The Hwangbo Clan’s Beloved Live-In Son-in-Law - Chapter 51

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

Chapter 51

 

“That is….”

 

Huang Shi smiled awkwardly this time. Even though they had escaped the treacherous path, it was still the Shu Road.

 

“If we go just two more days from here, we’ll reach Suohua County, and to Jian Ge, you should expect about seven more days and nights. If you want to ride horses, you’ll have to cross Jian Ge….”

 

Still, you should be able to rest comfortably in Suohua County. The guide bowed his head as he spoke.

 

Rather than being naturally quiet, he seemed intimidated by the people he was guiding.

 

And for good reason, as these were the ones who had caught the monstrous cannibal that had briefly terrorized Hanzhong with fear.

 

The two siblings were figures that even the warriors of Baimating and Hanzhong Checkpoint desperately sought.

 

Moreover, after seeing them leap like the wind on that dangerous road to subdue bandits, he became even more respectful.

 

“…That means we still have a long way to go. Ugh. I heard it was rough, but I didn’t know it would be this rough. Brother, you said you’d been here before, right?”

 

“You only know how vast the world is when you see it for yourself. When I came before, it was a much easier route.”

 

“Oh my…. Even if our Jiangnan land is barren, it doesn’t seem as bad as the people here.”

 

“Haha. That’s because you haven’t seen the fertile lands of the Sichuan Basin.”

 

The two continued their conversation.

 

The road was still rough, but at least here they could ride horses.

 

They said another treacherous path continued to Jian Ge, but that was something to think about when they got there.

 

“Who would have thought it would be this rough….”

 

“Yingying is watching. Stop complaining.”

 

“…Hmph. Brother always has to be so considerate.”

 

Even so, their conversation continued all the way to Suohua County.

 

The weather was still hot.

 

Huang Shi looked around and guided them to a place where stream water flowed, which was very cool and clean, satisfying everyone.

 

“It seems even bandits spare places like this.”

 

Namgung Bin asked Huang Shi with a much more relaxed expression.

 

On the treacherous path of Zhaogou, bandits swarmed wherever there was even a small place to rest.

 

Though each had some skill befitting their position on the dangerous road, they were no match for these travelers.

 

“Originally, there aren’t that many bandits in this section. Probably….”

 

“It must be because of the rumors. What can you do about crows flocking to the smell of blood?”

 

Namgung Seol smiled brightly, took off her hat and veil, soaked a small handkerchief, and wiped the sweat from her face and neck as she spoke.

 

Perhaps because she was a martial artist, Huang Shi turned his head away at her uninhibited movements.

 

Perhaps it was because he felt ashamed, knowing that those flocking crows were certainly all people from Hanzhong and its surroundings.

 

They probably thought that by targeting the treacherous roads, even masters couldn’t handle them, but in the end, they received sufficient punishment for not being able to choose their targets properly.

 

Huang Shi smiled bitterly and opened his mouth.

 

“Bandits don’t dare appear on this road.”

 

“Why?”

 

“Well….”

 

Suddenly, interrupting Huang Shi’s words, Namgung Bin spoke up.

 

His eyes glared at Namgung Seol’s movements and her healthily tanned nape.

 

“A woman past marriageable age has rough hands.”

 

“Hmph. What are you saying to a martial artist who lives by the sword?”

 

“Oh my, you should be getting married soon too.”

 

“Brother. I’m still far from that.”

 

Namgung Seol’s temper flared, and Namgung Bin sighed.

 

Xie Baowei stared at them blankly.

 

Right, that would be the perception in the martial arts world.

 

Yulhui would have been the same.

 

“What are you looking at?”

 

“Nothing.”

 

I wasn’t looking.

 

What an unnecessary quarrel.

 

.

 

.

 

.

 

The point where Garyonggang, Baekryonggang, and Cheonggang meet was praised as the world’s greatest landscape taiji.

 

That’s what Namgung Bin told him.

 

Xie Baowei just opened his mouth and nodded.

 

Yingying also watched the winding river with wide eyes.

 

His mood improved a little.

