Volume 5 Chapter 11 – Scholar Jang

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Translated by Rain

Read it only at Novelbyu.com & Utoon.net

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The Second Young Master’s camp.

One of the numerous guest rooms.

Though called a guest room, the place Elder Son consistently used whenever he visited was practically his office.

“I apologize for keeping you waiting.”

True to Elder Son, who always wore a good-natured expression, he welcomed the two of them coming in with his usual “hoho” chuckle.

“…”

“…”

However, the two of them just stood there bowing their heads, not daring to look Elder Son in the face.

At their appearance, Elder Son, with a benevolent expression, stroked his beard and spoke.

“Both of you, lift your heads. Originally, it was said that victory and defeat are routine matters for a soldier.”

Still, the two of them could not lift their heads.

Gazing at them blankly, Elder Son asked in a subtle tone.

“…There won’t be a next time for this kind of thing, right?”

Only then did the two of them raise their heads.

They were Han Myeong-hwi, in charge of the Eldest Young Master, and Tactician Choi, in charge of the Fourth Young Master.

“Yes.”

“Of course.”

Elder Son’s narrowly smiling eyes scanned their faces.

The determination and venom reflected in their eyes were satisfactory.

“Good, very good.”

Elder Son offered the two of them seats.

Only when the two sat down with a cautious attitude did he bring up the words they wanted to hear the most.

“Our Lord has decided to trust you once more. He has also decided to maintain your positions as they are.”

The two tacticians breathed a huge sigh of relief inwardly.

“However.”

Tap. The moment the two felt relieved, Elder Son raised a finger.

“Blocking the joint venture of the Eldest Young Master and the Fourth Young Master from the early stage has become difficult in the first place. It is true that a more proper operation is needed now.”

The two tacticians closed their mouths.

“Therefore, we have invited a talented person who will play a concentrated role in tearing down the joint venture. As soon as he arrives in Luoyang, rack your brains together.”

“…”

After hesitating for a long time, Han Myeong-hwi opened his mouth.

“…Will a commander be placed above us?”

Elder Son waved his hand.

“No, no. He will only help the two of you make a more organic and constructive response. The practical ones in charge are still you, after all.”

That was the same thing.

The two tacticians barely managed to control their rotting expressions.

Pretending not to notice their reaction, Elder Son asked nonchalantly.

“Right, did you say Elder Yeom entered Pavilion of Perfect Enlightenment?”

“Yes. It is said he has not come out yet.”

“I see…”

Elder Son tapped the desk a few times with his fingers, then lightly shrugged his shoulders.

“Well, maybe it is because of his mission assigned by the Elders’ Hall? The Eldest Young Master… He used his head well.”

He nodded, asking and answering himself.

“I heard the Eldest Young Master’s connections are of a fairly decent standard. Considering the Eldest Young Master’s position of wanting to quickly become acquainted with the elders, the earlier he visits, the cheaper he can trade. Elder Yeom is certainly clever.”

Han Myeong-hwi asked cautiously.

“…Could Elder Yeom perhaps swear loyalty to the Eldest Young Master?”

Elder Son, who opened his eyes wide for a moment, soon burst into laughter.

* * *

Before they knew it, the red-dyed sun was slowly tilting toward the west.

“How about having a light meal to satisfy your hunger?”

Il-ryeong politely asked Elder Yeom, who did not seem to know how to leave his seat, but he merely shook his head.

How could she not know his feelings?

“Then I will leave it here for now.”

With a pitiful expression, Il-ryeong placed the prepared rice balls on the table, quietly closed the door, and left.

The steaming rice balls glistened with gloss, looking delicious just by looking at them.

Yet not even the white tiger lying on the floor, nor the Chief Warrior sitting cross-legged clutching his sword, nor Elder Yeom who was just pacing the room aimlessly, cast a single glance.

Their gazes never overlapped; they just wandered meaninglessly in the air.

“…My daughter.”

Stopping his steps suddenly, Elder Yeom spoke.

“That Baek-ha said such a thing…?”

How long the silence must have been, even the voice of Elder Yeom, who possessed the body of a superhuman, was cracked.

“…Yes.”

At the short reply, Elder Yeom looked up at the ceiling.

“That child…”

Due to the rugged northern terrain and frequent business trips, Elder Yeom had rarely even shown his face to the child when she was young.

Whenever he saw her occasionally, she was a child who, as if frightened, merely hid behind her mother and clutched the hem of her skirt.

“That child…”

A sigh laden with too many meanings followed the end of Elder Yeom’s words.

Just then, the ears of the white tiger, which had been lying still, twitched.

It was the sign of someone’s presence.

The door burst open, and what appeared was the figure of the Eldest Young Master, Yeon So-hyeon, dressed in neat white robes.

“Eldest Young Master!”

The eyes of everyone in the room gathered on his somewhat exhausted figure.

Just as Elder Yeom was about to say something to the Eldest Young Master, the Medicine King, also dressed in white robes, showed himself.

He stealthily stepped in front of Yeon So-hyeon and spoke.

“Since this Medicine King is right here, what is there to worry about?”

“Does that mean…?!”

The Medicine King smirked.

At that moment, Yeon So-hyeon subtly blocked the Medicine King and replied.

“The procedure was successful. Now…”

The Medicine King cut in.

“It means that child has nothing left but to live well and healthily without worries in the future.”

At those words, Elder Yeom knelt on the spot and shed tears of joy.

The Chief Warrior, who had been unable to even breathe, lost strength in his legs and slumped to the spot, while the white tiger wagged its tail wildly and hopped up and down in place.

