Chapter 35: Go Buy Some Dumplings
Rumors in the Murim always spread quickly.
For those who lived the same routine every day, there was always a need for drinking chatter, and nothing was more entertaining than stories from the Murim.
Through the mouths of gossipers, beggars, and courtesans, one rumor spread across the entire Central Plains.
‘A great villain of the Murim who killed countless people met his end in an inn.’
The name of that inn was Seong-un Inn.
The wicked Demonic Path bastard had the misfortune of entering an inn where warriors from the Tang Clan, the Wudang Sect, the Seomun Clan, and the House of Seok were present, and there he was besieged by those warriors and killed.
At first glance, it was an ordinary story.
But ordinary stories could never serve as good drinking chatter. The claim that the fight included a waiter and a cook set fire to the gossipers’ imaginations.
Of course, most people did not believe it.
Some said that in a desperate moment the waiter had thrown a rag to block the demon’s vision, while others claimed the cook had hurled the ladle he had been using to stir-fry pork.
But right now—
Do Won-hyeok, the Hall Leader of White Sword Hall of the Murim Alliance, was calmly reporting not rumors, but what he had personally confirmed.
“It was neither a rag nor a ladle. Strictly speaking, it was not even a joint attack. The waiter. A young man named Jin Seong-un killed the Food Butcher alone.”
At Do Won-hyeok’s report, the Chief Strategist, Sima Baek, wore a troubled expression. It was hard to believe such an unbelievable story when it was delivered with such seriousness.
“Let’s say half of what you said is true. No— even if a quarter were true, it would still be hard to believe…”
“It wasn’t half, it was entirely true.”
Normally, Do Won-hyeok was the type who enjoyed joking and light talk. So Sima Baek had thought this was just another instance of that.
But it wasn’t.
When he saw the grave expression on Do Won-hyeok’s face, Sima Baek’s eyes flashed.
“Then, is it also true that the White Cloud Sword was in Yichang?”
“Yes. Senior White Cloud Sword has his eyes on Jin Seong-un. When I showed interest, he warned me with his gaze.”
Sima Baek rested his chin on his hand and closed his eyes. It was a habit of his when he was deep in thought.
Do Won-hyeok waited quietly. After a brief pause, Sima Baek opened his eyes and spoke.
“Impossible. Even if what you said is true, we cannot accept a warrior barely past twenty as a member of a Hall in the Murim Alliance. At best, as part of a unit, or if we are generous, a squad.”
The Murim Alliance’s organization was divided into three main levels.
At the top were the Halls, like White Sword Hall. These were organizations tasked with special missions, receiving orders only from the Alliance Leader and the Chief Strategist.
Below that were the Units and Squads. There were also Teams, but those were reorganized flexibly according to the situation.
Assigning a youth barely in his twenties directly as a Hall member would disrupt the order of the Murim Alliance.
Most of all, Sima Baek still knew too little about this Jin Seong-un.
What was his character like, what direction did he live his life toward, where was his hometown, did he have a teacher, did he have a family?
The Murim Alliance was not a group that judged people solely by martial prowess.
“Still, I will look into it further. If what you say is true, not only the Orthodox Faction, but many others will covet the boy.”
Sima Baek thought of the greatest masters of the age.
Among them were the Ten Great Masters of the Orthodox Faction, including the Alliance Leader, as well as top experts from the Evil Sect and the Demonic Cult.
Had any of those who stood at the peak of their time shown such talent at such a young age?
He pondered for a moment, but the answer was none. If the words of the White Sword Hall Leader were true, then even Sima Baek could not simply ignore it.
The Hall Leader of White Sword Hall was inwardly frustrated.
No, not just the Wudang Sect, but also the Tang Clan, the Seomun Clan, and the House of Seok all had their eyes on the boy.
The words rose to his throat, but since the Chief Strategist had closed his eyes again, he had no choice but to retreat.
The difference in their positions was natural.
