A Second-Rate Warrior Preparing to Take Flight (2)
Thud. Thud. In the deathly silence of the training grounds, only the footsteps of one man echoed.
Wang Geumsan stood tall and unbowed before Gye Yeonseok, the very man the Tae-eul Gate disciples dreaded so much.
"You've bungled the Gye-ryong Merchant Group's great affair, so you must pay the price for it, no?"
Gye Yeonseok's teeth chattered at Wang Geumsan's words.
"Th-that..."
But before Gye Yeonseok could finish, Wang Geumsan cut him off.
"By the way, since when could the Gye-ryong Merchant Group treat the Wang family manor with such contempt?"
"N-no, sir! C-contempt? Perish the thought!"
Gye Yeonseok jumped in fright and bowed deeply at the waist.
"I came here today to see my benefactors, and witnessing your disgrace has soured my mood considerably."
"Eh? B-benefactors...?"
Instead of answering, Wang Geumsan swept his gaze over the warriors the Gye-ryong Merchant Group had brought, then spoke.
"Be on your way. Before my mood sours even further."
"......"
Stunned by Wang Geumsan's sudden appearance, Gye Yeonseok mumbled incoherently before dragging his merchant group's warriors away with him.
Gye Cheolyeong, who had been smug moments before, could only glance around awkwardly before following his father back to the Gye-ryong Merchant Group.
Hong Moon-gi, who had received Wang Geumsan almost by accident, stared in bewilderment.
"......So Sowoon saved the manor lord's daughter?"
Unable to believe it, Hong Moon-gi asked twice, and Wang Geumsan nodded with a kindly smile.
Hong Moon-gi was well aware of the Wang Soso incident. Wang Geumsan, the Golden King who practically controlled the commerce of Anhui Province—no, all of Gangdong—had a sole precious daughter who was his golden child. The rumor of her disappearance had reached even Hong Moon-gi, who kept somewhat distant from worldly affairs, until his ears rang with it.
And Sowoon had been the one to rescue her.
"Come to think of it......"
He recalled a few days ago, when the boy had barged into Daehyeonjeon out of nowhere and demanded tea.
No way. He saved her back then? The kid...?
"It seems he's my son, after all."
"......"
Hong Moon-gi's mouth hung open.
Kidnappings were rampant among slash-and-burn farmers or nomads who hadn't settled in villages. He'd thought Sowoon had simply saved one such child...
"Truth be told, I was a bit surprised by that part. No one in Anhui Province hadn't heard of the incident. And yet he just left the girl at the manor and walked away."
"He left her at the manor, just like that?"
Hong Moon-gi's mind sharpened as he listened. Suddenly, Sowoon's casual dismissal of the Wang Soso story and the fact that he'd left her at the manor clicked together.
"......I see."
"Do you know something?"
"No. I just understand the boy's state of mind a little better now."
Wang Geumsan's expression flickered with mild surprise at Hong Moon-gi's words.
"Sowoon probably didn't attach any great significance to his actions."
"No significance?"
"If he placed meaning on saving your daughter, he couldn't very well ignore kidnappings of poor families' children, could he?"
Receiving payment for rescuing Wang Soso would mean expecting payment for saving the children of the destitute as well.
"That's not the teaching of Tae-eul Gate."
Wang Geumsan nodded, seemingly impressed.
"Might I meet the boy myself?"
Tae-eul Gate erupted in celebration thanks to the gifts Wang Geumsan had brought. There were piles of precious silks and ornaments, a cart loaded with fine grains on one side, and another cart carrying a mysterious box whose contents were unknown.
He's more generous than I expected.
Just seeing his father's mouth twitch upward—his father, who had been furrowed-browed over the sect's finances—told Jin Sowoon how much wealth Wang Geumsan had delivered.
"The manor lord asks if he might see you briefly."
A man who appeared to hold a fairly high position within the entourage politely led him, and Jin Sowoon met Wang Geumsan in the same annex where Namgung San had stayed.
