More Valuable Than a Thousand Gold (2)
The thunder of hooves rolled like war drums.
Within the dust cloud that billowed outward like black smoke, the Seomun Clan’s guards sprang into action. They rode low over their horses, yet their postures remained flawless, their eyes gleaming like honed blades.
Baekri Mudan stared at them with trembling pupils.
The Seomun Clan ranked below the Baekri Clan. The Seomun Merchant Group was inferior to the Baekri Merchant Group. This held true for both wealth and martial strength. Such was the world’s common judgment.
Yet now…
What is this overwhelming pressure?
The way they charged forward resembled an elite cavalry sweeping across a battlefield—no, they were sharper than the finest warriors of most prestigious sects.
“Eliminate everyone who attacked the Baekri Merchant Group!”
At Jo Gang-je’s roar, the guards split apart and drove their blades down toward the masked assailants.
Boom!
Swords clashed. Flesh tore. Bones shattered. The brutal sounds overlapped in rapid succession.
Yet astonishingly, the battle did not last long.
The Seomun Clan’s guards were impossibly strong. Their sword paths flowed like silk, their footwork light as drifting clouds. Above all, every single movement wove together in perfect harmony.
“Are those… really just guards?”
The Baekri Merchant Group’s warriors could not close their gaping mouths.
“That sword strike just now—it completely surpassed First-Class, didn’t it?”
“And those horses… How can they charge with such power while maintaining perfect form?”
In truth, the mounts they rode were no ordinary beasts. They kicked against the earth like enraged wild animals and read their riders’ intentions as if they were trained soldiers. Even when the masked men swung at the horses, the animals twisted aside with flawless timing, evading by half a beat.
This was not luck. It was control. A perfect union of rider and steed.
Jo Gang-je’s performance in particular was dazzling. He swung his sword from mid-air, and a crimson arc sliced through the sky, piercing straight through one masked man’s chest.
“Kugh!”
As the masked man staggered backward, another guard charged in from the ground.
Boom!
The assailant could not dodge the second strike and was sent crashing to the earth.
“They’re so strong I’d believe they were elite disciples from the Nine Great Sects, not mere merchant guards!”
The Baekri warriors wore expressions of pure awe. It was not merely their numbers. Each guard was sharp, meticulous, and above all, swift. In mere exchanges, the masked men fell one after another.
One of the remaining masked figures gritted his teeth and tried to leap backward in retreat.
But—
The thunder of hooves answered. When he glanced back, mounted guards had already cut off his escape.
A sword flew from the galloping horse and stabbed deep into his flank.
“Aaaaargh!”
With a scream of ripping flesh, the man tumbled across the dirt.
One. Two. In the end, every last masked attacker was subdued.
Black cloths fluttered away on the wind as the fighting drew to a close.
Baekri Mudan, still panting, staggered to his feet. He gazed at Seomun Hwan atop his horse in the distance and the guards flanking him, murmuring in disbelief.
“So this… is the true power of the Seomun Clan…”
At that moment, Jo Gang-je—who had seized total victory—swung his sword high and shouted.
“Bind every single one who attacked the Baekri Merchant Group! If they resist… kill them where they stand!”
The guards moved as one. Their heavy, razor-sharp momentum remained undiminished. No one left alive dared oppose them.
Only then did Seomun Hwan emerge from the forest shadows. Having watched the entire battle, he yawned lazily.
“Haaam. To protect a family, you need at least this much strength. And preferably without needing my help, just like today.”
The outcome was something no one had expected. Even setting aside the enemy leader’s pathetic collapse to a hidden weapon, a head-on fight would have inflicted heavy losses on both sides—ambush or not.
All of it stemmed from the illusion magic Seomun Hwan had placed on his own guards and their horses.
It was called Hyeolmyeong Ganggisul—Blood Life Qi Descent.
The technique drew out latent potential. Once the effect ended, it left the user exhausted and shaved away a bit of lifespan. A minor drawback, all things considered. The results, however, had been excellent.
I used it at the absolute minimum. The lifespan lost should only amount to a few months.
Against opponents far stronger than themselves, this level of side effect was negligible. At least no one had died.
Seeing every masked man on the ground, Seomun Hwan snapped his fingers.
Click.
The spell’s effect vanished. The mad glint faded from the guards’ eyes. No one noticed. They simply assumed the blood-soaked battlefield had been responsible for the strange light in their gazes.
Seomun Hwan walked over and patted Jo Gang-je on the back.
“Good work, Captain Jo.”
“Y-Young Master… this is…”
Even though he had done it himself, Jo Gang-je still could not fully believe what had happened. It felt as if he had glimpsed a realm far beyond his reach. Now that the battlefield tension and the spell’s influence had faded, he stood there catching his breath, blankly replaying his own actions.
In the meantime, Seomun Hwan approached Baekri Mudan.
“Greetings. It has been a long time.”
In the past, the Seomun Clan had interacted frequently with the Baekri Clan. As the younger brother of the Baekri Clan Lord and his right-hand man, Baekri Mudan was naturally familiar.
