To Beijing (3)
The Thunderclap Bomb.
An explosive weapon that not only detonates with devastating force but also unleashes shards of iron shrapnel, inflicting horrific wounds on anyone nearby.
If it killed instantly, that might be a mercy—but this thing promised agony. And now, one had just sailed into our carriage.
I'd anticipated an ambush targeting the carriage.
What I hadn't expected was a Thunderclap Bomb.
"Damn it all!"
I snatched it before it hit the floor and hurled it straight out the window.
My target: the masked figure fleeing after lobbing it.
Thankfully, none of our warriors were in that direction.
In the same motion, I grabbed Father and Jeong Ho by their collars and yanked them down low.
"Get down!"
BOOM!
A thunderous roar shook the world around us.
Shrapnel whistled through the air in every direction.
Thwip-thwip-thunk!
Fragments slammed into the carriage. A few even punched through into the cabin.
"……."
I didn't even want to imagine what would've happened if it'd gone off inside. The thought alone was sickening enough to make me curse under my breath.
"Wh-what the hell was that……?"
The carriage door flew open as Yun Chung-jin, the deputy leader, burst in, pale as a ghost.
"Are you all right?"
"We're fine," Father replied.
Jeong Ho picked up the thread. "Seo-ho handled it perfectly. Something came flying in through the window, and he just grabbed it and chucked it right back out."
"Glad you're safe."
The situation was quickly brought under control.
In the meantime, I started piecing together what had just happened.
No matter how I turned it over in my mind, this didn't feel like the work of someone gunning for the salt distribution rights.
Even if we were delayed getting to Beijing, the deals were already locked in.
Taking this kind of risk wouldn't change a damn thing.
The merchant group still had Jin-ho and the core members back home to handle things.
No—this smacked of personal grudge against us.
The Murim Alliance, maybe?
I shook my head, dismissing the idea.
The current Alliance had no reason to target us. If anything, they'd want to nurture and use us. No point picking a fight with the palace over it.
Attacking the Gold Guard was tantamount to high treason against the Emperor.
Unless, of course, they'd already burned that bridge.
Ah……
Suddenly, the prime suspects clicked into place: the ones who'd ambushed Jin Woo-rim's merchant group—the Dong Merchant Group.
I sought out the Gold Guard warrior, the one most likely to know Beijing's underbelly.
"Sir, if I may ask you something."
"Go ahead."
His demeanor had shifted since our departure.
Before, it was like facing a cold, unyielding boulder. Now, that stone radiated a subtle warmth.
"I'll tell you anything I can."
"I want to know about the Dong Merchant Group."
"Ah…… Mind if I ask why?"
At his troubled expression, I recounted the Sichuan incident.
Only then did he relax, nodding in understanding.
"So you were the benefactor who saved Jin, the deputy leader! Thank you again."
"Aw, you're embarrassing me."
"If you hadn't rescued him back then, the Gold Guard would've faced serious trouble."
That explained his warmer attitude.
Fine by me.
"As far as anyone's concerned, the Dong Merchant Group is gone. Everyone involved ended up on the execution grounds."
"I see."
"But somehow, a few escaped before we could round them up."
"Escaped?"
"Yes. The second son of the Dong Merchant Group's leader."
In a forest deep in Henan Province.
Inside a cave there, a man exploded in rage.
"Damn it! A failure?!"
"We succeeded in drawing the escorts' eyes and slipping the Thunderclap Bomb into the carriage."
"And? So why the hell did it fail?"
"Someone inside threw it back out before it detonated. So……."
"What kind of bullshit is that?!"
He erupted again.
His name was Dong Woo-yeok, second son of the Dong Merchant Group's leader.
He'd been away on a trading expedition when he got word of the disaster on the way back.
The Emperor's decree had wiped the group out.
His family, key managers—everyone dragged into the palace.
Seeing his father and brother's severed heads on public display in the markets near the palace had ignited his fury.
He couldn't fathom what they'd done to deserve such cruelty.
Dong Woo-yeok vowed revenge.
With the survivors who'd escaped thanks to him, he set up base in Henan.
He began digging into his father's death.
And uncovered the truth: Father had ambushed Jin Woo-rim. A Eunhae Merchant Group member had interfered, botching it. The Emperor, furious, ordered the Dong group's annihilation.
They'd reaped what they sowed.
But Dong Woo-yeok refused to accept it.
'That kind of thing happens all the time on trade runs. And they blow it this far out of proportion……'
He conveniently ignored one key fact: Ambushing an ordinary merchant leader was one thing. Going after one under imperial orders? Worlds apart.
Blinded by vengeance, Dong Woo-yeok obsessed only over payback—against the Emperor and Jin Woo-rim.
Then he heard: the salt distributors were heading to Beijing.
He decided on the spot: Hit the Eunhae Merchant Group.
Word was, Jin Woo-rim owed them a debt and kept tabs on them. The Emperor himself felt gratitude for saving Jin.
