Volume 2 Chapter 24 – As Usual

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Translated by Rain

Read it only at Novelbyu.com & Utoon.net

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Pavilion of Perfect Enlightenment, early afternoon.

Yeon So-hyeon, as usual, was meeting with book brokers who had visited him in the guest pavilion .

“Hmm.”

Yeon So-hyeon stroked the leather cover of a book.

At that, the book broker wearing round spectacles showed a meaningful smile.

“As expected of the Eldest Young Master! You are indeed befitting of the one whose high scholarship no one can match. It seems you have pierced through the value of that book at a single glance!”

Yeon So-hyeon spoke while skimming the contents.

“No, I just mean that the cover seems to be made of human skin .”

At the word human skin, the book broker’s complexion grew pale.

He hastily asked the colored-eye foreigner next to him.

The man with red hair and a red beard, who was sitting in a polite posture looking intimidated, carefully answered the book broker’s words.

After exchanging conversations in a somewhat stuttering foreign tongue for a moment, the book broker immediately bowed his head to Yeon So-hyeon.

“Aigo, Eldest Young Master! Please kill this humble fellow who made you touch a disrespectful object with your precious body!”

“Look for a precious body in the imperial family, and what is the next book?”

The book broker, brightening up at his words, rummaged through the red sandalwood chest he had carried on his back.

“Now, if I may speak of this book…”

The brokers of the merchant group to which this guy belonged were all highly skilled, but without exception, they talked far too much.

“Quiet, show me.”

Yeon So-hyeon snatched the wrapping cloth held in his hand.

“Haha, you are indeed straightforward!”

Yeon So-hyeon carefully untied the silver-thread wrapping cloth and pulled out a worn-out book from inside.

With delicate hand movements, he examined the contents of the crumbling book.

“This is…!”

At Yeon So-hyeon’s reaction, the book broker’s eyes gleamed.

“Fuhu. As expected of the Eldest Young Master. That book is indeed one I obtained with great difficulty…”

Yeon So-hyeon ignored him and asked the colored-eye foreigner.

At his fluent Dutch , the colored-eye foreigner was startled, but soon showed a bright look and exchanged conversation while adding hand gestures and foot movements.

“…Of course you would. As expected of the Eldest Young Master. You are fluent in Dutch as well.”

The excluded book broker pulled out a handkerchief from his bosom and wiped the sweat flowing on his balding forehead.

After a moment.

“Good. I will buy them all.”

The book broker jumped.

“Your grace is immeasurable!”

“What imperial grace…”

Yeon So-hyeon wrote out a bill.

“…May I collect the payment from the Inner Courtyard this time as well?”

Yeon So-hyeon chuckled.

“They don’t want to pay it out easily in the Inner Courtyard, do they?”

The book broker hastily shook his head.

“No, indeed! Isn’t this just a small problem arising because I, and our merchant group, have not widely made our names known? The ocean-like grace of the Eldest Young Master, this humble fellow…”

While he was chattering away, Yeon So-hyeon exchanged greetings with the Dutch merchant.

Yeon So-hyeon smiled, and the Dutch merchant burst into laughter.

‘Next time, come directly without this talkative broker,’ was what he meant.

Of course, the broker, whose Dutch was poor and did not understand, merely wore a forced smile while wiping his sweat.

* * *

At that time.

Jeong-ah was filling the bowls of two old monks to overflowing with food.

The monks, wearing tattered kasayas that were so worn out it was impossible to tell what their original color was, smiled, revealing their white teeth.

“Aigo, thank you. Be blessed, young Bodhisattva .”

“Since there is no other place where wild greens are as delicious as here, is this not all thanks to the Bodhisattva’s merit ?”

The old monks, whose faces were covered in wrinkles, clasped their hands in prayer to Jeong-ah repeatedly.

“No, monks.”

A foul odor came from their bodies, and a rotten smell also came from their mouths.

However, Jeong-ah did not show any sign of dislike and politely clasped her hands in return.

“If there is anything you need, please drop by anytime.”

Then, one of the old monks looked at her with a suggestive gaze.

“By any chance, did the young master of this house request another alms on his behalf? That, what was it…”

Jeong-ah clapped her hands.

“Ah! Please wait a moment!”

Leave it to the monks, who moved with light footsteps, carrying even the chunk of smoked meat that Jeong-ah had wrapped in oil paper.

“Monks, please go safely.”

The monks waved their hands toward Jeong-ah.

“Amitabha.”

“Be blessed, young Bodhisattvas.”

“Convey our regards to the master of the house too.”

As soon as they were a bit far away, the triplet maids, who had kept quiet, shrugged their shoulders.

“No, I cannot understand the reason at all.”

“A monk receiving meat as alms?”

“Did you see those white teeth? The wrinkles on those faces must also have been disguised without a doubt.”

Jeong-ah turned to look at them.

“The meat they are taking is for the child monks of the temple. Mind your words.”

At her words, the girls shrank back.

“I-Is that so?”

At that time, Sam-ryeong cautiously spoke.

“No, but in the first place, where on earth did those old monks enter from?”

At that, the other two triplets also clapped their hands.

“Come to think of it, indeed?!”

“This is Pavilion of Perfect Enlightenment, located in the most secluded corner of the Luoyang Sword Family, yet mendicant monks all of a sudden?!”

Jeong-ah clasped her hands while looking at the old monks walking away.

“Do you not know what mountain that mountain visible in the far distance is?”

At her words, the triplet maids turned back.

The garden leading to the outside of Pavilion of Perfect Enlightenment became a forest, and the forest grew further away, becoming a dense woodland.

