Chapter 43: The Shipped Slacker (1)
There was a time when he had a conversation with that Paeng Clan fellow.
He had met him under rather absurd circumstances, but that Paeng Clan fellow was no less absurd himself.
It was bewildering. Of course, it was bewildering.
Anyone would be taken aback by something like that.
What was he talking about?
About that delivery, of course.
That delivery was where the Paeng Clan guy first met Wi Yeonho, and the situation of their meeting was remarkably strange.
What was so strange about it?
Now, how should he even explain it?
He simply couldn’t.
* * *
The man lay sprawled out, fast asleep.
It was as if he wanted to be treated not as a person, but as a parcel—similarly, his behavior was shamelessly audacious.
“When did he start sleeping?”
“Well, ever since he left the Great Scholarly Institute…”
“Here?”
“Yes, sir.”
Gok Bihang looked at Wi Yeonho with curious eyes.
Wi Yeonho was lying atop the freight cart.
The freight cart, as the name suggested, was made to carry cargo.
It wasn’t meant to carry passengers but was built solely for transporting goods. Since it wasn’t crafted with finesse, any person riding atop it would be jostled endlessly without respite.
Naturally, it was futile to even discuss ride comfort. Even seasoned escorts found their entire bodies sore after a short ride.
To be able to sleep on top of that—especially on the uneven cargo—was not something an ordinary person could do.
‘Doesn’t he cramp up?’
Most people would find it uncomfortable just to sit still with all the bouncing luggage. What was this man’s nervous system made of—whale tendons?
‘In a way, it's impressive.’
Gok Bihang clicked his tongue.
“What did they say at the Institute?”
“Well… they said as long as we fed him three meals a day like livestock, he wouldn’t cause trouble and would behave himself until arrival.”
“Is that so?”
“Yes.”
“Hmm…”
He couldn’t understand it at all.
From time to time, there were people who insisted on accompanying a delivery caravan due to urgent matters.
He had assumed it was another case like that—but the statement from the Institute had been strange, to say the least.
“How much did they pay?”
“They paid four times the rate for transporting a person.”
“I just don’t get it.”
Gok Bihang shook his head.
Anyone who tried to view matters involving Wi Yeonho through the lens of common sense was destined to taste bitter disappointment.
Gok Bihang made up his mind.
He didn’t know what was going on, but he would at least wake the man up for now.
“Excuse me.”
“……”
“Excuse me!”
“Mm.”
Wi Yeonho rolled over.
With a sigh, Gok Bihang reached out and shook him.
“Excuse me!”
Wi Yeonho furrowed his brows and slightly lifted his head.
“What is it?”
“……”
Being suddenly asked “What is it?” left Gok Bihang unsure of how to respond.
“Ahem, I’m Gok Bihang, the head escort in charge of this delivery.”
“So?”
“This delivery doesn’t involve people but cargo. Riding along might be rather uncomfortable. Are you still alright with that?”
Wi Yeonho answered nonchalantly.
“Don’t worry. I’m not registered as a person—I’m registered as a parcel.”
Gok Bihang glanced over at the escorts who had brought him.
They nodded silently.
“Ahem, still, how can we treat a person like cargo?”
“You don’t need to worry about that. Just feed me once a day, and I won’t cause any trouble—I’ll just sleep.”
“Up there?”
“If cargo doesn’t go on the cart, where else would it go?”
“……”
He had a point.
“But it’ll be really uncomfortable.”
“Well, that’s something I’ll have to endure. If all I have to do is lie still and I get taken to my destination, it’s worth it.”
“You’re quite the optimistic fellow.”
Gok Bihang decided to take it in the best light possible.
Now that things were like this, it was his philosophy to at least keep a good mindset.
“But the Institute told us to give you three meals… yet you just said one. Is that right?”
“Yes.”
“Why?”
How can a person eat three meals a day? Don’t people have things to do?”
At first glance, it sounded like something a busy person would say—if not for the context.
Gok Bihang was puzzled.
He had lived his life on the road doing delivery caravans. He had met many people, built countless connections. And yet, he could not grasp what kind of personality this young man in front of him had.
With a resigned nod, Gok Bihang accepted it.
Whatever the case, this cargo was registered under his delivery. His job was to transport it safely and flawlessly.
“Then let’s depart.”
“Okay. I’ll be in your care.”
The freight cart carrying Wi Yeonho headed smoothly into Hubei for the third straight day.
During the day, Wi Yeonho slept atop the cart, and at night, he ate and slept with the caravan staff.
Though people were initially concerned or curious, after three days, no one paid him any attention. The moment he climbed onto the cart, Wi Yeonho truly became one with the cargo, sleeping so comfortably he might as well have been merchandise himself.
Eventually, he became so indistinguishable from the cargo that people practically forgot he existed—he reached a state of unity between man and parcel.
“Should I call it impressive…”
Gok Bihang was amazed.
He had never imagined a person could sleep so peacefully atop such a jostling freight cart.
It wasn’t just that Wi Yeonho was sleeping there—he was so still, like actual cargo, that no one even noticed him.
“At this rate, we really are transporting a parcel, not a person.”
“There’s something even more amazing, isn’t there?”
“What do you mean?”
“That young man sleeps all day except during mealtimes.”
