Chapter 68

* * *

Gallung felt the blood rush to his head and throb as he slowly regained consciousness. He tried to massage his aching head with his eyes still closed but realized his body wouldn't move. He was startled and opened his eyes wide.

He was bound and hanging upside down.

“...W-What... What...”

“Hey? Officer Zhang, this guy’s coming to?”

Gallung couldn’t immediately recognize the face of the person he saw upside down, but he could tell the man looked somewhat sly.

“W-Who are you... O-Oh...?”

“Who am I? Who else?”

The response, combined with a sneering laugh, created an expression that invoked an inexplicable anger. Gallung, bewildered by the hostility, finally managed to look around.

The ground and sky were the same black, distinguished only by their shades. The black earth above his head and the deep black sky below him. The deep black undulation contained thousands, perhaps tens of thousands, of galaxies, forming an endless, transparent sea of stars.

As Gallung tried to look around, he was overwhelmed by the scenery that was both repetitive and unique to this moment, and he froze. After a moment, someone struck the back of his head hard. It was the sly man.

“Damn, what are you spacing out for? Enjoying the night view? Should I just bury you under that view?”

Gallung, his reverie broken, clenched his teeth and frowned, then heard the sound of footsteps approaching from behind. Realizing the faint red light also came from behind, he understood he was hanging from a tree, facing away from a campsite a short distance away.

“You... Reveal your true identity! Do you think you’ll be safe treating me like this!”

“Ha. This guy hasn’t come to his senses yet.”

Gallung struggled to free himself from the bindings on his hands and feet. But the tightly tied ropes wouldn’t budge easily. As he struggled, the person behind him turned and entered his field of vision.

Gallung stopped moving. Just as it took him a moment to recognize the sly man’s face, it took him a moment to recognize the woman’s face.

“...Yeon! You! It’s Yeon! Then that guy...”

Just as Gallung was about to shout, another man appeared in his field of vision without a sound. Unlike the other two, he recognized this man immediately.

“Jang Geon...!”

Only then did Gallung realize he had been captured, that he had lost his subordinates and failed. His face contorted with mental pain.

But Jang Geon, with no particular expression, simply observed him and then spoke.

“Let’s make this quick.”

Before Gallung could respond, Jang Geon began to press his index and middle fingers into Gallung’s body. Bound and hanging, Gallung couldn’t avoid it. Yang Gong and Yeon looked bewildered.

After a short time, but long enough to make Yeon and Yang Gong’s faces pale, Jang Geon tapped Gallung’s body again. As the pressure points were released and his strength drained, Gallung fainted. But Jang Geon’s hand didn’t let him rest. Pressing a few more points, Gallung gasped for air and regained consciousness.

Jang Geon squatted in front of the trembling Gallung, making eye contact, and spoke.

“Right now, I’m doing this to the extent that it won’t leave any permanent damage. If you keep resisting, I won’t have a choice.”

Gallung, with half-open eyes, managed to respond.

“What, what... What? What do you want to ask...”

“I’ll ask you now. Will you answer properly?”

“...Yes, yes... I’ll answer...”

Satisfied with his response, Jang Geon nodded and asked.

“First, tell me about yourself. Where you’re from, who you are, what you do. Start with your name.”

Gallung hesitated for a moment at the request to start with his name, which Jang Geon already knew, but seeing Jang Geon’s calm eyes, he began to speak.

“My name is Gallung. I come from a merchant family in Shinshachun that trades furs, and I am the second son. And, and, I am currently in the Taiping Corps...”

Jang Geon didn’t ask what the Taiping Corps was. He just stared at Gallung. And Gallung, under that gaze, had no choice but to continue.

“...The Taiping Corps is a group of people who are outraged by the exploitation of our continent by an empire across the ocean. They are determined to rise up against the endless exploitation of the people. Our goal is to make our New Continent an independent nation, not just a colony. To ensure that the people of this land, this country, are no longer hungry. When we think about why our fathers and grandfathers came to this land, it’s a natural goal.”

Gallung stopped speaking and closed his mouth. Jang Geon, looking at his face, slowly pulled out a small wooden pipe and a piece of paper from his pocket. While Gallung watched with anxious eyes, Jang Geon took out some dried tobacco and rolled a cigarette, putting it in his mouth. He lit it with his finger, and Gallung blinked, trying to find the source of the flame.

Jang Geon exhaled smoke and asked.

“Why did you target the Zhang Bao Dao in such a place?”

Gallung, not even frowning at the smoke in front of his eyes, answered.

