Let's Establish a Martial Hall (4)
Just then, Yeo Eung-am Warrior's voice came from outside.
"My lord, the Merchant Lord wishes to see you."
At those words, I quickly threw on my outer robe and stepped out.
A man who seemed to be a servant bowed to me.
"I'm the Merchant Lord's servant. I'll escort you to him."
"Yes. Please wait just a moment."
I swiftly adjusted my attire and followed him.
As the sub-leader of the Eunhae Merchant Group staying at another merchant group, it was only proper to pay my respects to their Merchant Lord.
So I'd sent word requesting an audience, and now I was on my way to greet him.
But...
The direction we were heading didn't seem to be toward the guest quarters.
"Aren't we going to the guest quarters?"
"Ah, we're going to the Merchant Lord's private chambers. As you know, he's currently ill."
"I see."
We soon arrived at the Merchant Lord's chambers. The guard ahead announced our arrival, and the door opened.
"Please, come in."
I entered.
An elderly man was propped up on the bed.
They say that once a man passes fifty, his life and character show on his face.
The Merchant Lord's appearance matched exactly what I'd heard.
A face full of benevolence.
Yet those stubborn lips proved he was no pushover.
If he were merely kind-hearted, he could never have grown his group into one owning such vast sugarcane fields.
"Sub-leader Eun Seo-ho of the Eunhae Merchant Group pays his respects to the Merchant Lord."
"I'm So Man, Merchant Lord of the Yeocheong Merchant Group. Forgive me for receiving you here in my chambers, propped up in bed—my health isn't what it used to be."
"Please, don't say that. I sincerely hope for your swift recovery."
"I'm grateful for those words. Cough, cough!"
He coughed repeatedly.
He looked truly unwell at a glance—his complexion was pallid.
"So, you came to see Manager Mae?"
"Yes. Have you spoken with Manager Mae?"
He nodded at my question.
"He was just here. He said he'd need to investigate whether you're a fraud or not."
"You seem convinced I'm no fraud, Merchant Lord."
He nodded again at my question.
"Three years ago, wasn't it? During the Dragon-Phoenix Martial Assembly, I saw you."
"Ah... I see."
I scratched my head.
"I'd assumed you knew by intuition, sir."
"Of course, that too. And the way you rode in on a Ju Gang-ma..."
He smiled.
"But wouldn't you agree it's not something one grasps at first glance?"
I smiled back.
"Thanks to you, I understood immediately."
His expression soon hardened.
"Still, it'll take time for Manager Mae to let go of his suspicions. He's been burned too many times. I hope you'll understand."
"I do. But how did Manager Mae end up here in Guangxi, working as the Yeocheong Merchant Group's manager?"
"Ah, that was my doing."
"Pardon?"
He explained the circumstances to me.
"On my way back from Shandong Province after a sugarcane trade deal, I found him collapsed. He'd apparently run afoul of bandits—stabbed and barely clinging to life."
He continued.
"I saved his life with treatment, but he remembered nothing. We only learned his name from a tattoo on his body.
With so many children going missing for various reasons, families with means would sometimes tattoo simple info or marks on them to identify later if found.
Our brothers didn't have such marks.
"Was the tattoo just his name?"
"There seemed to be more, but he'd been slashed right there..."
"I see."
"He seemed clever and diligent, so I took him in. Now he's manager, handling major affairs for the Yeocheong Merchant Group. In name only—he's doing the work of a chief manager from another group."
As I suspected, he wields real influence.
"That said, what do you plan to do once you take Manager Mae back to his hometown in Beijing?"
"I'm not sure."
I continued.
"What happens next depends solely on Manager Mae and his father's wishes. I'm here only to fulfill the old man's request."
"Is that so? Cough, cough."
Pity welled up as I watched the Merchant Lord cough incessantly.
If memory serves, he didn't last the year.
After a moment's thought, the Merchant Lord looked at me.
"Frankly, you must not be thrilled about wasting time here."
I gave an awkward smile.
He was right. I needed to move things along quickly.
"I'll convince Manager Mae myself."
"You seem to have a request."
He nodded at my question.
"Take Manager Mae with you to the Eunhae Merchant Group."
"Pardon?"
I tilted my head, asking again.
"What do you mean? You said he's effectively chief manager here. Doesn't that mean he plays a vital role?"
"Exactly. And his abilities are outstanding. He'd only benefit Eunhae, never harm it. I stake my name on it."
"Then why ask me to take him?"
"Sigh..."
The Merchant Lord sighed deeply.
"I doubt I'll last the year."
"..."
He knows his condition all too well.
"When I die, my son will inherit the group. But he's still too green to mediate and control the power struggles among the managers."
Manager Mae was an outsider here, not local.
With no memory of his origins, he'd risen solely on merit and the Merchant Lord's favor.
He thrived now under protection, but after the Merchant Lord's passing, things would change.
"If I had just a bit more time, I could've trained my son... and let Manager Mae solidify his position."
In other words, to spare Manager Mae humiliation after his death, he was entrusting him to me.
"I understand your intent, Merchant Lord. But this too must be Manager Mae's choice. If he wishes to stay with Eunhae, we'll welcome him—talented people are always in demand. But if he refuses, there's nothing to be done."
"Understood."
.
.
.
