Bachelor Swordsmanship Remastered [EN]: Chapter 436

436. Yunhyun’s Request

Geum Hyerin’s eyes trembled slightly.

Amidst the chatter of other distinguished guests, Geum Hyerin, who had been silent, spoke quietly.

“…As expected, I can’t hide anything from you, Young Master.”

Geum Hyerin gave a wry smile.

“Did you know from the beginning?”

“Not exactly.”

Yunhyun replied calmly, lifting his teacup.

“What I found strange was when Lady Nung warned you about the movements of the Demonic Path. It’s impossible, even by chance, to know before Elder Gaekong.”

Yunhyun savored the tea and continued.

“Thinking about it, your reaction during our first meeting bothered me as well. You collapsed then, too.”

“I didn’t expect to lose consciousness again. I suppose it just means I’ve become that much weaker.”

Geum Hyerin smiled bitterly and looked directly at Yunhyun.

“Yes, you’re right. I can sense people’s hearts. Or rather, I should say I can see them. I have been able to since I was very young.”

Geum Hyerin quietly began her story.

She could see people’s hearts.

The warm and bright hearts of her parents, and also the dark and eerie hearts of some others.

But that power was not given freely.

The first day she lost consciousness and collapsed, the day she learned about her condition, Geum Hyerin saw the pained hearts of her weeping parents and never used her ability again.

Perhaps it was thanks to that? Although sickly, Geum Hyerin safely reached adulthood.

However, seeing the collapsing Geum family, Geum Hyerin made a decision.

If she was going to die anyway, she would use her ability for her beloved parents and family.

“So I knew. I knew that Lady Nung, who came to repay a past favor, was trustworthy, and that Young Master Yunhyun had no ulterior motives at all.”

Tears welled up in Geum Hyerin’s eyes as she spoke.

Yunhyun nodded.

“I see. So, the reason you wanted to observe today’s meeting was…”

“Yes. I wanted to see what kind of person the new owner of the Hoam Merchant Guild was. If they were untrustworthy, it would be better to leave for another place.”

If the opponent is evil, a hundred measures are all in vain.

Understanding the new owner of the Hoam Merchant Guild was essential for Geum Hyerin, as the fate of her family depended on it.

“I never imagined you would solve it like this, Young Master. I’m truly grateful.”

“It’s not me. You and Lady Nung are the ones who saved the Geum family.”

Geum Hyerin smiled at Yunhyun’s words.

Tears still glistened in her eyes.

Yunhyun quietly said.

“How is it, Elder?”

“Not good.”

Gaekong replied quietly.

Geum Hyerin turned back with a puzzled expression, and Gaekong continued with a nonchalant face.

“From now on, we will talk about your condition. It’s your body, so it’s natural for you to hear it, but if you don’t want others to listen…”

“No.”

Geum Hyerin, whose expression had slightly hardened, said calmly.

“It’s okay if it’s these people. Please tell me.”

Gaekong nodded and continued.

“Among those with your condition, there are sometimes those who possess exceptional talents or mysterious abilities. Your ability must be one of those cases.”

“Excuse me, what is Lady Geum’s condition?”

Ira Young asked cautiously.

“Severed meridians.”

Ira Young’s expression hardened at Gaekong’s answer.

She knew Geum Hyerin was sickly, but severed meridians? An incurable disease with no cure?

“Usually, they die before adulthood. You have passed adulthood by sheer luck, but the severed meridians have only worsened. Even if you don’t use your ability from now on.”

Gaekong said quietly.

“You cannot live long.”

Even at Gaekong’s death sentence-like words, Geum Hyerin’s expression did not change.

Nung Hwayoung, who was next to her, was instead biting her lip, trying to hold back tears.

“…Is there any treatment possible?”

Youngho Joon asked in a low voice.

The daughter of the Naval Commander was also suffering from severed meridians, but Gaekong had cured her.

Yunhyun and Youngho Joon knew that, even if no one else did.

“There is a way.”

Gaekong said after a moment of silence.

Ira Young, as well as Geum Hyerin and Nung Hwayoung’s eyes widened.

“But it is very difficult. There is a high possibility of losing your life during the treatment, and a great deal of internal energy will be used to manage the worsened severed meridians, which will be accompanied by considerable pain in the process.”

Geum Hyerin’s expression hardened.

Even with a limited life span, receiving treatment that could lead to death was by no means easy.

Moreover, immense pain.

“That’s…”

“I said I would ask you for a favor, didn’t I?”

