Chapter 4
Chapter 4
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Translator: Ryuma
Chapter: 4
Chapter Title: Why Are You Coming Out From There? (2)
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I'm going insane.
Why the hell is Yin Xia Lian here?!
Yin Xia Lian.
If she's part of this merchant caravan, it makes sense why the Northern Deer Bandit Lair's thugs ended up with their heads rolling.
Thousand Gold Smile—Yin Xia Lian.
As her epithet suggests, it takes a fortune of a thousand gold to see her smile.
She's the daughter of the Southern Jiang Merchant King, master of the Silver Radiance Merchant Group, the leading figure among the world's great merchants.
She's a shrewd businesswoman destined to soon secure the position of deputy leader, and a beauty hailed as the Southern Jiang's Number One Beauty—one of the top stunners in this world.
Anyone hooked on fantasy or wuxia novels like me can already tell from all those descriptors hanging off her.
That's right.
She's a major character in Swordsmanship Genius of the Murim Academy.
'Feels like a sugar mommy type?'
The term "sugar mommy" sounds a bit cheap, but you know what I mean?
In wuxia or fantasy novels, after some massive event leaves everything in ruins and you're thinking, "How the hell are they gonna rebuild all this?"—she swoops in with a haughty expression and says, "Leave it to me," showing off what real financial power looks like.
'But not some pushover dumping cash like Chilrellepallelelle; she steadily expands her influence while playing smart.'
True to her webnovel roots—a staple of snack culture—she's got some real depth, and her illustrations live up to her fame as the Southern Jiang's Number One Beauty. I remember her always ranking high in reader polls.
Anyway.
To the bandits or escorts who knew of her, she must've looked like a walking lottery ticket.
'Any unorthodox type would think, "If I kidnap Yin Xia Lian and pressure the Silver Radiance Merchant Group, I could rake in a fortune," at least once.'
Of course, even so, no one in the Silver Radiance's territory around Southern Jiang's Yi Province would dare act on it.
'The odds of success are slim, and the fallout too massive.'
Would the guards for a woman like Yin Xia Lian be pushovers?
What if you aim for that slim chance and end up losing your own hide or your men?
In the first case, your trusted subordinates stab you in the back with "I've been waiting for this day."
In the second, the neighboring bandit lair tries a hostile takeover.
'That's just how bandit life works.'
Even if you dodge all that by some miracle, the Silver Radiance Merchant Group comes after you with their bottomless coffers, teeth gritted in revenge.
Or consider her father, the Southern Jiang Merchant King—rumored to have gold etched into his very marrow—who might just refuse to pay the ransom.
'So kidnapping Yin Xia Lian stays a pipe dream.'
But dredging up my memories, in the setting of Swordsmanship Genius of the Murim Academy, there's exactly one instance.
A scheme stemming from the Silver Radiance succession issue traps her in a chain plot, slashing the risks for the bandits—and she actually gets kidnapped.
So why didn't I think of her when I joined as a guest escort for the Silver Radiance Merchant Group, despite knowing all this?
'I've read too damn many novels.'
My brain was pickled in clichés.
Not exact, but restoring the original text as best I can...
『Yin Xia Lian, daughter of the Southern Jiang's greatest tycoon, once fell victim to a cunning chain plot laid by her uncle, who favored her half-brother Yin Ha-seong for succession, and was kidnapped.』
『Fortunately, she escaped through sheer wits, but the ordeal left her with deep psychological scars.』
A throwaway line justifying why she rarely smiles in the story.
My cliché-soaked brain read that as "Yin Xia Lian was kidnapped as a kid, huh?"
Under that false premise, I assumed someone like her would've beefed up her security after a big childhood trauma.
"Never dreamed Thousand Gold Smile would be riding with an escort group this sloppy in hiring..."
I knew one of the carriages had a noblewoman called the Radiant Prosperity Hall Leader aboard.
But she rarely came out, and when she did, always veiled in black silk.
So I figured she was just some concubine from the Southern Jiang Merchant King's estate.
'Screwed up big time.'
Anyway.
If that black-veiled woman is indeed Yin Xia Lian, and this is the setup for her kidnapping "that one time"...
I need to tread carefully.
To avoid more wrong guesses, I approached the carriage where Escort Leader Eun and Yin Xia Lian were talking.
"Eon, the guest escort who joined your caravan. Things are urgent, so I dare ask the caravan leader—Radiant Prosperity Hall Leader—a few questions. First, is the lady I was guarding in that carriage truly the daughter of the Southern Jiang Merchant King?"
Escort Leader Eun, standing beside her, shot me a cold glare and tried to shut me down.
"You're just a hired guest escort. This isn't your place to question..."
