"Puhahaha! That was so satisfying! You saw it too, right, big brothers! The look on that human's face! He turned pale and asked if it was okay to leave, and he even called Myung 'young master'!"
Ilpyeong shouted loudly. His face was truly one of satisfaction. Eom Tak and Gwak Gyeong also smiled, but they also glanced at Cho Myung.
Cho Myung was not slow-witted. He soon noticed the reactions of the two.
"Did I do sothing wrong?"
"No, no. They were the ones who were wrong. What wrong could you or we have done?"
Eom Tak waved his hand.
"But why are you like that?"
"That's, well..."
When Eom Tak could not speak and was hesitating, Gwak Gyeong blurted it out.
"Sotis you have to know how to run away."
"......!"
"You also have to know how to bend."
Gwak Gyeong, who was speaking in short bursts.
Cho Myung finally realized what Eom Tak and Gwak Gyeong were worried about.
"The three of you might get hurt because of . Should we stop traveling together?"
At that mont, Gwak Gyeong's face hardened as if he were angry, and Eom Tak waved his hand even more vigorously.
"No. We're not like that. To share joys and sorrows ans to share difficulties as well. How can we only share the good things? That's a really shaless thought."
"Then what should we do?"
"The second one said it. Sotis you have to know how to run away, and you have to know how to bend."
"Ah, yes..."
Cho Myung thought for a mont and then said.
"If the opponent is strong, I'll run away. I'm not stupid either. But I won't bend. My master said so. That everyone has pride, whether their martial arts are strong or weak. That you have to protect and be protected by that pride. So I won't bend for sothing I didn't do wrong. And I know that if soone ignores , it's trampling on my pride. I won't let such a person go either."
He said it in a slightly firm tone.
"I understand. Do as you wish."
Eom Tak nodded his head.
His face said that that much was okay.
"If the opponent is strong, we'll all run away together, but don't bend."
Gwak Gyeong said.
It was not a face that looked angry.
It was a face that understood and accepted Cho Myung's thoughts.
"Why are you being so serious about sothing that's not a big deal! On such a satisfying day, you should be sad that there's no alcohol."
Ilpyeong licked his lips and made a sad face.
"The work we do is ultimately to harm soone. So I told you that we have to have at least a basic principle."
"That again. I have my own principles too. Fight fiercely when you fight, and have fun and be happy when you don't! How simple and good is that!"
"Yes, that would be great."
While Eom Tak and Ilpyeong were bickering, Cho Myung asked Gwak Gyeong.
"What is a principle?"
"It refers to one's own code of conduct. One's own basic belief that should be consistent and unshakable, sothing like that."
Gwak Gyeong answered, leaning his back against the cave wall, and Cho Myung was lost in thought.
'What is my own principle?'
While Cho Myung's thoughts were getting longer, Eom Tak put dry branches on the bonfire he had lit at the cave entrance, and Ilpyeong and Gwak Gyeong found a spot on one side and lay down.
Eom Tak waited until Cho Myung had finished his thoughts and then went to sleep with him.
The next morning.
As soon as it got bright, Eom Tak woke him up.
"Pyeong, get up quickly."
"Just a little more."
Ilpyeong turned over.
"We have to hurry if we want to taste so proper soup."
At Eom Tak's words, Ilpyeong shot up and shouted.
"Myung, get up quickly... you're up!"
When he shouted and looked back, Cho Myung was already up.
"Why do you sleep so soundly? I wouldn't know if soone slit my throat."
"It's because you big brothers are here. Let's go quickly."
Ilpyeong, who had woken up the latest, went out of the cave first and urged them.
"Huh? The fire isn't out yet. Big brother, you must be short on sleep."
"I woke up at the hour of the rabbit (5-7 am) because of the cold. I put in the last of the dry branches then, but seeing that it's still alive, the second one must have put in more after that."
Eom Tak explained, putting out the fire.
"Thanks to you two big brothers, I'm the only one who's living a comfortable life."
When Ilpyeong smiled and looked at him, Gwak Gyeong just nodded his head.
"That's enough. Let's go."
When Eom Tak, who had completely put out the fire, headed outside, Gwak Gyeong also followed.
Cho Myung watched the three and then followed silently.
The place where the three, including Eom Tak, took Cho Myung was a bustling market from early in the morning.
In a corner of the busy street, white steam was rising with a mouth-watering sll.
It was a noodle stall.
"Four bowls with a lot of at."
As soon as the order was placed, the owner handed over a large bowl filled with hot soup and noodles.
The four received a bowl each and began to eat with their chopsticks.
"Seeing you co here at this ti, you must have been wandering for a long ti?"
A peddler who was carrying a backpack next to them put down his empty bowl and spoke.
In the city, the place where you can taste warm soup cheaply in the early morning is the market.
Since the main custors are the rchants who are preparing to open their stores from early in the morning and the wandering rchants who have to leave on a long journey, the price is cheap and the portions are generous.
"It's been almost ten years. Wherever I go, the market is the best at this ti."
Eom Tak answered, moving his chopsticks diligently.
