Chapter 15
Chapter 15
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Translator: uly
Chapter: 15
Chapter Title: Family
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The chief steward was like a father to Jeong-a.
Having lost her own father at a young age, Jeong-a had come to the Luoyang Sword Clan and lost touch with what little family she had left.
The chief steward had poured his heart and soul into teaching and guiding her.
Even someone as exceptional as her had made plenty of mistakes and caused a few incidents, as she was only human.
Whenever that happened, the chief steward had shielded her and always helped her find the right path.
Without him, Jeong-a was certain she would have been swept away and vanished in the turbulent currents of the Luoyang Sword Clan.
He was the only person she could truly trust in this massive organization.
And so, the report he had sent to the Eldest Young Master—and the words at the end of it—struck her like a thunderbolt.
“If she cannot abandon her innate temperament and tries to make deals with you...”
Her father figure was advising the Eldest Young Master to kill her if she proved useless.
Her legs buckled, and her strength drained from her body as she collapsed to the ground.
Her face turned deathly pale, and her hands trembled uncontrollably.
“Urp—!”
She clutched the railing and vomited onto the dirt floor.
Even after emptying her stomach, she continued dry-heaving for a long while.
As the retching subsided, she pulled out a handkerchief with her shaking hand.
She wiped her tear- and snot-streaked face.
Fresh tears welled up even as she wiped, and sobs threatened to escape her gritted teeth.
She took a deep breath and pulled herself together.
Her clenched fists were drained of all color.
“...Do you understand why I showed you that report?”
Yeon So-hyeon’s voice was as leisurely as before.
But Jeong-a sensed the icy darkness flowing deep within it.
“...Yes, Eldest Young Master.”
She straightened her posture, turned to face him, and bowed her head.
“What this report contains is the chief steward’s loyalty. If I may presume, you have shown me what true loyalty truly is.”
Even a child like blood kin meant nothing before one’s lord.
“Loyalty...”
Yeon So-hyeon leaned back comfortably and gazed up at the ceiling.
“I see it as madness.”
How could one explain sacrificing even one’s own child?
Jeong-a bowed her head deeply.
“It may be so in general.”
She continued in a voice whose trembling had ceased.
“But here, in the Luoyang Sword Clan—the foremost clan under heaven, at its very center, where all schemes and desires for power ultimately converge...”
She became acutely aware once more of where she was.
She reaffirmed her own position.
“This is loyalty.”
Yeon So-hyeon lowered his gaze and looked slowly at Jeong-a.
“...If I still accept you, do you wish to devote your loyalty?”
Jeong-a smiled.
It was a smile as beautiful and radiant as a flower blooming under sunlight after the rain.
“No.”
She prostrated herself, pressing her forehead to the floor.
“Whether to accept me is solely the master’s prerogative. I will simply serve my master with loyalty.”
Yeon So-hyeon sensed that the flower called Jeong-a had fully bloomed.
It carried a thick, intense fragrance.
The fragrance named madness.
“You are my one and only master, Eldest Young Master.”
Yeon So-hyeon smiled.
It was a thoroughly satisfying answer.
* * *
The night at Won-gak Pavilion was as quiet and peaceful as ever.
A breeze stirred, sending colorful petals dancing through the air.
The wards surrounding Won-gak Pavilion kept the temperature relatively warm.
Jeong-a lit the oil lamps provided and sat near the brazier to continue her tale.
“...And so, our once harmonious family merchant house collapsed in an instant.”
“The Salt King Stronghold and the bad luck...”
Yeon So-hyeon still held a book in his hand, but he listened to her story, occasionally interjecting with questions.
“Yes, indeed. My elder sister kept taking risks with Father despite our overflowing goods, but with one bad turn after another, there was no way out.”
“Even if she was your elder sister, the age gap couldn’t have been that great. Was she already involved in running the merchant house?”
Jeong-a took a sip of liquor to moisten her throat and replied.
“My sister is truly remarkable. She was the pride of our family from childhood, and she still is my pride.”
Like Jeong-a, her sister had been sold into some family, but she had quickly redeemed herself through her talents.
“Now she runs an information brokerage in Luoyang. It seems she’s finally established herself and is making a name for herself.”
One could fully sense from Jeong-a’s expression, as she spoke of her sister, just how proud she was of her.
“...And according to a letter from my sister not long ago, she’s found the culprit behind the string of misfortunes that befell our family.”
Her face darkened.
“That culprit was none other than the very man who forced the Salt King Stronghold deal on us.”
Her hand tightened around the cup.
“I still can’t forget him. That greasy-faced, obese pig of a man named ‘Geum-jil’ who destroyed our house...”
Yeon So-hyeon’s eyebrow arched.
“Geum-jil?”
Jeong-a looked at him with puzzlement.
“Yes, that was definitely the name. It didn’t seem like his real name, but that’s what everyone called him, as I recall. Is it a name you know, Master?”
Instead of answering, Yeon So-hyeon turned his head and gazed into the distance.
“Geum-jil...”
