"Mom, my legs hurt."
"Just a little more, dear. Just endure it a bit longer."
"But my legs hurt..."
The woman, burdened by a load, patted the boy's back, urging him on. She wanted to carry him right away, but the load she was carrying wasn't small.
No, it was excessively heavy and large for an ordinary woman.
"This is unbearable."
A man who appeared to be the boy's father turned around, his face filled with anger and frustration.
"How can the world be like this..."
They were on their way, leaving the Upper Yangtze River basin. They had spent their lives working the fields and casting nets in the Yangtze River, but they couldn't bear the tension that had spread throughout the Yangtze River any longer.
After all, isn't life precious to everyone?
"We've been on the road for three days, and our village should be within reach..."
The man watched as an outsider massaged the boy's legs.
'Even if we go...'
Settling in a new place wouldn't be easy for these people. Moreover, there was no guarantee that a new war wouldn't break out when this war ended. Still, they had no choice but to leave their homes and set out, leaving everything behind."
"Let's find a suitable place and take a rest."
"...Yes."
Just as the man was about to heave a sigh once again, he noticed something.
"Hmm?"
The man frowned upon seeing something.
"What is it?"
"Look over there!"
The man raised his hand and pointed to one side. Something hazy was approaching.
"Is it a sandstorm?"
"There's not a hint of wind, so how can it be a sandstorm... Look, it seems to be getting larger."
"Oh, now that you mention it..."
The man's mouth slowly opened wider.
The faint dust that had risen at the end of the path they had just traversed quickly grew in size until it became a colossal dust cloud, clearly visible from a distance.
"Get to the side of the road!"
The man urgently held the boy and shouted. If those creating the dust cloud were part of the enemy forces across the Yangtze River, their lives could be in danger.
"Over there!"
The frightened family hastily moved to the side of the road.
"What should we do? Should we run away...?"
While considering whether they should flee into the forest, something strange caught his eye.
"A wagon?"
Compared to a typical load-bearing wagon, the wagon he saw was about three times the size. However, it wasn't the colossal wagon that fascinated him. The issue was who was pulling it.
It wasn't horses or oxen; it was people pulling the wagon.
"Oh my goodness..."
He was simultaneously shocked and amazed. The idea of humans pulling such a large wagon was astonishing, and the fact that the wagon, packed full of cargo, was moving at that speed was incredible.
'What in the world is this...'
Even though he couldn't grasp what was happening, the wagon continued to approach relentlessly. And at that very moment, when it was about to pass them with tremendous speed...
"Stop!"
Crash!
At someone's command, the feet of the people pulling the wagon, who seemed half out of their minds, struck the ground with precision, creating a cloud of dust and dirt as they came to a halt.
Thud.
The soil that had been kicked up settled back to the ground, and the wagons, which had been tilted forward and almost suspended in mid-air, came crashing down to the ground with a series of thuds.
The man stood there, wide-eyed, gazing at the scene.
'It doesn't seem to be the Evil Sect...'
While looking at the rather burly, or rather excessively burly, figures, he couldn't help but feel a sense of intimidation, unlike the awkwardness he felt from the refugees who had recently arrived in Palaekho from the Backstreet Black Market.
Instead...
"Gulp, gulp!"
"I'm going to die... I'm going to die at this rate."
"Water... just a sip of water... Chung Myung, water..."
"Hey!"
There was an inexplicable sense of familiarity.
At that moment, a young man who had been sitting on top of a pile of cargo taller than a person licked his lips.
"Drinking water spreads it!"
"...If we don't drink water, we'll die!"
"You won't die, you won't die! I've tried everything."
"What haven't you tried...? You crazy lunatic..."
Laughing heartily, the young man turned to the man and greeted him.
"Hello."
"Yes? Oh... yes, yes!"
The man quickly nodded vigorously. It was clear that these people meant no harm, but the long swords hanging from their waists were the first things that caught the eye of the man who lived an ordinary life.
One should be cautious about someone wielding a sword, no matter who they were.
"Where are you headed with all these belongings?"
"We're just travelers."
"I mean, where are you going?"
"Well..."
"Get on."
"What?"
The young man chuckled. It was a clear and genuine laugh with no hidden motives. Strangely, it felt quite pleasant, and the man unwittingly let down his guard.
The young man spoke again, "I may not know where you're going, but I can take you as far as the crossroads from here."
"Well, we are heading to Sichuan, too, but..."
"I had a feeling."
The young man jumped down from the cargo and walked toward them.
"It looks like the child has a sore leg, so there's no need to walk. I already gave someone a ride this morning."
"You carried... a person..."
Startled, the man glanced at the young man's chest. He noticed a plum blossom emblem on his chest.
"Um, by any chance..."
"Yes?"
"Are you from the Mount Hua Sect?"
The young man exclaimed proudly, clapping his hands enthusiastically.
"That's why it's important to become famous! People recognize you even without saying anything."
"It must be nice."
"Looks like you're having fun."
The young man laughed heartily, approaching and ruffling the child's hair.
"Is your leg hurting?"
"Yes."
"Tsk!"
Chung Myung swiftly lifted the child and placed him around his neck. Witnessing this scene, Mount Hua's disciples expressed their thoughts.
"Wow, isn't he scared?"
"Riding on his neck must be scarier than riding a tiger's back."
"He looks pretty strong. The child seems to trust him."
"How tired must he be... poor thing."
Then Chung Myung turned his head and shouted, "Why are you mumbling, you guys! Load the luggage!"
"Yes, yes."
"You're being rude! We're the ones pulling the cart!"
The disciples, led by Baek Cheon, rushed forward and took the bags from the couple.
"You don't have to do this..."
