The Silver Tiger's Shadow
“Why are you suddenly asking about that? Our proud Jin-pa of the Nanyang branch of the Eunpa Merchant Group, no less.”
“I’m just curious.”
“If our esteemed Miss Jin-pa asks, I suppose I must answer.”
“Could you stop making that sound like an insult?”
“You should be proud of yourself.”
“…Forget it. Just show it to me.”
“Hmm, unfortunately, that’s impossible.”
“Why not?”
“Our proud branch head abolished it.”
“Hold on. So both you and the branch head are proud of it?”
“Oh dear.”
Jin-pa looked ready to grab him by the collar. “I’m talking about the plaque!”
“Proud?”
“Forgive me.”
“Hmph!”
“Ahem. He said displaying one’s identity through a plaque like that would lower morale among the members. That was seventeen years ago.”
“…Right after he took office?”
“How does our Miss Jin still remember something that vanished so long ago?”
“I saw it when I was little.”
“As expected of our Jin-pa. You even saw the former head’s Silver Tiger Plaque?”
“It’s not like it was a royal seal. Of course I could see it. I just haven’t seen one since I started working here. So there really was a story behind it.”
“Indeed. So listen—don’t go asking the same question anywhere else.”
“Why not?”
“Just don’t, if I tell you not to.”
The usually listless branch manager spoke with unusual gravity. Jin-pa nodded without thinking.
“Live long and thin. As long as possible.”
“Pa-ya. This brother of yours has one piece of advice.”
“You’re nearly twenty years older than me, and you’re calling yourself my brother?”
“I have no wife, so I’m your brother. Anyway, the longer a person lives, the sharper their instincts become. You shouldn’t ignore them.”
“Are you telling me to listen to the branch manager?”
“That’s right! As expected of Nanyang branch’s pride!”
“Is it really that serious just because I asked about something that used to exist?”
“Everything that’s gone has its reason for disappearing. A very reasonable reason, to someone.”
“So both you and the vice branch manager know the reason, and I’m the only one left in the dark. And the fact that you’re both hiding something while pretending not to makes it even more suspicious.”
“There’s nothing suspicious. You’re the suspicious one. Why go out to rescue someone and come back with questions like that?”
“Well… curiosity can strike suddenly. You know how it is. ‘Huh? I feel like I saw that somewhere before, but it’s gone now.’ That kind of thing.”
“Where did you see it? From the look of it, you went out and came straight back—”
“Forget it. I’m not curious anymore.”
Jin-pa fled from the vice branch manager. Du-chung sighed as he watched her retreating back.
“Incompetent and greedy men never let go of what they hold, Jin-pa.”
Jin-pa refused to give up and took to the streets. The main headquarters’ orders meant nothing to her now. She had to find the owner of that silver plaque.
“I definitely saw it that time.”
‘You are the future of our merchant group. I hope you will assist my son well in the days to come.’
“I wasn’t mistaken.”
She could never forget that plaque. It had unmistakably been Eun Baek-ho’s Silver Tiger Plaque.
“Who was that woman? The branch head’s hidden daughter? A concubine? No, none of that matters. What matters is that I found a trace of him.”
The person carrying the Silver Tiger Plaque had come all the way to the Nanyang branch and spoken of hiring an assassin. That meant she harbored a deep grudge against someone.
“As I thought, there must have been some conspiracy behind the branch head’s sudden disappearance.”
She had been too young seventeen years ago. Busy repaying her debt of gratitude through study, she had known nothing of what transpired at headquarters during the change of leadership.
“If he truly died of illness as they claimed, then where did the young master go?”
Both father and son had vanished without a trace. If the succession and the chain of events that followed hadn’t buried the matter, it would have caused an uproar. No—now that she thought about it, it hadn’t been buried. It had been deliberately hidden. Even the funeral had been rushed.
“Anyone would find it suspicious.”
She wandered for a long time, turning over each suspicious point in her mind. Yet the woman was nowhere to be seen.
“Yeong-gak, I’m looking for someone.”
She approached an acquaintance she spotted while walking. As a disciple of the sect responsible for maintaining order here, he would have been watching the passersby closely.
“Who?”
“Ah, someone I don’t really know.”
“How are you supposed to find them if you don’t know them?”
“I saw her today. She was wearing a veiled hat, dressed in pitch-black robes and white mourning clothes. Her voice was incredible. Truly. Once you hear it, you’ll never forget it.”
“I don’t know. That’s pretty common. Except for the voice. I remember faces, not voices.”