 

Suohua County was located on both sides of the taiji. Baekryonggang and Garyonggang wound around the solid castle.

 

Fed by the river’s flow, fertile farmland spread out, though not large, and mountains and hills rolled around the surroundings.

 

Along the river, flour mills and woodworking shops lined up.

 

Solid walls surrounded the city, and as a military stronghold, the interior was solemn and calm.

 

There were more people coming and going in the city than expected, mostly merchants or soldiers traveling in groups.

 

“Let’s rest for a day and leave tomorrow.”

 

The time they arrived in Suohua County wasn’t too late.

 

But it wasn’t suitable for setting out on the road, as there would be no comfortable places to rest afterward.

 

Xie Baowei collapsed in his room, while Namgung Seol and Yingying went out to the market together.

 

Guide Huang Shi also went out, saying he had people to meet.

 

“This is strange.”

 

Huang Shi returned in the evening with a puzzled expression.

 

“There are rumors that Mugyeongchae is acting strange. No wonder the merchants seemed restless.”

 

Mugyeongchae, or rather Mugyeongrim, was one of the Nolim, Palimpalleng, followers of their leader Gonakryeong Ha Cheoljin.

 

Considering that those called Nolim were people who rejected the government and institutions and lived by their own laws, this Ha Cheoljin who established a mountain retreat right next to Jian Ge, a military facility, was truly a unique person.

 

“Mugyeongrim? …Did you hear the reason?”

 

Namgung Bin asked at Huang Shi’s words.

 

He seemed somewhat flustered.

 

“It’s not certain…. About twenty days ago? A group headed toward Mugyeongchae. After that, they went for the monthly journey, but no one came out.”

 

Mugyeongrim collected tolls from merchant groups crossing Jian Ge and managed the roads for them. (This was also why there were no other bandits on the road between Suohua County and Jian Ge.)

 

Because of this, merchants would gather and cross Jian Ge once a month, which was called the monthly journey.

 

Merchants in a hurry would sometimes cross alone, but usually they would pay money to the monthly journey in advance.

 

Sometimes there were bold ones who tried to cross secretly.

 

“So what. What if we cross the road carelessly and incur Gonakryeong’s wrath? They came back, didn’t they? But the road is urgent. The next monthly journey is far off…. They’re just stamping their feet in frustration.”

 

“Hmm.”

 

Xie Baowei just made a stupid expression.

 

These were lawless mountain bandits who dared to reject the nation’s authority.

 

When he first heard about Nolim, he thought they were indeed crazy, and they were indeed crazy.

 

How dare they think of collecting tolls on a road where the military is stationed?

 

But Namgung Bin’s thoughts seemed a little different.

 

“Is there a separate path up to Mugyeongrim?”

 

“…There is, but they said they’re blocking anyone from going up. From what I could see, it looked like they were doing construction, but it’s truly puzzling.”

 

Then at least tell us whether we can go or not.

 

It seemed they weren’t even doing that. They were truly lawless and impious bastards.

 

While Xie Baowei grumbled behind them, Huang Shi asked what to do, saying the road was blocked.

 

From the atmosphere, it seemed he didn’t want to dare ignore Mugyeongrim.

 

Originally, he hadn’t planned to wait for the monthly journey, but back then there was the option of entrusting money to the monthly journey.

 

Now, since they weren’t accepting it, he seemed anxious.

 

However, these people weren’t those who made their living on the Shu Road.

 

“They’re not blocking the road itself, are they?”

 

“…That, that’s true.”

 

“Then we’ll go as planned tomorrow.”

 

“…Ah, well. Then, …what about the toll?”

 

This wasn’t an official checkpoint but just a mountain retreat, so there was no law requiring taxes. Xie Baowei was about to say this but stopped himself.

 

He wasn’t the leader of the group, and even if he had been, he would have probably let it slide.

 

Namgung Bin pondered for a moment before nodding his head.

 

It wasn’t so much for their sake, but purely for Huang Shi’s benefit.

 

A small sense of relief spread across Huang Shi’s face. If they had refused to pay, Huang Shi would have paid out of his own pocket.

