An Opportunity
It had been absolute chaos.
"Where in the world has that boy Yi Do gone off to?"
Yi Se-geuk's roar echoed through every corner of the Yi Clan estate.
Everyone was thinking the same thing.
Ah, the Third Young Master has changed — and far too much.
There were limits to how much a person could change. How could anyone, simply because he was displeased, burn down the Cheonhwaru — that massive money vein — to the ground?
This was no different from declaring that he had decided to go completely off the rails. The word madman suited him perfectly.
After all, Yi Do had, just days ago, brutally killed the Chief Manager and one of the managers outright. The managers held no fondness for the Third Young Master to begin with, and now things had escalated to the point where they were placing bets on whether he would be banished or summarily executed by day's end.
Morning came.
At the very hour the sun revealed itself, Yi Do returned.
And he was immediately summoned to the Patriarch's Hall.
The managers eagerly awaited the news that was about to arrive.
BOOM!
Patriarch Yi Se-geuk slammed his fist down on the table.
"You have a mouth, don't you? Then speak!"
Yi Do tilted his head.
"I'm not sure what you'd like me to say."
"What was that? Hah... Did you truly believe no one would find out what you did last night?"
There was no way they wouldn't.
I never intended to hide it.
That was precisely why I had ordered the Cheonhwaru burned down in broad view of so many onlookers.
He answered flatly.
"Are you referring to the matter of burning down the Cheonhwaru?"
"Yes! I don't know what possessed you to do it, but what you did last night is the same as throwing away a colossal fortune belonging to the Yi Clan. You inflicted direct losses — that's what I'm saying!"
"Well. I genuinely can't understand how you figure that."
"...What did you say?"
"According to the deed, the owner of the Cheonhwaru is not the Yi Clan. It is I, Yi Do. If I do as I please with my own property, how exactly does that constitute a loss for the Yi Clan?"
"...You dare, with that hole in your face..."
"Patriarch."
"...Speak."
"A clan's discipline, you see, is a general term for the direction in which that clan intends to advance. Crush firmly anyone from below who tries to climb upward — all such practices exist to pave the road the Yi Clan is meant to walk. So how can you forcibly seize property from one of your own blood and hand it to another?"
"...How can you consider him another? Yi Jeong, the eldest son, is your own elder brother. Think of it as giving your own brother a mere gift — must you speak so coldly?"
It was almost laughable.
Yi Do turned his head to look at Yi Jeong, whose face was twisted with barely contained rage. The man usually kept his composure in public settings like this, but apparently even he couldn't manage it now. Lady Sang beside him was no different.
"Patriarch. Since all the members of the Yi Clan happen to be gathered here, allow me to say this plainly: entrusting the Cheonhwaru — of all things — to my elder brother over there is like handing a fish to a cat. In other words, it will all be squandered to nothing."
"..."
"It is truly shameful to say aloud, but the fact that Elder Brother impregnated five courtesans is famous. Do you know what kind of courtesans serve at the Cheonhwaru? It is a house that gathers only the most beautiful women in Jangryeong Commandery, foremost among them the Jangryeong First Beauty. And you would hand such a place to Elder Brother? Just how many mouths do you intend to add to the Yi Clan's household roster with this decision of yours?"
"...SILENCE!"
Those were not Yi Se-geuk's words. They were Yi Jeong's.
Yi Do turned his head and looked at him.
"Since the topic has conveniently come up, I'll just ask. Elder Brother, has there ever been even a single occasion when you gave me something resembling a gift?"
Yi Jeong swallowed hard, his words seemingly caught in his throat.
"There has not been one. Yet you received that colossal gift called the Cheonhwaru and couldn't spare me a single word of thanks?"
"...So you burned it down because of that?"
"Yes."
"...Mad..."
"If I cannot have it, shouldn't it naturally be destroyed? It is spoils I earned through my own effort — how can you try to swallow it whole without paying a thing? Did you truly believe I would just open both eyes wide and quietly watch it happen?"
"..."
"Patriarch. No — Father. I truly ask one thing of you: let there be no more incidents like this."
"...You wish there to be no more... incidents like this?"
"Yes. A general who returns having earned merits deserves a proper distribution of rewards for those merits. If you divert every ounce of credit to those who contributed nothing, calamity is certain to follow."
"...Are you lecturing me right now?"
"I am offering advice."
Just as the furious Yi Se-geuk opened his mouth to shout something—
The doors of the Patriarch's Hall burst open with a thunderous crash.
Standing there was a man who looked extraordinarily desperate, gasping for breath. Yi Do didn't know who he was, but even he could tell the man was one of the managers.
Yi Se-geuk exploded.
"How dare you! A council is in session — what business have you barging in!"
The man presumed to be a manager spoke, cold sweat streaming down his face.
"I... I bring urgent news that must be reported at once..."
Yi Se-geuk pressed a hand to his forehead, a headache clearly setting in.
"Then speak. What could possibly be so urgent?"
"...Last night, the Sang Cloud Merchant Group was attacked."
At those words, Lady Sang and Yi Jeong shot to their feet.
"The massive shipment bound for Yan Country was burned to nothing, five escorts were killed, and the Meteor Sword, Hyeong Jeongmun, is reported dead."
Everyone was thunderstruck. Lady Sang asked in a trembling voice.
"Is it... is it true...?"
"Yes. The news arrived just now."
"...The Meteor Sword, Hyeong Jeongmun — a warrior of our Sang Clan, an expert already standing at the very edge of the Yang Gwang Yi Hyeon stage... how could he have died?"
Yi Do had a fair idea what had happened.
So that man back then was Hyeong Jeongmun.
