Gok out of Jangsa Gok referred to a canyon since the river flew between mountain slopes looked like a big canyon, but actually, it was a river.
At the entrance of the road where the mountain slopes met the river, the number of people blocking the road was about thirty.
Each with a fierce face armed with a knife, an ax, or a spear-like blade.
It seemed to be quite a while since they had been camped out here, some of them were boiling something in a huge pot lying on the road.
It was not certain what it was like at first, but now it seemed far from an ambush.
“Den of bandits!”
The new messenger, who was carrying a flag from the front, belatedly found the den and shouted.
There were three more new entrants in the delivery team.
They were at a loss as the den appeared before their eyes.
Namgoong So-so also turned the long sword that was given by the Pyoguk to make it easier to pull it out.
“I’ve got some experience.”
“What the hell are you, a Confucian scholar or a fighter?”
“Someone is called a martial artist if he or she learns the basics at least. If I was nothing, I was more martial artist, but after passing the exam, I become more or less scholar.”
“I think you will do well enough one of two, but why are you trying so hard to take both sides?”
“My dream is to make a martial artist group of scholars like the Shaolin Monastery of Buddhism or the Wudang faction of Taoism. To do that, I must pass the state examination. I should have some proper title for the group, right?”
“……?”
“Is it too vain?”
“No, I didn’t know there was such a serious reason. I didn’t know I’d hear it so suddenly.”
“I’m going to prepare one for the future in decades, and I’m going to have to invent my martial arts when I become a master. I’m going to take my exams when I’m one year younger.”
“You could’ve answered roughly. Why did you tell me this important story?”
“First, I’ve heard about your dream, and the second reason is that you won’t keep asking questions even if I show my martial arts. Now I confess, but I’m a bit good at fighting than I look.”
I thought she might have to show her skills, so she was notifying previously.
Her tricks were cheeky, but her dream was wonderful. I wanted to cheer her up.
“Unfortunately, you won’t have to pull out your, so don’t worry.”
“Why?”
“Because pulling money is faster and more effective.”
“……!”
A fifty-year-old man walked forward from the den.
He was Yum Wang-do, the owner of Gonsan Daebyeol Branch, who had sharp eyes and a long sword on his waist.
It was said that he had killed more than 100 martial artists but like the exaggerated nickname, rumors were also absurdly exaggerated.
But he must be a good master.
One branch. It was not easy to keep one road for more than ten years as a head of bandits.
“Hey, Head Chang, long time no see.”
“How have you been doing?”
“If we’ve had any trouble, we’re dead. Gosh.”
“Is that so? Hahaha.”
They told nothing special, and they seemed like hometown friends had met after a long time.
“Where are you going today?”
“We will stop in Yangju and go to Mt. Gamak.”
“There’s a long way to go.”
“We have to go diligently.”
“But what can I do for you? You can’t go right now because last night’s heavy rain has caused the river to blow. It won’t drain until tomorrow at the earliest.”
He was not threatening you. The road behind the hill where bandits were encamped had been disappearing because of the real flood of the river.
“Is there any other way?”
“When it rains, it’s not abnormal that the road of Jangsa Gok is flooded. No way. You must know it.”
“Oh, no, no matter what happens, before nightfall we have to get to the entrance of the Jangsa Gok…….”
“Let’s have a meal together since it’s been a long time. The delivery team of Daeheung Pyoguk returned due to the terrible road and they gave us two dead watchdogs. We are boiling it now. Come here.”
Watchdog referred to a dog that was carried by a delivery team for more efficient reconnaissance and vigilance.
Two dead watchdogs meant that there was a pretty big battle somewhere.
We could not know if the fight was held elsewhere or here.
Bandits blocked the entrance of the road, which had been flooded by the river, and our delivery group sat against the carriage, about a dozen meters away from bandits.
In the middle of them, Head Jang Liang-gi and Yeom Wang-do were drinking alcohol and ate meat around the pot which had a dog head half outside.
Namgoong So-so and I were eating stiff dried meat among porters.
“Is it always like this?”
“The head always gets good treatment everywhere.”