 

And that amount would have been for not just himself, but for the entire group’s share.

 

That’s how it looked to Xie Baowei.

 

He was quite a decent person.

 

“Rest well. We’ll depart early tomorrow.”

 

Namgung Bin spoke with an impassive expression.

 

Seeing him ask about the route to Mugyeongrim, there seemed to be something going on, but right now I couldn’t tell what.

 

It was truly an unreadable face.

 

“What’s wrong?”

 

“Nothing.”

 

“Your expression says otherwise.”

 

“Shut up.”

 

I didn’t know what an expression that “says otherwise” looked like, but family was family, it seemed.

 

I felt a little envious watching them blankly.

 

Yingying gently took my hand.

 

Xie Baowei looked down and smiled.

 

“Sleep well.”

 

“…Yes.”

 

***

 

The road to Jian Ge was truly treacherous.

 

The path was narrow and winding. Sometimes we had to walk along steep ridges, and sometimes we had to follow valleys where it was hard to find footing between towering cliffs that seemed to pierce the sky.

 

Most of the time, it was an environment that combined both.

 

How was that possible, you ask?

 

The group didn’t want to know either.

 

The high altitude made us tire easily. Huang Shi especially struggled.

 

He said, “As expected, martial artists are different,” but in truth, these three were the special ones.

 

The scenery was beautiful.

 

The dense forest of cypress trees truly deserved to be called Chuiunrang (Emerald Cloud Corridor).

 

Vivid emerald-green clouds covered the small path.

 

The tree trunks were large and sturdy.

 

The years they had lived through could truly be called history.

 

At dawn, thick sea of clouds would roll in densely. Within it, the grass color holding dew was refreshingly green.

 

Xie Baowei had truly enjoyed seeing this. However, Yingying, who should have been able to appreciate it with him, continued to suffer.

 

Xie Baowei found this sad.

 

“That’s a bellflower, it’s in full bloom right now. That’s a mountain chrysanthemum, if you brew that and drink it, your headache might feel a bit better. Just wait a moment. Oh, have you tried wild strawberries? That’s wild aster. The purple leaves are unique, right? This is also good when brewed. Wait a moment. This white flower? It’s called Korean aster. Should I pick it for you? Just a moment. I’ll brew this for you too.”

 

“The child’s bladder will burst first.”

 

“Huh?”

 

Carrying the child on my back, I rambled on about the things I knew.

 

It would have been nice to know legends or stories related to the flowers, but all I knew were things like where and how to use them.

 

Still, I liked the sound of Yingying’s low laughter from behind my neck, so I kept chattering.

 

The group’s pace slowed, but no one said anything about it.

 

Even Namgung Seol’s grumbling wasn’t truly meant as scolding.

 

Her eyes seemed to have changed a little.

 

She looked at her brother with what seemed like envy, but her brother just gave her a gentle, vacant smile.

 

Namgung Seol shrugged her shoulders.

 

“You can’t have everything, I suppose.”

 

“What do you mean?”

 

We walked like that for four days.

 

The child was sick for the first two days, then got much better after that.

 

Encouraged by this, Xie Baowei continued to feed the child various things.

 

“If you keep feeding her like that, she might grow up to be like a giant.”

 

“That would be a good thing.”

 

“Hah.”

 

Jian Ge was right in front of us.

 

It seemed like there wouldn’t be any particular trouble.

 

Once we passed Jian Ge, it would be quick to reach Chengdu.

 

At least the road had become easier.

 

“Is the Shu Road finally ending?”

 

Xie Baowei let out a sigh. It had been a truly difficult journey.

 

We hadn’t even started our mission yet, but it already felt like we had accomplished something.

 

Everyone glanced at each other. Even Yingying exchanged meaningful looks as if they had all become comrades.

 

That’s when it happened.

 

“Hey, leaving without permission from our Mugyeongrim. Have you paid the toll?”

 

A person dropped down with a thud.

 

Several presences could be felt on the hills surrounding us from all sides.

 

Xie Baowei thought to himself.

 

My mouth is the root of all trouble.

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