"Pleased to meet you."
As he entered the annex, faint presences lingered in various spots, unlike before.
Stealth techniques?
Whether due to his inner energy reaching the first layer of the cycle, sharpening his senses, or because even Wang Geumsan's wealth couldn't buy top-tier guards, Jin Sowoon could clearly detect the presences.
As he stared at a corner of the ceiling, sensing it for the first time in his life, Wang Geumsan's expression shifted oddly.
"You feel it?"
"Pardon? What..."
"Didn't you just sense someone there?"
"Ah...... Yes."
"Ha-ha!"
Wang Geumsan's hearty laugh made the presences even more distinct. Their breathing had faltered.
"Truth be told, the kidnappers evaded these fellows to take Soso. ...Or more precisely, they ignored them."
Martial arts supplanted skill. It was a saying in the jianghu that sometimes delving deep into one path encompassed the side branches.
The Namgung family's elites must have dismissed these guards who had only trained for protection.
"High-level experts ignored by those men. A youth not even in his twenties who saved my daughter from their hands. It's hard to believe, frankly."
Wang Geumsan stared piercingly at him, still appraising. There was no hostility or killing intent, but the weight of his accumulated life experience pressed down just as heavily.
"And to save her by chance and just leave. You have to be able to believe that much."
For some reason, his actions—which defied Wang Geumsan's understanding—seemed to have bred misunderstanding instead.
"I'm sorry if I've caused any misunderstanding."
"No, not at all. It's been ages since I felt this proud. ...Of course, only if it turns out to be a misunderstanding."
His tone now carried a clear chill.
He must have been deeply scarred by this incident.
It was only natural to suspect foul play; without Jin Sowoon, Wang Soso might never have been seen again.
Still, it didn't sit well with him, and his own tone grew colder.
"What would you like to discuss?"
"I've investigated you thoroughly. But I learned nothing in the end."
As expected.
In his previous life, he had been an open book.
"So if there's anything you're hiding from me, I'd appreciate it if you shared. I'll make sure to pay for this rudeness."
"I wonder what could heal the heart of a wounded father. What intrigues you most?"
Wang Geumsan's face was resolute.
"First, why didn't you come to the manor with her?"
To Wang Geumsan, it must have been incomprehensible why he hadn't claimed the massive reward immediately.
"First, it was difficult to reveal the full details of the incident."
Wang Geumsan's suspicion deepened.
"It was the third day of pursuing the kidnappers when I rescued your daughter. She was in terrible shape at the time, and they were about to silence her permanently... I had no choice but to act without alerting anyone."
"......Ahem."
Even the boldest man would flinch at hearing his child had nearly died.
"Second, because of the massive reward I anticipated."
"You didn't reveal yourself because of the reward?"
The immense reward from Wang Geumsan might seem appealing on the surface. But without the power to protect it, it would be a curse.
"Third, because saving Wang Soso was merely fulfilling a personal vow for me."
"What personal vow?"
"I never overlook injustice."
To be precise, he never let those who wronged him go unpunished. But he needed a sponsor strong enough to fend off the Gye-ryong Merchant Group, and anyone would do.
Choosing Wang Soso had been tied to his personal grudge against Namgung Sangwon, nothing more.
And now he even had the Seven-Colored Treasure Bead from Namgung San. He no longer needed the Wang family manor.
"With the gifts you've brought today, you've already paid more than I could ask. There's no need to visit again."
"Did I offend you?"
"If good intentions are met with suspicion, who would act kindly again? I have no desire to continue ties with the manor lord."
He knew well how little faith a man who had fought for profit his whole life—and reached its pinnacle—would have in others.
But that was his perspective. From Jin Sowoon's side, it was unpleasant all the same.
He rose and offered a courteous clasped-hands bow. As he turned to leave—
Thud.
His jaw dropped at the man's action.
"Wh-what are you doing?"
Soon, even those hiding in the ceiling with stealth techniques appeared before him. They couldn't remain hidden while their employer knelt in prostration.
