Post Office.
The post office is, to put it simply, a courier company in the Central Plains with muscle. The postmen are armed delivery workers, and the boss is called Pyo-du.
In a martial arts world where public safety isn’t great, transporting goods or manpower exposes one to numerous dangers, making strength essential for the delivery business.
In martial arts stories, the perception of postmen can vary widely—from a scene where some goods get stolen and the protagonist shouts for help, to someone choosing to become a famous postman over a government position after passing exams.
“I initially wanted to be a postman or a bearer too.”
As a martial arts enthusiast, I once visited the post office, hoping to land a job after becoming broke.
I thought that as long as I had strength, they would hire me as a bearer, but the black-haired barbarian was cut right from the application stage.
After working hard, I eventually left the post office, only to become a bearer that the postmen obsess over. I was aiming to be an ace, but those bad guys missed their chance.
“It’s an honor to meet the famous postmen of Okcheon post office in a place like this!”
I greeted the man who introduced himself as Pyo-du with a friendly face among the martial artists nearby.
“Haha. Have you heard of the Okcheon post office?”
“I heard it’s a very reputable post office that prioritizes the safety of the cargo, stands up against any danger, and absolutely keeps its promises.”
“You really do know your stuff! Even barbarians have heard of our post office’s fame. Our efforts haven’t gone to waste!”
“It seems to be so, Pyo-du.”
Pyo-du exchanged glances with the other postmen and smiled happily.
But you guys don’t know. I only praised it as something that should naturally be done by a courier company.
“I’m disappointed that I met the famous post office folks of Okcheon, but…”
I said to them with the face of a salesperson regretful about missing a great sales opportunity.
“Oh dear. Just yesterday, a bearer brought back medicine that worked wonders, and I wanted to feed the weary postmen on the route, but it seems I ran out of it.”
Pyo-du sighed sincerely in front of us, seemingly disappointed.
As if it were a genuine disappointment. Medicine is easy to procure, but he deliberately mentioned that they ran out.
I bought the postmen’s goodwill while they were unable to achieve their purpose.
“If it’s not something you absolutely need right now, there is a way.”
This way, I could present another offer under a good image.
“What do you mean?”
“It’s just that the local apothecary ran out of ingredients to make the medicine. If we travel to another town, I can have the postmen supplied with medicine.”
“You want to accompany us to make medicine? Hmm.”
Pyo-du seemed to understand my meaning, eyeing me suspiciously.
That’s a natural reaction. A black-haired barbarian, who they’ve never seen before, wants to tag along to make medicine while carrying important goods? How could they not be suspicious?
Since I started off pretending to be someone else and they came with a goal that they couldn’t accomplish, they only hesitate instead of immediately refusing or drawing swords to demand my true intentions.
“I have a secret tactic I can use in situations like this.”
I mean my useless genetic cheat.
“Haha. How could an ordinary barbarian like me make medicine? It will be this lady here who will do the preparation.”
I glanced at Pyo-du, then turned my head silently to point out Lady Tang, who had been quiet.
“This person is…?”
With her purple hair and green eyes, wearing a veil, she looked like a mysterious woman and happened to know how to make medicine.
At Pyo-du’s level, it’s easy to associate her with a particular clan.
I should utilize this.
“She is Lady Tang from the Sichuan Tang Family.”
“The Sichuan Tang Family! It’s a pleasure to meet you. I am Pyo-du from Okcheon post office.”
He naturally switched to formal speech as soon as he recognized I mentioned the Sichuan Tang Family, quickly lowering his posture.
Well, how could he not? This is a family in the martial arts world—specifically, the solid Tier 1 Sichuan Tang Family.
In martial arts, the families can be regarded as the tyrants of a region. There’s a reason a martial arts clan is unique in each province.
Of course, their martial arts are considered a notch below the Nine Great Sects, but their wealth, power, and connections are beyond imagination.
In modern terms, it’s like the daughter of a conglomerate showing up in front of the manager of a courier company. Naturally, one must be polite.
“……”
Lady Tang offered just a slight bow to Pyo-du without saying anything.
“Haha. Lady Tang is quite shy.”
“I understand. However, my knowledge is limited, and I have never heard of Lady Tang before.”
Pyo-du sneaked a glance past Lady Tang’s veil and appeared to understand, then asked me, “Could it be her first time entering the martial world?”
“Yes! She may not be well-known yet. Have you heard of Lord Tang Geoh?”
“Oh! I have heard of Lord Tang Geoh of the Sichuan Tang Family.”
