"Family Head, I think we should rest."

"Hmm."

At Yongcheon's words, Cheonyeong nodded.

From Seongdo to Ganyang was about two hundred li.

If they pushed hard, it would not take even half a day. But they were not traveling alone.

Behind Cheonyeong stretched a procession of nearly one hundred people.

Half of the Green Warrior Unit, half of the Dokgak-gwi.

With carts laden with gifts sent from various places, their pace could only be slow.

But why had he left the entire Blue Warrior Unit and half of the Green Warrior Unit at the Seongdo branch?

Though the recruitment was complete, they were not yet at a stage of complete assurance. Moreover, how much valuable experience would it be for martial artists who had only been in the Tang Family to work at the branch?

After all, seeing once was better than hearing a hundred times.

He had judged that experiencing it directly was superior to listening for a hundred days, so he distributed the martial artists of the Blue Warrior Unit and Green Warrior Unit evenly across Seongdo and the newly acquired branches to handle communications.

Of course, he planned to send the remaining half soon.

It was called rotation of positions.

As the martial artists accumulated experience, the Tang Family would become increasingly solid. Living mixed together, they would gradually become closer.

"Yongcheon."

"Yes."

"Let's camp here."

"Camp? If we go a bit further, there should be an inn?"

"Are you going to earn money to pay for lodging?"

"..."

"Do you think about spending money every chance you get? Go on, hurry up!"

"Tch! So many gifts have come in, silver coins and gold coins too."

"This is really! Haven't you heard the saying that thrift leads to prosperity? Go! Don't forget to mix the Green Warrior Unit and Dokgak-gwi into groups! And have them gather food themselves!"

At Cheonyeong's scolding, Yongcheon pouted with his mouth wide open.

Good.

Soon he would become a husband and have to support a household.

Watching Yongcheon walk away with heavy, irritated steps, Cheonyeong suddenly called out at a thought that crossed his mind.

"Hey! Vice Family Head!"

"What?!"

"If you sleep in the same bed as Sanghui before the wedding, you're dead! Sleep separately until the wedding! Understood?"

At Cheonyeong's words, those nearby giggled with laughter, then fell silent at Yongcheon's sharp gaze. Sanghui's face turned bright red.

What of it?

Everyone knows you two are the Tang Family's official couple.

You've been sneaking off to the water mill, so endure this much.

"Family Head."

"Yes."

"Is there a reason for mixing the personnel?"

When No Gwanyeong asked with curiosity, Cheonyeong smiled and nodded.

"It seemed like it would be good experience."

"Good experience?"

"Yes."

"What kind?"

"The Green Warrior Unit knows how to camp well."

At Cheonyeong's words, No Gwanyeong tilted his head in confusion.

Camping? Wasn't that basic for martial artists?

Building fires, making beds.

"You'll see."

But Cheonyeong merely smiled, and No Gwanyeong carefully observed those preparing the camping site.

At first, it seemed unremarkable.

But.

"Over there, wouldn't it be better to make the beds this way? And position the heads in this direction?"

The voice of those nearby in the groups Yongcheon had divided into tens came.

"What... what are you saying...?"

At the words of Lim Seong-u from the Green Warrior Unit, Choo Pil-sung from the Dokgak-gwi frowned slightly.

He had just laid out the beds.

"Ah, that's because this way, if enemies attack, we can react faster."

"What?"

When Choo Pil-sung raised both eyebrows in different directions, Lim Seong-u broke into a cold sweat.

Though they had become one, they were still young and he thought they lacked skill compared to the Dokgak-gwi martial artists, so he was being careful with his words and actions.

However.

"Look. Centering on where we'll light the fire, if we arrange it like this... Hey, you guys. Help me out."

When Lim Seong-u asked the Green Warrior Unit in his group, the direction of the beds changed.

"No, why undo work that's already finished?"

At the Green Warrior Unit's action of overturning completed work, Choo Pil-sung's face contorted.

