The Suzhou Boatmen's Guild
Of course, the boatmen of Suzhou had no intention of kindly pointing anything out to an outsider like Seok Sung.
So Hui-yeom had to lean forward and put the question to them himself.
"You've all been working hard. I am Dang Hui-yeom, Young Master of the Sichuan Dang Family. Might you tell me where I can find the Suzhou Boatmen's Guild? I'll make it worth your while."
Ordinarily, a question like that would have earned a contemptuous spit into the river and a curt "Not interested" before the boatmen pushed off. After all, what could be more galling than some out-of-towner turning up in Suzhou, asking for directions without even hiring a local boat or offering silver? In an age without navigation apps, knowledge of the terrain itself was valuable capital—something no one simply handed out for free.
This time, however, was different. Hui-yeom was a martial artist. More than that—he was the Sichuan Crouching Dragon.
"Th-the Sichuan Crouching Dragon? Young hero, are you truly the Sichuan Crouching Dragon whose name is on every tongue?"
"Well, I don't know about 'on every tongue,' but I have heard people call me by that rather excessive moniker."
The boatman's face, which had been twisted with irritation, transformed in an instant. Fear, admiration, and curiosity warred across his features.
"A-are you the peerless commander who crushed a million Mongol cavalry at Yunnan and Qingcheng? The one who waved a single fan and summoned a poisonous fog that melted a hundred thousand men, who raised a baton and called down a rain of fire from the heavens, who revived Zhuge Liang's Eightfold Formation so thoroughly that the Mongol horsemen couldn't even cross a single thin wire fence?!"
Apparently the rumors had put on a great deal of weight while crossing several provinces. Hui-yeom gave a wry smile.
"Those stories are considerably exaggerated. First of all, the Chagatai cavalry numbered three hundred and thirty thousand. What I did wasn't some mystical sorcery—I simply seized advantageous ground and fought with superior weapons. And of those, the force I personally commanded in Yunnan was only about two hundred thousand. The rest either died at the outposts on Green Mountain before they ever reached Dali, or crossed into Qinghai Province. The fighting in Qinghai was handled by my aunt here—Dang Su-jeong, the Poison Phoenix—leading our special units."
"…Wow."
The moment Hui-yeom gestured toward her, the boatman's eyes went unfocused. He stared at Dang Su-jeong as if dazed. Feeling a little pleased despite herself, she pretended not to notice while sneaking a glance at Lee Jin-myeong, who nodded as if this were only natural. Judging that the man would happily spend half the day lost in her face if left alone, Hui-yeom cleared his throat to snap him out of it.
"Anyway, that is the situation."
"Ah! Forgive my rudeness. You're the hero who saved the Central Plains—of course I'll show you the way!"
"There's no need to escort us personally… I'm sure you're busy."
"Nonsense! Come, this way!"
The boatman took the lead in a small skiff, guiding the vessel carrying Hui-yeom's party through the labyrinth of waterways.
Suzhou's canals were far more tangled than expected. The great channels linked to the Grand Canal ran straight and broad, but the lesser waterways that branched from them twisted between buildings, bridges, and terrain like a web of capillaries. Even in the twenty-first century, the roads of old cities—unlike the neat grid of planned new towns—were notoriously crooked and confusing for outsiders; it was only natural that canals laid down in the Song Dynasty would be the same.
The boatman's skiff wound this way and that as if deliberately lost. Hui-yeom had been gazing idly at the scenery when something odd snagged his senses.
"Eyes?"
"You felt it too?"
Dang Su-jeong kept one hand inside her sleeve while pretending to admire the passing view, scanning their surroundings.
"Ever since we entered this alley, I've sensed gazes looking down on us from buildings on both sides."
Watchers, hidden among the high buildings that lined the narrow canal.
"A trap, do you think?"
"Unlikely. Anyone who tries to spring a trap on the Young Master of the Sichuan Dang Family had better be prepared to pay a steep price—they know that. Besides, we haven't shown any hostility. So for now, it's probably just intelligence gathering. Still… this city's tangled layout would be a real headache if it came to a fight."
Sama Yun spoke up.
"I've been memorizing the route we've taken, but if fighting breaks out and we have to run, it would be better to race across the rooftops than to try escaping leisurely by boat."
While they conferred, the boatman finally rounded a corner. Hui-yeom's eyes widened.
"Huh? Isn't this Pingjiang Road?"
The boatman ahead of them answered.
"It is. You've heard the stories, I take it? Large skiffs can't enter from here, so moor that boat at the landing over there and come aboard mine."
Pingjiang Road—Pingjiang Lu—was a famous tourist destination in Suzhou that Hui-yeom had visited even in the twenty-first century. He remembered it as a beautiful street where an eight-hundred-year-old cityscape had survived almost untouched, letting visitors feel the atmosphere of that era. Seeing Pingjiang Road looking brand-new and gleaming filled him with a strange sense of unreality.