When Baekri Mudan—having just witnessed the Seomun Clan’s unbelievable martial prowess—opened his mouth to speak, Seomun Hwan cut in first.
“As expected of the Baekri Clan. Thanks to you exhausting most of their strength, we were able to combine our forces and defeat them.”
It was utter nonsense.
Before the Seomun Clan arrived, the Baekri Merchant Group had been barely holding on. Their enemies had even included a Peak-level expert.
Just as Baekri Mudan was about to mention how easily the enemy leader had fallen—
Click.
A sharp sound rang inside his skull. His mind went blank for a moment. The recent memories tangled like knotted thread, then rewove themselves into an entirely new shape.
When Baekri Mudan’s eyes cleared again, he answered in a far more relaxed voice.
“You flatter us. Still, without the Seomun Clan’s timely assistance, we would have suffered considerable losses ourselves. Haha!”
The memory had been completely rewritten. The desperate, life-or-death crisis had become nothing more than a slightly dangerous moment. The Baekri warriors were plenty strong. They would not have lost even without the Seomun Clan’s help. The overwhelming emotion he had felt upon witnessing a Peak expert had been gently erased.
Seomun Hwan first approached the fallen enemy leader and removed his mask. It was a middle-aged man with a splendid mustache.
Baekri Mudan’s eyes widened in shock.
“Wait, this man—?!”
“You recognize him?”
“If my memory is correct, this is the one called Sanpyogwi—the Mountain Ticket Ghost. He was once a stronghold master of the Green Forest but was expelled for certain reasons.”
At Baekri Mudan’s words, murmurs rippled through the crowd.
“The Mountain Ticket Ghost? You mean that Mountain Ticket Ghost?”
“I heard he had resurfaced, but to think he’d come this far…”
Seomun Hwan also recalled the name.
“I heard he excels in martial arts but is even more skilled at conspiracy and backroom deals.”
“Exactly.”
He specialized in operations that masqueraded as banditry—disruption and retrieval. In other words, once commissioned to steal a specific item, he would acquire it no matter how tight the security.
Baekri Mudan let out a sigh of relief.
“We were transporting an important commissioned cargo. We kept it strictly confidential… but it seems the information still leaked.”
“Was it a request from the Sichuan Tang Clan?”
“Yes. Aren’t you also heading to Sichuan? It’s the Poison Emperor’s seventieth birthday celebration.”
Seomun Hwan nodded.
The previous patriarch of the Sichuan Clan—the Poison Emperor’s seventieth birthday banquet. The Seomun Merchant Group was traveling there as well.
“If men like these are involved even in a simple celebration, that cargo must be quite valuable.”
Baekri Mudan hesitated, unable to answer immediately. After a moment, he continued in a grave tone.
“Even though you helped us, that matter is…”
It was then that a clear voice cut through the tension.
“Uncle!”
Everyone’s eyes turned at once.
There stood a girl in pristine white robes, completely unharmed. Her black hair fluttered in the wind, and her eyes were sharp as drawn blades.
“Seonhwa!”
Baekri Mudan rushed toward her in surprise. Baekri Seonhwa, who had been hiding inside a carriage at the rear under guard, had finally stepped forward, unable to wait any longer.
In that instant, every gaze shifted to Seomun Hwan.
After all, she and Seomun Hwan had once been betrothed.
As Baekri Mudan’s expression grew awkward, Seomun Hwan spoke calmly.
“It’s been a while, Hwa-mae.”
Her face was radiantly beautiful, like a flower in full bloom.
Yet the voice that answered was curt and cold.
“…It has been a while, Orabeoni.”
Only after seeing her face did the memories of Baekri Seonhwa fully return.
Right. She never liked me much, did she?
Thinking about it, that was only natural. Baekri Seonhwa was rumored to be the lotus of the Baekri Clan—beautiful and brilliant. Suitors had constantly surrounded her, including several men of considerable renown.
Meanwhile, he had been…
The lazy troublemaker of the Seomun Clan.
Baekri Seonhwa stared at Seomun Hwan in silence. Over her snow-white face flowed eyes as cold as ice. Though he understood the meaning behind that gaze perfectly, Seomun Hwan pretended ignorance and spoke casually.
“Orabeoni? You’re still calling me that?”
“I have no other suitable title.”
“Are you also heading to Sichuan, Hwa-mae? I hadn’t heard.”
“Of course not. Orabeoni has always been lacking in information.”
A heavy silence descended on the surroundings.
A moment later, Baekri Mudan spoke hurriedly.
“My niece seems quite shaken by the sudden incident. Could we have some time to organize the situation?”
Seomun Hwan shrugged as if it were nothing.
“Of course. I need to check on the baggage wagons anyway.”
“Excellent. Then let us meet again on the road.”
“Understood.”
Seomun Hwan returned to his horse with the guards.
Deokheum, who had been waiting in nervous anxiety, let out a deep sigh of relief upon seeing his young master safe. Then, after hearing what Seomun Hwan said, he looked startled.
