Chapter 7 – A Suspicious Escort Mission
After returning to Cheongun Martial Hall, Jaha gathered Hanseol and Jo Unryong and told them everything he had heard from Geol Jejong.
“I want to hear what both of you think.”
Normally, their Second Senior Brother casually called them Seol and Unryong.
But this time, he spoke formally.
It meant that no matter what opinion they gave, he intended to respect it.
Realizing that, the two of them also became serious.
After a moment, even the hot-tempered Jo Unryong thought about it for surprisingly long before opening his mouth.
“I’m in favor of accepting the escort mission. We can pay off our debt and also get a chance to have Master treated. We can’t throw away an opportunity like this.”
Hanseol, however, spoke with concern.
“No matter how much I think about it, the offer is strange. There’s no way they made such a generous offer simply for our benefit. There must be some danger we haven’t anticipated.”
This time, Hanseol believed they needed to judge the situation calmly, so she opposed it.
“Senior Sister, why did all of us senior and junior disciples have to scatter in the first place? Wasn’t it because we had to go out and earn money for Master’s medicine?”
Jo Unryong continued.
“Because of that, Senior Brother Byeokho had to live away from us for three years. If things continue like this, we’ll eventually have to separate again just to earn money for Master’s medicine.”
Hanseol knew Jo Unryong was right.
Even so, her instincts were screaming at her not to accept this job.
Perhaps noticing the look on her face, Jo Unryong spoke more firmly.
“No matter what danger is waiting for us, I think accepting this offer is still the better choice.”
Jaha spoke.
“If even one of you opposes it, I have no intention of taking this job.”
Hanseol was the one who had borrowed money from the Hahu Trading House, so it was difficult for her to continue opposing the mission.
“Phew... All right. But you really have to be careful. If they made an offer like this, there must be another reason behind it.”
Hanseol reluctantly agreed.
Jaha looked at the two of them.
“Then we’ll be leaving soon. If there’s anything you need to finish urgently, take care of it beforehand.”
Hanseol asked,
“But what if those bastards from Heukjin Manor take over the martial hall while all of us are gone?”
“Don’t worry. I’ll mention that to the Hahu Trading House.”
Jaha continued calmly.
“They’re the ones asking us to do something this unusual, so they should also accept whatever conditions we demand. From the way I see it, they’re in a situation where they specifically need us. That means they won’t have much choice but to agree.”
At those words, Jo Unryong suddenly slapped his knee.
“Ah! Maybe that’s the reason.”
Hanseol looked at him.
“What do you mean?”
“I heard that security around our county has become much stricter recently. Apparently, the Martial Alliance asked for cooperation, so the government officials are searching everyone entering and leaving the area.”
“For what reason?”
“I don’t know that much. Since the request came from the Martial Alliance, it seems the authorities can’t simply ignore it. I also heard that people from the Martial Alliance themselves are participating in the searches.”
Hanseol frowned.
“What does that have to do with them?”
Jo Unryong leaned forward.
“Senior Sister, think about it. Many of the soldiers serving in the nearby government offices trained under Master at Cheongun Martial Hall years ago.”
“If we’re the ones driving the carriage, they might remember their old connection with us and let us through easily.”
“And if our sick Master is traveling with us, there’s a good chance they won’t even conduct a proper search.”
Jo Unryong nodded to himself.
“I think that’s what the Hahu Trading House is after.”
Jaha was impressed after hearing Jo Unryong’s reasoning.
He had underestimated him because of his young age, but the boy was capable of thinking much more broadly than expected.
“Whatever the reason, we can’t afford to miss this opportunity. Everyone, prepare to leave.”
“But can we really trust the people from Heukjin Manor?”
Hanseol asked with a worried expression.
“If Heukjin Manor truly wanted to take this place by force, they would have used violence a long time ago.”
Jaha calmly explained.
“It’s not as though they stayed quiet because they were afraid of you.”
“The reason they couldn’t simply seize this place is probably because many of the people working under the magistrate of Yeongje County—or even officials in higher positions—were once trainees taught by Master.”
“To be honest, I was also wondering why Heukjin Manor had remained so quiet until now. But after hearing what Unryong said, I think I understand.”
“If Heukjin Manor had occupied this place by force, the government office would never have remained silent.”
“For Master’s sake alone, they would have taken some kind of action.”
“That’s why Heukjin Manor has been trying to coax and pressure you into giving up the martial hall instead.”
The public spar with First Senior Brother had probably been arranged with that in mind as well.
Ha Seonbaek had operated Cheongun Martial Hall for nearly forty years.
Considering that, Jaha’s reasoning made sense.
“They’ll contact us within a few days. And since we’re taking Master with us, make sure to pack everything we might need to care for him during the journey.”
Just as Jaha predicted, Geol Jejong arrived at Cheongun Martial Hall two days later with a carriage.
Even in Jaha’s eyes, the carriage looked rather shabby.
The lacquer had peeled away in several places, making it obvious that it was far from new.
There were also dents and gouges in the wood, signs that the carriage had traveled through rough terrain many times.
But none of that really mattered.
The inside was spacious enough for three people to sit comfortably even after Ha Seonbaek was laid down inside.
It was obvious that they had deliberately prepared this kind of carriage.
Geol Jejong spoke.
“These two coachmen will guide you toward the destination. Young Hero Byeokho can take care of everything else.”
He handed Jaha something.
“And this is your travel expense. The journey should take about three days. I put in more than enough money, so there’s no need to be stingy with food or lodging.”
Jaha looked at him.
“Didn’t you say you would provide guards?”
Geol Jejong smiled.
“If we sent guards, we would attract too much attention.”
He gestured toward the two coachmen.
“These two will serve as your guards instead. They’re among the strongest men in our manor, so you have nothing to worry about.”
From what Jaha could see, both men had reached a level where they could conceal their energy to a certain extent.
That meant they were first-rate martial artists.
If they were first-rate martial artists, then Geol Jejong’s claim that they were among the strongest warriors of the Hahu Trading House was probably true.
Sending weaker warriors along as additional guards would only become a burden.
That was likely why they had sent only these two.
If this were an escort agency, the two of them would have been comparable to senior head escorts.
So warriors like these are even disguising themselves as coachmen to guard us.
Geol Jejong probably hoped that Byeokho would make use of his previous experience as an escort guard and safely transport whatever they were carrying.
An escort guard did more than simply move goods from one place to another.
A proper escort needed the ability to inspect the cargo and sense danger before it happened.
Is that really all he wants from me?
No matter how much Jaha thought about it, he couldn’t figure out what else Geol Jejong might want from him.
Then something occurred to him.
“Didn’t you say the cargo was pottery? I don’t see any pottery.”
There was nothing there except the carriage itself.
“Ah, originally, if Young Hero had chosen not to bring your master along, we intended to load the pottery.”
Geol Jejong smiled.
“But since your master will be traveling with you, there’s no reason to load pottery anymore.”
Jaha narrowed his eyes.
