Chapter 204: Let's Go All the Way (3)
Their destination was Chengdu in Sichuan.
They had to pass through Hanzhong, cross the Han River at the upper reaches of the Yangtze, and travel deep into the heart of Sichuan.
From Chang’an, it would take a significant amount of time, but that was by the standards of ordinary people.
Since time was of the essence, the three of them traveled by alternating between running with their light movement techniques and taking brief rests.
However, even first-rate experts would find their bodies strained if they used light movement techniques continuously for more than an hour.
“Sigh. Please go ahead, General. I will meet you in Chengdu.”
So-mu glanced at Seol Pung, who was running alongside him, and chuckled.
“Bear with it a little longer. We are almost there.”
Panting heavily, Seol Pung looked ahead.
So-so was running ahead of them, completely energized. She didn’t seem tired at all.
“Uncle, hang in there! There’s a boat ahead!”
Seol Pung sighed and ran with all his remaining strength.
Soon, they arrived at a ferry dock belonging to Hanzhong Commandery.
About twenty vessels lay anchored in neat rows. What they were looking for was a transport boat.
“There’s one over there, General. I’ll go check.”
Seol Pung caught his breath and walked toward the docked transport boat. It was a broad flatboat, the kind used by civilians for leisure, and it had a spacious deck.
After exchanging a few words with the naval officer, Seol Pung called out, “They say we can depart immediately!”
Nodding, So-mu took his daughter’s hand and walked toward the boat.
Having been warned by Seol Pung, the naval officer and his men stood at attention, looking extremely sharp.
“It is an honor to meet you, General! We will escort you comfortably.”
So-mu nodded as he stepped onto the deck.
“We appreciate the ride.”
Though the eyes of the tense soldiers were filled with awe, it only made him feel uncomfortable.
“Don’t worry about us and go about your duties as usual.”
“Yes, General!”
Once the boat set sail, So-mu and Seol Pung moved to the quiet stern.
So-so was nowhere to be seen. She was likely running around the deck and cabins, thrilled by the journey.
“Sichuan is your homeland, isn’t it? I thought you would be pleased to visit, but why does your expression seem so dark?” So-mu asked.
Chengdu in Sichuan was where Seol Pung had been born and raised. Strangely, as they drew closer to their destination, Seol Pung’s face grew increasingly tense. So-mu did not miss this change.
“I have no family left to welcome me in my homeland. Besides, it was never a city I felt much affection for.”
“Hmm. Did something bad happen? I am curious why you abandoned your post in Sichuan and came to Shaanxi.”
“As you know, the main reason was that I was drawn to the virtue of Military Governor Jang-yang at the time.”
“And the other reason?”
Staring at the calm river water, Seol Pung’s eyes filled with regret.
“I was disillusioned by my superior, Military Governor Won Gyu.”
The Seol Pung that So-mu knew was an upright man, but he was also direct and strong-willed. So-mu was highly curious about what kind of incident had made him throw up his hands and leave.
“Can you tell me about it?”
“There is no reason I cannot. I judged that he was unfit to lead. How can a man who cannot even govern his own household govern a region? It is deeply lamentable that such a man is now ruling over an entire nation.”
“His own household…”
It was difficult to guess the exact circumstances from that alone. But he would find out once they arrived. There was no rush.
So-mu also stared at the water, lost in thought. A moment later, his expression froze.
Sensing a strange presence in the water, he looked down. There, his bowl-cut daughter was swimming in her undergarments.
“Dad! Jump in! It’s so much fun!”
He understood that she wanted to play since she hadn’t seen a river in a long time. But he had never imagined she would swim alongside the boat.
“If your mother saw this, she would faint.”
“Hehe.”
At that sight, Seol Pung, who had been wearing a dark expression, burst out laughing.
“Haha. She certainly knows how to enjoy herself.”
“It would have been a disaster if we had left her behind.”
Crossing the Han River took about thirty minutes. So-so swam the entire distance without resting once.
The moment they landed, the soldiers wrapped a blanket around her.
“Was it fun?”
“I’m so glad I came along. Hehe.”
Shaking her body as she stamped her feet, she looked like a wet mouse.
“From here on, we are in a foreign country, so you must behave.”
“Yes, Dad! I understand!”
About twenty paces ahead, Seol Pung was speaking with the soldiers of the State of Po.
Perhaps because a high-ranking official from another nation had arrived, the soldiers’ movements were extremely cautious.
A moment later, Seol Pung returned and said, “There is a station nearby. They want to bring a carriage for us.”
“We don’t even ride carriages in our own country. Why would we ride one in a foreign state? Tell them we will make our own way.”
However, Seol Pung had no intention of backing down. The thought of running with light movement techniques again already made him feel dizzy.
“If we reject their hospitality, the local commander here will be in a difficult position. But if that is your wish, General, I suppose we have no choice…”
The garrison unit stationed here had to send a messenger to the capital to report that a high-ranking official from a neighboring state had arrived, allowing the imperial court to prepare in advance.
However, if the envoys arrived before the messenger, the local commander would undoubtedly be held responsible.
If they ran using light movement techniques instead of riding a carriage, that would certainly be the case.
While So-mu hesitated, his daughter grabbed Seol Pung’s robe and asked, “Uncle, have you ever ridden in a carriage? Riding in a carriage sounds like fun…”
“Of course I have. There is nothing better than looking out the window and eating snacks inside a carriage.”
“Wow…”
Looking at the two of them, So-mu couldn’t bring himself to refuse. He shook his head and said, “There’s no need to cause trouble for an innocent man over a petty stubborn streak. Tell them to hurry, though.”
“A wise decision, General!”
His face brightening, Seol Pung bowed and quickly ran off.
***
Chengdu, the capital of the State of Po.
