Chapter 9: Baek Family Escort Agency (1)

Although Master Zhang Sanfeng and Master Bodhidharma were delivering teachings, I still had many shortcomings.

Even if I had overwhelmingly defeated Yin Si-hoo, Yin Si-hoo’s level was merely to the extent of failing to become even a main mountain disciple despite having a good family backing him.

Shouting that one is great at the level of a larva that has not even grown wings is not a boasting matter.

If I judged myself coldly, wouldn’t I struggle if even a main mountain disciple level around my age from the Nine Great Sects came forward?

Considering that my teachers were none other than Master Zhang Sanfeng and Master Bodhidharma, it was a shameful thing.

To save face, I would have to be at least the strongest of my grade.

To fill in what was lacking, training was indeed the only way.

That day was no different from any other.

“Do you want to go on an escort mission together?”

Until Baek Mu-ho came by and threw out strange words.

“Did Uncle Baek beat you up?”

“What do you mean?”

“No, I just wondered if you got hit in the head or something.”

Since he suddenly said something out of the blue, it was only natural to throw back such a reply.

Wondering if he had a fever in his head, I reached out my hand toward his forehead.

Swish!

As if in reply, Baek Mu-ho’s fist flew toward my chin.

Although it was fast, it was not to the extent that I, who had become familiar with listening force, would miss it.

As I snatched his wrist, twisted, and bent it in a single motion, Baek Mu-ho’s entire body was lifted into the air.

“Oh?”

Thud!

Baek Mu-ho, who was laid down cleanly, looked up at the sky.

Baek Mu-ho, who lay on the ground staring blankly up at the sky, began to giggle and laugh, finding something highly amusing.

“Wow, this is fascinating even when experiencing it again?”

“You find the strangest things fascinating. Even though you were half-flung by your own momentum.”

Perhaps because he had experienced it once before, I felt a reaction trying to resist in the middle of being thrown.

However, even though there was a moment he could have escaped, Baek Mu-ho did not bother to resist and entrusted his body to the flow of being thrown. And he was delighted as if he had ridden some fun amusement park ride.

“I really think you got hit in the head wrongly…”

It was a statement made in jest, but now I was a bit suspicious.

Is not the fellow thrown to the floor giggling and laughing?

He was definitely not normal.

“I feel like I might figure it out if I get subjected to it a few more times.”

Raising his body, Baek Mu-ho’s eyes sparked.

Seeing that appearance, I understood a bit why he was doing this.

Where does he think he is trying to get a free ride?

Shall I show him a harsh taste once?

Once again, I read Baek Mu-ho’s movements through listening force.

I reach out my hand toward the identified void and solidness.

Baek Mu-ho’s wrist, showing weak resistance as if telling me to do as I pleased, was caught in my hand once again.

Normally, I would have thrown him like just now, but this time I bent his arm as it was.

“Ack! Hey! That’s a foul! It hurts! Surrender! Surrender!!”

Baek Mu-ho, whose body was twisted like a pretzel and subdued, waved his other hand and screamed surrender.

Only then did I brush my hands and let him go.

Perhaps it hurt quite a bit, as Baek Mu-ho pouted his lips while loosening his bent arm this way and that.

“So cheap.”

“Cheap, my foot. You haven’t been beaten enough, have you?”

Should I just blow your jaw off?

Since I used my hands with the intention of subduing him without injury, I ended it with throwing and bending, but if I set my mind to it, even more than that was possible.

Being able to throw the opponent freely meant I could shake the opponent’s center at any time, and shaking the center meant I had subdued the opponent’s movements. And I could do anything to an opponent whose movements were subdued.

Bashing their jaw, or breaking their bones.

I just needed to strike with my hands and feet in the path where they were thrown. Of course, using hands and feet was not as simple as it sounded, but the basic theory was so.

‘Uh? This is quite…’

What if I integrated Shaolin Fist here?

Could I find a way for Wudang Fist and Shaolin Fist to harmonize?

Wudang’s softness and Shaolin’s hardness blending and moving as one body!

Just thinking about it sent shivers down my spine.

‘Well, though the masters would probably think of it as a trivial trick.’

Even so, it did not seem like a bad idea.

“An escort mission…”

If I embarked on an escort mission, I would also experience real combat. Considering that something came out during the brief exchange of hands with Baek Mu-ho, it didn’t seem like a bad thing.

“Hmm…”

It was not that I ignored the weight of the word real combat, but the thought of wanting to challenge it made my heart race in an instant.

A heightened feeling, like a pleasant excitement, spread throughout my body.

“Are you interested?”

Seeing that I, who had seemed uninterested, appeared to have changed my mind, Baek Mu-ho asked suggestively.

Seeing him ask with a sly smile made me truly feel like punching him.

Was it my imagination that I saw the anticipation of a fisherman just before catching a prize fish?

Somehow, thinking that I was being baited by this fellow made my excitement cool down a bit, but it was not enough to cool the heat that had once flared up.

However, to do so, first.

“Let’s do it together.”

“Of course, I also plan to go…”

“Not that.”

I pointed my finger in another direction.

