Chapter 183
Chapter 183
-----------------------------------------------------------------
Translator: Ryuma
Chapter: 183
Chapter Title: Hanzhong
-----------------------------------------------------------------
“Depart!”
At Yuk Hak's shout, the sect members began to walk, leading their horses.
It was a safety measure for passing through the crowded area near the Nine Dragons Fortress.
Woooah-!
The seventy sect members remaining at the War King Sect waved, seeing us off.
They were the ones assigned to rear duty, which could be seen as a sort of vacation, and the forces left behind to support the Hanzhong Merchant Guild's Nine Dragons Fortress branch.
'He won't kill them, will he?'
Though I had no idea how Master Bukgung would train them.
As we went a little further, I saw a large number of common folk gathered outside the fortress.
The old woman from the beef noodle shop I frequented during my days as the Seventeenth Squad Leader approached and handed me something.
“Hehe, I've brought some flatbread for you to eat on your way.”
“...You must stay healthy until we meet again.”
“As you can see, I don't have much time left. I wonder if we'll ever see each other again. Hehe.”
Starting with her, the cries of the people began to ring out.
Sect Leader! You must stay healthy!
You have to come back!
Big bro! Bring back something tasty when you return!
I looked around and acknowledged them with a nod, which served as my farewell.
*Sniffle.*
The yellow dust has been blowing hard since this morning. I must have gotten some sand in my eyes. The tears just won't stop.
Only after we had completely left the vicinity of the Nine Dragons Fortress did Yuk Hak halt his steps.
“Mount up!”
At his command, the sect members mounted their horses as one.
A surprise training session we secretly planned last night.
“To the squad that reaches Hanzhong first, I will give a reward of two taels per person and a fifteen-day vacation!”
It was a thousand-li march.
Everyone buzzed at the unexpected reward.
It was a natural reaction.
After all, a fifteen-day vacation is a godsend that only a select few at major corporations can get, even in the modern world.
And on top of that, a reward of two silver taels, more than enough for vacation expenses!
“Ride!”
In an instant, everyone charged forward.
Yuk Hak, too, laughed as if he found it amusing and rode along with them.
“Oh my?”
Cheong So-so and Myo Hyang watched the scene in surprise.
Ah, they had decided to follow me to Hanzhong.
With the Nine Dragons Fortress branch now stable, Myo Hyang had appointed a branch manager and was returning to her duties as general manager.
As for Cheong So-so...
'She's the one I need to watch.'
I had no idea what this hopeless woman was thinking when she asked me to take her along.
I had no choice but to watch her to make sure she didn't frequent any gambling dens.
Though I wasn't thrilled about her company, I agreed on the condition that she would perform the Heaven-Revolving Daoist Golden Needle Technique on Whitey.
I feel like I won't be satisfied until I see Whitey evolve into a Pegasus.
Anyway, I boasted to them about the charging cavalry.
“What do you think? Aren't they cool?”
“Are you crazy?! The food is loaded on those horses! What are we going to do if you send them all off!”
“Ah...”
* * *
Although I got an earful at the beginning, the journey was smooth.
Contrary to their earlier anger, Myo Hyang and Cheong So-so seemed to enjoy the simple journey, their faces blooming with laughter.
I, on the other hand, did my best to scout the surroundings.
The sun would be setting soon.
Since we had no choice but to camp outdoors, I was worried I'd get another earful if I didn't secure food and a place to sleep.
But.
'I can do this.'
Who am I?
Am I not the supreme master born of the Nine Dragons Fortress... no, of the Bukgung Clan?
Besides, I possess the Seventh Sense Map, the greatest radar-like martial art of this era.
I can find prey anytime I want.
*Shaaa.*
I focused my energy into my fingertips.
My plan was to deploy the Seventh Sense Map, lock onto a target, and simultaneously end its life with the Battle Lord Arrow.
I was aiming for a deer or a bird.
Without spices, there's no way to get rid of the gamey smell of a wild boar.
'Now!'
Invisible threads shot out in all directions through the air.
And.
The reflected threads of energy soon brought back despairing news.
'What, not a single one?!'
That's right.
There wasn't a single animal to hunt.
“Oh my? The sun is starting to set, isn't it?”
