The Zither That Broke a Monster's Fist
After Bing Ok-yeon and the Gold-Greedy Monster had left, the auditors from headquarters and Cheong-san stared at each other with awkward expressions. Soon, it was Cheong-san who broke the uncomfortable silence.
"Now, now, heterodox thugs? Haven't you been speaking rather carelessly this whole time? Do not utter words in my presence that you would not dare say to my face!"
"Wow… I knew the headquarters people were shameless, but this much? I almost fell for it earlier. You lie as easily as you breathe."
Jin-pa chimed in, backing Cheong-san. The auditor cleared his throat and fiddled pointlessly with his sleeve. He had boldly tried to drag them away, only for that old man to suddenly throw a tantrum.
While the auditor was distracted, Cheong-san whispered quickly.
"Pa, no matter how I look at it, that old man seems to have followed our lady out. Go watch over them. If anything happens, scream at the top of your lungs."
"Isn't that grandfather an incredibly powerful expert…? Will the young lady be alright?"
"Even if he's from the unorthodox path, he's not the type to abandon basic human decency. He won't commit a crime in broad daylight where everyone's eyes are on him."
"Understood…"
From the man's initial behavior, Cheong-san had assumed Bing Ok-yeon's existence was still unknown. That was why he had drawn attention to himself through provocation—if he was taken away, at least he could protect Ok-yeon. But seeing the Gold-Greedy Monster follow her out now filled him with unease.
He suspected she might have learned martial arts, but he had never seen it with his own eyes nor asked her directly. It was clear she would struggle to handle a heterodox expert of that caliber, even at her age. Still, he had to hope for the best.
"Heh heh… Little girl. Did you call for me?"
The Gold-Greedy Monster, having caught up to Ok-yeon, spoke first. Without offering any particular reply, she simply sat down in the garden.
"Would you mind if I told you an old story?"
"I dislike stale tales. If you're trying to pull some pointless trick, I'll punish you first, then go back to weighing gold."
"I think you'll want to listen."
"Hmm. Your courage is admirable, so—"
There was, of course, a reason the Gold-Greedy Monster had followed Bing Ok-yeon out. It was because she had slightly lifted her veil and shown him the shape of her lips.
"Let me hear why you dared to call me the Gold-Greedy Monster."
He loathed that nickname. It was a derogatory title his enemies had created. Under normal circumstances, he would have erupted in fury on the spot. But this was the territory of his client's subordinate. He had his own principles about not acting rashly in front of an employer. That was why he had swallowed his displeasure and followed her.
"If your answer displeases me, today will be the last day you eat rice from a bowl."
"So you'll listen to my story?"
"Tsk… Just spit it out already."
Bing Ok-yeon settled into a corner of the garden and lifted the zither that had been placed there. The reason a zither was in the garden at all was because she had spent the past several days experimenting with various things here to keep her senses sharp.
"What nonsense is this all of a sudden? You think you can brush me off with that?"
Her slender, pale fingers settled over the strings. The first note rang out low, as if cautiously approaching. Ding—
"Once upon a time, in a far distant past, there was a warrior who would do anything if it meant he could obtain gold."
"Hmm…?"
The sound of the plucked strings mingled with her clear voice. Every noise around them seemed to stop, as though the world itself was leaning in to listen. Bing Ok-yeon kept her head bowed and plucked the string again. This time longer. Deeper.
"It was widely rumored that this warrior believed in nothing but gold. But secretly, unbeknownst to anyone, he had an older brother with whom he shared a deep bond."
"…!"
The golden notes flowed like water, yet within that pure, crystalline melody lurked a chill like a hidden blade. Layer by layer, the sound seeped into the Gold-Greedy Monster, touching the softest part of his heart.
A breeze stirred, scattering Bing Ok-yeon's hair. Her veil fluttered away, revealing a face both melancholic and breathtakingly beautiful. Her eyes were gently lowered, and even the shadows beneath her lashes seemed to tremble in time with the vibration of the strings.
For a fleeting moment, the Gold-Greedy Monster forgot his rage and stared wide-eyed at her beauty.
"That older brother truly cherished his younger sibling. He spared no support to help him grow stronger and even acted as a matchmaker so the younger brother could win the heart of the woman he desired."
"…"
The faster her fingertips moved, the more serene Bing Ok-yeon's expression became. The sorrow hidden behind her melancholic smile hovered just beneath the surface. Only her breath and the zither were in harmony, pounding against the Gold-Greedy Monster's heart like a drum.
Like water sliding over silk—calm, refined, elegant. Each note, without any showy technique, embedded itself deeply into his heart.
"The older brother who had always given everything. The older brother who had simply rejoiced as his dear younger sibling gained fame. For the first and last time, he made one small request of his brother."
Bing Ok-yeon's face grew hollow, as if she had poured every emotion into the music and stepped back from herself. Sweat poured down like rain. Her hair cascaded over her shoulders. The dance of her fingers across the strings only added to the scene, turning even her disheveled appearance into something like a painting.
The Gold-Greedy Monster could hold nothing else in his mind.
"I plan to leave for beyond the borders. I won't ask for much—just watch my back as far as Shaanxi."
An ending without conclusion. And with the final note from her hand, the lingering resonance slowly sank into the air.
The Gold-Greedy Monster had been holding his breath the entire time. Only after the sound drifting through the air finally faded did he let out a deep exhale. He stared blankly at the spot where Bing Ok-yeon had been sitting—at the zither left behind by the woman who had already vanished.
"She was just playing the zither."