“I see…”
“Any other distinguishing features?”
“No.”
“Do you know how many people live in Nanyang?”
“If you see her, let me know.”
Yeong-gak nodded reluctantly. She had treated him well in the past, after all.
“But why are you looking for that woman?”
“Hm? It’s nothing. Uh… I ran into her earlier. She dropped something.”
“What?”
“Just something.”
“Why do you keep prying?”
“I was going to return it for her. What is it? Let me see.”
“Never mind. Why would you touch a strange woman’s belongings so carelessly?”
“…Fine. I’ll tell you if I find her. Also, the branch manager said—”
“Good. Make sure you tell me. Ah, Auntie Jang! I have something to ask you!”
Jin-pa sought out everyone she knew even slightly. She was desperate, afraid the woman might leave Nanyang.
“Cheong-san, vice branch manager of Nanyang. Current branch manager. A member who has worked in Nanyang since the elder’s early days. Young, so he became vice branch manager—one of the most trusted in both ability and character. Having held the same position for seventeen years, he must at least enjoy the current branch head’s trust.”
Ok-yeon recalled what she knew. She had already identified the key figures working at the Nanyang branch. Three in particular stood out.
“Du-chung, branch manager of Sichuan. Current vice branch manager of Nanyang. The moment he came of age, he boldly requested permission to establish a branch in Sichuan. Intrigued, the elder approved… Becoming vice branch manager after being a branch manager means demotion. He’s struggling to maintain Henan, so the Sichuan branch must have vanished completely.”
But did he still possess ability? Even demoted, he remained the second-in-command of a major branch.
“Apprentice Jin-pa. Current accountant. She distinguished herself from her apprentice days, and the elder promised to place her at his son’s side. He personally paid off her parents’ debts and even considered raising her as his successor if his son proved lacking. She was the most promising talent the elder cherished. As expected, she remains a rising star—young, capable, and passionate.”
Despite such people gathered here, the Nanyang branch continued its steady decline. It wasn’t only Nanyang’s problem, yet Nanyang stood out conspicuously. That was precisely why she had shown the silver plaque here.
“It’s about time they took the bait.”
Ok-yeon sipped her tea and finished organizing her thoughts. From the second floor of the teahouse, she could see everyone moving below. There would be no deviation from the plan. She had revealed only limited information, so the moves they could make were equally limited.
“Excuse me.”
Someone had come up to the second floor. The man walked straight toward Ok-yeon. Unlike the rude people who had demanded she remove her veil or warned that a woman traveling alone was dangerous, he carried himself with courtesy. He looked to be in his forties. His neatly trimmed beard and clothing suggested he took care with his appearance. His sharp eyes held a long scar beside one of them. He neither sat across from her uninvited nor touched her rudely. He simply called her name and waited quietly for her reply. She felt his gaze studying her—not with lust, but with careful observation.
“Is there something you need?”
“I deeply regret meeting you under these circumstances. The situation is urgent, so I must beg your forgiveness for my rudeness. You must flee. People are now pursuing you, my lady.”
Ok-yeon set down her teacup. His eyes were steady and his voice full of conviction; there was not a single trace of doubt in them.
“Even if you suddenly say that…”
Of course, she could not simply agree based on outward appearance alone.
“I cannot explain in detail. First, you must run—”
“She’s here.”
A new voice came from the stairs. Both Ok-yeon and the man turned toward it. The man recognized the speaker and paled.
“Cheong-san’s lackeys…! My lady, forgive me!”
The man grabbed Ok-yeon’s arm without warning and leaped out the second-floor window.
“Kyaa!”
“Are you insane?!”
Passersby cried out in shock as two people fell from a height. They braced for injury, only to stare in astonishment when the pair landed lightly.
“Martial artists!”
“D-don’t get involved…”
Ok-yeon found it rather surprising that the man had protected her body from the impact of the fall. He hadn’t looked that skilled at first glance. Underestimating someone in the martial world was always a dangerous mistake.
“They jumped!”
“Damn it!”
The men who had been climbing the teahouse stairs now looked down from the second floor, faces twisted with fury.
“I’ll run.”
***
They fled for a long time. Having used no inner energy, Ok-yeon was breathing heavily. Without circulating inner energy, this body was no different from an ordinary woman’s.
“Haa… haa…”
“Are you all right?”
“Yes… I’m fine.”
Her recovery was noticeably slow. Even if she couldn’t accept the cold of the Blood Valley, perhaps she needed to absorb at least the yin energy of night to recover quickly.
