A Merchant Knows the Moment
“Ugh…” So-yeon twisted her stiff body this way and that, trying to loosen up. “I’m hungry…”
This was the first time she had studied for so long. Back in the Jegal Clan, holding a book for any length of time had been impossible.
‘Hey, you little brat. Your clothes are filthy, aren’t they? You know I break out in rashes unless I wash them in the water from the peak of Mount Yongzhong, right? Go wash them now. What? Winter? Are you joking right now?’
‘Your books? Why are you asking me? Obviously those idiot maids used them as kindling. They never thought a fool like you would actually study.’
‘Ah—Namgung or whatever, that bitch! Who the hell does she think she is, calling herself a phoenix? Get over here, you little shit. Jegal So-yeon, get over here right now!’
“…”
The growling in her stomach stopped abruptly. So-yeon shook her head vigorously, trying to erase Jegal Do-yeong’s voice from her mind. What filled her thoughts instead was Ok-yeon’s voice. Listening to it gave her a warm, floating sensation, as if she were drifting through the sky.
She knew Ok-yeon saw her as a replacement for a dead younger sister. A fragile projection, like a sandcastle that could collapse at any moment.
“I need to study more…”
She had overheard Ok-yeon and Seol-hwa talking in her half-sleep. Her own abilities were far below those of her peers in every way. So she had to work harder. If she wanted to avoid being abandoned.
“Is it interesting?”
“…?”
She looked up. It was a stranger. So-yeon flinched and shrank back.
“I didn’t mean to startle you. I came because the young master ordered it, so there’s no need to worry.”
“W-who… are you…?”
“My name is Yeom Seo-rin. I just became friends with your sister, Jegal Do-yeong, so you may rest assured.”
“Ugh…”
At the mention of Jegal Do-yeong’s name, So-yeon grew even more frightened. Yeom Seo-rin looked puzzled. They had been bickering just moments ago, so why was she so terrified at the mere mention of her sister’s name?
“You must be one of those girls who was spoiled rotten from childhood, just like the young master.”
She arrived at her own conclusion. Without a guardian, the girl was trembling like a helpless child.
“Still, it’s irritating. What’s with that attitude after eating such expensive food?”
“…Food?”
Recently, only three people had treated So-yeon to a meal: Seol-hwa, Ok-yeon, and—
“The young master…?”
“So you remember now?”
She couldn’t recall the man’s name, but she remembered how delicious the food had been. After Ok-yeon took her in, she had never lacked for meals, but it was different. Ok-yeon tried to give her everything, so So-yeon could never bring herself to ask for anything. She was too afraid that making a request would earn her dislike. That was why this was the first time she had eaten until she was stuffed.
“It hasn’t even been half a day. You’re quite forgetful for a little brat.”
She had mistaken him for Jegal Do-yeong. So-yeon wanted to protest the injustice, but the best rebellion she could manage was to look away.
“Why…?”
“Why what? Out of nowhere? How am I supposed to answer that? You really are a ridiculous young lady. Since you asked why, I’ll answer. Your sister is being pursued. The young master says he’ll appear with a flourish to save that girl when she’s in danger. That damned considerate young master claims that if your sister is being chased, you must be in danger too, so he sent me to find you. If he protects you as well, it’ll earn him points. Finding you was a pain. I want to punch that damned young master.”
The words came so fast that So-yeon could barely follow them. But she understood one thing.
“My sister…!”
“Good judgment. Let’s go.”
***
“These are the people. Fortunately, they all responded to the summons.”
Du-chung led Ok-yeon to a location. It was a house right next to the Nanyang branch.
“Right in front of the branch, I see.”
“They say the darkest place is under the lamp. Following the wisdom of the ancients, we held this meeting near the branch. Cheong-san has been corrupt for a long time, yet he never noticed the blade at his own throat.”
“Impressive.”
Ok-yeon nodded in admiration. Ten people had gathered here. Ten might not sound like much, but judging by their attire, none of them were ordinary. They were likely all high-ranking figures.
