Regressed by the Heavenly Demon - Chapter 4

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This chapter was translated by Lunox Novels. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
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I had been returned to the Heavenly Demon.
Gun Gon (4)
“Surely you don’t mean to take your own life over a mere woman? Please, I beg your forgiveness.”
“A mere woman?”
The Lady of the House waved her hand, and her attendants hastily retreated. Ordinarily motionless, the skeletal Lady of the House shuffled forward like a corpse and stood before me.
“She’s more useful than you. By far.”
Her tone cut like ice.
Well, I had to grant that the Lady of the House had a keen eye for people.
Seol-ha was certainly talented—
I contorted my face, imagining what expression Gun Aseong must have worn.
Childish pride written across every feature.
……
“If you didn’t want to die, you shouldn’t have caused trouble over what this mother craves. Will you bite the hand that feeds you? Because of you, that child might now slip away to anywhere.”
I made my body tremble as though gripped by fear.
Considering whether I should pivot to another plan if necessary.
But my instincts told me not to move hastily.
I waited.
“Listen—if you wish to live, bring me results. You must prove yourself useful before you are my son, and only then will I bury this matter. Otherwise, you will pay the price for killing Gun Gon, whom I had more reason to keep alive.”
It struck me anew.
The Lady of the House’s approach to handling matters suited my tastes rather well.
Be it child or kinship—anything that obstructed her aims was simply removed.
Now I saw it: her methods aligned perfectly with my own sensibilities.
“I… I shall devote all my strength to this, my lady.”
“You have a fortnight.”
……
“Leave my sight. I find you repugnant.”
I rose from my seat in obvious haste, as the Lady of the House desired.
*
*
*
My death proved remarkably quiet.
Even by the following day, no one spoke of my passing, and no preparations were made for my funeral rites.
The Lady of the House’s doing.
It seemed the burnt remains of my residence were simply cleared away, and the corpse masquerading as Gun Aseong was collected as though it were an accident.
I had anticipated as much, and felt little impact from it.
Hwanggeum-jang was never truly my family to begin with.
In the interim, I returned to my quarters.
The second son’s residence.
Far more pleasant.
The moment I sat, my back sank halfway into a luxurious wool chair of fine quality.
From wall to ceiling, everything gleamed with silver.
It was certainly more comfortable and ornate than my previous quarters.
Yet it felt hollow.
Perhaps because Seol-ha, who had kept quiet vigil at my side, was no longer there.
For a time, I resolved to keep away from Seol-ha.
Instead, I gave orders to feign deep focus on cultivation to suppress my sorrow.
Afterward, the Lady of the House would place Seol-ha under her own direct command to use as she saw fit.
If she continued to receive my full support—
Seol-ha would continue her steep ascent, just as before.
Until she hit a wall.
I needed to be prepared to offer aid before that moment arrived.
Now then, having secured the position of second son, shall I truly enjoy myself?
*
*
*
Hwanggeum-jang contained numerous offices and organizations, and each of the master’s sons had his own enterprise to oversee.
Save for me—a child of the concubine chamber.
In any case, naturally, each son’s subordinates fell under his command in accordance with his assigned enterprise.
The second son, Gun Aseong, managed textile shops and luxury goods distributed across various regions.
His primary customers were men of high rank, martial masters, and wealthy merchants.
The Geumhwa-bu is the organization that oversees all of them within Hwanggeum-jang.
“Recently, bring me the transaction ledgers.”
At my command, the acting chief of the Geumhwa-bu entered the room.
An elderly man named Jun-pyo bowed respectfully to me and handed over the ledger.
I already knew this man’s background.
Under Lady of the House’s tacit permission, he was the one who managed Gun Aseong’s separate funds within Hwanggeum-jang.
He was the actual power within the Geumhwa-bu.
The problem was that he didn’t have his fingers in just the second son’s pie alone.
He took secret orders from the first son and monitored and exploited the second son’s movements.
“Here are the ledgers, sir.”
I barely glanced at the ledgers before opening my eyes wide.
“You’ve heard the rumors, haven’t you? I beat Gun Gon to death, just like that.”