"Forgive me for failing to recognize the benefactor sent by heaven and suspecting you first. And for the grace of saving my precious daughter. I will engrave it in my bones and offer gratitude every morning for the rest of my life."
"""Forgive us."""
The guards bowed deeply in unison, leaving him flustered.
This was a man who could build mountains of gold, a titan responsible for the livelihoods of countless across the land. Even the nobles of Beijing couldn't treat him lightly, yet here he was on his knees, bowing low.
Jin Sowoon hurried over to raise him.
"Please, don't. How could a mere warrior receive such a bow?"
"First, you saved my daughter. Second, you saved me in the process. Thanks to that, my household was spared, and their families as well. How could I not bow?"
He couldn't force the immovable man upright, so he could only nod reluctantly.
"I understand, so please rise. I'm afraid someone might see."
"You forgive me?"
"I said rise, please."
Once seated again, Wang Geumsan's face bloomed with a bright smile. The title of merchant titan wasn't for show. The man was toying with him.
"Thank you."
"Enough with the formalities now. Keep this up, and I'll leave."
"Ahem, sorry about that. But no matter how I think about it, I have to believe it. I was rude because parts of this defy my understanding. My apologies once more."
"Understood. Let's drop it."
The intimidating aura had vanished, leaving only a fatigued yet relieved expression that felt strangely incongruous.
He spoke to his guards.
"Leave us for a moment."
"Yes, sir."
The guards vanished like ghosts, their presences undetectable from the ceiling or within the building.
"May I ask one thing?"
"It's about the medicine, isn't it?"
The reason he'd gone to such lengths, even staging this charade to probe him, had to be tied to that medicine. Without it, there'd be no need to dig into his background. Even if he were part of the kidnapping plot, time would expose it eventually.
"Ho, so the rumors of your sharp mind are true."
"Just a uselessly good memory."
"That... medicine. What exactly is it? Even the previous physicians couldn't identify it. They worried about the toxic herbs in it. Said there was a risk of poisoning. Yet Soso insisted she'd take it even if it killed her."
Before parting with Soso, he'd written down the recipe for the daily tonic she needed. One pill a day for life would prevent suffering from her Solar Body condition, so she wouldn't give it up lightly.
"It's true it contains toxic herbs. Poisoning is a risk to consider."
"......Then it's dangerous!"
"That's why I taught her the Tae-eul Heart Technique to neutralize it. A higher-grade technique would have been ideal, but the situation was too urgent."
"So... as long as she takes that medicine and cultivates the technique her whole life?"
"Of course, having already learned Tae-eul Heart Technique, she can't cultivate another. I apologize again, even if you permitted it."
"No, no, that's not what I meant. With just that medicine, how much longer can she live?"
As if he could predict lifespan without it being an elixir.
"I'm no fortune-teller... How could I know a person's natural lifespan?"
Wang Geumsan's eyes widened like saucers.
"Then... she can live a full life?"
"Barring major illness or accident, yes."
"How did you even know such a recipe?"
Here, a little embellishment was needed. He couldn't reveal it came from the Murim Alliance's Mantongbu secret documents.
"Once, I nearly died from a viper bite in the mountains. An old man saved me using those toxic herbs. His herbal skills were so miraculous that I doggedly followed him and learned various recipes."
"Curing viper venom with toxic herbs?"
He wove in a tale from the Mancho Bogrok's section on using poison to counter poison, and after pondering long, Wang Geumsan spoke.
"You've had a fateful encounter."
"A fateful encounter?"
"Yes. In all the world, only the teacher of the former Life-and-Death Divine Physician used poison to cure poison. We thought his lineage ended with his unnoticed death, but here was this connection."
Having dealt with his daughter's illness, Wang Geumsan had amassed vast medical knowledge himself. The story flowed smoothly.
Suddenly, he seized Jin Sowoon's hand.
Wang Geumsan bowed his head.
"Thank you."
"One more time, and it'll ring in my ears forever."
