So This Was the Real Reason (3)

I was taken aback by the contents of the letter from Seo-hyang Sojeo.

Examine his shoes?

What could that mean? But no matter how closely I looked, there was nothing else written.

Seo-hyang Sojeo's visions of the future were fragmentary, so her messages were bound to be the same.

Yet those fragments always turned out to be crucial clues.

I committed the words to memory and burned the letter with Samadhi True Fire.

Better safe than sorry if someone saw it.

I returned to the cave and sat down.

"Young Master Eun."

"Yes."

Kwon Jik Daehyeop called out to me and offered a respectful clasped-hands salute.

"Thanks to you, we were able to confirm our comrade's death and mourn him properly. We are grateful."

"Oh, no, it was nothing! I didn't do anything..."

"If you hadn't suggested treating the Mosan Sect Daoist with respect, we might have been seen as honorless men abandoning our comrades."

"......"

"It was the same in Gansu Province. The title Seonhyeopmirang suits you well."

His words hit me like a sudden gust, and I choked.

"Cough!"

"Oh dear, are you all right?"

"Y-yes, I'm fine."

Of all places, hearing that nickname here.

The next day, at dawn.

We packed up and set off once more.

We rode hard for several days like that.

And finally, we arrived at Wuhuan.

Ah...

Home was so close, yet I couldn't go.

From Wuhuan here to Chongyang County, where the Eunhae Merchant Group's headquarters lay, wasn't far at all.

Riding Jukang, I'd be there in no time.

I missed my family's faces. I missed the merchant group folks...

Come to think of it, Seo-u Warrior and Yeo Eung-am Warrior must miss their families too.

But there was no time for that.

We could visit our families anytime, but these hostages might die at any moment.

So we had to hurry and rescue them.

Visiting headquarters would have to wait.

Suddenly, it struck me that the Emperor had sent me on this mission to rescue his son because ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠he trusted me that much.

Honestly, I wasn't a father in this life or my previous one, so I couldn't know a father's heart.

But I knew the Emperor was a father too.

I could imagine the grief of losing a son.

In my previous life, when Seongbo Wang captured the lord of Chunggyeong Castle alive, he ordered a brutal, agonizing death—and reportedly watched him die bit by bit every day.

That must have been how much pain that heart felt.

What must the Emperor be feeling now?

Sitting on pins and needles, spending each day in anxiety, no doubt.

And it wasn't just the Emperor.

Everyone detained in Chunggyeong Castle was someone's family.

Yes, I had to rescue them all, no question.

Of course, none of our companions could get hurt or die either.

As we sat briefly in an inn, the daehyeops who'd gone to secure a boat returned.

"It's not easy finding a boat."

"They say there are no boats heading to Yunnan right now."

"Should we go overland after all?"

Hm? What was that? Overland?

No way.

Going to Yunnan by land would be a real ordeal.

"Let me give it a try."

I stood up immediately. I knew exactly why they couldn't secure a boat.

They must have approached with the Gold Guard's typical high-handed attitude—no boatman would step forward.

The river route to Yunnan was treacherous with rapids.

If an accident happened because they didn't follow orders properly, the boat owners would take the blame.

Even if they had plans to go, they'd say no.

I scanned the boatmen and approached a group of them.

"You've had a hard day. I'd like to charter a boat to Yunnan."

"Yunnan, you say?"

"Hey, you look kinda familiar..."

"Ah! Young Master?"

"It's Eun Seo-ho, the vice leader!"

"Seonhyeopmirang? The Seonhyeopmirang?"

"......"

Even the boatmen recognized my face?

This was Hubei, but still a bit far from the Eunhae Merchant Group...

Flustered, I whispered to Palgap.

"Palgap, am I that famous?"

"Didn't you know, young master? You're Hubei's hero. Of course the boatmen know you well."

"......"

Anyway, ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠I secured the boat.

The rumor that I was heading to Yunnan would spread, but it didn't matter.

I had a plan.

When I returned with the boat, the Gold Guard daehyeops looked shocked and asked again.

"For real?"

"This fast?"

"How?"

I smiled and replied.

"A merchant's trade secret."

I couldn't very well say, 'I'm pretty famous as Seonhyeopmirang, so they just handed it over.'

The next day.

We boarded the boat bound for Yunnan.

I led Jukang onto the boat and said to him.

"It'll be stuffy on the boat, but behave. If you act up, you'll get in trouble!"

"Hiiing!"

Jukang's dissatisfied whinny.

Nothing to be done.

"Want Geum-ryeong to scold you?"

"Pfu... Prriiing..."

At my whisper, Jukang quickly bowed his head. Geum-ryeong must terrify him something fierce.

To me, he was just a cute, clever fellow.

Though raising him did cost a pretty penny.

With that, our whole group boarded.

Six Gold Guards, me and Palgap, ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠and six escort warriors—fourteen of us in total.

Plus a horse each, so one boat was packed tight.

Hence the full charter.

"Casting off!"

"Casting off!"

"Casting off!"

The crew bustled about preparing, and soon the boat was underway.

"Even at top speed, it'll take over five days to Yunnan," Seo-u Warrior said.

Kwon Jik Daehyeop nodded.

"Still much faster than overland."

"Yes. And with who knows what awaiting in Yunnan, you should rest fully."

"Understood."

"I've given it some thought. The two who met their ends were killed by our own allies—ones we had to trust, people we knew."

To be precise, familiar allies we had no choice but to trust.

"So from the moment we disembark, we must hide our identities thoroughly."