“Lady Tang’s master is Lord Tang Geoh. She grew up pampered in her clan but has come into the world seeking to do beneficial deeds with her knowledge of medicine.”
“Oh! So that’s why the effective medicine was being sold so cheaply. That’s admirable.”
Pyo-du, seeming to think Lady Tang was doing a good deed, lightly greeted her with a face full of admiration.
Lady Tang received the unexpected greeting with a stiff posture, sending me a sidelined glance that clearly said, “What on earth is this idiot talking about?”
Hold on.
If I grease the wheels, I can easily navigate this with your lineage.
“Lady Tang doesn’t like those looking for her medicine to go home empty-handed. Since we were planning to leave anyway, would you accompany us to the next town?”
What do you think? As long as we travel together, a small relationship with the Sichuan Tang Family might arise.
It’ll be hard to reject that easily, right?
“Lady Tang, is that really true?”
Pyo-du cautiously sought Lady Tang’s approval. She nodded as if she were a quiet and virtuous woman listening to the man’s words.
“Oh my! If this is true, I will treat both of you as esteemed guests of the Okcheon post office!”
Awesome. This is exactly why one should utilize relations, regions, and connections.
With Pyo-du’s permission, we could accompany the postmen traveling to a town near Yichang as guests.
———-
“Is this really okay?”
Lady Tang sat in the back compartment of the wagon, loaded with cargo, speaking to me in a bewildered tone.
“What’s wrong with that?”
“You’ve lied about everything! …Right?”
Lady Tang nearly raised her voice before rushing to lower it to keep it just between us, worried about the other people overhearing.
“Didn’t I tell you that yesterday?”
I responded with the grin of a student who, having been given a crucial last-minute tip before an exam, found the teacher had forgotten to cover the material and therefore failed.
“What do you mean?”
“I didn’t make any lies earlier, did I?”
“Uhm… No?”
“The fact that I am of the Sichuan Tang bloodline is real, Lord Tang Geoh is my master, and I grew up pampered in the ‘clan’ is also true. Does this speak to the beneficial aspect? If I sell a rare Sichuan Tang Family recovery potion at a low price, isn’t that quite an act of goodwill?”
“That’s true, but… I’m not an official member of the Sichuan Tang Family.”
“Hey, cut it out with the niceties.”
“What?”
Lady Tang glared at me, slightly miffed by my rebuke.
“It’s because you ended up that way thanks to those Sichuan Tang folks. Is it a problem if I borrowed a bit of the name? If it were up to me, I would want to barge into the Sichuan Tang Family and demand they explain why they treated Lady Tang like this!”
“Shut it. That’s not something you genuinely mean.”
How did they know?
“Does it sound that ridiculous?”
At times like this, one has to act confidently. I responded to Lady Tang with an expression that seemed earnestly sincere.
“Uhm… Really? Is that how you feel?”
Since I remained silent and didn’t give her a clear response, Lady Tang’s eyes trembled, then she suddenly averted her gaze and lowered her head.
Are you thankful? Because I’m selling out your bloodline, allowing me to ride in the wagon!
“Anyway. What I just said was merely that I praised you like I did your medicine yesterday. That’s not a crime, right?”
“Mm-hmm.”
If you’re going to affirm, at least do it while looking at me. Why won’t you meet my gaze? Well, I’m just relieved you understand.
Once Lady Tang’s dissatisfaction dissipated, our travels became quite comfortable.
—————
“Stop! Stop!”
Two days into traveling with the Okcheon post office. Suddenly, a loud voice rang from the front.
What’s happening? Did a landslide block the road up ahead?
“Hey, Kang Yoon-ho. Be careful.”
Lady Tang said with a cautious demeanor, surveying our surroundings.
“What’s going on?”
“Ha ha ha ha! I was wondering who was carrying the cargo but it’s the Okcheon post office!”
The startling voice of a bandit echoed through the path like an avalanche coming down from a mountain. As if waiting for this, armed warriors appeared in the rear, blocking the path.
Bandits, huh? I stood up in the wagon to look ahead at what was happening.
Huh? Is that hair color… Could it be?
“If you come any closer, I’ll throw any remaining darts at you, so just stay put.”
Lady Tang, clutching the few darts she had, looked completely tense.
There’s really no need for such anxiety.
“Just lower your weapons and stay put.”
I casually told her, trying to ease her tension.
“They’re bandits. Why would you just stay put?”
“Look at the postmen in front. Are they reaching for their swords?”
I pointed to the armed postmen quietly observing their surroundings. Although the postmen were clearly tense, their hands were not on their blades yet.
“Oh, right. Why is that?”
