ALL NOVEL About three or so passed by in the blink of an eye.
The group, having finished all their business in Shexian, left the city they had grown fond of behind and set out on the road.
Stretching out before their very eyes was an endless big road.
As Mok Riwon looked on with excitement, he suddenly recalled something he had forgotten and spoke up.
“Ah! Come to think of it!”
“Yes? What is it?”
“Young Lady! We forgot about Monk Il-woon! Didn’t he say we had to stop by Shaolin first before going to the Martial Alliance?”
Mok Riwon made a fuss while his face turned pale.
As expected. It was because he had overheard something while the Dragon Phoenix Tournament was still ongoing.
A recommendation from a notable figure was necessary to aim for the position of captain in the Martial Alliance.
Tang Hwa-seo had also considered this and mentioned stopping by Shaolin before heading to the Martial Alliance.
But looking at them now.
It was only right for them to bring along someone from Shaolin to enter, but they hadn’t discussed anything with Monk Il-woon at all before setting out on this journey.
Their journey was already off to a rocky start from the beginning.
Tang Hwa-seo chuckled at his flustered state.
Zhuge San did the same, bursting out into laughter as he wrapped his arm around Mok Riwon’s shoulder.
“Listen up, Brother Mok. Isn’t the situation different now from back then?”
“H-Huh? What do you mean?”
“It might have been like that initially. If Sister had gone to the Martial Alliance alone to establish a group, a recommendation from the former Alliance Leader, Great Monk Won-myeong, would have definitely been necessary. Again, if she had gone alone.”
Doubt was deepening on Mok Riwon’s face.
Zhuge San playfully raised his hand and pointed at Tang Hwa-seo, himself, and Mok Riwon in succession, then said.
“Now, what are our titles?”
“Young Lady is Poison Phoenix… Brother Zhuge is Strange Dragon, and I am…”
Mok Riwon’s cheeks slightly reddened.
As if feeling embarrassed, he even let out a few fake coughs before saying his title.
“…I-Ink Dragon!”
His shoulders were filled with strength.
Tang Hwa-seo’s face had turned red at that sight, covering her mouth with her sleeve.
Zhuge San nodded his head in satisfaction and continued.
“Indeed. Do we not have dragons and a phoenix? All three of us have such titles. And we all wish to establish a new group together and join it. Brother Mok, you need to take the meaning of the title of Dragon more seriously.”
The titles of dragons and phoenixes were special.
Not only because the meaning behind those names were special, but the standing that came with it in the martial world as well.
“We are proven supreme talents. The masters who will lead the next generation of martial arts. Even if we do not think so, the martial world thinks that way. So if we go to the Martial Alliance together and say we want to establish a group, from their perspective, they will have to bow down and kowtow.”
Tang Hwa-seo nodded her head as if agreeing with his words.
It was an arrogant statement, but it was the truth.
The talents who would lead the next generation were going to be part of the Martial Alliance.
This was the most welcome news for them, who had to control the Orthodox Faction above anything else.
Of course, there were more political reasons beyond that.
‘They calculate that they can change the structure of the next generation martial organizations.’
Even for the Martial Alliance, they were opponents whom they must be cautious towards.
Each clan and sect possessed no small amount of power, so if they were carelessly provoked, it would only lead to losses.
As such, if the leaders of such renowned organizations became part of the Martial Alliance, wouldn’t it create the best possible situation where the opponent’s power was weakened, and their own was strengthened?
‘Well, considering their ground, they could return to their clan if they desired, but…’
Nevertheless, the Martial Alliance benefitted.
Because they would get to build a favorable relationship with the masters of the next generation.
Tang Hwa-seo didn’t bother with a story as she said to Mok Riwon.
“In any case, as the Zhuge said, we no longer need to stop by Shaolin. We can just go straight to Wuhan in Hubei Province.”
Mok Riwon’s expression turned serious at her words.
“…I-I feel the weight!”
