Chapter 10 Could it be here

Chapter 10 Could it be here?

Namgung-woo was riding in a carriage.

He had worried about how terrible the ride comfort of a carriage would be in an era where science hadn’t properly developed. However, it seemed his body no longer felt any discomfort.

As the carriage swayed, his body naturally adapted to its rhythm, creating its own suspension system.

‘Game Body is the best.’

He shuddered just imagining how awful it would be if he were in his original body from Reality, the unmanaged body of an ordinary modern person.

However, Namgung-woo’s companion seemed to genuinely mistake his lack of discomfort for actual discomfort.

“You don’t seem accustomed to carriages?”

The young man, Peng Choyul, the second son of the Yaoping Escort Agency Head whom Song Chae-ji had introduced, looked about four or five years older than Namgung-woo, who appeared to be around twenty.

“Indeed, it’s not my first time, but I’m still a bit awkward with it.”

“Haha. Well, that’s a relief. Perhaps because you’ve cultivated Martial Arts, you don’t seem to be struggling much.”

“As you say, it’s bearable.”

“Still, it would be best to get used to it. Beijing is quite far. Even though Shanxi and Northern Zhili appear to be right next to each other, once you hit the road, the distance is considerable.”

Namgung-woo knew this.

How vast was this land of the Central Plains?

From Linfen County in Shanxi Province all the way to Beijing in Northern Zhili. The Escort Mission covered roughly 700 km one way.

Considering that a straight line from Seoul to Busan is just over 300 km, this was comparable to a round trip between Seoul and Busan.

‘It really is incredibly far.’

Of course, Namgung-woo was accompanying this Escort Mission purely as a guest, not an Escort, so he wasn’t obligated to follow them all the way to Beijing. He could leave midway if he wished.

‘I was lucky.’

Namgung-woo briefly replayed the events leading up to this situation.

After parting ways with Song Chae-ji and Yang So-dang in Pingyao County, Namgung-woo asked for directions and traveled southward, safely arriving in Linfen County.

The Yaoping Escort Agency was quite famous in Linfen County, so finding it wasn’t difficult. And the reaction when he presented the letter of introduction Song Chae-ji had written was quite intense.

‘Chae-ji’s letter of introduction? Is that… the Song Chae-ji from the Song Clan Manor?’

‘Our Chae-ji isn’t the type to write recommendation letters for just anyone…’

‘Perhaps, that… no, right?’

It was a peculiar look indeed.

Their reactions gave Namgung-woo a rough idea of Song Chae-ji’s image among the Yaoping Escort Agency family.

In particular, the Escort Agency Head’s eldest son’s final question, asked with a hint of alarm, made Namgung-woo quickly clarify that it wasn’t the case.

He had worried that there might have been some sort of Prenatal Marriage Contract between the Peng family, who ran the Yaoping Escort Agency, and the Song Clan Manor, leading to a misunderstanding. But his groundless worry proved unfounded. When Namgung-woo cautiously brought up the question during dinner with his hosts, they chuckled and waved their hands dismissively.

‘It’s not that there was no talk, but we’ve known her since she was so young, she doesn’t even seem like a girl to us.’

‘And she’s always been such a tomboy… Did you know? Even her Clan Head at the Song Clan Manor opposed her joining the Hengshan Sect, but she ran away from home to do it. Ah, should I say she left home in this case?’

It had been quite an enjoyable time.

Even with a body that felt no discomfort, Namgung-woo still experienced mental fatigue.

The time spent at the Yaoping Escort Agency was invaluable for resting and alleviating his mental exhaustion. It was also perfect for studying the prices and historical background of this era.

Although Song Chae-ji and Yang So-dang had given him various goods and money when they parted, these were quite unfamiliar to Namgung-woo.

How much could Namgung-woo, who lived in an era where currency had half-disappeared and only electronic transactions existed, truly understand about the value of money? Especially when it wasn’t banknotes or coins with numbers, but silver taels.

In that regard, the people of the Yaoping Escort Agency had been excellent teachers, instructing Namgung-woo in such worldly affairs.

“Aren’t you bored?”

At Peng Choyul’s words, Namgung-woo emerged from his past thoughts/consciousness.

“Well, yes.”

In truth, Namgung-woo quite enjoyed solitary meditation. His rapid growth in Chullok Murim, where he cultivated Internal Energy through meditation, was partly due to this inclination.

Peng Choyul, on the other hand, had boredom plastered all over his face. Judging by his expression, it seemed less like he was worried Namgung-woo was bored and more like he himself was bored and wanted someone to play with.

As Namgung-woo gave a lukewarm agreement, Peng Choyul’s face brightened, and he began to speak.

“I was disappointed that I couldn’t talk much with my father and older brother at the Escort Agency, so this is good. There’s nothing to do in the carriage, so how about we chat to pass the time?”

“Sounds good. That wouldn’t be bad.”

Namgung-woo wasn’t entirely obsessed with his alone time, so he decided this was a good opportunity to broaden his general knowledge of the world.

