cold words between friends?”
“Just say it.”
When Yeong-po pressed him, the man grinned and said,
“Nothing major. I’m just curious about a few things happening inside the Eunhae Merchant Group.”
“What did you say!”
Yeong-po exploded, but the man only smiled and replied,
“Think about it. What does all your loyalty get you? You’ve made the Group millions of silver taels, but how much of that ever made it to your hands?”
“…”
He set a pouch on the table.
“What’s this?”
Yeong-po opened it and was shocked—it was packed full of silver taels.
“I can’t accept this.”
“Did you enjoy tonight’s entertainment?”
“…”
He couldn’t answer.
Because it was exquisite, almost otherworldly.
“Pleasure like this? All it takes is money.”
“…”
“And all your superiors enjoy this kind of treatment too.”
“…”
“Ah, you’re feeling guilty! No need. You’re just trading information for gain. How’s that any different from the Hao Clan?”
“W-well…”
“Exactly.”
Back home, Yeong-po stared at the silver-filled pouch and recalled the night’s pleasures.
He found himself thinking—maybe he wanted to live like that too.
The next day, he returned to the brothel.
Naturally, they gave him the utmost hospitality, given the money he had, and he felt like he was floating in the clouds.
Pleasure is a terrifying thing.
Before you experience it, you don’t know. But once you’ve tasted it, cutting it off takes more will than most can muster.
In the end, Yeong-po joined hands with the Dan Clan Merchant Group for pleasure and greed.
At first, the information they asked for wasn’t anything major.
How many bolts of silk the Eunhae Group needed this time, where the silk was being moved—simple things.
But their demands grew over time, and Yeong-po grew bolder.
One day, an order arrived from the Eunhae headquarters in Hubei.
They were to closely monitor the Dan Clan for any suspicious movements and report immediately.
Naturally, Yeong-po passed this info along to the Dan Clan too.
Later, one of his subordinates reported to him,
“Sir, the Dan Clan seems to be moving oddly.”
“Really? I’ll look into it myself and report up the chain. You focus on your other tasks.”
“Understood.”
Yeong-po used the opportunity to demand a handsome gift from the Dan Clan.
They agreed readily and even gave more than he asked for.
At the time, he still thought his future was safe.
Not long after, a crisis hit the Eunhae Merchant Group.
Sales of the Self-Dancing Dolls plummeted as nasty rumors spread.
It didn’t take long to uncover that the Dan Clan was behind the rumors.
Of course, the Branch Lord of the Sichuan office, who’d been keeping an eye on the Dan Clan, was furious.
It caused quite a stir, but luckily, Yeong-po’s connection to the Dan Clan wasn’t discovered.
‘Am I gonna get exposed?’
His anxiety grew.
Still, he couldn’t give up the lavish lifestyle the Dan Clan’s gifts afforded him.
Around that time, a new rumor started spreading.
That the Self-Dancing Dolls contained souls, and those souls brought wealth.
Thanks to that, sales of the dolls recovered.
Then a message arrived from the Dan Clan, asking to meet.
.
.
.
A secluded manor deep in the forest.
It was Yeong-po’s secret hideout, prepared in secret.
Of course, he’d hired guards for the place.
Three guards watched over the estate.
“You’ve arrived?”
“Yes.”
He answered the greeting with an air of arrogance.
“Nothing happened while I was away?”
“No unusual activity, sir.”
“Good. Keep up the good work.”
He entered the manor, unaware that the guard watching him was glaring with eyes full of hatred.
‘If only I hadn’t taken the poison…’
Meanwhile, inside the manor, Yeong-po clicked his tongue.
‘Protecting wealth is no easy thing. Hiring three guards just to keep it safe.’
He was meticulous, more so than most would expect.
The fact he hadn’t been exposed yet was proof enough of how thorough he was.
Becoming a Jeong-rank employee of the Eunhae Merchant Group at such a young age was further evidence of his capability.
With all kinds of treasures stored in the manor, there was no guarantee someone wouldn’t try to steal them.
So he hired warriors to protect it.
But those same warriors might kill him and take everything for themselves.
So he obtained poison—and when they came to sign their contracts, he made them drink it.
It was a cruel poison, one that caused unbearable agony and death unless its antidote was taken once a month.
That’s how he held their lives in his hands.
The manor itself was lavish.
Expensive items filled the halls, and just looking at them lifted his mood.
There was a reason he’d come back here after a while.
“Is the Handler here?”
This was the place where he met with someone from the Dan Clan Merchant Group.
