Bachelor Swordsmanship Remastered [EN]: Chapter 270

270. A Chance to Turn Life Around in One Go

“……Marriage proposal?”

The question was unexpected.

But at the same time, something clicked in Unhyeon’s mind.

“The head of the Hacheong Merchant Guild wants to marry his daughter to you.”

Suddenly, the image of Ha Yeong-ryeong, whom he had met before, flashed through his mind.

And then he understood the meaning behind her words.

‘Huh.’

Sighing inwardly, Unhyeon suddenly remembered Head Butler Kang recognizing her.

“Is the Hacheong Merchant Guild a large guild?”

Un Il-pyeong looked surprised.

He had expected Unhyeon to ask who the woman was, but instead, he asked about the guild’s size.

However, that, too, must be important to Unhyeon.

“In Gwangju, there are only a handful of entities that can disregard the Hacheong Merchant Guild.”

“What about the Unga Merchant Guild?”

“You don’t need to worry about our guild.”

Un Il-pyeong answered firmly and then said seriously, “Marriage is a momentous event in life. It concerns your entire future, so why would you consider other factors?”

At those words, Unhyeon felt a warmth in his heart.

Unhyeon asked again, “Is the woman in question Miss Ha Yeong-ryeong?”

Un Il-pyeong looked surprised again.

“You knew?”

“I only know her name.”

“I see. But don’t worry about the rumors. You can’t truly know a person without meeting them and forming your own opinion.”

Un Il-pyeong continued, “The Hacheong Merchant Guild has offered to fully support you. If you want a Seowon [a private Confucian academy], they will build you a fine one, and if you want to enter the merchant world, they will entrust you with the guild’s affairs.”

“Is the Hacheong Merchant Guild wealthy enough to do all that?”

“If they want to, they will.”

The Hacheong Merchant Guild wasn’t one of the top three merchant guilds in Gwangju.

But even those top three couldn’t afford to ignore the Hacheong Merchant Guild.

“Then, rejecting this marriage proposal would have significant repercussions.”

At Unhyeon’s words, Un Il-pyeong’s expression hardened.

“That is…….”

It was as Unhyeon said.

The Hacheong Merchant Guild had a strong sense of pride.

If they rejected this marriage proposal, the consequences were obvious.

The Unga Merchant Guild might have to leave Gwangju altogether.

Un Il-pyeong couldn’t bring himself to answer.

“I understand.”

Unhyeon said quietly.

“Since I have received the proposal, I need time to think about it.”

Unhyeon bowed to his uncle, Un Il-pyeong, and rose from his seat.

As he was about to leave the room, he suddenly turned back to his uncle and said, “Uncle.”

Un Il-pyeong’s gaze turned to Unhyeon.

Unhyeon said with a smile, “Thank you.”

It was sincere.

His uncle hadn’t tried to persuade Unhyeon by saying that this marriage proposal was also good for him.

He hadn’t burdened him by mentioning the disadvantages that would befall the Unga Merchant Guild.

His uncle had simply conveyed the Hacheong Merchant Guild’s proposal as it was, telling him not to consider other factors.

Unhyeon was truly grateful for his uncle’s consideration.

In fact, Unhyeon’s memories of his uncle weren’t very positive.

He had received financial support during his days as a scholar, but it had felt like he was being pitied.

But perhaps that was just Unhyeon’s own inferiority complex.

Un Il-pyeong had always been Unhyeon’s uncle, regardless.

Click.

Closing the door, Unhyeon left the room.

Remaining inside, Un Il-pyeong sat silently with a pained expression.

He felt truly resentful of himself for only being able to watch his only nephew make such a difficult choice.

“Huh.”

A long sigh escaped from Un Il-pyeong’s mouth.

Unhyeon, having left his uncle’s room, stood in the courtyard shrouded in darkness.

The sight of the quiet merchant residence under the moonlight even looked bleak.

Perhaps the declining fortunes of the family were making him feel that way.

“Young Master.”

At the quiet call, Unhyeon turned his head.

The person standing under the dim lantern was Head Butler Kang.

“Head Butler Kang.”

