Chapter – 21
“Whew.”
Kang Yu stepped into the escort bureau, took a deep breath, and followed behind the grandmasters.
And, just as the man outside had said, a large open clearing soon appeared.
Hundreds of wagons were lined up on both sides.
It seemed to be a space normally used for loading cargo.
And in the center of that wide clearing, crowds of people had gathered for the recruitment test.
Roughly counting—hundreds.
And every single one of them was a master-level expert.
“Wow. Why are there so many people?”
Kang Yu soon understood the reason, thanks to the conversation between the grandmasters standing in front of him.
‘What? They’re paying one tael of silver every three days? Is that true?’
‘So they say. One tael every three days—that’s more than double what other escort bureaus pay. Only the head clerk of a regular bureau could hope to earn that.’
‘Huh. No wonder Daeryung Escorts is called one of the Five Great Escort Bureaus. The scale is different—completely different!’
‘So we really need to pass. Even if it kills us.’
Kang Yu had known the place was large, but he hadn’t realized it was one of the Five Great Escort Bureaus of the Central Plains.
“Sigh. So that’s why so many grandmasters came.”
But he couldn’t give up.
Even if he’d said he didn’t want to marry, the elders in the village were getting old—he needed to marry before they grew too frail to see it. And to marry and raise a family, he needed a job.
Steeling his heart, Kang Yu looked past the grandmasters.
The porter-recruitment test was already underway.
“As you saw before—just carry the chest from under the platform and place it inside the circle over there. Start.”
With a bored expression, the examiner gave the signal.
The applicants standing below the platform all lifted their two-foot-long wooden chests at once.
“Hrngh!”
Veins bulged on their temples.
Their faces flushed red.
Then, legs wobbling, they began carrying the chests toward the marked destination.
Some were practically dragging the chests across the ground.
Kang Yu swallowed hard as he stood on tiptoe to watch.
‘Wow… if grandmasters are struggling that much, these must weigh a ton…’
What in the world could be inside those chests to make lifting them so hard?
Regardless, the examinees all eventually managed to reach the destination, gasping for breath, and the examiner announced the results.
“Not bad. All of you pass. Wait by the wagons.”
Even as they struggled to breathe, the grandmasters clenched their fists in joy.
More rounds followed.
Just like before, examinees lined up in front of the wooden chests at the examiner’s call.
“Start!”
And then—
“Urk!”
One man collapsed, clutching his waist the moment he tried to lift the chest.
The examiner showed no mercy.
“Fail!”
The fallen grandmaster was carried away by the other examiners.
Cold sweat trickled down Kang Yu’s face.
‘It must really be insanely heavy…!’
He nervously warmed up, standing and sitting repeatedly.
After several more groups, Kang Yu’s turn finally arrived.
“Next group, step forward.”
Kang Yu walked down to the platform.
In front of him was a two-foot chest, and a circle drawn fifteen paces away.
He stared at the chest.
What in the world was inside it?
“Start!”
The examiner did not wait.
Kang Yu took a deep breath, braced his lower abdomen, and lifted the bottom of the chest.
Something was wrong.
“…?”
It was light.
Too light.
Lighter than a feather.
Suspicious, Kang Yu glanced to the sides.
But the grandmasters beside him were still straining, grimacing as they lifted their chests.
‘Ah—!’
He immediately realized his mistake.
There was no way grandmasters would struggle with something this feather-light.
This test clearly wasn’t about strength.
Then what?
Why lift a feather-light chest as if it weighed as much as a mountain?
Kang Yu wracked his brain.
“…!!”
A flash of understanding struck him.
There was only one possible reason to lift something light as if it were heavy—
To negotiate with clients.
If you made loading cargo look extremely difficult in front of customers, the bureau could charge higher escort fees.
Exactly!
This test was to determine who could best pretend to lift heavy cargo in front of clients to maximize profits!
Having uncovered the truth, Kang Yu tightened his buttocks.
He needed to look strained—but not overdo it.
Earlier, one grandmaster had collapsed clutching his back from overacting and was immediately disqualified.
Kang Yu held his breath and tensed his whole body.
Soon, his face flushed bright red like the others’.
“Urgh!”
This is Mount Tai.
