Chapter 13: Thousand-Year Snow Ginseng
The first job I was assigned after becoming an escort for Sagong Escort Agency was transporting belongings to another village. To be precise, a wealthy man living in Wangha had purchased a house in a different village, and it seemed his son was going to move in there. My task was to guard the transportation of the belongings and ensure that no unnecessary bandits attached themselves to us.
‘This is a piece of cake.’
I had taken on many escort missions over the past decades. Therefore, I could set off with the cargo without any tension or anxiety. This mission involved three escorts in total, and the leader of the escort team did not accompany us. This was because there were not many valuables in the cargo, and there were hardly any bandits in the vicinity.
A few hours after we set out, the transport cart took a short break. The horses seemed a bit tired, so it was intended for them to rest in the shade. While the escorts and the workers were sitting and eating snacks, one of the escorts asked me a question.
“Why did you become an escort?”
He appeared to be in his thirties and was a typical lower-level escort. Like me, he had probably been working in the escort industry for years to make a living. I looked at his plain appearance and replied.
“There’s no other way for me to make a living.”
“With your skills, you could have aimed for a position in the military.”
There was a hint of regret in his words.
As he said, I could have participated in the martial arts exams or competitions held annually by the royal court. Although there would be many strong masters, it was not impossible to pass. It was true that, as he said, using my martial arts skills for escort work might be a waste.
But at the moment, it was not important for me to advance in the government. First, I needed to consume the Thousand-Year Snow Ginseng, and then I had to uncover the secrets of Cheonam Biseo. Additionally, I had to avenge the village chief. I had so many tasks that I could not afford to ponder over such matters.
I smiled slightly and said,
“I don’t think being an escort is a bad job. As long as I do my job well, I’ll be able to make a decent living.”
“That’s true.”
The escort seemed to understand.
No escort agency in the world would dare to mistreat or neglect an escort. There were numerous escort agencies, and fierce competition existed within the industry. Even though an escort might be a low-level warrior, having the skills of an escort was not something you could find easily.
In any case, an escort was a martial artist with basic martial arts skills. Being such, they were considered an asset of the escort agency, and it was customary for the agency to ensure that an escort made a decent living.
After the small talk, the escort team resumed their journey. We had to move quickly to avoid the early morning dew damaging the cargo. Fortunately, thanks to our diligence, we managed to transport the goods to the destination before the hour of the Rat. The escorts and I, along with the workers, hurriedly moved the belongings into the house.
By the time everything was done, it was dawn. The surroundings were pitch black except for the light cast by the torches. The senior escort, who had led this mission, came out with a torch and announced,
“Today, we will rest at the inn for four hours because we are tired! We will set out again in the morning, so make sure to get enough rest.”
“Yes, sir!”
Although we could have crossed the mountain and returned quickly to the escort agency, the senior escort decided that it was too dangerous to travel the mountain path at dawn. Shortly after, the escorts and workers went to the village’s inn to unload their things and rest. Naturally, not everyone could get a room, and some of the workers set up their sleeping bags on the floor.
Unable to sleep, I looked down from the second floor of the inn at everyone preparing for bed. I noticed the workers lying on the floor, exhausted and curled up.
‘This is why I didn’t want to be a laborer.’
While being a laborer meant no direct combat with bandits like an escort, it was generally a less favorable position. Even now, the three escorts, including myself, had secured rooms at the inn, but the remaining workers were sleeping on the inn’s floor.
‘I wish I could have a drink.’
I didn’t dislike alcohol—in fact, I enjoyed it. When I worked as an escort, having a good drink and a sound sleep helped me forget my troubles. But since I had reversed my age, I had not had the opportunity to drink. Even now, drinking in the body of a child seemed inappropriate, so I restrained myself.
Instead, I returned to my room and began to cultivate my internal energy. Practicing the Thunder Dragon One Qi Technique allowed me to recover my energy and relieve fatigue without sleep. Moreover, the more I trained, the stronger I became, making it a win-win situation.
With so many things to do, I couldn’t afford to rest or relax.
After completing this escort mission and returning to the escort agency, Sagong Pae acknowledged me. He was not only Sagong Rin’s older brother but also a leader of the escort agency and a senior official, so his words carried weight.
“Baek Woong, did you complete your first mission successfully?”
“It wasn’t difficult.”
“Hahaha. You’re a promising talent for our agency.”