“To use the treasure indicated by the Zhang Bao Dao as funds for our Taiping Corps. We don’t expect the independence of the New Continent to happen overnight. It might take until my son’s or even my grandson’s generation. Naturally, a lot of money and... a strong military force that can withstand the imperial army’s interference are needed.”

“Do you need the treasures of the Si family and the martial arts of Li Shimin?”

“Yes.”

Jang Geon took a deep drag on the cigarette and continued.

“You don’t seem to be the leader. Is that man the leader? The one who threw the spear in Shinshachun.”

“...Yes.”

“Who is he?”

At this question, Gallung’s lips trembled. It was clear he didn’t want to answer. But he couldn’t resist the pain he had just experienced.

“...The leader is... an excellent martial artist and a great commander. He has led the Taiping Corps from the beginning and opened our eyes to a proper vision. I was captured due to a foolish decision, but the leader will ultimately be one step ahead of you. He is that kind of person.”

“What is the leader’s name?”

Gallung closed his eyes tightly.

“...Baek Sakyoung. The leader’s name is Baek Sakyoung.”

At the familiar name, Jang Geon tilted his head, and Yang Gong, beside him, gasped.

“Baek Sakyoung? He’s the disciple of the martial arts alliance leader!”

* * *

The Taiping Corps leader, Baek Sakyoung, did not punish the subordinates who had escaped after losing most of their comrades. He just turned the horses and galloped upstream. When they arrived at the site of the battle, he dismounted and began digging the ground without a word.

His subordinate, Juseon, approached him as he dug.

“...Leader, shouldn’t we chase them?”

“It’s already late. It’s hard to find traces in the dark. So, we have to rest until dawn. They probably stopped to rest too.”

“...Since we’re resting, should we bury our comrades?”

“Yes.”

At this matter-of-fact answer, Juseon sighed deeply, took out his sword from his back, and started digging beside him. Seeing the two, other Taiping Corps members looked at each other, dismounted, and began digging and burying the bodies.

After burying all the bodies and washing his hands with a water bag, Juseon looked at Baek Sakyoung and spoke in a low voice so the others couldn’t hear.

“Gallung is missing.”

“I saw. He’s probably been captured.”

“That fool...”

She clenched her teeth and muttered, but Baek Sakyoung shook his head.

“Look on the bright side. At least there’s a chance he’s still alive.”

“...Aren’t you worried? From what I see, he’ll spill everything if they just pull out one of his fingernails. Why did you teach him the Sa Il Jian...”

“Gallung had talent. If he works hard, he could reach his master’s level before he turns forty. Teaching him the Sa Il Jian was just a test to see if his future could become reality.”

Juseon inhaled, ready to argue, but Baek Sakyoung shook his head.

“Rest, Juseon. We’ll have to ride without stopping from tomorrow.”

Though she made a pouty face, she nodded and walked to the spot prepared by the subordinates. Watching her go, Baek Sakyoung turned his gaze to the eastern night sky.

His expression, lips tightly pressed, staring at the night sky, was unclear—whether it was sorrow for the fallen comrades, worry for the captured comrade, or desire for the Zhang Bao Dao and its treasure.

* * *

“Disciple of the martial arts alliance leader?”

Yeon, listening beside him, asked in a frightened voice. Yang Gong, clutching his head, opened his mouth when he realized Jang Geon was looking at him.

“W-Well, he’s probably the third or fourth disciple. The master usually has many disciples, and among them, there are about five who can be called senior disciples. Baek Sakyoung is one of them.”

“...The third disciple.”

Gallung, still hanging upside down, corrected Yang Gong’s information. Yang Gong laughed awkwardly at this. Jang Geon, with a cigarette in his mouth, looked at Gallung askance and asked.

“As a disciple of the martial arts alliance leader, you should have everything. Why did you create such a secret organization?”

Gallung, receiving this question, trembled and clenched his teeth, determined not to speak, even remembering the pain of the pressure points he had just experienced. Jang Geon, looking at his trembling eyes, recalled the events of the afternoon.

“...In Shinshachun, the front yard of the martial arts alliance, you were quite bold. It was as if you were confident you wouldn’t be caught.”

Gallung, suddenly flustered, closed his eyes tightly. It seemed he was determined to show no emotional disturbance. At that moment, a buzzing sound reached his ear.

-The Taiping Corps is a secret organization created by the martial arts alliance leader.

Gallung’s eyes snapped open, and he stared at Jang Geon, mouth agape. It was partly because his secret had been exposed, and partly because he realized the sound had only reached his ears. He was surprised by the telepathic technique and asked.

