After seeing Ju Hyang-wol off, I went to the backyard.
My father was there, his hands clasped behind his back as he gazed up at the sky.
It had always been this way, but the sight of my father's back always seemed lonely.
It was an innate loneliness, one I could not erase no matter how affectionately I acted by his side.
Father, please don't be so lonely.
Your son is here.
A son who respects and adores you more than anyone else.
"Miss Ju, who seems to fancy you more than me, just left. She asked me to pass on her greetings."
My father turned to face me.
How could he be so composed, not showing the slightest bit of embarrassment at my deliberate teasing?
"Do you truly wish to compete?"
As if he had heard everything I said in the front yard, my father didn't ask what I meant.
Instead, his expression seemed to say, 'Bring it on.'
I imagined traveling the Central Plains with my father, carefree.
Not a situation like this where we were forced to see blood, but a journey where we could simply relax and enjoy ourselves.
What if we drank with female warriors? I couldn't imagine how my father would act in front of them.
Father, I don't wish for anything grand.
I just want to enjoy myself like this with you.
Just then, my father asked abruptly.
"Why do you go to such lengths to take care of those around you?"
He was asking about me making the Ju Clan Sword Family and the Hwangdo Merchant Group join forces.
It was something that wouldn't have happened without me.
How should I answer?
Because they are worth taking care of? Because I'm trying to be as meticulous as the evil ones? Or should I use my father as an excuse? Since you took charge of the contract, it was you who took care of it this time.
Today, I answered like this.
"Because it's fun."
A faint smile touched my father's lips.
Yes, saying it's fun was probably the easiest for him to understand.
My father began to walk slowly.
I walked with him through the rear garden, speaking of my future plans.
"When news of Jeon Nak's death spreads, someone will be sent to investigate. I plan to use them to approach the Golden Dragon Clan."
Simply eliminating everyone wasn't the best solution.
Our goal was to find out the Golden Dragon Clan's relationship with the hidden forces and to eliminate the person who had taken root there.
This time, I planned to use Jeon Nak's death to find a way to approach them.
"It will be more difficult since we have to handle it without killing them."
As if agreeing with me, my father silently nodded.
"Moreover, our opponent is the Golden Dragon Clan, so we must be cautious. I know the Clan Leader of the Golden Dragon Clan is close to the Martial Alliance Leader. That's why they provide a large sum of money to the Martial Alliance every year."
A hint of displeasure crossed my father's face.
To him, it must have sounded like this: We must be cautious because he is close to the Martial Alliance Leader.
He would probably prefer it if I said the opposite.
Since he's close to the Martial Alliance Leader, I think we should give him a proper taste of our power this time.
That would be the answer my father wanted to hear.
But Father, you will never hear such an answer from me.
"Do you have something in mind?"
"It won't be easy to approach the core of the Golden Dragon Clan without revealing our identities."
This matter required getting close to the Clan Leader of the Golden Dragon Clan himself to uncover the truth.
It was not an easy task for a regional sect like the Western Path Sect.
And if we posed as a mysterious sect, they would only become more wary.
"That's why I'd like to ask for help from one place."
"Where is that?"
After a brief pause, I mentioned a place my father would never have expected.
"The Silver River Merchant Group."
Indeed, a look of surprise crossed my father's eyes.
The Silver River Merchant Group was, by name and in reality, the wealthiest merchant group in the martial world.
If the Silver River Merchant Group was at the top, below them were the Golden Dragon Clan and the Great Continental Merchants.
These three were known to have the most money in the world.
"We'll make them think we are from the Silver River Merchant Group."
Only with that kind of status could we approach the heart of the Golden Dragon Clan.
Of course, a few tricks would be necessary in the process.
"Will the Silver River Merchant Group help us?"
The Silver River Merchant Group was neutral, not leaning towards the Righteous, Demonic, or Unorthodox Sects.
However, they maintained deep relationships with all three, and by successfully balancing these ties, they became the number one merchant group in the Central Plains.
"That is beyond my ability, so I ask that you make it happen, Father."
