Zhongqing.
I am not the type to speak useless words. Gwang-hyo was even more taciturn than me. Tang Hye-seo was also lost in deep thought as she put the jerky she had torn off from me into her mouth and let it melt gently.
Red charcoal glowed in the brazier, and the dry winter scenery rushed past outside the window. The road was calm. The main road leading north was quite well-maintained, so the carriage did not dance enough to make my buttocks hurt.
Around lunchtime, the carriage stopped by the roadside. The driver, who had driven the horses for half a day in the cold wind, came down to the back compartment to warm his body. A thick chill emanated from the long robe wrapped around his entire body and the fur hat pressed down on his head.
Gwang-hyo lifted the kettle placed on the brazier and poured tea.
"You are going through a lot of trouble."
"No, I am not. The wind has stopped, so it is bearable. It is fortunate that there is no snow or rain."
I also offered jerky and asked.
"How long will it take to reach Zhongqing?"
"There is an inn if we go for two more hours. We will stay there today, and if we leave early tomorrow, we should arrive by evening."
The Western Village area also strictly belonged to Zhongqing in terms of administrative districts. However, no one considered that place to be Zhongqing. This is because there was not a single corner that resembled Zhongqing.
The scenery was different, and the air was different. The driver, having recovered his warmth, returned to the driver's seat. The surroundings of the main road heading to Zhongqing were desolate.
No villages, inns, or even common roadside teahouses were visible. That did not mean there were no people around at all.
Neigh!
The startled horse cried out, and the carriage suddenly reduced its speed. My body tilted forward sharply, and I bumped into Tang Hye-seo sitting next to me. The kettle placed on the brazier fell, and hot tea water soaked the floor thoroughly.
The brazier did not fall over as it was firmly fixed to the floor with several thick iron nails. Gwang-hyo, who did not lose his balance even in that situation, put down his teacup and asked the driver.
"What is the matter?"
"A log has fallen on the main road!"
At the driver's answer, Tang Hye-seo and I looked at each other at the same time. We seemed to know what the situation was without speaking. I picked up my long blade and quickly got out of the carriage.
Tang Hye-seo also came out holding her sword. Mountains approached closely on both sides of the main road, making it feel as if we had entered a valley. It was the perfect terrain for an ambush.
The purpose of the log blocking the front of the carriage was obvious. I kept a tight guard so I could draw my long blade if necessary and examined the nearby mountain foot first. Tang Hye-seo also put her hand into her sleeve, which was full of hidden weapons, and looked around.
"These guys have big livers. Even if this is a place with few people, to do something like this in broad daylight."
"Here they come."
A group of men ran out in a swarm from the forest at the foot of the mountain and blocked the path behind us. They covered their faces by wrapping old cotton cloth under their eyes and held crude bamboo spears in their hands.
Perhaps because they had been crouching in the cold for a long time, their movements were sloppy and sluggish. The stout man who appeared to be the leader had quite a build and was the only one in the group holding a rusty broadsword in his hand.
"We will depart soon, so stay as you are."
Gwang-hyo came out, restraining the driver who was trying to come down holding a knife. When three martial artists who looked formidable stared at them without any sign of fear, the men actually flinched. The stout man also looked like he realized he had made a mistake, as if he only then realized he had chosen the wrong opponents.
He looked around with a hesitant posture that did not match his build, then deliberately raised his voice.
"Th-this road is ours. If you want to pass, the toll..."
Gwang-hyo abruptly cut off the stout man's words.
"We were in a difficult spot because the road was blocked, but this worked out well. You patrons should do a good deed. Please clear that log over there."
At Gwang-hyo's calm request, the stout man blinked his eyes in confusion.
"What?"
"I said to clear the log."
Gwang-hyo stared at the stout man with eyes that were chillingly indifferent and transparent. Even I, who had learned an inner cultivation method, found it difficult to handle Gwang-hyo's aura from the front. There was no way such crude robbers could stand against it.
As if he had encountered a tiger as big as a house, the stout man froze in place and trembled. He was completely overwhelmed to the point where I could clearly see his spirit escaping from his two eyes revealed above the cotton cloth.
"Aren't you people from the village nearby? What is that sword? Are you perhaps robbers?"
When Gwang-hyo grabbed the Buddhist saber at his waist, the stout man was terrified, threw away his broadsword, and waved his hands.
"Ah, no. Robbers? How could that be? It's just that things have been so ominous lately..."
"Clear it quickly. We have a long way to go."
"Yes, yes. What is everyone doing? Put that down and open the road quickly! The monk says he is busy!"
