Chapter 42: Don’t Worry, Our Green Forest Gang is Ordinary

One month later.

“Hoo…”

“Huff… Why did you suggest coming this way? The path is obviously rough…”

“What choice do we have? If this shipment gets robbed like the last one, our lives are over. We have to take a path where we won’t encounter mountain bandits.”

Kim Mun and Ha Ryang.

The two merchants were embarking on a grueling journey from Anhui to Honam.

They were merchants in charge of delivering trinkets, but the peculiar thing was that they were taking an undeveloped path instead of the usual route.

This was due to the failure of their previous journey.

They had invested most of their fortune in the last journey, only to be completely robbed by mountain bandits.

They barely managed to survive, but they lost so much during that time.

If they encountered mountain bandits again this time, it would be total bankruptcy. There would be no chance of recovery.

Therefore, the two were prioritizing safety over time, taking the longest route from Anhui.

Especially since Honam was on the outskirts, it was clear that the security would be more lax than in the central region, so they were being extra cautious.

“Sigh… If I had known it would be like this, I would have hired at least one warrior when we set out.”

“Where would we get the money to hire a warrior? And… I suspect that in Honam, even one martial artist might not be enough.”

“What do you mean by that?”

When Kim Mun asked curiously, Ha Ryang answered.

“I heard a rumor at an inn a month ago… There’s a formidable mountain bandit in Honam. They call him… the Bandit King?”

“Gasp… the Bandit King…?”

“Yes! How fierce must he be to earn the title of Bandit King? I heard this story a month ago, so by now, he must be even more notorious.”

“Wow… No wonder you insisted on being extra careful in Honam. But still…”

Kim Mun pointed to the branches and vines blocking their path.

“…Isn’t this too much? We can’t even pass through.”

“Just bear with it a little longer… Ugh…!”

As Ha Ryang scolded the complaining Kim Mun and took a step forward…

Thud.

Unfortunately, the spot was covered with fallen leaves, and Ha Ryang’s foot sank into the empty space, causing him to stumble.

Normally, he would have just laughed it off and gotten back up, but the problem was that they were on a steep slope.

Crash.

“Aaah-!”

“Hey, you-!”

Ha Ryang rolled down helplessly. The unpaved path was filled with thorns and rocks, injuring his body as he tumbled.

But that wasn’t all.

At the end of Ha Ryang’s rolling path was a boulder the size of a house. At his current speed, it was clear he would be severely injured if he collided with it.

“What should I do…! How…”

As Kim Mun watched the dire situation unfold, stomping his feet in panic…

“Move aside-!”

Whoosh-!

A clear voice came from behind Kim Mun, and soon a figure shot forward.

Whoosh-!

The figure moved so fast that Kim Mun could barely follow with his eyes, rushing towards the rolling Ha Ryang…

“Hup-!”

…and grabbed Ha Ryang by the collar, using sheer strength to pull him up with just one hand.

“Wow…”

Seeing this, Kim Mun was impressed and realized that the person was not an ordinary individual but a martial artist trained in martial arts.

“Oh, this is no time to be amazed!”

Snapping out of his daze, Kim Mun hurriedly ran to Ha Ryang.

“Hey, Ha Ryang! Are you okay?”

“Ugh… My whole body hurts, but I’m fine… Thanks to this person…”

At Ha Ryang’s words, Kim Mun put down his load and bowed to the martial artist with a fist salute. Ha Ryang also quickly dusted himself off and showed his gratitude.

“Thank you, Great Hero. Thanks to you, my friend’s life was saved.”

“Thank you. You are my benefactor.”

“Haha, it’s nothing. It’s my duty to protect Mount Muak.”

The two were relieved by the sight of the martial artist in neat martial attire and a kind face.

But…

“It’s admirable that you protect the mountain.”

“You could say that. Ah, I forgot to introduce myself. I am Dongryong, the Deputy Leader of the Green Forest’s Twenty Hideouts.”

“…What?”

Hearing Dongryong’s introduction, they froze.

The Green Forest Gang.

Aren’t they mountain bandits? How could someone so neat and tidy be a mountain bandit…?

And if he’s a mountain bandit…

‘Did he save us just to take our goods…?’

Despite having their lives saved, the two felt a sense of despair. They had seen his skills earlier, so they had no will to resist.

Kim Mun’s hands trembled as he handed over half of their goods to Dongryong.

“Th-This is half of what we have. Please take only this and spare the rest… If we lose everything again, we are truly finished…”

Even giving up half was a significant loss, but it was better than losing everything. However…

“Haha, why are you doing this? We don’t take things like this.”

“…What?”

…A mountain bandit, not stealing anything…?

…Then what do they do?

As Kim Mun and Ha Ryang stood dumbfounded, Dongryong pointed east.

“If you go about 2 li east, you’ll find a mountain path we’ve maintained. It will be faster and more comfortable to travel.”

“A maintained mountain path…?”

“Yes, but we do charge a toll.”

“……A toll.”