He clenched his fists tightly.
Although he was told he was one of the masters who would lead the next generation, trying to perceive himself in that way was quite burdensome.
Mok Riwon had just wanted to be someone who upheld chivalry and left with a cool smile, but now he felt the need to change his mindset to match the weight of being a dragon.
“Understood! I will strive to become a person with the gravitas befitting my title!”
Ink Dragon Mok Riwon.
I will become a person worthy of such a name!
At the determined words which truly exemplified Mok Riwon, Tang Hwa-seo and Zhuge San just laughed.
The two of them thought at the same time.
‘If he just keeps his mouth shut, he’ll naturally become like that.’
The epitome of a country bumpkin from the mountains.
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A naive person who didn’t know the ways of the world.
If only those traits weren’t revealed, Mok Riwon had an appearance that suited the title of a dragon better than anyone else in the world.
In other words, that man’s mouth was the problem.
* * *
On the map, Hubei was right next to ANhui, but that didn’t mean the distance between the two was close at all.
Why was that?
This was the vast Central Plains.
It was land where you had to ride a horse for several weeks just to cross a single province.
Therefore, it was only natural for Mok Riwon and his companions to have a long journey ahead of them.
Two weeks after departing from Shexian.
Mok Riwon finally arrived at the last city of Anhui and expressed his joy.
“Hubei is right past here!”
“That’s right. We arrived faster than I thought. Could it be because there were no other incidents?”
Tang Hwa-seo also said that with a satisfied face.
She was truly delighted.
‘There were fewer things that would pique his curiosity on the way here. That must be the biggest reason.’
The distracting curiosity that would make a one-day journey take three days didn’t act up, so this speed was possible.
Of course, there was also the fact that she had planned the route taking that into consideration, but it was still fast even taking that into account.
‘At this rate, we’ll arrive in two weeks.’
No, if they traveled with some leeway, it could take up to three weeks.
In any case, it was a sufficiently satisfactory speed, so Tang Hwa-seo felt comfortable continuing the journey.
“Well then, shall we head there now?”
“Where are we going?”
Mok Riwon asked with sparkling eyes.
Tang Hwa-seo was about to tell him right away, but soon let out a smile.
She had become quite curious about what his reaction would be like when she told him.
He would probably jump up and down in joy.
With a strange sense of anticipating rising, Tang Hwa-seo said with a smile.
“We’re going to the escort agency. We will be doing an escort mission as we leave Anhui.”
Mok Riwon’s body stiffened and trembled slightly.
His eyes began to light up, and his mouth also started to hang open blankly.
“A-An escort agency…!”
Mok Riwon’s fists clenched tightly.
It was a reaction beyond what Tang Hwa-seo had anticipated.
“This is great–!”
The fire of romanticism was relit within Mok Riwon.
* * *
Escorting agencies.
This was a regular theme that appeared frequently in [Tales of the Martial Heroes], which Mok Riwon was a fervent believer of, and there was no chapter where it wasn’t mentioned.
It was natural for an escort agency to appear in a story dealing with the martial arts world, but there was a particular chapter in which they were prominently featured.
It was none other than Chapter 6.
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The Wandering Hero, a mysterious expert who roamed the martial world.
It was the story of a man who enjoyed wasting time on things like escorting caravans while hiding his identity, and during that, he enjoyed drinking with the people he met.
This chapter mainly took the form of a travelogue, and the main reader base of Tales of the Martial Heroes, young children, didn’t like it very much. But Mok Riwon was different.
Because there was a scene in Chapter 6 which lit a fire in his heart.
–This must also be fate, so I shall help you this once.
The life-and-death confrontation between the leader of the Black Death Association and the Wandering Hero could be called the climax of Chapter 6.
It was a scene where the Wandering Hero, who had never been in love, fell in love with a woman he met during the caravan escort and revealed his identity for the time during his journey in the martial world.
