By Zephyria An Unworthy Person in a Noble Place (7)
“……How can this be? You’re skilled with numbers……! A truly remarkable talent! Please continue with the next ledger! There are so many ledgers that need to be checked!”
They stacked the ledgers in front of Seong Mu-yeon. Seong Mu-yeon asked with a dubious expression.
“But aren’t these materials highly confidential? Is it alright for me to see them?”
“You speak as if you don’t know. If they were truly top secret, we wouldn’t leave them piled up like this. They’d be stored in the vault. Besides, this isn’t the time for such work. Look at the items. It’s really nothing special.”
Seong Mu-yeon examined the ledgers closely. They were mostly filled with lists of food purchases and various material acquisitions.
“Then, I’ll do my best……”
His words were cut short.
Bang-!
Suddenly, the door of the building flew off its hinges with a thunderous sound. Baek Ryeo-il stood amidst the rising dust. He had somehow freed himself from the ropes, his arms were free, but he still looked disheveled, covered in white sand.
“Senior Brother Baek! What’s with your appearance……”
“Move! Seong Mu-yeon! You were here! You’re dead!”
Baek Ryeo-il charged towards Seong Mu-yeon.
“Aaaagh! I was wrong! I won’t do it again!”
Seong Mu-yeon hurriedly crawled under the desk. Baek Ryeo-il, leaning over the desk, flailed his arms wildly, but he had already slipped to the other side.
As a result, various documents, ledgers, and abacuses flew through the air.
Taoists grabbed Baek Ryeo-il’s growling shoulders. Others clung to his legs.
“Senior Brother! Calm down! If you do this, we’ll have to stay up all night again!”
“Come here! Won’t you come here?!”
Seong Mu-yeon hid behind the Taoist who seemed to be the highest-ranking person there, and shouted.
“I didn’t do it on purpose!”
“Is that words or farts!”
“Where did you hear that it was farts! It’s words!”
“You never back down, do you?!”
Baek Ryeo-il thrashed, causing everyone clinging to his arms and legs to sway.
“Hold on tight, Masters! Otherwise, I’m dead!”
“Calm down, Senior Brother!”
It took a long time for Baek Ryeo-il to finally calm down. He roughly shook off the Junior Brothers clinging to his arms and legs.
“But what happened between the two of you?”
When the Junior Brother asked, Baek Ryeo-il glared at Seong Mu-yeon, panting.
“Because of that guy running away, I searched the Hall of Law Enforcement, the Military Division, and even the kitchen of the dining hall! And he was hiding here.”
“I, I see you’ve had a hard time.”
“How dare you throw sand in someone’s face? I couldn’t even do my water lily fragrance because of you!”
“Well, who told you to tie someone to a tree!”
Seong Mu-yeon and Baek Ryeo-il started pointing fingers at each other and shouting.
“Stop fighting…… So, to summarize, Senior Brother had to go to water lily fragrance, so he tied Young master to a tree to prevent him from running away. Young master, not liking that, threw sand at Senior Brother and escaped.”
The one explaining had a very tired look on his face.
“You think that’s the end of it? That bastard tied me up!”
“……Didn’t Senior Brother tie him up too?”
“Is that the same thing?!”
“Then let’s do this. When Senior Brother goes to water lily fragrance in the morning, leave Young master with us. We’ll take responsibility for him.”
“Huh?”
It wasn’t a bad suggestion. Baek Ryeo-il could water lily fragrance with peace of mind, Seong Mu-yeon wouldn’t suffer any more indignities, and the Disciples of the Finance Division could get some help. It was truly killing three birds with one stone.
Baek Ryeo-il agreed to the suggestion and turned to water lily fragrance, though it was late. Before leaving, he added a word to the Junior Brother.
“Be careful. That guy might throw sand at you too. You always have to keep a close watch on him. Got it?”
“Haha, yes…… I’ll always be careful. Please go ahead.”
Baek Ryeo-il cast a sharp glance at Seong Mu-yeon, then closed the door and left.
“Whew, it was like a storm just passed through.”
“I’m sorry. Because of me.”
“Don’t mention it. My name is Wang Ho-jun. I’m a second-generation Disciple of the Finance Division. I look forward to working with you, Young master Seong Mu-yeon.”
“I’m the one who should be saying that.”
And so, Seong Mu-yeon was freed from his morning confinement.