“Y-Young Master. Are you all right?”
“Hm? About what?”
“Well… didn’t Lady Baekri treat you rather coldly? She’s the very young lady you longed for even in your dreams every single day.”
“Huh?”
Seomun Hwan furrowed his brow.
“I did that?”
“Yes! Don’t you remember? I even gave you detailed advice on every line of those love letters!”
Recalling distant memories, it did seem there had been such a time.
It made sense. Baekri Seonhwa’s beauty had been exceptional even in Henan, where the Baekri Clan resided. Upon learning of their prenatal betrothal, he had been overjoyed to the point of frenzy. Whenever family events brought them together, he had been so excited that he could not sleep the night before.
Yet no matter how passionately he felt, her response had always been that icy gaze.
Remembering it now, his face twisted in embarrassment.
“Ugh. How mortifying.”
The humiliating memories flooded back all at once, making him want to kick off his blankets and hide.
After regaining the Phantom Demon’s memories, those sealed-away thoughts had resurfaced.
Just that much?
In his previous life, he had held power equal to an emperor. Famous beauties across the world could be his with a mere gesture. He had even encountered women said to be the reincarnation of Xishi or the return of Cho-seon. While Baekri Seonhwa was objectively beautiful, she could not compare to such peerless beauties.
When Seomun Hwan pressed a hand to his forehead as if dizzy, Deokheum misinterpreted the gesture.
“Young Master, this is a golden opportunity. You earned some points by helping them today. This time you must absolutely—”
“I got it, I got it. I’ll handle it myself.”
“You really must do well this time.”
While Seomun Hwan was busy burying those embarrassing memories, the Baekri caravan joined them as promised. Baekri Seonhwa remained hidden inside her carriage and did not show herself. Baekri Mudan, however, rode over with a hesitant expression.
“Ahem!”
When Baekri Mudan cleared his throat, Seomun Hwan gave him a sideways glance.
“Did you have something to say?”
“Well…”
After a moment of hesitation, Baekri Mudan spoke as though steeling himself.
“What are your thoughts regarding the betrothal with my niece?”
I knew it.
Seomun Hwan answered as if the matter were trivial.
“What do you mean by that?”
“Of course a promise carries great weight. It was made by our predecessors, however…”
Baekri Mudan spoke with clear pride.
“In the past, the Baekri Clan and Seomun Clan stood on equal footing. Similar scale, similar wealth, similar strength. But the situation has changed greatly now.”
It was exactly as he said. Over the decades, the Baekri Clan had soared like a bird with newly grown wings, while the Seomun Clan had stagnated. No one now placed the two families on the same level. The respective value of Baekri Seonhwa and Seomun Hwan differed even more starkly.
Seomun Hwan gave a small chuckle.
“I understand what you’re getting at. If my sister-in-law does not wish it, I have no intention of forcing the matter.”
His tone was decisive.
“As important as a betrothal is, the wishes of both parties matter just as much, don’t they?”
Baekri Mudan’s eyes wavered faintly. The words were polite, yet the attitude behind them was utterly unshakable. At that moment, he felt a strange sense of dissonance.
Was he always like this?
In his memories, Seomun Hwan had been nothing but a lazy, pathetic young master. Even today, while the guards fought desperately, hadn’t Seomun Hwan simply watched from the rear without lifting a finger?
He was definitely that kind of person, yet…
Baekri Mudan had spent many long years rolling through the cutthroat world of commerce. If there was one thing he trusted, it was his eye for people. Was the halo he seemed to see radiating from Seomun Hwan merely an illusion?
Because of that impression, he hastily tried to correct himself despite the earlier promise with his niece.
“Perhaps I was too hasty. Such an important discussion should be had calmly—”
Seomun Hwan remained firm.
“A promise is originally worth more than a thousand gold, yet once broken, it becomes less than grass. It is more valuable than a thousand pounds of gold, but once shattered, it holds less worth than weeds.”
Seomun Hwan bowed his head respectfully.
“I sincerely hope Hwa-mae forms a far better connection than one with me.”
“…I-I see.”
With a stiff expression, Baekri Mudan withdrew.
Only after the man was out of sight did Seomun Hwan snort.
“How fortunate. I feel exactly the same.”
The Seomun Clan had wanted to break the engagement because they believed the families’ stations no longer matched. With their elevated status and Baekri Seonhwa’s beauty, they likely intended to form ties with an even greater house.
Seomun Hwan’s own thoughts ran along similar lines.
“The Seomun Clan will soar much higher than this. We cannot afford to walk alongside a mere Baekri Clan.”
In truth, there was an even more important reason.
From the first glance, Seomun Hwan had seen through Baekri Seonhwa’s true nature. No matter how meticulously she concealed it, she could not deceive his eyes.
She’s all makeup.
Imagining her bare face once the cosmetics were removed made him shudder. No matter how flawless the application, it could not fool someone who had reached the pinnacle of illusion arts.