Chapter 51
Chapter 51
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Translator: uly
Chapter: 51
Chapter Title: Part 1: Fourth Young Master
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The boy was visibly tense.
With his fair skin, large and gentle eyes, and a cute face full of healthy color, the boy was the Fourth Young Master of the Luoyang Sword Clan, Yeon Bi.
“Big Brother will be here soon.”
He stamped his feet.
The faces of the surrounding maids lit up with smiles as they watched the adorable boy.
“Preparations! Everything’s ready, right?”
His head maid knelt down to meet his eyes and smiled.
“Yes, of course.”
The soft beauty in her early thirties wore an expression like she wanted to gobble up her young master.
“The finest teas from six different regions, various snacks procured from the Tea Fragrance Gang, and fresh fruits….”
The Fourth Young Master clapped his hands, interrupting her.
“Skip the common fruits. The Won-gak Pavilion will have plenty of freshly harvested ones.”
Yes, no need to worry. We’ve prepared only rare fruits from the South. And….”
After listening for a while, the boy clapped again.
“Come to think of it, what if Big Brother’s legs hurt from walking? He doesn’t have any internal energy. The palanquin! Is the palanquin ready?”
“Of course.”
The head maid gestured to one side, and as the maids stepped back, the palanquin bearers and the palanquin came into view.
“It’s a palanquin made by the finest craftsman from the best materials.”
Nodding as he inspected it, the boy clapped once more.
“Ah! What if Big Brother feels burdened by people staring? So many people point fingers at him. Don’t we have a palanquin with walls and a ceiling instead of this open style?”
At that point, even the head maid had to sigh.
“We didn’t prepare one like that, but if the warriors escort him strictly, no one will dare even glance at the Eldest Young Master.”
“What if Big Brother dislikes the warriors…?”
The head maid grabbed his shoulders.
“Now, now, calm down and take deep breaths. Follow me: one, two. One, two.”
The boy breathed deeply along with her.
“You know the master too. He’s not the picky type at all. In fact, he’d feel burdened by too much preparation.”
Thanks to the Fourth Young Master’s love for his big brother, the head maid—who didn’t even serve him—had amassed near-expert knowledge about the Eldest Young Master.
“You’re right. The head maid’s words make sense. I got too carried away.”
He hugged her tightly.
The head maid chuckled and hugged him back.
“Eek! Just the head maid gets all the hugs!”
“Me too! Hug me!”
The surrounding maids then rushed in, piling into a group hug.
It was a familiar sight in the Fourth Young Master’s camp, so the escorts paid it no mind.
“But those people are still at it.”
The Fourth Young Master, finally back on the ground, remarked.
At the end of his gaze, a group of young scholars were engaged in a heated debate, spittle flying like a brawl.
Some were even coming to actual blows.
It was a common enough scene for them.
“They’re just too serious.”
The head maid straightened his disheveled clothes as she continued.
“They’re only doing their jobs diligently, so please don’t dislike them too much.”
The Fourth Young Master snorted.
“I don’t dislike them. I just think of them as greenhorns. In the end, they’re just desk-bound scholars measuring acorns, clueless about the real world.”
His eyes held a profound insight far beyond his years.
“They call themselves strategists or schemers, but they’re nothing more than ordinary folk.”
His closest aides were occupied with their duties and couldn’t join him here.
Instead, he’d brought the young staffers forming the core of this venture.
He regretted it inwardly.
“My closest aides should meet Big Brother….”
The head maid cautioned him gently.
“Master.”
The one she served was a person who combined the face of an innocent child with the mind of a prodigy.
“They already know how remarkable the Eldest Young Master is.”
She herself had been shocked countless times while studying the man scorned as the Swordless One.
“Knowing about him and seeing him in person are two different things.”
The boy let out a small sigh.
His gaze drifted back to the still-arguing group.
“And those guys don’t know a thing about Big Brother.”
He clicked his tongue and turned to the head maid.
“Head maid. Want me to tell you what those guys are going to say to me?”
“Yes, please do.”
The head maid knelt and brought her ear to his lips.
And shortly after, as the young scholars approached having ended their discussion,
“We couldn’t quite understand why the Eldest Young Master is necessary for this venture.”
she couldn’t help but burst out laughing.
Amid the stares directed at her, she lightly apologized and stepped back.
The scholar cleared his throat a few times before continuing awkwardly.
“The biggest issue is how the Supreme Family Head or the top council might react to the secluded Eldest Young Master engaging in external activities….”
The boy clapped once.
“That’s not for the likes of you to worry about.”
“I’m sorry.”
At the chilling response, the scholar hurriedly moved on.
“Sticking to the business plan, there are some details we can accept. But overall:”
The Fourth Young Master clapped again, cutting him off.
“You’re saying that Big Brother gets too large a share just for serving as advisor, right?”
The scholar, robbed of his words, nodded vigorously.
“Yes. Exactly. Of course, we don’t think our lord made an emotional decision.”
