I was a little bewildered, but I faithfully followed Father’s advice.
“Ugh… The pain… it’s worse than I thought…”
Thud.
Then I pretended to lose consciousness.
“My lord! My lord!”
“This is bad! Hurry and carry him back to the inn!”
“Yes!”
And just like that, my Escort Guards carried me back to the inn.
– My lord, people are likely to see us carrying you away. What should we do?
– All the better.
Pretending to be unconscious, I was loaded onto a stretcher and carried back to Yeonpung Inn.
The moment we reached my room, I heard Palgap’s voice.
“You can open your eyes now, Young Master.”
Relieved, I opened my eyes and sat up. Then I turned to Palgap.
“How did you know I was fine?”
It was a fair question. Palgap had made an enormous fuss when he saw me being carried into the inn, yet now he was the picture of calm.
Had one of my Escort Guards sent him a Voice Transmission?
“Deputy Gwak gave me a warning in advance, actually.”
“Ah…”
I let out a quiet chuckle.
Then I turned to the two Escort Guards who had carried me here.
“How did it look? Did everyone seem convinced?”
They both nodded.
“Yes.”
“It was flawless.”
“I’m sorry. I ended up causing both of you trouble without warning.”
Escort Guard Seo Wu and Escort Guard Yeo Eung-am waved their hands dismissively.
“Not at all. Please don’t say that.”
“Is this not simply another way for us to protect you, my lord?”
“I suppose it is.”
“We’re merely glad we could be of help in keeping you safe.”
“I appreciate you saying that.”
I turned to Palgap.
“Then let’s get moving.”
“Yes, Young Master.”
I washed up and changed into my nightclothes. Just then, the physician entered the room.
“The Merchant Lord explained the situation to me. So, which leg did you break?”
I answered with an awkward look.
“My left leg.”
The physician took out a splint and secured it against my left leg. Then, deliberately raising his voice, he said,
“Tell me as soon as he regains consciousness. I’ll prepare his medicine.”
Palgap answered him.
“Understood.”
And just like that, I became a perfectly convincing patient with a broken leg.
Once the physician left, Father and Mother entered the room.
“Only your mother and I are here. You can open your eyes now.”
I opened my eyes, sat up, and bowed my head.
“I apologize for causing such a sudden commotion.”
“Whew. To be honest, I was already expecting something like this.”
Father spoke with a bitter smile.
“Facing Hyang-ok in a martial match must have been quite a burden.”
“…”
“And the Outer Chief Administrator told me something. Apparently, your cultivation has already reached the Profound realm.”
“…!”
I stared at Father in shock.
My cultivation realm was not something anyone should have been able to discern so easily.
One of the Supreme Yin Ice Sea Divine Art’s defining traits was that it concealed its practitioner’s cultivation from outside eyes.
And yet the Outer Chief Administrator had noticed…
I had once seen Master and the Outer Chief Administrator speaking privately. Could the Outer Chief Administrator have approached Master that day because he wanted to ask about my cultivation?
“That was why I felt uneasy despite being pleased by your winning streak. If your true realm became known, all manner of troublesome things would follow.”
I bowed my head to my parents.
“I apologize for concealing my true strength.”
Mother shook her head.
“There is no need to apologize for that. Anyone who walks the martial path should know better than to reveal their true strength carelessly.”
It was exactly the sort of answer I would expect from the woman once known as the Graceful Flow Sword.
“More importantly, you won’t be able to move around freely for the next several days. Won’t you feel stifled?”
“I’ll be fine. I needed some rest anyway. I’m more sorry that the two of you will have to attend gatherings and listen to people express their concern because of me.”
Father shook his head at my answer.
“That is hardly a problem. All the important gatherings have already ended. Only the ones we had no particular reason to attend remain. I had been wondering how to excuse myself gracefully, so your little accident came at the perfect time.”
Ah, right. There were still gatherings where the Merchant Lords would fawn over the Murim Alliance’s senior figures.
Those were the gatherings I wanted to attend least of all.
“I’ll use you as my excuse, stay away from them, and enjoy some rest myself.”
“However, Seo-ho.”
Mother spoke with a serious expression.
“The next time you plan something like this, at least give us some warning beforehand. You nearly frightened your mother to death.”
“I’m truly sorry.”
“Then again, considering everything else you have done until now, I suppose this was relatively tame.”
“…”
I found myself at a loss for words.
Perhaps noticing my embarrassment, Father stood and lightly patted my shoulder.
“Rest comfortably, then.”
“Yes, Father.”
After my parents left, I summoned Lady Seohyang and made a request.