The stout man rushed to the front of the carriage with his colleagues as if he had come back from the dead. Everyone put down their bamboo spears and clung to the log. Their bodies were skinny, but since many of them used their strength, the log was quickly pushed out of the main road.
I didn't know how long they had been operating on this road, but it didn't seem like they had done it only once or twice. The stout man and the men looked around nervously and then ran away into the forest. Gwang-hyo did not chase them and got straight into the carriage.
Tang Hye-seo could not take her eyes off the forest where the robbers had disappeared.
"Let's go."
Even when urged, she stared stubbornly for a long time before frowning as if displeased and getting into the carriage with me. The driver drove the horses again. The carriage rattled past the space where the log had been cleared and left the foot of the mountain.
I put down my long blade beside me and glanced at Gwang-hyo sitting inside. I thought he would mercilessly cut them down with his Buddhist saber, but I didn't know Gwang-hyo had such mercy. I thought it was fortunate that it ended without seeing blood.
Tang Hye-seo's thoughts were different.
"Zen Master, they are robbers. Since they pointed weapons and threatened us first, isn't there no reason to keep them alive?"
It is not just because she is a person of the Tang Clan, who is thorough about matters of vengeance and gratitude. Other martial artists would also think similarly to Tang Hye-seo. Not only those of the dark paths, but even righteous heroes of the righteous sects overflowing with chivalry would have surely taken action just now.
Gwang-hyo filled the tea kettle with water, placed it on the brazier, and shook his head.
"Winter is a harsh season. It is common for wild animals to come down to civilian houses and bare their teeth."
"Young Lady Tang, didn't you see their appearance? They are farmers."
"When the hungry cold passes and the ground thaws, they will pick up shovels and plows and diligently sweat beads of sweat."
Tang Hye-seo immediately refuted as if she could not accept it.
"Just because winter is destitute doesn't mean everyone picks up weapons and commits robbery. Because we showed mercy, those who come next might suffer harm from them."
That is probably true. Seeing that they covered their faces, it seemed they intended to only extort a toll and not kill. However, if they lose their minds upon seeing wealth or women, they could commit murder.
Just because their martial ability was poor did not mean they were less cruel or less dangerous. That said, I had absolutely no intention of turning the horse around and performing a righteous act against them. I am on my way to meet Sister Soso's family.
If it were an unavoidable situation, there would be no choice, but if possible, I did not want to see blood. Gwang-hyo's thoughts were more like a monk.
"Relationships and karma are each person's share. If they accumulate killing karma, they will have to atone within the cycle of the Six Realms of Reincarnation."
"Death is not the end, and life cannot escape from merit and demerit for even a single moment."
Come to think of it, Gwang-hyo was like this last summer too. When we were fighting bandits with Tang Hye-seo's group, he alone disappeared somewhere. He moved so arbitrarily that Won Seo-gang grumbled that he was an untrustworthy guy.
Was he of this mind back then too? Thinking back carefully, his aura was murderous, but I had never seen Gwang-hyo kill a person with my own eyes. Even when Tang Do-hun was running wild, he only suppressed him with a saber technique of a distant realm, but did not kill him.
Does it mean a monk is still a monk, even if he is a warrior monk? After the clumsy group of robbers, no one blocked the carriage. When the sun slanted and dusk fell, turning the mountains black, the inn the driver mentioned appeared.
Seeing that there were no villages nearby, it seemed to do business with passing travelers. When we opened the door and entered, the sound of laughing and chatting vanished completely. I thought it would be swarming with martial artists, but there was only a group of merchants.
The ones armed with blades and swords were three men who appeared to be guards. All three watched us with very tense eyes. There was a back door next to the kitchen, and the large windows on both walls were sufficient to throw oneself out of.
There were many empty seats on the first floor, but we went up to the second floor to avoid unnecessary disputes. We called a waiter and ate in the guest room. I hid my long blade under the pillow and went to bed early.
* The next morning, I soothed my stomach with warm white porridge and got into the carriage. The two horses must have eaten and rested well overnight, as they galloped with good spirit, kicking off the main road.
The speed was quite fast, so even though we stopped a few times in between, we arrived in Zhongqing before the sun went down. As we crossed the hill, the Yangtze River and lakes crossing the city below the mountain sparkled dazzlingly in the sunlight. Because of the basin terrain, the cold eased a little.
Instead, the humidity in the air increased to the point of being slightly damp. I saw a long line of people and carriages standing at the entrance to the city. At the end of it, several government soldiers were thoroughly searching not only bundles but also carriages.
"Something must be happening. The inspection wasn't this severe before."
"It seems so."
