#19: Chapter 19 — I Became the Bodyguard of the Bukgung Family's Youngest Daughter

The unrivalled Bukgung Family.

The Bukgung Family’s estate in Taiyuan Prefecture, Shanxi Province, is vast.

Many times larger than the estates of other renowned houses in the martial world.

Within that land the Bukgung Family owned nearly ten manors.

From the main estate, Glorious Flower Manor, where the head Bukgung Cheon resides, to the last, Flying Swallow Manor, where the youngest daughter Bukgung Yoon serves as manor lord.

Bukgung Cheon allotted a manor to each of his children, himself included.

Being born with the Bukgung name and becoming a manor lord just for that reason—truly being born with a golden spoon.

Of course, the Bukgung Family didn’t always possess such expansive estates.

Warriors famed in the murim, long-established houses, high-ranking officials, and even notorious horse traders—all cropped up around the family as the Bukgung name grew.

As their reputation spread, people began to covet them.

Fame begot more fame; wealth begot wealth. If someone could only visit one place in the murim world, people pointed to Taiyuan.

This was a small murim world unto itself: the Bukgung Family.

Just as the murim is divided into orthodox and unorthodox, demonic and righteous, emperor and martial realms, so too were the Bukgung Family’s interests and factions split among its manors.

From the Great Duke down to the Sixth Young Lord, those hoping to ride the Bukgung name supported the manors in every way possible—from petty retainers to major patrons.

Of course, not every manor enjoyed the same attention.

There was a neglected corner of the Bukgung Family: Flying Swallow Manor, the place no one cared about.

Flying Swallow Manor was led by Bukgung Yoon, Bukgung Cheon’s youngest daughter.

People in Taiyuan called Flying Swallow Manor by other names:

A manor where ghosts live.

A lavish grave.

The dragon’s tail.

Discipline was lax, people were arrogant, and the manor lord was like a straw sack left with the grain—powerless.

Thus in Taiyuan Prefecture there were even warnings not to associate with retainers of Flying Swallow Manor.

The reason: they had nothing but acted wantonly and arrogantly.

From the murim warriors at the top to the lowliest servants at the bottom, they were all like that.

Flying Swallow Manor had long been a dead manor.

Unlike other manors, it did not strive for development.

Whether they worked diligently or not, the monthly stipend remained the same.

Create trouble, start fights, skip duty drunk—no one was held accountable.

Indeed, the manor’s de facto powers were busy enjoying banquets and entertainments from morning till night.

It was no wonder the retainers became corrupt.

At least during the days when Wang Ga-hwa and Jeong Yeo-gwang held power, Flying Swallow Manor had been like this.

And today.

“All of you, leave.”

Those were the words that fell from Bukgung Yoon’s mouth.

“…Yes?”

“Flying Swallow Manor no longer needs you.”

Bang!

“Is this even reasonable?”

A woman slammed the table and vented her anger.

She had held the second-most power in Flying Swallow Manor’s internal affairs, after Wang Ga-hwa.

“How many years have we sacrificed for Flying Swallow Manor, and yet she treats us like this?”

In her hand was a paper announcing a drastic cut to the monthly stipends of the manor’s internal attendants.

It bore the seal of manor lord Bukgung Yoon.

The startled woman compared the order with others and found the contents nearly identical.

The attendants’ monthly stipends had been reduced to about thirty percent of the previous amount—less than half.

This was unreasonable.

“How outrageous…!”

Following her, the other attendants erupted in anger all at once.

Flying Swallow Manor’s internal affairs were mostly women, all appointees of Wang Ga-hwa.

“The manor lord has tasted power and is trying to wield tyranny. Who will remain at Flying Swallow Manor under this treatment?”

A warrior with a sword at his waist spoke; he belonged to the guard unit.

The guards’ situation was similar—only their stipends were cut by a lesser amount.

“After killing two people, the manor lord’s tasted blood, hasn’t she? Handling matters so recklessly is why Lady Wang and Guard Head Jeong kept checking on her!”

“She even appointed some dog-bone wanderer of unknown origin to be Chief of Guards.”

“That’s the problem. That Yeon Mujin—he’s clearly seducing the young manor lord into doing this.”

“Who would stay at Flying Swallow Manor under this treatment? Everyone in Taiyuan knows it’s a rotten lifeline!”

After a long tirade against Bukgung Yoon and Yeon Mujin, the crowd reached a decision.

“This won’t do. We must go to the manor lord herself and speak.”

“Right!”

“If she doesn’t change after hearing the counsel of her loyal retainers, Flying Swallow Manor has no future.”

The enraged throng surged into the manor lord’s chamber.

Bukgung Yoon greeted them with a calm demeanor, as if she had expected this.

“What is the matter?”

Behind her stood Yeon Mujin.

Those who had come were startled to see him—especially the warriors who had once been beaten by him.

But their numbers overcame fear, and the women began their accusations.

“We saw the manor lord’s decree delivered this morning.”

“Yes.”

“I believe you have something to say to us?”

“…”

Bukgung Yoon calmly sipped her tea.

“What more would you like to hear?”

“Is this an order you issued yourself, manor lord?”

“Yes.”

The women’s laughter was hollow at Bukgung Yoon’s brazen attitude.

“You issued such an order in your right mind?”

“How can you do this to us?”

“You’d have to be out of your mind…!”

Sssst.

As the accusations continued, a sword was drawn.

Yeon Mujin had slid his blade out an inch and glared at the women.

“Mind your words to the manor lord. She is your lady.”

“…”

Is this what they call a rolling stone dislodging a rooted one?

The women were stunned but could not revolt; they had witnessed Yeon Mujin’s skill.