“We answered the summons, but is it wise to reveal ourselves like this?”
“It’s fine.”
Still, they didn’t seem united under Du-chung. Some looked openly dissatisfied with him.
“Is this young lady truly the successor of former head Eun Baek-ho?”
“…”
“Why no answer? Don’t tell me it’s a lie?”
“Young lady, you promised. You said you would tell the truth once we met these people.”
Du-chung looked anxious.
“Are these all the people?”
“Asking for more would be greedy. These are everyone who wishes to help you purge Cheong-san. There are others who share our cause, but they lack the influence these people possess.”
“Oh my, did I ever say I wanted to purge Cheong-san?”
“What else would you do? You must intend to uphold his will and set this place right, so removing someone like Cheong-san is only natural. If that weren’t your plan, you would have gone straight to the main headquarters.”
“That makes sense. Would you introduce everyone?”
“Haa… This is Gyeong-ung, the salt merchant who traveled between Hebei and Henan. He joined after Cheong-san stripped him of his monopoly rights.”
“How upsetting that must have been.”
“…Next to him is Si U-gwang, the master of the Iron Wrist Sect, a major sect in Nanyang. He joined because he feared that Cheong-san’s focus on personal gain would ruin the Nanyang branch and bring hardship to many Nanyang residents.”
“A man of principle.”
“Next to him is—”
Du-chung introduced them one by one. Half were from the Eunpa Merchant Group, but the rest included martial artists, merchants, and officials—a truly diverse group. Each had suffered from Cheong-san’s incompetence and greed, and each had a legitimate reason to want him removed.
“From what you’ve said, these people could easily take on a hundred each. If you all join forces, driving out Cheong-san wouldn’t be a dream.”
Ok-yeon nodded with an admiring expression. She fiddled with the hairpin at the back of her head and spoke to Du-chung.
“This should be enough.”
“I’m impatient. Please show us the Silver Plaque quickly—”
“Guh?!”
Before Du-chung could finish, Si U-gwang’s head snapped to the side. The men beside him caught his body in confusion. Only Du-chung’s eyes widened in shock.
“What…!”
“I noticed it when you jumped from the watchtower, but you really are quite skilled.”
“W-what is the meaning of this, young lady!”
“What the hell are you talking about?”
“Hey! Don’t tell me you’re going to ruin everything with this nonsense!”
Chaos erupted. When Du-chung lost his composure and shouted, the others who had already been dissatisfied began to voice their complaints again. Then the man who had caught Si U-gwang screamed.
“H-he’s dead!”
“What?”
“Gah!”
The loudest complainer collapsed in the same manner. Ok-yeon let out a soft laugh.
“I don’t like noisy ears.”
“That woman killed him!”
“A-a murderer!”
“Du-chung, what the hell is this?!”
Only then did the others realize what was happening and leap to their feet. At that moment, an immense chill filled the room. Those without proper internal energy collapsed where they stood, their bodies freezing solid in an instant.
“Ice… arts…”
“A little different, but similar enough.”
“Why… why are you doing this…?”
“Hehe, what a strange thing to say.”
“I was… only trying to protect you, young lady…”
“Didn’t you say it yourself earlier? A skilled merchant knows the moment. Don’t you realize that moment is now?”
“Guh… Aaaagh…!”
Du-chung pretended to listen while circulating his internal energy. The moment Ok-yeon answered, he gathered every last bit of power and struck at her with his palm.
Crack!
Their palms met. A contest of internal energy. Since her voice alone revealed she was quite young, he had hoped to buy time with this duel. Unless the gap in their power was as vast as that between a child and an adult, the clash would continue until one side’s energy ran out.
‘If my subordinates don’t hear from me for a while, they’ll come here!’
“Puh… Hehehe…!”
“…?!”
He was pouring out his energy, yet she was laughing?
Bang—!
With a shock that tore through his palm, Du-chung was sent flying. He coughed up blood, unable to steady himself. He had been forced to his knees by overwhelming power.
“Cough… Haa… A m-monster…”
“A monster? How dreadful.”
