The Smugglers' Crossroads
The Haedong Merchant Group conducted smuggling trades once a month with merchants from the Wae Kingdom and the Seomok Kingdom located north of Heilongjiang Province. Last month, however, their contraband had been completely stolen by unknown assailants. This time, they mobilized a considerably larger force.
Normally, smuggling required operating in secrecy with minimal personnel. But the previous incident had caused massive losses, and several items intended as tribute for the Prince of Yeong had been taken. To restore their lost credibility with the governor and officials of Jiangsu Province, they had no choice but to overcommit and bring a large number of people.
This time, they received support from elite martial artists of the Wolyeongmun, and three escort leaders from the Haedong Merchant Group's own security agency were assigned to accompany the operation.
Moreover, the transaction was being conducted in secret at Yangzhou in Jiangsu Province—a location they had never used for smuggling before.
Yangzhou was the first major city at the starting point of the Yangtze River where it connected to the sea. With its many mountains, it offered plenty of places to avoid prying eyes. It was also convenient for entering or exiting via the sea, making it an ideal hub for movement.
The only drawback was its proximity to Hongze Lake, which placed it within the active territory of the Hongze Lake bandits who operated along the Yangtze. Being discovered by them could lead to serious trouble. Until now, they had always traded at Haemun instead of Yangzhou. But after last month's disaster, they had decided to meet at Yangzhou this time.
It was a dark night, the moonlight hidden behind clouds. At the foot of Bongtae Mountain in Yangzhou, a group of men appeared and carefully set down their large backpacks.
There were no fewer than twenty of them, each one filled with items whose importation was strictly forbidden by the Central Plains emperor without official permission.
As soon as they set the packs down, another group of men emerged from the opposite side.
“It has been a while. I trust you have been well?”
“Thanks to you… But it seems there are more people than before.”
“You suddenly insisted on changing the location, so we wondered if you had something else in mind. We brought a few experts from our country as a precaution.”
“Ah, I apologize for that.”
Nam Sang-do, who was overseeing the trade, offered a polite apology.
“Last time, unknown assailants stole all our contraband. That is why we changed the location this time and brought along some martial artists in case anything else went wrong. Please do not take it the wrong way.”
“As long as we receive the goods and our payment in full, it does not matter to us. Go ahead and inspect them. We have brought fifty-year-old Haedong Kingdom wild ginseng, flower honey pills, five-tong herbs, twenty leopard pelts from the Wae Kingdom, one hundred and fifty catties of Dongchun flower smoke tea, twelve black bear pelts from the Seomok Kingdom, and ten sea dog kidneys.”
At Nam Sang-do’s nod, the escort leaders behind him stepped forward to verify the merchandise.
They checked slowly and meticulously, counting every last item, before finally nodding in satisfaction.
Nam Sang-do handed over the payment to the smugglers and said, “I am sorry for changing the location on such short notice due to our circumstances. To make up for it, I have included a little extra for your travel expenses. Please do not feel slighted. Also, it seems we will need to change the meeting place for our next transaction as well.”
“Do as you wish. As long as we get paid properly, that is all that matters to us.”
The man shook the pouch of money to show it and continued, “Well then, it would not do for us to linger here too long. We will take our leave. Everyone, be careful on your way back.”
“You as well. Travel safely.”
After exchanging farewells, the smugglers departed. Even after they had gone, Nam Sang-do remained motionless in place for a long time.
“Are you not leaving, sir?”
“Let us wait a little longer.”
Even though they had changed the location, he could not shake the lingering sense of unease. So they waited a bit more.
Fortunately, nothing happened. Only then did Nam Sang-do order the porters to shoulder the backpacks.
“As we discussed, we will split into three groups from here. The Haedong Kingdom goods will be handled by this escort leader, the Wae Kingdom goods by Escort Leader Song, and the Seomok Kingdom goods by Escort Leader Nam. Each of you will transport your assigned cargo to the promised location.”
