Chapter 175: Chapter 175

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At the pier of New Sichuan, ships, goods, and people overflowed in abundance.

Central Plains goods moving to pier warehouses, goods conversely loaded onto ships to cross over to the Central Plains, workers carrying them on shoulders and backs. The bright coastal sun and their sweat sparkling in its light.

Immigrants who endured weeks of navigation holding dreams and hopes, as well as criminals who simply fled from the Central Plains, opened their eyes wide upon seeing the development of New Sichuan, far greater than what they had heard. Then, New Sichuan muggers targeting those Central Plains greenhorns would slither closer and begin threatening them with weapons. Of course, those muggers’ weapons were not real blades, but three-inch tongues.

Immigrants who had just disembarked from ships would be thoroughly stripped by such muggers if they did not keep their wits sharp, driven out into the desolate east with only empty pockets. Then their future would become day-laborers receiving pittance on some ranch or farm.

However, on this New Continent, there was a future even in such situations. Enduring day-laborer life for a few years, gathering funds, listening closely to rumors circulating around about where land was truly good and fertile, when the time came, they would procure a carriage and farming implements and set off there. And planting a flag on ownerless land, they would begin tilling a farm or ranch.

Then immigrants who experienced situations similar to his a few years prior would enter to work, and after a few years pass again, set off for another wilderness. In the end, unless lazy, anyone could possess land of their own, however unimposing. The pioneer work of the New Continent, which had continued for roughly a hundred years, had been accomplished in that manner.

However, that pioneering focused on western coastal cities and could not cross further east. Though there were various reasons, representative reasons were the desert east of Heavenly Empress City and the long mountain range blocking the east of New Sichuan and Gamsan City.

Coastal cities further north lacked the capacity to carry out pioneering to the east, and south of Heavenly Empress City, there were no immigrants wishing to cross over due to the excessively hot climate and bizarre jungles described by explorers.

It was not for nothing that Imperial soldiers stationed in Hawaii and coastal cities considered this place a remote frontier post. Possessing vast land yet unable to cross beyond a certain degree, it was only natural to consider that there would be limits to development.

Yet recently, an unusual rumor was circulating among farmers.

“…If you cross past Gowon City and advance further east, truly fertile and livable land unfolds. Fertile land where ten times the crop yield can be gained no matter what you plant. It’s all plains, the river waters stretch well like a spiderweb making it truly good for farming, and grass grows well so it’s land good for raising cattle or horses. There are even rumors circulating that when it rains, gold and silver flow down from the mountains.”

The ship carrying Jang Yeon had not yet docked at the pier. Though it had entered New Sichuan Bay, it was still waiting for other ships to dock at the pier.

Only Jang Geon and Jang Un came out to welcome Jang Yeon. The reason was that since she would be coming to the house anyway, there was no need for the entire family to come out. Therefore, currently present here were only the two brothers and a few rickshaws they had summoned in advance. Squatting in the shadow of a warehouse to avoid the blazing sunlight, they were merely waiting for Jang Yeon’s ship to enter the pier.

The rickshaw pullers stepped slightly to the side among themselves, smoking tobacco while subtly watching Jang Un’s demeanor. Currently, all rickshaws in New Sichuan were made in the Jang Family Merchant Guild workshop of Jang Un, and the rickshaw pullers merely rented them. Since a single word from him could make their jobs vanish, watching his demeanor was only natural.

“Several merchant guilds are already organizing pioneer groups. Gathering farmers, workers, and guard warriors, thinking to claim land before anyone else. It’s truly a regrettable thing…”

“Why?”

Jang Un, who had brought up words aimlessly while looking at the coast, glanced back at Jang Geon at his counterquestion.

“Why else? Because land that numerous farmers should share will come to be owned by a few merchants.”

“I wonder. One or two people will not be able to possess all of that vast land. Short of possessing soldiers, there are limits to management as well.”

“…Without having even been there, how vast do you think it is? Even half the rumor makes it land not easily found in the Central Plains, let alone the New Continent. How vast could land be that appears after going deep inland, not even on the coast? So I think the Murim Alliance or the Imperial Army should prevent such shenanigans.”

