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Chapter 49
After nearly two months away, Yang-hwi finally returned to the family estate.
Despite having traveled a long, rugged road and even slept outdoors, Yang-hwi was immediately dragged into a meeting with the family elders.
‘Ugh, my body’s itching to move. I was planning to wash up first, check on how much my younger siblings have grown...’
But there was no helping it. As soon as the head steward heard the words “twenty thousand nyang,” his eyes turned into gold coins, and he lifted Yang-hwi into the air, rushing straight to the Patriarch’s office.
“Patriarch! Young Master Hwi brought back money again!”
“Hwi, you’ve returned.”
Yang-hwi blinked in surprise as he looked at his father.
He thought his father was still in closed-door training. Already finished?
Come to think of it, the aura around him was different. It wasn’t that the quantity of internal energy had surged, but something had clearly changed in quality.
‘He’s reached the level of a first-rate master.’
Indeed. Baek Mu-ryang, who had long been stuck at the second-rate level after breaking past the limits of the third-rate family martial arts, had finally become a top-tier martial artist after years of stagnation.
“Congratulations on your breakthrough, Father!”
“Haha, as expected of my son to recognize it at once.”
With a satisfied smile, Baek Mu-ryang continued.
“Hwi, it’s all thanks to you. Because you learned Heavenly Harmony Art and Heaven-Shrouding 108 Sword first and annotated them, I was able to achieve this.”
“That can’t be true, Father. It’s all due to your own talent.”
“No, no. With my understanding of martial arts, I wouldn’t have grasped even half of those two techniques. Regardless of our relative levels, I was truly impressed by your insight and comprehension.”
“Thank you for saying that, Father.”
Smiling warmly, Baek Mu-ryang asked,
“So, how did your journey go? Did you accomplish what you set out to do?”
“Of course, Father. Gu-Hyung! Bring in Chudal!”
Gu-Ak and Chudal entered the office together.
“Baek-ik Gu-Ak greets the Patriarch. And Chudal—no, it’s Ihu now—come greet him.”
“Hello, sir! I’m Ihu! Not Chudal!”
Looking confused, Baek Mu-ryang turned to Chudal and asked,
“So is your name Chudal, or is it Ihu?”
Before Chudal could answer, Yang-hwi jumped in first.
“His name is Ihu, but I call him Chudal.”
“Why?”
“Because he looks like an ugly otter.”
“Hmm?”
Objectively speaking, Chudal was more cute than ugly—definitely not someone who looked like an unattractive otter.
‘He does have his odd moments, and I guess today’s one of those times.’
Seeing Baek Mu-ryang quietly nod as if accepting that logic made Yang-hwi feel slightly weird, but he moved on to report the results of his journey.
“On the way back, I stopped by Namchang and checked in on White Scroll Antique Bookstore. They weren’t selling novels because of interference from other merchant groups, so I resolved that. I believe payments will start coming in about a month from now.”
One of the stewards raised his hand, seeking permission to speak.
“Young Master Hwi, so the twenty thousand nyang you mentioned... is it money that’ll only come in two months from now?”
His voice was filled with desperate hope and fear. The Baek Clan’s current financial situation was so dire that their immediate need exceeded five thousand nyang.
“Of course not, Steward.”
Smiling, Yang-hwi opened his bundle himself.
A brilliant golden glow quickly filled the entire office.
“Oh heavens! As expected of Young Master Hwi, truly a god of wealth! Hahaha!”
“Heavens... Just how much is this?”
“I can’t say for sure without a proper appraisal, but it’s likely worth about 200 nyang in gold.”
Two hundred gold nyang—four times the immediate silver deficit of five thousand nyang.
This wasn’t just enough to cover the shortfall; it was enough to fund an entirely new business venture.
‘And that’s after I gave half away to people near the Southern Merchant Guild. Just how many high-interest loans did I collect…’
Overcome with joy, one of the stewards forgot they were in a meeting and jumped up, dancing happily.