"Seeing that you've been eating with a sword for nearly ten years, you must be very skilled."
At the peddler's words, Eom Tak stopped eating.
Most rchants do not speak to ronin carelessly. Because they live by fighting, their tempers are sensitive, sensitive, and dirty. But to speak to them ans there is a reason for it.
"Do you need a swordsman?"
"Aigoo! How can people like us hire ronin? It's just that if we're going in the sa direction, I was wondering if we could move together. Ah, of course, if that's the case, we will be responsible for your food and lodging until we arrive."
When Eom Tak looked around, six more peddlers were showing interest in the conversation.
"We're on our way in."
It ant that they were on their way to Guiyang, the center of Guizhou Province.
At Eom Tak's words, the faces of the rchants brightened.
It ant that their direction was the sa, and because Eom Tak had shown his intention to go with them.
At this ti, Ilpyeong, who had heard the conversation between Eom Tak and the rchant, made a happy face and shouted to the owner of the noodle stall.
"Give another bowl of noodles here. With a lot of at and noodles."
"Order after you finish that."
"I'm giving it to my younger brother here."
Ilpyeong said, gesturing to Cho Myung with his chin.
Cho Myung, who had already finished his soup, was just sucking on his chopsticks.
"Will you have more?"
When the owner asked, Cho Myung nodded his head.
"Here you go."
When the owner handed him a steaming bowl, Cho Myung placed it in front of him and began to eat quickly with his chopsticks.
Anyone who saw him would think he had just started eating.
"Don't be shy and eat your fill. These people are buying all this."
Ilpyeong said with a smile.
He was happy because the food was free, and he was happy because their situation had changed proudly thanks to Cho Myung.
Because if Cho Myung had not been there, they would have had to wait for an escort agency or another group of ronin to pass by, or they would have had to take a big detour.
"Let's go together. It would be good if we get to Guiyang safely, and if sothing happens, we'll block it for you."
Eom Tak said, puffing out his chest.
***
Dongjia Fortress.
Since Guiyang was the center of Guizhou Province, there were Green Forest mountain fortresses at every crossroads, and Dongjia Fortress was also one of them.
But Dongjia Fortress was different from other mountain fortresses.
Fan Zhong, the Bear Axe, whose signature weapon was a large axe and who had a bear-like build.
With his presence alone, who was one of the seventy-two villains of the Green Forest, no one ignored Dongjia Fortress, and even the Pyeongsan Fortress Master, Daerang, who was famous for his bad temper, had to be careful in front of Fan Zhong.
"Are you not going to collect it today either?"
The vice fortress master was being annoying from the morning.
Fan Zhong turned over and showed his annoyance.
"Fortress master!"
"What fun would there be in going out?"
"Do you do your work for fun?"
"So it's work. The work of collecting money is for you guys, and my work is to boss you guys around. So don't be annoying and get out quickly."
"Even if it's annoying, you have to show your face once every ten days so that people will know that the fortress master is fine."
"They all know even if I don't show my face. So leave alone and go."
"Don't be like that, let's go out to work today!"
"Ah, co on!"
"Fortress master!"
When the vice fortress master did not seem to be giving up easily, Fan Zhong shot up from his upper body.
"Hey! You son of a bitch! Do I have to split your head and suck your brains out for you to get lost!"
"Split it when you split it, but go out and split it!"
"Hah! Really! You're really going to get hit."
"When I ca under you, fortress master, I said so. That I would annoy you until you beco the head of the Green Forest."
"I said I have a lot to do, when did I say I would bully people?"
"So let's go out to work."
"What kind of work is that?"
"That's what we do. You seem to have forgotten because you're cooped up here, drinking and rolling around all day, but we're mountain bandits."
"What's a mountain bandit when you have the progressive na of Green Forest hero?"
"No matter how you package it, shit is shit."
"You dirty bastard."
It was when Fan Zhong was frowning and wondering whether to get up or not.
"Fortress-master!"
"What's with that brat again?"
It was when Fan Zhong was making a displeased face at the shout coming from outside the door.
The door burst open and a man rushed in.
"Hey! Where do you think this is to co in so suddenly! Is the fortress master's room your shithouse! These guys think the fortress master is dog shit, what's going on!"
"Dog shit or whatever, they've co! They've co!"
"What's co?"
"The patrol sent from the main fortress has co!"
"Damn it, what's going on again. They send them whenever I'm about to forget."
Fan Zhong's face crumpled.
And yet, his body was getting up from the bed.
The work of the Green Forest patrol was usually two things.
To directly deliver the ssage of the head of the Green Forest or to inspect and grasp the situation of the lower mountain fortresses.
"Fortress Master Fan, have you been well?"
When Fan Zhong appeared, a middle-aged man with a red armband on one arm smiled and cupped his fists.
In fact, the authority of the Green Forest patrol was not much. But there was an invisible power that could cause trouble between the lower mountain fortresses and the main fortress.
So most mountain fortresses would usually treat them with a low posture.
They would even give them money, asking them to look favorably on them and to speak well of them to the higher-ups.
