Episode 41. Nokrim doesn’t ask for troublesome things.
I couldn’t understand what the arrogant general was saying.
If I go back to Mt. Obong, I won’t be able to move at all, so why am I asking for help from someone like that?
“I don’t think I can be of much help?”
“Don’t worry about that.”
Seok Mu-hae, the leader of the Pacheonma Army, held out a silver medal along with his horse.
“What is this?”
“This is a badge that proves your status as a general patrolman. I originally planned to give it to the Twelve Horse Army, but I think you should receive it.”
“Total patrol?”
“It’s nothing. I just meant that if the patrol causes any trouble, you’re the one who’s going to clean it up.”
“I’ll be at Mt. Obong?”
“You won’t be on Mt. Obong your whole life, right? As you live, you might end up going down the mountain like you are now. Just live comfortably, and if you see the patrols doing something wrong, then you can clean it up. If you don’t have to run into them, then you’re done.”
Seok Mu-hae spoke as if it were nothing special and received a silver medal in return.
“So you’re saying I don’t have to go out and try to get around?”
“That’s right. We, the Nokrim, don’t even ask each other for troublesome things. Only government officials go around looking for something because of work. Who would thieves, who are busy protecting themselves, go looking for?”
“If you’re a general patrolman, are you higher than Chaeju?”
“It’s not that high. You can think of it as a position that replaces me as the general manager.”
“Wow! This is good.”
He held the silver medal in his bosom.
I completely fell for the words that I could live comfortably without wandering around.
***
Luoyang.
Baekse Sangbang.
Ahead of the full-scale ascension, four people gathered in Bangju Lee Se-chang’s office. They were Dae-haengsu Lee Yeon-bok, Cheongryongdae Daeju Yeon Mu-do, and Baekhodae Daeju Baek Do-jin.
Lee Se-chang smiled broadly and gave words of encouragement to the two lords.
“Yeon Daehyeop, Baek Daehyeop, from now on, I will only trust you two. I have heard that Yeon Daeju and Baek Daeju are the best practitioners of the Waryongjang Heavenly Sect. It is widely known in Luoyang. The Heavenly Sect masters of Waryongjang are no less than the disciples of the Chilpaimun. Please take good care of our Baekse Sangbang.”
Yeonmu-do responded with a trembling face.
“I will do my best. I will not donate my items to thieves like before.”
In fact, Yeonmu-do’s pride was quite hurt by the monthly salary issue.
‘You are praising me as a disciple of Chilpa-mun and giving me a monthly salary of 500 nyang. It’s not like you are kidding me… ‘
Lee Se-chang saw Yeon Mu-do’s expression was not good and said something.
“I’m sorry that the monthly salary seems a bit low. However, after completing a couple of rounds of trading, the monthly salary will be paid normally. This time, I have signed a contract to trade with the Infinite Taiping Trading Company. If this trade goes well, I can even get a monthly salary of three nyang. Please do your best.”
Yeonmu-do’s expression softened at the words that even a monthly salary of 3 nyang was possible.
Next, the acting director Lee Yeon-bok explained the precautions for the infinitely long upward journey.
“… … And first, it would be better to go to Tapha via Pyeongjeongsan rather than towards Nanyang.”
Yeonmu-do nodded.
“I know. I heard that Samgaksanchae is notorious in Hatangjin.”
Hatangjin is a region located midway between Luoyang and Nanyang. The owner of Samaksanchae there was so greedy and vicious that merchants were reluctant to pass through.
“It’s difficult to communicate with Samgaksanchae, so it’s not safe unless you’re doing a large-scale business trip.”
“I heard that the red wind chime on the way to Topha is no joke.”
The O Bong San Chae below was rumored to be worth one nyang of silver, but the Jeok Pung Chae was a bit more difficult.
“The Red Wind Chaeju is not only dirty-tempered, but also relatively free of greed and cruelty. If we can prove that our military power is superior, the rest will not be a big problem.”
“Are you saying we have to fight first?”
“The Red Wind Wind Commander sends out one or two men to test the waters, and depending on what they do at that time, the toll fee is determined. You can either go as is, pay fifty nyang in silver, or, in the worst case, be prepared to pay one hundred nyang.”
