NOVEL NEXT Ch. 7
Chapter 7: Money, The Man Hiding in Luoyang
The third morning since my return.
I left home to earn living expenses.
The autumn breeze swept the streets.
Some were already bundling up.
Step, step, I walked, organizing last night’s thoughts.
Should I just go gather elixirs for Tae-bok?
In other words, head to the elixir market?
No.
I wanted to create an environment where I could leave without worry.
How could I travel for elixirs if I’m anxious about Yeom Ja-yeong and Tae-bok?
And after much thought yesterday, I realized.
An environment I could leave for was one good for raising a child.
Safe, abundant, healthy.
And if I could wish for more, a place where he could play with friends.
Of these, safety was covered.
“Pao. You’re out early.”
“Haha, I need to start my morning business. Dumplings are great for eating on the go.”
“Give me two, please.”
Thanks to the Rogues’ Guild masters nearby, I felt secure.
It’d depend on the guild’s future, but for now, no worries.
“Ink Sword Hero, with a child now, you’ll be busy.”
“I think so. That’s why I’m out today.”
“?”
“To earn money.”
“Oh my, off to do something big. Will two dumplings do? Here’s one more!”
Pao added an extra dumpling.
Munch, munch.
Biting into the dumplings, I headed to the main road.
Safety was next, then abundance.
With money, Yeom Ja-yeong could care for Tae-bok while I’m away.
It might even buy elixirs.
It tied to Tae-bok’s health.
So I was out to earn money today.
“First, the main road.”
Years of missions had sped up my eating.
The dumplings were gone in no time.
Reaching the main road, I took in the scene.
“Hmm.”
But Luoyang…
“You filthy beggars! Get lost!”
Wasn’t in great shape security-wise.
My house was safe, but the city felt restless.
“Hey, Zhang!”
Those yelling at beggars approached a candied fruit stall.
Big, rough-looking men.
At the group’s end, some raised fists at young beggars who couldn’t escape.
No Beggar’s Gang members nearby.
I thought to help when,
The candied fruit vendor Zhang shouted,
“Stop! If you’re here for me, talk to me! Why hurt innocent kids?”
Nearby vendors chimed in.
“You thugs! If you’re here for money, just take it!”
“Those kids have it harder than us. Why else would they beg?”
Their fearful voices rose to buy time for the young beggars to flee.
“Zhang.”
One burly man, dismissing the vendors, stepped close to the stall.
“Time to pay up today?”
Zhang stood firm.
“No way. We agreed to pay the fruit cost every three months. That was the original deal.”
“That was with the old owner. Didn’t you know the fruit shop’s under Great Ocean Trading now?”
“Then call them to renegotiate. Not like this—uh, uh?”
The burly man pushed Zhang’s chest with his palm.
Though a tough street vendor, Zhang was outnumbered and faltered.
Huu.
“Enough.”
The burly men turned to me.
They were low-tier martial artists.
The vendors were commoners without skills.
When a martial artist uses force on the unskilled…
“Push any further, and this becomes a martial matter.”
I tapped the resting Mukheun in its scabbard.
The short walk from the alley to the stall had turned into a jianghu path.
A martial artist’s journey.
“What’s this guy…?”
“Hey, it’s Ink Sword Hero.”
“Huh?”
One recognized me.
Whispers spread among them.
They thought they were quiet, but my martial ears caught it clearly.
“That young guy?”
“Ink Sword Hero isn’t old.”
“He looks neat.”
“Yeah, but don’t underestimate him for that.”
“Really strong?”
“Didn’t you hear? Luoyang’s Black Path walks with eyes down before Ink Sword Hero.”
Oh?
Those I saw bowing were Black Path members?
A new realization.
Amid this, one deviated.
“Wanna fight?”
I slowly moved my hand to the sword hilt.
“Fight? You crazy bastard!”
The instigator got knuckle raps from the others.
Knuckle raps.
Surprisingly cute guys.
“Hehe, Ink Sword Hero. Just a misunderstanding. Hehe, we’re leaving.”
“Wait.”
They’d said, “Didn’t you hear? Luoyang’s Black Path walks with eyes down before Ink Sword Hero.”
“You’re not locals from Luoyang? Where are you from? Which faction?”
The burly men exchanged looks.
Hesitating, the apparent leader spoke.
“We came from Shanxi. Not a faction, just work for a trading company.”
Too Black Path-like for traders.
But some companies did hire such types.
“…….”
My silence made them scatter.
The intimidated vendor Zhang yelled behind them.
“You bastards, our shop’s an Ink Sword Hero regular, so don’t even think of coming back! Tell Great Ocean Trading too!”
I didn’t often eat candied fruit but didn’t correct him. Approaching Zhang, he bowed deeply.
“Thank you, Ink Sword Hero. You saved me.”
“No problem. Great Ocean Trading?”
Zhang’s face scrunched.
“Yes. A subsidiary of Golden Cloud Trading. Nasty bunch. They’ve shown their true colors since Golden Cloud vanished.”
“What are they doing?”
“They’re taking over wholesale, breaking contracts with people like me at will. No leniency.”
“What if you can’t pay? They take the stall?”
