"Is that... really true?"
Hyeon Yucheon's eyes wavered in disbelief.
"That's what I'm telling you."
There was a saying: mulberry fields turn into seas.
But who could have foreseen that in a mere five years, the grounds of the Mangeum Clan would become the site of an inn?
"Who rented out that land?"
Hyeon Yucheon's gaze sharpened in an instant.
Who on earth would dare claim ownership of land that had once belonged to the lord of the Mangeum Clan and lease it out to the innkeeper as if it were their own?
"I think... it was the Gold Amount Escort Agency that rented it to the owner of the Haeha Guest House. And at an outrageous price, no less."
"Gold Amount Escort Agency!"
At the mention of the Gold Amount Escort Agency, fury and bitterness crossed Hyeon Yucheon's face.
It was a place quite familiar to him, one tied to deep connections.
"Aigoo, you stink. Go wash up first, kid."
In the end, the passerby couldn't stand the stench and left again.
Even after he was gone, Hyeon Yucheon could only stand there, lost in thought.
"Bittersweet, indeed."
A bitter taste filled his mouth.
Such was the plight of the unjustly wronged.
Unable even to mourn the dead in peace.
Even after five years, Hyeon Yucheon felt his thirst for vengeance burning brighter than ever, unquenched.
This spot is where my father, my mother, and my loyal retainers are buried.
The thought brought a wave of sorrow crashing over him, soaking him in grief.
The land that had once been his was now the Gold Amount Escort Agency's, and they were profiting by renting it to the innkeeper.
Yet he couldn't take this at face value; doubts lingered.
The head of the Gold Amount Escort Agency is no man to do such a thing.
More than anyone, Hyeon Yucheon—bound to the agency by past ties—knew the character and principles of its leader.
He was as upright and compassionate as Hyeon Yucheon's own father, Man Jungho.
With such thoughts in mind, he yearned for more details.
But first came commemoration.
No matter what, he wanted to enter the Haeha Guest House, pay his respects, and lay a single wildflower.
"Halt. We don't take in beggar kids. You're not one of the Beggars' Sect, are you?"
Even more heartbreaking, the Haeha Guest House errand boy blocked Hyeon Yucheon's path, refusing him entry.
Hubei Province was home to the Beggars' Sect, one of the Nine Great Sects, so inns were never stingy with their beggars—but only those affiliated with the sect.
Unaffiliated beggars, deemed even more fearsome, were often pushed around harshly by the sect's patrol disciples.
"In Hubei, with the Beggars' Sect around, which beggar would dare beg here?"
And sure enough—
Beggars' Sect members lounging nearby closed in, surrounding Hyeon Yucheon with growls.
To them, this was an invasion of their territory, and the mood soured to its worst.
"I'm no beggar."
Hyeon Yucheon protested, but it rang hollow.
Five years of wild vagabond life had left him ragged beyond recognition, handsome features notwithstanding.
A handsome beggar, perhaps?
"Then show us the silver first."
The errand boy haughtily tilted his chin.
Of course, he had none.
The Mangeum Clan's wealth was long gone, and he hadn't yet reached the Demon Sword Sect—so Hyeon Yucheon had neither silver nor even a single copper coin.
Absurd. I was once called the Mangeum Young Master...
The sole heir of the realm's richest merchant house, now turned away from an inn for lack of a single coin.
Part of him wanted to force his way in with martial prowess, but strictly speaking, this was his parents' grave.
How could he cause a ruckus right in front of a tomb?
"...I'll come back later."
In the end, Hyeon Yucheon turned away with a bitter heart.
"Uhahaha!"
"Knew it."
"Top-tier beggar, that one."
Mocking laughter from the errand boy and Beggars' Sect followed, but there was nothing for it.
Hyeon Yucheon's pockets held not a scrap of silver.
Thus resolved, he made his decision as he slipped away.
First, earn some silver. Then mourn my parents and the Mangeum Clan at the Haeha Guest House. And uncover how the Gold Amount Escort Agency came to possess our land.
He had never planned to rush straight to the Demon Sword Sect.
This stemmed from his master's memories and final charge, passed via the Full Body Heart Transfer.
The Demon Sword Sect, leaderless after the death of the Demon Sword Fiend Cheon Baeksang—its master gone—must have fractured over succession, descending into chaos.
If the fourth disciple, inheritor of all his master's legacy, appeared amid that, the situation would turn hostile, the difficulty mounting.
Before clashing or dueling with Demon Sword Sect members, Hyeon Yucheon planned to pay respects and trace the fate of the Mangeum Clan's assets.
He needed to know first how its grounds and buildings had flowed to the Gold Amount Escort Agency.
"But... how do I earn silver?"
One vexing problem remained.
Hyeon Yucheon, who had lived his life in luxury, knew nothing of making money.
Cheon Baeksang, who had spent his days in wealth at the Demon Sword Sect, was the same—but Hyeon Yucheon soon recalled a good idea.
