Chapter 27
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Translator: 8uhl
Chapter: 27
Chapter Title: Moving Carriage
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The carriage rattled onward.
Inside, Yi Ho-chang gazed at the passing scenery outside as if he were on a leisurely sightseeing trip.
'Can't ride a horse, so I wondered if I'd have to walk...'
He'd initially felt a bit burdened by the idea of being Wi So-so's personal bodyguard.
But that feeling had quickly faded.
After all, thanks to her, he was traveling in comfort.
Wi So-so, who had been watching Yi Ho-chang, spoke up.
"Young hero."
"Yes?"
"What are you looking at so intently?"
"Just enjoying the view outside. The scenery is truly beautiful."
It wasn't empty flattery—it was genuine.
Endless expanses of lush green fields stretched out.
And opening the window let in a rush of fresh air. Who wouldn't love a forest bath like this?
Wi So-so smiled softly at his response.
"Young hero, you've played Go with No Tae-tae before, haven't you? The one who was with the Great Benevolence Gang Leader."
"Yes, that's right. But how did you know that, Escort Leader?"
"She's my grandmother."
Ah, that made sense.
The martial world was such a small place.
To run into that old lady's granddaughter here of all places.
Yi Ho-chang nodded, thinking it was only natural.
But then...
'...Hold on.'
Something felt off.
Setting aside that she was the grandmother, someone who could have a private meeting with Yi Chan-seong wasn't ordinary...
And yet, her granddaughter was the escort leader of Grand Reputation Escort Agency.
'Then, could it be...?'
Yi Ho-chang asked cautiously.
"...By any chance, is your grandmother the head of Grand Reputation Escort Agency?"
"Oh, how did you guess?"
That figured.
He'd had a hunch.
So he'd gone and gotten into debt with someone like that?
As his thoughts reached that point, Yi Ho-chang couldn't help but chuckle.
'Actually, that's great.'
Not just anyone, but the head of Grand Reputation Escort Agency, no less.
Seeing Yi Ho-chang laugh, Wi So-so smiled along with him.
"Most people would be shocked by now, but you're just smiling."
"Haha, well... yeah. It's something to laugh about."
"Oh...? Then how about this? Actually, my grandmother is a Seated Hidden Star. Number 68, to be exact."
Wi So-so said it proudly.
Seated Hidden Star, huh?
That explained why he'd felt a bit intimidated.
Of course, she wasn't on Jo Jung-seon's level.
But her tone brimmed with admiration for her grandmother, so Yi Ho-chang decided to play along and act surprised.
"Ah, no wonder... I see."
"Right? Grandmother still remembers the game she played with you. That's why I was curious about your skill too..."
With that, Wi So-so pulled out a Go board from one side of the carriage and set it up.
It was the kind where the stones locked into place once placed.
She smiled and said,
"Care to teach me a move or two?"
Yi Ho-chang let out a small laugh at her preparedness.
Did she not hear that her grandmother lost to me?
Or did she know and was just curious anyway?
Either way, it didn't matter.
No reason to refuse, and he was bored anyway.
Yi Ho-chang smiled and replied,
"Sure, I'm game."
"You'd better focus. I'm no match for Grandmother, but I play a decent game myself."
"Looking forward to it. You go first."
"Gladly..."
Wi So-so took the first move without hesitation, and for a while, only the clack of stones filled the air.
After exchanging moves for some time, Wi So-so said confidently,
"You're quite good, young hero. But what if I cut here?"
"You can abandon that much."
"Then here?"
"Same there."
Yi Ho-chang smiled as he answered.
Her words and demeanor seemed bold, but her moves were anything but.
'Overly cautious and clumsy.'
Like a kid trying to act tough.
Should he give some advice?
Yeah.
Just a little, indirectly.
Yi Ho-chang phrased it nicely.
"Grandmother's moves were like the sharp tip of a spear, but yours, Escort Leader, seem to prioritize stability."
Wi So-so coughed awkwardly, caught off guard.
"W-Well, there's a saying about tapping the stone bridge before crossing, right? For merchants, nothing's more important than solid profit."
"True, but..."
But Yi Ho-chang's words didn't finish.
Mo Gun-hyeong had appeared just then and knocked on the window.
"Escort Leader Wi, we'll be leaving Shao Xing soon, so stay alert."
With that, Mo Gun-hyeong raised his right hand, showing his sword.
After Shao Xing, it was all mountain roads, so they had to watch for ambushes.
"Squad Leader Yi, protect Escort Leader Wi well."
"Yes, sir!"
"Good."
Mo Gun-hyeong nodded at Yi Ho-chang's response and walked away.
Wi So-so then asked Yi Ho-chang,
"By the way, young hero, are you used to places like this?"
"What do you mean?"
"You seem so calm."
Yi Ho-chang replied nonchalantly, as if it were nothing.
"I'm scared too. But worrying won't make the worries go away."
Wi So-so gave a faint smile at that.
"Come to think of it, I heard there was a scuffle with the escorts before we left."
"Ah, yeah... It got sorted out. Nothing major."
"Is that so?"
But Wi So-so knew the full story.
Still, Yi Ho-chang's straightforward reaction only piqued her interest more.
'I can see why Grandmother praised him so much.'
Thinking that, she stared at him for a moment before playing her next move.
Things stayed peaceful for a while after.
Especially in Zhejiang Province, no fool would dare attack under the Grand Reputation Escort Agency's banner backed by Yi Chan-seong.
Time passed, and the escort caravan entered Anhui Province. It was the fifth day since departure, midday.
Suddenly, the moving carriage came to a halt.
And it stayed stopped for quite a while.
What was going on?
Yi Ho-chang, who'd been waiting, spoke up.