He had thought they possessed the strength to annihilate the Samgyeong and, being from the main family, he had tried to treat them with respect.

But a martial artist beside Choo Pil-sung, as if realizing something, stopped him in surprise.

"Hey, Pil-sung. Wait, wait. Just be quiet and watch."

"What? Why?!"

"Look carefully. That arrangement."

"The arrangement... huh?"

At his comrade's words, Choo Pil-sung looked irritably at the beds, then his eyes widened.

"The Formation Beyond the Square?"

"Huh? You know it?"

Lim Seong-u scratched his head and grinned.

The Formation Beyond the Square was a type of formation meant to block external enemies.

The way Lim Seong-u and the Green Warrior Unit had arranged the beds was exactly that.

"I apologize if my poor explanation caused misunderstanding. We always make our beds this way. Since our first training at the Beggar Sect."

"Huh?"

"Actually, we were also vagrants, and when we first came to the Tang Family, we slept in the wilderness every time. The same when training in the mountains. This way makes it easier to block beast attacks."

"Ah..."

Choo Pil-sung could no longer be irritated and simply stared blankly.

He knew they had been vagrants.

He had heard rumors about the Tang Family.

But they camped every night and created the Formation Beyond the Square? Always preparing for danger?

"May we continue arranging?"

"...Yeah. Yes."

At Lim Seong-u's words, Choo Pil-sung, now considerably softened, nodded.

"Thank you."

"No, there's no need for thanks."

"You seniors rest a bit. Speak comfortably too. Since we've started camping our way anyway, we'll prepare the fire and food."

Lim Seong-u spoke, and the Green Warrior Unit martial artists nodded as if it were obvious.

Choo Pil-sung and the Dokgak-gwi martial artists in his group felt oddly embarrassed.

As if they had said something unnecessary as "seniors."

Rather, didn't the young martial artists of the Green Warrior Unit seem far more experienced at camping than they were?

"I'll speak comfortably. But I can't leave all the camping preparations to you! The Family Head said we're one family, right? We'll help too. Building the fire, preparing food."

"Huh? But... the methods might be different like before."

"So what? We can learn, right? What's your name?"

"Lim Seong-u."

"Alright, Squad Leader Lim. I'm Choo Pil-sung."

"Huh?"

"So today, you lead the squad."

"But I'm much younger and lack experience in the martial world..."

"You seemed to know about camping though?"

"Ah, that's..."

Before the flustered Lim Seong-u could refuse, Choo Pil-sung shouted to the Dokgak-gwi.

"What do you all think? Following Squad Leader Lim today?"

"Why not?"

"What's seniority? We're part of the Tang Family now. We should follow the Tang Family's ways. Right!"

As the Dokgak-gwi martial artists agreed one after another, Lim Seong-u laughed awkwardly and scratched his head.

"Then... should we move the camping location?"

"Huh? Move? We just finished arranging the beds?"

"Ah, that's... the overall structure is important for this arrangement."

"Overall structure?"

"Yes. Since there are ten squads, centering on the Family Head's bed, ah! Our position should be over there."

"..."

"And Senior Choo?"

"Huh?"

"Could you and two Green Warrior Unit members dig up some grass?"

"Grass?"

"Yes, we can't hunt immediately. The Green Warrior Unit kids know well about edible grass and berries."

"O, okay."

Lim Seong-u divided his squad members and assigned tasks to each.

And once their beds were properly positioned, as if waiting, the other squads took their places in turn.

Lim Seong-u's squad was the standard.

"Wow!"

For No Gwanyeong watching this, there was no way not to be amazed.

The ten squads divided according to Yongcheon's instructions.

Each arranged their beds following the Formation Beyond the Square.

Each squad, centering on where Cheonyeong stayed, formed a Spiral Formation modeled after a whirlwind.

There seemed to be some conflict of opinion momentarily, but once the Dokgak-gwi accepted the Green Warrior Unit's approach, the entire process proceeded smoothly.