“Yes, what’s so valuable about a few chairs? They seize everything and let others sell.”
He glanced at vendors who hadn’t helped the young beggars.
Right.
Not locals, so their reaction to beggars differed.
Zhang sighed deeply.
“Huu. Things weren’t like this under Golden Cloud. But what can you do? They say he committed crimes.”
His eyes turned to a wanted poster on a wall.
Zhu Hochong.
The former Golden Cloud Trading Leader.
The description listed crimes: smuggling, murder instigation, human trafficking… even insulting the magistrate.
A colorful list.
Once Luoyang’s top trading company, Zhu Hochong grew it with skill, aiding the city’s rebuild.
But he was a Black Path-like corrupt merchant.
His crimes worsened Luoyang’s security.
Exposed by the magistrate, he cursed and fled.
His deeds later surfaced, making him a fugitive.
“Leader Zhu must be well-hidden. Can’t catch him.”
“With his trading background, he’s got strong backing. If notables hide him, the magistrate can’t touch him.”
Half a year since he vanished.
Yet he still influenced Luoyang’s trade. Many followed his orders despite the magistrate’s watch.
Some speculated he hadn’t fled far.
His commands were too swift and precise.
He was in Luoyang.
‘Reward: one hundred taels of silver.’
Two taels sustain a commoner for a year.
One hundred taels.
‘I’ll settle this with one job.’
I couldn’t miss it.
Zhu Hochong hid under Luoyang’s lantern light.
As they say, the darkest place is under the lamp.
And I knew who to meet to search that darkness.
* * *
Leaving the stall,
“Candied fruit uncle, give me an apple one!”
“I want a plum one!”
Kids around ten swarmed in.
Candied fruit—fruits or dumplings coated in hardened syrup—was a sweet treat kids loved.
I stepped aside, watching them.
They clutched coins, eyes shining, bouncing with energy begging for candied fruit.
Plum candied fruit.
In half a year, I’d start feeding Tae-bok solids.
Some would be fruits. I’d test each, checking for allergies or issues.
- Tae-bok, do you like plums?
- Ang!
Joyful babble.
Tae-bok loved plums.
Peeled and mashed, spoon-fed, he’d demand more.
A few plums later, I’d given them all to Tae-bok, neither Yeom Ja-yeong nor I eating a whole one.
I bought a plum candied fruit.
Crunch.
Sour-sweet, delicious.
The kids with candied fruit ran off again.
With Tae-bok’s Severed Meridian cured, he’d play with that energy.
One by one.
First, funds.
Turning to leave,
“Hm.”
A bustling alley came into view.
Since Tae-bok, I noticed kids more.
Enhancing my hearing with inner energy, I caught their words.
- Brother, I want candied fruit too.
- No. Candied fruit’s not for begging. Who gives candied fruit as alms?
- True. With coins, we need food.
The young beggars from earlier.
Luoyang had many beggars, including kids.
I asked the vendor again.
“Give me ten candied fruits.”
“Ten? You liked them, huh?”
“Delicious. More plum ones, please.”
“Sure!”
Now, street kids looked different
.
I thought of their parents, wondering how they fared.
Unheard, I’d let it go, but hearing the young beggars, I couldn’t.
With ten candied fruits in hand, nearing the alley,
“Kids! Uncle’s here.”
“Huh? Mud Beggar Uncle.”
“Kahaha, look at that.”
“Huh?”
A beggar covered in mud pulled out a dented bowl.
“Wow, roast chicken?”
“Almost a whole one!”
The kids cheered.
Mud Beggar ruffled their hair. Matted and unrumpled, neither cared.
“Wow, where’d you get this?”
“Where else? Begged for it.”
“It’s practically new!”
“Luck, haha.”
The kids dove into the chicken.
Meat going in became bones coming out.
They shared scraps amid it.
“Good, good, eat well. Ahem, don’t choke, you rascals.”
One kid looked up at Mud Beggar with laughing eyes.
“Uncle, aren’t you eating?”
“I already filled up hearty!”
He patted his belly, laughing heartily.
His mud-streaked, unrecognizable face shone with that smile.
“…….”
Missing my chance to offer candied fruit, I watched them.
Then Mud Beggar turned.
“Eat slowly, then!”
He headed deeper into the alley.
“Uncle, what about you?”
“What’s a beggar doing playing? Gotta beg again. Kahaha!”
He vanished with laughter.
Perfect.
I followed along the wall.
“Giving it all away, how will you eat?”
Another beggar in the alley scolded him.
“It’s fine.”
The speaker shook his head.
“What’s fine? Begging’s tough. Skipping meals is common. Eat when you can, or you’ll regret it.”
He gave a final warning.
“You won’t last like that. You’ve only been here half a year, so you don’t know.”
“I begged plenty as a kid.”
“Hmph, same as now?”
“Not the same.”
Mud Beggar gazed into the distance.
“It was harder then.”
He parted from the alley beggar, walking slowly.
I trailed him along the wall.
A mud-covered beggar appearing half a year ago.
A wanderer who rose to a trading leader.
Not a notable or dignitary, but a man hiding in Luoyang as a beggar.
Zhu Hochong.
Whoosh.
I dropped in front of him.