The Youngest Member of the Martial Alliance

Jang Seongguk of the 116th class of the Henan branch of the Martial Alliance.

As was often the case, he had joined the alliance with a grand dream, but after tasting the wall of promotion, he had left the alliance and found a new job.

His career and abilities were recognized, and he was able to rise to the position of head escort relatively quickly.

Even before this incident, he had often boasted loudly, as befitting someone from the Martial Alliance.

'Am I not from the Martial Alliance? Since it's a group that values loyalty, if I ask, the alliance will surely help directly.'

Until the reply came from the alliance that they would send people, Jang Seongguk's shoulders were full of strength.

But what was this?

Young rising talents.

It was obvious that they were the newcomers who had just joined this time.

Jang Seongguk put strength in his eyes and glared at Song Yiyeon and Cheon Woojin.

At that, the startled Song Yiyeon hurriedly cupped his fist.

"I am Song Yiyeon of the 126th class, belonging to the Black Tortoise Unit of the main headquarters of the Martial Alliance. I greet you, senior."

"Hah, ten classes have already passed."

Song Yiyeon scratched his head as if embarrassed. In the meantime, Jang Seongguk, who looked at Cheon Woojin who was still sitting, narrowed his brow.

"Are you going to listen while sitting when a senior is talking?"

Cheon Woojin, who clicked his tongue, got up slightly and said.

"I am Cheon Woojin."

Jang Seongguk, who was looking at the two with narrowed eyes, soon let out a deep sigh.

"Juniors. I'll be blunt. The Heungsan Fortress, which we have a problem with, although it's at the bottom, they are bandits belonging to the Green Forest."

"...Yes."

"Honestly, I was trying to resolve this matter by relying on the name of the Martial Alliance. But no matter what, isn't it too much to send the newcomers who have just joined this time?"

Song Yiyeon scratched his head. Since he had just come on the orders of the military affairs department, he had nothing else to say.

"Haha..."

"Are you laughing?"

"No, sir."

Song Yiyeon firmly shut his mouth.

At his disciplined appearance, Jang Seongguk was reminded of when he had first joined the alliance.

Soon, Jang Seongguk, who let out a sigh, said.

"Since there is a promised deadline, the escort must depart immediately. The top priority is to prevent a fight from breaking out. However, if by any chance a fight does break out..."

Jang Seonggguk had a somewhat determined expression.

"Sigh, I'll try to block them somehow, so you juniors should run away."

"Yes? But we're on a mission, how can we..."

"That's enough. If I had gotten married at my age, I would have had a child your age, so how can I put you in front of mountain bandits?"

While Song Yiyeon could not bring himself to say he understood, the head of the Yicheng Escort Agency, who had approached at some point, also agreed with Jang Seongguk's opinion.

"That's right. Of course, a fight won't break out. Unless the Green Forest is going to have an all-out war with the Martial Alliance."

The head of the agency, So Sangjeong, gave a gentle smile.

He had no particular complaints about the newcomers coming. After all, what he needed was the weight of the name 'Martial Alliance'.

Of course, the head escort, Jang Seongguk, was still looking at the two with a displeased expression.

* * *

Song Yiyeon and Cheon Woojin came out to the yard and watched the preparations for the escort. The porters were busily loading luggage onto the carts, and the escorts were checking their weapons with determined expressions.

Although Cheon Woojin was watching with curiosity, it was a very familiar scene to Song Yiyeon, the son of a merchant family.

"Oh, oh, great hero. You can't touch that."

As Song Yiyeon tried to move a piece of luggage together, a porter hurriedly stopped him.

Song Yiyeon said with his unique friendly smile.

"My body is stiff from just standing still. I'll help a little."

The porter scratched his head with an embarrassed expression.

"Actually, although it looks easy, there are rules for stacking the goods. To explain it all would be doing the work twice, so we'll just do it. Please just go and rest."

"Actually, I am also the son of a merchant family. I often went on escorts with my father since I was young."

"Ah, is that so?"

The porter looked at Song Yiyeon with a fresh look. He had thought he was a young master who had never done any chores in his life, with a face as fine as if it had been drawn with a brush.