“No, I mean this situation.”
“Most likely.”
“I have not known much about Pyoguk and delivery work. I thought there would be a lot of tension when meeting bandits, and then it will end up with a fight.”
“Every high hill has a bandit group, and every wide river has a pirate group. Every time they meet and fight, there will be no messengers and porters alive. And so will the bandits and pirates.”
“But isn’t it kind of weird that they are like a family? I’m sure if clients see this scene, they will feel betrayed.”
“It’s not so wrong to say, ‘We are doing for living based on roads, and we are family.’ But there’s a lot of fights while being friendly.”
“When is that?”
“When the head of bandits has changed, when the delivery team is all strangers, when they suddenly raise the tolls exorbitantly, etc. When something important changes, there happens fighting to keep the balance. Because if we take a step back today, tomorrow we’ll have to back two steps.”
“You know a lot about the delivery.”
“ Practice makes perfect. I’ve been involved in Pyoguk for over twenty years, even though I’ve been lazy. If I don’t know this much, I am really stupid.’
“Surely, I cannot trust rumors.”
“I told you.”
“By the way, it’s a good thing it just got over.”
“They used to, but not today.”
“What?”
“A little while ago, the head of bandits kept glancing at us.”
“Us? Why?”
“We’ll see.”
After a while, Jang Liang-gi came to me and Namgoong So-so, not to his men.
“We’ve got some problems.”
“……?”
“There must be a new bandit.”
“……?”
“He’s a swordsman, but he must have joined the bandit after killing an official and 7 people of his family in Jinyang. He used to work in the red-light district looking after the prostitutes.”
“So?”
“Have you heard of the ceremony for entering the mountain?”
I narrowed my eyes without answering.
Namgoong So-so asked from my side.
“What is it?”
“There’s a tradition that when a rookie comes in, we each pick one of the opponents to compete with each other. It is called the ceremony for entering the mountain, and in Pyoguk, it is called the ceremony for becoming a messenger. It looks like a rookie just in time came in the bandit group, and he pointed out your friend.”
“They pointed at me.”
“Yes.”
“Why?”
“That’s their choice.”
“So now I look easy.”
“Well, it’s like that.”
“What’s the rule?”
“What rules are you referring to?”
“The rule for the ceremony.”
“None.”
“Then can I kill him?”
I was told, ‘Is there no trouble in killing the bandit?’
But Jang Liang-gi and others might understand, ‘Can a bandit kill me?’
“Then both sides get into trouble, and it usually ends at the right level. Either one side admits defeat, or falls and faints or just breaking a hand or foot.”
Jang Liang-gi soothed Namgoong So-so gently.
And then he told me again.
“I think he’s trying to avenge what he’s got before. About three months ago, a new messenger of Pyoguk, who was passing by here, pointed out a bandit of Daebyul branch for the ceremony. At that time, the bandit hurt his ankle badly and went down the mountain.”
“What happens if you refuse?”
“They won’t let you get away even if the water is gone tomorrow.”
“If I want to go through it?”
“The head thinks he is insulted in front of his men. It’s hard to get through here without seeing blood.”
In my previous life, I was not involved in this delivery.
So I did not know what had happened specifically during the delivery.
But I heard what had been going on from the bandits.
Three months ago, there had been no such thing as an entrance ceremony like today.
Jang Liang-gi was now fighting me by pointing a new bandit even though the head of the bandits did not advocate.
He dragged the innocent Namgoong So-so, but his real target was me.
If he pointed at me from the beginning and I got hurt, it would be troublesome. So he was trying to get out of responsibility by letting me do by myself.
This was not something that Jang could do by himself.
Behind him was the shadow of Lee Eul-ryong.
To what extent was he instructed? Did Eul-ryong tell him to kill me?
It wouldn’t be that bad. Did he say to get me badly lesson and I would give up any further delivery?
Or did he tell Jang to break my leg so I wouldn’t be able to take the public exam?
Either way, I didn’t want to be beaten.
It was rather good. I was in trouble because I didn’t have anyone to practice my ability, but I was going to test how strong I was.
“I’ll go out.”