“Check out the bandit captain who just appeared leading them. Look at their hair color.”
“Hair color? It’s green. Oh? Green hair…”
There were a few people with messy green hair at the front and back of the bandit group.
It’s an absurd trope, but in this world, green-haired bandits imply a specific group.
“Right. It’s the Green Forest.”
While the bandits I met before were more like desperate robbers trying to make a living, this group is closer to a corporate armed organization.
They set up camps in densely populated mountain areas, maintaining the road while waiting all day for caravans or couriers to pass by.
Although people fear the Green Forest, they have no choice but to pay a toll or double back, so they reluctantly pay.
The Green Forest thrives as those in line don’t fight back, only collecting tolls and letting people pass unharmed.
Thus, they were nicknamed the “Paid Road Gang” or the “Martial World Toll Booth.”
“Aren’t you the leader of the Black Tiger Society! It’s been a while. Have you been well?”
Pyo-du, standing at the front, greeted the leader, treating him as if they were old friends.
“I’ve been well. I see you’re quite busy these days. It’s hard to see your face often. Ha ha ha!”
“Are they trying to be too familiar with each other?”
Lady Tang commented with a tinge of annoyance while listening to the conversation between Pyo-du and the leader.
“It’s a mutually beneficial relationship.”
“Mutually beneficial?”
“With the Green Forest around, more people will use the post office, and with those funds, the post office becomes friendly with the Green Forest, lowering the toll.”
“Being extorted by bandits is hard to comprehend.”
“That’s just how life is, kid.”
As I said that, I too found it hard to grasp certain things.
Why is it that in this world, prominent members of the Green Forest have green hair?
Sure, sometimes hair colors can change due to martial arts, but that feels too far-fetched.
It’s not as if these bandits graduated from a school and decided to work as bandits together. Did they evolve to remain hidden on the mountain or something?
“Wait a little, and the path will clear up. Let’s just chill for now.”
Paying a toll wasn’t my problem, nor did I have to gather coins to hand to the side. So, I relaxed back in my wagon seat.
“The toll has been raised tenfold! Do you think this is reasonable? Okcheon Post Office! All of you unsheathe your swords!”
Well, we’re screwed.
———————–
Everyone has a brilliant plan until they get hit first.
“Kang Yoon-ho! Stay behind me!”
Lady Tang, flustered, threw me behind her.
“Barbarian Shield!”
I desperately defended against flying darts and swords with the Jade Face Protective Technique while backing away.
“Ahhh!”
A dart from somewhere struck Lady Tang’s thigh, and blood began to flow.
“Hehe. What a silly lady.”
The green-haired bandit, appearing to be a high-ranking member, cackled with a sinister voice and prepared to swing his sword at Lady Tang.
“Barbarian Punch!”
“Gah!”
Channeling my footwork honed through practice, I unleashed my internal energy at the Yongcheon Point beneath my foot, accelerating speedily and catching the high-ranking bandit off guard with a clean hit to the chin.
“Lady Tang! Are you alright?”
“Y-yeah.”
“Save the bearer!”
“The postman got hurt by the sword! Help!”
“Noooo!”
Crap. The decision by Pyo-du of the Okcheon post office was the worst of moves. Like waiting for a cue, numerous bandits hidden in the forest appeared, easily subduing the bearers and Pyo-du.
“Hey! Get on my back!”
I calmly tied Lady Tang’s thigh with cloth to staunch the bleeding, then offered my back to her.
“Crap! What are we going to do?”
“I’ll run toward the side with fewer bandits, so you use all the darts you have left!”
“Understood!”
Lady Tang hopped onto my back and tightly wrapped her arms around my neck.
Wow. What a feeling. The overwhelming weight on my back paused my thought process. This isn’t the time for that.
I have to get up and run.
“Fusion Complete! Let’s go, Hwarin-ho!”
Now that Kang Yoon-ho and Lady Tang had fused, we’ve become Hwarin-ho.
“What are you babbling about? Seriously.”
Lady Tang remarked in disbelief, but now wasn’t the time to care about that.
The sturdy Kang Yoon-ho adapted to the martial world’s demands!
The moving mobile fortress—Lady Tang’s hands!
The strategist Kang Yoon-ho’s mind calculating the optimal route!
The cushion of Lady Tang, which provides airbag-level protection from injury!
It’s a perfect fusion form that seems like it would appear only towards the ending of an old robot anime!
“Let’s gooooooo!”
We sprinted toward the direction with the least number of Green Forest bandits.
“Catch those sorcerers!”
“Yes!”
We got caught immediately.
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