Light Novel: Volume 17 Episode 23
Manhwa: N/A
Pyo-wol and Do Yeonsan left the inn early in the morning.
The fatigue from passing through the rainforest was completely relieved after a good night’s sleep on a soft bed.
The two headed to a market near the inn.
Given the number of tribes gathered in the area, the attire of those in the market was diverse, and so were the items for sale.
Pyo-wol gave Do Yeonsan some silver coins and said,
“Use this to buy the things we need for when we go camping.”
“Okay, I should buy things like dried food and beef jerky, right?”
“That’s right. Once you’ve bought everything you need, let’s meet back here.”
“Okay!”
Do Yeonsan nodded vigorously.
When he was the Ghost King, he roamed the world. However, back then, he didn’t prepare for sleeping outdoors. He just simply ate and slept wherever he could, like a wild animal.
Now that he had woken up and regained his senses, he didn’t want to remain like that.
Even if he had to sleep outside, he wanted to be well-prepared and rest properly.
Above all, he had no memory of spending silver coins as he pleased.
It was just two coins, but the fact that he had money to spend freely excited him.
Full of enthusiasm, Do Yeonsan dashed off.
Pyo-wol watched him for a moment and then slowly began to walk.
Since Do Yeonsan was buying the supplies for sleeping outdoors for the two of them already, Pyo-wol didn’t need to prepare anything separately. But markets had a peculiar charm that made one stroll around and wander, even if there was nothing specific to buy.
Pyo-wol felt the same.
So, leaving the shopping to Do Yeonsan, he looked at the goods the merchants were selling.
Most of them were everyday items.
Some brought grains they grew themselves, while others sold livestock like cows and goats. These were common everyday items. But every once in a while, some vendors would come out with something unusual.
These could be small items used at home or necklaces with magical significance.
Other than the Bai tribe, the life of the other tribes wasn’t very affluent.
The small number of tribesmen meant that their productive capacity was limited. As a result, they would sell anything if it could fetch some money.
Suddenly, Pyo-wol stopped in front of a man.
It was a man who appeared to be in his seventies selling rocks.
Although various items were sold at the market, Pyo-wol didn’t expect someone to sell rocks.
Naturally, people weren’t interested in the rocks, so the old man’s expression was gloomy, perhaps not expecting to make a sale.
Pyo-wol asked the old man,
“What is this?”
“Can’t you see? It’s a rock.”
“You’re selling a rock?”
“Why, is there a problem?”
The old man stuck his head up proudly.
“Is there something special about it?”
“I tell you what, it’s not an ordinary rock.”
“What do you mean?”
“It’s a rock that had fallen from the sky.”
“The sky? Are you talking about a meteorite?”
“A few nights ago, the night sky suddenly brightened, and this rock fell. It was a little bigger initially, but the rest probably burned off, which is why there’s only this much left. What do you think, do you want to buy it?”
The old man’s voice had a hint of excitement.
He assumed that Pyo-wol’s interest meant he was interested in buying it.
In fact, even though he had brought the meteorite, he believed the chances of it selling were slim. After all, no one in Dali would buy a mere rock, no matter how wealthy they were. But he brought it just in case, and seeing Pyo-wol’s interest, he became hopeful.
Pyo-wol didn’t answer, he just stared at the meteorite.
It was only the size of a child’s head. There wasn’t much material to craft something from.
Pyo-wol wasn’t a craftsman, so he couldn’t think of anything that could be made from the meteorite. However, he thought that perhaps Tang Sochu could use the meteorite to craft something valuable.
Tang Sochu was the best craftsman Pyo-wol knew.
Meteorites that had fallen from the sky were not easy to come by. A meteorite like this would be the perfect gift for Tang Sochu.
Pyo-wol said,
“One silver coin, then I’ll buy it.”
“I’ll take two.”
“You don’t seem to want to sell it. Fine.”
