SYM 26

“So, this… this is definitely not going to be a problem, right?”

The man lowered the large sack from his shoulder. He kept glancing around nervously while speaking, appearing quite anxious.

The one receiving the sack was a short man. He must have had martial arts training, as he effortlessly lifted the heavy sack and checked its contents. The man had noticeably mismatched eyes, and when he smiled, lifting the corners of his mouth, his appearance became even more sinister.

“It really is Namgung Eun-hyeon. The Young Master of the Namgung family. I wasn’t sure since I never expected to see him in such a place.”

“I told you I confirmed his name. Beauty like that isn’t exactly common. You’re just too suspicious… Anyway, this really won’t be a problem, right?”

“It’s better to be sure about these things. Besides, Mr. Jang, why are you so anxious? How did you manage to do this work all this time being such a coward?”

Mr. Jang bristled at the cross-eyed man’s mocking words.

“This is different from what we usually do! We’re dealing with the Namgung family!”

When saying “Namgung family,” Mr. Jang unconsciously lowered his voice and glanced around. The cross-eyed man cackled at his behavior.

“Mr. Jang, you’re built like a bear but have the guts of a chick. Don’t worry. Even though he’s the Namgung family’s young master, they disowned him long ago. They might just pretend to look for him without really trying. We just couldn’t get to him before because he never left the house.”

The cross-eyed man clicked his tongue at Mr. Jang and pulled Eun-hyeon out of the sack. Despite Eun-hyeon being completely limp and unconscious, the cross-eyed man easily lifted him like a child and placed him in a wooden box.

“How much of the drug did you give him? When will he regain consciousness?”

“I used what we always use. I increased the dose a bit, so he might be out for two days.”

“Hmm, the buyer will want to check the merchandise’s condition, but he should wake up by then. Understood.”

The cross-eyed man looked at Eun-hyeon’s unconscious face and threw a small pouch to Mr. Jang. It made a heavy clinking sound.

Mr. Jang opened the leather pouch and grinned. It was indeed an amount worth the risk.

The moment he confirmed the contents of the pouch, his lingering unease instantly vanished.

“Worth the risk. Hehe, I’ll be leaving Hefei for a while.”

“Where to?”

“Now that I have money, I’m heading to Hangzhou to gamble a bit.”

“Ah right, gambling is your hobby. I’ll be leaving Hefei for a while too. When I return to Hefei, I’ll contact you. See you then!”

The cross-eyed man put on a black robe, placed the box containing Eun-hyeon on a wooden carrier and tied it securely.

Since they weren’t close to each other, they went their separate ways without another word.

The cross-eyed man and Mr. Jang had been involved in human trafficking in Hefei for quite some time. Mr. Jang would secretly bring people targeted by the cross-eyed man, who would then sell them.

They usually kidnapped people who wouldn’t be missed, those who wouldn’t cause problems later. However, sometimes when commissioned, they would kidnap children from wealthy families or married women.

Namgung Eun-hyeon was such a case.

In fact, Namgung Eun-hyeon had been listed at a high price in the black market. Looking exactly like the most beautiful person in the world, disowned by his family, and too weak to learn martial arts – many were interested in him. The only reason no one had succeeded until now was that Eun-hyeon never left his family compound.

The buyer the cross-eyed man intended to sell Eun-hyeon to was a wealthy merchant from Hangzhou. This merchant was notorious for his perverted interest in young men.

The cross-eyed man knew how long the Hangzhou merchant had been obsessively targeting Eun-hyeon. If Mr. Jang had known how much money the cross-eyed man was actually aiming for, he wouldn’t have settled for just that one pouch, no matter how cowardly he was.

“Hmm-hmm, with the money from this, I can live carefree for years. The Young Master is a real lucky charm, indeed.”

The excited cross-eyed man sang a strange tune as he rode his horse with the box on his shoulder.

Hangzhou was more than four days’ ride from Hefei, even when riding non-stop.

While such cargo would normally require a carriage, the cross-eyed man chose to ride horseback through mountain paths. He had secured the fastest and sturdiest horse he could find.

While the cross-eyed man was riding happily, Eun-hyeon regained consciousness.

Thanks to his recent internal energy training, he woke up earlier than Mr. Jang had expected.

“Ugh… what happened here?”

My head was throbbing and the swaying made me feel like throwing up.

After a while, Eun-hyeon realized he was trapped in a wooden box that felt like a coffin. It was so narrow and stuffy that breathing was difficult.

Eun-hyeon tried pushing the wooden box with his hands and kicking it with his legs. But despite looking shabby, it was surprisingly sturdy and wouldn’t budge at all.

“Ugh…”

The horse that had been running stopped, seemingly noticing Eun-hyeon’s movement.

“W-who’s there? Please let me out. Urk.”

As soon as Eun-hyeon finished speaking, the wooden door flew open.

