Did You Say Mount Hua? (1)
"Do you see it?"
"Yes, Brother!"
"Look! That vast land! From now on, all of it will belong to us brothers!"
A booming voice rolled out across the land.
"There are no official roads here to get in our way, and no self-righteous wandering heroes to make a nuisance of themselves whenever they feel like it. From now on, we can spread our wings as much as we want in this place!"
"Of course, Brother!"
"Hwahahahaha! Before this year is over, I’ll make sure everyone here remembers the name of our Jangho Stronghold! Come now! My brothers! History will remember this place as our beginning!"
"Yes, Brother!"
"Of course, Stronghold Master!"
Boiling passion.
Burning loyalty.
It was, truly, the dawn of history……
Thwack!
"Ggk!"
Bangyo clutched his head and shrank in on himself.
"You’ve got time to be daydreaming now? Feeling comfortable, are you?"
"No, absolutely not! Daoist sir, how could I possibly be daydreaming?!"
"It’s not that you’re daydreaming because you’re insane. You’re daydreaming because you’re trying to die."
"No, sir! Absolutely not!"
Tears welled up at the corners of Bangyo’s eyes.
If only I’d just gone back home and tilled a field.
What? Ruler of the frontier?
Ruler my ass. At this rate, he was going to get beaten to death.
"I’m telling you to pull like an ox! Like an ox!"
"Y-yes, Daoist sir! I’ll pull like an ox! Moooooo!"
Sad tears filled Bangyo’s eyes.
"Grrrngh."
A groan escaped Bangyo’s lips as he kneaded his arms and legs.
Ever since they’d been captured by Chung Myung, their days had become brutally simple. From morning until dawn, they literally hauled the wagons like draft animals. When the night grew too deep to travel any farther, they helped set up camp for the others, and only then were they granted a short, pitiful little rest.
"B-brother deputy. This is too hard."
"Urrgh. I really feel like I’m going to die."
"Dying would be better."
As his skin-and-bones underlings began to whine and lament, tears also gathered in the corners of Bangyo’s eyes.
How did I end up crossing paths with those bastards……?
They were bandits.
Not just any bandits, either, but the Jangho Stronghold—infamous even beyond Sichuan, like a death god to the outside world.
And yet Bangyo, the deputy stronghold master of Jangho Stronghold, was now painfully realizing that the world was vast and there were others who truly deserved to be called "death gods."
"……Is the youngest still out of his mind?"
"……I’m afraid he’s beyond recovering."
Bangyo looked at the youngest, standing in a corner with his mouth hanging open, and shut his eyes tightly. Saliva dribbled from the mouth of the youngest, who was supposed to be a fairly decent-looking man.
"……So he has to live his whole life as an idiot?"
"It seems that way……."
"Grrrngh."
Being young meant being full of spirit. Unfortunately, the youngest, Gongso, had proven his spirit by the worst possible means—by openly challenging that Daoist Chung Myung.
And the price had been far too steep.
When Chung Myung, looking at Gongso’s shouting defiance, had smiled warmly and said—
- Huh. A cow can talk.
Bangyo was pretty sure he would remember that voice for the rest of his life.
After that, without even getting off the wagon, Chung Myung had driven his heel straight into Gongso’s head.
Since then, Gongso had been like that.
Bangyo had no idea whether the man would ever be able to lift a spoon to his own mouth again for the rest of his life.
After that, even when their feet blistered and their arms felt like they were about to snap, not one of them dared say a single word about how hard it was.
Besides……
The ones who were truly suffering weren’t them.
Thud.
Thud!
"Grrrrrrngh……."
"……."
Bangyo stared ahead with a deadened expression at the Mount Hua disciples collapsing one after another in front of him.
Seeing them reduced to tatters after only one hour of training made it impossible for him to even think about complaining.
Then Bangyo’s eyes caught sight of the one person who was still standing.
"If you train, you should be able to last longer! Why does your endurance never change? Put in some effort! EFFORT!"
Bangyo’s vacant gaze landed on Jo Gul, who was sprawled on the ground, twitching and convulsing.
"……."
He couldn’t quite remember it anymore, but if he recalled correctly, wasn’t that the very same bastard who’d been beating them like dogs on a hot summer day at the start?
And now that Jo Gul was the one getting beaten by that little punk Chung Myung, dust was flying everywhere.
What? He’s trying to build up strength in the frontier and then aim for the Central Plains?
Just thinking of the stronghold master’s words made his blood pressure spike through the roof.
The Central Plains?
That crazy bastard wants to aim for the Central Plains?
How are you supposed to take over the Central Plains when monsters like that are crawling all over the place?
Bangyo was starting to feel like his own neck would be taken first, long before anyone could take the Central Plains.