–Let me introduce myself properly. I am Cheongwak, the last successor of the Seven Valleys Sect.
The identity of the mysterious expert, the Wandering Hero, was none other than the last successor of a vanished one-disciple sect.
The description of the leader of the Black Death Association taking faltering steps back the moment that was revealed was one that Mok Riwon couldn’t contain his excitement for.
…Right.
Mok Riwon was hooked on the idea of being the ‘successor of a one-disciple sect hiding his true strength’.
It was undeniable that the thought of that situation being similar to his own had an influence.
“Quickly! Let’s go to the escort agency quickly!”
The immature Mok Riwon couldn’t hold back his excitement and urged Tang Hwa-seo.
Zhuge San laughed and helped him out.
“Come on, Sister. Since Brother Mok is so eager, let’s go.”
Tang Hwa-seo made a flustered face at his reaction, which was more intense than she expected, and Zhuge San’s urging.
It was only after that she came to the thought, ‘Did I take Young Hero Mok too lightly?’ Tang Hwa-seo let out a deep sigh before smiling in resignation as if giving up.
“Yes, yes, let’s go.”
These people won’t let me be bored for even a moment.
Tang Hwa-seo walked away with those thoughts in mind.
* * *
The Fortune Escort Agency was a fairly reputable escort agency in the vicinity, with Hubei Province as its base.
They mainly transported precious metals of merchant groups.
With the success rate of escort missions reaching ninety percent, there was always a lot of work, and as such, many martial artists wanted to participate.
Today, that escort agency was receiving an unexpected guest.
“We came here because we want to join in the escort mission.”
In the reception room of the Fortune Escort Agency’s Anhui branch.
A beautiful woman with an elegant appearance was sitting across from the branch manager.
Poison Phoenix Tang Hwa-seo.
The young head of the Sichuan Tang Clan who made a splendid return in the Dragon Phoenix Tournament.
Just her presence alone was enough to make the branch manager’s stomach churn, but due to the two men standing behind her, he had to seriously consider whether this was a dream or not.
The fox-like man standing to her right and smiling brightly was Strange Dragon Zhuge San.
And the dazzling handsome man on the left was none other than…
‘T-The Ink Dragon…!’
Ink Dragon Mok Riwon.
He was the latest newcomer currently shaking up the martial world.
The branch manager thought.
Why did they come to this small-town escort agency?
Well, it actually wasn’t small enough to be called a small-town escort agency, but when people who could easily take on the work of the Heavenly Merchant Group came here, he couldn’t help but have such thoughts.
In the meantime, Tang Hwa-seo opened her mouth.
“We just happened to be heading to Hubei, and our schedule is quite flexible. Rather than just going, it seemed better to do some odd jobs along the way, so we came here to take a look.”
“I-I see...”
The middle-aged branch manager struggled to keep his head from dropping.
‘T-There’s nothing bad about it, but...’
If they joined the escort agency together, it would be the best thing ever.
Especially since the rumors that had been circulating recently were so ominous.
‘…These days, there are more and more bandits targeting the transportation.’
It had started circulating around a week ago.
To say they were just bandits, their cruelty was so extreme that those who discovered them late vomited.
The branch manager gulped.
It would be really great if they joined, but there was still something to consider.
“Um… we can’t promise you any compensation beyond what’s been allocated. You’ll be receiving the same pay as the other escorts. Is that alright with you?”
The escort agency was a proper job.
Even if they were dragons and phoenixes, he couldn’t give them more than the regular compensation for that reason alone.
He would be grateful if they accepted the terms, but if they expressed dissatisfaction with the compensation, he would have no choice but to send them away.
The branch manager waited for an answer while thinking such thoughts.
And then.
“Please do not worry. As I said, it’s just a pastime, we’re not greedy for money.”
He heard the most perfect answer among the ones he had expected.
“Please take good care of us.”
The Poison Phoenix smiled.
As her appearance suggested, it was a truly elegant /genesisforsaken