Yunhyun’s voice interrupted her.

Looking at Geum Hyerin, Yunhyun continued.

“I know it’s a difficult and challenging decision. But please receive the treatment. That’s my request.”

The look in Yunhyun’s eyes as he looked at her was utterly clear.

Something hot welled up inside Geum Hyerin’s heart.

She had said she would grant him anything, and what Yunhyun wanted was none other than her own treatment.

“I…”

Geum Hyerin was about to say something in a trembling voice when.

Rustle.

“I will offer the Ice Crystal.”

The voice belonged to the Great Palace Lord, the leader of the Bukhae Ilmun [Northern Sea One Sect].

The Great Palace Lord, who had already been listening to Gaekong’s conversation, stood up from her seat and approached Yunhyun’s group.

She said in a calm voice.

“The Ice Crystal of Bukhae contains extreme energy. Wouldn’t that be enough?”

Yunhyun looked at the Great Palace Lord with a surprised expression.

The Ice Crystal was clearly the fragments used to save the Ice Emperor of Bukhae, and a treasure of Bukhae that could only be obtained once every hundred years.

“We will help too.”

Rustle.

Moyong Mi stood up from her seat.

She approached Gaekong, bowed politely, and continued.

“The family recently acquired some precious medicinal ingredients. They will definitely be helpful.”

Ira Young and Nung Hwayoung were also surprised.

But the most embarrassed person was Geum Hyerin.

“W-Why are you showing me such kindness…?”

“The patient.”

The Great Palace Lord said, looking down at Geum Hyerin.

“Stop thinking about other things and just get well soon. Shouldn’t you be able to live a normal, happy life?”

Unlike her warm words, the Great Palace Lord’s eyes held an uncomfortable emotion.

“Yes. Elder Gaekong will surely save you, Lady.”

Moyong Mi also said to Geum Hyerin with a gentle smile.

At that moment, Namgoong Biyeon, who was a little further away, jumped up.

“T-That, um…”

“Not needed.”

Gaekong said.

He frowned and glanced at the Great Palace Lord and Moyong Mi.

The two could not dare to defy the meaning in his eyes and stepped back.

Namgoong Biyeon, who had stood up, also sat down quietly.

Rustle.

As the Great Palace Lord, Moyong Mi, and Namgoong Biyeon sat down, the gazes of the people who had been watching this place disappeared.

The sound of conversation filled the banquet hall again, and Gaekong turned to Yunhyun.

“I only need you, Hyun.”

“Understood.”

Yunhyun’s answer was without hesitation.

At that moment, the Great Palace Lord’s eyebrows furrowed slightly, and Moyong Mi’s quiet sigh went unnoticed.

“Then when…”

Step, step.

The grand banquet hall suddenly fell silent as one person entered.

Yunhyun and his group raised their heads.

It was none other than Lee Hakbung, the Chief Manager of Internal Affairs.

The general meeting of the Hoam Merchant Guild had begun.

***

Lee Yoogeol sat in the grand banquet hall with a stiff expression.

The seat he occupied was between the elders and key officials.

It was an ambiguous position that showed Lee Yoogeol’s current status.

Clench.

Lee Yoogeol gritted his teeth.

Lee Hakbung, the Chief Manager of Internal Affairs, stood in the place where his father, Lee Hoam, once stood, and where he should rightfully be now.

Lee Yoogeol’s gaze towards Lee Hakbung, who was also a relative, was filled with murderous intent.

How could he not be, having been deprived of the position that should rightfully be his?

‘I thought Seo-yeon had finally disappeared, but now it’s that old man…’

Lee Hakbung was proudly talking about the Hoam Merchant Guild’s performance, mainly his own achievements, to the distinguished guests filling the grand banquet hall.

He emphasized the word ‘win-win’ with great enthusiasm, saying that the Hoam Merchant Guild must change in the future.

“Therefore, now must be the era of win-win! The Hoam Merchant Guild accepts this spirit of the times and…”

Lee Yoogeol scoffed at Lee Hakbung, who was giving a passionate speech.

‘Win-win? Hmph, how many guilds has he devoured…’

The ‘win-win’ that Lee Hakbung suddenly put forward was clearly not in the plan.

He knew why he was saying that.

It was because the well-dressed nobleman that Lee Hakbung kept paying attention to was none other than the Chief Military Officer of the Changryong Alliance [Azure Dragon Alliance].

‘Changryong Alliance.’

Lee Yoogeol’s eyes sank coldly.

