Longevity - Chapter 47

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This chapter was translated by Lunox Novels. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
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Chapter 47: Fortune or Calamity
After Chuk finished speaking, the caravan fell silent except for the steady rhythm of hooves and rolling wheels.
From ancient times, it was said that when a nation faltered, demons multiplied—words spoken only in taverns, harbingers of ill fortune. Even those of the Rivers and Lakes could not speak as though the court didn’t exist. The escort guards avoided each other’s eyes, and Chuk himself fell quiet.
Jang Saeng leaned his back against a wooden chest and drew his knees to his chin. Too much had happened in a single night. Each time the cart jolted over a stone, the burn on his back scraped against his clothes, yet the constant swaying worked like a lullaby.
His eyelids drooped once, twice, then consciousness slipped away. Even the cart’s motion faded into something distant, like waves in the fog.
* * *
A jolt. Jang Saeng’s eyes snapped open as his body was jostled hard.
Half-asleep, his mind clung to familiar delusions—Baturoo holding the reins ahead, Jin Ipchu talking ceaselessly beside him, Jeon Jingung watching the roadside in silence.

“Baturoo…….”

Only when he called out the name in his hoarse voice did the world sharpen into focus. The man sitting at the front of the cart was not Baturoo. The riders flanking the wagon wore gray robes—not his sworn brothers, but the escorts of Taepyeong Express.
Jang Saeng stared blankly for a moment before last night came flooding back.
The sky was growing pale. The second half of the night had passed without commotion; it seemed the demon beasts had not followed.
When he sat up, one of the escorts in the neighboring cart waved.

“The young master is awake!”

Soon a waterskin and food came passed over in succession. Jang Saeng refused the wine but declined the pastry as well, saying he already had some. Still the escorts pressed on.

“After saving your life last night, how could we let you skip breakfast? What kind of men would that make us?”
“Eat. We have a ways to go before we reach Yuzhou—you need your strength first.”

In the end, half a roasted chicken landed in Jang Saeng’s hands, its glistening skin fragrant with oil.
Jo Gilwoo, who shared the same cart, laughed.

“You think you can eat just by smelling? Go on, eat freely. We escorts of Taepyeong Express aren’t the sort to starve for lack of silver.”

Jang Saeng glanced back and forth between the chicken and Jo Gilwoo.

“Isn’t an escort’s duty to risk their life guarding goods? I’ve heard most people take up the profession because they’re in need.”

Jo Gilwoo seemed to like the question and straightened up.

“Not all escort companies are the same. We were established by the Taepyeong Guest House.”
“Is the Taepyeong Guest House such a large establishment?”
“It hangs an inn sign, but in truth it’s the greatest auction house under heaven.”

Jo Gilwoo raised one finger.

“Any rare treasure whatsoever can be exchanged for silver and gold. We don’t inquire into the origins of goods. Even if a great thief brings stolen wares, if the price is right, we accept it.”

Jang Saeng’s hand froze above the chicken leg.

“If the original owner comes looking, you don’t return it?”
“Not for free. Once an item is in the Taepyeong Guest House’s possession, retrieving it requires payment.”

Jo Gilwoo lifted a second finger.

“The accumulated goods are auctioned once every six months. The building has seven floors, each displaying different wares. The higher you climb, the rarer and more precious the treasures become.”
“Where do you keep such vast quantities of goods?”
“Storage itself is a business. When people entrust gold, silver, or valuables, we issue them a deed. Later, whoever comes asking—we don’t look at faces, only the deed. If the deed matches, the goods are released.”

Jang Saeng had heard Jin Ipchu mention the Taepyeong Guest House in passing long ago. Still, he’d never imagined it was an operation of such scale.

“Doesn’t the magistrate’s office raise objections?”
“The magistrate’s office uses the Taepyeong Guest House too.”

Pride was evident in Jo Gilwoo’s voice.

“When they confiscate an official’s assets, they have to appraise and auction them off properly, don’t they? Sometimes the Taepyeong Guest House handles those auctions. We have connections both in the magistrate’s offices and throughout the Rivers and Lakes, so few would dare move against our banner.”
“Is that why the escort fees are so high?”
“We typically charge three times what an ordinary escort house would. Less risk, more clients, and our cut becomes generous.”

Jang Saeng found himself curious about one more thing.

“Who owns such an establishment?”

