Chapter 1473: The Fruits Of Labor (Part 3)

"...Hoo."

A man with weariness written all over his face raised his head to gaze at the scene unfolding before his eyes. Along the narrow mountain path, people were carrying their loads, pulling carts, hastening their steps.

"How much farther do we have to go?"

"Don't you see Mount Hua over there? We're almost there. Just a bit more, muster up some strength, sir."

At the words from the side, the man lifted his head. Behind the small hill they were climbing, a towering mountain rose sharply. It still looked quite far, but the rugged appearance of the mountain easily identified it as Mount Hua, one of the five sacred mountains.

"...I feel like I heard that before."

"Is the child okay? Still, we should feed them something..."

"Leave it. Sometimes sleep is the best remedy."

The man glanced at the child sleeping on his back, probably around five years old. There was a gentle warmth in his eyes as he looked at the child.

"Pass me the baggage you're holding."

"Fine. Are you going to carry all my stuff? The luggage I've taken is heavier than the child already."

"Well, I'm still younger than you."

"A stubborn fellow who only knows how to talk big. Won't change in ten years."

"Stubborn, indeed. Anyway, even if I collapse, there's someone to take care of me, but you don't have that luxury, do you?"

"...Is that supposed to be a concern?"

"Yeah."

"..."

The face of the young man who was asking for help with the luggage twisted. Just as he was about to retort.

"But, honey."

"Hmm?"

The one carrying the child turned his head to look at his wife. The woman, with a large bundle on her head, asked with a worried expression.

"...Is it really right for us to go to Shaanxi?"

"..."

"I followed you two because of what you and this person said, but I'm feeling uneasy. Going to such a distant and unfamiliar place, can we really live well there?"

As the man was about to answer, the young man hastily spoke up.

"No! Sister-in-law, what are you talking about? Whether we live well or not is a matter for later. First, we need to secure our lives, don't we?"

"...But they say Shaanxi is also dangerous."

"But Shaanxi has the Heavenly Comrade Alliance, doesn't it?"

"Even where we lived in Sichuan, Shaolin came..."

"Oh my. Sister-in-law."

The young man tapped his chest as if frustrated.

"The Shaolin? When did those Shaolin ever give us a glance? Did they ever bring us even a grain of rice when we were struggling? Those sects, whether Ten Great Sects or whatever, did they ever bring us anything when life was tough?"

The woman nodded as if acknowledging the truth.

"I've seen it too. They confidently talk about protecting Gangbuk. But the Gangbuk they're talking about protecting aren't us. Even if we all die, as long as they can defend the land, they would pat themselves on the back and boast about it, wouldn't they?"

"That's true."

The one carrying the child chimed in.

"Of course, it's a fact that the Heavenly Comrade Alliance couldn't properly defend Sichuan. But even so, does that mean the Heavenly Comrade Alliance holds the same position as the Ten Great Sects? When we were in trouble, who helped us? Mount Hua, the Tang family, they came to the Yangtze River, distributed grains, and defeated the invading enemies. Don't you remember?"

"Of course, I remember. I'm human too."

Those who received the most help from the Heavenly Comrade were undoubtedly the people living in the Yangtze River basin. But it wasn't only the people along the Yangtze who observed their actions. All the commoners across the entire Hubei province, connected to the Yangtze, witnessed everything.

"Those Ten Great Sects would come sneaking in once a year, just to show off and leave. What did they do for us? But the Tang family left Sichuan, settled here, and helped the people. It's true. If that Tang family had stayed in Sichuan, would those Evil Sect guys have dared to approach us?"

The voice of the young man grew louder, and those around nodded. Even if everything was denied, it was absolutely undeniable that the Heavenly Comrade had made efforts for them.

"Whether the Heavenly Comrade can protect us or not, who knows? Who can say? But if you have to believe in one of the two, it should be the Heavenly Comrade. How can you trust those talkative guys?"

"Right."

"Exactly. Of course, we should believe in the Heavenly Comrade!"

Suddenly, intense voices erupted from both sides.

From the beginning, they had prepared themselves to travel a long distance to rely on the Heavenly Comrade. A favorable response was expected.

"I agree with those thoughts."

"Honey."

"If it's tough, endure it. Are you going to sweep cobwebs with a mountain broom?" [not sure]

The man turned his head again to look at the child on his back.

"If we just stay alive, there will come a day when we can return. So let's endure it. Okay?"

In response to her husband's words, the woman nodded. Her gaze also turned towards the child on her husband's back. Would they endure a journey of a thousand miles for the sake of that child?

"I hope we don't encounter any bandits."

The man sighed.

He knew it too. The Heavenly Comrade had no intention of welcoming them. In such a war, those who didn't know how to fight and were just baggage carriers like them were treated the worst.

In a real war, the men would be conscripted, but in a martial arts war, people like them were of no use.

"Still, even if it's named the Heavenly Comrade, would they really drive away people who have come a long way? They'll at least provide a place under the eaves, right?"

"..."

"Endure somehow until the war is over. Then there will be a way."

"Yes."

When the man made a firm resolution,

"We've arrived! Once we cross there, it's Hwaeum!"

