Chapter 5

A hill overlooking the Gwak Clan estate.

Though it was summer, as the sun dipped below the horizon, the wind blowing from beyond the steppes carried a chill that bordered on eerie.

A figure lying prone in the tall brush, observing the mansion, let out a soft bird call.

[Movement confirmed at the mansion.]

Upon receiving the sound transmission embedded in the warning chirp, the leader, who had been taking a brief rest while concealed nearby, poked his head out.

[…The torches are moving.]

Enhancing his vision with internal energy, he could clearly see the reddish glow of torches reflecting off dark leather armor in the distance.

[Regular troops. General Gwak’s subordinates.]

[…Just as planned.]

Only after confirming that even the servants were pouring out of the mansion did the leader make his move. He chirped twice, signaled with a hand gesture to those around him, and sent a sound transmission.

[Withdraw.]

It was a procedure just in case the sound transmission didn’t reach everyone.

Rustle, rustle.

From the grass that had appeared empty just moments before, several figures rose. They had been wearing camouflage suits woven with grass over their thick coats, rendering them nearly invisible.

[Our camouflage was perfect.]

[General Gwak’s rear guard didn’t notice us, either.]

There was no way ordinary soldiers, low-level officers, or mere mansion guards could have detected them.

[Then…]

[It went according to plan.]

They withdrew to the opposite side with extraordinary agility, habitually erasing their tracks as they moved.

[In a neighborhood like this, outsiders are bound to stand out, after all.]

They were, without a doubt, the very people the Gwak Patriarch had mentioned—the ones who had tailed General Gwak.

“……”

Finally, while his comrades erased their traces, the leader pulled a crossbow from his back. After a quick inspection, he fired it directly toward the mansion.

Screeeech—!

The whistling arrow, also known as a signal arrow, cut through the air with a long, piercing cry.

“—–!”

“—!”

In the distance, the Gwak Clan troops, mistaking it for an attack signal, could be seen scattering and throwing themselves for cover.

[Good.]

The leader quickly disassembled the crossbow and sent a transmission.

[All units, after dispersing as planned, assemble at Contact Point Alpha.]

After nodding and exchanging glances—

[Good luck.]

[You too.]

Some immediately began to sprint using light footwork, some mounted the horses they had tethered nearby, and others crawled deeper into the grass to hide their presence.

***

A short while later.

[Right!]

Horses snorted as they rounded the corner of an alley at breakneck speed.

[Left at the next corner!]

Riding them were the very operatives who had withdrawn from the hill near the Gwak Clan estate.

“Whoops!”

A resident who had stepped out into the alley to relieve himself fell backward, barely dodging the horses.

[Don’t stop! He just fell!]

[Thank goodness…!]

The riders, even while checking that they hadn’t trampled a civilian, could not afford to slow down.

[Over there!]

The rider in the lead spotted two strips of red cloth tied and fluttering beneath the eaves of an inn.

[Jump!]

There was no time to slow down. They threw themselves from their horses mid-gallop, tucking into rolls as they landed into a pile of straw that had been prepared in advance.

[Into the hole!]

Crawling through a gap beneath the fence hidden within the straw, they entered the inn’s courtyard, where a group of people moving frantically spotted them.

“Cloud!”

“Sea!”

“Verification complete!”

Once their identities were confirmed through the countersign, women hurriedly handed them bundles of clothes. The operatives stripped off everything they had been wearing right there in the yard, regardless of who was watching, and changed into the new garments.

“Hurry! Double-check the knots on the cargo!”

“Final check in progress!”

Everyone was running around so busily that no one paid them any mind anyway.

“Where are the other comrades?”

A middle-aged man in silk robes nodded urgently at the question.

“You are the last!”

Amidst their brief exchange—

“Hey, over here!”

“Hiyah! Hiyah!”

Servants who had retrieved the horses the operatives had ridden entered the yard. They expertly calmed the animals and hitched them to the wagons.

“Preparations?”

“Finished!”

“Move out!”

As the wagons, loaded high with cargo, began to move—

“Depart! Depart!”

Porters carrying heavy loads on their backs followed the wagons. As torches were lit, brightly illuminating the scene, the martial artists who had changed clothes were now sitting atop the wagons or beside the coachmen.

They looked for all the world like a merchant caravan.

[…What about the inn?]