It was easy to overlook.

Though martial artists are said to be familiar with camping, they do not pay attention to the position or direction of beds.

Even if they do, each time the person in command must make a plan and designate positions individually.

But wasn't the Green Warrior Unit acting too naturally once their squads were formed?

"It seems the camping training for a hundred people is quite old."

"Actually, no."

"Huh?"

"Sometimes there were only ten, sometimes twenty or more."

"Then?"

"It should have been only a day or two. The Tang Family lacked buildings for quite a long time. Even after buildings were constructed, camping training remained an essential process. Perhaps thanks to that, it became natural to them. As natural as breathing."

"Wow! Haha, truly."

There was no more room for amazement.

Others say it's a shabby sect founded by vagrants. That they came this far by luck.

Even he had thought so.

That Cheonyeong was simply too exceptional.

But the more No Gwanyeong learned about the Tang Family's members, the more he realized his thoughts were wrong.

From the leadership to the martial artists, everyone had steadily built the Tang Family's foundation.

These children must have worked tirelessly and endured to reach this point.

And they had achieved it.

In just a few years.

"Still, I didn't expect opinions to align so quickly. I thought there would be at least some commotion. It's fortunate they're becoming close faster than expected."

The Dokgak-gwi accepting the Green Warrior Unit's words so readily.

Even Cheonyeong found that unexpected.

Martial artists confident in their skills tend to be stubborn.

But perhaps it was unavoidable.

The Dokgak-gwi had already lost their entire foundation, and the Green Warrior Unit's actions were too surprising to dismiss them as mere children.

"From now on, we must learn from each other. The experience the Dokgak-gwi possesses will develop the Green Warrior Unit, and the Tang Family's techniques the Green Warrior Unit has learned will develop the Dokgak-gwi. Just as I must learn from the Elder."

"Is that what the victor should say?"

"I was fortunate then. How could I have known your arm bones were so weak?"

"Pfft!"

Cheonyeong laughed and winked, and No Gwanyeong burst into hearty laughter.

"The Tang Family will become stronger."

"It must. Much stronger than now... And this experience will become precious. As our territory expands, we'll need to communicate with more martial artists."

"Hmm, we'll surely need alcohol. Since you don't know each other's names yet, you'll need to talk all night, won't you?"

"That's true. There's nothing better for becoming close."

Cheonyeong nodded in agreement and called Yongcheon.

"Yongcheon!"

"What?"

"You said there's an inn if we go a bit further, right?"

"Yes."

"Go with Sanghui and bring back some alcohol."

"With Sanghui?"

"You don't want to?"

When Cheonyeong frowned, Yongcheon jumped in alarm and waved his hands.

"Want to? I'll be right back! Sanghui!"

Yongcheon called out with a beaming smile, but Sanghui was already standing far off in the direction of the inn.

"What are you doing? Hurry and come!"

She was very excited.

And in the meantime, the martial artists who had finished arranging the camping site scattered toward the mountains to search for wood for the fire and food to fill their bellies.

Lim Seong-u's squad members did the same.

Since hunting beasts took time, they looked for edible grass...

Rustle!

"Huh? A rabbit?"

At that very moment when they were only thinking of grass, Green Warrior Unit member Myeong-chun spotted perked-up ears and dashed after it.

"Huh? Hey! Where are you going?"

"We met such good seniors, we can't miss out on meat! I'll catch it quickly, so go back and wait!"

"But you're always supposed to move in groups of two or more!"

Lim Seong-u called out, but Myeong-chun paid no mind and chased after the rabbit.

"Ugh, that guy and his..."

Lim Seong-u shook his head at the sight of Myeong-chun disappearing into the dense forest.

What could he do?

The rabbit was right before their eyes.

Hunting was far too ordinary for them, and Myeong-chun was one of their skilled hunters.

Perhaps, as he said, they might be able to treat the good seniors to meat.

(End of Chapter)