The Central Plains' Greatest Exile Spot - 4
The house where Yu Bok-tong had lived was a perfectly ordinary thatched hut. It wasn't going to be some fancy tiled mansion since it was meant for an exiled criminal, but seeing that the final home of a duke and founding merit subject was a thatched hut felt strangely off-putting.
Just big enough for one commoner family to crash in.
And it wasn't even particularly clean or huge. It was truly, utterly ordinary—like any random peasant household. The only standout feature was—
"That raised platform in the middle of the yard was the old gentleman's favorite."
"I can see that."
A platform smack in the center of the yard, big enough for five or six people to sleep on. Compared to the shabby hut, it looked ridiculously oversized and luxurious. I half-wondered if Yu Bok-tong had actually lived and eaten right there on it his whole time in exile.
"He was so sturdy and tough that even in rain or typhoons, he'd crash on that platform. At first, we freaked out, thinking it was no place to sleep. But before long, we felt oddly disappointed if he lay anywhere else."
"I... see."
So he really did eat and live on that platform. What an eccentric guy.
A peak realm master like him wouldn't bat an eye at a little rain or wind, sure. But with a perfectly good house right there, stubbornly sticking to the platform? Eccentrics gonna eccentric.
Of course, coming from commoner stock, he was probably used to thatched huts and platforms. Old habits from childhood die hard, even in old age.
Still, an aged founding duke roughing it on a platform wasn't exactly normal. Any regular person would've lamented their fall from grace—climbing to duke status only to end up like this.
"...No wonder it felt like he was just vacationing here."
"Exactly. No one would've pegged him for an exiled criminal."
The local who'd been showing me around nodded vigorously at my mutter. To the villagers, he was "fierce-looking but cheerful," passing his days leisurely fishing, content in his modest little hut. It screamed "retired elder enjoying his twilight years in the countryside."
"Any keepsakes left behind?"
I stroked my chin for a moment, then blurted it out. I wasn't expecting much. He'd come to Haenam practically empty-handed, and his life here had been peaceful but not prosperous. No reason to think he'd left anything noteworthy, and even if he had—
"Ah, the warriors who served the old gentleman are keeping them."
?
"What?"
"Haenam sees a lot of pirate trouble, so plenty of folks here train in martial arts to protect the village. They followed the old master most devotedly."
The word "warriors" made me twitch on instinct, but it sounded harmless enough. Folks learning martial arts to fend off bandits, river pirates, or sea raiders for themselves and their village? Common as dirt across the Central Plains.
The government's wary of those forming sects or clans to cause trouble—not people drilling self-defense. And Haenam was the boonies of the boonies, even for Guangdong. An island you had to cross the sea to reach? Self-reliant defense made perfect sense.
"From what this humble one heard, they're holding the items per the old gentleman's last words... but I don't know the details."
"Where do these warriors stay?"
"On the village outskirts."
"Perfect."
I nodded in satisfaction. Time to check out those keepsakes.
Slim chance of anything flashy, but since I was already digging into Yu Bok-tong's traces, might as well be thorough. And legally speaking, even if she wasn't blood-related, his adopted daughter Yi Beon had set foot on Haenam. Family claiming and managing a deceased's effects? Only natural.
"Thanks for the tour."
"Oh, no trouble at all! It was an honor to serve you, my lord!"
I handed a hefty silver ingot to my impromptu Yu Bok-tong guide, and he bowed repeatedly in gratitude.
About an hour from now should do it.
I watched him scamper off, then turned on my heel. Chatty type with the guts to guide a Left Vice Inspector General around. Born restless—no way he'd sit still. He'd probably bolted straight to those warriors holding the keepsakes.
A Left Vice Inspector General from the mainland, sniffing around the old master.
Those warriors would either panic—meaning they knew squat—or shrug it off like it was expected. The former meant no leads. The latter? They'd heard something from Yu Bok-tong himself.
Please be the latter.
At this point, the suspense was killing me. Something was fishy about his exile, but I had no clue what. Leaving Haenam clueless? I'd wake up in cold sweats every night: So why the hell was Yu Bok-tong exiled? No way I could live with that.