But sensing something in my demeanor, the woman called Radiant Prosperity Hall Leader stopped him instead.
"No need to hide it anymore at this stage, Escort Leader Eun."
She lifted her black veil and spoke.
"Yes. I am Yin Xia Lian, daughter of the Southern Jiang Merchant King."
Damn it.
Her features—lips, nose, eyes—emerged from under the veil, and I already thought, "Yep, Southern Jiang's Number One Beauty."
And now confirmed from her own mouth.
Just as "we're totally screwed" flashed through my mind...
Yin Xia Lian fixed her gaze on me and spoke.
"You said a few questions. What's the next one?"
"...Have you ever been through something like this before? Kidnapped or held captive...?"
"Young hero Eon! How dare you bring up such a traumatic..."
Escort Leader Eun, butt out for a sec.
"Yes or no?"
"Never once. Satisfied?"
Half-expected it, but no such history either.
'Son of a bitch.'
I'm smack in the middle of the Yin Xia Lian kidnapping incident.
Damn, no wonder my luck's been suspiciously good since Gold Mausoleum...
At first, I thought about slipping away quietly to save my own skin.
'Not because I'm scared of these bandit punks.'
I figured for the original plot to hold, Yin Xia Lian needs to nearly get kidnapped but escape via "sheer wits."
So maybe a butterfly like me from the future shouldn't meddle.
Sure, might end up on the Silver Radiance blacklist, but with my Pearl Eon Family ne'er-do-well label already, what's one more?
'Wouldn't faze me.'
But then a thought hit me.
'Hold up.'
What if the "sheer wits" came from some other guest escort I displaced by taking his spot?
Perfectly plausible.
'The vibe I'm getting from Yin Xia Lian doesn't match the one in the book.'
The main story of Swordsmanship Genius of the Murim Academy kicks off about a year from now.
Some of that's her aging a year, but the kidnapping trauma likely shapes her more than one year's growth.
'If this less-forged version of her cold personality leaves her safety entirely to us, and she ends up crossing the Yellow Springs alone—what then?'
The main plot derails hard.
'Can't let that happen.'
Three major storylines where she steps up front-and-center flash through my mind.
'Not counting the minor ones.'
So reinterpret the canon a bit.
Not "Yin Xia Lian nearly gets kidnapped but escapes with wits."
But "Yin Xia Lian nearly gets kidnapped but survives unscathed anyway."
Outcome's a tad different, but she can still pull off her canon feats and role.
'Of course, the personality points from the kidnapping trauma need injecting via plot tweaks on my end.'
Bonus: Rack up some debt with her— one of the few with financial clout to rival.
'With Eon Yong-un, who should retire by this volume's end, still kicking around, butterfly effects are inevitable.'
To counter them, I need personal martial prowess and financial backing.
Yin Xia Lian's perfect for the money side.
'This level of meddling won't touch the main storyline.'
Anyway, first I need to seize some initiative.
I schooled my face to stone and spoke in a frosty tone.
"Overheard you saying you'd negotiate directly with the Northern Deer Bandit Lair's chief?"
"Yes. I know it's risky, but I think it's worth a shot. I've never failed to persuade in a business deal."
"Doesn't that only work when the other side's a merchant too?"
My words furrowed her fine brows; Escort Leader Eun's face filled with dismay.
"...?"
"Young hero Eon! That's too rude to the young lady!!"
I pressed on regardless.
"Rude or not, the lair's chief is a bandit. Go parley and you'll be captured on sight. Don't you think so, Escort Leader?"
"...I agree on that."
"Then he'll demand we disarm. After that, minimum a few of us die as examples. Maybe all."
"...Regrettably, I agree there too. Hall Leader."
Escort Leader Eun nodded; Yin Xia Lian bit her lip, brows still knit.
I kept pushing.
"Normal bandits don't pull stunts this bold without a backer."
"...I'd already considered that much."
"And is that backer in your mind blood kin?"
"..."
"Obvious. Succession beef?"
My canon-based probe made her gnaw her lip harder.
Escort Leader Eun seemed content to watch now that she might drop the parley idea.
I continued.
"So how much do you think that guy in your head just offered for your head on a platter?"
"...Probably promised more than whatever I could bid."
"See? Can't buy or talk your way out."
"...I knew that."
"You say you know, but you're still thinking of shoving your face in front of bandits?"
After a couple pointed jabs, a sigh-tinged voice replied.
"...Sigh. The parley idea's just because I see no other way out of this crisis. I just... just."
"Just what?"
"...Wanted to take responsibility. Right when my push for the Shandong branch sparked this armed clash, needing escorts dispatched. The Response Province trade commissioner begging me—a mere merchant's daughter, not even the patriarch—for elite escorts."