“Over there.”

At the place I pointed, my younger brother was visible, poking his head out and staring this way.

Eyes that seemed ready to cry, asking ‘Brother, are you leaving?’, stabbed my conscience deeply.

“…Cheap bastard.”

“Yeah, I admit that.”

As if facing a rather formidable enemy, Baek Mu-ho stiffened his face.

I did not exactly deny it either.

That is definitely strong.

So help me.

Isn’t a friend there to be used in times like this?

***

In the case of large cities, since so many people and decision-makers exist, it was difficult for the influence of a few individuals to encompass the whole.

However, in places with few people, like local villages, a single individual could exert enough influence to dominate the entire town.

Samyang County was not small enough to be swayed by a single individual, but it was a situation where a small number of people exerted great influence.

The Chief of the Baek Family Escort and Baek Mu-ho’s father.

Baek Jin-seong was one of them.

Although merchants created the flow of logistics connecting Samyang County to the outside, it was the escort agency that protected its safety. In addition, since they even played a role like a vigilante group in charge of Samyang County’s public order, it was natural that their authority within the county was powerful.

One might think what kind of Martial World sect takes charge of public order, but this was an era where this was natural.

Whether the country intended to establish a firm influence in the regions, it split the system into the realms of judiciary, administration, and military.

What that meant was that even the county magistrate who ran the county had no practical military force under his control. Since the realms of administration and military were different, he had no authority to control the troops stationed at the garrison.

Furthermore, the vast territory of the nation also played a part. Even the military stationed at the borders was insufficient, so to have enough troops to maintain public order at each regional garrison, even ten million troops would be insufficient, let alone one million.

So regional Martial World sects, which were like local gentry, contributed their strength to protecting their own areas.

That was also the reason why stories like non-interference between government and Martial World arose.

“This place is big whenever I look at it.”

It was large.

Just looking at how it spread out to the point where the ends of the walls centering around the main gate could not be properly seen allowed one to guess its scale.

Since it was an escort agency, it had to bring in various goods of merchant groups and perform the role of storing or managing them, so it was understandable that the internal scale was large, but the Baek Family Escort boasted a scale that naturally brought out the impression of being large even considering that.

In my childhood, when everything appeared huge, this house had even felt like some kind of monster.

Although that feeling was similar even now.

“That’s why it’s a pain in the ass when cleaning…”

“I understand.”

Although it sounded like a spoiled complaint, I had the experience of doing household cleaning at the Baek Family Escort briefly following that fellow, so I could empathize.

The Baek family was not a family that just lived comfortably with legs stretched out, ordering people around with a nod of the chin. They had already sent their child, who had not even reached twenty, onto the escort road.

Just looking at this would roughly show what their family style was like.

Well, since the people of such a family held the center of Samyang County firmly, it was also why this place ran that peacefully.

By the way.

[Cleaning is indeed a shitty job.]

[Being big isn’t necessarily good. There is truly no end to it here no matter how much you do.]

Hearing the voices of the two who strongly agreed with that, how should I put it.

What on earth are you doing in the heavens?

Although one of my personal goals was to ascend to the heavens by my own strength someday and meet the two of them in person, whenever stories of that place subtly leaked out bit by bit, a dangerous scent wafted.

Should I say I felt something dark and creeping, unbefitting the word heaven?

He once mentioned a low-ranking petty official, but somehow I felt that statement might not be a joke.

There were times I thought I should look into the stories of that side.

“Will they make me do strange things if I go?”

“Huh? What? What?”

Perhaps because I often conversed with the two masters when alone, it seemed Baek Mu-ho heard what I said inadvertently.

“No, recently, while training in martial arts alone, I’ve developed a tendency to talk to myself sometimes. Like talking to myself.”

I made a rough excuse. If I set it up this way, they would find it less strange even if they heard me conversing with the masters later.

“What a strange habit.”

“Is it? I thought this much was common.”

“If you really analyze it, yes. Well, hearing stories, there’s even a middle-aged man who wears women’s undergarments saying he won’t get hit by arrows.”

“…Ah, really?”

What a comparison.

I felt uncomfortable at somehow being lumped together with that sort.

More than anything.

“Anyway, your eyes look like you’re hiding something.”

“You say the strangest things.”

“I’m not very good at lying either, but you’re not particularly good at it either.”

Anyone could see he had a look of plotting something.

Once I poked him, it showed immediately.

“Ha! Ha! Ha! What are you talking about, really. Let’s go in, go in.”

Baek Mu-ho urged me to go inside quickly, making strange excuses.

Frowning, I glared at Baek Mu-ho’s retreating back.

What if something strange dropped onto my head once we crossed that gate?

If something strange flew at me, I would return all of it to the back of that fellow’s head.

With that mind, I crossed the main gate.

“Huh?”

What was waiting inside was not some strange filth bomb.

“Y-you’re here? It’s b-been a long time… right?”

A beautiful woman, slightly flustered, was showing signs of welcome.

Sister Seol-ah.

One of the reasons, along with my grandfather, that I came to admire and envy martial artists.

I carefully asked Sister Seol-ah, who was visibly flustered for some unknown reason.

