I searched my memory and soon realized where that scent came from.
There was that incident when the head of the Fire Lotus Inn tried to borrow the power of the Doun Merchant Group to deliberately set fire to Finance Pavilion.
When I visited Fire Lotus Inn back then, I found it strange that, despite their poor financial state, they were constructing a new building.
While I was inspecting that building, I encountered a suspicious masked person.
That scent had come from the masked figure who escaped that day.
The moment I realized it, I hastily scanned my surroundings.
‘Where is it?’
‘Who around here smells like that?’
Honestly, even if I found that person, the most I could gain would be some insight into the Murim Alliance’s movements.
Or perhaps the identity of a hidden collaborator within the Murim Alliance.
But why do I feel such an intense urge to find that masked person?
I sprinted in the direction where the scent was strongest.
But the fragrance disappeared almost instantly.
It all happened so quickly. I stood frozen, staring blankly into the air.
It felt like the whole thing had been a dream.
“Seo-ho, what’s wrong? Something happen?”
Jeong-ho asked with a worried look.
“Young Master, are you alright? Why are you acting like this all of a sudden?”
“Seo-ho.”
I shook my head.
The burning desire to find the owner of that scent vanished just as quickly as it came.
Like someone had doused me with cold water.
I let out a long sigh.
“It’s nothing.”
“You look exhausted. Let’s head back.”
“That would be best.”
I nodded at both Jeong-ho and Palgap’s words.
“Thought I’d shaken off the travel fatigue, but maybe not.”
Honestly, traveling to Sichuan and then coming straight to Beijing after only a few days was pretty exhausting.
“Let’s come back another time to buy a gift for your future wife.”
At my words, Jeong-ho’s face turned bright red.
“F-Future wife…”
“You’re already thinking about marrying her. That makes her your future wife.”
“Hahaha…”
He didn’t deny it.
So, propose as soon as we return to the merchant group.
We started heading back toward Merchant Lord Jin’s mansion, but then a scene caught our eye.
“You little brat!”
“I didn’t steal the dumplings!”
“Don’t you lie to me! I saw everything!”
“I was trying to tell you the others were about to steal them!”
“You’re one of those thieves too!”
A shop owner was swinging a broom, mercilessly beating a beggar boy.
The boy looked truly desperate and wronged.
So there are beggars even in Beijing. Just shows how many people are struggling to survive.
The way things were going, that shop owner might actually beat the kid to death, so I walked over.
“Stop hitting him.”
“Who’re you supposed to be?”
“Just a passerby.”
“If you’re passing by, then keep passing—”
The shop owner trailed off mid-sentence.
He must’ve noticed the fine silk I was wearing.
People like this were the reason it’s impossible to ignore appearances no matter how much one values character.
“Ahem, Young Master, you don’t need to worry about this. Just trying to teach this little beggar a lesson.”
“What exactly did this boy do wrong?”
“Hmph, this brat stole five dumplings!”
“But he said there were other kids involved.”
“Yeah, while this brat was distracting me, the others ran off with the dumplings!”
“How many were there?”
“Five of them. Each grabbed one. I saw it clear as day.”
I nodded.
“So five kids each grabbed one dumpling… meaning this kid didn’t take any.”
“They… they were gonna share.”
“The same kids who left him behind to get beaten would share their food? Kids who were desperate enough to snatch dumplings would just… share? Doesn’t that sound a bit strange?”
“That’s…”
It’s basic human nature, not just beggars.
If you’re starving, do you really spare a thought for sharing?
Can you even notice anyone else when all you see is the dumpling in front of you?
“Do those kids steal often?”
“About once every ten days.”
“Then you must recognize their faces by now. Have you ever seen this kid with them before?”
“…He’s new around here.”
“Have you ever seen him hanging out with those kids?”
“…”
At that moment, one of the bystanders shouted,
“I saw that boy getting beaten up by another gang before!”
“Yeah, we even stepped in to help him.”
Looking closely, the boy’s face was covered in old bruises.
So that’s where those came from.
Thanks to the crowd speaking up, it was now clear the boy wasn’t part of that gang.
I turned to the boy.
“You said you were trying to warn them about the other kids stealing?”
“Yes.”
“Then why didn’t you steal any yourself?”
The boy answered firmly.
“Because a gentleman doesn’t steal, and a wise man doesn’t covet. No matter how poor I am, seeking ill-gotten gains isn’t the way of a true gentleman.”
I was genuinely surprised.
I hadn’t expected a response like that.
“How old are you?”
“I’m thirteen this year.”
“I see.”
I turned to the dumpling shop owner.
“Seems to me this boy isn’t one of the thieves.”
“Ahem…”
I asked the boy,
“Do you want an apology?”
He shook his head.
“Even though my intentions were good, I still caused harm. I believe I should be the one apologizing.”
He respectfully cupped his fists.
“My apologies.”
“A-Anyway… sorry about the misunderstanding.”
I handed the shop owner a coin.
“Take this.”
“What’s this for?”
“Apologies should come with compensation. Consider it that.”
“Ah…”
The owner hesitated a little but ended up taking the coin and slipping it into his pouch.
I quietly observed the whole exchange.
Once everything was settled, I led the boy a bit away from the dumpling shop.
“Are you alright? Where you got hit, I mean.”
“It hurts, but I’ll be fine. Thank you for helping me.”
“Still, it’s better if a physician takes a look.”
Jeong-ho nodded at my words.
“Even small wounds can fester.”
“First, he needs a proper wash.”
Palgap added, and I nodded.
