Bachelor Swordsmanship Remastered [EN]: Chapter 101

101. The Sword’s Vitality

Yun-hyun told himself, “I received a significant favor from Il Chung-hyun.”

He also thought, “So how can I just stand idly by?”

As a martial artist who valued favors more than gold, it was a natural sentiment.

It was also why he deliberately sought a connection with Lee Ui-shin, even though one didn’t previously exist.

Repaying a debt held great significance for a martial artist, enough to outweigh any doubts.

“Of course, the best way would be to establish a blood tie with him.”

Blood is thicker than water, especially for someone susceptible to emotions.

“Ah, that sounds good too.”

Lee Seo-yeon replied without hesitation.

“Then I will bear his child. That way, I can achieve an even greater and more certain success than Lu Buwei [a historical Chinese merchant and politician known for his ambition].”

Lee Ho-am quietly gazed at his daughter.

“His eyes were certainly extraordinary. I also like his boldness in openly threatening me to my face.”

Leaning back, Lee Ho-am said,

“But I still don’t know why you’re so sure. Does he really have that much value? Enough to throw everything away for?”

Lee Seo-yeon smiled.

“What level of martial arts do you think the head of the Namgung Clan has reached, Father?”

It was an unexpected question. But Lee Ho-am stroked his beard and replied.

“Well? People generally consider the heads of the Four Great Clans to be a step below the leaders of Wudang [a Taoist martial arts sect] or Mount Hua [another prominent martial arts sect].”

Lee Seo-yeon shook her head.

“No, that’s not true. The level achieved by the head of the Namgung Clan is astonishing. He could probably compete with the leaders of Wudang or Mount Hua right now and hold his own.”

As the heiress of the Ho-am Merchant Group, Lee Seo-yeon learned martial arts within the Namgung Clan.

Unlike other outer disciples, she was often invited to events that showcased the power of the Namgung Clan.

And what she witnessed there was enough to make her realize the true strength of the Namgung Clan.

“Hmm, but wouldn’t Wudang or Mount Hua have hidden strengths as well? There’s no way to be entirely certain of the outcome.”

Even with Lee Ho-am’s point, Lee Seo-yeon didn’t lose her smile.

“Of course, that’s true. But Father.”

Lee Seo-yeon said, her eyes sparkling.

“What if someone who could defeat even the heads of the Four Great Clans, as well as the leaders of Wudang and Mount Hua, became one of us?”

Lee Ho-am quickly understood her meaning.

“Then we would have a clan within ten years. In thirty years, we would stand as one of the three great merchant groups in the world, and in fifty years, the name Ho-am would stand at the pinnacle of all merchant groups and clans.”

With a faint smile, Lee Ho-am asked his daughter, Lee Seo-yeon,

“You think that one person will make all that happen?”

“Yes.”

Lee Seo-yeon’s answer was without hesitation. Lee Ho-am let out a hollow laugh.

“Haha.”

But Lee Ho-am didn’t dismiss her words.

Lee Seo-yeon had the ‘eyes of a hawk.’

From a young age, her instincts were never wrong, and even now, she could assess the value of a product with just a glance.

Lee Seo-yeon inherited the same talent as Lee Ho-am himself.

That talent was also evident while she was learning martial arts in the Namgung Clan, and her insight was comparable to that of a supreme master.

That’s why Lee Ho-am regarded her as particularly special among his other children.

But even for Lee Ho-am, her words carried too much weight to accept readily.

“When the first snow falls.”

Lee Seo-yeon suddenly said.

Looking straight into Lee Ho-am’s eyes, Lee Seo-yeon continued.

“Ask him to show you around the backyard of that house. And observe how the flowers there are growing. Which do you think will last longer, the flowers in the main house’s garden or the backyard of that house?”

The garden of the Ho-am Merchant Group’s main house is cultivated by the most renowned gardeners in the world.

To compare that main house with the rustic garden of that house was almost an insult to the main house itself.

However, Lee Seo-yeon said with an expectant expression.

“If you understand the Sword’s Vitality [likely a reference to a specific martial arts concept or technique], Father, you will surely covet the backyard of that house.”

She smiled faintly.

Her smile, gracing her red lips, shone incomparably dignified and confident under the moonlight.