At that moment, Chung Myung casually turned his head.
"Oh? You still have the strength to look over here?"
The bandits hurriedly dropped their eyes.
"Tsk, tsk, tsk. Even those brats are human, I suppose."
Chung Myung clicked his tongue and wandered off somewhere. Once he disappeared from view, the Mount Hua disciples who had been lying on the ground painfully pushed themselves up.
"Grrrrrngh."
Jo Gul’s whole body trembled.
"What the hell are ghosts for! Why don’t they just drag that bastard off already?"
"……Even ghosts would be scared."
"Ugh!"
Jo Gul let out a long sigh and helped Yoon Jong to his feet.
"Senior Brother. Snap out of it."
"Wh-where am I?"
"……No, just go back to sleep."
Even then, Jo Gul still dutifully looked after his senior brothers.
Baek Cheon let out a sigh and spoke.
"Wash up and get things organized quickly. That way we can sleep even a little."
"I’m going to sort out today’s training a bit more."
"Will you be all right?"
"I can sleep during the day on top of the wagon anyway. I feel bad for the horses, but not for those guys."
"Hmm. Come to think of it."
The Mount Hua disciples glanced toward the bandits.
When Bangyo caught that look, he shut his eyes tightly without realizing it.
Those dog-refusing bastards.
The Mount Hua disciples gathered among themselves and drifted off to one side. Watching them, the bandits all let out a collective sigh.
"Brother."
"What?"
"If we somehow manage to survive this and get back home, let’s never even piss in the direction of the Central Plains again."
"……Let’s do exactly that."
Even now, those younger and stronger than them were training so hard they were practically vomiting blood. What chance did they have of surviving this?
Is the Central Plains really a place swarming with monsters like that?
The Mount Hua disciples had created a misunderstanding so absurd it could practically be called a masterpiece.
"Grrrrrngh."
"Uurrrrrg……."
"Grrrrrrngh……."
The human-pulled wagon continued down the road without rest.
And anyone who saw that sight could only tilt their head in confusion.
"What the hell? Why are people pulling a wagon? Why are the horses just following behind?"
"Well, I’ll be damned. Live long enough, and you see every weird thing there is."
"Looks like a trading caravan from Sichuan, doesn’t it?"
Bangyo shut his eyes tightly.
The deeper they passed beyond the border and into Yunnan, the more often they encountered people. And everyone they met, without exception, approached the caravan with curious eyes.
What’s so interesting about this?
Bangyo glared before he knew it.
If it had been before, those people would have run away shivering the instant they saw him, but now they were creeping closer like they’d stumbled on some rare spectacle. It was enough to make him angry.
And, of course—
Thwack!
Chung Myung couldn’t possibly let a bastard like that go unpunished.
"Ggk!"
Bangyo’s eyes nearly popped out when the switch cracked against his head.
"Who the hell are you glaring at like that, you cow bastard?"
"……Grrrrrngh."
"Tsk. I really have become kind. In the old days, I’d have sliced bastards like you up the moment I saw you."
The problem was that this didn’t sound like a joke.
Chung Myung clicked his tongue and looked around casually. Behind him, Baek Cheon, riding atop the wagon, spoke quietly.
"We’ve fully entered Yunnan now."
"Mm."
Chung Myung nodded.
"Has it always been this mountainous?"
The first thing they felt after entering Yunnan was that the place was more barren than they had imagined.
"All I can see are mountains and fields. I can understand why the government has no interest in Yunnan."
Baek Cheon frowned.
"And I still don’t see any sign of the Beast Palace’s gates."
"Even if they’re on Shaolin’s level, they can’t possibly protect all of this vast Yunnan."
Baek Cheon nodded.
Because they’d heard so many stories about Yunnan being ruled by the Beast Palace, they had expected to be inspected the moment they entered.
But thinking about it, it did not seem likely that the Beast Palace, located deep in Yunnan, would come all the way out here to guard the surrounding area.
Gwak Gyeong, who had been listening to the two of them, spoke up carefully.
"The places they directly manage begin around Kunming, where the tea trade is conducted. They do patrol the other areas from time to time, but they aren’t seen often."
"And yet you seem awfully wary for someone saying that."
"One must be wary."
Gwak Gyeong lowered his voice slightly.
"In Yunnan, the Beast Palace’s influence surpasses the Tang Family’s influence in Sichuan. In other words, everyone we meet could be an informant for the Beast Palace. They’ve almost certainly already been told that we’ve entered Yunnan."
Baek Cheon narrowed his eyes and looked around.
Once he thought about all the people gathering here possibly serving as the Beast Palace’s eyes and ears, a fresh sense of vigilance took root in him.
"The people don’t exactly look well off, either."
