Chapter 43. First Escort (5)

Evening fell. We decided to take turns keeping watch, and one by one, we went to bed.

However, I couldn’t fall asleep. There was still something I needed to do.

‘I can’t skip a single day of training.’

Meditation is built up bit by bit, day by day. It’s most important to practice diligently every day without fail. That’s why martial arts are called gongfu (功夫), which means to put in effort and accumulate it.

After confirming that everyone was asleep, I carefully got up and headed to the back of the cave. The inside of the cave was cool, so cool that it made me shiver. The surroundings looked familiar.

‘Come to think of it, this is where Yoon Junsup died.’

I didn’t pray for the deceased Yoon Junsup but just walked inside. Whether it was due to the lingering resentment of Junsup or the natural atmosphere, I felt the temperature around me gradually drop.

‘It’s so eerie.’

If not for the training, I wouldn’t have come to such a place. When a cool breeze blew inside the cave, I felt like turning back, but I held myself back.

Once I was deep enough into the cave where no one could see me, I warmed up with a simple set of military calisthenics and then started with the animal postures like the bear and the bird, as Wijian had taught me.

“Puu, huu...”

After about an hour of routine training, sweat poured down my body. I was so drenched in sweat that I felt dizzy.

‘Now, only the Iron Body Formation Technique is left.’

I had never missed a day of practicing the Iron Body Formation Technique. Even on days when I wanted to take a break, I would think of Yoon Junsup’s futile death and force myself to train.

Even a master can be cut by a sword if they let their guard down, and if a sword pierces the body, a person dies. It’s best not to let your guard down, but everyone does.

When one reaches the peak of martial arts, their body is completely attuned to martial arts, and they can naturally counter any attack. But this is a distant story, so let’s set it aside...

For beginners like me, the best method is to learn external martial arts like the Iron Body Formation Technique to make the body strong enough to resist or at least reduce the impact of a sword.

‘Of course, if I get hit by a mid-level technique or a vital point, it won’t help much.’

A vital point is a common weakness of external martial arts. When one learns these techniques, other parts of the body become hard, but a specific part becomes critically weak. This is called a vital point. In my case, the area below my navel is my weak point.

This vital point is a very critical weakness. Even a master of external martial arts can die instantly if hit in the vital point. There was even a famous martial artist in the Jianghu who died when a child’s sword lightly pierced his vital point.

Therefore, martial arts can also be seen as a battle of strengths and weaknesses. One must learn a wide variety of techniques deeply and broadly.

‘But once you become a master, you can stop training.’

At that level, it’s enough to manage a branch and live a decent life in the Jianghu. I reaffirmed my resolve and continued my training.

At that moment, a heavy voice came from behind.

“Huh? What are you doing up so late?”

“Ah, is it you, Senior?”

The person who appeared was Sima Yu. He was in the middle of rubbing oil on his body, so when he saw me, he looked at me as if I were a bag of food waste.

“Why are you undressed again?”

“Don’t misunderstand. I’m practicing external martial arts.”

I quickly explained, trying to make it clear that I didn’t have any strange exhibitionist tendencies. Since Sima Yu also practiced martial arts, he seemed to understand.

“But why are you doing this on an escort mission?”

“Because I need to do it even more. If I take a break today and another break tomorrow, it will never end.”

“Hmm... You’re right.”

Sima Yu nodded, seeming to understand. He found a suitable rock nearby and sat down. I decided to continue my training, ignoring him. As I did, Sima Yu said:

“You really are diligent, aren’t you?”

“Being far from home, I have to try my best.”

“Well, that’s true... But you’re more diligent than most.”

“I’ll take it as a compliment.”

Maybe it’s the K-gamer instinct ingrained in me. The instinct to achieve goals quickly and efficiently.

Sima Yu, who was watching me train, suddenly asked:

“By the way, since you’re up, do you have any snacks?”

I sighed.

***

I woke up before the watchman and lightly checked the outside situation. It was still before dawn, but the rain had already stopped.

As soon as dawn broke, the leader of the escort, Jiang, urged everyone to quickly finish their breakfast. It felt like he was pushing us.

While preparing the horses and the cargo, Jiang ordered me and Guo Dushan to check the road ahead. We left the cave and walked for about 10 minutes when we discovered a major problem.

“Senior Guo, we can’t pass here, can we?”

“I think so too.”

The road had turned into a muddy mess due to the rain last night. I tried to take a step, but my foot sank in. It was a complete quagmire.

If we tried to move the carts here, the axles would likely break. After checking if there was any way to pass, I shook my head.

“We have no choice but to find another route.”

“Is there another way?”

“Let me see... We’ll have to go all the way around.”

I quickly unfolded the map and calculated. According to the map, it would take about four days to go around. I reported the situation to Jiang, who soon came to check the road and sighed deeply.

“This is a big problem. Just as I feared.”

“Did you worry about this yesterday?”

“Yes. This area turns into a mess when it rains. When the bandits were around, it was managed, but now that they’re gone, this is to be expected.”

If it takes three more days, we won’t be able to meet the schedule. There’s a limit to how fast we can travel. We’re not Hong Gildong, so we can’t cover a four-day journey in one day.