Without hesitation, Pyo-wol turned around to leave. A desperate look immediately appeared on the old man’s face.
“W, Wait! I’ll sell it! Just pay me one silver coin and you can take it all. I’ll pack everything for you.”
He quickly wrapped the meteorite and handed it over to Pyo-wol.
‘He’s paying one silver coin for such a useless rock? He’s such a fool.’
Although it was a shame that he couldn’t get two pieces of silver, one coin was more than a fair price.
The moment Pyo-wol touched the meteorite wrapped in cloth, he was slightly startled.
Whoosh!
The meteorite reacted to his internal energy.
He might not know what the meteorite was made of, but it was strange that it had a sensitive reaction to his internal energy.
Pyo-wol threw a silver coin to the old man.
“Hehe, that thing is yours now.”
The old man hurriedly went away, afraid that Pyo-wol would ask for his money back.
The old man probably thought he had made a huge profit by fooling someone naive, but Pyo-wol believed he had gained more.
‘Sochu will love this.’
It had been a long time since he had seen Tang Sochu.
Even before they parted ways, he had already attained a high level in blacksmithing. There was no telling how much his skills had developed since then.
The meteorite he bought from the old man would be a great gift for him.
Pyo-wol slung the cloth bag containing the rock over his shoulder.
Just then, Do Yeonsan appeared, carrying a load in both hands.
“Hey, bro! What’s that?”
Do Yeonsan noticed the cloth bag and asked.
“A meteorite.”
“A meteorite? You mean a rock that had fallen from the sky?”
“Yes. Are you interested?”
Do Yeonsan was also an apprentice in a workshop.
He was also quite talented.
Do Yeonsan shook his head.
“No, I’m not interested anymore.”
“Really?”
“I won’t be able to go back to those times.”
The old him would certainly have been interested in the meteorite. But now, his body was engraved with the Ghost King’s martial arts.
While he could manifest and unleash qi more easily than before, returning to the challenging and arduous life of a craftsman was far from easy.
“Such a precious object should be given to a true craftsman, not to a halfpenny like me to handle and defile.”
“You’re not a halfpenny.”
“As a craftsman, I am.”
Do Yeonsan firmly defined himself. It showed that he had no regrets.
Seeing that Do Yeonsan made up his mind, Pyo-wol didn’t press further.
After looking at Pyo-wol for a moment, Do Yeonsan said as if he had just remembered,
“Oh, by the way, there’s a caravan heading to Chengdu tomorrow.”
“Chengdu?”
“Yes! It’s a pretty big caravan, and they’re currently recruiting escorts.”
“Really?”
“It seems the turmoil in Jiangxi Province has had its effects here too.”
“Then, it might not be bad to go with them.”
“Hehe! That’s why I applied in advance.”
“Did they grant you permission?”
“Yes!”
Of course, he had briefly demonstrated his skills.
No group, no matter how short-handed, would hire a sixteen-year-old boy with no skills.
Do Yeonsan showed the recruiter how he could shatter a rock in one go, and he was easily hired.
“When are we departing?”
“This afternoon.”
“Then we should go now.”
“Yes!”
Walking shoulder to shoulder, the two headed towards the merchant group where they were recruited as escorts.
Great Pearl Merchant Group.1
That was the name of the merchant group that was leaving today.
In front of the merchant group, five newly hired escorts were waiting.
All of them were martial artists who made a name for themselves in Dali.
“Huh?”
One of the martial artists was taken aback upon seeing Pyo-wol and Do Yeonsan.
He approached the two.
“You joined the Great Pearl Merchant Group too?”
The man who spoke was the the same one making a fuss in the inn where Pyo-wol stayed the previous night.
He seemed to have opted for the merchant group heading safely to Chengdu instead of an escort agency going to Jiangxi Province.
Since Pyo-wol’s appearance stood out too much, the man remembered him clearly even though he had only seen him once.
Pyo-wol asked,
“You are?”
