Bachelor Swordsmanship Remastered [EN]: Chapter 102

102. Farewell on Dongting Lake

“Young Master Un! Hurry and get on!”

A clear voice rang out from the large merchant ship.

Un-hyun and Lee Seo-yeon looked up to see Lee Seo-yeon leaning over the railing, waving her hand.

Moreover, the sailors on the merchant ship were also looking at Un-hyun, urging him to hurry.

“It seems they’re about to leave already.”

Un-hyun smiled at Il Ah-young.

“Stay healthy, Miss Ah-young. And I’m truly glad that your betrothal with Young Master Lee has been resolved well. I sincerely wish you happiness.”

Il Ah-young, who was about to say something, was silenced again by the mention of the betrothal.

Tap, tap, tap.

Un-hyun quickly moved his feet and boarded the merchant ship.

With the shouts of the sailors, the large sails rose one by one like a bird spreading its wings, and the massive merchant ship slowly began to move, carrying its heavy body on the great water current.

Il Ah-young raised her head.

Un-hyun leaned against the railing, waving his hand at Il Ah-young.

Still wearing the same smile she had seen since they first met.

Il Ah-young clenched the hand holding the ring.

Firmly.

“U, Uncle Un!”

Il Ah-young shouted towards Un-hyun, who was already moving far away.

At first, her voice was not loud, but she soon began to shout with all her might.

“Uncle Un!”

Il Ah-young raised her voice, fearing it would be drowned out by the wind and the sound of the water.

“Please come back! Please! Uncle Un!”

Swish.

Regardless of Il Ah-young’s feelings, the large merchant ship was leaving along the waterway.

The figure of Un-hyun, now smaller, was so far that she couldn’t even tell if he had heard her.

Anxious, Il Ah-young tried to shout again. But at that moment, she saw Un-hyun waving his hand vigorously.

He was waving so hard that it seemed his arm would fall off, as if afraid she wouldn’t notice.

“Uncle Un…….”

A smile spread across Il Ah-young’s lips, but tears sparkled in her eyes.

It seemed that Un-hyun was shouting something, but it was drowned out by the wind and did not reach Il Ah-young.

‘How can he be so foolish?’

Il Ah-young thought he was truly unsightly.

Looking back, he had been like that from the beginning.

A person who tried his best to do something for her and her mother, without hiding anything or having any ulterior motives.

‘……I’m sorry.’

Tears were already streaming down Il Ah-young’s cheeks as she looked on.

She knew now.

It was too late, but she could finally realize Un-hyun’s true feelings.

From the beginning, he had wanted nothing.

But all she had given Un-hyun were sharp words and wary glances.

Il Ah-young now regretted it so much.

“I’m sorry, Uncle Un. So……, please come back. Please…….”

Il Ah-young murmured softly in a trembling voice.

Whoosh.

The wind blew.

The waves of Dongting Lake were carrying the large merchant ship with Un-hyun far away, but Il Ah-young did not take her eyes off the ship.

Still holding the ring that conveyed his warm touch, Il Ah-young earnestly prayed that she could return the same smile to Un-hyun, and that she would be given the opportunity to do so.

***

“He has left Yueyang.”

The little palace lord’s hand paused at Binghon’s words. But it was only for a moment.

Click.

Holding the teacup, the little palace lord asked in a low voice.

“His destination?”

Binghon answered the little palace lord’s question while kneeling on one knee.

“It is not certain, but it seems he is heading to the Murim Alliance in Hangzhou.”

“So he’s finally going back.”

The little palace lord brought the teacup to her lips.

“Has the investigation into what he did in Yueyang been completed?”

“Yes.”

Binghon answered without delay.

“He contacted Lee Ho-am, the head of the Ho-am Merchant Group, his daughter Lee Seo-yeon, and their distant relative Lee Eui-shin. The investigation into the mansion where he stayed in Yueyang is still ongoing.”

“What was his intention in contacting the Ho-am Merchant Group?”