The man didn't know what to do, and Baek Cheon smiled kindly at him.
"It's okay. The luggage in there is quite heavy."
"Is it?"
" So even if we carry two more people, it won't make much difference."
The man was in shock.
"Come here."
"Are you sure about this...?"
In fact, if others had offered to give them a ride, the man would never have accepted. The world was a cruel place. As a husband responsible for protecting his wife and child, it wasn't the time to take such risks.
However, the expressions on their faces and the plum blossom emblem engraved on their chests had a calming effect on the man. 'Mount Hua...'
At least to those who had lived in this area, the name Mount Hua was synonymous with unity and trust. If they were truly from Mount Hua Sect, they would let his tired legs rest.
Moreover...
The man turned his head forward.
Seeing the child comfortably sitting on Chung Myung's neck, he began to trust them even more. If his son, who was wary of strangers, was sitting so comfortably, it meant Chung Myung wasn't a bad person.
"...Without shame."
Assisted by the Mount Hua disciples, the couple who climbed onto the cart looked around with awkward expressions. It was their first time riding in such a cart, and the view from up there, especially on top of all that luggage, felt unusual.
"Whoa!"
Finally, Chung Myung placed the child, who had been riding on his neck, in front of him.
"Hold on tight!"
"Yes?"
"Let's go! Mount Hua's disciples!"
"Ughhhh! Dammit!"
"Die already! Seriously!"
The cart set off vigorously again. The couple on the cart were shocked and quickly grabbed the luggage beneath them.
The cart started to speed up at an incredible rate. It was terrifying. How was it possible that a cart pulled by people was faster than a horse?
The man held his wife's hand tightly. The landscape rushed past them at an incredible speed, and he felt overwhelmed, but this was no time to be afraid. He held his wife's hand and carefully began to speak.
"Um, by the way..."
"Yes?"
Chung Myung turned his head slightly to look at them.
"Did you say you went to Wuhan this morning?"
"Yes, we did."
"But Wuhan? It's a place where even horses can't make a round trip in a day..."
"Oh, come on."
Chung Myung waved his hand dismissively.
"But we're humans after all. Can't we move faster than horses?"
"...."
"Don't worry. We'll take you there safely and comfortably. Anyway, it's starting to get dark, you guys! Run, don't lag behind!"
"Gah, shit!"
With someone's shout, the cart sped up even more on its way to Wuhan.
At the temporary residence near Wuhan, they finally arrived.
"We're here!"
Thump. Thump.
The Mount Hua disciples finally let go of the handles and collapsed to the ground.
"Sahyung."
"What?"
"Is he alive?"
"...Of course he's dead."
Yoon Jong was too exhausted to turn his head and lay on the ground, struggling to catch his breath.
"I feel like I'm really going to die."
Carrying luggage from near the mouth of the river to Wuhan?
Actually, it wasn't a big deal. It might be an outrageous task for ordinary people, but they were the special delivery team of Mount Hua, right? They could even deliver such baggage from Bukhae to Wunan.
The problem was that they had to do it while sprinting.
"Time is money, time is gold! Why are you dawdling around? The one who arrives last will be sent to Shaolin with their head shaved... No, Hye Yeon except you. Ah, don't cry!"
The devil of Mount Hua Sect couldn't stand to see people resting.
"I'm dying. Really... I'm really dying."
"These ghosts are running away, but they didn't catch this one..."
"I feel like throwing up..."
Chung Myung jumped off the luggage and looked around, wiping his tongue.
"No, how far did you run to be panting like this! When I was young, I ran from Chengdu to Beijing in a day, and I didn't even think it was hard! These young people... sigh!"
"...You're the youngest and craziest one."
"Please die already. Please..."
Just then, the main gate of the manor opened, and a familiar face walked out.
"You've worked hard."
Tang Gunak nodded as he saw the luggage and people moved onto the cart.
"Is this all for today?"
"Hmm?"
Chung Myung tilted his head as if asking what that meant.
"No way. It's only been one second. We can come back one more time."
"...Are you going again?"
"Of course."
"...You're disciples look quite tired?"
"Don't worry too much. When we unload the cargo, the cart will be empty for the return trip. They can rest then."
Tang Gunak looked silently towards the cart. As someone well-versed in various metals, he couldn't have overlooked the weight of that cart. The solid steel cart would undoubtedly have an enormous weight.
'Lord, please!'
'Stop him, please!'
'Help us!'
The Mount Hua disciples who had been lying down raised their heads and sent desperate glances to Tang Gunak. He looked at them with a somewhat pitiful face, then spoke.
"… … "I would be grateful if you could do so."
And he slowly turned his gaze away.
"Traitor!"
"Devil!"
"Daddy!"
The final cry pierced the heart, but Tang Gunak averted his gaze with tears in his eyes. He had to move one more person as quickly as possible to prevent any more casualties.
For the sake of efficiency, while the Mount Hua Sect was transporting the Yangtze River residents to Wuhan for the first time, the Tang Family was in the process of moving them to Sichuan.
First and foremost, it was essential to evacuate civilians from the highly volatile front lines, which might turn into a battlefield at any moment.
"At least let them rest a bit. Even if we're in a hurry, people aren't made of steel."
"You really don't know."
"Hmm?"
"Steel breaks, but broken bones can heal."
"..."
"They say humans are tougher than iron, don't they?"
This guy was impossible to deal with. He wasn't even willing to listen.
"Ahem."
Tang Gunak cleared his throat, adjusted his expression, and continued.
"Listen, Mount Hua's Chivalrous Sword."
"Yes?"
"...I've heard the news from the Yangtze River. Would you like to hear it?"
Chung Myung, who had been smiling faintly, had a slightly darker look in his eyes at this point.