Dawn Training and the Arrival of the Merchant Caravan
The morning sun bathed the Seoho Gwak Family's main estate in golden light.
In the vast corner of the compound lay Iyeongak.
At the courtyard before the second young master's residence stood Cheon Gang, swinging his staff with sweat dripping from his brow since the early hours.
“Ugh!”
“Not even a hundred yet—idiot!”
“Ugh!”
“Posture’s collapsing again—collapsing!”
“Shut up… ow!”
“Focus! You fool!”
For a brief moment he halted the staff and opened his mouth, only for the stone flung by the flapping Heoksijo to slam into his forehead.
Cheon Gang rubbed his throbbing head with a string of curses.
Heoksijo mocked him.
Cheon Gang sighed and swung the staff once more.
Hovering above, Heoksijo darted in search of openings.
This grueling training had been going on for nearly two months now, and it never missed an early morning even on the day they departed for Hebei Pang.
“You’ll become my burden—you will!”
“Guh!”
“You have to get strong—hurry!”
It was all driven by Cheon Gang’s own iron will.
Today.
The day was nearly here when the merchant group’s attendants would arrive to accompany them on the journey.
But.
“…I’m going to lose my mind.”
Cheon Gang’s face showed clear impatience as he trained.
Sweat beaded at his chin and fell in steady drops, and the dust in the courtyard billowed violently with each swing of the staff, yet he still felt something lacking.
“With this level… I’ll only trip up Young Master.”
It was still vivid in his mind.
The day he had fled to Gwigok Mountain, the day Gwak Yeon had grown at a pace that left him stunned, the day Baek Jung-hyeok was finally brought to his knees.
It was a complicated mixture of pride and unease.
The frantic urgency he felt at having been surpassed so quickly by the second young master he had longed to become strong for carried the unique hot-bloodedness of a warrior.
“I can do it too! I can do it!”
The thirst for the strength he had once forgotten had awakened, driving him to push through this brutal training from dawn.
The kind of strength that could not trip up Young Master?
What more than that, standing shoulder to shoulder in battle with him, could not be a master?
“Another thought—focus!”
“Shut… wait? Young Master?”
“Come?”
By then Gwak Yeon had appeared.
Standing inside the wall encircling the pavilion, he had been there all along.
He opened his mouth.
“Two fingers from the center of the staff with your right hand.”
“Huh?”
“Finding the balance of the iron staff is the key.”
“Ah, yes!”
“Every breath must follow the movements I taught you last time. Training daily with a staff of that weight builds not only strength but also whole-body balance and coordination.”
Suddenly, Gwak Yeon’s advice began.
Sweating profusely, Cheon Gang’s eyes sparkled as he listened.
“Cheon Gang, that temperament of yours would suit it perfectly.”
“My temperament?”
“You’re impatient. Last time I saw you cast your stance, you went straight into the next movement before your previous one had fully transferred force. That’s a habit seen in warriors from the wandering clans.”
“Uh…”
“Ah, the part you just mentioned is something I heard from my grandfather when I was young. I’ve memorized it well with my head, so don’t worry.”
“…As expected from Young Master!”
Cheon Gang offered a half-hearted excuse and waved it off.
He had returned after secretly working as the Hangzhou Ghost until dawn today, yet his teachings continued with Heoksijo.
“You’ve practiced throwing the throwing knives, right?!”
“Of course! I’m Heoksijo!”
“Accuracy matters.”
“Look—see how well I’m doing!”
Gwak Yeon turned his head.
Inside the wall encircling the pavilion lay a leather target.
Throwing knives were stuck in it at small circles marked with ink.
‘Good.’
At this level, it would pass.
Cheon Gang and Heoksijo.
Gwak Yeon inspected the weapons they had brought, all obtained through a favor from the Ha brothers last time.
One heavy iron staff.
A cloth pouch filled with several throwing knives.
There had been a clear reason he had accepted these weapons.
‘In this journey… how far will it go.’
To gather information, to move against organizations that pursue him like the evil he had never fully rooted out in his previous life, reliable allies were always needed.
Of course.
That standard rose quite high when measured against the Geumuiwi companions he had met in his past life.
‘Will they accept my true self.’
Deciding when and how to reveal the vampire abilities born from blood was a problem that would require careful thought.
