Bachelor [EN]: Chapter 43

44. Infiltrating the Moon Residence Under the Cover of Night

‘Is that Oh Geom-myeong? He’s handsome and knows how to charm women!’

A slight pang of jealousy arose, as it was clear that even if he chased after him on horseback, he wouldn’t be able to compete with his looks.

‘Moreover, Moon Ok-ju and Young Master Oh seem to have a close relationship…’

Han Li silently raised his eyebrows. This matter was more complicated than he had initially thought.

‘In any case, I must obtain the Warm Yang Jade, and quickly! The Yin poison in my body is not trivial, and its toxicity might flare up sooner than expected.’

After observing the Moon residence with a worried expression, Han Li left the restaurant. After much deliberation in his room at the inn, Han Li decided on the simplest and most effective method.

He planned to quietly visit Madam Eom, who oversaw the Gyeonggyo Association [a local merchant guild], in the middle of the night, show her the token left by Master Moon, and expose the identity of the fake disciple who was deceiving the Moon family. However, he would have to observe the situation further to figure out how to obtain the jade.

Having made up his mind, Han Li no longer hesitated and immediately closed his eyes, concentrating on preparing for his actions that night. But as soon as he closed his eyes, Moon Ok-ju’s beautiful face appeared, refusing to leave his mind.

‘Could it be that I’ve fallen for that woman? No, she’s a national beauty, so it’s normal to think of her. I haven’t fallen for her.’

He awkwardly consoled himself. He was on the path of cultivation, so he was trying hard not to get entangled in romantic affairs.

As night deepened, around the third watch [approximately 11 PM to 1 AM], Han Li changed into black night clothes and secretly left the inn. He moved stealthily across the rooftops, avoiding the patrolling guards, and arrived outside the walls of the Moon residence.

After slowly circling the high walls surrounding the mansion, Han Li transformed into a wisp of smoke and slipped past the gatekeepers, infiltrating the rear garden of the Moon residence.

* * *

Upon entering the rear garden, a sizable flower garden came into view. Various rare and precious flowers were planted there, and even in the darkness, their strong fragrance filled the air.

‘Huh?’

Han Li took a deep breath, enjoying the fragrance, and detected a familiar medicinal herb scent within the rich floral aroma.

‘Someone is growing medicinal herbs here.’

The familiar scent made Han Li curious about who was cultivating these herbs. It seemed that someone in the Moon residence had inherited Master Moon’s medical skills. Han Li didn’t waste any more time and followed a small path, sneaking towards a room with a light on.

The security of the Moon residence was very strict, and he had discovered several hidden sentries on his way. But for Han Li, avoiding their eyes was now as easy as pie.

Han Li stopped in front of a small two-story pavilion. The security here was several times stricter than elsewhere. At least twenty or thirty people were guarding this place. Since light was still leaking from the second floor, it was clear that someone important from the Moon residence was still awake.

So, Han Li entrusted himself to the darkness and leaped up to the second floor like a flash of lightning. Everything happened so quickly that it seemed as if nothing had occurred. He first stuck close to the wall, hiding in the shadows, and then assessed the situation inside. Judging by the woman’s voice he heard, there was more than one person inside.

“Jangpyeong Town’s Bita, seven thousand three hundred taels of silver.”

“Nokgok Town’s Bita, five thousand eight hundred taels of silver.”

“Namwol Town’s Bita, ten thousand five hundred taels of silver.”

“Oryeong Town’s Bita, …….”

“This is the silver that the Bitas [local branches of the Gyeonggyo Association] secretly sent last month. Compared to last year, it’s not even a quarter.”

A clear and refreshing woman’s voice reached Han Li’s ears. The voice was full of vitality, making it clear that it belonged to a young girl, but her tone was full of dissatisfaction.

“Mother, the Bita leaders are becoming more and more audacious! The silver they send is decreasing every month.”

She was angry.

“I know. Your mother has her own plans, so don’t worry.”

Another voice answered her, low but with a charm that captivated people. From the conversation, it was clear that one of the Moon residence’s wives was in the room.

“When will that be! If things continue like this, it’s only a matter of time before those hens [a derogatory term for the Bita branches] look down on the main branch.”

“I can’t do anything about it right now. Your fifth mother has always managed the affairs of the hens. No one else in the Moon residence can even interfere.”

The woman spoke as if she had no choice, and the room fell silent for a moment. After a little while, the young woman’s voice echoed in the room again.

“Mother, are you really going to let Fifth Mother handle the hen’s affairs exclusively? Since you’re acting as the head of the Gyeonggyo Association, shouldn’t you naturally hold the greatest power in your hands?”

“What you say is not wrong, but when your father left this place, didn’t he entrust the affairs of the hens to your fifth mother? Moreover, she is submitting most of the profits from the hens to the main branch every month, so I can’t investigate further.”

The woman spoke calmly.

“But our Gyeonggyo Association is already very weak. How can we rise again without gathering all our strength? Really, even if Father was going to entrust the affairs of the Gyeonggyo Association to you, why didn’t he entrust everything? I don’t understand why he entrusted the hens to Fifth Mother.”

The girl was full of anger and even expressed dissatisfaction with her father.

“Shut your mouth. If your father did so, he must have had a reason, so how dare you, as a child, speak so carelessly!”

