Sang San (1)
Thus began our journey to Sang San.
Sang San was a mountain located straight north from here. Yeah, it was close to Beihai, where Gongsun Zan held sway.
Heading back into Gongsun Zan's territory felt a bit dicey... but there was no helping it. By now, Gongsun Zan was probably too busy clashing madly with Yuan Shao to notice us.
'Well, if they come at us, we'll fight.' We had Zhao Yun as a companion, after all. His mere presence was reassuring.
"It's a ways off, but I'll take the easiest route possible," Zhao Yun said, slowing his horse to ride alongside me.
"Yeah, sounds good."
I knew the village's location on Sang San, but the paths were notoriously rough. Better to stick with Zhao Yun's tried-and-true way.
The Kim Squad guys hustled on horseback to keep pace with me. The fact they were tagging along even on terrain like this suggested some basic loyalty had taken root. I decided to view it in a positive light.
'Plus, I split Zhang Jiao's treasure with them last time.' For run-of-the-mill mercenaries, they'd scored a pretty hefty payday—naturally, that bred loyalty.
After half a day at full gallop, we reached Youzhou. Yeah, Youzhou after all this time.
'Fuck, I miss cars.' Right—if we'd had a car, we'd have knocked it out in a single day. But horses were living creatures, so they lagged behind.
Horses could hit near-car speeds at a dead sprint, sure, but they tired fast. And going all-out left you wide open. With ambushes possible anywhere, anytime, a cautious trot while staying vigilant was the smart play.
Youzhou, my second hometown after so long, felt utterly changed in its villages.
"Here, take this!!" "Hey! It's a levy to drive out the traitor Yuan Shao!!" "What're you? Noncooperative? You one of Yuan Shao's dogs or what?"
Soldiers clad in the white armor of Gongsun Zan's forces were beating folks and ripping goods from them.
It showed just how far the proud White Horse Cavalry—once Youzhou's guardians of peace—had fallen. Was it a reflection of that, or just neglect? The white armor was filthy, stained black with grime.
"…."
Zhao Yun's face hardened at the sight. His hand drifted to the sword at his waist.
I grabbed his forearm and shook my head.
"If we kick up a fuss here, it'll put Lord Xuande in a bind."
Youzhou was enemy turf. Starting a brawl with Gongsun Zan's men would only screw us over.
I... had zero interest in wanted posters plastered across the province.
"Mm. You're right." Zhao Yun let out a sigh and turned away.
"Kim Gong speaks true. Let's make haste to the Beihai outskirts. Once there, we're nearly done."
Zhao Yun urged his horse forward, his face heavy with thought.
As we neared Beihai, a staggering sight unfolded.
A colossal fortress loomed, dwarfing Beihai Castle's walls. It vaguely evoked the moving castle from that old story.
'Yeongjeong-ru, huh.'
Even in the game, its majesty overwhelmed, but seeing it live was on another level. No wonder Yuan Shao struggled to topple it.
Back then, history buffs griped about whether such a mega-fortress was feasible in ancient times... but they were clueless.
Pyramids, Qin Shi Huang's mausoleum—they were all built by human hands. Why not this? Just grind enough bodies into it.
Anyone who's done army labor details would get it. No elite engineers required; dump time and manpower, and it'll happen. I didn't even know I could build stairs and drainage ditches until basic training.
Anyway, erecting this behemoth while ignoring the common folk's plight revealed Gongsun Zan's fanaticism.
Even Cao Cao drew flak for being harsh on the masses, but he toed the line. Heavy taxes and tuntian forced relocations earned him hate, but no extralegal looting. Gongsun Zan? Straight-up threw people at construction with zero rules. Pure warlord mentality.
"At this rate, Gongsun Zan is no better than traitors like Dong Zhuo," Zhao Yun sighed.
Mok Lan flinched.
Hey, you're Mok Lan now. Stick to the script.
"...To have served a man like that—a life's regret. Grandmother fretted I was too naive, clueless about the world... she might've been spot on," Zhao Yun sighed.
"Well, Gongsun Zan wasn't always this bad," I said to console him.
"Mm... is that so?" Zhao Yun managed a faint smile.
"Your words always bolster me, Kim Gong." He blushed ever so slightly.
Zhao Yun's smile was lovely. I grinned like an idiot without thinking.
Bu Yong-hwa seized my cheek in a vise grip.
