Chapter 72
Chapter 72
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Translator: Vine
Chapter: 72
Chapter Title: The River Bandit, Heuk-wol
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When I returned to the annex, Sang Gang-jo was waiting up for me.
“Why are you here?”
Sang Gang-jo had been given quarters at the Jaun Pavilion with So Yang-gun.
“I feel more comfortable here.”
The annex had three rooms. Go Un-hyo and I used two of them, and Sang Gang-jo occasionally used the third.
“I’m turning in.”
I was about to head into my room, sensing he would try to talk if I lingered, but he spoke up.
“Maedang is having some trouble with the new alliance applicants.”
“What kind of trouble?”
Sang Gang-jo wouldn't have stopped me for something trivial.
“Some of the applicants are staunchly refusing their departmental assignments, which are based on their backgrounds and skills.”
“What’s the reason?”
“They wish to be assigned directly under your command, Grand Branch Master.”
“Do they think that’s even possible?”
“According to them, it is.”
My position as Grand Branch Master was limited to the Dong-ro Grand Branch and had no connection to the Martial Alliance headquarters. Besides, it was an honorary title.
“What are they saying?”
“They want to be assigned to the Dong-ro Grand Branch, under your command.”
“Hah!”
That, at least, made sense.
“What are your thoughts?”
“They are formidable masters we can’t afford to lose. We must keep them, even if it means assigning them to the Dong-ro Grand Branch.”
“Who are they?”
“About a dozen men, including Geum Cheong-san and Neung Yu-seong.”
The Life-Ending Saber, Geum Cheong-san, was a powerful warrior said to be recorded in the Divine Province Invincibility Record, who had lasted seven stances against me. Neung Yu-seong had defeated Mak-pyo before falling to me in a single move, so he could also be classified as a strong fighter.
***
The dueling stage had been destroyed during my fight with Geum Cheong-san yesterday, so while it was being rebuilt, the martial arts evaluations for the applicants were held inside a square drawn on the ground.
Near the area where the evaluations were taking place, I personally assessed the skills of a few special applicants.
Most applicants simply wanted to join the alliance, but a small few wished to face me in combat before joining.
I only agreed to fight those with exceptional skills who had managed to defeat Do Hyeon-tak.
It was a rare occurrence, like finding beans in a drought, for a master to defeat Do Hyeon-tak. Today, I faced two such men and subdued them both in a single move.
***
I went to the harbor with Jang Ung to meet the lord of the Taihu Fortress.
Jan-bu, who had been notified in advance, was waiting at the harbor and bowed respectfully.
“I will escort you.”
Jan-bu, said to be the trusted subordinate of Heuk-wol, the lord of Taihu Fortress, led us to a moderately sized ship.
Just as I was about to board, a woman’s sharp voice called out from somewhere.
“Master Ak! Wait a moment!”
I looked over and saw Cho-seon and Aeng-a hurrying toward us from a house on the water.
“What is it?”
Cho-seon still had a faint bluish bruise on her face, but she no longer looked like a trampled dumpling; her pretty features had re-emerged.
“Does there have to be a reason?”
“We’ll talk later.”
As I moved to board the ship, Cho-seon followed and asked.
“Are you going to see Heuk-wol?”
“How do you know that?”
I glanced at Jan-bu, wondering if he had said something, but he looked even more surprised than I was.
“I’ve never met this woman before.”
I figured as much.
Cho-seon smiled brightly.
“Is there anything I don’t know?”
Cho-seon tried to board the ship but missed her step and stumbled.
“Ah!”
“My lady!”
Ignoring her, I boarded the ship alone. She shot me a glare and held out her hand.
“A little help, please.”
When no one—not me, Jang Ung, Go Un-hyo, or Jan-bu—offered her a hand, Cho-seon pouted and boarded the ship herself.
Jan-bu glanced at me for direction, but I simply walked to the gunwale. Cho-seon announced with feigned authority.
“I am accompanying Master Ak.”
I didn’t think Cho-seon would cause any harm, and she might even be helpful, so I didn't object to her coming along.
Our medium-sized ship raised its sails and rowed swiftly, arriving alongside a large mothership disguised as a merchant vessel, which was anchored in the middle of the Qiantang River.
The experienced sailors skillfully maneuvered our ship, bringing it right up against the mothership despite the churning waves.
*Whirrr!*
A heavy sound emanated from the side of the mothership, and to my surprise, a door opened in its hull.
I never would have imagined a door could open on the side of a ship, about two feet above the water.
Several people stood just inside the opening, all bowing respectfully toward me.
*Clank!*
The sailors from our ship secured it to the mothership with grappling hooks and laid down a wooden plank.
Jan-bu gestured politely toward the door.
“Please, board.”
As I stepped aboard, one of the bowing men, dressed in black, spoke.
“Great Warrior! Welcome.”
The man lifted his head to look at me. Unexpectedly, he was a young man of about twenty-eight or twenty-nine with pleasant, friendly features.
I had a feeling he was Heuk-wol, the lord of Taihu Fortress.
We were guided to a pavilion at the very top of the ship.
The pavilion was open on all sides, and a large, round table in the center was laden with various dishes and wine.
The friendly-looking young man gestured to the seats.
“Please, have a seat.”
As I sat, Cho-seon quickly took the seat to my right, and Aeng-a sat next to her.
I nodded to the young man, Jang Ung, and Go Un-hyo.
“You all sit as well.”
“Thank you.”
The young man spoke, his voice so clear and refreshing it was pleasant to hear.
