The Stolen Ledgers
Late that night, Cheonhwa slipped over the wall of a manor wearing a black mask. The estate belonged to Yiwonjang, the illegal high-interest loan operation run by the Gangso Merchant Group. It was the kind of place that lured in desperate commoners seeking loans from the Gangso Pawnshop, then bled them dry with extortionate interest rates.
When debtors couldn’t repay, the Gangso Merchant Group would seize their homes by force and drive the families out. Sometimes they allowed the original owners to remain, only to claim the entire harvest as repayment.
Such blatant illegality continued unchecked because the Gangso Merchant Group poured vast sums of money into the pockets of local officials and the provincial governor, buying their silence and protection.
Avoiding the eyes of the warriors guarding the grounds, Cheonhwa slipped into the inner residence. There, he found a man snoring loudly on a bed. The fellow was so grotesquely obese that his flesh seemed to spill over the edges of the mattress. Cheonhwa actually found himself wondering how anyone could possibly grow that fat.
Never mind that. First things first—I need to secure what I came for.
Cheonhwa moved carefully through the inner chambers, searching for the loan contracts signed by commoners as well as the deeds to the homes, land, fields, and paddies that had been forcibly taken from them.
“I can smell paper somewhere around here.”
He checked every piece of furniture, but found no documents or ledgers.
“Behind the folding screen, maybe?”
He crept behind the screen, but there was nothing there either.
“Where the hell…”
As he muttered to himself, he noticed a faint mark on the floor behind the screen. Following the trace, he carefully lifted a hidden panel, revealing a small concealed space.
It was large enough for a person to move around inside. In the center sat a massive iron safe.
“Of course. As if anyone would fall for something so obvious.”
Cheonhwa cautiously circulated his internal energy, checking for traps. Once he confirmed there were none, he approached the safe.
“To open a lock like this…”
He made full use of the miscellaneous skills he had learned from Haomun.
After about fifteen minutes, a soft click sounded and the safe door swung open. Inside were stacks of documents, jewels, and promissory notes.
Cheonhwa pulled everything out and examined it carefully.
“This is a house deed, this is a land deed, and this… is a list of officials who took bribes.”
Everything was there except the actual loan contracts from the people who had borrowed from Yiwonjang.
“Are they stored separately?”
After a moment’s thought, Cheonhwa swept every item in the safe into the cloth bundle he had brought, slung it over his shoulder, closed the safe, and carefully restored the hidden compartment to its original state.
Emerging from behind the screen, he looked down at the sleeping master of Yiwonjang.
“Should I wake him and ask?”
As he approached the man’s pillow, the owner of Yiwonjang turned his head in his sleep. Something was poking out between the layers of the pillow.
Upon closer inspection, it was a bundle of loan contracts.
“Not bad. If he keeps these close, he can always seize their property again even if he loses the rest. Clever.”
Confirming that the contracts were hidden inside the pillow, Cheonhwa fetched another pillow, used his internal energy to gently lift the man’s head, swapped the pillows, and withdrew his qi.
“I’ll have to check these later.”
After securing the pillow, Cheonhwa left the room, melted into the darkness, slipped past the patrolling warriors, and vaulted over the wall to escape the manor.
From Yiwonjang, Cheonhwa headed straight to Sang-a-ru by Taihu Lake. Once he found Ga-wol, he laid out everything he had taken from Yiwonjang in front of her.
“What is all this?”
“Items I retrieved from Yiwonjang.”
At the mention of Yiwonjang, Ga-wol immediately understood that Cheonhwa had done something significant.
“These are records of how they’ve been sucking the life out of the common people through usury. Loan contracts, house deeds, land deeds—everything.”
As he spoke, Cheonhwa set aside the list of officials who had accepted bribes, keeping it on his person.
“Why are you showing these to me…?”
“Doesn’t Haomun buy and sell information?”
“That is true.”
“Then I’d like you to spread a few rumors for me.”
“Rumors?”
“Tell the people who borrowed from Yiwonjang that they no longer need to repay their debts. And announce that the loan contracts, land deeds, and house deeds were all stolen last night.”
