Chapter 367: A Certain Merchant

“Well, no wonder Namgung Myung took off in such a hurry without even looking back…”

By now, it was unlikely they could catch up with Namgung Myung and Hyun Gong, even if they tried. The distance they’d covered in just a day was significant, and there was no telling which route they’d taken.

Imagining Namgung Myung and Hyun Gong enjoying a lavish journey made my blood boil.

Regardless, we were in a situation where we either had to move without any travel funds or find a way to earn some.

I thought about making something to sell and casually joked with Hong Geolgae.

“Without money, how are we supposed to eat? Hong Geolgae, how about begging for the first time in a while?”

“No.”

I expected him to at least think about it, but he answered immediately, which was unexpected.

I widened my eyes in surprise, and Hong Geolgae explained awkwardly.

“Begging isn’t as simple as you think. If you don’t do it often, you lose your touch. With my current begging skills, it would be hard to get any food.”

It was nonsense that didn’t require much thought. As I stared at him, Hong Geolgae scrambled for another excuse.

“Besides, there are unspoken territories among beggars. If a drifter like me begs in this area, the local beggars will definitely look at me unfavorably.”

“Can’t you just shout, ‘I’m the next leader of the Beggars’ Sect!’ and be done with it?”

“It wouldn’t look good for someone of my status to beg in another beggar’s territory… Plus, if I beg, other beggars might have to go hungry today.”

This excuse was at least somewhat understandable. I decided to change tactics and suggested another method.

“Then how about doing some simple work to earn just enough for travel expenses?”

“Me?”

“Well… depending on the situation?”

“It’s not really fitting for a beggar to earn money through work…”

Refusing both begging and labor, Hong Geolgae had become a person who perfectly balanced the flaws of both a beggar and an ordinary person.

Realizing this, I thought I might as well stick to my original plan of making and selling trinkets, but then I paused. A faint realization dawned on me.

Hong Geolgae hadn’t given up begging. Instead of begging from countless passersby with a bowl, he was just begging from me.

It was a sophisticated form of begging, or perhaps a subtle exploitation.

I sighed inwardly.

‘I’ve spoiled Hong Geolgae.’

Years of feeding him had led to his bad habits.

Realizing this, a strange sense of competitiveness arose within me.

Today, I was determined to make Hong Geolgae earn his keep, whether by begging or working.

Unaware of my thoughts, Hong Geolgae tried to coax me.

“If you just make a few trinkets and sell them, you’ll earn a few silver coins in no time. Let’s have a nice meal today. We’ve been sleeping rough too much; let’s find a decent room.”

The more he spoke, the more I felt I couldn’t leave him like this. I pondered what kind of work I could get him to do.

Something not too serious, but enough to make him work.

Fortunately, there was a suitable job.

The village we were in wasn’t far from Lanzhou, a key trading hub connecting the north and central regions, so there were quite a few trading caravans passing through.

‘We could join a caravan as fake escorts.’

Fake escorts, or pseudo-guards, were people who joined a caravan pretending to be guards.

The more guards a caravan appeared to have, the more hesitant bandits would be to attack. A fake escort didn’t even need to draw a weapon to be useful.

Of course, joining a caravan as a fake escort didn’t mean you’d get paid like the real guards hired from the start.

But you could at least get meals, and sometimes even ride in a cart.

There were other advantages too.

You wouldn’t waste time making and selling goods, and you could hear all sorts of stories from the guards, traders, and merchants.

These people traveled far and wide, often getting involved in all sorts of events, so they always had a few interesting tales from distant lands. If you were lucky, you might even pick up some valuable information.

Hong Geolgae nudged me.

“What are you going to make and sell? Let’s finish up before nightfall and head to the inn early.”

“No. We’re going to find some company.”

“Company?”

“A trading caravan. Let’s play the role of fake escorts.”

Hong Geolgae didn’t object to my suggestion. From his perspective, being a fake escort didn’t seem like active labor.

I scanned the village and spotted an inn with several carts parked outside.

