By Zephyria 
HF 11
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The servant driving the carriage did not open the door until after he had brought the horses to a halt.
“We have arrived. I shall escort you inside.”
As the servant smiled, the scar on his torn lip stretched even further. It was just as Ho-yeon was stepping out of the carriage after Mu-gyeong to confirm their destination.
“You go inside and inform my father of the situation.”
At Mu-gyeong’s instruction, the servant’s face looked as if he had been abandoned for a moment, before he bowed his head in compliance. Ho-yeon hurriedly caught the servant as he prepared to leave.
“Um, by any chance, about the story of the pleasure quarters…”
“Young Master Ho-yeon, do not worry. This servant possesses at least that much tact.”
Telling him to trust him, the servant climbed back onto the driver’s seat and hurried away. If he reported that he had saved the Palace Lord’s son while on his way to a pleasure quarter, the father would be conflicted over whether to praise him or scold him. It would be far better if he claimed he saved Wi Ho-yeon for some other reason; then he would receive nothing but praise.
Ho-yeon hoped his benefactor would only hear good things, so he trusted the servant’s quick wit. Only then did Ho-yeon confirm his destination.
Neungrabang.
Above the two men wearing bamboo hats, a wooden sign with elegant Chinese characters was visible. Currently, Ho-yeon was dressed in light traveling clothes, not much different from Mu-gyeong. This was because one could not climb a mountain wearing expensive long robes and golden garments. Instead, the clothes he had been wearing were neatly wrapped in a cloth he had obtained in the Mist Valley.
Mu-gyeong didn’t seem particularly interested in why Ho-yeon wanted to go to a silk shop. He was simply following along.
“Young Master Mu-gyeong, why don’t you wait here for a moment?”
Since he had already started speaking informally, Ho-yeon wanted to call him affectionately as ‘Mu-gyeong,’ but there would be many eyes on them from now on. It would look better to consistently attach the title ‘Young Master.’
“I’ll just be a moment at the silk shop.”
Ho-yeon pointed to the silk shop, which was just a few steps away. In a rush, Ho-yeon entered the shop, promising to return quickly. As soon as he stepped inside, glossy silk fabrics were spread across a smooth red sandalwood display stand.
“Welcome.”
The middle-aged owner, sitting behind the display, greeted him while keenly scanning the clothes Ho-yeon was wearing. He finished his assessment of the customer with a click of his tongue at the cheap traveling gear.
“I am not sure if we have the kind of fabric the customer is looking for, but…”
“I am here to sell fabric.”
At Ho-yeon’s words, the owner’s expression crumpled further. As Ho-yeon approached the display and attempted to unwrap the cloth, the owner suddenly flared up.
“Hey! Where do you think you’re unwrapping that dirty cloth!”
Just then, Mu-gyeong, who had been outside, stepped inside. He said he’d be out quickly and told me to wait… Ho-yeon thought to himself.
“Are you companions?”
“He is my younger brother, but I am the only one with business with the owner.”
At Ho-yeon’s answer, the owner scanned their attire once more and clicked his tongue. Seeing the owner’s arrogant gaze toward Mu-gyeong, Ho-yeon worried that a sword fight might break out. While Mu-gyeong had his eccentricities, he wasn’t the type to kill indiscriminately.
Ho-yeon turned his head and looked up at Mu-gyeong. Only a dark shadow cast over his face beneath the bamboo hat; there was no particular change in his expression. Fortunately, it seemed he didn’t need to worry about a sword fight. Mu-gyeong had even left his sword in the carriage.
“It would have been a disaster if you had more business here.”
“Owner, let me give you one piece of advice. If you continue to live your life judging only by appearances, you will find yourself in great trouble.”
If he finds out he is the Young Master of the Demonic Shadow Martial House, how will he handle the aftermath? Ho-yeon spoke in a stern tone.
The owner, now wondering if the two were merely servants on an errand for some high-ranking master, checked the silk inside the cloth with only a slight frown. As if he hated even touching it, he used a wooden measuring ruler to flick the long robe upward.
As the sleeves of the sky-blue silk robe unfurled, a vivid pattern resembling a flowing cold current was prominently revealed. The owner unconsciously blinked his half-open eyes several times.
At a glance, it was clear that the embroidery had been done with thread mixed with pearl powder, and every wave looked as if it were alive. The luster was so vivid and bursting that the other silks on the display seemed to lose their light.
Not only that, but the silk hair ribbon atop the robe also featured a vivid pattern, like a swirling jade-colored blue wave.