But Fan Zhong did not know such things.
"Forget the greetings, if there's a ssage from the fortress master, just spit it out."
"There is no ssage from the fortress master this ti."
"Damn it, then why did you co?"
"It's a regular patrol."
"So why are you doing that?"
"Because that's what a patrol does."
"What patrol, you're just spying on us to see if we're going to crawl up from below."
"I will pretend I did not hear that."
"You can pretend you heard it. Is the fortress master going to chase all the way here for saying that, what's he going to do?"
"With the fortress master's temper, he might."
"Then, don't."
"I will keep my mouth shut."
Watching the patrol who maintained a polite attitude even when he was being sarcastic and treating him badly, Fan Zhong frowned.
It ant that he was one of the people who expected sothing from him. Even though he was just lazing around like this.
"Fill your stomach and go."
Fan Zhong turned around.
"It seems the Pyeongsan Fortress Master has been defeated."
"Daerang?"
Fan Zhong turned around.
His face was one of interest.
"I was on my way here after stopping by there, and it is said that he was knocked down in one blow by a brat who looks to be in his teens."
"Wow! It seems a divine dragon of the Orthodox Faction has co out into the world."
"We'll have to see if he's a divine dragon or not."
"Then go and check, why did you co here?"
"......"
The patrol who just stared silently without answering.
At that sight, Fan Zhong, who had been blinking his eyes, raised his finger and pointed at himself.
"?"
"I heard he was heading this way after passing Pyeongsan Fortress."
"Then he must have passed."
"I ran all night."
"Why did you go to such trouble?"
"Because it's my job."
"So now you're telling to do my job?"
"If it becos known that the person who defeated the Pyeongsan Fortress Master passed through here without any restraint, the head of the main fortress will be furious."
"Damn it..."
Fan Zhong, who was annoyed to death.
But an uncontrollable energy was already beginning to stir in his body.
***
The Cho Myung party was moving with seven rchants.
They had been moving together for six hours since early in the morning, but there was nothing good or bad.
It was just that since the party had grown, they could not rest freely or speak carelessly.
But a problem arose from an unexpected place.
After eating lunch, a complaint burst out from among the rchants who were paying the bill.
"We agreed to be responsible for the als of four people, but this is for seven people."
"That's right. It seems he eats too much."
"I wonder if he thinks we're a pushover and is trying to eat his fill this ti."
Although they were talking among themselves, it was a voice that the Cho Myung party could hear clearly.
"Damn it, how much did it co out to, to make a fuss about eating so cheap."
Ilpyeong said a word.
Gwak Gyeong also frowned.
It was sothing that had happened because Cho Myung had eaten four servings. But it was all thanks to Cho Myung that they were safe. Of course, from the rchants' point of view, it was sothing that had happened because they did not know that much.
The problem was that this would be repeated in the future.
Eom Tak took out the amount of money they had eaten from his purse.
"Let's go separately from here."
"Aigoo, brother Eom, what are you saying?"
A rchant nad O Chungyang stopped Eom Tak with a sorry face. He was the rchant who had spoken to Eom Tak in the morning.
"It's not that those people's complaints are wrong, so it's better to part ways from here."
"If there's a problem, we can solve it, can't we? Let's do this. I'll pay for the extra amount that young master Ban eats, so let's just go together."
O Chungyang liked the Eom Tak party.
Unlike ronin, they did not treat them carelessly, and when he talked to them, he found that they were people who were living diligently for the future, even though their way of earning money was different.
"You don't have to do that, brother O."
"No. If it's a connection, it's a connection, it's not right to part ways like this because of a few pennies."
"......!"
Not only Eom Tak, but also Gwak Gyeong and Ilpyeong ca to see O Chungyang in a new light. They had thought he was just a rchant who knew how to treat people, but he was a person with a warm personality who only saw the good in good things.
"I'm sorry. I'll eat less."
Cho Myung bowed his head.
"You brat! Then what do we big brothers beco! It's not like sothing will happen if you eat your fill, so you just stay out of it."
Ilpyeong put his arm around Cho Myung's shoulder and pulled him.
At that sight, Eom Tak smiled and said to O Chungyang.
"Then let's split it half and half."
"Let's do that."
O Chungyang also smiled.
"I'm sure no one has any objections?"
O Chungyang looked back at the other rchants and asked.
There were no objections. But there was no one who smiled either.
Although the problem of the extra money was solved, their faces were still full of complaints, perhaps because they felt as if they had done sothing wrong.
A uncomfortable journey began again like that.
The atmosphere, which had been pretty good all morning, was filled with a cold wind from the afternoon.
O Chungyang walked side by side with Eom Tak and the others who were walking in the front and tried to make conversation, but the other rchants did not even co close. After moving like that for about an hour, a group moving ahead was visible in the front.
It was none other than the Taegang Escort Agency.
"There's the escort agency!"
"That's great. Since it's an escort agency, they won't kick out small rchants like us."
"Instead of this, let's go quickly and ask if we can go with them."
"Let's do that."
The rchants said a word each and then rushed off.
(End of Chapter)
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