I’m frustrated too.

I got the Black Coin from Mr. Wang, the cloth merchant in Chilgok County, Hubei Province. We got close while I was working as a storyteller. I want to just come clean and spit it all out.

If only there weren’t a reason I couldn’t.

一 I told you how to use the Black Coin, so use it well. But don’t you ever tell anyone where you got it.

I kept the origin of the Black Coin vague because of a promise I made with Mr. Wang.

一 Huh?

一 Some of us just enjoy our brunch and peace in life. I don’t want to get tangled with weirdos again.

一 But if someone asks me where I got it, don’t I have to answer?

一 If you’re going to tell them, give it back.

一 ⊛ Nоvеlιght ⊛ (Read the full story) Hey, come on. No need for that. I’ll keep it. Then what am I supposed to say about how I got it?

一 Don’t worry. Most people won’t even ask and will just do what you want. If someone does ask, just make something up.

“Murong Shintu is my sworn brother.”

Just like you said, Mr. Wang—I made something up.

“You’re saying you’re sworn brothers with Murong Shintu?”

“That’s right. And since we’re sworn brothers, of course I got the Black Coin from him.”

If I really wanted to explain how I got this Black Coin, I’d have to go into all sorts of detail.

How I worked as a storyteller, got close with the cloth merchant, how we hung out, went to the sauna together, ate, drank, all that.

And what would happen then? If it’s Hao Clan, they could easily track down where Mr. Wang lives.

I can’t break my promise with Mr. Wang.

So how do I get out of this?

Sworn brothers.

That magic relationship explains everything without me needing to go into detail. I can handle all of this with that.

Mr. Wang, from now on, we’re best friends. No—best brothers. You didn’t explain everything to me, so don’t blame me later for this.

“What nonsense... Where is Murong Shintu now?”

“That’s none of your business. It’s my sworn brother’s private matter. As his sworn younger brother, I have no intention of telling strangers like you.”

The Hao Clan rebellion from over ten years ago. That was the hint.

I don’t know how Mr. Wang is tied to it, but if he’s been laying low since then, there’s probably a reason.

I don’t know all the details. But there might still be people from that rebellion around, and I can’t trust strangers I just met.

And for all I know, Mr. Wang could’ve been part of that rebellion.

Right now, I’m Murong Shintu’s sworn brother.

I’m not about to put him in danger. This is a good excuse for not answering their questions.

“You don’t even know him? I’ve known that guy for ages!”

So that’s why you recognized the Black Coin. I wondered why you asked when most people wouldn’t. How convenient.

“My sworn brother has left the martial world behind. So I can’t tell you anything.”

Even if this branch leader is tight with Murong Shintu, I’m not telling him anything.

‘In martial arts novels, the guy who spills the identity of a reclusive master always dies first.’

I don’t know why Mr. Wang hid his identity and went into seclusion, but if I blurt it out, it could end badly for me too.

“You really won’t tell me?”

“As his sworn brother, absolutely not.”

Even if I weren’t his sworn brother, I wouldn’t tell you.

It’s basic decency to repay kindness with kindness.

Mr. Wang was kind to me. In this Central Plains full of people who hate black-haired barbarians, where I was living like a damn beggar, he helped me live like a human being again.

And I made a promise to him.

If opening my mouth here puts him at risk, the man who did me a favor, then I won’t say a word.

I may not be some righteous hero from a wuxia novel, but as someone who writes about heroes, I’m not about to break my word.

Better that I claim to be his sworn brother and take all the heat myself.

“You expect me to believe that? Didn’t you just say earlier you were only acquaintances?”

“Would you go around telling people you’re the sworn brother of a thief?”

I’m the sworn brother of a damn thief. Who the hell would brag about that?

“I saw you flinch when I mentioned Murong Shintu. And you expect me to believe you now?”

“I knew he’d done some shady things back in the day, but I didn’t know he had such a big title.”

“Even though you’re sworn brothers?”

Exactly. Because we’re sworn brothers.

“We connected, we owed each other, we got close—that’s why we became sworn brothers. As his younger brother, why would I dig up dirt on him?”

It’s one thing to pick apart a stranger’s flaws. But going around picking on your sworn brother’s flaws? That’s just asking to get cursed out.

Claiming to be sworn brothers gives me a free pass for everything I’ve done.

“You expect me to believe this now?”

Can’t you just take the hint and believe me already?

Yeah, fine, I get it. Just because I said we’re sworn brothers doesn’t mean they’re gonna suddenly fall over themselves going, “Ohhhh, so sorry, brother of Murong Shintu!” That’d be weird. But that’s fine.

“What if I don’t believe you?”

I’ve already got my excuse.

I sat down boldly, staring right at the branch leader.

“What did you say?”

“Prove I’m not Murong Shintu’s sworn brother.”

“What the hell?”

“I brought a Black Coin. You confirmed it’s real. I explained my relationship with the owner. If you still don’t believe me, then you prove I’m lying.”

“You little shit! How dare you talk to the branch leader like that!”

When I flipped the attitude on this guy who looked twice my age, one of the Hao Clan guys behind him yelled out.

“Hey. The grown-ups are talking. Who the hell are you to butt in?”

I gave him a look like, are you kidding me?, and the Hao Clan thug couldn’t charge at me, just glared in frustration.

