At my words, Heuk Du-gyeom looked flustered.
Of course he did.
He had nothing to do with Chieftain Wild-Haired Mad Sword.
“What… What do you mean?”
“Ahem, well… The thing is… The chieftain is away at the moment.”
“Then we’ll just wait at the mountain stronghold.”
“Our stronghold… doesn’t really have enough space to accommodate this many people.”
The Green Peak Mountain stronghold is too small?
What nonsense.
I’ve been there before, so I know.
Even twice our group’s size wouldn’t make the place feel crowded. And I was sure Escort Chief Hong Im knew that too.
Just as I expected, sensing something was off, Hong Im took a step back.
I spoke to Heuk Du-gyeom.
“I’ve been to the Green Peak Mountain stronghold before. It’s built on a spacious clearing. Yet now you say it’s too small and block our entry…”
I continued.
“How should I take that?”
“Well…”
“This doesn’t seem like a very proper way to treat guests, does it?”
He tried to stammer his way out, clearly panicking.
“T-To be honest… Things haven’t been going so well at the stronghold lately.”
“And what exactly isn’t going well?”
“I… I can’t say.”
“I’ve known Chieftain Wild-Haired Mad Sword for years… This is disappointing. Don’t you think we need to know if there’s an issue, so we can prepare accordingly?”
At that moment, Escort Chief Hong Im chimed in.
“As the Department Chief said, the Changin Escort Bureau has always maintained good relations with Chieftain Wild-Haired Mad Sword. To think you’d cut ties like this… Quite disappointing.”
Then Escort Chief Hong Im glanced slightly over my shoulder.
He noticed that two of the escorts who always stood by my side were gone.
He immediately caught on to my plan and was buying time.
“Come now, no need to be so tense. Why don’t you have a drink with us? Come, sit down. Thinking about it… We should’ve offered you a drink upon first meeting.”
Drinks and snacks were set out, and Heuk Du-gyeom and his men naturally sat down in front of them.
In truth, one of the taboos during an escort mission is drinking.
Enemies are quick to take advantage the moment vigilance drops due to alcohol.
But there are rare times when liquor becomes necessary.
Like when easing the pain of the wounded.
That’s why we always carried some… and the drink we brought out now was that very liquor.
Naturally, given its purpose, it was an extremely strong distilled spirit (火酒).
Escort Chief Hong Im uncorked the bottle.
Pop.
The aroma hit instantly, and Heuk Du-gyeom’s throat bobbed visibly.
For bandits, resisting alcohol isn’t easy.
“Please, help yourself.”
“Well, then. I won’t say no to a drink. Hahaha.”
And just like that, he took the bait.
I glanced at Escort Chief Hong Im and smirked. He nodded back.
About half a shichen passed.
I felt the presence of Seo Wu and Jin Yu approaching with my Qi.
And behind them… other presences followed.
‘Finally.’
As soon as I realized what kind of person Heuk Du-gyeom was earlier, I’d sent them straight to the Green Peak Mountain stronghold.
Soon, a man with messy, tangled hair appeared, leading a group.
“So… Where’s the bastard pretending to be one of our own?”
It was Chieftain Wild-Haired Mad Sword.
His eyes gleamed with madness.
I pointed at Heuk Du-gyeom with my hand.
Seeing Wild-Haired Mad Sword, Escort Chief Hong Im stood and cupped his fists.
“It took some effort keeping them in one place.”
Heuk Du-gyeom and his crew, who had been drinking, were utterly shocked by the sudden turn of events.
“So… These scumbags are the ones who’ve been using my name to scam tolls, huh?”
I shrugged.
“Who knows. I only sent people to check whether they were truly sent by the chieftain.”
I pushed the matter to him.
“The decision’s yours.”
By the way… Did you just say it?
‘They’ve been using my name all this time.’
That meant Wild-Haired Mad Sword already knew about Heuk Du-gyeom’s scams.
He must’ve been fuming for quite some time.
No wonder he rushed all the way here in less than half a shichen.
At my words, Wild-Haired Mad Sword grinned.
“Wasn’t asking you. Just talking to myself because it’s so absurd.”
Then he turned to his subordinates behind him.
“Boys, drag ’em.”
“Got it!”
The situation ended instantly.
There’s no way those drunken fools could resist properly.
