Chapter 357. The New Yeonhong Inn

For once, I walked alone.

Internal energy recovers through circulating qi and regulating the breath, muscles recover through rest, but some spiritual thing that is hard to put a name to seems to recover only when I am alone like this.

That is just how I feel.

Whether it was the soul or the mind, I walked slowly to give it time to recover.

I could go to Baengeungji and rejoin the Four Great Villains.

I could also go to Ilyang County and rest for a few days.

But for now, I left Baegun Mountain without deciding on a destination. While thinking of the Dark Fragrance Token, I also set aside my worries about martial arts for a while.

I do not know why, but if a person does nothing but train, there is a high chance he will become an idiot. If I had done nothing but train for over forty days, the answer was to rest for a day or two.

I looked up at the clouds drifting in the sky, watched the river flowing at the same pace as me a little ways off, and occasionally kicked pebbles by the roadside and sent them flying.

Laying down all sorts of burdens and worries……

I simply walked.

As I walked with the mindset of having become a waiter in Ilyang County again after so long, I forgot the fact that I was someone with profound martial arts, and I forgot the memories of mixing with the heroes of the righteous path at the Murim Alliance and acting cheeky. I forgot the memories of fighting bandits and river pirates, and erased the fight with the specter that had been even harder than that.

I soon erased the expressions of certain people that had been carved even deeper than that fight. The expressions of the Four Heavenly Kings I had seen in the rain came to mind, as did the rare sight of Cheonak smiling, and the expression of the White-Robed Scholar spitting blood after being beaten by Cheonak, but I erased them soon enough.

After walking like that until I grew hungry, I passed several streets and shops before looking at one shop that was particularly crowded with customers. It was around sunset, and I could see many people eating an early dinner.

“Is this a famous place?”

Even after I sat in an empty seat and waited for a while, the waiter did not come running over right away, so they seemed quite busy.

After placing my wooden sword on the table, I drank some water and looked around, only then realizing that most of the customers were men.

Only after seeing the customers’ expressions and gazes did I realize someone was coming out of the kitchen. A woman approached from behind, speaking informally.

“What are you having?”

I wondered whom she was talking to, but the young woman, who had tied her long hair back once, opened her eyes wide the moment she saw me.

“Ah, I’m sorry.”

She was a young woman, but I could not tell whether she was a waiter or the owner. Her attitude was too confident to be a waiter, but she was too young to be the owner. Moreover, there was nothing written down to say what they sold, so ordering was difficult as well.

“One bowl of noodles and a small bottle of Dukang wine, if possible.”

“Yes. Noodles with wine is a bit much, so order sweet-and-sour pork tenderloin or diced chicken as well. We don’t have small bottles of Dukang wine. Only medium-sized ones.”

“I don’t plan on eating chicken for the time being, so then the sweet-and-sour pork tenderloin.”

“Understood.”

After a rather peculiar ordering process, the young woman disappeared, and people looked at me.

A woman sitting as a customer a little ways away whispered to someone.

“Senior brother, why does he carry a wooden sword around?”

Since when had my ears become this sensitive?

“It is not a simple wooden sword.”

When I focused, I could hear the conversation even better.

“Really? I didn’t know.”

“Do not openly ask about someone else’s weapon. Ask such questions after you finish eating and go outside.”

“Understood.”

After waiting for a while, the Dukang wine and some dried snacks I had not ordered arrived and were set down on the table.

This time, it was a boy who came out of the kitchen. Without thinking much of it, I poured and drank a cup of Dukang wine, and the wine was fairly cold. It seemed to have been stored in the shade or lowered into a well and pulled back up. Just from tasting the water and the wine, I could tell this was a good restaurant.

‘It is a good restaurant.’

From the kitchen, I could hear the young woman continuously ordering the boy to do this and that, with jokes, scolding, shouting, and laughter all mixed together.

I chewed on the dried snacks while looking out of the inn.

The street was quite lively, and the passersby also seemed fairly cheerful. Perhaps there was a martial hall nearby, because I also saw young people dressed in matching outfits moving in groups to have dinner. One fellow from that group came into the inn, and as soon as he confirmed there were no empty seats, he went back out with a disappointed look and shook his head.

“It’s packed. Let’s go.”

Then three rather well-dressed men entered the shop and looked for empty seats. Perhaps because I was occupying a table alone, one of them came over and asked me.

