There was a bracelet on my wrist.
“It’s because of this. This bracelet is called the Blood Resonance Ring. With this, I can find Jin-ho.”
I continued.
“Do you remember the elder who captured the assassin that crashed Jeong-ho’s Deputy Merchant Lord appointment ceremony?”
“Of course.”
“He lent me this. But please, keep this a secret from others.”
“I understand. But how exactly can you find Jin-ho with that bracelet?”
“This bracelet reacts to the blood relatives of the person wearing it. If a blood relative is within ten jang (about thirty meters), this bracelet…”
I showed the bracelet directly to Father.
“…turns red.”
“But it was already red.”
“That’s because you’re standing in front of me. But originally, it’s silver.”
I recalled the moment when the old man from the general store gave it to me.
I was sinking deep into despair, but thanks to his scolding, I realized what I needed to do.
My job wasn’t to stew in regret.
What’s happened is already done.
From here on, I’ll continue changing the future, and with that will come countless changes.
But I’m not the type to just sit back and let those things crush me.
It’s not that I overestimate myself, but I do have the ability to solve them.
Besides, I have the weapon of knowing the future.
So, I just need to resolve it.
The day after organizing my thoughts, I visited the old man at the general store.
When he saw me, he grinned.
“Finally, your eyes are back to looking decent.”
“I apologize for troubling you yesterday.”
“Trouble? Nonsense… You helped me earn money for dumplings.”
The old man stood up, pulled out a bracelet from a cabinet, and handed it to me.
“I’ll lend you this.”
“What is it?”
“It’s called the Blood Resonance Ring. If a blood relative is within ten jang, it turns red.”
“Thank you.”
I immediately put the bracelet on my wrist. The old man chuckled.
“But there’s a bit of a problem with that.”
“Huh? A problem?”
“Once you put it on, no matter what you do, it won’t come off for a month.”
“…”
.
.
.
Back in the present, I told Father,
“But apparently, it won’t come off for a month.”
“Ha…”
“Still, honestly speaking, I believe I’m the only one in our family who can go find Jin-ho.”
At my words, Father let out a deep sigh.
“I see. I’m sorry to burden you with this.”
“What do you mean by that?”
I frowned.
“Jin-ho is my brother. It’s only natural for a younger brother to go look for his older brother. Please, don’t apologize for something like this, Father.”
“Alright. I’ll permit you to join the search party. But Seo-ho…”
“Yes, Father.”
“You’ll have to convince your mother yourself.”
“…”
.
.
.
It was decided that the search party would depart in three days.
The biggest obstacle I faced was getting my mother’s permission.
Naturally, she refused at first.
Even when I showed her the Blood Resonance Ring, she wouldn’t budge. It was then that Lady Hong Geum-so gave me some advice.
“It’s perfectly understandable that the Madam won’t agree. She’s already lost one son. No mother would willingly send another son into danger.”
“…”
“If you must go, reassure her that you’ll return safely. That’s the most important thing to her right now.”
Hearing her advice, I realized how foolish I’d been.
Mother was worried about my safety, but I kept emphasizing that I could find Jin-ho instead.
That evening, I showed Mother my martial arts.
Ever since returning to this life, this was the first time I’d revealed my martial prowess to her.
Mother was the daughter of a martial family.
She immediately recognized the level of my skills.
Only then did she agree to let me join the search party.
With the biggest hurdle cleared, I focused on the work of the Virtuous Wind Department.
I had to make sure everything would run properly while I was gone.
And on the night before departure…
An unexpected person came to see me. It was Seo Wu, Lady Hong Geum-so’s husband.
“How’s your body?”
“Thanks to you, I’ve fully regained my original abilities. I’m truly grateful.”
“That’s great to hear.”
He looked remarkably healthy, even from my perspective.
The Fruit of Renewal really is incredible.
No wonder that Blood Sect Elder from the future caused havoc after consuming it.
“But… what brings you here?”
“I came to make a request, Sir.”
“A request?”
“I heard you’re going to search for Young Master Jin-ho. I wish to accompany you.”
“What are you saying? You know what kind of place Yunnan is…”
“I want to repay your kindness.”
“No. If something were to happen to you, I wouldn’t be able to face Lady Hong.”
“This… is also my wife’s wish.”
“What? Lady Hong’s wish?”
“She told me… Even if a man can’t achieve great things, the least he should do is repay the kindness he’s received. I feel the same.”
Seo Wu cupped his fist and bowed his head.
“So I beg you. Please give me the chance to repay my debt.”
I looked at him closely.
Come to think of it, Seo Wu was once a First-rate martial artist and an Escort Chief at the escort bureau.
He’d be a considerable help in this matter. And…
“Seo Wu.”
“Yes.”
“Are you planning to return to the escort bureau?”
“I did think about it… but now, I just want to stay by my wife’s side.”
“That’s a wise decision.”
The one responsible for Seo Wu being bedridden was a well-known master of the Unorthodox Sect called the Venom Palm Fiend.
Even though it ended in mutual destruction, Seo Wu beheaded that thug from the Unorthodox Sect, earning himself considerable fame.
Not only was he skilled, but his experience as an Escort Chief would be incredibly valuable.
Wait. Speaking of which, the place where Seo Wu killed that Unorthodox Sect martial artist was…
“Ah, I forgot to mention. I was actually in charge of the Guangxi, Guizhou, and Yunnan regions back when I worked as an Escort Chief.”
Yunnan.
I nodded.
“You’re hired.”
“Pardon?”
“Ah… I misspoke. Please, come with me to Yunnan.”
“Thank you for accepting my request.”
.
.
.
The day of the search party’s departure arrived.
I carried the luggage Palgap had prepared for me.
This wasn’t a trading expedition.