“Please bring me the documents that have been piling up. Since I’m stuck here anyway, I might as well catch up on my work.”
Instead of moving immediately, however, she gave me a faint smile.
“Bringing you the documents would be easy enough, but are you certain you’ll have time to read them?”
“What?”
She continued when she saw my confusion.
“Quite a few people are planning to visit you.”
“How many could there possibly be?”
Lady Seohyang merely smiled instead of answering.
Why are you smiling like that? You’re making me nervous.
Lady Seohyang’s prediction soon became reality.
The first visitors were naturally the people staying at the same inn.
Every employee from our Merchant Group came, including our Supervisors and the members of the Eunpoong Division.
They alone made for quite a crowd, but Warrior Dae-nok and Warrior Su-am arrived immediately afterward.
The next person to visit was none other than Cousin Hyang-ok.
“Hey! Eun Seo-ho!”
“C-Cousin…”
“Who told you to be so reckless with your body right before our match?”
She narrowed her eyes at me.
“You didn’t do this on purpose because you didn’t want to fight me, did you?”
Sharp as ever.
But if I admitted it, she would probably beat me black and blue.
I put on the most wounded expression I could manage.
“Cousin, how could you say such a thing? You’re truly hurting my feelings.”
“You’re right. There’s no way you would do that. I’m sorry I doubted you, even for a moment.”
“It’s all right. From your perspective, I can understand why you might suspect it.”
I turned the question back on Cousin Hyang-ok.
“So, what happened with the martial matches?”
“What else could happen? Since you couldn’t compete, I became the Earth Group’s winner by default.”
“Then you’ll face Young Clan Lord Zhuge Yu-a for the championship.”
“Yes, that’s how it turned out.”
Cousin Hyang-ok sighed.
“I somehow made it all the way to the final, but honestly, it’s embarrassing. Even the Young Lord from the Seomun Clan is stronger than I am.”
She was right. Young Lord Seomun Il-shin’s martial prowess surpassed hers.
“But the Two-Faced Lust Demon knocked him out of the tournament, so I advanced… Then the fire knocked you out, so I advanced again…”
A sudden thought crossed my mind.
Perhaps the heavens had taken a liking to Cousin Hyang-ok and decided to shower her with good fortune…
Well, that was hardly important.
“Come to think of it, what happened with that Two-Faced Lust Demon? What could possibly have driven him to invade the martial arena and seek revenge even at the cost of his own life?”
Cousin Hyang-ok sighed at my question.
“Whew. That bastard really was…”
“…?”
“The truth is, when I subdued him, I cut off his manhood.”
“Ah…”
Men branded as lechers or Lust Demons tended to have an almost unnatural obsession with that particular part of their bodies.
So that was why he had been willing to risk his life for revenge.
What a pointless grudge.
He had done something bad enough to deserve losing it in the first place.
Still, how had he managed to enter Luoyang, the very heart of the Murim Alliance?
No matter how skilled he was, evading the patrols, kidnapping Young Lord Seomun Il-shin, disguising himself as the man, and entering the martial competition under his identity could not have been easy…
He clearly had an accomplice working behind the scenes.
“By the way, I heard you rescued the Baekcheon Merchant Group’s people.”
“Ah… Yes.”
I nodded.
To be honest, the Baekcheon Merchant Group was my sworn enemy, and I could hardly stand the sight of them. However, the servants working in the warehouse had done nothing wrong.
Besides, rescuing the Baekcheon Merchant Group’s people served another purpose. It would help dispel any suspicion that I was secretly moving against the Baekcheon Merchant Group.
After all, how could anyone reasonably believe that a man who had risked his life to save their people was harboring a desire for revenge against them?
“Congratulations. Thanks to that, you’re the center of attention throughout Luoyang.”
“What?”
“Word has spread through the entire city that the Handsome Young Hero has performed yet another righteous deed.”
“…”
“Anyway, take care of yourself. I have the final tomorrow.”
“Yes. I wish you good fortune in the match.”
After Cousin Hyang-ok left, I let out a long sigh.
“Why are you sighing, Young Master?”
I gave Palgap an awkward smile.
“Did you know I’m currently the center of attention in Luoyang?”
“Of course I did.”
“Why didn’t you tell me?”
Palgap answered without hesitation.
“Because if I told you, you would obviously say, ‘This wasn’t what I intended! How did things turn out like this? It’s not as if performing chivalrous deeds is some hobby of mine!’ Wouldn’t you?”
“…”
I had nothing to say to that.
“So I decided you would be better off not knowing.”
“I… I see.”
Soon afterward, Young Clan Lord Zhuge Yu-a and the Zhuge Clan Lord came to visit me.