“Two hundred gold nyang! Not even silver—GOLD! If you convert it to silver, that’s twenty thousand nyang! Twenty thou~sand!”
Instead of stopping him, Baek Mu-ryang waited patiently until the steward calmed down on his own.
He understood. That steward had been plugging holes in the clan’s leaking finances for so long—it was only natural he would be this emotional.
“You didn’t get this from White Scroll Antique Bookstore, did you? Where did all that money come from?”
For a moment, Yang-hwi panicked. He had planned to gloss over the source with vague answers, but of all things, his father had to ask that.
Yang-hwi and Gu-Ak exchanged glances.
‘We can’t tell him the truth! Quick, think of an excuse, Gu-hyung!’
‘Leave it to me, junior brother.’
With a confident voice, Gu-Ak declared,
“Actually, we destroyed an assassin clan and confiscated their assets, Patriarch.”
Yang-hwi slapped his forehead.
Of all possible excuses, that one?
Well, technically, it wasn’t wrong—he did destroy the assassin clan and take their money. It was just… very abridged.
The real problem was Baek Mu-ryang’s reaction.
“What?! You took Yang-hwi into something that dangerous?!”
In that moment, Gu-Ak realized something very clearly—his image of Yang-hwi was vastly different from how the rest of the Baek Clan saw him.
“How could you do something so reckless, Rehabilitation Overseer!?”
“Taking the young master into danger like that—what if you’d lost our precious god of weal—no, our heir!?”
“……”
‘I didn’t do it… That little guy took the lead and took them all down himself.’
Gu-Ak felt deeply wronged.
He didn’t even kill a single assassin during the battle with Nameless Killing Valley.
The one who wiped out the assassin group and killed their leader was none other than Yang-hwi.
“Actually, Patriarch, the truth is—”
“Father!”
To stop Gu-Ak from revealing more, Yang-hwi quickly raised his voice.
“There’s something I need to confess about all this…”
“What is it?”
Yang-hwi began by explaining Chudal’s background.
“He was born the child of an assassin, lost his father to assassins, was kidnapped by assassins, and raised to become one. That’s who Chudal is.”
The room’s atmosphere turned heavy in an instant.
That much was clear—Chudal’s past was weighed down by hardship and sorrow.
“That’s why... I was determined to save him, no matter what. Father, I know that even if the ones we fought were assassins, I took lives. I believe I must confess this.”
Baek Mu-ryang’s eyes widened. No, it went beyond that—he abruptly stood up and hurried to Yang-hwi’s side.
“Are you alright, Hwi? Any mental trauma? Emotional scars?”
“I’m fine. But... I did shed blood, and there’s no excuse I can offer for that.”
Yang-hwi bowed his head deeply. At the same time, a thought crossed his mind:
‘If this little performance works, maybe he’ll let the matter of the money slide…’
He knew his father well—Baek Mu-ryang would never reprimand him for killing assassins.
That’s not how the Baek Clan viewed justice.
“Calling it ‘sinful karma’... how could one call it a sin to free those steeped in blood, those who killed for coin? Hwi, you are not guilty of anything. You’ve committed no karmic wrong. And if there is any burden, I, your father, will carry it for you.”
“Father…!”
“It’s alright. Everything is alright now.”
Just as he hoped, the topic of where the money came from was now conveniently brushed aside.
To seal the deal, Yang-hwi threw out another enticing bait.
“Actually, there’s... something else I need to report.”
“Again? Go on, tell me.”
He took out a tightly wrapped bundle from his pack.
“This.”
“What could it be, wrapped so tightly?”
As he slowly unwrapped the cloth, a rich, mystical aroma spread throughout the office.
Eyes widened—not just Baek Mu-ryang’s, but everyone present.
“This scent...!”
“Don’t tell me—it’s a spiritual herb!”
“Seven branches, each bearing three fruits! It must be the legendary Thick ginseng, as rumored, Patriarch!”
Wearing a proud expression, Yang-hwi nodded.
