There was an academy known as the Rehabilitation Academy.
Once someone entered, they would come out a completely new person within a few years.
I personally knew a few people who had turned their lives around after going there.
Whenever they spoke of that place, they would shudder… but judging by the results, it was incredibly effective.
According to my memory, that academy should be operating right now.
It seemed best to send that damn scumbag there as soon as possible—before the Head of the Wi Martial Family succumbed to his illness.
The Grand Elder of the Zhuge Clan spoke to Chief Administrator Yu.
“Looks like the situation is resolved. Let’s go discuss some poetry.”
“Yes, Brother.”
“And Deputy Merchant Lord Seo-ho, let that young lady know that I’ll visit her later.”
As expected. The Grand Elder never speaks empty words.
.
.
.
My Deputy Merchant Lord proclamation ceremony had ended.
The ceremony was over, but the banquet wasn’t.
Since the guests had traveled such long distances, the banquet continued.
That evening, Father and Jin Guan-ju had a private discussion.
And then, during breakfast the next morning, Father made an announcement to the family.
“Jeong-ho’s wedding will be in five days.”
“…What?”
I was so shocked I had to ask again.
“Five days from now?”
“They’re both at the right age. There’s no reason to delay.”
True, Jeong-ho is twenty now. Not exactly young for marriage.
“Plus, it’d be troublesome for the guests who came for Seo-ho’s proclamation ceremony to return again for the wedding.”
The Central Plains are vast.
Guests from nearby would manage, but those from afar would struggle to come back.
Travel time was one thing. Security was another. They’d need martial escorts.
If a household didn’t have guards of their own, they’d have to hire an escort bureau.
That meant significant costs.
So Father decided it was best to hold the wedding while the guests were already here.
It just happened a lot faster than I expected.
“But… can we prepare a wedding in only five days?”
Asked Jin-ho.
Grandfather answered without hesitation.
“It’s not impossible. We haven’t cleared the items we prepared for Seo-ho’s ceremony yet.”
“Just a few adjustments and everything will be ready.”
From Grandfather and Mother’s responses, it was clear the three of them had already discussed this thoroughly.
“So, Jeong-ho, what do you think?”
Father asked.
Jeong-ho, face flushed, replied,
“The sooner, the better.”
His answer made us all laugh.
“Then it’s settled.”
“Yes.”
From that day, preparations for Jeong-ho’s wedding began.
After breakfast, I moved quickly.
I had to attend the Eunwol Council meeting.
Until now, I’d only attended the meetings related to the Self-Dancing Doll as Gong Mil’s employer.
Those were irregular meetings, held only as needed.
But the Eunwol Council holds meetings every morning.
Now that I was officially Deputy Merchant Lord, I was required to attend them every day.
Arriving at the Eunwol Council building, I looked up at it.
Something felt different.
Unlike my previous life, what I felt now wasn’t excitement at recognition or nervousness about a new start.
It was determination.
A determination to prevent the downfall of the Eunhae Merchant Group that I had witnessed.
A determination to turn it into the greatest merchant group in the world.
I closed my eyes, reaffirmed my resolve, then opened them and stepped inside.
“Welcome.”
Jeok Byeong-cheol, Pavilion Lord of the Operations Pavilion, greeted me, having arrived before me.
“Ah, Pavilion Lord Jeok. You’re here early.”
“Congratulations on becoming Deputy Merchant Lord.”
“Thank you.”
“Deputy Merchant Lord… does your ambition remain unchanged?”
“Pardon?”
“You once told me… that you would turn the Eunhae Merchant Group into the greatest merchant group in the world.”
Ah… he’s talking about that conversation.
Pavilion Lord Jeok asked again,
“Has that ambition changed?”
“You still remember.”
“The older I get, the better my memory seems.”
“That’s my ambition and my resolve. It’s not something that changes easily.”
“I see.”
“And Pavilion Lord, you haven’t forgotten the promise you made back then, right?”
Back then, Pavilion Lord Jeok had promised to answer any one question of mine.