Cheonhwa calmly laid out his plan.
“This isn’t something you can treat lightly. Behind Yiwonjang stands the Gangso Merchant Group. Behind them are the Wolyeongmun and the governor of Jiangsu Province.”
“Exactly. If I want to crush all of them, I need proper justification and a spark to ignite the conflict, don’t I?”
Ga-wol realized that Cheonhwa was far more dangerous than she had imagined.
“If you do this, sparks may fly toward the Haedong Merchant Group as well.”
“Don’t worry about that. Did you think I wouldn’t have anticipated something so obvious? I’ve made preparations. So please, Branch Leader, do me this favor. When I meet the Sect Leader, I’ll be sure to tell him how much help you’ve been.”
His shamelessly innocent yet cunning expression left her with nothing but a helpless laugh.
“Young Master.”
“Yes?”
“The world does not turn so easily. In life, we are constantly faced with choices, decisions, and the responsibility that follows. Within that endless cycle…”
Ga-wol tried to impress upon him that the world was not as simple as he seemed to believe.
“You’re right. I know that. My father and mother have always told me the same thing. But they also taught me this: ‘Not even trying is the act of a fool.’”
Cheonhwa shared his own beliefs in return.
“We might fail. We might suffer great losses because of it. But if we let that fear stop us from facing reality, then we’re simply sitting around waiting to die.”
Ga-wol found herself speechless at his answer.
“If someone overestimates their ability and acts recklessly, of course things will go wrong. But if they act within the bounds of their true capability, they can resolve any incident that arises. So it will be fine.”
Ga-wol bowed deeply to him.
“I have overstepped my bounds. I failed to understand the depth of Young Master’s intentions.”
“Not at all. I know you said all this because you truly care about me and worry for my safety. I will keep your words in mind and act with greater caution from now on.”
Ga-wol smiled softly.
“We will take care of this matter ourselves.”
Early the next morning, Yiwonjang was thrown into complete chaos. The master of Yiwonjang, Nam Sang-deok, was the third brother of Nam Cha-seong, the leader of the Gangso Merchant Group. He had earned a notorious reputation throughout Taihu in Jiangsu Province for his brutal usury practices.
The interest rates he charged were so exorbitant that almost no one who borrowed from him could repay the debt in full. If anyone came to negotiate repayment, he would avoid them until the deadline passed, then forcibly seize their homes.
People had reported his crimes to the authorities, but it was useless. He had bribed the officials so thoroughly that they used public resentment to their own advantage instead.
That very Nam Sang-deok was now screaming at the top of his lungs at everyone in the manor from the crack of dawn.
“Just how the hell were you keeping watch that a thief could stroll right into the house?!”
The thief had stolen the loan contracts, house deeds, land deeds, large sums of promissory notes, and a fortune in gold, silver, and jewels.
“Which one of you colluded with an outsider and let him inside?!”
“Collusion? There was absolutely no such thing!”
“No? Then how did the bastard know exactly where the hidden safe was and steal the contracts I kept inside my pillow?”
No matter how much he interrogated his people, he could not find the culprit.
“Useless bastards. Even the dogs guarding the house would do a better job than you lot.”
Still seething with rage, he roared at the warriors who had been on guard duty before storming back into the house.
“Fuck this. I can’t even stand to look at this shit anymore.”
The warriors burned with fury at Nam Sang-deok’s abusive behavior, but there was little they could do.
“For the time being, it’d be best if you stay out of the master’s sight. Go spend a few days outside and come back later.”
“Understood.”
“And while you’re out there, look into what’s happening. The loan contracts, house deeds, and land deeds might end up back in their original owners’ hands.”
With displeased expressions, the warriors left Yiwonjang.
“Where are we going?”
“To the courtesan house. We’ll spend a few days drinking and sleeping. He’ll call us back eventually.”
The warriors headed toward their usual establishment in Taihu.
Meanwhile, Nam Sang-deok, who had lost all his wealth to the thief, began preparing for a long journey. He needed to travel to the main headquarters of the Gangso Merchant Group in the provincial capital, explain the situation, and seek help.
“Captain Kang!”