This is Changbai Mountain.
This is old man Baek…
When he was seven, he had been ordered to climb Changbai Mountain a hundred times a day. Just when he had gotten used to it, old man Baek had told him to carry him up the mountain.
Though the smallest of the elders, old man Baek had been ridiculously heavy.
So heavy his feet would sink into the earth up to his knees.
Kang Yu recalled carrying him up the mountain and summoned all his strength.
“Hrrngh!”
The chest scraped along the ground.
He staggered like the other applicants.
His back was hunched, breath ragged.
But he couldn’t overdo it.
Several others who had collapsed midway or thrown the chest aside in despair had all been disqualified.
The key was stillness within motion.
Old man Baek had spoken to him as he carried him.
‘Are you tired?’
‘Stop talking! I’m out of breath!’
‘Outwardly still, inwardly strong. Outwardly firm, inwardly soft. Only through balance—through harmony between opposites—will you cease to feel the weight of this old man, the height of the mountain, or the pain in your legs. This is the principle of stillness within motion…’
‘I said stop talking!’
‘….’
At the time, Kang Yu hadn’t understood.
But now, lifting a feather and making it feel like a mountain, he finally did.
Strength and weakness.
Lightness and heaviness.
Not one or the other—but harmony of both.
A sage-like aura flashed in his eyes.
Just moments ago the chest felt like a feather.
But now that he believed it was heavy—it truly felt like Mount Tai.
Intention shaped substance.
Substance shaped action.
His hands trembled violently.
Sweat poured down his face.
His breath came in ragged gasps.
But he kept staggering forward without giving up.
Thunk—
The moment he placed the chest inside the circle, it shattered.
“What—what in the world?!”
The examiner at the target spot jumped in shock.
Fragments of wood and sand scattered everywhere.
It was old and worn, yes, but lightly setting it down shouldn’t have made it explode.
Baffled, the examiner brushed away the sand with his foot while Kang Yu panted heavily.
‘Perfect!’
It couldn’t have gone better.
He had arrived later than everyone else but never collapsed, never overacted.
Brimming with hope, Kang Yu looked to the examiner.
The examiner glanced at his token.
【Low-Low】
A Low-Low pre-evaluation meant: young, unmarried, inexperienced, and clearly weak.
Someone like this would almost certainly flee mid-mission—or even steal the cargo.
There was nothing more to consider.
The examiner waved his hand sharply.
“Fail!”
Kang Yu collapsed to the ground.
“Fail!”
“Rejected!”
“Fail!”
“Faaaaaail!”
“…”
Having failed the Daeryung Escort Bureau’s recruitment, Kang Yu wandered through various escort bureaus in Anhui.
But the results were always the same.
Another of the Five Great Escort Bureaus—Hengshan Escorts—rejected him.
The famed Haehyeon Escorts of the Nine Great Sects—rejected.
Even the Golden Pavilion Escorts, richer than the emperor—rejected.
Lowering his standards, he tried smaller bureaus.
Either they weren’t hiring, or they rejected him too.
He had visited nearly every escort bureau in Anhui, and all ended the same.
“What… am I doing wrong…?”
He was sure he had acted more convincingly strained than the grandmasters.
So what was he lacking?
With his limited understanding, he simply couldn’t figure it out.
“There’s truly no easy job in this world…”
When he’d left the village, he’d thought he’d become a porter immediately, help the elders, and earn money for marriage.
But reality outside the village was bleak.
He now had only one remaining option.
Kang Yu rummaged through his pack.
He pulled out a small letter.
‘Where do you plan to go now, young lord?’
‘Actually, I have a favor to ask.’
‘?’
It was the letter he’d received from Namgung Clan’s master during the feast a few days ago.
As a precaution, he’d asked for help finding employment.
Given the enormous size of the mansion (before it burned down), the old master was clearly rich and well-connected. Surely he could help find a job.
It hurt his pride that he couldn’t secure a job himself, but this was compensation—fair payment for helping the Namgung Clan in their crisis.
‘Hmm. The clan master said to go to a place called Yuesi…’
Remembering Namgung Cheon’s instructions, Kang Yu bowed politely.
“Thank you for your help.”
“Yes, yes. Go home and drink more of your mother’s milk…”
A sudden violent gust of wind.
