Zhang Liao's Family and Arrival at Jizhou
Seo Jun pushed all other thoughts from his mind and focused solely on the road ahead. Where was the next stop supposed to be? I completely forgot while I was distracted.
He pulled out the map he had picked up during one of his raids on a corrupt family estate. While it lacked the fine detail needed to study terrain, it clearly marked major routes and destinations, which was why he had kept it.
“The next county is Mayi. Ah! That’s right. Mun-won mentioned his family home was in Mayi. Since his widowed mother and older brother still live there, I should stop by and pay my respects while I’m passing through.”
To reach Guangwu County, the administrative seat of Anmen Commandery, he would have to travel through Zhang Liao’s hometown anyway. Knowing that Zhang Liao’s family circumstances were far from comfortable, Seo Jun decided it would be good to offer them some help while he was in the area.
Two days later, upon arriving in Mayi County, Seo Jun purchased a horse-drawn cart. Loaded onto it were one freshly killed deer, four bushels of mixed grains purchased from the market, and three wolf pelts. The deer had been stored in his subspace immediately after the kill, so even after several days it remained perfectly fresh.
“Now I just need to find Mun-won’s house.”
Locating Zhang Liao’s family home proved far easier than expected. The first street vendor he asked knew the exact location and gave him precise directions. Apparently the Zhang brothers were rather well-known figures in Mayi County.
Pulling the cart through several narrow alleys as instructed, Seo Jun finally stopped before the gate of a modest residence. Though it showed its age, the home was clean and well-maintained.
Knock. Knock.
“Is anyone home?!”
After calling out several times toward the interior, he heard movement from within. The gate creaked open.
“Who is it?”
A man emerged—slightly shorter than Seo Jun but powerfully built. One glance revealed the strong family resemblance. This had to be Zhang Liao’s older brother. Seo Jun recalled that the man was several years older than Zhang Liao himself, and indeed, he looked like what Zhang Liao might become in a few more years.
“Would you by chance be Brother Mun-eop?”
“Hmm? And who might you be to know my name?”
Zhang Fan stared hard at Seo Jun’s face.
“Huh… Could you be the White Dragon of Suofang?”
“Oh! How did you know?”
“Liao sent a letter not long ago saying he had made a fine older brother. He wrote that this brother’s martial prowess and appearance were extraordinary. Then suddenly a man of such unearthly handsomeness appears at my door—the kind one might never see in a lifetime. So I thought, could this be him? Haha.”
“Mun-won actually sent word about me?”
Zhang Fan seemed to possess a bright, cheerful personality. After their warm exchange, the two men stepped inside. Through an open doorway, a middle-aged woman watched them enter.
“Fan, who has come calling?”
“It’s a new friend Liao has made, Mother. He was passing through the area on business and wished to pay his respects to you.”
“Oh my, is that so? Bring him in at once.”
Lady Gong, Zhang Liao’s mother, looked genuinely delighted to receive a visitor. Yet she remained seated, waving only with her hands. It was clear some affliction prevented her from rising.
As Seo Jun drew closer, he noticed that beneath her skirt, where feet should have been, there was nothing. Both of Lady Gong’s legs were missing below the knee.
“My son’s friend comes to visit for the first time, yet I cannot even greet you properly because of this body. Please forgive me.”
The moment he saw her, a strange ache bloomed in Seo Jun’s chest. Though Seol Ryeon and Yi Hyeon were technically of the previous generation, the emotions they stirred in him had always carried a strong undercurrent of attraction as women. But the feeling Lady Gong awakened was entirely new. Having grown up essentially as an orphan, Seo Jun wondered if this was what a true mother’s presence felt like.
What is this warm, comforting sensation?
He should have felt only pity at the sight of her frail, crippled form, yet instead a strange sense of coziness and peace washed over him.
“Please don’t speak that way, Mother. Mun-won and I are as close as brothers. Think of me as your second son returning home after a long journey and treat me without formality.”
Ten years earlier, Lady Gong had lost both legs while protecting her sons from a band of thieves who had invaded the county. Their father, Zhang Shang, had been killed in the same attack. Despite her disability, she had struggled alone to raise the two boys.
