What Kind of Bandit Is This? (3)
Gulp. Gulp. Gulp.
“Kaaah!”
Yuk So-byeong—or rather, Im So-byeong—took a hearty drink of water and wiped the corner of his mouth with a quick flick of his hand.
The whole scene was, frankly, rather… rather…
He looks just like Chung Myung when that bastard drinks.
Who gulps down water that energetically?
“Oh, dear. I’m sorry. I’m not used to doing this sort of thing, you see. What can you do?”
With a sly grin, Im So-byeong spoke in the same casual tone he’d used at the beginning, as though the imposing manner from a moment ago had never existed.
That only left Mount Hua’s disciples even more bewildered.
“Then… you’re… no, I mean, you are…?”
How were they supposed to address him?
But before Baek Cheon could even finish worrying over it, Im So-byeong answered neatly for them.
“Yes. I’m the King of the Green Forest. Im So-byeong, if you please.”
“Then all that coughing earlier was…?”
“Ah, that part is real. I was born with a weak constitution.”
“……”
Just then, the burly man who had been posing as the Green Forest King rushed in and thrust a bowl of medicine toward Im So-byeong.
“It’s time for your medicine.”
“You should’ve brought it before I drank water, you idiot!”
“……I’m sorry.”
“Tsk.”
With an irritated glare, Im So-byeong lifted the bowl of herbal medicine and drained it in one go. Then he thrust the empty bowl back as if nearly throwing it and glared at the man.
“Ugh, seriously. How many times do I have to tell you to add more licorice!”
“……You know if there’s too much licorice, the medicine loses its effect.”
“Damn it. I’d rather die from the bitterness in my mouth than die from my illness while chasing after efficacy.”
As though he couldn’t be bothered to talk any further, Im So-byeong waved the man away.
“Move. We have guests.”
“Yes.”
The man stepped back and stood politely at attention.
Mount Hua’s disciples stared at the scene, dumbfounded, trying desperately to sort out their thoughts.
What the hell is going on here?
So the Green Forest King wasn’t that beastly, warlord-looking brother—but this frail scholar who looked like he might collapse and die any second?
Perhaps sensing their confusion, Im So-byeong gave a sly smile.
“Surprised, were you?”
“Ah… well…”
“I’m sorry about that. It’s all part of making a living, you see.”
Unable to hold back his curiosity, Jo Gul cautiously asked, “But… why go to all this trouble…?”
“Excellent question. Just the right question.”
Snap!
Im So-byeong opened his fan wide and half hid his face behind it.
“Before you came in here, what sort of man did you think the Green Forest King would be?”
“Well…”
Mount Hua’s disciples each pictured the Green Forest King they had imagined.
A massive build.
A booming voice.
Wild beard, tiger skins…
“Ah…”
“Exactly! Exactly!”
Im So-byeong shouted with excitement, as though they had confirmed his point.
“There’s a form people expect from the Green Forest King! But what if you finally meet him and some dried-up little sardine of a man comes out saying he’s the Green Forest King? What then?”
“Uh… I guess I’d think it was a little strange.”
“That’s right! They’d look down on you! Look down on you!”
Unable to bear it, Im So-byeong struck his own chest several times in frustration.
“It’s not like they pick the Green Forest King by body size! But because a man’s a bit small or a bit thin, they think they can sneer at him!”
Ah…
Mount Hua’s disciples nodded dumbly, as though they finally understood.
“Bandits aren’t all huge men in tiger pelts, you know!”
At that, Chung Myung, who had been listening quietly, let out a snicker.
“Well, that’s because bandits usually grow those ugly beards and run around in animal skins.”
Im So-byeong waved his tattered fan furiously, as if trying to cool his temper.
“What am I supposed to do if that’s what sells? I keep telling them to dress a little more neatly, but do they listen? Haaah! Changing every little thing… aaaatchoo! Damn this pollen. Cough! Cough! Kha-ha-ha!”
He was off again, coughing so hard it sounded like he might spit out a lung. After covering his mouth and hacking for a while, he finally grabbed a gourd and drank water roughly, as though desperate to wash it all down.
“Ahem.”
Only then, once he had calmed himself, did he continue as if nothing had happened.
“Anyway, that’s why we had no choice but to put up a suitably Green Forest King–looking substitute.”
“Ah. And that’s him?”
“Yes. One of the Ten Shadows of the Green Forest. But there’s no need for you to know that much.”
Everyone’s gaze naturally shifted to that man—Jang Han. Standing behind Im So-byeong, he looked like a deity of war.
Yeah, he does look more like a Green Forest King.
Prejudice really is scary.
Then Im So-byeong snapped his fan shut and looked at Chung Myung with interest.
“But… how did you know I was the Green Forest King, Dojang?”
“Well, there were a few reasons…”
Chung Myung shrugged.
“A strong person doesn’t need to grovel to a weaker one.”
“……”
At once, Im So-byeong’s eyes sharpened.
He saw through my martial prowess…
There was no way he would have pulled off this act if he couldn’t hide even that.
