The fusion was theoretically perfect.
I run while Lady Tang fires. If this were a robot show, there would be a Power Balance section opened on Wiki, it’s theoretically perfect.
Theoretically, that is.
“I’m out of memory!”
“I’m out of internal energy too!”
Damn it. Who knew that the lack of equipment and fuel would be such a problem?
Since I had never learned Light Body Movement, I only knew an emergency acceleration method that consumed a lot of internal energy, and Lady Tang ran out of memory as soon as we fused.
I didn’t want to realize why the protagonist mechs in robot anime use nuclear or mysterious energy sources and long-distance weapons like beam weapons right here.
As we stopped our attack, the Green Forest Members gradually closed in on us.
“Damn. If only we had a bit more time and budget.”
If I had the equivalent of 100 years’ worth of internal energy and cash for infinite memory, I would have run away immediately!
“Damn… It’s all my fault.”
Lady Tang blamed herself, her voice dripping with guilt, as if this situation was entirely her fault.
To be frank, neither your fault nor mine, it’s the post office and Green Forest’s fault. Why are you burdening yourself with that?
“Catch those bastards!”
“Yes!”
Before I could comfort Lady Tang over her self-blame, the Green Forest Members charged in and subdued us in an instant.
———
With us as the last stand, the entire Okcheon Post Office was subdued by the Black Tiger Society.
How many died, I wonder.
Looking around, I saw the bodies of the porters who were transporting goods. In such situations, porters without martial arts skills or low martial prowess are definitely as good as dead.
Doesn’t feel like it’s someone else’s problem. Just a while ago, I would have been in that state too.
Didn’t the postmen die?
I looked around, but I couldn’t see the bodies of dead postmen. They groaned in pain from their wounds, but none looked like they were dead.
A lot of bandits died, but the postmen did not. Did they just take them down without killing?
———
Including us, the postmen of Okcheon were bound and awaiting the Green Forest’s decision.
“You damn woman! Do you know how many of our boys died because of you?”
A Green Forest leader with messy green hair yelled at Lady Tang.
“…”
Lady Tang didn’t respond and glared at the Green Forest member with resentment. It was clear that we had caused the most casualties.
Okcheon Post Office folks. We came as guests and even did a no-death carry, and in the end, we lost? What’s this tier even for the Okcheon Post Office?
“Not gonna talk? You leper!”
The Green Forest leader raised the sword he was holding high, aiming to strike down Lady Tang.
What the hell is that bastard doing! I was startled and shouted urgently.
“You! How dare you speak casually in front of the one from the esteemed Sichuan Tang Family!”
I shouted with the voice of a self-important servant as if I had channeled a noble.
“What? Who are you?”
At my voice, the other Green Forest members near Lady Tang all turned to look at me.
They were all frontline workers used to handling swords, and looked intimidating. They should really get some nicer expressions.
Lady Tang had killed many of their comrades, so their faces were even more twisted. I needed to quickly cool down their rage with some emergency ice water.
“How dare you address the precious Lady Tang! The renowned disciple of the great Tang Geoh! Genius of pharmacology! The one who bears the attention of the family elders! To that Lady Tang! What kind of disrespect is this?!”
It was hard to emphasize, but I shouted loudly enough that everyone should have heard.
“What! The, the, Sichuan Tang Family?”
Just a moment ago, the Green Forest leader with the lifted sword turned pale and lowered his weapon immediately.
“What? There’s someone from the Sichuan Tang Family here?”
“Lord Buda!”
At my voice, the Black Tiger Society’s Buda appeared, grabbing the collar of the Okcheon Post Office’s leader. Hope he’s alright. He looks like he’s in a bad state.
“Purple hair and green eyes? Hey, are you truly from the Sichuan Tang Family?”
“…Tch.”
Lady Tang clicked her tongue as if it wasn’t worth answering and turned her gaze elsewhere.
“The sharp-tongued Tang girl indeed. Hey, Ok Pyo-du. Is that woman truly from the Sichuan Tang Family? Answer me!”
Buda started shaking the leader like someone hoping for a drink from a broken vending machine.
He just turned someone into mashed potatoes and was demanding answers.
“Ugh, yes. She’s a guest from the Okcheon Post Office.”
The leader, Ok Pyo-du, barely managed to vouch for Lady Tang’s identity.
“Ha. Damn it. Of all things, the Sichuan Tang Family?”
Buda glanced at Lady Tang once and lamented towards the heavens.
He had reason to lament. The Green Forest was not a struggling bandit group. They set up camp in a prime location and collected tolls at the toll gate.
Buda must have many thoughts seeing Lady Tang.
If it were a normal clandestine relationship, they could kill Lady Tang without worries. The problem was that while collecting tolls during their regular duties, their guest, Lady Tang, got caught up in this mess.
Hearing that the daughter of the Sichuan Tang Family was killed by bandits? Right next to Hubei Province too?
‘The Sichuan Tang Family doesn’t forget.’
The words of the Sichuan Tang Family would surely pop into Buda’s head, imagining the Tang Family’s people coming and ruining their business.
I aimed to use this to immediately reveal Lady Tang’s identity. If you’ve got a broken lineage, you might as well use it.