“Our Liao has found himself a fine older brother. It’s been so long since I’ve met someone new. It lifts my spirits.”
The rare smile on Lady Gong’s face brought an answering smile to Zhang Fan’s lips.
“This is my first time meeting you, Mother, so I couldn’t come empty-handed. These gifts are modest, but please accept them without burden and with an easy heart.”
Seo Jun showed her each item from the cart one by one. At first both mother and son seemed at a loss, but Seo Jun’s generous demeanor soon had them laughing as they accepted the gifts with genuine joy.
Even Seo Jun found his own behavior surprising. He was not usually so forward.
This feels… comfortable.
Did I always have this side to me? Is my bond with Mun-won truly fated?
The novel emotion felt good. If I take a wife, have children, and build a family of my own, could I live feeling this way every day?
I should ask Po-suk later about making prosthetic legs.
Hearing that Lady Gong’s health was steadily declining because she could barely move, the idea had come to him. If he described the prosthetics he remembered from his previous world, perhaps the skilled craftsmen Po Han and Po Won could create something similar.
After a pleasant conversation with Zhang Liao’s family, Seo Jun decided it was time to take his leave.
If I stay any longer, they’ll feel obligated to prepare something for me, which would only burden them. It’s better to depart quickly.
Remaining would force Zhang Fan to bustle about on behalf of his disabled mother. Seo Jun had no desire to impose.
“Mother, I must continue on to the next region today, so I’m afraid I have to leave now. Next time I visit, I will definitely enjoy the meal you prepare and stay the night.”
He consoled the visibly disappointed Lady Gong, then stepped outside under Zhang Fan’s escort.
“The White Dragon’s visit brought Mother such joy after so long. You must come again.”
“Brother Mun-eop, I already address Mun-won as an older-younger brother. Please speak comfortably with me and treat me as your younger brother as well.”
“Truly? I’m glad Liao has gained such a fine brother. I feel the same. Then, White Dragon, you must visit us again.”
“I will. Without fail, Brother.”
After parting warmly with Zhang Fan, Seo Jun quickly left Mayi County behind. He had considered searching for a corrupt family estate here, but the pleasant mood he carried made him want to preserve it a while longer. He simply continued toward his next destination.
Several days after leaving Mayi, Seo Jun passed through Yinguan and Guangwu counties of Anmen Commandery, once again taking up the mantle of a righteous bandit.
By the end of today, I should have around five million coins.
Now he would finally enter Jizhou.
The profits Seo Jun had earned while traveling through Bingzhou’s four commanderies had been somewhat less than he initially anticipated. But Jizhou—the very foundation that had supported Yuan Shao’s war of attrition—would surely prove different.
Among the thirteen provinces of Han, Jizhou possessed the greatest abundance of both human and material resources. Naturally, there were countless rumors of corrupt magnates and scholar-officials who fed like parasites upon that wealth.
Far from discouraging him, those rumors only swelled the anticipation in Seo Jun’s heart.
After crossing the northern reaches of the Taihang Mountains, he arrived at Zhongshan Commandery, the first region of Jizhou. Originally it had been the fief of Liu Sheng, Prince of Zhongshan, from whom Liu Bei claimed descent. The title had passed down through the generations, and the territory had been known as Zhongshan Kingdom until recently. But when the direct line died out, the kingdom was abolished about ten years ago and reorganized as a commandery under an appointed governor.
In Zhongshan, after gathering information in the first cities he reached—Dang County and Mangdu County—Seo Jun raided a total of five corrupt family estates. And Jizhou did not disappoint. As expected of Jizhou!
The wealth obtained from just five raids amounted to ten million coins. In Bingzhou he had needed to raid more than ten estates to gain five million. Here, with half the number of targets, the profit was double.
“It really doesn’t disappoint. Nearly four times the return.”
With a satisfied heart, Seo Jun arrived at Luonu County, the administrative seat of Zhongshan Commandery.
Upon entering the county seat, the sight of people moving along the streets filled his vision. There were clearly far more people here than in any of the counties he had passed through before. Yet the expressions on their faces were darker and more exhausted than any he had seen.
The reason for their grim looks became clear sooner than expected.