Volume 5 Chapter 5 – Single Move

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Translated by Rain

Read it only at Novelbyu.com & Utoon.net

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“Do you want these letters?”

Yeom Baek-ha thought.

That the Eldest Young Master’s smile at this moment was as good as a devil’s temptation.

She thought about the case where they would not accept this proposal.

However, there was no need to think twice.

No matter what move was mobilized from her father, Elder Yeom’s side, in the end, there was no way to win the business rights.

That could be known just by looking at her father’s current situation, which was practically equivalent to sitting idle for nearly a year.

If it became so, as the Eldest Young Master said, all that remained was a bottomless fall.

But.

What would happen if they ended up owing a debt to the Eldest Young Master here?

That was also obvious.

Currently, the Yeom father and daughter stood in this place to decide their future fate.

To owe a debt close to the grace of saving one’s life before the negotiation even properly began meant losing even the meaning of negotiation.

But.

Right now, whether they owed a debt or not, shouldn’t they survive somehow immediately?

If there was no future, no matter how the negotiation with the Eldest Young Master turned out, it meant they would be as good as dead in the political arena within the Sword Family.

And just as Yeom Baek-ha’s heart leaned toward taking the hand extended by the Eldest Young Master, Elder Yeom’s mouth opened.

“I decline.”

Within his calm expression, a firm intention to refuse was revealed.

‘Father?!’

Astonishment was revealed on Yeom Baek-ha’s face, and the Eldest Young Master’s smile grew even deeper.

“Really? You mean you do not need this letter?”

‘Father! Even now…!’

Elder Yeom simply closed his eyes and crossed his arms.

“I do not need it.”

At those words, the Eldest Young Master burst into a loud laugh.

“Indeed. Indeed. Your choice is truly correct.”

It was only Yeom Baek-ha who wore a dumbfounded expression at those words.

‘Why?’

At that moment, the Eldest Young Master looked at Yeom Baek-ha.

“Do you know the reason, lady?”

“The reason, you say…?”

Having stared blankly at his face for a moment, Yeom Baek-ha was startled and bowed her head.

“T-This girl does not know well.”

The Eldest Young Master nodded readily.

“That is the difference between ‘0’ and ‘a number close to 0.’”

Although the answer to the riddle was like another riddle, Yeom Baek-ha, who was exceptionally clever, realized what those words meant.

“Does it mean that although owing a debt to the Eldest Young Master here is a complete defeat, in the case of the mission, because the Eldest Young Master showed that it is possible, at least a very slight possibility exists?”

“Splendid.”

The Eldest Young Master said with a brief clap in an elegant manner.

“As expected, it was a reply worthy of the person Elder Yeom chose as his successor.”

“Y-You flatter me.”

While expressing humility like that, a new doubt could not help but take place in Yeom Baek-ha’s mind.

‘How did the Eldest Young Master notice that Father chose me as his successor?’

She soon found the answer herself.

‘Because I am sitting in on this meeting.’

The Eldest Young Master continued speaking as if he had read her very mind.

“You must know, lady. That right now, your father is carrying the fate of the entire Yeom family and all of his subordinates, who are practically family, on his back.”

Yeom Baek-ha grit her teeth.

Yes.

She had inclined toward the choice of taking the devil’s hand just considering her father’s single position as elder.

Yet, her father made the choice to find a way out, even amidst all those burdens the Eldest Young Master spoke of.

“Remember. That choice your father made. That choice is precisely the choice of a true gambler.”

Yeom Baek-ha bowed her head deeply.

“I will keep it in mind.”

It was so.

Her father had brought his successor to this disadvantageous negotiation table.

Even without knowing how much his bottom would be exposed, or how much humiliation he would have to endure in the negotiation where fate hung in the balance.

He had brought her along to show her all of that.

In Yeom Baek-ha’s eyes, the clear will not to miss anything deepened further.

The Eldest Young Master, who watched that appearance with interest for a moment, smiled lightly toward Elder Yeom.

“Actually, although I asked, your intention in this matter does not matter.”

At the absurd remark of the Eldest Young Master, indeed even Elder Yeom had no choice but to reveal a flustered look.

“What do you mean by that?”

Just then, as if aimed, the voice of the maid was heard.

“I have brought the list you spoke of, Master.”

“Enter.”

Receiving the book containing the list from the maid, the Eldest Young Master said.

“As I said before, this is merely my own return of gratitude for your congratulations.”

Elder Yeom could not refuse even that favor.

‘Just what is the Eldest Young Master thinking…?’

While Elder Yeom fell into thought trying to fathom the Eldest Young Master’s completely incomprehensible mind, the Eldest Young Master flipped through the book at a fast pace.

“Hmm. This person will be good.”

The Eldest Young Master called the maid and directed her to bring the person he had chosen.

* * *

A corner seat in the waiting room.

No one loitered around the place where the Great War Merchant of the North sat.

They only glanced from afar occasionally to observe the old man’s movements, and no one dared to approach him.

The reputation and dread carried by the name of the owner of one of the largest military merchant groups in the northern territory were like that.

Toward the old man who was sitting silently and lost in thought, his loyal servant asked in a soft voice.

“…If you only sit there like that, skipping meals, your health will be harmed.”

However, the old man only spoke of other things.

“By any chance, is there still no contact from anywhere?”

“There is none.”

“Is it indeed unlikely that someone who has a connection to let me meet the Eldest Young Master would easily connect me?”

“….”

The old man crossed his arms and closed his eyes.

“Then it cannot be helped. We have no choice but to wait, hoping that Tengri will grant us protection.”