"Escort Leader, I'll step out and check."
Outside, about twenty men were blocking the road.
Bandits?
But they looked too neat for that.
Matching blue uniforms, clean weapons, even riding horses.
Yi Ho-chang asked Mu Cheol-gae,
"Who are they?"
"We've entered Anhui, so the local boss must have come to 'greet' us."
"The boss of Anhui?"
Mu Cheol-gae pointed ahead, where a blue banner fluttered behind the group.
Two characters were emblazoned on it.
Nangong.
The martial clan leading the Five Great Families.
A young man who seemed to be their leader stepped forward.
"I'm Gu Yeong-tae of the Nangong Family. At the Great Benevolence Gang Leader's request, we've come to assist with the escort. Let me meet the escort leader to confirm."
But Bok Jung-ho responded as if he'd never heard of it.
"I'm Bok Jung-ho of Dragon Pearl Gang, handling this cargo's escort. I've never heard anything about this from the Great Benevolence Gang Leader."
"That makes sense. He ordered it in strict secrecy to prevent any info leaks."
Hmm.
Did he plan this far ahead?
Anyone else, maybe not—but Yi Chan-seong? Possible.
Bok Jung-ho, after some thought, called Yi Ho-chang.
"Squad Leader Yi, go ask Escort Leader Wi directly."
Yi Ho-chang nodded and went straight to Wi So-so.
"Escort Leader, did the Agency Head mention anything about Nangong support?"
"Nangong?"
Wi So-so tilted her head, as if hearing it for the first time.
"Grandmother and the Gang Leader are close, so she'd have given word on something this big. But I haven't heard anything."
"Then what do you think of them, Escort Leader?"
"I..."
Wi So-so fell silent at Yi Ho-chang's question.
Pondering, lest a wrong call ruin everything.
As she hesitated, Yi Ho-chang looked her straight in the eye.
"It's fine. We'll all trust your judgment, so give the order freely."
"Young hero..."
Buoyed by his words, Wi So-so spoke with resolute clarity, as if making a grave decision.
"Young hero, even if it's Nangong, I can't trust unverified info."
"Understood."
"But if they really are allies..."
"No, Escort Leader. I trust your judgment."
Yi Ho-chang relayed this quietly to Bok Jung-ho.
Bok Jung-ho nodded, then said to Gu Yeong-tae,
"Then show us proof."
"Proof?"
"Escort Leader said those joining midway would have tokens to verify identities."
Proof.
At that, Gu Yeong-tae's eyes flicked sideways.
Bok Jung-ho quietly clenched his fist upon seeing it.
A tense silence fell between the two sides.
"Kill them! Get the cargo box!"
The fight erupted with Gu Yeong-tae's shout.
"Knew it."
Bok Jung-ho's side countered immediately.
The proof bit was a bluff.
No real way to check, so Yi Ho-chang threw out bait—and Gu Yeong-tae bit.
Clang!
Gu Yeong-tae's sword clashed with Bok Jung-ho's staff.
Unable to withstand the force, the sword flew from his grip. Bok Jung-ho followed with an inner energy-infused strike to the head.
Crash!
Gu Yeong-tae crumpled.
Bok Jung-ho yelled to Yi Ho-chang,
"Squad Leader Yi! Protect the escort leader!"
"Yes!"
The peaceful atmosphere turned to chaos in an instant, filled with clashes and screams.
Yi Ho-chang opened the carriage door, and Wi So-so asked urgently,
"What's happening? Demons?"
"No demonic energy, so probably not. Enemies disguised as Nangong. Prioritize getting to safety first."
As Yi Ho-chang grabbed her hand to pull her out—
Crack!
A massive axe split the carriage in two.
With the carriage gone, a hulking figure wielding the axe appeared behind.
He grinned slyly.
"Ho, you must be the cargo box, judging by looks?"
"Crazy bastard."
Calling someone a cargo box?
Yi Ho-chang quickly pulled Wi So-so behind him.
But the situation wasn't great.
Looking around, Mo Gun-hyeong, who should have been guarding, was already tied up fighting four at once, no spare capacity.
In other words, only Yi Ho-chang could protect Wi So-so.
The axe-wielder eyed Wi So-so and smirked slyly again.
"Kid, you look young. Better scram quick. My mood's about to improve."
With that, he reached for Wi So-so, ignoring Yi Ho-chang entirely.
Or tried to.
If Yi Ho-chang hadn't twisted his arm.
"Argh!"
The man screamed, arm broken.
Yi Ho-chang shoved him back using the twisted arm.
"How's that? Mood better now?"
"You damn..."
The enraged giant switched the axe to his other hand and stood.
Seeing this, Yi Ho-chang grabbed a handful of scattered Go stones from the ground.
He flicked one at the man's groin—striking perfectly where no cup protected.
"Guh!"
The stone hit balls-on.
The man let out an agonized howl and pitched forward.
"Let's move while we can."
"Move where?!"
Damn.
He thought dealing with the axe guy was it, but more had closed in.
Still, Yi Ho-chang calmly flicked another stone.
"Ugh!"
"Ack!"
They were guarding their groins now, so he aimed for faces—dead on.
Not enough to drop them, so he followed with a stone each, then charged in for finishing blows.
It all happened in a flash.
Wi So-so, witnessing it, thought in shock,
'N-No way...'
Such movement at that age?
Snapping out of it, she surveyed the situation.
Thankfully, no enemy reinforcements. Porters and drivers were helping the escorts, overwhelming the foes with numbers.
At this rate, it'd end soon.
Then—
Scraaape!!
Fierce clashing echoed from somewhere.
Turning, she saw Gu Yeong-tae and Bok Jung-ho locked in fierce combat where the sound came from.