Frustrated? So what? I’m Murong Shintu’s sworn brother, got it? If your boss has more clout than mine, go ahead and throw your weight around. Otherwise, back off.

“Silence! Now, Kang Yun-ho, are you really telling me to prove it?”

“I’ve said everything I can. I’m the manager of Daseogak, an honored guest of the Sichuan Tang Clan, and the sworn brother of Murong Shintu. That’s me, Kang Yun-ho. If you think I’m not, go ahead and prove it.”

Like some lunatic who just barged into a gangster office unarmed, I said it loud and clear.

I’ve got my justification. I’ve got my backing. Don’t mess with me.

“.......So now you’re just casually threatening me, huh. You think I’m an easy mark because I’ve been polite? This is Hao Clan. Interrogating someone like you? That’s nothing. Got it?”

The branch leader, clearly losing his patience, started throwing veiled threats my way, a faint killing intent in his voice.

Always with the knives, always with the threats. That’s why I can’t stand these underworld types.

“Do it if you want. But you’re taking full responsibility for whatever comes next.”

I’ve stuck my head in the tiger’s mouth too many times to flinch at something like this.

When I stood my ground, the branch leader’s face twisted.

Gotcha, didn’t I?

If I really am Murong Shintu’s sworn brother, you’ve picked the wrong guy to mess with. And he knows I’m a guest of the Tang Clan too.

Worst-case scenario? He might really take the fall for this.

The branch leader had nothing left to say. He just locked eyes with me, a silent, pointless staring contest.

“......Code phrase.”

Then, the pink-haired woman who had been quietly watching—it was the Murong Shintu I knew—finally spoke.

“Code phrase? What are you talking about?”

The branch leader turned to her, confused.

“If that guy really got the Black Coin from him, he would’ve been told the code phrase.”

Does she know it? Mr. Wang said no one would. This just made things easier.

“Code phrase? There’s no code phrase with the Black Coin.”

The branch leader looked baffled and turned to her.

“This one has it.”

She looked at the black coin in her hand with a troubled face.

“You know the code phrase?”

“Yes. Manager Kang, do you?”

“Ask me.”

She stared right at me, bold as ever, then sighed and opened her mouth.

“A night with no moon shadow.”

She gave me the first line, the opening.

Good, she remembers.

“To deliver a flower, a guest shall be sent.”

I answered naturally, just like I was told.

Mr. Wang said no one would know—but maybe he told me just in case I ever met Murong Shintu.

She looked at me, eyes trembling, speechless.

What? Did I get it wrong?

“......Let him go. He really did get the Black Coin from him.”

------------

“I’ll be going now.”

In the end, I managed to leave with an apology. Damn, getting out of Hao Clan is no joke.

“Debt’s paid.”

She muttered curtly as we walked out of the Hao Clan together.

“Thank you, really. But... are you by any chance my sworn brother’s family?”

I already knew, but I asked just to be sure.

“You know who I am?”

Thought so.

Mr. Wang, was Murong Shintu the one you mentioned? The one who had a child with a courtesan when things were going well?

“So I was right. I heard once that he had a daughter. Your hair color’s the same, and you could recognize the Black Coin, so I wondered. Thank you, Lady Ha-yeon.”

I called her by name and bowed politely again.

“That man... Guess he hasn’t forgotten after all. But a courtesan’s birth name isn’t something just anyone can say.”

Not on good terms, huh? I’m not sure exactly what their relationship is, but I can tell she’s not thrilled.

“Then at least tell me your given name.”

A courtesan’s name before she joined the profession is called a hyangmyeong, and apparently, it’s not something to throw around lightly.

“A runaway courtesan... Call me whatever you want.”

“Then I’ll call you Du Eung-hyang.”

I chuckled, half-joking.

“......Just call me Im Ha-yeon.”

“Im Ha-yeon?”

That is the name I knew, but... so Mr. Wang used a fake last name?

“I never used that man’s last name.”

Im Ha-yeon must’ve caught on to what surprised me, because she frowned as she answered.

So she wasn’t married—just a child from a courtesan and her client, huh. Or maybe she just refuses to use it.

“Funny how things turn out. What are the odds that I’d end up saving my sworn brother’s daughter?”

Well, technically, I saved her because I knew she was Murong Shintu.

I put on the surprised face of a Joseon guy finding someone from his hometown in the middle of the Central Plains.

“If it’s a tie to that man, it’s not something I’m happy about.”

Touchy, aren’t we?

“Well, I’m happy about it.”

“......”

When I smiled and said that, she just looked at me in silence, at a loss for words.

Wait a minute.

I said I was sworn brothers with Mr. Wang, right? So that makes Im Ha-yeon... my sworn brother’s daughter.

And just like that, a great idea hit me.

“I know you’re in a difficult situation.”

I opened with that, testing the waters.

“So?”

“I owe my sworn brother a lot. And I’m not the kind of man who can just ignore his daughter when she’s in trouble.”

I’d faked this relationship, so why not build something useful on top of it?

Who knows if she’ll need help or not. But if she’s got the potential to be a true heroine, I need to keep that door open.

So—

“If you ever need help, just knock on the door of Daseogak. As your father’s sworn brother, I’ll always be there.”

Let’s toss out a sweet little bait for now.