I headed to the village outskirts as the local had described, bringing the whole crew to appeal to the warriors' sympathy—Yi's adopted daughter Yi Beon as family—and to throw around official weight if needed: me, Ak I-yeon, and Jo Wi-cheo.
"Welcome. We've been expecting you."
A middle-aged warrior at the outskirts shack bowed politely in greeting. Right on cue—my guide had sprinted here, as predicted. Speakers working exactly as expected. Satisfying.
"I heard plenty followed the deceased, but you're solo."
"The others are patrolling against pirate raids. I can answer your questions, my lord, but if you need the rest—"
"No need. One's enough to talk."
I waved off his move to summon the others. Like he said, one sufficed for dealing with me. Hell, if Yu Bok-tong had secrets, fewer knowing was better. A secret between emperor and duke? The tighter the circle, the better.
Something's up.
A faint thrill of anticipation bubbled up. They'd sent the others on "patrol" and left just the rep? Screamed "we've got private business."
"Yi Beon."
"Y-yes!"
She answered in a slightly quivering voice at my call, then approached the warrior and bowed back.
"I heard you served my father with utmost devotion while he lived! Thank you so much!"
"Your father?"
The warrior shot upright mid-bow at her words.
"Are you the old gentleman's blood kin?"
"Blood-related, yes, but Father was adopted into another family right before exile."
"Ah, then you're the one who goes by Yeon—"
"Y-yes, that's me!"
He knew her—her voice perked up. No mystery where the info came from.
"The old gentleman often spoke of you. Said the other family would look after you fine, but he worried about his late-life kin. No substitute for hands-on care, he'd sigh."
The warrior's eyes crinkled warmly.
"His aching worry grew up healthy and came all the way to Haenam. He'd be thrilled."
"Father..."
She didn't look that healthy size-wise, but Yi Beon trembled with emotion at the concern. To dead Yu Bok-tong, she wasn't some pesky half-breed—just family he fretted over. Wondering if she'd come to harm or drop dead somewhere odd while he was away. His poor daughter.
"With the old gentleman's kin and officials here together... today must be the day he spoke of."
The warrior gave us a cupped-fist salute, eyes soft on her.
"A moment, please? I'll fetch his keepsakes."
My heart started pounding.
Father. My father's keepsakes. Traces left by the man who sired me, who worried for me, who gave me a family in this world.
"He lived so frugally, he didn't leave much. Never one to hoard, and after the late emperor's passing, he packed like he was preparing to leave."
I nodded silently to the warrior who'd served him.
Father's effects weren't flashy or varied. One set of clothes, a single sword, a fishing rod, two books. That was it—all he left behind. The final traces of this land's duke and founding hero.
"We've kept them till now, but he said to hand them to family when they came. They're yours now."
"Th-thank you... so much..."
"We're the grateful ones. We fretted guarding his end ourselves, but now family shares the watch."
I clutched the bundle tight at his warm, smiling words. Legally, I might be second father's daughter, half lowborn savage blood... but Father saw me as family. His worried kin, now keeper of his things.
Strange. The tears I'd held back kept flowing. A happy day, yet they wouldn't stop.
"Keepsakes belong with family, come hell or high water. No central decree changes that."
The Left Vice Inspector General's words made the tears flood harder.
Today was joyful. A day I'd never forget.
"And this is the old gentleman's request for the Left Vice Inspector General."
"For me?"
"Yes. He said to deliver it if an official came from Kaepyeong."
The inspector took the letter with a bemused look.
"He hoped for a high official. Looks like his wish came true. Lucky."
"Glad to hear it."
He chuckled dryly, then turned to me.
"This letter's like a keepsake from your father, in a way. Mind if I take it?"
His considerate words had me smiling through tears.
"Of course, my lord."
"Thanks."
He nodded lightly, unfolded it quick, and... "Hm?" Frowned in confusion. Must be serious stuff.
The letter from Yu Bok-tong hit me like a blank slate—my brows furrowed on reflex.
Tear down the house I stayed in and distribute the materials to the villagers.
Nothing there.
No writing at all. Well, one line—demolish his house and share the materials. Beyond that? Eerily blank.
What the hell.
What is this?