Do Won-hyeok was the head of a single Hall, while Sima Baek was the second-in-command of a vast alliance.
Whether it was the Wudang Sect, the Tang Clan, the Seomun Clan, or the House of Seok—
To Sima Baek, it did not matter much who took him in. As long as Jin Seong-un did not fall into the Evil Sect or the Demonic Cult, he would eventually become part of the Orthodox Faction’s strength.
Jin Seong-un stopped wiping the table and rubbed his ear.
Lately, his ears had often been itchy.
Watching him, Seo Yu-gyeom clicked his tongue and said,
“It could be an ear disease, so go see a physician. Really, why let it worsen when you could just get it checked now?”
“…It’s fine.”
Seo Yu-gyeom thumped his own chest in frustration.
But Jin Seong-un had no intention of going to a physician. He had grown up poor, and ever since he had started working as a waiter, he had been saving money to open an inn of his own.
Because of that, he had never once in his life gone to see a physician. Perhaps it was because of that lack of experience, but in Jin Seong-un’s imagination, physicians were people who stabbed iron needles into flesh and force-fed vile, bitter black water.
“Tch, I bet you won’t go until you lose your hearing. Isn’t that right, Seomun Ak?”
“…”
Likewise wiping down another table, Seomun Ak only nodded.
Baek Sang and Baek Seol had already left. More precisely, after retrieving the Taiji Sword from Hyeon Un, they wanted to devote themselves to training, so they had returned to the Wudang Sect.
They even decided not to attend the Tang Clan Leader’s birthday banquet. After witnessing the martial skill of Jin Seong-un and Seo Yu-gyeom, their minds were filled with nothing but training.
Tang So-yeon and Seok Won-sang were the same. Especially Tang So-yeon, who had thought herself unmatched among her peers, declared that upon returning to her clan she would immediately enter isolated training.
Seomun Ak felt the same.
But he had nowhere to return to. After wandering Yichang for a while, his steps eventually brought him back to Seong-un Inn.
Shin Mok had told Seomun Ak to live on his own from now on. When the Seomun Clan Leader came to Yichang, he had already learned the full story, so Seomun Ak had gone directly to him, offering apologies and compensation.
“So, how long are you planning on working here?”
Seo Yu-gyeom asked Seomun Ak.
Startled, Seomun Ak froze while wiping the table. If he was kicked out of here too, where would he go?
After a moment of thought, the only places that came to mind were taverns or brothels. Not exactly suitable for someone driven out of his own household.
“…I don’t know.”
Seomun Ak answered weakly.
He thought he would soon be driven out of Seong-un Inn as well. Considering their first meeting, it was already a tremendous mercy to have been taken back in at all.
“I was just asking, you wastrel.”
Seo Yu-gyeom clicked his tongue and headed into the kitchen.
When Seomun Ak had been rampaging like a delinquent, he had wanted to beat him senseless, but seeing him sulk all day long made him want to hit him for a different reason.
Jin Seong-un glanced at Seomun Ak.
Seomun Ak flinched violently for no reason. The image of Jin Seong-un fighting the Food Butcher was still vivid in his mind.
“Lightly sweep the entrance outside as well.”
“Y-yeah, alright.”
Taking up a broom, Seomun Ak went outside and swept the ground with practiced ease. By now, working as a waiter had long become second nature to him.
As he swept for a while, a middle-aged man stopped in front of the inn. His eyes carried a grave determination as he stared at both the inn and Seomun Ak.
His demeanor was far from that of an ordinary customer, so Seomun Ak stared back at the man and asked,
“What is it?”
“Is this the inn where the Food Butcher was said to have been killed?”
Seomun Ak grew tense inside.
Surely this man wasn’t a companion of the Food Butcher, was he?
With that thought, he nodded.
“That’s right.”
At once, a surge of emotion flickered in the middle-aged man’s eyes.
When he reached into his robe, Seomun Ak instinctively stepped back.
But instead of a blade, what came out was a bundle of papers.
