Bachelor Swordsmanship Remastered [EN]: Chapter 87

087. Strange Letter

Un-hyun glanced around at the people seated nearby.

In this world, families presented mirrors engraved with “Ojadeungwa” [a charm for good fortune and success] when they had children and circulated coins wishing for top scores on the civil service examinations.

Thus, unless they came from extremely impoverished backgrounds, nearly everyone had attempted studying for the civil service exam for a year or two.

“How far are you traveling?”

“I’m going to Dongting Lake.”

“Dongting Lake? Is that where you’re from?”

“No, my brother lives there… How about you all? Where are you headed?”

Un-hyun, feeling slightly annoyed by Jang Kyung-gyu’s persistent questions, subtly changed the subject.

“We’re on our way to Chongqing.”

“Chongqing… that’s quite a distance.”

The ship Un-hyun boarded was a sizable merchant vessel departing from Nanjing, passing through Dongting Lake, and continuing to Chongqing.

Dongting Lake was already a considerable distance, but Chongqing was even further.

“I’ve heard that you only get the best prices for goods if you go all the way to Chongqing. I’m still new to this, so I don’t know much… Most people are probably heading to Chongqing.”

At Jang Kyung-gyu’s words, Un-hyun surveyed the ship.

As expected of a merchant vessel, most of the passengers appeared to be merchants rather than casual travelers.

Then, Un-hyun noticed a group of about six people whose attire stood out from the rest.

‘Huh?’

They wore neat martial uniforms that looked familiar, exuded a natural air of dignity, and carried long swords at their waists or on their backs.

They were clearly martial artists, chatting amongst themselves with cheerful expressions.

‘Martial artists…’

Suddenly, Un-hyun’s mind grew uneasy.

The events of the past few days flashed before his eyes like a rapid stream.

“Why, are you curious about the martial artists on board?”

Jang Kyung-gyu’s voice came from beside him.

“Or perhaps you’re smitten with that young lady?”

Jang Kyung-gyu said with a grin.

Un-hyun snapped out of his thoughts and noticed a particularly beautiful young woman among the uniformed martial artists.

Her appearance was striking, and her radiant smile was enough to captivate any man’s attention.

“Ah, no. I…”

“It’s alright. She’s a precious flower that you can’t dare to approach, but there’s no harm in looking, is there? She’s quite lovely.”

That was true.

Even though she wore a martial uniform, her captivating beauty was undeniable, and the gazes of those around her were naturally drawn to her.

Moreover, her cheerful demeanor and bright smile made it easy to understand why young martial artists flocked around her.

‘Well, if I had to compare…’

She wasn’t quite on par with the young mistress of the Bukhae Ice Palace.

Not in terms of aura, beauty, or alluring charm.

“Be careful,” another merchant cautioned in a serious tone.

“If you stare like that and get caught, you could be in serious trouble. What if they decide to slit your throat because they don’t like your gaze?”

Un-hyun agreed that staring 함부로 [disrespectfully] was impolite.

But even so, would they really kill someone just for looking?

Un-hyun doubted it, but the other merchants seemed to think otherwise.

“That’s right. You always have to be wary of those who carry swords. Martial artists don’t value our lives at all.”

The merchants nodded in agreement.

“But which sect do those martial uniforms belong to?”

The young martial artists were all wearing similar attire.

“Ah, that’s…”

Un-hyun, who vividly remembered their martial uniforms, was about to answer when.

“You still don’t know that?”

Jang Kyung-gyu interjected with a playful tone.

“They are, of course, the esteemed Namgung Clan.”

Un-hyun already knew that.

He couldn’t forget the young master of the Namgung Clan who had glared at him with resentment during the Yongbong Tournament.

“Now, why would martial artists from the Namgung Clan be traveling on this merchant ship as a group? I suppose I should tell that story as well.”

“Tsk, tsk, your habit is showing again.”

“Just let him be. I’m bored, so let’s hear the story.”

The other merchants encouraged Jang Kyung-gyu.

Jang Kyung-gyu, seemingly invigorated by the river breeze and perhaps a bit tipsy, even cleared his throat before beginning to speak.

