Bok Yun (1)
Slowly chilling winds.
A sign that we were drawing nearer to the North Sea Ice Palace.
"It looks like we can stay at that inn up ahead and restock our supplies there."
We nodded at Jin Yu Warrior's words.
Seo-u Warrior had led us as far as Beijing, but from Liaoning onward, Jin Yu Warrior had taken the reins.
He was the only one among us who'd ventured this far north of Beijing.
Of course, in my previous life, I'd come to Liaoning too, but I couldn't exactly reveal that now.
Jin Yu Warrior continued.
"This is the busiest spot around, so we should be able to get what we need at fair prices."
Soon enough, we arrived at the inn he'd mentioned.
"Whoa! Why's the inn so huge?"
I chuckled at Palgap's exclamation. The other three warriors, excluding Jin Yu, looked equally stunned.
And no wonder—the place was enormous.
The massive five-story pavilion reminded me of the Yeochun Inn built by that Moonju Castle young master and his wife, the Padupa couple with their Paenka Flower Swordswoman flair.
"Liaoning might be considered a frontier, but it has diverse local specialties, and it's the most prosperous spot in the northeast."
"Is that so?"
"Yeah. It's famous for medicinal herbs like ginseng and deer antler velvet, jade crafts, horses, and the like."
Jin Yu Warrior let out a quiet sigh of admiration.
"As expected of the young master. You even know about places like this."
"Yeah, I haven't been here myself, but I've heard a bit."
In my past life, our Eunhae Merchant Group hadn't expanded into Liaoning until much later.
As a frontier region, established merchants had monopolized the herb trade—ginseng, antler velvet, you name it.
We only managed to open a branch here after becoming one of the Ten Great Merchant Groups of the world.
We dismounted and headed into the inn.
A waiter hurried out to greet us.
"Welcome! How many in your party?"
"Four."
"Hand me the reins, and head on inside."
As we passed the reins to the waiter and turned to enter, a sudden commotion erupted.
"Young master! Don't let go of the reins!"
It wasn't directed at me.
And it wasn't Palgap's voice anyway.
Neigh!
The excited whinny of a bucking horse, frantic shouts from the crowd—we all whipped our heads around.
A young man about my age was clinging desperately to a rampaging horse, panic etched on his face.
"C-Calm down! Calm down, I said!"
Neiiiigh!
But the horse had no intention of settling. It charged straight toward me.
"Watch out!"
I started to dodge, then froze.
If I just sidestepped, the young man would be thrown and badly hurt—maybe even killed.
That was when it happened.
"Chit!"
Before I knew it, Goldling had slipped from my sleeve onto my shoulder and scolded the horse.
All it said was "chit!," but to my ears, it sounded just like a reprimand.
In that instant,
"……."
The rampaging horse began to calm. I caught sight of its eyes.
A gaze filled with terror, as if it had beheld something awe-inspiring.
At any rate, it had settled—thank goodness.
Goldling quietly retreated back into my sleeve, and I approached the horse, stroking it gently.
"You need to calm down. You almost hurt your owner."
Snort...
I'd approached and spoken to it on purpose, figuring people might find it odd otherwise.
It had been barreling toward me, then suddenly stopped and calmed.
Goldling was a spirit beast; the less it drew attention, the better.
But strangely, the horse seemed afraid of me?
I looked up at the young man still mounted on its back.
"Are you alright?"
"Y-Yes."
"Take care getting down."
With help from the others, the young man dismounted.
"Thank you so much."
"We owe you for helping our young master. Thank you."
After taking a moment to drink some water and compose himself, the young man approached, offering a formal cupped-fist salute.
"Thank you for your help. I'm Bok Yun, young master of the Gwangjun Merchant Group."
I knew of Gwangjun Merchant Group.
They specialized in horses.
Liaoning bordered nomadic lands, so horses were plentiful here.
By maintaining good relations with those tribes and supplying quality steeds to the Central Plains, they'd earned a spot among the Hundred Great Merchant Groups.
Come to think of it, I'd met Gwangjun's leader at the last gathering of the Hundred Greats.
But a odd thought struck me.
In my previous life, Gwangjun's leader hadn't been this Bok Yun fellow—it was someone named Bok Yeong.
Pushing the notion aside for now, I returned his salute.
"Ah, I'm Eun Seo-ho, young master of Eunhae Merchant Group."
My trip north wasn't exactly a secret. The reason for it was.
At my introduction, his eyes widened in surprise.
"Y-You're the Seonhyeopmirang, aren't you?"
Ugh, that title had spread even here!
"It's an undeserved honor."
"Not at all. Just seeing you leap to help me today makes it clear why you bear that name."
At that moment, the waiter informed us our rooms were ready.
"Then take care going in, and rest well."
"Thank you."
We followed the waiter inside.
By then, Bok Yun's entourage had examined the horse more closely and started murmuring.
"Look—there's a needle stuck in its front leg."
"That must be what set the horse off!"
"Who the hell would do this?!"
Then Jin Yu Warrior sent me a sound transmission.
"The needle in the horse's front leg—assassin's handiwork, by the look of it."