Looking back at the receding inn as the procession exited the alley, a martial artist asked via sound transmission.

[Are they trustworthy?]

“There is no need to worry at all.”

The Merchant Head, the middle-aged man in silk robes sitting inside the carriage, nodded.

“They are faithful believers, devoted to the doctrine.”

“The teachings of the Medicine Fairy have spread even to this far northern land?”

“Is there any place in the Central Plains that has not received Her grace?”

The martial artist clicked his tongue in amazement. “…It’s rare, but sometimes the organizational power of the House of Benevolence gives me goosebumps.”

The Merchant Head, a member of the House of Benevolence, shrugged. “I agree.”

At that answer, the martial artist scoffed, “What are we supposed to do if you agree with that?”

The Merchant Head laughed, “Originally, the House of Benevolence began with the shrines of the Medicine Fairy erected across the Central Plains. It was founded on believers hoping for Her grace.”

“Right.”

“It had size, but the problem was that it lacked substance. However…” Even while speaking, the Merchant Head’s eyes moved ceaselessly, checking the procession. “Things are changing as the Grand Young Master begins to move in earnest.”

“Indeed.”

The smoke from the martial artist’s pipe scattered behind the carriage.

“As massive funds began to circulate through the hands of the Dasunrang ladies, branches across the country are being rapidly connected. Furthermore…,” the Merchant Head’s gaze turned toward the martial artist before continuing, “With the righteous warriors of the Spring of Luoyang joining us, even ‘work like this’ has become possible.”

The warrior from the Spring of Luoyang flicked the ash from his pipe and gave a dry smile.

“…This sort of trickery is the only talent we have, after all.”

“Only talent?”

The Merchant Head waved his hand in dismissal.

“Are you not the ones who operated in the shadows of Luoyang for all that time, and in the end, put up a great fight against the terrifying Third Young Master’s faction?”

The Spring of Luoyang.

They had undoubtedly survived for years as a secret society in a Luoyang dominated by the Luoyang Sword Clan. Their golden experience and know-how were now being steadily transmitted to the House of Benevolence.

“…We were just,” the warrior scratched the tip of his nose, looking away in embarrassment, “struggling to live righteously, that’s all.”

The Merchant Head smiled.

“That is the same for us.”

Their conversation ended there.

“Halt! Halt!”

As they reached the city gate, a detachment of troops blocked their path.

[This looks serious.]

Bows were aimed in unison from atop the gate, and the troops swarming out leveled their spears at the House of Benevolence’s caravan.

[Look over there.]

“…Hmm.”

Spotting an officer dressed in black leather among them, the warrior from the Spring of Luoyang groaned low.

[That’s General Gwak’s officer.]

He sent a sound transmission to the Merchant Head.

[The Gwak faction moved faster than we expected.]

Exchanging glances with his comrades, he smacked his lips and stealthily placed his hand on the hilt of his sword.

[If a situation breaks out, hide inside the carriage and wait for us to finish it.]

Just as he was about to draw his sword and strike first—

“Whoops!”

The Merchant Head suddenly thrust his body out of the carriage.

“What is the meaning of all this?!”

[What are you doing?!]

He winked at the warrior, who was urgently sending a warning via sound transmission.

“An order to blockade all gates has just come down.”

The Gatekeeper, a man with a stern impression, approached and spoke to the Merchant Head.

“Therefore, disarm yourselves and submit obediently to inspection.”

Just as the warrior clicked his tongue at the Gatekeeper’s impenetrable demeanor and prepared to step forward again—

“What are you doing?!”

From the other side, a man appearing to be an official rode up on a horse, shouting along with his soldiers.

“Open the gate immediately!”

“We are currently under orders from military command—”

“Command or whatever! This is an order from His Excellency the Governor-General! Let that caravan pass!”

“However. I am affiliated with the military, not the Governor-General’s Office—”

The official, wearing a braided queue, shouted without even dismounting.

“Is a mere Gatekeeper ignoring the Governor-General’s order right now?!”

“……”

At that, the Gatekeeper, who had stood like a stone statue, turned and ordered his soldiers.

“Open the gate!”

“What the hell are you doing?!”

General Gwak’s officer atop the wall jumped in rage.

“Are you ignoring the General’s orders right now?!”

“However—”

While the voices of the Gatekeeper and the officer rose in argument, the gate had already swung wide open.

“Move out!”

