Chapter 636
Translator: Ace
Chapter: 636
Chapter Title: Come On, Let's Head Up
Ha Mu-baek thus departed from the garrison west of Seobok, accompanied by his four companions.
Yeon Ha-min and Ha Seol-ran, along with the two disciples.
This was Ha Mu-baek's traveling party.
The two children, who had returned to Seobok with him and spent just over a month there before setting off again, had a faint trace of excitement on their faces.
Back when they helped out at the inn in Luoyang, they had often watched visiting martial artists and let their imaginations run wild.
Now, they were living out something very much like those fantasies.
The life of a wandering martial artist through the rivers and lakes—it was exactly as they had pictured.
Was it because their numbers had increased?
The cart Ha Mu-baek had prepared was a bit larger than the one they'd ridden before.
With two horses pulling it, it almost seemed too grand to call a mere cart.
The journey proceeded smoothly.
Their destination was Hubei Province.
It bordered Jiangxi Province to the northwest, so it wasn't a long trip.
Not when compared to the route they'd taken from Shaanxi through Henan to Jiangxi.
They left Seobok and passed through Anfu without incident, arriving smoothly in Nanchang.
Gong Hae-bin and Gong Hae-jun gaped at the sight of the Gan River flowing into Poyang Lake.
It was their first time seeing anything like it.
The Yellow River flowed north of Luoyang, but the children had never had the chance to go that far.
So this was their first time beholding such a grand river.
The three adults watching the children's reactions wore similar smiles tinged with the same emotion.
It was one of quiet satisfaction.
"What are your plans for the rest of the journey after Nanchang?"
Yeon Ha-min asked Ha Mu-baek.
There was a reason for her question.
The route from Nanchang to Yichang offered two options.
One was overland by road.
The other was by water, departing from the Gan River docks, crossing Poyang Lake, and sailing upstream along the Yangtze.
Yichang, much like Wuchang, was a city right on the Yangtze.
From there, boarding a boat meant a leisurely trip, simply letting the current carry them.
Of course, there were stretches plagued by river pirates now and then, but with Ha Mu-baek along...
Any bandits who targeted their boat would only have themselves to pity.
As Yeon Ha-min posed her question, Ha Mu-baek gazed at the two children staring at the river and replied.
"By water."
There was a reason for this choice.
Originally, Nanchang had been included in the itinerary from Luoyang to Seobok.
He had planned it that way to broaden the children's horizons.
p>But they hadn't followed that path.
The journey had been delayed by matters involving the Beggars' Sect and the Four Seas Alliance, and Ha Mu-baek had pressed on swiftly by land.
Thus, the water route through Nanchang had long been part of his plans for this leg of the trip.
As if they had anticipated the water route, Yeon Ha-min and Ha Seol-ran nodded.
They settled into a suitable inn in Nanchang.
Ha Mu-baek took only his two disciples and headed to the docks.
To find a proper boat.
He intended to book the largest vessel heading from Nanchang to Yichang.
Since it was the children's first time on a boat, a larger one would surely be more comfortable.
The two children gasped repeatedly at the sight of the boats lined up thickly at the docks.
Ha Mu-baek leisurely surveyed the vessels.
His hearing was sharpened to its peak.
To eavesdrop on the sailors' conversations.
Through their chatter, he narrowed it down to three or four suitable boats, approached them directly, spoke with the crews, and selected one.
It was the largest boat at the docks.
It would depart for Yichang in two days.
There was plenty of space, so he also reserved two decent-sized cabins.
"Originally, you planned to take a boat from here and return to Seobok via the same route we came, right?"
Gong Hae-bin asked, his eyes sparkling as he stared at the boat.
He still remembered the itinerary Ha Mu-baek had described back when they were heading to Luoyang.
"That's right. But circumstances forced us to travel through the night by cart."
When they'd hurried by land, they had crossed the Yangtze.
Yet the children had no memory of seeing it.
Ha Mu-baek had only reached the Yangtze late at night, after the children were asleep, and crossed it in the dead of night.
By the time they awoke to the morning sun, they had already passed the river and entered Jiangxi Province.
That was why they had no recollection of how they crossed or what the Yangtze was like.
No boats available in the deep night.
Ha Mu-baek had simply levitated the entire cart above the river waters with his lightness skill.
"We're doing now what we missed last time."
Gong Hae-jun said in a voice brimming with anticipation.
"Exactly. That's how it worked out. Now, let's head back."
They turned toward the inn and hadn't gone far when...
The children's gazes locked onto one spot and refused to budge.
Ha Mu-baek smiled faintly.
It was understandable.
It was Tengwang Pavilion.
The landmark that represented not just Nanchang, but all of Jiangxi Province.
A place well worthy of capturing the children's attention.
Countless people were ascending and descending Tengwang Pavilion, and the surroundings teemed with crowds.
"Shall we take a look?"
At Ha Mu-baek's question, the two children startled and turned.
"Why so surprised? We're already here—might as well go once. The boat doesn't leave for two days anyway."
The children's eyes lit up at his words.
"We'll have lunch there tomorrow."
With that, the three headed back to the inn.
He could have gone right then with just the disciples, but Ha Seol-ran and Yeon Ha-min, resting at the inn, would have felt left out.
So he suggested lunch for everyone tomorrow, planning to go together.
'Not sure if he's still around.'
Ha Mu-baek thought of one person with whom he shared a connection.
The next day.
