Bachelor Swordsmanship Remastered [EN]: Chapter 206

206. Return of the Northern Sea Delegation

Byeon Gi-ryang shrugged. “Well, that’s just the rumor.”

Guan Ji-bu clicked his tongue. “Stop spreading ridiculous rumors and get back to work.”

“Yes, sir.”

Byeon Gi-ryang obediently sat and started reviewing documents, but only for a moment.

“Ah, right. Guan Ji-bu, did you hear the rumor?”

“Aren’t you working?”

Byeon Gi-ryang flinched at Guan Ji-bu’s sharp tone and continued, sounding aggrieved. “No, that’s not it. Secretary Yun is returning.”

This time, Guan Ji-bu flinched. “I heard the Beijing branch contacted us this morning. I wonder what he was doing all the way in the Northern Sea? Aren’t you curious? Hehe, as expected of the Sword Saint’s successor…”

Byeon Gi-ryang seemed excited, but Guan Ji-bu sighed. Secretary Yun, Yun Hyun, was officially affiliated with the Guest Hall.

He was technically his subordinate, but also the successor of the Sword Saint, which, for Guan Ji-bu, felt like one more thing to worry about.

‘Hoo.’

Guan Ji-bu sighed inwardly and focused on the documents. Mountains of complaints and grievances awaited him, mostly from small and medium-sized sects that had been pushed out of the mainstream.

‘It can’t be helped.’

There were too many people and not enough resources. In the end, operations were mainly run by large, so-called orthodox sects.

As a result, the relative deprivation of marginalized sects would only increase.

Tak.

‘Discrimination is bound to arise anywhere.’

Discrimination was unavoidable, especially if those in power, the so-called higher-ups, had no awareness of the problem at all.

‘…Could it be that?’

Guan Ji-bu was gripped by a sense of unease that the accumulated grievances might explode. It may have been a feeling developed from dealing with people in the Guest Hall for many years, but Guan Ji-bu soon shook his head.

‘That can’t be.’

The Murim Alliance [a martial arts alliance] was a place where you couldn’t say anything even if openly mistreated, if you didn’t have power. That was the way of the Murim [martial arts world].

Guan Ji-bu began to immerse himself in the pile of documents again. Byeon Gi-ryang was still talking about ‘Our Secretary Yun’ behind him, but Guan Ji-bu had completely tuned him out.

***

After passing through Beijing, Yun Hyun and his party decided to part ways with the merchant guild. The merchant guild needed to visit as many large cities as possible, while Yun Hyun and his party had to go straight to Hangzhou.

“No, it doesn’t matter at all.”

The head merchant in charge of the business trip waved his hands. “The affairs of esteemed ones are always the top priority. We can do it later…”

But Yun Hyun shook his head. “How can the merchant guild make a profit if it just passes through the big cities? Just give us one carriage and don’t worry about us.”

“But, but…”

“I will write a separate letter of gratitude to the Ice Emperor of the Northern Sea. There will be no damage to the merchant guild.”

The head merchant’s expression brightened noticeably at those words. Yun Hyun smiled; as expected, that was what the head merchant was worried about.

“Ah, and,” Yun Hyun said, as if he had suddenly thought of something. “Do you have any plans to go near Dongting Lake [a large, shallow lake in northeastern Hunan province]?”

The head merchant nodded. “Yes, we do. The area around Dongting Lake is famous as a granary, so it’s a must-stop.”

“Is that so?” Yun Hyun’s eyes twinkled. “Then do you also do business with the Hoam Merchant Guild?”

Yun Hyun’s sworn brother, Il Chung-hyun’s daughter, Il A-young, was in the Hoam Merchant Guild. The Hoam Merchant Guild was located in Changsha, a city near Dongting Lake, so it was natural for Yun Hyun to ask.

“Unfortunately, that’s not the case.”

The head merchant shook his head. “But the Hoam Merchant Guild is one of the top three merchant guilds in the world. Especially these days, they are aggressively expanding their territory…”

Yun Hyun, who didn’t want to hear an explanation about the Hoam Merchant Guild, quickly continued, “Then how about I write you a letter of introduction?”

The head merchant’s eyes sparkled. He quickly bowed to Yun Hyun. “How can I refuse an introduction from you? But I don’t know if we can handle such excessive kindness…”

Yun Hyun knew very well what he was worried about. “Don’t worry. It’s just a token of gratitude for this trip. And I also have a personal letter that I would like you to deliver.”