“It looks like we'll have to camp out tonight...”
The two women's gazes turned to me. They seemed to be subtly expecting something.
*Drip.*
A cold sweat trickled down my spine.
As a member of the martial arts upper class, I have a certain dignity and prestige to maintain. How could I, the leader of a sect, become a bum who lets women go hungry?
But.
'Damn it...'
There was no way around this.
I had no choice but to tell them the truth and dig up some arrowroot.
Myo Hyang, being quite big-hearted in her own way, would surely understand.
“Um...”
Just as I was about to break the difficult news.
“Hmm?”
I heard the faint sound of horses from somewhere.
Not the sound of human voices, but the neighing of horses.
I immediately deployed my Seventh Sense Map and found a group of nearly twenty people approaching from fifty meters behind us.
“Both of you, get behind me.”
As the saying goes, the good don't come, and those who come aren't good. In the world of martial arts, where grudges run rampant, one must be most wary of unexpected encounters.
I stood with Myo Hyang and Cheong So-so behind me, facing the direction they were coming from.
It was to prepare for a possible surprise attack.
And then.
“Oh my? To think I'd meet Brother Jin here? What a co.in.ci.dence.”
“...”
We had encountered a wild Jeok Hwa-ran.
* * *
A short while later.
*Crackle, crackle.*
Having solved our meal problem, we gathered around the warm campfire to escape the cold air, creating a camping atmosphere... yeah, right.
“How did you follow us all the way here?”
“Oh my? I just told you. We met by chance.”
“How strange. To think we'd run into each other on a mountain road like this.”
“Wow, you're right. It really is strange.”
*Charr, charr.*
At Jeok Hwa-ran's reply, Myo Hyang stared at her with incredulous eyes, while Cheong So-so nodded, stroking Cheonga.
'How did that girl become a doctor? Can you become a doctor here even with low intelligence?'
In modern Korea, you couldn't even dream of it unless you were in the top percentile of the college entrance exam.
Jeok Hwa-ran continued her explanation with a smile.
“I'm also on my way to Hanzhong for a vacation.”
As a former and current pathological liar, I can guarantee that's a load of crap.
“...I see.”
Jeok Hwa-ran simply replied with a relaxed smile.
Normally, I would have told her to stop lying and get lost, but right now, I had no choice.
'How humiliating!'
With no money or food, I had to leech off Jeok Hwa-ran to have a comfortable journey ahead.
Jeok Hwa-ran, too, had clearly noticed this.
Otherwise, she wouldn't be acting so composed.
“Fufufufu. How. A.do.ra.ble.”
“Kuh!”
“Here. Have a cup of warm tea. It's perfect for a cold day.”
“I don't drink hot things.”
“Then I'll blow on it for you. *Hoo. Hoo.*”
Her absurd attempt at being cute almost made me blast her with Explosive Death Force.
“Ahem.”
The nearby Red Dragon Hall members let out embarrassed coughs.
“How long will you be in Hanzhong?”
“Hmm... A year? Two years? I'll decide depending on the situation.”
“What about the Red Blossom Pavilion?”
The Red Blossom Pavilion, which Jeok Hwa-ran runs, is a business that rakes in profits comparable to a mid-sized corporation.
It was hard to understand why she, for whom time is money, would take such a long vacation.
“Fufu, I left it in Jin-hwa's care. She recently gave birth to her first child and returned to work.”
At the news of Yuk Jin-hwa's childbirth, a corner of my heart unknowingly ached.
But it was a love that had already passed.
'I hope she's happy...'
I silently wished for the happiness of the woman who had gone from a young lady to a married woman, and now a mother.
Because that's how passionately I had loved her.
“Oh my? Why the sudden tears...?”
“Ah, it's nothing. The campfire smoke got in my eyes.”
“...”
* * *
The day after spending a warm night.
*Rumble, rumble.*
Myo Hyang, Cheong So-so, and I decided to travel in Jeok Hwa-ran's carriage.
As befitting a successful businesswoman, her carriage was very large.
In car terms, you could think of it as a fully-loaded van.
I thought I could just sleep and enjoy the journey.
*Chatter chatter. Kyaa- Kyareureuk.* "Really? No, so... Well, the Silver Dragon Spear said to Hyang-ah... Oh my? For real? So what happened?"
