Chapter 45: In Deyang, This Was Everyday Life
Jin Seong-un briefly watched the man who had draped an arm over his shoulder.
The man’s limbs were thin and his posture was hunched.
There was no trace of strength in his impression, only a sense of loafing about. Even the Qi he exuded was so faint that it was hard to even call him a Third Rate Martial Artist.
Jin Seong-un glanced at Seo Yu-gyeom, wondering if the man might die if struck by mistake.
‘What do you intend to do?’
That was the meaning hidden in his eyes.
Seo Yu-gyeom only answered with a faint, amused smile, as though finding this whole affair entertaining.
Sighing, Jin Seong-un let the man’s arm rest on his shoulder as they walked down the street together.
The man kept his arms draped over both of them as he continued speaking.
“I get annoyed when I see handsome people. I know the world isn’t fair, but I can’t help getting angry.”
“……”
Jin Seong-un’s face twisted in bewilderment.
The man, noticing this, snickered.
“No need to be so scared. I don’t plan on doing anything to you two right now. Of course, not everyone in Deyang is as gentle as me. There are plenty who will draw blades at the slightest provocation.”
“What do you want?”
Jin Seong-un asked calmly.
The man’s brows twitched for a moment, but he still replied.
“One tael of silver. I don’t know why you’ve come to Deyang, but this isn’t a place where a couple of pretty boys like you should wander around. There are plenty of hotheaded brutes here, all strong in martial arts.”
“So if we give you a tael of silver, you’ll protect us? And if a stronger martial artist picks a fight?”
Jin Seong-un asked purely out of curiosity.
Confidence spread across the man’s face.
“There are plenty stronger than me, sure. But it doesn’t matter. I’m a native of this place. I know many brothers in the Four Black Path factions of Deyang. Who would dare touch me?”
“The Four Black Paths of Deyang?”
The man let out a sigh, as if lamenting their ignorance.
“Hwanghonru, Mukyangmun, Cheongyagok, and Four Dragons River Gang. The four Black Path factions that rule Deyang. Coming in here without even knowing that? Make it two taels.”
“We don’t have money.”
“Don’t lie. Who comes from out of town empty-handed?”
“Oh, I do have money. Just not money for you.”
“……”
The man’s eyes hardened as he glared at Jin Seong-un.
For a while, their eyes locked in silent battle.
Jin Seong-un’s calm gaze did not waver, and eventually the man’s eyes grew sore. He looked away first.
“Then die for all I care.”
With that, the man withdrew his arm, turned around, and walked off, cursing under his breath as he moved farther away.
Jin Seong-un and Seo Yu-gyeom simply stood there, watching him.
Then, the man’s steps slowed… and he eventually stopped. He turned his head to look back at them.
“……”
“……”
Silence stretched between them.
On a bustling street full of noise, the weight of that silence between three people felt all the heavier.
Seo Yu-gyeom suddenly muttered in a voice only Jin Seong-un could hear.
“Oh, he’s hesitating. If he runs off, it means we look weak. But if he comes back, it means we left quite an impression.”
Jin Seong-un nodded slightly.
The man, after a long painful moment of deliberation, began walking back toward them.
When he reached them, he handed Jin Seong-un a wallet and asked,
“…How did you know?”
“It would have been harder not to notice.”
The wallet he handed over was Jin Seong-un’s own. The man had tried to confuse them with chatter, then picked his pocket.
Of course, pickpocketing men like Jin Seong-un and Seo Yu-gyeom was impossible.
Still looking unconvinced, the man received an explanation from Seo Yu-gyeom.
“First, your theft lightened us by exactly one wallet’s weight. Second, your step grew that much heavier. Third, all your cheap hand movements were plain as day to us. Lastly, you just look suspicious.”
“……”
The man wore a bitter expression. He could accept the rest, but being insulted for his looks felt unfair.
Yet, judging by their level, they were surely masters. So he simply nodded with admiration and said,
“You must be truly great men. As you see, I’m just a lowly fool who steals coins on the street. I failed to recognize great Heroes. I beg forgiveness.”
He tried to flatter them while defusing the tension. After bowing once, he looked at them as if asking permission to leave.
Seo Yu-gyeom extended his palm. The man stared in disbelief.
“What? I already gave it back.”
“That was ours to begin with.”
“……”
The man hesitated, then sighed. His life was more precious than silver. With a resigned look, he pulled another wallet from his robe and handed it to Seo Yu-gyeom.
Seo Yu-gyeom weighed it in his hand and smiled with satisfaction.
“…Can I leave now?”
The man’s shoulders sagged.
He had thought he’d earned a decent take for the first time in ages, but instead, he had lost even what little he had. As he began consoling himself with the thought of working harder after this, Jin Seong-un raised his palm.
The man’s eyes widened, staring at it.
“……”
Jin Seong-un said nothing.