Soon, a man with an ordinary face entered.
“Hahaha! Handler Im, you’ve come?”
“Still looking sharp, as always.”
“You flatter me. I’ve barely had time to rest lately. My skin’s gotten rough.”
Yet Yeong-po had no intention of resigning.
He knew exactly what would happen the moment he did.
The Dan Clan would discard him.
He’d no longer be useful without his position at the Eunhae Merchant Group.
“So, what brings you here today?”
“I must say, I’m a bit disappointed in you.”
“Disappointed? What do you mean? I’ve done my utmost to show sincerity.”
“You forgot to give me a heads-up about the rumor—that the Self-Dancing Dolls bring in money. That must’ve come from the Eunhae Group, no?”
“You’ve got me wrong.”
And he truly felt wronged.
“I swear I know nothing about it. In fact, even our Sichuan Branch seemed unaware. The Branch Lord was flustered himself—how could I have known?”
“Is that true?”
“Of course. If I’d known, I’d have messaged you right away. That’s information worth a gift, isn’t it?”
“Well…”
Handler Im, the confidant of the Dan Clan Merchant Lord, studied Yeong-po.
This was the man fattening himself off their gifts.
No way he’d sit on such valuable information without trying to trade it for more.
‘He really didn’t know.’
Handler Im smiled inwardly, seeing the greed clouding his eyes.
The man had potential.
If he got promoted from Jeong-rank to Byeong-rank, they could squeeze even more intel from him.
‘Is that why the Merchant Lord’s investing so heavily? To devour the Eunhae Merchant Group?’
Even if it was just one of the bottom-ranking groups in the Hundred Great Merchant Groups, it was still juicy prey.
And in the world of merchants, it was eat or be eaten.
If the Eunhae Merchant Group couldn’t keep track of the rats in their house, that was their fault.
“Here, take this.”
He handed over the bundle he brought.
“It’s heavier than usual today?”
“The Merchant Lord asked me to take extra care this time.”
“No worries. I’ll handle it properly.”
With that, the Dan Clan’s handler left.
Yeong-po returned to his room and opened the bundle.
“Oh-ho!”
He stared, mesmerized by the golden gleam of the taels.
So mesmerized, he didn’t notice—
Someone was watching him from the ceiling.
.
.
.
A few days later.
He visited a moneychanger to convert the gold into cash.
It was a place he frequented.
They charged a higher fee for total confidentiality, but it was worth it for the safety.
And there, Yeong-po heard something unbelievable.
“What?! Are you mocking me right now?”
“What are you talking about? Mocking? Why would I do that?”
“Then what’s this? How could you bring me fake gold? Do you take me for a fool?”
“F-fake? What do you mean, fake? That’s real gold—I swear it!”
The clerk scraped the gold with a needle and said,
“Take a look. Just a little scratch and the gold plating comes off. You can see the iron inside.”
“…”
Crunch.
It was true.
Panicked, he pointed to the rest of the taels.
“T-then those! Check those too!”
“Sure.”
The results were in.
All but one were fakes.
At first, he was dumbfounded—but soon, rage started to boil inside him.
‘So they’re throwing me away!’
What other explanation could there be for such disgrace?
But there was no one he could complain to.
If he said anything, it would expose that he was the Dan Clan’s rat.
He couldn’t even confront the Dan Clan about it.
That single real gold tael among the fakes was their message.
‘From now on, this is all you get. Keep serving us like a loyal little rat.’
They’d already slipped a leash around his neck.
If they ever threatened to reveal what he’d done?
He’d be finished.
It was checkmate.
A trap of his own making—but he couldn’t just sit back and take it.
.
.
.
A few days later.
A delegation from the Eunhae Merchant Group’s headquarters arrived at the Sichuan Branch.
Among them was the Merchant Lord’s third son—a strikingly handsome young man.
One day, Yeong-po happened to overhear a conversation between the youth, Eun Seo-ho, and the Branch Lord.
“At first, I was considering a bamboo salt venture here in Sichuan.”
The region’s salt and bamboo were used to make medicinal-grade bamboo salt.
“But unfortunately, I’ve decided to drop it. Word from above said it might be dangerous.”
The moment he heard that, Yeong-po’s eyes gleamed.
‘They think they’ve got me by the leash, huh? Heh… Let’s see how you like the taste of betrayal.’
Even if he were to be discarded, it would be on his terms.
He immediately sent a message to the Dan Clan requesting a meeting.
–TL Notes–
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