“As you know, I’m a Jianghu Debutant. I’m quite ignorant about the current Jianghu situation, so perhaps Young Hero Peng could enlighten me?”

“Oh, the Jianghu Martial World! That’s a good topic. Indeed, what do we talk about, besides Escort Agency business, if not love affairs or Jianghu history, and such?”

This friend certainly had a long preamble.

Peng Choyul showed even more interest in Namgung-woo’s casual remark and continued.

“The Current Martial World can be seen as a stage where the confrontation between the Righteous Faction and the Unorthodox Faction is becoming entrenched.”

Unlike his father and older brother, who stayed at the Escort Agency unless it was an important Escort Mission, Peng Choyul often accompanied missions or took charge of them himself.

What was the work of an Escort Agency, an Escort Mission? Wasn’t it to receive goods or letters and deliver them to a specific place or person? Naturally, martial force was involved in this process.

How could safety be guaranteed without the backing of martial force? Therefore, it was fair to say that the work of an Escort Agency had one foot firmly planted in the Jianghu Martial World.

Escort Agencies that had significantly developed their own martial force were often regarded as no different from Martial World Factions.

Naturally, Peng Choyul had traveled to many places and interacted with many Martial Artists. He was bound to be experienced in Jianghu history.

“The Martial Alliance of the Righteous Faction Martial World, represented by the Nine Great Sects and One Alliance and the Seven Great Clans. And the Black Martial Alliance, formed by the Seven Unorthodox Gates and the Four Great Clans. These two forces divide the Jianghu Martial World.”

Up to this point, Namgung-woo had heard these details in passing.

He also knew that the Shadowless Gate, a major Unorthodox Great Sect dominating Shanxi, was one of the Seven Unorthodox Gates forming the core of the Black Martial Alliance, and that the Dokgo Clan, which caused the Annihilation of the Namgung Clan, was considered foremost among the Four Great Unorthodox Clans.

“But thanks to this, the Martial World has been enjoying its most peaceful days recently. When you consider that a fierce The Great Righteous-Demonic War broke out just 20 years ago, it truly feels like a sense of profound change. Ah, of course, I was just a snot-nosed kid back then, so I don’t really remember it.”

Perhaps it was Peng Choyul’s attempt at a joke, as he chuckled to himself after saying it. Namgung-woo awkwardly offered a few hollow laughs in response.

‘The Namgung Clan was also destroyed about 20 years ago, wasn’t it? So, was the Namgung Clan annihilated by the Dokgo Clan after getting caught in The Great Righteous-Demonic War? But why hasn’t the Martial Alliance stopped the Dokgo Clan’s Assassination Order until now?’

Could the Namgung Clan have been a discarded card?

Namgung-woo subtly posed a question to resolve the chain of suspicions.

He avoided asking directly why the Namgung Clan fell. He was already hiding his Namgung surname and using the alias Nam-woo, with the Nam surname, just as Song Chae-ji had done.

After all, weren’t the Martial Arts Namgung-woo had learned considered the Namgung Clan’s Inherited Martial Arts? Even if it was a different world, he couldn’t be sure. It was possible that the Namgung Clan’s Martial Arts were truly similar to what Namgung-woo had learned.

Twenty years wasn’t such a long time ago. A Martial Artist who was 30 back then would still be roaming the Jianghu at 50, and that person might react with, ‘No, that’s the Namgung Clan’s…!’ upon seeing Namgung-woo’s Martial Arts.

In any case, Namgung-woo judged that creating a direct connection to the Namgung Clan was not a good idea.

So, Namgung-woo slightly changed the subject of his question.

“But how did the war stop?”

“Why did The Great Righteous-Demonic War end? It’s simple.”

Peng Choyul answered with a somewhat deflated tone, as if it were no big deal.

“Because the Imperial Court wanted it to.”

“The Imperial Court?”

From Namgung-woo’s perspective, it was indeed a rather sudden answer.

Why would the Imperial Court suddenly interfere when discussing Jianghu history? But logically, from the Imperial Court’s standpoint, the outbreak of The Great Righteous-Demonic War itself was absurd.

Weren’t they having a massive brawl, which they arbitrarily called a Great War, within a country governed by the strict Great Ming Code?

“If that’s the case, shouldn’t they have stopped The Great Righteous-Demonic War immediately after it broke out?”

“At that time, the Imperial Court didn’t have the luxury to do so. There was an intense power struggle there as well. With two Emperors, wouldn’t it be strange if there were no conflicts?”

“Two Emperors?”

“Yes. The Tumu Crisis. That horrific tragedy could well be considered the starting point of The Great Righteous-Demonic War.”

The Tumu Crisis was an event Namgung-woo knew about.

When the Ming Dynasty Emperor was captured as a prisoner of war by the Oirat, didn’t the Imperial Court simply abandon the captured Emperor and enthrone his younger brother as the new Emperor?

Hearing about two Emperors, it seemed the Tumu Crisis Peng Choyul spoke of was exactly the same event Namgung-woo knew.

And after further questioning for verification,

Namgung-woo realized a possibility.

‘Could it be that this place is a Parallel World?’