Chapter 423

Pyo Wol and Do Yeon-san left the Inn early in the morning.

The fatigue accumulated from traversing the Wulin was completely relieved by a full day’s rest on a soft bed.

The two headed to a market near the Inn.

As it was a place where many tribes gathered and lived, the attire of the people in the market was diverse, as were the goods for sale.

Pyo Wol gave Do Yeon-san some Silver Taels and said,

“Use this to buy the things we’ll need for camping out.”

“Got it. I should buy things like dry rations and jerky, right?”

“That’s right. Let’s meet back here when you’ve bought everything we need.”

“Okay!”

Do Yeon-san nodded vigorously.

He had wandered All Under Heaven when he was the Ghost King. But back then, he didn’t prepare for camping out; he just ate and slept anywhere like an animal.

Now that he had come to his senses, he didn’t want to camp out like that.

Even if he had no choice but to camp out, he wanted to be properly prepared and rest well.

Most of all, he had no memory of ever spending Silver Taels as he pleased.

Although it was only two Nyang of silver, the fact that he had money he could spend as he wished made him feel excited.

Do Yeon-san ran off, thrilled.

Pyo Wol watched his back for a moment before slowly starting to walk.

Since Do Yeon-san would be buying the supplies for camping, there was nothing for him to prepare. But markets had a strange charm that made one wander around even without anything specific to buy.

It was the same for Pyo Wol.

He left the shopping to Do Yeon-san and browsed the goods the merchants had brought out.

Most of them were items that could be easily found anywhere.

Some had brought out grains they had grown themselves, while others came to sell livestock like cows or goats. They were common, everyday things. But occasionally, there were those who came to sell unusual items.

A small mortar used at home, a necklace with shamanistic meaning—the variety was wide.

The lives of the tribes, excluding the Bai, were not very prosperous.

Since the number of tribespeople was small, their production capacity was lacking. Because of this, they would sell anything that seemed like it could make money.

Suddenly, Pyo Wol’s feet stopped in front of a certain person.

A man who looked to be in his seventies was selling a lump of rock.

All sorts of things appeared in the market, but he hadn’t expected someone to come out to sell a lump of rock.

Naturally, people were not interested in the rock. The old man, too, looked indifferent, as if he didn’t expect it to sell.

Pyo Wol asked the old man.

“What is this?”

“Can’t you tell by looking? It’s a rock, isn’t it?”

“You’re trying to sell a rock?”

“Why, is there a rule against it?”

The old man proudly lifted his chin.

“Is there anything special about it?”

“This, you see, is no ordinary rock.”

“Then?”

“It’s a rock that fell from the sky.”

“The sky? You mean a meteorite?”

“A few nights ago, the night sky suddenly brightened, and this rock fell. I think it was originally a bit bigger, but the rest of it must have burned up, as I couldn’t see it. Only this much was left. What do you think? Are you interested in buying it?”

The old man’s voice became suggestive.

He judged that Pyo Wol’s interest meant he was thinking of buying it.

In truth, although he had brought the meteorite, he thought the chances of it selling were almost zero. No matter how much money one had to spare, no one in Dali would buy a lump of rock. Still, he had brought it out just in case, and now that Pyo Wol was showing interest, his heart grew anxious.

Pyo Wol didn’t answer and just looked at the meteorite.

It was a meteorite barely the size of a child’s head. The amount was too small to make anything significant.

Pyo Wol was not a craftsman, so he couldn’t think of what to make with the meteorite. But he thought that perhaps Tang Sochu could use the meteorite to create something useful.

Tang Sochu was the best craftsman Pyo Wol knew.

A meteorite that fell from the sky was not easy to come by. A meteorite like this would be the best gift for Tang Sochu.

Pyo Wol said.

“I’ll buy it for one Silver Tael.”

“I’ll need to get two Nyang for it.”

“It seems you have no intention of selling. Forget it.”

Pyo Wol turned away without a second thought. A look of urgency appeared on the old man’s face.