Jang Ung sat next to Aeng-a, Go Un-hyo to my left, and the young man across from me. Jan-bu stood behind him.
The young man stood up again, made a cupped fist salute, and bowed respectfully.
“Allow me to introduce myself. I am Heuk-wol. It is an honor to have you here.”
“Sit.”
I nodded.
Dressed in dark black robes, Heuk-wol had a fair, handsome face and made a very good impression.
“Allow me to pour you a drink.”
As he picked up the wine bottle, I held out my empty cup.
After pouring the wine, he said respectfully.
“It is an honor to meet you.”
If anyone else had said that, it would have sounded like flattery, but coming from Heuk-wol, it didn't.
I wasn't one to judge people by their appearance, but Heuk-wol had such a good impression that it was impossible to see him in a negative light.
I also believed I could distinguish between good and evil just by looking at someone's face, and for the most part, I had been right.
In that respect, I couldn't say if this man, Heuk-wol, was a good person, but he didn't seem to bear any ill will toward me.
If that was the case, the purpose of this meeting was likely not to deceive or use me.
I set down my cup without drinking.
“Why did you want to see me?”
I cut to the chase, and Heuk-wol answered just as directly.
“I wished to see you for two reasons.”
I nodded, and Heuk-wol continued.
“First, I simply wanted to meet you, the Great Warrior Fire Dragon Sword. You are a hero in my heart.”
It didn't sound like he was just saying it to be pleasant.
“Great Warrior Fire Dragon Sword, you possess world-shaking martial arts, but your character is even more admirable. Hearing rumors of your deeds is truly refreshing and satisfying.”
Heuk-wol looked at Jang Ung and Go Un-hyo and said.
“I’m sure you two feel the same way. Am I not right?”
Jang Ung and Go Un-hyo didn't answer, but the faint smiles on their faces said it all.
“The second reason is a business proposal.”
“What kind of proposal?”
Cho-seon interjected. She had also proposed a deal with me, so she seemed wary of Heuk-wol.
Heuk-wol didn't know who Cho-seon was, but he paid her no mind and continued.
“If you protect us, we will reward you.”
Asking me to protect river bandits from the Greenwood world—what utter nonsense.
An ordinary person would have been infuriated by such a request, but I was different. In that regard, Jang Ung seemed to share my sentiment.
I was what people called a rising star of the martial world, an absolute powerhouse.
Therefore, no one would blame me if I ignored the frivolous words of some petty river bandit, cut off his head, and stormed out.
But I am who I am. I act as my heart dictates. So, I decided to hear Heuk-wol out.
Heuk-wol must not have thought of me as an ordinary man either, which is why he was willing to risk his neck to meet me.
As I remained silent, Heuk-wol continued speaking.
“People who don’t know us call us river bandits, but we washed our hands of that life long ago and have not engaged in any banditry.”
A river bandit claiming he's washed his hands and no longer acts like one.
“We generate our profits purely through trade.”
“Trade?”
The idea that the Taihu Fortress earned money through trade instead of banditry was completely unexpected.
“That’s right. We trade with various regions in the Central Plains and overseas using a dozen large ships and twenty medium-to-large ships.”
Jang Ung asked.
“Then are you not a merchant group?”
“We are. Because we started as the Taihu Fortress, the world sees us as river bandits. But we are, in fact, a merchant group.”
The Taihu Fortress was under the command of the Yangtze River Fortress.
Jan-bu, standing behind Heuk-wol, spoke up.
“Three years ago, after our lord became the new Fortress Lord, he completely forbade the banditry we had been engaged in.”
“Then your income would have vanished. The backlash from your men must have been severe. How did you handle it?”
“It was absolute chaos back then. The Taihu Fortress had over three hundred men. When the income stopped and they were no longer paid, they caused all sorts of trouble, eventually even rebelling and trying to kill the Fortress Lord!”
“Oh?”
“After suppressing the rebellion, our lord exiled the fifty or so men who participated. He also gave anyone who wished to leave enough money to settle down elsewhere. In the end, only about a hundred men remained in the Taihu Fortress.”
*‘Well, look at this guy.’*
I looked at this man, Heuk-wol, in a new light. Normally, whether in a nation or an organization, rebels were executed without question. This was even more true for rough-and-tumble river bandits of the Greenwood world.
Yet, he hadn't killed the traitors, merely exiled them, and had even given those who left enough funds to start over. This spoke volumes about Heuk-wol's character.
The reason this resonated with me was that I would have done the same in his position.
Heuk-wol spoke in a quiet voice.
“After that, we tightened our belts and pioneered a path in trade. We faced many difficulties, trials, and failures at first, but things have stabilized now.”
Jang Ung tilted his head and asked.
“Were your trading partners willing to do business with the Taihu Fortress, knowing you were river bandits?”
“We were no longer bandits, so we had nothing to hide. We didn't conceal our past. Of course, it was difficult at first, but now everyone trusts us and trades with us actively.”
It was easier said than done. How could it have been simple for former bandits to stop their old ways and openly trade without hiding their past?
I could only imagine how arduous that process must have been.
“Surely you don’t use the name Taihu Fortress for your merchant group?”
Heuk-wol smiled at Jang Ung’s question.
“We used to operate under the name Heroic Gallants Group.”
“The Heroic Gallants Group of Baoshan?”
“That’s right.”
“Does ‘Heroic Gallants’ refer to heroes and brave men?”
“It does. I admire heroes and brave men.”
The fact that even Jang Ung knew of them meant the Heroic Gallants Group was fairly well-known.