Chapter 120

Xi’an, Shaanxi Province.

A group of people had rented the entire upper floor of a high-end tavern.

They were none other than the reunited Yeon Mujin and Bukgung Yoon, and the External Protection Troops.

“What happened with Leader Yeon?”

“The Mount Hua Sect leader, Hong Yujin-in, agreed to the negotiations. Mount Hua won’t block the transport route that passes through Xi’an.”

“That’s good.”

“Not only that, but to secure the safety of goods passing through Xi’an, they say Mount Hua will dispatch their warriors along the road from Xi’an to Hwa-um County.”

“More proactive than I thought?”

“In return, they requested that Flying Swallow Manor be granted a loan of money.”

Yeon Mujin revealed the amount Mount Hua had requested.

Bukgung Yoon nodded calmly.

In fact, she herself was on her way back after lending a similar sum to Southern Edge Sect.

“That amount won’t be a problem. It seems Southern Edge Sect is having a hard time too because money circulating through Shaanxi Province is scarce.”

“If we pay both sects, the funds we got from the Southern Alliance will be almost exhausted.”

“That’s fine. Money isn’t meant to be hoarded; it must keep circulating.”

Yeon Mujin nodded with satisfaction.

To run a large family like the Bukgung Family, one must know how to keep money moving and earning.

Among the brothers he had dealt with, the one best at this sense was the Fourth Young Master, Bukgung Yun-ram.

Bukgung Yoon had a similar instinct.

“By the way, Captain Yeon, was there any friction during the process of persuading Mount Hua?”

“Friction?”

“There was a big problem with Southern Edge Sect. It seems the Ten Thousand Gold Hall had been bribing the elders of the Southern Edge Sect long before we made contact.”

Bukgung Yoon told Yeon Mujin about what she had seen and experienced in Southern Edge Sect.

The elders’ betrayal in the Southern Edge Sect, the sect leader who noticed it, and then….

“The Sect leader of Southern Edge Sect dealt with all the elders alone. It will likely be something Southern Edge Sect won’t forget.”

Even in the life Yeon Mujin remembered, the Sect leader of Southern Edge Sect had always made the same decision.

He had single-handedly cut down about ten elders of Southern Edge Sect. He never forgave those who betrayed the sect.

After this became known, the reputation of the Southern Edge Sect changed greatly, but in any case he had made a necessary choice.

Southern Edge Sect did not sink like Mount Hua.

The Sect leader’s resolution is that important to a sect.

“I think Brother Yun-ram probably did something similar to Mount Hua.”

“Of course. There was also a mole in Mount Hua that Ten Thousand Gold had recruited.”

“How many were there?”

“Only one.”

“One?”

Bukgung Yoon looked surprised.

The Fourth Young Master she knew was someone who handled matters meticulously.

Not only that, he was the sort to devise double and triple safeguards.

“He was the Sect leader disciple of Mount Hua. Within the sect he was respected as a senior instructor, and above him he enjoyed the trust of the Sect leader and the elders. He was a strong candidate to become the next Mount Hua Sect leader.”

“Ah, I see. If he had recruited someone like that, Fourth brother would have been reassured. So, what happened to him?”

“He died by my hand.”

The Mount Hua Sword Ghost Mok Gyeong-hae no longer exists.

At least in this life.

“Facing someone like that must have been no small matter… Was it a difficult fight?”

Yeon Mujin stared at the young sect leader for a moment, then answered.

“Not all that. Who am I? It was like lying down and eating rice cakes.”

“I expected as much from Leader Yeon.”

Looking around, Bukgung Yoon asked.

“But one person is missing, isn’t she? The one Leader Yeon brought… where is Yeok Yong-ma?”

Thereupon Yeon Mujin replied, visibly annoyed.

“Yeok Yong-ma ran away. While I was distracted sharing the blade with Mount Hua’s betrayer, she took the chance and fled. I never thought she would flee while assisting so actively during the negotiations… the sly old woman. She was just waiting for me to show a weakness.”