Wild-Haired Mad Sword’s men utterly wrecked them before tying them up.
They were wrapped so tightly they looked like silkworm cocoons.
Wild-Haired Mad Sword stared at them coldly, then turned his gaze to us.
“I know Escort Chief Hong here… But who might you be?”
I cupped my fists and replied.
“I am Eun Seo-ho, Deputy Merchant Lord of the Eunhae Merchant Group and Chief of the Virtuous Wind Department.”
“Wild-Haired Mad Sword, chieftain of Green Peak Mountain.”
“I’ve heard of your mighty reputation.”
“The one about me being a lunatic with tangled hair?”
I chuckled.
“You’re well aware of your fame.”
At my answer, others around looked visibly awkward.
But I knew.
Wild-Haired Mad Sword is proud of the nickname ‘Wild-Haired Mad Sword.’
As I expected, he burst into laughter.
“Hah! You’re no ordinary one.”
“Not compared to you, Chieftain.”
At that, Escort Chief Hong Im pulled out a money pouch.
“Here’s the toll.”
Wild-Haired Mad Sword accepted it, took out half, and handed it to a subordinate.
Then he tossed the remaining half back to Escort Chief Hong Im.
Thunk.
As Hong Im caught the pouch, Wild-Haired Mad Sword spoke.
“Consider that a thank-you fee.”
“Pardon?”
“Thanks to you, I finally caught those rats. Feels wrong not to show some gratitude.”
“I’ll gladly accept it.”
“Well then, see you next time.”
With that, Wild-Haired Mad Sword and his men dragged Heuk Du-gyeom’s group away from our camp.
Watching them go, Palgap muttered.
“He’s actually a pretty decent chieftain… Giving half the toll back as a thank-you.”
I was about to answer when someone beat me to it.
It was Escort Guard Seo Wu.
“That’s pretty normal.”
“Huh? Are you saying all chieftains are like that?”
“Not all. But… if they value their lives…”
Escort Guard Seo Wu continued.
“See, the relationship between bandit strongholds and escort bureaus is strictly transactional.”
The strongholds maintain order in the mountains, clearing out other troublemakers and ensuring safe passage.
And in return, travelers pay a ‘toll.’
But since we pointed out the ones they were supposed to “clean up” and “deal with,” they were simply paying us for saving them the effort.
If the terms aren’t clear, resentment builds up and eventually leads to fights.
And that’s a loss for both sides.
People think the Forest bandits suffers more, but escort bureaus suffer just as much.
If an escort is delayed, the client must be compensated.
Palgap nodded.
“So that’s how it works.”
As expected of a former Escort Chief, Escort Guard Seo Wu was well-versed in this kind of relationship.
“By the way… What do you think will happen to Heuk Du-gyeom and his crew?”
I replied to his question.
“They won’t meet a good end.”
It’s their own fault. No need to pity them.
Though… I am curious.
Will Wild-Haired Mad Sword sever their limbs and tendons to sell them as slaves to a mine like in my previous life?
Or will he just kill them outright?
In this life, Heuk Du-gyeom was caught several months earlier than before.
This will definitely have an impact on future events.
But regardless, I couldn’t let Heuk Du-gyeom roam free.
He was undeniably a pest that disrupted the merchant world.
.
.
.
The next morning.
We hit the road again and soon entered the Wudang Sect’s territory.
Escort Chief Hong Im called out to everyone.
“From here on, it’s the Disarmed Zone (解劍地). Everyone, stow your weapons inside the luggage!”
“Yes, sir!”
When passing through the Wudang Sect’s gates, everyone except members of the Wudang Sect was required to remove their swords and store them.
It’s said this rule was established to honor Zhang Sanfeng, the founder of the Wudang Sect.
Anyone who ignores this rule gets severely scolded by Wudang experts and banned from entering.
The fact that everyone must disarm here also means… that it’s perfectly safe even without weapons.
As I watched everyone hurriedly untie their swords and load them onto the horses, Palgap asked,
“Say… What if someone has no luggage or horse? How do they disarm then?”
Escort Guard Seo Wu answered.
“In that case, you wear your weapon upside down. That’s considered disarmed.”
“Oh! I see!”
We passed through the Disarmed Zone without issue.
Sichuan was getting closer.
Tang Gyu-jeong, Clan Lord of the Tang Clan, heard unexpected news from his subordinate.