His expression was gentle, but Unhyeon’s voice lacked strength.

Head Butler Kang quietly approached and stood next to Unhyeon.

And silently looked at the merchant residence.

How long had it been?

“It’s not a bad situation.”

Head Butler Kang said in a calm voice.

“You are of age, young master, and settling down will help you to focus your energies.”

Unhyeon looked back at Head Butler Kang with a puzzled expression.

He never expected Head Butler Kang, of all people, to say such a thing to him.

Head Butler Kang quietly turned to Unhyeon.

“I told you that if you don’t approach a deal with a cold heart, you will always suffer losses, didn’t I?”

He had definitely said that.

Head Butler Kang turned his head and quietly looked at the Unga Merchant Guild’s residence, which was submerged in darkness.

“When I think about it, a Seowon suits you much better than starting from the bottom in the guild. The other party may have flaws, but do you have no flaws, young master? You are a fallen scholar who returned as a beggar. Rather, you should be proud of receiving this proposal. The Hacheong Merchant Guild recognized your potential, not just anyone.”

Head Butler Kang’s words were true.

Unhyeon knew that too.

“……People gossip that Miss Yeong-ryeong’s conduct is not good, but in fact, she is a very kind person.”

As if recalling something from a long time ago, Head Butler Kang raised his head and looked at the night sky.

“I have known Miss Yeong-ryeong since she was very young. She was unusually kind-hearted and never passed by someone in need. At that young age, she would pester her father all day long to help those less fortunate somehow. She was very stubborn from a young age.”

Head Butler Kang smiled lightly.

“People don’t change easily. Marriage won’t suddenly make her conduct upright, but her kind nature won’t disappear.”

Swish.

Turning to Unhyeon, Head Butler Kang said quietly, “If it’s you, young master, you will be able to help Miss Yeong-ryeong settle down and find happiness. That’s what I think.”

“Me……, you mean?”

Head Butler Kang nodded.

“Yes. I believe Miss Yeong-ryeong will become a virtuous wife with the right guidance and support.”

Suddenly, Unhyeon thought of Ha Yeong-ryeong.

He imagined her sitting in a small pavilion, reading a book with a graceful and serene appearance.

She was dressed in simple clothes, unlike what she usually wears, with a gentle smile on her face.

‘Tsk.’

However, that imagination didn’t quite materialize.

It was because her poised figure, raising a wine glass, and her striking eyes kept coming to mind.

“Hehehe.”

Head Butler Kang looked puzzled at Unhyeon, who suddenly burst into laughter.

“Young Master?”

“Thank you.”

Unhyeon said with a smile.

“At least, I no longer feel like I’m being unilaterally forced into this. Somehow, I feel much lighter.”

“Young Master.”

Head Butler Kang said with a serious look.

“I’ve always told you to approach transactions with a cold heart, but there are times when you have to accept losses. That’s when you need to protect something more important than immediate gains. Sometimes it’s about trust, or perhaps morality.”

Head Butler Kang continued in a firm tone.

“There’s a heart in every transaction. Even if you suffer losses, you must never forget what you absolutely have to protect.”

“Yes.”

Unhyeon said with a soft smile.

“I will keep that in mind, Head Butler Kang. And thank you.”

Unhyeon’s expression seemed much more relaxed.

However, Head Butler Kang couldn’t shake off his troubled expression.

Although Unhyeon was smiling now, his smile was light, and the shadows were deep.

After parting with Head Butler Kang, Unhyeon strolled through the darkened mansion for a while.

He wandered here and there, but his mind wouldn’t settle easily.

Naturally, his steps led him to the small back garden he had visited on his first day.

“Hoo.”

Unhyeon slumped onto the rough wooden chair.

Feeling his shoulders droop without realizing it, Unhyeon lowered his head.

His clasped hands were right in front of his eyes.

Pfft.

A self-deprecating laugh escaped.

His hands, without a single callus, incapable of doing anything.

“The academy or the merchant group, huh…….”

Unhyeon tilted his head back and muttered self-deprecatingly.

“A one-shot chance at turning my life around.”

