Volume 3 Chapter 12 – Stepping on the Line

===================

Translated by Rain

Read it only at Novelbyu.com & Utoon.net

===================

“Damn it!”

The inkstone he threw shattered and scattered.

The expressions of the aides gathered in the office were dark.

“As expected, it seems you suffered from the Second Young Master’s anger during the meeting?”

Even without that, the Second Young Master’s mood had been strangely uncomfortable these days because of that damn rumor.

The one who had thrown the inkstone burst into anger.

“You must call him ‘Lord’! Lord! Do you still think you are a stray dog wandering around Jiangnan?!”

The one who was scolded flinched, bowed his head, and stepped back.

One of those who had been watching the atmosphere sighed and stepped forward.

“Ultimately, the recovery of the Sword Family Bronze Plaque lost when Geum-ju went missing is the problem.”

Their boss, who was currently losing his temper, was none other than the very strategist who had pushed for awarding the Sword Family Bronze Plaque to Geum-ju.

“Damn it! That guy, whether he is the Dark Venerable or whatever, if he was going to kill that bitch, he should have just killed her. Why the hell did he have to take the bronze plaque too!”

Because of that, his situation had become extremely difficult.

In Luoyang, which this Luoyang Sword Family ruled, they had never imagined that anyone would dare to directly harm the owner of the Sword Family Bronze Plaque.

On top of that, even the Sword Family Bronze Plaque was missing.

What an absurd situation.

After losing his temper alone for a long time and smashing expensive items, he wore himself out and sank into his seat.

“…Putting the name of this Han Myeong-hwi on the line, I will surely tear that guy into ten thousand pieces and kill him.”

The aides stealthily gathered back to Han Myeong-hwi’s side.

“We have assigned the best trackers, so there will be word soon.”

“Yes, that is correct. Before the main family’s Inspection Department steps forward, we will be able to cover it up somehow.”

Currently, by exercising the Second Young Master’s influence, they had blocked the movement of the Inspection Department.

For if this issue became public, the Second Young Master’s name would be bandied about here and there.

“…Mobilize the maximum possible manpower.”

Han Myeong-hwi put his arms on the desk and buried his face in his hands.

“Yes. We will deploy every tracker who is available.”

He strove to maintain his composure and opened his mouth.

“You are investigating the source of the rumors about that Swordless One, right?”

The aide in charge of the matter stepped forward and answered cautiously.

“Yes. However, tracking is difficult. Because everyone is poking around here and there trying to verify the rumor…”

Their informants were in a state of fear.

“This is undoubtedly the work of an expert…”

Han Myeong-hwi stroked his beard.

“By any chance, are you checking outside the main family?”

The aide shook his head.

“Would the rumors circulating outside not ultimately have their roots in the main family?”

Another aide answered with his arms crossed.

“Given how many people enter and leave the main family in a day, the rumors must have gone outside through them.”

Han Myeong-hwi shook his head.

“No. If that were the case, the rumors circulating in Luoyang would inevitably undergo distortion, such as being exaggerated or having non-existent content added.”

The aide leafed through the document he was holding.

“…Come to think of it, the rumors outside are almost identical to those circulating within the main family.”

Han Myeong-hwi’s eyes narrowed.

“That undoubtedly means there are guys plotting outside as well. Find them.”

“Oh, but since we are short on manpower even for the internal investigation now…”

Han Myeong-hwi clicked his tongue.

“Did you not say that it is hard to get proper results internally anyway?”

The aide quickly caught Han Myeong-hwi’s meaning.

“Ah! Then we will concentrate the current internal investigation manpower on the external investigation.”

“Exactly.”

Another person stepped forward.

“I have a few useful guys I am friendly with outside, so I will help.”

“Good.”

“For rumors to circulate almost identically in the vast land of Luoyang might mean the source of the rumors has sufficient reliability.”

“Hmm, then we must definitely check the merchant organizations, associates of the main family, or information brokers.”

“Excellent.”

Han Myeong-hwi’s mood seemed to ease a little.

It was his own division, built by hand-picking only competent individuals.

It was natural for his mood to improve whenever they showed a prompt and experienced appearance.

He leaned back and asked.

“…Hearing from the meeting, it seems the verification of the information that all the ears planted on the Fourth Young Master fell off has finished.”

One aide stepped forward.

“Yes, we also confirmed it. They all went missing on the same day and at the same hour. It is said that their bodies have also not been found.”

Han Myeong-hwi snorted.

“No matter how young he is, he is a snake cub carrying the blood of that Tang Clan. There is no way he would leave behind something like a corpse.”

“Speaking of which…”

One of the aides wore a sinister smile.

“Strategist Choi must have been heavily scolded in the meeting.”

“Was not the Fourth Young Master the responsibility of Strategist Choi’s division?”

At those words, Han Myeong-hwi chuckled.

“His head almost burst.”

They all exchanged amicable laughter.

Although the failure of another division could not become the success of their own, it could at least make them happy.

“Attention.”

Han Myeong-hwi tapped the desk.

All the aides stopped laughing and turned their gazes toward him.

“Taking this incident as an opportunity, make sure everyone does not forget.”

Han Myeong-hwi stood up.

“We always take preemptive measures before problems grow large, through rapid information acquisition and accurate understanding of the situation.”

It was Han Myeong-hwi’s personal creed, the creed of his division, and also the creed of all the strategists on the Second Young Master’s side.

It was a method that required a very large amount of resources.

However, it was also a method possible because the Second Young Master, just like the Third Young Master, received immense support from his maternal family.

“No further mistakes will be tolerated. Understood?”

Everyone answered vigorously.

“Good. Then…”

At that moment, someone knocked on the door.

“Come in!”