My father looked at me with an expression of disbelief.
But this was not an unreasonable request.
Through my life before regression, I knew of the special connection between the leader of the Silver River Merchant Group and my father.
The leader of the Silver River Merchant Group, Yong Ja-myeong, spoke of my father before he died.
In his youth, while being pursued in an ambush, he was on the brink of death when my father saved his life.
My father, too, was in his prime, roaming the Central Plains with the Fist Demon.
At the time, Yong Ja-myeong did not know that the man who saved him was the Heavenly Demon, because he had simply left after saving him.
Later, long after my father had passed away, he learned the truth by chance.
He was said to have regretted learning the truth so late, saying he finally understood why he could never find the person he had searched for his entire life.
How could he have found the Cult Master of the Demon Sect?
This matter would have remained unknown even after his death, but since my father had also passed and all Righteous, Demonic, and Unorthodox Sects had closed their doors, it became known.
‘Father, in this life, let's let him know a little earlier that you were the one who saved him back then.
That way, he can repay his debt.
It was his lifelong regret, searching for his benefactor.’
I could get help with this matter and also bring closure to my father's connection.
Of course, I didn't know if I would achieve this two-birds-one-stone result as I intended.
Fate would tell me everything.
This is how it should be in this life.
"There's a rumor going around. They say the information of the Silver River Merchant Group is as fast and accurate as the information from our sect's Heaven-Reaching Pavilion."
Of course, it wasn't actually true, but it meant their information network was formidable.
"They must have been watching the movements of the Martial Alliance and the Unorthodox Alliance, as well as our sect. They would also know about the birth of the greatest successor in history."
"You have no shame, saying such things about yourself."
"Is that all? They'll know that our sect recently led the talks between the Righteous and Demonic paths, so they won't refuse easily."
They, too, would know that the Heavenly Demon Divine Sect was the most prominent force these days.
What if the Heavenly Demon himself made a request at a time like this?
"And one more thing, isn't the relationship between the Silver River Merchant Group and the Golden Dragon Clan good?"
Though they competed fiercely in the merchant world, the relationship between the two was surprisingly not bad.
"You are the only one who can accomplish this, Father. Even if the Martial Alliance Leader or the Unorthodox Alliance Leader asked, he would not accept."
"Then why do you think he would accept my request?"
It might sound like flattery to my father, but this was all I could say.
"Because you are my father."
My father stared at me for a moment before finally asking.
"What should I ask them to do?"
I knew then that my father had decided to follow my plan.
"We just need one person to make a brief visit."
*
On the day set by Geom Mugeuk, Hwang In and Ju Hyang-wol met again with the contract between them.
Amid the awkwardness, Hwang In was the first to speak.
"I formally apologize for what happened last time."
He stood up and bowed his head respectfully.
Ju Hyang-wol could feel his sincerity.
"Why did you change your mind?"
Sincerely apologizing and sending a proper contract.
She was curious about the reason.
Hwang In answered honestly.
"It was because of Young Master Geom."
Of course, he couldn't tell her about the killing of Jeon Nak and the Money Ghosts, but he was honest about everything else.
"After meeting him, I was ashamed of the life I've lived so foolishly. I said I wanted to be the master of the greatest merchant group under heaven, but I was a man not even fit for a small merchant group in the countryside."
He wanted to be honest with her, if no one else.
He considered investing in the Ju Clan Sword Family as a new beginning.
"I wanted to do things properly, starting now. That's why I asked to meet at this inn. After all, this is where it all began."
The two were at the very inn where they first met Geom Mugeuk.
If it had been for any other reason, she would have suspected Hwang In.
But this reason, she believed.
'You were influenced by him too.'
She was the same.
Her relationship with her mother had changed slightly after meeting them.
Of course, neither her nor her mother's inherent nature would change.
She didn't expect their relationship to change overnight, but as Geom Mugeuk had said, she intended to try, not doubting the power of those moments when they exchanged kind words.
She wouldn't lash out in anger.
She would try to understand, thinking, 'That's possible.'
