Chapter 131
Among the miscellaneous things I had collected from Jangsaengwon, there was an unspoken hierarchy.
At the very top, of course, was the Malicious Divine Sword strapped to my waist, which at the time was called the Gray Sword.
And the only one that could even be compared to that Gray Sword was another item—a root that had taken the top spot in the herbalist’s room.
It was purchased for just a single silver coin from the marketplace, and at that time I had named it Gosam (枯蔘).
The meaning was roughly “withered ginseng.”
To describe its condition, it was about the size of a palm, and so shriveled and dried that it could not even be boiled for medicinal purposes. In fact, the root retained no medicinal energy at all.
It was not a famed variety like Dongjasam or Seolsam, so it did not carry any special spiritual energy by birth.
What made it unique, however, was that this root contained spiritual essence.
Much like the legendary thousand-year ginseng or millennium snow ginseng, whose existence is known only through legend.
If Gosam were to bloom…?
I thought perhaps it could become something like the legendary thousand-year ginseng or millennium snow ginseng, but the outcome was something that would only reveal itself with time.
Regardless, it was sending me comfort.
“Thank you… for finding me again.”
Simplifying, it seemed to mean “thank you for giving me your attention again.”
Its attitude was completely different from the other items. Rather than openly expressing resentment, this reaction made me care more.
If it was intentional, then it was the cleverest of the lot; if unintentional, then the kindest. Either way, it was the one I paid the closest attention to.
Before I knew it, Choo Haeyeon, who had approached after finishing her own thoughts, also showed interest in Gosam.
“It’s a 탈령근 (talryeonggeun). Not a good variety, but interesting that it holds spiritual essence.”
Talryeonggeun refers to a root that has lost all of its spiritual energy—a herb that has already been used once.
I knew this already, but I was a little surprised that Choo Haeyeon also understood it.
“Do you know about herbs as well?”
“A little.”
“To know about talryeonggeun means you must know more than just a little.”
“Sometimes, there are talryeonggeun among those who come to the underworld… if I explain it that way, maybe it makes sense?”
It made sense, but I couldn’t help being a little shocked.
It implied that a spiritual herb could have contained a soul, had died, and then visited the afterlife.
“How long would something like a spiritual herb need to live to reach that point?”
I had never seen such a herb myself, so it was beyond imagination. I could only guess that perhaps only legendary thousand-year ginseng or millennium snow ginseng could reach that level.
“Anyway… have you made a decision?”
I asked, and Choo Haeyeon didn’t answer immediately. She walked toward Gosam, stared at it for a long moment, and slowly scanned its surroundings.
“This looks interesting. Specifically, what should I do?”
Finally, her mouth gave the answer I had been waiting for: acceptance.
I smiled and explained to her one by one what she would need to do.
“I don’t need to strike it like iron; I just have to speak to it occasionally and watch if it grows well.”
It was easy for her to understand, and it was also easy for Dongchil, who had been doing it before. Choo Haeyeon caught on quickly.
“There are newer methods I’ve discovered recently too.”
Those involved using divine energy. But as she used the energy of the underworld, it was something Choo Haeyeon could not do, so it was correct for me to handle it directly.
Of course, I had no intention of teasing her about it after having persuaded her. If this had been all I asked her to do, it wouldn’t have mattered if it were someone else.
I was planning new research specifically for her.
“There’s no need for it to be something from the underworld to put it in her hands.”
Even in the living world, there were things similar to those of the underworld—like relics of people who died holding grudges, or objects imbued with strong spiritual energy.
Until now, I had avoided such objects, or if I obtained them, I stored them in a corner. But with Choo Haeyeon now involved, that would no longer be necessary.
“Originally, these objects could harm humans, so I avoided them. But with Choo Haeyeon, perhaps she can solve the problem somehow.”
She was more of an expert than me in that field, so I decided to leave it to her. After all, it was an area I had already abandoned, so even if she failed, I wouldn’t be particularly disappointed.
“Then, shall we begin from today?”
From the next day onward, Choo Haeyeon started coming to the forge and the divine item workshop, which I had named Yeonsindang (煉神堂).
Perhaps because it was early on, she spent far more time in Yeonsindang than the forge, which reportedly disappointed the household working at the forge.
She had been secretly learning and observing from them.
“Should I let her take on an apprentice herself?”
I briefly thought about it but shook my head. That should be her choice; if I interfered, it could backfire. I trusted that she would manage it well herself.
I turned my attention elsewhere, as something more pressing caught my senses.