"Exuding that charm again..." She ground it playfully while pressing her body against mine. Hey, quit treating my cheeks like playdough.
The mountain blanketing Beihai like a lid—that was Sang San.
"Tie the horses here; the villagers won't spot them. Tender grass below makes it perfect grazing," Zhao Yun said, securing them with ropes.
"Huh? No more riding?" Gwang Yeom blinked, sniffing out the infantry march ahead.
Sharp kid.
"The path's too rugged for horses ahead; walking's quicker," Zhao Yun said with a smile.
"Uh...."
Chun Seol's face fell at the prospect of manual labor.
"We'll see Grandmother soon enough," the old northerner murmured, gazing wistfully beyond Sang San.
Everyone else seemed fine. Guryeokgo and Gwan Hae looked mountain-ready.
Gwan Hae was already backpacked up, casually ankle-stretching like a pro. His bandit-forged, bronzed physique gleamed. Nice.
"Hyup." I gave the crew a once-over, then nodded down at Bu Yong-hwa.
"Heh." She hopped onto my back with a laugh.
I wrapped her snugly in the prepped cloth like a baby carrier. Hands free now.
"Hehe, feels like I'm your baby." Bu Yong-hwa giggled, peppering my neck with kisses. Wonder if the sweat back there smells...
Thus launched the grand Sang San ascent.
We leaped wildly over rocks where one misstep meant tumbling to oblivion.
"Here—step on the tree...!" Zhao Yun demonstrated, parkouring the dense treeline like a mountain ape.
"Ngh...!" Tough with Bu Yong-hwa strapped on, but I poured every ounce into bounding branch to branch. Combat had honed my core stats—stamina, strength, agility.
"Hah... hah..." "I... I'm dying..."
The Kim Squad trailed, half-dead but hanging in. Training's training.
My stamina EXP ticked up steadily. No wonder the Sang San Zhao clan was stacked—daily grinds like this? Sounded legit.
An hour into what felt like eternal climbing.
Whoosh!! Whish!!
Bushes rustled like a beast on the prowl.
All eyes locked there: a white-haired elder casually hopping boulders at impossible speed—geriatric my ass.
"Ah, Elder!!" Zhao Yun's eyes sparkled.
"Ah, Zhao Yun. Perfect timing." The elder beamed at us.
"Forest's abuzz—outsiders, I take it." His sharp gaze pierced the shaking foliage. Clear foreigner vibes not welcome.
"This is my comrade and righteous wanderer Kim Gong, traversing the Central Plains to avenge his parents!" Zhao Yun grinned, pointing at me.
Yeah, my tale had spread far. Folks this era melted for Confucian filial piety.
"Aah...!"
The elder's eyes widened at me.
"Friends with General Zhao. Heard of his mother's passing—came to pay respects." I bowed properly.
"Hah, Zhao Yun, I fretted over you out there, but you've found fine company." The elder's gaze flicked to masked Mok Lan.
"And some... peculiar sorts."
Sounded like just commenting on the mask, but... felt like he'd pierced her identity.
"To the village, then. Incense awaits." The Sang San Zhao elder composed himself and led with flawless, breath-steady footwork up the slope.
Reaching the tiny Zhao clan hamlet on Sang San revealed a mind-boggling scene.
Thwack!! "Hyah!!"
Kids swung hefty wooden swords, savagely hacking logs with fierce kiai. Terrifying they rang the trunks that hard; more so when some straight-up splintered them.
"Hyah!!" An elder casually bare-knuckled firewood, stacking splits effortlessly.
Folks just ambled the streets, utterly blasé.
"Hubby... scary..." Bu Yong-hwa quivered behind me.
"Yeah, tell me about it."
Recruit this whole village, world unification's a cakewalk. The thought slipped in unbidden.
"To Grandmother's place first." Midway, the elder fixed me with intense scrutiny.
Rub rub.
Then he started groping me like mad.
W-what! Elder! What the—! I nearly squealed like a girl.
"Hmm... finely tempered. Like steel-woven fibers." He kept kneading my muscles, nodding.
"Prime for passing clan arts. And we need a son-in-law..."
His obsessive mutter drifted over.
Speak plainly if you're muttering. Why's everyone Chun Seol-ing it up? New trend?
Knead knead.
Anyway. Elder. Hands off. Starting to creep me out.