At my words, Pavilion Lord Jeok smiled.
“Deputy Merchant Lord, you have quite the memory yourself.”
“I’ve always had a good memory.”
“Of course I remember. And I’m looking forward to it… to see what question you’ll ask that’ll amuse me.”
“Hahaha.”
“By the way, you played the role of a matchmaker quite well.”
“Ah…”
As expected of Pavilion Lord Jeok.
“Well done.”
Uh… he’s complimenting me.
Didn’t expect that.
Just then, External Chief Administrator Go Il-pyeong walked into the Eunwol Council.
“Hahaha! What’s the lively conversation this morning?”
Full of energy, as always.
“Ah, External Chief Administrator, good morning.”
“Good morning, External Chief Administrator. We were just having a chat.”
Following him, the other key members entered one after another and took their seats.
The table in the Eunwol Council was a white round table.
To Father’s right sat Jeong-ho, then me.
To Father’s left sat Chief Administrator Yu, External External Chief Administrator Go, Pavilion Lord Yeon, and Pavilion Lord Jeok.
“First, Jeong-ho’s wedding date has been set.”
“Oh! He’s finally getting married!”
“I must say… that was one of the most moving proposals I’ve ever witnessed.”
Indeed, everyone here had seen Jeong-ho’s proposal.
Of course they had.
It involved the future Merchant Lord of the Eunhae Merchant Group.
“I’m embarrassed…”
Jeong-ho mumbled, face bright red.
Pavilion Lord Yeon giggled.
“To think… our Deputy Merchant Lord Jeong-ho had such boldness in him. I’ve gained a new perspective today.”
“Hahaha.”
She was truly sincere in teasing Jeong-ho.
Then External Chief Administrator Go chimed in.
“I never imagined Lady Jin’s martial prowess was that exceptional. To already be at the entry level of First-rate… incredible.”
“For someone from a humble martial family, with no external support, it’s truly impressive.”
Everyone here was acknowledging Lady Jin’s martial prowess.
Because everyone knew.
Children of prestigious clans and the Nine Great Sects became powerful largely thanks to endless support—elixirs, secret techniques, resources.
But achieving First-rate meant one had real talent.
A regular person, no matter how hard they tried, would barely reach Second-rate in their lifetime.
But someone with outstanding talent could drastically shorten the time it took to build their inner Qi.
With the addition of various Elixirs and supreme secret manuals, that time could be shortened even further.
But having lots of inner Qi alone didn’t make someone strong.
The crucial factor was enlightenment.
It wasn’t uncommon for a Second-rate martial artist who had achieved enlightenment to defeat a First-rate martial artist who hadn’t.
In short, only when Qi and enlightenment were in balance could one become truly strong.
Lady Jin possessed outstanding talent in both.
That was why the Grand Elder of the Zhuge Clan had willingly stepped forward as her patron.
In my past life, Lady Jin—no, Sister-in-law—never put down her sword even after marriage.
By the time I died, she had already reached Peak.
And that’s what made it heartbreaking.
If she’d had access to Elixirs at a younger age, if she’d been given an environment where she could fully dedicate herself to training, she would’ve surpassed Peak and reached Transcendent before I died.
Eventually, she would’ve even aimed for the Profound Realm (化境).
If that had been the case, the Murim Alliance wouldn’t have taken her down so easily.
Well, one thing’s for sure now. My brother Jeong-ho won’t be getting beaten up by anyone from here on out.
“I don’t mean to judge Lady Jin, but just the fact that she kept her skills hidden all this time shows her character is more than solid.”
Said External Chief Administrator Go.
He clearly liked her.
In my past life, External Chief Administrator Go became one of Sister-in-law’s strongest supporters too.
“Then let’s discuss Jeong-ho’s wedding arrangements. Pavilion Lord Yeon…”
We started discussing the wedding preparations, but surprisingly, there wasn’t that much to do.
“Next, there’s something for Seo-ho, who’s now officially attending the Eunwol Council from today.”
At those words, everyone’s eyes turned toward me.