Hot droplets fell onto his hand.
"Every morning when I rise, I'll pray for you. And I won't forget this grace until my dying day."
His resentment melted away at the tears falling onto his hand.
In the end, Wang Soso decided to join Tae-eul Gate.
One might think they'd be cautious given what she'd been through, but her insistence was fierce, and oddly, Wang Geumsan didn't object.
Instead, he cautiously asked if she could bring guards, and considering how Gye-ryong Merchant Group had planted their dangju as an instructor in Busengdang, all the dangjus agreed it was no big deal.
The man who had guided him to Wang Geumsan called him aside separately. Introducing himself as the Wang family manor's chief steward, he had moved all the mysterious boxes from one cart—left after Wang Geumsan departed—to the annex.
"What are all these?"
"Gifts from the manor lord to you, young master."
"......?"
The gifts already brought to Tae-eul Gate were substantial, and sponsorship was promised going forward. More gifts?
The steward first presented a long box from which a high-quality fabric scent wafted.
"One of the most precious items from the manor lord's treasury. It's called the Black Dragon Sword."
Inside lay a sword entirely black from blade to hilt.
"Whoa......"
The flawless blade and the hilt wrapped with two dragons ascending were more artwork than weapon.
"The hilt and guard are forged from Hyeoncheol, the blade from Geumgang Mugoecheol. It won't dull even clashing with divine weapons."
Lacking any ornamentation, it appeared almost plain, yet it exuded a demonic allure that drew the eye.
While Jin Sowoon was entranced by the sword, the steward opened the next box.
"This is Cheonjam-bo, a special garment passed down through generations in the Wang family manor via unique processes."
The form-fitting robe, unlike any he'd seen, seemed perfect for martial artists who needed freedom of movement under their clothes.
"Woven from Cheonjam silk, Geumgang silk, and silver thread, it offers elasticity, no hindrance to motion, and tremendous protection. Even the Murim Alliance has sought to buy them multiple times, but we didn't sell due to limited quantity."
The steward rattled on excitedly, as if more thrilled than Jin Sowoon.
"Shouldn't something this precious be for the manor lord or Miss Soso?"
"Ah, of course, they already wear them. Production is so finicky that we make them whenever materials are secured. This time, the whole family wore theirs, and the spare is this gift."
The chief steward managed the family's wealth, a heavy responsibility. Seeing him explain so joyfully felt surreal.
Noticing his puzzled look, the steward scratched his wrinkled cheek.
"You probably don't grasp how grateful we are."
"......No, I think I do."
"Truth be told, the manor lord lost his parents young, and his wife died giving birth to Miss Soso. She's his only family, so he cherishes her all the more."
Compared to Gye Yeonseok, who had five wives and concubines combined.
"We prepared for real war when we lost her. The manor lord commissioned hits on three sects at once and was liquidating assets. Had that happened, none of us could have stayed in the manor. You've saved tens of thousands of lives, young master."
The steward gazed at him with eyes full of gratitude.
"He said to call on him anytime you need help. If it's hard to ask him directly, tell this steward."
"Ha-ha... This is great, but a bit burdensome."
"No need. We all feel we've received the grace of having our lives saved."
"Got it. Enough, or I'll be too embarrassed. But what's left in these? Did you empty the manor lord's entire treasury?"
Five boxes remained.
"No, these are things Miss Soso no longer needs."
"No longer needs?"
The moment he opened the first, a chill like entering an icehouse wafted out.
"It's the inner core of a Seolli snow carp, they say."
Slam.
He shut it in shock.
"And this?"
"Seolryeon Chamber, I hear. The Dodong Merchant Group suffered greatly fetching it from the North Sea."
Inside, lotus fruit pods emanated blue frost.
She'd said she lived in an ice storehouse her whole life; it must have been made from such chilling artifacts and elixirs.
"All of these?"
The steward smiled as serenely as Wang Geumsan had.
"Yes."
Long live the rich father and daughter.