Chapter: 17
I slid the letter into my pocket and stepped out into the streets with Muyeon.
I walked the same route as last time, but this time, I wasn’t gasping for breath.
I could feel that my training had started to pay off.
‘Maybe it was strange for me to be out of breath from just a walk in the first place.’
I smirked at the thought and passed through the alley.
As I walked a bit further, I spotted the shabby building I had seen last time. It was the Hao Clan’s branch headquarters I had visited before.
The only difference from last time was that all the servants were dressed in the same formal attire as the branch manager.
As I approached the building, someone greeted me.
“Welcome, Young Master.”
“Huh? You’re looking sharp this time.”
“I apologize for last time.”
It was the same fellow who had hurled insults at me earlier. Dressed neatly, he looked like a completely different person.
“I don’t mind, so where do I head next? Should I go down to the cellar like before?”
“No need for that, Young Master.”
Following the voice, I looked up to see Dwoon-Chu slowly descending the stairs.
“Different from last time, huh? You’ve arrived right away.”
“Could I avoid being prompt for such a precious customer?”
“So you’re saying I wasn’t a customer last time?”
Dwoon-Chu merely chuckled at my little joke. I chose not to press the matter further.
I certainly could have, but I wanted to wrap this up quickly and return home.
I followed Dwoon-Chu upstairs. Unlike the dusty, run-down first floor, the second floor was surprisingly clean.
Once seated, a servant from the Hao Clan brought me tea, but Muyeon stopped him.
He didn’t trust them.
The servant made a slightly annoyed expression at Muyeon’s refusal, but Dwoon-Chu corrected him.
“Fix your expression; you’re in front of a precious customer.”
His tone was icy.
“…My apologies, Branch Manager.”
“Don’t apologize to me; apologize to the Young Master.”
“I apologize, Young Master.”
I waved my hand, signaling that it was fine, and shifted my gaze back to Dwoon-Chu.
‘What a hassle…’
I already knew that their actions were all part of a show.
They must have anticipated Muyeon’s behavior.
Dwoon-Chu reprimanding his servant was clearly part of the act as well.
I could see he was trying to display their respect, or perhaps they wanted to impress me, but it all felt like an annoying distraction.
“I’m not sure what you’re trying to demonstrate, but you’re wasting my precious time—let’s cut to the chase, Branch Manager.”
I had no time for pointless theatrics.
Dwoon-Chu hesitated for a moment after hearing my words. His narrowed eyes made it hard to read his expression, but I thought the message had gotten through.
After a sigh, Dwoon-Chu finally spoke.
“…I’m not quite sure where to start fixing the information you provided us last time.”
“As I mentioned last time, the information I gave you was correct, so there’s no need to change anything.”
Dwoon-Chu took a quiet sip of tea before getting to the heart of the matter.
“In regards to the request you made, if we fulfill it, how much information would you be willing to share?”
“How much? Aren’t you going to ask me for everything I know?”
“We’re in the business of buying and selling information. We understand better than anyone the true value of your intel.”
The whereabouts of a certain individual who had eluded even the relentless search efforts of the Hao Clan.
I knew where he was.
Of course, I wasn’t planning to spill everything all at once.
The ‘Reclamation of the Lord of the Hao Clan’ would occur a few years down the line.
Naturally, the Lord of the Hao Clan would meet his end during that event, but he would still be alive for several years until then.
Dwoon-Chu, of course, had no idea about this, which probably made him quite anxious.
‘Dwoon-Chu must have some sort of connection to the Lord of the Hao Clan, considering he might become the next Lord himself. I wonder how tightly woven their relationship is.’
If they didn’t share any link, Dwoon-Chu wouldn’t even bother trying to reclaim the Lord.
Yet, Dwoon-Chu was maintaining his composure in front of me, showing no signs of urgency.
Whether he was hiding it well or thought remaining calm was necessary to gain the needed information was beyond my understanding.
To be precise, it didn’t really concern me.
What relationship Dwoon-Chu had with the Lord of the Hao Clan didn’t matter in the grand scheme of things.
But if there was a connection,
I had to leverage it.
‘If it becomes absolutely necessary, of course.’
“Do you even believe me, Branch Manager?”
Even I wouldn’t trust a random kid who suddenly appeared claiming to know something crucial.
At my question, Dwoon-Chu chuckled softly.
“Only those in desperate situations can afford to be skeptical.”
Those were my words from last time.
“…If that’s the case, I’ll willingly share all related information without any doubts.”
“Understood.”
Dwoon-Chu made no further comments. He merely added some necessary remarks related to my request.
“We estimate the request will take about a month. It can be completed faster, but it should not go beyond that timeframe.”
“…A month, huh.”
By that time, summer would have arrived. It wasn’t an excessively long wait.
As I organized my thoughts, Dwoon-Chu suddenly spoke.
“…May I ask something?”
“If it’s something I can answer.”
“Our Lord…”
Dwoon-Chu halted mid-sentence, perhaps uncertain about whether he should ask about the Lord’s fate.
I knew that it was likely an important question for him, but to me, it had no significance.
I spoke to Dwoon-Chu.
“You realize that question provides no benefit to our discussion, right?”
The assumption that Dwoon-Chu had a close relationship with the Lord of the Hao Clan was merely speculation. His inquiry merely confirmed that they shared an important bond.
Of course, this could also just be acting on his part.
Dwoon-Chu remained silent.
Whether it was a slip of the tongue born out of urgency, or a calculated move, I had no way of knowing just from his expression.
Not that he would reveal anything in the first place.
After a brief moment of contemplation, I spoke again.
“Ancient Mountain Range.”
