Heavenly Inquisition Sword

C329 – “Why would anyone do that kind of marriage?”

As expected, Yeon Jeokha’s seat was next to the coachman.

The middle-aged man, who seemed to have a naturally friendly personality, treated him from the beginning as if they were old acquaintances.

“I’m Baek Musang. What’s your name, young brother?”

“My name is Yeon Jeokha.”

Baek Musang, who had been staring intently at the back of the horse, suddenly turned his head.

The name “Yeon Jeokha” was so famous in Nokrim that he reacted without thinking.

He noticed the long blue saber Yeon Jeokha carried and the gourd hanging from his waist.

Except for the weapon, the young man looked like a common boy in his early twenties, with a soft, innocent face.

Moreover, his sword didn’t seem to be a spiritual treasure, but a common tool.

Baek Musang couldn’t associate the young man he was transporting with the notorious demonic master of Nokrim, Yeon Jeokha.

“Ha, ha! You have a very well-known name. Even in Nokrim, there’s a master with that name.”

“Yes, they say so.”

Yeon Jeokha replied as if it were a matter that didn’t concern him.

He didn’t want to cause discomfort to someone he would be traveling with for half a day.

Yeon Jeokha’s response completely dispelled Baek Musang’s suspicions.

Just by observing someone’s face or gaze, a veteran like him could discern whether they were a “good person” or a “bad person.”

The aura that emanated from Yeon Jeokha was clear and calm, without a trace of malice.

Connecting him with the demonic master of Nokrim would be disrespectful to the young man.

“Do you practice the sword?”

“Yes.”

“Oh! What sect are you from?”

“It’s a family martial art.”

“Ah! Family martial arts, excellent! Don’t worry about that. After all, even the great sects and clans started with a single person.”

Baek Musang encouraged the young Yeon Jeokha, who seemed to be starting his path in the world of Murim.

Touched by his attitude, Yeon Jeokha asked:

“What sect does Baek Dae-hyeop come from?”

“I studied at the Uicheon Sect (의천문).”

“The Uicheon Sect, which is known as one of the Seven Great Sects?”

“That’s right. Did you know?”

“Come on, who doesn’t know the Uicheon Sect?”

When Yeon Jeokha praised him, Baek Musang, proud, vigorously shook the reins of the carriage.

“Let’s go!”

However, the horses, already at a good pace, showed no reaction.

Even so, Baek Musang seemed satisfied with himself.

Observing Baek Musang, Yeon Jeokha slightly tilted his head.

“It seems he didn’t participate in the Heaven and Earth Alliance.”

If he had been part of the alliance, there would be no way he wouldn’t recognize Yeon Jeokha.

Shortly after, bored by the silence, Yeon Jeokha initiated a casual conversation.

“Did Baek Dae-hyeop also fight in the Heaven and Earth Alliance?”

“No, I didn’t. After my time in the Uicheon Sect, I joined the army.”

“Ah!”

“When one serves the country, they cannot get involved in the conflicts of Murim. That would go against the teachings of the Uicheon Sect.”

“I understand. So, are you no longer in the army now? Seeing you travel so freely, I thought you had already left that life.”

“No, that’s not it. You could say I’m on an official mission.”

At that moment, a slight cough was heard from inside the carriage.

Although the noise of the carriage was loud, Baek Musang clearly heard the cough and quickly changed the subject.

“Ahem, ahem. By the way, what do you do, young brother?”

“Actually, I don’t have a fixed job.”

“Really? Nowadays, sects and chambers of commerce are desperate to hire warriors. Didn’t you find anything that interested you?”

“It’s not that I’m not interested, but I haven’t received any invitations yet.”

“Ha, ha, ha! It seems you’re not desperate enough. You shouldn’t wait for them to invite you, but seek it out yourself.”

“I have some money saved, so I’m not in a hurry.”

Yeon Jeokha didn’t try to hide it. He still had a thousand taels of silver in his possession, which was more than enough to avoid financial worries.

Baek Musang commented absentmindedly:

“Ah, I knew it. Since you talked about a carriage, I thought you came from a good family.”

With an awkward smile, Yeon Jeokha scratched the back of his neck.

