I’m So Damn Irritated, I Could Explode! (2)
"Th-... "
After struggling to open his mouth, Do Un-chan closed it again. He had no idea what he was supposed to say.
In front of him, a line of people knelt on the ground.
"W-... "
It was bizarre enough that they were all kneeling, but what was even stranger was that the demon at the very end was holding both arms up in punishment all by himself.
Does that even count as punishment?
A man had struck another man and been launched skyward. For a master of that caliber, what was so hard about kneeling and holding up his hands for a while?
Though there was still the matter of dignity...
"Keep them up properly!"
The demon, who had been sneaking his arms down, quickly shot them back up at Hyun Jong’s shout. His sulky face made it all the more absurd that he was actually obeying.
They said he was the Mount Hua Divine Dragon.
So that was him. No, that man was the Mount Hua Divine Dragon.
Watching the Mount Hua Divine Dragon kneel there and receive punishment before his eyes was an experience Do Un-chan could hardly put into words.
"Tsk."
Hyun Jong’s face twisted in outrage as he barked at them.
"And you call yourselves Daoists? Now you’re even threatening people with another sect’s property? Threatening them?"
"...N-no, it’s just—"
"Quiet!"
At the thunderous shout, Baek Cheon and the others, still kneeling, all bowed their heads at once.
Hyun Jong was not the sort to lose his temper often, which somehow made it three times more frightening when he did.
"Baek Cheon!"
"Yes, Sect Leader!"
"If your junior brother caused trouble, you should have stopped him! Why do you think I sent you all the way to Xi'an!"
Baek Cheon could only gape helplessly, his mouth opening and closing without a word coming out.
Sect Leader.
If you ordered it, I’d throw myself into a blazing fire without hesitation.
But that’s because it’s something I can actually do. If you tell me to do something I couldn’t even do if I died, what am I supposed to say...?
"You lot are no different! A Daoist commits such disgraceful acts, and instead of stopping him, you’re all standing there snickering?"
"We weren’t snickering—"
"Shut up!"
When Jo Gul tried to defend himself, Yoon Jong drove an elbow into his side.
"Ghk."
With Jo Gul neatly dealt with, Yoon Jong lowered his head. Yu I-seol, too, kept her mouth shut, her face blank and sullen.
"And you..."
Righteous anger, as fierce as Mount Hua itself, began to blaze in Hyun Jong’s eyes.
"You... you’re an elder... ghk, and an elder at that..."
"Sect Leader!"
"Please, calm yourself, Sect Leader! Your health is already poor!"
"Water! Bring me some cold water at once! Now!"
Hyun Jong’s hand trembled violently as he pointed at Hyun Young. Even Hyun Young, who normally had a complaint ready for every occasion, seemed unable to face that fury and only averted his gaze.
"You horse-nosed fools!"
It was a rare spectacle indeed: one Daoist shouting horse-nosed Daoist at another Daoist.
As Hyun Jong moved to lunge again, Hyun Sang rushed up behind him and wrapped his arms around him, pulling him back.
"S-Sect Leader! We have outsiders here! Outsiders!"
"Outsiders? Who cares about outsiders! They’re the ones who threatened people with another sect’s Sect Leader’s Token! How much worse can they possibly look? Is there any more shame left to give?"
"P-please, calm down first!"
Now that Hyun Sang was holding him back, Hyun Jong could no longer rush forward. Still seething, he yanked off his remaining shoe and threw it at Hyun Young.
Hyun Young ducked sharply and dodged the incoming shoe.
"Get out! Get out, all of you! I’ll set aside a proper place for you over there, so just open a bandit camp and live there! You’re worse than bandits!"
After glancing around, Chung Myung leaned toward Hyun Young and muttered under his breath.
"He looks really mad..."
"He’s fine. When has he ever not been like this? He’ll calm down soon enough."
Hyun Jong collapsed in place as though the sky had fallen, letting out a long, exhausted sigh.
"How did Mount Hua end up like this?"
"Still better than before, though."
"You—shut up! You!"
Hyun Jong glared, and Hyun Young coughed awkwardly before turning his head away again.
"Haaah."
After exhaling a sigh deep enough to sink the ground, Hyun Jong finally turned back to Do Un-chan.
"... "
Do Un-chan, whose mind had been battered senseless by the storm that had just passed through, flinched.
"...Well, then..."
Now drained of all strength, Hyun Jong spoke in a limp voice.
"I truly have no face left to show. I took them in as disciples and failed to teach them properly... This matter is entirely my fault as Sect Leader, so please, direct your anger at me."