Inside, as expected, merchants were lounging around. There seemed to be three groups.

I approached the first merchant and asked casually.

“Excuse me, sir. Which direction are you headed?”

“Judging by the sword, you’re looking for a spot as a fake escort, right? We’re headed to Wuchang via Chang’an.”

“Ah, but that’s not the direction we’re going.”

“That’s a shame.”

I moved on to the next merchant.

“Where are you headed, sir?”

“Are you thinking of coming all the way to the distant Western Regions with us?”

”…No, not at all.”

The second merchant burst into laughter.

I smiled back and approached the last merchant.

“Where are you headed, sir?”

“We’re going to Zhongqing.”

Our paths aligned. I spoke to the merchant in a friendly tone.

“Could we accompany you at least as far as the vicinity of Hanzhong?”

“We’d be happy to—”

Just as the merchant was about to agree, a guard beside him whispered something urgently in his ear.

After the conversation, the merchant looked apologetic.

“It seems someone else had already agreed to join us. I’m sorry for the change.”

”…”

The merchant’s sudden politeness made it clear what was happening.

The guard who whispered to the merchant was likely the head guard of the caravan.

The head guard had realized that I was more skilled than him and advised the merchant not to let us join.

From the perspective of a head guard, having me join would mean an additional superior. The comfortable journey would turn into a tense one.

But the bigger issue was that the head guard had no way to stop me if I decided to turn into a bandit in a secluded area.

If that happened, the caravan would be doomed. There were indeed cases where merchants lost everything or even their lives this way.

“Hmm.”

I understood their unease, but it was still a bit annoying. After all, I was being suspected of being a bandit.

As I frowned, the head guard quickly suggested another opportunity.

“Sir, there’s a merchant nearby looking for skilled individuals. Perhaps you could try there? You seem to have surpassed the peak at a young age, so you’d likely receive a much better reception.”

I was taken aback. How dare he belittle me, the great master, as merely someone who had surpassed the peak!

To make matters worse, Hong Geolgae was smirking at me, which only added to my irritation.

My expression grew more serious by the second, but the head guard had no way of knowing what he’d done wrong.

Though unintentionally insulted, I had no intention of taking it out on him.

In the end, I sighed lightly and replied.

”…I suppose I have no choice. Where can I find this merchant?”

“Not far. Just over there. I’ll guide you.”

So, I left the inn with the head guard and headed to another inn.

“This is the inn.”

The head guard said, bowing before disappearing.

At that moment, Hong Geolgae nudged me.

“Mujin, I’m going to take care of something.”

”…Alright.”

Hong Geolgae shuffled off awkwardly.

Without waiting for him to return, I opened the inn door.

Creak—

I expected a typical inn scene. Maybe a couple of guests, a merchant or two, and the innkeeper and staff leisurely passing the time.

But inside, there were nearly a dozen people. Most of them looked like they knew their way around a fight.

A dozen pairs of eyes fixed on me.

I didn’t panic. I calmly met their gazes, assessing their skills.

‘Most are below first-rate… but there are two who seem to have surpassed the peak?’

A first-rate martial artist could easily secure a head guard position in a sizable caravan. While it’s rare, sometimes a peak-level martial artist would accompany a caravan, but it wasn’t common.

To see a caravan with two peak-level martial artists was a first for me.

’…What kind of journey requires such a formidable escort?’

As I pondered, the people inside the inn watched me with a hint of tension.

None of them doubted that I had surpassed the peak.

Of course, they didn’t think of me as a grandmaster, but it didn’t take a grandmaster to make ordinary martial artists nervous.

Dang Mujin lifted his head to see who this merchant was, gathering so many martial artists in one place.

Among the crowd sat an elderly man whose face seemed oddly familiar to him.

’…Who was that? Ah!’

It didn’t take long for Dang Mujin to remember who the merchant was.

He was the same merchant they had encountered north of the Yellow River on their way to the Northern Ice Palace. Back then, the merchant had gotten drunk and ended up knocked out by his own bodyguard, Wang Ho, after causing a scene.

