Oh My, Goodness. What on Earth Is Going On? (2)
A long time had passed—long, if you counted every aching hour, and short, if you only looked at the final result.
At last, the cart carrying the Mount Hua disciples rolled into Chengdu in Sichuan Province.
"Woooooah."
The moment the four-horse carriage came to a stop right before the city gate, everyone’s attention snapped toward it at once. If you could afford a carriage drawn by four horses, then you were obviously someone important.
It was only natural that people would be curious.
Ibō tugged the reins to halt the horses, then glanced back and shouted, "We’ve arrived in Chengdu!"
A twitch of movement could be felt inside the carriage.
Creak.
The door opened soon after, and the Mount Hua disciples shuffled out one by one, dragging themselves like ghosts from a grave.
"……What is that?"
"Why do they look like that?"
"Did they come back from a battlefield or something?"
The onlookers began whispering among themselves.
And it made sense, too, because the sight of the Mount Hua disciples stepping down from the carriage was hardly human at all.
"Ugh…. I think I’m going to die."
"They say leaving home means hardship."
"If this is Sichuan, then we’re only halfway there, right? How the hell are we supposed to get to Yunnan?"
They looked like patients who had been half-buried and forgotten.
Eyes hollow, legs trembling, shoulders slumped low.
Even Chung Myung looked more or less the same.
"That was a truly hellish journey."
"I never want to do anything like that again."
"……Halfway, he said. Halfway."
For the Mount Hua disciples, the unfamiliar gate of Chengdu looked like the gate to the immortal realm. Just being free of that damn repetitive training was enough to make them want to cry.
"Ha…. If we’d kept at it for another two days, I think something might’ve happened!" Chung Myung clicked his tongue in regret, and outrage burst out from every direction.
"Of course something would’ve happened! You think we’d have been fine, you bastard? I’d have been a corpse!"
"Just kill me already!"
"Do you not have a single shred of human decency? Huh?"
Even Chung Myung flinched at the murderous glares.
"Ah, whatever. We made it alive, so that’s what matters."
"Tch."
While the Mount Hua disciples bickered, Ibō climbed down from the carriage and approached them.
"What would you like to do? Shall I accompany you to Eunha Merchant Guild’s Sichuan branch?"
"Hmm…."
Baek Cheon furrowed his brow slightly. Seeing that, Ibō added, "I’ve already instructed the branch to gather information on Yunnan."
"Will that be enough?"
"Mm."
Ibō’s brow creased as well, and he let out a sigh.
"To be honest, Eunha Merchant Guild’s information network doesn’t reach as far as Yunnan. They did deal with goods from Yunnan in the past, but even then, they mostly acted as intermediaries for smaller caravans rather than sending out their own expeditions."
"I see."
"In other words, there’s no way for Eunha Merchant Guild alone to find a route into Yunnan. This is beyond what we can help you with from here on out. Still, we can provide lodging without limit, so if you need a place to stay, come to the branch."
"We appreciate the offer. We’ll look into the situation properly and stop by Eunha Merchant Guild as well, so for now, please rest and recover from the journey."
"Understood. I’ll remain at the branch and take care of the carriage. Please let me know once your investigation in Chengdu is finished."
"Yes, thank you."
When Baek Cheon cupped his hands in thanks, Ibō bowed deeply and returned to the carriage. As the carriage continued on into Chengdu, Baek Cheon turned to his juniors.
"Let’s go in."
"Yes."
"But keep one thing in mind."
He spoke with a serious expression.
"We came here to find a way into Yunnan, not to cause trouble. Chengdu in Sichuan is Tang Family territory. And not far from here is Qingcheng, so Daoist priests from Qingcheng often come and go, and though it isn’t common, we might even run into nuns from the Emei Sect. Mind your behavior."
"Don’t worry, Sasuk! The sahyungs know perfectly well."
Veins bulged on Baek Cheon’s forehead.
"You, you little brat! You! I’m not worried about the others! You’re the problem!"
"Have you ever seen me cause trouble?"
"I’ve seen enough that you don’t cause trouble!"
After taking a long breath and forcing down the heat surging in his chest, Baek Cheon added in a grave tone, "Remember this. Once we find a way into Yunnan, we’ll leave immediately. Please, do not cause any trouble! Back in Mount Hua, the Sect Leader and all the elders are waiting for us with their eyes practically falling out of their sockets. We have to secure Purple Wood Grass and return to Mount Hua as quickly as possible."