“Are they starting to move?”
I detected the presence of a peak-level expert, meticulously scanning the Gold Coin Trading Company. Though the movements were stealthy, they had a clear purpose—like someone searching for something.
The owner of this presence was Baek Woonchong.
I wasn’t surprised; I had expected the Baek family, including him, to make some move. What intrigued me was what exactly he was searching for.
“The problem is, it’s hard to tell what that is.”
To figure that out, I had to focus on his movements.
“Master Soga-ju.”
A clear voice came from outside the door.
“It’s Baek Ayeon. I’ve come with an urgent matter to discuss—are you inside?”
“You may enter.”
I frowned slightly at the coincidental timing of her visit.
“Baek Woonchong is secretly scouting the company, while Baek Ayeon tries to grab my attention from the front? A classic diversion tactic.”
But I quickly realized that the look on her face changed everything.
Instead of cunning, she carried the resolute determination of someone who had made up her mind.
“What is it?”
I asked, and she bowed deeply.
As expected, her first words immediately defied my initial assumptions.
“I have come, taking the risk of rudeness, to confess a hidden truth.”
A confession, out of nowhere. I was curious but gave no outward reaction and continued to watch her.
“I don’t fully understand the situation, but let’s hear it.”
In a calm but slightly trembling voice, she revealed the truth:
“The three of us are… actually people sent by Mrs. Seol of the Middle King’s Mansion (중왕부).”
I hadn’t expected her to mention Mrs. Seol. It was truly unexpected. My mind started racing.
“Could it be that she realized the secret warehouse was raided?”
Not only that, but she had already moved past suspicion and sent people?
It wasn’t so much surprising as astonishing. According to Sahun, who had personally handled it, the stolen wealth was piled like a mountain, so what we had taken would hardly have been noticed.
“Sahun wouldn’t have made up a story.”
Even if it had been noticed, it was strange. Sahun, a psychopomp, handled everything without leaving a trace. There should be no evidence.
Yet somehow, they had already identified the Gold Coin Trading Company as the culprit?
At that moment, Baek Ayeon spoke about the matter:
“Recently, Mrs. Seol’s secret warehouse was robbed.”
I deliberately asked coldly, as if hearing it for the first time.
“Is that why you are here?”
“Yes.”
“It sounds like you’re implying the Gold Coin Trading Company stole from Mrs. Seol. Do you have evidence?”
“Yes.”
“Evidence?”
Even against my sharp question, Baek Ayeon did not waver. She was confident.
“Strictly speaking, there was circumstantial evidence that no one could refute.”
“What was it?”
She looked me in the eye and said:
“I heard that the area where the stolen wealth was kept was used to gather goods confiscated from certain merchants in Honam, including the Gold Coin Trading Company.”
Ah.
Now everything became clear.
<Retrieve what was stolen from the Gold Coin Trading Company.>
That was the crux of the problem.
“If they had simply asked me to bring it back generously, it wouldn’t have caused any trouble.”
I couldn’t help clicking my tongue. I hadn’t expected the tail to be caught this way.
“But this is only circumstantial evidence.”
There was still room to deny it. She mentioned merchants in Honam, not the Gold Coin Trading Company specifically.
“That must be why the Baek family got involved.”
Surely, Mrs. Seol had also sent people to other suspected merchants in Honam. To gather solid evidence, just as Baek Woonchong was doing.
It was slightly astonishing.
“Mrs. Seol has quite a bit of influence.”
To be able to command peak-level experts like this… and then consider Gongjin, who protected the secret warehouse for the Middle King’s Mansion. With just the revealed power, they were among the strongest in Honam.
And that was why the rest of Baek Ayeon’s words didn’t immediately make sense to me.
“I am not actually concerned with whether the Gold Coin Trading Company stole Mrs. Seol’s wealth.”
“Then why did you come to tell me this?”
“To place the three of us under your trust, Master Soga-ju.”
I studied her eyes for a moment. There was no deceit, no test.
So I asked candidly:
“Do you mean that you are willing to follow me, even turning your back on Mrs. Seol, who could drop a sparrow from the sky? Why? What is it you want?”
Even if one lived as a servant, being in a noble house was better. There was no comparison between a merchant company and a royal mansion, much less the Middle King’s Mansion, which wielded central power.
Baek Ayeon had already shown intelligence during the recruitment exam—there was no way she didn’t know that. Even a three-year-old in the market could figure it out.
I couldn’t help but wonder seriously: the reason Baek Ayeon made this choice. Where did it come from?
“That is…”