What if their leader and entourage died in an ambush en route to the capital?
'Then maybe they'll understand a fraction of my pain.'
Attacking Eunhae served his revenge perfectly. He already harbored a grudge against them.
'This is all your fault. If you hadn't saved Jin, things would've wrapped up cleanly. You escalated this—so own it!'
He'd bought Thunderclap Bombs with the group's remaining funds.
For maximum pain. Maximum cruelty.
And it had failed.
"Y-young master."
Dong Woo-yeok looked up at the manager's words.
"More to say?"
"Well……."
The hesitant manager pressed on.
"Do we really have to seek revenge like this?"
"Then what do you suggest?"
"We have money left. Start a new business. Watching your life go to ruin like this…… the late leader wouldn't want that."
Crack!
Dong Woo-yeok swung a fist into the manager's face.
The man crumpled backward. Dong Woo-yeok's voice was ice.
"Know your place."
"……."
"I decide my own fate. Don't overstep."
"……Sorry."
The manager bowed his head, sighing inwardly.
'Stick around here, and I won't go down easy either.'
.
.
.
The manager slipped out of the cave.
Emerging from the gloom, the sunlight and fresh air hit him like a revelation.
He evaded the cave guards, retreating farther into the woods.
He gulped down a deep breath.
Anything less, and he might've cracked.
Then someone approached—a subordinate under him.
"Manager, what now for us?"
"……Hell if I know."
"We hit a procession flying the Gold Guard banner. That's a crime punishable by extermination of the clan, isn't it?"
Exactly.
Gold Guard banners marked imperial envoys.
Touch them, and you defied the Emperor.
Clan annihilation was standard.
"But we didn't know! Truly! If we'd known…… if……."
The manager patted the sniffling man's shoulder.
The sight twisted something in his gut.
I'm perched in a tree right now.
Tracking the bastards who targeted us brought me here.
Wasn't hard to follow their trail.
Thanks to the heightened senses from my Taiyin Ice Sea Divine Art.
With killing intent this thick, it was like spotting a bonfire in the dark.
I'd told Palgap I was stepping out to check on Sopi, then slipped into the woods with him.
After that, I told him to head back to camp while I came here alone.
Master's Traceless Phantom Step left no tracks and masked my presence perfectly.
And it was lightning-fast.
Less than fifteen minutes, and I was here.
What I witnessed was unexpected: the manager and his underling talking.
I'd overheard the cave conversation too.
One word summed it up: mess.
I'd come in anger.
Second chance at life, nearly blown by some cheap bomb.
Worse—Father and Jeong Ho nearly died right in front of me.
Who wouldn't rage?
But these fools were doomed anyway. No need to dirty my hands.
I just wanted to see the bastard's face.
Now? Rage faded to pity.
These guys' only crime: following orders from the runaway second son.
Without knowing it was a Gold Guard-escorted imperial convoy.
Even hiring black path thugs made them guilty.
But their families? Innocent.
In my past life, no Dong family members escaped.
This time, the second son did—because I rooted out the threat faster.
That led to this ambush.
I'll keep altering the future, rippling causality in ways I can't predict.
But needless blood? No thanks.
They wouldn't have tangled in this before.
The bombs pissed me off, but it wasn't their idea.
I made my choice.
Give them a shot at life.
I dropped from the tree, picked up a pebble nearby, and chucked it lightly their way.
Plink.
They jumped, scanning warily, then crept closer.
"What was that?"
"Just a pebble."
"……A pebble?"
I tossed another.
After three, they edged nearer, curiosity winning out.
Who the hell's throwing rocks?
That's when I stepped into view.
"Gah!"
"Shh!"
I sealed their acupoints in a flash.
Mute and frozen solid.
"Let me introduce myself. Name's Eun Seo-ho. Deputy leader of the Eunhae Merchant Group. Not the youngest son."
"……!"
Their eyes bulged.
"That's right. One of the people you sicced that ambush on."
"……!"
"So why am I here? To give you a chance."
"……?"
"Frankly, you're pathetic. Just bad luck with a boss. And now you're staring down the blade for it. Unfair, huh?"
I smirked.
Their eyes screamed it all.
"Soldiers are coming soon. Someone requested reinforcements from the garrison."
"……!"
True story.
A Gold Guard warrior went personally—no garrison commander would say no.
"I'd say you've got about two hours. Stick around guarding that maniac second son and die like dogs, or grab what loot you can and run. Your call."
"……."
"But Gold Guard trackers? Unavoidable. Hide hard for a fortnight."
Their karma—deal with it.
"Once we reach Beijing, I'll call off the hunt."
Jin Woo-rim owed me enough to make it happen.
"Why bother?"
They nodded vigorously.
"Pity."
I continued.
"You've got your chance. Don't dawdle."
"……."
"But if that second young master tags along when you bolt? Chance revoked. Instantly."
I released their acupoints.
Flashed a grin, then raced back to where Palgap waited.
I'd given them the shot.
Their choice now.