Sagong Pae made small talk for about an hour. He asked about my background and past experiences, and shared what he had been doing lately, as well as comments about how pretty Sagong Rin was. I was puzzled as to why Sagong Pae was engaging in such idle chatter.
“Then, see you next time.”
“Yes.”
I could tell that Sagong Pae had a favorable impression of me. It was probably a matter of wanting to stay on good terms with someone useful for the agency. Although this was a somewhat unfamiliar feeling, I came to accept it.
‘When you gain power, many things change.’
This was a feeling I had experienced before, when seeking revenge on the village chief. When you have power, the world changes significantly. In other words, not having power is a most wretched situation.
This was just the beginning.
From here on, I had to continue working while waiting for my body to grow and find the Thousand-Year Snow Ginseng in the Hwangsan Mountains when the opportunity arose.
For the next three years, I continued my work at the escort agency without incident. At first, the other escorts were wary of me due to my youth, but thanks to my martial arts skills, which surpassed those of a regular escort, I was able to help them on several occasions. Over those three years, I had saved the lives of other escorts more than ten times, earning their recognition as a comrade.
During escort missions, I fought against bandits, thieves, and water enemies more than twenty times. Although it was not an excessive number of encounters, each time I fought with a blade, risking my life. In these missions, it was not considered a crime to kill bandits if they posed a threat, so we did not hesitate to eliminate them.
In those three years, I had probably killed at least thirty people. Even though I avoided killing when it wasn’t necessary, it was sometimes unavoidable.
By now, my body had grown considerably, and I was in a condition where I could fully utilize my martial arts skills. On a snowy winter day, as I warmed myself by the fire and looked out the window, I thought,
‘This escort agency is a composite of the Sagong family. Unlike typical escort agencies, the members here have high martial arts skills and there is a family-like atmosphere.’
It was clear from the fact that the senior officials of the escort agency were blood relatives of the Sagong family. The escorts were treated more like lower-level martial artists of the Sagong family rather than mere contractors. Sagong Pae’s continuous friendly attitude towards me was probably because he saw us as being on the same boat.
What I didn’t understand was why a family with such martial arts prowess as the Sagong family would directly engage in the escort business. With their level of martial arts, they could have produced high-ranking military officials or involved themselves in commerce or warfare to collect tribute. This would have been an easier and more straightforward way to amass wealth, yet they chose to run an escort agency.
And then there was Sagong Rin.
It was one thing to be attracted to her, but the real issue was [that I did not know anything about her].
It might sound strange, but this was a significant problem. In all my decades of memory, I had never heard of the Sagong family or Sagong Rin making a name for themselves in the martial arts world. While the Sagong family might be obscure, it was particularly strange that someone as extraordinary as Sagong Rin, a prodigy who had been a disciple of the great Taesan Nohong and was not inferior to Jin So-cheong, had not been recognized as a master in the future.
‘Before leaving the escort agency, I should find out what I can.’
I had been considering leaving the escort agency soon. My cultivation of the Thunder Dragon One Qi Technique had progressed significantly, and my practical experience had become much richer. I was confident that I would not fall behind against top-tier martial artists. With the money I had saved as an escort, it seemed like a good time to start searching for the Thousand-Year Snow Ginseng in the Hwangsan Mountains.
To find out what was on my mind, who should I seek?
After some thought, I decided to visit Sagong Rin. I had become close enough to Sagong Pae that I could have asked him directly, but I wanted to see her face one more time.
“Sagong Rin, do you have a moment?”
“Come in.”
Sagong Rin was quietly reading a book in the private room reserved for the head of the escort agency. The sight of her reading calmly by the window in the midst of falling white snow was like a beautiful painting.
‘She’s beautiful.’
I stood there for a moment, caught in the illusion that the painting had come to life, before pulling myself together and speaking.
“I came to ask you something, Sagong Rin.”
“What is it?”
“Why does the Sagong family engage in the escort business?”
Sagong Rin closed her book and looked at me with a steady gaze. Her doe-like eyes blinked briefly before she smiled and said,
“Ah, have you been wondering about that for the past three years?”
“Well, yes.”
“It’s not really a secret. Our main family doesn’t want to clash with the Huangshan Sect.”
“The Huangshan Sect…”
I frowned.
‘So that’s it.’
The Huangshan Sect!