The caravan quickly passed through the gate, moving between the awkwardly standing troops.

“……”

As they distanced themselves from the wall, the Merchant Head made eye contact with the Gatekeeper, who was still arguing with General Gwak’s officer, and nodded.

“……”

Surprisingly, the Gatekeeper gave a slight nod in return.

“Ha…”

At that sight, the warrior from the Spring of Luoyang let out a hollow laugh.

“That Gatekeeper. Was he in on it from the start?”

“He is a believer.”

“……!”

From the beginning, the caravan had secured an escape route through a gate where the Gatekeeper was a believer.

“In this world, there are those who are full of good will and faith deep inside, but lack just a tiny bit of courage.”

Accepting the tobacco offered by the warrior, the Merchant Head winked again.

“To make such people act, all they need is the slightest justification.”

At that answer, the warrior tilted his head, struck by a familiar feeling.

“By any chance… have you heard of a merchant group in Luoyang called Hwallo?”

Hwallo was the name of the organization the Spring of Luoyang warriors had relied on when escaping Luoyang.

“Oho!”

At that, the Merchant Head grinned broadly.

“Luoyang? No. The Central Plains’ first and finest group of escape experts! That is precisely our Hwallo Merchant Guild!”

The warrior burst into hearty laughter, looking dumbfounded.

“…So you were from Hwallo as well.”

“Indeed!”

The Merchant Head laughed.

“Our Hwallo Merchant Guild is also expanding across the entire Central Plains together with the House of Benevolence!”

***

Gwak Clan Estate.

“Look at it yourself.”

The Patriarch of the Gwak Clan handed over a crumpled piece of paper with a hand covered in liver spots. It was a letter found stuck to the outer wall of the mansion, tied to a whistling arrow.

“……”

When General Gwak unfolded the paper, there was only a single sentence written on it.

‘I will be watching.’

A handwriting that could only be described as a masterpiece of calligraphy.

“It is the Grand Young Master’s writing.”

“……”

There was no way the Gwak Patriarch, who had exchanged letters with him long ago, would fail to recognize that handwriting.

“This kind of useless prank…”

Watching the letter crumple in General Gwak’s hand, the Gwak Patriarch spoke.

“Do you still not understand?”

“…Understand what?”

The Patriarch clicked his tongue as if displeased with his unperceptive son.

“The Grand Young Master bothered to attach people to tail you—you, whose residence is obvious—all the way home, and even sent this letter.”

The Patriarch sighed, tapping the long tobacco pipe he held in his hand.

“Furthermore, even amidst the blockade and pursuit at the gates, there has been no report of finding their traces, has there?”

The Patriarch shook his head.

“You will never catch them.”

“This is nothing more than a mere display of arrogance by that haughty Grand Young Master—”

“—Why.”

The Patriarch cut him off.

“Why would the Grand Young Master bother choosing such a cumbersome method?”

“…That is.”

Answering for his son, who was struck speechless, the Patriarch spoke.

“The Grand Young Master is showing our Gwak Clan.” His withered finger pointed at the floor. “That even in this far northern land, a place that is essentially our territory, he possesses an organization capable of toying with us.”

“……”

Towards his son, who could say nothing, he clicked his tongue once more and shouted outside.

“Is there still no news?!”

“Patriarch!”

A subordinate rushed in, fell to his knees, and bowed his head.

“News has just arrived! A merchant caravan passed through the North Gate under orders from the Governor-General’s Office!”

“…So it was true that the Grand Young Master’s hand reaches even the Governor-General.”

Inhaling smoke from his long pipe, he organized his thoughts before asking.

“What did they say that caravan was carrying?”

“Uh, that is… I will check!”

The subordinate rushed out and returned after verifying.

“They say it was rice, wheat, soybeans, and other grains!”

“Food, you say?”

“Yes! That is correct!”

At those words, the Gwak Patriarch wore a look of disbelief.

“The Grand Young Master has already secured food independently, regardless of our Gwak Clan.”

The cargo the caravan was carrying was part of the very food Ahn Song-gyeong had reported securing to the Grand Young Master earlier that day.

“Just what is the Grand Young Master…”

The Gwak Patriarch tapped the ash from his pipe and turned his gaze out the window.

“Since when has he been preparing…?”

The night sky outside the window was deep and dark, unfathomable as the Grand Young Master’s schemes.