Even the Borderlands Have People - 1
The waterfall-type water bandits who'd been imprisoned were released not long after, on the condition that they serve under Gi Gangwang. He'd been coming and going from the prison these past few days, no doubt sincerely persuading them in the process.
'Persuasion with lives on the line is always sincere.' Not Gi Gangwang's life, mind you, but theirs.
"Heh heh, it'll be a lot easier cruising the Yangtze from now on."
Anyway, with a highly mobile punishment squad now in his pocket, Gi Gangwang couldn't wipe the grin off his face. He'd even decided to hand over all the spoils—save for a few pieces of armor and a sturdy wooden ferryboat—to the regional office. Considering he'd been the one to smash the water bandits, this was an extraordinarily generous donation.
In truth, given the kings' level of wealth, the petty loot from some water bandit riffraff probably didn't tempt him much. But there was a world of difference between working for free and getting paid for it.
"Still, Han Un. Are you sure you only want to take that much?"
"Yes, Your Highness. You've earned the greatest merit and suffered through so much already. How could I possibly be greedy when you've taken so little for the regional office's troubles?"
As a bonus, a bit trickled down to me for just holding down the fort nearby. But with my pockets already stuffed from the reward Yangyang Wang had given me in Hubei, I only took a bit of silver and a few swords. I was heading home, but since I'd still be touring the provinces, minimizing baggage made sense.
"Fair enough. A wanderer's pouch gets too heavy, and it just becomes a hassle."
Gi Gangwang knew I couldn't settle down at home, so he nodded matter-of-factly. It stung a little. He could've politely insisted two or three more times out of courtesy, but giving up right away made my situation feel that hopeless.
"So, Han Un. Where to next? Guangxi? Hunan?"
"I'm planning to visit Gansu and Qinghai."
"Kuhahat!"
At that, Gi Gangwang burst out laughing for real.
"Kuh huh hut... Sorry about that. Not a laughing matter, but I can't help it."
Sorry my foot—his face and voice were still cracking up. The pang of sorrow turned to anger. What, was Gansu and Qinghai a joke now? They were legitimate Daesong territory!
'It is pretty funny, though.'
But the anger quickly soured into resignation. Honestly, if a friend told me they were heading to Gansu or Qinghai, I'd probably fail to keep a straight face too. Those places were the back of beyond, outstripping even Yunnan. At least Yunnan bordered Vietnam, a key tributary and trade partner. Gansu and Qinghai had nothing of the sort. They were frontiers held with gritted teeth purely for military reasons.
'We need them to check the Mongols and Tibetans.'
Even if their economic value hovered near zero, we couldn't abandon them. Without Gansu and Qinghai, any western invasion would hit the core Central Plains territories right away. In wuxia terms, it wouldn't be Kunlun Sect eating the first hit when the Demonic Cult invaded—it'd be Sichuan's Tang family or Huashan Sect burning first. The thought alone made my head spin.
'Gotta go.'
So, no matter how remote, I had to show my face in Gansu and Qinghai. Sure, they were barren, sparsely populated blanks on the murim map with few sects to speak of—but two major ones held the line for border defense.
'Gongdong-pa and Kunlun Sect.'
Gongdong-pa, Gansu's premier sect and a founding merit holder. Likewise, Kunlun Sect, Qinghai's top sect with contributions to the founding. Skipping them would be like punching the government's gut when we were already short-staffed. They were already distant from the center with minimal exchange; ignoring them now would turn them into total strangers.
'...Don't wanna go.'
But reason and emotion don't always align. Picturing Gansu and Qinghai's locations in my head made me desperately not want to go. This wasn't some neighbor's backyard—how was traveling from Guizhou to Gansu even feasible? And Qinghai was brutally high-altitude like Tibet, making the journey that much tougher.
"Han Un."
"Yes, Your Highness."
Noticing my grim expression, Gi Gangwang patted my shoulder.
"For a young crown prince to devote himself so to the realm and its people—what greater joy could there be? If I'd had a grandson like you, I could've died content."
His warm encouragement drew a wry smile. Coming from someone who'd already laughed his fill, it didn't console much.
With Gi Gangwang and the branch manager seeing me off, I set out. First, I headed to Guiyang, Guizhou's hub, to greet the high officials. The regional office must've reported ahead, since they knew about the waterfall bandits' extermination, making talk easy.