Standing with arms crossed and leaning his back against the warehouse wall, Jang Geon smiled silently and pleasantly. That blessed land was likely broader than all the land pioneered on the New Continent until now. Even if some merchant hired warriors to defend his land, short of raising an army, it would not cross beyond a certain limit.

Of course, if merchants hired or collaborated with martial arts factions, which were groups of warriors, the story was a bit different. Perhaps decades later, an era might come on this New Continent where martial arts factions possessing vast farms would settle disputes over each farm and land through martial arts. The Murim Alliance would become a federation of such factions.

“…Looking into where such rumors began, it seems to be because of the Imperial Army’s eastern subjugation. Thanks to that Imperial general sitting in the Murim Alliance this time, the wall inside people’s minds was broken. In fact, until now, the land beyond Gowon City was known as a wilderness where only natives lived.”

Listening to Jang Un’s talk, Jang Geon said nothing more. Perhaps giving some simple advice here alone could make Jang Un’s Jang Family Merchant Guild a giant merchant guild spanning the east and west of the New Continent. Because unlike other people who would butt their heads in knowing nothing, Jang Geon roughly knew the eastern terrain.

That arriving at the eastern end would yield a coastline, that crossing that sea would lead to distant Rome, which was thought to be far away, could be tremendous information.

However, Jang Geon merely set his gaze on the distant sea and did not open his mouth.

Already, the Jang Family Merchant Guild was growing in size under the invention developments of Dan Sang-woon. Even without Jang Geon helping, Jang Un and Dan Sang-woon would achieve their own results by doing their best in their own ways. Pulling out Dan Sang-woon, who had been buried in seclusion, into the world was already all Jang Geon had to do.

“…They say those Demonic Palace bastards eat so well from crops grown in such fertile land that their bellies are bursting? There are stories that they hold lavish banquets of wine and meat every day. There were also rumors that they use the natives living there like slaves. Truly, because of the Imperial Army’s subjugation plan, all sorts of rumors…”

“It is coming in.”

“Huh?”

Jang Un asked back dazedly, then looked where Jang Geon pointed with his raised hand. There, among many sailing ships, a particularly large ship was slowly docking its hull at the pier. It was the passenger ship that had been waiting its turn, the ship carrying Jang Yeon.

As Jang Un and Jang Geon straightened their bodies, the rickshaw pullers who had been quietly chatting also tactfully approached and aligned their rickshaws. Jang Un spoke to them.

“Wait here. We will quickly go bring the luggage and people.”

“Do you not need people to carry luggage? Since we were paid our daily wage for today anyway, playing around like this is a bit…”

Thinking for a moment, Jang Un nodded his head. Regardless of how much luggage Jang Yeon brought, coming all the way across the sea meant she wouldn’t stay for just a week or two. The clothes to wear during that time alone would fill a whole load.

The ship stopped, and soon a large wooden plank descended from the deck, connecting the pier and the ship. At that, several workers quickly climbed onto the wooden plank and boarded the sailing vessel. Jang Geon and Jang Un also slowly approached the ship to greet Jang Yeon and her husband disembarking from the ship.

At that moment, Jang Geon’s steps came to a halt. It was because he realized a strange atmosphere was unfolding at the pier. His gaze quickly swept the surroundings.

And he realized why he only felt that atmosphere now. That strange atmosphere was directed not at him, but at the sailing vessel he was approaching. Jang Geon’s arm subtly blocked front of Jang Un.

Jang Un looked at Jang Geon’s arm with a puzzled expression.

“Huh? What’s wrong?”

“Wait a moment.”

Afterwards, before Jang Geon could explain any further, a shout rang out from the deck of the sailing vessel.

“Surrender quietly! The Baeklim Sect has already abandoned you!”

“Drop your weapons!”

It seemed the workers who climbed up earlier were not workers. Pulling out hidden weapons, they were surrounding someone wearing a bamboo hat. Passengers who had been rejoicing that their long ship life was finally over felt bewildered at such a sight and scurried about.