“What? Eun Seo-ho, Deputy Merchant Lord of the Eunhae Merchant Group, is in Sichuan right now?”
“Yes, sir. That’s correct.”
Nearly two years ago, his youngest son, Tang Jo-ung, was almost kidnapped.
A nanny who had been threatened took Tang Jo-ung outside.
But the escorts lost track of them because the kidnappers had set an elaborate trap.
They believed they could track them using the special scent marker (追踪香) placed on the nanny and the child.
But when Eun Seo-ho brought Tang Jo-ung back to the Tang Clan… they realized how naive that assumption was.
The scent marker had been completely erased without a trace.
Had Eun Seo-ho not rescued Tang Jo-ung, Tang Gyu-jeong would have lost his youngest son forever.
Even thinking about it now sent a chill down his spine.
Later, after interrogating the captured culprits that Eun Seo-ho personally brought, he learned they had intended to use Tang Jo-ung as leverage for demands.
But no matter what he did, they never confessed how they managed to erase the scent marker.
That was a serious problem.
It meant the secret behind the scent marker had been leaked from somewhere.
Because of this incident, Eun Seo-ho wasn’t just a benefactor to Tang Gyu-jeong personally, but to the entire Tang Clan of Sichuan.
A great benefactor.
The Tang Clan, often scorned as cowards for their use of poison and hidden weapons, became a prestigious clan in the martial world because of one principle.
They repay favors doubly.
And likewise, they repay grudges twice as harshly.
So repaying a benefactor wasn’t just a duty but a matter of honor and pride for the Tang Clan.
That’s why he’d sent people several times to bring Eun Seo-ho to the Tang Clan.
But every time, they failed.
Then, one day, Eun Seo-ho sent a letter.
A perfectly polite message that essentially said, “I will visit when the time is right, so please stop going to such lengths.”
And so… they waited. And waited.
And finally, the time had come.
Tang Gyu-jeong stood up.
“He’s in Sichuan. There’s no way I’ll let him leave without visiting. I’ll go myself.”
“Understood.”
“What’s Jo-ung doing right now?”
“The young master is training in martial arts.”
“Good. He’ll be thrilled when he hears this.”
Upon arriving in Sichuan, I first headed to the local branch where my uncle was stationed.
“It’s been a while!”
“Have you been well, Uncle?”
“Of course. And look at you. You’ve grown even taller and more handsome since I last saw you. The women of Sichuan will be lining up for you.”
“Hahaha. You flatter me.”
I greeted my aunt, my two older cousins, and my younger cousin Ryeo-ok as well.
“I heard Cousin Hyang-ok is training at Mount Emei?”
“Yes. She’s close to a breakthrough and is focused entirely on her training.”
“I see.”
It seemed the incident with the former Clerk Yeong-po, who was bribed by the Dan Clan, had toughened everyone here.
The atmosphere at the Sichuan branch felt noticeably sharper.
“I’ll need to visit the Euljin Merchant Group starting tomorrow.”
“For the Windcraft Fan, right?”
“Yes.”
“But…”
“…?”
Uncle had a cryptic smile on his face.
“I wonder… Will you really be able to visit the Euljin Merchant Group tomorrow?”
“What do you mean?”
“The Tang Clan… They’re more persistent and thorough than you might expect.”
At that moment, the gatekeeper rushed in, shouting urgently.
“Branch Lord! The Clan Lord of the Tang Clan is here!”
What?
The Clan Lord himself?
I turned to look at Uncle. He smirked.
“Told you.”
I had no words.
I figured they’d send someone to extend an invitation again… but never expected the Clan Lord himself to show up.
I had no choice but to head to the reception hall.
There, a middle-aged man sat, sipping tea.
The pressure radiating from him was overwhelming.
Given who he was, Uncle and I both bowed politely.
“It’s an honor to meet you. I am Eun Myeong-sang, Branch Lord of the Eunhae Merchant Group’s Sichuan Branch. Thank you for visiting our humble branch.”
“Likewise. I am Eun Seo-ho, Deputy Merchant Lord of the Eunhae Merchant Group and Chief of the Virtuous Wind Department.”
The middle-aged man stood up and spoke.
“I am Tang Gyu-jeong, Clan Lord of the Tang Clan of Sichuan.”
–TL Notes–
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