“So, are you happy?”

At the sudden sound of a woman’s voice, Unhyeon turned his head. There stood his uncle’s daughter, his cousin Un Huiyeon.

“Ah, Huiyeon Nuna [older sister/cousin]…….”

“This is quite a sight.”

Unhuiyeon glared at Unhyeon with fierce eyes.

Step, step.

She stopped right in front of Unhyeon.

“……I’m really disappointed. I thought you were going to show something, but in the end, all you chose was to latch onto a woman and change your fate?”

Unhuiyeon said, looking straight at Unhyeon.

“Were you really such a snob?”

Unhyeon wore a bitter smile.

Slightly turning his head, Unhyeon said.

“……I guess that’s reality.”

Words that were unintended and different from what he was thinking came out of Unhyeon’s mouth.

It was as if Unhyeon was talking to himself.

“Life is reality. A very cold one at that…….”

Huiyeon’s eyes twitched.

She was even more angry because she never expected Unhyeon to say something like that.

“So, you’re going to decide on a once-in-a-lifetime marriage like this?”

“Marriage is also reality.”

Unhyeon said, still avoiding Huiyeon’s gaze.

“And it doesn’t necessarily have to be just once…….”

Huiyeon’s face turned red.

To her still young sensibilities, Unhyeon’s words were no different from those of a shameless scoundrel.

“Wh, what are you saying!”

She shouted with a flushed face.

“N, no way! You villain! Swindler! Cockroach!”

Huiyeon bit her lip.

“……I’m really disappointed!”

Shouting those words at Unhyeon, Huiyeon ran away as if fleeing.

Thump, thump, thump.

“Hoo.”

Watching Huiyeon’s retreating figure, Unhyeon said quietly.

“I’m disappointed too.”

In Unhyeon’s lowered eyes, he saw his own delicate hands.

“……Me too.”

Unhyeon muttered like that.

***

The office of the Chief Military Strategist of the Taepyeong Alliance.

Dang Seol-ryeon, the Snowflower of the Dang Clan, Dang Mun Seol-hwa, slightly furrowed her brow.

“The Changryong Assembly, you say?”

“Yes. It is reported that three warriors belonging to the Junggyeong branch of the Yiyeongung Alliance [Heroic Alliance] in Junui, Guizhou Province, were killed by them.”

The middle-aged warrior reported to her in a respectful tone.

“What is their identity? Which sect do they belong to?”

Dang Seol-ryeon was the Chief Military Strategist of the Taepyeong Alliance.

A core position in the Taepyeong Alliance, which, along with the Yiyeongung Alliance, divided the world.

“Their identity has not been confirmed. However, they say that the only one who can stand against the Yiyeongung Alliance is the Changryong Sword Master, and they call themselves the Changryong Assembly, following the will of Changryong [Azure Dragon].”

Rattle.

Dang Seol-ryeon quickly examined the report that the middle-aged warrior handed her.

After a while, Dang Seol-ryeon’s beautiful eyebrows furrowed.

It was because she could intuitively understand what was going on.

“Tch, what a useless thing to do…….”

The Changryong Assembly declared that they would follow the ‘will of Changryong.’

Not the Changryong Sword Master, but his will.

Dang Seol-ryeon knew exactly why.

It is because there is no Changryong Sword Master among them, and even if the Changryong Sword Master appears, it is to leave room for them to escape at any time.

“What is the Yiyeongung Alliance’s response?”

“There is no specific response.”

Dang Seol-ryeon frowned.

“Three warriors from the Junggyeong branch died, and there’s no response?”

“Yes. They seem to regard it as a minor disturbance by those who are dissatisfied with the Yiyeongung Alliance. The Hangzhou Yiyeongung Alliance has delegated the response to the Junggyeong branch, and the Junggyeong branch seems to have already given up.”

“Unbelievable…….”

Dang Seol-ryeon couldn’t believe it.

Even if it was a minor disturbance, people from the Yiyeongung Alliance died.

It was something that the Murim Alliance [Martial Arts Alliance] could never imagine.

‘What are you thinking? Yeom Jung-bu…….’