Chapter 320: Things to Do (1)
Having finished off the bandit chief in combat, I dragged his sorry ass back to the mountain stronghold.
"Young master!"
My guards, who had been helping the others clean up the place, came rushing over—then froze in their tracks.
Was I really in that bad a shape?
The Seo-u Warrior asked in a trembling voice.
"Are you... are you injured, sir?"
"Ah..."
I nodded.
"My skills were superior, but this chief used poison arts on top of his petty tricks. My lack of experience got me grazed a bit."
"What? You were poisoned? That's dangerous!"
They sprang into frantic action.
Before I could even sputter a protest, a makeshift bed had been set up in the stronghold courtyard, and I was laid out on it.
Since when did my guards sync up this seamlessly?
The others, fine—but even the Myeongjong and Cheongun Warriors? What was going on?
"Shouldn't we wake that chief bastard and find out what poison it is?"
"Mm, good point. For now, we'll have to use the antidotes I have on hand."
I let out a sigh and sat up on the bed.
"Hey, why do you think I told you all to clear out earlier?"
Palgap answered my question.
"To keep us from getting caught in the poison arts, right?"
"Exactly. So why do you think I took the lead against him myself?"
"Huh? Now that you mention it, that's weird. Our young master cherishes his life like nothing else and never takes a loss."
Compliment... right?
"Good, you get it. It's because the martial art I practice neutralizes most poisons."
I looked at my guards and said,
"So I'm fine. Just a little scrape..."
"A little?"
I flinched at the Seo-u Warrior's intensity.
"Well, pretty deeply cut, yeah."
"We understand why you gave that order earlier. But sir, we've got way more experience dealing with scum like that than you do. And at our level, we can shrug off mediocre poisons."
"..."
"You worry too much about us, young master. We're grateful, of course—but we're afraid it'll lead to our own mistakes."
"..."
"Please rely on us more."
I fell silent, lost in thought.
Why had I insisted on facing that guy alone instead of letting my guards handle it?
Was it really just because I had the strongest resistance to poison?
No, it was probably memories from my previous life.
Back then, Palgap and the guards had thrown their lives away one by one to protect me.
That guilt and regret still lingered deep inside.
It had been six years since I returned to the past, but feelings like that didn't just vanish.
Still, I understood their concerns.
They were supposed to protect me, not the other way around.
Sometimes, excessive consideration could be poison itself.
This was one of those times.
"Truth is, I hate seeing anyone die in front of me. Especially if it's someone I care about."
"..."
"I guess I acted on instinct. But it must have burdened you all. I'm sorry. From now on, I'll rely on you more."
"We'll work harder to be worthy of your trust, young master."
Then the I-pil Warrior spoke up.
"But how's that side wound?"
"This'll heal with some golden sore balm and a couple weeks' rest."
At my words, Palgap pulled out a small vial.
"I figured something like this might happen, so I snagged a bit of that miracle jeongan-su."
"Huh?"
That suspiciously miraculous jeongan-su—don't tell me it was... Geumryeong's saliva?
Palgap laid me back on the simple bed and began applying the vial's liquid to my side.
The wound knit itself closed in seconds. Yep, spot on.
But knowing it was Geumryeong's spit left me with an uneasy grimace anyway.
"Does it hurt, sir?"
"It's fine..."
Prejudices are a scary thing.
Finally, with Cheonggwan rescued from his ordeal in the cave, the cleanup at the stronghold was complete.
By order of the Gold Guard daehyeops, Cheonggwan received basic treatment before being bound again.
Now for the real issue: the kidnapped children.
We had to return them home.
Judging by their clothes and accents, they were clearly from northern Gansu tribes, so it shouldn't be too hard.
"Then, daehyeops, will you head to Beijing with Minister Bang first?"
"Us first?"
"Yes. I'll take the kids home and follow after."
Jin Yeong Daehyeop looked sheepish at my words.
"Sorry. This is our job, really."
"No, no. When it comes to sending kids back to their families, who cares about that?"
I continued.
"Besides, with people still tracking us, it's better if you go ahead."
"True enough."
The Emperor's letter had requested escorting Minister Bang to Beijing and rescuing the Gold Guard daehyeops.
Getting them there safely came first.
"But are you sure? By your own logic, you'd be baiting them for our sake."
I grinned broadly at Minister Bang's words.
He wasn't wrong.
But sending them separately also left me free for business in Gansu Province.
"His Majesty's command trumps my safety. And don't worry about me—I'm pretty good at running away."
I said with a smile,
"So hurry back and catch the ones chasing me."
"Got it. I'll make sure of it."
And so Minister Bang and the Gold Guard daehyeops departed for Beijing, taking Cheonggwan and the other captives.
To move fast, they took a boat. After seeing them off, I headed to the house I'd bought at the mountain's base.
Palgap was playing with the kids.
"Time for us to get going too."
"Yes, sir!"
We boarded the prepared carriage. With no separate coachman, Palgap took the reins.
Abandoning the house felt wasteful, so I'd contacted the Eunhae Merchant Group's Gansu branch to manage it.
Might need it again someday.
The carriage lurched into motion.
