Beyond the Cage
Seeing his unvarnished, proactive attitude, Jekyeong could not help but reconsider this fellow—too large to be called a boy, yet too small to be called a man. Until now, he hadn't thought much of him. Just a tool that had proven useful once? But the passionate attitude the boy was showing now was by no means a lie. This young fellow clearly harbored a deep affection for him and was practically bursting at the seams to express it. Jekyeong could guess the psychology of this boy, who was too large to be a child and too small to be a man. The brilliant light of yearning in his eyes was so distinct that it would have been harder to miss than to see.
"You volunteered for the patrol?"
"Yes, Lord Dragon."
"Impressive, considering your youth."
"Ah, no, not at all!"
Jekyeong conversed with Han Cheongyu off and on as they traveled, and through these exchanges, his suspicions solidified into certainty. This boy was special. He was someone who could fearlessly display what everyone else vaguely wished for but dared not show. The incident with the Heuk-gyo-bang was a prime example. There was a deep-seated grudge, and there was Jekyeong's temptation, but at the same time, there was an even deeper shadow of fear. Overcoming such fear and taking action was not something just anyone could do.
"I am clumsy when dealing with the Human Race. I intend to tour the islands of my water territory. Can you assist me?"
"O-Of course!"
Strictly speaking, he was taking on a burdensome and potentially dangerous task, yet Han Cheongyu rejoiced as if he had received some grand gift. Watching him, Jekyeong nodded inwardly.
Jekyeong took Han Cheongyu with him on a tour of the islands in the Heukgyo Water Territory. However, this short journey met with a minor accident right at the start. Jekyeong had intended to move in his true form as usual, and out of habit—just as he did when traveling with Hyeongu—he opened his massive maw... only for Han Cheongyu, seeing this right in front of his face, to faint on the spot.
Faint-hearted fool.
Since Jekyeong's Presence-Concealing Technique was flawless, this could only be attributed to the boy's overly vivid imagination. Fortunately, Han Cheongyu soon regained consciousness and repeatedly apologized to Jekyeong, deeply ashamed of his weak heart. Jekyeong barely listened to the apologies and placed the boy on his neck. Han Cheongyu was horrified, stammering about how he could possibly ride upon the body of the Lord Dragon, but when Jekyeong insisted, he had no choice but to comply.
After that, everything went smoothly. Han Cheongyu occasionally fainted from being unable to withstand Jekyeong's sheer speed, but such minor hiccups did not hinder their tour of the water territory in the slightest. They covered a distance that would have taken over a month by ordinary boat in a mere three days. This was even with Jekyeong moderately holding back his speed for Han Cheongyu's sake.
"You humans are truly impoverished."
When they finished gathering harvests from their tenth island, including Sam-wa-do, Jekyeong could not help but sigh.
"Impoverished..." Han Cheongyu muttered blankly. "Yes. It seems so."
Poverty was a concept Han Cheongyu had never really pondered. Wealth and poverty were things one could neither know nor feel without comparison. The only world he had ever seen was the Heukgyo Water Territory, and even then, mostly just the single island of Sam-wa-do. How could he possibly comprehend what wealth or poverty meant? Since the Lord Dragon said they were poor, he simply accepted that they must be.
Observing Han Cheongyu's nonchalant reaction, Jekyeong solidified his impression of the humans in the Heukgyo Water Territory. They were frogs in a well, birds in a cage. Having been trapped in their narrow world for too long, their internal confinement had morphed into a sense of cozy security, and their curiosity about the outside world had curdled into fear.
Unless an outsider comes to stir the winds, they will continue to live exactly like this for a hundred, even a thousand years.
Of course, there were always exceptions. Jekyeong did not believe that Han Cheongyu was the only special one among the hundreds of thousands of humans living in the Heukgyo Water Territory. Given the opportunity, there would surely be quite a few who would bravely leap out of the well, out of the cage.
"Do you know what this is?" Jekyeong asked, tapping the Ok-gan he had just collected. Han Cheongyu glanced at the characters written on the surface of the jade slip and replied.
"It is the Baekcho-gyeong."
"Not just the title. I am asking if you know what contents are recorded within."
"That... I do not know."
Of course he wouldn't. The contents of a jade slip could not be verified from the outside.
"It contains records of all kinds of medicinal herbs. Their appearances, names, and usages. It is truly knowledge as precious as treasure."
This Baekcho-gyeong was the greatest—and indeed, the only—significant harvest they had gathered from touring the ten islands. Despite its name, the herbs it covered ranged from the common to the exceedingly rare, numbering well over several thousand species. Furthermore, the corresponding usages for each herb were diverse and detailed, making such knowledge highly worthy of being recorded in a jade slip.
"Yet, this treasure is utterly useless here."
"Why is that, Lord Dragon?"
"Because not a single one of the thousands of herbs recorded here can be found in this place."
Han Cheongyu's eyes widened. Jekyeong watched the boy's mouth twitch a few times before his complexion darkened, then casually tossed out a remark.
"Do you wish to go outside?"
"Pardon?"