"For Gi Gangwang himself to personally eradicate the water bandits—it's an honor and a shame. We should've handled it before he had to step in."
"They were slippery as eels. Even His Highness acknowledged their uniqueness, so don't take it too hard."
The prefect seemed a bit bitter, though—less from shame at Gi Gangwang's involvement, more from the wind palm that had smashed straight into the waterfall. After all, when the branch manager had proposed shelling it with cannons, the prefect had shut it down as nonsense. Now a Hwagyeong master's strike had done worse; no wonder he felt uneasy.
Of course, uneasy or not, there was nothing he could do. Who'd criticize a king for smashing bandits?
'Might as well advertise it as the waterfall Gi Gangwang's wind palm pulverized.'
Who knew—after drawing scholars and merchants seeking nature's beauty, it might attract martial artists chasing enlightenment. Plus, the waterfall's looks were surprisingly intact for a direct Hwagyeong hit. No one unfamiliar with its original state would notice a thing.
"The Left Vice Inspector General is right. We shouldn't dwell on the past but strive to prevent it in the future."
With the prefect's forced smile capping our perfunctory chat, that was that. I'd only come for courtesy's sake anyway.
After greetings with him and the other top officials, I headed next to Shunjing Commandery, Nang-jung Wang's base. Since it was on the way, I wanted to confirm the human-faced spider had safely reached its owner.
"Welcome, Left Vice Inspector General."
Tsutsut, tsuzuzut!
And there, in the garden of Nang-jung Wang's residence, was the king feeding the human-faced spider.
'Made it safe.'
I sighed inwardly in relief. Good that the creature had reached its proper owner. Otherwise, I'd have had to hunt another one.
"Thanks to you, Left Vice Inspector General, I get to enjoy this fine specimen. How rare a creature is the human-faced spider."
"It's my honor to provide even a small help to Your Highness."
I bowed my head at Nang-jung Wang's satisfied praise. As expected, it was a prized possession even for him. Worth the capture beyond the border.
Tsuzuzut, tsut!
At that moment, the human-faced spider lifted its front two legs high and waved them side to side—like greeting an old friend with a wave.
"Hoho, looks like it missed you too, Left Vice Inspector General."
I glanced over its form. Even for a spirit beast, a spider's face was unreadable, but its surface gleamed smoother than before. Its legs even looked plumper.
'Living well, huh.'
A heartwarming sight. I'd worried it might pine away from the sudden change from untamed wilds, but far from wasting away, it looked healthier than in the wild.
Come to think of it, it was under the devoted care of a poison expert like Nang-jung Wang. Naturally better than braving the elements alone. Though one such creature had bolted preferring neglect over pampering.
"So, Left Vice Inspector General, what brings you all this way?"
"I was en route to Gansu and thought it proper to pay my respects before continuing."
"...Gansu?"
Nang-jung Wang's hand froze mid-pet. His lips twitched oddly, like he was suppressing instinctive laughter.
'Damn it.'
What was wrong with Gansu, you people? This was straight-up regional bias.
I suggested the Left Vice Inspector General rest a day before leaving. He hadn't gone to the trouble of capturing the human-faced spider in Yunnan just because of my offhand remark. I could've offered a room for a month.
'Not like I have the fate to stay put that long.'
Watching the Left Vice Inspector General and his inspector escort depart under the steward's guidance, I let out a chuckle. As a king, I'd seen him more times lately than I could count.
'Is there anyone in the realm who moves that relentlessly?'
He'd popped up in Shaanxi for the Zhongnan-Huashan duel, Sichuan for the poison theft fiasco. Then off to Yunnan for the human-faced spider capture, and just recently to Guizhou with Gi Gangwang to smash water bandits. And now he was dropping by my Shunjing on his way to Gansu. Truly astonishing.
Shaanxi, Sichuan, Yunnan, Guizhou, Gansu. Even exiling a grave criminal through those spots would seem too harsh.
'What was going on in Gansu again?'
Recalling recent events there, I racked my brain. Wherever he went, incidents followed the Left Vice Inspector General. Surely something would crop up in Gansu too.
'Feels like he drags trouble along.'
But that wasn't something to say near the man himself. I held my tongue. Couldn't badmouth a young patriot slaving for the nation.