And behind the woodland, the appearance of a rugged, harsh mountain range was visible.

I-ryeong muttered the name of the mountain unconsciously.

“Mount Song …?”

At that moment, Il-ryeong cried out in surprise.

“No! Those crazy monks are entering the Forbidden Land !”

I-ryeong stamped her feet.

“Head Maid! Isn’t that Forbidden Land a demonic realm designated as a forbidden area because no expert has ever returned alive?!”

That was the reason why the garden of Pavilion of Perfect Enlightenment, despite being open toward nature, had no defense whatsoever in that direction.

Jeong-ah smiled.

“Do not worry.”

While she spoke, the old monks disappeared into the forest.

“Since they came from that place to begin with when they came.”

* * *

Although the bright sunlight would be welcome in the cold winter weather, a chilly atmosphere was lingering at the main gate of Pavilion of Perfect Enlightenment.

“Captain. Even so, isn’t a suspension too harsh?”

It was a story about what had happened last night.

When the Life-Snatching Ghost Sword said nothing, a special task agent disguised as a guard beat his chest in frustration.

“No. It is true that he did wrong by letting Elder Yeom’s steward pass at his own discretion. Even so, if you report it to the superiors over just that much, what are we supposed to do?”

The Life-Snatching Ghost Sword, who was standing leaning against the wall, opened his eyes.

“Just that much?”

As he finally opened his mouth, the special task agent earnestly defended the disciplined senior agent.

“We were just trying to tease the Eldest Young Master once. Has there not been times like that occasionally in the past too?”

The Life-Snatching Ghost Sword smiled coldly.

“The steward was carried out half dead, and four young warriors with bright futures lost their right arms.”

His gaze turned toward the special task agent.

“That was a joke?”

“That is…”

The special task agent was speechless.

Not only that, the complexions of the other special task agents listening to their conversation also turned dark.

The Life-Snatching Ghost Sword let out a sigh.

“Give. Previously, it could have been just a joke. Since we had never seen the Eldest Young Master get angry until now.”

He looked around at the special task agents.

“But has not everyone felt that Pavilion of Perfect Enlightenment changed and the Eldest Young Master changed since the day all the servants were kicked out?”

Everyone was silent.

“Everyone here does not know much about each other. But there is something I know.”

Their gazes turned toward the Life-Snatching Ghost Sword.

“That we have all fought all our lives to raise the name of the Main Family, and are now people who have retired from the front lines for our own reasons.”

The Life-Snatching Ghost Sword tapped his scabbard.

“Cherish your own honor that you have accumulated until now.”

He added briefly.

“And everyone, be careful not to be rude to the Eldest Young Master.”

When his words ended, the special task agent conversing with him shrugged his shoulders.

“If not for the last words, it would have been perfect.”

The others also giggled.

“Hey.”

The Life-Snatching Ghost Sword tried to say something more, but the special task agent turned around and was returning to his position.

He answered without even turning back.

“Not to play tricks anymore? I must follow orders. To think of honor? I understood. But not to be rude to the Swordless?”

Another person chuckled.

“Come to think of it, since when did the Captain begin calling the Swordless as ‘Eldest Young Master, Eldest Young Master’?”

The one who had remained silent opened his mouth.

“I took on special missions and lived for ten years making the mountain ranges of Yunnan my roof and the forest my front yard. Even so, I have never regretted it once.”

He gripped his scabbard.

His fingers were missing.

“Yet when I returned to the Main Family after being injured, our lord was collapsed and the Main Family was in chaos, but that eldest son fellow didn’t even show his face.”

“Not being able to perform martial arts? That can’t be helped, is it not? It is all talent.”

He, who always wore a leather helmet on his head, had suffered a major head injury during a past mission.

“But I cannot possibly stand to watch him enjoy everything as the Eldest Young Master while not taking any responsibility.”

The one who only stood fixed duty at the main gate had suffered an irreversible injury to one of his legs.

“They say there was a confinement order given by our lord, right? But in my view, that is all just an excuse. If it were you, would you be holed up in a corner of the house when your father collapsed?”

Even the one who usually spared words extremely due to the wound he had suffered to his neck opened his mouth along with a cough.

“His father and mother. If he had inherited even half of the blood of either of them, he would not be able to do that.”

They were all people who had thrown their own bodies and sacrificed themselves for the Luoyang Sword Family.

They spat on the ground.

“……”

This time, the Life-Snatching Ghost Sword was speechless.

In fact, were not all the things they were talking about the very thoughts he had held regarding Yeon So-hyeon in the past?

And that thought would also be the position toward Yeon So-hyeon underlying the thoughts of the warriors belonging to the Luoyang Sword Family.

What would he say here in this place?

That Yeon So-hyeon made the famous Flashing Shadow Instant?

Seeing him last night, that Yeon So-hyeon might have learned martial arts?

As they had said, whether he knew martial arts was not the core of the problem.

Moreover, the part about the Eldest Young Master’s martial arts was not a matter he could easily bring up either.

A coward and a weakling.

Should he try to say that the Yeon So-hyeon he saw was not such a figure?

But how on earth should he bring it up?

Yeon So-hyeon’s always confident appearance that he saw? The frightening gazes he occasionally showed? The actions that brought their lord to mind?

Just that much was far from enough to overturn the fact that Yeon So-hyeon had been holed up for all that long time.

And in the first place.

‘…Why am I trying to represent the Eldest Young Master right now?’

At that moment, the gaze of the special task agent standing on the outer side turned toward the main road.

“One unidentified individual, approaching.”

“Male, silk clothing, no armament.”

The special task agent who was boosting his vision recognized the one approaching.

“Huh? That person is…?”