“We do not know yet.”

The little palace lord frowned slightly at Binghon’s answer.

“It seems that the activities of Seolyeongdae [likely a secret intelligence organization] are not meeting expectations.”

Binghon lowered his head.

“However, since you ordered us to maintain vigilance against him at the level of the Sword Saint, it has been difficult to grasp the situation.”

“Were there any signs that he noticed the surveillance?”

“There were two instances where he was wary of his surroundings.”

The little palace lord smiled slightly.

“Twice…….”

She held the teacup as if savoring the aroma of the tea for a moment, then asked again.

“What is the situation in the Murim Alliance?”

Binghon answered as if he had been waiting for the question.

“There was a meeting regarding the Sword Saint’s successor. The representatives of the Murim Alliance, who had received contact from their respective sects, had a heated debate, but no conclusion was reached.”

“What about Shin Seung?”

“He did not attend.”

The little palace lord lifted the teacup and sipped the tea lightly. Then she quietly put it down.

Clack.

“Unfortunately, that chaos will soon end. Because the successor will return.”

Trickle.

Bingseol filled the empty teacup. The subtle aroma of the tea spread around.

“What about the movements of the Janggang Water Bandit Alliance [Janggang refers to the Yangtze River]?”

This time, Binghon’s answer came without hesitation.

“There is a movement to strengthen the alliance, mainly centered around the newly formed water bandit groups.”

The little palace lord fell into thought.

Binghon cautiously continued.

“But even if they gather their strength, they will not be able to stand against the Murim Alliance [a martial arts alliance]. Especially in the current situation, where they seem to be surrounded by the Murim Alliance, centered around the Janggang…….”

“Is that so?”

The little palace lord said in a rather clear voice.

Binghon immediately closed his mouth, and the little palace lord put her finger on the remaining tea water on the table and drew a line to the side.

“Whether the Janggang will be surrounded, or whether it will divide the enemy into two…….”

The tea water drawn on the table gathered together and broke off in places.

The little palace lord looked at the scene with cold eyes and said.

“We’ll have to wait and see.”

Binghon was silent. And the little palace lord was also silent for a while.

“Ah.”

As if suddenly remembering something, the little palace lord turned to Binghon.

“What about the movements of the Dark Heaven Demon Emperor?”

Binghon lowered his head and answered.

“We are looking for traces, but we have not been able to find any.”

“Is that so?”

The little palace lord tilted her head.

“To suddenly disappear, could it be that he has his own circumstances?”

Binghon did not answer.

The little palace lord slowly lifted the teacup and brought it to her lips.

Taking her lips off the teacup, she murmured as if she was quite surprised.

“A single tea leaf can make rough water so smooth…….”

The little palace lord sighed slightly.

“Truly, the affairs of the world are unknowable.”

No one answered her words.

And Binghon was quietly pondering whether her words were really about the tea leaves, or about the contents of the report so far.

It was no coincidence that the image of a scholarly man holding a sword flashed through Binghon’s mind.

***

The journey down the Janggang River was quite fast, unlike when going upstream.

The treatment of Un-hyun was also vastly different, so much so that he had trouble adjusting to the excessive hospitality.

The biggest factor was the presence of Lee Seo-yeon, the daughter of the Ho-am Merchant Group.

She was always by Un-hyun’s side with a smile.

He wouldn’t dislike a journey on the Janggang River with a beautiful woman, but Un-hyun rather hoped to arrive quickly.

He didn’t know when the Murim Alliance scribe exam was, and Lee Seo-yeon’s friendly attitude was rather burdensome.

That was the reason why he didn’t ask Lee Seo-yeon about the exam.

“Brother, then I’ll see you again later.”

Lee Seo-yeon said with a smile to Un-hyun, who had disembarked from the merchant ship.

Un-hyun replied to her with a title he had become quite accustomed to.

“Thank you, Sister Seo-yeon. Please be careful on your way as well.”

Lee Seo-yeon smiled brightly at Un-hyun’s greeting.

