novelraw Chapter 139 : Chapter 139
Chapter 139 : Chapter 139
Chapter 139 - We're Really Different, You Know?
“Miss Hong. I was actually the one who requested that.”
After a simple introduction.
Sedong said to Hyeokri Hong with a bright smile.
“There are many watchful eyes in our Yi Family Clan, so we needed to avoid them.”
At that, Hyeokri Hong’s eyes widened.
“Avoid their eyes? Why? Aren’t we all on the same side if we’re one family?”
It was a question that unintentionally hit the nail on the head.
The smile on Sedong’s lips turned a little sad.
“I know. I’m sad about that too. Anyway, I’m sorry for making you take the long way around. Miss Hong.”
“Hmm. Alright! This young lady will accept Young Master Yi’s apology.”
Biyoung, who was watching the conversation from the side, added a word.
“You two are having fun.”
“Are you going to keep being so annoying from the side?”
“A while ago you were complaining that your palms were scraped from climbing the cliff and your feet were swollen, but you’re not saying that now?”
“I’m also a proper martial artist now. Should I act like I’m having a hard time just because my hands and feet are a little scraped?”
Hyeokri Hong answered coquettishly and then started to hop around and look at the various parts of the merchant caravan.
While she was doing that, Biyoung sidled up to Sedong.
“You, you’ve got a good read on people.”
“Huh? What do you mean?”
“That little junior sister loves to be treated like an adult. You treating her like a martial artist and constantly calling her Miss Hong seems to have put her in a good mood.”
“Ah. No wonder her expression was so good.”
It wasn’t a lie; Hyeokri Hong was so excited that she would greet people whenever their eyes met.
Of course, the hearts of the merchant caravan members who were dealing with this were extremely complicated.
‘A little kid like this is going to protect our merchant caravan?’
‘Judging from her martial arts uniform, she seems to be a formally initiated martial artist, but…’
‘How helpful will this girl really be?’
As if sensing the atmosphere, Biyoung secretly asked Sedong.
“Don’t they all seem anxious?”
“A little.”
“You’re not?”
“She’s a colleague you brought. She must be a skilled martial artist, right?”
“Well, she’ll be useful in her own way.”
“Then that’s fine.”
To be honest, Biyoung’s assessment of ‘useful in her own way’ was quite harsh.
If they saw the immense palm force she could emit from her hands, everyone, including Sedong, would be shocked and fall over.
“Actually, when you said you were bringing a colleague, I thought it was unexpected. If I’m right……”
“I can take down the Hojubang by myself, so?”
At Biyoung’s words, Sedong smiled brightly.
This chestnut-like man greatly admired the world of Murim.
So he had heard rumors about Dancheong of the Ghost Face Gang.
The Ghost Face Gang, who had reigned as the hegemon of the Changsha region in Hunan for over ten years.
And Dancheong, who had never once relinquished the throne during that long time.
And Biyoung was said to have subdued such a Dancheong without even exchanging a few blows.
So how could he not be reassuring?
Biyoung was already a person with the military power of a one-man army.
“It’ll be slow and frustrating on the way. But we have to match the pace of the baggage carriers.”
“It doesn’t matter. As long as I have this.”
Biyoung closed one eye and made a gesture of shaking a cup.
***
“Keo! This is good!”
A clear voice echoed throughout the mountain road.
A young man, half-lying on a horse prepared by the merchant caravan, was drinking from a bottle.
At that sight, a few members of the merchant caravan frowned.
‘He said he came to protect the merchant caravan, but he’s just a good-for-nothing, isn’t he?’
‘Didn’t he just join in to play and eat?’
‘Damn it. If you have nothing to do, at least help carry some of the luggage.’
The strange thing wasn’t just the young man.
“Goodness, you’re saying the lake is that big?”
“That’s right.”
“Then there might be a monster living in that lake, right? Like an imugi.”
“I don’t think so……”
“Is it true that there are many pretty accessories in Lijiang City?”
Pretending to know a little about Elm Leaf Lake, which the merchant caravan had to cross, was the cause of the trouble.