Song Yiyeon pointed to a part of the cart.

"This goes there, right?"

"Yes, well..."

Before the porter's answer could even finish, Song Yiyeon, who had picked up a large piece of luggage in each hand, moved.

Although it was heavy luggage for the porters, it was nothing for Song Yiyeon, who had properly learned martial arts.

At first, the porters looked at him with suspicious eyes, but after Song Yiyeon neatly moved the goods to the designated place, they no longer paid attention.

It seemed that Song Yiyeon had already become friendly with a few porters, as he was talking about the escort even while moving the luggage. Seeing that he was even talking about things that the head of the agency or the head escort had not told them, it seemed that everyone liked Song Yiyeon quite a bit.

Cheon Woojin, who was watching Song Yiyeon from a little distance, let out a smirk.

'That is also young hero Song's ability.'

To make even a person he had just met feel as friendly as an old friend was quite a great ability.

Soon, Song Yiyeon, who had finished moving the luggage and dusted off his hands, talked with the porters for a while with a smiling face, and then approached with a suddenly serious face.

"Young hero Cheon, it seems this matter will not end easily."

"Why is that?"

"This escort is heading for the Henan Escort Agency, and they say it's medicinal herbs to be delivered to Shaolin."

The Shaolin Temple, the largest pillar supporting the white path martial world.

Although the monks of Shaolin themselves said that there was no high or low in following righteousness and chivalry, the world called them 'Northern Revered Shaolin' with a heart of praise.

Although there were many famous things about Shaolin, among them, the spiritual medicine was particularly counted. It was said that the Great Pill could even revive the dead, and it was known that if a martial artist took the Small Pill, they could accumulate a full sixty years of internal energy.

What Shaolin used to obtain the ingredients for such spiritual medicine was the Henan Escort Agency.

The Henan Escort Agency, in turn, obtained the medicinal herbs through escort agencies widely spread throughout the country, and this escort was also a part of that.

"It's not just anywhere, but Shaolin. They're carrying medicinal herbs that will go to Shaolin, and the Green Forest is picking a fight."

In Song Yiyeon's common sense, he couldn't understand it at all. In particular, this place, Hubei, was a place where the main headquarters of the Martial Alliance, the Wudang sect, and the Zhuge family were located, so it was a place where it was difficult for bandits to run wild easily.

Cheon Woojin also nodded his head.

"A fight might break out."

He didn't know the reason why those guys were picking a fight with the Yicheng Escort Agency.

However, he could only predict that they were staging something with a plan.

* * *

The escort, which had finished its preparations, departed immediately.

The head escort, Jang Seongguk, took the lead, and in the cart right behind him, Cheon Woojin and Song Yiyeon were seated.

While they were running for a long time, Jang Seongguk turned his head and said to the two.

"I'm telling you clearly, don't provoke the bandits. There's no need to start a useless fight."

"Yes, of course. Senior."

Song Yiyeon spoke with a respectful attitude, always attaching 'senior' to the end of his words. Because every time he said so, the head escort's face filled with pride.

Song Yiyeon was originally quick-witted and good at grasping people's personalities.

In Song Yiyeon's view, Jang Seongguk was a man who valued hierarchy a little too much, in other words, a 'kkondae' as the kids these days would say. However, it seemed he was not without affection, as he would often hand over things like beef jerky.

While a rather peaceful escort was in progress. Suddenly, the conversation of the escorts at the end of the escort was heard.

"They must be strong to be able to enter the main headquarters of the Martial Alliance, right?"

"I suppose so. Since only the most outstanding martial artists in the world can join the alliance."

"How strong are they?"

The escorts were also martial artists. Naturally, they admired strength and would often gauge their martial might against other martial artists.

"Well. I don't know, but they must be stronger than us. In a duel, that is."

The escorts let out a hearty laugh. It seemed they thought they wouldn't be heard because of the distance.

"Well, they probably haven't experienced a real battle yet."

A duel and a real battle were worlds apart. It was common to roll on the ground to survive, and it was frequent to aim for weak spots that could not be trained, such as throwing dirt in the eyes, or the groin or eyeballs.

They thought that the new Martial Alliance members, who were born and raised in good families or sects, would not be able to follow their such experience.

