Chapter 98

Bukgung Family — Flying Swallow Manor.

“Hmm.”

Bukgung Yoon received a letter from Yeon Mujin.

Inside it was written like this.

—No issues. I will return soon with the deputy leader.

“……”

Worried about Suzhou, she had asked to be sent letters whenever things progressed, and this was his report.

“Sigh. What did I expect?”

Every time she saw words like that she keenly felt Yeon Mujin’s wandering nature. Perhaps from living as a drifter for so long, he hated being tied down by trifling formalities.

That was both a flaw and a merit. Still.

“Would it hurt if you reported in more detail?”

If she’d known it would be like this, she thought, she should have asked Seo Nak-il to send the letter instead of Yeon Mujin. Honestly, he never thought about the person waiting…

“What does it say?”

Yang Gwan-wol, who had been with her, couldn’t hide his curiosity and asked.

Bukgung Yoon fanned the contentless letter and handed it to him.

“Hm, it seems Captain Yeon wrapped things up well.”

Satisfied, Yang Gwan-wol suddenly felt the Manor Lord’s gaze bore into him.

“Did I do something wrong…?”

“The External Protection Troops seem to be adopting Captain Yeon’s ways. As the saying goes, ‘one who draws near ink gets stained.’”

“Oh, is that a compliment?”

“Enough. Go call Master Jang.”

“Yes….”

Yang Gwan-wol, who had been loitering nearby, ended up taking the blame and left the Manor Lord’s chamber with a wronged expression.

“Manor Lord, I heard you were looking for me.”

Soon after, Jang Chun-sik entered the Manor Lord’s chamber, led in by Yang Gwan-wol.

“Master Jang, do you know anything about recent happenings at Drunken Flower Hall?”

Since Yeon Mujin sought out Jang Chun-sik whenever trouble arose, Bukgung Yoon had come to treat him as an informant.

Strangely, each time Jang Chun-sik seemed to know exactly what she wanted to hear.

“It seems there was a fairly large fight recently at Drunken Flower Hall’s Guangxi branch.”

“A fight at Drunken Flower Hall?”

“Yes. The problem is the Drunken Flower Manor Lord was present. The exact circumstances aren’t confirmed, but some of the Eight Guardian Flowers who guarded him were injured, and there are rumors an assassin aimed for his life… In any case, many attendants frequent that place.”

If they’d clashed directly with the Drunken Flower Manor Lord, that was serious.

Bukgung Yoon asked with a worried look.

“Was it Captain Yeon’s doing?”

“What? No, no. Captain Yeon did not leave Suzhou during that period. That is certain.”

Only then did Bukgung Yoon relax a little.

“Really?”

Jang Chun-sik nodded.

“No matter how unhinged that man may be, it makes no sense for him to storm in there alone! Hahaha!”

He meant it as a joke, but no one laughed—because unlike others, it was entirely plausible for Yeon Mujin.

Embarrassed, Jang Chun-sik cleared his throat.

“Ahem. Anyway, the Drunken Flower Manor Lord has been out of sorts lately. According to an attendant, he flew into a rage and demanded someone be brought to him.”

“I see.”

It seemed Yeon Mujin’s plan to divert Drunken Flower Hall’s attention had succeeded. How he had done it, she did not know.

“Thank you. The only one I can trust is Master Jang.”

At her brief praise, Jang Chun-sik’s face brightened into a grin.

“If you need anything, come find this Hwayang Manor Lord, Jang Chun-sik, anytime.”

Left alone, Bukgung Yoon fell into thought.

The affair in Suzhou appeared settled for now, so the Fifth Young Master would likely have no energy to spare for Flying Swallow Manor for the moment.

A temporary lull. Bukgung Yoon intuited she mustn’t waste it.

As the saying goes, though the realm be at peace, forgetting war invites peril. If one forgets war in peaceful times, a crisis will surely come.

Even now, her other elder brothers were probably growing stronger.

Then indeed—

‘What should I do?’

What must one do to become Family Lord? In front of Yeon Mujin, before the Family Lords of the Hwangbo and Zhuge families, and before Bukgung Cheon, she had declared she would become Family Lord, but she didn’t know precisely what that required.

She had always made decisions while being chased by events. At times like this, Yeon Mujin always came to her and suggested the next step.

‘I can’t keep relying solely on Captain Yeon’s assistance forever.’

At least she knew one thing: to become Family Lord, she must be able to judge and decide for herself. Surely Yeon Mujin would want that too.

To do that, first of all—

“Deputy Yang.”

“Yes, Manor Lord.”

“Prepare the carriage, please.”

When you don’t know the way, you should ask to find it.

“Where are you going?”

She looked at Yang Gwan-wol and answered.

“To Glorious Flower Manor.”

“Miss, you shouldn’t be here.”

“Why not?”

“Because this place is…”

It was precisely where the Shadow Edge Troops dwelt.

The Shadow Edge Troops were the Bukgung Family’s pursuit force that captured and escorted criminals. They carried anonymous names and identities and were trained from childhood to obey only the Family Lord’s orders.

Truly the shadow blades of Glorious Flower Manor, a covert force that follows only the Bukgung Family Lord’s command—this was Shadow Edge Troops.

A place outsiders could not—and must not—encounter.

“I just took a wrong turn by accident.”

The Shadow Edge Troops Leader stared, perplexed at Bukgung Yoon’s brazen lie. Their quarters were so secluded no one could arrive there by mistake. And it was unlikely Bukgung Yoon would get lost within Glorious Flower Manor—she had come knowingly.