“What is this...”

-Is the sword technique you wrote the martial arts alliance leader’s sword technique? The one where you thrust the sword straight.

“...Yes.”

-What is your level?

“...Just imitating. The real master is the leader.”

-Does the sword technique have a name?

“...Sa Il Jian (射日劍)”

-Even the name Taiping Corps was probably given by the leader. I didn’t know the leader was a Taoist.

Gallung’s face showed shock.

“How do you know...?”

Jang Geon, ignoring Gallung’s shock, squatted and fell into a brief contemplation, still holding the cigarette.

The Yellow Turban Rebellion, which marked the beginning of the Three Kingdoms period, did not occur during the thousand-year reign of the Han Dynasty. Of course, there were a few rebellions in imperial history, but they were thoroughly suppressed by the imperial army and left no significant records.

Thanks to the strong centralization of the empire, movements like Taiping and Chenshidao did not flourish. However, there were still people who built huts in deep mountains and valleys to practice Taoism, and commoners who, while not deeply believing, would pour a bowl of water and pray to Taishang Laojun for peace.

Most of these Taoists were almost charlatans. Unlike the Shaolin Temple, which had genuine mystical powers to repel evil spirits, the Taoists who practiced in isolated mountains or from old, worn-out books in caves often deceived the commoners with plausible words.

However, there were genuine Taoists, and stories of Taoists exorcising ghosts or hunting monsters circulated among the people, though their level was much lower than martial artists.

In this New Continent, there were also people who introduced themselves as Taoists or claimed to be of Taoist origin. The martial arts alliance leader was probably one of them, or at least deeply immersed in Taoism. The yellow cloth they wore and the name Taiping Corps were evidence.

What surprised Jang Geon was not the persistent survival of Taiping for hundreds of years but the Sa Il Jian technique Baek Sakyoung used. According to Jang Geon’s knowledge, it was a sword technique originating from the myth of a hero’s descendant shooting down the sun. Whether this was the origin of the sword techniques in this world was unknown, but Jang Geon felt it was likely.

He smiled, holding the cigarette in his mouth.

“Interesting.”

This was a prediction of the upcoming confrontation with the Taiping Corps leader, Baek Sakyoung, but Yeon and Yang Gong, who were listening, just tilted their heads in confusion. From their perspective, Jang Geon was silent while Gallung rambled.

Jang Geon flicked the burning cigarette with his finger and stood up, untying Gallung’s feet.

“Ugh!”

Gallung made a sound and fell to the ground. With his wrists and ankles still bound, he could only wriggle like a worm. Jang Geon left him there and returned to the campfire. Yang Gong, seeing this, hesitantly asked.

“Should we just leave him like this?”

“Yeah.”

“...Not watch him?”

“If he tries to escape, let him. I’m curious how far he can crawl in this rocky place.”

Yang Gong nodded, looking at Gallung.

“Hey, did you hear that? You should definitely try to escape.”

Gallung remained silent. Yang Gong laughed and returned to the campfire. As Yeon also sat down, they started their late dinner, and Gallung, smelling the food, felt his stomach growl but couldn’t bring himself to ask for it.

Yang Gong, reading the signs from Gallung’s back, smiled sarcastically and turned to Jang Geon.

“Look, Officer Zhang. I don’t know what conversation you just had, but these guys are crazy.”

Jang Geon, eating a porridge-like dish made from dried grains and water, looked at Yang Gong with an expression that asked for an explanation.

“Didn’t he say the taxes in Gamsan, Shinshachun, and Tianhou are too high? That’s not really true. It’s natural for expensive items like silk and sugar to have high taxes. They are luxury goods for the wealthy. The tax on cotton trade also applies to large transactions of tens or hundreds of bolts. Of course, they should be taxed. The three cities of the New Continent are half-built by the imperial army, so it’s natural for taxes to be applied to transactions. When he said they almost lose money due to customs and transit taxes, it’s just that they make less compared to the low-taxed merchants from the Central Plains. In simple terms, these guys, who are already well-off, are whining about reducing taxes to make their bellies even fatter. A group for the commoners? These guys are really ridiculous.”

Yang Gong finished his explanation and looked at Jang Geon expectantly. Jang Geon, staring blankly at Yang Gong while eating the porridge, said briefly.

“You should have said that earlier.”

“Ah...”

Jang Geon turned his gaze back to the campfire, and Yeon, listening beside him, laughed. Yang Gong couldn’t help but look sour throughout the meal.

The first night of the Zhang Bao Dao pursuit thus came to an end.