Chapter 10
“Hmph… do we really have to go this far?”
It was a girl who looked to be about fifteen or sixteen.
Her snow-white skin and haughty eyes were impressive, and she looked like a prim and proper young lady to anyone.
“I don’t believe in things like jiangshi or ghosts either, but the rumors are ominous. So, it’s customary these days to hire a Taoist priest along with an escort agency. Besides, the family head insisted, so we have no choice. I’m in charge of your protection, so I’m just doing my best.”
A tall young man with a hero’s turban on his head spoke up at the prim girl’s complaint.
“Anyway, brother Il-gi, you’re a sucker for anything Dad says.”
“Hwa-rin.”
“Yes?”
“You’re from the direct line of the family, but I’m from a branch family. You might be able to do as you please, but the moment I fall out of favor with the family head and the uncles, I’ll be a failure.”
The girl’s expression turned sullen at the man’s words.
She didn’t like the family’s hierarchical order that distinguished between direct and branch lines.
“Hmph. I don’t like it! An escort, a guest guard, and even a fortune-telling Taoist priest. What is all this? It would be enough if just the two of us went.”
“Hwa-rin. How could the two of us carry all these things?”
“I don’t like that either! Why on earth do we have to stop by the Moyong Family and even give them a gift? We’re attending the Martial Alliance’s Young Heroes Tournament.”
At that, the man in the hero’s turban, Tang Il-gi, smiled and placated her.
“We have no choice. The Moyong Family is, in name and reality, the best among the Five Great Families. Our family has to save face too. It would be rude to go all the way to Liaoning and not stop by the Moyong Family.”
At that, Tang Hwa-rin’s expression contorted even more.
“Ugh! It’s so frustrating. What does our Tang Clan have to be ashamed of in front of the Moyong Family!”
“Haha. Don’t say such things carelessly anywhere.”
“Why?”
“Who is the greatest master in the martial world?”
“My dad?”
Tang Il-gi snorted at Tang Hwa-rin’s words.
Of course, there was some truth to it.
Recently, the current head of the Sichuan Tang Clan, Tang Mun-cheol, was the most active among the ten great masters of the Orthodox Path, spreading his fame throughout the entire martial world.
But if asked whether he was the greatest master in the martial world, Tang Il-gi’s answer would be ‘no’.
“Of course, the family head is also a truly great master. But in the martial world, there are heavens beyond heavens. You should know that well too, right?”
“Hmm… are you talking about Senior God of War, Moyong Cheon?”
“Yes. Thanks to Senior God of War, Moyong Cheon, the Moyong Family is considered the best among the Five Great Families. Until he passes away, we cannot ignore the influence of the Moyong Family.”
“When he passes away, our Tang Clan will surely become the first among the Five Great Families.”
“I believe so too. Our family is much stronger than the public perception.”
For a moment, Tang Il-gi’s eyes sparkled.
‘And someday, I will be the center of the Tang Clan.’
Tang Il-gi believed so without a doubt.
***
So-ah, who had arrived at the gathering place following Gu-yang Seon, couldn’t hide his surprise.
The size of the group was much larger than he had expected.
A dozen or so sturdy men with swords at their waists, men who looked like porters, and a prim-looking girl greeted So-ah. It was his first time being mixed in with such a large crowd, so he couldn’t help but feel a bit awkward.
But, true to his friendly and adaptable nature, So-ah soon straightened his shoulders and approached the group with confidence.
“Haha, young lady. Well, it’s not much, but this fellow is a relative of mine, and he has quite a knack for Taoist arts. So, I was thinking of taking him along as an assistant, would that be alright?”
Gu-yang Seon asked the client, rubbing his hands together.
The client was none other than the young lady of the Tang Clan, Tang Hwa-rin.
“That blasted Taoist art…”
Tang Hwa-rin grumbled.
But Gu-yang Seon just smiled calmly.
He had long since realized the truth of the world that it was hard to make money.
He could endure a bit of grumbling.
Just then.
“Hmm… you mean that boy?”