“If it reaches the Family Lord’s ears, you will be punished. Go back at once.”

“It’s already too late. From the moment I passed the entrance of Glorious Flower Manor, my every move has reached the Family Lord’s ears.”

“That’s exactly my point. So please return quickly.”

“No. I’m now clearly one of the Family Lord candidates; how badly could I be scolded by the Family Lord?”

Bukgung Yoon might be right, but the Shadow Edge Troops Leader was not convinced. Their rule forbade contact with anyone without the Family Lord’s permission.

“You may get away with it, miss, but I will not. If the Family Lord learns I had contact with you like this, it will be a grave matter.”

“I’m telling you, he probably already knows.”

“So I’m telling you to go back now. You can still make amends.”

“Don’t be so scared, sir. What’s so special about the Bukgung Family Lord?”

Startled, the Leader covered Bukgung Yoon’s mouth and glanced around.

“You mustn’t say such things. At least not here…!”

“Only because you keep telling me to go back, sir.”

“Why on earth are you treating me like this? You broke protocol last time and helped her, didn’t you?”

“What did you say?”

At that, Bukgung Yoon’s eyes narrowed.

“How could arresting the heinous criminal who threatened the Sixth Young Master’s life and kidnapped him be considered a personal favor? That is precisely the work Shadow Edge Troops was meant to do, isn’t it?”

“That may be true, but…”

The sequence of events had been different. It was because of Bukgung Yoon’s request that Shadow Edge Troops ambushed Flying Swallow Manor and captured Un Ji-gang along with the Lonely Claw Troops.

“Are you saying, Leader of Shadow Edge Troops, that you act on personal feelings?” Bukgung Yoon asked coldly.

“Absolutely not.”

“Then you’ve never granted any of my personal requests. Fine. This time I truly have a request for you.”

The Leader pressed his forehead as if in pain.

“Miss, you’ve changed a lot compared to before.”

“I haven’t changed. I’m the same.”

“No, you have changed.”

The only thing that hadn’t changed was Bukgung Yoon’s face—the clear features that were the spitting image of her birth mother. Whenever the Leader looked at her, he remembered that dead woman.

He sighed.

It seemed she would not leave until he heard her business.

“Exactly what business have you come here for?”

“I have something I want to ask.”

“I cannot answer that.”

“I haven’t even asked yet.”

“Shadow Edge Troops is the Family Lord’s direct military force, obliged to keep clan affairs secret. Absolutely not.”

“Even about my father’s youth?”

“Of course… do you mean the Family Lord?”

It was an unexpected question for him.

“Yes. I want to know about my father’s youth.”

The Leader was taken aback. As far as he knew, it was the first time Bukgung Yoon had asked about her father rather than her mother.

“My father must have competed in his youth to become Family Lord, just as I am, right?”

“He did… I suppose.”

The Leader answered somewhat absentmindedly. Once the first reply opens the gate, the rest becomes easier—something Bukgung Yoon had learned from Yeon Mujin.

“You were with Shadow Edge Troops before I was born, so you must have observed the entire process of my father becoming Family Lord.”

“That’s right.”

“Does the story about my father from those days also fall under that secrecy?”

“Hmm…”

It was awkward to answer. If Bukgung Yoon were trying to dig up weaknesses in her brothers or seeking the Leader’s aid, he would have refused outright. But suddenly asking about the Family Lord’s youth?

Bukgung Yoon’s eyes glistened as she grabbed the Leader’s hand and pleaded, “If it weighs on your mind, Mr. Jeong, you may tell my father whatever you tell me. Please, Mr. Cheong.”

“Do not call me by that name.”

He sighed. Where she had learned such manipulative things, he couldn’t tell; she was adept at making and breaking people’s resolve.

“This is only this once. Don’t ever come to me again with such a personal favor.”

“So that means non-personal requests are allowed?”

“No. Absolutely not.”

“I’ll remember it for now.”

In the blink of an eye, it felt as if she’d swallowed ten sly serpents.

“Exactly what are you curious about, miss?”

“What I’m curious about is my father’s youth—in other words, the story from before he was chosen as the next Family Lord.”

Bukgung Yoon wiped her previous expression clean and asked seriously.

“By what means did my father seize the Family Lord position? My father wasn’t even the eldest son.”

“That’s right.”

The Shadow Edge Troops Leader nodded.

“The Family Lord wasn’t high in the succession ranking. In fact, he was regarded as the least likely compared to his brothers.”

He said this while looking at Bukgung Yoon.

“Much like you, miss.”

“Cheong.”

“Do not call me by my name.”

“There’s only you and me here—what’s the harm?”

Young Cheong glared at Bukgung Cheon.

“I am not the Lord’s retainer. I belong to Shadow Edge Troops. All Shadow Edge Troops members abandon the names they once had…”

“You live as the shadow blade of the Bukgung Family. I know that. But still…”

Bukgung Cheon smiled faintly as he looked at Cheong.

“Then how do you find any fun? Avoid the Leader’s gaze to drink, brawl, and visit gambling dens a bit—that’s what makes life worth living, isn’t it?”

“……”

“Bah, having only one companion is eternally dull.”

“I’m not assigned to guard the Lord for his amusement.”

“Right. My guards were wiped out, so I had no choice but to borrow Glorious Flower Manor’s aid. I know that too.”

They were now heading to Suzhou.