After finishing his preparations, he called for Kang Gu-jeong, the warrior in charge of the manor’s guards.
“You called, sir?”
“You will accompany me to the main house.”
“Understood.”
After years of service, Kang Gu-jeong had learned that when Nam Sang-deok was in a foul mood, it was far better to simply obey than to talk back.
Unlike his master, he dressed lightly as they left the house together. His expression looked exactly like that of an ox being dragged to the slaughterhouse.
Strange rumors began to spread throughout the area around Taihu in Jiangsu Province and the surrounding counties.
The rumor claimed that a thief had broken into Yiwonjang and stolen all the loan contracts. The story spread like wildfire. Those who had borrowed money from Yiwonjang heard the news and didn’t know whether to believe it or not.
“So what happens to us now? If the rumor is true, does that mean we don’t have to repay the debt?”
“We should probably still pay it back, right? The officials are all on Yiwonjang’s side.”
“I’ve already forgotten how much I even borrowed. The interest I’ve paid over the years is more than enough to cover the principal.”
Opinions among the debtors were sharply divided. Some argued they should still repay, others insisted they no longer needed to.
Then, the house deeds and land deeds that had been seized by Yiwonjang began returning to their rightful owners. At that point, people openly declared they would no longer repay their debts to Yiwonjang. Some even began calling the thief who had scaled the walls of Yiwonjang a righteous outlaw and sang his praises.
The foundation of all swordsmanship. Three core forms and nine transitional variations. The variations determine the technique’s adaptability and explosive power.
“No, moving quickly is not always the answer. Move slowly. I need to see whether you’re executing the forms correctly. I told you—swift sword, empty form, slow sword, true form.”
Cheonhwa seemed completely uninterested in the rumors spreading around Taihu. Instead, he was teaching martial arts to the children at the Haedong Merchant Group.
The sword technique he was teaching them was the Three Talents Sword, considered the very foundation of swordsmanship. It consisted of three primary forms and nine transitional variations.
The primary forms were the unique movements of the style, while the variations served as connecting motions between them. Depending on how the variations were used, the sword technique could undergo countless changes, dramatically increasing its power.
Knowing this well, Cheonhwa placed far more emphasis on the variations than the core forms. Yi So-ryong and Yi Jin-hwa, who had learned the Three Talents Sword, Four Symbols Sword, and Six Harmonies Sword at the Wulin Alliance Headquarters, quickly realized through Cheonhwa’s teachings that they had been practicing their martial arts incorrectly all this time. They threw themselves into training with renewed dedication.
At that moment, a group of people entered the manor. Sensing the extraordinary aura radiating from them, Yong-deok and Jeok-sang, who worked at the residence, stepped forward to block their path.
“Who are you?”
Jeok-sang asked, her expression tense as she stared at the man in the lead.
“My name is Hyeok Cheon-gwang. We have come at the call of the Young Master.”
“Young Master?”
“He bears the surname Cheon and the given name Hwa.”
Despite their fierce auras, the man spoke with surprising courtesy. Yong-deok and Jeok-sang relaxed slightly, though they remained on guard.
“Young Master Cheonhwa is your… little lord…”
Yong-deok’s eyes suddenly widened as he spoke.
If Cheonhwa was their little lord, then there had to be a greater lord above him. Thinking of Cheonhwa’s father, he immediately realized where these people had come from.
“Are you people from the Great Prince Cheonwoo’s…”
“He is our lord and master.”
“Huk!”
As the two of them stared in shock at Hyeok Cheon-gwang’s words, Cheonhwa approached them.
Hyeok Cheon-gwang bowed deeply at the waist upon seeing him.
“We greet the Young Lord.”
“You’ve arrived. The rest of you may settle in and rest. Commander Hyeok, you will come with me to meet my grandfather. Yong-deok.”
“Yes, Young Master.”
“These are the escorts who will protect the merchant group from now on. Please show them to their quarters.”
“Escorts?”
“We can’t hire new escorts every time the merchant group sets out on a journey. It would cost far too much.”
“That is true, but these people…”
“It’s fine. Just do as I say.”
“Understood.”
“Commander Hyeok, come with me.”