“Ah, I see. I wanted to have a proper conversation with her at least once. But it can’t be helped. From what Leader Yeon says, she didn’t seem like someone who was bound to any place.”

“I’ll catch her later and take revenge. This time I’ll bind her so she can’t escape and feed her nothing but porridge three times a day….”

“There’s no need to go that far. Just let her go.”

“But her abilities are useful in many ways. She’s great for spying on other manors, for sowing discord, and perfect for catching a fool and stripping him to his underwear.”

“We don’t need that kind of ability…”

Bukgung Yoon added in a small voice.

“And Flying Swallow Manor already has Captain Yeon.”

“Huh? What did you say?”

“I didn’t say anything.”

“I could have sworn you said there’s nothing to worry about because I’m here….”

“Anyway!”

Bukgung Yoon raised her voice and cut off Yeon Mujin.

“The negotiations with the two sects in Shaanxi Province are wrapped up, so now all that’s left is to go after Ten Thousand Gold.”

“Yes. Let’s strip Ten Thousand Gold and pillage his innermost coffers.”

“Stop with that ‘innermost coffers’ refrain. But there is one thing that worries me.”

“What is it?”

“Ten Thousand Gold must have spent a great deal of money to recruit moles in Mount Hua and Southern Edge Sect, right?”

“Probably.”

“But those moles all lost their lives because of this incident.”

“Yes.”

“I can’t predict how our Fourth Brother will react to this. The dead people were Ten Thousand Gold’s. From his perspective, it’s as if he’s lost his retainers.”

If any of the other brothers had harmed Bukgung Yoon’s retainers, she would never have tolerated it.

To her, the household of Flying Swallow Manor was everything.

If Yeon Mujin or anyone sent on a mission were injured or killed?

Bukgung Yoon would never let it pass quietly.

Therefore she assumed the Fourth Young Master would feel the same.

“Retainers….”

Yeon Mujin stroked his chin and said.

“Do you really think so?”

“……Yes?”

“If that’s what worries you, then go and confront him.”

“I’ve heard the news. You handled things rather loudly.”

In the Ten Thousand Gold lord’s office, the Fourth Young Master, Bukgung Yun-ram, evaluated Bukgung Yoon’s achievements in a flat tone.

“It won’t take long to open up the transport routes in Shaanxi Province. You’ll receive seven hun of the profit; this is the payment for successfully completing this task.”

At Bukgung Yun-ram’s nod, a Black Gold retainer handed a sack of money to Bukgung Yoon.

Chu Myeong-won of the External Protection Troops, who stood beside her, took the money sack.

Indeed, Ten Thousand Gold living up to his name—the amount of money was several times what she had expected.

“……Is this all?”

At his sister’s question, Bukgung Yun-ram made a strange expression.

“I thought the payment was sufficient. Do you find it lacking?”

At his gesture, the Black Gold retainer brought an abacus.

Bukgung Yun-ram flicked the beads and spoke.

“This is the expected projected profit from developing Shaanxi. This is the amount Ten Thousand Gold would have to invest to open the routes. This is the annual revenue to be earned. Since it’s the first deal, I specially arranged to give you this amount. Any objections?”

“That’s not what I meant.”

“Then?”

“You planted moles in Mount Hua and Southern Edge Sect.”

Bukgung Yun-ram answered as if it were nothing to hide.

“That’s right.”

“It seems you had placed them a very long time ago.”

“It took considerable effort. The money funneled to those people wasn’t a small sum. They were incompetent, it seems.”

Bukgung Yoon stared at the Fourth Young Master and asked.

“They all died this time.”

“I know.”

There was no reaction from Bukgung Yun-ram.

“……Is that all?”

“Exactly what are you trying to say?”

What do you mean by what she wants to ask?

In truth, she didn’t know either.

Was she asking if they could have been prevented from being left to die?

Or was she asking if their deaths didn’t sadden him at all?

Such questions sounded even stranger.

She couldn’t imagine her Fourth Brother moving to protect a mole he’d planted.

She couldn’t picture him erecting graves for the dead or repenting before them.

The questions she wanted to ask and the obvious answers whirled through her head.