“Understood.”
“If you are attacked, the martial artists we brought from Wolyeongmun will handle it. Do not hesitate or delay—move immediately.”
“We will do so.”
“Then go.”
The groups split off in three different directions. Nam Sang-do, still not entirely at ease, spoke to the three men who remained at his side.
“I will be counting on you.”
He bowed deeply to the three men. They reassured him not to worry and then moved out, maintaining a careful distance as they followed the three groups that had gone ahead.
Once everyone had left, Nam Sang-do remained alone. He let out a deep sigh before finally departing the area.
After Nam Sang-do had gone, a wind stirred. A lone man appeared where he had been standing.
“Killing and stealing is not the only way.”
Nam Sang-do greeted the morning aboard a ship docked at the Jinjiang harbor.
“They should be fine. Even if those bastards tried to ambush them, the experts from Wolyeongmun would have taken care of it. In fact, it might even turn out better that way.”
No matter how many times he told himself this, the anxiety in his heart refused to disappear.
When morning came, Escort Leader Lee—who had parted ways with them at Bongtae Mountain—arrived first at the harbor with the porters and boarded the ship.
“Welcome back. You must be exhausted. Did anything happen on the way?”
“No, nothing at all.”
“That is a relief. You men, put the backpacks down in the lower hold and get some rest.”
“Yes, sir!”
The porters entered the cabin, descended the stairs, and headed below deck.
The place they reached was the lowest part of the ship—the rowing chamber.
The rowing chamber should have been filled with the sailors who manned the oars, but none of them had arrived yet. The space was completely empty.
The porters seemed familiar with the ship’s layout. They moved to the center of the rowing chamber, lifted a section of the floor, and revealed yet another hidden compartment below.
It was a double-layered secret space, used precisely for transporting smuggled goods or other valuable items without detection.
“What a hassle… If we had just come straight here from Bongtae Mountain, we could have gotten a proper night’s sleep.”
“Tell me about it.”
From the porters’ perspective, it was indeed unfair.
“Hurry up and stow everything, then go rest in the cabins. We still have to row all the way to Nanjing, so we need to move quickly.”
These porters not only handled cargo but also served as the ship’s oarsmen.
For them, smuggling was little more than a side income. Yet that side income had grown larger than their regular wages, making the temptation impossible to resist.
Once they had placed all the bundles inside the hidden storage, another group of porters descended into the rowing chamber.
“Looks like everyone made it back safely?”
“We just went around in circles. Couldn’t even sleep. What kind of nonsense is this?”
They grumbled as well, sharing the same complaints.
In this way, all the smuggled goods that had been split up at Bongtae Mountain were successfully loaded onto the ship without incident.
“We will set sail after breakfast, so go eat.”
When the hour of the snake arrived—the time for the evening meal—everyone except for the few escort leaders and guards left behind to watch the ship disembarked to eat.
Jegal Gi, who served as the Chief Strategist of the Wulin Alliance, warmly welcomed a guest who had come from the main family after a long time.
“Please come in, Elder Brother.”
“You are so busy with work. Do you really have time to meet with us?”
“Haha, no matter how many urgent matters pile up like a mountain, how could I possibly make excuses when my own elder brother has come to visit?”
Jegal Gi was the third son of the Jegal Clan, the younger blood brother of the clan leader Jegal Jung-gi.
Jegal Gi turned his gaze to Jegal Cheon, who stood beside Jegal Jung-gi.
“I almost did not recognize you.”
“It is good to see you, Uncle.”
Jegal Gi looked at Jegal Jung-gi. He had heard that five years ago the man had entered the Thunder Cave, the forbidden ground of the Jegal Clan.
Jegal Jung-gi smiled brightly and nodded.
Jegal Gi’s eyes widened. He asked again with his gaze, and Jegal Jung-gi gave him a firm confirmation.