“How much did you spend before?”
“I used to look down on warriors from the Changhae Military Academy and pay them up to 150 nyang.”
“omg!”
“Since the opportunity came to Waryongjang, please resolve it well. This time, I have high expectations for you two lords. Even fifty nyang of silver would be fine.”
Yeonmu-do snickered.
“Fifty nyang of silver is a lot. I’ll try to just pass it by if possible.”
“Then that’s fortunate… … . After passing Pyeongjeongsan, you will come across Mt. Obongsan. You must have heard rumors about Mt. Obongsanchae. One nyang of silver per merchant. Since that’s not a burden, I think it would be better to just give it to them and leave.”
“You said that two or three superiors went to subdue them and failed?”
“It’s said that even though Mansu Sangbang kept it quiet and it wasn’t known to the outside world, the Mudangpa’s Cheonji Sangin was also defeated… … It would be better to just go along with it.”
“If we only receive it from merchants, then we don’t have to pay it from the laborers, servants, and warriors?”
“exactly.”
“Then wouldn’t the merchants be able to save more money if they disguised themselves as janitors?”
Bang Joo Lee Se-chang, who was watching the conversation between the two, said something.
“You guys have a keen sense of smell for money. You’d better not take any unnecessary risks.”
“I will talk to the merchants on site and handle it appropriately.”
Yeonmu-do had no intention of following Bangju and Daehangsu’s words. He wanted to show maximum performance. That way, his salary would rise quickly.
Agent Lee Yeon-bok shrugged his shoulders and continued speaking.
“It’ll be easy after the top. There’s only one way to infinity. If you’re lucky, you might meet other upper classes at the bottom, and then go all the way to infinity together. If two or three upper classes come together, the ascent will be easy. There’s no mountain to handle it.”
“Okay, I won’t disappoint you.”
“If you allow enough time for the trip, it will take about two months and a half. If you hurry, it could take two months, but don’t overdo it since you have a lot of luggage. The Blue Dragon Corps of Yeon Daeju will depart tomorrow, and the White Tiger Corps of Baek Daeju will arrive a month later. Of course, the White Tiger Corps’ departure may be brought forward or delayed a few days depending on the circumstances.”
Baek Do-jin nodded with an indifferent expression.
“All right.”
After the rather long interview with Bangju ended, Yeonmu-do and Baek Do-jin left the office.
Yeonmu-do, who was walking to his lodgings, glanced at Baek Do-jin.
He was from the Baek family and was Baek Mi-ju’s confidant, so it was difficult to deal with him. If it weren’t for the person Baek Mi-ju had chosen for him, he would have been replaced by someone else already.
“Baek Dae-ju, would you like to have a drink with me today?”
“Haha! No! You shouldn’t be holding on to someone who is going to go up tomorrow. Isn’t Mrs. Baek really looking forward to it? I don’t want to start before we even start.”
“Whatever.”
Yeonmu-do turned his gaze with a bitter expression.
As expected, Mrs. Baek is first. The position of the head of the Waryongjang family is still vacant. Everyone thinks that Yeonmu Baek will take over, but what does that mean?
Currently, Baek Mi-ju is in charge of the practical work of Waryongjang. You can tell just by looking at the contract with Baek Se-sang-bang. Yeonmu Baek only diligently teaches the disciples of Cheonjiin Samdan. Even if Waryongjang grows, it is unlikely that his role will change.
“Oh, right. I heard that Lady Baek is planning to accept another fifty disciples?”
“Didn’t we come out of Waryongjang? We need to fill the empty space.”
“Huh. Then there will be about a hundred disciples… … . Is that okay?”
“Don’t worry. He said he would push forward once we got our bearings.”
“Oh, then that’s good.”
It’s a little sad that Baek Do-jin knows more than I, a senior member of the Yeon clan. But what can I do? This is the reality of Waryongjang.
***
Namjikryeoseong.
Combined.
Perhaps because they were on their way back after the Green Forest Competition, the expressions on the faces of the Obongsipgeol were bright. It seemed like they thought it was time to go back and have some fun.