"Sound reasoning."

"Then, pose as ronin?"

I shook my head at Cheongak Daehyeop's suggestion.

"That could work, but in my view, it's impossible."

"We can pull off ronin acting pretty well."

"Then show me."

At my request, Cheongak Daehyeop tried his ronin act.

Sword slung over his shoulder, swaggering with idle chatter.

"Hoo..."

My sigh made his face redden.

"Th-that bad?"

"Yes."

"Then I'll try!"

Thus, the five Gold Guard daehyeops besides Kwon Jik each gave it a go.

But to my eyes, none of it rang true.

"Aigoo."

At my sigh, Sowun Daehyeop asked.

"What's the problem, exactly?"

"That military air of restraint and tone lingers. Who'd buy it? No one. You could get reported as deserters."

Was I too harsh?

They flushed and cleared their throats awkwardly.

"Ahem, ahem..."

One daehyeop grumbled.

"Then demonstrate."

I turned and called Yeo Eung-am Warrior.

"Yeo Eung-am Warrior."

"Yes."

"Show us your ronin act."

"Got it."

In that instant, Yeo Eung-am Warrior's aura shifted completely. Moments ago, a sharp-edged escort; now...

"So, how much pay? This is life-risking work—you gotta cough up serious coin, right?"

Arms crossed, swaggering, but his eyes were different.

Greedy eyes, like he'd do anything for money?

Yet they held a cold ruthlessness born of countless hardships.

The Gold Guard daehyeops were speechless at the instant change.

"......Is this about right, my lord?"

"Yes. Well done."

In truth, Yeo Eung-am Warrior had voiced exactly what I wanted to say.

That line was my inner thought.

How did he know?

Well, my chest felt lighter.

I addressed the Gold Guard daehyeops.

"There are upright white ronin who do honest work, but at their core, both white and black ronin sell their martial skills for coin."

I continued.

"Your eyes need that greed and hunger for money—but yours don't have it."

They couldn't help it. The Gold Guard was one of the empire's elite.

Men bound by honor and pride—how would they know greed for gold?

"Your eyes are too upright. Filled with loyalty to His Majesty, no doubt. They say eyes are windows to the soul."

They nodded, pleased at the praise.

I ended on a complimentary note for future relations.

These Gold Guards had strong pride.

Crushing it would only hurt me.

Better to avoid mad dogs. So I soothed them.

That way, they'd feel goodwill toward me and help later.

We were off to save the Emperor's son. He wouldn't send just anyone.

These were his trusted Gold Guards.

Building ties with them would benefit me and the Eunhae Merchant Group down the line.

"Sigh, so what should we do?"

"How do we disguise ourselves?"

I replied confidently.

"His Majesty must have sent me along for exactly this."

"Huh?"

"Forgot? What's my position?"

"Ah! Right, you're the vice leader of the Eunhae Merchant Group!"

"Exactly."

I nodded.

"Say you're my escort warriors. Even if you still carry that military air, your upright eyes will fit right in."

"Mm, true."

"But won't twelve escorts raise suspicions of too many guards?"

"Is twelve a lot?"

"Isn't it?"

"No. Small merchant groups might have just a few, but large ones often travel with dozens."

"D-dozen dozens?"

Doubt crept into their eyes.

"Even for a big group, isn't that excessive?"

"Suspicious intentions."

Aigoo, these daehyeops!

"The state even acknowledges private guards to a certain extent."

"True. But do you really need that many?"

"Right. Every county has garrison troops."

They'd breathed only pure upper air, blind to the grit below.

My escorts hid their pitying looks.

I smiled and said.

"Daehyeop, ever heard of locking the stable after the horse is stolen?"

"What's your point?"

"Better to prepare before losing wealth or life than complain to the magistrates after. The lost goods and dead won't come back."

"......"

"And whether you know it or not... ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠most officials dismiss us merchants as base money-grubbers who ignore the merchant guilds. They just say 'handle it yourselves.'"

They flinched.

They knew it was true.

I could mingle like this only because the Emperor favored me and Gold Guards like Jin Yeong Daehyeop held me in goodwill.

Otherwise, could I even converse face-to-face?

Somehow, it felt bittersweet. Damn.

"Why do we merchants need so many guards? Because the empire doesn't protect us. What choice do we have? We make our own defenses."

I smiled and added.

"So don't misunderstand. And what trouble could a mere few dozen cause?"

"Mm, fair enough."

"Yeah."

They nodded.

Whew, exhausting.

I'll milk the Emperor for this later! For real!

"Anyway, back on track—no one will think twelve escorts excessive. Especially with Yunnan's unrest. Posing as my guard unit is the safest bet."

Kwon Jik Daehyeop nodded at my proposal.

"I agree."

Sowun Daehyeop chimed in.

"Then what about titles? We have only one lord."

True. As the Emperor's personal guard, they served only him.

"Just call me Young Master."

"Ah..."

"R-right..."

Tsk tsk, overthinking the trivial.

En route to Yunnan, we made preparations. First, Seo-u Warrior instructed them on escort behavior.

We also roughed out plans post-arrival.

Detailed schemes were useless amid shifting situations.

Thus, time on the boat passed busily, unlike usual, and soon we reached Yunnan.

"We've arrived!"

"Good work."

"Haha, no trouble."

Yunnan's humid air hit us at once.

Now, the real operation began.

"My lord, where to?"

"Let's head to our Eunhae Merchant Group branch first."

Our branch was in Kunming, the provincial capital.