I was tired, sure, but this was a boy I saved. I couldn’t just let him suffer until it turned fatal.
I decided to take the boy to a nearby inn.
Couldn’t exactly show up at Merchant Lord Jin’s mansion with a boy whose identity was completely unknown.
Palgap took the boy into the inn’s bathhouse, washed him clean, and brought him back out.
Just then, the physician we had called arrived and treated the boy’s wounds.
But when the physician examined his back, there was a large sword scar.
It was surprising that he’d even survived after receiving a wound like that.
“Apply this medicine for about three days, and you won’t need to worry.”
“Thank you.”
After the physician left, I spoke to the boy.
“Alright, let’s eat.”
It was late, but I could tell the boy hadn’t had dinner yet.
His stomach had been rumbling like thunder for a while now.
I took him downstairs and ordered some food. It was late, so the only things available were dumplings and noodles.
But the boy ate like it was the most delicious meal in the world.
‘Look at him eat… what an appetite.’
While staring at the dumplings, the boy suddenly asked me,
“Earlier… when you gave money to the dumpling shop owner… you did that on purpose, didn’t you?”
“Huh?”
“You gave him the money to test him, right?”
He was right.
But I hadn’t expected this kid to figure that out.
Curious, I asked,
“What made you think that?”
“The owner already apologized after I bowed and said I was sorry. It was settled.”
“True.”
“Despite that, you handed him money, saying it was the financial compensation for my apology. Doing that even though the situation was resolved… it meant you were testing something.”
“Exactly. You’re right.”
I smiled and continued.
“I wanted to see whether the shopkeeper genuinely accepted your apology, or whether he’d just apologized out of face-saving but didn’t truly mean it.”
“I see.”
“If he hadn’t taken the money, I was going to teach him how not to get his dumplings stolen.”
The boy nodded and said,
“I already know that method.”
“You do?”
“Yes.”
He nodded confidently.
“Then what’s your solution?”
“The dumplings were spread out over too wide an area. Even if they’re stacked in layers, he should reduce the display area. Just fixing that would cut down the chances of theft significantly.”
It was exactly the solution I had in mind.
There were a few other methods as well, but this was the most effective.
“I don’t get why the shopkeeper didn’t think of something so simple.”
At that, I chuckled.
“Because that’s the kind of person who’d take the money.”
“That’s true.”
As the conversation went on, it became clear this boy wasn’t ordinary.
For a thirteen-year-old to speak this way… with the right training, he could become a real asset to any merchant group.
“By the way, can you read?”
“…I can.”
His eyes sparkled. The gaze of a predator who’d spotted an opportunity.
“I studied all the way up to the Great Learning (大學).”
The boy continued.
“Master, you must be wealthy. Please hire me!”
“You want me to hire you?”
“Yes! I’ll do anything.”
Hearing he’d studied up to the Great Learning raised some questions in my mind.
Books were expensive.
And studying that far meant he’d had a teacher.
For someone like that to be living as a beggar… it clearly meant something had happened.
But it wasn’t something I could pry into here and now.
I brought the boy back up to the room after he finished eating.
“You asked me to hire you earlier, right?”
“Yes.”
“Then… how did you end up wandering alone like this?”
“Well…”
“I need to know that if I’m going to hire you with peace of mind.”
Tears welled up in the boy’s eyes and began streaming down his cheeks.
“The truth is… I was born into a martial family.”
I stayed silent, letting him talk.
“Then one day… a group of men attacked. I passed out during the fight. When I woke up, my home was already in ashes.”
“…”
“There were no surviving family members.”
“And you’ve been living like this ever since?”
“Yes. I’ve been wandering since the year before last. I arrived in this city about half a year ago.”
“You’ve had a hard life.”
That sword scar the physician treated earlier… I wondered about it. Now I knew. It came from that day.
“But… if you were born in a martial family, you should’ve learned at least basic martial arts. Why did you just let the other kids beat you?”
“I never trained in martial arts. I wasn’t born with the right body for it.”
So that was it.
While I was still thinking about what to do with him, Jeong-ho spoke up.
“Just do what your heart tells you.”
“Huh?”
“You like this kid. And besides, he’s been wandering for two years already.”
“That’s true.”
“You’re probably worried our merchant group might suffer because someone’s looking for him… but honestly, I doubt anyone even knows he’s still alive.”
“Yeah… I guess you’re right.”
I made my decision.
I was going to hire this boy.
With this level of intellect and education, with the right training, he’d definitely become a great asset to the merchant group.
“Come to think of it, I never even asked your name. My name’s Eun Seo-ho. What’s yours?”
“I can’t use my real name.”
“I figured. Still, I’d like to know.”
“My name… is Min Ji-ik. But to hide my identity, I made a name for myself. I’d like you to call me by that.”
“Alright. What name did you choose?”
“Seok Il-song (石一松).”
Wait, what?
Seok Il-song?
The same Seok Il-song known as the Demon Lord of Ten Thousand Routes (萬通魔君)?
The one who, in my previous life, became the famed chancellor of the Heavenly Demon Cult?
The Murim Alliance once launched an attack on the Heavenly Demon Cult.
They meticulously prepared, cutting off the cult’s supply lines well in advance.
Everyone in the Central Plains believed the Murim Alliance would win.
But the result was different.
The Heavenly Demon Cult not only fended off the Alliance’s attack but even seized parts of Qinghai and Gansu beyond Xinjiang.
At the center of it all… was one administrator.
He accurately predicted every crisis with unmatched management skills, preparing thoroughly and minimizing losses caused by supply shortages.
–TL Notes–
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