Chapter 86: Reunion (2)
Chapter 86: Reunion (2)
During this era, logistics on the Grand Canal were handled by vessels known as "treasure ships."
Among them, the pavilion ships classified as passenger vessels were so massive that it wouldn't be an exaggeration to say a whole tavern had been built atop the deck. Imagine a three-story wooden pavilion floating on water, and you’d have a fairly accurate picture.
Due to their unique, gargantuan hulls, they weren't capable of ocean voyages—but what did that matter? Medieval Chinese people didn't venture out to sea anyway.
Unless you were someone like Zheng He—blessed with immense wealth, power, and eccentric tastes—all navigation during this period was strictly inland transport. The waterways connecting the Yangtze, Yellow, and Huai Rivers were more than enough to satisfy the demands of such a vast landmass.
Consequently, the passenger ships traversing the length of the Grand Canal could provide a level of service virtually indistinguishable from a modern cruise, provided you had the coin.
"Here, have a drink."
"Haha, thank you, Brother."
I smiled as I accepted the cup of baijiu from Murong Seo-jeong with both hands.
We occupied the VIP suite on the top floor of the pavilion, where warmed baijiu and an array of delicacies were being served. Murong Cheong sat nearby, looking somewhat dissatisfied as she poked at a duck dish with her chopsticks. She wasn't talkative enough to butt into the adults' conversation, so she remained silent.
"I truly didn't expect to meet you like this. I thought you were half-bluffing. Who could have imagined a direct descendant of the Peng family would show up in Wuchang, let alone participate in the Dragon-Phoenix Gathering?"
"Haha, I'm actually quite unskilled at a few things, and bluffing happens to be one of them."
"Gwahahaha! And what else are you unskilled at?"
"Debauchery, profligacy, and rudeness."
"Hahaha!"
Murong Seo-jeong seemed to take a great liking to me. He let out a series of boisterous laughs as we shared our drinks.
Murong Cheong, who had been watching our exchange with a look of utter boredom, suddenly spoke up.
"By the way, do you even have any money?"
"So sudden?"
Is she hitting me with the bill already?
"No, I mean... do you have any idea how much the liquor costs here?"
"What are you talking about, my dear Cheong-Cheong?"
I wondered what she was getting at, and it turned out to be money. For a lady from such a wealthy family, she sure worried a lot.
"Why would I pay?"
"…? If you're planning to sponge off our family, it's too early for that. I have no intention of letting a mere drinking session count as your dowry."
"No, I mean this is all free."
"……??"
"This ship belongs to my family."
Murong Cheong stopped her chopsticks and stared at me for a moment. When I shrugged, her gaze shifted to Murong Seo-jeong. He simply nodded without a word.
"Cheong-er, the most flourishing business of the Hebei Peng Family is canal transport."
"Why do you think the Dragon Slaying Alliance's main base is in Tianjin?"
"What?"
I’ve emphasized this several times, but it’s best to understand the Great Clans of this era as modern-day chaebols. Their business interests were so complex and diverse they might as well have been multi-industry conglomerates.
Logistics and transport centered on the Grand Canal, tenant farming based on the vast agricultural lands of Northern China, 'voluntary' taxes from the underworld of Beijing, 'protection fees' from taverns, and so on. It was aggressive business expansion backed by overwhelming martial force.
They were solid corporations that took on every business venture the government didn't directly touch—though they did distribute about seventy to eighty percent of their net profits as bribes to various government officials.
Regardless, this ship belonged to the Tianjin Dragon Slaying Alliance, the Alliance was a subsidiary of the Hebei Peng Family, and I was a direct descendant of that family.
Do you think the son of a conglomerate chairman pays out of pocket when he stays at his own company's resort?
Murong Cheong’s pupils shook violently as she processed this.
"If even money won't work, then what…?"
"Hmm?"
"No, it's nothing. I'm just sick and tired of this Han Chinese brand of corruption."
Murong Cheong shut her mouth and began to dismantle her roast duck with a look of deep contemplation.
"By the way, Brother Murong."
"I still can't get used to that title. What is it?"
"It might sound a bit silly to bring this up now, but… won't it be dangerous until we reach Jiangnan?"
"Hmm?"
"Once we head south of Shandong and pass Jinan, we'll be out of the Hebei Dragon Slaying Alliance's jurisdiction. And… things didn't exactly end on a pleasant note between the Jinzhou Eon Family and the Murong Family, did they?"
"Ah, are you worried the Jinzhou Eon Family might ambush us?"
In truth, if it weren't for Murong Cheong’s plan to pick me up, the Grand Canal wouldn't be the safest route for the Murong Family to reach the Martial Alliance gathering in Wuchang.
The Murong Family was one of the very few martial sects officially authorized to conduct deep-sea navigation in the Yellow Sea. They held the right to operate a private "Sea Ban Fleet."
Think of them as a sort of privateer fleet—the "Seven Warlords of the Sea" ruling over Liaoning.
The land of Liaoning beyond Shanhaiguan was practically a wilderness. Although the Imperial Court claimed it and had established a Commandery, the population was sparse, various ethnic groups were entangled, and the vast plains made it difficult for the central government to exert control.
In that environment, the Murong Family had established themselves as the dominant local power since the fall of the Yan Kingdom. Under the authorization of the Commandery, they took on the responsibility of seizing illegal smuggling ships and expanded their business by sharing the profits with the officials.
