Chapter 10

Chapter 9: The Bai Family Escort Agency (1)

Despite the teachings of Master Zhang Sanfeng and Master Dharma, I still felt I had many shortcomings.

Even though I had overwhelmingly defeated Yun Shihou, his level was merely that of someone who, despite coming from a good family, couldn't even become a main disciple.

Boasting about being a larva that hasn't even sprouted wings is nothing to be proud of.

If I were to judge myself objectively, I might struggle even against main disciples of similar age from the Nine Great Sects.

It's embarrassing to think that my teachers are the great Master Zhang Sanfeng and Master Dharma.

At the very least, I should be the strongest among my peers to have any face.

To make up for my shortcomings, there's nothing but practice.

That day was no different from any other.

"Do you want to go on an escort mission together?"

Bai Wuhao came and said something strange.

"Did Uncle Bai get hit?"

"What are you talking about?"

"No, I was just wondering if you hit your head."

Given the sudden and out-of-context comment, it was natural for me to respond this way.

I reached out to touch his forehead, wondering if he had a fever.

Whip!

As if in response, Bai Wuhao's fist flew toward my jaw.

It was fast, but not fast enough to catch me off guard, now that I was familiar with Qingjing.

I grabbed his wrist, twisted it, and lifted him off the ground.

"Ah?"

Thud!

Bai Wuhao lay on the ground, looking up at the sky.

He started to chuckle, finding something amusing as he lay there.

"Wow, it's still surprising to experience this again?"

"Everything is surprising. You were almost thrown by chance."

Perhaps because he had experienced it before, I could feel him trying to resist mid-throw.

However, even though there were moments when he could have escaped, he chose not to resist and let himself be thrown, enjoying it as if it were a fun ride.

"You really must have hit your head..."

It was a joke at first, but now I'm starting to doubt it.

After all, the guy lying on the ground, chuckling, doesn't seem quite right.

"Maybe a few more times will help you understand."

Bai Wuhao, getting up, his eyes sparkled.

Seeing that, I began to understand why he was acting this way.

Is he trying to get a free ride?

Should I show him a taste of real pain?

I read his movements with Qingjing again and reached out to exploit his weakness.

His wrist, which seemed to offer little resistance as if inviting me to do as I pleased, was caught in my hand once more.

Normally, I would have thrown him as before, but this time I bent his arm.

"Ouch! Hey! That's cheating! It hurts! I surrender! I surrender!!"

Bai Wuhao, whose body was twisted like a pretzel, waved his other hand in surrender.

Only then did I let go, shaking my hand.

Bai Wuhao, who seemed to be in pain, rubbed his bent arm and pouted.

"Cheater."

"Cheater? You didn't resist enough?"

Should I give him a real punch in the jaw?

I aimed to subdue him without causing injury, so I only threw and bent him, but I could have done more if I wanted to.

Being able to throw someone freely means you can always disrupt their center of balance, and disrupting their center of balance means you can control their movements. And when you control their movements, you can do anything to them.

A punch in the jaw, a broken bone.

All it takes is a well-timed throw and a few well-placed strikes. Of course, it's not as simple as it sounds, but that's the basic principle.

'Hmm, this is quite...'

What if I combined this with Shaolin techniques?

Could I find a way to harmonize Wudang and Shaolin techniques?

The fluidity of Wudang and the strength of Shaolin moving as one!

Just thinking about it gives me goosebumps.

'Well, Master Zhang Sanfeng and Master Dharma might think it's not a big deal...'

But it doesn't seem like a bad idea.

"Escort mission..."

Going on an escort mission would give me real combat experience. Considering that I learned something from sparring with Bai Wuhao, it doesn't seem like a bad idea.

"Hmm..."

I didn't ignore the weight of the words "real combat," but the thought of challenging myself made my heart race.

A pleasant excitement spread through my body.

"Are you interested?"

Bai Wuhao, noticing that I seemed to have changed my mind, asked subtly.

His lazy smile made me want to punch him.

