In Nanzhou (2)
To my surprise, I was the one who ended up flustered.
Why is he here of all places?
The gatekeeper spotted him and hurriedly bowed in greeting.
"Young Master Yi, you've arrived?"
No way...
He greeted me warmly.
"Finished with your business already?"
"Uh... is Master Bang Hyo-myeong here by any chance?"
"Yes? He's my father."
"......"
A short while later,
I sat face-to-face with the boy's father in the Bang family's reception room.
His name was Bang Eun-seok.
He was the second son of Master Bang Hyo-myeong.
"So, you came to see my father?"
"Yes, that's right."
"I never imagined your errand involved meeting him. Do you have some connection with my father?"
"Just someone I got to know through another person. Haha. But is something the matter?"
I asked because the Bang household seemed oddly bustling.
"Ah, yes. We had a family event. I rushed back from Kaifeng for it."
"If I may ask, what do you do in Kaifeng?"
"I serve as a deputy magistrate."
A deputy was essentially second-in-command in a prefecture—equivalent to a mid-level rank seven official, a respectable provincial post.
"Even so, why travel without a single escort? The world is so dangerous these days..."
"I can't drag others into my personal affairs. Father would scold me for it."
"......"
Just then, I sensed someone approaching from outside.
He's here.
The door opened, and an elderly man who appeared to be in his sixties entered.
"You're the one who wanted to see me?"
I rose quickly, cupping my hands in respect.
"Yes, that's me. Eun Seo-ho of the Eunhae Merchant Group pays his respects to you, Master."
"I'm Bang Hyo-myeong. Pleased to meet you. Sit."
"Thank you."
At his invitation, I sat back down and glanced at the man who had entered with him.
He ignored my gaze completely, standing by the door and focusing solely on Master Bang Hyo-myeong.
His bodyguard, by the look of it—martial prowess around peak realm.
He seemed tense, having sensed me and my group's presence.
"So, why did you want to see me?"
I turned my attention back to Master Bang Hyo-myeong.
"Truth be told, I sought you out to deliver a letter on someone's behalf."
"A letter?"
"Yes."
I handed the letter to Master Bang Hyo-myeong, and he took it.
"Please read it. I need to confirm you've seen the contents."
He tilted his head curiously and tore it open.
His face twisted upon reading it.
"Damn it."
He glared at me with a scowl.
"Do you know what's in this letter?"
"No. How could I, without reading it?"
"Right, your cheerful face proves you haven't peeked."
"Pardon?"
What does my expression have to do with whether I've read it?
He gruffly handed the letter back to me.
"Read it."
I took it and read.
Greetings to you, Bang Hyo-myeong. Did you think you could just leave and that would be the end of it, you old codger? Bet you never saw an imperial summons coming.
One of my Gold Guard warriors, Jin Yeong, is in dire straits. Handle that first. He's gone missing, and no one's found a trace anywhere.
I trust you'll track him down.
The lad delivering this is quite the entertaining fellow—keep him around for the fun. Go find Jin Yeong with him and bring the warrior back.
The opening was a casual greeting to his old friend and retainer, Master Bang Hyo-myeong.
Followed by some resentment over his departure... and rather childish jabs like that.
They must be close for such informality. Though the age gap seems like twenty years—still friends?
Whatever.
The Emperor was asking Master Bang Hyo-myeong to find the missing Gold Guard warrior, Jin Yeong Daehyeop.
I'd thought the Emperor was just annoyed about the disappearance, not this invested.
I believe in you to find him.
The letter brimmed with unwavering trust in Master Bang.
The problem was...
Take this amusing kid along and find Jin Yeong together.
I let out an involuntary sigh.
Damn.
I'd thought delivering the letter ended my mission... but no.
It wasn't over until it was over.
"Now that's a fitting expression."
"You're more mischievous than I expected."
"Why pick on you when the letter-bearer's right here?"
He glanced at his second son and continued.
"Honestly, I never dreamed you'd be the one bringing His Majesty's letter. No way someone carrying that would dive into rapids to save a kid."
Ah...
Truth was, I hadn't had the letter on me then.
I'd stashed it in my luggage just in case.
Speaking of, the Emperor's pouch held my inkstone too—turns out it's surprisingly inconvenient.
Focus.
"And a merchant at that, none other than the famed Seonhyeopmirang."
"Same here."
"In any case, thank you for saving my grandson."
He went on.
"But... sneaking the letter in suggests you're being pursued?"
"......Yes, that's true."
"That's why you refused my son's offer to stay."
Bang Eun-seok, who had been listening, looked baffled.
"What are you talking about? Who sent that letter? Wait, wasn't it from an acquaintance of Father's?"
Master Bang Hyo-myeong sighed and asked me,
"How much should I tell him?"
"I haven't heard."
"I see."
Master Bang nodded, then spoke to his son with a complicated expression.
"His Majesty, whom I long served, has summoned this old body once more."
"Pardon? Then...?"
