Chapter 109: Building Blocks for the Future (3)
The next day, I reported to Uncle Baek Jin-seong that I had decided to help the Bright Fate Escort Agency.
Uncle Baek Jin-seong tilted his head with a complex and subtle expression on his face.
“What did you do to make that kid give in after only a day?”
Uncle Baek Jin-seong had also judged that I would help. However, it seemed he had expected it to be quite arduous.
Well, my decision was quick because my goal was clear, but it was difficult to explain openly.
It would also be difficult for Ju So-ran to reveal the condition I had proposed.
Uncle Baek Jin-seong, who was looking at the silent Ju So-ran and me with suspicious eyes, narrowed his eyes.
“……It’s not that, is it?”
“I don’t know what you’re talking about.”
“Where do you think you’re pretending to be innocent? I know you!”
“No, what did I even do…?”
He was accusing an innocent person of something strange.
…Although it was true that protesting was a bit awkward.
After all, given his position as Sister Seol-ah’s father, if it was revealed that I had demanded absolute obedience from a girl of similar age, it would be all too easy to be misunderstood.
“Yi Hwa, you tell me. Did the two of them do something strange?”
“……”
“You really are consistent.”
Whether it was out of habit or because she thought it would be good for me, Yi Hwa lightly ignored Uncle Baek Jin-seong’s words.
“Well, anyway.”
Cutting off the useless introduction, Uncle Baek Jin-seong continued in a serious voice.
“It will be very hard. Rebuilding the Bright Fate Escort Agency is not easy. This is because Bright Fate Escort Agency has lost the most fundamental trust as an escort agency. Even if they were merchants who used to trade with the old Bright Fate Escort Agency, would they entrust their work to the current Bright Fate Escort Agency?”
“……Probably not.”
The Escort Chief, who was the center of the escort agency, had died, and the main forces who formed the backbone had vanished. All that remained was a girl with nothing proven and an unreliable second-rate martial artist.
It was a situation where even non-existent prejudices would be created.
“If the goal were simply to establish an escort agency, starting anew under a new name would be easier. At least there would be no prejudice. But you have no intention of doing that, do you?”
“……Yes.”
At Uncle Baek Jin-seong’s words discussing the harshness of reality, Ju So-ran tightly gripped her trouser leg.
“As I said yesterday, it is the role of adults to pave the way for children. Yes, since you chose that path, I will open the way in my own way. Go ahead and suffer on that path. If this fellow is by your side, at least something will remain.”
It seemed I had been designated as the leader.
Well, it was something I had been prepared for ever since Uncle Baek Jin-seong mentioned me.
“You can do well, right?”
“For now, at least regarding martial arts, I will make sure it is solid enough that there will be no room for other words.”
“So you’re going to whip them into shape? A road of suffering lies ahead of them. Well, that’s probably right.”
Uncle Baek Jin-seong smirked, as if guessing what kind of scene would unfold.
“Take Mu-ho with you as well. Since there are things I taught him while raising him as the successor of the escort agency, you will both gain a lot from each other.”
“I was already planning to take him along anyway.”
“Is that so? Then I have nothing more to say.”
Uncle Baek Jin-seong waved his hand as if he had nothing more to say.
Ju So-ran and I bowed our heads and withdrew from our seats.
***
Since Baek Mu-ho had joined, the part I had to take responsibility for was martial arts. I had to build a foundation to the extent that they could at least train on their own and train new recruits afterward.
This meant that I needed to stay at the Bright Fate Escort Agency for some time.
My mother sighed at the news that I was leaving home again so soon after returning, and my younger brother kept talking to himself, looking for a sturdy leash, but it could not be helped.
‘This is a matter of my longevity in heaven.’
Just as Uncle Baek Jin-seong had assessed, Bright Fate Escort Agency’s path could be considered a reckless challenge.
But this also applied to me. In a sense, the path I would walk would be steeper and more arduous. Naturally, I took this matter seriously.
It was decided that Mu-ho and Yi Hwa would naturally accompany us. Sister Seol-ah frowned slightly, but perhaps because she had heard about Ju So-ran’s situation, she quietly cheered us on.
Beom-gak showed minor resistance as he was reluctant to go together, but he was easily suppressed.
However, an unexpected companion joined us here.
“……Absolute obedience?”
Lady Jang So-wol glared at me with half-closed eyes.
Somehow, it was a familiar look.
“Trash.”
“That’s just what’s in your head.”
Since Baek Mu-ho subtly intervened to disrupt the atmosphere, I immediately cleared it up.
“When it comes to martial arts, half-hearted compromises are dangerous.”
“That…… is true, but……”
“Since I’ve already started, I have no intention of finishing it half-heartedly.”
Anyone who had properly trained in martial arts knew very well how much disaster could be caused when naive sympathy intervened during training.
Perhaps understanding that there was sufficient reason, everyone nodded and agreed.
“Thank you.”
Ju So-ran and Myeong Il-seo looked deeply moved.
It was a reaction that made me feel it was worthwhile. I should work even harder.
Baek Mu-ho slithered over and asked.
“You said you’d look after their martial arts, right?”
“Yeah.”
“How long do you think it will take?”
His expression was one of assessing various things.
Unlike me, who only needed to focus on martial arts, Baek Mu-ho had to pay attention to the overall operation of the escort agency.
Although the apparent difficulty might seem similar, since I had the cheat-like means of my masters, the one who would suffer the most from this task might be Baek Mu-ho.
There must be a reason why Baek Mu-ho was checking this.
“What I will teach is difficult to see results in the short term. As I said, I intend to teach them properly.”
The Bright Fate Escort Agency had to become a bridgehead to correct the wrong flow of martial arts in Martial World hereafter. I had no intention of doing it half-heartedly.
