Chapter 187: Becoming an Escort (2)

惜枝失木 (Seokjisilmok)

儉存奢失 (Geomjonsaseil)

空行空返 (Gonghaenggongban)

月盈則食 (Wolyeongjeuksik)

鷄口牛後 (Gyeguuhoo)

窮追莫追 (Gungchwimakchwi)

‘Trying to spare a branch, you lose the whole tree.’

‘The frugal thrive, the extravagant perish.’

‘There are rewards for those who act, but none for those who sleep.’

‘Even the moon wanes when it is full.’

‘Better to be the head of a chicken than the tail of a cow.’

‘Leave a path for retreat when you pursue.’

Yong Hwarin liked the phrases on this folding screen so much that he had memorized every word inscribed on it.

They were sayings full of wisdom, especially useful for a merchant to live by.

Yong Hwarin found it curious that Heaven Sea Sword Hoi Eulshin, someone strong enough to be named among the Five Emperors of the Martial World, would leave behind not martial arts formulas but these kinds of aphorisms.

At one point, he had even investigated to see if the Heaven Sea Divine Art had been secretly inscribed into the folding screen.

However, the screen was no different from any ordinary folding screen.

“Welcome.”

As Hoi Unkyung spoke in a thin voice, Yong Hwarin took a seat across from her.

“Thank you for coming.”

Hoi Unkyung spoke while staring up at the ceiling, not even turning her head.

“Not at all. I came because I remembered what Lady Hoi said.”

“You were… you were the only one I could trust, Young Master Yong.”

I had no idea why she was saying she trusted me after only seeing me a few times.

Aside from facing off during the duel with Do Gye-gong in Pungnyang County and briefly accompanying each other while chasing Black Kill Sword Wonho, there had been no significant interaction between us. Yet, she had named me as the one to trust in the face of death—an odd choice.

“While I appreciate the trust, I don’t quite understand why you place such faith in me. I’ve never had any meaningful interaction with Lady Hoi to earn such trust.”

Hoi Unkyung didn’t even move her facial muscles, using only her eyes to convey expression.

“I’ve seen many sides of you, Young Master Yong.”

With that, Hoi Unkyung paused, seemingly having spent a great deal of energy.

“When you took Junior Brother Jong as your sworn brother in Pungnyang County, when you pursued Black Kill Sword Wonho, and the matters in the Bamboo Forest—I saw and heard it all.”

Her voice grew thinner with every word, and I leaned in closer to hear.

“Of all the people I’ve seen so far, Young Master Yong was the most trustworthy. Even though we are not close, I believed that if you knew my situation, you would surely help me.”

I gave a bitter smile at those words.

“I only came because I was lured by the offer of receiving half of Lady Hoi’s wealth in return for helping.”

Feeling she was expecting too much from me, I intentionally drew a line with a cold response.

“That’s exactly why I trust you even more. What other reason would Young Master Yong have to help me? We have no relationship. If you were helping because of my wealth, then I knew you would give it your all.”

Hoi Unkyung had been known in her past life for her sharp judgment of character. Though it wasn’t my place to assess her, I could tell that she was still remarkably thoughtful in this life as well.

“What do you need me to do?”

“Protect me. Just until the poison is neutralized.”

Her unexpected request made me feel as though I had been outmaneuvered by her.

I never imagined she would use me as a bodyguard.

I fell into brief thought.

In her past life, Hoi Unkyung had survived, been detoxified, and recovered her health.

Although the future had changed and there were new variables, the chances of her dying were still slim.

‘And if I use the power of the Demonic Master to identify the poison, detoxification shouldn’t be too difficult.’

No matter how I thought about it, curing her poison didn’t seem too hard.

Given the reward, I accepted the proposal.

“Very well. I’ll become Lady Hoi’s escort.”

“I’ll officially appoint Young Master Yong as my escort. That way, you’ll be able to stay by my side.”

“Don’t escorts usually protect the Clan Head?”