"Ah, n-no, Sect Leader!"
He had not the slightest desire to curse Hyun Jong.
And even if he had, what was he supposed to say when the bastard kneeling there with his hands raised was grinding his teeth at him like, Go on, say something if you dare?
What on earth is this place?
He had crossed paths with all kinds of sects over the years, but he had never seen anything like this.
To think that this ridiculous place was Mount Hua, the most renowned sect in all the Central Plains right now. He almost felt betrayed.
"Of course, we’ll return the Sect Leader’s Token... No, no, that’s right. That’s our fault too, for not managing it properly. I’m satisfied as long as I can take the token and go."
The thought that he ought to demand Mount Hua’s principles had long since been blown away.
No matter how he looked at it, this sect was not something Do Un-chan could handle. The best course was to stay as uninvolved as possible, recover the Sect Leader’s Token, and leave.
"Of course, I intend to return the Sect Leader’s Token."
"But that was the one I found—"
"Shut your mouth."
Chung Myung, who had been trying to but in at the perfect moment, flinched at Hyun Jong’s bark and pouted.
"But before that, there’s one thing I need to confirm."
"Yes? Confirm what...?"
"Are you truly the Ghost Sect’s young sect leader, and the rightful successor who may receive this Sect Leader’s Token?"
By then, Hyun Jong’s gaze had become the stern eyes of a true sect leader.
"The Sect Leader’s Token is an immensely important object. Merely being from the Ghost Sect is not enough. Even within a sect, there are always internal struggles. I do not wish to see chaos spread through the Ghost Sect because of this token."
"Ah..."
Do Un-chan looked at Hyun Jong with fresh eyes.
From the way he had just thrown off his shoe, Do Un-chan had assumed him to be a frivolous man in the end, but he was more thoughtful than expected.
"Yes, Sect Leader. It is true that there was internal strife within the Ghost Sect, but everything has now been settled. The moment I return with that Sect Leader’s Token, I will ascend to the position of Ghost Sect leader."
"Can you prove it?"
"Proof..."
Do Un-chan trailed off with a troubled expression. Unless he brought these people to the Ghost Sect, there was no real way to prove it.
"That would be a little difficult, Sect Leader."
"Hmm."
After a brief moment of thought, Hyun Jong spoke again.
"Then let us do it this way. I will entrust the Sect Leader’s Token to one of my disciples. Then the young sect leader may take that disciple to the Ghost Sect. Once the verification is complete, I will have the token returned."
"Ah! That will work."
Do Un-chan’s face lit up.
The Sect Leader’s Token was an object so important it could determine the reputation of an entire sect. If the one who possessed it harbored ill intent, it could inflict serious harm on the sect.
So even if it was troublesome, he intended to confirm things first and then hand it over, preventing any great calamity from befalling the Ghost Sect. It was a sufficiently considerate solution.
And once it was verified, they would return the Sect Leader’s Token at once, would they not?
That was the very image of someone following the Dao.
Though...
"The Ghost Sect is a long way from here. Will that be all right?"
"There are many children here who are used to long journeys, so that should be fine. But..."
Hyun Jong’s expression changed sharply as he looked back at Chung Myung and the other disciples.
"...the real question is whether you can go and come back without causing trouble. Without trouble!"
At that, Chung Myung turned his head.
"Jo Gul sahyung. The Sect Leader’s calling you."
"You, you bastard!"
"...Would you two please shut up? Please."
Baek Cheon gritted his teeth, his face near tears.
He had once been the upright senior disciple of the Baek generation, carrying all the expectations of the elders of Mount Hua on his shoulders, but now he had been reduced to kneeling and getting scolded because he had failed to stop what his junior brothers had done.
Honestly, I wish they’d all just die.
Baek Cheon, swept up in the fallout, had fallen into despair, but the one who had started all this showed not the slightest shame.
"But, Sect Leader!"
"I swear I’m going to rip that mouth right off—"
"No, no. I really do have something to say!"
Hyun Jong regarded Chung Myung with deep suspicion, then sighed.
"What now?"
"Come on, Sect Leader. Do you really think I’d just order people around for no reason? That’s me, Chung Myung! Chung Myung!"
I know.
It’s because I know you’re Chung Myung that I’m reacting like this.
"Sect Leader."
Hyun Young quietly backed Chung Myung up as well.
"This may actually be a worthwhile matter for the Ghost Sect as well. He didn’t do this without thinking, so perhaps you should at least hear him out for a moment..."