The way he said it, it seemed like Baek Musang had decided to turn around with the carriage because he heard his complaint about the dust.

“No, my family is in ruins. I earned that money while living as a nangin (unaffiliated warrior).”

“Oh! So you lived as a nangin. Well, lately, nangin make money more easily, especially when there are many disputes between sects. Isn’t that right?”

“Yes.”

The conversation ended there.

Actually, nangin and military officers were polar opposites.

From a nangin’s perspective, officers were “government dogs.” From the officers’ perspective, nangin were “losers in life.”

After traveling for about an hour, the carriage stopped.

Baek Musang had decided to take a break so the horses could rest from the stifling heat.

Shortly after, an old man emerged from the carriage.

Baek Musang, who was clearly his subordinate, began to run back and forth to attend to him.

Sitting in the shade of a nearby tree, Yeon Jeokha silently observed the scene.

“As much as he’s a disciple of the Uicheon Sect, it seems the military hierarchy reduces him to nothing.”

Seeing a middle-aged man sweating and working like a beginner was somewhat pitiful.

The old man, who introduced himself as Pung Manpyo, spoke as he looked at Yeon Jeokha.

“Young brother, don’t look at him that way. Do you know how many men would be able to risk their lives under Baek Musang’s command? One thousand and twenty warriors like you, no more, no less.”

Feigning surprise, Yeon Jeokha replied:

“Wow!”

Pung Manpyo smiled slightly and leaned against the tree, adjusting the position of his ceremonial sword so it wouldn’t get in the way.

It was then that Yeon Jeokha realized that the old man was also a military warrior.

Shortly after, Baek Musang sat next to him with a sigh.

“Whew! If I had known it would be so troublesome, I would have brought a coachman. I got myself into this on my own, and now I’m paying for it.”

“Why didn’t you bring a coachman?”

“The old man wanted to make some personal visits, so I decided to handle it myself. He’s someone who distinguishes well between the public and the private.”

“And is it okay for Baek Dae-hyeop to accompany him?”

“Of course. Although I’m his subordinate, I was the one who volunteered to accompany him, so it’s not considered an official matter. By the way, there’s something I haven’t asked you. Why are you going to Hyeongyang?”

Baek Musang glanced at Pung Manpyo.

Although he was listening to the conversation, Pung Manpyo kept his eyes closed, without saying a word.

That was a silent approval. It was evident that his distrust of Yeon Jeokha, a young wanderer, had diminished.

“The old man’s distant nephew is getting married, so we’re going to attend his wedding,” Baek Musang replied.

However, he didn’t mention that they were both on their way to their new official post. He couldn’t reveal that kind of information to a wanderer he had just met on the road.

“Ah, a wedding. This is a good time to get married. Must the old man be someone very attached to family to attend the wedding of a distant nephew?” Yeon Jeokha commented, pointing with his chin at the old man.

Baek Musang smiled slightly before replying:

“Well, it seems there are some problems with the in-laws, so the old man isn’t very enthusiastic. Even the nephew, who’s the protagonist, seems unconvinced.”

“Then why do they force that kind of marriage?”

“It must be because the family is pressuring him. Maybe they have no other choice.”

“But if there are problems with the in-laws, why force the marriage?”

“Well, being a family of officials, there must be some reason they can’t reveal.”

“A reason they can’t reveal?”

Yeon Jeokha frowned, intrigued, but just then, Pung Manpyo, who had been silent until now, coughed awkwardly.

Baek Musang hurried to end the topic:

“Don’t worry about the affairs of other families. You’d better rest easy, young man.”

Yeon Jeokha gave the old man a reproachful look as he muttered to himself:

“He always interrupts at the interesting moments! If he was going to shut down the topic, why didn’t he forbid talking from the beginning?”

———————————–

Hyeongyang.

Seokjang Village.

A solitary house at the foot of Bangsan Mountain.

With an expression full of emotion, Yeon Jeokha contemplated his maternal uncle’s house.

The old wooden fence, which was about to fall down, had been replaced by a solid stone wall. The main house had also been renovated with a new roof, and in a corner of the courtyard, there was a well-built warehouse.