An elderly baggage carrier was caught by Hyeokri Hong and was being bombarded with questions all day.
‘Please just go.’
She was chattering and asking so much that one of his ears was ringing.
But for Hyeokri Hong, who had lived most of her life trapped in Jade Dragon Snow Mountain, there was nothing more interesting than stories about the world.
Thump thump.
Meanwhile.
The remaining one of the three was also far from ordinary.
‘Is he a person or a jiangshi?’
‘Even so, is it possible not to say a single word all day?’
‘He looks quite handsome, but…’
In many ways, he was the opposite of Hyeokri Hong.
A height that was a head taller than an average man.
An expression that made it difficult to guess his thoughts and feelings.
And an incredible taciturnity.
To the people of the merchant caravan, he felt as peculiar as Hyeokri Hong, who chattered all day.
The tall, handsome man walked silently at the very front of the merchant caravan all day, guarding the surroundings.
One good-for-nothing, and one tomboy.
And one jiangshi.
The people of the merchant caravan finally came to that conclusion.
‘The Diancang Sect is full of nothing but weirdos.’
“Keoeoeo! Tastes good!”
“What about this? What about that?”
“………….”
The journey with the three men and women, who had distinct personalities, continued for several days.
And finally, Sedong’s merchant caravan arrived at Elm Leaf Lake.
“Waaaaah!”
Even Hyeokri Hong, who acted like an adult whenever she had the chance, could not hide her childishness at this moment.
An endlessly stretching lake.
A vast lake that was too large to be taken in at a glance sparkled like a jewel under the sunlight.
“It’s incredibly big and beautiful!”
Hyeokri Hong jumped up and down on the spot, admiring the spectacular view.
Since she had lived her whole life hidden in the mountains, she had never had the chance to see an ordinary lake, let alone Elm Leaf Lake.
It was a rather boisterous reaction, but no one clicked their tongue at Hyeokri Hong.
This was because the people of the Yi Family Clan were in a similar state of mind.
“It’s just as the rumors say……”
Even though they knew that this was a rather dangerous place, the people of the merchant caravan were busy admiring the scenery of Elm Leaf Lake.
On the other hand, the reactions of the other two men who had come from the Diancang Sect were as dry as could be.
“It’s huge.”
“…….”
After each of them finished their short impressions in their own way, Sedong asked the person in charge of the merchant caravan.
“Head Manager. Where is the boat we reserved?”
“Yes, Young Master. It will be about five li to the east.”
“It’ll be troublesome if the sun sets, so let’s hurry.”
Under Sedong’s command, the merchant caravan quickly moved towards the dock.
No one was disappointed that they couldn’t admire the scenery.
The lake was so large that you could see its magnificent appearance just by turning your head slightly from anywhere.
“It’s like a huge, living jewel. Don’t you think so, Senior Brother?”
The sight of the sunlight twinkling on the ripples of the lake must have been quite impressive.
Hyeokri Hong stuck close to Absolute Protector’s side and chattered incessantly.
“………….”
Absolute Protector never answered once, but it didn’t matter.
After all, expecting an answer from this man was like plucking a star from the sky.
Then, Absolute Protector opened his mouth for the first time in a long while.
Of course, the content was not about the scenery of the lake.
“……Is that it.”
The ‘it’ that Absolute Protector mentioned was a flat-bottomed boat.
Two rather large flat-bottomed boats were docked at the pier.
“Wow!”
To Hyeokri Hong, for whom everything was new, even that flat-bottomed boat was an object of admiration.
It had a blunt front and several sails, and it was large enough to carry at least dozens of people.
“Young Master. I will go and get the seal stamped.”
“Please do.”
Young Master Yi took a seal from his bosom, and the head manager of the merchant caravan went inside the pier.
“A seal? You’ve already reserved the boat, so why a seal now?”
When Hyeokri Hong asked, Sedong smiled brightly.
“Those who rent out boats here in Elm Leaf Lake receive a written oath before launching the vessel.”
“A written oath?”
“Yes. They receive a promise that they will not take any responsibility in case of an attack by heretics during the voyage.”