“At first, we considered putting him in charge of the Eunhae Textile Shop.”
Everyone nodded.
The Eunhae Textile Shop…
That was actually the first job I had in my previous life.
“Seo-ho visited the Textile Shop while developing the Self-Dancing Doll. The shopkeeper said… he was quite skilled, wasn’t he?”
Father asked, and Pavilion Lord Yeon nodded.
“Yes, he said it was like someone who had worked with textiles for at least five years.”
Ah…
I must have unconsciously acted like someone who’d managed that shop before.
And there’s no way an old, seasoned shopkeeper wouldn’t notice that.
“So putting him in charge of the Textile Shop isn’t meaningful. He’s already handling the manufacturing and production of the Spinning Loom…”
“And also involved in the production and sale of the Self-Dancing Doll,” added Pavilion Lord Jeok of Trade Pavilion.
“From what I’ve seen, Deputy Merchant Lord Seo-ho is like the wind.”
“Huh?”
The wind? Where did that come from?
“When something happens, you rush in like a gust of wind and resolve it cleanly. And like the spring breeze, you often bring unexpected profits. That’s why you feel like the wind to me.”
At Pavilion Lord Jeok’s words, everyone nodded in agreement.
“So, I have something to propose to the Merchant Lord.”
“What is it?”
“I suggest assigning Deputy Merchant Lord Seo-ho to lead an independent organization.”
At that, Father thought for a moment and then looked at me.
“Yes… that might suit Seo-ho better. What does everyone think?”
Everyone nodded in agreement.
“Looks like Pavilion Lord Jeok has taken quite a liking to Deputy Merchant Lord Seo-ho.”
Said Pavilion Lord Yeon with a laugh.
“It’s because he’s that capable.”
Added Chief Administrator Yu.
“Indeed.”
Is… is this what getting complimented feels like? It’s kind of… overwhelming.
“Then we’re all agreed. What about you? Can you handle running an independent division?”
Father asked.
I answered without hesitation.
“Yes. I can.”
It wasn’t difficult for me. Before I turned fifteen, I’d already managed an independent division in my previous life.
“Then prepare all the necessary documents yourself. Submit them, and I’ll provide what you need.”
“Understood.”
.
.
.
It had been a chaotic day.
By evening, I finally had some time. I headed toward the annex where Artisan Gong’s family was staying.
Gong Mil and Gong Lae had asked me to come, and I’d promised.
“Young Master! Oh, wait, I’m supposed to call you Deputy Merchant Lord now!”
Said Gong Lae.
I chuckled.
“Call me whatever you like.”
“Still, good kids follow the rules.”
I patted her head.
“Where’s Mil?”
“In the workshop.”
I walked with Gong Lae to the workshop, where Gong Mil was, as always, focused on something at the workbench.
Knock knock.
At the sound of my knock, Gong Mil looked up and smiled brightly.
“Deputy Merchant Lord!”
“Still working, huh?”
“Yes. A new inspiration struck me.”
Grinning, Gong Mil stood up and handed me a box.
“It’s a small gift.”
“Thank you.”
I could feel the sincerity packed into that box.
“Can I open it?”
“Of course.”
I opened the box.
‘Huh?’
Inside was a mechanical item I’d never seen before.
It was a small doll, playing a zither (琴).
“Wind the base about ten times, then place it on a table.”
Following his instructions, I wound the base and placed it down.
Then something astonishing happened.
Tang, tara, ta.
The doll slowly spun as the sound of the zither began to play.
“Ah…”
I was stunned.
It was playing the zither… on its own.
“I’m glad you’re surprised, Deputy Merchant Lord. I named it the Self-Playing Zither (自樂琴).”
It literally meant “a zither that plays by itself.”
“How did you come up with this?”
“I was listening to Lae sing and thought… if we have a doll that dances by itself, why not one that plays music too?”
To think he could create something like the Self-Playing Zither…
Gong Mil truly was a genius.
The value of this thing was unimaginable.
Then Gong Lae tugged at my sleeve.
“I have a gift too…”
–TL Notes–
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