I went straight up the mountain with the Namgoong So-so to visit Daebyeol Branch.
However, the company increased by 3 people because Ga Bul-yeom on following me.
On the way, Namgoong So-so kept looking at me and pointed her chin at her bosom.
I asked in a smaller voice than a mosquito wing.
“What do you want?”
“What if he notices?”
“Be careful not to be noticed.”
“What if he notices?”
“Ga Bul-yeom is a man of principle with no flexibility, and as soon as he returns to the Pyoguk, you and I will be handed over to the law court.”
“Why me?”
“Because you are an accomplice.”
“But I didn’t do this.”
“You have a bag.”
“So take it quickly.”
“I’ll give you a little when it is done, so don’t be so naughty.”
“No!”
We did not need to go up to the den.
Yeom Wang-do and his men were grinding their teeth in a place overlooking the Jangsa Gok.
When I arrived, the bandits showed blatant hostility.
Some people held out their swords and waited, and when I passed by, they did not hesitate to threaten me.
But I know they would not brandish swords.
They were just trying to scare me. They were pissed off. They were doing with this intention.
If those lunatics brandished their swords, there would be a war between the Bandit Alliance and the Cheonryong Pyoguk.
Such a normal bandit could not do anything.
But I was a little different. There was a limit to those guys taking issue with me even if I provoked an accident.
This was the advantage when dealing with famous bandits.
Clap!
I slapped the man’s cheek as he blocked me.
What negotiations and fights had in common was that the one who blew the first punch would lead the situation.
The man who was slapped was embarrassed.
“You, you crazy……!”
Chae Chae Chae Chae Chaeng!
More than thirty shiny swords and thirty deadly poisonous arrows came out in an instant and surrounded the two.
Surprised Ga Bul-yeom and Namgoong So-so also pulled out long swords.
Then they stared at me at one time.
“Do you want to see the end?”
Yeom Wang-do shouted in anger.
I shouted louder.
“I saved your life as much as I could, and you drew a sword in front of your lifesaver? It is said that a bandit does not know benevolence, but I didn’t know it would be like this!”
“What are you talking about!”
“If I hadn’t tricked them by handing goods over to Gyoryong Group, Dok Gak-mang would have offered you a battle, according to the old rules, wouldn’t he?”
“Do you think I’ll be afraid of Dok Gak-mang?”
“If the two had a battle, you would have won and he would have been badly injured, but do you think it would have been cleaned up?”
From what I’ve heard in my previous life, it would be rather the opposite.
Dok Gak-mang cut off Yeom Wangdo’s arm after fifty rounds.
Fifty rounds were a short time in the real battle.
I did not know much about martial arts, but with this gap, even Yeom must know that he was lower than Dok Gak-mang.
But he felt a little embarrassed when I told him that he would have won in front of his men.
“What if it’s not clean?”
Yeom Wang-do’s voice softened a little.
“The moment he was injured, his men would have joined the battle. If he was going to fight fairly, he wouldn’t have taken such many people.”
“Huh, it is well-known that Dok Gak-mang did not care about the rules of Gangho. We can understand it by what happened today. It makes no sense to suddenly claim River Jangsa that have been under our control for decades because River Jangsa has flooded the road.”
He seemed to be angry as he spoke.
Yeom Wang-do spoke to me in an angry voice again.
“So you’re going to take credit me because you stopped the total war?”
“I can’t?”
“What?”
“They were 200, while your whole family was only 60. If there was a war, half of your people here would be dead or disabled.”
Then I once again stared at bandits trying to kill me and my company.
I spoke so fluently, but I was so scared.
Fortunately, they were convinced.
The bandits looked at each other and showed signs of agitation.
As long as they were human, they had thought of the possibility of the war, and they’d know they’d been hit hard unless they were fools.
“That doesn’t change the fact that Cheonryong Pyoguk betrayed us and took the side of Gyoryong Group. I will surely make you regret it!”
“Why does Cheonryong Pyoguk betray the Daebyeol Branch? In the meantime, we’ve been living under the same roof while we were passing through the Jangsa Gok.”
Unknowingly, I even told him about my previous life experience.