Surrounded by warriors disguised as workers, the person wearing the bamboo hat subtly pulled back the long robe covering his shoulders, revealing a sword. He spoke.

“…Why do you think I returned from Hawaii without leaving for the Central Plains in the end? The Baeklim Sect already holds little meaning to me.”

“This bastard, what did you, ”

The next moment, he charged at the worker-warrior trying to answer. As if his arrogant tone was not for nothing, the worker-warrior couldn’t resist in any way, got struck in the solar plexus by the end of the sword hilt, and tumbled down. Afterwards, breaking a hole in the encirclement, the bamboo-hatted man immediately began sprinting through that gap.

Instantly sprinting across the deck and wooden plank to land on the pier, he quickly checked his surroundings and spotted warriors swarming from here and there on the pier. However, they did not seem to be outstanding warriors, moving sluggishly. The bamboo-hatted man let out a light snort and tried to break out of the pier.

At that moment, his steps came to a dead halt. It was after discovering Jang Geon standing blankly and watching him.

“…You bastard!”

Beneath the bamboo hat, his face contorted. With an expression full of rage and hatred, yet containing a shred of fear in between, he glared at Jang Geon. However, Jang Geon’s gaze facing him was merely calm.

“Who?”

“You don’t know me? You bastard!”

The bamboo-hatted man assumed a stance as if ready to draw his sword right then. However, he could not draw it, as his eyes anxiously brushed past the Azure Dragon hanging at Jang Geon’s waist.

Trembling for a moment, he soon saw other swarming warriors, let out a rough breath, and spoke.

“…Jang Geon! Wait! Before long I shall seek you out and finish the match we could not finish back then!”

Shouting thus, he sprinted past the pier. Behind him, five or six warriors disguised as merchants or workers shouted this and that as they pursued. However, judging by their movements, it appeared they would not be able to catch the bamboo-hatted man.

Watching the situation until now with dazed eyes, Jang Un looked at the bamboo-hatted man vanishing into the crowd far away, then turned his gaze to Jang Geon with that exact expression.

“…What was that? Was he someone you knew?”

“We were on name-exchanging terms.”

“…When he asked earlier, didn’t you ask who he was?”

Jang Geon grinned.

“Because I didn’t want to pretend to know him.”

“…Ha, my. What a wicked fellow.”

Naturally, Jang Geon recognized the bamboo-hatted man’s face. He was not someone met in ancient times, but a man met a month or two ago. At the Murim Alliance.

At that moment, those who missed the bamboo-hatted man rushed over to Jang Geon in a swarm. The expressions of a few among them were fierce faces as if ready to beat Jang Geon down right then and demand what relationship he had with the escaped bamboo-hatted man.

One among those few shouted.

“You bastard! With the criminal who just fled, are you, ”

The man beside him instantly blocked his mouth. And bowing his waist deeply, he spoke.

“Greetings, Great Hero Jang! We are members of the Murim Alliance Geum-san Unit! We have heard of Great Hero’s martial renown and respected you!”

The shouting warrior’s expression turned pale. He and all the other warriors quickly bowed their waists to Jang Geon, making fist salutes. Jang Geon made a fist salute in return.

“I am Jang Geon.”

“Yes! Hehe… The sight of you taking down the leader of the Demonic Palace at the Murim Alliance last time is still vivid before my eyes! It is truly an honor to be able to greet you like this!”

Jang Geon felt a slight awkwardness at the warrior’s words. Still, he couldn’t curse looking into those gleaming eyes, so he merely nodded his head appropriately. The warrior’s words continued.

“…There was a slight problem in the process of arresting the criminal Bae Won-chan. We are sorry, Great Hero Jang.”

Bowing his waist again, he apologized. Jang Geon nodded his head and asked.

“Is he being pursued?”

