A Father's Teachings
“Ah! You’re finally here, Hero Jang.”
“Mmm. It seems everyone is ready to depart. Has anything happened?”
Having naturally transformed from Song Gwang-sik into Jang Geoi, he slipped seamlessly into the crowd of vagabonds.
“Well, there was a minor commotion... but nothing out of the ordinary.”
The speaker was So Il-hyeon, the Fluttering Flower Sword, a man of small stature with a genial impression.
He was a first-class expert who enjoyed quite a high reputation among the vagabonds. With an easygoing, well-rounded personality, he was highly regarded even among the rougher crowd.
“Those two had another go at it today.”
“...So it seems.”
While the escort agency’s carriages stopped briefly for lunch, they must have already clashed. The Blood Wind Spear, Yang Cheon-jo, came into view, sprawled on the ground and panting heavily.
“Looking at his state, he lost again.”
“Haha, indeed. The famous Blood Wind Spear was completely outmatched.”
Over the past six days, Yang Cheon-jo had stubbornly challenged Ilyang. Making all sorts of excuses whenever Ilyang demanded to be called “Father,” he had engaged in spars with Ilyang while omitting the title entirely.
This was the absolute height of pettiness a loser of a bet could display, but surprisingly, Ilyang didn’t say much and readily humored him.
And...
With today's defeat, that makes six losses in six matches.
Since the first day, Yang Cheon-jo had steeled his resolve and tried using his weapon, only to lose. The next day, he tried bare-handed combat, but lost just the same. Later, he even resorted to a cowardly agreement not to use inner energy, only to be miserably thrashed by a mere ten-year-old child.
And whenever he was thoroughly beaten like that, a barrage of nagging from Ilyang would rain down upon the collapsed Yang Cheon-jo.
“Don’t tell me you’ve already forgotten buwijagang from the Three Bonds and Five Relations I taught you last time? It seems this father must kindly explain it to his foolish son once more.”
“...”
The Three Bonds and Five Relations—the fundamental moral guidelines of Confucianism.
And buwijagang—the principle that a child must dutifully serve their parents.
These were words Yang Cheon-jo was hearing for the absolute first time in his life. He trembled all over at Ilyang’s renewed nagging, but though he gnashed his teeth on the ground, he did not dare throw a tantrum.
A loser has no right to speak.
Having lost to the same opponent six times in a row, he was still resentful, but in his heart, he had conceded to this ten-year-old brat. The boy merely wore the shell of a child; he was an absolute monster.
“...Do you understand what I am saying?”
“Ha... Haha, of course, Father.”
“Is that so? Then explain what bujayuchin means.”
“Uh...?”
Over the past six days, the boy had explained more than just a few things. How was he supposed to remember every single one? Yang Cheon-jo’s sharp, wolf-like eyes shook violently, as if hit by an earthquake.
Ilyang let out a sigh. Seeing Yang Cheon-jo stammer, he flicked him on the forehead.
Thwack!
“Argh!”
It was a simple flick, but it hurt immensely. As Yang Cheon-jo clutched his forehead and writhed from a pain that felt as if his skull were splitting, Ilyang spoke.
“Sigh, didn’t I explain this to you before? In the relationship between parent and child, filial piety and closeness are of utmost importance. I have graciously taught you the wise words of the ancient sages multiple times, and yet you dare let them go in one ear and out the other?”
“...”
“Teachings” my foot. This was pure bullshit. This was blatant bullying. The only difference was the lack of outright, one-sided violence. Whenever he failed to answer a sudden pop quiz, the boy would use it as an excuse to flick his forehead repeatedly and nag him to death.
Ha! I'd rather just take a proper beating a hundred times over!
In this world, beating someone under the guise of “discipline” was common sense. But Ilyang never resorted to such barbaric methods.
“Uh-huh? Soften those eyes, son. Do you want to die?”
“...”
Yang Cheon-jo unconsciously lowered his rebellious gaze. This was a high-level form of torment he had never experienced in his life.
Wait, is this actually bullying?
Yang Cheon-jo was thoroughly confused. It was definitely agonizing, but since there was no direct physical abuse, he was starting to lose his grasp on reality.
In any case, Ilyang calmly recited the stories of great ancient sages, taming Yang Cheon-jo throughout the journey. And there were definite results. Yang Cheon-jo, who had absolutely zero interest in academics, was slowly but surely beginning to memorize the Three Bonds and Five Relations.
As expected, rote learning is the best.
Ilyang felt a sense of satisfaction. This was an excellent educational method, proven long ago through countless disciples in his magic tower. Suddenly, the faces of his many past disciples flashed through his mind. Then, he thought of his very last disciple.