Jo Gilwoo shrugged.

“No one knows.”
“Even the people at the express house don’t know?”
“No one’s ever seen her. All that’s known is that she’s a woman.”

Jang Saeng looked up from the chicken he’d been studying, startled.

“A woman?”
“Her age, her face, where she comes from—no one knows. Only the seven managers of the Taepyeong Guest House ever meet her directly.”

Several of the escorts listening to their conversation laughed. Knowing that Jang Saeng was a harmless boy, no one moved to silence Jo Gilwoo’s words.

“Now that your curiosity’s satisfied, eat.”

Jo Gilwoo gestured toward the chicken.
Jang Saeng didn’t hesitate further. He’d eaten enough over the past few months not to starve, but days when his belly was truly full had been rare. He murmured his thanks and brought a piece of meat to his lips.
Though hungry, he didn’t chew hurriedly or carelessly. A schoolmaster from his childhood had once enumerated three dining habits that made people dislike you: smacking your lips, slurping loudly at broth, and picking through side dishes while choosing. Jang Saeng had learned those lessons well.
He meticulously stripped every last shred of meat from the bones, then carefully gathered the bare bones to one corner of the cloth before him.
* * *
Around the time of noon, the escort party was passing beneath a ridge when Chuk suddenly turned his gaze northward. The sound of grass and stones being disturbed reached his ears in overlapping waves.

“Stay alert.”

The escorts in unison placed their hands on their sword hilts.
Moments later, armed men came streaming down from the mountainside in a pack. Jang Saeng thought them bandits at first, but something seemed amiss. They carried no swords or spears. Instead, their hands held teapots, cakes, and roasted meat.
Jang Saeng remained inside the carriage. He was merely a passenger, and it fell to Chuk to handle whatever came.
The band of brigands halted in the middle of the road, laughing and bowing at the waist.

“We’ve come to offer you heroes of the Taepyeong Express a cup of tea!”
“It’s a long journey, and traveling on an empty stomach is miserable. Please, won’t you taste what little we have to offer?”

The escorts’ hands remained fixed on their hilts. Only Chuk stepped forward to exchange a few words with them.
Jang Saeng quickly grasped the situation. These men lacked the audacity to strike at the Taepyeong Express, yet it would be a waste to let them go empty-handed. Robbery would make them enemies, but if they accepted tea and provisions and sought a reward instead, both sides could preserve their pride.
After much laughter and circling conversation, Chuk handed over fifty taels of silver.
The bandit leader accepted the silver in both hands and opened the road wide.

“Truly, the Taepyeong Express is as generous as they say! May blessings fill your journey ahead!”

As the caravan moved forward again, the bandits lined up below the mountain, waving their hands in farewell.
Jang Saeng watched the scene recede behind them. Not a single blade had been drawn, yet fifty taels had changed hands. Only now could he truly sense the weight of the Taepyeong Guest House’s name.
* * *
After mid-afternoon, they encountered a far larger group.
Stretching across the entire road were thousands of soldiers. Spear points and banners glinted in the sunlight, and the dust stirred by their horses’ hooves hung over the plain like a yellow pall.
Without thinking, Jang Saeng pressed himself deeper into the carriage. He had been taught to be as wary of military units as he was of bandits.
But the commanding officer at the front recognized Chuk. The two men dismounted and greeted each other warmly, after which the officer ordered his soldiers to unload the wooden chests from the carriage.
The escorts showed no sign of surprise.

Jang Saeng asked Jo Gilwoo quietly.

“Are we losing the escort goods?”
“It’s not losing them—it’s delivering them to their rightful owner.”

Jo Gilwoo lowered his voice.

“What’s in that wooden chest is military funds for Li Keyong’s army.”

Jang Saeng’s eyes widened.

“The Taepyeong Express carries military funds?”
“The owners change at every garrison we pass through. Official government wagons draw too much attention. But with the Taepyeong Express banner, we can avoid unnecessary trouble.”
“Who arranged for the funds?”
“We don’t know. Whether someone entrusted them to us or they were already stored at the Taepyeong Guest House—Chuk wouldn’t have asked.”

The soldiers confirmed the seals and moved the wooden chests one by one.
The escort party had originally been headed for Xingzhou. But meeting their patron on the road and handing over the goods meant there was no need to continue west. For the escort guards, it meant an early return home.