Baek Mu-ho also nodded, as if he understood to some extent.
“Then I’ll have to postpone the strategy I first planned.”
“What were you planning to do?”
“I was planning to challenge the Hongmu Sect.”
“Isn’t that going too far?”
It was the Hongmu Sect that wiped out the main force of the Bright Fate Escort Agency.
Since both sides were manipulated by the Jungshin Merchant Group, the true culprit could be said to be the Jungshin Merchant Group, but in the eyes of the public who did not know the inside story, it was the Hongmu Sect that destroyed the Bright Fate Escort Agency.
In other words, if they could restore their honor by defeating the Hongmu Sect with the strength of the Bright Fate Escort Agency, they could regain trust once more.
But there was a problem.
“I understand their Sect Leader is still alive and well?”
The Hongmu Sect had also suffered heavy damage from the past incident. Although they had wiped out the Bright Fate Escort Agency, they were raided in return by the Baek Family Escort, losing part of their main force. Hong Mun-deok, the Sect Leader’s younger brother and one of their top experts, was also killed by Uncle Baek Jin-seong at that time.
However, the skills of the Hongmu Sect disciples who fought at that time were considerable. Moreover, the Sect Leader, the strongest expert of the Hongmu Sect, remained healthy.
Even with my masters’ teachings, it was impossible to surpass them all at once. No, rather, because it was the teachings of my masters, it would inevitably take longer.
“From what I saw, it was the fastest path. It makes for a good story, too. The weak defeating the strong is a story that works in any era. Besides, the content is the struggle of a girl avenging her father. It would probably easily restore Bright Fate Escort Agency’s reputation and trust, with plenty to spare.”
That was certainly true.
The problem was that it was close to impossible.
This guy must have thought that if I said a few words and showed a few martial arts moves, experts would just pop out like that.
‘…Come to think of it, there was a case like that.’
I shook my head.
“It’s not bad, but the premise is impossible.”
Baek Mu-ho clicked his tongue lightly.
“It can’t be helped. Except for a few methods we can use immediately, we’ll have to go by the book.”
Yes, that’s it.
In the long run, it was right to take the proper path, even if it was slow.
However, I felt I had to mention one uncomfortable word.
“……So, what are you plotting?”
Baek Mu-ho smirked slyly at me.
“As you judged, we must build Bright Fate Escort Agency’s own capabilities. Enough to run even without you. But that will take too long. Interference will come in before they can grow properly. That’s where you intervene to shorten the time. Rumors about the Young Heavenly Dragon are gradually crossing over from Sichuan.”
“Are you telling me to act as their backer?”
“What the Bright Fate Escort Agency needs are two things: building capabilities and regaining lost trust. And that trust can be borrowed. Your reputation will be a sufficient collateral. To put it bluntly, it’s something like, ‘My backer is insane, so don’t mess with me’?”
“Whether it’s that or this, it’s the same thing.”
In the end, it was the same story. I didn’t know why he was trying to slick it up so much.
Above all, there was a blind spot in this bastard’s words.
“Would people believe that rumor?”
I would be glad if they were even skeptical. Honestly, even I wouldn’t believe it.
Indeed, Myeong Il-seo, who was pricking up his ears to our conversation from afar, proved this.
However, Baek Mu-ho grinned as if it was no problem.
“They don’t believe it? Then we just make them believe it.”
“Huh?”
“We just have to show them and prove it. It’s not like your skills are fake.”
Show them and prove it.
It sounded nice, but I had a premonition that it would be a huge hassle.
“……Are you telling me to go on a sparring journey?”
“Yeah, exactly that.”
“While dragging along the moderately polished Bright Fate Escort Agency people in a line?”
“It would make for a good field trip. At the same time, we could send out the escort agency members one by one for preliminary spars before your matches, giving them real combat experience and verifying their skills.”
Since he wasn’t the one doing it, he was casually bringing up a method that sounded extremely annoying.
‘The problem is that it seems like it would be quite effective…’
Therefore, I could not reject this proposal.
Ultimately, there was no choice but to postpone it.
“Let’s talk about it again after we’ve raised the achievement level of the Bright Fate Escort Agency members to some extent.”
“That’s the proper order, indeed.”
Baek Mu-ho nodded calmly in agreement. However, he seemed convinced that even if I took a detour, my fate was destined to revolve around beating down martial artists while wandering around the Hubei region anyway.
‘This guy won’t do. If I don’t find a better way quickly somehow…’
[It is a good method.]
However, the voice echoing in my head seemed to welcome this decision.
It was a master who had come after a very long time.
‘Master Bodhidharma?’
[A nostalgic phrase. A sparring journey…]
[It is the romance of Martial World.]
Although falling into old nostalgia is the privilege of the elderly.
Listening to the conversation between Master Bodhidharma and Master Zhang Sanfeng, who sounded as if they had barely escaped after suffering long exploitation, I had a premonition that there was no avoiding it.
However, despite hardening my resolve, there was something I had not yet realized.
Just how much of an impact the ‘rumors’ about me starting from Sichuan were spreading with.
***
One of the Seventy-Two Peaks of Mount Wudang.
There was a being who occupied an entire peak of the spiritual mountain, each of which was extraordinary.
Wudang’s Number One Sword.
It was the place where the residence of the owner of that moniker, which overflowed with uniqueness just by hearing the name, was located.
Someone visited that place.
“I came after hearing rumors in Sichuan. It was a rumor that you, elder, had crossed the wall…… and it seems to be true.”
His appearance alone reminded one of a scholar with a rigid impression. However, wrapping around his body was only a sharp energy that seemed capable of slicing apart everything in the world.
“How much of the rumors is true?”
The ‘one of many’ who had come after hearing the rumors asked Adept Heudo with eyes full of curiosity.