I hope you're doing well over there, Rian.
A fellow who was brimming with unprecedented talent. Recalling those eyes burning with ambition made Yang Cheon-jo look like an absolute simpleton in comparison.
“Time to study, son.”
Yang Cheon-jo’s face contorted, while the watching vagabonds wore warm, amused smiles.
“They look quite close, don't they?”
“Indeed they do.”
From a distance, seeing the two of them huddled close and conversing quietly, they did look remarkably close.
Damn it, when are those bandits going to raid us? Why aren't they coming?!
For the past six days, the escort mission had been completely uneventful. That was what drove Yang Cheon-jo even crazier.
“Oh? Your eyes are wandering again.”
Thwack!
“Aaargh!”
“Focus. What did I just say?”
“Y-you said that as humans, we must know the exact concept of the Three Bonds and Five Relations to understand proper etiquette, and to fulfill our rightful roles and moral duties... Fa. Ther.”
As Yang Cheon-jo replied while grinding his teeth, Ilyang adopted a slightly surprised expression.
“Oh? Then do you remember what I said bujayuchin means?”
“...There must be proper closeness between parent and child!”
When Yang Cheon-jo answered correctly despite trembling all over, Ilyang clapped with a look of genuine astonishment.
“My, my! Good job, son! You're much smarter than I thought!”
“...”
It was somewhat absurd, but Ilyang’s exaggerated praise actually made Yang Cheon-jo feel a tiny bit pleased.
But wait, what did this bastard think of me normally?
Resentful and furious, yet somehow pleased—his mind spun from this bizarre, conflicting ambivalence.
Shit, what can I do?
In this harsh Jianghu, the strong ruled.
At any rate, on the evening of the sixth day, the Jinsung Escort Agency arrived without incident at what they considered the greatest hurdle of this journey: Wixin Port on the Yujanggang River, the lifeblood of Myeongju.
“Now, we must travel by boat from here for another five days.”
Since the Jinsung Escort Agency had secured the vessels in advance, the vagabonds had nothing to do here either. They merely idled about. As mentioned before, this subcontracted request was like an insurance policy; unless a major incident occurred, the escort agency handled everything on their own.
“Sigh, I wish every request was like this,” So Il-hyeon joked as he stepped onto the ship's deck.
Jang Geoi—the Bright Moon Sword, Song Gwang-sik—unconsciously nodded. “I agree.”
“Haha. At one point, I was incredibly envious of escorts who had a stable income, but at times like this, I don't feel that way at all.”
Song Gwang-sik quietly turned his head at So Il-hyeon’s words. He watched the busy escorts and fell into thought.
The Jinsung Escort Agency had prepared extensively for this request. The peak experts recruited from the outside numbered as many as six (including the Sky-Shattering Sword, Namgung Min). The escort agency itself possessed four peak experts. Furthermore, the number of newly joined first-class experts was a whopping forty. Combined with the twenty first-class experts they already had, there were sixty first-class experts in total.
This was an overwhelmingly powerful force for a provincial escort agency to possess. They had truly mobilized all their external connections to scrape together every first-class expert they could find. The remaining thirty men, who were not counted in the main combat force, were low-ranking porters who had trained in basic martial arts.
In conclusion, the Jinsung Escort Agency has staked everything on this journey.
Anyone who would attack an escort mission prepared to this extent was either a fool, or... an incredibly powerful organization. Because of this, Song Gwang-sik expected that they would likely face no attacks.
At any rate, the Jinsung Escort Agency rested for a day upon arriving at Wixin Port, and prepared to set off again the following day. From early morning, the escorts and porters worked diligently to load the cargo onto sailing ships equipped with two massive sails.
There were four sailing ships in total. The crew and provisions were distributed across the vessels, and of the four, two were designated solely for carrying the cargo. The visible cargo consisted of silk, fine liquor, coconut oil, coral, pearls, and precious gems. It was mostly comprised of quite expensive luxury goods.
However, on one of the ships carrying the crew—the exceptionally large flagship—the most important cargo of this journey was being loaded: an unidentified iron carriage.
According to what Song Gwang-sik had heard from the senior escort, Jo Chang: He repeatedly emphasized that there is an extremely important and expensive cargo, urging us to remain absolutely vigilant at all times.
Although the exact nature of the cargo was not revealed, the vagabonds nodded in understanding. Even in their eyes, while the visible luxury goods were valuable, the scale of this escort force seemed far too grand for just those items.
Curious about what this important cargo could be, the vagabonds had asked various questions, but Jo Chang eventually confessed that even he did not know what it was. Song Gwang-sik believed that Jo Chang was telling the truth.
