Unexpected Journey (5)
I turned my head at the gaze I felt from beside me.
My master was watching me with complicated eyes.
"No need to worry. Escort Leader Kwak. Escort Leader Jeong."
At my confident words, the two nodded despite their concern.
"Understood. We'll wait."
"Young master, please take care of yourself."
I followed behind the clan lord with Palgap.
As I did, I recalled what the clan lord had said to Palgap.
That attendants were beings like that.
Words only someone who had kept attendants could say.
And the clan lord had even noticed that I was stronger than Escort Leader Jeong.
Which meant he himself was far superior to me in skill.
Someone truly hiding both his true strength and identity...
What was his story?
Soon, we arrived at the forest behind the mountain stronghold.
The clan lord stopped and turned to me.
"So, what is it you want to say? It must be important if you went to the trouble of pulling me aside like this."
"Of course. I have something I'd like to ask you, Clan Lord."
"Ask me?"
"Yes. About these spirit herbs scattered all over the mountain. Why do you leave them be?"
At my words, the clan lord tilted his head.
"What are you talking about? Spirit herbs?"
"Over there... Snow lotus flowers, white tiger spirit, and snow ginseng are everywhere..."
The clan lord looked utterly baffled.
From his expression, I realized he truly had no idea.
"You really didn't know?"
"No clue. If I had, would I have left them? I'd have sold them off ages ago."
"Fair point."
Spirit herbs were like that—even if you'd heard the name, unless you'd handled them yourself, you wouldn't know exactly what they looked like.
The clan lord was a martial artist, so he knew of them, but he'd never dealt with them directly. Even with training, spotting them growing wild like common weeds was no easy task.
I could find them right away because I'd handled these herbs before and knew they were here.
In the future I'd lived through, the Martial Alliance had swept this place clean precisely because of these spirit herbs.
To prevent that, I had to resolve this now.
The incident had erupted five years from now, meaning even the Martial Alliance didn't know about the herbs here yet.
That way, the clan lord and his stronghold folk wouldn't lose their innocent lives.
Plus, I'd soon need spirit medicines with yin energy.
Sensing my sincerity, the clan lord asked gravely.
"You're saying this place is crawling with spirit herbs? Is that true?"
"Yes."
"Would you stake your life on it?"
"No."
"What?"
Slightly flustered, he stared as I declared boldly.
"My life is far too valuable to risk on something as trivial as the existence of a few spirit herbs."
The clan lord burst into delighted laughter at my answer.
"Kekekeke! You're the real deal."
"I'll take that as a compliment."
"So, what do you want from me?"
His eyes had completely changed.
"You must want something, dragging me out here alone to reveal the spirit herbs. A share of them?"
"I'd gratefully accept if offered, but that's not what I want."
"Then what?"
I met the clan lord's gaze straight on.
"How about doing some business with the Eunhae Merchant Group?"
"...Business?"
I nodded.
"Yes. It's true there are abundant spirit herbs here, but you can't just sell them as-is. Flooding the market with this quantity all at once would put this place in danger."
The clan lord eyed me.
"Is that why you pulled me aside quietly? Afraid the secret might leak?"
"Exactly."
"Fair enough... If word got out we have heaps of spirit herbs, every thug from the Black Path to the Martial Alliance would come gunning for us."
"..."
I was a bit surprised to hear Martial Alliance from the clan lord's lips.
Few mentioned them when fretting over losing treasures.
And when he spoke of them, raw anger flickered in his eyes.
There was a story there.
"So, what do I get out of dealing with your merchant group?"
"Secrecy guaranteed, and steady income. We'll buy at good prices."
"And if I refuse?"
"Then find your own buyers."
"You won't spill the secret?"
"Why would I?"
"...?"
"If I leaked it, this stronghold vanishes. Then I'd have to schmooze the new owner, wasting time and money... Too much hassle."
After staring at me a moment, the clan lord roared with laughter.
"Puhahahaha!"
When his laughter finally died, he said,
"Not afraid of me at all, eh? Guts sticking out your belly."
"How could I deal with a big shot like you without 'em?"
"Heh, your father must envy having a son like you."
"Thanks for the praise."
"Fine. We'll do business with Eunhae."
"Thank you. Shall we draw up a contract, then?"
"Ha! Thorough one."
"Contracts are the basics of trade."
After sealing the deal, I returned to the clearing, and everyone swarmed me.
"Young master!"
"Are you all right?"
I smiled at their words.
"Yes, I'm fine. Sorry for acting on my own. I'll apologize properly later."
Then the clan lord spoke.
"Everyone, listen up!"
All eyes turned to him.
"From today, I will treat Eunhae Merchant Group's Eun Seo-ho as my silver benefactor."
"...!"
Everyone's eyes widened.
