The Merchant's Named Request
Thud. Thud.
Footsteps approached the training grounds.
Yo Chusang turned and watched the woman coming toward him from the far side.
She’s been dropping by more often lately. Well, no surprise—anyone would covet a talent like him.
He inclined his head lightly toward her.
“Sect Leader. What brings you here?”
“Elder Yo, I didn’t come for no reason. I have a message for Cheongryu.”
She spoke almost defensively under the weight of his faint smile.
“If the Sect Leader herself has come in person, it must be important.”
“Yes. It is.”
Gong Hwaseon greeted Uncheon warmly as he stopped mid-training and walked over.
“You’ve been working hard, Cheongryu.”
“I’m only following what Master has taught me. The hard work is his, not mine.”
Uncheon already knew why she had come.
A contract has arrived, then.
Gong Hwaseon spoke first, framing the visit as official business.
“I have a request for you, Cheongryu.”
“Please, go ahead.”
“A commission has come in to our sect.”
“The fact that you came here yourself tells me this is another job I’m expected to handle.”
“The client named you specifically.”
Yo Chusang looked at her.
“Sect Leader—someone actually designated my disciple by name? Is that true?”
“It is.”
In all the years assassins had worked for the Yaweol Sect, no client had ever pointed at one man so precisely. Uncheon, still unfamiliar with the inner workings of an assassin’s sect, took it lightly.
“Where is the request from?”
“The Cheonha Merchant Coalition contacted us.”
“I’m curious how they even know who I am. Hmm… if they know, then there’s only one possibility.”
At present, the only person outside the sect who knew Uncheon belonged to Yaweol was Jeokbalgoein.
The Cheonha Merchant Coalition… which means this could also be tied to Myeolmu Sangcheon.
It had been the same when he met Yang Hui; beneath the surface of the merchant world, just as in the murim, currents ran deep and hidden.
“What exactly does the Cheonha Merchant Coalition want from me?”
“They want us to find a certain person. If we accept the commission, they’ll give us precise information on the target.”
“For finding someone, the Hao Sect—who deal in information—would be better suited than an assassin’s hall.”
“I was going to refuse for that very reason, but the fee is enormous… so I thought we should at least consider it.”
“I see. Understood. I’ll follow whatever the Sect Leader decides.”
“Thank you. Then I’ll contact them, get the full details, and let you know.”
Gong Hwaseon left the training grounds with a bright expression.
Left alone, Uncheon and Yo Chusang spoke about the commission.
“Master, this doesn’t feel like ordinary work either.”
“I think the same as my disciple. I’m curious how the Cheonha Merchant Coalition learned you exist.”
“The only person who knows I’m with Yaweol is the red-haired man I met at Buhan Mountain Villa.”
“And that man is connected to the Cheonha Merchant Coalition? You said his martial arts were strong. If someone like him is involved in a commission, this is no simple matter. You already agreed, but I can’t help worrying.”
“You needn’t worry too much. I’m not being arrogant, but with the Sal-ui-gong you taught me, I can at least protect my own life.”
Yo Chusang nodded.
He even speaks prettily.
Uncheon’s mastery of Sal-ui-gong owed something to the technique’s power, but far more to the disciple’s own exceptional talent. Yo Chusang had given him almost nothing—yet he knew that when raising a disciple, one must always rein in pride.
“True enough. Your Sal-ui-gong isn’t perfect yet, but at the level you’ve reached, you should be able to escape even great danger. No matter the situation, stay careful.”
One shichen later, word came from Gong Hwaseon.
Uncheon entered the Sect Leader’s hall and faced her.
“Cheongryu, the details of the commission have arrived.”
“What is it?”
“The Cheonha Merchant Coalition wants us to capture a member of the Moyong Family.”
The Moyong Family?
Curiosity stirred as he looked at her.
“Moyong Jeok, the third son of the Moyong Family head, has suddenly vanished.”
“It seems the Cheonha Merchant Coalition takes a keen interest even in murim affairs, not just merchant business. Why do they want him found?”
“They didn’t say. They only mentioned that the Moyong Family’s Big Dipper Corps and the Hebei Peng Family’s Azure Heaven Corps are already moving to find him.”
“Impressive. If both families are mobilizing, this is something that could shake the entire murim…”
Uncheon understood at once that this was no easy matter to step into. Gong Hwaseon noticed the sudden gravity on his face and asked,
“Is something weighing on you, Cheongryu?”
“To find Moyong Jeok, two great families have sent their Big Dipper Corps and Azure Heaven Corps. I mean no disrespect to Yaweol, but even if our entire sect moved, we couldn’t stand against those two forces. Have you heard anything about them, Sect Leader?”
“…”
Gong Hwaseon had no answer. She had heard rumors of the Big Dipper Corps and the Azure Heaven Corps, but she did not know their true strength. Uncheon, born of the Namgung Family, knew both houses well.
“The Big Dipper Corps and the Azure Heaven Corps are the elite of the Moyong Family and the Hebei Peng Family. Snatching Moyong Jeok out from under them in secret will not be easy. And if my identity is exposed, it could cause serious trouble for the Namgung Family as well.”