“Huh?!”
The examiner—moments ago shouting “Fail!”—stared up at the sky in disbelief.
【Yuesi】
Kang Yu descended from the sky and checked the village sign.
Unlike bustling Hefei or Jilin, Yuesi was quiet.
Not deserted—just calm, with the occasional passerby.
He wandered the small market and soon found his destination.
【Haju Escort Bureau】
“….”
The escort bureau that the clan master had recommended was nothing like those in Hefei.
A flimsy wooden door.
A fence barely reaching his waist.
No residence compound.
Just a tiny yard with a dog sleeping soundly.
“Seriously…”
Kang Yu pouted.
They fed him terrible food while saying they were grateful, and even the place they recommended was shabby.
Still, he had no choice.
He would gain experience here and transfer to a bigger bureau later.
He knocked on the door.
A middle-aged man with a friendly face answered.
“Welcome.”
“Hello.”
“Are you here for a delivery request?”
Kang Yu recalled the secret phrase the clan master told him.
“Three dumplings by the first day of the new year. And a jug of bamboo-leaf liquor. Ah—also tiger-skin green tea.”
“…”
It was something you’d say at an inn, not an escort bureau.
Even the date made no sense.
The man’s smile disappeared.
He checked the surroundings cautiously.
“Come in.”
Inside was just as shabby.
But instead of taking Kang Yu inside the building, the man walked straight through it and out a back door.
Outside was a small cargo wagon covered in a dirty white cloth.
The man held out his hand.
“Give it here.”
“Give what?”
“The letter.”
“Oh.”
Kang Yu handed him Namgung Cheon’s letter.
The man looked him up and down with a dull, expressionless gaze.
“Get in.”
“….”
The wagon was clearly filthy.
The cloth covering was so grimy its original color was impossible to tell.
In the corner was a small inscription:
【Haju Escort Bureau】
“Tch.”
So this really was the place the clan master meant.
Kang Yu asked bluntly:
“Don’t we take a test here?”
“I don’t know. You’ll see when we arrive.”
The wagon carrying Kang Yu slowly left the village.
Namgung Clan—Outer Residence
The meeting regarding the clan’s reconstruction ended late into the night.
Once the elders and officers left, Namgung Gu approached Namgung Cheon.
“Clan master, what was it you talked about with the young lord that day?”
“That day?”
“At the appreciation banquet. I thought I overheard something about a recommendation letter…”
“Haha, you really have sharp ears, vice master.”
Namgung Gu bowed his head quickly.
“M-my apologies. I wasn’t trying to eavesdrop.”
Namgung Cheon smiled.
“No need. If I wanted it secret, I would’ve used a sound-transmission technique.”
As he looked over documents, he continued:
“I wrote him a recommendation to Haju Escort Bureau.”
“Haju Escorts?”
Remembering the event, Namgung Cheon burst into laughter.
“The young lord asked me to recommend him to a porter job of all things. Obviously he wasn’t serious—so I pointed him toward Haju Escorts.”
‘Haju Escorts…?’
Namgung Gu didn’t recognize the name, prompting Namgung Cheon to explain.
“Golden Bell.”
“G—Golden Bell?!”
His eyes widened.
Golden Bell—the elite secret organization under the Martial Alliance, composed of the best talents from the Nine Great Schools and the Five Great Clans.
The members were young prodigies.
The leaders were absolute masters known across the world.
Golden Bell was rumored to operate through hidden fronts all over the Central Plains.
It seemed Haju Escort Bureau was one of those fronts.
“Every ten years, each of the Five Great Clans receives one Golden Bell recommendation token. We only have Sahwa as a candidate, and sending him would be embarrassing. So this worked out perfectly. Hahaha!”
Namgung Cheon laughed again.
“But seriously—a porter? The young lord is quite adorable for his age. He could’ve just asked for the recommendation openly! A young man wanting to make a name for himself—nothing wrong with that!”
“Y-yes…”
As he replied, Namgung Gu glanced out the window.
A thought struck him.
No… Knowing him…
‘He really did mean an actual porter job…’
And at that moment—
Clip-clop.
The wagon carrying Kang Yu disappeared into the darkness.
