Facing Once More (5)
The Lord of Sukyung Palace nodded at my words.
"Just as you say. The matter of deposing the Young Lord hasn't been officially announced yet. And if that fool had rashly approached the Black Path out of anger, would they have launched an attack this quickly?"
He was right.
That meant they had been preparing to assault Sukyung Palace at any moment.
And upon hearing the news of Young Lord Maeng Hyeon's deposition, they had swiftly moved in.
In other words, someone had leaked the information to them.
"Who do you think it was?"
I had my suspicions.
But the Lord would know the internal affairs of Sukyung Palace far better than I did.
"Why ask me? Don't you know best?"
"...You're right. It's ridiculous to ask an outsider about my own palace's affairs."
After a moment's contemplation, the Lord looked up at Outer Captain Haedal.
"Round up everyone working in Hyeon's quarters immediately."
"Understood."
I turned to him and asked,
"You suspect there's a rat among those serving in Young Lord Maeng Hyeon's quarters?"
"None of my children have personal guards, so they must request one for any outing. It would naturally be reported to me. But I received no such report."
"Meaning he slipped out without a guard, secretly."
"Exactly. There had to be a rat in his quarters for that to be possible."
"What about that Ha Hong fellow?"
"Ah, I considered him briefly, but it's not him. Outer Captain Ha would've noticed. He may seem indifferent, but he's stricter than you think when it comes to his sons' education."
"I see."
"And crucially, he's currently in forced seclusion for his own crimes."
Ah... then it's not him.
But something felt off.
Last time I inspected, there were no Black Path auras among them.
"...!"
A sudden thought struck me.
"By any chance, is there someone from Young Lord Maeng Hyeon's quarters who was out for a few days and returned just yesterday?"
The Lord turned to the inner captain-like figure behind him.
The man immediately replied,
"There's Ok Gun. He had family matters and went out briefly, returning last evening."
The Lord nodded at the answer.
After that, things proceeded swiftly.
We rounded up everyone in Young Lord Maeng Hyeon's quarters and began interrogations.
The key suspect was Ok Gun.
"When the Eldest Young Lord awakens, he'll tell everything. Confess now, and we'll lighten your punishment."
"......"
"But if you stay silent until then, you'll face extremely cruel torture."
Sukyung Palace's punishments were indeed brutal.
And Ok Gun knew it well enough to eventually confess.
"Truth be told, I lured the Young Lord. My father owed a massive debt to the Black Lotus Gang..."
The name I'd suspected came from his mouth.
Black Lotus Gang.
They were a ruthless outfit rampant in Yunnan, earning dirty money through cunning schemes to produce Extreme Martial Severance Pills.
Their goal was Black Lotus Supremacy.
Claiming descent from the Black Lotus legacy, they had a quasi-religious bent.
They called the Extreme Martial Severance Pills the "Mercy of the Black Lotus."
Mercy, my ass.
Anyway, it hadn't ended well for them.
In this life, their mistake was targeting Young Lord Maeng Hyeon and Sukyung Palace.
For the palace's future, the Lord had deposed his son from the Young Lord position.
But that didn't mean he didn't love him.
Honestly, he'd annoyed me and shamed Sukyung Palace, but it wasn't a capital offense.
Tricking him into taking the Extreme Martial Severance Pill and turning him into a cripple? That's another story.
And Sukyung Palace was dead serious about vengeance above all else—the Lord would exact the price without fail.
The next day,
the Lord summoned all the elders.
And there, he declared war on the Black Lotus Gang.
War in name only—it was essentially a subjugation.
The conference was postponed as a result, so I stayed longer at Sukyung Palace.
After seeing off the Lord and his disciples heading to the Black Lotus Gang, I returned to my quarters in the guest hall.
I wrote a letter to my master.
Events had unfolded so chaotically that I hadn't reported my findings yet.
A normal person couldn't send mail from here, but I had Gold Spirit.
"Gold Spirit."
"Kkwi!"
"Deliver this to Master."
"Kkwi!"
Gold Spirit eagerly extended its tail. Truly dedicated to earning its keep.
It tied the letter to its tail and shot off like an arrow.
Watching it vanish into a dot in an instant, a thought crossed my mind.
Could Master even catch up to Gold Spirit's speed?
I certainly couldn't.
Then Palgap entered and said,
"Young master, um..."
He seemed hesitant. What was it?
"What's up?"
"Someone from Young Lord Maeng Hyeon's quarters is here. They wish to see you."
Palgap didn't seem thrilled about me meeting him.
"You'd rather I not see Maeng Hyeon?"
"He tried to mess with you before, and this time he nearly got you killed. Plus, you got hurt fighting him..."
"I'm the narrow-minded type, you know."
Palgap chuckled at that.
"You serious? I've never seen anyone as not narrow-minded who calls themselves that."
"Just a figure of speech."
I continued,
"A merchant must smile at yesterday's enemy today. And honestly, it's not like blood feud level."
"Well, that's true."
Blood feud that cannot share the same sky.
From the Book of Rites, meaning an enemy you can't live under the same heaven with.
For me, that was Baekcheon Merchant Group and the Murim Alliance.