“Ah… I’m sorry. They offered such a large sum that I didn’t look into it properly.”
Uncheon watched her wavering eyes.
“I’m sorry. I’ll contact the Cheonha Merchant Coalition and tell them we can’t accept.”
“If we’ve already agreed, can we still withdraw? I heard that canceling or failing a commission usually means paying a penalty. Is that true?”
“Fortunately, they said there would be no penalty if we fail this one. That’s why I thought there wouldn’t be a problem… Looking back, they must have known from the start how impossible it was.”
“If they take no penalty, isn’t that a loss for them?”
“We didn’t receive any advance payment either.”
Uncheon studied her face and nodded.
“So neither side loses money.”
“That’s the way of it.”
He nodded again. He planned to stay with Yaweol only two years, but while he was here he wanted to bring them real profit. Of course, if he ever ran headlong into the Hebei Peng or the Moyong Family, he intended to withdraw at once.
“All right. I’ll try. Even if it’s difficult, all I need to do is bring Moyong Jeok back, correct? But the moment I decide it’s impossible, I’ll pull out.”
“That decision is yours, Cheongryu. They asked for nothing else.”
“With both forces already moving, every hour counts. I’ll leave immediately.”
“Shall I assign other assassins to go with you?”
“This time it’s better if I go alone. If I do run into them, I can act as though Yaweol has nothing to do with it—and if it fails, I simply come back.”
Gong Hwaseon found the reasoning sound. If the two great families learned Yaweol was involved, the situation would turn ugly.
“Ah… yes. I understand. Please be careful, Cheongryu.”
“I’ll do my best.”
A short while later Uncheon left the Yaweol Sect alone. Not a single person in the sect noticed him slip away.
The air feels different.
After a long time away, Uncheon’s steps felt light as he set out into the Central Plains. Unlike his visit to Buhan Mountain Villa, he now wore simple, unadorned blue traveling robes. The wind was cold, yet with his newly heightened internal energy he felt none of the chill. Inside his sword scabbard nestled a money pouch thick enough to keep him comfortable for a full year in the Central Plains; that alone steadied his heart.
“They say every rumor gathers at an inn. There might be word of Moyong Jeok among them.”
Finding an inn in the village was easy. The red flag fluttering in the wind seemed almost to beckon him.
“Young hero, welcome!”
A waiter with a cloth over his shoulder burst out and greeted him at full volume. A young guest entered the inn. Blue traveling clothes, a sword at his waist—the waiter made a quick estimate.
Smooth face, no sign of hardship, a certain air of breeding… a young master from a well-off house, but the fabric isn’t the finest silk, so not a major sect’s heir.
“Can I stay the night? I hope you have a room.”
“Ah, yes, of course. We have rooms—please, come inside.”
“Thank you. And may I eat first?”
“I’ll show you to a window seat. This way, please.”
Uncheon followed the waiter and sat at an empty table by the window.
“What’s good here?”
“We have shredded pork with green peppers. Our chili dishes are the most popular.”
“That sounds fine. And if you have dumplings, bring three or four as well.”
“Right away.”
While he waited, Uncheon barely moved, seeming to gaze out the window—yet his ears already mapped the entire common room. About twenty guests sat eating or drinking. Many conversations drifted past, but none of them were useful.
Nothing of interest. It seems the Moyong Family and the Hebei Peng Family are moving in secret…
No scrap of information that might help him track them either.
For rumors to reach ordinary people there usually has to be some incident. Maybe they still haven’t caught him.
Uncheon had left Yaweol and was heading north toward Hebei, but he could not wander blindly forever.
I’ll just have to move slowly and keep listening.
Outside the window the sky had already turned the deep red of sunset. The sun was almost gone behind the mountain peaks when a procession of horsemen escorting a carriage reined up in front of the inn.
Uncheon looked down with mild curiosity—and recognized the woman stepping from the carriage.
Oh?
She no longer wore the formal palace-style dress of their last meeting, yet even in soft pink traveling robes her beauty was enough to stop every man’s gaze. As she entered the inn, every male eye in the room locked onto her.
I was just thinking of her.
It was Yang Hui, daughter of the Anhui Grand Merchant—exactly the woman he had met in Hefei. The same woman who had revealed she belonged to the Sangcheon United Kingdom, formed to oppose the Cheonha Merchant Coalition.
This is… awkward.
At this very moment Uncheon was acting on a commission from the Cheonha Merchant Coalition. The Sangcheon United Kingdom existed precisely to check that coalition’s power.
If she finds out I took a Cheonha contract, what will she think?
Later it could create a very ambiguous situation.
Is the Sangcheon United Kingdom also interested in this affair? If Myeolmu Sangcheon is linked to Cheonha, that would make sense.
He hesitated only a moment. He did not particularly want to avoid her. In fact, there were things he wanted to ask her.
Yang Hui felt the stares the moment she stepped inside, yet she ignored them with practiced ease. Everywhere she went in the Central Plains it was the same; it no longer troubled her. A middle-aged man ahead of her gestured toward the stairs.
“Young miss, this way upstairs.”
“…Wait a moment.”
Yang Hui stopped mid-step and looked toward the man seated farthest back by the window.