“A bold decision, worthy of admiration.”
“Right? But that bastard’s caused me quite a mess, even in death. Annoying fellow, troublesome even after the grave.”
……
“Anyway, I need results now. I have to show Mother something to prove myself. Is there anything useful?”
The second son spent his time playing polo at the polo grounds and frequenting the underground gambling den he’d secretly established for his numerous affairs.
By pressing this man, I could find out what resources might be useful for my purposes.
Jun-pyo leaned in close to me, lowering his voice.
“What if you purchased land using the funds you’ve accumulated in the underground gambling den?”
“Land?”
I asked as though I didn’t know.
“The funds you’ve been gathering are quite substantial. Enough to purchase roughly a thousand acres of land on the outskirts of Seongdo.”
“What would I do with that?”
“This is information I just obtained—a rare herb called Chilseong Dansam has been discovered near Cheonsan, east of Seongdo. You could purchase the discovery site and surrounding land beforehand, and when rumors spread, profit handsomely from the inflated value.”
The scheme was to inflate the land price through false rumors and reap substantial profit.
It wasn’t bad.
What mattered was that I wasn’t seizing the second son’s position simply to earn Lady of the House’s approval.
Of course, I had to appear that way on the surface.
“That’s too weak. I need to show Mother something far more impressive.”
“Then what…….”
“Drain every last coin from my gambling den. Every copper, whether it exists or not—scrape it all together. And sell off everything in this room that can fetch a price.”
“And after that…….”
I could sense Jun-pyo’s bewilderment at my sudden shift, the composure he’d built through years of accumulated experience visibly faltering.
What did it matter—
This man wasn’t even on my list of potential talents to cultivate.
In any case, Hwanggeum-jang would eventually fall because of the turmoil of the chaotic era.
It would simply be dismantled by my hand beforehand.
“Bring it to me. As a promissory note from the Hwangpyo Jeonjang.”
The Hwangpyo Jeonjang was a money house under Hwanggeum-jang.
Even Jun-pyo converting such a large sum of money into a promissory note would warrant caution toward Lady of the House’s scrutiny.
He seemed to be worrying about exactly that.
“I’ll explain it to Mother myself, so don’t concern yourself with anything else and just do as I say. Are we clear?”
At my demand, Jun-pyo’s eyes rolled nervously.
“If I may be so bold as to inquire, might I ask your intentions? Moving such a sum requires…….”
“I told you I’ll explain to Mother separately. So whose eyes do you need to worry about? Are you ignoring my words?”
Jun-pyo bowed his head hastily, beads of sweat forming on his forehead.
“Not at all. I merely wished to be of service to the young master’s intentions…….”
“Just do as you’re told. Don’t test my patience. Would it be better if I burned everything so that you, the mice, and the birds knew nothing?”
Intimidated by my violent tone, Jun-pyo hastily made a show of submission and left the room.
Gun Aseong’s temperament was so volatile and arrogant that it was convenient not to give much reason when speaking and acting as impulse dictated.
Then the outside grew noisy.
A low rumble of voices—
“What is it?”
At my question, the door burst open and a giant a full head taller than me stepped inside.
“Your older brother has arrived, and you don’t even come out to greet him?”
The eldest, Gun Pyeong, appeared with his stubbornly clenched square jaw and an ominous air about him.
At last we meet—
Among the Gun brothers of Hwanggeum-jang, he was the one who had looked down on me most, and now he stood before me.
*
*
*
Gun Pyeong, feet propped on the table, glared at me across from him with an intensity that could bore holes through stone.
“So the fool who’s mad about polo didn’t show up to the tournament—and it turns out you’ve been doing something quite impressive?”
“What’s it to you?”
Ordinarily, Gun Pyeong’s savage presence was enough to keep even Gun Aseong from catching his breath. I followed his lead, keeping my eyes averted as much as I could.
“Heh, any other day I’d beat the manners straight out of you, and hard—but today my mood’s too good to bother.”
……
“Thanks to you, I got my tooth loose. I’m feeling generous enough to let it slide.”
