A Fat Purse for the Road to Kaifeng
The old man looked like he was carrying a mountain of worry on his back as they prepared to leave for Kaifeng. “Take care of yourself, no matter what happens. I’ve packed some travel money, so make sure you never go hungry.” He held out a pouch. When Cheong opened it, the inside gleamed with nothing but bright yellow gold.
“Whoa. If this is ‘just a little,’ how much is ‘a lot’? I’ll use it well. Thanks.”
“For you, this really is a little. Always take the best room and order the most expensive dishes. You have to flaunt your luxury so others don’t dare look down on you. It’s a trip, so don’t bother being frugal. Sleep when you want to sleep, play when you want to play.”
That was usually the exact opposite of what people said, but the advice carried weight when it came from someone handing over a fat stack of gold. And he wasn’t done adding to that weight.
“Just in case, I prepared some promissory notes. Each one is worth one guan of gold, so don’t even think about pinching pennies.”
“Old man, where did you get all this money?”
“Operating expenses for the company.”
It was the most shameless embezzlement declaration she had ever heard.
“Huh? You can just give it to me?”
“Once a business really starts running, blind money tends to sprout up from somewhere. If it goes under, the business goes under—not me.”
“Whoa. You’ve turned into a real CEO.”
Back when they were in Sichuan, Choe-ri-ong hadn’t known how the Divine Cult would respond either. But now that he did, the cult’s wealth was essentially Cheong’s wealth.
Then the old man launched into a long string of nagging. “If you get dragged into pointless fights, don’t leave anyone breathing. Handle it cleanly and cut the problem off at the root. And watch out for any bastards who act too friendly. If it comes down to it, just brand them as lechers and deal with them. No one will raise a fuss.”
“Aigoo, old man. What am I, a child? I already know all that.”
“I’d love to go with you, but the senior was right. An old man tagging along would only be a burden.”
“Honestly, I don’t really care. Just take care of your own grudges yourself. If you want to come, then come.”
Choe-ri-ong gave a pleased smile at that.
“It’s not like you have to hold onto it forever. Time will take care of it naturally. No need for this old bag of bones to act like some hot-blooded kid. Don’t worry about me—just go and enjoy yourself.”
“Who’s worrying about you? If you’re such a high-level expert, worry about keeping your own house in order first.”
Only then did Gyeon Po-hui return. She announced that the disguise for the trip to Kaifeng was ready, then immediately came out carrying the luggage. There was no reason to linger any longer.
“Oh, right. Didn’t you say you were going to live in hiding? Isn’t the Seolga Trading Company a bit too conspicuous? Are there that many people named Seol?”
“Now that I think about it, I haven’t actually committed any crime. Why should I live in hiding?”
For the record, Seolgajik had originally belonged to a branch sect of the Northern Ice Palace. He had turned his master, seniors, and juniors into a sea of blood, burned the building down, stolen the secret manuals, and fled. From his perspective, his methods had been a little excessive, but it was nothing more than justified revenge. He had only hidden because he feared the Ice Palace’s pursuers. Now that he had a powerful backer, he planned to enjoy everything life had to offer.
Cheong had roughly assumed he had killed a few of the people tormenting him and run away. She hadn’t realized he had burned the entire foundation to the ground.
“Good thinking. If the greatest mind in the area stays hidden in some corner, it’s a loss for the entire Murim.”
“I’ve always thought this, but calling someone the ‘greatest in the area’ feels a bit… vague, doesn’t it?”
“What, are you looking down on the area? And are you seriously asking me to praise your own face? The Seolga Company is still at the local level, so grow it properly.”
With that, Cheong waved her hand and left with a great deal of noise.
Choe-ri-ong, who had come out to see her off, poked Seolgajik in the side and said, “Right. Let’s go. If you want to be acknowledged as a greater strategist, you need to grow the company, don’t you? Since things have come to this, you might as well aim to become the greatest mind in the Central Plains.”
“Yes, elder.”
Then Seolgajik suddenly wondered. Just when, and why exactly, had he started being evaluated for his brain?
He had never once considered himself particularly intelligent.
----
The plan was to take a boat to Wuhan first.
On the way to the harbor, Gyeon Po-hui spoke in her usual airy tone. “You know, now that I think about it, I’ve never been on a boat before. Hehe. I’m so excited. Are we taking a really big one? I’ve seen a boat this big before.”
She spread her arms wide, moving them up and down. Dang Nan-a’s eyes sparkled beside her.
“What? You’ve never been on a boat? Then you probably don’t know you have to take your shoes off before boarding, right?”
“Why would you take your shoes off? Your feet would get soaked! I may be an ignorant bitch, but I’m not stupid enough to fall for that. Even a seven-year-old wouldn’t buy that joke.”
“Huh? Is… is it that obvious?”
“Of course. Just look around and see if anyone’s taking their shoes off. Have you ever seen anyone do that, sworn sister?”
“Uh… yeah…”
Dang Nan-a nodded with a sour expression.
“But why does our sworn sister keep sneaking glances over there? What’s so interesting—wow, what on earth did she stuff down her chest?”
“I did not! I wasn’t looking at her chest! Wait, what did she put in there?”
“The shape is exactly like that, isn’t it?”