Looking at his bewildered sister, Bukgung Yun-ram summed up the situation in a single line.

“How many died, how much time was spent—none of that matters. What matters is that you brought in money.”

“Ah.”

I see.

Bukgung Yoon finally realized what she had wanted to ask the Fourth Young Master.

“Brother, why on earth do you want to become the Family Lord of the Bukgung Family?”

Bukgung Yun-ram frowned as if he’d heard the most absurd question in the world.

He wanted to ask if she was joking, but her expression was serious.

So he decided to answer seriously as well.

“Because that’s where you can make the most money.”

To Bukgung Yun-ram, the conclusion was obvious.

He kindly asked his naive sister in return.

“Well? Does that answer suffice?”

“No. I have one more question.”

“What is it?”

“If making the most money is all that matters, would you be okay with not becoming the Family Lord of the Bukgung Family?”

Going back in time a bit, Mount Hua.

Yeon Mujin was carrying Yeok Yong-ma on his back as they descended Mount Hua.

Yeok Yong-ma was exhausted from tending to Mount Hua’s three great disciples.

If she hadn’t known how to detoxify the sleep-blood herb?

Mount Hua’s children would have lain sickly and all died.

She no longer wanted to see a child die before her eyes.

The deaths of children were the deepest wounds left in her heart.

Ssssss—.

The mountain breeze brushing her cheek felt cool.

Yeok Yong-ma suddenly realized that the boar-hide mask covering her face wasn’t doing its job.

Had the wind ever felt this refreshing against a bare face?

She had covered her face for so long, but now she didn’t have the strength to do so.

Or perhaps it was the effect of a long-harbored wound in her heart slowly loosening.

From Yeon Mujin’s back came a foul smell of sweat and dried blood.

A smell so nasty that anyone would avoid and distance themselves from him.

But to Yeok Yong-ma, the smell didn’t register as stench. Rather, it felt strangely comforting.

After all, Yeon Mujin had had a day far worse than that smell.

“Aren’t you tired?”

“What?”

“After fighting like that, and even scolding Mount Hua on your own, don’t you get tired?”

“My stamina is limitless. My vigor is matched by my endurance.”

“That old ‘vigor’ refrain still…..”

Now the lights of Hwa-um County could be seen far off.

It felt like a night when Yeok Yong-ma could finally sleep soundly.

For the first time in a long while, Yeok Yong-ma felt she might fall into a dreamless, deep sleep without a drink.

At that moment, Yeon Mujin stopped at the entrance to Hwa-um County.

Yeok Yong-ma, puzzled, asked Yeon Mujin.

“Why? Not going all the way to the inn? If you’re going, go all the way. At this age, every joint aches from walking.”

“Old woman, I am a man who keeps his promises.”

He was promising not to delay and to grant three requests immediately.

Yeon Mujin crouched and set her down.

“I will make my third request.”

“Now? Here?”

Yeon Mujin nodded.

“If you want it done, do it tomorrow! My eyelids weigh a thousand pounds right now. I can’t do anything for you at the moment.”

“There’s nothing you need to do. You and I will part ways here.”

“What sort of request are you trying to set such a mood for?”

Yeon Mujin gazed at the flickering lights of Hwa-um County, then turned his eyes to Yeok Yong-ma.

Half his face glittered in the light like a firefly.

“You have a son, you know.”

“……What?”

“You have a son. Your dead son.”

“What on earth are you talking about?”

When a person is too surprised, there’s a moment when they instinctively deny it even if they don’t intend to.

That was the moment for Yeok Yong-ma.

But Yeon Mujin ignored her denial and continued with what he had to say.

“If he had lived, I think he would have surely said this to you.”

“…….”

Yeok Yong-ma, stunned and bewildered, forgot how to reply.

She should have asked how he knew or what he knew, but her throat tightened and no words came out.

With her throat tight and hands trembling, she could only listen without saying anything.

“Thank you, Mother.”

Yeon Mujin grabbed her dangling boar-hide mask and tossed it aside, then said.

“From now on, don’t exploit people; just live. That’s my third request.”