“A letter?”

“Yes. I have a relative in the Hoam Merchant Guild.”

“Ah, is that so?”

The head merchant nodded with a bright expression. If he could establish a business relationship with the Hoam Merchant Guild by running a letter errand, it would be a very profitable deal.

“I will write the letter of introduction to Lady Lee Seo-yeon of the Hoam Merchant Guild. Is that okay?”

The head merchant’s eyes widened. “Are you talking about Lady Lee Seo-yeon, the young lady of the Hoam Merchant Guild?”

“Yes. Do you know her?”

When Yun Hyun asked, the head merchant answered as if he had been waiting for it. “Of course, I know her. Lady Lee Seo-yeon is the most watched person in the Hoam Merchant Guild these days. No one can match her sharp insight, and her payment is very accurate, so she has a very good reputation among the merchant guilds.”

The head merchant continued, seemingly a little excited. “Usually, people think that a good deal is to buy cheap and sell expensive, but in reality, people who know the exact value of a product and properly evaluate that value gain trust. So, business is ultimately based on people’s trust…”

“I see. That’s a relief.”

Yun Hyun quickly ended the conversation, as he seemed ready to talk all day if left alone. “Then would you please prepare writing materials?”

“I understand. I will bring them to you immediately.”

The head merchant bowed and quickly returned to his carriage. As he left, Je Gal-giho, who was next to him, said with admiration, “Wow, you have surprisingly wide connections. I can’t believe you know someone in the Hoam Merchant Guild.”

Yun Hyun gave an awkward smile. “It just happened that way.”

“Well, I guess if it’s Secretary Yun…”

Je Gal-giho nodded as if he understood and asked, “But is that Lady Lee Seo-yeon pretty?”

Je Gal-giho’s eyes were sparkling. Yun Hyun couldn’t help but laugh at the question, which was so like Je Gal-giho, but he immediately realized his rudeness and quickly cleared his throat and turned his head.

“Ahem. The standard of beauty varies from person to person…”

“No, who’s asking you to introduce me? I’m not saying I’m going to meet her. I’m just asking, is she pretty?”

Yun Hyun gave a bitter smile, but he couldn’t be cold to Je Gal-giho, who had suffered with him, so he had no choice but to answer honestly. “…She is pretty.”

The reason why the answer sounded strange was that Lee Seo-yeon was by no means just a beautiful flower. In Yun Hyun’s view, Lee Seo-yeon was someone who could not be treated carelessly, but rather someone against whom he could not let his guard down.

But Je Gal-giho didn’t care about that. “I knew it.”

Je Gal-giho looked at Yun Hyun with a subtle look, as if he knew it. “Wow, I’m jealous.”

Yun Hyun cleared his throat again and turned his head because he felt burdened by the look.

Thus, Yun Hyun and his party parted ways with the merchant guild. In the arms of the departing head merchant, the letter of introduction to Lee Seo-yeon and the letter to be delivered to Il A-young were carefully stored.

***

Yun Hyun and his party headed straight to the Murim Alliance in Hangzhou. Sometimes they took a boat and passed through the canal, and sometimes they drove along the official road in a carriage.

Yun Hyun and Je Gal-giho both didn’t want to miss the Great Murim Assembly [a large gathering of martial artists]. Of course, Yun Hyun was driven by pure curiosity, while Je Gal-giho didn’t want to miss the important tournament that would shake up the Murim Alliance.

The only indifferent person was Dokgo-rang, who was holding the reins. Thanks to his loyalty to Yun Hyun’s wishes and his excellent driving skills, Yun Hyun and his party were able to arrive in Hangzhou earlier than expected.

What greeted them was the sight of Hangzhou overflowing with people.

Ttagak, ttagak.

“This has become a completely different city. The unique charm of Hangzhou has disappeared,” Je Gal-giho said, dissatisfied. Yun Hyun agreed with him.

The streets of Hangzhou, which were full of old-fashioned charm, were overflowing with people. Famous restaurants and tea houses had waiting lines, and unfamiliar street stalls were everywhere.

“Well, the liveliness is good in its own way… Ooh, that girl is pretty?”

