Risk Factor (4)
Thud!
Mo Yong Seong-geol slammed his fist into the wall.
Blood trickled down from his hand.
But he didn't seem to notice, winding up for another punch at the wall.
Boom!
"Damn it! Damn it! Damn it! How dare you humiliate me like that?"
Unable to contain his rage, he reared back for yet another strike when his servant cautiously called out to him.
"Young master."
"What?"
"That wall is made of stone... You're bleeding, sir."
"Arghhh!"
Only then did Mo Yong Seong-geol feel the pain, clutching his fist and letting out a scream.
"Call a physician! Get a physician here now!"
"You should change your clothes first. If the physician sees you like this..."
"Ugh...! What are you waiting for? Prepare a bath immediately!"
"Yes, right away!"
After soaking in the bathwater his servant had drawn, Mo Yong Seong-geol bit his lip.
A few years ago, certain individuals had secretly approached him.
They promised to make him the head of the Mo Yong family.
He had struck a deal with them, but the results so far had been lackluster.
"Show me solid proof. I need to see your capabilities to believe that a youngest son like me can become family head. Only then can we continue our dealings."
After pondering his declaration, they replied.
"First, we'll remove Young Master Mo Yong Tae-geol from his position as heir."
"How exactly?"
"The sword he received as a token of trust from the family head, A-gyeong. What do you think would happen if it went missing?"
He accepted their proposal, and they successfully stole A-gyeong.
When Mo Yong Tae-geol realized it was gone, he was beside himself—and Seong-geol had watched with great amusement.
Then, at an official family gathering with the elders present, he revealed it all.
But things unfolded in an unexpected direction.
"I have no idea why Seong-geol is under such a delusion, but of course A-gyeong is safely stored away. It's the precious sword Grandfather gave me, after all."
And the sword he fetched from his quarters was unmistakably A-gyeong.
Impossible.
They had clearly said they'd swapped it out and handed the real one to the ghost market.
When he confronted them, they grew even more flustered.
"Th-that was just a minor setback. There won't be any mistakes next time."
"If you fail again, I won't trust you anymore."
"Understood. We hear a man named Eun Seo-ho is visiting the Mo Yong family. Please investigate his exact abilities."
He accepted their request and orchestrated this latest scheme.
His father was a super first-rate warrior.
With that in mind, he figured they could gauge the peak-level Eun Seo-ho's true strength, so he egged on Mo Yong Jun-geol.
As expected, the irritated Eun Seo-ho subdued Jun-geol in an instant.
Naturally, his father would step in personally and cross swords.
After all, he'd spent so much time stoking his father's curiosity about Eun Seo-ho's swordsmanship.
His father was a man of action over words.
Since Eun Seo-ho hadn't shown his true skills, it was only natural for the family head to request a spar to confirm them.
But...
Crunch!
Because of Heir Mo Yong Tae-geol, all his plans had gone awry.
How the hell did this happen? It's like he was swapped out overnight.
Until recently, his expressions and words had revealed everything—transparent as glass.
Made it easy to read his intentions.
But today, it was hard to glean anything from his face or speech.
And he'd even cleverly turned Seong-geol's own attacks to his advantage.
It felt like a crack was forming in his grand plan to oust Tae-geol and claim the heir position himself.
And during the spar with Eun Seo-ho today, when he'd unwittingly collapsed in his seat and wet himself...
His grand plan had shattered to pieces.
The disappointed looks from his father and mother still burned in his mind.
And the rumors spreading among the servants...
He sharpened his blade of vengeance against those who had humiliated him.
As he changed clothes after his bath, his servant spoke up.
"Young master, I just heard that last night, the heir and Seonhyeopmirang met at Im Mil Won."
"At Im Mil Won?"
"Yes. There must have been some deal between them. Which means today's humiliation was deliberate."
"Yes... so that's how it is."
Gnashing his teeth, he pondered deeply and came up with a clever scheme.
The banquet didn't end until quite late.
The Mo Yong family head was heading to his private quarters with the family members who had attended.
But the second wife, Mo Yong Jun-geol, and Mo Yong Seong-geol were absent.
Seong-geol hadn't returned, and the second wife and Jun-geol had left early to console him.
As they walked in silence, the family head spoke.
"Yeon-geol."
"Yes, Father."
"What do you think of Seonhyeopmirang?"
"Pardon?"
Mo Yong Yeon-geol looked back at him in surprise.
"I don't quite understand what you're asking, Father."
"I'm asking how he'd be as your husband."
Her face flushed red in an instant, and she bowed her head deeply.
The family head chuckled at her reaction.
"Looks like you wouldn't mind!"
With a pleased expression, he continued.
"He was impressive, indeed. Punishing those who tried to corner him, yet showing mercy to the rest—that's the mark of a true hero."
As a super first-rate warrior, he couldn't have failed to overhear his two sons whispering.
Tsk tsk. They wouldn't have dared if they understood a peak warrior's senses.
Thus, he'd subdued the conspiring brothers with sheer presence alone—and especially made a fool of Seong-geol.
But he'd treated his eldest son and daughter differently.
With sincerity.
He'd even recommended a weapon suited to his daughter's style.
"We can offer him the backing he lacks in the martial world. It wouldn't be a bad deal for him either."
At that, Mo Yong Tae-geol cautiously shared his thoughts.
"That's true, but we should still ask for his opinion before proceeding."