The five set out for Nanchang's famous landmark.
Had they chosen the land route, they wouldn't have had such leisure.
It was only about a day's worth of time, but the presence or absence of such a day made a big difference.
As lunchtime approached, anticipation gleamed in the children's eyes.
Ha Seol-ran and Yeon Ha-min were no different.
Ha Mu-baek had visited Tengwang Pavilion before.
Not in peaceful times like these, but during the brutal wars when blood flooded the rivers and lakes.
Ha Seol-ran and Yeon Ha-min had never had the chance either.
The entrance to Tengwang Pavilion bustled with people.
Glancing up, every window seat was taken, from this floor to the topmost one.
The long line snaking around was likely waiting for those window spots.
"Looks like we'll have to wait a while."
Ha Seol-ran said as they took their place at the end of the line.
Even so, her voice was full of excitement.
They hadn't stood there long when a server approached the line with a small brush and inkstone, asking something of each person and then splitting the queue.
"Huh? What's that about?"
Ha Seol-ran muttered curiously.
"Probably sorting the line by which floor people want."
Gong Hae-bin, who had been watching intently, replied.
Ha Seol-ran's eyes widened round.
"Hae-bin's right."
Yeon Ha-min, observing the same, confirmed.
Ha Seol-ran looked at Gong Hae-bin anew, as if impressed.
"W-Well, I did help out at my parents' inn sometimes, so..."
He stammered under her burdensome gaze.
"Our Hae-bin is so clever. No wonder your master took you as a disciple."
Ha Seol-ran stroked his head fondly.
Just then, the server reached Ha Mu-baek's group.
"Hello, guests. Which floor would you like? For reference, the top floor—fifth—will take about an hour and a half wait."
The server helpfully included the wait time, as if from long habit.
The four others startled at "an hour and a half."
It was nearly noon already; such a long wait gave them pause.
Naturally, they all glanced at Ha Mu-baek.
They wanted to ascend to the top since they'd come all this way, but the time was daunting.
The server's gaze followed theirs to Ha Mu-baek.
He answered calmly.
"Sixth floor."
The utterly unexpected reply flustered the server.
Hadn't he just said the top was fifth?
Yet this guest said sixth.
The fleeting thought that he'd drawn a troublesome customer vanished instantly.
Though his face was half-covered with cloth, he was with two women who were surely the most beautiful he'd seen in his server career.
And two boys who looked exceptionally bright.
Such a group was unlikely to be troublemakers.
Years of experience told him so.
"Th-The top floor is fifth, sir."
The server cautiously repeated.
Perhaps a momentary mistake.
If sixth came again, he'd have no choice but to deem it trouble.
Then he'd call the pavilion's guards.
He checked the whistle in his pocket and awaited the guest's response.
"There is a sixth floor, isn't there? Have you not been working here long?"
At the reply, the server pegged the guest as trouble and reached for his whistle.
"Or has Chief Steward Kang left the post?"
But the follow-up question froze his hand.
Chief Steward Kang, whom he'd asked about, was still Tengwang Pavilion's chief steward.
Not just any steward.
The grand chief steward.
Years after the brutal wars ended.
Tengwang Pavilion had expanded greatly, and so had its stewards.
The wartime chief steward Kang had risen to grand chief steward.
And Kang had stepped back from the front lines.
Other stewards now managed the pavilion directly, while Grand Chief Steward Kang oversaw them.
In short, few guests would know of Chief Steward Kang.
"D-Do... do you know the Grand Chief Steward?"
The server's question was tentative.
Ha Mu-baek nodded.
"If Ha Corps Leader has arrived, he'll know."
The server nodded, immediately called his replacement to hand off duties, and dashed into Tengwang Pavilion.
How long after he vanished?
An elderly man came huffing and puffing.
Confirming Ha Mu-baek's face, delight bloomed on his features.
"Ha Corps Leader! It really is you! I've been waiting and waiting, wondering when you'd come—and here you are today. Ha ha ha."
The old man, Chief Steward Kang, chuckled happily and grasped Ha Mu-baek's hand, genuinely overjoyed.
Ha Mu-baek merely wore a small smile.
To Chief Steward Kang, even that seemed astonishing.
"To see Ha Corps Leader smiling like this—the world must be getting better. Ha ha ha."
"It's been a while."
Ha Mu-baek greeted him warmly as well.
"Come, this way."
With people queuing behind Ha Mu-baek's group too, Chief Steward Kang led him out of line.
He headed to the rear of Tengwang Pavilion, away from the crowds.
Ha Mu-baek followed, so the rest of the group did too.
"I did instruct the staff to always report anyone asking for the sixth floor to me, but the youngsters forget sometimes."
Tengwang Pavilion's sixth floor.
It wasn't open to the public—or even to most who worked there.
Only the pavilion lord's family could ascend.
Chief Steward Kang was the pavilion lord's eldest son and heir apparent.
He led them around to the exact opposite side, where the crowds weren't queued.
There was a small entrance there too.
"Come on, let's head up. We can talk details once we're there."
Chief Steward Kang took the lead, with Ha Mu-baek's group following.
As they climbed the stairs, the vista of the Gan River unfolded before them.
It was a room with a single table.
A small space above the fifth floor.
Barely fitting ten people, it was Tengwang Pavilion's best seat—the ultimate hidden gem known only to a select few.
"This place hasn't changed."
At Ha Mu-baek's admiration, Chief Steward Kang beamed with pride.