“I don’t really see it…”
Cheong let out a long sigh. When two idiots were together, there was always a clear winner in stupidity. The sworn sister had already taken this round. Hmm. Is it really okay for a doctor to be like this? Is the medical community of the Central Plains going to be all right?
They bickered all the way to the harbor, where both country bumpkins stood with their mouths hanging open, completely mesmerized by the sight.
Then Dang Nan-a showed off a surprisingly refined side befitting the daughter of a wealthy family. “Hey, let’s take that one. It looks the biggest and fanciest. I’ll pay the fare.”
“Huh? Why would you pay money to ride a boat?”
“You’re teasing me again, aren’t you? If you don’t pay, do they just let you on for free?”
“It depends on the person.”
Cheong grinned, planted both feet firmly on the ground, and thrust her hand into the air.
“Everyone! We have a Dragon King Token right here! Looking for exactly one ship owner willing to legally evade taxes all the way to Wuhan!”
Legal tax evasion! It was the dream of every merchant in the Central Plains.
The Chinese people hated taxes, yet they surprisingly disliked illegal tax evasion even more. That spirit had carried over to modern times in Cheong’s homeland, where the Chinese absolutely did not engage in illegal tax evasion. For one thing, getting caught really meant execution (or purge). Above all, legal tax reduction was possible. After all, who knew where the country’s taxes even went? Instead, offerings to high officials brought massive tax exemptions and additional benefits through connections.
The more taxes you paid, the more you were treated like an idiot, fool, or imbecile. It was a completely different culture from the Korean people, who would praise a rich man who simply paid his legally required taxes as if he were a holy figure from mythology.
Anyway, a fierce competition broke out over who would serve the honored guest.
In the end, the ship owner with a seven-story boat that looked like a dragon palace earned the glorious honor of bowing deeply and attending to the VIP…
For that very reason, Cheong received truly exceptional treatment. They canceled the reservation for the best cabin and paid ten times the penalty fee. Precious liquor and expensive dishes were brought out without restraint. It was hard to tell whether she was on a boat or in paradise.
In reality, the money spent entertaining Cheong was three or four times more than the taxes the owner would have paid. Still, a wealthy ship owner who possessed a seven-story vessel wouldn’t go through all that trouble just to avoid a few taxes. He simply wanted to give a good smack to those annoying waterway bandits who blocked the river with spears, did no real work, and extorted money from passersby.
“Stop right there!”
“You stop! How dare you cause trouble when a guest of the Dragon King Token is aboard!”
“Please pass safely!”
The waterway bandits immediately tucked their tails between their legs and fled. It was the most satisfying moment in the ship owner’s thirty-year career.
The ship owner was happy. Cheong was happy. Even the customer whose reservation had been canceled happily accepted ten times the deposit. Everyone walked away satisfied.
The Dragon King Token had been created for exactly this kind of situation, so it was all part of treating a benefactor properly.
After eating well, playing well, and sleeping well, the boat eventually drifted into Wuhan.
Wuhan wasn’t the name of a single city, but a collective term for the three ports known as the Wuhan Three Harbors.
One of its most famous landmarks was the Yellow Crane Tower restaurant, said to have been built by Sun Quan himself. It had originally been a watchtower. After burning down several times and being rebuilt, it had gradually grown taller until, in the current era, it had become a skyscraper that was always mentioned whenever people discussed the greatest pavilions under heaven.
A massive plaque hung at the very top with the words (初天極目) “The Initial Heaven's Limitless Horizon” carved into it. The plaque had also grown slightly larger each time the original was remade after burning. The first version had been written by Sun Quan himself. It carried the meaning of “I will confirm the end of the Chu kingdom’s sky with my own eyes,” a heroic declaration that compared himself to the Chu Overlord Xiang Yu and was highly praised for its spirit.
It seemed a bit grandiose coming from the chieftain of a primitive tribe whose specialty was eating raw freshwater fish, shouting about his liver, and dying young. There weren’t any particular local specialties, but in the distant future it was fated to become famous as the birthplace of a dangerous disease that would strike the entire world.
In some primitive language, Wuhan could also be read as “Wuhan.” If the Heavenly Killing Star had known that, she might have abandoned her obsession with a single human girl and claimed this city instead.
Anyway, with a heavy purse and Dang Nan-a—who could splurge money at any moment—by her side, Cheong no longer had anything to fear.
The tall golden roof that had been visible from the boat the entire way was one of the most famous restaurants in the world. There was no way she could simply pass it by.
The moment they disembarked, she headed straight for it. If it was reservation-only, too bad. If not, she was ready to pay extra to get a table.
But the Yellow Crane Tower was a world-famous landmark.
“If you’d like to make a reservation, the next available date is in four months…”
“Four months?”
“Or around ten months. Spring and autumn are already fully booked every single day.”
“Ah…”
Well, nothing to be done about that. Surprisingly, Cheong was the type of person who responded to common sense with common sense.
She drooped her shoulders, smacked her lips in disappointment, and took another look at the tower’s impressive height.
Then something caught her eye. A man leaning against the railing on the highest sixth floor, gazing outward.
Inside the veil Cheong wore, a bright smile spread across her face.
Oh. If it’s someone I know, joining their table should be fine, right?