“Brother! That woman killed many of our boys! Let’s just kill her here!”
One Green Forest member, with a mix of green and other colors in his hair, seemed to be still in a state of evolution and spoke to Buda.
“You idiot! Who in their right mind would say something like that? Are you some loser servant wannabe of Chaeyoo?”
“No, I’m not!”
He was certainly someone who evolved too little; he didn’t have the foresight.
“Shut up. Take everyone who’s okay and leave. Just send the ones who look like they’ll die to the afterlife.”
“Yes, understood!”
“Graaaah!”
“P-please spare me!”
“Mother…”
We silently listened to the sounds of the lives of those we had just walked with being severed, as we started to head toward their mountain hideout bound.
———–
It had been a day since we were dragged to the Black Tiger Society’s mountain hideout and locked in a prison that looked just like us.
Buda came to see the leader of the Okcheon Post Office.
“Ok Pyo-du. Why are you causing such a ruckus? What’s this mess?”
“Shut it! You raised the toll by ten times, and that’s why we’re in this mess, and now you’re trying to avoid responsibility!”
“Hahaha! Would I really have asked for ten times? I meant it as a negotiation tactic. Who pulls a sword out of nowhere right after that?”
What? Did he pull a sword without trying to negotiate?
I and the postmen looked at him with incredulous expressions.
“That, that was also our way of signaling that we wanted to negotiate! But who rushed in as soon as swords were drawn?”
That doesn’t seem right. I wasn’t the only one thinking that way; the postmen looked at the leader with expressions that said, “Yeah, that’s about right.”
“Haha! You’re known for drawing your sword due to your bad temper, hence why the postal goods from the Okcheon Post Office are famous for always being late. If sent in spring, they arrive the next spring. Not Okcheon Post Office, but Okcheon Drift, they say.”
“Who obstructed the journey that you’re saying all this about?”
Ok Pyo-du said, looking wronged.
“Enough. I won’t touch the cargo; once someone comes from Okcheon Post Office to negotiate and receive the funds, I’ll let you go.”
“Our Okcheon Post Office doesn’t negotiate with the Green Forest for hostages…”
“Then it’ll be a group funeral for Okcheon Post Office!”
Buda’s previously smiling face turned serious, and the threat was clear.
Gulp. At Buda’s single word, Ok Pyo-du swallowed hard, and the faces of the other postmen grew serious.
“Let’s meet again next time.”
Seeing the frozen atmosphere, Buda left with satisfaction.
“Ok Pyo-du, why didn’t you calm down a bit?”
An old postman with an injured arm chided Ok Pyo-du.
“What?”
“The Postmaster warned you to calm down. How could you pull a sword in haste?”
“If the post office is looked down upon by the Green Forest, it’s over! They’re looking down on us and demanding more tolls! We can’t just let that slide!”
“That toll is manageable, considering how big a post office it is.”
“Ahem. It’s just that the post office is struggling these days…”
“Isn’t it all because of you causing trouble, Ok Pyo-du? These days, people are calling you by the nickname Okcheon Heofu (沃川虛夫) for no reason.”
“That bastard for real!”
Ok Pyo-du seemed to have hit a sore spot with the nickname, as he stood up despite his injured state, ready to throw a punch at the old postman.
“Postmaster! Calm down! Hey! Apologize!”
“What difference does that make? Our Postmaster has been working hard for our treatment!”
The postmen blocked Ok Pyo-du, while the old postman refused to back down, as if protesting what wrong he had done.
What a mess.
I sighed quietly and sat in a corner to avoid getting caught up in their struggle.
Okcheon Post Office. The name felt like it would drift forever across the Hubei Province triangle until the cargo rotted.
Looks like the infamy of Okcheon was well-known, then. The post office already famous as “Okcheon Drift” and “Okcheon Heofu.”
‘Can’t trust these guys and just sit still.’
Trusting the Okcheon Post Office and waiting idly had already turned them into symbols of mistrust in my heart.
How do I escape this place? Even if I’m lucky and break free, that’s another problem.
I gazed far into the distance at Lady Tang, locked up.
‘Lady Tang’s thigh wound seems pretty deep.’
Lady Tang lay face down, unmoving. I couldn’t see clearly, but I could tell that blood was seeping from her thigh.
They said they would treat only the Tang family members since it would be a big deal if they died, but escape was another matter.
If it was a wound that wouldn’t heal in a day or two, I would have to carry her out, but that would raise the likelihood of getting caught again.
‘If negotiations fail, I need to think of a way to escape.’
I had to escape from the prison, rescue Lady Tang, and get out of their mountain hideout. Just thinking about it felt like a Mission Impossible.
Should I just wait around in a daze?
“Hehehe! Postmaster! I was wrong!”
“Ugh! Right! This is not the time for us to fight! Let’s all keep our heads straight!”
As I was caught up in my thoughts, I witnessed this unremarkable, not-so-emotional reconciliation in what I could only define as a comedy or tragedy of the Okcheon Post Office, and I sighed softly.
‘It seems I really need to think of escape methods.’
Better than sitting still, hoping for the Okcheon Post Office while trapped in the triangle of the Black Tiger Society, I should find my own way out.
