Taking a Little from Both
“We can just carefully take a little from both.”
At Yoo Eunhyeon’s bold declaration, Ju Yu-ryeon once again wore a look of utter disbelief. She stared blankly at him for a moment before snapping back to her senses and urgently pressing him.
“What you’re saying is… so, you mean you’re going to visit both the Demonic Cult and the Heavenly Martial Alliance? To go and confront them directly?”
Yoo Eunhyeon nodded casually. At that, Ju Yu-ryeon could no longer hold back and shouted.
“Are you out of your mind? You still don’t really understand how the Murim works, do you? It’s not that simple. If you set foot in the wrong place, you could die without anyone even knowing!”
The places Yoo Eunhyeon intended to go were the headquarters of the two factions that represented the Murim. Moreover, he currently possessed both the Jade Bamboo Token and the Dark Dragon Pearl. If it ever came to light that he had connections to both sides, he would be branded a spy and struggle to keep his life.
“There are plenty of people in the Murim stronger than you. Even they hesitate to go to those places. And you’re saying you’ll walk right in of your own free will?”
“Avoiding it won’t change anything. If anything, the noose will only tighten around our necks as time passes.”
Faced with Yoo Eunhyeon’s resolute attitude, Ju Yu-ryeon pressed her temples and clutched her head. As he said, even if they stayed here, the situation didn’t seem likely to improve.
Ju Yu-ryeon looked at Su Hwa-seon with confused eyes, as if seeking her opinion on what to do.
“Eunhyeon, how about going to the Uiseon Suga with your mother instead?”
Unable to stand by any longer, Su Hwa-seon gently suggested. As someone who knew better than anyone how dangerous the Murim was, her worry as a mother was only natural.
“I can’t do that. I can’t put my maternal family’s home in danger. I’ll go alone.”
“Eunhyeon…”
Su Hwa-seon still looked uneasy. But seeing that Yoo Eunhyeon’s will was firm, she had no choice but to wipe away her tears and nod.
At that moment, Ju Yu-ryeon, who had been quietly listening to their conversation, raised her hand.
“Then I’ll come with you.”
“Huh?”
“How can I let you go alone? I should go with you at least.”
At Ju Yu-ryeon’s unexpected proposal, Yoo Eunhyeon’s eyes widened. Before he could refuse, Su Hwa-seon brightened and quickly answered.
“Really? You would? That would put my mind at ease.”
“Leave it to me.”
Ju Yu-ryeon thumped her chest confidently.
Yoo Eunhyeon, who had been chuckling at the sight, soon nodded as well. After all, going together would be better than going alone.
Moreover, Ju Yu-ryeon knew the ways of the Murim better than Yoo Eunhyeon did, so she would certainly be a help.
Glancing at Ju Yu-ryeon, Yoo Eunhyeon muttered quietly.
“The problem is she’s a bit noisy to take along…”
“What was that?”
“Nothing. I was just saying it’s an honor to travel alone with a beauty like you.”
“Hahahaha! Of course it is!”
Though Yoo Eunhyeon’s words didn’t sound entirely sincere to anyone listening, Ju Yu-ryeon burst into cheerful laughter.
And so the discussion for the day came to a natural close.
Of course, they had only decided to leave; they still needed more of a plan.
And the next day. As Yoo Eunhyeon pondered the path ahead, devising a safe and easy method, an unexpected visitor appeared.
“Is anyone home?”
Unlike those who had come before, the voice was quite cautious. When Yoo Eunhyeon opened the door in puzzlement, a middle-aged man of small stature and rather haggard appearance stood before him.
After glancing around for a moment, he brightened upon confirming it was Yoo Eunhyeon and broke into a wide smile.
“Eunhyeon!”
“Uncle Chu?”
“Oh my! Eunhyeon, you’re safe! There was no news for so long, I didn’t know what had happened!”
The one who had come to find Yoo Eunhyeon was none other than Chu Seo-gong, the merchant who purchased the crops from his family’s farm.
As Chu Seo-gong fussed and chattered at Yoo Eunhyeon, the young man scratched his head.
“I’ve been fine. No news is good news, right?”
“You rascal. The peach orchard was a complete mess—how is that no news? It was obvious something had happened. Did bandits raid the house or something?”
“…Well, something similar did come calling.”
Calling the Demonic Cult and the Heavenly Martial Alliance bandits was a bit of a stretch, but in his current situation, Yoo Eunhyeon couldn’t reveal the full details. He could only offer a lame excuse to Chu Seo-gong.
As if to hide his awkwardness, Yoo Eunhyeon quickly changed the subject.
“But Uncle, why do you look so tired? Even without us, business must have been good?”
“You little… Are you teasing me right now? Your goods make up half our trading company’s sales, and you dare not show your face for a whole year and say that?”
“We left you plenty before. Even if the amount was a bit less than usual, it shouldn’t have been hard to get by.”
When Yoo Eunhyeon calmly tossed out that remark, Chu Seo-gong narrowed his eyes. He scrutinized Yoo Eunhyeon’s face for a long while before tilting his head.
“…Are you really Eunhyeon? You seem a bit smarter than before.”
“Smarter? Not really. I just wasn’t interested before. Now that I’m the head of the household, I have to keep an eye on these things, don’t I?”
With that, Yoo Eunhyeon flashed a playful smile. Chu Seo-gong laughed along with a “heh heh,” then suddenly glanced behind Yoo Eunhyeon and casually asked, as if checking on someone inside the house.
“Is your mother well? I heard something happened and she left home.”