“Why… me…”
“I’d like to ask you the same. Why did you betray the old master?”
“N-nonsense.”
“Still playing dumb to the end.”
“The reason…”
“It’s simple logic. There were three trusted talents gathered here in Nanyang: Cheong-san, Du-chung, and Jin-pa. You turned your back on two of them, Deputy Branch Manager. Where is Miss Jin? Why isn’t she here? Is Miss Jin also in league with the branch manager you labeled an enemy?”
“That could… be possible… She’s still young…”
“Are you saying the old master’s judgment was wrong?”
Du-chung, still coughing blood, could no longer respond. He finally understood that no matter what he said, it would be useless against someone who had already decided on an answer. Instead, he glared at Ok-yeon with bloodshot eyes.
“Well, you did fail to recognize your foolish younger sibling, so I suppose the old master’s eyes could be wrong after all.”
Ok-yeon giggled.
“As for other evidence… Yes. Instinct. The instinct you mentioned, Deputy Branch Manager.”
Du-chung’s eyes filled with resentment. The look of someone who couldn’t accept dying so meaninglessly.
“It’s a lie. Whether you were right or wrong, leaving that side intact benefits me.”
Of course there were other reasons, and she was already half-convinced Du-chung had been Baek Eun-joong’s pawn, but she saw no value in explaining it all.
“If the Deputy Branch Manager was right, it would be easier for me to control two incompetent, powerless people.”
After all, Ok-yeon intended to seize the entire merchant group. She had never planned to handle the process in a purely moral way.
“If you were wrong, then you simply paid the price for daring to betray the old master. Either way, I lose nothing.”
Ok-yeon retrieved the hairpin that had pierced the neck of Si U-gwang, the strongest among them besides Du-chung. Not a single drop of blood stained it.
“More importantly, you. You had enough power when the old master was driven out so miserably, didn’t you? You knew the truth too, didn’t you? What have you been doing for seventeen years? Did you ever think of repaying the favor? You ungrateful wretch.”
Ok-yeon raised her index finger and poked Du-chung’s forehead.
***
“So they went into this building.”
“This is the fifth one. I hope it’s the right one this time.”
“Until now it was just bad luck.”
Ma Cheon-yu stood before the fifth building he had visited. This time, he felt a strange certainty that it would be different.
“Come out here!”
“Who are you?”
“Bring out Jegal Do-yeong, the young lady you kidnapped and dragged inside!”
“Jegal?”
Some people used false names freely, but the name Jegal was never something to be spoken lightly. The gatekeepers of the grand residence exchanged startled glances.
“Did we have any guests today?”
“No.”
“The masters are all out anyway, so the place is empty. Kidnapping? What kidnapping?”
“Exactly.”
After finishing their discussion, the gatekeepers spoke.
“There’s nothing here. You seem to be mistaken, so please leave. There is no guest by that name.”
“You bastard! How dare you lie!”
“Why is that guy so confident? Maybe he’s telling the truth?”
“Just check with the people inside. We always have to be careful with the Five Great Clans.”
Though only third-rate, the gatekeepers who had learned martial arts took the name Jegal very seriously. In the end, one of them went inside. Ma Cheon-yu’s attitude was so bold and imposing that they couldn’t simply turn him away.
At that moment, the gate of a house a short distance from the grand residence that Ma Cheon-yu had been searching opened. Someone staggered out from within.
“Kuh…!”
The man coughed up blood and collapsed. The pool of blood he vomited was large enough that anyone could tell he had died.
“…What the hell is that all of a sudden?”
“It looks like he was killed, young master.”
“Really?”
They could sense it was a murder scene, but from a distance it was hard to tell what had killed him. Still, it was a stranger’s face. Neither Ma Cheon-yu nor Yeom Seo-rin paid any attention to a murder that had occurred in the middle of the street.
Just as the screams of passersby began to ring out—
“Oh my, so you were protecting So-yeon?”
Yeom Seo-rin realized someone had easily taken the space behind her back.