“May we share your table?”

I pointed at the chairs to say it was fine. Then the three of them sat around the narrow table, and one of them nudged me slightly with his backside.

I moved the wooden sword I had placed on the table to the end, then let myself be pushed aside and drank a cup of Dukang wine.

This time, when the boy came to take their order, the men who had taken over my table ordered this and that with practiced ease and said,

“Hurry up and learn to cook. Why should your sister suffer like this all by herself?”

When the boy went back to the kitchen without even answering, the man muttered,

“That rude little bastard doesn’t even answer.”

“Don’t swear. Yeonhong doesn’t like it.”

It seemed the young woman’s name was Yeonhong. Soon, when the young woman who disliked swearing came out of the kitchen, the men’s gazes gathered on her all at once. The young woman, tying a white band around her forehead as she came out, came to our table and said to the men,

“……We’re out of tofu. Eat something else.”

“Then what should we eat?”

“I’m busy, so say it quickly.”

“Wait a moment. Should we have chicken?”

“No? Have the sweet-and-sour pork tenderloin. That’s the fastest right now.”

“Got it.”

For some reason, the atmosphere suggested that she would add more to the sweet-and-sour pork tenderloin I was going to eat and share it with the men as well.

When the young woman disappeared, the three men started chattering again.

“Why is she always so confident?”

“I know, right?”

“Is this your first time here?”

I wondered whom he was speaking to, but this time too, it was me. These three men were also young, and thinking about it anew, I realized that I, too, was young right now. For a moment, I wondered what manner of speech I should use, then roughly just nodded.

One of them drew his sword at the dining table and wiped the blade with the hem of his clothes.

Just then, the customers at the next table were leaving, so I picked up the Dukang wine and the dried snacks and stood.

“I will move over there.”

“Do that.”

I set the Dukang wine and dried snacks on the empty table, then went to fetch my wooden sword. At that moment, one of them grabbed the wooden sword before I could and pulled out the hilt. When a silver blade emerged from the scabbard, the three men stared in surprise.

“…….”

I said to the man holding the wooden sword,

“Hey, why are you handling someone else’s weapon as you please?”

When I held out my hand, the wooden sword was placed in it.

The three fellows looked me up and down and said,

“That is a fine weapon.”

“It looks like a weapon an assassin would use.”

“Where did you buy it?”

I returned to my seat and answered.

“It was a gift, so I don’t know the price.”

Just then, the young woman who was bringing over a large plate piled with tangcu liji spoke.

“Huh? In that case—hey! Bring a small plate.”

The young woman first set the tangcu liji down on the table, then transferred some onto the small plate the boy had brought. When she set it down on my table, the boy placed the noodles in front of me at the same time.

Seeing that quite a lot of tangcu liji had been put on my side, one of the men said,

“Why are you giving him so much? There are three of us.”

The young woman looked at the three men and said,

“Can’t you just eat what you’re given?”

“Fine.”

After the young woman disappeared, one of the men muttered,

“...Yeonhong is prettiest when she gets stern.”

As I picked up a piece of tangcu liji, laughter suddenly burst out of me, and I snickered to myself. When I laughed, the three men stopped moving their chopsticks and stared at me.

“Aren’t you laughing a bit too openly?”

I wiped the smile clean off my face and looked at the three of them.

“...”

Then the three of them soon began moving their chopsticks again and ate the tangcu liji. Only then did I confirm through the tangcu liji whether this place was truly a good restaurant or not. My impression came out on its own.

“This is a good place.”

There was a reason it was crowded. Moreover, the young woman had a peculiar air about her, so it seemed she was quite popular with the men nearby.

As I ate the noodles, I looked for a signboard, but when I glanced around, I found it was a nameless shop. Once some of the customers who had been eating an early dinner left, the place finally grew a little quieter.

I heard the young woman’s voice from behind me.

“That’s it for meals today. Let’s not take any more dinner customers.”

“Okay.”

The boy went to the front of the shop and flipped over something like a sign beside the door. The young woman, who had come over before I knew it, asked me,

“Is it good?”

I picked up a piece of tangcu liji with my chopsticks and answered,

“The tangcu liji?”

“Yes.”

“Excellent.”

“What about the noodles?”

I looked at the noodles, half-eaten and left behind, then answered,

“Tasteless. It’s like eating twigs soaked in water.”

