A Magistrate's Resolve
Song Wolun stayed up all night.
The shadows beneath his eyes were proof of how deeply he had agonized over the matter.
‘The Six-Horse Golden Plaque… If that thing truly exists, then everything lines up perfectly.’
If the object he had desperately wanted to deny was real…
Then even the reason he had been sent to Ungae County in Hangzhou could be explained.
He had been pushed into this position precisely because he had refused the bribes offered to him.
‘Still, I can’t be certain yet. Maybe it’s all just a coincidence, and it only looks like Young Master Dan is the owner of the Six-Horse Golden Plaque.’
After turning the possibilities over and over in his mind, Song Wolun finally cleared his head and rose from his bed.
The blanket he had tossed and turned in all night was crumpled beyond recognition.
As he folded it neatly, his expression was refreshingly clear.
Whether Dan Hyunwoo was the owner of the Six-Horse Golden Plaque or not no longer mattered.
He was simply the man who had saved Song Wolun’s life three times over.
That was all he needed to know, and everything he needed to remember.
Song Wolun gently touched the leg that had been ruined by torture.
The pain itself had vanished long ago, leaving only the memory of agony etched into his bones.
It was almost time for him to leave the Dan Manor.
He made up his mind with quiet determination.
‘I can’t simply leave after receiving such grace.’
Song Wolun opened the door and went straight to find Dan Hyunwoo.
As it happened, Dan Hyunwoo was already awake, quietly watching his family practice the breathing method.
“Young Master, I will station constables at the Danhwa Silk Shop, the Dan Manor, and the Mokhwa Merchant Group.”
“Is that really necessary?”
“The silk shop only has your father, the owner, and your younger sister. The same goes for the merchant group. Both trading companies and silk shops frequently deal with disputes and accidents of all kinds.”
“I appreciate the thought, but they’re government personnel. It doesn’t sit well with me.”
“They usually spend their days idling anyway. It’s about time those constables actually did some work.”
Even if he had mixed in a bit of personal motive, Song Wolun was still Song Wolun.
He could not stand the sight of people collecting a salary while doing nothing.
“Even if I say ‘station,’ I won’t have them standing guard in plain sight. I’ll simply have them patrol the surrounding areas. All I’m doing is making sure they pass by the Dan Manor, the Mokhwa Merchant Group, and the Danhwa Silk Shop on a rotating schedule.”
“If that’s the case, then I’ll gratefully accept your kindness.”
“Order those constables to do whatever you need. If they have any free time, they’ll just go around extorting the common people anyway.”
Song Wolun spoke while clenching his fist, looking every bit the loyal subordinate.
Of course, the old Song Wolun would never have done such a thing.
Using his position to secretly watch someone’s back was the kind of corruption he hated most.
But now, he no longer believed it was entirely wrong.
It was killing two birds with one stone—putting idle constables to work while repaying his debt to Dan Hyunwoo.
At some point, his speech, which had been half-formal, had become utterly respectful, while Dan Hyunwoo, who had once spoken formally to him, now used casual speech.
Song Wolun found even that change pleasant and smiled softly.
What did it matter if he acted like a loyal subordinate?
What did it matter if he handled menial chores under him?
For Dan Hyunwoo’s sake, he would gladly carry firewood into a blazing fire.
Even if it made him look like a fool, he didn’t care.
Dan Hyunwoo spoke to the smiling Song Wolun.
“There will be many difficult days ahead. Would you like to learn the Harmonious Strength Qi Regulation Method as well, Magistrate?”
“Is… is that truly possible? You would teach me martial arts?”
“I’ll teach you every morning and every evening.”
“Thank you. I truly wanted to learn it.”
If it was a breathing method taught by the supreme expert Dan Hyunwoo, there was no need to doubt its effectiveness.
“I will begin learning this evening.”
After speaking to Dan Hyunwoo, Song Wolun turned to help prepare the morning meal that was still being readied.
Then his eyes met Yu Sucheon’s directly.
‘Why is this bastard glaring at me like that?’
Yu Sucheon stood with his legs apart, staring at him with an expression of utter disbelief.
Yu Sucheon twisted the corner of his mouth upward.