For some reason, the shoulders of the conversing escorts were full of strength.

Song Yiyeon tried to close his ears and guarded his surroundings. Since it had been quite a while since they had entered the mountain, they would soon be entering the bandits' territory.

"Young hero Song."

"What is it?"

Cheon Woojin was still in a cross-legged position with a calm expression. However, the frequency of him looking around had increased.

Soon, Cheon Woojin's words continued calmly.

"Get ready."

Song Yiyeon, who nodded his head, placed his hand on his sword hilt so that he could draw it at any time.

How much time had passed like that?

"Who is this!"

A booming voice filled with internal energy rang out, and at the same time, Jang Seongguk lightly raised his hand and stopped the escort.

Soon, Jang Seongguk, who had gotten off his horse, approached the bandits who were blocking the way. In his hand was a prepared money pouch.

"Check it."

As Jang Seongguk spoke confidently and handed over the money pouch, a strange light flashed in the bandits' eyes.

The bandit who received the money pouch let out a smirk.

"I told you last time. This is not enough anymore."

Jang Seongguk nonchalantly nodded his head.

"We also told you clearly. That we are already paying an excessive passage fee."

"I see."

The bandit, who spoke nonchalantly, extended his hand to the side, and his subordinate handed him a hand axe.

Although it was quite large for a hand axe, since the bandit's palm was as thick as a pot lid, it looked just right.

"I am Wang Ak of Heungsan Fortress."

The bandit suddenly introduced himself.

At that, Jang Seongguk had a puzzled expression.

Wang Ak let out a thick laugh and continued.

"Ah, if we can't communicate, you'll die at my hands. You should at least know my name so you can tell King Yama."

Although Jang Seongguk's insides were cold, he did not show it on the outside. It had already been well over ten years since he had been rolling around as a head escort.

It was just a threat that the bandit guys usually made to lead the negotiations in their favor.

Jang Seongguk, pretending to be calm, spread one finger.

"I will raise the existing passage fee by ten percent. This is the last line that our Yicheng Escort Agency can concede."

"I believe we said thirty percent."

Wang Ak's expression hardened. Since he was so large and vicious-looking, just by hardening his expression, a rather menacing atmosphere was created.

However, Jang Seongguk firmly shook his head.

"Then we will not pass this road, even if it means paying a penalty to our client."

"So you're going to come out like that?"

Wang Ak roughly readjusted his grip on the hand axe. At the same time, the dozen or so bandits behind him released a menacing momentum.

Clang-clang-clang-clang-!

The escorts also drew their swords.

An atmosphere as if a clash would break out at any moment.

Jang Seongguk said in a much lower voice.

"Are you really going to do this?"

"That's what we should be saying."

Wang Ak let out his unique rough laugh thickly.

Jang Seongguk, who let out a sigh, said.

"We have sent for people from the main headquarters of the Martial Alliance."

"What did you say?"

Wang Ak's gaze turned to Song Yiyeon and Cheon Woojin.

Song Yiyeon, who had gotten out of the cart, said.

"I am Song Yiyeon from the Black Tortoise Unit of the Martial Alliance."

At that, the bandits' energy disappeared as if it had been washed away.

Jang Seongguk barely held back a hollow laugh. The name of the Martial Alliance was that great.

Wang Ak looked at Jang Seongguk with narrowed eyes.

"To involve the Martial Alliance in our business for no reason. It's against business ethics."

"And it's okay to raise the passage fee by thirty percent at once?"

Jang Seongguk inwardly burst into laughter. Since the atmosphere had changed in one go, he thought the negotiations would not be difficult. He should have asked for help from the Martial Alliance sooner.

"Now, then, let's negotiate again..."

Jang Seongguk's words could not continue.

The moment he felt something black brush past him.

Thwack-!

With a heavy impact sound, something lukewarm covered Jang Seongguk's face.

"What is this..."

He wiped off the something on his face with his hand.

It was warm, and red.

"Blood...?"

Jang Seongguk, who raised his head again, his eyes widened as if they would pop out. Because the head of Wang Ak, who was in front of him, had burst.

(End of Chapter)