Lady Sang's gaze flicked briefly toward him. He met her eyes in return.
A smile played at the corner of his mouth as he spoke.
"There you have it. Because those who contributed nothing reached out for greed's sake, disaster of this magnitude has befallen you — hasn't it?"
"..."
"Whoever they were, the fact that they burned only the goods and killed only a handful of warriors — wouldn't you agree it's best read as a warning?"
"You... you..."
"If it were me, I might let a single warning pass. But I doubt the second time will be the same."
Too many of those present were reeling — not so much from suspicion of Yi Do as from the shock of what had happened to the Sang Cloud Merchant Group.
He doubted his words were even reaching their ears. But that was fine.
At the very least, they had drilled properly into the ears of Lady Sang and Yi Jeong.
"Father. When will you give me the Hundred-Year Ginseng?"
At his question, Yi Se-geuk — still clutching his forehead — let out a heavy sigh.
"...I am looking into it now. I'll give you a definite answer by tomorrow or the day after."
That much, at least, was a relief.
Had it not been, he might have torn the Yi Clan in half today.
Yi Do quietly took a farewell bow, fists folded.
"Understood. Also, this humble son was out somewhere last night, so I'm rather tired. I'll take my leave first."
And with that, he turned away.
There was no mirror, but he suspected he was smiling right about now.
Honestly speaking, he had no desire to go scurrying about at every annoyance. If necessity demanded it, he would move whether he liked it or not — but still, they were, by some measure, his own family.
So long as they didn't crawl up to bite him, he was willing to overlook things up to a reasonable line.
Even with so many bitter memories in the past, he could genuinely let them go with a generous heart.
That was why he had ended it with a warning.
But the second time would be different.
When that came, even he would have no choice.
He would simply have to kill them all.
It was a fundamental question.
Who had carried out the attack?
There had been more than a few who took Yi Do's words to heart that day, yet not a single soul believed the raid was his doing.
Then why had they all fallen silent with such shaken expressions?
Why had everyone sat there in a daze?
The answer was simple.
Among that massive shipment the Sang Cloud Merchant Group was sending to Yan Country were goods belonging to the Yi Clan itself.
It had been a rare opportunity.
The destination was Nanjing in Yan Country, where the goods were to be combined with those of the Geumhon Merchant Group there and presented to the Battle King of Yan Country's Southern Capital. It was a chance to forge friendly ties with the Battle King while simultaneously expanding the merchant group to far greater heights.
So they had prepared lavishly, sparing no expense.
And that entire shipment had burned to ash?
This was...
There was nothing more that needed to be said.
It went beyond a catastrophic loss — their plans for the future were now ruined outright.
It was reason enough to be swallowed by shock.
Yi Se-geuk declared he would go to the Sang Cloud Merchant Group at once, ordered everyone to make preparations, and strode out of the Patriarch's Hall.
The elders all filed out after him, and soon only the two wives and two sons remained in the hall.
Lady Sang's mind began turning at full speed.
"...The plan to hire assassins will have to be shelved for now."
She wanted nothing less, deep down, but there was no helping it.
This was a matter that must leave no trace.
Besides, what needed solving right now was not the question of whether Yi Do lived or died. Every last coin would have to be scraped together to rebuild the merchant group's journey to Yan Country.
If they rashly summoned assassins to kill Yi Do at a moment like this, tensions would only grow more chaotic, and the fallout could spread all the way to the merchant group itself.
And the Three Great Clans of Jangryeong, who already watched them with covetous eyes, were hardly likely to sit quietly by.
Lady Un spoke up.
"Yes, Elder Sister. You're quite right. Summoning assassins now would be premature. Opportunities will come again regardless."
At those words, Lady Sang wore a peculiar smile. That was enough.
"Is that all the information we have on the intruder — everything that manager reported earlier?"
Yi Do, having left early, had not heard it, but everyone remaining in the hall had.
The attacker's face remained unknown — but many had witnessed him slipping out of the Sang Cloud Merchant Group's grounds.
And that was the problem.
"For now, everyone is to keep a low profile. And I say again — the matter of Yi Do will be discussed later, so do nothing rash."
With that, Lady Sang and Yi Jeong departed the Patriarch's Hall.
Silence settled over the hall, now occupied by only Lady Un and Yi Won. Neither of their expressions was good.
This had nothing to do with the attacker.
"...That wretched woman."
The words spilled from Lady Un's lips. Yi Won flinched — but he could hardly fail to understand.
She had been issuing commands as though this Yi Clan estate already belonged to her.
It was beyond unpleasant; anger boiled up in him. Yi Jeong, who had been scheming alongside her all this while, was no different.
He despised them both, as a pair.
"Is Elder Mother going to the merchant group with Elder Brother?"
Lady Un nodded.
It was, after all, a matter concerning the Sang Cloud Merchant Group. It was only right that they go.
Yi Won pulled out the question he had been holding back.
"Mother, but what is all this about hiring assassins?"
Lady Un raised a hand to her mouth.
"Shh — someone might overhear. Watch your words carefully."
"...Yes. But please explain. What exactly have you two been scheming?"
And so Lady Un told Yi Won everything she and Lady Sang had been planning all this time.
"Kill... Yi Do?"
"That's right. Lady Sang's plan was to hire assassins from the Killing Curtain and have the boy done away with."
But at those words, Yi Won's expression turned truly peculiar.
It was the look of a man who had just seized an opportunity.
He turned the thought over in his mind, again and again.
Yi Do's talent was extraordinary.
Kill him? Was that even the right course of action — more than that, was it even possible?
There was another path. He could reach out his hand.
Somehow, he felt it.
It just might work.