“I found this Thick ginseng while passing through the mountains. Each root is said to contain twenty to thirty years of cultivation. I brought them back as an offering—for you, Father.”
Baek Mu-ryang was overwhelmed with indescribable emotion.
A blessing. His son was a true blessing.
How was it that every journey he took resulted in some fortune for the clan?
“Hwi... as your father and clan head, how could I covet what belongs to my kin? At the very least, you should take one root for yourself.”
“There’s no need. I’ve already consumed one spiritual herb.”
An even greater wave of shock swept through the office.
“You took one already?! Where did you even get it?”
“Amazing... Young Master Hwi never ceases to surprise. How did you acquire so much in less than two months?”
As Yang-hwi explained what happened at the Yu Clan, everyone was struck with awe.
“A miraculous encounter indeed.”
“To be blessed with such fortune... even the heavens seem to favor Young Master Hwi.”
“I was surprised when I heard you and Baek ik destroyed an assassin sect—but now I understand.”
Looking at Yang-hwi with warm, fatherly eyes, Baek Mu-ryang picked up one of the Thick ginseng roots and turned to Gu-Ak.
“Baek ik, thank you for protecting my son. It may seem strange to reward someone with what he himself brought back, but consider this your formal reward.”
“Ah—Patriarch! Thank you s—huh?”
Before Gu-Ak could take it, Yang-hwi intercepted the root.
“Father, perhaps it’s best to postpone rewarding Loard Baek-ik with a root for now?”
“Oh? Do you have something in mind?”
“Yes. Thick ginseng is widely known for being a key ingredient in spiritual elixirs. What if we use alchemy to enhance its medicinal and spiritual potency?”
A trace of hesitation appeared on the faces of both Baek Mu-ryang and the head steward.
“But our household doesn’t have a physician trained in alchemy. We can’t exactly entrust such a precious item to just anyone.”
“Unless it’s a world-renowned doctor or one of the great sects, there’s no guarantee of integrity. And even if we did trust them, they might demand half as payment.”
Yang-hwi nodded. There was truth in what his father and the steward were saying.
But still—
“I believe... I’ll have a solution for that soon. Please trust me and wait just a little longer.”
He turned to look at Gu-Ak.
“Gu-Hyung, instead of just eating the ginseng, I’ll make sure you get a properly refined elixir. Can I ask for your patience?”
“Hmm... If my junior brother says so, then sure. I’ll wait.”
With the topic of spiritual medicine settled, it was time to move on.
Yang-hwi turned to Yeo Hyuk.
“Elder... Lord Yeo. I have a request.”
Yeo Hyuk chuckled softly in his usual gentle manner.
“Go ahead and speak. If it’s not too difficult, I’ll gladly listen.”
“You must be getting a little bored lately, right?”
Yeo Hyuk had been staying as a guest at the Baek Clan along with his daughter Yeo A-rang.
While Yeo A-rang had taken on important duties at Hoyoungru with Gu-Ak, her father spent most of his time idly, reading books and passing the time.
“Hmm... I have been relaxing quite comfortably, but I won’t deny it’s been a little dull.”
“I thought as much.”
At a certain age, one naturally seeks something meaningful to fill the days—like taking on a disciple.
With a sly grin, Yang-hwi gently pushed Chudal forward.
“Would you consider taking on a disciple?”
Chudal, in his past life, had gone through many hardships and earned the nickname Baek Li-Chudal.
It meant his innate talent was anything but ordinary.
He also had an incredible natural aptitude for stealth and tracking techniques.
If he could inherit the legacy of the Shintuji Sect…
Yang-hwi was certain—even an elder like Yeo Hyuk would eventually be outshined.
‘Chudal, my little rascal—this time, let’s go the full distance. Let’s reach beyond a hundred miles.’
With that thought, he waited for Yeo Hyuk’s answer.
Yeo Hyuk stroked his beard, observing Chudal closely from head to toe. Then, he smiled warmly.
“Is that all you ask of this old man, young master?”
---The End Of The Chapter---
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