Besides, what he practiced in the first place was a martial art that concealed one’s ability rather than displaying it openly. Even for most experts, identifying his cultivation wouldn’t have been easy.
And yet this young Daoist saw straight through it?
The corner of his mouth curled upward.
“Well now. It seems I’ve been performing on the Buddha’s palm from the very beginning. Hoho. How embarrassing.”
But despite his words, he looked embarrassed about as much as a fox looked remorseful after raiding a henhouse.
“You said there were several reasons. Might I hear another?”
“It’s nothing impressive. In the first place, the Green Forest King isn’t a position for some giant brute. And that man didn’t seem particularly smart.”
“……”
Im So-byeong studied Chung Myung with a strange look.
“Mount Hua Divine Dragon… Mount Hua Divine Dragon, huh. People praise the immense martial prowess and potential of Chung Myung of Mount Hua Divine Dragon, but now that I see you, Dojang, you truly are a Daoist. You aren’t fooled by appearances; you see the essence. That must be the true nature of those who follow the Dao.”
Baek Cheon’s eye twitched.
Something profoundly mistaken was happening here.
“Good.”
Snap!
Im So-byeong opened his fan again and his eyes gleamed.
“I can’t remember the last time I met someone who saw through me. Since I’ve been fortunate enough to meet a guest of such distinction, it’s only right that I treat you accordingly. What is it you want?”
Chung Myung finally looked entertained, a grin spreading across his face.
“Now we’re speaking the same language. It’s nothing much, really. I just want to try a few things together.”
“Such as?”
“Before that.”
Chung Myung shrugged.
“Do you happen to have a map? Something that shows the exact locations of the bandit strongholds?”
“……Did you just say a map?”
“Yeah.”
“Hmm.”
Im So-byeong leaned back in his chair with a faintly troubled expression. At that, the fake Green Forest King behind him barked out angrily, “You fool! Do you even know what you’re saying? If we hand over the locations of all our strongholds and that information gets into the government’s hands, what do you think will happen—”
“Bring me the map.”
“……Pardon?”
“I said bring me the map.”
“N-no, Green Forest King! That’s—”
“Damn it.”
When Im So-byeong shot him a fierce look, the fake Green Forest King flinched and nodded repeatedly.
“I-I’ll bring it right away! Please wait just a moment.”
Then he dashed out with a speed utterly unlike his massive frame. Im So-byeong smiled slightly, looking faintly tired.
“Please understand. He was born with tremendous strength, but when it comes to this sort of thing, he’s a bit… hopelessly dim.”
“Sounds exhausting to keep around.”
“Hrm. That part is true, I suppose, but what can I do? Everyone has different needs and uses. He’s actually rather useful in his own way.”
“I guess so. I’ve got one of those myself, and he’s a pain in the ass.”
Chung Myung glanced over his shoulder.
“What? Why are you looking at me!”
When Baek Cheon snapped back, Chung Myung shook his head.
“Just accept your fate.”
“I agree.”
It was infuriating and deeply unfair, but given the situation, no one could afford to act out. Worse still, the white marten perched on Chung Myung’s shoulder kept peeking this way, somehow looking as though it were grinning too, which only made the irritation worse.
“H-Here! Here it is!”
The big man rushed back inside and spread the map out in front of them.
“Hmm. Just as I thought.”
Chung Myung’s eyes brightened with interest as he checked the map.
“If you look at it, these bandit strongholds are all in places that matter.”
“Naturally. A stronghold only means something when there are people traveling through the mountains. But if word gets out that bandits have set up camp in the mountains, people will naturally try to take other routes, won’t they?”
“Right.”
Im So-byeong smiled faintly.
“That’s why the choke points matter. A stronghold is all about how good a choke point it sits on. You need to place it where, even knowing bandits are there, people would rather slip through after paying a little money than waste time making a huge detour.”
Chung Myung nodded with satisfaction.
“In other words, the most important logistics routes in Central Plains all pass through Green Forest strongholds?”
“Exactly, exactly. You grasp things quickly.”
Which meant that when the Ghost Sect transported goods in the future, the odds were high that they would pass right through areas where Green Forest strongholds were located.
“Let’s change the condition.”
“The condition?”
“Not just the right to pass through. Let us use the strongholds as lodgings too.”
“……Lodgings?”
Im So-byeong’s eyes widened, clearly never having expected that.
“You want to use the Seventy-Two Strongholds of the Green Forest like inns?”
“Yes.”
“……No, what the hell is—”
Im So-byeong trailed off, looking dazed, and Chung Myung clicked his tongue.
“Our special delivery couriers are fast on their feet, but their martial arts are pretty weak.”
“……And?”
“The most dangerous times for people like that are when they’re resting and when they’re sleeping. When they’re running around, they’re so fast it’s easy enough to escape. But if someone targets them while they’re taking a break, they’re dead meat.”
“Hmm.”
“At first there won’t be anyone like that, sure. But once word gets out, there’s no guarantee the flies won’t start circling. Thieves, bandits—those sorts of bastards could swarm all over them.”