Un-hyun waved his hand and moved away from the ship, and Lee Seo-yeon did not take her eyes off Un-hyun until the end.

And when Un-hyun’s figure completely disappeared from her sight, the smile disappeared from Lee Seo-yeon’s face.

Rustle.

Lee Seo-yeon asked the maid standing next to her.

“Was I being too friendly?”

It was a very personal question, but Lee Seo-yeon’s eyes were sharp.

The woman, who was both a maid and an attendant, immediately replied.

“Not at all.”

“Then was I being too cautious?”

“Not that either.”

The woman’s words were correct.

During the journey down the Janggang River, Lee Seo-yeon treated Un-hyun very kindly. But she never lost her dignity.

The way she subtly pushed and pulled was admirable even to the woman who watched from the side.

“Lady, you were very charming. Enough to make anyone fall for you.”

“Hmph.”

It was high praise, but Lee Seo-yeon chuckled.

“Don’t you have any dating experience either, since you say that?”

The woman’s cheeks flushed slightly.

Lee Seo-yeon sighed softly.

“Haa, it was so easy when I was in control, but it’s so difficult to please someone else’s heart.”

There were always many people who wanted to gain her favor.

Therefore, it was too easy for Lee Seo-yeon to become close to someone.

Until now.

“I never knew I would regret not knowing anything about this kind of thing like I do now.”

Listening to Lee Seo-yeon’s words mixed with lamentation, the woman inwardly clicked her tongue.

If she was this good when she didn’t know anything, she couldn’t even imagine how Lee Seo-yeon would change in the future.

Rustle.

Lee Seo-yeon turned her head towards the direction where Un-hyun had disappeared.

“It is said that investment is like romance, requiring a lot of patience and wisdom…….”

Those were the words her father, Lee Ho-am, had told her.

Whoosh.

The river breeze gently fluttered Lee Seo-yeon’s long hair.

Lee Seo-yeon quietly murmured.

“Indeed, that’s right.”

***

Un-hyun entered Hangzhou.

Without even having time to appreciate the subtle beauty of the West Lake, which he hadn’t seen in a long time, Un-hyun immediately headed to the Murim Alliance.

Arriving at the Murim Alliance, Un-hyun first checked to see if a notice was posted.

However, there was no mention of recruiting scribes even in the place where various notices were posted.

“Ahem.”

Un-hyun let out a sigh of disappointment.

‘Could it have passed already?’

Just in case, he rummaged through other notices when a warrior guarding the Murim Alliance spoke to Un-hyun.

“Hey! What’s going on there?”

The warrior’s eyes were quite fierce. But Un-hyun was rather pleased.

He was glad that someone spoke to him when he needed help.

“Has the Murim Alliance scribe recruitment already passed?”

The warrior was rather taken aback by Un-hyun’s natural reaction.

“If it’s scribe recruitment, it should be posted there.”

The warrior’s voice was subdued. His tone had also changed.

“But there’s nothing here…….”

The warrior frowned at Un-hyun, who was tilting his head.

“It’s often covered by others, so look carefully.”

With those words, the warrior simply turned his head away.

The warrior felt somehow defeated in the battle of wills and was not in a good mood, but to Un-hyun, who was used to the gazes of the Golden Uniformed Guards, it was just an ordinary conversation.

“Ah! Here it is.”

It was as the warrior had said.

Un-hyun found an old notice that had been hidden by others.

“Let’s see.”

Un-hyun quickly read the notice.

Skipping the customary phrases, the content Un-hyun was curious about finally appeared.

“The location is the Murim Alliance public sparring ground…… It’s outdoors. It would be a disaster if it rained. And the date is…….”

Un-hyun, with a brightened face, muttered in a happy voice.

“Phew, it hasn’t passed yet. Let’s see, if it’s this date…….”

Un-hyun’s expression suddenly hardened as he tried to count the remaining days.

“Damn it.”

Un-hyun muttered without realizing it. There was no need to count.