I suddenly recalled the martial artists who had secretly guarded Hoi Unkyung in her past life and spoke up.

“How do you know that?”

I had spoken without thinking and realized my mistake too late.

“I simply guessed that a merchant union of this scale would have secret guards. I suppose I was right.”

I noticed a faint smile in Hoi Unkyung’s eyes.

“As expected, you’re very perceptive, Young Master Yong. The secret escorts are currently guarding my father, who is bedridden. Thanks to them, he has remained safe.”

In the past life, Hoi Unkyung’s father, Hoi Jongbaek, fell ill and died a year after I became their son-in-law.

“Before I sleep, I’ll inform everyone that Young Master Yong has been appointed as my escort. Please open the door.”

I stood up and opened Hoi Unkyung’s door.

Outside stood the elders of the Golden Court Council and Hoi Soyu, looking in.

“Lady Hoi has something to say to all of you.”

Even as her consciousness was fading, Hoi Unkyung mustered her strength and spoke.

“From this moment, I appoint Young Master Yong as my escort. All matters concerning my safety will be entrusted to Young Master Yong, so please follow his words regarding those matters.”

Hoi Soyu frowned.

She hadn’t expected that the first thing Hoi Unkyung would do upon waking was appoint Yong Hwarin as her escort.

‘If I knew this would happen, I should have kept Yong Hwarin confined to the annex.’

Then the Chief Administrator Wang Mu spoke up.

“The appointment of an escort for the Vice Chair must be approved by the Golden Court Council.”

“Escorts are within my discretion. You haven’t forgotten that, have you? Chief Administrator Wang, answer me.”

“Yes, Vice Chair.”

I was quite surprised by how different the atmosphere of the Sky Ocean Merchant Union was compared to my past life.

‘Back then, Hoi Soyu and Hoi Unkyung’s powers were evenly matched, but now it seems everyone has been bought by Hoi Soyu.’

This meant Hoi Unkyung had been fighting a lonely battle all this time.

‘This won’t be easy. The situation is clearly different from my past life.’

Still, I believed it wouldn’t be too hard to protect Hoi Unkyung—not with myself, the Ten Prodigies of the Heavenly Central Sect, and the Three Chivalrous Sisters present.

Before I realized it, Hoi Unkyung had lost consciousness again and fallen asleep.

“From this point on, I am Lady Hoi’s escort. I will use the room next to hers. If anyone tries to sneak into her room, no matter who they are, they will leave as a corpse.”

When I spoke with force radiating from me, the elders of the Golden Court Council and the Chief Administrator glared at me with disapproval.

When they left without saying a word, I summoned the Ten Prodigies of the Heavenly Central Sect and the Three Chivalrous Sisters and arranged their quarters on either side of Hoi Unkyung’s room.

Jeong Minji asked a question that had been nagging her.

“Why did Hoi Soyu awaken Hoi Unkyung? Didn’t she foresee this outcome? Wouldn’t it have been more advantageous to her if Hoi Unkyung had remained unconscious?”

Jeong Minji didn’t understand why Hoi Soyu had awakened Hoi Unkyung. She asked because Hoi Soyu had been placed at a disadvantage by my appointment as bodyguard.

“There must have been a reason. Something unavoidable that forced her to wake up the Young Mistress.”

Jeong Minji tilted her head, still not quite convinced.

I believed that Hoi Soyu had awakened Hoi Unkyung to threaten her. Otherwise, there was no reason to let Hoi Unkyung even briefly regain consciousness.

‘But perhaps Hoi Unkyung appointed me as her bodyguard before Hoi Soyu could even attempt her threat.’

I had now come to grasp the general atmosphere of the Sky Ocean Merchant Union.

‘I’ve walked right into the heart of a power struggle.’

Since being appointed as bodyguard, no one said anything when I came and went from Hoi Unkyung’s room. The people of the Sky Ocean Merchant Union also seemed well aware of who I was and didn’t harbor any major suspicions.

They, too, surely knew of the emerging prodigy recently hailed across the murim as the Heavenly Sword Hero.