"As you heard, the situation isn't good. Tighten security and vigilance around the household for now."
"Understood."
He instructed his son, then pulled out brush and ink, wrote something, and handed it over.
"Take this. Give it to your brother and have him follow these orders."
"Yes."
"Then, let's go."
I panicked.
"Pardon? Now? Without telling the family?"
Bang Eun-seok chuckled.
"He's always been unpredictable, so we expect sudden departures. Still..."
He continued,
"He's never been wrong once."
His tone and expression conveyed deep trust.
.
.
.
About an hour later,
Master Bang left the house with us, accompanied by a servant and his bodyguard.
Despite the abrupt exit, their reactions were nonchalant—clearly, this was his usual style.
Still, isn't this too rushed...?
"Elder, may I ask something?"
"What?"
"Is there a reason to leave in such haste?"
"You call that a question? Pursuers could catch up anytime."
His point was valid on the surface. But this case was different.
"Actually..."
I explained how I'd shaken off the pursuers.
"So they're tracking toward Guangdong Province now. They might realize the trick and double back, but..."
Master Bang sighed.
"You."
"Yes?"
"Couldn't you have mentioned that sooner?"
"Sorry. You moved so decisively, I had no chance."
Indeed. His swift actions left no opening.
"Ahem."
Master Bang cleared his throat awkwardly.
"Well, what's done is done. We've talked it out and left the house."
Yes, fair enough.
Then Palgap whispered to me.
"Young master."
"What?"
"Don't you feel like you're looking in a mirror?"
"What are you getting at?"
"Nothing, sir."
The Emperor's letter also detailed Jin Yeong Daehyeop's disappearance.
Jin Yeong Daehyeop had headed to Nanzhou, sent a letter confirming his arrival, then vanished.
His mission: investigating child abductions in northern Gansu Province.
Local officials from counties and prefectures had reported serial kidnappings of children but couldn't resolve it.
"Such incidents..."
Master Bang seemed genuinely unaware.
Of course—northern Gansu was sparsely populated, with isolated villages and little exchange.
"First, we search for traces of this Jin Yeong fellow here in Gansu."
"Agreed."
We headed to the Gold Guard's safehouse in Nanzhou, presumed to be Jin Yeong Daehyeop's last stop.
I kept wondering why the Emperor recalled Master Bang—and tasked him specifically with finding Jin Yeong Daehyeop.
To me, he just seems like an ordinary retired official.
"Traveling with a rich kid does make things convenient. But am I costing you too much?"
Master Bang asked as we checked out of a high-end inn.
I smiled.
"This is pocket change for me."
"Is that so?"
"But this is official business, not personal. His Majesty wouldn't expect us to foot the bill ourselves."
Master Bang burst out laughing.
"Hahaha! Now I see why His Majesty called you amusing."
"Really? I don't get it."
"One never sees it in themselves."
I tilted my head, then noticed Palgap nodding vigorously.
"Palgap?"
"Yes? What is it, sir?"
"Nothing."
"......"
I'm just stating the obvious, and it's amusing? Weird.
That afternoon,
We arrived at the Gold Guard safehouse in Nanzhou.
It looked like an ordinary home for a well-off family.
But eerily quiet, as if abandoned.
I focused my senses—no presences.
"Seems empty."
"I see."
Master Bang told me,
"Follow carefully in my footsteps then."
"Pardon?"
I blinked, but he began meticulously inspecting the grounds without reply.
"Cart wheel marks—something was loaded. No signs of forced entry at the gate. But battle traces all over the buildings..."
"......"
"Drag marks suggest they subdued someone and carted them off."
He turned to me after checking around.
"What do you make of it?"
"No broken door means someone was bribed to open it—or let them in."
"Exactly."
"Few attackers, judging by traces, yet minimal signs of combat. They were overpowered without much resistance—likely poisoned."
"Excellent!"
"They loaded the subdued ones onto the cart and left."
"My thoughts too. Five people here. Their builds..."
I didn't know the other four, but one matched someone familiar.
Jin Yeong Daehyeop.
At his level, he could've resisted poison somewhat.
Subdued without a fight meant skilled foes.
Master Bang deduced enemy and ally numbers, builds, and even martial arts from traces alone.
"They're likely still alive."
"Why?"
"No bloodstains. And they didn't burn the place despite leaving traces—wanted to buy time."
He continued,
"Missing Gold Guard versus dead carries different weight."
"......"
"Taking them alive and needing time means...?"
A gruesome image of blood-soaked horror flashed in my mind.
"We need to hurry."
Now I understood why the Emperor recalled Master Bang—and tasked him with this.
He wasn't just any official.
A brilliant investigator with keen observation and judgment.
"They used a cart, so tracking it comes first."
He examined the wheel marks, gauging size from the width.
Isn't that obvious?
"A large cart pulled by three horses."
"How do you know?"
"I'm a sub-branch head of the Eunhae Merchant Group. Easy."
Why the sudden gleam in your eyes? It's scary...