Chapter 46

“Please wait a moment,” said Yeon Mujin as he stopped the carriage at the entrance of Unhwa County.

After a short wait, Yeon Mujin returned holding something in his hand.

“You want me to wear this?” Bukgung Yoon asked when she saw the plain homespun garment he had brought—the sort commoners wore.

“Were you planning to wander around in that? People will stare at you.” Bukgung Yoon was wearing an elegant silk outfit. She had dressed formally to meet the sect leaders of the Southern Four Alliance; she would stand out if she walked through the market.

“Wander around? Me?”

“Then what are you going to do in the carriage?”

“While the others rest, I’ll just stay here quietly…”

“Then why did you come here? Hurry and change and get down.”

She had never walked through such a crowded, bustling market before.

She had hardly ever left Flying Swallow Manor. At most, she might have visited Taiyuan city a few times.

Since she could obtain and see everything she needed within the Bukgung Family, that was maybe only natural.

“When you’ve changed, come out. I’ll wait outside.”

Of course, she had never changed clothes outside the household either.

Left alone in the carriage, Bukgung Yoon looked at the homespun clothes in her hand and murmured.

“How do you put this on…?”

“You all get a day off too. Whether you eat, drink, or hole up and sleep, take the day off.” Yeon Mujin declared as he stepped out of the carriage.

The External Protection Troops shuffled awkwardly at the sudden leave and glanced at one another.

Because they were used to Yeon Mujin’s constant scolding, the phrase “day off” sounded strange and unfamiliar.

“Will you not take it? Those who don’t leave, I’ll grab and put through special training.”

“Much obliged!”

Only then did the External Protection Troops begin to disperse one by one.

But that didn’t mean everyone left.

“What if something happens to the Manor Lord while we’re gone?” Yang Gwan-wol asked Seo Nak-il timidly.

“Gwan-wol, as long as the captain is here, nothing can ever happen.”

“What? Do you know the Great Thief Guest?”

“The Great Thief Guest? Great Thief Guest Gu Ma-cheon? Who do you think would win if the Great Thief Guest and our captain fought?”

Yang Gwan-wol looked at Seo Nak-il as if his question were absurd.

“Of course the Great Thief Guest would win. How long has that man had fame in the murim world? Is that even a question?”

“Ha… you brat. Just come with me. I’ll tell you an interesting story.”

“Wait, hold on. We’re really going like this?”

“Don’t worry and come. If it’s a situation the captain can’t handle, none of us, even if we all hang on, could protect him.”

As the External Protection Troops dispersed awkwardly, Yeon Mujin didn’t forget the carriage driver.

“Use this to wet your throat.” Yeon Mujin handed him a silver coin.

It was far too much to spend in one night.

“Oh my, how could I accept such a large sum?”

“What are you talking about? Who’s giving it? Take that money and gamble a bit. Double it and come back to pay me.”

The carriage driver was an honest man who had never gambled in his life.

Of course, Yeon Mujin said that knowing full well.

“Go quickly. Sweep up all the money in Unhwa County tonight!”

The carriage driver left grinning, ready to enjoy his day off.

Now only Yeon Mujin and Bukgung Yoon remained.

“Where did everyone go?”

At that moment, Bukgung Yoon, changed into homespun clothes, got out of the carriage.

“W-why are you staring so much?”

Although she had dressed down intentionally, Bukgung Yoon’s beauty could not be concealed by a mere outfit.

If anything, the plain clothes combined with her graceful appearance made her stand out even more.

Yeon Mujin sighed. He couldn’t sully the Manor Lord’s reputation, so he resolved to be satisfied.

“Then let’s go.”

“Wait. Just the two of us? What about the others?”

“They’re on leave.”

“What if someone recognizes me? If people say ‘the youngest daughter of the Bukgung Family is running around the market in shabby clothes; the Bukgung Family’s prestige must have fallen,’ what will happen?”

“Manor Lord.”

Yeon Mujin interrupted Bukgung Yoon with a serious expression.

“The world does not revolve around you to that extent.”

He quickly climbed up to the driver’s seat.

“Hold on, we’re off. Heave-ho!”

The two who had left the carriage at a quiet inn soon entered the market.