Only Chuk’s face remained troubled.
He had promised to escort Jang Saeng all the way to Yuzhou. If they turned back here, it would be difficult to send Jo Gilwoo and Gu Noei on to Yuzhou and then reunite with them on the return journey.

Jang Saeng climbed down from the carriage before Chuk could say anything.

“Your kindness in bringing me this far is more than enough.”

Chuk’s brow furrowed.

“We made a promise.”
“Isn’t it fortunate that you’ve delivered the goods early? There’s no reason to delay your return on my account. I’ve received food and a water flask—I can go on alone.”

The general who had been listening to their exchange called out to Chuk.

“What’s the matter?”

Chuk explained that Jang Saeng was the benefactor who had saved his men’s lives, and that he had promised to send someone with him to Yuzhou.
The general laughed heartily.

“Is that something Chuk and I can’t manage between us?”

He raised his hand toward an officer in the rear rank.

“Chu Jian!”

An armored man rushed forward and knelt on one knee.

“Awaiting your command.”
“Take two hundred cavalry and escort this young man to Yuzhou.”

“I shall obey your command.”

Jang Saeng stood bewildered until Chuk pressed dried provisions and a change of clothes wrapped in a large cloth into his arms, snapping him back to awareness.

“Wait, I don’t need two hundred men for this.”

The commander laughed and waved his hand.

“I gave the order. You needn’t refuse simply because it’s a matter of delivering one child.”

Chuk pressed dozens of silver taels into his hands as travel money. Though Jang Saeng demurred several times, the escort men muscled him into a carriage drawn by four horses.

Yuzhou.

Reach it safely, and think of us from time to time!”

Jo Gilwoo and Gu Noei waved their hands. Jang Saeng clasped both palms together from the back of the carriage and bowed for a long moment.
* * *
The carriage moved faster than any wagon Jang Saeng had ever ridden.
With four horses thundering down the road, the cart body pitched and swayed as if about to take flight, while two hundred cavalry flanked them before and behind. As the genuine imperial colors rippled overhead, vagrants and merchants along the road cleared the way from a distance.
Jang Saeng felt as though he were dreaming. Yesterday, a single step forward had been a struggle. Now he was racing toward Yuzhou

under the escort of two hundred horsemen.
Chu Jian allowed the horses and soldiers brief rest at each station, then quickened the pace again. After several days of such riding, the distance to Yuzhou

had shrunk to less than five hundred li.
The money Chuk had given him was generous enough to cover not only provisions but all travel expenses with surplus. Jang Saeng’s heart grew heavy watching the soldiers push on without rest, day and night, all for his sake.
He pressed more than half the silver into Chu Jian’s hands.

“Please use this to buy the soldiers hot meals.”

Chu Jian refused at first.

“This escort is a military order. I cannot accept your money for it.”
“Even so, it is the soldiers who suffer. I have more than enough for my needs.”

When Jang Saeng pressed again, Chu Jian finally accepted the silver and promised to use it for the men’s meals and drink.
From that day on, the soldiers’ behavior grew even more solicitous. They steadied the step when Jang Saeng boarded the carriage and offered their hands when he dismounted. They even found thick mats to cushion his injured back.
Jang Saeng, unaccustomed to such treatment, shrank back each time.

“I can board by myself.”
“Hold still, young master. If you fall, Commander Chu will have our hides.”

The carriage raced through the night to the soldiers’ laughter.
As Yuzhou

drew near, Chu Jian stopped for nothing, not even at night, determined to complete his mission a day sooner. Torches stretched like a long serpent across the road, and the breath of horses dispersed in white clouds.
On the fifth night, Jang Saeng dozed fitfully inside the carriage.
Suddenly the sound of horses rearing erupted from ahead.

“Halt!”
“Enemies!”

Shouts and horse cries tangled together. Jang Saeng jolted awake, clutching the Parasol Wood Walking Staff to his chest and pushing himself upright.
The instant he craned his neck to look outside, the sound of splintering wood tore through the air above his head.
Crack!
The entire roof of the carriage was ripped away and hurled into the night sky. Cold wind and dust poured in.
From the darkness, someone looked down at Jang Saeng’s shaved head.

“It’s a shaved head. The intelligence is certain.”

A unfamiliar voice chuckled softly.

“Surely you are a Reincarnated Spirit Child

indeed…….”

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This chapter was translated by Lunox Novels. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
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