The person from Thousand Sunlight Sect (千陽門) who escorted them, shouted loudly. Hearing that voice, they mustered strength and climbed the hill.

And then,

"Huh?"

"...Huh?"

Those who reached the summit blinked their eyes widely.

"...Didn't they say Hwaeum is not a very large village?"

"Y-Yes, I heard that too?"

They had two reasons for coming to Hwaeum. One was that Hwaeum was a place with the Mount Hua Sect. The other was that, to go to the largest city of Xi'an, which was Shaanxi's largest city, they had to pass through Hwaeum anyway.

If Hwaeum was too small to properly accommodate them, if they went to Xi'an, that would be enough.

But what they saw now was completely different from what they had heard. The small village they had heard about was nowhere to be found, and instead, a large city with buildings lined up like a chessboard spread out before them.

"Doesn't it seem bigger than Gyunhyun?"

"Oh. Surely it can't be bigger than Gyunhyun? No matter how..."

"No. Even if that's an exaggeration, isn't this much more than small?"

"...Is that so?"

Those who reached the summit blinked their eyes, forgetting even the fatigue of climbing the mountain.

"Was it... originally like this?"

"I find it hard to believe... Ah! Jongmyeong! Didn't you visit this area a while ago? Was it like this back then?"

"I-I visited a year ago, but it really was just a small village really?"

"Is that so?"

The man looked at the city again with a dumbfounded expression.

"It's hard to believe that they built this in just a few years... [haha] Then, maybe the Heavenly Comrade is more amazing than the world says. Or maybe the Mount Hua is amazing."

Some of the people agreed with that statement by nodding.

"It seems the rumors were true that the Heavenly Comrade's main base was established here."

"It looks like it."

"Let's go. People are piling up behind."

"Right."

The man nodded and moved his feet again.

Still looking at the city as if possessed, a small hope sprouted in his eyes.

'If they could build a city like this, they wouldn't mercilessly drive us away, right?'

The strength in the hand carrying the child increased.

***

"This way!"

"Heave-ho! Watch out in front there! Luggage has fallen!"

"Be careful with the cart! The cart! Watch out! People are colliding!"

On the road leading to Hwaeum, which was not that big, people were crowded everywhere.

"Go to the back, next!"

The man carrying the child swallowed dry saliva and approached the table lined up in front of the village entrance as if blocking the way.

"Uh... What should we do..."

Everyone automatically stood in line, and he also stood in line haphazardly, but he didn't know what to do once he got here. He just came forward when it was his turn.

The person sitting there raised their head and looked at the man. "Where are you from?"

"Yes? We are from Hubei..."

"Hubei. How many people?"

"...Me, my wife, and our young child."

"One man, one woman, one child."

With swift strokes, the person quickly wrote something on a prepared wooden tablet, stamped it with a seal, and then handed it to the man.

"Here you go."

"Yes? What is this...?"

"It's a proof of identification for those who have evacuated. You need this to receive rations, so don't lose it, and take good care of it. If you happen to lose it, come to the Eunha Guild."

"...Rations? What rations?"

The man scratched his head in confusion at the question.

"You'll know when you go inside. There are many people waiting, so please go in for now."

"Yes? Oh, okay!"

"Take one more of these and here! A family of three!"

As soon as the person who was sitting down shouted, one of those waiting in the back rushed forward.

"Is it a joint family?"

"They have a child in the family! Separate accommodations!"

"Yes! Come this way."

"Ah! Yes!"

While the man followed the one who was leading, he still held onto his wife's hand.

"Honey, what on earth is going on?"

"Don't be scared, I don't think there are any bad intentions."

"...Okay."

They had planned to find a place to rest when they entered the village, so it was inevitable that they would be bewildered by the consecutive events. And the bewilderment only deepened as they went.

'This road...'

The paved road with meticulously laid stones was so well polished that it seemed like the first time he had ever seen such a road in his life. On both sides, large buildings stood without any decorations, making their appearance even more threatening.

'Is this Hwaeum...'

The man was just about to regain his composure when it happened.

"Come this way, please."

"Yes."

The person leading the way turned into a slightly smaller street than the main road. Along this street, smaller buildings were positioned on both sides, different from the large buildings they had seen before. But compared to the buildings they had seen earlier, they still seemed impressive to them.

"Over there... where are we going?"

"Here!"

"Yes?"

When the man arrived, several groups that seemed like families were already there.

"Let's see. The order now is... Ah! Here it is. This house."

"Yes? A house?"

"Yes. You can use the lower floor here. Once you go in, someone will come and guide you, so for now, just rest."

"Wait, wait. Lower floor? What is that?"

"Please give me the wooden tablet."

"Yes? Here."

"You probably received another one besides this, right?"

"It's here."

The person who took the large tablet went forward and, in front of the entrance of the accommodation, hammered it in.

"Now, this is your lodging. Please rest for now."

"Here...?"

The man opened his mouth in astonishment, looking at the building in front of them.

A three-story wooden building.

"In the world..."

For those who had prepared themselves to dig a hole and live while facing the wind and rain, it was a magnificent lodging that suddenly dropped from the sky.