The market was so noisy the bustle of people echoed in their ears.

The sounds of running children, men chatting loudly as they ate, the savory scent of frying oil, and hawkers calling out to customers filled the air.

It was a dizzying market that made one’s head spin.

Bukgung Yoon walked down a crowded street like this for the first time.

It felt as if every passerby was staring at her.

Strangely, Yeon Mujin pushed through the crowd with ease.

‘How can he walk like that without bumping shoulders even once?’ she thought.

Because of that, she had to concentrate fully to follow directly behind him.

“Slow down a bit…!” Bukgung Yoon grabbed Yeon Mujin’s sleeve and pulled.

Suddenly, a skewer of ripe hawthorn berries appeared in front of her face.

Bukgung Yoon, startled, accepted the skewer.

“How much is this?”

“Five coppers!” the vendor answered.

“Five coppers? That’s expensive.”

“Expensive? This is the cheapest place in Unhwa Market!”

“The stall next door sells them for four coppers.”

“Then go buy it there if you like.”

Yeon Mujin handed the merchant three coins.

“Take just this.”

“Hey! Do you think I’m digging the ground to sell?”

“In return, I’ll spread word that it’s tasty.”

The merchant, whose anger was about to flare, noticed the shabby iron sword at Yeon Mujin’s waist.

Even a seasoned vendor won’t haggle aggressively with someone who carries a sword.

The vendor swallowed his anger and accepted the three mun coins.

‘What a thug.’

“This is candied fruit. This guy is the culprit that rots children’s teeth every market day.”

Bukgung Yoon looked at the hawthorn candy in her hand as if admiring a painter’s work.

She knew what it looked like, but had never thought to taste it. Such ordinary snacks didn’t suit the Bukgung Family.

She closed her eyes tightly and bit into it; crunch!

“…!”

The tart aroma of the hawthorn and the sugar’s sweetness washed over her.

Bukgung Yoon opened her eyes wide and looked at Yeon Mujin.

“How does it taste?”

Bukgung Yoon nodded vigorously.

In the blink of an eye, the skewer was gone.

Yeon Mujin watched her—sugar on her mouth—with the fondness one shows a younger sibling, and called out.

“On the house. Give me more money!” he snapped, flicking coins at the vendor.

Looking back, the vendor had one coin in hand; even counting the earlier, it wasn’t enough for five.

He shot a hard glare at Yeon Mujin’s departing back.

‘No different from a robber.’

“Next time, try the fried rice cake.” “What’s that?” “It’s a rice cake fried in oil.” “…Oh.”

Yeon Mujin led Bukgung Yoon to an old woman frying rice cakes and then disappeared for a moment.

When the fried rice cake arrived, Bukgung Yoon bit in and her eyes sparkled.

A greasy, savory taste she couldn’t have within the Bukgung Family. This too was a food she was trying for the first time.

The old woman frying the cakes saw Bukgung Yoon and smiled.

“Child, did you come out for a walk with your older brother?” she asked.

“Huh?”

“How cute. Hohoho.”

Unable to resist her cute appearance, the old woman handed another rice cake to Bukgung Yoon.

“Eat this too.”

The old woman’s face was darkened from frying all day, and her clothes were stained with oil.

Her annual income was probably less than what Bukgung Yoon could spend in a day.

And yet she said this.

“You’re cute, so I won’t take money.”

She refused money from the daughter of the wealthiest household in the land?

Bukgung Yoon answered firmly.

“No. I’ll pay.”

“How much is it?”

The old woman smiled fondly and held up one finger.

‘It’s pricier than I thought.’

Bukgung Yoon took money from her bosom and gave it to the old woman.

But the old woman’s expression upon receiving the coin was odd.

“Child.”

“Yes?”

“You can’t try to trick an old woman with fake money like this!”

“…What?”

What Bukgung Yoon had given was a gold coin.

She had nothing else.

“I was being kind and you try to deceive an old woman! A young child like you has learned to be so wicked!”

The old woman, clutching the gold piece, started ranting wildly.

Bukgung Yoon was so flustered she didn’t know what to do.

At that moment, Yeon Mujin appeared holding skewers of scorpions in both hands.

“Why are you doing this?”