The one who revealed himself was a scholar on the Second Young Master’s side.

He cautiously opened the door, entered, and handed a note to Han Myeong-hwi.

Han Myeong-hwi’s eyebrows furrowed as he opened the note.

“Another rumor about the Swordless One…”

He asked the scholar.

“This time, too, the source of the rumor has not been identified, right?”

The scholar replied in embarrassment.

“I do not know well since my rank is low, but I heard that this rumor has a clear source.”

“What?”

* * *

The woman wearing the apprentice maid uniform showed a dumbfounded expression.

“Is that true?”

The young man in silk clothes sighed.

“Unfortunately, yes.”

The woman made a fuss with the other apprentice maids around her.

“Oh my, then what should we do?”

“How could they… the Eldest Young Master’s book payment…”

“What could the people of the Inner Courtyard be thinking?”

It was the story that the Inner Courtyard had refused to pay the book broker for Yeon So-hyeon.

The young man in silk clothes sighed deeply once more and spoke.

“Normally I should not tell stories like this elsewhere, but because I have a connection with you, I am opening my heart.”

“Of course.”

“Are we not people who shared a connection in the social circles of Luoyang even before the Luoyang Sword Family?”

They were the women from wealthy families who had been severely scolded by Jeong-ah in front of the Administration Department not long ago.

Currently, they were demoted to apprentice maids again and were undergoing retraining.

“Sigh. Though I requested it repeatedly, in the end, such a thing has happened.”

The young man in silk clothes looked at the distant mountains with sad eyes.

“What on earth should we do about this.”

The apprentice maids comforted the discouraged youth to the best of their ability and left him behind, using their training schedule as an excuse.

Once the distance was far enough, the queen bee of the group wore a rotten smile.

“Hmph. Acting all high and mighty as the Head Maid of Pavilion of Perfect Enlightenment in front of us.”

The other apprentice maids also ridiculed openly.

“To be ignored by the Inner Courtyard, which is supposed to serve direct bloodlines?”

“I can clearly see what the Eldest Young Master’s status is in this Sword Family.”

“They put on all the grand airs alone, and now it has become a funny sight.”

As a group of people passed by just then, they quickly stepped aside and bowed their heads.

They were now women who could distinguish between what could be spoken of and what could not.

“Anyway, that gentleman seems to get more handsome by the day.”

It was a reference to the young man in silk clothes they had just parted with.

“Since he was someone who had great popularity whenever he attended social gatherings in Luoyang from the past.”

“He is also a direct descendant of the Kaifeng Yeon Family.”

“And he is also a protocol advisor of the Outer Courtyard.”

“Ah, if only I could be betrothed to such a man…”

At that moment, another group of people passed them.

They stepped aside once more and bowed their heads.

* * *

“Yeon Ha-eung. Shall we bring him to our camp and have a conversation?”

“If he is just an honorary official of branch family origin, he will piss himself as soon as he sees the Second Yo… no, our Lord’s pavilion.”

“He will spill everything without us even having to press him.”

Han Myeong-hwi’s subordinates snickered and laughed.

“There is no need for that.”

Han Myeong-hwi shook his head.

“He was originally one of those who frequently entered and left Pavilion of Perfect Enlightenment. It is not strange even if he knows the internal situation.”

They had already identified the identities of all regular visitors to Pavilion of Perfect Enlightenment.

“Besides, from his nickname itself…”

When Han Myeong-hwi hesitated, the aide quickly took over the words.

“’Rumors with legs,’ indeed.”

Han Myeong-hwi nodded.

“Yes. Though he is a bit peculiar, at his core he is nothing but a busybody. Do not upset the Outer Courtyard for no reason.”

This rumor did not seem related to their business.

“Then, I will visit him to conduct a simple verification process.”

“Yes. However, do not be rude. No matter if he is someone expelled from his family, he is still the older brother of the current Young Patriarch of the Kaifeng Yeon Family.”

* * *

At that time, the main gate of Pavilion of Perfect Enlightenment.

As always, Yeon So-hyeon, dressed in a plain white cotton robe, showed himself.

“Greetings, Eldest Young Master.”

Behind him, Jeong-ah in splendid outing clothes and the triplet maids followed.

It was hard to say that their complexions were good, even as a figure of speech.

“Are you going out?”

The Life-Snatching Ghost Sword, who had been warming himself in the guardroom at the main gate, hurriedly came out.

If he went out, he, the bodyguard, could not be left behind.

“No. There is no need to follow.”

Leaving only those words, Yeon So-hyeon lightly stepped out of the main gate.

Jeong-ah and the maids, with stiff expressions, followed him.

Sam-ryeong, one of the triplets, read the head maid’s mood and stayed behind to relay the situation to him.

“The Inner Courtyard refused to settle the payment for the Eldest Young Master’s books…?”

The Life-Snatching Ghost Sword’s mouth fell open.

His colleagues nearby burst into open laughter upon hearing that story.

Sam-ryeong, who made them stop laughing by glaring at them fiercely, shook her head.

“Fortunately, before the rumor spread outside the main family, we were able to resolve the issue with the book broker.”

The Life-Snatching Ghost Sword sighed quietly.

“That is a relief.”

Internally, there was no lower place for Yeon So-hyeon’s reputation to fall.

However, it was not desirable for Yeon So-hyeon’s reputation to drop even lower than it was now, even on the outside.

“Then where the Eldest Young Master is heading now is…?”

Sam-ryeong nodded.

“He is going to the Inner Courtyard.”

The Life-Snatching Ghost Sword’s face turned pale white.

“Wh-What is he planning to do…?”

“I do not know either.”

Sam-ryeong shrugged her shoulders.

“Master only said that he is going to step on the line.”