It was a newly emerged martial sect that had recently joined the ranks of the Nine Great Sects and was renowned for its outstanding swordsmanship. Originally, the position held by the Huangshan Sect was occupied by the Gongdong Sect, which had suffered a disaster where their leader and elders had mysteriously disappeared. The Huangshan Sect had swiftly risen in power in the Huangshan region.
Although the Sagong family’s martial arts skills were top-notch, they were somewhat inferior compared to the Huangshan Sect’s peak martial arts and masters. In the event of a military or verbal conflict, the Sagong family would be at a severe disadvantage, so it seemed they had chosen to make a living through the escort business instead of engaging in battle or financial ventures.
I was still confused, so I spoke up.
“No matter how much you avoid territorial disputes, the Huangshan Sect will eventually extend its influence to Guanzhong as well. Can you really deal with them so passively? In the end, you might have no choice but to either submit or disappear.”
Sagong Rin’s eyes glinted oddly.
“It seems you’re quite convinced that’s how things will turn out.”
“Ah…”
Oh no. I had unwittingly spoken about the future.
As I had said, in several decades, the Huangshan Sect would indeed claim dominance over the Huangshan and Guanzhong regions, rapidly expanding their influence. All the minor sects in that area would be forced to kneel and submit to the Huangshan Sect. Unable to tolerate the expansion of the Huangshan Sect, the Zhongnan Sect and Huashan Sect would eventually band together to clash with the Huangshan Sect on Mount Dailun, in what would be known as the Battle of the Five Mountains.
In that battle, there would be no clear victor, and all three sects would suffer significant losses, leading to a period of relative peace in Guanzhong and the Five Mountains. It was during this turmoil that the Plum Blossom Escort Agency, where I had been, was attacked by the Blood Thorn Hand.
In the future, the Sagong family would likely be swallowed up by the Huangshan Sect. That was probably why their name was not known at all.
Despite their expansion, the Huangshan Sect would grow to the point of being able to fight two against one against the major sects, Zhongnan and Huashan. Passively responding to such a dominant sect would only lead to being devoured in the end. If possible, they should have allied with other sects to counter the Huangshan Sect and avoid that future.
Sagong Rin sighed.
“Ha… I understand what you’re saying. My father and brother are always worried about this too. But even if we are worried, there is no other way. Without power, no matter how well we grasp the situation, there is nothing we can do.”
“…”
That’s true. The Sagong family is not foolish and certainly understands the necessity of countering the Huangshan Sect. However, resisting against a sect with peak and transcendent martial artists is so unrealistic that they are forced to endure.
“Is there nothing else you want to say?”
“Miss Sagong Rin, you seem to be on the verge of becoming a peak martial artist. Don’t you have any desire to make a name for yourself in the martial world? Being an escort in a place like this seems…”
“Is it a waste, you mean?”
Sagong Rin smiled wistfully. Her smile carried a hint of sadness and bitterness, which might have appeared beautiful to me, likely because I was already infatuated with her.
“If I were to leave the martial world, I could certainly gain some fame. As a female hero, I could live a fulfilling life. But if that happened, the burden on my family would become too great. I can’t live only for my own desires.”
“Then…”
“Little Brother, everyone has their own way of living.”
I knew Sagong Rin’s words were not entirely sincere.
She had entered Old Sage of Mount Tai’s discipleship because she was interested in martial arts and wanted to be active in the martial world. However, given her family’s situation, she seemed to be repressing all her desires and focusing on helping her family.
Even now, despite being past the age for marriage, she remained single, likely because her responsibilities kept her too busy.
I felt that my second question had been answered.
‘So Sagong Rin’s name remained quietly hidden even decades later.’
She would soon reach the level of a peak martial artist and might even become a transcendent martial artist in the future. Yet, for decades she would dedicate herself solely to preserving her family’s legacy without venturing into the world. While I thought she was unfortunate, I also wondered if it wasn’t so bad if she found satisfaction in her chosen path.
After my reflections, I bowed to Sagong Rin.
“I’m planning to leave today. Thank you for everything.”
“… I expected as much.”
Sagong Rin continued to gaze out at the gently falling snow as she spoke.
“It seems you have a dream. A dream of a vast and grand world…”
“It’s just my own desire to fulfill.”
“A dream and a desire are not so different. I envy you for having that dream…”
Sagong Rin smiled sadly.
“Goodbye, Baek Woong.”
With that, I resigned from my position at the Sagong family’s escort agency and left the Sagong Escort Agency that day.
Determined to find the Thousand-Year Snow Ginseng in the Huangshan Mountains this time.
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