In other words, if they used the Murong Family's Sea Ban Fleet, they could travel legally and directly to Jiangnan. From Jiangnan, it wasn't far to Wuchang via the Yangtze River, making it the safest and fastest route.
If they had done that, I wouldn't have even thought about going to Wuchang. But to get there, they had to pass through the territories of the Orthodox Faction.
Anyway, wasn't it too dangerous to travel inland via the Grand Canal, especially with just the two of them?
"From the Jinzhou Eon Family's perspective, they might indeed want to stop us from reaching the Martial Alliance gathering."
Murong Seo-jeong admitted it cleanly.
In Qinghe County, the Jinzhou Eon Family had been caught red-handed by the Murong Family while collaborating with the Jongri Family to cause a bloody incident. The Murong Family had already declared they would make this a public issue at the gathering.
Essentially, for the Jinzhou Eon Family, it would be cleanest to just make these two disappear on the road. Especially since travel in this era was a gamble with survival odds akin to a coin toss.
"However, the Jinzhou Eon Family won't be able to spare any attention for us, at least until the gathering begins."
"Eh? Why?"
"Because we leaked misinformation. With the Jinzhou Eon Family's resources, they won't be able to track our movements. How could those fellows possibly know what's happening in Liaoning?"
In this era, there were no smartphones, no internet, and no satellites. All information was fundamentally delivered by hand, meaning there was always a time lag. Furthermore, Liaoning was a remote frontier, practically beyond the borders. It was nearly impossible for the Eon family, located at the southernmost tip of Northern Zhili, to grasp the truth of what was happening there.
Therefore...
"As you said, our family's Sea Ban Fleet is currently heading toward Jiangnan. They'll be making quite a scene, loudly resupplying in Shandong."
"If the Jinzhou Eon Family tracks the fleet to intercept them..."
"Exactly. In the meantime, we will safely enter Wuchang. By then, it will be too late. To pull together enough strength to stop the Sea Ban Fleet, the 'Heavenly Roar Fist' himself would have to step out, and if he does, that old monster will never make it to Wuchang in time."
"Oh..."
What's with these martial artists? They're actually pretty good.
Even if it was a basic bluff, it was a level of deception the Jinzhou Eon Family had no choice but to fall for. Unless Eon Do-cheon himself intervened, they wouldn't be able to stop the fleet led by the Murong Family Head.
But that wasn't all.
"It's not something I should say to a direct descendant of one of the Ten Great Sect of the Black Dao, but you're surprisingly naive."
"…Pardon? Ah, yes. I suppose I am a bit like that."
"……?"
Murong Cheong looked momentarily confused by my answer, but both Murong Seo-jeong and I ignored her.
"Ahem. Have you considered which power would benefit the most if the Jinzhou Eon Family falls?"
"Uh... my family?"
"Hardly. It wouldn't matter much to your family whether the Jinzhou Eon Family exists or not, would it?"
"I appreciate the high praise, but..."
Murong Seo-jeong spoke with a dark, cunning smile that didn't match his refined appearance.
"The Jinzhou Eon Family sits on the border of Northern Zhili and Shandong. They've essentially served as the Orthodox Faction's scouts, being the first to face the Hebei Dragon Slaying Alliance. Because of that, they've received massive support from the Martial Alliance since the Righteous-Demonic War. It's no exaggeration to say that most of the elixirs that old monster Eon Do-cheon consumed back then came from the Martial Alliance's storehouses."
If not for that, how could the ruined Eon family have raised a force on par with the Fifteen Armies of the World?
Murong Seo-jeong continued with a mocking expression.
"And at the northernmost tip of Shandong sits the Shandong Yue Family. If the Jinzhou Eon Family falls, the Martial Alliance will have no choice but to support the Yue Family, if only to keep your family in check."
"Which means..."
"Yes. Ever since the day you saved Cheong-er, we have been secretly contacting the heroic knights of the Yue Family."
"Oh."
Is this really how the Orthodox Faction operates?
Well, to be fair, what the Jinzhou Eon Family did was pretty extreme. They had massacred an entire county and played footsie with the Jongri Family to plot a zombie apocalypse. Not to mention they'd offed one of the Murong Family's outer gate elders in the process.
Honestly, this level of political maneuvering could be considered a righteous man's "resourcefulness."
"So do not worry. Until we reach the gathering, the Jinzhou Eon Family will have their hands full worrying about both the Shandong Yue Family and our fleet."
"Oh..."
"Just think of it as a pleasure cruise and relax. Hahaha!"
If we continued down the canal past Shandong Province—where a minor Righteous-Demonic War was breaking out every day—we would reach Southern Zhili, the heart of the Orthodox Faction's territory. And from Jiangnan in Southern Zhili, it was only another five days up the Yangtze River to Wuchang.
Since I could just stick close to my Murong family friends and enjoy a safe boat ride, it really was no different from a vacation.
Finally, on my third venture into the world...
Finally, a comfortable and safe Murim Vlog was beginning!
In my mind, I added +10 to Intelligence and +10 to Politics to the Murong Family's stats, then shared a drink with Murong Seo-jeong with a much lighter heart.
Three days later, at Lake Weishan in Yi County, at the southernmost tip of Shandong Province.
"You said it was a pleasure cruise! You said it was a vacation!!"
I had to howl at the reality of medieval China, which was worse than modern-day Somalia.
I watched from afar as our family's pavilion ship slowly sank near the banks of the canal.
"Medieval China is cold..."
For the record, it was incredibly cold. It was already December, and the lake water, which was awkwardly half-frozen, felt like ice.