Baekcheon had been quiet lately, though.
I told Palgap,
"So don't worry."
I stood and headed out. The waiting figure bowed deeply.
"I heard you sought me. Let's go."
"Thank you for granting my young master's request."
Moments later,
I arrived at Young Lord Maeng Hyeon's quarters.
He sat sipping tea by a scenic window.
As the one who'd brought the Black Path into Sukyung Palace, he deserved death, but his life was spared.
He'd been used via Ok Gun, after all.
And he was the Lord's son. That's why being born into power matters.
But the pill's side effects had severed his muscle meridians, twisted his qi and blood, and shattered his dantian.
He could walk and wash himself, fortunately...
But his teeth were loose, limiting him to soft foods or porridge.
His wrecked body wouldn't last long.
His gaunt face and darkened eyes proved it.
"I heard you called for me."
"Ah! Come in."
He welcomed me.
"I should stand to greet you properly, but as you see, I can't. Please forgive me."
"I wouldn't dream of it."
I sat across from him.
"So, what did you want to say?"
He bit his lip, then spoke after a pause.
"How did things end up like this?"
That was my question.
In my previous life, he'd become Lord of Sukyung Palace, ruling Yunnan despite ruining it.
Now, deposed from Young Lord and a crippled shell of his promising talent.
"My body's like this, and my thoughts just... multiply."
"......"
"Reflecting on myself, I realized it all started with me. Courting the North Sea Ice Palace Young Lord one-sidedly, ignoring their laws..."
"You don't remember insulting their disciples?"
"Me? I never did."
"You said, 'We're not officially married, that's all. You think I don't know if you roll around with other men?'"
"Cough!"
His reaction showed he remembered now.
I told you.
My memory's sharp. And I'm petty with grudges.
But playing dumb?
"Th-that... I'm truly sorry."
He apologized, embarrassed.
"Lucky it was just me who heard. Bing Hae-rin would've caused a scene."
"...I'm really sorry."
That covered the North Sea Ice Palace apology. Now for what mattered to me.
"You've wronged me plenty too, right?"
"That too, I'm sorry."
"But you owe even greater apologies to others."
He sighed and nodded.
"I know. I've committed unforgivable filial impiety to Father and Mother."
"Whether you know or not, Father has led the disciples against the Black Lotus Gang that used you."
"......"
"You don't think it's just to wash away Sukyung Palace's humiliation, do you?"
"For me?"
"What else?"
"What a pathetic son I am."
"Took you long enough."
I didn't comfort him. Comfort is for the worthy.
He didn't qualify.
He needed clear regret and reflection for his deeds.
No half-hearted solace to ease his guilt.
"People stray in a single lapse. Failing to suppress a momentary emotion or hot blood leads to mistakes."
I continued,
"Whatever conclusion you've reached, to me, your hot blood was excessive. That's the root of this mess."
"......"
He just sighed deeply.
"You poke right where it hurts."
"It's my specialty."
"Yet it clears my mind—paradoxical, isn't it?"
He gave a wry smile.
No trace of his former stubbornness or hot blood.
Did he know it was futile now?
Or did using it just hurt his body?
Hot blood surging would aggravate his meridians painfully.
Should've toned it down sooner.
Now he couldn't even if he wanted.
"I asked to see the Young Lord not just to apologize, but for a favor."
"A favor?"
"Persuade my brother, Cheon-i..."
"About what?"
"Father will make Cheon-i the next Young Lord. He'd excel—I know it."
He went on,
"I saw leadership in him, so I bullied him secretly. Yet he never tattled to Father."
"......"
"He just hid in the library, avoiding me."
So that's why Young Lord Maeng Cheon was in the library.
"Looking back, I was so petty. I shouldn't have, but I felt threatened."
"......"
"Earlier, Cheon-i visited and said he has no intention of becoming Young Lord."
He continued,
"Please convince him. It's my atonement."
Back at the guest hall, I paced the courtyard, grumbling.
Asking me for that? So sly.
If he'd raged or belittled me like before, I wouldn't feel this conflicted.
But he asked politely.
Besides, in my previous life, Young Lord Maeng Cheon had helped Eunhae Merchant Group grow.
I don't forget grudges—or favors.
Maeng Cheon had a broad vessel, leader qualities.
Ruthless when needed.
If he became Lord, it'd be like planting an ally here.
Keeping the Murim Alliance out of Yunnan.
And aid in tough times.
Yunnan was a frontier but key for copper mines.
Past life troubles with Black Lotus Gang disrupted supply, causing headaches.
Eunhae relied on copper for goods; stability here mattered.
Conclusion was clear.
Persuade Maeng Cheon.
I headed straight to the library.
Still had my access pass, so no issue entering.
I found Young Lord Maeng Cheon reading.
"Here you are."
"Ah! Young Lord Eun."
"Got a moment?"
He eyed me and said,
"Come to persuade me at my brother's request, I assume."
"Sharp."
"I've been quick on the uptake since childhood. And I won't be Young Lord for my brother's sake."
He chuckled.
Wait, he could laugh like that?
But his next words shattered my thoughts.
"Why should I honor the request of the man who nearly got my brother killed?"