"Well then, shall we sign?"
The two signed the contract together.
They each took one of the two copies.
It was a moment where both Hwang In and Ju Hyang-wol accomplished something properly for the first time.
"I look forward to working with you."
"I look forward to it as well."
The two respectfully cupped their fists.
Ju Hyang-wol left the inn first, leaving Hwang In behind.
Since it was the day of his new start, he wanted to have a drink to savor the overwhelming emotions.
"My fate really did change here."
As he was lost in thought, drinking, a woman who had been sitting a short distance away spoke to him.
"I didn't mean to overhear, but it seems something amazing happened here."
She was a woman in her thirties, dressed neatly in a martial robe.
She was a beauty who exuded both youth and maturity, and a somewhat cold impression made her even more attractive.
"Ah, I'm sorry. I overheard by accident. I'm very curious, you see."
The woman brought her wine bottle and sat at Hwang In's table.
"As an apology, I'll pour you a drink."
She poured him a glass of wine.
Hwang In remained frozen, speechless.
"What's wrong?"
When the woman asked with a soft smile, Hwang In replied in a low voice.
"So you are the martial artist they said was coming from above."
Realizing he had identified her at once, the smile vanished from the woman's face.
Like an actress, the difference between her friendly expression and her current one was stark.
"How did you know?"
She raised her aura to scan the surroundings, but there was no situation that required vigilance.
The reason Hwang In knew was extremely personal.
"Because a woman as beautiful as you would never approach me first."
He meant it sincerely.
The woman was truly captivating.
Perhaps the thought that she was a dangerous woman made his heart pound even more, leading to such thoughts.
A strange smile formed on the woman's lips.
"You know yourself well."
She had the kind of looks that made such an insult not feel so bad.
"I have been waiting for you to arrive, Martial Artist."
She was Geum Ah-rin, the head of a secret organization secretly nurtured by the Golden Dragon Clan.
She was a woman whose martial arts were as profound as her beauty.
Though not visible now, she had brought all her trusted subordinates to resolve this matter.
The deaths of Jeon Nak and the Money Ghosts were not a matter to be taken lightly.
Hwang In hadn't expected the fearsome person Jeon Nak had spoken of to be a woman.
And he couldn't tell if the woman before him was truly that fearsome.
Martial artists were people you could never figure out.
In any case, he had thought dozens of times about what to say when this moment came.
First, he relayed the facts as they were.
"There are three enemies in total."
He had also practiced using the word 'enemies'.
Of course, he wasn't doing this because he was still weighing his options.
He was doing it to survive this situation.
"Among them, a man named Geom Yeon killed both Jeon Nak and all the Money Ghosts."
It was fine to tell her everything.
That's what he had been told to do.
Although he said one person killed them all, the woman didn't seem particularly surprised.
Did she think she could kill Jeon Nak and the Money Ghosts by herself? Or did she not believe his words?
"How did he kill them?"
Of course, he wasn't honest about everything.
For instance, the fact that he was there with them.
If he said, 'You were there when they died?' What if she cut him down without giving him a chance to explain?
"I don't know how he killed them. I lost contact with them after they went to meet him. They might even still be alive."
Geum Ah-rin's suspicious gaze intensified.
"They died, but you did not."
"Geom Yeon came to find me and said this. He told me to relay a message if anyone came looking for him because of this."
"What message?"
"'Come to me, I have something to say.' Let's go. I will guide you to him."
Hwang In jumped up as if to go at once, but Geum Ah-rin remained seated with an expression that said 'not a chance.'
"They'll be waiting with a trap, won't they? Do I look that foolish?"
"No, you don't."
At her cold demeanor, Hwang In sat back down with a frightened look and said.
"They wouldn't have set a trap."
"Why do you think so?"
A thought he couldn't possibly say to her came to mind.
A trap won't be necessary.
It's because you haven't seen them yet.
Hwang In's face, which had been contorted with worry about how to answer, suddenly brightened.
"Because he's here."
Geom Mugeuk was walking through the entrance of the inn.