In their view, it was only normal that I did not know how long we shared trouble and pleasure so far because this was my first delivery.
But no one cared about me, who suddenly changed.
No matter what the enemy was, everyone seemed to be listening to something weird.
“What if I did not betray?”
“You may be angry, but let it go this time, and when the ships of Gyoryong Group are gone, let your family members fill the road with stones and soil so that even in the rainy season, it will never again flood.”
“What the hell are you talking?”
“It’s not that difficult. If you go up to a mountain high that’s exactly flooded, you dig up soil and rocks and roll them, they’ll naturally pile up down there, but you’ll have to mince them hard and plant grass and trees at the end so that they won’t be swept away by the current.”
“You mean……?”
“Why would they claim it to be their territory when the river is not overflowing? Even though they insist, will they come up to the ground and fight against you, won’t you?”
“……!”
“……!”
“……!”
The bandits and Yeom Wang-do were all mesmerized.
Namgoong So-so and Ga Bul-yeom were not much different.
There was a long roar.
This was a brilliant idea from a rookie bandit, about three years later.
At that time, the den had been turned upside down for a while, saying that a genius had appeared.
After a long time, Yeom Wang-do came to his senses and asked.
“So you’re saying you’ll keep doing business with us?”
What kind of deal was that they unilaterally occupied the road and rob the money?
The deal was, like I said, that you guys paved the way and get paid.
“Didn’t I mention it? I had no choice but to keep your whole family from getting hurt. But I’m so sad that everyone’s got swords on my neck. It’s annoying.”
“Hey, guys. Get the swords away!”
Thirty swords and thirty arrowheads disappeared in the blink of an eye.
Yeom Wang-do once again told me．
“Hmm. I think there was a misunderstanding. I didn’t know that. I’m sorry.”
“It’s too early to be reassured. The bridge failed to move our goods because of the broken planks.”
“I’ve seen it all anyway.”
“In our circumstances, and to reassure the Gyoryong Group, we must send them back without further trouble today.”
“What can we do for you?”
“Please cut about a hundred logs so that they can build an adjunct bridge. If you roll them to the bottom of the mountain, they’ll take it on their own.”
“You want us to bow our heads and help them? No matter how much I owe you, I can’t.”
“They bowed their heads first.”
“……?”
I looked back at Namgoong So-so and said,
“Give him the money bag.”
I pretended to scratch my chin and gently spread one finger so that only Namgoong So-so could see it.
I mean, give him one bag.
Namgoong So-so nodded and handed a bag over Yeom Wang-do.
“What is this?”
“Dok Gak-mang asked me to give it to you. It’s half of the whole hundred coins, so let’s work together and move wagons first.”
“Huh. Look at that crazy man. He took my land and give me fifty coins within an hour. Now is he suggesting to move wagons together? Does he have a brain or not?”
“That’s why it’s more dangerous. What if he goes up the mountain to cut trees, forgetting his situation as a pirate?”
“That’s what I’m hoping for. They are skillful in water, but they will be just fish once they climb on the mountain. Whoo-hoo.”
“What if two hundred of them come up at once? Are you confident you’ll cut them all in pieces without losing any of your men?”
“……!”
“You have to hold it in. If you bear with it today, Jangsa Gok Gorge comes to Daebyeol Branch and makes the leader of the Gyoryong group a fool. What is the point of the bloody fight? Isn’t that right?”
Yeom Wang-do was lost in thought for a while, avoiding an immediate answer.
He would agree with me.
As he said, if he had a spoonful of the brain, he would know I was right.
“You won first place at the state examination. I will follow you, and I appreciate your loyalty to Daebyeol Branch.”
“No problem. I did what I had to do.”
“No, I will never forget what happened today.”
“May I ask you a favor, then?”
“What is it?”
“Can I get the Kun poison a little?”
“What are you going to use it for?”
“Wouldn’t there ever be a day in life when I can use poison? I got an idea when I saw bandits were astonished listening to the word ‘Kun Poison’.”
“Hahaha. Good.”
Then he took a bamboo chopstick case out of his arms right away and held it out.
“What is this?”
“I’ve soaked the cotton with Kun poison. You can use it by clicking with a chopstick when you need it, or if you press it hard, the poison will flow out. A drop of it will kill an elephant.”