"An assassin?"
"Yes. Seems like an attempt to stage it as an accident. But the skill's better than expected."
That explained why Gwangjun's leader had been someone else in my past life.
An assassination disguised as an accident, just like this.
And by the time I'd seen Merchant Lord Bok Yeong, Gwangjun had already fallen from the Hundred Greats.
He wasn't destitute, but just average.
So, rivals or jealous types must be behind it, gunning for Gwangjun.
I asked Jin Yu Warrior via transmission.
"Any idea who the assassin might be?"
"A few suspects come to mind, but nothing certain."
"Keep a discreet eye out."
"Understood. Planning to stop it?"
"If I can, why not?"
Jin Yu Warrior's face lit up with emotion at my words.
I didn't want to witness someone dying right in front of me, plain and simple.
If I could save him, I should.
But it wasn't pure altruism—I gave a wry smile.
If Bok Yun got killed while we were at the inn, we'd be stuck here for the investigation.
Our already delayed schedule would drag even more.
Plus, helping him now might earn us a favor later.
Calculated, sure, but unavoidable.
Instinct of a merchant—and we were taking a risk to help.
I transmitted back to Jin Yu Warrior.
"I'm not that good a person."
"No, sir. Between saving my life and everything I've seen of your actions, you're a good man."
"Glad you think so. Thanks."
Then Palgap spoke up.
"By the way, young master."
"Yeah?"
"How'd you calm that horse earlier?"
The other warriors eyed me curiously too.
I gave an awkward laugh.
"Wasn't me—Goldling did it."
"Huh?"
"It just made one little sound, and the horse turned meek as a lamb."
"It looked more like the horse was scared of you, young master."
I scratched my cheek at Seo-u Warrior's comment.
"Yeah, tell me about it. I'm not that scary."
Palgap stared at me blankly.
"What?"
"Nothing, sir."
…
…
…
After settling into our rooms, we had lunch at the inn, then headed to the market.
Liaoning's busiest district meant cheap prices on what we needed.
"Jerky first, right?"
"Yes, and leather waterskins too."
Jin Yu Warrior added,
"Water's scarcer up north than you'd think. Stock up as much as you can whenever you can, and use it sparingly."
Normally I'd rest or handle other tasks during prep, but here I tagged along.
Unfamiliar turf—might need me to step in.
That's when we ran into a familiar face.
"Ah! We meet again, Eun young master."
"Bok young master."
Bok Yun of Gwangjun Merchant Group.
"What brings you to the market?"
"Long journey ahead, so picking up jerky, waterskins, that sort of thing."
"I can help with that. I know just the spot."
He grinned eagerly, offering assistance.
"Follow me."
He led us to a shop specializing in travel goods for merchants.
"You can get pretty much everything you need here."
"Handy place."
I knew of it, actually—had planned to come here anyway.
Liaoning saw plenty of long-haul travelers due to its position, but not hordes of them.
Meaning you had to source supplies yourself.
But those supplies were varied, not everyday items, and tough for civilians to use—hard to find.
One clever merchant had the idea: specialize in long-distance travel gear.
It was a hit, and this shop became Liaoning's top outfitter for such trips.
Pretending it was new to me avoided suspicion, so I feigned surprise. Bok Yun smiled and pointed inside.
"Let's go in."
He led the way, handing a copper coin to a man waiting with a cart by the door.
"Here you go."
"Yes, sir."
Bok Yun explained to us.
"Bulk buys like this—you can't carry it all. So cart-pullers follow with carts. They load it up too."
"Do they deliver?"
He nodded at Seo-u Warrior's question.
"For a fee."
In my past life, I'd considered copying it back in Hubei but scrapped the idea.
It was born of this region's quirks.
We loaded the cart with jerky, sturdy leather waterskins, and more.
As we went to pay, Bok Yun intervened.
"I'll cover these."
"No need."
"It's my thanks."
After some back-and-forth, he paid.
I smiled lightly, told the cart-puller the inn's location, and paid his fee.
"Delivery, please."
"Got it."
Then to Bok Yun:
"Lunch is on me today."
"No, really."
"Even if I calmed the horse and saved you, it's too much payback for that. I won't rest easy without at least buying you a meal."
Bok Yun nodded.
"In that case, sure."
We headed to a nearby tavern.
Taverns were for drinks, but daytime meant meals too.
En route, Jin Yu Warrior transmitted:
"Suspicious types in sight."
"Keep watching."
"Yes, sir."
We reached the tavern, and Bok Yun looked surprised.
"This place is pretty pricey."
"It's fine."
I gave his back a gentle nudge inside.
"The assassin won't get in here."
"I see."
"Was that your plan?"
I chuckled inwardly at Jin Yu Warrior.
I'd chosen this upscale tavern on purpose.
They had solid security.
And an assassin wouldn't order such expensive fare easily.
They'd wait for another shot.
Meals should be peaceful.
"That table looks good."
I picked a spot out of sight from outside assassins.
As we sat, Bok Yun lowered his voice.
"You've noticed too, Eun young master."
"Noticed what?"
"That there's an assassin after me."