“Please check the golden garment as well.”
At Ho-yeon’s words, the owner, who had been mesmerized by the silk, checked the golden garment beneath the robe with both hands. Snow lotuses, resembling small white snowflakes, were embroidered throughout the golden garment.
“If you have an eye for quality, you will know exactly what this is.”
“Hmm, the silk is indeed a fine item, but the skill of the embroiderer is quite lacking.”
The owner knew that his own skills couldn’t even reach the toes of the person who embroidered the snow lotuses, but he decided to act brazenly.
“I see now that you are someone who cannot even see the surface properly.”
Ho-yeon’s drooping eyes suddenly sharpened. His polite tone vanished, and he took off the bamboo hat as if it were cumbersome, hanging it around his neck. Then, he snatched the robe away from the owner.
“The thread used for the wave patterns on this robe and hair ribbon is no ordinary silk thread. It is thread extracted from the cocoons of a thousand-year-old mulberry tree mixed with pearl powder; when it catches the moonlight, it produces a mysterious glow like the waves of the North Sea.”
Slam! Ho-yeon struck the table with his hand.
“Not only that! The technique used in this golden garment is none other than dragon spring silk embroidery! If you knew of dragon spring silk embroidery, you wouldn’t be able to say such a thing. It is the culmination of embroidery techniques passed down secretly within a great merchant family, utilizing extreme precision to express a living snow lotus.”
The owner stared blankly at Ho-yeon, who was pouring out words without taking a breath. Having been dazed since Ho-yeon took off his hat and revealed his face, the owner finally shook himself awake.
Even if Ho-yeon hadn’t heaped such grand praise on the item and had simply said, ‘It is a good item,’ the owner would have more than acknowledged it as a magnificent piece. Such was the power of Ho-yeon’s appearance. How could such a peerless beauty be a mere servant to someone?
Looking again, the large man standing behind him like a mountain seemed to be a bodyguard. Though his face was hidden by the bamboo hat, the aura he emanated was extraordinary.
“Fi-fine! While you are a bit exaggerated, I shall pay a proper price for the item. One tael of silver! Any more than that would be difficult for me.”
“Very well.”
When Ho-yeon answered readily, the owner’s face brightened.
“If it’s difficult, then you should just stop. I’ll go elsewhere.”
Though Ho-yeon played hard to get, he didn’t pack up the silk clothes. In short, it was a battle of nerves with the owner.
Watching this scene, Mu-gyeong realized for the first time in a long while that when absurdity exceeds a certain point, a bewildered sneer leaks out. He had come inside to see what on earth he was doing in a silk shop, only to find him selling the clothes Mu-gyeong had worn from the North Sea.
To be honest, he had thought Ho-yeon was getting new silk clothes because the traveling gear he was wearing was so worn out. The sight of him bargaining stubbornly with such a clear, innocent face was truly a sight to behold.
“Two taels!”
The owner spread two fingers wide.
“I told you I’d just go somewhere else.”
Asking where he could possibly go, the owner handled the silk clothes very delicately and hung them on a clothing rack.
“Exactly how much do you want? Please, My Lady, make an offer first.”
Something caught his ear even before the suddenly polite tone. My Lady? Ho-yeon scoffed.
“Is there a woman with such a sturdy build?”
Even from the voice alone, it should have been clear he was a man, but the owner seemed to be deaf as well as blind. Feeling that this would be a long negotiation, Ho-yeon turned his gaze toward Mu-gyeong. Then, he nodded as if to say, ‘Trust me.’
“Young Master Mu-gyeong, please step outside for a moment.”
At that moment, Mu-gyeong gathered the clothes and the hair ribbon from the rack.
“One hundred taels.”
The owner was speechless at the enormous sum Mu-gyeong mentioned, and so was Ho-yeon. Ho-yeon quickly approached Mu-gyeong and shook his head.
It seemed Mu-gyeong had stepped in to help with the bargaining, but if he suggested an absurd amount of money, the deal would collapse rather than be negotiated. Ho-yeon intended to receive exactly four taels, so he tried to take the clothes back from him. However, Mu-gyeong unfurled the robe and whipped it around Ho-yeon’s body.
Because he held both sides of the collar, it looked as if Ho-yeon were being pulled by Mu-gyeong. For a moment, Ho-yeon placed both hands on his chest, only to pull them away as if burned by lava.
Not just the feel of the silk, but Mu-gyeong’s body temperature felt through the fabric was hotter than that of any other person. The warmth he felt in the cave had not been an illusion.