“W-Wait! I’ll sell it. Just give me one Silver Tael and take it all. I’ll wrap it all up for you.”

He immediately wrapped the meteorite in a bundle and thrust it into Pyo Wol’s arms.

‘He’s willing to pay a whole Silver Tael for this useless lump of rock? What a complete sucker.’

It was a shame he couldn’t get two Nyang of silver, but one Nyang was more than enough.

The moment Pyo Wol touched the meteorite wrapped in the cloth, he was slightly surprised.

Vwoom!

The meteorite had reacted to his Internal Power.

He didn’t know what the meteorite was composed of, but the fact that it reacted so sensitively to Internal Power was unusual.

Pyo Wol tossed the old man one Silver Tael.

“Hehe! That thing is yours now.”

The old man, afraid Pyo Wol would ask for the silver back, quickly left the spot.

The old man might think he had found a sucker and made a huge profit, but Pyo Wol thought he had gotten the better deal.

‘Sochu will like this.’

It had been a long time since he had met Tang Sochu.

His blacksmithing skills had already reached a remarkable level before they parted, and he had no idea how much more he would have improved by now.

The meteorite he bought from the old man would be a good gift for him.

Pyo Wol slung the bundle containing the rock onto his back.

Just then, Do Yeon-san appeared, his hands full of luggage.

“Oh, hyung! What’s that?”

Do Yeon-san asked, having spotted the bundle.

“A meteorite!”

“A meteorite? You mean the rock that fell from the sky?”

“Yes! Are you interested?”

Do Yeon-san, too, had been a Disciple from a workshop.

And he had possessed quite a remarkable talent.

Do Yeon-san shook his head.

“No. I’m not interested anymore.”

“Really?”

“I don’t think I can ever go back to that time again.”

The old him would have definitely shown interest in the meteorite. But now, the Martial Arts of the Ghost King were imprinted on his body.

When he could produce great power more easily, returning to the difficult and arduous life of a craftsman was by no means an easy task.

“Such a precious item should be given to a truly proper craftsman. It shouldn’t be sullied by a half-wit like me.”

“You are not a half-wit.”

“As a craftsman, I am a half-wit.”

Do Yeon-san defined himself clearly. It was a way of showing just how little attachment he had left.

Having confirmed Do Yeon-san’s feelings, Pyo Wol asked no more.

Do Yeon-san looked at Pyo Wol for a moment, then said as if he just remembered.

“Oh, by the way, I heard there’s a Trading Company leaving for Chengdu tomorrow.”

“Chengdu?”

“Yes! It’s a pretty big Trading Company, and they’re recruiting Escorts right now.”

“Is that so?”

“It seems the conflict that arose in Jiangxi is having an effect even here.”

“In that case, it wouldn’t be a bad idea to go with them.”

“Hehe! So I already signed up.”

“Did they allow it?”

“They did.”

Of course, he had briefly shown his skills.

No group would hire a fifteen or sixteen-year-old boy with no abilities, no matter how short-staffed they were.

Do Yeon-san had shown the person in charge of recruiting Escorts how he could shatter a boulder in a single blow. Thanks to that, he was easily hired.

“When do they say they’re leaving?”

“This afternoon.”

“Then we should go now.”

“Yes!”

The two walked side by side toward the Trading Company that was recruiting Escorts.

Great Pearl Trading Company.

That was the name of the Trading Company departing today.

In front of the Trading Company, five newly hired Escorts were waiting.

They were all Martial Artists who were said to be something in Dali.

“Huh?”

One of the Martial Artists was surprised to see Pyo Wol and Do Yeon-san.

He approached the two.

“Hey, did you guys join the Great Pearl Trading Company too?”

The one who spoke was the man who had been talking loudly at the Inn where Pyo Wol had stayed yesterday.

It seemed that instead of the Escort Agency heading to Jiangxi, he had chosen the safer Trading Company bound for Chengdu.

Because Pyo Wol’s appearance was so striking, the man remembered him clearly despite having seen him only once.

Pyo Wol asked.

“And you are?”