“Jeong-ryong.”
Ga Bul-yeom called me quietly.
“You know, my friend just happened to accompany us, and he has nothing to do with our Pyoguk. I’m on my way out.”
“There’s a way I can solve the problem with the head of the bandit.”
This meant that when all the negotiations were not going well, the two sides ended up having an all-out war or the heads of both sides had sparring.
And he said he would do it.
Jang Liang-gi, which was responsible for the delivery, opened his eyes wide at the protruding speech of Ga Bul-yeom.
If everything was done by Ga Bul-yeom, there would be a big problem with the delivery.
But Ga didn’t care at all, as if he was not interested in the delivery.
“Do you want me to do that?’
“I don’t want to be a burden.”
“Please reconsider.”
“I’ve already made up my mind.”
“Stop both of you. Didn’t you hear that they pointed at me? Of course, I have to go.”
“Don’t you come forward.”
“Dear Jeong-ryong. Don’t worry too much. I told you before. I’m more of a fighter than I look. I’ve got an idea.”
“Well, don’t step out!”
I spoke seriously.
Maybe my voice was a little loud, everyone stopped what they were doing and looked at me, including messengers, porters, and bandits away from me.
Namgoong So-so’s big eyes were even wider.
“Mr. Poong, this is our business, and you are my guest, so don’t come forward and stay still.”
“……?”
“If you understand, answer me.”
“Okay.”
Namgoong So-so, who read me, quietly stepped down.
If Namgoong So-so came out, whoever came out among bandits, if it was not the head, they would be crushed in a few seconds.
But I didn’t want to do that. Anyway, this was my fight.
I approached the young and new porter.
“What’s your name?”
“My name is Bang Ja-gwang.”
This guy had come in about the same time as I had joined in my previous life.
We were similar in age, so we were close to each other and had been like friends for a while.
It was not only Bang Ja-gwang. Although it was a short time, there were a lot of porters around me who had lived under the same roof and formed a friendship.
“Are you worthy of being a porter?”
“I’m learning hard.”
“What about your family?”
“I have an old mother and a young sister.”
“You must feed them.”
“Yes, I should.”
“Do your best.”
“Thank you.”
“Let’s exchange your sword with mine.”
“Yes?”
I thrust out the long sword I was holding. It was a long sword of good quality given to the messengers by the Cheonryong Pyoguk.
On the other hand, the sword that the new porter took on his waist was a heavy, rough, and crude one.
I had used it for 30 years in my previous life.
Some of the maxims in Gangho said that the familiar stick won the unfamiliar sword.
No matter how sharp and good the long sword was, it was not better for me than the familiar sword.
After swapping the sword from the bewildered Bang Ja-gwang, I went to Jang Liang-gi.
Then he hung the selected gourd in one hand and asked in a slightly threatening position.
“May I go?”
“I have to ask them that. The one they pointed at is not you, but…….”
“Since when did a head of our Cheonryong Pyoguk ask permission from the bandits to proceed with the ceremony? If we do, we do, don’t we?”
“Yes?”
“I think you’re mistaken. This is not a ceremony for entering the mountain, but it is the ceremony for me to become a messenger. If I want to be recognized by your colleagues as a real messenger, I’ll have to take it. Go tell the head of bandits, and I’ll go out and choose one among them and come forward.”
“Gongja, this isn’t a kid’s game.”
“Head Jang.”
“Speak please.”
“You’re the captain of this delivery team, but why do you call me Gongja while calling others with their last name and title of the messenger?”
“That’s because you’re Gongja.”
“Even if I told you to call me a messenger?”
“I’m comfortable with Gongja.”
It meant that he would not acknowledge me as a messenger until the end, but he did not know that it was a word that would seize his ankle.
“May I speak to you at ease, then?”
“Yes?”
“No?”
“Oh, yes. It’s Okay.”
“I knew you’d say yes. Let’s make a bet with me. I think you like it as much as I do.”
“What bet?”
“If I lose this fight, I will give you anything you want. If you ask me to leave the delivery or do the works of porters, I will do it. If I win, I will be the head. What do you think?”
“……!”