It's said that when three women gather, dishes break, and true to form, the chatter began.
It was a relief that they seemed to be getting along better than I expected, but...
The problem was.
'It's... interesting.'
The juicy talk, rife with all sorts of rumors and speculation, was actually interesting.
“So? What happened?”
“Well, you see...”
About an hour passed as I got fully engrossed in the soap-opera-level talk.
“Good heavens. That bastard from the Silver family cried his eyes out on the street? Over a woman?”
“Well, that's what I heard!”
“So? So what happened then?”
“Ah, this is where it gets really interesting. The Silver Dragon Spear didn't give up and...”
Just as we were getting to the climax.
“Everyone, form up!”
At the shout of Jeok Hwa-ran's head guard, the carriage came to a halt.
'Dammit, it was just getting good.'
The order wasn't just to stop but to form up, which nine times out of ten meant they'd spotted something unusual.
*Thud.*
I immediately stepped out of the carriage.
And.
“W-what is this...”
I witnessed an unexpected sight.
The aftermath of a battle on the mountain path.
Not only were there pools of sticky, dried blood all over the road, but what appeared to be fragments of bodies were scattered everywhere.
A burial mound the size of a mid-sized car rose up beside the road, as if the bodies had been buried there.
“It looks like it's been about two days.”
*Nod.*
The head guard reported with a grave expression after examining the bloodstains.
The guards drew their short swords, the signature weapons of the Red Dragon Hall, and stood guard over the surroundings.
“Do you intend to get involved?”
“...This is the territory of the Nine Dragons Fortress. I can't just pretend I didn't see it and move on.”
That was right.
Even if they were a private escort, they were still warriors of the Nine Dragons Fortress.
A murder incident of this scale had occurred; they couldn't just ignore it.
“Understood.”
When I nodded, the head guard met my gaze with a determined look.
“If something should happen... I leave the young lady in your care.”
“That won't happen. I'll stop it before things get dangerous.”
“As expected.”
After expressing my well-founded confidence, I immediately approached the burial mound.
*Fwoom.*
I unleashed a bit of internal energy to excavate the mound.
They hadn't been buried deep; the bodies within were revealed with a single gesture.
“Hmm...”
*Poke, poke.*
I kicked the corpses over to check their wounds.
After all, the wounds were the final message the dead conveyed to the living.
“A spear?”
The cause of death was piercing wounds from a spear.
And most were killed in a single strike.
A spear art, considered a niche style in the martial world dominated by the sword.
Moreover, if it was a straightforward spear art with no wasted movements, there could only be one culprit.
“Those crazy bastards! What the hell have they been doing?!”
It was the War King Sect.
* * *
Upon further investigation of the bodies, it was revealed they were bandits who had recently set up camp in this area.
It seemed a bandit subjugation mission had been added to the thousand-li march.
Since it wasn't a bad deed, the warriors of the Red Dragon Hall also nodded in understanding.
“...There's nothing particularly problematic here. In fact, we should be grateful that the nearby commoners no longer have to live in fear.”
The problem was.
“...”
That wherever bandits were known to be, there was invariably a pile of corpses.
In truth, the Nine Dragons Fortress also subjugates bandits on its own.
However, a subjugation of this scale was unprecedented in its history.
Not only was the budget for such missions a concern, but they couldn't assign mere bandit subjugation to the warriors of the Inner Fortress, all of whom were considered masters.
Usually, nearby sects would step up to handle it.
The boys from the War King Sect had subjugated the bandits who had settled in areas to avoid the territories of those sects.
I couldn't help but feel annoyed at the prowess of my boys, who had racked up over five hundred kills right from the start.
'Seriously, do they think they're some kind of counter-terrorism unit, adopting a zero-tolerance policy?'
They could have just given them a good beating or crippled them, but instead, they forced every single one of them onto the express train to the afterlife.
'No matter how I think about it, that old geezer Yuk Hak must have been a bad influence.'
Otherwise, there's no way the members of a sect founded by me, a living Buddha, would act like that.
Seven days passed as we traveled with the corpses of bandits as our scenery.
“We've arrived.”
We had reached our new home, Hanzhong.