Whenever moving to another region, the most annoying thing was the government soldiers guarding the city gates. Even when the inside of the city was peaceful, they demanded household tags that we couldn't possibly have and shook out our bundles aggressively like roadside bandits.
Giving them a suitable bribe was only feasible once or twice, so later I used to sneak in and out through dog holes. The government soldiers didn't care whether the waiting people shivered in the cold or not and searched the luggage thoroughly. The front line shrank slowly as if crawling, and our turn barely came after half an hour.
One government soldier jerked open the back door of the carriage and thrust his head inside. He examined the clothes and faces of me, Tang Hye-seo, and Gwang-hyo, then gestured bluntly.
"Everyone get off. I need to search the inside of the carriage."
Gwang-hyo asked gently.
"What is the matter?"
"We are enforcing national law, what reason do you need? I said get off."
Gwang-hyo held out a small silver token to the government soldier who was shouting overbearingly. The government soldier was startled, quickly looked around, and then shouted in anger.
"This monk is looking for big trouble! How dare you offer a bribe to Officials..."
"I am not giving it to you, I am telling you to check it."
At Gwang-hyo's calm words and actions, the government soldier examined the silver token with an uncomfortable expression. After checking the front and back, his eyes went wide.
"I-I did not recognize the high person."
"May we go?"
"O-Of course."
The government soldier, who politely returned the silver token, hurriedly opened the way ahead.
"What is it?"
"It is nothing."
Gwang-hyo put the silver token away and closed his mouth. The carriage passed between the government soldiers and entered downtown Zhongqing so fast that it made all the waiting feel futile. Zhongqing was bustling, incomparable to Western Village.
High pavilions, restaurants, and shops were lined up wherever the eye landed. As we entered the central street, it became increasingly flashy and crowded. Even in the cold weather, there were so many people coming and going that it was hard for the carriage to move properly.
We got a room at a suitable inn and gathered on the first floor to eat dinner.
"We can stay here today and cross the Yangtze River tomorrow morning."
We filled our stomachs heartily while checking the schedule once again. While I was washing out my greasy mouth with tea, someone approached with long strides. A young martial artist with a sword at his waist and a fairly handsome face revealed his teeth and smiled brightly.
"I thought I saw wrong, but it was indeed Young Lady Tang Seo?"
Tang Hye-seo tilted her head with a deliberately puzzled expression.
"Who are you?"
"Haha, this is disappointing. Did we not meet once at the Qingcheng Sect branch? I am Ji Yong-geon of the Qingcheng Sect. With the title of Blue World Sword..."
Seeing Tang Hye-seo's expression, which somehow looked fed up, it seemed she recognized Ji Yong-geon. She looked like she didn't want to deal with him. I was watching for a moment, wondering if I should intervene, when Gwang-hyo suddenly spoke up.
"Is Ga Hui-an doing well?"
Ji Yong-geon, who was getting worked up over Tang Hye-seo, flinched and turned his eyes to Gwang-hyo.
"Do you know my Senior Martial Uncle?"
"If you say Gwang-hyo who used to be the Master of the Prajna Hall, he will know. He would probably jump out holding his sword even while sleeping."
"I did not recognize that you were someone from Shaolin."
Ji Yong-geon was greatly flushed and quickly took a fist-and-palm salute. His head was shaved, but he was wearing long robes instead of monk robes, so he seemed to have not expected his identity at all. He lifted his head and secretly examined Gwang-hyo, then lowered his voice subtly.
"What brings you to Zhongqing? Did you perhaps come... because of 'that matter'?"
Gwang-hyo calmly shook his head.
"I do not know what 'that matter' is, but we are just passing through. We have a long way to go and everyone needs to sleep early, so I hope you understand."
As he indirectly issued an order to leave, Ji Yong-geon's face turned red. Because he was behind in hierarchy within the martial world and had shown disgraceful behavior in front of an acquaintance of his Senior Martial Uncle, he could not hold out any longer and withdrew.
"I see. Pardon my intrusion. Please rest easy. Young Lady Tang, I will see you later in Sichuan."
Ji Yong-geon did not pretend to see me until the very end. Being ignored is something I am used to, so there was nothing particularly bad to feel, but it was strangely unpleasant. Tang Hye-seo put down her chopsticks and narrowed her eyes in deep thought.
"Don't you think 'that matter' is related to the inspection by the Officials earlier?"
I shook my head and picked up a dumpling.
"It does not matter. Let us just stay quietly for one night and leave tomorrow morning."
I didn't know what it was, but I didn't want to know either. If a Qingcheng Sect disciple was involved, I didn't even want to give it any interest. However, worldly matters do not always go according to my will.
After sleeping soundly at the inn and opening my eyes in the morning, there was someone looking for us.