Dwoon-Chu’s eyes widened at my words.
A large mountain range situated in the southern area. While it wasn’t precisely where the Lord of the Hao Clan was located, it was a region under the jurisdiction of the Black Palace.
‘Though I don’t know exactly which mountain he’s in.’
The reason I mentioned this specific location was that it contained information that Dwoon-Chu might need.
“This is an advance payment, which should suffice for now.”
Regardless of whether he chose to believe or not, it was irrelevant.
“If you plan to check it out, you might want to bring some companions.”
The Black Palace undoubtedly had security measures in place.
The reason the Murim Alliance struggled to locate the Black Palace had much to do with their concealment tactics.
With that, our conversation came to a close.
I turned away from Dwoon-Chu and stood up to return to my clan.
‘A month, huh.’
It felt like a rather lengthy wait.
—
As I made my way back, I bought yakgwa as if it had become a habit. Obviously, they were for Wi Seol-Ah.
It seemed that Wi Seol-Ah had gained a little weight, thanks to the excessive treats showered upon her by the servants.
As I walked, a breeze picked up.
“It’s still cool because it’s spring, but starting next month, it’s going to be blazing hot. I’ll be dying again.”
Muyeon remarked.
In a month’s time, early summer would be upon us. As Muyeon said, summer was fast approaching.
“Summer, huh…”
I felt a vague hint of something peculiar slipping through my mind, making me uneasy.
Why do I feel so uneasy?
Thud.
I halted my steps. A foggy memory suddenly emerged in my mind.
At this time of year, a significant event was looming on the horizon.
“…Why is this suddenly coming back to me?”
The discovery of the secret vault of the martial clan Golden Nature would be around this time next summer.
The first clan to unearth the vault was the Tang Clan of Sichuan, but the clan that ended up claiming it was none other than the Heaven’s Gate Clan, known for being unorthodox.
Both clans were situated in the same region, which did not bode well for their relationship.
Eventually, a demonic cult appeared, leading to the takeover of Heaven’s Gate Clan.
‘The vault of the Golden Nature Clan is also located in Sichuan.’
…I’m in trouble.
I cringed at the thought, weighing the situation.
The discovery of the vault would occur late in the summer, and I would prefer to secure it for myself rather than let it fall into Heaven’s Gate Clan’s hands. However, the location posed an issue.
‘There’s no immediate way for me to go to Sichuan.’
The Hao Clan had already set a month’s timeline for my request, allowing me to hope that I might manage a trip to Sichuan in the interim.
However, I lacked a plausible excuse for such a journey.
Should I just claim I’m going on vacation?
‘There’s no way the clan would permit that.’
If I suddenly announced my plans to search for hidden treasures, there was no chance they’d believe me.
While the vault itself may not be filled with golden treasures, it contained extraordinarily rare martial arts scrolls.
This had also facilitated the Lord of Heaven’s Gate reaching the ‘Fusion’ realm before his descent into becoming a demonic human.
I at least want to prevent Heaven’s Gate from getting the vault.
Even if I couldn’t have it for myself, I preferred it not fall into the hands of those who would inevitably become demonic humans.
Of course, having it would be even better.
But if that wasn’t possible, I’d need to find a different approach.
“Perhaps I should reach out to the Beggar’s Sect about this.”
Few would believe me, but perhaps I could slightly alter the trajectory of events with my whispers. However, the speed at which rumors spread, even if I brought this up at the Beggar’s Sect, was questionable.
Honestly, despite the many easy options at hand, my hesitation stemmed from simple greed.
Having received this second chance through regression, I aimed to live a serene life, yet facing a treasure trove before me led me to extend my grasp.
“I’m being selfish again. I really need to know when to let go.”
Even after learning the lessons from my past life the hard way, my desire was still insatiable.
Why did I have to remember this now…
A wave of disappointment washed over me. I turned my head in search of something to munch on to dissipate my disappointment.
I spotted the steam rising from a dumpling shop in the distance, which prompted me to move on. Last time’s dumplings had been delightful.
“Are you buying dumplings too, Young Master?”
“The dumplings I had last time were delicious.”
“But you mentioned earlier that you spent all your money on yakgwa…?”
“Hand it over.”
“Huh?”
“Hand it over, I said.”
“Yes, Young Master…”
I’m sorry.
Please don’t wear such a sad face. I promise I’ll pay you back when we return…
‘Now that I think about it, I don’t believe I even reimbursed you last time we did this…’
I turned away from Muyeon, who was pulling out his money while looking downcast.
I felt a sudden twinge of guilt.
I’ll definitely pay him back this time.
For real, I intended to.
For real…
After purchasing the dumplings, I headed back to the clan. By the time I arrived, the sun was sinking low on the horizon.
As I entered the premises, Wi Seol-Ah bounded over to collect my outer garments, and I handed her the yakgwa along with my clothing.
Seeing her smile as she beheld the yakgwa and then dash off to share it with the other servants made me feel a sense of satisfaction.
Though I was disheartened about the Golden Nature incident, it was never mine to begin with.
Wishing for something I had no connection to was foolish.
But when there was no solution in sight, what could I do?
…That’s what I thought, but…
“My name is Gu Jeolyeob. I wish to duel with the direct descendant of the Gu Clan.”
Little did I know, the answer to my dilemma would come knocking right at my door.
My site has received a lot of DMCA notices, lol. From now on, I will update the MTL on https://darkmtl.com/.
The site is fast and lightweight because there are no ads yet. However, the theme is different from Cybor-TL, so take some time to familiarize yourself.
Support me by donating at least $10, and you'll have the right to request any novel from Novelpia (excluding 19+ content) using a newly developed tool.