Chapter 88
I followed the maid striding ahead, lost in thought.
'Why is the Namgung Clan Lord summoning me?'
Could it be because of the commotion from yesterday's outing? But that ruckus hardly seemed worth reporting to the clan head... wasn't it just kids squabbling? Nothing else came to mind.
"Here we are."
The place the maid led me to was a spacious open ground with several pavilions attached. It was my first time here. The atmosphere felt different from other parts of the Namgung Clan—the guards patrolling the area were far more numerous. And their skill levels were noticeably higher too.
'The security here's insanely tight.'
From within one of the pavilions emerged an elderly man in a blue robe and a young man beside him.
"Young Lady Baek Ri-yeon, you've arrived. Do you perhaps remember me?"
The young man was a stranger, but I'd seen the elder on my first day at the Namgung Clan.
"Aren't you Steward Seop?"
"Oh my, you remember."
It was Seop Jagang, the clan's chief steward.
"This is my son. He's learning the ropes by assisting me."
"Hello. I'm Baek Ri-yeon of the Baek Clan."
"I've heard so much about you."
As I exchanged greetings with the steward's son, question marks piled up in my head.
'Why am I meeting the Namgung Clan's chief steward and his son...?'
Pushing down my doubts, I finished the pleasantries and followed Steward Seop's guidance into one of the pavilions. Only then did I realize why the security was so intense here.
This was the Namgung Clan's warehouse.
I spotted Father inside and bolted straight toward him.
"Father!"
"Ri-yeon, no running inside the—"
Before Father could finish, I threw myself into his arms. He let out a sigh and continued,
"Greet them first."
Looking where Father glanced, I saw the Namgung Clan Lord and Uncle Namgung Wan standing together. I'd been so focused on Father that I hadn't noticed them. Startled, I bowed belatedly.
"Oh! Hello."
The clan lord, hands clasped behind his back, nodded with a kindly smile. Uncle Namgung Wan gave a slight dip of his head too.
Only then did I take in my surroundings. A vast space: stacks of books and bamboo slips on one side, wooden crates piled neatly on the other. It screamed warehouse.
The odd thing? No herbs in sight, yet a faint, bitter medicinal scent lingered in the air from somewhere.
As I glanced around idly, my eyes caught a familiar small wooden box, and I tilted my head. Come to think of it, many of the books looked familiar too.
'Weird. Why store books in a warehouse instead of the library pavilion?'
That was when the Namgung Clan Lord spoke.
"Well? Do you recognize them?"
"Pardon?"
His tone suggested he'd deliberately waited for me to look around. I scanned the warehouse more carefully. And then it hit me.
"No way... these are from Manshin-ui's pill-refining chamber, aren't they?"
Uncle Namgung Wan answered.
"Correct."
Of course. They'd recovered that Namgung warrior's corpse, so naturally they'd cleared out the pill chamber too. Too many valuables to leave in a tomb.
'Though the real prize was what I took.'
Uncle Namgung Wan continued,
"The herbs were tricky to store here, so we sent them elsewhere."
"Ah, got it."
That explained the scent without the visuals. Manshin-ui's warehouse had been meticulously controlled—perfect temperature, no humidity issues despite being underground. Everything from herbs to books had been impeccably preserved.
As I wandered the space, I tilted my head again.
'This is just a common book...'
And the sheer volume of it all was staggering. A bit overwhelmed, I asked,
"Did you really bring everything from the pill chamber?"
"We left behind the less valuable items or anything too fragile to transport. Everything feasible, we took."
Imagining hauling all that through those twisting mountain paths too narrow for carts made my breath catch. Selectively grabbing the gems? Apparently not an option for the Namgung Clan.
"Physician Kang worked hard."
"Father, why do you say that?"
"On the way back from the Baek Clan, he detoured to Palgwae Village to escort these goods here."
"Wha...?"
I had no idea.
Uncle Namgung Wan picked up,
"Word got out somehow—bandits and all sorts swarmed us. With Vice Commander Sim away, we'd have been in real trouble without him."
I whipped around to Father in shock.
"That happened?!"
Zero clue!
"Father! Did you have to fight on the way here too?"
Father shot Uncle Namgung Wan a reproachful look.
"Why tell Ri-yeon such things?"
"What good's hiding it? Anyone paying attention would've known."
"Exactly! Uncle's right! You should've told me!"
Uncle Namgung Wan's nose lifted proudly at my praise.
"Uncle, Father didn't get hurt or anything, right?"
Father gave a faintly exasperated reply.
"...Why ask Wan about my injuries?"
"Why do you think?!"
"..."
Tsking at Father, Uncle Namgung Wan answered me.
"A few skirmishes, sure. But if he'd been hurt, you'd have known. As you see, he's fine—worry not."
"Really?"
"Yes."
"For real?"
"Yes."
"Truly?"
"How many times?!"
Hmm, Uncle snapping meant 100% truth. Besides, moving with Namgung warriors, any major battle would've reached my ears by now.
'But still... finding work to do even on the road from Baek Clan to here.'
'So very Father.'
Uncle Namgung Wan cleared his throat after his outburst and continued,
"Anyway, that's why we called you—to divide the haul."
And if Father acted like Father, then Uncle Namgung Wan was being true to form too.
'He could've claimed the whole pill chamber without a word.'
I'd found Manshin-ui's pill chamber, sure, but Uncle Namgung Wan had led me there in the first place. And without him or Father's connections, we'd never have hauled this out. Manpower alone would've been impossible. Even if we'd extracted it, bandits would've stripped us bare before home.
Only a clan like Namgung could pull this off unscathed.
'Borrowing Baek Clan muscle might've worked, but...'
Father hated leaning on the family.
"I figured we'd split it evenly, but he says he needs none."
"Father did?"
Father suddenly ruffled my hair.
"The Namgung Clan found Manshin-ui, reopened the chamber, and transported it all. No reason for me to take any. That Ri-yeon returned safely is reward enough."
"Talking to this guy drains me."
Uncle Namgung Wan eyed Father irritably before pressing on.
"Since he insists, we called you to ask."
"Ah."
I nodded and replied,
"I'll follow Father's lead!"
"Think it over before answering. This isn't a game."
The Namgung Clan Lord, who'd been watching our exchange with benevolent patience, finally spoke.
"I appreciate your sentiments, but still—choose something. Keeping it all makes us uneasy."
I glanced at Father. With the clan lord weighing in, refusing further felt impossible.
'Guess that's why he's here...'
Steward Seop, silent till now, stepped forward.
"Young Master Baek Ri-gang has been here a while, but sorting and cataloging took time."
He nodded to his son, who handed Father a thick stack of papers.
"The itemized list."
Father took it with a resigned air, skimmed it, then said,
"Then Ri-yeon will choose."
"Me?"
Father nodded.
"Speak if there's anything you want."
Oh...
'What to ask for?'
The spirit herbs? Already gave Father the Public Clarity Spirit Oil. Anything I'd use? Eaten already...
Nothing jumped out as needed.
"Ah! I choose this!"
I clapped my hands. Father tilted his head slightly.
"Already decided?"
"Yes!"
I pointed to the bulk occupying most of the warehouse.
"The books—gimme!"
"...Books?"
Uncle Namgung Wan frowned faintly at the unexpected pick.