Right, that method!
He might not know, but his master did.
The way a martial artist with nothing but skill earned coin.
And a path to silver that would let him approach the Gold Amount Escort Agency with ease.
It was none other than...
◇◇◇◆◇◇◇
"What? You want to be an escort warrior?"
"Yes."
"Puhahaha!"
The same scene from before replayed.
The difference: earlier, Beggars' Sect beggars had laughed; now, warriors of Hubei's premier Gold Amount Escort Agency sneered.
Bitter again.
Another layer of bitterness for Hyeon Yucheon.
The Gold Amount Escort Agency's history ran deep, with much past exchange alongside the Mangeum Clan.
Its head and Hyeon Yucheon's father, Man Jungho, had been as close as sworn brothers, their families intertwined—so he assumed there must be circumstances behind acquiring the land.
"I'll show you my martial prowess. I'm confident."
Once backed by clan and wealth, now armed only with martial arts, Hyeon Yucheon pressed on without despair.
Beyond earning silver, becoming an escort warrior was the perfect way to approach the agency without revealing himself.
"Forget it. We don't hire just anyone. And the recruitment period's long over."
Regrettably, rejection came before he could prove himself.
As Hyeon Yucheon slumped, wondering about other ways to earn silver through martial skill—
"What's going on?"
Was it the commotion from his tussle with the escort warriors?
A beautiful girl approached from within the agency, her steps graceful.
Yeon Jinjin!
Hyeon Yucheon recognized her at once.
The daughter of the Gold Amount Escort Agency head—and his childhood betrothed. How could he forget?
Man Jungho and the agency head were such dear friends, each with son and daughter of marriageable age, that they'd joked over drinks about a union if fates aligned.
Not entirely serious, just drunken banter—but the innocent Hyeon Yucheon, still innocent now, remembered it well.
"Miss!"
"It's just... this young boy wants us to hire him as an escort warrior."
The warriors startled, bowing politely.
Despite her youth, Yeon Jinjin was a disciple of a famed orthodox sect, her skills far from ordinary.
As the beloved daughter of the head, she was tricky to handle.
"An escort warrior? This kid?"
At "escort warrior," Yeon Jinjin's eyes widened as she eyed Hyeon Yucheon.
Their age gap was just two years; she was older.
Did she recognize me?
He tensed as she stared piercingly, but no.
Five years could turn a child into a grown youth, faces changing drastically.
And one more thing.
The chubby, plump Mangeum Young Master had shed his form through bone transformation, emerging a sleek, handsome man—no way she'd recognize him.
Still looking boyish enough, Yeon Jinjin clutched her belly laughing for a while, then showed pity.
"We're heading out on a pushback escort soon, and we're short one porter, right? It's a simple run, so let's hire him temporarily. I'll tell Father myself."
At "porter," Hyeon Yucheon—head bowed lest she recognize him—tilted his head in relief once sure she hadn't.
"Ah, Miss! That's a problem."
The escort warriors balked at her cheerful words, but in the Gold Amount Escort Agency, only the head could overrule her.
"It's just moving minor goods to the rear warehouse—what's the big deal?"
In the end, things flowed her way.
A porter spot had opened conveniently, and a "pushback escort" was no major affair: shifting trivial supplies from headquarters—like rations or provisions—to the back warehouse.
Anyone could do it.
"Porter? You mean... a baggage handler?"
Right then, Hyeon Yucheon's face hardened slightly.
He was the disciple who'd inherited everything from the former world's greatest, a super peak master—yet not even an escort warrior, but a porter?
Should I just sweep them aside by force?
The urge flared briefly, but he shook it off.
Many still hunted him.
Orthodox murim, the Seok Family, even the Demon Sword Sect.
Moreover, he didn't want to strong-arm a past ally like the Gold Amount Escort Agency.
"What? Don't like it?"
Yeon Jinjin giggled, finding his indignation cute.
Locking eyes with her, Hyeon Yucheon recalled the past.
Playing amiably together; her never teasing or bullying his plump frame, always treating him kindly.
"I get kids dreaming of being escort warriors. But everything has steps. And porter work isn't easy. Every job is noble in its way."
"...!!"
Her words struck home.
In truth, he was just starting his murim journey.
Ignorant of the jianghu, he'd unwittingly looked down on porters.
No profession is beneath another.
This was etiquette his father had taught at the table during his Mangeum Young Master days.
Warriors and soldiers scorned merchants so; he knew that humiliation better than most.
"I'll give it a try."
Hyeon Yucheon nodded.
He had his calculations in accepting porter.
Stand out, and higher roles will follow naturally.
He was confident.
"Good. But... what's your name?"
Hyeon Yucheon gazed at Yeon Jinjin once more.
She truly hadn't recognized him.
"Hyeon Yucheon, from the lakeside of Hubei."
And so Yeon Jinjin formally hired Hyeon Yucheon as a porter.
Unaware that choice might one day save the Gold Amount Escort Agency.