‘Wow, look at this son of a bitch. Complete turncoat. Look at how fast his attitude changed. And on top of that… that bastard Dan Hyunwoo won’t teach me a single martial art but is going to teach the magistrate the breathing method?’
A light spark of jealousy flared up.
What was so special about the guy that he would teach him the breathing method?
And look at him fawning over Dan Hyunwoo like he had sworn eternal loyalty just because his life was saved.
Well, fine, that could happen, but there had to be some sense of proportion.
‘Are you a servant or something? Wait, that’s me. Damn it. Anyway, if you start acting like a servant, my own rarity disappears, you stupid bastard. And now you’re even learning the breathing method too.’
He repeated ‘learning the breathing method too’ twice in his mind in a short span of time. That was how unfair it felt. That damn bastard. Yu Sucheon spoke in a crooked tone.
“I thought you’d recover and leave the Dan Manor soon. So you’re planning to keep coming here morning and evening from now on?”
“It seems so.”
“Don’t you think this is a bit unfair? I also went through quite a lot to save you, Magistrate. Yet the difference in treatment between me and Young Master Dan is huge, isn’t it?”
Yu Sucheon grumbled and sneered properly.
However, just as Yu Sucheon disliked Song Wolun, Song Wolun felt exactly the same.
“I’m grateful you tried to save me, but didn’t you call a man who couldn’t move because his leg was injured a ‘son of a bitch’?”
“I said, ‘If I loosen the rope, run without looking back, you son of a bitch.’ Why did you conveniently omit the front part?”
“Only the latter part, ‘son of a bitch,’ remains in my memory.”
“Are you a goldfish? That’s the only thing you remember?”
“Do you have a rag for a mouth? Calling someone a son of a bitch! And your mouth is so filthy you can’t even tell the difference between dishwater and fresh water, so you drank it?”
“I’m also a lifesaver!”
“You’d only be a lifesaver if you had carried me on your back and run! We had to catch those bastards too!”
“Ugh!”
“Hmph!”
If not for the law of Non-Aggression between Government and Wulin, he would have already beaten the man senseless.
No, he would have buried him in the back mountain to help the wild ginseng grow and watered him every day.
Yu Sucheon and Song Wolun trembled with rage, then abruptly turned their backs on each other.
Yu Sucheon muttered under his breath.
“One day, I’ll definitely turn you into wild ginseng.”
Late that same night.
Hwa Yuhwa, who had been away for several days, opened the gate to the Dan Manor.
The family had just finished practicing the Harmonious Strength Qi Regulation Method and gone to bed. Only Dan Hyunwoo remained, quietly sipping from his wine cup.
Hwa Yuhwa smiled when she saw that another wine cup had been placed in front of him.
He had been waiting for her, knowing she would come.
How could she not like that?
“I’m back.”
“First, have a drink.”
Dan Hyunwoo poured cold wine into the cup.
Hwa Yuhwa, whose throat was parched, accepted it and drank it down in one refreshing gulp.
The sharp burn of the liquor was excellent, drawing a satisfied “Krruu!” from her lips.
Dan Hyunwoo even personally fed her a rice cake skewer he had prepared as a side dish.
Chewing contentedly, Hwa Yuhwa spoke.
“What’s going on? You’re being unusually nice to me today.”
“I still felt bad about the thigh needle.”
“Hohoho, you were still worrying about that?”
“Well… yeah. Wait! Don’t undo your buttons. Are you trying to show your thighs again?”
“I’m just taking out a book.”
Hwa Yuhwa pulled out the book she had rolled up and stored against her thigh, then handed it to Dan Hyunwoo.
The book still carried her body heat, giving it a strangely seductive feel.
“It’s the next volume of the Western River Sword Technique.”
“But it’s a fake. Both the Captain and I saw the real Western River Sword Technique in the imperial archive, remember? Of course, someone at our level would instantly recognize a fake even without seeing the original, but ordinary people would have been fooled.”
“Were there any other traces at the location Cho Hoseon mentioned besides this?”
“There were traces of a high-level expert. I followed them all the way to Guangping, but I lost the trail there. The person was quite skilled and seemed to have prepared for pursuit.”
