A Lucky Day (1)
Musoryul's question made Hanbin pause to look at her for a moment.
Under his gaze, she gave an awkward smile.
Hanbin pointed to the spot next to Seolhwa.
"Do whatever you like, Miss Muso."
With his permission, Musoryul grabbed the horse's reins and rode forward.
It looked like she planned to hand her horse over to Binghyeol Seosaeng.
At the sight, Seolhwa quietly asked,
"What's Miss Musoryul to you, Young Master?"
Seolhwa opened her water gourd and took a sip while waiting for Hanbin's answer.
That was when Hanbin replied.
"Oh, we're ex-fiancés."
"Pfft."
Seolhwa spat out her water.
She hurriedly composed her expression and glanced back and forth between Hanbin and the window.
Then she broke into a strange smile.
A moment later, Musoryul climbed into the carriage, and Akbigwang approached.
Akbigwang poked his head inside and asked,
"Big brother, mind if I join you?"
"You? No."
"Why can Miss Mu join but not me?"
"Take a good look. Is there even space for you here?"
Hanbin gestured to the carriage interior.
It looked cramped compared to Akbigwang's massive build.
Pretending not to notice, Akbigwang asked again.
"Really, no?"
"Not right now. Hop on later, Bigwang."
"When's later?"
"When you reach a realm where you can adjust your bone structure."
"Ah, that's just mean."
Akbigwang shook his head, his huge frame belying the gesture.
Everyone inside the carriage burst into laughter at the sight.
A few days later.
The escort procession proceeded smoothly.
Hanbin held off on releasing messenger birds to spread rumors that Shansha Samsal had stolen the Qingming Pill. Instead, he sent word via Hong Chilgae to release the rumors immediately if the procession failed to reach the Henan Jeong Family.
They had covered one-fifth of the thousand-ri journey.
The mountain paths hugging the ridges were behind them; now it was time to take to the waterways.
On the way here, they had encountered a few bands of unorthodox fighters.
Fortunately, those groups were under Shansha Samsal's influence and fled at the sight of the escort.
As the smooth procession continued, two pairs of eyes watched them from afar.
They were none other than Yi Mu-myeong and Jang Ja-myeong.
"Huff... huff..."
Jang Ja-myeong gasped for breath.
He scrambled along the mountainside, keeping his eyes on the carriage passing below along the ridge path.
Of course, that carriage carried Hanbin.
Catching his breath, Jang Ja-myeong shouted,
"Let's take a break!"
"Doctor Jang, if we rest now, we might lose the young master."
"But you said this was a shortcut. I need to gather herbs along the way too."
"Any specific herbs you're looking for nearby?"
"Well, you see..."
"If we lose the young master now, we might not keep our promise. You know the messenger birds will fly straight to Baekdokmun, right?"
"Eek!"
Jang Ja-myeong let out a scream.
The messenger birds Hanbin carried weren't just for alerting to incoming enemies.
To Jang Ja-myeong, they were a whip.
And the carrot?
That was the problem—there was no carrot for him. He felt like a racehorse galloping forward with nothing but the threat behind.
The issue was how devastating that whip's effect was.
One message from Hanbin would not only get him excommunicated from Baekdokmun but buried in the jianghu.
In truth, Jang Ja-myeong had been getting complacent lately. Someone cracking the whip like this out of nowhere was a disaster for him.
Clop-clop, clop-clop.
Jang Ja-myeong dashed along the mountain path, his feet a blur.
It was faster than the winding ridge road below, but stamina was the problem.
If his pace slowed even a little, Yi Mu-myeong would yell,
"Remember the messenger birds!"
"Yes, got it!"
A moment later.
Color returned to Jang Ja-myeong's face.
The end of the ridge path was in sight, and it was downhill now—much easier.
He had three missions in total.
The first awaited him at the end of the ridge path.
Right after the carriage passed, Yi Mu-myeong and Jang Ja-myeong appeared at the ridge's end.
Yi Mu-myeong scanned the surroundings before heading toward a black rock.
He rummaged behind it and pocketed something he found.
Then he handed it to Jang Ja-myeong.
"Here."
"Good, confirmed. Let's head to Yeongdan Mountain quickly. There are plenty of herbs to gather there."
"I'll guide you via the shortcut."
Yi Mu-myeong grinned, and Jang Ja-myeong's face paled again.
But only briefly. Tilting his head, Jang Ja-myeong said,
"Escort, do you know what Young Master Sa is planning?"
"How would I know? The message said to just focus on our assigned tasks this time."
"Hmm, about my mission..."
"No. The message clearly said not to speak of our individual missions."
"Still, you should know. If things go wrong, it could turn the jianghu upside down..."
"It's fine. I'm leaving Hebei Paeng Family in a few months anyway, right?"
Yi Mu-myeong grinned.
Only then did Jang Ja-myeong realize Yi Mu-myeong was a pragmatic warrior.
A moment later, in the Thousand-Li Escort Agency's carriage carrying Hanbin.
Rumble, rumble.
The carriage shook violently, so Hanbin peered out the window.
He could see the waterway in the distance—they were near the ferry landing.
The uneven gravel along the riverbank was probably the cause.
Upon arriving at the landing, Hanbin quickly disembarked.