“I don’t see why it would be difficult for Dojang to track those people down and punish them.”
“It’s a matter of efficiency. I don’t exactly have nothing to do. And chasing every single incident down and beating the hell out of them is a ridiculous hassle. It’s better to be careful from the start than to clean up after the mess is already made.”
“……Every word you’re saying makes sense.”
So that was the plan—use the Green Forest as inns?
No, wait. Huh. That’s surprisingly reasonable.
Setting aside the repulsion that came with the word “bandit stronghold,” there probably wasn’t anywhere safer. Even renowned experts wouldn’t lightly choose to fight the Green Forest in the mountains.
So perhaps the safest place in both mountains and plains might actually be a bandit stronghold.
“And if I give orders in my name, our people won’t be tempted to steal the cargo either?”
“That’s the idea.”
“Hohoho.”
The Green Forest strongholds were spread throughout the world. As Chung Myung said, for fast-moving couriers, it wouldn’t be a problem to travel hard for three or four days and then stop at a stronghold to rest.
“Hahahaha!”
With a loud laugh, Im So-byeong suddenly shot up from his seat and strode toward Chung Myung. Baek Cheon and the others tensed slightly, but Im So-byeong simply seized Chung Myung’s hand with bright, shining eyes.
“I thought you were just another stuffy old Daoist, but you’re saying wonderfully interesting things. I, Im, am seeing you in a whole new light.”
“Heh. That’s prejudice too.”
“Krrr! Exactly, exactly! I, who have suffered from prejudice my entire life, was carrying prejudice myself. How shameful for a man of virtue!”
At that, Mount Hua’s disciples exchanged glances.
Man of virtue?
So he says.
What kind of bandit is this?
If a bandit was a man of virtue, then was a pirate some kind of dragon king?
There were so many things they wanted to object to, yet they couldn’t bring themselves to join the conversation between this fake Daoist and fake bandit.
“So all we have to do is provide protection and somewhere to rest?”
“And of course there’ll be the occasional tail following them in. When that happens, you handle it yourselves.”
“And in return, Dojang will give us fair compensation?”
“It should be enough that both sides are satisfied.”
“Reasonable! Extremely reasonable! Dojang, you’re really a remarkably reasonable man for a martial artist. Hahaha… cough! Cough! Ah-hem!”
Im So-byeong doubled over, coughing violently, and Mount Hua’s disciples stared at him with glazed eyes. Meanwhile, Hye Yeon could only mutter Buddhist invocations over and over, as though the collusion unfolding before him—the Daoist and the bandit joining hands—was nothing short of tragic.
“Ahem. Khrrrgh!”
Im So-byeong cleared his throat hard, forcing down the coughs, then grinned again.
“Still, it doesn’t seem as though that’s the only reason you proposed this, Dojang.”
“Well, we can talk about the rest later.”
“You’re testing the waters?”
“Aren’t we both?”
“That we are. Heh heh.”
“Heh heh heh.”
As though the tension from a moment ago had never existed, Im So-byeong and Chung Myung laughed at each other in a thoroughly shameless manner.
What sort of treasonous conspiracy is this?
They really do get along.
Im So-byeong, who had been laughing loudly, suddenly cut himself off and turned around. Then he sat back down in his chair and leaned into it with a languid expression.
“Good. Very good. It’s been a while since I met someone I can actually talk to. We’re only here to make money anyway, so this is not a bad proposal. However…”
The smile deepening on his face grew even thicker.
“The Green Forest has its own nature. We pursue profit, yes, but not everything can be solved through reason alone. When that happens, our law is very simple. The strong are supreme. The strong are right.”
“Hmm?”
“What do you think?”
The voice with which he asked, the corner of his mouth rising, was utterly different from before—as though he had become another person entirely.
“Do you truly believe you’re worthy of working with the Green Forest? And do you have the courage to prove it?”
A ferocious, demonic pressure burst from his body.
What?
Hah!
Mount Hua’s disciples flinched and staggered back.
The oppressive aura of an absolute expert was too savage and rough for them to bear.
But then, at that very moment—
“Tsk.”
Chung Myung casually waved a hand. The overwhelming pressure faltered at once, and breathing became easier.
Chung Myung looked at the Green Forest King and said, “What was that law of the Green Forest again?”
“The strong are supreme.”
“That’s a pretty interesting phrase.”
The corner of Chung Myung’s mouth curled upward.
“Lucky for you, Mount Hua’s the same.”
“No, you idiot!”
“Mount Hua is a Daoist sect! What the hell do you mean, the strong are supreme!”
“Ah, shut up!”
Chung Myung easily suppressed the rebellion that finally burst out from his companions and said to Im So-byeong, “If you need proof, I’ll prove it as much as you want. But you’d better be careful. I don’t know how to go easy on anyone.”
Listening to Chung Myung, Baek Cheon smiled with satisfaction.
So he means he’ll smash their heads in.
Good grief, our Chung Myung.
He can even beat around the bush now.
How admirable.
…Really admirable.