“Well, would you look at that!” He saw the gold piece in the old woman’s hand and quickly understood.

“How much is this here?”

“One copper coin!”

“One for two pieces of fried cake? Why do you sell them so cheap?”

“I am already charging lots even like that!”

“Come on, take this much.”

Yeon Mujin took the gold piece from the old woman’s hand and handed her a silver coin.

The old woman’s eyes widened when the silver coin landed in her palm.

“Why are you giving so much!”

They refused the old woman’s insistence on taking more and left the spot.

Only after they entered a quiet alley off the market did Bukgung Yoon ask.

“What was that just now?”

“What do you mean?”

“She didn’t accept the gold piece I gave, so why did she take Captain Yeon’s silver coin?”

Bukgung Yoon couldn’t understand the situation at all.

Yeon Mujin answered.

“Because that old woman has never seen a gold piece in her life.”

Bukgung Yoon’s face went blank with shock.

“Gold pieces that roll around like coins in the Bukgung Family are as precious as treasures in this market. Even the stingiest people who spend the most here carry only a few silver coins in their pockets. There are only two kinds of people who flash gold pieces around in places like this: swindlers, or green youths who don’t know the ways of the world.”

That meant Bukgung Yoon was the green, sheltered youth.

Her face flushed.

“I didn’t know.”

“Of course you wouldn’t know. You’re of the Bukgung Family, after all.”

There was an edge to those words.

“Are you criticizing me?”

“No. I’m stating facts. You haven’t had the opportunity to learn this world. I won’t insult you for what you weren’t given.”

“This world?”

“The world you belonged to and this world are somewhat different, aren’t they?”

Bukgung Yoon slowly nodded.

It was different. Truly different.

“How did the sweet taste? And the fried rice cake? Aren’t these things you couldn’t try in the Bukgung Family?” Yeon Mujin pointed toward the noisy market.

“Behind the world where the Manor Lord engages in subtle battles with siblings, where tens of gold pieces move with a few words, and where a finger summons hundreds of people, there’s a world like this.”

Bukgung Yoon followed his gesture and looked at the people.

“A world where a few coins fill empty stomachs, where a day’s earnings are squandered on drink. A world without gold pieces. A world where a single silver coin can represent the wealth of the world.”

In an unusually gentle voice, Yeon Mujin added,

“Most of the people who support the Bukgung Family are like these. Even if they don’t know your life, shouldn’t you know theirs? You should know the taste of the sweet and try a freshly fried rice cake too.”

Bukgung Yoon turned her gaze to Yeon Mujin.

She asked with her eyes: Why? Why should I know?

Because.

“You’re to become the Family Lord of the greatest family in the land; wouldn’t a Family Lord who knows this be better than one who doesn’t?”

Bukgung Yoon spent the night in a modest inn room in Unhwa County.

It was neither luxurious nor too shabby—just adequate.

Sleeping in an inn of this level was a first for her.

Yeon Mujin kept watch until she slept, and only in the deep night, when the moon hung high, did he take a bottle and a cup and climb onto the inn’s roof.

Gurgle gurgle gurgle.

Yeon Mujin filled a cup beneath the bright moon.

He poured the alcohol out along the roof.

He did not enjoy drinking.

Drinking brought many memories to the surface: people who had died by his hand, the face of Bukgung Cheon clutching his hand as he died, the many who became Family Lords behind his blade.

Thus Yeon Mujin offered the alcohol to those memories instead of drinking himself.

To those who died beneath his sword. To friends who borrowed his hand and to whom he owed repayment. To those he would have to cut down again. To masters he once served but now must oppose.

“Drink your fill.”

Gurgle gurgle.

The alcohol poured, running along the roof.

The sharp scent rising was enough to make him a little intoxicated.

He could get drunk tonight; tomorrow he would return to duty.

Gur… gle… gur….

He emptied the bottle down to the last drop.

Yeon Mujin casually tossed the bottle far away.

He crossed his arms, closed his eyes, and breathed in Unhwa County’s night air.

“…Yet these things.”

With his eyes closed, he saw the soldiers of the External Protection Troops scattered like dots around the inn.

Those were all too familiar guards.

They belonged to the External Protection Troops.

“I told them to take leave and they still don’t listen to their captain, huh.”