“…Yes. That is only natural. Since Elder Bae Yang-o committed such acts and died… the Baeklim Sect of Heavenly Empress City is said to be undergoing dissolution procedures. We thought he was fleeing to the Central Plains via Hawaii and southern islands, but for some reason he returned. We were waiting upon receiving contact from Hawaii… We do not know why he returned after fleeing under suspicion of connection with demonic practitioners.”

The squad member spoke while scratching the back of his head.

“In fact, since we missed him today, the Imperial Army will move now. It would have been better for him to be caught by us instead…”

Explaining the circumstances thus, they offered fist salutes to Jang Geon once more in greeting and departed in a swarm. It seemed they were fleeing before Jang Geon needlessly picked a fault and held them back. Afterwards, people watching that situation also returned to their respective tasks once the situation ended vaguely. The pier became noisy again with the movements of busy people.

Bae Won-chan. Nephew of Murim Alliance Elder Bae Yang-o. A somewhat arrogant warrior. He was also a man who lost both his belt and his fame to a single sword slash from Jang Geon while trying to escort Namgung Cheon on orders from the Council of Elders.

Back then he seemed to submit obediently, but hearing his words just now, it seemed he had gotten very angry later on. Jang Geon did not care much. As the Murim Alliance warrior said, if the Imperial Army stepped in, his life would likely not have much time left.

Finishing his thoughts, Jang Geon turned his head to look at Jang Un and the rickshaw pullers.

“It does not seem to be something to care much about. Let us take Yeon and return.”

“Mmm, right.”

Jang Un seemed somewhat unsettled, as if feeling Jang Geon’s fame anew once again. The rickshaw pullers even seemed a bit scared. Jang Geon did not needlessly make excuses or jokes. Doing so would only yield adverse effects.

Their eyes turned toward the sailing vessel again. Flustered by the sudden uproar, passengers and crew members were disembarking from the ship while grumbling among themselves upon learning it was an operation of the Murim Alliance. The man appearing to be the captain could be seen roaring that he would formally protest to the Murim Alliance.

Jang Geon’s eyes quickly swept the passengers disembarking from the sailing vessel. Though leaving the clan was years ago, he didn’t think he wouldn’t recognize his younger sister. Proving that thought correct, there were two people who immediately stood out.

A man carrying luggage heavily packed under both armpits, and a woman carrying a similar amount of luggage beside him while talking about this and that. From outward appearance, the woman seemed to be complaining about the current situation, and the man seemed to be accepting those words while chuckling pleasantly.

Around the same time, Jang Un also spotted those two, assumed a delighted face, raised his hand, and shouted.

“Yeon! Over here! Over here, Yeon!”

At that shout, the eyes of the man and woman spotted Jang Geon and Jang Un. The man looked somewhat puzzled, but the woman immediately assumed a bright expression. Dropping the luggage she was holding onto the ground with a clatter, she sprinted toward this direction at full speed.

Seeing that, Jang Un chuckled.

“Girl, she must be really glad to see us…”

However, that chuckle stiffened upon realizing her sprint was too fast. The woman was sprinting as if flying, and it was by no means a speed of running forward to embrace someone out of gladness. And that direction was aimed not at Jang Un, but at Jang Geon.

Sure enough, as the distance closed, the woman launched her body into the air from that spot.

“Good to meet you, you bastard!”

Unfitting such a shout, she twisted her body in the air with swift, nimble movements. Her body floating in midair flipped upside down, and in that state, she brought her leg slamming down as it was. It was as if a human-shaped axe were chopping down.

Greeting her, Jang Geon did not dodge his body and brought his hand to the approaching leg. And before the leg’s impact point finished, he pulled softly. If pulled as it was, the woman would tumble onto the ground.

However, spinning her body swiftly to escape Jang Geon’s hand, she landed softly on the ground. Afterwards, using her right foot planted on the ground as an axis, she extended her left foot long to draw a circle, then stopped in a stance extending both hands forward and back like a bird.

Seeing that, Jang Geon spoke.

“Mmm. You practiced what I taught you diligently.”

“…Thanks to that, I failed all my military entry exams. You bad bastard.”

Unfitting the rough words coming out, her face was filled with a full smile.