When I started talking with the young woman, the man beside us cut in.

“Why are you speaking so casually to Yeonhong? Do you know each other?”

The young woman answered in my place.

“Don’t pick a fight. Not unless you want me to flip your table.”

“Has she gone mad? What kind of owner flips a customer’s table?”

The young woman gave a sly smile and gestured for the boy to come over. When the boy approached with a sour look, she pointed at the noodles and said,

“He hasn’t even eaten half.”

The boy let out a deep sigh, then bowed his head slightly toward me.

“I’m sorry. They taste bad.”

As the boy passed by with a gloomy expression, the young woman said to me,

“I’m sorry. We were busy, so I had my younger brother make them.”

“Don’t mention it. Will you take the noodles off the bill?”

“No, not that.”

“As you should.”

The young woman sat down across from me and tapped the Dukang wine with her finger. While chewing the tangcu liji, I poured her a cup. The young woman took the wine, pulled out a pair of chopsticks, stole a piece of my tangcu liji right before my eyes, and then drank the Dukang wine.

The men beside us said with a laugh,

“There she goes again, cleaning out a customer’s wine and food.”

I looked at the men, then went back to observing the young woman’s expression. Thinking she must have been working without having eaten yet because she was busy, I asked,

“Has your brother eaten?”

The young woman answered,

“Not yet. I’ll take him out and buy him something later. He doesn’t like eating what I make.”

The young woman tapped the wooden sword on the table and asked me,

“Are you strong in martial arts? Or is this just for self-defense?”

All of a sudden, there came a clatter and a crash, and the boy rushed out of the kitchen. He looked at the wooden sword and me, then asked,

“Are you good at fighting?”

“...Hmm.”

I cleared my throat once and poured some wine. When I didn’t answer, the boy said to Yeonhong,

“Noona, I think this hyung is good at fighting.”

“Why?”

“I felt it from his aura. Right?”

What on earth was I supposed to say at a time like this?

“I’m not bad.”

“See? I was right, wasn’t I? How good are you?”

After thinking about it, I answered roughly,

“There are probably more than twenty people stronger than me, at least. There are just that many experts out there.”

The boy answered, looking disappointed.

“Oh, really? Then you’re not incredibly strong.”

“Wouldn’t that still count as strong?”

“Does it? Isn’t that just moderately strong?”

“You’ve got unusually grand ambitions, kid.”

When the boy headed back toward the kitchen, the young woman stared at me. The men beside us also laughed and said,

“How did you calculate twenty?”

“Exactly.”

The young woman looked at the men, then asked me,

“Sir?”

“What.”

“I think my brother was asking whether you’re good at fighting in this neighborhood. Of course, even that would mean you’re extremely strong.”

“And?”

“But by any chance, did you mean there are only about twenty people in the whole world?”

“Probably?”

“What does that mean? ‘Probably.’”

“I don’t know because I haven’t met them all. There could be more, and in reality there could be fewer. It means roughly twenty.”

“Are you serious?”

I felt as though the conversation kept going in circles, but from my perspective, I had no choice but to answer like this. It wasn’t as though I had fought every expert, and there were even many experts I had not met.

On the other hand, saying I was merely around the level of one of the top hundred experts would be excessive modesty.

There were not many experts who could draw with me in a spar against the Blade King...

And if it came to a life-or-death duel, my ranking would rise even higher.

The young woman asked me,

“My brother keeps saying he wants to learn martial arts and become an expert. As his older sister, what should I do? We don’t have the money, so sending him to a martial academy is difficult under our circumstances.”

The men beside us cut in with a question.

“Are you saying you’re one of the top hundred experts in the jianghu?”

I nodded.

“That’s right.”

“……”

I looked at the three men.

“Want to get slapped by one of the top hundred masters of the jianghu? Stop butting into the conversation whenever you feel like it.”

The three of them burst out laughing at the same time.

“Hahahaha……”

“Pfft.”

After laughing their asses off for a good while, one of them said to the young woman,

“How much for this?”

The young woman looked at the table, then answered at once.

“Twenty.”

The man took iron coins from his robe, placed them on the table, then stood up.

“Let’s go.”

I watched the three bastards leave after paying so neatly, then said,

“What a bright neighborhood. The people are so innocent. They’re just leaving.”

