The next morning.
I met with Master for the first time in a while.
“Have you been well?”
Master nodded at my greeting.
“I’ve been fine, but it seems you’ve been quite active. The rumors are widespread.”
“I just did my best, but hearing that’s a bit embarrassing.”
After exchanging a few simple words, we began our sword training.
“Let’s see the results of your recent practice.”
“Yes.”
I demonstrated the first form of the True Snow Twelve Form Sword, called Snowfall.
Master’s expression grew more serious the longer he watched. I lowered my sword and asked,
“Master, are you alright?”
“Ah, I’m fine.”
“Then… is there something wrong with my sword technique?”
“No, not that.”
Master hesitated for a moment before asking,
“Are you certain… you’ve never learned the True Snow Twelve Form Sword before?”
“I haven’t.”
“Then how… How can you embody the true essence of Snowfall, something that only reveals itself after fully mastering the entire True Snow Twelve Form Sword? It doesn’t make sense…”
That question made my heart skip a beat.
But I couldn’t tell him I’d returned from the future.
I’m sorry, Master.
“I don’t really know myself.”
“Hm… I see. Well, let’s move on to the next form.”
“Yes.”
“Palgap, bring me what I asked for.”
It was finally time to learn the second form of the True Snow Twelve Form Sword.
Though, technically, I’d learned it before.
The second form.
Accumulated Snow (積雪).
Just as snow piles up and eventually snaps a thick tree branch, this technique stacks attacks until the opponent breaks.
Accumulated Snow is mainly used against stronger opponents.
The key is distributing stamina properly.
You’ve got to strike repeatedly, but if you exhaust yourself before the opponent collapses, then it’s all pointless.
That’s why, when I first learned Accumulated Snow, the training started with swinging the sword continuously without rest.
At first for a quarter of an hour, then eventually up to two hours.
That’s the baseline for mastering Accumulated Snow.
And, well… I remember suffering from muscle pain in my arms for quite a while back then…
Thud!
“Here it is!”
Palgap brought over a huge log and set it down in front of me.
Palgap… No, don’t.
Please take that thing back.
But the words never made it out of my mouth.
“Now then, start swinging your sword. Keep going until I tell you to stop.”
Will my arms survive this?
Sigh, I don’t even know.
Gwak Myeong-hyeon headed toward the Changin Escort Bureau.
Every morning, his routine was to stop by Eun Seo-ho’s residence to guide his sword training before heading to the escort bureau.
If either he or Eun Seo-ho had other matters, Seo-ho would train alone.
In truth, sword training alone was risky.
So he’d always instructed his two sons never to practice swordsmanship unsupervised when he wasn’t around.
The only reason he allowed Seo-ho to train solo was because there were trustworthy people nearby.
Like External Chief Administrator Go Il-pyeong, as well as other skilled martial artists.
‘And… he’s just too talented.’
The saying “teach one, learn ten” fit him perfectly.
Even if Snowfall was the most basic form of the True Snow Twelve Form Sword, embedding its true essence was something only possible for someone who’d mastered the sword.
Honestly, Seo-ho’s current state was a bit abnormal.
His internal Qi was already at a level comparable to most Peak masters.
But his swordsmanship was only on the second form out of twelve.
‘Frankly, with that level of internal Qi, he could subdue most opponents using just two forms.’
Still, Gwak had no intention of accelerating the teaching pace.
No, he mustn’t.
The True Snow Twelve Form Sword was a family heirloom.
And according to the ancestral teachings, one must follow the proper order when learning it.
Breaking that rule always came with consequences—and Gwak knew exactly what those consequences were.
Gaining great power required endurance and perseverance. Those who ignored that truth met grim fates.
Fortunately, Seo-ho never once pressured him to move faster.
He simply and quietly completed the tasks given to him.
‘But… does he really not know the True Snow Twelve Form Sword?’