Tang Il-gi, who was in charge of Tang Hwa-rin’s protection, asked Gu-yang Seon.
“Yes, yes, this is him. So-ah, say hello. These are the clients.”
“Hello. I’m Jin So-ah.”
Unlike Gu-yang Seon, who was constantly bowing, So-ah’s greeting was dry.
So-ah had no need to flatter them.
‘Hmm, So-ah has a personality that doesn’t know how to bend.’
Gu-yang Seon’s face hardened a little.
He had a feeling that the tomboyish young lady would find fault with So-ah’s stiff attitude.
But his prediction was splendidly wrong.
Tang Hwa-rin was staring intently at So-ah’s face.
‘Heh heh, that girl must be surprised by So-ah’s face. Well, I’ve never seen a boy as handsome as So-ah either.’
Of course, it was just Gu-yang Seon’s conjecture; he couldn’t know Tang Hwa-rin’s inner thoughts.
Just then.
“A handsome boy. A pleasure to meet you. I am Tang Il-gi of the Sichuan Tang Clan. There are rumors that monsters have been appearing on Mount Cheol-gak recently. That’s why we hired you Taoists, so I’m counting on you.”
Tang Il-gi was polite.
From the perspective of a successful rising star in the martial world, it would have been understandable to look down on Taoists and porters as mere baggage carriers, but perhaps thanks to his good upbringing, he did not act rudely.
‘Hmm… I don’t know if this is a good idea.’
But So-ah was bewildered.
He felt uneasy about suddenly having to pretend to be a Taoist priest.
Just in time, Gu-yang Seon sent So-ah a silent look.
So-ah, as if he had no choice, shook his head and spoke.
“I’ll be counting on you too.”
Just then, Tang Hwa-rin, who had been silent, asked So-ah.
“You said your name was So-ah, right?”
“Yeah.”
The moment So-ah’s reply came out, the atmosphere in the place froze.
They had never imagined that So-ah would speak informally to the client and the young lady of the Sichuan Tang Clan.
‘Oh my… So-ah…’
Gu-yang Seon realized his mistake.
So-ah had such a kind first impression that he hadn’t guessed he would be so rigid.
“You’re an interesting kid, aren’t you?”
“What is?”
Fortunately, Tang Hwa-rin didn’t seem to mind So-ah speaking informally.
“Hoho, no, it’s nothing. Anyway, how old are you?”
“Fifteen.”
“Huh? We’re the same age?”
“Really?”
“Anyway, nice to meet you. But you know.”
“Yeah?”
“You’re pretty cute for a Taoist priest.”
‘Good heavens…!’
Tang Il-gi was horrified inwardly.
For the young lady of the family to be so direct and frivolous.
He had a feeling that it would be a series of troubles if she were to become active in the Martial Alliance as a rising star of the martial world in the future.
***
Gu-yang Seon was astonished several times.
A considerable amount of bewilderment still lingered on his face, and the reason was So-ah.
He was surprised for a moment by So-ah’s upright character, and this time, he was astonished by So-ah’s ‘strength’.
When the porters were loading the luggage, So-ah rolled up his sleeves and helped them. Sure enough, didn’t So-ah lift an item that three or four sturdy men had to struggle to lift, as if it were nothing?
It wasn’t just Gu-yang Seon who was surprised.
Tang Hwa-rin, Tang Il-gi, and the people from the escort agency were also staring at So-ah with their mouths agape.
“Master Taoist, how is that young friend so strong?”
One of the porters asked Gu-yang Seon, clicking his tongue.
“Ah… well, that is. Hmm… I mean… our So-ah, you see.”
The porter looked at the stuttering Gu-yang Seon with a strange gaze.
“He’s a boy general!”
Gu-yang Seon chuckled, as if he found his own words amusing.
***
“Since it’s the first day, we won’t march through the night. It seems we’ll have to camp, so everyone, unpack your things and prepare to sleep.”
Tang Il-gi said, gathering the people.
The first day of the journey.