Suddenly, light poured in. Eun-hyeon covered his eyes with his hands.

“Ah, that Jang fellow, really. Did he not use the drug properly? I should never work with him again. He shouldn’t be conscious yet…”

“Huk.”

Eun-hyeon took rough breaths. The fresh air made him feel alive again.

“Who are you…?”

“Hah. How annoying.”

Eun-hyeon’s face hardened as he saw the man with the mean-looking face. Though small in stature, the man had a sturdy build that suggested he was a first-class martial artist.

It seemed he had been kidnapped by this man.

Eun-hyeon quickly circulated his qi to check his body’s condition. While there wasn’t anything specifically wrong, his condition was worse than usual after losing consciousness from the strange drug.

With his body in this state, it seemed impossible for Namgung Eun-hyeon to escape from this man.

“If I stay still, couldn’t you please let me out of this box?”

Eun-hyeon spoke in the weakest voice he could manage. However, the cross-eyed man only looked him over once without responding. His eyes were emotionless as if he didn’t see people as human beings.

“If I die, won’t that be trouble for you too? Not to brag, but I’m not in good health so in a place like this…!”

Instead of letting Eun-hyeon out, the cross-eyed man shoved something into his mouth.

Then he tied the gag so tightly that the strap left red marks on his face and closed the wooden lid.

Damn it. I should have just stayed quiet without making any sound.

Eun-hyeon felt belated regret.

Being transported in a wooden coffin was absolutely the worst. No matter how much he tried to circulate his qi and calm himself, the shaking was so severe he couldn’t do anything.

His weak body got scraped and bruised everywhere from hitting against the wooden coffin. Most likely, when he got out, his entire body would be covered in black and blue marks.

Who could have done this?

Who would dare kidnap the young master of the Namgung family in Hefei?

Could it be Madam Hwang’s people?

How much time has passed?

Whether it was because the drug’s effects still remained in his body, Eun-hyeon lost consciousness several times inside the coffin. Because of this, he had no idea how much time had passed.

When the man finally met his buyer, he placed Eunhyeon’s box down on the ground.

“Oh my, Sir. You came all the way here?”

“Well, after receiving such news, how could I sit still? Let me see! Is it in there?”

Yeo Sosan, known as the wealthiest man in Hangzhou, had received word through his messenger pigeon that his long-standing wish was finally fulfilled. Unable to contain himself after hearing the news, he had gathered his servants and came to the arranged meeting spot personally.

“Oh! Q-quickly, open it!”

At Yeo Sosan’s urging, the cross-eyed man opened the coffin lid.

This wasn’t an ordinary box. Though it looked plain on the outside, it had been specially crafted. The wood had been treated with anesthetic during processing, and both interior and exterior were treated with drugs to prevent even the Thousand-Li Fragrance from tracking it. It was made specifically for kidnapping.

“Ohh! Indeed, indeed! The most beautiful being under heaven!”

Eun-hyeon blinked with the gag still in his mouth.

Before him stood an enormously fat man whose ability to move his own body seemed miraculous.

The man turned Eun-hyeon’s face left and right, examining him all over while clapping his hands and nodding his head.

“Excellent, excellent! These pure eyes, this innocent face! Ah, far more splendid than I imagined. Here, here’s the promised down payment.”

When Yeo Sosan held something out, the cross-eyed man quickly took and pocketed it.

“It’s all in gold ingots.”

“Thank you, Lord Yeo!”

Yeo Sosan made a dismissive gesture to the man who had bowed his head.

The cross-eyed man hesitated for a moment looking at the gold notes in his pocket, then approached Yeo Sosan.

“My lord, perhaps you should use this coffin until you reach a safe place? Though it looks ordinary, it can even evade the Thousand-Li Fragrance tracking…”

“Bah! I’d never leave my doll in a place like that. What are you all waiting for? Load him into my carriage at once!”

The cross-eyed man had made the suggestion to repay Yeo Sosan’s generous payment, but Yeo Sosan firmly refused and pulled Eun-hyeon out.

“Ah, truly beautiful. I can’t wait to dress him in the clothes I’ve collected! I’ve gathered so many outfits that would suit the young master. With just a little decoration, he’ll be even more beautiful than the most beautiful being under heaven!”

Eun-hyeon felt dizzy.

He didn’t know what exactly Yeo Sosan had prepared, and frankly, he never wanted to find out.

“Look at this! Do you like it? I was so eager that I brought a few pieces to dress you in on the way! It will suit you perfectly!”

Yeo Sosan displayed a piece of clothing in front of Eun-hyeon. It was a woman’s garment made of semi-transparent fabric.

Just as Eun-hyeon’s face turned pale at the sight of that clothing—

Whoosh—

A short dagger flew through the air, tearing the clothes Yeo Sosan was holding and embedding itself in a tree.