An exclamation escaped Han Chae-yeon’s mouth as she walked down the crowded street.
“Wow! There are so many people.”
“Yes. I think there are more than the last time I passed by. What day is it today?”
Hasobaek opened his eyes wide as if he was curious and looked around.
Among them, there was one place in particular where people flocked.
The five men were pushed by the people in one direction. Since they had a lot of time anyway, they were swept away with the thought of going to see what was going on.
Two men stand facing each other in an empty lot outside the city gate.
Two men in their mid-twenties were glaring at each other as if they were about to start fighting with their swords at any moment.
A man with a Honam appearance spoke in a low, deep voice.
“Hwang Yeom-dong, you say I know nothing about the disappearance of Gwangbulsa, but don’t forget that all the anger comes from my mouth.”
The sharp-faced man responded with a sneer.
“Huh! What big deal is it that a monk disappeared from a temple? Are you calling it a conspiracy or something? If you make a big deal out of nothing, it becomes something big. If you want to gain fame like that, you should just subjugate the mountain people.”
“You, you, how dare you… … . Do you think I said that just to gain some fame? Do you know how many monks and Taoists have disappeared over the years without us knowing?”
“Okay, let me ask you something. How many are missing?”
“I don’t know the exact number, but it is clear that many people have disappeared.”
“Tsk tsk! You’re saying that so many people disappeared without even knowing how many disappeared? Just go hunt them in the nearby mountains.”
The people who were watching in a circle laughed out loud at Hwang Yeom-dong’s words.
The man from Honam shouted, gnashing his teeth.
“Hwang Yeom-dong! I cannot forgive you for insulting me. Draw your sword.”
“Dengcho, if I draw my sword, there’s no turning back. Do you really want that?”
“Stop talking and just pick it!”
Along with the horse, Dengcho drew his longsword.
Only then did Hwang Yeom-dong slowly pull out the sword he was wearing on his waist.
As it seemed like a full-scale fight was about to break out, the onlookers also took a few steps back.
In the meantime, someone opened his mouth as if he knew something.
“The Gohakgeom has become popular recently, but it still won’t work on Paesando.”
“I see fifty seconds. Before that, Paesando will win.”
“Fifty seconds is too long. Can you last about thirty seconds?”
Lee Cheol-san, who was listening to people’s stories, suddenly intervened.
“Brother, what is this disappearance of Gwangbulsa?”
“Oh, about two weeks ago, one of the monks disappeared from Gwangbulsa Temple. It was because Gohakgeom and Paesando were arguing in the main gate and got into a fight. They say that one of the monks disappears from Gwangbulsa Temple every few years, but there’s no way to confirm whether they just moved to another area or were involved in an accident.”
Lee Cheol-san nodded at the man’s words.
In fact, there were countless people who died while wandering around, so the disappearance of one of them was not a big deal.
Another man standing next to me spoke as if explaining.
“You can think of it as Go Hak-geom’s older brother becoming a monk at Gwangbulsa Temple, so he is a bit sensitive about it.”
Then this time, Han Chae-yeon asked.
“That’s okay for Gohakgeom. But why can’t Paesando pick a fight? If he left, you can just assume he went missing or something.”
“I guess Paesan-do was a little jealous of Gohakgeom’s name because people were talking about him. There’s a saying that a thief’s own feet are numb. I’m sure it’s true because he keeps telling people to hunt down wild animals in order to become famous.”
Someone chimed in.
“The two were also a bit of competitors.”
“What about competition? Strictly speaking, the high school exam is the later index.”
“What I mean is that the senior is nervous because the junior is coming up.”
“Oh, that could be the case.”
Amidst the people’s gossip, the fight between Gohakgeom and Paesando was reaching its climax.
Yeon-jeok-ha, who was watching the fight, asked the man who pretended to know.
“Sir, do people kill each other over things like that?”
“They are both warriors of the same faction, so they won’t go that far. If you’re unlucky, you could end up seriously injured and die.”
“It’s not…….”
Yeonjeokha tilted her head.
No matter how you look at it, Paesando’s sword is filled with murderous intent. You can feel his determination to kill his opponent by any means necessary, but he won’t go that far?
Wuxia,