That man…
In a place she never expected, she had met someone unexpected. She murmured almost to herself,
“Young Master Namgung…”
“Young miss? What was that?”
The middle-aged man followed her gaze to the young man.
“Someone you know?”
“Yes. I believe so.”
At that moment two escorts stepped up beside the middle-aged man.
“Hall Master, that is Cheongryu Geomhyang.”
The two martial escorts had been with Yang Hui when she met Uncheon in Hefei. And the middle-aged man was none other than Namgung Jinu, Head of the Sangmu Hall.
So that boy is Cheongryu Geomhyang. Remarkable. He’s controlling his internal energy so thoroughly I can’t even sense the weight of his sword qi.
He had heard the rumors of Cheongryu Geomhyang and had hoped one day to meet him.
When Namgung Jinu showed clear interest, Yang Hui turned to him.
“Hall Master, would you like to greet him?”
“Yes. Let’s do that.”
As the two approached Uncheon’s table, he already guessed the middle-aged man’s identity. From the moment the man entered the inn, Uncheon had felt the dense, heavy sword qi within him.
If he’s Head of the Sangmu Hall, then this must be the Namgung Jinu they spoke of.
Uncheon rose and smiled at Namgung Jinu, who followed behind Yang Hui.
Heh. He recognized me.
Namgung Jinu felt a quiet pleasure. He had long left the main family, yet it was good to be treated still as one of its own.
“I greet Uncle Jinu.”
“So you know who I am, young master.”
“Please, be at ease. I am Namgung Uncheon.”
“Very well. So you are the famous Cheongryu Geomhyang. I’ve wanted to meet you once.”
A murmur ran through the previously quiet inn as the identity of the young man who had stood became known. Uncheon glanced at the two escorts opposite him.
“I also heard about Uncle from those two seniors and hoped to meet you one day.”
After a brief exchange of greetings, Uncheon turned to Yang Hui with open warmth.
“Young Lady Yang seems even more radiant than when we last met.”
A faint flush touched her cheeks; she smiled shyly.
“And Young Master has become… more of a man.”
Indeed, compared with their meeting in Hefei, an unmistakable masculine air now surrounded him.
“Thank you. Please, both of you, sit.”
The three settled and regarded one another for a moment. Uncheon saw a complex swirl of thoughts moving behind her eyes.
“I never expected to meet Young Lady Yang in Henan.”
“Neither did I. Young Master vanished so suddenly from the Central Plains along with Wolyeong Gwangheun…”
Yang Hui stopped mid-sentence. She blinked and met Uncheon’s gaze.
“Young Lady Yang seems quite interested in me. Most people in the Central Plains don’t know that story, yet you seem well informed about what I went through.”
“…”
“Haha, only a joke. With the capabilities of the place you belong to, of course you would know. Ah—would you care for tea?”
“No. I’d rather have wine than tea.”
“Wine?”
“Yes.”
She looked straight into his face. He seemed to know far more than he let on.
“Very well. Young Lady Yang has a different air about her than last time.”
Uncheon waved to the waiter who stood motionless at a distance. The man hurried over at once.
“Do you have a good wine suitable for this lady?”
“We have Hundred Flowers Wine. A young lady would enjoy it.”
“That, then.”
“Yes, Young Master. I’ll prepare it right away.”
The waiter’s form of address had shifted smoothly from “young hero” to “young master.”
A purple sheen glimmered in the cup as the floral fragrance of Hundred Flowers Wine rose.
“This is fine Hundred Flowers Wine. It must be rather expensive…”
“No need to worry about money. I’ve been working lately. I can afford wine of this level for you.”
“Thank you. Then I’ll enjoy it.”
Yang Hui lifted the cup lightly and drank. Setting it down, she nodded.
“It’s fragrant.”
“I’m glad you like it.”
Uncheon refilled her empty cup, and she in turn poured for him. After three or four cups without much conversation, her face had grown flushed.
“Young Master Uncheon, will you not return to the Namgung Family?”
“When the time comes, I will.”
“They must be very worried.”
“I sent word in advance, so it should be fine. Something has come up in the Central Plains, and I don’t think I’ll be going back for a while.”
“May I ask what kind of work Young Master is doing?”
“That would be difficult.”
“Ah. So it’s something awkward for me to know.”
“Exactly. It’s work I must handle alone, so I can’t speak of it freely.”
“Will it bring harm to the Namgung Family?”
“Haha. If it were that sort of work, I would never have taken it. No matter how many times you ask, Young Lady Yang, you won’t hear the answer you want.”
Smiling, Uncheon gently closed off her questions, then turned the inquiry around.
“And what brings Young Lady Yang all the way here?”
“That’s a secret as well.”
“Haha. I see. I plan to stay the night here. And you?”
“We do too.”
“You must be tired from the long road. Please go up and rest first.”
“…Yes. The Hundred Flowers Wine was excellent. Next time I’ll buy.”
Yang Hui rose and followed Namgung Jinu up to a private room on the second floor. As she went, she glanced once more at Uncheon, who had turned his face toward the window; in her eyes lingered a quiet, unreadable regret.