He seemed far too pleased about my supposed death.
Pity, then, that I remain quite alive.
“The steward was sweating bullets when he left just now. What have you been pestering him about?”
“Mother says she’s going to kill me.”
“What?”
“If I don’t produce real results, she says she’s taking my life as payment for killing Gun Gon!!!”
“Oh, excellent. Once you’re dead, the only one I’ll need to worry about is the third son, then?”
“That’s too much.”
“What grand brotherly love exists between us?”
I furrowed my brow.
“Why are you here?”
“To see what you’re up to, and to make you a proposal.”
“A proposal?”
“That girl Seol-ha—the one you’ve had your eye on.”
……
“I’ve decided to take her into my service. It seems to me she’d be far more useful under my command than under yours.”
Perhaps it was inevitable.
For the eldest son, Gun Pyeong, who had to consider the succession rivalry, recruiting talent was as natural as breathing and eating.
“That’s not going to happen.”
He laughed—a sharp, dismissive sound.
Gun Pyeong was laughing at me.
Or rather, at Gun Aseong.
“You don’t have the authority to decide anything. Mother has already approved placing her under my command. This is merely a notification to you.”
“No matter how much of an elder brother you are, Mother would never consent so easily. Seol-ha is talented—Mother covets her too.”
“Hmm?”
“Mother must have told you to get my consent. She never stops testing us—she’ll have ordered you to persuade me and bring back my agreement. I don’t know her reason, but……”
I smiled quietly.
“You need my help, which is why you came here yourself. Isn’t that right?”
Gun Pyeong’s face hardened.
“Clever. Maybe I’ve underestimated you too much. You’re still of our bloodline, after all.”
“So?”
“There’s something you’ve been coveting from me all this time, remember?”
When I said nothing, Gun Pyeong explained himself.
“The precious sword I received directly from Father—the Wol-ha Geom. It’s a treasure blade with Hyeoncheonseok mixed in, worth more than gold. Don’t ask for anything else. This is already more than generous.”
Even with his veiled threat, I shook my head.
“I’m not interested. Forget it.”
“What? Have you truly gone mad?”
Irritation began to seep into Gun Pyeong as his savage nature surfaced.
“Be reasonable. Don’t get beaten by me until you’re begging for your life.”
“Whether Mother kills me or you do—what’s the difference? If I die, you won’t get what you want.”
“Your spirits are high today—bold, even. So what is it you want? Some other prize?”
“Just now I gave orders to exchange all my wealth for promissory notes from this establishment.”
“What? Puh-hahaha. You’ve completely lost your mind. What, are you going to become a monk?”
“What do you think I’m going to do?”
“What could you possibly do? If you weren’t my brother, you’d have died by my hand just like Gun Gon.”
I drove my blade home calmly against his open mockery.
The one thing Gun Pyeong hated most: being robbed of what he owned.
“Brother, you’re short on cash right now, aren’t you? You’ve spent it all on the silver mine excavation rights auction recently.”
……
“If I corner the supply of Gyeol-un Po materials for winter transport and cheap bolts of cloth, what do you think will happen to you? It would be fatal.”
And it would be, since Gun Pyeong’s business interests—minerals, salt ponds, weapons—all depended fundamentally on transport.
Especially sensitive minerals required protection from winter moisture and cold air.
Heh—
Gun Pyeong, sensing something off in my laughter, let out a shout that transcended mere irritation into genuine anger.
“You! How dare you come at your older brother like this! Should I beat you like a dog? Do you think Mother would simply stand by and watch? This would bring nothing but loss to the household!!”
As he seized my collar, I answered with amusement playing across my face.
“On the contrary, you’d end up asking Mother for help after I thrash you. That would leave quite an impression, wouldn’t it? I doubt that’s what Mother hopes for from me.”
Now my eldest brother would have no choice but to accept my proposal.
What remained was to extract from him something I absolutely had to possess while Hwanggeum-jang still existed—something only he held.
He held it in his hands.
Though he likely didn’t understand its true value.

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This chapter was translated by Lunox Novels. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
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