After finishing my talk with the Merchant Lord, I returned to my quarters.
As rumored, the Yeocheong Merchant Lord's a good man.
Though the sub-leader who inherited it ruined everything soon after.
These vast sugarcane fields ultimately became Eunhae's property.
For some reason, Manager Mae wasn't here then.
Had he stayed with Yeocheong, that future might not have come to pass.
A man the Merchant Lord vouched for so confidently—competent and responsible—wouldn't have let the group fall.
Sigh...
If I let the Merchant Lord pass as is, these fields would end up in Eunhae's hands, just like I knew.
But knowing I could cure his illness and doing nothing? That's not right for a man.
And I trust the strength I've built in Eunhae so far.
We can succeed without underhanded tactics.
The next morning.
After breakfast, I prepared to head out.
"Let's move for a bit."
"Understood."
"No need for everyone—just the two warriors on current duty will do."
Seo-u Warrior and Myeong Jong Warrior nodded at my words.
"As you command."
"We'll follow."
I'd gotten the Merchant Lord's permission the day before to tour the sugarcane fields.
I headed to the fields.
Guangxi Province indeed.
Mid-May, and already scorching hot.
No wonder fan sales were booming here.
Thanks to that, the Eunhae name was well-known.
Though not my face.
"Myeong Jong Warrior. Hot, isn't it?"
He gave an awkward smile at my question.
"It is, but I'm managing. I see it as part of training."
"Positive outlook."
I addressed the two warriors.
"We're entering the sugarcane fields now. They're full of snakes and bugs more than you'd think. But no need to worry."
I chuckled.
"I've got you covered. For some reason, snakes and bugs steer clear of me."
Turning toward the fields, I said,
"Let's go in."
"Yes."
The sugarcane had grown tall.
Sorghum grows fast, after all.
Once it tops human height, visibility drops, and people have died lost deep inside.
In my past life, Brother Jin-ho once blundered in and suffered for it.
Though that's how we found that spirit herb.
Working the fields is grueling.
Not just snakes and bugs—the blazing sun wears workers down.
But thanks to my ice arts, I barely felt the heat.
Snakes and bugs fled on their own.
Visibility blocked by cane, but no issue.
I had Geum-ryeong.
—Geum-ryeong. There's a valuable spirit herb here. Wanna find it?
—Kkwi!
At "valuable," Geum-ryeong hopped on my shoulder, sniffing.
Its tail soon quivered.
Found it!
Geum-ryeong's tail pointed ahead; I pushed that way.
After about fifteen minutes parting cane, Geum-ryeong jumped down and started digging.
Papapapapak!
Digging furiously, it sparkled its eyes and pawed the ground.
I knelt and spotted the Cheon Yeong-geun.
There it is!
The very spirit herb Geum-ryeong gifted me for my last birthday.
Containing a millennium's earth force, it could rouse even the gravely ill.
The previous one saved Palace God Man-jeong's father.
Making Yun-gang Man-ga a vassal house, and with Man-jeong's guidance, Silver Wind Palace Hall shone.
Anyway, this'll cure the Merchant Lord.
I harvested the Cheon Yeong-geun and wrapped it in prepared silk.
"A Cheon Yeong-geun here? How did you know?"
As I wiped dirt from Geum-ryeong with my handkerchief, I replied to Myeong Jong Warrior,
"Geum-ryeong told me."
I brushed it off.
Couldn't say I'd lived the future.
Then.
Tadak, tadak, tadadak.
A sound from somewhere, and thick smoke rising high.
Seeing it, Seo-u Warrior cried out in alarm.
"Disaster! We must evacuate now. Fire in the sugarcane fields!"
* * *
Manager Mae Jeong headed to the sugarcane fields.
Managing the workers was his duty.
But his mind was in turmoil.
Not just the Eunhae sub-leader bringing news of his father, but last night's words from the Merchant Lord weighed heavier.
"Jeong-ah, he's the real Eunhae sub-leader. I saw him myself. Trust him and go."
"But Merchant Lord, those who deceived me before seemed genuine too."
"True. But he's real. No matter how they fake appearances, they can't fake those eyes. Besides, it's Seonhyeopmirang Eun Seo-ho. Who could forge his face with a human-skin mask?"
"...You're right."
"And I asked him to take your position."
"Pardon? What do you mean?"
"My days are numbered."
"No! You can recover soon, Merchant Lord!"
"I know my time. And I know the hardships you'll face after I'm gone."
"..."
"So leave without regrets."
"But Merchant Lord, I vowed to give my life for you. How can you say that?"
"You vowed it to me, not the group."
"..."
"So no more words—move to Eunhae. It's my final wish."
The Merchant Lord called it his final wish; Mae Jeong could say no more and left the chambers.
As the Merchant Lord said, he hadn't blended in here.
Protected till now, but without him...
Mae Jeong sighed.
'Does that mean what Eun Seo-ho said is true?'
His father had waited all these years.
Refusing huge sums, solely because his son had nowhere to return.
He remembered no family, yet tears welled—his body remembered.
Shaking off thoughts, he told the workers,
"Good work this morning."
Due to the heat, they'd started at dawn and finished by Si hour (9-11 AM).
No one could work under the midday sun.
As he checked their logs, another manager approached.
"A word, if you will."