The Small Branch Leader Announcement Ceremony (2)
That old man couldn't possibly be unaware of its true value.
Still, I couldn't figure out why he was selling it so cheaply...
But if I could leave a good impression on someone who warranted a greeting from the Inspector General himself—a man once called the Ghost-Face Cloak—mightn't it make things easier to ask for help later?
Life is unpredictable, after all.
I smiled softly at the old man.
"Just take it. Truth be told, I should give you more, but that's all the money I have on me right now."
"Is this... payment for the item?"
"Yes. Payment for the item."
The old man gave an enigmatic smile.
"Very well. But I can't just let you leave like this. I'll throw in an extra one for free—pick anything that catches your eye."
"Pardon? You don't have to do that..."
At my words, he gestured for me to choose quickly. With no choice, I looked around the shop.
That's when my eyes kept drifting back to the inkstone made of cheongdang stone that I'd noticed earlier.
"Um, would this one be all right? I know it's shameless of me..."
"No problem at all. It was just something I was using anyway, so the price is lower than a new one."
And so, I left the sundries shop with the mirror, the fan, the bracelet, and even the cheongdang inkstone.
The old man watched the group leave his sundries shop.
A strikingly handsome young man who could make women swoon, a bear-like manservant, and two guards with sharp auras.
The one who piqued the old man's interest was the young man.
'His name was Eun Seo-ho, if I recall.'
He never slacked on investigating anyone who entered his shop—a habit from his days as a podoo, a detective sergeant.
That habit had allowed him to catch every murderer in his jurisdiction.
So of course he knew Eun Seo-ho, the youngest son of the Eunhae Merchant Group.
There was just one blemish in his career.
Others might say it was nothing, but to him, it was his greatest regret.
He'd tracked a murderer but let them slip away.
The culprit was an assassin.
He rubbed his thigh.
That was where the assassin he'd failed to catch had left a parting gift: a sword wound.
'Still stings.'
Even now, he still had nightmares about that time.
There was only one way to escape that nightmare.
Catch that assassin.
That was why a retired man like him had opened a sundries shop in this place.
This was one of the assassin's main haunts.
By running the shop and gathering information, he figured he'd catch them eventually.
'That young master sure has luck on his side.'
The old man knew it too.
The items Eun Seo-ho had just bought were all spiritual artifacts.
Yet he'd sold them dirt cheap because the shop itself was a spiritual artifact.
He didn't know the full story.
But he'd learned it after buying and running the place.
If someone caused a ruckus inside and broke things, they'd suffer losses equal to the items' value.
If they haggled below the owner's price, they'd take damage equal to the item's worth.
That's why he deliberately priced things low—to spare buyers the pain.
He had plenty of money anyway; no need to squeeze every coin.
Ruffians who trashed the place? Self-inflicted.
But no one had ever overpaid like Eun Seo-ho.
That's what made him curious.
What fortunes would this artifact-disguised shop bring the young man?
"Ah!"
Eun Seo-ho, stepping out, turned back.
"Elder."
"Yes?"
"In two days, the Eunhae Merchant Group is holding a grand banquet. It's the day my eldest brother officially becomes small branch leader."
"Oh! What joyous news!"
"I thought you'd enjoy it, so I wanted to invite you."
"Inviting this old man?"
"Yes."
Eun Seo-ho smiled.
"Then I'll see you there."
He turned and continued on his way.
The old man chuckled to himself.
"Invited like this, it'd be rude not to go, wouldn't it?"
Creeeak.
As if answering, the shop door swung open on its own.
The old man burst into laughter.
The next day,
I finished my breathing exercises and training.
Breakfast was still a ways off, but I hurried along.
I had to stop by Jeong Ho's quarters first, before the dining hall.
He wasn't officially small branch leader yet, so he was still staying in the main compound like me.
Jeong Ho, standing in the courtyard, lit up when he saw me.
"What brings you here so early?"
"I have something for you."
"...?"
I pulled a small box from my sleeve and held it out.
"Here. A gift."
"A gift?"
"Congrats on becoming small branch leader."
"I'm not yet."
"The announcement ceremony's tomorrow. You'll be busy from morning on, so I'm giving it early. I meant to yesterday evening, but you were out."
"Ah, I went to pay respects to Magistrate Ji-hyeon."
To run a merchant group, you needed to be on good terms with the local magistrate.
Jeong Ho was doing the rounds now that he was about to become official.
"Anyway, just take it."
Jeong Ho shyly accepted with an embarrassed smile.
He opened the box.
"Nice!"
My gift was a bracelet.
Silver with an elegant landscape engraving—perfect for a man, no fuss.
I'd bought it last night at a sundries shop in the western district's entertainment quarter.
In other words, it was a spiritual artifact.
"What do you think it is?"
"A bracelet?"
"Looks like one, right? But it's not."
I grinned and continued.
"Its name is Flying Silver Arrow."
Jeong Ho tilted his head.
"Arrow? Why call it that?"
