Actually, it was pretty dangerous for three kids to head out to the market for some fun.
Even as a third-rate martial clan, to outsiders, they'd look like the children of a well-off family. There could easily be folks eyeing their pocket money—or even their ransom value.
'But we don't have the spare resources at home to assign a retainer with decent martial prowess as an escort.'
Such circumstances were plainly evident in Baek Yeon-yeon's question after she finished her bath and ablutions.
"Big brother, but do you think we'll get permission to go out? The adults might not let us..."
Despite knowing the situation, Yang-hwi replied with full confidence.
"Yeon-ah."
"Yeah?"
"This big brother of yours is a man who turns the impossible into possible."
Yang-hwi grinned and turned to Baek Heon-so.
"So-ya, sorry about this."
"Pardon? W-what do you mean...?"
Baek Heon-so wore an expression of utmost anxiety. And soon enough, that anxiety became reality.
With Baek Heon-so and Baek Yeon-yeon in tow, Yang-hwi went straight to Chief Steward Han Seok-eon and blurted out something like this.
"Chief Steward, So-ya says you won't accept me as his brother because I'm from beggar stock."
"Wha—what? Uh, er, ah?"
Baek Heon-so turned pale in an instant, stammering incoherently without managing proper words.
Undeterred, Yang-hwi pressed on.
"Father commanded me to hone both civil and martial skills, but before cultivating those talents, I believe the most crucial thing is to establish righteous intent in one's heart."
Chief Steward Han glanced back and forth between Baek Heon-so and Yang-hwi's faces before letting out a deep sigh.
He had a strong premonition that this new young master's child would continue to be a headache going forward.
"Young master Hwi. What is it you're trying to say?"
"I feel the need to step beyond the Baek family walls and seek knowledge from the outside world."
"In short, you want to go out. Impossible. Far too dangerous."
Yang-hwi unleashed a fluent rebuttal at the chief steward's firm refusal.
"It's naturally dangerous for three young heirs from a prominent house to venture out. But I've lived on the streets for eight years. I dare say no one in the main house knows the ways of the marketplace better than I do."
"You claim to know the marketplace inside out, fine. But what if some black-hearted thief sends out hidden underlings after our money?"
He had a point. Even three kids heading out could run afoul of black path thugs—or even lesser riffraff—and end up in peril.
But.
Yang-hwi was confident he could handle run-of-the-mill third-rate thugs even with his current young body.
'Can't exactly reveal that, so I need an excuse.'
"How about this, then? Entrust the escort to Brother Gu."
"Brother Gu? You mean the Blood Axe who... visited the estate yesterday?"
"That's right."
"I doubt that Blood Axe would offer such a favor, young master Hwi."
"Just let me send him one letter. If he doesn't provide an escort, I won't go."
The chief steward's lip twitched upward slightly.
'He's volunteering to back down on his own... No, wait. Something similar happened yesterday.'
No. Yesterday was different; today it wouldn't happen.
A black path thug—and the son of the Crimson Sect Hall's leader at that—had no reason to play nanny to kids.
"Very well, young master Hwi. Will you write the letter yourself?"
It was a probe about whether he knew how to read and write. Yang-hwi nodded, and a glint of surprise lit the chief steward's eyes.
A kid who'd lived as a beggar for eight years knowing letters was apparently quite the novelty.
Yang-hwi dashed off the letter in one go, sealed it so the contents couldn't be read, and handed it over.
"Here you are, Chief Steward."
"Hm. I'll see to delivering it, at least."
And a short while later.
The chief steward's jaw dropped wide open.
Blood Axe Gu-ak had shown up at the Baek estate, his face twisted in extreme displeasure.
"..."
"..."
What happens when the victim of a brazen raid comes face-to-face with the raider who got his purse emptied?
Yang-hwi simply slipped between the silent chief steward and Gu-ak.
"Chief Steward Han. Since Brother Gu came in person, please grant me the chance to teach my younger siblings new lessons, as agreed, in my role as their big brother."
"...Hoo. Very well. But I'll have to report this to the clan head."
"Of course! No need to report it yourself—I'll tell him directly!"
Finishing up, Yang-hwi flashed a sly grin at Gu-ak.
"Brother Gu. For now, let's take the little ones on a market outing. How about we discuss the letter's contents after sending them home?"
"...I'll follow your lead, little brother."
And so, the three Baek siblings headed out.
* * *
"Wow! Big brother! Feels like it's been four whole months since I last went out!"
"That long?"
"Yeah! Dad's been so busy..."
Fair enough. If they couldn't even spare an escort, their father probably couldn't make much time to play with his kids either.
Watching the delighted Baek Yeon-yeon brought a warm smile to his face.
"Let's have fun to our hearts' content today and head back."
"Yeah! Hehehe."
"You too, So-ya."
"...Okay."
Baek Heon-so was still a bit downcast, but he seemed excited for the rare outing too.
In other words, the only one in the group with complaints was Gu-ak.
"All day? Little brother, this Gu-ak isn't that idle."
"Then let's weigh the scales."
"Urgh..."
Gu-ak let out a groan at Yang-hwi's beaming reply.
'Damn it. If only he didn't have that glib tongue.'
The letter Yang-hwi had sent contained just one line.
-Brother Gu. If you want to be my brother again, spare me just one day.
The trouble started when he'd scoffed at Yang-hwi's offer to repay the Crimson Sect Hall's favor and resolve their grudge—claiming he'd call the kid "little brother" if it worked.
'Damn this mouth of mine.'
Martial artists prized face and reputation above life itself.
And black path thugs were martial artists all the same.
He couldn't stomach the humiliation of calling a pint-sized kid "brother."
'Can't just wipe him out either.'