The form he’d taught today, Accumulated Snow, was a method to overwhelm stronger opponents through relentless strikes.
That meant hit-and-run tactics were essential.
If you stayed in one spot swinging, you’d only expose yourself to the enemy’s counterattacks.
Footwork was critical.
In fact, the No-Trace Step was practically designed for this purpose.
If the opponent couldn’t perceive your movement, the next strike had a much higher chance of landing.
Most people, when first learning Accumulated Snow, struggled to use proper footwork.
It was normal to stumble over the unfamiliar movement.
That’s why Accumulated Snow was considered the hardest form to master out of the twelve.
But Seo-ho wasn’t like most people.
‘It’s absurd… but he used footwork. And it was natural.’
As far as Gwak knew, aside from a few lessons from External Chief Administrator Go Il-pyeong, Seo-ho had no prior sword training.
His thoughts drifted to Seo-ho’s unusual constitution.
‘Could it really be… like Father once said… the prophecy?’
The carriage rocked in a steady rhythm as it moved forward.
Inside were Eun Gil-sang, Eun Jeong-ho, and Eun Seo-ho.
Truthfully, Jeong-ho had intended to stay behind and look after the merchant group.
But former Merchant Lord Eun Ji-bong forcefully sent him along.
“You dare skip out on such a big opportunity? Get moving! This merchant group you see—I’m the one who built it. Are you looking down on me just ‘cause I’m old now?”
“N-no, Grandfather.”
“Then what’re you doing still standing here? Go to Beijing already!”
“I haven’t even packed ye—”
“I told them to pack for you already.”
“…”
And just like that, Jeong-ho was dragged along.
Today marked the third day since they’d departed for Beijing.
Jeong-ho was poring over documents.
Seo-ho was fast asleep.
Gil-sang quietly gazed at his sleeping son’s handsome face.
‘The older he gets, the more he looks like me.’
His thoughts drifted back to the conversation he had with Seo-ho a little over a month ago, before the boy left for Sichuan.
— They say there’s an epidemic spreading in Gansu.
— That’s… worrying.
— Fortunately, salt seems to be highly effective.
— …Salt prices are gonna skyrocket.
— Indeed.
— Father… are you, by chance, thinking about buying up salt in advance and selling it later at a higher price for profit?
There was something unfamiliar in Seo-ho’s gaze as he asked.
It felt as though he already knew what Gil-sang was thinking.
— No. We won’t do that.
Truthfully, if they did, the profits would be immense. But he had no desire for it.
Salt is an essential part of life.
People can live without candy, but they can’t survive without salt.
Profiting by hoarding salt and reselling it at inflated prices meant ignoring the livelihood of ordinary people.
Since the founding of the Eunhae Merchant Group by their distant ancestors, there’d always been one guiding principle:
Value people above all else.
Those ‘people’ referred not only to the merchant group’s employees and artisans but also to the common folk who bought their goods.
For Gil-sang, who was raised on those teachings, making profits off salt prices felt unacceptable.
It would undoubtedly harm the people.
With a calm but firm tone, he made his stance clear.
— That would harm the people. It goes against the guiding principles passed down in the Eunhae Merchant Group. And personally… I find it distasteful.
On top of that, his instincts were warning him.
Danger.
Seo-ho smiled at his father’s answer.
— Hearing that puts my mind at ease.
Gil-sang chuckled. That smile made it clear Seo-ho had expected his answer.
— You little rascal… were you testing me?
— Test? Father, how could I dare test you? I was simply curious about your thoughts.
— Then why were you curious?
— Because while it looks like sweet honey… it’s actually laced with poison.
— Poison?
— Salt prices will rise even higher.
— As you say, they’ll likely soar to outrageous levels.
— Salt’s essential for survival. Do you think the imperial palace will just sit by and watch that?
— Ah…!
— That’s how I see it. The palace will definitely intervene.
And Seo-ho was right.
The imperial court did act, and the result was the Salt Distribution Act.