“What do you consider unjust?” Bukgung Yoon asked.

“Cutting the attendants’ monthly stipends to a third overnight—how is that not unjust? Isn’t it obviously wrong?”

“Can the manor lord do as she pleases just because she was restored to the position?”

But the attendants instinctively knew they couldn’t back down here.

If they didn’t humble the manor lord now, they’d keep suffering.

To them, this manor belonged not to Bukgung Yoon but to them—or so they believed.

Thud!

Bukgung Yoon tapped the table with a knuckle.

“Unjust? Don’t you think your stipends were excessive compared to the work you did?”

“What work did we…”

“These are the expense items for Flying Swallow Manor from last month.”

Bukgung Yoon opened the operating ledger and read through it.

She pointed out, item by item, where numbers didn’t add up, where costs were inflated, where uses were unclear.

There were so many questionable entries she couldn’t read them all.

In short,

“This is a mess. It’s not a ledger; it’s garbage.”

“…”

“Is there anyone here who can explain any of these entries in a way that makes sense to me?”

When Bukgung Yoon asked, the women avoided her gaze.

Among the many attendants gathered, not a single person could answer properly.

As heads bowed, she looked only at Yeon Mujin, a self-mocking smile on her lips.

“Do you still think the stipends you receive are insufficient?”

“No matter what, you can’t handle matters so arbitrarily.”

“That’s right. If there’s a problem, discuss it with your attendants and take your time…”

“Arbitrary? You call this arbitrary?”

Bukgung Yoon rose from her seat and singled out the attendant nearest her—the woman with the loudest voice.

“Attendant Im Yeong-yeong, your duty is to repair and manage the manor’s facilities. The ledger shows a considerable sum paid to you, yet the manor’s facilities haven’t improved at all. How do you explain that?”

“Well…”

Im trailed off.

With a swift motion, Bukgung Yoon turned and pointed to the woman beside her.

“Attendant Hwang-yong, your duty is to distribute and adjust stipends for the kitchen staff and cooks. Each year the amount you received grew, yet the kitchen staff say their monthly stipends never increased. How is that?”

“That is…”

Bukgung Yoon continued, naming a few more attendants.

Surprisingly, she knew exactly how the internal affairs tasks were divided.

No one had told her; these were matters kept hidden from the manor lord, yet she was precise.

Not only did she know, she understood exactly what had gone wrong.

Some matters were trivial, some brazen, and some involved truly enormous sums.

The guard unit’s warriors listening with them glared at the attendants.

Did you really embezzle that much? And now you lie to us, pretending to be on our side?

The attendants named by Bukgung Yoon felt chills run down their spines.

Did the quiet, seemingly naive manor lord have this side to her?

They had never truly considered what kind of person Bukgung Yoon might be.

Bukgung Yoon spoke.

“Do you still intend to ask me to listen to you? You should be grateful I won’t immediately report you to my father and have the embezzled property investigated.”

Her cold gaze swept over the women.

An offended attendant shouted.

“Tyranny! Are you going to become a tyrant, my lady?”

Bukgung Yoon stared back, eyes wide.

“Who should I not be?”

“…”

“Because I’m young, because I’m a woman, because I’m easy to bully? So you think I shouldn’t act as I please? If my father had made the same decision instead of me, would you have still gathered like this to protest?”

No one answered.

Bukgung Yoon let out a cold sneer.

“Why? Are you more afraid of my father than of me, your lord?”

Yeon Mujin let out a bitter laugh behind her.

Of course that’s how it would be.

Until now, no one had feared the titular lady of Flying Swallow Manor—not until now.

Bukgung Yoon spoke one last time.

“If you truly cannot follow my decision; if you have no intention of working properly and only intend to complain about your lot—”

That final line was a phrase learned from Yeon Mujin.

“Leave my manor immediately.”

“…Twenty internal attendants, ten guard warriors.”

Tap. Tap.

“These are the numbers of those who left Flying Swallow Manor today.”

Rustle.

“…Is this correct?”

Bukgung Yoon looked at Yeon Mujin with a regretful expression.

“You did well; why bring this up now? The ship has already sailed. Everyone who was going has left.”

“I know that, but…”

Yeon Mujin’s face hardened. He slammed the table and said, “Why can’t you be a tyrant? Get out of my house!”

“When have I ever been that!” Bukgung Yoon shouted, cheeks flushed.

Yeon Mujin chuckled and burst into laughter.

“You did well. They were people who had to be filtered out sooner or later.”

“…Was that really so?”

“Do you want to sail on the same ship as people you cannot trust?”

“You always said never to trust anyone.”

“That may be, but…” Yeon Mujin smacked his lips. “Believing and trusting are different matters. Just as you might not trust me but trust my skill, the Head of the Bukgung family trusts those around him but doesn’t truly believe them, does he?”

“My father? How would Guard Yeon know that?”

How would he know? Because he knows better than anyone.

At his final moment, Bukgung Cheon felt neither bitterness nor anger at betrayal by his retainers.

He simply died quietly.

It was proof that he did not trust the people around him.

“Driving out those who remained was for that purpose. You can work with those you don’t trust, but you can’t work with those you cannot rely upon. They have betrayed Flying Swallow Manor multiple times.”

“Belief and trust…”

Bukgung Yoon turned the words over and fell into deep thought.

At last she asked Yeon Mujin.

“One remains.”

“Yes.”

Those who had come today were the entire internal affairs and part of the guard unit.

There were still people who had not left Flying Swallow Manor.

Bukgung Yoon left those people to Yeon Mujin’s care.

“What will you do?”

“Well, what else is there? Have an open talk, send off those to be sent, keep those to be kept…”

“Again solve it by force?”

“I’m not such a brute.”