“Could he be ill?”
“Seems like it, judging by the destination.”
“What is the destination?”
“Most likely the Sacred Hand Grounds.”
“Tsk tsk, then he must truly be sick. Of course—how could a person sleep for such long hours otherwise? Sleeping all day and even on top of a freight cart—turns out it’s because he’s in poor health.”
“Wouldn’t traveling on this kind of cart make his condition worse?”
“Hmm, that could certainly be an issue. But it’s his own decision, so we’re in no place to say otherwise. Still, tell the coachman to drive with a bit more care from now on.”
“Understood.”
“He’s quite young too… how pitiful… tsk tsk.”
And just like that, Wi Yeonho had instantly become a pitiful young man with a weak body, seeking the aid of a famous physician and riding on a freight cart.
The misunderstanding—something that would have made anyone who knew Wi Yeonho clutch their stomach from laughter—continued to spread right here and now.
On the fifth day since departing from the Great Scholarly Institute—
“Yaaawn…”
Wi Yeonho was utterly exhausted.
‘This is not something a man should be doing.’
If he was awake, he wanted sleep.And when he was asleep, that scam-artist of a master would appear in his dreams and torment him.
He didn’t mind seeing his master again—on the contrary, he welcomed it. But the master who appeared in his dreams forced him through endless, emotionless training. Furthermore, since his will was somewhat limited in the dream, there was nothing particularly fun about it.
The problem was that the training he did in his dreams also affected him in reality.
If the training had been especially intense one night, the resulting fatigue would cling to him throughout the following day.
So, if he lay down again, hoping to catch some rest, he would only end up meeting his master in the dream again.
It was a cycle from which there was no escape.
‘How long is this going to continue?’
His master had said that once he completed the martial arts, the Dream Training Technique would disappear. But Wi Yeonho had no idea when that completion would come. Nor did he know what level of attainment counted as “complete.”
He had asked his master once—but every time, he only received the same answer: You’ll know when you’ve completed it.
‘At this rate, this might really last a lifetime.’
Wi Yeonho’s body trembled.
That was a truly horrifying thought.
For that reason, Wi Yeonho could not stop this training.
Even if, as his master said, it wouldn’t cause his body to explode or kill him—he couldn’t live his entire life like this. The only way to live the rest of his life in peace and comfort was to finish this damn training and escape from the Dream Training Technique.
Unless, of course, he happened to stumble upon a serpent's Inner Core somewhere.
‘This is killing me. Seriously.’
Wi Yeonho let out a deep sigh.
After staring up at the sky for a while, he lay back down and tried to sleep again.
In the meantime, the cart continued to roll along without issue.
“Hold up.”
Just then, Gok Bihang stopped the carts.
Rattle.
The carts came to an abrupt halt.
Gok Bihang stepped down and shouted loudly.
“Who goes there? I am Gok Bihang of the Swift Dragon Escort Agency. I ask for a meeting!”
Wi Yeonho opened his eyes.
The coachman who had been driving the cart quietly rose and leaned toward Wi Yeonho to whisper.
“There seems to be someone out there. Please stay on the cargo and don’t come down.”
“Bandits?”
“I’m not sure yet. The Head Escort will handle it. Please stay low.”
Wi Yeonho nodded.
Whether it was bandits or not, the first person to deal with it would be Gok Bihang. Gok Bihang stared into the brush with a wary expression.
This wasn’t a good sign.
If it were ordinary bandits, they would have blocked the road. If they had no intention of picking a fight with the escort agency, they wouldn’t bother attacking. Drawing out time like this meant it was either an inexperienced rookie gang, or someone truly dangerous had targeted the caravan…
‘Let’s hope it’s the former…’
There was clearly someone in the brush, but the presence was faint—too faint to belong to an ignorant rookie bandit. That made Gok Bihang even more uneasy.
“I will say this once more. I am Gok Bihang, Head Escort of the Swift Dragon Escort Agency. You, who hide in the brush—step out now. If you don’t, I will regard this as a hostile act against our escort agency.”
Rustle.
A moment later, the bushes rustled, and one person slowly emerged.
“Hm?”
Gok Bihang furrowed his brow.
The one who appeared was, unexpectedly, a young man who still looked rather youthful. On the back of his red clothing, a large character for saber (刀) was engraved.
Seeing the youth’s attire, Gok Bihang made a guess about his identity.
‘Red clothes, a saber character on the back… Paeng Clan?’
The Paeng Clan of Hubei.
A renowned saber family based in Hubei, and one of the Five Great Clans.
In other words, a household whose fame and influence in the Hubei region rivaled that of the emperor.
The problem was—the young man, who appeared to be a member of the Paeng Clan, was covered in wounds.
Gok Bihang’s expression darkened.
It seemed they had gotten involved in something troublesome.
The young man clutched his deeply gashed chest with one hand and struggled to speak.
“I am Paeng Dogeuk of the Paeng Clan of Hubei.”
“I am Gok Bihang of the Swift Dragon Escort Agency. What brings a scion of the Paeng Clan here?”
Paeng Dogeuk continued, his face grim.
“I’m being pursued by enemies. I can’t shake them off alone. Please—help me. This could become a crisis for the entire Martial World.”
Gok Bihang swallowed hard.