Still, it was close but not yet a problem.
The rest could wait until he gained actual experience on the journey to Hebei Pang.
That was the moment his thoughts ended.
‘Hm?’
Footsteps approached.
From beyond the gate where the courtyard wall of Iyeongak met, a man was walking forward.
Bang!
The moment the gate opened, the one reaching for the ring handle flinched in surprise.
“…Brother.”
“Ho-shin has come?”
“Yes. The Cheonhae Merchant Group has arrived.”
Gwak Ho-shin.
To the eye, the blunt youth still looked the same, but he was the temporary companion Gwak Yeon had agreed to bring along for this journey at the request of Manager Yoo.
His Samho-gak would handle any low-level requests without needing Gwak Yeon’s involvement until his return, or so the story went.
There was room, financially and in personnel.
Still…
“…Then, let’s go.”
“Yes.”
“Let’s depart, Young Master!”
“Start! We’re going!”
Cheon Gang and Heoksijo trailed behind Gwak Ho-shin as they walked together with Gwak Yeon.
Gwak Ho-shin glanced sideways at the noisy Heoksijo.
“Filthy face—terrifying!”
“Hmph.”
The spiritual bird had shown no stronger reaction because, beyond his limited skill at expressing emotion, he had already displayed formidable presence in this world for more than ten days.
Thunk.
Thunk.
Throughout the walk toward the outer hall containing the reception room, Gwak Yeon could hear the sect’s servants whispering among themselves.
“Whoa, it’s real? What is that thing?”
“It’s called Heoksijo, a spirit beast.”
“They say it can speak like a guardian bird?”
“I tried talking to it, and it answered.”
“So, it’s the thing our second young master stole from that damn Jusan Baek Family?”
“Ah, that’s right!”
“Indeed. Now can we say our sect has the best of Zhejiang?”
Heoksijo was one thing, but the point that mattered most was that the Seoho Gwak Family, led by Gwak Yeon, had “stolen” it from the Jusan Baek Family.
Receiving the proud gazes of the sect members as he approached the outer hall, Gwak Yeon stopped in the courtyard.
He stared quietly at the carriages and supply wagons lined up there, then cleared his throat and knocked on the door to the reception room.
Squeak━━!
The people visible in the revealed reception room were many.
Among the sect guards stationed around, a long conference table had come into view, and a large map hung from it.
At one end of that table, three men who had been sitting together slowly rose to greet Gwak Yeon.
They were the people from the Cheonhae Merchant Group who had hired their protection for the journey.
* * *
Family Head Gwak Seo-ryong was absent.
Therefore, Manager Yoo took charge of this gathering.
He bowed deeply to Gwak Yeon as the latter entered the reception room.
“You have come, Young Master.”
“Manager.”
Gwak Yeon returned the greeting in kind. When he turned his gaze sideways, the three who had risen to wait saw him and met his eyes.
After exchanging formal bows with one another, introductions began.
“I am Gwak Yeon, the second of the Seoho Gwak Family.”
“The convoy leader for this journey is Huang Fil of the Cheonhae Merchant Group.”
“The bodyguard of the young master here is Ju Hwa-jeong.”
“Ye Baek-rang of the Cheonhae Merchant Group.”
…Ye Baek-rang?
The moment Gwak Yeon’s eyes turned toward the young child with the slightly awkward speech.
‘Huh.’
It had been a flash, but he had clearly caught it.
His finely sharpened senses.
A faint kick with the tip of the woman’s foot hidden under the table toward the little one’s own foot.
‘Not the leader, but the bodyguard is giving him a hint?’
A quick glance.
“Ehem, heh! I have come in my capacity as young master.”
“Young Master Ye Baek-rang here has been entrusted with full authority for this journey as the official successor of Young Master Yeo Geum-hwi. I ask that you keep this in mind.”
“…I appreciate it, heh.”
Gwak Yeon was slightly surprised.
‘He’s completely a little kid?’
He had heard the young master of a famous merchant group was accompanying them, but he had not expected this level.
No matter how renowned the merchant group, crossing mountains and rivers to reach this journey was no place for a child.
A faint question mark formed in Gwak Yeon’s mind as the man who had introduced himself as the convoy leader, Huang Fil, opened his mouth in a calm tone.