"You worry too much."
"……."
Baek Cheon seriously considered whether there was some kind of medicine out there that could make a person mute, because he would gladly buy a jar of it right now.
"We’ll stop by the Beggars’ Sect branch in Chengdu first, but honestly, it seems likely that merchants know more about Yunnan than the Beggars’ Sect does. So it would probably be better to investigate along those lines."
"Let’s do that."
At Yu I-seol’s reply, Baek Cheon nodded.
"Let’s go."
After entering Chengdu, the Mount Hua party diligently visited the Beggars’ Sect branch and asked around about rumors concerning Yunnan.
Chung Myung grumbled that all of this was a waste of time, but Baek Cheon saw things differently.
Even one trivial scrap of information could change the outcome.
They were trying to enter a land from which all contact had been severed, so he wanted to gather every possible piece of information he could.
But….
"Haah…."
The Mount Hua disciples, seated together in an inn, let out deep, exhausted sighs.
"I mean, come on. Sichuan is right next to Yunnan, and they still know this little?"
"The Beggars’ Sect was the biggest shock."
Yoon Jong couldn’t hide the baffled look on his face.
—A way into Yunnan? Why would you ask us something like that?
The Chengdu branch leader of the Beggars’ Sect’s calm reply echoed in his head.
When they asked if he at least had any related information, the branch leader snorted and said, —There are no beggars in Yunnan. So how exactly would the Beggars’ Sect obtain information there?
It was a line that crushed any possibility of argument.
Yunnan was so barren that there simply weren’t any beggars there, and because of that, the Beggars’ Sect couldn’t just send its people in there recklessly. First, there had to be enough food for them to survive on. Only then could they do anything, right?
On top of that, the branch leader explained, the Southern Barbarian Beast Palace kept a wary eye on the Beggars’ Sect and pushed beggars out, so the Beggars’ Sect was effectively powerless in Yunnan.
"The merchant caravans are no different."
"If there’s no way to go, then there’s no point complaining about it."
"Tch."
Yoon Jong sighed and said, "If there’s no information on Yunnan at all, let alone trade routes, then I suppose there’s nothing we can do. So…."
"I don’t think that’s it."
"Hm?"
Yoon Jong turned his head. Jo Gul spoke with a slightly sullen look on his face.
"The Beggars’ Sect really might not have any information about Yunnan. But the merchants? That’s different. They know, but they won’t tell us."
"Why not?"
"……Because they have no reason to. It doesn’t benefit them, does it?"
"Didn’t we say we’d pay enough for the information?"
"That alone isn’t enough. At the very least, you would’ve had to come without the plum blossom emblem."
"……Ah."
Only then did Baek Cheon seem to grasp what Jo Gul meant.
"You mean they’re rejecting us because we’re outsiders?"
Jo Gul nodded.
"Sichuan is far more hostile to outsiders than you’d think. It’s far from the center of the Central Plains, and historically, it’s had its own share of issues."
"Hmm, true."
There was even a saying that government offices in Sichuan didn’t recruit local men as officials. It was a land within the Central Plains, and yet it was treated as foreign territory by the Central Plains itself. That was Sichuan.
"The Tang Family has a huge influence here. If you want to make a living in Chengdu, you have no choice but to read their mood. Do you honestly think people like that would warmly welcome outsiders wearing martial uniforms embroidered with another sect’s emblem?"
Chung Myung, who had been listening quietly, pursed his lips.
"Then you should’ve said so sooner!"
"And would you have taken them off if I had?"
"No, of course not. Why would I?"
Chung Myung puffed out his chest.
Hide the fact that they were disciples of Mount Hua? That was impossible. He’d rather be rejected outright!
"You were perfectly happy to wear a mask when you went out!"
"That’s different!"
"Anyway, it won’t work like this. If you really want information, you’ll either have to win the Tang Family’s cooperation, or at the very least hide the fact that we’re outsiders."
Baek Cheon nodded with a solemn expression.
"I see. That makes sense. Then…."
At that moment, Yoon Jong suddenly looked at Jo Gul and asked, "By the way, how do you know all this? Wait. Are you from Sichuan?"
"……."
Jo Gul’s face turned a little strange.
"Now that you mention it, I think I heard something about your family being in Sichuan before… Is that not right?"
"Ugh…."
Jo Gul looked like a man staring death in the face, then finally let out a sigh.