“Ah! My name is Jin Gwan-hak. What’s your name?”
“Pyo-wol.”
“What a great name. I’m glad we’ll be traveling together. Let’s help each other out.”
Jin Gwan-hak didn’t recognize Pyo-wol.
Dali was too far removed from Jianghu.
Cut off from the outside world, news from Jianghu reached late, and even if he had heard rumors about Pyo-wol, he would have found it hard to believe the man standing before him was the same person.
However, he had his doubts.
Pyo-wol had a rather delicate face for such a dangerous job.
At first glance, Pyo-wol seemed to have grown up well, this caused Jin Gwan-hak to wonder if he was really fit for the rugged job of an escort.
‘Heh, why should I worried about others? I should just do my best.’
Thinking that way, Jin Gwan-hak returned to his position.
Just then, the gates of the Great Pearl Merchant Group opened wide, and those departing came out.
There were more than twenty carts loaded with goods, and including the merchants, martial artists, and various other helpers, the group totaled more than thirty people.
The chief escort responsible for the merchant group’s protection approached those waiting outside.
“Greetings, my name is Ji Muhyeong, the chief escort. You will have to follow my instructions from now on.”
“Yes!”
“Just give us the command!”
The temporarily hired escorts responded in unison.
Although they were temporarily employed for now, making a good impression on Ji Muhyeong could mean they might become permanent escorts in the future.
There was a huge, unbridgeable gap between temporary and permanent workers. The treatment and compensation were incomparably different.
Ji Muhyeong spoke to the temporary escorts,
“You will be in charge of the carts in the rear.”
If one would think that riding in a cart pulled by horses and oxen was comfortable, they were wrong. That was because when it rained, they had to cover the carts with waterproof tarps and had to be especially careful not to lose any cargo.
While their title was “escort”, they basically had to do menial tasks as well. Yet, many were still willing to take on the role.
That was because there weren’t many jobs that paid this much.
The temporary escorts silently headed towards the rear carts.
“Hold on! You!”
Ji Muhyeong suddenly called out to Pyo-wol.
Stopping in his tracks, Pyo-wol was scanned up and down by Ji Muhyeong.
“It’s a tough job, do you think you can do it?”
“Don’t worry, I’ve done it many times.”
“Are you sure? If you’re lying to get hired, back out now. I won’t punish you.”
He said this because Pyo-wol’s appearance was too good and delicate to be true.
Pyo-wol chuckled and said,
“I might even do it better than you.”
“Are you sure?”
“Just watch and see.”
“Fine! I won’t forget what you just said. Off you go.”
Ji Muhyeong waved his hand dismissively.
It was quite a rude gesture, but Pyo-wol didn’t take it to heart.
He was only going to accompany him as far as Chengdu anyway.
He would never see him again once they reached Chengdu, so there was no reason to be offended by such a small matter.
The cart assigned to Pyo-wol was at the very back.
The horse-drawn cart was heavily loaded, but there was still room for someone to ride.
Do Yeonsan said to Pyo-wol,
“Brother, let me drive the horse.”
“Can you do it?”
“I want to.”
Excitement filled Do Yeonsan’s face.
Looking at him, one could truly feel that he was still just a young boy.
For a boy his age, there was no greater dream than to drive a horse directly.
It wasn’t strange for him to feel excited just from driving a horse-pulled cart.
Pyo-wol instructed,
“Hold the reins tightly. If you want to go left, pull to the left. If you want to go right, pull to the right. If you want to stop–”
“I’ll just have to pull back, right?”
“That’s right!”
“Okay, I think I know how to do it, just leave it to me.”
“Alright.”
Pyo-wol willingly handed over the reins to Do Yeonsan and went to the cargo compartment.
After making some room amongst the cargo, he sat down.
“Let’s go!”
With Do Yeonsan’s excited voice coming from the front, the cart began to move.
Leaning against the cargo, Pyo-wol closed his eyes.
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