"Are we going home now?"
One of the five kids asked me. The one who'd asked more than half the questions so far. Gilseong, was it?
"Yeah."
The others lit up with joy at my answer.
"But we don't even know where our homes are."
Fear crept back into their eyes at Gilseong's question, shoulders slumping.
"These clothes you're wearing—the ones you had on from the start?"
They nodded, glancing at each other.
"Your clothes and hair ornaments are unique markers of your tribes. I can figure out which ones from that."
"R-really?"
"So no need to worry."
"Um... Seonhyeopmirang daehyeop."
"Cough!"
I nearly choked at the title from Gilseong's mouth.
Didn't expect to hear that here.
"Where'd you even pick up that nickname?"
"From the Gold Guard uncles and the servants."
"..."
I shuddered.
"Just call me 'hyung.' Haha."
"Okay, hyung."
Gilseong and the kids bowed their heads to me.
"Thank you so much."
I smiled warmly at their gratitude.
Getting these kids home was only possible thanks to my past life's experience.
Back then, trading with Gansu tribes, I'd memorized their clothes, ornaments, and more.
"This way?"
"Yes. Straight on through here."
That knowledge even told me exactly where each tribe lived.
The guards marveled at me, but I brushed it off vaguely.
After four days by carriage from Nanzhou, we reached the first tribe's settlement.
Impressive braids woven with colorful threads on men and women alike.
Spotting them, the kid with the braided ornament teared up.
"Whoa, whoa!"
The carriage halted.
As we entered the settlement, tribesfolk tensed at the outsiders, staring warily. Sturdy young men gripped weapons, on guard.
I opened the carriage door, stepped out, and carried the tribe's child down.
A shrill cry like a scream came from across the way.
"Sejung!"
"Mother!"
The child bolted toward his rushing mother and threw himself into her arms.
"Sejung! My son! Where on earth have you been?"
"Mother! Mother!"
"Sejung? Sejung's back?"
"Father!"
I watched the family reunion with a pleased smile.
Then an elder approached me.
"Did you bring Sejung home?"
I clasped my hands in greeting.
"Yes, first time meeting you. I'm Eun Seo-ho. While carrying out His Majesty's orders, I found and rescued some kidnapped children."
"So Sejung was kidnapped?"
"Sadly, yes."
"And the other children?"
"A few more in the carriage."
The elder tilted his head.
"But how did you know Sejung was from our tribe?"
I tapped my hair lightly with a finger.
"The hair ornaments. Braiding with colored threads—especially three colors—is unique to your tribe, isn't it?"
"You noticed that? Incredible!"
"I'm in the merchant trade."
The elder smiled and introduced himself.
"I'm the chieftain of this tribe, Hochoong."
"Ah, the chieftain."
I'd known already—from his markers. And this tribe doesn't reveal names to just anyone.
Sharing his meant he trusted me?
Then the child brought his parents over and bowed.
"Thank you for saving me and bringing me home."
"You went through hardship, but live strong from here on."
"Yes. Thank you."
I smiled lightly and turned to the chieftain with a bow.
"Then I'll be off."
"Already? You're too stingy—we haven't even repaid your kindness."
"I'd love to stay, but there are other kids in the carriage. How long do you think their parents have been waiting? Please understand."
Put yourself in their shoes.
Understanding that, the chieftain and parents saw me off with regret.
"Can't argue with that."
"Please visit again someday."
We left the tribe and headed to the next.
Up to this point, a flicker of anxiety had lingered in the kids' eyes.
Doubts about whether I'd really take them home, probably.
But seeing one kid reunited sparked hope in their gazes.
It took a day to reach the next tribe.
Their clothes were slightly different, making it easy to identify.
We arrived at evening.
As we approached, burly youths rushed out with bows drawn.
Unlike the last tribe's mere vigilance, these aimed to shoot.
Hostile and insular to outsiders.
"Uh... you shouldn't do that to your benefactor."
I spoke gently to the flustered child.
"It's just them protecting their tribe. Totally normal."
"Sorry."
"No need to apologize."
"But don't misunderstand. Our tribesfolk are all kind and good. They're not usually like this."
"Of course, I get it."
I took the child's hand, stepped down from the carriage, and approached them with a polite clasp of hands.
"Greetings. I'm Eun Seo-ho. I've brought one of your tribe's children."
The child yelled ahead.
"Put down the bows! You can't do that to my benefactor!"
"Huh? Kangyong? Is that Kangyong?"
A leader-type raised his hand and barked orders.
"Stand down! Bows down, now, you idiots!"
"Tell the chieftain! Kangyong's back!"
He approached me.
"What happened?"
I explained everything. He turned to the boy called Kangyong.
"That true?"
"Yes. This man saved me."
"I see!"
Then a man came running from inside.
"Kangyong!"
"Dad!"
"Aigoo! What in the world?"
"Chieftain, this is the man who brought Kangyong back."
Only then did I realize Kangyong was the chieftain's son.
Come to think of it... a vague memory from my past life surfaced.
This tribe hadn't always been so closed off—but after the chieftain's son went missing, it changed.
They never found him...
That boy was this one?