“I did give you a rough outline of the plan via the western route, but may I explain it once more with the map before we depart?”
“Certainly.”
“Yes, then let us begin.”
He picked up a black wooden rod and pointed at the map, and the serious explanation started.
“First, assuming we depart today—”
To summarize:
A small merchant group with six carriages.
The remaining composition of personnel from the Cheonhae Merchant Group.
Sample goods bound for Hebei Pang.
The shortest route and the tightest schedule.
“With this, the plan is to complete the journey safely within the deadline.”
This matched the information he had received from the western route so far.
But Gwak Yeon knew.
That in such gatherings, there were often pieces of information one could only learn by being present.
“Any questions?”
“Why are we taking the overland route instead of the sea route?”
“To avoid the risks that pirates, storms, and the sample goods might be damaged by sea winds.”
“…I see.”
Gwak Yeon had now realized they were hiding something.
‘…They’re not being straightforward.’
The most efficient route from the end of Zhejiang to Hebei Pang was by sea.
Most of the risks the man had mentioned were not actually fatal.
If he had simply chosen the overland route to test the strength of the Seoho Gwak Family instead of the famous Jusan Baek Family in that region, that would have been even better.
‘Besides, the sample goods are not the kind that would be damaged by sea winds.’
“By the way, what are the sample goods?”
“I’m sorry. That part, we can explain after the journey has continued a little longer.”
“…That’s fine.”
In truth, he had already formed a rough idea.
From the moment he entered, using his sharpened senses of smell, hearing, and sight, he had narrowed down which of the crates carried in the carriages and wagons were likely the sample goods.
But.
At the Cheonhae Merchant Group’s refusal to give any of it away straight out, Gwak Yeon smiled inside.
‘Each step of the journey is part of a test.’
In fact, escorting a large renowned merchant group like this was not particularly dangerous.
Especially on this route.
Considering it, bandits or bandit groups were the real threat, but the Green Forest bandits, already on good terms with major merchant groups, would not be the issue.
Like the major courier stations, the longer they traveled and crossed paths, the more they would build some kind of relationship.
On the contrary, if something major happened in their own territory, they often had to be careful because they would become suspects themselves.
What remained was bandit groups of that caliber, which held little meaning, and the result would be to show how to handle any sudden situations and countermeasures.
‘Well, this size of caravan does have the advantage of being able to flexibly adjust schedule and route.’
Rather than hiring a large courier with many personnel, they wanted to see whether the Seoho Gwak Family could continue providing elite escorts suitable for such a small-scale merchant group.
This was probably another benefit the Cheonhae Merchant Group would gain from this journey.
“That should be enough for now. The rest, let us discuss in detail after the journey.”
“I agree.”
“…Hmm.”
The moment Huang Fil and Gwak Yeon nodded to each other, a deep, dignified voice suddenly muttered from behind.
“Even if he is young, it is a fine thing to have a heavy presence.”
Ye Baek-rang had blurted it out unexpectedly.
The people in the reception room turned their heads in sudden alarm.
Pfft.
To hold back the laughter threatening to burst out at the child pretending to be an adult and dropping such a line, he had bitten his lip.
Even Manager Yoo, who had quietly lowered his head, was trembling.
Feeling embarrassed, Ye Baek-rang turned left and right and asked.
“H-have I said something wrong?”
“Haha, no. Young Master’s words are correct. I asked too many questions, didn’t I?”
“Ehem!”
Instead, Gwak Yeon answered, and the young man’s face flushed red as he cleared his throat, the picture of a clueless child.
Seeing the boy’s clumsy attempt at composure, Gwak Yeon nodded.
‘Perhaps…’
That the youth had joined might be one of the things the Cheonhae Merchant Group had planned to test this time.
But.
In truth, these things held no great meaning from Gwak Yeon’s perspective.
Rather.
[Hebei Pang]
He was more curious about meeting one of the Seven Great Families, which might help him obtain information about the Blood Cult.
Thus.
When the others who had nodded at Gwak Yeon’s words rose from their seats, he spoke.
“Then, without further delay, let us depart at once.”
“Very well.”
Before long.
The horses, carriages, and wagons from the sect kicked up clouds of dust and set off down the road.
Clop! Clop!
It was the first day of the overland journey toward Hebei Pang.