In the process, he suddenly whipped his head toward somewhere.
Whoosh!
Seolhwa asked at the sight,
"What's wrong?"
"Nothing."
Finishing his words, Hanbin chuckled and rubbed his eyes.
He had spotted a point indicating a sword formula from afar.
But there was no one there, no point.
Then laughter echoed from the distance.
"Haha."
Turning toward the sound, he saw Pyeonyuknanga Gang Sochu laughing heartily at the ferry landing.
Just half a shichen ago, the man had been slouched in defeat.
Now he was laughing like this?
Hanbin perked up his ears unconsciously.
Pyeonyuknanga's voice rang out again.
"Haha, so even you know the fearsome name of us Shansha Samsal."
"Yes, yes, of course."
"Clearing out the entire ferry landing for us. Our reputation still holds strong."
Elated, Pyeonyuknanga slammed his staff into the ground.
Splat!
Gravel flew up from the landing at the same time.
Pyeonyuknanga walked slowly toward Hanbin.
"No need to split up for the ferry, it seems. Great hero."
"Ah, I told you not to call me that. People might think I'm the one leading Shansha Samsal around. Until we reach Henan Jeong Family, remember—you're the ones escorting us."
"Ah, right..."
"Shoulders back, chest out."
Hanbin grinned, and Pyeonyuknanga glanced around before continuing.
"Ahem, so. We won't need to split for the ferry."
"What do you mean?"
"No other guests at the landing today. They say they can take all the carriages, horses, and us at once. Probably cleared out because of our reputation."
Pyeonyuknanga glanced proudly behind him.
Then Heukuisal-pung and Binghyeol Seosaeng approached with the escorts.
Among them, Yun Yongho stepped forward to Hanbin.
"The boats are sorted."
"I heard there are no guests at the landing. What's going on? Zhang Ha River isn't usually this quiet."
"How do you know that so well?"
"I've heard things."
"Truth be told, this is a first for me on escort runs. This landing is the heart of Zhang Ha River, with markets formed around it. No merchants in sight? Thanks to that, no waiting for boats. Lucky day, eh? Kahaha."
"Yes, if we're lucky, someone else's luck must be rotten."
"Eh, what do you mean?"
"Wandering the jianghu, you start thinking luck is finite. Wars between sects are fights to steal that luck."
"You sound like a seasoned jianghu elder. When did you gain such insight?"
"Learned it from books."
"Hmph."
Yun Yongho cleared his throat and looked away.
Hanbin's answers had always been similar.
Heard it somewhere.
Learned from a book.
Or he'd brush it off as a secret.
Yun Yongho had to revise his guess that Hanbin was a secret weapon nurtured by Hebei Paeng Family. It wasn't a guess anymore—it was certainty.
Hanbin quietly gazed at something.
This stretch of Zhang Ha River had a daru (tea house) operated by the Henan Jeong Family.
He'd heard it was a high-class establishment even rare in Hebei's bustling districts.
Turning his gaze, he spotted the daru in a scenic spot.
Rumored to be run by the Jeong Family, but actually under Madam Jeong Hwa's control.
Hanbin's eyes flashed sharply this time.
This escort run would end his grudge with Madam Jeong Hwa once and for all.
Sensing Hanbin's shifted aura, Seolhwa cautiously asked,
"Young Master, what's wrong?"
"Nothing."
"No way, the air around here just got chilly."
Seolhwa smiled brightly and pointed around.
Shansha Samsal were trembling faintly there.
They could feel Hanbin's emotions surging.
Meanwhile, in a corner of the daru Hanbin was eyeing.
A gaunt middle-aged man sipped his tea.
His table was laden with all sorts of teas.
After sniffing one cup's aroma, he picked up another.
"Mmm, excellent! Just splendid."
"Branch leader, it's time."
At the words from the man across from him, the middle-aged branch leader glanced out the window.
"Still time left—why the rush?"
"Didn't you say the early bird gets the worm?"
"Heh heh. Cheeky brat. Never mind. Reorder the Dragon Well, plum blossom tea, and... no. Get everything here again."
The man pointed to the tea set on the table.
"Yes, sir."
The subordinate bowed and hurried to the waiter.
The middle-aged man turned his gaze to the ferry landing.
A boat that would change his life awaited there.
His name was Yang Ak-gun.
He was one of the leaders of Gangbuk Twelve Waterway Strongholds, infamous bandit groups on the northern rivers.
Zhang Ha River was famously free of such water bandits.
Nor was it Yang Ak-gun's usual haunt.
His territory was Pyeongryeong River, a full day's hard ride away.
But recently, he'd acquired intriguing information.
The route Hebei Paeng Family would take with the Qingming Pill.
Hebei Paeng Family's destinations numbered three.
Three nearby Gangbuk Twelve leaders had met and divided the routes. His assignment: this Zhang Ha River.
Yang Ak-gun was confident no great sect could best his aquatic forces in river combat.
He avoided major sects for one reason: retaliation.
Even bandits couldn't live solely on water.
They'd end up as corpses washed ashore.
But this target was different.
Not just any treasure—the Kunlun Qingming Pill.
Yang Ak-gun's eyes gleamed like ripples on the water's surface.