They were all too familiar with this boy’s wisdom and keen intellect.
“It’s just that, from a purely business perspective, the Eldest Young Master isn’t investing actual money. Yet taking such a large share would make other investors think….”
The boy’s clap echoed again.
“I get your point.”
As the boy crossed his arms and stepped forward, everyone assumed a posture of rapt attention.
It was one way to see just how towering a presence this Fourth Young Master was among them.
“First and foremost, Big Brother is….”
Just then, a maid waiting on the outskirts shouted loudly.
“The Eldest Young Master of the main house has arrived!”
The boy spun around and ran.
“Big Brother!”
His eyes sparkled.
* * *
“Who’s this!”
Yeon So-hyeon scooped up his cute little brother rushing toward him.
Then he spun him around.
“Hahaha! Stop it, Big Brother! I’m not a little kid anymore!”
Even as he said it, the Fourth Young Master was overjoyed.
“Haha, I see. Then I guess I’ll have to treat you like a grown man now!”
Yeon So-hyeon tossed the Fourth Young Master high and caught him repeatedly.
“Brother! This is what grown-up treatment feels like! It’s a whole new world! So fun!”
“Right?”
The Fourth Young Master squealed each time he flew into the air.
The maids watched the brothers with warm smiles.
The two shared a passionate reunion like that.
‘This kid….’
From Yeon So-hyeon’s perspective, it was his dear blood kin, someone he hadn’t seen in far, far too long.
* * *
“So, anyway, Big Brother, I ended up reading your entire True Book of Meridians and Acupoints!”
“I see. But why a medical text of all things?”
“Because I want to be like you, Big Brother!”
Seated in the tent, they enjoyed tea and refreshments while exchanging light chatter.
“And the Medicine King grandpa praised me on your recent visit! He said I could open a clinic right away!”
“Haha, I see. If you do open one, how about partnering with your big brother?”
“Ooh, what an honor. With the world’s greatest physician, we’d become the top clinic in the Central Plains! Come to think of it, what if the Medicine King grandpa joined us too?!”
“Haha, an old man like that’s no use.”
Yeon So-hyeon kept stroking his adorable brother’s head.
The boy stuck close to his side, endlessly pouring out all the stories he’d bottled up.
Only when Yeon So-hyeon kept indulging him did the head maid finally step in with a cough.
“Ahem. Eldest Young Master, and master. The business presentation is ready.”
Yeon So-hyeon nodded.
“Good, good. How about we finish the rest after the business is done?”
“Ooh! Can we really?”
“Yes. Let’s have dinner at the Won-gak Pavilion tonight.”
“Yay!”
The Fourth Young Master jumped up, arms outstretched, dancing gleefully.
Yeon So-hyeon clapped and laughed at the cute display.
After frolicking like that in front of his big brother for a while, the Fourth Young Master turned to the head maid.
“You heard? Cancel all schedules after today’s business.”
Sighing inwardly at the mountain of packed appointments, she could only smile outwardly.
“Of course.”
She stepped back and greeted Yeon So-hyeon’s head maid in a low voice.
“It looks like we’ll be imposing on you today. Thank you.”
“No imposition at all. Aren’t we all family in the Sword Clan?”
The Fourth Young Master’s head maid was inwardly awed by the radiant beauty and gentle smile of the Eldest Young Master’s head maid.
“Shall we go over the details then? First, the number of visitors….”
The two coordinated the plans without taking their eyes off their masters.
“Alright then!”
The Fourth Young Master clapped.
“Let’s get started!”
The gathering fell silent for a moment.
One of the Fourth Young Master’s young scholars, acting as emcee, stepped onto the makeshift podium and bowed to the audience.
After receiving applause, he cleared his throat a few times and began.
“First, our thanks to the Eldest Young Master of the Luoyang Sword Clan for gracing us today. With that, let’s begin the business presentation.”
Applause poured toward Yeon So-hyeon.
Lounging comfortably, he simply raised a hand in response.
The applause swelled briefly then naturally faded.
At Yeon So-hyeon’s relaxed demeanor, a few scholars whispered.
“The Eldest Young Master seems different from the rumors. Maybe they’re just that—rumors.”
“You felt it too? Hard to put into words, but his poise before a crowd alone dismisses all the hearsay.”
Even the Fourth Young Master’s maids murmured.
“What is it? Confidence?”
“Yeah. The one time I saw him from afar, he just seemed soft.”
Jeong-a, waiting behind Yeon So-hyeon, smiled inwardly at the crowd’s positive reaction.
And anticipated more.
This shift in first impressions was just the beginning.
“Before explaining the purpose of this venture, allow me to cover the background.”
The Fourth Young Master clapped.
All eyes turned to him.
“Why so much pointless stuff in the agenda? Does anyone here not know the background of this venture?”
He shot to his feet.
“Surely no one here doesn’t know about the Dragon-Phoenix Assembly?”