This Is Hell (3)
"Huff."
"Hiiiiiik!"
"Hah! Hah! Haaah!"
The carts raced forward at a bizarre speed.
From the start, the bandits of Janghocchae had been exceptionally skilled for bandits. For men like that to drag themselves along with every ounce of strength they had, it was only natural that their pace would be terrifyingly fast.
"G-guhhh... Vice Leader... I can’t... anymore..."
"Hold on! Hey, you idiot! You have to hold on!"
"I-I can’t..."
"Then do you want to climb up there?"
At Banyo’s words, the bandit slowly turned his head.
His eyes fell on the cart bed.
The bandit, who had been swaying as though he might collapse any second, twitched faintly, then snatched at the cart with crazed eyes.
"Aaaaaaaah!"
"Good! Keep holding on!"
Banyo pushed the cart with tears in his eyes.
His legs were shaking, and his mouth was dry enough to taste sweet, but he absolutely could not stop.
If he stopped, would they torment him?
No!
The problem was that they were treating him too well!
Banyo tilted his head and glanced up at the cargo cart.
Up there, five bandits were enjoying a perfectly comfortable rest beside Chung Myung.
"I told you to lie down. Why do you keep sitting up?"
"I’m fine!"
"Lie down and rest! You can’t rest standing up!"
Watching the bandits shout their lungs out while maintaining rigid attention, Chung Myung clicked his tongue.
"Hah. You idiots really don’t get it, do you? I said relax."
"We’re truly fine!"
"We’re comfortable! Very comfortable!"
"So comfortable I slept like a log!"
Banyo wiped at his eyes.
How can a person be that vicious?
Not long after they left Kunming, Chung Myung had sent five of them up onto the cart.
Since they had managed to procure such a large cart, there was enough space for five or so people to rest besides the disciples of Mount Hua.
- Why drag ten people at once? Just take turns in groups of five. Rest during the time you’re off.
On the surface, it sounded considerate. In reality, it meant: drag the cart for twelve shichen a day without stopping.
Still, that much was fine.
It would be a little uncomfortable atop a moving cart, but at least they’d get rest time, wouldn’t they?
But those who had leaped up in high spirits had to squeeze their eyes shut the instant they realized the place they were meant to rest was right beside Chung Myung.
I’m not going anywhere near that place, even if I die.
Better to die running than go there!
Hell would be more comfortable. That bastard looks like he’d make Yama his sworn brother!
The cart-pullers looked up at those resting atop the cart with pitiful expressions. Every one of them was on their knees, pale as death, trembling uncontrollably.
And Chung Myung was lying at an angle beside them, absently fiddling with a bundle of straw.
"Are you hungry?"
"No, sir!"
"We are not hungry!"
"Weird. It feels like you haven’t eaten for a day. Isn’t it about time you were hungry?"
"No! We’re really fine!"
"Really?"
"Yes! We don’t actually have much appetite."
"Tsk. If you say you won’t eat, I can’t force-feed you. If you get hungry, just say so. I’ll give you food."
"A-alright."
As Chung Myung yawned and rolled onto his back, the bandits nearly wept blood.
Is straw food now? Is straw food?!
What sin did I commit in my past life?
You committed it in this life, you bastard.
Why had things turned out like this?
They should have lived without doing evil.
But by now, even that regret was far too late.
"Anyway, rest up. I told you already, didn’t I? If we get there exactly twice as fast as the last time, I’ll let you all go."
"Yes!"
"We trust you."
"But..."
Chung Myung cracked his neck from side to side.
Crack. Crack-crack.
"Use your imagination to figure out what’ll happen if we don’t arrive twice as fast."
"......"
"You’ll need to run your asses off."
"W-we will definitely arrive on time!"
"Good. If you’re hungry, eat the straw."
Chung Myung snorted and sprawled out completely.
Ah, I really am getting too kind.
If this had been the old him, he would have cut off the heads of men like these the instant he laid eyes on them.
Chung Myung’s smile deepened along with the bandits’ bloodstained tears.
◇◇◇◆◇◇◇
"Still no word?"
"No, Guild Master."
"Hmph."
Jo Pyeong’s brow furrowed.
Mmm.
No matter how hard he tried, there was no way not to worry. His son had gone to that dangerous place called Yunnan, and still there was no news at all.
He wanted to trust that his child was grown now and wait patiently, but a parent’s heart was not so obedient.
"Is it really so difficult to send even a single message? What an inconsiderate brat."
"You know it’s hard to send word from Yunnan all the way here, Guild Master."
"Even so!"
Jo Pyeong let out a long sigh and paced on.
Normally, walking through the garden like this would ease the tightness in his chest, but today, no matter how long he strolled, his heart remained restless.