If I saw a fisherman about to catch a big fish, would it be a delusion?

Thinking I might be caught by this guy dampened my enthusiasm, but it didn't completely cool off.

But to do that, first...

"Let's do it together."

"Of course, I'll go with you..."

"Not that."

I pointed in another direction.

"Over there."

At the spot I pointed to, I saw my younger brother peeking out, looking at me with eyes that seemed to ask, "Brother, are you leaving?"

His eyes, which seemed on the verge of tears, pricked my conscience.

"...What a scoundrel."

"Yeah, I admit it."

Bai Wuhao's face hardened as if he were facing a formidable opponent.

I didn't deny it either.

He is indeed strong.

So, help me.

That's what friends are for, right?

***

In large cities, where there are many people and many authorities, it's difficult for a few individuals to have a significant impact on the whole.

But in small, rural villages, a single person can exert enough influence to control the entire village.

While Samyang County wasn't so small that it could be controlled by one person, a few individuals did have significant influence.

Bai Wuhao's father, Bai Jinsheng, was one of them.

The flow of goods connecting Samyang County to the outside world is created by merchants, but it's the escort agencies that protect this flow. Additionally, the escort agencies also serve as a kind of vigilante group, maintaining the county's security, giving them considerable power within the county.

One might wonder why martial arts sects are responsible for security, but this is the norm in this era.

The government, aiming to establish a strong influence in the regions, divided the administrative, judicial, and military domains.

This means that even the county magistrate, who runs the county, has no actual military under his control. The administrative and military domains are separate, so he has no authority over the military stationed in the county.

Moreover, the vast size of the country means that there aren't enough troops to guard the borders, let alone maintain security in each region. Even a million troops wouldn't be enough to cover every region.

Thus, local martial arts sects, like the local gentry, contribute to maintaining security in their respective areas.

This is why the principle of "no interference in martial affairs" exists.

"This place is huge no matter how you look at it."

It's huge.

Just the size of the compound, with the main gate at the center and the walls stretching out of sight, gives an idea of its scale.

As an escort agency, it makes sense that it needs to handle and store the goods of various merchants, but even considering that, the Bai Family Escort Agency is impressively large.

When I was a child, everything seemed huge, and this place felt like a monster.

The feeling is similar even now.

"Cleaning this place must be a nightmare..."

"I understand."

It might sound like a spoiled complaint, but I can relate because I've had the experience of helping with house cleaning at the Bai Family Escort Agency.

The Bai family isn't the type to sit back and order people around. They send their children, who haven't even reached adulthood, on escort missions.

This gives you an idea of their family values.

Of course, the fact that the Bai family is at the center of Samyang County means that the place is relatively peaceful.

Still...

Hearing the voices of the two masters, who seem to agree, I can't help but wonder.

What are they doing up there in the heavens?

One of my personal goals was to ascend to the heavens and meet them face to face, but every time the topic came up, it felt dangerous.

The term "heavens" seemed to carry a dark and ominous feeling.

They once mentioned that they were in a position of high authority, but it didn't seem like a joke.

Sometimes I think I should dig deeper into their story.

"Will they ask us to do something strange?"

"Huh? What do you mean? What?"

I often talk to the two masters when I'm alone, and Bai Wuhao must have overheard me.

"No, I just tend to talk to myself when I practice martial arts. It's like asking and answering myself."

I gave a vague explanation. This way, if he ever overhears me talking to the masters, it won't seem as strange.

"Strange habit, isn't it?"

"Is it? I thought it was pretty common."

"Well, if you really want to nitpick, it is. But then again, I've heard of a man who wears women's undergarments to avoid getting hit by arrows."

"...Oh, really?"

What a comparison.

It felt strange to be lumped together with such a person.

Most importantly...

"Anyway, you seem to be hiding something."

"What are you talking about?"

"I'm not good at lying, and neither are you."

It was clear that he was up to something.

When I probed, he immediately showed his true colors.

"Ha! Ha! Ha! What are you talking about? Let's go in, let's go in."