"Doesn't that strike you as off now?"
"Yes. Calm reflection shows it was suspicious enough. But thinking 'what could go wrong in my own backyard,' I brushed off the escort and elite dispatch requests. Layered schemes turned it into this inescapable trap."
"Your mess, so you own it?"
"...Yes. I might as well have shoved this caravan into the fire myself, so I should take responsibility."
Oh.
She's calming down a bit.
But not simmered enough.
I kept up the sharp tone.
"But that ain't taking responsibility."
"...I get what you're driving at. Fine, your turn. Got a way to break out of the Northern Deer Bandit Lair?"
"Not none."
"What?"
"Not some miracle where we all escape without a scratch."
"...Hm. Got it. Rephrase: Young master Eon, do you know a way to cross this peak with minimal losses?"
There we go.
That's the Yin Xia Lian I know.
She's simmering nicely.
I scratched my chin and spoke.
"Yep."
"What's the plan?"
"Take Iron Skin Wild Yak's head."
My plan was simple.
Bust their nexus before ours blows.
"Northern Deer Bandit Lair's chief, Iron Skin Wild Yak Bang Cheon-deok, got intel from your blood kin side that you're dying to off..."
"You can just call me miss."
"Whatever. Point is, Bang Cheon-deok knows our forces suck, thanks to that leak. He's cocky as hell."
"Makes sense? Demanding I come out instead of attacking outright screams overconfidence."
"So he won't dream we're gunning for him. Even Escort Leader Eun here planned to turtle and protect you over striking the chief."
"...Because none of us, me included, can properly wield sword ki. Sword ki's essential against Bang Cheon-deok. Can you use sword ki, young hero Eon?"
Hm.
Tough question from Escort Leader Eun; dodge for now.
"Keep your original defensive formation. But when the bandits charge, we counterattack. You, Escort Leader Eun, Escort Chae with the badass aura, and me—three of us hit Bang Cheon-deok. Bandits ain't tight-knit. Chop the head and?"
"Morale crumbles, motivation tanks!"
"You get it."
"But you three are our strongest. Pulling you off defense... can we hold?"
"Probably not great? But before bandits reach you, before our meat shields melt, we take his head somehow."
"...Meat shields."
My phrasing narrowed Yin Xia Lian's brows.
And worrywart Escort Leader Eun pipes up, frowning.
"Meat shield's harsh, but the plan's solid. Just missing the key 'how.' No guarantee we three take him down."
Argh.
"Iron Skin Wild Yak ain't a fluke nickname. Bang Cheon-deok's outer arts harden his skin—tough to critically wound without sword ki. He's a saber expert who wraps his blade in saber ki, elite tier. Minimum requirement: sword ki handling."
What to do with this fretful uncle?
"Neither I nor Escort Chae can properly manifest sword ki yet. Can you use it, young hero Eon? If so, show us. I'll follow without question."
Can't use sword ki.
My current internal energy's peak first-rate warrior level here. No orthodox sword ki.
But I can wrap my sword in black magic for similar effect.
'Pseudo-sword ki?'
Bang Cheon-deok trained outer arts, sure.
'Not the canon guy; just some bandit. Can't be diamond-indestructible.'
Worth a shot.
I shredded "Armadillo from the Demon Realm" plenty with this 'pseudo-sword ki.'
'But can't demo now.'
Unlike endless demonic energy from the Dark Star, my reserves are iffy.
Wanna flash it for five minutes like "Believe me now?" to win Escort Leader Eun over.
'But need every drop for Bang Cheon-deok and any surprises.'
Unlikely, but if things go south, gotta save Yin Xia Lian and bolt—no waste allowed.
"I can. But can't show. Just trust me once. No better options anyway?"
So just trust me.
Trust brings blessings.
"...Hah. I get you're at some level, but that means you can't reliably draw sword ki when it counts. What if it fails against Bang Cheon-deok? Hah. Hall Leader, I don't like this."
Like most skeptics, Escort Leader Eun resisted.
Sheesh.
Was gonna demo at the Silver Radiance interview if asked.
You said you wouldn't watch, Escort Leader.
But.
His resistance ended there.
Yin Xia Lian made her call.
"Extraordinary times call for extraordinary measures. My merchant instincts say trust young master Eon. Escort Leader Eun, follow his lead with Escort Chae."
I grinned at her.
"Won't regret that decision."
"Sounds just like a merchant."
"Yep. Makes me feel like one too. On that note, something for you."
"What?"
"My fee just went up, effective immediately."
"...Pardon?"
Hey, can't snatch my ransom for free.
Premium rates from here on out.