Some even found relief knowing someone of my strength was guarding Hoi Unkyung.

After everyone else had left, I immediately took Hoi Unkyung’s wrist to examine her pulse.

Before that, I had summoned the Demonic Master whom I had already awakened in advance.

‘Elder.’

‘I know. You want me to identify the poison, right? Let me warn you—if it’s an old poison, I’ll know it. But don’t blame me if it’s something developed recently.’

‘I’ve heard even the Tang Clan can’t match you when it comes to poison, Elder.’

I deliberately flattered him a little, and the Demonic Master let out a chuckling laugh.

‘You rascal, enough nonsense. Just pour your qi into her.’

As I gripped Hoi Unkyung’s wrist and injected my qi, the Demonic Master’s spiritual energy flowed in alongside mine.

We could sense a foreign energy within her body.

I recognized it as poisonous energy, but I lacked the study to identify which poison it was.

After two hours had passed, I withdrew my qi and caught my breath. Injecting qi into another person’s body required extreme caution.

‘Were you able to identify it?’

‘Who do you think I am?’

Hearing that, I smiled faintly.

‘Of course, you’re none other than the greatest poison expert of our time, the Demonic Master, Elder.’

When I lifted him up with praise, the Demonic Master laughed in satisfaction.

‘You brat, now you’re even buttering me up.’

‘So, what kind of poison is it?’

‘It’s no wonder the physicians didn’t recognize it. It’s not a poison circulated in the medical world.’

‘As expected, is it from the martial world?’

‘Yes. And it’s a blend of two poisons. Even the Tang Clan wouldn’t easily figure it out.’

‘What are they?’

‘It’s a mixture of Jiangshi Poison and Sleeping Poison. When these two are combined, they transform into a completely different type of poison. That’s why it’s hard to detect.’

Hearing that, a thought flashed through my mind.

‘Are these two poisons commonly used by the Sword Poison Sect?’

‘Yes. They’re frequently used in the Sword Poison Sect’s poison techniques.’

I had expected as much ever since Jin Pyeong, the Left Protector of the Sword Poison Sect, made his appearance.

‘But originally, Jiangshi Poison doesn’t belong to the Sword Poison Sect. It’s a unique poison created by the East Evil Division, who manufacture jiangshi. The Sword Poison Sect must have purchased it from the East Evil Division.’

I recalled how Deung Hwaun had used Jiangshi Poison during our fight in Nampyeong County.

‘Wait a minute, something’s odd. Jin Pyeong, the Left Protector of the Sword Poison Sect, said this was his first visit to the Sky Ocean Merchant Union. Then he couldn’t have been the one who poisoned Hoi Unkyung beforehand. That would mean someone else administered the poison.’

That thought brought Deung Hwaun and the Demonic Master’s faces to mind.

Then I recalled the smirking face of that slippery bastard known as the Third Young Master, who was connected to them.

‘Could Hoi Soyu have allied herself with that Third Young Master?’

With that conclusion, I posed another question to the Demonic Master.

‘Elder, can you obtain Jiangshi Poison with just money?’

‘No. It’s not something just anyone can get. Even if the East Evil Division sells jiangshi, they rarely sell Jiangshi Poison. If they did, the Tang Clan wouldn’t stay silent. That’s why only an extremely small number of people possess it.’

Upon hearing that, I came to a sudden realization—the faction allied with Hoi Soyu was likely not the Sword Poison Sect, but the Third Young Master.

‘The Sword Poison Sect may have just been a pawn in their grand scheme.’

Goosebumps ran across my skin.

That made many things from my past life suddenly make sense.

‘So, the forces of the Third Young Master were the ones who tried to kill me?’

It became increasingly likely that they were the ones who had murdered Hoi Unkyung and tried to kill me in my previous life.

That realization led me to deliberately loosen Hoi Unkyung’s security over the next few days.

I feigned absence, giving others the opportunity to approach Hoi Unkyung.

I needed to figure out who my enemies and allies truly were.

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