“This is a dilemma. We were told to pay special attention to the deadline for this cargo.”

“What should we do?”

“There’s no choice but to take the long way...”

Jiang checked the road several times, hoping for a solution, but soon gave up and turned back. After some thought, I cautiously spoke up.

“Sir... There might be a way.”

“What way?”

“Look at this map.”

I unfolded the map and pointed to a spot.

“This is the cave we were in.”

“Is that so?”

The cave wasn’t marked on the map, but I knew its location from previous experience and triangulation. It was almost accurate.

“Yes. And behind this cave, there’s a path leading this way.”

I drew the path on the map with charcoal from the previous night’s fire. It was the route I took with Wijian after we eliminated the Wujiangshan bandits.

“From here, it’s only half a day’s walk to this point... The road connects here. Then, we can reach Manning County in about a week. I’ve been this way before.”

“...Oh, I see! Then we can go from Manning County to Taihu! It’s close from there.”

Jiang looked at the map and exclaimed. I smiled and added:

“Yes. This way, we only waste a day.”

“What about the road?”

“The ground was quite solid when I passed through before.”

“Hmm... How wide is it?”

“It’s wide enough for carts. I think it was used by bandits for supply routes.”

“I see. Then it might be better than this road.”

Jiang hummed, thinking. Then he decided:

“Alright. Let’s try this route. Even if it doesn’t work, it can’t be worse than this.”

“Yes. I’ll check the road first.”

“Good. Let’s get moving.”

“Yes, sir!”

The road I checked first was less affected by the rain. It was passable if we pushed the carts from behind.

When I reported this, Jiang, who had been anxious, grabbed my hand and said:

“Good! Well done!”

“It’s nothing.”

“No, before we left, I told you that the road is alive.”

“You did.”

I remembered that Jiang had said that. I had dismissed it without much thought, but now it made sense.

“Yes. On an escort mission, you’ll encounter all sorts of situations. But a good guide finds a way, just like you did.”

“I’m flattered. I’ll try to be a good guide.”

“Yes. Hehe. I look forward to it.”

We changed our direction and headed straight to Manning County instead of Taihu. I had to check the road very carefully, so I went ahead and checked the conditions and direction several times.

Choosing suitable campsites was also part of my job. Since we had little time to spare, I had to set up camps as close as possible.

It was a tough job, but fortunately, Guo Dushan was helpful.

“I’ve checked. These two places are no good, but this one is fine.”

“Thanks, Senior Guo.”

“Then let’s...”

“It’s here.”

I had Guo Dushan check the potential campsite locations first. As a master, he could quickly survey the area.

In return, I gave him a honey cookie. He stuffed it into his mouth with a happy face.

Seeing this, I carefully calculated the remaining cookies.

‘It’s going to be tight. We need to restock in Manning County.’

It was a challenging escort mission.

***

When we arrived in Manning County, we didn’t unpack but only replenished some supplies before heading straight to Taihu. Normally, we would rest for a day when we encountered a town during an escort mission, but this time, the schedule was tight, so we decided to push through.

“Ugh... My whole body aches.”

“It’s so cold, my bones are freezing.”

“Surely we won’t have to camp out again tonight?”

Complaints were heard everywhere because we had been camping out frequently. I, too, felt stiff and had a sore throat, so I did some military calisthenics to warm up in the morning.

Surprisingly, it worked well.

─Crack, crack

“Ow...”

When I rotated my stiff back, my bones cracked. I couldn’t help but groan.

After finishing the breathing exercises and stretching, Jiang, who had been watching, approached and asked:

“What’s this strange health method?”

“Oh... It’s a secret technique from my hometown. I use it to warm up in the morning.”

“Can you show it to me again if it’s okay?”

“Sure.”

I demonstrated the military calisthenics again, and Jiang watched with interest.

“You seem much more flexible now. Your body feels warmer too. Does it have other effects?”

“I’ve heard that if you do it every morning for a long time, it can help you live longer.”

Since I read it in the National Defense Daily, it must be true. They wouldn’t deceive good soldiers.

“Ah! That’s great. Show me the movements again.”

Suddenly, Jiang started to follow the calisthenics. His movements were a bit clumsy, but he was doing quite well after seeing it a couple of times.

After about five minutes, Jiang moved his body and said:

“Indeed! My body feels much looser and warmer. I’ve never seen a health method that works so well in such a short time!”

“Hahaha.”

We repeated the military calisthenics three times in a friendly atmosphere and then set off on the escort mission again.

Our goal was to reach the dock in Taihu by the end of the day.

At the dock, another branch of the Baiyun Escort Agency was supposed to meet us. We would hand over the cargo, and they would load the cargo they brought and move it to the Meiyang County branch. This would complete our escort mission.

“Everyone, just a little more effort! I’ll let you rest for a full day when we arrive!”

Jiang kept encouraging them throughout the journey. They were quite tired, so they were happy to hear that they would rest for a day in the town.

When we finally reached the agreed-upon dock, we were taken aback by an unexpected situation.

“Cough, cough”

“Sneeze!”

“Sneeze, sneeze!!”

“...What’s this? You guys.”

The