“Eeng?”
Hyeokri Hong’s eyes once again became like a rabbit’s.
“That’s a bit strange.”
“What is?”
“If the heretics attack, they won’t be safe either, but they talk as if they’ll be fine. In the one-in-a-million chance that the boat is stolen……”
“You are as wise as your grandfather.”
Hyeokri Hong’s mouth hung open for a moment at Sedong’s compliment, then she cleared her throat.
“Hmph hmph. This young lady would like to know the more detailed circumstances.”
“Most of the heretics that appear in Elm Leaf Lake belong to the Hojubang. They may attack the merchant caravan, but they do not steal the boats. It is a kind of unwritten rule.”
“Why? Wouldn’t they make money if they took the boats too?”
“It’s a simple logic if you think about it. If all the boats are stolen, there would be no reason for the pier to exist, and naturally, merchant caravans would stop coming.”
“…………Ah!”
Like a flower bud bursting open, Hyeokri Hong let out an exclamation of admiration.
“So they’re leaving the boats on purpose? That way, merchant caravans will keep coming, and they’ll have things to rob.”
“That is correct.”
“These shameless bastards who should be fried in this dirty water……”
Sedong was startled by the sudden outburst of profanity.
Biyoung was one thing, but this little girl also had a very foul mouth.
‘As expected of Hyeokri Chong’s granddaughter.’
Sedong once again thought of her grandfather.
Of course, this time it wasn’t in a very good sense.
“They’re putting people on the boat knowing that they could be in danger, aren’t they? Because they themselves won’t get hurt. It’s the same as leading people into a tiger’s mouth!”
“Is it unreasonable?”
“It is unreasonable! I don’t understand why people would go to such lengths to cross Elm Leaf Lake!”
“Then what about us? Aren’t we doing the same thing right now?”
“We’re different! We have the strength to wipe out the Hojubang and Hogubang!”
“Not just us, but all merchant caravans must have thought the same. That we are different. But the result was mostly the same.”
“We’re really different, you know?”
Seeing Hyeokri Hong jumping up and down, Biyoung waved his hands up and down.
“Whoa. Whoa. This kid acts like a wild child whenever she gets the chance……”
“What is it?”
“Junior Sister. The people here don’t need a child who jumps up and down and admires the scenery. They need a martial artist who can protect the boat.”
“……!”
It was a rather harsh thing to say, but Biyoung’s expression was so strict that she didn’t dare to talk back.
“Since there are two boats, we need to divide the personnel. Junior Sister and Absolute Protector will take the head manager’s boat. I will be on Sedong’s boat.”
“I understand, Senior Brother.”
Hyeokri Hong bowed her head with a prim face.
It was the same when they first met at Jade Dragon Snow Mountain; when Biyoung made that expression, it was as if he had become a different person.
“Heeheehing!”
They unhitched the horses from the carriage and moved the luggage.
The amount of luggage the porters had to carry immediately increased, but once they crossed Elm Leaf Lake, they would soon be able to rent horses.
“Then, we will depart.”
With the head manager’s signal, the two flat-bottomed boats slowly began to move.
A sense of tension filled the expressions of the merchants who had been leisurely admiring Elm Leaf Lake.
Elm Leaf Lake was no longer a scenic view for them.
It was just a battlefield that they had to reach the other side of safely.
“Have a safe trip.”
A middle-aged man who appeared to be a manager bowed deeply towards Sedong’s boat.
Since he often encountered merchant caravans, he seemed to know of the Yi Family Clan’s reputation.
But, that was only for a moment.
As the faces of the people on the boat that had left the pier grew distant, the middle-aged man gave an order to his subordinate next to him.
“Send the signal.”
“Yes!”
A moment later.
Red smoke rose from a place not too far from the pier.
The smoke was not visible to Biyoung’s party, but it was extremely clear to those waiting on the edge of Elm Leaf Lake.
“It’s red.”
“……Which means it’s a big catch.”
Watching the single streak of blood-like smoke, a pair of brothers smiled eerily.