So This Was the Real Reason (1)

Palgap, seeing my expression, asked,

"What's wrong, young master?"

"Run!"

But Seo-u Warrior shook his head slightly and whispered,

"From what I can see, it's already too late."

"……."

I sighed inwardly.

As he said, the opponents had already spotted me and were rushing over with beaming faces.

"Couldn't they just be passing by?"

I gave a wry smile at Yeo Eung-am Warrior's words.

No matter how I looked at it, that didn't seem likely.

The newcomers were Gold Guard daehyeops.

There were six in total, and four of them were people I knew.

So-un Daehyeop, who had joined me to handle the ice on the upper Yangtze; Kwon Jik and Kwon Eul Daehyeop, whom I'd met at Yeonji Mountain during the sword assembly with Hyeolgon Seongsaeng; and even the daehyeop I'd rescued before.

Before I knew it, they were right in front of me. Hiding my reluctance, I greeted them.

"Greetings, daehyeops. What brings you here?"

"What do you mean? We're here waiting for you, of course."

At those words, I turned and shot Yeo Eung-am Warrior a glance.

See? Not just passing by.

Under my gaze, Yeo Eung-am Warrior scratched his head and looked away.

"The moment we heard you'd left Shaolin Temple, we came rushing here."

"You made a huge splash there too, didn't you? Hahaha!"

"Seonhyeopmirang—the title suits you perfectly."

It was clear.

The Emperor's eyes and ears were in Shaolin Temple as well.

Still, I'd taken this route thanks to Hyun-ro-do's help... Why here, of all places?

Should I ditch this?

But I quickly dismissed the thought.

There had to be some reason...

First, I needed to find out why these daehyeops had come looking for me.

Please... I have a mountain of work waiting at the Beijing branch, and ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠I need to get home and rest.

"You got here awfully fast."

"We set out the instant we heard you'd left, and you're already in Hubei!"

That's because we rode the Zhuqiang horses.

"The reason we came looking for you like this is because there's a place you need to go with us."

"Here—it's a yellow decree."

Kwon Jik Daehyeop handed ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠me a red scroll ornately decorated with gold leaf.

Damn it!

No wonder my gut feeling was bad!

These people before me were bound together by unswerving loyalty to the Emperor.

Showing any sign of dislike in front of them would likely earn me a lecture on the spot.

I knew well that their current fondness could turn to fury in an instant.

"……!"

I nearly failed to keep a straight face.

Yun-nam? Yun-freakin'-nam?

Where the hell is Yun-nam?

It was the southwestern edge of the empire—the complete opposite of Beijing.

Whew, calm down.

I read the rest of the decree.

What in the world could it be...?

No, more importantly, the Emperor mentioning a "test" in the decree made me think that exam back then wasn't just to pair me with the crown prince as a friend.

So this was the real reason?

To squeeze even more out of me?

This feels like payback for the one I pulled on him...

Nah, no way. His Majesty wouldn't be that petty.

I rolled up the scroll, bowed toward the imperial palace, and stood.

"What should we do with this decree?"

"Burn it."

"Pardon? Is that allowed?"

"Records related to Gold Guard missions must never be left behind."

At his firm tone, I pulled out a fire starter without hesitation and burned the decree.

Feels kinda refreshing.

"Oh, and now that you've burned it, you can't refuse the order."

"Pardon? So it was possible to refuse?"

They answered my question.

"By regulation, yes, if there's a valid reason."

"But you know theory and reality are different. Why even ask?"

"J-just curious. Haha."

"……."

They seem dead serious about teasing me.

I swallowed a sigh and asked them,

"So, what exactly is our mission?"

"We need to rescue the envoys."

"Envoys?"

Who sends envoys at a time like this?

Kwon Jik Daehyeop explained the whole story.

About a month ago, the Emperor had sent envoys to Yun-nam.

Remote regions on the empire's borders were beyond the reach of central administration.

Moreover, the locals lived adapted to their harsh environments and couldn't be measured by uniform imperial standards.

So, the practice was to grant titles to powerful families or tribal chiefs, making them local governors.

Yun-nam had seven major tribes, each with their own power bases, and the Emperor had bestowed ranks on their chiefs.

"This envoy group was for inspecting and reporting on one of those tribes, the Chun-gyeong-seong Tribe. But they've detained the envoys as hostages."

"What are their demands?"

Kwon Jik Daehyeop answered with a troubled look.

"They want recognition of their independent forces."

"Pardon?"

In other words...

They wanted to break free from imperial rule and establish their own nation?

The Emperor could never allow that.

Once a precedent was set, other tribes would rise up with the same demands.

The Chun-gyeong-seong Tribe had to know that.

And the throne was a ruthless seat that sacrificed the few for the many.

In short, there was no reason to go to such extremes to rescue the envoys.

One might say it was out of care for his subjects, but deploying six—not two—Gold Guard daehyeops?

And for the tribe, taking hostages meant they saw real value in them.

I ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠let out a sigh.

"It might be time to tell me now."

"Tell you what?"

"Who exactly is in that envoy group we need to rescue?"

At my question, the Gold Guard daehyeops' eyes widened.

Come on, really?

You thought I wouldn't figure it out?

Kwon Eul Daehyeop said with a pleased expression,

"As expected. We noticed before, but... your insight is sharp."

"So, who is it?"

I pressed, and Kwon Jik Daehyeop answered.

"Crown Prince Juhyeon."

"……."

Crown Prince Juhyeon was the second son of the Emperor's second wife, Consort Hwarun.