They flinched at the word toll, but it was still better than losing all their goods.

“…Then can we pay the toll now?”

“No, if you follow the path I mentioned, you’ll come across a pavilion. You can pay there and travel safely. I’d like to explain more, but I have to patrol the rest of the area…”

“…Ah, yes. Please go ahead. Sorry for taking up your time.”

“Then, I’ll be off.”

Whoosh-!

With that, the mountain bandit(?) named Dongryong used his Lightness Arts to dash off somewhere.

The two watched in a daze before Kim Mun spoke first.

“…Shall we try going to the mountain path?”

“…Yes, let’s go.”

With a sense of being tricked, they headed east, and after walking exactly 2 li…

“There really is a path…?”

They found a well-maintained mountain path.

It was no exaggeration to say the path was well-maintained. The smooth path had no vines, dust, or pebbles.

Even on steep parts of the path, there were stairs installed for safe passage, making it impossible to say it wasn’t well-maintained.

“After walking such rough paths, this feels like paradise!”

“Indeed. …But let’s be cautious. We don’t know what kind of price they’ll ask for this convenience…”

“Of course.”

As seasoned merchants, they instinctively knew that such kindness was never free, so they proceeded with caution.

And soon, they discovered something else.

“That is…”

“……An inn?”

…An inn in the middle of a mountain ridge. It was hard to believe, but the pavilion in front of them looked like an inn.

They weren’t sure if it offered lodging, but the open first floor had people eating and drinking, making them feel like they were in a town.

As they approached in a trance, someone stopped their steps.

“Wait, stop.”

“…Oh.”

The person who stopped them was a man sitting at the inn’s entrance, accompanied by another man who looked like a male entertainer in a gisaeng house and a young man with an innocent face.

The man who looked like a male entertainer kindly extended his hand.

“You need a pass.”

“A pass? We don’t have one…”

“No pass? Ah… You must have joined midway. To pass through here, you need a pass.”

Only then did they remember what the mountain bandit had mentioned earlier.

‘But we do charge a toll.’

“Do we need to pay the toll to get the pass?”

“Of course.”

“…How much?”

“To determine the amount, we need to see your goods first. Please place them on this table.”

The man’s words didn’t seem malicious or greedy, so the two placed their goods on the table without suspicion.

The man examined the contents and said.

“Hmm… You deal in trinkets and accessories. In that case… 3 taels of silver.”

“3 taels of silver?”

3 taels of silver was not a small amount.

“Isn’t that too expensive-!”

When Kim Mun tried to protest, the man smiled and calmly countered.

“Mister. If you sell all these trinkets and accessories, you’ll make about 50 taels of silver, right?”

“Y-yes.”

“If you get robbed, you’ll lose 50 taels of silver, but if you pay just 3 taels now and get our pass, you can safely use the mountain paths in Honam. You’ll save 47 taels. Am I wrong?”

“Oh… Is that so?”

While Kim Mun hesitated, the man continued.

“Once you get the pass, the Green Forest’s Twenty Hideouts will guarantee your safety. Hiring a warrior for a journey usually costs at least 10 taels of silver. Isn’t it better to pay just 3 taels and get the pass?”

“……”

…Is that so?

Many merchants hire warriors for safe travel, but it is very expensive.

That’s why they couldn’t hire a warrior when they set out.

But… paying just 3 taels for safe passage through Honam’s mountain paths? And such a comfortable path…?

While the two were contemplating, the man added another point.

The man pointed to a plump man enjoying a drink in the open area.

“See that man over there? He’s a silk merchant, and since he seemed wealthy, we charged him 5 taels. Isn’t it fair to charge different tolls based on wealth?”

“Oh…”

…Is that so?

Suddenly, the 3 taels seemed like a small amount to the two.

“W-we’ll pay 3 taels.”

“Good choice. I’ll give you the pass now. What are your names?”

“I’m Kim Mun, and this is Ha Ryang.”

“Kim Mun… and Ha Ryang. Nice names.”

The man wrote their names on two passes and handed them over.

“Here are your passes. Please give me 6 taels of silver.”

“6 taels? Didn’t you say 3 taels?”

“3 taels per person.”

The man replied nonchalantly, making Ha Ryang raise his voice in frustration.

“You should have said that earlier! Are you trying to trick us?”

“Even 6 taels is cheaper than losing all your goods or hiring a warrior.”

“……”

Oh…

Is that so…?

The man’s words were not wrong, so even though they felt tricked, the two took out 3 taels each and handed them over.

The man, pleased, handed them the passes and said.

“Thank you for using our service. Once you leave the mountain path, the pass is no longer valid, so keep that in mind. Please use our service again. There are dozens of such pavilions throughout Honam, so just show the pass each time.”

“…Understood.”

“Oh, and just to be clear…”

The man had been friendly so far, and even now, he spoke with a smile, but…

“…If anyone tries to sneak through our paths without paying, they’ll have to pay 1000 times the original toll.”

…The man’s eyes showed a firm resolve to enforce this rule.