The middle-aged man carefully examined the sheets, then fixed his gaze on Seomun Ak.
“You must be Master Seomun.”
“…That’s right. And who might you be?”
Seomun Ak glanced at the papers in his hand.
They bore drawings of people’s faces—Jin Seong-un, Seo Yu-gyeom, and the others who had been present during the fight against the Food Butcher.
‘What kind of lunatic is this?’
Just as he was secretly gathering his inner qi, the middle-aged man suddenly bent forward in a deep bow—so deep it seemed his forehead might touch the ground.
“…Thank you. Truly, thank you.”
Seomun Ak stared, eyes wide.
Looking closer, he saw tears falling at the man’s feet.
“Who are you?”
Seomun Ak’s tone became a little more respectful.
The man explained that he was the Master of Hwaweolru.
But Seomun Ak had visited so many taverns and pleasure houses in his life that he couldn’t immediately recall the name Hwaweolru. The man continued.
“I am also a father who lost his son to that accursed Food Butcher.”
“Ah…”
Seomun Ak let out a low sigh.
The man explained why he had come here and what had happened.
After losing his son, he had lived like a ruined man for a time. Then, one day, he sold Hwaweolru entirely.
He gathered together his life’s savings to commission the Deathshroud to kill the Food Butcher, only to be told that he was already dead.
So, he turned to the Hao Sect to find out who had killed him and how, and then came here to offer thanks to those who had avenged his son.
By the time his explanation ended, Jin Seong-un and Seo Yu-gyeom had stepped out to the entrance of the inn as well.
Staring intently once more at the crumpled, water-stained papers, the Master of Hwaweolru then bowed deeply to the two of them.
“Truly, truly, thank you.”
“Please, come inside first.”
Jin Seong-un guided the man inside.
Jin Seong-un, Seo Yu-gyeom, and the Master of Hwaweolru entered the inn together.
Seomun Ak, however, could not bring himself to follow.
Left alone outside, he bit his lip hard.
So hard that blood nearly seeped out.
“You worthless fool…”
The words were aimed at no one but himself. At that moment, Seomun Ak felt the greatest shame of his entire life.
Just then, No Sang-won, who had been returning to the Cloth Shop with dumplings, witnessed the scene.
Since the shop was right next to the inn, he had clearly heard the Seomun Clan Leader’s scolding voice earlier, and he knew why Seomun Ak wore such an expression.
No Sang-won stood for a while with a grave expression, as though in deep thought, then, as if making up his mind, he strode over.
He handed a dumpling to Seomun Ak.
Seomun Ak accepted it.
“I ran like mad to eat them before they got cold. For the record, there were only three, and I’m giving one to you.”
Indeed, the dumplings were warm.
Feeling the heat in his hand, Seomun Ak asked,
“Why not just eat them when you got back?”
“They taste better after a good run.”
With that, No Sang-won returned to the Cloth Shop.
Seomun Ak stared at the dumpling in his hand for a moment before taking a big bite.
It was delicious. Delicious enough to understand why the lazy No Sang-won had bothered to go all the way to a far-off shop.
Just then, Seo Yu-gyeom’s voice called from inside the inn.
“Eating alone, are you?”
“….”
Seomun Ak smacked his lips.
Then a silver coin flew out from inside. Seomun Ak tried to catch it, but missed, and it landed squarely on his forehead with a thwack.
Seo Yu-gyeom’s laughter rang out long.
“Hahaha! Just look at you! Don’t stand out there sulking—go buy more dumplings so we can eat together.”
“Young Master Seo, why are you so eager to torment Young Master Seomun?”
“I’m not tormenting him. I’m helping him.”
“What do you mean by that?”
“How could you possibly understand? The depth of my heart.”
As Jin Seong-un and Seo Yu-gyeom’s conversation continued,
Seomun Ak, after staring blankly inside for a moment, finally moved his feet. After all, errands were part of a waiter’s duty.