The gifts to be taken to the Moyong Family were about 100 kinds of medicinal herbs and the Tang Clan’s pride, an antidote. Seeing the struggling porters, he had decided to camp.
“Yes, young master!”
The people began to unpack their things one by one and tidy up the campsite.
The day had already grown quite dark, and objects were not easily discernible, but to So-ah, who had reached the Realm of Transformation, it was as bright as day.
“Brother Il-gi. You were worried about ghosts, and now you want to camp?”
“When did I say I was worried about ghosts? We’re martial artists, so we’d be fine even if we ran for two days and nights, but the people from the escort agency are different. It’s not a one or two-day journey, so we have to conserve our stamina.”
“Hoho, anyway, don’t worry about things like ghosts. If they come out, I’ll melt them with my hidden weapons.”
“Stop it. I doubt that will happen, but we didn’t hire the Taoists for a high price for nothing. They’ll take care of it. Huhu.”
Tang Il-gi, who had spoken, had a slight smile on his lips, as if he found himself a little amusing.
The reason Tang Il-gi had hired a Taoist priest like Gu-yang Seon was for the sake of safety, just in case, but in fact, it was more because of the escorts and porters.
Recently, there had been an ominous rumor that monsters were appearing on Mount Cheol-gak on the way to Shaanxi, so the escort agency had requested that the client hire a separate Taoist priest.
Tang Il-gi and Tang Hwa-rin didn’t believe in ghosts or monsters, but it was different for the porters, who were sensitive to folk beliefs.
They were now thinking that it would be better to march through the night because of the eerie atmosphere of the mountains.
In the midst of this.
“What is this sound…”
So-ah, who was arranging his bedding with Gu-yang Seon, muttered softly.
At that, Gu-yang Seon tilted his head and asked.
“A sound?”
“Gu-yang hyung, can’t you hear it?”
“Huh?”
So-ah realized his mistake.
He had forgotten that while he had superhuman hearing that could pick up everything from the sounds of mountain beasts to the chirping of insects, others did not.
“Hmm…”
So-ah groaned.
At that, the porters near So-ah’s eyes widened.
A strange and unpleasant thought had flashed through their minds.
“Young Master Taoist. What’s wrong? Don’t be so scary…”
“Well… that is…”
So-ah’s face darkened.
“Gu-yang hyung.”
“What is it, So-ah?”
“It looks strange.”
Only then did Gu-yang Seon also get a strange feeling.
He didn’t think So-ah would say something for no reason.
“So-ah, what on earth are you talking about? Can you explain it so I can understand?”
“In a way, it looks like a person… in a way, it looks like a monster…”
So-ah’s gaze was fixed on one spot.
And.
—Ch-r-r-r-r-rang!
A loud noise rang out from Gu-yang Seon’s wrist.
“Gasp…”
Gu-yang Seon was startled and sucked in his breath.
And for good reason. On his wrist was a bracelet called the ‘Demon-Sensing Bell,’ which, despite its shabby appearance, was an item with excellent efficacy in detecting sinister things.
For that Demon-Sensing Bell to react so ominously meant.
“It’s demonic ki!”
The complexions of the people changed drastically at Gu-yang Seon’s cry.
“Wh-What?!”
“Oh my goodness!”
The fear that had been coiled in a corner of people’s hearts amplified uncontrollably.
“Hmm…”
Tang Il-gi, who had been calm all along, also narrowed his brow and looked around.
As he exploded his internal energy, Tang Il-gi’s eyes gleamed.
Only then did something begin to enter his eyes.
“That is…”
At that, Tang Hwa-rin grabbed Tang Il-gi’s arm and asked urgently.
“Brother! Do you really see something?”
But Tang Il-gi was silent.
He just raised his internal energy to the maximum and carefully examined the shape of the object visible in the distance.
Just then, So-ah’s voice flowed out softly.
“Ah… is it a jiangshi?!”
Although it was a casual tone, the people who heard So-ah’s words were utterly aghast.
(End of Chapter)