“Although he obtained a great opportunity in the Thunder Cave, he still knows nothing of the ways of the world.”
“Let me see…”
Pride shone clearly in Jegal Gi’s eyes.
The fact that his nephew Jegal Cheon had obtained the legacy of the Thunder Cave was itself a great blessing for the clan.
Moreover, thanks to Jegal Cheon, the Jegal Clan now had the foundation to enjoy a thousand years of glory on par with the Namgong Clan. That was why he did not see this merely as Jegal Cheon’s personal achievement.
“This boy has not only mastered the Heaven-Relying Thunderous Mental Force, but he has also found and learned the Ten Thousand Thunders Heaven-Reaching Strategy Manual.”
“What? You found the long-lost Ten Thousand Thunders Heaven-Reaching Strategy Manual?”
“That is correct, Uncle. I found it beneath the jar that held the fasting pills.”
“Beneath the jar that held the fasting pills?”
“Yes. So, to explain…”
As he listened to Jegal Cheon’s explanation, Jegal Gi’s expression grew increasingly dumbfounded.
“Good heavens…”
“I suspect that during one of the clan’s past crises, one of our ancestors must have hidden it that way.”
“This is truly astonishing. Though I suppose no one would ever willingly eat that tasteless fasting pill…”
“Exactly.”
“This is wonderful. Thanks to our nephew, we have recovered one of the clan’s lost secret manuals.”
Jegal Jung-gi nodded and finally revealed the purpose of their visit to Jegal Gi.
“Is there any position within the Wulin Alliance that might need this boy?”
“Within the Alliance, you mean?”
“Indeed. Sending him out into the jianghu would be fine, but he says he would rather gain experience working inside the Wulin Alliance.”
Jegal Gi looked at Jegal Cheon and asked, “So, where exactly would you like to work?”
“The Intelligence Division.”
“The Intelligence Division?”
“If I handle information in the Wulin Alliance’s Intelligence Division, I will be able to quickly understand how the murim world is moving. Based on that…”
Jegal Cheon calmly laid out his thoughts. As the two men listened, it became clear that he had already formulated detailed plans on how to utilize the Wulin Alliance to its fullest.
“And if the opportunity arises, I would also like to enter the Alliance’s forbidden ground—the Martial Repository—and learn its martial arts.”
“Martial arts?”
“I feel that the clan’s martial arts alone are somewhat insufficient for me.”
“So you wish to learn the Alliance’s martial arts?”
“From what I understand, the Alliance’s repository contains a vast number of techniques. I wish to find and learn those that suit me best.”
“Ones that suit you?”
“The clan’s martial arts are certainly excellent, but they do not seem to fit me perfectly.”
Jegal Gi narrowed his eyes slightly at Jegal Cheon’s words.
“While entering the Alliance’s repository to find techniques that suit me, I also plan to look for arts that can supplement and perfect the clan’s own martial legacy.”
Jegal Gi thought for a moment before nodding.
“To enter the Wulin Alliance’s Martial Repository, one must first become the Alliance Leader’s disciple.”
“Is there no other way?”
“The elders must give their permission, but the elders from the other clans will never agree.”
“What about the Nine Great Schools?”
“They would approve. If it helps strengthen the righteous path, they would not object. But the other clans are different. They dislike the idea of anyone rising above their own families.”
After listening to Jegal Gi, Jegal Cheon was able to roughly grasp the current power dynamics within the Wulin Alliance.
“I understand. Then, Uncle, please introduce me to the Alliance Leader.”
“To the Alliance Leader?”
“I will speak with him directly. Whether I become his disciple or simply obtain permission to enter the repository, I will secure it myself.”
Jegal Gi looked into Jegal Cheon’s confident eyes and nodded.
“Very well. I will do so. And even if you fail to gain the Alliance Leader’s permission, do not be discouraged. I will find another way for you to enter the repository.”
“Thank you, Uncle.”