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chapter 08
“Didn’t the tribute arrive from Wangak Mountain Fort?”
There were twenty-four forts representing the Nokrim. In martial circles, they were often called Nokrim, or the Twenty-Four Nokrim Forts (綠林二十四砦).
Bulsan Fort (佛山壁砦), located in Foshan, Guangdong Province, was one of these twenty-four Nokrim Forts. It was also the main stronghold of the bandits active in Guangdong.
The fort master of Bulsan Fort, Geobeok Dao Son-O, was a well-known master in Guangdong.
Under him were twelve lieutenants who managed the Nokrim bandits in Guangdong.
“The period for receiving the tribute has passed by ten days, and we’ve had no contact from Akjeong of Wangak Mountain Fort.”
“So it’s not a matter of delayed payment due to low income—they haven’t contacted us at all?”
“Yes, Master!”
“These bastards, if treated too leniently, think they can start walking all over us.”
Irritation seeped through his voice.
“So?”
“Huh?”
“So what did you do? If there’s no contact, you should have sent someone, right?”
Son-O spoke as if everything annoyed him. Ogu, the reporting lieutenant, quickly lowered his head.
“We’ve already sent someone. Contact should arrive soon.”
Son-O flicked his finger. Ogu flinched momentarily, then approached Son-O.
When Son-O gestured for him to come closer, Ogu went right up to him and bowed.
Wham! Kudadadadang!
Ogu found himself suddenly sprawled on the floor. Suppressing the pain, he quickly got up and bowed again before Son-O.
Although he was a lieutenant, Ogu wasn’t stronger than the other lieutenants; Son-O had placed him there because he was easier to manage.
A clever subordinate can be a headache, and Son-O had experienced that firsthand. Subordinates needed to be moderately foolish and moderately content to be manageable. In that sense, Ogu fit Son-O’s standards perfectly.
“How long did it take to go back and forth? Why are you only reporting now?”
“Well…”
He hesitated mid-sentence.
“Well?”
Ogu spoke in a near-death whisper:
“When I was with Wollang, I was told not to disturb her…”
Wollang was a woman akin to Son-O’s concubine, residing in Gwangju at the geisha house Wolaru. She was also Son-O’s informant, collecting and delivering intelligence from across Guangdong.
It was just that others didn’t know this.
“Oh… I see.”
Wollang had rested at the fort for a few days before returning to Gwangju.
A faint smile appeared on Son-O’s lips as he recalled her sweet, coquettish voice lingering in his ears.
“Ogu!”
“Yes, Master!”
“I apologize for hitting you. You know I’m impatient.”
Ogu’s expression relaxed at those words. Son-O considered him a simple-minded person, one way or another.
Ddadadada!
The sound of hurried footsteps outside echoed through the room.
“Master! Something terrible has happened!”
Hearing the commotion, Son-O and Ogu looked at each other.
“How did you raise these kids?”
“I specifically instructed them not to raise their voices, but it seems they’ve completely lost their minds.”
Sssrrrkk!
The door opened, and someone entered.
“Master! Wangak Mountain Fort has been annihilated!”
The room fell silent.
Son-O wondered if he had misheard.
“Say that again.”
“Wangak Mountain Fort has been annihilated. All thirty children of the fort, including Akjeong, are dead.”
Son-O jumped up in shock and asked the subordinate who had come to report:
“Who dared attack Wangak Mountain Fort?!”
“That hasn’t been confirmed yet.”
The annihilation of Wangak Mountain Fort was essentially a challenge to his authority. After a brief moment of anger, Son-O calmed himself and sat down.
“And the corpses?”
“They were already decomposing. However, according to a child who returned from the fort, there were no external injuries on the corpses.”
“No injuries?”
“Yes.”
No injuries meant they had died from internal damage.
“And there was no sign of a violent struggle either.”
“No sign of fighting?”
It was hard to believe that thirty subordinates had all been killed by internal injuries without a single trace of combat.
“That’s what they said, Master!”
“Hmm…”
In situations like this, there were usually two possibilities:
Either the enemy was an extraordinary master who refused to fight, or it was a lie.
Could an extraordinary master have a reason to annihilate Wangak Mountain Fort? Son-O thought not. Even if disputes occurred at Wangak, they would usually end at a point of honor, not complete annihilation.
The conclusion was clear.
“It’s a lie, isn’t it? They’re lying to steal my money!”
“Well…”
Even he couldn’t confirm, as he hadn’t gone to Wangak Mountain himself.