Bai Wuhao tried to deflect and urged me to go inside.

I glared at his back, frowning.

Would something strange fall on my head once I crossed that gate?

If anything strange flew at me, I'd send it right back to his head.

With that thought, I crossed the gate.

"Huh?"

What was waiting for me inside wasn't some strange mud bomb.

"Y-You're here? It's been a while... hasn't it?"

A beautiful woman, slightly flustered, greeted me warmly.

Xueya, my older sister.

One of the reasons I became a martial artist, along with my grandfather.

I asked her cautiously, noticing her obvious discomfort.

"Are you planning something with them?"

"Planning? Me? What?"

"No, the way you're smiling, it's definitely the face you make when you're up to something. Your reaction to seeing me is also strange."

I included Bai Wuhao in my suspicion.

Xueya's expression, which had been slightly flustered, suddenly changed.

"Up to something...?"

Her expression turned cold, and her gaze shifted to Bai Wuhao.

"Bai. Wu. Hao."

The way she moved her head slowly was terrifying, even to me. The way she spoke, slowly and deliberately, made it even more chilling.

Bai Wuhao's face immediately hardened.

'She's not the one, then.'

Her eyes said it all.

'That's the look my mother gives when she's about to squish a cockroach.'

A look that seemed ready to crush Bai Wuhao.

It was clear that he wasn't involved in whatever was going on.

"Still, if I were in his shoes..."

A scary thought crossed my mind.

If my younger brother Qingwu were like Bai Wuhao, what would I do?

The answer came quickly.

I might have beaten him to death.

I would have beaten him every day.

He would have been plotting to kill me.

I would have plucked out his eyes with ink...

"...No, let's not think about such terrifying things."

Master Zhang Sanfeng and Master Dharma seemed uncomfortable, as if they could guess what I was thinking.

Even Master Dharma, who had a broad-minded disposition, looked uncomfortable, indicating that my thoughts were indeed terrible.

Not just terrible, but horrifying.

How could I compare such a horrifying thought to our innocent Qingwu?

Xueya, who had seemed threatening, now looked like a celestial being.

Not threatening at all.

I would have beaten him to death, right?

He doesn't even recognize such a kind sister.

"I'll see you later, you."

"Today, Qingyun will stay overnight..."

"Shut up."

"Yes!"

Seeing Bai Wuhao cower like a frog in front of a snake, I couldn't help but click my tongue.

Meanwhile, Xueya turned back to me.

"Since you're here, you should see Father. He'll be happy to see you."

"I was on my way to see him."

"Good thinking."

Fortunately, when Xueya turned to me, her face was full of smiles.

It was like a flower in full bloom.

Her smile, like the arrival of spring, made me smile back.

She is indeed beautiful.

There are some differences from the most memorable times in my memory, but...

There was a moment when Xueya's smile, which had been like spring, stiffened.

It was when she gently touched my shoulder and placed her hand on my body.

"Your body... has become much stronger?"

"I'm focusing on my training. I don't have much muscle, so I don't look very built."

"Considering you don't look very built..."

Xueya's expression became curious and concerned as she examined me.

"You seem to have worked hard."

But she swallowed whatever she was about to say and ended on a positive note.

What was she about to say?

I wanted to ask, but the words didn't come out.

Instead, I said something else.

"Xueya."

"Uh?"

"Your black hair is beautiful too."

My mouth spoke without my control.

"Oh, really... I'm glad."

Her face turned slightly red for a moment, but there were no other significant changes. It seemed that Xueya didn't take my words strangely.

Is this a good thing?

Xueya gently stroked my cheek once and then walked away.

After Xueya left,

"Friends should risk their lives to save each other when in danger!"

Bai Wuhao lunged at me.

Of course, I had no intention of letting him, so I grabbed him and slammed him to the ground.

"Ugh!"

"Am I going to take your side or hers?"

Bai Wuhao sighed at my response.

"Man, you're clueless. You seemed to be doing well, but you couldn't finish it."

"You're clueless. How could you read my mood when you're like that?"