“Ah! My name is Jin Gwan-hak. What’s your name?”

“Pyo Wol!”

“A fine name. Anyway, it’s good to be traveling with you. I look forward to working with you.”

Jin Gwan-hak did not know of Pyo Wol.

Dali was too far removed from the Jianghu.

Being cut off from the outside world, news from the Jianghu arrived late, and even if he had heard rumors about Pyo Wol, it would have been difficult to think that he was the same person as the man before him.

However, he did have a curious thought.

Pyo Wol’s face was too pretty for him to be doing such rough work.

He looked like he had been raised delicately at a glance, and he was already worried about whether he could handle a tough job like being an Escort.

‘Ah! Who am I to worry about others? I should just focus on myself.’

Thinking this, Jin Gwan-hak returned to his spot.

Just then, the gates of the Great Pearl Trading Company swung wide open, and the people who were to depart on the trade journey came out.

There were over twenty carts fully loaded with goods, and including the merchants, Martial Artists, and laborers, it was a large group of over thirty people.

The head Escort, responsible for the Trading Company’s protection, approached those waiting outside.

“Welcome! I am the head Escort, Ji Mu-hyung. From now on, you will all follow my instructions.”

“Yes, sir!”

“Just give us the orders.”

The temporarily hired Escorts answered in unison.

For now, they were hired on a temporary basis, but if they made a good impression on Ji Mu-hyung, they could become official Escorts in the future.

A vast, unbridgeable gap existed between temporary and official Escorts. The treatment and pay were incomparable.

Ji Mu-hyung said to the temporary Escorts.

“You all will be responsible for the carts at the rear.”

It would be a mistake to think it would be comfortable just because they were riding in carts pulled by horses and oxen. If it rained, they had to cover them with waterproof tarps to protect them, and they had to be especially careful to ensure no goods were lost.

Though they were called Escorts, they actually had to do menial chores as well. Still, there were plenty of people willing to do it.

Jobs that paid this well were not very common.

The temporary Escorts headed toward the rear carts without a word of complaint.

“Wait! You!”

Ji Mu-hyung suddenly called out to Pyo Wol.

When Pyo Wol stopped, Ji Mu-hyung looked him up and down.

“The work of an Escort is quite rough. Do you think you can handle it?”

“I’ve done it a lot, so don’t worry.”

“Really? If you’re lying just to get hired, you can back out now. I won’t scold you then.”

He was saying this because Pyo Wol’s appearance was so pretty.

Pyo Wol chuckled and said,

“I’ll probably do better than you.”

“Are you sure?”

“You’ll know if you watch.”

“Fine! I won’t forget what you just said. Go on.”

Ji Mu-hyung waved his hand dismissively.

It was a very rude gesture, but Pyo Wol didn’t pay it much mind.

He was only planning to accompany them to Chengdu anyway.

Once they arrived in Chengdu, they would never see each other again, so there was no reason to be offended by something so trivial.

The cart Pyo Wol was assigned to was at the very rear.

The horse-drawn cart was fully loaded with goods. Still, there was room for a person to ride.

Do Yeon-san said to Pyo Wol.

“Hyung, I’ll drive the horse.”

“Can you do it?”

“I want to.”

Do Yeon-san’s face was full of excitement.

Seeing that face made him realize that he was still a young boy.

For a boy of that age, there was no greater dream than driving a horse himself.

It wasn’t strange for him to be excited just by driving a horse-drawn cart.

Pyo Wol said.

“Hold the reins tight. If you want to go left, pull to the left, and if you want to go right, pull to the right. If you want to stop…”

“Pull back, right?”

“That’s right!”

“I got it. I think I know how to do it. Leave it to me.”

“Alright!”

Pyo Wol readily handed over the horse’s reins to Do Yeon-san and went to the cargo bed.

He pushed aside some luggage to make space and sat down.

“Let’s go!”

Do Yeon-san’s excited voice came from the front. And the cart began to move.

Pyo Wol leaned his back against the luggage and closed his eyes.