"As it happens, I have need of some hands. To go to the Human Territory and procure a few items. Since there are too many complications for me to venture out personally, I need people to go in my stead."
Hearing those words, Han Cheongyu's breathing grew ragged.
In truth, Han Cheongyu was not the most suitable errand boy. This was because he had no lingering attachments. Once he beheld a wider, more prosperous world, would he ever return to this small, shabby well? If he had family on Sam-wa-do, he might, but unfortunately, the boy was entirely alone in the world.
Therefore, Jekyeong did not expect Han Cheongyu to faithfully complete the mission. What he expected from him was merely to act as a catalyst. He hoped that the courageous and motivated Han Cheongyu would take the lead in gathering other errand boys and taking the first step. Even if only three or four out of ten who left actually returned, Jekyeong would be satisfied.
"I wish for you all to be slightly more useful."
Jekyeong fabricated a plausible excuse for this "errand." He instructed Han Cheongyu and the others to obtain cultivation techniques and auxiliary arts for the humans of the Heukgyo Water Territory. To ensure this did not look like an overly generous act of charity, he added a few sharp words.
"I have no need for mere fish or weak, insignificant Yao. If you wish to continue living in my waters, prove your worth."
Jekyeong hoped this would be perceived as a forward-looking investment. Fortunately, the ignorant frogs in the well seemed to fall for his words hook, line, and sinker.
"We will absolutely not disappoint you, Lord Dragon!"
Even the ignorant commoners born and raised on a tiny island knew a thing or two, and cultivation was one of them. After all, they too were part of the cultivation world. Moreover, having suffered under the oppression of the Heuk-gyo-bang, it was only natural for them to dream of higher realms and greater strength. In the past, that dream had been nothing but a delusion, but from now on, it was different.
"This really... feels like a dream."
Leaving the Heukgyo Water Territory behind, Han Cheongyu and his companions marveled continuously as they took in the vast expanse of Yang-seo-ho. It was all the same water of Yang-seo-ho, so how different could it really look? Yet, at this moment, it appeared entirely different to their eyes.
"We must keep our wits about us. We have to be careful of outsiders. Do not forget the Heuk-gyo-bang."
At Han Cheongyu's warning, everyone's expression hardened. The very name of the Heuk-gyo-bang sent a chill through their hearts.
"Indeed."
"We must be careful. This is a mission entrusted to us by the Lord Dragon. We cannot afford even the slightest negligence."
The title they had previously forced themselves to use out of fear now rolled off their tongues naturally, born of genuine sincerity. They were truly grateful to the Lord Dragon. It did not matter that the Lord Dragon was a ferocious Yao. While their fellow humans, the bandits of the Heuk-gyo-bang, had treated them like livestock, the Yao Lord Dragon had not only rescued them from oppression but had also opened the gates to a new world, even trusting them with precious Spirit Stones. They rejoiced in this grace and trust, while simultaneously fearing they might ruin the task.
"Keep this in mind. We must speak little and never look suspicious. And..."
Atop the swiftly moving boat, they huddled together, discussing and planning their next steps over and over again.
Jekyeong distributed the remaining two fruits of Muk-su—those left over after his transaction with Gwak Jeong-sin—to Cheongo and Hyeongu. In truth, he had contemplated selling these two as well, but after some deliberation, he decided against it. In his estimation, four was the right number to sell. Though he believed Gwak Jeong-sin was a man who looked at the bigger picture, one could never be too sure. He knew all too well the human obsession with spiritual items, and he did not want to test Gwak Jeong-sin's boundaries even in the slightest.
"How is it?"
"I-It is wonderful. My body feels so at ease. I have never experienced such a sensation before."
Having consumed the Spiritual Fruit, Hyeongu trembled all over, barely able to keep his composure. The sensation of his spiritual nature being purified seemed so ecstatic that he could hardly speak properly.
"For the Lord Dragon to bestow such an undeserved reward upon me... I truly do not know how to express my gratitude."
"Continue to do your best with the tasks I entrust to you. That is enough."
If loyalty could be quantified, Hyeongu's loyalty right now would easily score a 120 out of 100. After sending away Hyeongu, whose eyes sparkled like stars as he pledged his absolute devotion, Jekyeong checked on Cheongo's condition.
"Jekyeong. I'm sleepy..."
Cheongo's reaction was quite different from Hyeongu's. At first, the bird had chirped happily, but soon began blinking sleepily, complaining of fatigue in a fading voice before retreating to its nest.
Why is it different from Hyeongu? Is it because Cheongo has already eaten quite a few of Muk-su's fruits before?
While Jekyeong was left wondering, Cheongo, who had collapsed into a dead sleep in the nest, was having a peculiar dream.
Jekyeong immediately noticed Cheongo's abnormality. First of all, it was sleeping much more. Even when awake, it kept its eyes closed in the nest, as if forcing itself to fall asleep.
"What is wrong with you?" Unable to bear it any longer, Jekyeong finally asked. Cheongo replied in a dazed voice.
"Trying to sleep."
"Why?"