Chapter 417. A New Beginning for Yangyang Martial Hall (3)
I was at Gaho Pavilion.
The Seong Clan Lord had kept his promise, clearing out the place within three days as agreed.
I'd come here to inspect what needed to be acquired.
In the midst of that, Hall Master Yeom arrived.
"You've arrived."
"Sorry I'm late. The Seong Clan Lord stopped by, so we talked for a bit."
"The Seong Clan Lord?"
At my question, he nodded and showed me a box.
"Yes. He came in person and left this."
"……?"
As I tilted my head, Hall Master Yeom opened the box and showed me.
"It's thirty nyang of silver taels. He said he was sorry once again and gave me this—the exact amount we paid him before for dismantling Yangyang Martial Hall."
"He came all the way here just to give you this…… The man's changed a lot."
"Yes, he's definitely different now."
Hall Master Yeom nodded emphatically and continued.
"Still, with all the financial troubles, how did he manage to scrape this together……?"
"Yeah, wonder how."
I played dumb, but I had my suspicions.
Probably found the previous clan lord's hidden fortune.
How do I know? Sorry, late Seong Ji-myeong Clan Lord, but I read that letter just in case there might be something left for Yangyang Martial Hall.
And there it was, in the final passage—the previous clan lord's contingency plan.
The turtle stone statue in the middle of the Seong Clan Manor's patronage pond.
So I sneaked into the manor and checked the pond.
Geum-ryeong was drooling over that statue, for sure.
That confirmed it. Something valuable was hidden inside.
Gold, silver, jewels, or maybe promissory notes.
A father who foresaw how his son might act and hid the real contract accordingly.
He must have predicted his son wouldn't heed his legacy, that he'd turn to pleasure businesses and struggle.
"How many moves ahead was the late Seong Clan Lord seeing, anyway?"
"Why do you say that?"
"Just feels like this eight-story building is the late clan lord's gift to Yangyang Martial Hall."
At my words, Hall Master Yeom scratched the back of his neck.
"You could see it that way. But wasn't it only because of you, Little Division Leader, that it ended up in Yangyang Martial Hall's hands?"
That was true enough.
In my previous life, I didn't know exactly how Yangyang Martial Hall fared, but from the circumstances, it must have been a real struggle.
Still, why did it keep feeling like the late clan lord's gift?
Soon, I chuckled and shook off the thought.
"I've been sorting out what we need until you arrived."
With that, I took a ledger from Clerk Seo-hyang and handed it to Hall Master Yeom.
He scanned the list and blinked in surprise.
"Why'd you list beds?"
Yangyang Martial Hall just stacked bricks and laid planks on top for beds.
They were neither comfortable nor pleasant, naturally.
"Why so shocked? Do you hold some theory that comfort leads to slacking in training?"
At my words, Hall Master Yeom waved his hands frantically.
"No, no! Of course I'd love for the kids to live comfortably. But this much is a burden……."
"This is no burden for me."
"Pardon?"
"And it seems you're misunderstanding something. Everything listed there is stuff I'll buy and place here."
"Wha—?"
Hall Master Yeom was stunned.
But he quickly sobered up and asked me seriously.
"Why……?"
"Why what?"
"Why bestow such grace on our Yangyang Martial Hall?"
Fair point—even I thought it was over the top.
His eyes were full of wariness.
"Honestly, you're just the palace lord's proxy, Little Division Leader. And I doubt the palace lord ordered this. So why……?"
From how he'd treated me so far and his words just now, Master hadn't told him my true status.
Meaning I should reveal it myself.
It was time.
It'd make things easier for me too.
"I've been remiss in introducing myself."
"Pardon?"
"Little Palace Lord of Seolpung Palace, Eun Seo-ho, at your service, Hall Master Yeom."
"……."
He stared blankly for a moment, then his eyes went wide.
"L-Little Palace Lord?"
"As Little Palace Lord, I don't think it's wrong to seek the future palace disciples' convenience. And I have the wealth for it."
I smiled as I spoke.
"So, if I provide these, would it be a bother?"
"N-No! Not at all!"
Only then did Hall Master Yeom snap out of it and wave his hands.
"If the Little Palace Lord insists, how could I refuse? It's just…… I'm so grateful……."
Tears welled in his eyes.
"If it's all right, please use this money too."
He offered the box with the thirty nyang from the Seong Clan Lord, but I gently declined.
"No. Buy the kids something tasty with it. The famine isn't over yet."
"……Understood."
"And though I'm Little Palace Lord, I can't reveal it publicly yet, so just call me Little Division Leader."
"Of course. Though…… I had my suspicions. Yangyang Martial Hall isn't a place to show outsiders, right? Entrusting it to you means the palace lord trusts you that much."
Hall Master Yeom continued.
"You've chosen a hard path, but we're just grateful."
.
.
.
With that, I wrapped up with Hall Master Yeom and headed to Cheongpa Pavilion.
Since morning, I'd called carpenters, commissioned furniture, pointed out repairs—kept busy.
Still not tired. Was it the greatness of Taeeum Binghae Divine Art? Or Master's training pushing me to my limits?
"Shall we do simple dumplings for lunch today?"
"Doesn't matter to us."
As we chatted and entered Cheongpa Pavilion, a man was waiting for me.
"Little Division Leader!"
He was the tea artisan.
"Ah, is the tea ready?"
At my question, he prostrated flat before me.
"Forgive me! I couldn't fulfill your order, Little Division Leader."
"What? What do you mean?"