While countless merchant groups rose and fell due to this, the Eunhae Merchant Group unexpectedly came out with huge gains.
When the Salt Distribution Act was announced, Gil-sang felt prepared—he and Seo-ho had anticipated it in this very conversation.
But when news came that the Eunhae Merchant Group was selected as the official salt retailer for Hubei Province, it was impossible to stay calm.
The salt distributor for Hubei Province.
The weight of that was bigger than expected.
‘At the very least… everyone in Hubei now has to pay attention to the Eunhae Merchant Group.’
Meaning, there were now many who’d be nervous about their every move.
‘Still… I’m surprised. I didn’t think Yu So-ak cared about Seo-ho this much.’
When the subject of granting Seo-ho the title of Deputy Merchant Lord came up, Yu So-ak was unexpectedly against it.
When asked why, Yu So-ak answered,
— I’m concerned that if Young Master receives the title, it’ll draw unnecessary attention to him. It’ll exhaust him.
There was clear worry in Yu So-ak’s voice.
— But the attention’s already there, so that’s pointless worry.
— You’re right.
In the end, granting Seo-ho the title of Deputy Merchant Lord passed unanimously.
‘He’s truly talented… even from my perspective.’
It was then that Seo-ho, who had been sound asleep, suddenly opened his eyes.
“…!”
Startled, Gil-sang asked,
“What’s wrong? You were sleeping so soundly.”
“Well…”
Inside the carriage headed for Beijing, I had dozed off for a bit.
Normally, carriages send every bump straight into your spine.
But this carriage was different.
The floor was so thoroughly padded with cushions that my rear had practically disappeared into them. I couldn’t feel any jolts at all.
My body grew comfortable, and drowsiness crept in.
I’d been looking through some documents I needed to review before we arrived in Beijing, but fatigue soon overwhelmed me.
Probably because the exhaustion from the journey from Hubei to Sichuan still hadn’t fully worn off.
Or maybe… it was the sword training I’d just started.
Yeah, that was probably it.
In the end, I couldn’t fight the fatigue and drifted off.
I was sleeping soundly when something tickled at my senses.
Unorthodox Sect?
Something sharp seemed to be pricking at me.
Killing intent.
Someone ahead was targeting us.
I opened my eyes at once.
Father noticed and asked,
“What’s wrong? You were sleeping so well.”
“Well…”
I was about to reply when the carriage window opened.
The face of Yun Chung-jin, Deputy of the Eunpoong Division, came into view.
He was the second-best martial artist in the Eunpoong Division, right after External Chief Administrator Go Il-pyeong.
In truth, Go Il-pyeong had intended to accompany us himself.
But as External Chief Administrator, he had too many duties. He couldn’t leave the main office defenseless.
Fortunately, the imperial court had dispatched both Embroidered Guards and palace guards.
This was because of the previous incident where Merchant Lord Jin U-rim had been attacked.
With that security in place, it was deemed safe enough for Yun Chung-jin to be our escort.
He must’ve sensed something too, because he said,
“Looks like we won’t be passing quietly.”
“An ambush?”
“Yes. Please stay inside the carriage. It shouldn’t take long to deal with.”
A moment later,
The sharp clash of cold steel echoed outside.
I wasn’t worried.
From what I could sense, our side would handle this quickly.
But really… they’re attacking us even though the carriage is flying flags showing that we’re guarded by imperial troops?
That means someone had a specific reason to target us.
The most likely reason… the salt distribution rights.
Then a strange thought hit me.
With this small force, what exactly did they think they could do?
There were palace guards and Embroidered Guards protecting us.
‘Ah…’
It’s a diversion.
Their real target isn’t to hold us off… they’re here to take our lives.
And right at that moment—
Whoosh—!
Something flew in through the carriage window.
Damn it! That’s a Blast Thunder Bomb! (爆天雷)
–TL Notes–
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