"Naturally. So what do you think?"
"I think it's a fine idea."
"Then you ask him tomorrow. Since you met at Im Mil Won, it won't feel awkward."
The family head already knew of his eldest son's meeting with Eun Seo-ho.
Mo Yong Tae-geol nodded calmly, unsurprised.
"Understood."
Gazing at his son, the family head smiled inwardly with satisfaction.
He looked like a proper little viper now, unlike before.
It put his mind at ease.
He'd made his talented eldest son the heir, but he'd always been uneasy.
The martial world was a viper's nest.
To survive there, you needed to be a viper yourself.
But his eldest had seemed like a frog that had wandered into the wrong den.
That had been his constant worry... until tonight's banquet, where he'd shown astonishing growth.
Gently dissuading him from playing along with the fourth son's antics, and even drawing the fourth in.
He's grown! Well done!
And knowing Eun Seo-ho had played a role in that growth made him all the more grateful.
In truth, he'd long known his fourth son was tangled with shady figures.
He'd only played along to uncover their aims.
Mo Yong Jin.
He was a viper too, after all.
The next day.
I circulated my energy and quietly cultivated in my room.
After breakfast, I shared tea with Branch Leader Bok Yun.
He looked at me with admiration.
"I was quite shocked last night."
"What do you mean?"
"I knew you were impressive when you saved me at the meeting, but your spar with the four young dragons of the Mo Yong family sent chills down my spine."
I scratched the back of my neck.
"No need to hype me up that much."
"If trouble arises with the martial world in the future, I'll have to ask for your help, Branch Leader Eun."
"I'm pretty expensive."
"Even expensive services are worth it, right? And since you're like a brother to me, can't you cut me a deal?"
"You know the closer we are, the more precise the accounting has to be, don't you? Haha."
We traded light jabs like that and sipped our tea.
Bok Yun grew serious.
"I heard you've reached the peak realm. That should earn you fine treatment anywhere in the martial world. Why stay with the merchant group?"
It was a fair question for someone of Branch Leader Bok's stature.
But my answer was simple.
"Because I'm a merchant."
"Pardon?"
"I love money. As you know, martial artists get flak for being greedy."
"Well, true."
That's why the Martial Alliance doesn't do business directly but runs Baekcheon Merchant Group to make money.
While pretending to be above it all... tch.
Hypocrites—they love money too, yet criticize merchants for it.
"And the merchant world is where I can make full use of my abilities."
He nodded at my words.
He'd heard plenty about my exploits.
"There are various reasons, but the biggest one, as I said..."
I grinned and pointed my thumb at myself.
"Is that I'm a merchant. Isn't it natural for one to be in a merchant group?"
Bok Yun burst out laughing.
"Hahaha! Spot on. A foolish question deserves a wise answer!"
We chatted about this and that.
Someone once said the fastest way to your destination is with someone whose heart aligns with yours.
Not literally true time-wise, but it sure feels that way.
That's what I felt with him.
Maybe because Bok Yun was such a kindred spirit, lunch time arrived in a flash.
Over the meal, we discussed the next steps.
"Then we'll depart tomorrow morning."
"Got it. I'll leave with Gwangjun Merchant Group the day after. Sorry for the tight schedule."
"Of course. You've already spent plenty of time on my account."
After lunch.
As I strolled the grounds, someone approached me.
"I'm the guard serving Heir Mo Yong Tae-geol. The heir wishes to see you."
"Me?"
"Yes."
But he seemed slightly uneasy. Why?
And it wasn't the servant from before—instead, a guard showed up out of nowhere. Suspicious.
I quickly pieced it together.
The one summoning me wasn't the heir.
It was Mo Yong Seong-geol, seeking revenge for the humiliation at the banquet!
I'd been waiting for his move, but this was faster than expected.
The very next day.
I shouldn't go if I know it's a trap, but there were plenty of eyes on me.
Refusing the heir's invitation would cause issues, so he timed it when witnesses abounded?
"Understood."
I stood and followed him.
He led me to Im Mil Won, the place I'd visited before.
"Only invited guests beyond this point."
I turned to the guards trailing me.
"Wait here a moment."
"Yes, sir."
Under the guide's direction, I entered Im Mil Won.
Step, step.
After a short walk, he suddenly spoke in a flustered tone.
"Oh! I forgot—the heir said to bring something. Go ahead; I'll catch up."
"Pardon?"
"You've been here before. Just follow the cleared path without leaves."
The paths were clearly marked for entry.
No fallen leaves on the actual routes.
"Got it."
I nodded casually, and the guard bolted away.
Tilting my head, I followed the leaf-free path.
Wonder how he plans to screw me over?
Lost in thought, I reached the inner chamber—empty.
Well, he said to wait, so I sat.
Thinking it over, something felt off. The path differed slightly from last time.
The straight route in had a subtle curve.
Don't tell me...?
I recalled the servant's words from before.
"Formations are set up everywhere, trapping you in an eternal maze."
Goosebumps prickled my skin.
Holy hell. So he'd deliberately lured me into a formation by disguising a non-path as one?
That explained the empty chamber. No point waiting if I was lost in the formation.
Mo Yong Seong-geol—you're a real piece of work.
I resolved myself.
Fine. Might as well crush him thoroughly.
But... something was wrong.
I'd reached here safely, meaning the formation hadn't activated.
Was there even a formation?