Just when it seemed the three bastards had gone outside and disappeared, they suddenly shouted at the top of their lungs.

“A top hundred master of the jianghu has appeared at the Lianhong Inn! An incredible master!”

“If he’s a top hundred master, does that mean he doesn’t even care about the Zhengxia Sect or the Liangyi Sect?”

“What a great master we have here.”

Listening to those shouts, I realized they weren’t just bright and innocent bastards after all.

The young woman reassured me.

“Nothing will happen.”

“That’s a relief.”

“Here, the Zhengxia Sect and the Liangyi Sect are the two great powers, and there are many martial halls too. That’s why there aren’t many major incidents. The black path forces vanished a long time ago as well.”

“Is the reason there are so many martial halls perhaps because the two sects select disciples the way one would hold an examination for military officers?”

“That’s right. How did you know?”

“Just a guess.”

I searched my memory for the names of the two sects, but this was not my area of activity, so nothing came to mind. Then again, they were not sects famous throughout the world, so it was not strange that I did not know them.

This time, I asked the young woman.

“Why does your younger brother want to learn martial arts?”

The young woman answered in a refreshing tone.

“Aren’t boys that age all like that?”

I nodded.

“If he wants to learn properly, you won’t be able to see him often.”

“Why? Many of my brother’s friends go to martial halls.”

“If he wants to become about the twentieth strongest in this town, he can attend a martial hall and then enter the Zhengxia Sect or the Liangyi Sect.”

“What if he wants to become strong enough to be counted among the best in the world?”

“Then he has to throw himself into the world first.”

“Then I won’t be seeing him often.”

I called to the boy by the kitchen.

“Come here.”

As soon as the boy came over, I reached out and examined his build, bones, and the shape of his hands. A person’s body is inherited from their parents, so their physique is predetermined. Whether or not one has a body suited to martial arts is decided from birth. I tried to think of masters suited to this boy, but not a single one came to mind. It was not as if his bone structure was especially good either. Just as it was not easy to find a disciple for Cheonak, I found myself thinking that gaining a disciple for myself or for the Four Great Evils was no ordinary matter either.

I asked the boy,

“Do you know how to fight?”

“No.”

“Don’t give your sister a hard time. You don’t seem to have any talent for cooking, so start by attending a martial hall.”

From my money pouch, I took out enough to cover the meal and even the enrollment fee for a martial hall, then placed it on the table. Even to my eyes, it was a bit excessive.

The young woman asked,

“Why are you giving us so much?”

“Because this place has good food.”

I looked around the inn once, then said,

“They called it the Lianhong Inn, right? Use the remaining money to put up a signboard too. I don’t know if the bluff will work, but if something happens that’s hard to deal with, say this inn belongs to the Hao Sect. You’ve got nothing to lose.”

The young woman and the boy looked at each other, then stared at me with startled expressions.

The young woman asked,

“Who are you in the Hao Sect?”

I answered in confusion.

“You know the Hao Sect?”

This time, the boy answered.

“They say he’s a young master who fought against the Sovereigns in the Murim Alliance and still didn’t lose. The customers often said the Hao Sect Leader is the strongest among the rising talents of the younger generation.”

Rumors traveled this quickly. It was not all that surprising.

“I see. Any other rumors?”

“They say he’s the goal of all young masters. Since there are many martial halls in this town, people often talk about the Murim Alliance. These days, they don’t call him the Hao Sect Leader anymore. It’s become popular to shorten it.”

“To what?”

“Ha King. They say he’s a master on the level of the Sovereigns.”

It felt fresh to hear news about myself from someone else. Thinking I should get on the road again, I stood and looked at the young woman and the boy.

“I’m leaving.”

As I was leaving the Lianhong Inn, the boy asked from behind me,

“Who are you? I have to know if I’m going to pay you back later.”

I turned around and looked at the boy.

“I am the Hao Sect Leader. Don’t use the term Ha King.”

“Why not?”

I said with a smile,

“It’s a title that sounds too strong. I’m not at that level.”

After leaving the Lianhong Inn, I let out a long yawn.

“I wondered why there were so many kings, and it turns out I was contributing to it too. Damn it……”

If I stayed any longer, I had a feeling the masters of the Zhengxia Sect and Liangyi Sect would come swarming in, so I got out of there in advance.

I needed to be wary of my fame rising, but I had a feeling it would not be easy.