“So, why did you run, Vice Branch Manager Du-chung?”
“You knew who I was.”
“No, how would I? This is the first time we’ve met.”
“Then how…”
“The elder praised you countless times. I was looking forward to meeting you someday. You’re wearing the Eunpa Merchant Group’s attire, and you’re near the age of forty…”
Ok-yeon tapped the corner of her eye. Du-chung touched his scar and nodded. Even among those who lived by the sword, few bore such a distinctive scar.
“You truly are different. But when you say ‘the elder,’ do you mean…?”
“Eun Baek-ho. He spoke of you with great praise.”
“…That is too generous.”
Du-chung’s expression turned bitter.
“To think he praised me, when I failed to protect what he entrusted to me. It is nothing but painful.”
“He also said you were a young man overflowing with courage and wit.”
“Courage and wit… Perhaps I was, back then.”
“And now?”
“Now I’m nothing but a fool struggling just to keep my position.”
“If the vice branch manager of Nanyang is a fool, then what does that make everyone else?”
“Merely remnants of the past.”
Du-chung’s expression showed no sign of easing. Guilt remained etched across his face.
“Where did they run?”
“Spread out and search.”
Outside the alley where they hid, the voices of their pursuers could be heard.
“They’re still after us. Vice Branch Manager, how did you find me?”
“Shh… Please lower your voice. If they catch us, it’s over.”
“I’d appreciate an explanation first.”
“Huu… I have no choice. You must already know what path this merchant group is heading down.”
“It’s collapsing.”
“Yes, exactly. It only continues to stand because it was once so enormous. The Eunpa Merchant Group is falling apart. Do you know why?”
“Isn’t it obvious? It’s all because Eun Baek-jung stole the group!”
“…You’re correct. When the leader is incompetent and surrounded by incompetents, the group cannot survive. New ventures fail, and even the existing trade routes that once ran smoothly have been ruined by his meddling.”
“That’s why the Sichuan branch collapsed as well. Being far from headquarters, it would have needed solid support.”
“I appreciate your words, but… it was my fault. At least while Sichuan still existed, the current branch head was still wary. I held full authority over Sichuan then. Without support from headquarters, I should have withdrawn on my own… but my pointless stubbornness destroyed everything.”
“No! That was also Eun Baek-jung’s fault! If the elder had been here, the Sichuan branch expansion would have succeeded!”
“Perhaps. In any case, this is not the time to argue about Sichuan. Do you know what those incompetent men hate most right now?”
“Being insulted?”
“Yes. More precisely, being compared to Eun Baek-ho’s era. Eun Baek-jung is obsessed with erasing every trace of Eun Baek-ho above all else.”
Du-chung continued with an even heavier expression.
“You asked how I found you? You showed it to Jin-pa. That’s what gave you away.”
“What do you mean?”
“If you keep hiding it from me, I cannot help you. Even now, Cheong-san’s men are scouring Nanyang to capture you—just like those men a moment ago.”
“I… really don’t understand what you’re saying…”
“You are the successor personally chosen by Eun Baek-ho. I am certain of it. A capable merchant knows when to scheme and when to stake everything. If you are the successor he personally selected, then you must already sense that moment yourself.”
“Hmm…”
“I am staking my life on this. Please tell me. Are you carrying the Silver Tiger Plaque? I don’t believe you showed it to Jin-pa by accident.”
“Haa… Miss Jin-pa really does have a loose tongue.”
At last, Du-chung smiled faintly.
“Jin-pa does not have a loose tongue. She simply wanted to see Cheong-san’s plaque. Both she and I have longed for the branch head all this time. That is how I recognized her hidden intention. Having seen the thing she dreamed of, she made up an awkward excuse to view the plaque. And… she would never have gone around telling people who you were. But what could she do? Jin-pa never deeply considered why the Nanyang branch was going astray. She failed to notice that poison has already spread throughout Nanyang. Far too many people are watching her, and unfortunately, Cheong-san is among them.”
“I see now why the elder called you overflowing with wit. You recognized Miss Jin even when she tried to hide it.”
“I was lucky. Now, please answer me. Are you carrying the Silver Tiger Plaque? Eun Baek-ho’s Silver Tiger Plaque.”
Ok-yeon met Du-chung’s question with a smile of her own.
“May I make one request as well?”
“Ask anything.”
“I don’t think you’re the sort of person who would be easily swayed. If Cheong-san has taken control of Nanyang, then you must have made preparations to resist him.”
“Hmm…”
“Show me your allies. After that, I’ll answer your question.”