“I’m a well-informed source in these parts. I used to be a strategist for a martial arts clan until recently. I was doing quite well, but I had to withdraw at the last minute when things went south. Still, I have access to most of the news from the Jianghu [martial arts world].”

“Hehe, how long are you going to keep telling that old story? Just tell us why the Namgung Clan is on this ship.”

“Yes, yes. Tell us quickly.”

“Alright, alright, I’ll tell you!”

Jang Kyung-gyu seemed excited by the attention and took another drink.

“It all started with a single, strange letter.”

‘Letter?’

Un-hyun, who had been listening half-heartedly, perked up.

Of course, just because it involved a letter didn’t necessarily mean it was related to him.

But just in case, Un-hyun listened more attentively.

“A few years ago, there was a bandit group called Musickpa operating near the mouth of the Yangtze River. Since they were a small group, they couldn’t target the large ships and mostly threatened smaller vessels to extort tolls.”

“So?”

“One day, a strange letter arrived for this bandit group. But the boss was illiterate, completely unable to read. There was even a rumor that he only knew how to write the character for ‘one’ (一). Anyway, a letter came, so he couldn’t ignore it, but he couldn’t read it himself, so he asked his subordinate to read it for him.”

Jang Kyung-gyu, who had been speaking smoothly, paused to take another drink, perhaps because his throat was dry.

“Cough. Give me some of that jerky. The life of this subordinate who received the letter is also quite the rollercoaster.”

Jang Kyung-gyu said, chewing on the jerky.

“He claimed to be a monk from the Shaolin Temple with the Dharma name Musim (無心) [meaning ‘no mind’ or ‘without intention’], but while meditating in a cave, a fairy descended from the sky and enlightened him on the principles of yin and yang. Well, was it really a fairy? Maybe he just assaulted a lost country girl.”

Jang Kyung-gyu chuckled and continued.

“Anyway, that defrocked monk abandoned his training and engaged in some cult leader and gangster-like activities for a few years. Then, when the government started pursuing him, he sought refuge in this Musickpa bandit group.”

Just as everyone was starting to lose interest in the lengthy story.

Jang Kyung-gyu spoke as if he had been waiting for this moment.

“But as soon as this fake monk received the letter from the boss, he immediately fled the bandit group.”

“What? Why?”

“Was there something special about the letter?”

“Hey, don’t rush me. Just wait. There’s an order to the story. An order.”

Jang Kyung-gyu said with a leisurely air and continued.

“The boss realized something was amiss when the guy who received the letter ran away. He even emptied the bandit group for a while, thinking they might be facing a suppression order. But nothing happened.”

Disappointment spread across the faces of the merchants, but Jang Kyung-gyu grinned.

“And after three or four months? This monk reappeared in the bandit group. And he had become an incredible master.”

Jang Kyung-gyu waved his hands around dramatically, even spitting a little.

“When this guy reached out, the boss and everyone else went flying, and he took over the bandit group in an instant. The boss was overthrown in a flash.”

The merchants listened to Jang Kyung-gyu’s story with wide eyes.

It was hard not to be intrigued by the idea of a bandit group’s boss being sent flying with a single touch.

“From then on, Musickpa changed its name to Musimpa and began to rapidly expand its power. Now, they target any passing merchant ship, big or small, acting like common thugs.”

The merchants who were listening nodded.

Harassing small merchant ships and coveting large merchant ships were two very different things.

It wasn’t something a bandit group with limited skills could do just because it had grown slightly in size.

“Anyway, once things reached this point, people started to wonder how that monk had suddenly become a master. You’d be curious too, right? Right?”

Un-hyun inadvertently nodded at Jang Kyung-gyu’s words, who had suddenly turned to him for confirmation.

“The secret was in the letter. That guy once got drunk and told his former bandit group colleagues, ‘You guys were blind and couldn’t recognize the treasure right in front of you.’ Apparently, that letter contained some kind of ultimate martial arts manual?”

“Oh my…”

The merchants listening to Jang Kyung-gyu clicked their tongues in disbelief.

“What kind of crazy person would send such a manual to bandits?”

“I know. That’s just making life harder for people like us, isn’t it?”

While the merchants were complaining, Un-hyun, who was sitting next to them, wore a mixed expression of disappointment and relief.

‘I guess it wasn’t. Well, there’s no way the letter I sent would be a topic of conversation.’