"Well……."
"Problem with materials? Or the tea maker?"
He looked up at me in shock.
So my guess was right.
"I already knew. That you weren't the one who made the Wolcha tea."
The Wolcha I'd drunk had a distinctive aroma.
And tea-making takes time; to prevent scents from infusing, they avoid perfumes entirely.
So tea artisans always carry a faint tea scent.
If this man had made the Wolcha, its aroma should cling to him.
But it barely did.
Plus, in my previous life, I'd never heard of Wolcha—meaning it never spread.
With those suspicions, I'd contracted him separately from the Wolju makers.
He bit his lip and banged his head on the floor.
"I-I'm guilty of death! I dared deceive you, Little Division Leader."
"So, what's the problem?"
He pleaded tearfully.
"P-Please…… save my son."
"Explain from the beginning, step by step. I can't understand like this."
"F-Forgive me."
He wiped his tears and slowly explained.
He had a seventeen-year-old son.
One day, the boy visited a Wolju workshop, watched closely, mixed something into tea leaves, and asked his father to taste it.
That was Wolcha.
"To gather the ingredients for that Wolcha, he went to the mountains and got bitten by a snake…… He just won't get better."
Ah……
So something did happen to the Wolcha creator.
I told him.
"Where is he now? Take me."
"Y-Yes!"
He jumped up, and we followed.
Sigh. Thought I'd grab quick dumplings for lunch……
Another full day of work.
Moments later, we arrived at a building.
A familiar place—the Jami Clinic where I'd treated Cheongpa Pavilion's courtesan.
As a major pavilion client, this was probably their regular physician.
"Oh! What brings you here?"
At her question, I pointed to the man beside me.
"Here for his son's issue."
"For Huirak, then."
So the son's name was Huirak.
"How's his condition?"
She shook her head gravely.
"Not good at all. We're using medicine nonstop, but the fever won't break. We need pricier drugs……."
Ah, so that's why he came to me.
"That's serious. Mind if I take a look?"
"Of course."
She led me to a room.
A young man lay on the bed, breathing raggedly from the fever.
The herbal scent mixed with a fragrant aroma—definitely Wolcha.
This youth was the Wolcha creator, for sure.
Meanwhile, Palgap approached first and touched his forehead.
"Ugh! Burning up, sir."
"Gotta bring the fever down first."
He was suffering high fever, but luckily, I had just the method.
I placed my hand on his forehead and slowly infused chill energy.
The heat gradually subsided, breathing easing.
But I didn't stop.
My energy detected snake venom in his body.
And Taeeum Binghae Divine Art's energy excelled at purifying toxins.
Shaaaa……
The venom resisted, but to no avail. The snake poison vanished.
Jami noticed and stared at me in awe.
Uh, kinda embarrassing.
I withdrew my hand.
"Just needs to recover his strength now. Have him come find me when he's better."
Then we returned to Cheongpa Pavilion.
"Palgap. Hungry."
"Yes, sir. Dumplings coming right up."
I thought of the youth Huirak I'd treated.
He must have died from the snakebite in my previous life. That's why the Wolcha recipe was lost.
A few days passed.
In that time, Gaho Pavilion shed its pavilion look entirely, transforming into a martial hall.
Just the move left now.
Then Palgap entered my room.
"Young master, visitors."
"Visitors?"
"Yes. That youth who nearly died from the snakebite and his father."
"Ah! All better, I see. I'll head down to the first floor."
Downstairs, the father and son bowed to me.
"Greetings, Little Division Leader."
"Sit."
They sat cautiously at my word.
"What's your name?"
I knew, but wanted to hear it from him.
"Soon Huirak."
"I'm Little Division Leader of Eunhae Merchant Group, Eun Seo-ho. Nice to meet you."
"I heard. You saved my life."
I nodded.
"I don't know how to repay this grace. Oh, Father said you wanted some Wolcha I made when you leave. So I brought this."
"Thank you."
I opened the box he offered. Inside were paper-wrapped tea leaves.
"May I try it?"
"Of course."
I had a server prepare tea, and soon the set arrived.
I brewed and sipped it myself.
Mm…… This cool, refreshing feel—it's the Wolcha I had.
"Did you come up with this Wolcha yourself?"
"Yes."
"How much to produce it?"
"Honestly, not much. That Yongjeong tea had been unsold so long the aroma faded a bit."
Seo-ho was famous for Yongjeong tea.
Probably found plain Yongjeong bland, so mixed in extras.
Especially famous was Seo-ho's specialty: osmanthus-infused Gahwa Yongjeongcha.
"Puzzling over faded tea, I saw Wolju making and tried it."
"So similar ingredients to Wolju?"
"Yes. Blended a few of those for this tea."
Meaning Wolcha wasn't pure tea but a blended one like Gahwa Yongjeongcha.
To draw such depth and aroma from a blend!
"You mentioned repaying the lifesaving grace?"
"Y-Yes!"
"Then contract with me."
"Pardon?"
I said gently.
"How could I let a talent who makes such fine tea slip away?"
I immediately offered terms.
"What do you say?"
"Even unpaid labor would be fair for your grace. Such generous terms? I'd be a fool to refuse."
Perfect!
I clenched my fist under the table.
Soon Huirak was talent I couldn't lose—enough to bring up the lifesaving debt.
I called Clerk Seo-hyang and drew up the contract on the spot.
- Caw!
Geum-ryeong cawed excitedly. Smelled money.
Business here done. Time to head to Yonyeong for real.