Three days later, the trio arrived and immediately entered the palace.
Officials from the Envoy Escort Office gathered to guide them.
Unlike when they had first started the journey, So-so had lost her energy and looked downcast.
“My sweet daughter, why are you so quiet?”
It was due to the solemn atmosphere of the palace.
Not a single civilian was in sight, and even the officials and palace maids they occasionally saw walked in absolute silence, taking careful steps.
“Where are we?”
“This is the palace of the State of Po. The atmosphere is quite different from where we live, isn’t it?”
“Yes… why is everyone here so quiet?”
“Because it is the residence of the Son of Heaven. You must not run around carelessly here.”
“The Son of Heaven?”
So-mu erected a barrier of qi around them so no one else could hear.
“To put it simply, he is the one who claims to rule the world on behalf of heaven. He is the most powerful person in the country.”
“Was he born in heaven, then?”
A faint smirk appeared on So-mu’s face.
“It is merely a title made up to establish authority. Your grandfather once told me that a ruler who fails to benefit his people is worse than a beast.”
Only Jang-yang would dare say such a thing so openly.
Thinking of her grandfather back in Chang’an, So-so looked sad.
“I miss Grandpa…”
Just as So-mu was about to speak, a groaning sound drifted from nearby.
“Urgh…”
Hearing the groan, Seol Pung and So-so turned their heads.
So-mu had already sensed it long ago. He had spoken to So-so precisely to distract her so they could pass by without getting involved.
A boy who looked a head taller than So-so was dressed in imperial robes, clutching a whip.
His robes indicated he was of the imperial family. Even without the clothes, one could tell from his arrogant expression.
“Hahaha!”
Amidst his cruel laughter, a middle-aged man was bound with his arms spread wide.
His robes were shredded like rags and stained with blood, and his hair was disheveled. Even at a glance, no part of his body was unharmed. He looked as though he had been brutally tortured.
“Tell me again! What did you say my face looks like?”
The middle-aged man spoke with great difficulty.
“…I said your face is filled with poverty and misfortune, indicating a terrible fate. Though you possess no nobility, you enjoy wealth beyond your station, so you will surely die young.”
The boy in the imperial robes clutched his stomach, laughing as if it were the funniest thing he had ever heard.
“Hahaha! They say you are a renowned face reader, don’t they? Then I am curious. Did you also foresee that your lowly wife and daughter will die by my hands tonight?”
“My family… please do not touch my family.”
“How dare you order me around!”
The boy swung his whip, striking the man before him.
Crack! Crack!
Where the whip struck, flesh tore, and a scream of agony escaped the man’s lips.
“Aaaaargh!”
About twenty officials stood watching, but none of them dared to step forward and stop him.
Unable to bear it any longer, a eunuch cautiously approached and bowed.
“Please calm yourself, Crown Prince. His Majesty said this man must not be killed…”
The eunuch could not finish his sentence. The boy in the imperial robes raised his hand and slapped him hard across the cheek.
Smack!
“Shut up and bring the iron bars and pliers. I am going to pull out all of his teeth.”
“Pardon…?”
“Doesn’t that sound fun? Get it ready. You will be the one pulling them.”
Watching them, So-mu placed a hand on his daughter’s back and kept walking.
So-so’s face was completely frozen.
“I’m scared, Dad…”
So-so was frightened. She wasn’t afraid of the prince himself. She was terrified of the fact that everyone here accepted such cruelty as a matter of course.
It was a sight that would be unimaginable in the palace of Chang’an where she had been staying.
Displeased, So-mu looked at Seol Pung. Having served under Won Gyu, Seol Pung seemed to know something.
– Who is that wild bastard?
Receiving the telepathic message, Seol Pung stepped closer and whispered softly, “That is Prince Won Jin. He has been cruel by nature since childhood. I have seen him catch birds and beasts and tear their limbs off multiple times. And he committed his first murder when he was ten years old.”
“Murder?”
“He held a grudge against a military officer who lectured him, so he stabbed him in the back with a sword. He didn’t stop there and hacked his body to pieces.”
“And they just let him get away with it?”
“He was the military governor’s only son. Who would dare stop him? Now that he is a prince, his behavior has likely grown even worse.”
The more So-mu heard, the more appalling it became. He let out a sigh of disbelief and asked, “Why does his father just stand by and watch?”
“He tried house arrest and everything else, but nothing worked. I understand he has washed his hands of him since then.”
“It is horrifying to think that such a creature will inherit the throne.”
“If he does, it will bring disaster upon this nation.”
He was the imperial family of another country. No matter how much they disliked him, there was nothing they could do.
Enveloped in a heavy atmosphere, they arrived at the Guijing Residence.
It was a guest house for foreign envoys, and it was incomparably more luxurious than anything in Chang’an.
From gold-trimmed utensils to all kinds of rare fruits and snacks, everything was perfectly prepared.
“We will come to escort you once the meeting is ready. The reception officers are waiting outside, so please let us know if you need anything.”
“I understand.”
The guides withdrew, and the three sat in silence to rest.
For some reason, So-so sat quietly as well. She didn’t even look at the snacks. The horrific scene they had witnessed earlier seemed to have completely ruined her appetite.
So-mu was about to speak to his daughter when he flinched. He noticed her small hands trembling slightly.
‘What is wrong with her?’
He decided not to overthink it. She might have been shocked temporarily, but she was a strong child who would soon recover.
So-mu also fell silent and entered a state of meditation.
About an hour later, the sound of a carriage outside broke the silence. It seemed the meeting was ready.
Standing by the door, Seol Pung guided So-mu.
“I will escort you, General. Let us depart.”
Nodding, So-mu patted his daughter’s head and said, “I will be back soon, so rest here.”
“Yes, Dad…”