“Are you also plotting something together, Sister?”

“Plotting? Me? What?”

“No, that grin and smirk of his is definitely the face he makes when he’s trying to tease someone. And your reaction was strange as soon as you saw me too, Sister.”

I subtly lumped Sister Seol-ah and Baek Mu-ho together in my speech.

It was also around then that the expression of Sister Seol-ah, who had been slightly flustered upon hearing words she couldn’t understand at once, began to change suddenly.

“Tease… is it?”

As Sister Seol-ah’s expression turned cold, her gaze quietly drifted toward Baek Mu-ho.

“Baek. Mu. Ho.”

Even in my eyes, the way she moved her head exceptionally slowly was terrifying. Coupled with speaking as slowly as her head movements, pronouncing each syllable clearly, it transcended fear and was even chilling.

It was also the moment Baek Mu-ho’s face, which had been grinning, stiffened instantly.

‘I guess it wasn’t Sister.’

The changed look in her eyes proved it.

‘That’s the look my mother has when she smacks a cockroach to death.’

A gaze that looked ready to stomp Baek Mu-ho to death right now.

Whatever Baek Mu-ho was thinking, it was certain that they had not plotted together.

“Then again, if it were me…”

For a moment, a terrifying imagination popped into my head.

What if my younger brother Cheong-u was a fellow like Baek Mu-ho?

The answer came quickly.

I might have beaten him to death.

I would have beaten him day in and day out.

That fellow would also have constantly sought my life.

I’d squeeze the ink right out of his eyes…

“…No, let’s not have such terrifying thoughts anymore.”

[You’re crossing the line!]

[Ho! Ho!]

As if they guessed roughly what kind of imagination I had, Master Zhang Sanfeng and Master Bodhidharma expressed discomfort.

Seeing even Master Bodhidharma, who had a strong magnanimous temperament, act that way, I indeed had a terrible imagination.

Sigh, not a terrible imagination, but a horrific one.

How dare I compare that guy to our Cheong-u, who wouldn’t hurt even if put in my eyes?

Sister Seol-ah, who looked chilling, looked like a fairy upon seeing her again.

Chilling, my foot.

I’m telling you, if it were me, I would have beaten him to death.

That fellow doesn’t even recognize such a kind older sister.

“See you later, you.”

“Today, tell Cheong-un to sleep over…”

“Shut it.”

“Yes!”

Seeing Baek Mu-ho groveling like a frog in front of a snake, a tongue-clicking sound naturally flowed from my mouth.

In the midst of that, Sister Seol-ah turned her body back to me.

“Since you’re here after a long time, you should also see Father before you go. He will be glad to see you.”

“I was already on my way to see him anyway.”

“Yes, good thinking.”

Fortunately, when Sister Seol-ah turned her head, a smile was spread across her face.

It felt like a flower in full bloom.

At the smile that felt as if a spring day had arrived, I also smiled back.

As expected, she was beautiful.

Although there was a part slightly different from the most impressive time in my memory.

However, there was a moment when Sister Seol-ah’s spring-like smile stiffened slightly.

It was when she patted my shoulder and gently touched my body.

“Your body… has gotten much sturdier?”

“I’m devoting myself to training in my own way. Although it doesn’t show because muscles don’t build much.”

“To say it doesn’t show…”

Sister Seol-ah’s expression turned subtle. In her gaze, trailing off as she inspected me, concern and curiosity crossed paths.

“It seems you worked hard.”

However, swallowing what she was about to say, she concluded with kind words.

What was she trying to say?

I wanted to press for details, but the words did not come easily.

Instead, other words came out.

“Sister.”

“…Yes?”

“Your black hair is also beautiful.”

Suddenly, my mouth acted on its own.

“Ah, yes… That’s a relief.”

It seemed her face flushed red briefly, but otherwise there was no major change. Basically, Sister Seol-ah did not seem to take my words in an odd way.

Whether I should call this a relief.

Sister Seol-ah stroked my cheek once.

And she moved her steps elsewhere.

Once Sister Seol-ah left the spot in that manner.

“If a friend falls into danger, you should throw away your life to save him!”

Baek Mu-ho rushed at me relentlessly.

Of course, having no intention of playing along, I grabbed Baek Mu-ho and slammed him onto the ground.

“Squeak!”

“Would I take Sister’s side or your side?”

At my snort, Baek Mu-ho sighed.

“Sigh, you clueless bastard. I thought you were doing well, but you couldn’t seal the deal.”

“Clueless, my foot. How would a guy like that read your presence?”

“You are clueless, you dumbass.”

Hearing my denial, Baek Mu-ho grumbled and raised his body.

“Stop talking nonsense, and let’s go see Uncle quickly.”

I spoke pressuringly to Baek Mu-ho as he raised his body.

Grumbling and raising his body, Baek Mu-ho spat out words with irritation.

“Sigh, dumbass.”

“Shut it, simpleton.”

“Dumbass.”

“Simpleton.”

In any case, when hanging out with this fellow, I feel like my intelligence quotient is dropping.

Is it just my imagination?