However, it wasn’t the merchant who left a lasting impression on Dang Mujin, but rather Wang Ho, the bodyguard. It was rare for a martial artist of Wang Ho’s caliber to serve as a mere escort.

Moreover, wasn’t it Wang Ho who had guided them to the bodies of those killed by Baek Hyang-a?

Dang Mujin scanned the area, looking for Wang Ho, but he was nowhere to be seen.

‘Did he step out for something? But more importantly, why are they still recruiting people when they already have three top-tier martial artists, including Wang Ho?’

Unlike Dang Mujin, the merchant didn’t seem to recognize him. It wasn’t surprising, given their brief and drunken encounter.

The merchant addressed Dang Mujin.

“Are you here looking for work too?”

“Uh… yes.”

Dang Mujin thought to himself. He had only planned to hitch a ride back home with the merchant’s caravan, maybe get a meal or two. How did things end up like this?

He asked the merchant about their destination.

“Where are you headed, if I may ask?”

“South, to Junggyeong.”

At least the direction was right. Then the merchant asked him another question.

“So, do you know how to handle a sword?”

Before Dang Mujin could respond, a middle-aged man standing next to the merchant answered for him.

“You needn’t worry about that. Though young, his skills are comparable to those of Geum Il-seop.”

“Oh! A top-tier expert, is he? Excellent. That should do.”

The merchant tapped the table, drawing everyone’s attention.

“Looks like we have enough people. Let’s begin the operation to rescue Wang Ho.”

…Rescue Wang Ho?

Something felt off. If anything, it should be Wang Ho rescuing the merchant, not the other way around. It seemed like things were completely backward.

The merchant continued.

“As you all know, the reward is half of my entire fortune. The distribution will be decided after the mission, with the largest share going to those who contribute the most. Someone might even walk away with the majority of it.”

Dang Mujin was taken aback.

This merchant was said to trade all the way to the Western lands. Half of such a merchant’s wealth would be an enormous sum.

And the merchant wasn’t finished.

“Depending on the situation, I might even increase the reward. I could give away my entire fortune. One thing’s for sure: none of you will be dissatisfied with your share.”

The crowd buzzed with excitement.

But Dang Mujin remained thoughtful, not swept up by the fervor.

If they’re going to rescue a top-tier expert, it means there’s something even more formidable involved. But what could it be? It was hard to imagine any bandit or rogue capable of overpowering someone like Wang Ho.

Just then, the door swung open, and Hong Geolgae, who had stepped out earlier, returned.

All eyes turned to the club hanging from Hong Geolgae’s waist, then to his face.

The merchant greeted him eagerly.

“Are you from the Beggars’ Sect? Perfect timing. How skilled are you?”

The man who had praised Dang Mujin, Geum Il-seop, spoke again, though without the same admiration.

“Third-rate… no, barely second-rate. He won’t be much help. Maybe just for odd jobs.”

At that moment, a bald man sitting near Hong Geolgae stood up and smacked him on the back of the head.

Whack!

The sound echoed loudly.

To Dang Mujin, it seemed like an attack Hong Geolgae could have easily dodged, yet he took it without flinching.

The bald man clicked his tongue and scolded him.

“Look at this fool. Five knots? Do you even know how high-ranking an O-gyeolgae is?”

”…What?”

When Hong Geolgae feigned ignorance, the bald man berated him further.

“An O-gyeolgae is on par with a vice-chief or a branch leader. If you walk around with knots like that and run into a local branch leader, you’ll get hit with a club, not just a slap. If you’re going to impersonate a Beggars’ Sect member, stick to two or three knots. Know your place.”

“Oh, yes… I’m sorry.”

“Consider yourself lucky it was me who caught you first. Got it?”

“Thank you, sir.”

Hong Geolgae bowed repeatedly, his demeanor utterly subservient.

Yet Dang Mujin clearly saw the faint, sinister smile playing on Hong Geolgae’s lips.