***

Lee Ho-am prepared a ship to Hangzhou as promised.

Yun-hyun was also concerned about being late for the civil service exam, so he gladly accepted his favor.

After packing his luggage, which was much lighter than when he arrived, Yun-hyun said goodbye to his sister-in-law.

The madam, who had been unusually quiet since the banquet, finally shed tears, and Yun-hyun, feeling a sense of guilt for some reason, simply bowed his head.

Yun-hyun also said goodbye to Il A-young.

And surprisingly, Il A-young came to the pier in Yueyang to see Yun-hyun off.

“Ah, is that the ship?”

Yun-hyun said, looking at the large merchant ship fluttering with the Ho-am Merchant Group’s insignia.

Even though anyone could recognize it, he felt he had to say something to Il A-young, who was keeping silent.

Il A-young looked up at the merchant ship.

Remaining silent, she said in a low voice.

“…Does it take long to get to Hangzhou?”

Yun-hyun’s heart ached at her appearance, which was quite different from usual.

It was also because the tears he had seen in his sister-in-law’s eyes when he left the mansion were still vivid in his mind.

“It won’t take long, as we’ll be traveling down the Yangtze River.”

Yun-hyun replied in a deliberately bright voice.

“Besides, it’s a route I’ve traveled before, so the time will pass even faster, A-young Nui [term of endearment for an older sister or female friend].”

Il A-young’s eyes twitched slightly at the word ‘Nui’.

Yun-hyun inwardly thought, ‘Oops,’ but Il A-young surprisingly said nothing.

“Ahem.”

Yun-hyun cleared his throat and subtly turned his head.

The endless Dongting Lake was spread out before his eyes. Yun-hyun slowly looked around Dongting Lake as if trying to capture the scene in his eyes.

Watching Yun-hyun’s back, Il A-young tried to soothe her complicated feelings.

‘Yes, this is the best way.’

Il A-young bit her lip slightly.

‘Mother’s heart will be a little hurt… but it can’t be helped.’

Il A-young was thinking about her mother’s tears.

When the betrothal between herself and this Young Master Lee was announced, they had seemingly betrayed Yun-hyun.

‘No, it’s not a betrayal.’

Il A-young shook her head.

It was just a natural consequence.

Even if there was a promise with her father before his death, it was wrong for someone to try to use that as an excuse to force a marriage now.

Il A-young still didn’t regret her decision.

‘…But.’

However, when Yun-hyun said he was leaving, she couldn’t help but feel a heaviness in one corner of her heart.

‘My mother must have felt the same way.’

Her mother ended up showing tears to Yun-hyun as he left.

She didn’t say it, but Il A-young knew her feelings.

The guilt of not keeping the promise made with her deceased husband and of doing something that might hurt Yun-hyun eventually surfaced as tears.

Il A-young sighed inwardly.

‘Still, it can’t be helped.’

There are no inherently bad people. It’s just that not everyone achieves a favorable outcome.

Il A-young was thinking that way and trying to steel her heart.

“Brother!”

Il A-young was startled out of her thoughts by the sudden, clear voice.

Lee Seo-yeon, the heiress of Ho-am Merchant Group, was walking towards them with a beautifully composed appearance, having arrived in a splendid carriage.

“Seo, Seo-yeon… Nui.”

Yun-hyun said, stammering with an awkward title.

Il A-young couldn’t help but let out a chuckle. It was because Yun-hyun’s initial awkwardness when he first called her ‘Nui’ came to mind.

‘He calls me Nui so naturally now…’

Sometimes he seems very brazen, and other times he’s just clumsy.

When she thought about it, Yun-hyun was someone Il A-young couldn’t understand at all.

*Sabeok, Sabeok* [sound of footsteps].

Lee Seo-yeon approached the two with light steps.

After giving Il A-young a slight nod, Lee Seo-yeon said to Yun-hyun.

“You’re already out here, Brother.”

“What brings you here, Seo-yeon Nui?”

Lee Seo-yeon smiled at Yun-hyun’s question.

“It just so happens that I have business in Hangzhou as well.”

Hangzhou is a transportation hub for both land and water.

It was not strange for the heiress of Ho-am Merchant Group to have business in Hangzhou.

