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The ones who came pulling the cart stopped their horses with a tap. In front of them, a vast dock and a multitude of people were spread out.

“…Why are there so many?”

“Who knows, right?”

There was a pile of luggage here and there despite that, the line of carts lined up behind seemed endless.

Of course, this was understandable.

Sailing a ship in the Yangtze River now is almost akin to suicide. But only here, one can safely set sail. In other words, it means that all the merchants who have to sail on the Yangtze River will flock here.

“…I didn’t realize there were so many merchants on the Yangtze River.”

“We usually don’t see them all gathered like this.”

“True.”

Haengsu, nodding, looked ahead with a tense expression.

“Be careful; this isn’t your usual dock. Isn’t it the place run by Mount Hua and Heavenly Comrade Alliance? If you make a slip of the tongue, we’ll be in trouble right away.”

“They are from the Righteous Faction; surely they wouldn’t…”

“You don’t know! Do you have any idea how arrogant those people from the Ten Great Sects are?”

Haengsu shook his head as if the mere thought was tiresome.

“It is the prestigious Ten Great Sects that merchants find more difficult to treat than even high-ranking officials. It’s not just one or two people who just believed in Righteous Factions and lost their minds. Do not let your guard down, think as if you’re dealing with a high-ranking official.”

“I’ll keep that in mind.”

“…Let’s go.”

Swallowing dry saliva, Haengsu led his merchants towards the dock.

‘But who am I supposed to talk to?’

Seeing the system for the first time in his life, it was difficult for him to get a grasp. With the surroundings being so busy, it made it even more so.

The wandering gaze of Haengsu reached a scholar (??(書生)) in the middle. The way he was holding a large ledger looked a little different from others.

‘Is it him?’

Haengsu sneakily approached the scholar and asked,

“Excuse me… Can, can we board the ship here?”

Hwak!

The scholar suddenly turned his head and smiled brightly while looking at him.

“Welcome, customer-nim!”

“….”

“Guys, water! Bring cold water and a wet towel, now!”

“Yep!”

People who were busy around the scholar rushed to open the chest, and took out water that had been soaked in ice water, and a cold towel.

“Thank you for your hard work coming this long way!”

“Now, now! Here.”

Haengsu was caught off guard and accepted what they offered. As he held the cold gourd in his hand, it felt like all the hard work he had put in to get here had evaporated.

“Is this your first time here?”

“That’s true, but… Sangdanju-nim said we could board here…”

“Oh, is that so? Which merchant guild are you from?”

“We are from Hwanho Merchant Guild.”

“Hwanho Merchant Guild?”

The scholar quickly flipped through his ledger.

“Let’s see, Hwanho, Hwanho…. Ah! Here it is. Reserved for 1 pm.! If it’s 1 pm, then it’s that ship over there. Guys, attend to the guests!”

“Yeeessss!”

As soon as the word was over, burly porters rushed to load the luggage in the cart onto the ship.

“He- Heuk… How are they lifting those heavy things so effortlessly?”

Merchants usually have people accustomed to carrying loads. Yet, the speed and strength with which these porters moved were astonishing. Even weights that would make a strong man strain were being hoisted effortlessly by them.

It wasn’t hard to guess from their actions that they were not ordinary.

“They’re so powerful…….”

“Load them! Load them quickly!”

“Run, you bastards!”

“If you’re late, we’ll all die! Fly!”

“….”

Merchants gazed blankly at those who were carrying their luggage as if they were going to die.

‘No, why are they going to such lengths?’

The way they were carrying the load looked even more desperate than the merchants. Considering that porters generally try to make their work easier in any way possible, it was quite a strange sight.

However, the scholar in front of them seemed dissatisfied with even that.

“Have these guys only been eating porridge? Carry it faster! If we can’t move all this stuff by today, both I and you guys will die! You know how that yangban is, right?”

“Uughh.”

At his words, the porters groaned and increased their pace.

“Load them! Load them quickly!”

“No! This ship can’t carry anymore! If we load more, it’ll sink!”

“Then hurry up and get on the next ship! What the hell are these pirate bastards doing! Hurry, hurry up, load the ship!”

“You! Don’t put more up there!”

Watching the porters desperately carry the loads, Haengsu wiped the cold sweat from his forehead.

‘What the hell is this place?’

It was just then.

“Aren’t you Gwan Hong?”

“Huh?”

At the familiar voice, Haengsu turned to his side. A familiar face stood there.

“Oh? Imong Hyung-nim!”

“Did you come here too? Well, among those who make a living on the Yangtze River now, there is probably no one who would not come here.”

“Yes, Hyung-nim. Hyung-nim is here too.”

The merchant called Imong approached and chuckled.

“It must be hectic.”

“Yes. I have no idea what’s going on……”

“You’ll get used to it soon. I’ve just managed to adapt.”

Imong looked around and exclaimed in awe,

“Isn’t this amazing?”

“Yes, it is. As expected, Mount Hua is Mount Hua. When did they build such a dock, and where did they find these porters? They don’t look like Taoists though….”

“Huh? You don’t know?”

“Yes?”

“Look there, over there.”

Imong carefully pointed to a large man carrying goods from the front. Haengsu tilted his head.

“…What about him?”

“Look closely. There’s no way you wouldn’t recognize him.”

“Yes?”

For a moment, Haengsu squinted at the man, and then suddenly flinched.

