Return of Mount Hua Sect - Chapter 754
“…Yes?”
Deung Gyeom (등겸(鄧謙)) blinked his big eyes.
He, a great second-class disciple of Yuryong Sect, had just arrived here after hearing his superior’s order to go to Kugang immediately from a Stronghold he stopped by on his way back from a special delivery from Wuhan.
But now this yangban in front of him was telling a very meaningless story.
“You are to spread a rumor.”
“Rumor?”
“Yes. A rumor that you, the Special Delivery, are boarding a ship with a special consignment.”
“…Why would I have to do that?”
Of course, it is one of the missions of Special Delivery to inform the masses about special consignment and Eunha Courier Service. That’s why Deung Gyeom wears such flashy clothes.
Public promotion are half the battle for any business.
No matter how useful the Eunha Courier Service is, if people don’t know about its existence, who would look for a Special Delivery?
Therefore, both Eunha Courier Service and Yuryong Sect have been working hard to publicize the existence of Special Delivery.
‘But isn’t this a different issue?’
Why spread such a rumor in Kugang, where there don’t seem to be many people requesting a Special Consignment? It would only increase the danger unnecessarily.
“Don’t make it too obvious that you’re spreading the word too, but also make sure it spreads widely! That naturalness is important.”
Stunned, Deung Gyeom stared blankly at the man in front of him, who was emphasizing with a bright smile… No, honestly speaking, an extraordinarily handsome young man he would never see elsewhere in his lifetime.
And he realized one of the truths of the world.
‘Heaven does not give everything.’
It seems like he had given up some brain cells in exchange for his good looks……
“Do you understand?”
“……Yes. I understand what you’re saying…… but why do you insist on doing this? The river is already crowded with pirates, causing a mess at commission establishment, wouldn’t this just invite more trouble?”
“Yes, that’s exactly what we want.”
“Yes?”
“That’s exactly what we want.”
Looking at Baek Cheon, a man who smiles brightly, Deung Gyeom smiled back.
‘He’s definitely not sane.’
Come to think of it, he seemed to remember hearing somewhere that while the people of Hwasan are strong, they’re all somewhat insane……
Looking at this gentleman, even when they visited Yuryong Sect before, he was out of the ordinary……
“And then?”
“You have to get on the ship.”
“……The ship?”
“Yes.”
“So we spread a rumor that the Special Delivery is boarding a ship, luring the pirates, and then we really board the ship?”
“Yes, that’s correct. But you don’t have to worry. We’ll be with you. You won’t have to lift a finger. Please trust us.”
Instead of answering, Deung Gyeom slowly moved his gaze from left to right.
Smiles rose as he saw all of Mount Hua’s disciples with confident expressions on their faces.
“……Am I the only Special Delivery in this area?”
“….”
“Would it be okay to call someone else……”
“Hahahaha. You’re joking.”
“No, it’s not a joke……”
“We’re in a hurry. Now, now. Please take care of it!”
“Hey, these yangban! Do you have ten lives?! Please say something that makes sense….!”
In the end, Jo-Gol and Yoon Jong dragged the furious Deung Gyeom out.
Baek Cheon, who looked at the scene, sighed and questioned.
“Why can’t he understand?”
“Sasuk.”
“What?”
Tang Soso grinned and kindly advised.
“Don’t hang out with Chung Myung Sahyung for a while when you go back to Mount Hua.”
“….”
“They say you become like those you often see, it seems to be true.”
Is she cursing at me right now?
She is, isn’t she? Right?
* * *
Tang Soso, who had been trembling with a flushed face, hurriedly shut her mouth.
“Kk… Kuk……”
She shouldn’t laugh. She shouldn’t belittle the desperate efforts they made to prepare this.
But….
‘I, I can’t hold it!’
Isn’t this really too much?
“No, what is this!”
In the end, when she couldn’t hold back and shouted, the other disciples looked at each other. Then, they laughed seeing each other’s ridiculous and funny appearances.
Jo-Gol looked at Yoon Jong and said,
“Sahyung.”
“Hmm?”
“……Are you going to farm somewhere?”