"Hmm."
Hyun Jong, still conflicted, let out another long sigh.
"...Go on, then."
Chung Myung immediately lowered both arms and sprang to his feet. Then he walked right up to Do Un-chan and grinned.
"...W-why are you looking at me like that, young Daoist...?"
"Hey, Sect Leader. No, I mean, young sect leader!"
"Yes?"
"How about making some money?"
"...Pardon?"
Do Un-chan’s face went blank.
A moment later...
"So..."
Do Un-chan’s eyes trembled.
"Because the Ghost Sect’s movement art is the finest under heaven..."
"Exactly! It’s incredibly, incredibly fast."
"And if we use that movement art..."
Now not only his eyes, but even Do Un-chan’s lips began to twitch.
"...you want us to do courier work?"
"No, no. Not courier work. Express delivery."
"... "
Do Un-chan silently stared at the young Daoist in front of him.
So they really did call him the Mount Hua Divine Dragon.
A dragon was supposed to be a being beyond human comprehension, wasn’t it? In that sense, the nickname was perfectly fitting. Because he had absolutely no idea what the hell this bastard was talking about.
"Y-young Daoist..."
Do Un-chan finally managed to speak, stammering a little.
"I think I understand what you’re saying... No, wait, we’re martial artists, not couriers."
"What’s a martial artist, anyway?"
"A martial artist is..."
Someone who uses swords and fists.
But he couldn’t bring himself to answer that way. Chung Myung filled the silence before he could.
"I’m a martial artist, but I’m also a Daoist."
"Th-there’s that."
"Which means there’s nothing strange about a martial artist having another profession. Why couldn’t we be couriers? There are plenty of people who learn martial arts to become escorts or work for escort agencies."
"That may be true, but..."
Do Un-chan glanced sideways at Gye Hyeong. He, too, was staring at Chung Myung with the bewildered expression of someone hearing this for the first time.
"I understand what you’re trying to say, young Daoist. But isn’t that already something many escort bureaus do? What would be the point of doing it now?"
"No, it’s different."
"Pardon?"
"Jo Gul sahyung!"
"Huh?"
Jo Gul, who had been listening quietly from the side, poked his head up.
"How long does it take to send goods from Sichuan to Beijing?"
"To Beijing?"
"Yeah."
Jo Gul thought for a moment, frowning.
"It depends on the season and the situation, but Chengdu to Beijing is at least over five thousand li, so even on the fast end it’d take three months."
"Three months?"
"That’s the absolute minimum. In reality, transporting goods usually means stopping off at other places along the way, so it can take twice as long."
"So it could take up to half a year?"
"Right."
Chung Myung whipped his head around to look at Do Un-chan.
"You see what I mean?"
"W-what exactly are you saying?"
"If it takes half a year to receive one package, how’s a short-tempered bastard supposed to live?"
"... "
"How long does it take for Ghost Sect members to go from Chengdu to Beijing?"
"...A thousand li a day would be impossible, but five hundred li wouldn’t be difficult. So ten days."
Chung Myung reached out and clamped a hand tightly on Do Un-chan’s shoulder.
"How many people do you think would be willing to pay extra if you could deliver it in ten days?"
"... "
Do Un-chan’s head began to spin.
Th-there are people who would pay more just to get something a little earlier?
Even if it shortened the delivery time from half a year to ten days...
"There couldn’t be people like that..."
"There are."
Jo Gul said it firmly.
"Quite a few escort bureaus are already doing this. They accept goods at two or three times the usual price in exchange for cutting the schedule short and not stopping anywhere else."
Jo Gul grinned.
"There are more people than you’d think who value time more than money."
Nodding, Chung Myung leaned close to Do Un-chan’s ear and whispered.
"That guy may look like some neighborhood thug, but he’s the son of one of Sichuan’s Ten Great Trading Houses."
"I can hear you! You bastard!"
Jo Gul’s shouting didn’t even reach Do Un-chan. He was too stunned to react.
This could actually make money?
For a brief moment, he was tempted. But Do Un-chan quickly came back to his senses.
"I-I understand what you’re saying. But this isn’t a matter of money. First and foremost, our duty is..."
"You’re thinking too small."
"... "
At the intervening voice, Do Un-chan turned his head.
Hyun Young wore a smile so gentle it seemed like the most benevolent expression in the world, yet his words came with the weight of hard-earned revelation.
"A sect is money."
"... "
"I know. I’ve tried it."
"... "
Do Un-chan had nothing left to say.