Just as Yoo Eunhyeon was about to answer, a presence approached from down the mountain.
“Something happened? What something?”
It was Su Hwa-seon, who had gone out to take care of some business and was now returning. Having overheard Chu Seo-gong’s words, she spoke with a sideways tone, causing Chu Seo-gong to jump and whirl around.
“Oh my! Sister-in-law! You’re safe!”
“Of course I’m safe, you man. You’re the one who’s late. I thought you’d come find us the moment we returned.”
“Ugh. Don’t even start, Sister-in-law. It’s not like I wanted to be this late. This is the first time I’ve entered Doryeon County in nearly two hundred days.”
“Two hundred days? Why?”
“Why else? Because of those Black Lotus Merchant Guild bastards!”
When Yoo Eunhyeon asked in puzzlement, Chu Seo-gong launched into a complaint as if he’d been waiting for it.
“Those Black Lotus Merchant Guild guys are gobbling up everything, so what’s left to sell? I mean, what is a big outfit like the Black Lotus Merchant Guild doing camping out in a backwater like this for so long? And even if I give them the benefit of the doubt and say they have their reasons—if you’re in the same trade, you should at least have some merchant ethics. But no, they threaten the other merchants so no one dares come near. People don’t point fingers at them for nothing!”
From the sound of it, not only Chu Seo-gong but the other merchants as well hadn’t been able to set foot nearby because of the Black Lotus Merchant Guild’s pressure.
“So now that the Black Lotus Merchant Guild has pulled out, you came running? Worried we might have switched our business to them?”
“And looking at you, it seems you haven’t been sleeping properly either?”
When Yoo Eunhyeon and Su Hwa-seon teased him pointedly, Chu Seo-gong flinched as if hit in a sore spot and tried to change the subject.
“I’m just tired… Work day and night, that’s all. And of course I wasn’t worried about that. How long have we been doing business together? Haha…”
Chu Seo-gong offered excuses, but Su Hwa-seon only smiled gently in response. As the anxious merchant kept opening and closing his mouth, Yoo Eunhyeon smiled kindly and said,
“Come tomorrow and take the goods. We haven’t been back long so there aren’t any fresh crops, but we have some in storage.”
“Really?! Thank you!”
At Yoo Eunhyeon’s permission, Chu Seo-gong’s face lit up with a bright smile as if nothing had happened. He took both of Yoo Eunhyeon’s hands and shook them, expressing his gratitude.
Watching him, Yoo Eunhyeon casually broached the subject.
“Uncle, would it be possible to get the payment right away this time?”
“Hm? I don’t mind, but… Do you need a large sum for something?”
“I was thinking of going on a trip for a while.”
Yoo Eunhyeon would soon have to leave this place and head into the Murim. He wasn’t without money, but he wanted to prepare a bit more just in case.
“A trip, huh… Well, you should play to your heart’s content while you’re young so you don’t have any regrets later. Spending your youth just digging dirt in a mountain valley like this is a sure way to make your spirit sick. But where are you planning to go?”
“I haven’t decided yet. I was thinking maybe Daesan in Qinghai…”
“Daesan?!”
Before Yoo Eunhyeon could finish, Chu Seo-gong’s eyes went wide.
“Do you even know what kind of place that is? Why would you go somewhere so dangerous…”
“I heard there are rare medicinal herbs that only grow in the soil and climate of Daesan.”
Yoo Eunhyeon made up a half-baked excuse under the probing words. Chu Seo-gong let out a sigh and spoke as if he had no choice.
“If you absolutely must go, it would be best to travel in disguise or change your clothes. Daesan is crawling with terrifying people everywhere. It wouldn’t be strange to get ambushed at any time. And even if you meet people there, don’t trust them easily. The safest thing is not to get involved with them in the first place.”
“I’ll keep that in mind, Uncle.”
Yoo Eunhyeon nodded lightly at Chu Seo-gong’s earnest advice. Just as the conversation was about to wrap up, Yoo Eunhyeon, after a brief pause, brought up something unexpected.
“But… what should I do if my disguise is found out, just in case?”
“Hm? What do you mean by that?”
“If my identity is discovered, I might come under even more suspicion. A mere farmer poking around Daesan would look suspicious enough as it is.”
Yoo Eunhyeon carefully gauged Chu Seo-gong’s reaction as he probed. The merchant smacked his lips for a moment before cautiously offering a suggestion.
“In that case, the best thing is to offer something the other party would covet, along with an item that can prove your identity. Who knows? They might change their mind and spare you.”
“Something they’d covet…”
At Chu Seo-gong’s words, Yoo Eunhyeon fell into thought for a moment. He knew exactly what the people he was going to meet liked.
Moreover, those things were secrets known only to the two of them and Yoo Eunhyeon, so there could be no more appropriate choice.
“If you need any other help, just say the word. I should be going now to prepare for tomorrow.”
“Yes. Thank you for the advice.”
And with that, Chu Seo-gong said he would prepare to come again tomorrow and quickly disappeared.
After Chu Seo-gong had gone, Su Hwa-seon appeared behind Yoo Eunhyeon, who was lost in thought.
“Looks like he’s left. But what are you planning to sell?”
“I need to check. Mother, you went to the warehouse recently, right?”
“I did.”
“How much Doyakju and Jagyagyeon do we have left?”
“We haven’t made any in quite a while, so not that much. Are you planning to sell those?”
At Su Hwa-seon’s question, Yoo Eunhyeon thought of Sa Unsik and So Biwon and quietly smiled.
“No. I think I’ll set those aside. I might need them for something else.”