Yoon Jong, wearing random clothes that he had obtained, looked as if he would go to the field at any moment.
“Why did you roll up your pants?”
“……I just saw someone passing by and imitated him?”
“It must have been a woodcutter who came out to sell things at the market. What a lack of fashion sense……”
Jo-Gol clicked his tongue as if he felt pitiful, which made Yoon Jong cry out in indignation.
“What about you, punk!”
“What’s wrong with me? This silk is very popular in Hangzhou these days! Tsk, tsk, tsk. I used to live in Sichuan, you kno-.”
“Have you been to Hangzhou?”
“….”
Wearing a silk robe embroidered with colorful flowers like that doesn’t make him look like a wealthy man, but like a flashy good for nothing son of some wealthy family instead.
But the two were relatively better off.
“Sago….”
Tang Soso couldn’t face Yoo Iseol and turned her head away. Her fabric looked good, and she apparently faithfully followed the instructions to dress up as if she had money. The problem is that the top is yellow, the pants are blue, and her headdress was red.
Just looking at it made one’s eyes want to wander off.
“Sago, this is…….”
Yoo Iseol turned her head with an aggrieved look in her eyes and said.
“I tried, at least.”
At that, everyone’s gaze focused on one person.
“What, what do you want me to do!”
The person who was on the receiving end of all those gazes vented his frustration in an anguished voice.
“Cha- changing to other clothes won’t make any difference! After all I’m…
“You’re bald.”
“Right, bald.”
“Young baldy is not easy to find.”
Tears filled Hye Yeon’s eyes.
No, seriously, was it even reasonable to ask a monk to disguise himself to look rich?
If he wore a silk robe, he would be a bald man in a silk robe. If he wore fur, he would be a bald man in fur!
Hye Yeon even have Jieba done on him. No matter how well he disguised himself, at best he looked like a monk who had left the temple.
Jieba (戒疤) : is an ordination practice where ritual burn scars are received by Buddhist monks of some sects of Chan Buddhism,[2] including Shaolin monks.
The marks are achieved by placing an incense-like stick of Artemisia vulgaris called a moxa onto the top of the head and burning the moxa for several minutes,[6]: 506 causing moxibustion burns on the scalp, an extremely painful process that creates the scars.
(Source: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jieba)
So in the end, he had no choice but to find a plain gray monk’s robe instead of Shaolin’s yellow robe.
“Some monks wander around too…… Wouldn’t it be okay?”
“Well, it can’t be helped.”
“The monk is understandable.”
Everyone understood Hye Yeon’s situation. Tang Soso cut off firmly.
“I can understand Monk Hye Yeon, but the rest of you are unacceptable! Change all your clothes.”
A troubled look crossed Yoon Jong’s face.
“However, Soso. I’ve never worn anything other than Mount Hua’s uniform since I grew up. So I don’t really know what I should wear……”
“Jo-Gol Sahyung.”
“Huh?”
“Go to the nearest market and buy a few outfits that merchants wear. You can just pretend to be a merchant carrying a load of goods.”
“Oh… I didn’t think of that. Even though I’m from a merchant family.”
“Go quickly.”
“Yes!”
As Jo-Gol and Yoon Jong rushed out, Tang Soso sighed deeply.
When it comes to martial arts, they’re more reliable than anyone else in the world, but when it comes to ordinary things, they’re worse even to ordinary people.
It was then.
“Is everyone ready?”
After changing, Baek Cheon opened the door and entered.
“….”
“….”
Everyone looked at him in stunned silence. Baek Cheon looked slightly taken aback and asked.
“Why? What’s wrong?”
“No, it’s just……”
Tang Soso blinked and struggled to find the right words.
Unexpectedly, Baek Cheon had perfectly disguised himself, contrary to her expectations. Dark ocher-colored clothing seemed appropriate for people doing menial jobs, and hair tied back that can be seen even in ordinary merchants.
However….
“That’s odd.”
“Really weird.”
“It’s a talent how he’s able to not suit this much.”
The clothes and the person seemed entirely separate.
Anyone would see him as a rich child who had stolen a servant’s clothes to run away from home and come outside.
