Dong Wu-yeok woke up on the makeshift bed inside the cave.
The merchant had apologized for upsetting him and offered some strong liquor, saying he should get a good night’s rest before figuring out the next step for revenge.
The liquor was an extremely potent fire wine (火酒).
He’d drunk himself unconscious, and now he was awake.
His throat felt like it was on fire.
“Ugh… so thirsty. Hey! Anybody there? Bring me water! Water!”
But no one responded.
Even the occasional sound of birds was absent, making the eerie silence feel even more ominous.
Sensing something was wrong, Wu-yeok shot up from the bed and rushed outside the cave.
What he saw was chaos.
Anything valuable was completely gone.
It didn’t take long for him to understand what had happened.
His men had abandoned him and fled.
The lingering haze of alcohol vanished instantly.
“What… What the hell? Are you telling me they all ran? They left? What about me?!”
Muttering in disbelief, he eventually let out a scream.
“Damn it all!!!”
Right then—
Da-da-da-da!
The sound of footsteps and galloping horses echoed.
Wu-yeok’s face suddenly lit up.
He thought his men had come back for him.
But the people who appeared before him were palace guards and Embroidered Guards.
“Dong Wu-yeok! Criminal guilty of treason! Arrest him!”
“Yes, sir!”
Panic seized Wu-yeok as he stumbled back.
“No… no! This is a dream! I’m still dreaming…!”
But no amount of denial could change reality.
And just like that, his obsession with misguided revenge vanished into thin air.
I was staring at the sprawling mansions spread across the vast land.
We’d arrived in Beijing.
First, we needed to visit Merchant Lord Jin U-rim’s residence.
All final procedures were handled there.
Not long after, the carriage stopped in front of a mansion.
“We’ve arrived.”
At the words of the Embroidered Guard escorting us, we stepped out.
Father bowed to him in gratitude.
“Thank you for escorting us all this way.”
“Not at all. I was simply fulfilling the duty entrusted to me by the Emperor. If anything, I should be thanking you.”
Then he turned to me and added,
“I nearly failed my duty, but thanks to the young master’s quick thinking, I was able to see it through. You have my deepest gratitude.”
“Receiving thanks from a martial master like you… It’s an honor, and I gladly accept.”
I said it quickly.
If I kept refusing out of humility, this conversation would drag on forever.
I just wanted to get inside and rest.
At that moment, a group came out from the mansion, and I saw a familiar face.
“Oh! Young Master Eun Seo-ho! You’ve arrived!”
“I greet Merchant Lord Jin.”
“I heard everything. You were attacked by the last remnants of the Dong Clan, weren’t you?”
“It was nothing serious.”
“Nothing serious? A Blast Thunder Bomb nearly went off inside your carriage. How’s that nothing?!”
Classic Jin U-rim.
Always knows everything.
“Thankfully the second son was captured, but… the problem is the others who fled.”
“They haven’t been caught?”
“Not yet. But the search continues. We’ll have them soon enough.”
I smiled and spoke.
“Merchant Lord, I have a request.”
“What is it?”
“Please call off the search.”
“Call it off? Why?”
Jin looked puzzled.
“Surely this wasn’t their intention. It was the second son who led them. They were just following orders.”
“True.”
“They were merely tools. A tool bears no sin. They have families, Merchant Lord. If innocent family members were harmed because of this, I couldn’t bear the guilt.”
I continued.
“I have a weak constitution, you see. If I hear something happened to them… I might collapse from the stress.”
“Oh dear! We can’t have that!”
“So please… I ask that the search be called off.”
Merchant Lord Jin thought for a moment, then nodded.
“Very well. I’ll report this to His Majesty.”
“Thank you.”
“Now then, let’s head inside. You must be exhausted from the journey. Taking care of that is the secret to longevity for a merchant.”
“Understood.”
This was exactly what I wanted.
Jin U-rim’s residence was enormous.
Without a guide, it’d be easy to get lost.
Merchant Lord Jin returned to his office to handle affairs, and one of his deputies escorted us.
“This place is really big.”
“It was granted by His Majesty himself. Over there is where the Merchant Lord and the core members stay. That building is for the department managing the salt trade.”
“I see.”
“It’s so big that guests often lose their way. So whenever you go out, it’s best to ask one of the maids to guide you.”
“Got it.”
“Ah, over there is the rear garden. There’s a pond, rare stones, and flowers. If you find the time, I recommend visiting.”
As we walked, the deputy explained various things until we arrived at our quarters.
A plaque hung above the building, reading Guest Hall (賓客堂).
A straightforward name. The place for honored guests.
We were assigned to a detached residence. Looked like it had more than ten rooms.
“This will be your quarters during your stay.”
The deputy turned to me.
“And… personally, thank you for saving the Merchant Lord. He’s like a father to me. If something terrible had happened to him… I don’t know what I’d have done.”
I met his gaze.
There was no mistaking the sincerity in his eyes.
“I think… it was the heavens watching over him that allowed me to help.”
The deputy nodded.
“Yes. Truly, he’s someone the heavens favor.”
.
.
.
That evening, we dined in the banquet hall, where several other merchant groups who’d already arrived were also invited.
From above, the banquet hall looked like two large rectangles overlapping.
The outer section was for the entourages each group brought.
And the raised central platform was for the Merchant Lords and key figures.
“What an unusual layout.”
Jeong-ho commented, and the servant guiding us replied,
“Some are here as guards, others as aides for their Merchant Lords. That’s why the hall is designed this way.”
Truthfully… I was familiar with this layout.
It was from this place that banquet halls began adopting this style.
So this is where it started.
Yun Chung-jin and the others who accompanied us settled down at suitable spots nearby.
Father, Jeong-ho, and I sat in the center, where seats had been prepared.