Chung Myung added to Baek Cheon’s words.
Indeed, everyone they met looked unmistakably hungry.
Their clothing was shabby beyond belief, and the bodies visible through their ragged garments were nothing but skin and bones.
"Originally, Yunnan’s grain yield wasn’t all that good to begin with. There simply isn’t much land suitable for farming. You saw the terraced fields carved out of the mountains on the way here, didn’t you?"
"Yes."
"There isn’t much farmland to begin with, so many places have had to farm that way. But with the recent drought, things have only gotten worse."
Gwak Gyeong shook his head and clicked his tongue.
"In the past, the money earned from the tea trade at least circulated through Yunnan, so people could get by. But now that even tea trade has been banned…… if the crops don’t grow well, everyone just starves."
Baek Cheon tilted his head after hearing that.
"I was told they still trade with the Western Regions."
"The people of the Western Regions don’t actually care for tea all that much. No place loves tea as much as the Central Plains does. Besides, the tea the Western Regions prefer is different from Yunnan’s."
Only then, as if understanding, did Baek Cheon nod.
"So in the end, cutting off trade with the Central Plains has hurt Yunnan badly."
"Why would it only be Yunnan? Sichuan is crying out too. In the past, Sichuan’s merchants weren’t inferior to the major trading houses of the Central Plains, but now they can barely do anything. The only reason they aren’t starving is because tea isn’t all that closely tied to basic survival."
"Hm."
Baek Cheon looked at the people with complicated eyes.
"We’ll be reaching Kunming soon. As long as we can get there without incident, our mission is basically complete."
Baek Cheon clasped his hands toward Gwak Gyeong.
"Thank you again."
"I’ll accept your thanks after you arrive safely."
Gwak Gyeong gave a friendly smile.
The journey continued after that, and the Mount Hua disciples maintained their vigilance as Gwak Gyeong had advised.
All they saw ahead were rough roads and barren ground, and no major problems arose.
"Uraaaah!"
"Waaaargh!"
And thanks to the human oxen pulling the wagon with all their might, the group arrived three times faster than scheduled.
"That’s Kunming."
Chung Myung frowned at the old city wall.
"It feels more like a village than a capital city."
"In Yunnan, there isn’t the same concept of towering walls as there is in the Central Plains. There simply isn’t enough food production for people to live together in large numbers."
"Ah."
Chung Myung nodded.
"Anyway, thanks. We got here fine because of you."
"Think nothing of it."
The Mount Hua disciples bade farewell to the Hwapyeong Trading Company, who would now go on to purchase tea leaves. Gwak Gyeong gave them a few final reminders and then hurried off along his way.
Chung Myung turned around in place and muttered,
"Now the problem is these bastards."
The moment their eyes met, the bandits flinched and bowed their heads.
Kind face. Kind face!
Look as pitiful as possible.
Chung Myung glanced at Baek Cheon. After a moment’s thought, Baek Cheon opened his mouth.
"Would it not be better to let them go?"
"Huh? Let them go?"
"Yes. It is true that they committed crimes, but they’ve also suffered on the way here…… and it seems they’ve reflected on themselves in their own way. Letting them go does not seem like a bad idea."
Chung Myung nodded vigorously.
"Krrr. You’re telling me to be merciful. That’s why I like you, Sasuk."
"……Don’t say such strange things."
Chung Myung smiled faintly and turned toward the bandits.
"He says to let you go."
"Thank you! Thank you so much!"
"We’ll live properly from now on! H-hngh!"
"We’ll never do banditry again."
Chung Myung snorted.
"But do you idiots know something?"
"……Yes?"
"People always want to do the opposite when someone tells them what to do."
"……."
At that instant, Chung Myung’s hand moved like lightning.
Tap-tap-tap!
His hand struck the bandits’ dantians with pinpoint accuracy.
"Kuhk!"
"Aaaagh!"
The bandits, kicked in the lower abdomen, rolled around on the ground. Chung Myung looked at them and grinned.
"I’ll let you go. Stay here and have fun. I’ve sealed your dantians, so unless I come back, there’s no way you’ll recover your martial arts."
"……."
"Or run off and live as commoners, I guess. Do whatever you want."
Chung Myung spun on his heel.
Then, without a shred of hesitation, he walked toward Kunming.
Yoon Jong fell into step beside him.
"Why did you keep them locked up, then?"
"Who’s going to pull the wagon on the way back?"
"……."
"They’re better than horses."
"……."
Chung Myung shrugged.
"And while we’re at it, we can raid the mountain stronghold they came from on the way back too. They probably had a lot of stuff piled up."
Yoon Jong silently vowed that he would never, for as long as he lived, make an enemy of Chung Myung.