"……It’s true."
"Ah, so that’s why…."
Baek Cheon exclaimed as understanding dawned on him.
Unless you were from Sichuan yourself, you couldn’t easily know facts like that. It felt as if a thread had finally been found.
Chung Myung’s eyes gleamed.
"Come to think of it, didn’t they say Jo Gul-sahyung is the son of a merchant family? So instead of running around in circles, we could’ve just gone to Jo Gul-sahyung’s house?"
"……."
"Hey! How nasty do you have to be to not want guests in your own house and instead make us run all over Chengdu? Your personality is seriously hopeless!"
"I don’t want to hear that from you of all people!" Jo Gul shouted, trembling with fury.
For a moment, every Mount Hua disciple present instinctively sided with Jo Gul. Getting insulted by Chung Myung like that was a humiliation beyond measure.
"That’s not what I meant…. Haah…."
Jo Gul let out a long, heavy sigh.
"Forget it, forget it."
Chung Myung snickered and patted his shoulder.
"Same difference. You were probably just the child they cast out of the house. So of course you wouldn’t want to go back."
"……."
"It’s okay, it’s okay. Baek Cheon-sasuk will understand how you feel."
"I, I left on my own! On my own!"
"Read the mood, Sasuk!"
"Tch."
Still grinning, Chung Myung jabbed Jo Gul in the side.
"Anyway, now that things have come to this, let’s at least stop by your house, sahyung."
Jo Gul let out another long sigh, then stood up.
"Fine. That’s what we should do. It’s all for the sake of the sect, after all."
"Then let’s set out right away."
"Yes, Sasuk."
Everyone left the inn with slightly brighter faces. Following Jo Gul, they began walking through Chengdu.
With his fingers laced behind his head, Chung Myung whistled as he walked.
"How is there not a single person in this family who gets spoiled?"
The sensation of invisible needles pricking his back made Baek Cheon whirl around, veins bulging in his forehead.
"No, I’m not talking about Sasuk. I mean everyone. Everyone."
"……That’s not even wrong."
Baek Cheon ground his teeth.
"If someone’s beloved and successful in the family, why would they enter Mount Hua in the first place?"
"Huh? I can’t just let that pass. Are you saying that if you weren’t so crooked, you’d have gone to Zhongnan instead? The Sect Leader needs to hear this!"
"Uuuugh."
At Chung Myung’s rebuttal, Baek Cheon shook his head repeatedly.
"The important thing is that I’m a disciple of Mount Hua right now."
"True enough. If you’d gone to Zhongnan, you’d still be waiting on your older brother hand and foot."
Quietly placing a hand on his sword hilt, Baek Cheon was stopped when Yoon Jong grabbed his arm and shook his head.
"Please calm yourself."
"……Haah."
He told himself to cover his ears. Close his eyes. Just do whatever was necessary.
That damn shrew of a brat.
In the meantime, Jo Gul led them all the way to a secluded corner of Chengdu.
"Oh? Is that it?"
A small merchant house came into Chung Myung’s view.
Chengdu Merchant Caravan.
The name sounded as though it had been picked on the spot, but it was definitely a merchant house.
The slightly worn-looking hall and its modest size made it almost endearing.
"Hah. The second son who entered Mount Hua carrying the expectations of his family."
"……."
"Anyway, Jo Gul-sahyung has a cute side too. So should I greet your parents first?"
As Chung Myung sauntered forward, Jo Gul sighed and called out to him.
"Where are you going?"
"Huh? You want me to go ahead, sahyung?"
"Not there. Here."
"Hm? Where?"
"Here."
Chung Myung’s gaze shifted toward the place Jo Gul pointed at.
A wall?
All he could see was a wall.
He’d been turning his head for quite a while now, but the only thing in view was a massive red-painted wall.
Only after twisting his neck almost too far did he finally spot a huge—an absolutely huge—gate.
Sahaesanghoe.
"……."
Chung Myung’s eye twitched.
A wall so wide it didn’t even fit fully into his field of vision, with countless halls jutting up behind it.
Looking back and forth between that absurd sight and Jo Gul several times, Chung Myung finally opened his mouth in a trembling voice.
"No way."
"It is."
"This place?"
"Yep."
"This is Jo Gul-sahyung’s house? This mansion looks like a place where even the emperor might live?"
"……It does."
Uh….
So he was a rich family brat?
Oh my, goodness. What on earth is going on?