Since it's a special mission from the main family, the cargo must be incredibly precious. He suspected it was some kind of rare treasure that money couldn't easily buy.
Indeed, throughout the journey, not only the Sky-Shattering Sword, Namgung Min, but also the leader of the Jinsung Escort Agency and his three sons never strayed far from the iron carriage loaded onto the flagship. The problem was that Song Gwang-sik also had no idea what was inside that iron carriage.
Should I have subtly asked what the cargo was yesterday? Song Gwang-sik entertained the thought for a moment before shaking his head. What good would it do to pry into a special mission? It was enough to simply perform his assigned duties well.
While Song Gwang-sik was organizing his thoughts on the ship assigned to the vagabonds, Ilyang, who had also boarded, sat perched on a railing higher than his own height, narrowing his eyes.
But that cargo... how on earth did they obtain it?
Ilyang turned his gaze toward the iron carriage, the most critical element of this journey. In truth, Ilyang had initially been unable to discern what was inside the iron carriage either. The entire carriage had been sealed with some sort of special technique.
However, just moments ago, while the iron carriage was being detached from the horses and loaded onto the ship, a heavy *thud* echoed from within, and an incredibly faint trace of energy leaked out from the carriage. Though the energy vanished into the air almost instantly, Ilyang, who had been watching from a short distance away, was startled. It was a very familiar energy.
“Whoa, whoa! Hey, you bastard! Watch out! The carriage is tilting!”
“Hey, over there! The ramp! The ramp is about to collapse, hold it up with your hands!”
“Pull it up from the front! Get your head in the game!”
“You bastard, is this your first day on the job? Do you have any idea how much this is worth? Treat it as more precious than your own life!”
The escorts and leaders screamed at one another as they carefully moved the iron carriage. Finally, with a heavy thud, the iron carriage was safely loaded onto the flagship, the largest of the sailing vessels. And Namgung Min, the Sky-Shattering Sword, could not take his eyes off it.
“Once we set sail on the Yujanggang River, there shouldn't be any major danger, Hero Namgung Min. Please do not worry too much.”
“Mmm... To be honest, I am concerned about the movements of the river bandits.”
The Sky-Shattering Sword, Namgung Min. As he watched the iron carriage being lowered into the ship's hold, his face was filled with anxiety. Inside that iron carriage lay his entire future. If he succeeded in this escort mission, he would stand at the very forefront of the Namgung Clan's potential successors. That was how crucial this cargo was.
And if he failed? Straight to the abyss.
Normally, an elder-level expert of the clan—a transcendent expert—should have been mobilized for this task. But he had stubbornly insisted, securing it as a special mission for himself. Because of that, Namgung Min was actually still a bit terrified.
“Haha, do not worry so. No matter how rampant the river bandits of the Yujanggang River may be, have we not recruited peak experts specifically for this journey? Please, have faith.”
The leader of the Jinsung Escort Agency, Jin Yu-seong, was confident in the flawless transport of the cargo. He had sent urgent messages to recruit proud peak experts from the outside. He had scraped together all the wealth and connections the escort agency had accumulated over the years.
With ten peak experts here, including myself, what is there to fear?
In most sects, a peak expert would receive the treatment of an elder or a sect leader. And there were ten such peak experts. Furthermore, all the other escorts and leaders were first-class experts. They had even hired porters who knew martial arts. Frankly, with this level of power, they could reduce any ordinary mid-to-small-sized sect to ashes in a mere thirty minutes.
“...I shall place my trust in you, Chief Jin.”
“Haha, trust me! I shall repay your trust with absolute safety!” Chief Jin Yu-seong heartily thumped his broad chest, replying in a voice brimming with confidence.
Only then did the Sky-Shattering Sword, Namgung Min, relax his stiff expression slightly and turn his gaze aside. At the very front of the fleet, on the deck of the ship carrying the vagabonds, Song Gwang-sik, who happened to be standing there, was also looking toward the flagship. The two made brief eye contact and nodded.
Though they had crossed paths by chance while executing different missions, they were, in truth, the most reliable people present.
Yes, with the Chusal Daeju here, we can find a way to resolve any issues that arise.
The position of Chusal Daeju in the Namgung Clan was a heavy responsibility that no ordinary expert would dare assume. Song Gwang-sik, the Chusal Daeju, was an elite talent chosen through rigorous selection after selection within the clan.
Yet Song Gwang-sik, too, believed that if an emergency occurred, the Sky-Shattering Sword, Namgung Min, would handle it somehow. He is one of the prominent successors of the main family. Surely, nothing major will happen.
Finding mutual comfort in each other's presence, the two slowly completed their final checks on the deck.