“Ahem, why do you keep cutting me off?”

“Was it not this old Medicine King who devised that procedure? Aren’t you the one stealthily pushing your spoon onto a set table?”

“Did I not make this procedure succeed? As for the old man, you merely assisted from behind…”

“It is not assistance, it is supervision! Supervision! I merely supervised to see if my disciple was performing the procedure properly!”

“How many times do I have to tell you that I am not your disciple?!”

Sure enough, the two of them began bickering.

Whether the two did so or not, the father of a child merely prostrated himself and expressed only gratitude.

“Thank you… Thank you…”

* * *

Darkness descended, and maids walked around Pavilion of Perfect Enlightenment lighting oil lamps here and there.

Opening the door and stepping out into the small yard, Elder Yeom wore a startled expression at the sight of the Eldest Young Master standing alone.

“Eldest Young Master?”

He had come out because he heard someone outside, but Elder Yeom had never expected it to be the Eldest Young Master.

“How is Lady Yeom?”

The Eldest Young Master, who had been looking up at the moon, turned around and looked at him.

The gentle moonlight was cast upon his smile.

Was that smile the Eldest Young Master’s, or was it the physician Yeon So-hyeon’s?

Out of habit, Elder Yeom, who had been trying to read the other’s thoughts, gave a bitter smile and shook his head.

“She was excited that she can eat normal meals like other people from now on. She is writing a list of what to eat first.”

It was Yeom Baek-ha who had to eat only tasteless nutritional food all this time.

At the sight of Yeon So-hyeon breaking into a small laugh, Elder Yeom also smiled and stood by his side.

“Once again, I express my gratitude like this.”

Perhaps because Elder Yeom’s overly polite attitude was a burden, Yeon So-hyeon turned his back and replied.

“Offer your gratitude to the old man who is probably guzzling alcohol by now. Without that old man, it would have been an impossible procedure in the first place.”

Yeon So-hyeon would be the only one to call the Medicine King of the world, whom even kings, nobles, generals, and ministers strove to invite, an old man.

Smiling slightly, Elder Yeom bowed his head even deeper.

“Since the Eldest Young Master has cured my daughter, I will now keep that oath as I said before…”

“Elder Yeom.”

Yeon So-hyeon cut off his words.

“Eldest Young Master?”

As Elder Yeom lifted his head in wonder, Yeon So-hyeon’s calm voice echoed in the yard.

“Since your daughter was treated with a non-invasive method, she does not need a separate recovery period. Once it is confirmed that her condition has stabilized soon, you can carry her back just like when you came.”

“Ah, yes.”

Elder Yeom nodded with a puzzled expression.

“That she cannot walk right away is not because of the illness, but a problem to be solved by building muscle strength, so there is nothing to worry about.”

“Yes, Eldest Young Master.”

Accepting that he probably had more to say as a physician, he listened to Yeon So-hyeon’s words.

However, the words that followed were not spoken as a physician.

“Therefore, if you return with your daughter in a little while, no one will think that you have entered my faction.”

“What does that…?”

On Elder Yeom’s face, which no longer concealed its expression, confusion was fully written.

The Eldest Young Master smiled at him.

“No one will know that this Eldest Young Master treated your daughter, and you do not have to leave your daughter behind, so there is no reason to be suspected.”

“…”

The Eldest Young Master raised his hand and pointed in the direction of Pavilion of Perfect Enlightenment’s front gate.

“This negotiation is over. The match has become as if it never happened. You lost your only weakness, and ‘I’ successfully cured a patient.”

Elder Yeom’s pupils shook.

“Eldest Young Master…”

Seeing Elder Yeom unable to speak properly after calling out to him, Yeon So-hyeon burst into laughter.

“If I leave that expression on a canvas, I might catch a weakness of yours.”

Yeon So-hyeon moved his steps with a chuckle.

“Eldest Young Master! I am—!”

As Elder Yeom shouted, Yeon So-hyeon’s footsteps stopped.

“Elder Yeom, be prudent. You are too sentimental right now.”

“…”

Only his voice drifted over from Yeon So-hyeon, who did not look back.

“You are not just a single warrior, nor are you merely a single father. You are a leader responsible for the families of numerous subordinates.”

Yeon So-hyeon looked up at the night sky.

“Standing by this Eldest Young Master’s side is a path that endangers all of them. Can you truly gamble with all of their lives?”

“…”

“Can you push your subordinates into the jaws of death under my command?”

Elder Yeom could not answer.

Yeon So-hyeon did not wait for an answer in the first place, moving his steps.

“In a little while, the old man will stop by to check on the prognosis.”

The footsteps leaving the small yard showed not even a shred of lingering attachment, being light as could be.

His voice gradually grew distant.

“The night road is dark, so return home carefully. I will not see you off separately later.”

Elder Yeom just stood blankly, gazing at the receding back.

* * *

Elder Son’s guest room.

“Elder Yeom left Pavilion of Perfect Enlightenment?”

“Yes.”

“His daughter? Did they say she was with him?”

The scribe bowed his head.

“Yes, it is said that all personnel confirmed it was the same.”

“I understand. You may leave.”

The scribe bowed deeply and withdrew.

“As expected, it was indeed just a simple transaction.”

Han Myeong-hwi asked.

“…How did you know?”

“Indeed. It makes sense that you wouldn’t know, since you are tacticians.”

Without taking his eyes off the document he was looking through, Elder Son spoke.

“To trust the other party, one must already trust the other party to be able to trust. Thus, in the end, no one can be trusted.”

A benevolent smile hung on Elder Son’s lips.

“For that is the essence of a ruler.”