The old man muttered to himself like a sigh.

“…To think it is this difficult to meet someone who had been buried in the wilderness for all those long years.”

The servant, who sighed at his master’s stubbornness, asked.

“Is meeting that person called the Eldest Young Master that important of a matter?”

“It is.”

The old man asserted.

“It is a heavenly luck from the start that I was passing through Luoyang at this time when the Eldest Young Master ended his confinement.”

The old man sneered.

“The other northern merchant bastards must also be hurriedly getting ready by now upon hearing the news.”

“Just what relationship does the Sword Family’s Eldest Young Master have with the north…”

Just then, there was a voice that cut off the servant’s words.

“Are you Dong Ga-hyu, who is called the Great War Merchant of the North?”

It was a clear and warbler-like voice.

Only then did Dong Ga-hyu and his servants realize that the entire floor where they were situated was quiet.

As the servants quickly moved aside, they could see a woman outfitted in attire of a different class than the Pavilion of Perfect Enlightenment maid uniforms they had seen until now.

“That is correct. This old man is Dong Ga-hyu.”

Pavilion of Perfect Enlightenment’s Senior Maid, Il-ryeong, looked down at the old man with arrogant eyes and notified him.

“Since my master, the Eldest Young Master, wishes to see you, please follow me immediately.”

The old man’s eyes flashed.

* * *

Hearing the name the Eldest Young Master gave to the maid, Elder Yeom groaned deeply.

Hesitating for a moment, he opened his mouth to the Eldest Young Master, who was savoring the tea the maid had reheated.

“Eldest Young Master. ‘That old monster’ is not an easy opponent to handle. It would be better if I went to the north in person carrying your letter to handle the matter…”

The Eldest Young Master shook his head.

“In this matter, more than just being tactful, it is important not to stimulate the opponent’s pride.”

He looked at Elder Yeom.

“The hero of the Northern War and elder of the Luoyang Sword Family will stimulate the pride of General Gwak Gyu and the Governor by his very existence. It will only make it more difficult for anyone to extend their hand first.”

The Eldest Young Master added.

“Furthermore, the person who must play this role of ‘matchmaker’ must lower himself and sometimes even be able to roll around in the mud. It does not suit you.”

Elder Yeom wore a bitter smile.

“However, that old monster’s prestige is high in the north and he is insolent and arrogant, so I think he is a selection that does not fit such a delicate operation.”

“Is that so?”

The Eldest Young Master wore a strange smile.

“Although this Eldest Young Master has never met the old monster you speak of, I think he is a person who would even pretend to die if told to die, though?”

Yeom Baek-ha shook her head inwardly.

This was because she had already heard all about the notorious reputation of the Great War Merchant of the North from her father.

Elder Yeom said in a frustrated tone.

“There is no way that eccentric old monster would…”

Just then, the maid’s voice was heard.

“Master. I have brought the one called Dong Ga-hyu as commanded.”

“Tell them to enter.”

The Eldest Young Master raised his hand and pointed to the entrance of the office, indicating for them to see for themselves.

As the office door opened before long, a vocal volume hard to believe was that of an old man resounded in the office.

“Congratulating the end of the confinement of the Eldest Young Master, the direct descendant of the Great Luoyang Sword Family! I pray that you will have great luck, enjoy boundless longevity, and that all matters will go smoothly in the future!”

Without even stepping inside the entrance, the notorious old monster could be seen flatly making a deep bow.

“….”

Yeom Baek-ha swore that in her life, she had never seen her dignified father wear such an utterly bewildered expression.

* * *

Even after entering the office, Dong Ga-hyu practically praised the Eldest Young Master for a long time, mentioning the names of all kinds of Daoist deities.

Yet, his merely nodding toward Elder Yeom, with whom he already had a connection through the Northern War, allowed one to guess his original temperament.

“You must have guessed why I called you, right?”

At that, the old man began to make a booming voice once again.

“How dare this humble merchant! How dare I even guess the wisdom of the high-and-mighty Eldest Young Master…!”

The Eldest Young Master clicked his tongue.

“He was an utterly useless person.”

Before the Eldest Young Master’s words could even finish, the old man prostrate on the spot cried out.

“Of course, is it not due to the business rights for the repair of military facilities in the four northern districts!”

Dong Ga-hyu had guessed it the moment he saw Elder Yeom’s face sitting in the office.

Indeed, the name of the Great War Merchant of the North was not an empty reputation.

“Yes, indeed.”

The Eldest Young Master asked Dong Ga-hyu, who was flatly prostrate on the floor.

“Can you accomplish this task?”

Having finished calculating in his head for a moment, the old man cried out as if vomiting the pain of severed intestines.

“…Please kill this humble one!”

The Eldest Young Master threw two letters to Dong Ga-hyu, who was flatly prostrate on the floor.

“If so, would it be possible with these?”

Dong Ga-hyu, who quickly unfolded the letters and read the contents in his prostrate posture, cried out.

“Obeying the Eldest Young Master’s will! I will dedicate this body and surely accomplish that great will!”

“Was it indeed excessive to give both letters…?”

As the Eldest Young Master slightly approached to snatch one of the letters, the old man began to bang his head on the floor.

“Please be understanding! Eldest Young Master! Please look upon this pitiful old man with pity and compassion…!”

The Eldest Young Master chuckled and looked at Elder Yeom.

“Elder Yeom. It seems the problem is already solved, though?”

Just as Elder Yeom was about to say something with a hollow expression, Dong Ga-hyu cried out once more.

“Please! Just trust this Dong Ga-hyu, who is practically the Eldest Young Master’s loyal hand and foot!”