“That, that… Could it be?”

“Exactly. He’s Taiping Great Dao (????(太平大刀)).”

“Why, why is that person here?!”

Taiping Great Dao.

It is a famous bandit of Green Forest Stronghold (???(靑林砦)) located in the Taiping Mountains above Kugang. Given his immense strength and ferocious nature, there wasn’t a merchant in the region who didn’t know of him.

Haengsu had also encountered him several times. Because of the notoriety of Taiping Great Dao, one had to pay a higher toll to pass through Taiping Mountain.

That man was well-known for his monstrous strength.

“Hngggggg!”

As Taiping Great Dao grunted while carrying the load, someone passing by kicked his buttocks.

“Aargh!”

“You slowpoke! Hurry up, you rascal!”

“I’m, I’m sorry!”

Seeing such an unbelievable sight, color drained from Haengsu’s face.

“Wha- What is going on…”

That Taiping Great Dao was kicked in the buttocks and was even apologizing. Then who exactly were these people?

“It seems they all came from Nokrim.”

“These, these workers? All of them?”

“That’s right.”

“….”

Haengsu’s body began to sweat coldly.

What nonsense is this, a mountain bandit carrying the goods of merchants? It felt safer to entrust fish to a cat.

“Is, is this okay?”

“If you think about it, it’s not that bad. Look, who’s after this place the most? Pirates, right?”

“That’s right.”

“To stand against such pirates, one would need the strength of bandits. Do you think pirates can easily approach a place teeming with the likes of Nokrim’s bandits?”

“N- No, but they’re still bandits…”

“Tsk, tsk. You worry about everything. Look over there.”

“Huh?”

Haengsu turned to the place where Imong pointed. A huge flag was fluttering, and on top of it, there was something written in crooked handwriting.

“What does it say…”

Haengsu, squinted his eyes and read the phrase, was taken aback.

He doesn’t even have the energy to be surprised anymore.

“…What is that?”

“It’s said to be a message written by Mount Hua Divine Dragon himself. No matter how great the bandits are, will they be able to fight against Mount Hua?”

“….”

Haengsu suddenly felt dizzy.

Everything that goes on here is way beyond the common sense he knows.

At a dock made by Taoists, bandits were working. And that Taoist is from Mount Hua, known for being the best at subduing bandits.

‘I don’t know anymore.’

Let’s not think about it. As long as he made money, it was enough.

“It seems your goods have been loaded.”

“Al- Already?”

Loading usually takes much longer than one might think. Even with experienced laborers working non-stop, it would usually take an entire day to fill a ship.

However, this place is different. You can almost see the load piling up on the ship. Even if a child were haphazardly stacking toy wooden blocks, they couldn’t do it faster than this..

“Then, I’ll see you on the island.”

“Shouldn’t it be on the other side of the river?”

“Tsk, tsk. You really came without knowing anything. Here, we move through the island. To avoid the headache of possibly encountering pirates on the water route with the cargo, it’s deliberately set up this way.”

“But doesn’t that mean we have to load and unload twice?”

“What’s the big deal? It’s not like we’re doing the work.”

Come to think of it, that’s true.

“Of course, you’ll have to pay the boat fare twice, but if we can just move the goods, the fare is nothing. Anyway, I have to go now, so I’ll see you later.”

“Yes, Hyung-nim.”

Watching Imong hastily head towards the ship, Haengsu grasped his temples. Just then, the scholar, who had been busy giving instructions here and there, ran over.

“Are you the manager from Hwanho Merchant Guild? The loading is complete. Once you board the ship, you can head straight to the island.”

“What, what should I do once I’m on the island?”

“Don’t worry. We’ll handle all the unloading. However, you can’t bring the carts you brought onto the ship. You’ll need to rent carts there to transport the goods to the other side.”

“Ah, the carts…”

“It’s one nyang for each.”

“….”

The scholar smiled kindly.

“And it doesn’t matter when it’s early like today, however, if you arrive at the island late, I’d recommend you spend the night there. The Evil Sect are going crazy these days, so moving at night can be dangerous. Accommodations have been prepared on the island for you to stay.”

“Ah… I’m grateful for this…”

“Five nyang for each room.”

“….”

“Of course, meals are also provided.”

“…How much is that?”

“Hahaha. Just eat as much as you like.”

“….”

The meals surely wouldn’t be cheap. Definitely.

“Ma- May I ask a question?”

“Yes, feel free.”

“It seems like there’s some construction going on over there. What’s that?”

“Ah, more people are coming than anticipated, and the number of people waiting is increasing. We’re building accommodations for them to rest.”

“Oh, that’ll certainly make things more comfortable…”

“There will be a restaurant where you can have a quick meal, a tea house to enjoy tea, a tavern for drinks, and even a gambling house for entertainment.”

“….”

“Please visit us often! We hope to see you frequently!”

“…Yes.”

“Then I’ll be off.”

With a friendly smile, the scholar turned around and shouted mightily.

“Move quickly, you lots! The guests are waiting!”

His lively steps showed his enthusiasm. Haengsu shook his head.

‘I really can’t figure out what’s happening here.’

He had lived a long life, traveling and seeing many things, yet the world always seemed to surprise and surpass his common sense.

If workers demand money or want unnecessary compensation, please report it immediately. We will, quite literally, ‘rip them apart’.