“Life is really unfair……”
Tang Soso passed by Baek Sang who sighed with an unfair look and shook her hair.
“Sasuk can’t be a merchant. Let’s give up on that.”
“Huh?”
“Since it’s come to this, let’s go the opposite way. Dress from head to toe in silk, making you look like a precious child who’s come to sightsee on the Yangtze River.”
“Why do I have to do that?”
“…… It’s annoying to say it with my own mouth, so just do as I say.”
“….”
“We’re set to board the ship today, so everyone needs to move fast! You got it?”
“Un- understood.”
“Me! Why aren’t you evaluating me?”
Tang Soso smirked at Baek Sang’s words.
“Sasuk is good. Whatever Sasuk wear.”
“Why?”
“If Sasuk wears good clothes, Sasuk will look like an attendant following an esteemed young master, and if Sasuk wears shabby clothes, Sasuk will look like a servant. Just stick right next to Baek Cheon Sasuk.”
“….”
Tang Soso clapped her hands loudly over Baek Sang, whose soul was robbed and bones and flesh were separated.
“What are you doing? Come on! Hurry up and move.”
Just in time, Jo-Gol rushed back and handed out the clothes he had bought. Everyone picked out clothes and started to wear them.
“Hngg. What in the world are we doing?”
“I just can’t trust him……”
“Do you really hope this will work out? We’re just doing it because he told us to.”
Hearing the complaints pouring in from here and there, Baek Cheon let out a deep sigh.
‘Chung Myung-ah.’
The day has come when I finally understand you.
Honestly, I just want to beat the hell out of every single one of them……
Every single one…
* * *
“There it is.”
“Let’s board.”
Mount Hua’s disciples were watching Deung Gyeom’s back as he boarded the ship.
Unexpectedly, Deung Gyeom carried out the task given to him well. Thanks to this, rumors spread that Special Delivery of Eunha Courier Service had come to Kugang.
Yoon Jong and Jo-Gol quietly conversed.
“They won’t notice, will they?”
“There should be no issue. If they were residing here, it would be a different story, but the information they can get from pirates will be only a piece.”
“Hmm, I guess so.”
“I doubt Sasuk considered that far ahead.”
‘This guy?’
It was the moment Baek Cheon was about to say something.
“No way he did.”
“He’s probably just like a cow that catched a rat while stepping back.”
“And the rat was extremely unlucky too.”
Kok, kok.
His stomach has been aching.
He didn’t realize when he was venting his complaints about Chung Myung with them.
He didn’t know these guys were so full of complaints.
‘I wish they’d all die.’
Sincerely…!
“Let’s go now.”
“Yes.”
Baek Cheon took the lead and started walking. Each step he took caused the brilliant silk robe to flutter elegantly.
“Huh?”
However, he stopped and turned around when he heard no footsteps following him from behind.
“Aren’t you going?”
“Go ahead.”
“…Why?”
“Sasuk is noble and we are merchants. It’s strange to go together.”
“Take Baek Sang Sasuk and get on first.”
“….”
Baek Cheon asked with a slight look of dismay.
“It’s not that you’re embarrassed to go with me, are you?”
The only thing that came back was a deep silence. Baek Cheon closed his eyes tightly and turned his body.
“Let’s go, Baek Sang.”
“…Yes, Sahyung.”
His face was slightly tense as he headed toward the big ship docked at the pier.
‘The fact that there was no significant damage to the merchants probably means they were targeting the Special Consignment. If I’m right, they will definitely come this time as well.’
It’s burdensome to think that they might have to deal with enemies on the water, but… If they waste time like this, they won’t be able to eat porridge nor rice.
‘What would I do if it were him?’
Baek Cheon lifted his head slightly and looked up at the sky.
Whenever this happened, he felt the emptiness of Chung Myung’s absence. Until now, Chung Myung had been the one to make things happen without giving Baek Cheon a chance to think, and all he had to decide was whether to push or restrain him. But now, it’s different.
Baek Cheon, who paused for a moment, soon pulled himself together and lowered his head.
‘Be careful, but do not hesitate.’
With a resolved heart, Baek Cheon boarded the ship.