The canal here was so narrow that two small skiffs could barely pass each other. The larger boats trailing Hui-yeom's party—and even Hui-yeom's own skiff—would completely block the waterway. So the group disembarked from the Ankang skiff.
"Wait here."
"Yes, sir."
"Local boatmen can be hostile toward outsiders. Leave some of the Dokwadae behind to prevent any brawls. Explain that you come from the Sichuan Dang Family and that this boat is ours—that should stop unnecessary trouble."
"We receive the Young Master's command!"
"Is it wise to split our forces when there might be danger?"
Sama Yun asked. Hui-yeom replied,
"You have a point, Yun-mae, but we're not exactly here to declare war. No need to worry too much."
Dang Su-jeong chimed in.
"Right. At the end of the day it's just a boatmen's union. It's not as if they're packing multiple Transcendental Peak experts who'll give me a hard time. And if it comes to it…"
She flicked a glance toward Ye-eun. When the secretary didn't react, Su-jeong casually drew a Tang Thunder from her robes and gave it a little shake.
"We've got these too, right?"
Judging their safety precautions sufficient, the party transferred to the Suzhou boatman's skiff.
They wound deeper into Pingjiang Road along more twisting waterways, and Hui-yeom's memory grew confused.
Pingjiang Road wasn't this long…
Then Ye-eun spoke.
"We're circling the same places over and over."
"Boatman, what are you playing at?"
Dang Su-jeong demanded, her tone making it clear she was ready to draw steel. The boatman broke into a cold sweat.
"I-I don't mean anything sinister! It's the rule!"
"Rule?"
"Yes! Whenever anyone comes looking for the Guild, no matter who they are, we're required to take this fixed circuitous route so they can't easily learn the way. Only then do we bring them in."
"Ho… a boatmen's union does that? Suspicious."
"It's not suspicious, it's real! Check for yourself once we arrive!"
He sounded so genuinely aggrieved that Su-jeong finally eased off her wary glare.
After all that circling, they at last left Pingjiang Road behind. Their destination was an extremely shabby warehouse-like building at the very end of the road. Had they simply passed by, the dilapidated exterior would have drawn no second glance.
Yet the moment Sama Yun saw it, her eyes lit up. The warehouse doors were massive iron gates thick with rust.
Suspicious. A warehouse with solid-iron doors?
She deliberately used voice transmission so the boatman wouldn't overhear.
The structure, the location, the terrain… it feels less like a warehouse and more like a water fortress. With a layout like this, it would be excellent for protecting whatever's inside. Of course a warehouse is meant to protect its contents, but ordinary warehouses don't install solid iron gates or barred lattice windows.
Where the martial artist Sama Yun focused on excessive defenses, the businessman Hui-yeom noticed something else.
The approach is so narrow that two tiny skiffs can barely pass, yet the warehouse itself is enormous. Even approaching by land, building a bulk cargo depot in a remote place with terrible roads makes no sense. Suspicious. Buildings like this are usually constructed for trading illegal goods.
Illegal?
Aunt, I hate to reverse myself, but we may need to prepare for a fight after all.
Gladly. Starting with this one?
Dang Su-jeong looked ready to put a hole through the back of the boatman's skull on the spot. Hui-yeom stopped her.
No. Leave him for now.
All right. I'll follow your judgment.
While the party quietly discussed contingency plans and escape routes via voice transmission, the boatman moored the skiff at a landing near the warehouse.
"We're here. I'll wait."
"Thank you. How much for the fare?"
"Ah, what fare for the hero who saved the Central Plains? Looks like you've got business with our Guild anyway—just go on in."
The boatman grinned, showing yellowed teeth. Hui-yeom's party thanked him and walked toward the warehouse.
Beside the great iron gates stood a smaller side door—also of iron—and before it a martial artist who appeared to be a gatekeeper. He looked at the newcomers as if he had been expecting them.
"Young Master Dang Hui-yeom, the Sichuan Crouching Dragon; Lady Dang Su-jeong, the Poison Phoenix; and Young Lady Sama Yun, the Celestial Fragrance Beauty. The Guild Master is waiting. Please enter."
"You've been watching us?"
"Please don't misunderstand. We simply have many members, so news from every corner of the city reaches us quickly."
Ye-eun, who ran Minjeongwon, silently twisted her petal-soft lips into a sneer that clearly said, What a load of bullshit. Having operated an intelligence network herself, she knew exactly how much labor, expense, and institutional foundation such a system required. Information never simply "came to you" while you sat still.
Guided by the martial artist, they stepped inside.
"Welcome, heroes of the Sichuan Dang Family. The Suzhou Boatmen's Guild greets you with all sincerity."
"Uh… that bastard's the mastermind."
"…Pardon? What did you just—?"
A man who looked every inch the villain stood with arms spread wide in welcome—then froze in open-mouthed shock.