"Channel your inner energy and swing it—a thin silver paralyzing needle shoots out like an arrow."
"Paralyzing needle? You mean it's a hidden weapon?"
I nodded.
As he'd guessed, Flying Silver Arrow was a concealed weapon, a hidden tool for secret strikes.
The one I'd gifted Jeong Ho had belonged, in my past life, to an assassin called the Red Feather Guest.
He had the vile habit of stuffing a red feather in his victims' mouths.
He got caught due to a ridiculous blunder, revealing his weapon.
Despite middling martial skill, he'd evaded capture for years thanks to that hidden weapon.
I'd learned about the mirror, fan, and this Flying Silver Arrow from the sundries shop a few years before my death.
All had been wielded by black path killers, claiming countless lives.
Traced back to that one shop, its original owner—the old man—faced hell.
After he died, the new owner liquidated them.
So I'd snatched them up before they could stain more innocent hands.
Tools aren't guilty—what matters is how they're used.
This time, in Jeong Ho's hands, it'd protect him from regrets.
But I couldn't say that outright, so I glossed over it.
"As small branch leader, you'll face more dangers than now. You know that."
"True."
"I want it to guard your life."
"Thanks."
Jeong Ho smiled and asked,
"Sounds like no ordinary item just from the description. Where'd you get it?"
"Ah... Ran into it by chance in the market yesterday."
"Really?"
"They say spiritual artifacts find their owners. This one's destined for you. Why nitpick? Just accept it!"
"Ahem, fair enough. With your personality, you got it fair and square."
Jeong Ho took the bracelet from the box and slipped it on his left wrist.
"Fits perfectly."
He chuckled.
"Let's go eat breakfast."
Jeong Ho and I headed to the dining hall.
The family was already seated.
"Sorry we're late."
"No need. We just arrived."
Grandfather looked at Jeong Ho.
"Jeong Ho finally becoming small branch leader! What a joyous day!"
"It's thanks to Grandfather, Father, and everyone guiding me well."
Father nodded at Jeong Ho's words.
"You've followed well. Isn't that right?"
Mother laughed lightly.
"Of course."
Then the maids brought bowls of soup.
Today's breakfast was chicken porridge.
In the warm atmosphere, we all ate heartily and sipped tea.
As everyone savored the aroma, I spoke up.
"Father, I have something to say."
Father nodded leisurely.
"What is it?"
"For tomorrow's small branch leader announcement banquet for Jeong Ho, how about stationing physicians around the venue?"
"Physicians?"
"Yes."
I continued.
"At Grandfather's birthday banquet last time, I saw a guest suffer sudden indigestion. If there'd been physicians, it could've been handled quickly."
"Hmm..."
"Tomorrow's Jeong Ho's official debut as heir. I don't want some minor mishap ruining the mood."
"True, such incidents can dampen the festivities for everyone."
Grandfather chimed in.
"Seo-ho's right. We should station physicians. It's our eldest grandson's big day stepping into the merchant world—no room for complaints."
With both Father and Grandfather approving, it was settled.
With Jeong Ho's small branch leader announcement ceremony tomorrow, the merchant group buzzed all day.
Setting up the banquet hall, preparing food—endless tasks.
All hands were on deck.
The Finance Office was swamped too.
Any banquet meant money, and budgeting expenses was our job.
As top priority, we hustled even harder than usual.
Meaning I was busy too.
Reviewing the food budget for the event, I let out a small sigh.
Ah, that's wrong.
I glanced at Chief Steward Yu and quietly fixed the error.
I could've reported it, but covering minor slips like this was better.
He might say just reject it outright—why bother fixing?—but this built my reputation.
.
.
.
Quitting time.
Despite sitting all day taxing my back, it didn't hurt a bit.
Maybe Master Jin's conditioning method, or my constitution, or inner energy...
Even nonstop work left me just mildly tired.
No pain? Good enough.
People rushed about for tomorrow's announcement banquet.
I spotted a familiar face and tilted my head.
"Brother, where've you been?"
Jeong Ho nodded at me.
"Seo-ho. Heading off duty?"
"Yeah."
"Just coming back from my new annex."
"Officially moving into the annex? Congrats!"
Jeong Ho scratched his cheek.
The merchant lord's sons get their own annex in the inner compound after finishing training and becoming official small branch leaders.
A sign of independence and true adulthood.
"I'll invite you once it's sorted."
"Can't wait. Curious what it's like."
I knew exactly what it looked like.
In my past life, I'd visited often to discuss business.
Suddenly, I recalled Jeong Ho drunk and rambling.
"If I'd heeded Woojin Warrior's warning, he wouldn't have died. He loved the room attached to the annex so much..."
The memory drew my gaze to the young guard behind Jeong Ho.
His name: Jeon Woo-jin.
Handpicked by Jeong Ho himself, he'd guarded him for over five years.
Per Chief Steward Go, his talent was exceptional—he'd reach Peak Realm before forty.
But tomorrow, Jeon Woo-jin Warrior dies.