Son-O flicked his fingers. As the subordinate approached, Son-O’s fists flew.
Kudadadadang…
“Bring the ones who went there!”
“Don’t worry! He’ll make it safely to Gwangju.”
Jin Aseol often asked Sword Spirit (Geomryeong) about her father Jin Seol, who had gone to Wangak Mountain Fort to retrieve the tribute and was traveling back to Gwangju. Sword Spirit always reassured her that he would be fine.
“Let’s see… the distance from here to Wangak Mountain Fort is…”
Sword Spirit pretended to calculate the distance and time, then said to Jin Aseol:
“He should be arriving soon. By now, he must have entered the market street.”
“Liar again!”
“Every time I speak, she says I’m lying. Look! It’s two days from here to Wangak Mountain Fort. To Gwangju…”
Jin Aseol tilted her head as she watched Sword Spirit calculate the time and distance in a reasonable manner.
“Was he always this smart?”
Sword Spirit lowered his head, a look of exasperation on his face.
“Aseol!”
“Yes?”
“When someone speaks, you have to listen. How can you daydream? I worked hard to calculate this for you…”
“You say that, but it’s not really true.”
“I’m serious. Should we go to the market and see if he’s coming?”
Jin Aseol opened her eyes slightly and glared at him.
“So if we wait half a day, Dad should arrive?”
“Of course. There are many people, so he might be a little late. But roughly, that’s about right.”
Jin Aseol nodded.
“Alright! This time, I’ll believe you and not get tricked.”
“I’m serious.”
“Okay, I trust you.”
Sword Spirit smiled faintly at her cuteness, even if he found it a bit ridiculous.
“Aseol! Shall we go to the market to buy sweets?”
“I want Hangwa.”
“Hangwa? What’s that?”
“Come on. Have you only eaten ice cream and sugar candies until now?”
“Yes! That’s the best, right?”
Jin Aseol shook her head.
“I’ll show you how delicious Hangwa is. Let’s go buy some!”
“It’s not expensive, right?”
“A little! But it’s more savory and tastier than sugar candies.”
“Alright, let’s go get Hangwa.”
Sword Spirit took Jin Aseol to the market. The streets were always crowded.
“Come! Cheap! Cheap!”
Vendors opened stalls and haggled with passersby. Sword Spirit liked watching this lively scene.
When he had lived on Heukam Island, there had only been four people, so it was always quiet. Perhaps that’s why he smiled faintly whenever he came to the market or city streets.
People had misunderstood his smile as admiration and liked him for it, which he didn’t mind.
“Where do they sell Hangwa?”
Sword Spirit asked, having never seen it during his month in the city.
“Just a little further.”
Jin Aseol led him to a small stall in a corner of the market, where an elderly woman was selling Hangwa.
“Grandma!”
“Aseol, isn’t it?”
They seemed very close, as if grandmother and granddaughter. Sword Spirit, however, looked displeased.
The old woman glanced at Sword Spirit, inspecting him as if she had discovered a rare gem.
“And who is this young man?”
Jin Aseol replied, “This is Sword Spirit, our courier at the guild. He even boasts that he’s the greatest master in the world.”
“I really am the greatest master in the world! And I told her to call me ‘oppa’.”
Sword Spirit insisted in front of the old woman, though their expressions were similarly mischievous.
“Tsk, lying even in front of Grandma.”
“It’s true. I really am the greatest master in the world.”
No one believed him.
“Ehh, Grandma, give me some Hangwa.”
Jin Aseol, not wanting to embarrass the old woman further, asked for some sweets.
“Alright, wait a moment.”
The old woman put several Hangwa pieces into a paper bag for Jin Aseol.
“Since you brought him along today, I’ll give a few extra pieces.”
“Wow! Grandma, you’re the best!”
Jin Aseol smiled brightly at the extra sweets.
“He’s not mine, you know.”
Sword Spirit protested, but Jin Aseol interrupted him.
“You should give money to Grandma.”
“How much?”
Not wanting to argue further about being the greatest master, he paid for the sweets.
“Here, try this one.”
Jin Aseol gave him the largest piece.
Sword Spirit took a bite.
“Wow! So nutty and delicious.”
Chewing it all in one bite, he scolded Jin Aseol:
“Hey, why didn’t you tell me about something this delicious sooner?”
Jin Aseol wasn’t about to let him pin the blame on her.
“I did tell you!”
“You were saving it to eat alone, weren’t you?”
The old woman smiled faintly at their playful exchange, her gaze fixed on Sword Spirit, unwilling to look away.