Even in the midst of all this, Je Gal-giho was looking at the passing women. Dokgo-rang skillfully drove the carriage through the crowded streets of Hangzhou.

The Murim Alliance, which they arrived at, was more crowded with people than the downtown area of Hangzhou.

“Eum.”

Je Gal-giho groaned. Yun Hyun felt the same way. The main gate of the Murim Alliance was so crowded with people and carriages that there was no room to set foot.

“It’s really a mess. As far as I know, the preliminaries are still going on…”

The participants in the preliminaries were small or newly emerging sects. Only then would they be qualified to compete with the large sects, the so-called Eighteen Great Sects of the Murim Alliance.

It was discriminatory, but no one, at least officially, expressed any dissatisfaction. This is because the Murim Alliance is virtually owned by the Eighteen Great Sects, and Murim is a world of the strong.

On the other hand, Yun Hyun’s eyes sparkled with curiosity as he watched the unfamiliar martial artists come and go. Perhaps this was the closest thing to the Murim Alliance that Yun Hyun had imagined.

“Let’s go in.”

“Ah, yes.”

At Je Gal-giho’s words, Yun Hyun nodded, and Dokgo-rang slowly drove the carriage into the Murim Alliance, avoiding the people.

Thus, the long journey of the Northern Sea delegation came to an end.

***

After returning to the Murim Alliance, Yun Hyun and his party first headed to the office of Je Gal-yeon, the representative of the Je Gal Clan, as he was virtually in charge of the representative meeting.

Dalkak.

“Oh, welcome, Secretary Yun.”

Je Gal-yeon, who was looking over documents, smiled and stood up from his seat. “You’ve come a long way, but I couldn’t even greet you properly. As you can see, the situation is like this.”

Je Gal-yeon treated Yun Hyun very politely. “Don’t mention greeting me. Rather, you can just speak comfortably.”

The other party was the representative of the Je Gal Clan, and Yun Hyun was the secretary, so it was natural to say that. The middle-aged Je Gal-yeon smiled. “How can I dare to be rude to someone who has received the jade pendant of the Clan Head? Secretary Yun, you don’t need to worry about it. Hehehe.”

Only then did Yun Hyun recall the green jade pendant that the Clan Head of the Je Gal Clan had given him. Clan Head Je Gal-myeong didn’t say much, but it seemed that it was not ordinary. In fact, the jade pendant had been lying in his luggage for a long time, so he didn’t even remember what it looked like.

Dalkak.

Representative Je Gal-yeon, Yun Hyun, and Je Gal-giho sat facing each other at the table. A maid brought tea, and Je Gal-yeon said to Yun Hyun with a smiling face, “I heard that there were good results in the Northern Sea. It must have been a difficult task, so thank you for your hard work.”

A brief report on the delegation’s achievements had been sent through the Beijing branch, as it was a critical matter that would affect the future policies of the Murim Alliance.

“It was no trouble at all. It was just something I had to do.”

Je Gal-yeon smiled and turned to Je Gal-giho, saying, “You worked hard too.”

At Yun Hyun’s words, Je Gal-yeon smiled and looked at Je Gal-giho. “Thank you, Great Senior Brother.”

Je Gal-giho, who was officially the chief envoy of the delegation, opened his mouth. “You will receive a formal report at the representative meeting later, so be prepared.”

“Yes.”

“Oh, well, I…”

At Yun Hyun’s words, Je Gal-yeon shook his head. “Secretary Yun, you don’t need to bother. After all, the formal report is to be made by the chief envoy of the delegation.”

Come to think of it, that was true, but it was clear that Je Gal-giho was doing the preparation for him out of consideration for Yun Hyun.

Dalkak.

Raising his teacup, Je Gal-yeon said, “I would like to hear the story of the Northern Sea in detail, but the Alliance is very busy, so I have no choice but to postpone it to the next opportunity. I will arrange a good place later.”

Je Gal-yeon’s attitude was very friendly. Yun Hyun nodded and, without realizing it, glanced at Je Gal-giho.

“Um…”

Je Gal-giho smiled. “Don’t worry, Secretary Yun. I know how to distinguish between public and private matters. There won’t be anything strange.”

Yun Hyun was relieved. He was worried that Je Gal-giho might write something about Yun Hyun’s personal affairs.

“Secretary Yun, you must be busy after returning after a long time, so you can go now,” Je Gal-yeon said with a smile.