But Yun-hyun’s expression remained stiff.

This was because Lee Seo-yeon was still a burden to Yun-hyun.

Il A-young also couldn’t hide her surprised expression, but Lee Seo-yeon said calmly.

“We were together when we arrived, and now we’re traveling together when we leave. Then I’ll board first.”

Lee Seo-yeon lightly bowed her head and boarded the large merchant ship.

Watching her, Il A-young was lost in thought for a moment.

‘Lee Seo-yeon, the heiress of Lee Ho-am…’

Compared to Lee Ho-am’s name echoing throughout Hunan Province, little was known about his family.

This was the same even within the Ho-am Merchant Group.

The atmosphere of the merchant group was thoroughly focused on work, and there were no readily available stories about Lee Ho-am’s personal life.

But even so, one thing was certain.

Everyone in the Ho-am Merchant Group had tremendous respect for Lee Ho-am and his family.

‘They’re people you can’t easily understand.’

“A-young Sojeo [term of address for a younger brother’s wife].”

Suddenly, Yun-hyun’s voice from beside her woke Il A-young from her thoughts.

When Il A-young turned around, Yun-hyun took something out of his pocket.

*Sarak* [rustling sound].

Yun-hyun held out what he had in his hand to Il A-young.

“What is this?”

Yun-hyun smiled awkwardly and opened his hand.

It was an object that was all too familiar to Il A-young.

“This is?”

Il A-young looked at him with surprised eyes.

Yun-hyun gave a sheepish smile and replied.

“Actually, I should have returned it a long time ago, but…”

Yun-hyun, who was looking down at what was in his hand, raised his head and looked at Il A-young.

After hesitating, Il A-young slowly reached out one hand, and Yun-hyun carefully placed what he was holding on her hand.

*Tok* [a light touch sound].

A warm sensation was felt on her hand.

It was a ring with delicate patterns engraved on it, but it looked a little worn. It was one of the two rings her father had left her, and the very ring that had kept her up at night.

Il A-young couldn’t take her eyes off the ring.

“I’m sorry for making you recall painful memories because of my stubbornness.”

Yun-hyun quietly continued, looking at the ring in Il A-young’s hand.

“It’s the only thing my brother left me, so I couldn’t bring myself to return it, but in fact, the person who misses my brother more than anyone else is my sister-in-law…”

With a lonely smile, Yun-hyun said to Il A-young.

“Please give it to my sister-in-law, A-young Sojeo.”

Il A-young raised her head and looked at Yun-hyun. But Yun-hyun still had a lonely smile on his face and only nodded his head.

Il A-young was in confusion.

‘Why?’

Why is he returning this ring now?

Does it mean that he has cleanly given up since things have turned out this way?

But if not.

‘Could it be…’

Could it be that he really didn’t know, as her mother once said?

Could all the actions Yun-hyun had shown so far have actually been entirely out of goodwill?

Il A-young was confused.

Everything she had been sure of was suddenly getting tangled up.

*Baseurak* [sound of paper].

Meanwhile, Yun-hyun took out a thin letter from his pocket.

“And this is a small amount, but it’s a gift to my sister-in-law to celebrate A-young Sojeo’s marriage, so please give it to her.”

Il A-young bit her lip.

She took the letter from Yun-hyun and opened it on the spot.

*Baseurak* [sound of paper].

Yun-hyun didn’t have time to stop her.

And what was revealed in Il A-young’s eyes was a check for a not-so-small amount.

As Il A-young’s expression hardened, Yun-hyun hurriedly added an explanation.

“I, it’s definitely not for any other reason, so please don’t misunderstand. Besides, A-young Sojeo can now afford to hold a wedding with her own resources, right? This is just a small token of my sincerity…”

Yun-hyun, who was slurring his words, hurriedly said goodbye.

“Then A-young Sojeo, I’ll be on my way.”

With those words, Yun-hyun tried to turn his body.

“Ah, excuse me…”

Il A-young called Yun-hyun without realizing it.

Yun-hyun stopped walking and turned around, but Il A-young couldn’t continue her words.

She didn’t understand how to process these sudden events, and she didn’t understand herself.

Yun-hyun was about to ask what was wrong when it happened.