The woman, who had been calm until now, sternly scolded her daughter this time.

“Okay, I was wrong. You still haven’t changed your feelings for Father!”

The girl, as if she always did, didn’t seem to care much and instead tried to tease her mother.

“This child, really…….”

The woman clearly cherished her daughter very much.

Through the conversation so far, Han Li confirmed that the woman in the room was Madam Eom, and her daughter was Moon Chae-hwan, Master Moon’s daughter. He was fortunate to have found the person he wanted to meet so quickly in the large mansion.

Han Li reached into his pocket and checked the letter and token left by Master Moon. He was about to step out in front of the two when the conversation started again.

“Mother, that swindler is really disgusting! I ran into him in the flower garden today, and he flattered me with all sorts of cunning words and boasted about himself. He acts as if he’s some kind of talented person with both literary and martial skills, but I really can’t stand him.”

She said to her mother as if she was being spoiled, and Han Li flinched and hid himself again.

“You must treat Oh Ga with enough respect. After all, he is nominally your future brother-in-law. You must not let him notice anything.”

Then, Madam Eom’s tone became cautious, and she sternly urged her daughter.

“Haa, watching my older sister act like she’s lost her soul while clinging to that guy all day makes me feel so sorry for her. If it were me, I would have already cut that guy in two.”

“What can we do? Although we know his true identity, we must endure even if your older sister’s reputation is slightly tarnished in order to buy time. If the enemy’s forces are so strong now, if they realize that they can no longer deceive us, they will launch an all-out war. I’m afraid we won’t have a chance of winning if they attack us with force.”

Along with the girl’s pitiful sigh, Madam Eom’s words also revealed her regret about the situation.

“That guy is really wicked. How dare he imitate Father’s letter and force a marriage with my older sister as if it were Father’s will.”

Moon Chae-hwan’s tone was filled with strong hatred for Oh Geom-myeong.

“Still, it’s fortunate that he chose your older sister. If he had wanted you or Bong-mu, I would have been at a loss! With your personalities, how could you have tolerated that swindler? However, Ok-ju is suffering alone because of this, and I’m afraid your father will blame me when he returns.”

“Mother, how can you say that? It was my older sister’s plan to deceive that Oh Ga guy.”

Moon Chae-hwan quickly comforted her, as Madam Eom spoke with a sigh.

“Foolish girl, Ok-ju is sacrificing herself for the Moon residence and the Gyeonggyo Association. But I don’t intend to keep making Ok-ju suffer like this. I can’t let her marry that guy. If we can’t buy any more time, we have to capture that fake!”

Madam Eom’s face became extremely cold. But as soon as she finished speaking, the room fell silent again.

“When will Father return?”

After a while, Moon Chae-hwan asked gloomily.

“Your father said he would return in at least two or three years, or five or six years at the latest.”

“It’s already been ten years. I can’t even remember what Father looks like anymore.”

Moon Chae-hwan calmly retorted to Madam Eom’s answer.

“Don’t worry, your father is a hero who once dominated an era, and his martial arts are also great, so nothing will happen to him. He must be delayed by some urgent matter, but he will definitely return to the Moon residence.”

Madam Eom’s answer sounded like she was speaking to her daughter, and also to herself.

“That’s right, Sister Bong-mu made a spiritual medicine that purifies the mind and makes the face beautiful. I’ll bring it later, so you should try it too, Mother. They say the effects are amazing.”

The girl changed the subject, dispelling the gloomy atmosphere in the room. Then, the two began to talk about the daily affairs of the family, and no more useful information came out.

Through the conversation between the two, Han Li was able to confirm the deep trust between Madam Eom and Master Moon. After thinking for a while, he decided that it wouldn’t be bad to contact them directly since they already knew that Oh Gong-ja was a fake. After all, he was carrying a Yin poison in his body that could explode at any time.

Once his thoughts were settled, he immediately threw Master Moon’s token, a ring with a dragon design, into the room through the window.

‘Clang’

The ring rolled to the floor, making a clear sound, and a surprised reaction could be felt from inside the room. After a moment, Madam Eom’s calm voice was heard from inside the room.

“I don’t know which esteemed guest has come to this humble place, but I apologize for not greeting you in advance.”

Han Li’s lips curled up at her words, and before he could answer, the surprised voice of the girl was heard.

‘That’s strange… I feel like I’ve seen that ring somewhere, it looks so much like the one Mother always wears!’

“Mother! Look at this.”

“Dragon Pattern Ring!”

Feeling strange, Moon Chae-hwan immediately picked up the ring and handed it to Madam Eom, and only then did Madam Eom exclaim. Han Li realized that the other party had recognized the token, and he knocked on the door twice and introduced himself.

“Disciple Han Li, I have come to see my teacher’s wife under my master’s orders.”

“…….”

At Han Li’s words, the room fell silent for a moment. It was clear that everyone was greatly surprised and had lost their words.

“Enter.”

Not long after, Madam Eom’s order was given. Only after permission was granted did Han Li quietly push open the door and enter.

Upon entering the room, he immediately saw Madam Eom sitting on a wooden chair, and behind her, a cute girl who looked to be about sixteen or seventeen years old was standing. The two looked so much alike that anyone could tell they were related by blood.

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