When Lee Hoam, the owner of the guild, died and Lee Seo-yeon, the Chief Secretary, went missing, Lee Yoogeol, who was in the opposing faction to Lee Seo-yeon, immediately occupied the two’s offices.

And there, he discovered a secret that no one knew.

It was that the deal with ‘Blood Prince Moon Wang’ had allowed the Hoam Merchant Guild to rise to become one of the Three Great Merchant Guilds, and that ‘Changryong Sword Master’ was somehow involved in Lee Hoam’s death.

It was such a secret operation that he couldn’t find out anything else.

‘Blood Prince Moon Wang, and Changryong Sword Master.’

Lee Yoogeol glared at Youngho Joon, the Chief Military Officer of the Changryong Alliance.

‘I will definitely uncover the truth.’

For that reason, he had to become the next owner of the Hoam Merchant Guild.

He was not the only one who wanted revenge for the dead Lee Hoam and the continued growth of the guild.

Clench.

Lee Yoogeol gritted his teeth.

His gaze towards Youngho Joon was sharply gleaming.

***

“Are you perhaps close to Lee Yoogeol?”

Youngho Joon suddenly asked Ira Young.

“Pardon?”

Ira Young looked at Youngho Joon with a puzzled expression.

Lee Yoogeol was the son of the dead Lee Hoam and the person sitting right in front of them.

“No. He’s in the opposing faction to the Chief Secretary, so not at all…”

“Has he ever personally expressed intimacy? For example, inviting you to dinner…”

“No, never.”

Youngho Joon tilted his head at Ira Young’s firm words.

“Really? Then why is he glaring at me? This is the kind of look you give when you’ve had a woman stolen from you…”

Ira Young glanced at Lee Yoogeol.

Lee Yoogeol, with a stiff expression, noticed Ira Young’s gaze and turned his head.

“I don’t know. But have you ever stolen someone else’s woman?”

“Oh, come now, stolen? Is a woman an object? It’s always as an adult, of her own accord…”

Ira Young interrupted Youngho Joon’s words and asked.

“More than that, the Chief Manager of Internal Affairs seems very concerned about you, Chief Military Officer. Does the choice of who becomes the next owner of the Hoam Merchant Guild depend on the Changryong Alliance’s choice?”

Shrugging his shoulders, Youngho Joon replied.

“It could, but we don’t. Originally, our Alliance Leader’s policy is to just leave things alone if they’re manageable. Interfering with everything just increases the troublesome work, doesn’t it?”

Youngho Joon even shook his head as he spoke.

“If Lady Il does well with what I asked for last time, I have no complaints as an investor, no matter who becomes the owner.”

Ira Young let out a slight groan.

She thought it was a joke at the time, but now that it has come to this, it was a very serious matter.

“By the way, an investment?”

“I put in some money.”

Youngho Joon made a circle with his fingers.

But the ‘money’ he was talking about couldn’t possibly be copper coins.

“…Is that okay? The Changryong Alliance is…”

“It’s okay. There’s no law prohibiting that.”

Ira Young, who had been working at the Hoam Merchant Guild, knew that Youngho Joon’s words were correct.

But she couldn’t help but wonder if the Changryong Alliance, a righteous faction alliance, was allowed to do that.

“Don’t worry. It’s not the Alliance’s funds, but the Alliance Leader’s personal assets. After experiencing the Martial Arts Alliance incident last time, we realized that securing the Janggang [Yangtze River] logistics was very important for the Changryong Alliance itself. By chance, we had an opportunity, so we put our hands on it this time.”

Ira Young nodded.

In fact, she could only realize the importance of logistics and how much money was involved after working at the guild.

“But thinking about it, I don’t feel good.”

Youngho Joon frowned and said.

“Lady Geum reads people’s hearts; it’s as if I’m so black inside that Lady Geum is wary of me, isn’t it?”

Ira Young was about to say, ‘Isn’t it because you’re too handsome?’ but stopped.

Because she thought Youngho Joon would really like it if she said that.

“By the way, what you asked me to do is…”

It was when Ira Young was about to say something to Youngho Joon.

“Lady!”

Suddenly, Yunhyun’s surprised voice was heard.

The gazes of Ira Young, as well as the people around them, turned to Yunhyun all at once.

“Ah!”

A startled Ira Young widened her eyes.

Swoosh.

Geum Hyerin, who was sitting next to Yunhyun, collapsed weakly to the side.

Her complexion had already turned completely white.