The memory from last night surfaced in his mind.
* * *
“Sir! Thank you! Thank you!”
“Enough with the thanks. Just guide me properly.”
“T-That way, sir!”
Despite his limp and his cumbersome body, the middle-aged man somehow led Yeon So-hyeon along.
It was none other than the very middle-aged man who had been getting beaten by the men Yeon So-hyeon had devoured.
“If you save my family, I’ll never forget this grace, even in death! I’ll repay it generation after generation!”
He repeatedly bowed in gratitude to Yeon So-hyeon, then clung to him, begging for help with his family.
“I know it’s shameless, but please, I beg you!”
“...I said I get it. Just lead the way.”
He fell several times, but each time Yeon So-hyeon tried to help, he refused and got back up to continue guiding.
“There, that way!”
At last, his shop-cum-home came into view.
Bathed in the dim moonlight, the place was a total wreck.
“Oh no, honey! Honey!”
The middle-aged man cried out in shock and rushed into the inner courtyard.
“Husband?! What happened?!”
“Father!”
The vivid sounds of a tearful family reunion echoed from the courtyard.
Yeon So-hyeon let out a small sigh and stepped inside, only for something to crunch underfoot.
“...A mask?”
The trashed shop was littered with masks.
There were wedding masks and ones hung for household blessings.
‘So he was the Mask Craftsman.’
As Yeon So-hyeon entered the courtyard, he saw the family embracing and weeping.
“Sir...!”
Spotting him, the Mask Craftsman prostrated himself at his feet and kowtowed deeply.
But his wife apparently misunderstood, because she suddenly knelt before Yeon So-hyeon and began pleading.
“Oh, sir! We’ll pay the interest soon, so please forgive this man just once! He needs his limbs intact to earn money, doesn’t he?”
Then she burst into loud sobs right there.
“No...”
Before So-hyeon could say anything, his children rushed out and grabbed at his pant legs.
“Please save our father! He’s sorry! Please forgive him just once!”
They even rolled on the ground.
“No, you fools! This sir isn’t ‘that kind’ of sir! He’s the one who saved my life!”
Evidently, the Mask Craftsman had always called debt collectors “sir.”
He hurriedly reined in his family, and his wife and children stood awkwardly, then began kowtowing profusely without giving Yeon So-hyeon a chance to speak.
“Thank you, sir!”
“Thank you!”
At their frantic yet orderly display, Yeon So-hyeon could only chuckle wryly in the end.
* * *
“It’s humble, but please sit here for a moment.”
Leading Yeon So-hyeon to the inner quarters, the Mask Craftsman seated him in the warmest spot, stirred the brazier to revive the flames, and then rummaged deep in a chest to retrieve a small hidden jar.
“It’s tea leaves. They’re cheap stuff, so I worry they might not suit your taste, sir...”
“It’s fine. Brew them.”
Not the common grain teas, but actual tea leaves were an extravagantly expensive luxury.
The Mask Craftsman called them cheap, but any tea leaves cost a fortune regardless.
“How could I?”
Before Yeon So-hyeon could stop him, he emptied the entire jar of carefully stored leaves into Yeon So-hyeon’s cup and poured hot water over them.
Then the children entered carrying wooden trays of snacks.
They placed the dishes on Yeon So-hyeon’s table as politely as possible, withdrew, and knelt on the floor.
The Mask Craftsman and his wife then knelt before the children.
“Sir, thank you!”
“Thank you!”
Yeon So-hyeon shook his head helplessly and gracefully lifted his teacup.
“...Good tea.”
At his praise, the children who looked about seven or eight beamed with joy.
“Sir, how can we ever repay such ocean-deep grace...”
Yeon So-hyeon waved a hand to silence the Mask Craftsman.
“Enough. I didn’t do it expecting anything.”
“But sir...!”
“More importantly.”
Yeon So-hyeon set down his teacup.
“Who were the ones harassing you and trashing this place?”
The Mask Craftsman bowed his head and answered.
“...I believe they were men contracted with the Black Bone Sect.”
“Black Bone Sect?”
The Mask Craftsman began explaining everything he knew in detail.
“Yes, sir. The Black Bone Sect is a vile black path group led by a woman called ‘Geumju,’ said to be the daughter of a man named Geum-jil.”
Geum-jil, and his daughter Geumju.
“The Black Bone Sect moves on behalf of Geum-jil, insinuated into every money-making venture from loan sharking to gambling dens—a massive outfit.”
“Why did you go to the gambling den?”
The Mask Craftsman slammed his forehead to the floor and replied.
“That’s their scheme, sir!”
“Scheme?”
The Mask Craftsman poured out his pent-up resentment.
“Yes, sir! With usury rates strictly limited by law, they force borrowers into gambling to rack up more debt!”
“Ha...”
Yeon So-hyeon gave a bitter smile at that.
Luoyang’s interest rate caps were one of his father’s past achievements, negotiated with the authorities.
And the one who had first researched, compiled, and formalized the laws had been none other than Yeon So-hyeon himself, in his youth.