It was a total transformation compared to the old one-room shack he had known before.

When Yeon Jeokha opened the door and entered, his uncle, Lee Wooseok, who was sitting on the porch, immediately got up.

“Oh, wow! It’s Jeokha! Come in. You must have had a tiring journey in this heat. Forgive me for telling you so late. The date of the event changed a couple of times, and we couldn’t tell you before.”

“It’s okay. After all, I don’t think many more guests will come.”

Although his words seemed carefree, Yeon Jeokha felt somewhat hurt.

He couldn’t invite anyone from the Namgung Family. If they had informed him a month earlier, he would have been able to contact them, but just the time to send a message took more than ten days, so he didn’t even try.

“Don’t feel bad. The local magistrate and some officials will be present, so it won’t be that sad.”

“Officials?”

“Yes, the groom’s in-laws belong to a family of officials, so it seems like a lot of government people will come.”

“That’s because of the in-laws.”

What bothered Yeon Jeokha was not the lack of official guests on his side, but that his uncle didn’t have anyone from his inner circle to represent him.

In an event related to Murim, he would have invited someone from Nokrim. But it wasn’t appropriate to bring someone from Nokrim to his uncle’s house.

“From what I heard, some of your acquaintances will also come.”

“My acquaintances? Who would they be?”

“Inspector Dong Dae-in from the Golden Guard and Officer Seo Dae-in also said they would attend.”

Yeon Jeokha frowned.

It seems that Dong Yuso, a military inspector from the Golden Guard, and Seo Gyeongjin, an official, wanted to take this opportunity to get more involved with him.

At that moment, the door opened, and his aunt and his cousins, Lee Yu-hwa and Lee Si-hwa, entered.

“Ah, nephew! Welcome,” Jang Somin said with a radiant smile.

It was no wonder she was so happy. After all, Yeon Jeokha had brought prosperity to his aunt’s family.

The sisters Lee Yu-hwa and Lee Si-hwa also greeted him with joy.

“Older brother! It’s so good to see you here!”

“Older brother! Why did you arrive so late?”

While Lee Yu-hwa, who was about to get married, simply bowed to greet him, little Lee Si-hwa ran towards him, grabbing his arm and shaking him enthusiastically.

Seeing that, Lee Wooseok intervened with a stern tone:

“Hey, Si-hwa! You could tear your brother’s arm off.”

“Our brother is a great Murim master! It’s okay! Right, brother?”

Yeon Jeokha laughed at Si-hwa’s warm welcome, touched by her childish purity, although he didn’t let it show on his face.

“I wish I had a daughter like her.”

Although he wasn’t married yet, he envied his uncle’s life.

Feelings are relative, and Si-hwa knew that Yeon Jeokha adored her, so she didn’t hold back in expressing herself.

So much so that even his aunt Jang Somin commented jokingly:

“Si-hwa seems to love her brother more than her father.”

“Of course I do!” Si-hwa replied without hesitation.

Lee Wooseok clicked his tongue.

“That’s why they say raising daughters is pointless.”

However, despite his words, his smile showed how much he enjoyed the relationship between Yeon Jeokha and his daughters.

After this noisy greeting, Jang Somin took her daughters to the kitchen to prepare something to eat for the newcomer.

Left alone with his uncle, Yeon Jeokha casually asked:

“Uncle, what does Yu-hwa’s fiancé do?”

“From what I heard, he works in the Golden Guard.”

“In the Golden Guard?”

Yeon Jeokha looked at him incredulously.

How could someone from the Golden Guard end up marrying a girl from a rural village?

“Yes, Dong Dae-in introduced him. Now that I think about it, all this is thanks to you.”

Yeon Jeokha sighed inwardly.

“I told you so. Now I understand why Dong Yuso was so insistent on talking about this topic afterwards.”

Reflecting, he concluded that Dong Yuso had arranged this marriage to strengthen his relationship with him.

“Well, if the interested parties are happy, that’s what matters.”

He tried to see the positive side.

In the end, marriage is something everyone has to face at some point, whether it’s with a Golden Guard soldier or a merchant.

“As long as he’s not a bandit, it’ll be fine.”