It meant we wouldn’t be traveling leisurely in carriages.
We had to ride horses, and sometimes we’d have to carry nothing but a pack on our backs while continuing the search.
“Young master, are you ready?”
“Let’s go.”
My group consisted of Palgap, two Escort Guards, and Seo Wu, who had joined later.
Together, we headed toward the wagon yard.
There, we were supposed to meet up with our merchant group’s members before heading to the Changin Escort Bureau.
When we arrived at the wagon yard, Squad Leader Jeong Chung of the Eunpoong Division was already there with his party.
The search party dispatched by the Eunhae Merchant Group consisted of Jeong Chung and ten Escort Guards.
Father had told me that Squad Leader Jeong Chung had volunteered for this mission.
Even in my previous life, it had been the same. Jin-ho and Jeong Chung shared an unusually close bond.
Right now, Jin-ho was twenty years old, and Jeong Chung was thirty.
But their friendship went far beyond the gap in age.
“Chief of the Virtuous Wind Department, you’ve arrived.”
“Yes. I’ll be counting on you.”
“No, it’s me who should be saying that.”
There was no need for lengthy words between us.
Just then, Father and Jeong-ho came over to give me their blessings for the journey.
Then we departed for the Changin Escort Bureau.
.
.
.
It took about one shichen to reach the Changin Escort Bureau.
When we arrived, the Chief came out to greet us.
“Thank you for coming all this way.”
“It’s nothing.”
Squad Leader Jeong Chung stepped forward.
“I’m Jeong Chung, representing the Eunhae Merchant Group in this search party. And this is Eun Seo-ho, Chief of the Virtuous Wind Department and the third son of the Merchant Lord.”
“This is Mak Chung, Escort Chief of the Changin Escort Bureau.”
While we exchanged greetings, Escort Chief Mak Chung’s eyes widened when he saw Seo Wu.
“Could it be… the White Butterfly Sword (白蝶劍), Master Seo Wu, who once worked as an Escort Chief at Daejeong Escort Bureau?”
“There was a time I was called that, though it’s too grand a name.”
“I heard rumors you’d recovered.”
“Yes. I miraculously recovered thanks to a great fortune. That’s why I’m here now—to repay that kindness as part of this search.”
“Having the White Butterfly Sword with us is truly reassuring.”
“You flatter me.”
It seemed Seo Wu was a far more renowned figure among Escort Chiefs than I had expected.
Seeing both Mak Chung and Jeong Chung practically drooling over him only confirmed that.
I’d heard that Master had retired from the escort trade. Which meant he didn’t know I was heading to Yunnan.
If he knew… what would he have said?
Probably wouldn’t have tried to stop me.
With our formation sorted, we set off for Yunnan.
.
.
.
It was possible to ride all the way to Yunnan, but traveling by ship was faster and more comfortable.
We would follow the Yangtze River, passing through Chongqing, skimming the edge of Sichuan, and disembark near Mount Dian in Yunnan.
From there, we’d head to Eullim Inn, the last place Jin-ho was seen, and begin the search.
Frankly, Yunnan was a bizarre place.
It was generally hot, but not always.
The southern region was low and covered in jungles, while the north was full of hills and mountains.
Some of those mountains were so tall they held snow all year round.
In other words, Yunnan was a place where all four seasons coexisted.
This would make the search incredibly difficult. Still, I wouldn’t stop until I found Jin-ho.
We boarded the ship and began sailing upstream along the Yangtze.
During the voyage, Seo Wu briefed us on various precautions regarding Yunnan.
“One thing you must never do in Yunnan… is eat mushrooms.”
“Mushrooms?”
“Yes. Due to the climate, Yunnan has an abundance of mushrooms—many of which are highly poisonous. Most sects that use poisons, like the Miaojiang poison arts, collect their toxins from these mushrooms.”
“So… we’d die?”
“Exactly.”
He also warned us never to enter water carelessly and shared other safety tips.
Truth be told, I already knew all of this.
But I pretended I didn’t because the others around me didn’t know.
And in this life, I hadn’t been to Yunnan yet.
Of course, in my previous life, I had.
After traveling upstream for about fifteen days, we arrived in Yunnan.
We disembarked and rode on horseback for three days.
At last, we arrived at Eullim Inn.
This was the last place where traces of Jin-ho had been found, and the feeling it gave me was unsettling.
“Welcome.”
Three men came out from the inn to greet us.
They were the Eunhae Merchant Group employees stationed here to handle the tea trade.
“Thank you for coming all this way.”
“Young master Seo-ho… No, Chief Seo-ho, you’ve come as well?”
“Yes.”
“We heard about Young Master Jin-ho’s disappearance. You must be greatly worried.”
“My parents are far more worried than I am. But I came personally not only because of my brother but because all the missing members of the Eunhae Merchant Group are family.”
I continued.
“When family goes missing, it’s only right that I come.”
Jin-ho was my blood. Naturally, I was more anxious than anyone else.
But that didn’t mean I wasn’t worried about the other missing employees.
They were all precious members of the Eunhae Merchant Group.
Hearing my words, the employees’ eyes welled up.
“We’re truly touched by what you said.”
“There’s no need to be moved by something so obvious.”
They gestured toward the inn.
“Please, come inside. We’ll share the information we’ve gathered.”
A little later.
We gathered on the first floor of the inn.
Since there were no other guests, it was essentially ours for the time being.
Of the three stationed employees, two would be returning, and only one would remain.
His name was Seong Jun-baek.
“Actually… there are reports that others went missing here as well.”
“Others?”
“Yes. And those who witnessed their last moments all said the same thing. They were seen… walking into a thick fog.”
Fog…
Don’t tell me… it’s that.
–TL Notes–
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