"…Is that so?"
"She must have been bored. She always said this kind of thing gives her a headache because it's too complicated. But still, at a moment when the branch leader could have been taken away… Well, thanks to that, the old man called the Ten Thousand Gold Old Man did follow her out. It's just… strange."
"How was her skill?"
"I'm not exactly a music expert, so I can't say for sure, but it sounded nice. People always talk about music that 'touches the heart,' right? I don't really get that. Do truly skilled musicians have something like that?"
"They must."
"What are you two whispering about over there?"
The auditor, who had been sitting restlessly for a long while, asked in a surly tone. The constables, not wanting to get involved, had already left.
"You're still here?"
"You—! How dare you speak such nonsense in front of the branch leader—"
"Aren't you tired of repeating the same thing over and over?"
"You old—!"
Creak. The door opened.
Geum Man-deuk entered, looking far more haggard than when he had left. Jin-pa's heart sank. Had something gone wrong in the short time she had stepped away? But looking closer, the haggardness was different somehow. He looked as if he had aged ten years in that brief span, as though he might drop dead at any moment.
"O-oh, you've returned, sir! If you want more gold, I'll speak to the branch leader right away, so please seize that man immediately!"
"I'm leaving."
"…Pardon?"
"My fist broke today."
"Your fist, sir? Who on earth could have—"
Everyone's eyes turned to the Gold-Greedy Monster's fist. Yet his fist still looked ridiculously thick and powerful; it didn't appear injured at all.
"What is this sudden change of heart? Just tell us what you want, sir! You have to tell us so we can accommodate you!"
"Do you not understand what it means for a martial artist to lose his weapon?"
"You've already received the gold! Even if you want more, you can't just quit now after coming this far!"
"I said I'm leaving."
"…!!"
A thick killing intent filled the air. Since the space was filled with ordinary civilians, everyone's faces were dyed with terror and confusion.
"Understood?"
"Y-yes, sir…"
The Gold-Greedy Monster grabbed the auditor's head with the hand he claimed was broken. Naturally, it wasn't broken at all. The auditor was dragged away like a dog on a leash. The Gold-Greedy Monster's face remained deathly pale, giving the impression that he was the one walking into a coffin.
"…What the hell was that?"
"Beats me…"
Luoyang.
"What? The Gold-Greedy Monster—no, the Ten Thousand Gold Old Man—has announced his retirement from the martial world?"
"He declared that he has fallen into qi deviation and can no longer use his fists."
"What kind of ridiculous nonsense is that! Do you have any idea how much gold I poured into that old bastard?!"
Eun Baek-jung was not a martial artist himself, but having sat in a high position for so long, he had picked up plenty of knowledge. It was entirely possible for a martial artist to announce retirement from the jianghu, but claiming qi deviation as the reason was absurd. Retirement was one thing, but qi deviation? That was practically lying naked before one's enemies and begging them to kill you.
"Isn't he the old monster who never breaks a promise when gold is involved? Could he truly have fallen into qi deviation?"
"Shut your mouth, you idiot!"
Eun Baek-jung ground his teeth. He was sick of subordinates who knew nothing about the basics of the martial world. And never breaks a promise? What fool in the world would believe such garbage?
"This is why those heterodox scum are…"
Though rage made him feel like he might collapse at any moment, too much time had already been wasted. Hearing that Du-chung had been killed. Hiring the Gold-Greedy Monster. Sending the dawdling old man to Nanyang. And waiting for him to return at a leisurely pace. Just how many days had been thrown away into thin air?
"F-father! It's a disaster!"
"You fool. Right now you should be calling me Branch Leader, not Father! So, what is it this time…"
"Cheong-san is demanding that Fath— that the Branch Leader step down!"
"Ha… That much was expected. Release the performance gap between headquarters and the branches as planned."
Since Eun Baek-jung had taken office, it wasn't only headquarters that had suffered losses. Nanyang, which had been bleeding money every year, made that difference even more glaring. No matter what excuses they made, merchants only cared about whether profit had been made or not. Even if they brought up the overall losses of the Eunpa Merchant Group, he predicted they could offset it by pointing out that headquarters remained sound.
"T-that's… even if we follow the plan…"
His head throbbed. It frustrated him to no end that all his sons were idiots. I'm truly cursed with terrible luck. How is it possible that there's not a single competent person around me? Even my own sons are like this.
He genuinely believed his own talent was enough to lead the greatest merchant group under heaven.
"If I said release it, then release it!"
"The thing is… they already did it first…"
"That bastard Cheong-san? Then isn't that even better? What did the fool say after making it public? That the branch leader must be replaced? Who did he suggest? Did he recommend himself, the one who couldn't even protect his own branch? Or one of the other idiots from the other branches?"
All of headquarters' successes had been recorded under Eun Baek-jung's name, and all its failures had been pinned on others who were then removed. Eun Baek-jung himself had never once failed. If they were only demanding his resignation, that wasn't so bad. Then the one to become the next leader would be his eldest son, not those incompetent branch rats.
Replacing the foolish eldest son and controlling the merchant group from behind the scenes had been part of his plan all along. Only after he was gone would Cheong-san's incompetence be revealed. Then he could slowly restore the Eunpa Merchant Group's former glory.
"No, that's not it! Someone appeared!"
"Who?"
"The S-Silver Tiger Plaque of Uncle Baek…"
"What…? Who! Did that damn older brother of mine come back alive?!"
"His granddaughter… Cheong-san has brought Uncle Baek's granddaughter with him!"