"Guild Master."
"I know."
Jo Pyeong sighed again.
He couldn’t keep wasting time like this. He was the leader of Sahaesanghoe, responsible for the lives of countless guild members.
Just as he was about to turn back toward the hall with heavy steps, a rumbling sound burst from outside.
"Hm?"
Jo Pyeong jerked his head around.
From the main road leading to the front gate, a tremendous pounding of feet had begun to roll closer.
What is that?
Thud-thud-thud-thud-thud!
Jo Pyeong’s brow furrowed a little more.
It sounded like an army was advancing. Worse, the sound was growing louder and louder, as if an entire force were marching straight toward them.
"What is going on?"
"I-I’ll check right away!"
Just as the chief steward rushed to the gate and grabbed it,
BOOM!
The main gate suddenly exploded with a deafening roar. The recoil sent the steward flying high into the sky.
"Aaaahhhhhhh!"
The steward’s scream faded into the distance, but Jo Pyeong couldn’t bring himself to turn away. What he saw through the shattered gate was too bizarre.
Men who had come dragging a huge cargo cart as if they meant to smash everything in the world gradually slowed, glanced blankly around, and then collapsed where they stood.
Then, before long, they began to cry.
"Haaah! Hah! Haaahhh!"
"W-we made it! We made it!"
"Uwaaaahhhhh! Mother! I made it on time!"
What in the world are those idiots?
Jo Pyeong widened his eyes and looked at the people lying beside the cart.
Their clothes were in tatters, barely better than rags, and their entire bodies were caked with dirt, dust, and sweat. Judging by appearance alone, even a passing beggar would have to bow and call them older brother.
Yet despite their pitiful condition, their faces were full of overwhelming joy and emotion.
"C-cough... We made it! We really made it!"
"Waaah! Vice Leader, we did it!"
"Yes, yes. You all really suffered. This vice leader is moved to tears!"
What on earth were they doing?
Unable to make sense of this absurd scene, Jo Pyeong could only stare blankly.
Then someone on top of the cart sprang upright.
"Tsk!"
Then he hopped down and clicked his tongue.
"How dare you break down the gate and barge in like that? This is Sahgul sahyung’s house, you know?"
"Hiiik!"
"Hah!"
Jo Pyeong tilted his head.
That one is...?
It was clearly Chung Myung, Jo Gul’s sije. The Mount Hua Divine Dragon.
Then that meant...
"Ow. My back."
"Ugh. Glad we arrived fast and all, but the ride was way too rough."
"N-nausea, nausea."
"S-sageom! Get down already! Don’t throw up here!"
One after another, the disciples of Mount Hua emerged from the cargo cart. Among them, Jo Pyeong spotted his son, Jo Gul, and his eyes widened.
"Gul! You brat! What in the world happened?"
"Father!"
Jo Gul rushed toward Jo Pyeong in quick steps.
"Yes, what happened..."
Grab!
But before Jo Pyeong could finish, Jo Gul seized his hand without another word.
Seeing the fierce light blazing in his son’s eyes as if they might spit fire, Jo Pyeong flinched and took a step back. But Jo Gul tightened his grip as if he had no intention of letting go.
"Father!"
"Y-yes?"
It was the first time he had ever seen his son radiating such terrifying force, so Jo Pyeong was visibly shaken.
"Grain!"
"......"
"We need to buy grain right now! Secure every grain stockpile in Chengdu immediately!"
"......Hm?"
No, the moment he returned, he didn’t even greet his father—he just blurted out...
"What are you talking about?"
As Jo Pyeong tried to get some grasp of the situation, Jo Gul glared at him with frightening intensity.
"Tea!"
"......Hm?"
"We can trade for it!"
It was truly a statement with no beginning and no end.
But Jo Pyeong was a merchant. More precisely, he was a capable merchant who had led Sahaesanghoe, one of Sichuan’s ten great merchant houses.
In an instant, he separated the useful information hidden inside Jo Gul’s words.
"So..."
Having pieced it together somewhat, Jo Pyeong quickly spoke.
"The tea you’re talking about is, of course, Yunnan tea."
"Yes!"
"Then you mean... no, the Mount Hua disciples who went with you obtained the right to purchase Yunnan tea?"
"Yes! We secured the exclusive selling rights."
"...Exclusive selling?"
Exclusive selling... The right to monopolize Yunnan tea...
Jo Pyeong muttered as he tilted his head, then sprang up as though struck by lightning. His eyes widened as if they might fly right out of his head.
"E-Exclusive! Did you say exclusive rights?"
"Yes!"
"If we bring grain, they’ll give us tea?"