Every morning, Baek Ryeo-il would bring Seong Mu-yeon to the Finance Division, where he would help with their work. When he came to pick him up after finishing his morning water lily fragrance, they would return to the Emerald Pavilion and spend the rest of the day eating.
It was a good thing for Seong Mu-yeon as well. He was bored to death when he was cooped up in his room, but it was nice to get some fresh air and have something to focus on.
That day, Seong Mu-yeon was once again working the abacus in the Finance Division.
The number of Mount Hua Disciples was enormous, so the amount of supplies they consumed was also immense. Thanks to his help, the settlement was proceeding quickly.
“Young master Seong, are you alright? You don’t look well.”
“Ah.”
Seong Mu-yeon felt particularly unwell that day.
There were times like this. Usually, he could manage daily life as long as he didn’t overexert himself, but when he felt this bad, he could only curl up and wait for it to pass.
He had sensed that something was amiss since morning, but he had come to the Finance Division as usual. If he suddenly said he wouldn’t go, Baek Ryeo-il would question him, and Seong Mu-yeon didn’t want to explain.
It seemed he would have to take it easy today.
“I’m sorry, I’ll just rest for a moment……”
As he stood up, the world spun. His vision blurred, and a strong wave of nausea washed over him.
A nosebleed poured out.
He helplessly fell backward.
“Young master!”
Someone caught him just in time. The worried faces of the Disciples rushing towards him were the last thing he saw before losing consciousness.
‘Damn it.’
Seong Mu-yeon gradually regained consciousness to the sound of voices around him. Someone was taking his pulse and touching his forehead.
“How is he? Is he alright?”
“……It’s not good.”
“Is there a big problem?”
“I can’t say for sure what the cause is…… But it’s not normal. The harmony of his body is broken. It’s amazing how he was able to move around normally in this condition.”
“Th, that’s……! This won’t do. I have to call Senior Brother Baek Ryeo-il right away.”
“Don’t.”
Seong Mu-yeon said as he sat up. Wang Ho-jun, who was about to burst out the door, rushed over when he saw him awake.
“Young master Seong! Are you feeling any better?”
“Please don’t tell anyone. I’m begging you.”
Seong Mu-yeon said to the Disciples standing around the bed. Most of them were familiar faces from the Finance Division. There was also an unfamiliar middle-aged man in white robes who seemed to have examined him. Judging by his demeanor, he seemed to be from the Hall of Medicine.
“Why are you saying that? Why didn’t you tell us you were in bad health? Young master should be taken care of. If you live like ordinary people, you might really die……”
“Yes, I know. Please stop.”
As Seong Mu-yeon tried to get out of bed, they all rushed to support him. He waved his hand, politely refused, and stood up on his own.
He was a little dizzy, but it wasn’t unbearable.
“It’s not something to be proud of, is it? You Masters know that too, so why are you doing this? Weaknesses should be hidden as much as possible. If you look easy to take advantage of, you’ll only attract annoying gnats.”
“You should at least tell Senior Brother Baek……”
“No. I want to keep it a secret from Master Baek. Please. I…… I like things the way they are.”
Everyone couldn’t hide their pity. Seong Mu-yeon smiled bitterly. He had received that kind of look wherever he went since he was a child.
After giving him that look once, they would stop paying attention to him. Because he was going to die soon. Because investing in him was like investing in a mirage that would soon disappear.
“We have a mountain of work to do, so what are you all doing wasting time here? You should go back and finish what you were doing.”
It seemed he had been moved to a bedroom inside the Finance Division. As he opened the door and stepped out, a familiar corridor came into view. The Disciples trailed behind Seong Mu-yeon.
Seong Mu-yeon returned to his seat as if nothing had happened.
“Um, Young master Seong……”
Wang Ho-jun was about to say something when the door burst open and Baek Ryeo-il strode in.
“Seong Mu-yeon! That’s enough for today…… Huh?”
Baek Ryeo-il frowned and said.
“That’s strange. I smell blood.”
He quietly began to scan his surroundings with the eyes of a sharp hunter.
The Disciples who met Baek Ryeo-il’s gaze flinched and avoided his eyes.
“What is it? Did you guys fight or something? Who’s bleeding?”
“……”
“Why is everyone so quiet?”
Seong Mu-yeon sighed quietly and began to tidy up his desk. His plan was to take him out of here first and then come up with an excuse.