And in my previous life, he was the older brother of Jinseung Wang, whom I'd been close with.

Come to think of it, he'd died young, which was why he never got enfeoffed as a king.

Recalling what Jinseung Wang had told me, I flinched.

Huh? That's recent, isn't it?

In my previous life, this mission must have failed.

I'd known nothing about it then.

I had no connection to the Emperor, and I was busy with the famine.

Plus, a prince killed by border tribes? The palace would have covered it up.

I need to stay sharp.

If Crown Prince Juhyeon was killed by the Chun-gyeong-seong Tribe in Yun-nam Province, it all made sense.

His older brother, Prince Seongbo, had led a brutal campaign that wiped them out.

It had seemed excessively harsh back then, like there was some grudge—and there was.

Of course; they'd taken his little brother hostage and killed him. I'd have done the same.

Kwon Jik Daehyeop urged me,

"Keep it confidential."

"Understood."

"And... we're counting on you."

And so, on my way from Shaolin to the Beijing branch, I had to turn around and head to Yun-nam Province.

Damn it all!

I'm gonna wring every last thing I can out of the Emperor for this! For real!

.

.

.

The road to Yun-nam Province was so far that relying solely on land travel would wear us out. Better to use waterways as much as possible to spare our bodies.

From Jenan by boat to Kaifeng, then overland south to Wuhan, and from there by boat up the Yangtze to Yun-nam.

I worried if the Zhuqiang horses would behave on the boat...

Well, with Gold Spirit around, they shouldn't act up.

First, I sent a letter to the Beijing branch via Gold Spirit, and it brought back one from Seo-hyang Sojeo.

She knew Gold Spirit was my messenger.

Business reports? Every five days? Why... Ah!

Seo-hyang Sojeo's "business reports" weren't just routine updates.

She planned to share visions of the future she'd seen.

She'd never asked for this before—what did it mean, this mission being that dangerous?

I'll find out through our letters.

We took a boat from Jenan and disembarked at Kaifeng.

Kaifeng, of all places...

Should've taken it slower if I knew.

It was practically backtracking.

Anyway, let's think about Yun-nam.

Famous for pu'er tea; we even had Eunhae Merchant Group reps there for procurement.

And it was where Brother Jin-ho had gone missing before.

Thanks to that, I got Eunmu Sword and Gold Spirit, but who would've thought I'd return...

Sigh.

I let out a sigh.

I knew how rugged and grueling it was.

It was just early September, but the rainy season lasted until October.

Sweltering hot and humid, no doubt.

Of course, at Super First-rate with my cold-attuned inner energy, heat was no issue.

The problem was my guards and Palgap.

I looked up at the sky and said,

"Rain's coming soon."

Seo-u Warrior agreed.

"Seems like it."

So-un Daehyeop voiced his doubt at our exchange.

"The sun's still blazing. What rain?"

But before we could explain, Kwon Jik Daehyeop stepped in.

"Seo-u Warrior was a caravan leader, right?"

"Yes."

"I've heard no one reads weather or directions like caravan folk. So, we need to find shelter from rain around here?"

"The rain won't let up easily. We should avoid it and find a camp spot."

But the other daehyeops objected.

"We can still go half a day more, can't we? We can't dawdle."

"Agreed. Let's keep going."

Kwon Jik Daehyeop's face showed clear hesitation.

I sighed inwardly.

"From what I know, Gold Guard daehyeops move rain or shine."

"That's true."

"Has anyone been to Yun-nam?"

One daehyeop raised his hand at my words.

One of the ones I'd rescued before. Han Seok, was it?

"I've been."

"Pardon me, but when? What month?"

"Let me think... Winter, I think. January."

"Where exactly?"

"The central area."

"……."

I suddenly understood another reason the Emperor had sent me with them.

"Sigh..."

A sigh slipped out, and Kwon Jik Daehyeop's eyebrow twitched.

"What?"

"Yun-nam is vast, and the weather varies wildly by region. The center is mild year-round. But the west, where Chun-gyeong-seong is in Guizhou? Totally different."

I continued,

"Speed is good, of course. But considering the climate where we're headed, we need to conserve energy. Just standing there drains your stamina."

After a moment's thought, Kwon Jik Daehyeop accepted my view.

"If you say so, it must be right. Let's rest and find camp quickly."

The other daehyeops nodded reluctantly.

"There's a riverbank down there. How about it?"

Seo-u Warrior shook his head at So-un Daehyeop's suggestion.

"Not recommended. Valleys in the rain aren't like normal. Water levels swell five to ten times. And getting caught in rapids is no joke."

"We're martial artists who passed the brutal Gold Guard trials. Rapids are nothing."

I pointed to a massive boulder.

"Can you lift and move that?"

"Are you kidding? How?"

"Rapids move that."

"……No way......"

"It's true."

They don't know that? What do they even test in Gold Guard selections?

At my firm words, Kwon Jik Daehyeop said,

"Everyone, calm down. You all scout a site."

We moved at once to find shelter.

Seo-u Warrior, experienced in such matters, quickly spotted a cave to dodge the rain.

Naturally; this road from Kaifeng to Wuhan was a caravan route.

We gathered branches, lit a campfire, and sat around it.

Shortly after the fire started, a massive downpour hit.

Shwaaaaa—!

The weather changed in an instant.

With thunder and lightning crashing, the Gold Guard daehyeops looked at us differently.

Why the heavy stares? It's awkward...

Then—

Ting-a-ling, ting-a-ling.

A sound pierced through the rain.