For a black path thug, he personally avoided killing, but more importantly, the kid was now the Baek clan head's adopted son.
The Baek clan might be insignificant in power, but the clan head had a reliable sworn younger brother.
Gu-ak was already jockeying for position as next leader amid over ten siblings.
Better to kill some time than spark a feud for a reason hard to publicize.
"Brother Gu. Lighten up that face. You'll get wrinkles."
"..."
A surge of frustration boiled over in Gu-ak, and he thought to himself without realizing.
'Just off him?'
Undeterred, Yang-hwi led his siblings around, buying whatever they asked for.
"Big brother! I want candy!"
"Let's see, maybe ten pieces? We can share with the other retainers' kids too."
"Yay!"
Baek Heon-so eyed the candy-munching Baek Yeon-yeon with envy.
Come to think of it, Baek Heon-so preferred salty snacks over sweets.
Like those chicken skewers at that street stall over there.
'Smart kid. Too shy to speak up.'
Yang-hwi approached the stall first and bought ten skewers.
"Here, So-ya. Eat up."
"...Thank you."
"Don't look so glum. Today is for playing without holding back."
"...Got it."
Pondering why he was acting this way, Yang-hwi realized the reason.
'Ah. I used the kid as an excuse with Chief Steward Han.'
He was probably worried it'd reach their father's ears that he rejected a beggar-born brother.
"So-ya. If anyone asks what you learned from today's outing, say 'Insaengmuin, inhawuin.' No one will scold you then."
No one above among men, no one below among men.
A seven-year-old spouting such spirited wisdom would satisfy everyone.
"R-really?"
"Really. I told you, this big brother makes anything possible. Trust me."
Baek Heon-so's face brightened noticeably, and he started enjoying the outing more.
After that.
Yang-hwi didn't just show them the bright and shiny side. He took them under bridges to give alms to beggars, providing experiences to nurture their hearts properly.
Then they returned to the Baek estate.
"So-ya, Yeon-ah. How was today?"
"It was so much fun!"
Yang-hwi smiled at the bouncing Baek Yeon-yeon, then looked to Baek Heon-so, who gazed back silently.
There was still some arrogance, but spotting a new emotion budding in Baek Heon-so's eyes, Yang-hwi decided that was enough.
'Kids are so easy to win over.'
Show overwhelming superiority mixed with a touch of coolness, and they'd idolize you in no time.
"Alright, you two head in first and pass the word to Chief Steward. I'll chat with Brother Gu and follow."
After shooing his siblings through the gate, Yang-hwi turned to Gu-ak.
"Thanks for your hard work, Brother Gu!"
"...Little brother. I've paid the price, so no more of this nonsense. Or else..."
Gu-ak growled.
A threat that he wouldn't tolerate the same trick again.
Of course, Yang-hwi wasn't fazed at all.
"Of course, Brother Gu. Now, shall we talk business?"
"Business? You're hardly in a position—or of an age—to discuss business with me."
True enough. But Yang-hwi held information that would have Gu-ak not just listening, but begging for more.
"There's a rampant rumor in the markets. The Crimson Sect Hall leader's sixth son took a concubine before even marrying a proper wife."
Gu-ak's face hardened menacingly in an instant. What Yang-hwi had just said struck at his reverse scale.
"You little brat, even patience has its limits."
True to his black path nature, thick killing intent began pressing in from all sides.
But.
"Hear a man out first. This little brat might just solve Brother Gu's troubles."
Even under the killing intent of a first-rate realm expert, Yang-hwi stayed utterly calm, leaving Gu-ak with a dumbfounded look.
'Does this kid really have balls of steel...?'
Had he somehow harvested a tiger's gall bladder and transplanted it?
"Spit it out. What do you want?"
"Simple. Help me with one errand today. In return."
"In return?"
Yang-hwi briefly recalled an event from his past life.
'Gu-ak. And Gu-ak's concubine. The cause of the bloody purge in Crimson Sect Hall years from now.'
"I'll make your sister-in-law—who can't become a proper wife—into your official bride."
This time, Gu-ak's face stiffened for a different reason.
"What did you say?"
"Exactly what I said. I'll make your father, the Crimson Sect Hall leader, accept your true love as your proper wife."
The reason the Crimson Sect Hall leader blocked Gu-ak from marrying his one true love as his principal wife was straightforward.
She was merely a courtesan, and like his other children, Gu-ak was expected to form a political marriage with a direct descendant of another black path faction for the sect's future.
"You're defying an arranged marriage? You're a real man, Brother Gu. But you'll drop out of the succession race like that."
"What do you know to yap about?!"
"I know at least one thing. Listening to me won't hurt you."
Finishing, Yang-hwi recalled everything he'd heard about Gu-ak in his past life.
Gu-ak was different from your average black path thug in many ways.
'Reached first-rate before thirty, despite being black path. Avoids lechery and loves only one woman—his heart's not irredeemable. Perfect to use for now.'
There were limits to what his young body could do.
Using Gu-ak as a proxy would widen his range of action immensely.
That was why Yang-hwi was slyly reeling him in.
"Go on, then. But waste my time, and you'll regret it."
His tone was still rough, but agreeing to listen meant he'd already tacitly accepted.
Because Yang-hwi planned to make an offer too tempting to refuse.
"I know where Blue Serpent Hall's stashed their secret funds. Want in on a big score? You take sixty percent, I take forty."
"Blue Serpent Hall's hideout? How the hell do you know that?"
"Eh, long story. I just do."
Gu-ak's eyes bulged as he asked, then frowned at the vague reply.
But at Yang-hwi's next words, he finally recoiled in shock.
"They've smuggled in dozens of poison projectiles for attacking Crimson Sect Hall, right?"
"What? Poison projectiles?!"