"That’s what I’m saying! We don’t have time!"
Jo Pyeong’s eyes slowly began to glaze over.
Exclusive rights to Yunnan tea. Bring grain and they’ll trade tea for it.
He had a thousand questions, but now was not the time. First, move. Questions could come later!
"Ch-chief steward! Where is the chief steward!"
"Ughhh... G-Guild Master. I’m here..."
The steward, a miserable sight after falling into the pond, came almost crawling over.
"Right now, buy up every grain stock in Chengdu! No, we must purchase all the grain in Sichuan! I don’t care if the price is doubled—tripled, even! Move! Right now!"
"Yes!"
"At the same time, prepare a caravan to go to Yunnan! It sounds urgent, so do it as fast as possible! We’ll be loading the grain we purchase, so make sure there are enough wagons and horses!"
"Yes!"
At the look on Jo Pyeong’s face, the chief steward dashed into the hall at full speed without another word.
Only after giving the orders did Jo Pyeong turn sharply back to Jo Gul.
"I’ve done as you said for now, so explain exactly what’s going on."
"Yes. So..."
Jo Gul began explaining the circumstances together with Yoon Jong.
Watching them, Chung Myung turned on his heel and trudged away. The explanation would be handled well enough on its own. What Chung Myung had to do now was something else.
"Ughhh..."
"I think my legs are gone..."
"I don’t even have the strength to drink water."
The collapsed bandits groaned as they rubbed at their legs. Seeing the scene, Chung Myung smiled with satisfaction.
"You all worked hard."
"Not at all!"
"It was all thanks to you, sir!"
"Right, right."
Contentment settled over Chung Myung’s face.
Thanks to the bandits running like mad through day and night, they had managed to make it back to Sichuan in truly less than half the time it had taken before.
"B-but, sir..."
"Hm?"
"...Are you going to forgive us now?"
Banyo, the vice leader of Janghocchae, asked cautiously.
Of course, what he really wanted to ask was,
"Are you going to let us go now?"
But he didn’t have the courage to say that directly to Chung Myung.
"What would I even use you for if I took you with me?"
"...Th-then..."
"Don’t worry. I’ll let you go."
"T-thank you! Thank you so much."
Chung Myung smiled and nodded.
And that was the very moment.
Tap-tap-tat!
Like lightning, Chung Myung swung his hand and struck the bandits’ dantians.
"Hngk?"
"Ghhk!"
The bandits clutched their lower bellies and hunched over.
Realizing in an instant that their internal energy had been sealed again, they looked at Chung Myung with baffled eyes.
"S-sir?"
"What is this...?"
But Chung Myung only shrugged, utterly unconcerned.
"Hey, I’m not lying. I said I’d really let you go."
"...Yes?"
The next moment, there was a noisy commotion behind him, and Baek Cheon walked through the broken gate.
"Chung Myung. I brought them."
"Oh. Nice work, sahyung."
Brought them?
Brought who?
Fearing something ominous, the bandits, including Banyo, slowly turned their heads.
Why was it that bad omens were never wrong?
Following behind Baek Cheon were the government officers.
"......"
The officers who had stormed in through the gate hardened their expressions at the sight of the sprawled bandits.
"So these are the bandits of Janghocchae?"
"......"
The bandits looked back at Chung Myung with dazed eyes.
Hey.
Don’t tell me...
And Chung Myung did not betray their expectations.
"Yes, those are the ones. Please arrest them quickly."
"I..."
"You bastard..."
Before they could even voice a protest, the officers surged forward and bound them one after another with ropes.
"You filthy bandits! So this is how you’ve been rampaging all this time!"
"You’re all to beheaded! Do you have any idea how many people in Sichuan have died because of you?"
"Take them away!"
Still unable to string together a coherent protest, the bandits were dragged away helplessly, all at once turning back to stare at Chung Myung.
"Aaaaaaah! You monster!"
"You horse-nosed Taoist bastard! How can you still call yourself human?"
"You’ll burn in the fires of hell!"
Curses filled the air, frantic and raw, but Chung Myung’s face remained bored. He even picked at his ear, then blew on his finger and said,
"Who’s barking like a dog?"
In the end, Banyo and the rest were dragged off, shouting every insult they had in their heads.
Watching the scene, Baek Cheon approached and asked quietly,
"...Is this really alright?"
"What’s the problem?"
"They did work hard, in their own way."
"Even so, they’re bandits. And I kept my promise, didn’t I? I let them go. What am I supposed to do about the fact that the state’s the one arresting them?"
"......"
"Still, I do feel a little sorry. Maybe I should’ve at least packed them some straw?"
Ah, our Chung Myung.
His heart was kind.
Really kind.
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