“But why did you keep it in the chopstick case……?”
“It’s a disguise. It’s easy to carry around, and no one’s suspicious of you if you take it out and touch it. Whoo-hoo.”
“Well, I never imagined there would be poison in a chopstick case.”
“For just in case, please be careful to use the chopsticks without any thought. It will be your funeral.”
“I will keep it in mind. By the way, I heard that extreme poison is more expensive than the gold of the same weight, but I don’t know if you can give me this much.”
“This is for your favor. Please accept it without reserve, and take this money as well.”
And then he gave me the money bag back.
“Why do you give it to me?”
“I’ll give you back the money that Cheonryong Pyoguk had given to the Gyoryong Group.”
“Why are you giving it to me?”
“You are right. The toll we get is the compensation to guarantee the safety and convenience of the merchant. Since we couldn’t clean up the crooks that suddenly appeared, wouldn’t it be right for us, the owner of the road, to return money that was taken by them?”
In the meantime, he secretly emphasized once again that they were the real owners of Jangsa Gok road.
It seemed that he was worried that Cheonryong Pyoguk would take the side of Gyoryong Group again.
Namgoong So-so, and Ga Bul-yeom, and I were all surprised.
I honestly didn’t expect this.
***
“Mumbling…….”
“What’s wrong with you? What are you muttering to yourself?”
On the way down the mountain, I asked Namgoong So-so.
“Because it doesn’t make any sense.”
“What?”
“In the first place, we couldn’t cross the road because the river was overflowing. We had to wait at least a day until the water would drain.”
“At first it was.”
“But suddenly, the pirates appeared and started a quarrel, and I wondered if things were as complicated as they could be, but then suddenly, everything was solved with a ‘bang!’. We’re going to repel the pirates and cross the water.”
“That’s only a small gain.”
Ga Bul-yeom intervened quietly.
“This is a small gain?”
“The Jangsa Gok road is a flooding section, but if the bandits fill and clean up the roads, we can turn the delivery route here without wasting time. We are going to get benefits for free.”
“Did you expect it before?”
Namgoong So-so looked at me with a respectful look.
Namgoong So-so and Ga Bul-yeom were right.
I planned all this, and fortunately, it had been done without any trouble.
This was not because Yeom Wang-do and Dokgak-mang were stupid, nor because I was smart.
Only one thing, because I knew the future.
I didn’t know that knowing the future that others didn’t know would be this powerful.
But two things were completely unexpected.
One was that Yeom Wang-do would return the money, and the other was…….
“By the way,” said Ga Bul-yeom.
“Why is the first toll to Yeom Wang-do only fifty coins? You gave Dok Gak-mang a hundred and fifty coins of bags, so half of them should be seventy-five. Yeom Wang-do also took it for granted.”
“……!”
“……!”
“And you have to get paid for the broken wheel from Daebyeol Branch. Maybe, fifty coins?”
“……!”
“……!”
“The fifty coins that you just took from Yeom Wang-do should be given back to Head Jang, right?”
Namgoong So-so and I could not help but stop walking. I can’t believe I got caught by Ga Bul-yeom.
Namgoong So-so had already turned pale at the thought of being taken to the law court.
I spoke as calmly as possible.
“That’s…….”
“Please give me one horse.”
“Yes?”
“For the next three days, you have ordered messengers not to ride horses. I need you to exclude me. I need to go back and forth and I need a horse to do my job properly.”
“You mean…….”
“I didn’t see anything.”
I was dumbfounded. I doubted that this man in front of me was indeed the blunt, inflexible Ga Bul-yeom, I had known.
Is it possible to compromise this much for the perfect mission?
Then said Namgoong So-so abruptly.
“Hey, damn. I’ve also got a condition for this!”
“……?”
“……?”
“Tomorrow, let me sleep in a guest house. I miss the soft bed. Above all, I want to take a bath in warm water. It seemed that I got licks from porters. It is annoyingly itching.”
Then, she stands up by Ga Bul-yeom.
They were going to negotiate with me.
“For half a day of hard work, I have cleared the bandits and the pirates, and now there came two holdup men.”