To martial artists, bonds of silver and grudge carried immense weight. They could demand huge sacrifices, so silver benefactor wasn't tossed around lightly.
Yet here was the clan lord of the formidable Odongsan stronghold declaring it.
He was publicly backing me.
"Anyone who doesn't accept my will, step forward now."
He drew his ring-pommel saber and slammed it into the ground.
Thud!
At his chilling words, the green forest bandits responded in unison.
"None here."
"I'll serve him as silver benefactor too."
"I'll follow your will, Clan Lord."
And just like that, I became the silver benefactor of the Odongsan stronghold under the clan lord.
"That's how it is."
The clan lord told my master.
"And I don't want to be the shameless sort charging tolls to my silver benefactor. So go on through."
My master glanced at me, and I subtly shook my head.
He nodded and replied,
"No can do. Can't leave without paying for what we've gotten."
"Heh heh! Ignoring my sincerity?"
"Not at all."
My master pulled a money pouch from his bosom and offered it.
"This isn't toll. It's a gift from the silver benefactor. Take it."
The clan lord cleared his throat awkwardly.
"Ahem, well, if you insist."
He pocketed it and called out,
"Alright, lads! They're in a hurry. Clear the snow quick!"
"Yes!"
"Clear it fast, then with today's haul, let's gorge on meat and booze for once!"
"Yep!"
"Hyah!"
"Let's go!"
At the promise of meat and booze, the bandits' eyes lit up as they charged ahead, and the snow vanished in no time.
Everyone was stunned at how quickly the snow-buried path reemerged.
My master remarked,
"Looks like we'll reach our destination faster than expected."
Escort Leader Jeong nodded in agreement.
"Thanks to the young master."
He eyed me.
"What on earth did you do to make the clan lord call you silver benefactor? It can't just be suggesting they clear the snow."
"That's..."
I grinned.
"A trade secret."
"Even from a fellow merchant group member? That's cold."
No helping it.
We'd agreed to keep the spirit herbs secret, so I couldn't spill here.
And it wasn't a light matter to brush off with a flimsy lie.
Better to shut it down as a secret—clean and simple.
Escort Leader Jeong won't hold a grudge over this.
Though he feigned offense, his face showed none.
He had an instinct for danger.
That's how he'd survived countless perils.
It extended to knowing what he needed to know—and what not.
I figured that's how he'd risen to vice leader of the Silver Wind Escort Team.
Man, I want that skill.
Just then, Escort Leader Jeong shivered, hugging his arms.
"What's wrong?"
my master asked.
Jeong chuckled sheepishly.
"Nothing. Just felt a sudden chill."
"With weather like this, bundle up. Add another layer."
"Will do."
My master clapped his shoulder.
"Alright, time to prepare to depart."
"Yes! Let's."
The escorts climbed back onto the wagons, and I followed my master and Escort Leader Jeong to the clan lord, cupping my fists in salute.
"Thanks for the fun rest. We're off."
"Thanks for humoring my whims. And for showing our stronghold a path forward."
The clan lord continued, looking at me.
"I'll be waiting for word."
"Yes. Stay safe till then."
"May fortune follow your caravan."
With farewells exchanged, I boarded the wagon.
"Depart!"
"Yes!"
At my master's order, the caravan rolled out again.
* * *
Odongsan stronghold's clan lord, Jang Daesu, watched the departing caravan.
He chuckled softly.
Recalling the bold boy who'd secretly proposed the deal.
The Eunhae Merchant Group's youngest son, eh.
Barely of age, still a greenhorn.
Anyone would tremble at his ring-pommel saber or the aura he'd unleashed.
But the boy's response was different.
He'd approached confidently, offering a solution.
No wonder he sighed at my words...
Jang felt a twinge of embarrassment.
And the boy had revealed the stronghold's unknown spirit herbs, proposing trade.
As he'd said, trading them properly would grow and stabilize the stronghold.
Fortify its defenses too.
Just when I was getting uneasy. Perfect timing.
With hope came tasks: selecting men for herb trades, and such.
Can't have betrayals this time.
Jang eyed his ring-pommel saber.
To escape after slaying his traitorous deputy, he'd abandoned his beloved blade for this Black Path weapon.
Anything else would reveal his martial arts fully.
They couldn't know he was still alive.
Speaking of which, seeing Eun Seo-ho reminded him of the boy who'd enabled his escape.
His former attendant—gutsy and resourceful, just like Eun Seo-ho.
Anyway, he wanted to see how far this Eun Seo-ho could go.
That must be why.
Why he'd declared the hidden-identity Jang would serve Eun Seo-ho as silver benefactor.
* * *
After descending the mountain a ways, the snow had thinned enough we no longer needed clearing.
"This is as far as we go. Safe travels."
The green forest bandits who'd cleared the path said their goodbyes.
Beyond here wasn't their turf, and straying too far from the stronghold served no one.