They offered a few sincere words of concern.
They seemed to want to speak with me at greater length, but the championship match was tomorrow, so they kept the conversation brief before departing.
That was fortunate for me.
Eventually, night fell.
Whew. At last, I can finally get some rest.
Just as the thought crossed my mind, the window opened.
Creeeeak.
“Kui?”
Geumryeong seemed delighted.
There was only one person Geumryeong greeted like that…
“Master.”
Master entered through the window and approached me.
“I heard what happened. They said you broke your leg while rescuing people from the fire today. I was worried, so I came to check on you.”
“Hahaha.”
I laughed awkwardly and climbed down from the bed.
Master smiled when he saw me standing perfectly well.
“So this was a ruse of your own making.”
“Yes, it was. I apologize for not telling you beforehand.”
“There is no need.”
Master shook his head.
“As the saying goes, if you wish to deceive your enemies, you must first deceive your allies.”
Master had immediately realized that I had staged the injury to keep my true strength and martial arts hidden.
“Now that I’ve seen you standing here perfectly healthy, that is enough.”
Since Master had already come all this way, I might as well ask about something that had been bothering me.
“Master, there is something I would like to ask.”
“What are you curious about?”
“After escorting Brother Jeong-ho to Headquarters in Hubei, did you come directly to Luoyang?”
Master slowly nodded.
“More or less.”
“I apologize. Because of my request, you were forced to go through trouble that would otherwise have been unnecessary…”
Master shook his head.
“Not at all. I already had business at the Escort Bureau and was on my way back. I also had some matters to handle in Luoyang, so I stopped here and watched the martial competition while I was in the city.”
Business in Luoyang…
“Does it have something to do with the imperial family?”
This time, Master gave me no answer.
But silence was as good as confirmation.
If so, that meant the Emperor had someone here in Luoyang with whom he secretly exchanged letters…
Who could it be? Now I was curious.
Perhaps sensing my thoughts, Master stepped closer and patted me on the shoulder.
“There is no need to concern yourself with it. You will learn the truth when the time comes.”
“Hahaha.”
“Then I’ll see you again.”
“Yes, Master.”
I cupped my fists.
“Please take care of yourself.”
Master gave me a faint smile before disappearing through the window.
He may be my master, but he truly comes and goes like a ghost.
Whew. Now I really should get some sleep.
.
.
.
Morning came.
It was now my second day confined to bed.
At long last, a Supervisor from the Baekcheon Merchant Group came to see me.
“My name is Jang Eul-ju, a Supervisor from the Baekcheon Merchant Group. The Merchant Lord sent me. How are you feeling?”
I had supposedly been injured while rescuing the Baekcheon Merchant Group’s people. Shouldn’t Merchant Lord Namgoong Seok have come to visit me himself?
It was not as though we were far apart.
The fact that he had sent only a Supervisor meant he had decided my condition was not important enough to warrant a personal visit.
“I’m doing well, thanks to your concern. More importantly, are the people I rescued all safe?”
Supervisor Jang Eul-ju answered my question.
“Of course. Every one of them escaped safely without suffering any serious injuries.”
“That is truly a relief.”
“The Merchant Lord instructed me to convey his gratitude.”
“Please convey my thanks to him as well.”
But why had he come only this morning instead of yesterday?
Perhaps they had spent the entire day investigating whether I was the one who started the fire.
The Namgoong Clan was more than capable of doing something like that.
Still, the fact that they had finally sent someone to visit me, late though it was, probably meant they had cleared me of suspicion.
“There is something I wanted to ask. Before the fire broke out yesterday, why did you suddenly order everyone to soak the tents and prepare buckets of water?”
Hmm. So they still suspected me?
Without the slightest change in expression, I gave him the answer I had prepared.
“Because the weather was extremely dry. Under those conditions, couldn’t a fire have started from the ropes securing the tents rubbing in the wind, or from a single stray spark blowing in from nearby?”
“…Now that you mention it, there were potential causes everywhere.”
“Exactly. There was no way to know what might start a fire, so what else could we do? The only sensible choice was to prepare as thoroughly as possible.”
I continued.
“Still, I’m relieved that most of the merchant groups avoided serious losses. If I remember correctly, I even sent a Supervisor to warn the Baekcheon Merchant Group…”
“…”
Supervisor Jang Eul-ju could not offer a single word in response.
Naturally, he was the very person who had ignored the warning my Supervisor delivered.
“I heard your losses were substantial. I sincerely hope the Baekcheon Merchant Group can recover quickly.”
Heh. I bet that stung.
–TL Notes–
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