“In a large city like Guangping, traces would disappear in less than half a shichen. So that’s why they went there?”
“It looked like they deliberately passed through crowded areas. I’m sorry, Captain. I failed this time.”
“Cho Hoseon is dead, and the lead has gone cold. But if you failed, then others would have failed too. Don’t worry about it. Let’s just finish the wine.”
It had been at least fifteen days since Cho Hoseon received the Western River Sword Technique from that unknown person.
The fact that she had still managed to follow the faint trail all the way to Guangping was impressive in itself.
Hwa Yuhwa said, “Who made this rice cake skewer? It’s incredibly delicious.”
“Um… I did.”
“Hohoho, you even prepared the food yourself? If you’re going this far, why don’t you just give in to me already?”
“Shut up. Honestly, every time you open your mouth…”
“Even when a rich beauty is seducing you, you stay as stiff as a wooden block.”
Perhaps because of the alcohol, Hwa Yuhwa loosened the front of her robes as if she were hot.
A glimpse of her cleavage appeared, and a rich, sweet fragrance washed over him.
But Hwa Yuhwa was not trying to seduce him right now.
She was simply relaxing comfortably, just as she had when drinking with him back in the Mumyeongdae.
During battle, Hwa Yuhwa didn’t care if her clothes tore and exposed her thighs, but she only ever showed this side of herself to Dan Hyunwoo.
That same Hwa Yuhwa now lowered her large eyes and wore a calm, subdued expression.
The fragrance seemed to grow even thicker. Dan Hyunwoo paused slightly.
Her enchanting appearance.
The wine cup in Hwa Yuhwa’s hand trembled faintly.
A fierce expression flashed across her face for a moment, as if she were frustrated by her failure this time.
In a low but clear voice, Hwa Yuhwa spoke to Dan Hyunwoo.
“I failed this time, but even if something happens because of it, I will protect you, Captain. Even if it costs me my life.”
“You’re saying that because you expect me to fall for it, right?”
“Tsk.”
It was enjoyable.
Moyong Sehui thought so as she spent her days at the Dan Manor.
Life here was the complete opposite of the way she had lived in the Moyong Clan, where everything had been lifted up and offered to her on a silver platter.
There were no servants to bring her shoes or maids to tidy her room.
She had to do everything herself.
Surprisingly, she found that quite agreeable and even fun.
Completing each task one by one felt similar to training in martial arts.
The same went for the chores she did as a guest who helped around the house.
These days, she could even kill chickens properly.
It was a little pitiful, but she made sure to cut them before their eyes could meet hers.
She had also learned from Jeon Akgwan the technique for plucking chicken feathers with ease.
Her skills had improved by leaps and bounds.
Yes.
It was unfamiliar yet interesting, a strange new stimulation.
The only problem was that it was so fun she had completely neglected her original mission.
‘I’m supposed to be looking for the Six-Horse Golden Plaque.’
When she suddenly came to her senses and thought of it again, quite a lot of time had already passed.
In truth, she had searched for the Six-Horse Golden Plaque several times.
Though she had been wandering because there were so few clues, she had still made contact with every suspicious person she could find.
She had approached all sorts of different people with the mindset that at least one of them had to be connected.
But none of them were.
She had hoped they wouldn’t be, but even the most likely candidates had no connection to the imperial palace.
How did she know?
‘If they truly possessed the Six-Horse Golden Plaque, they wouldn’t have come at me so aggressively, asking to marry the youngest daughter of the Moyong Clan.’
Those people had needed a powerful backer and thus refused to let Moyong Sehui slip away. She had also used her background as bait to bring up the topic.
Being the youngest daughter of the Moyong Clan was hardly a secret, so she had thrown it out there without hesitation.
Yet even after using her family name, the only ones who had swarmed to her were annoying flies.
In that sense…
‘Hmm… We’re basically back to square one.’
Once again, her suspicions turned toward Dan Hyunwoo.
He was the only one whose heart did not waver even after learning of her powerful backing in the Moyong Clan.
‘When you think about it that way, it really is suspicious.’
Moyong Sehui’s eyes sparkled once more after a long time.