At least he had never sent a letter to bandits like Surochae.

He had offered some advice, but it was definitely not a martial arts manual.

While Un-hyun was lost in thought, Jang Kyung-gyu’s long story continued beside him.

“The problem is that the Hoam Merchant Group’s ship was among those targeted by Musimpa.”

The murmuring merchants all fell silent.

“Then…”

“That’s right.”

Jang Kyung-gyu nodded before even hearing the question.

“The Hoam Merchant Group owns this very ship we’re on.”

The merchants began to whisper with worried expressions.

Targeting the ship of the Hoam Merchant Group, which was making a name for itself by traversing the waterways of the continent from east to west, was a significant matter.

“So the Namgung Clan stepped in.”

One of the merchants muttered. Jang Kyung-gyu nodded.

“Yes. It’s a poorly kept secret that the Hoam Merchant Group is allied with the Namgung Clan. That’s why the Namgung Clan’s martial artists are on this ship. Now do you understand?”

Jang Kyung-gyu finished the story proudly, raising his chin, and one of the merchants next to him said.

“So, in the end, those martial artists are here to protect this ship, right? It’s a simple story.”

“Uh-huh.”

Jang Kyung-gyu said dismissively.

“Simple? It’s not simple at all.”

With a serious expression, Jang Kyung-gyu continued.

“The Yangtze River is a very long river. Starting from Sichuan Province in the west and flowing down to Zhejiang Province in the east, it crosses the entire continent and touches countless regions. Besides, the major cities it passes through are…”

“Hey, who doesn’t know that?”

Someone interrupted Jang Kyung-gyu, who was about to launch into a lengthy explanation, and Jang Kyung-gyu’s eyes twitched.

“Ah, so! If the Namgung Clan moves along the Yangtze River with the Hoam Merchant Group, there will be more than a few sects that become immediately uncomfortable. The Hyeokryun Clan, which has been a long-standing rival, and other sects will definitely not be pleased. If you were me, would you be happy if your neighbors were freely coming and going in your front yard? Huh?”

The merchants finally realized what Jang Kyung-gyu was trying to say.

The martial arts clans wielded considerable influence along the upper reaches of the Yangtze River.

If a conflict between clans arose because of this, the consequences would immediately affect the merchants who traveled up and down the Yangtze River.

Everyone’s faces grew grim, but one of the merchants next to them said with a forced smile.

“Hey, surely it’s just a matter of escorting a few ships…”

“Uh-huh, you’re saying things you don’t understand again.”

However, Jang Kyung-gyu’s voice shattered such hopes without mercy.

“Once you get your foot in the door, you want to bring the whole house in. Other clans can’t help but be wary. Getting formal consent is also problematic, because there’s no guarantee that those clans won’t try to connect with the Hoam Merchant Group themselves.”

Jang Kyung-gyu shrugged.

“If they mess this up, the Namgung Clan could lose a major source of income.”

Solving the Hoam Merchant Group’s problem had to be within the Namgung Clan’s capabilities.

That way, the Hoam Merchant Group would remain solely reliant on the Namgung Clan.

Un-hyun nodded and smiled wryly at the same time.

‘It’s really complicated here too.’

The entanglement of interests was comparable to the power struggles within the palace.

How could such things not exist in matters involving money and influence?

“That’s… quite complicated.”

One of the merchants muttered with a sullen expression, reflecting the sentiments of the others.

The atmosphere of the drinking party had already soured. Jang Kyung-gyu poured even more cold water on the situation.

“And the bigger problem is that Musimpa isn’t the only bandit group like that.”

“Now that I think about it, the Yangtze River waterway has become increasingly unstable these days…”

The faces of the merchants began to harden at someone’s muttering.

It was no longer an atmosphere conducive to drinking, but the drunk Jang Kyung-gyu didn’t notice and raised his voice.

“It’s all because of that strange letter. I’m sure the Moryong Clan in Henan Province, where I used to work, received that letter too? Surely this will lead to a big mess…”

“Ahem.”

A coughing sound interrupted Jang Kyung-gyu’s words.

An elderly merchant looked at Jang Kyung-gyu and said.

“That’s enough for now. At this rate, everyone’s drinks will lose their flavor.”