Name plaques were placed before each seat.
As we approached, the people seated there stood up and greeted us with warm smiles.
I recognized them. Members of the Geumjin Merchant Group.
Ah, that elder is the current Merchant Lord now.
Seeing the elderly man now leading the group drove home the fact that I really had returned to the past.
They were good people—worthy of being selected by Merchant Lord Jin U-rim himself as salt distributors.
Since Father was younger, he greeted first.
“It’s a pleasure to meet you. I am Eun Gil-sang, managing the Eunhae Merchant Group in Hubei.”
“I am In Jun, managing the Geumjin Merchant Group in Hebei.”
Once the two Merchant Lords finished exchanging greetings, it was time for us standing behind to introduce ourselves.
In Jun was accompanied by his eldest son, In Gwang.
A former friendly rival of mine.
Even until my death, he remained a respected figure in Hebei—a man who never resorted to underhanded tactics and always walked the righteous path.
“I am Eun Jeong-ho, eldest son and Deputy Merchant Lord of the Eunhae Merchant Group.”
“I am Eun Seo-ho, third son and Deputy Merchant Lord of the Eunhae Merchant Group.”
Hearing my introduction, Merchant Lord In tilted his head.
“If you’re the third son… then there’s a second son between you?”
Naturally, the question arose.
Father answered,
“That’s right. My second son stayed behind to manage things at the main office.”
“Then… Young Master Seo-ho, how old are you?”
“Fifteen.”
Merchant Lord In’s expression showed clear surprise, and Father continued with a smile.
“Ordinarily, Seo-ho would only become Deputy Merchant Lord upon turning twenty, but he’s so capable that every senior merchant agreed to appoint him early.”
“Oh! Is that so!”
At Father’s words, both Merchant Lord In and Deputy Merchant Lord In Gwang now looked at me differently.
A bit… overwhelming, really.
Just then, other merchant groups arrived, and we exchanged greetings with them as well.
By today, eleven merchant groups had arrived.
Out of twenty-three invited merchant groups, about half had gathered.
One group was selected per province as the salt distributor, plus one managing Xinjiang and Tibet, and another handling the entire region from Liaoning to Heilongjiang—totaling twenty-three.
Beijing itself would be directly managed by the Salt Balance Merchant Group.
As the meal went on, people started leaving in ones and twos.
That was only natural. True negotiations never happened at banquets but in private discussions back at each residence.
Merchant Lord Jin knew that as well, so after a meal, he quietly left.
This was simply an opportunity to exchange greetings with those we’d now be working with as fellow salt retailers.
I stood up as well.
Since I was in Beijing, I figured I should visit the marketplace.
Thanks to the nap I had after arriving, I’d shaken off most of the fatigue.
“Father, I’d like to step out and take a look around the marketplace.”
Father nodded.
“Go ahead. Jeong-ho, you should go with him.”
Jeong-ho asked,
“Can I join too?”
“Of course.”
And so, Jeong-ho and I headed into the bustling streets of Beijing.
The marketplace was dazzling.
Jeong-ho’s eyes darted everywhere, round with wonder, and I couldn’t help but chuckle at the sight.
“Try not to look like a country bumpkin, alright?”
“It’s just… it’s flashier than I expected.”
Understandable. This was his first time in Beijing. I’d reacted the same way once too.
“But you… you seem completely unfazed.”
“Me?”
“Yeah. You look… familiar with it.”
I gave a sheepish smile.
Back in my previous life, I visited here once a month to manage the local branch.
Of course I was familiar with the place.
Also, Beijing’s night markets weren’t exactly flashy. They were more… refined.
With the Forbidden City here and so many high-ranking officials residing in the capital, it naturally exuded a sense of elegance.
If you wanted real flashiness, that was Luoyang.
The nightlife in Luoyang made Beijing seem tame in comparison.
Come to think of it, the Murim Alliance was based in Luoyang.
Here in Beijing, preparations for the Qixi Festival were already underway, with red lanterns hung all over.
The festival celebrating the reunion of the Cowherd and the Weaver Girl.
Seeing the lanterns reminded me of the girl my brother had feelings for.
“By the way…”
“Hm? What?”
“Do you have someone you like?”
“…Someone I like?”
“A girl. I get the feeling… you do.”
At my question, Jeong-ho’s face instantly flushed.
I grinned.
“Who is it?”
“Well…”
I pressed him further.
“Is it… the eldest daughter of the Jin family military officer?”
“Gasp!”
Jeong-ho jumped in shock.
“H-How’d you know?! Was it that obvious?!”
“No.”
“Then how?!”
“Because I’m just that sharp.”
…Though the truth was, in my previous life, he married her.
So even back then, this crush had already begun.
If he liked her that much, why’d he drag things out and make her suffer by delaying the marriage for so long?
If they’d married earlier, she wouldn’t have gone through all that hardship.
“Well… since we’re in Beijing, how about buying her a gift? You should give her something to show how you feel.”
“Y-You think that’s okay?”
“You like her, don’t you? Then be bold about it.”
I casually asked Jeon Wu-jin, the martial artist walking behind us,
“Don’t you agree?”
“I most certainly do.”
Jeon Wu-jin had been injured during the attack at Jeong-ho’s Deputy Merchant Lord appointment ceremony but had since made a full recovery.
That was why he was able to accompany us this time.
Seeing him now faithfully guarding my brother made me feel proud.
At least I wouldn’t have to hear Father nagging Jeong-ho anymore.
“Look. There’s a shop selling women’s accessories. Let’s go.”
“Huh? O-Okay.”
I grabbed his arm and dragged him along.
And just as we headed toward the accessory shop—
Huh?
A faint scent drifted past my nose.
A familiar scent… one I’d definitely smelled before.
Like orchid blossoms…
–TL Notes–
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