But the man understood. If that hand came down on his face, he might actually die.
Swearing inside, he reluctantly pulled out yet another wallet and placed it on Jin Seong-un’s palm.
That was the last of his fortune.
Jin Seong-un nodded once at him. Watching that, the man cursed in his heart.
‘Damn you, bastard.’
But he couldn’t say it aloud.
He bowed deeply, then disappeared into the crowd.
Jin Seong-un opened the wallet. Though it had felt heavy, there were only two or three pieces of silver, the rest filled with stones.
Jin Seong-un let out a hollow laugh. Seo Yu-gyeom remarked from the side,
“It’s a defensive wallet.”
“With a wallet, how?”
Seo Yu-gyeom pretended to hand it to Jin Seong-un, then suddenly swung it instead.
Jin Seong-un tilted his head slightly and avoided it with ease. But the wallet tore through the air where his head had been, bursting with a heavy whistling force.
“Like this. Pretend to hand it over, then smash it into someone’s skull. In Deyang, this is everyday life.”
“…What kind of place is Deyang…”
Jin Seong-un suddenly realized that Yichang was actually a very peaceful place.
After all, ever since the Prosperity Association had disappeared, there were no real Black Path factions left.
He nodded briefly, then asked,
“Are we going straight to the Hwa-un Trading Company?”
Seo Yu-gyeom sank into deep thought.
As his inner demons seemed to grow stronger, he had rushed back to Deyang.
But he still wasn’t ready to face his sister.
More precisely, he wasn’t ready to endure the hateful look she would surely cast at him.
For once, Seo Yu-gyeom hesitated, then answered cautiously.
“…Shall we eat first?”
Jin Seong-un nodded indifferently. Since he was here only for Seo Yu-gyeom, he intended to follow his lead.
Thus, the two of them jingled the wallet they had received from the pickpocket and set off in search of an inn.
.
.
.
Among many establishments, they chose the Deyang Inn.
The reason was simple: any business daring to use the city’s name must have long history and recognition.
Jin Seong-un’s face carried some anticipation.
Ever since opening Seong-un Inn, he always found much to observe whenever visiting other inns.
Especially since Sichuan was famous for its cuisine—and in Deyang, even small inns were said to serve Yangha Daegu.
Distribution of Yangha Daegu was monopolized nationwide by the Hwa-un Trading Company, since this was their base of operations.
“There are quite a lot of people here.”
Jin Seong-un observed as he glanced around.
Even though mealtime had already passed, half the seats were filled.
With no inn waiter to guide them, the two simply sat themselves at an empty table.
Before long, a middle-aged man came out of the kitchen, sweating profusely. He looked the two up and down, then asked,
“Your order.”
His voice was curt.
That was natural—busy men grew irritable. Jin Seong-un, understanding this, didn’t mind and ordered,
“One bottle of Yangha Daegu and one plate of braised pork.”
“Oh, and one bowl of noodles. Spicy.”
Seo Yu-gyeom smoothly added.
The man gave a rough nod and returned to the kitchen.
“What about water?”
Seo Yu-gyeom asked. The man didn’t even look back as he entered the kitchen again, answering,
“Help yourself. Can’t you see I’m busy?”
It was something unimaginable at Seong-un Inn, and so the two exchanged glances.
Clicking his tongue, Seo Yu-gyeom fetched a jug and cups from the side.
“Wow, he’s really unfriendly. Though places like this usually serve the best food.”
“They seem severely short-staffed for the number of customers.”
Indeed, whenever the man came out, the kitchen noises stopped, and when he went back in, they resumed.
That meant he was handling both kitchen and waiting by himself.
Even the much smaller Seong-un Inn had two cooks and two waiters.
Finding it strange, Jin Seong-un looked around and remarked,
“There are quite a lot of martial artists here.”
Several men had blades leaned against their tables, and many others bore the clear signs of martial training.
Most were only Third Rate Martial Artists, but still, so many martial artists in a common inn was unusual.
At least compared to his hometown or Yichang.
Seo Yu-gyeom replied,
“In places under heavy Black Path influence, it’s always like this. The Righteous sects train all day and drink only sometimes. The Evil sects drink all day and train only sometimes.”
His voice was loud, drawing sharp stares from nearby tables.
But Seo Yu-gyeom merely smirked back at them, and none dared to respond. That was the nature of Third Rate Black Path martial artists.
They waited for quite some time, but no food came.
Seo Yu-gyeom’s expression began to sour.
“Did he forget?”
“…Let’s wait a bit longer.”
“This ‘bit longer’—how many times have we said that already?”
“This time, I’m sure it’s coming.”
Jin Seong-un said it with certainty. Seo Yu-gyeom asked,
“How do you know?”
“Listen.”
So Seo Yu-gyeom sharpened his hearing, blocking out other senses.
The voices, clinking cups, clattering dishes—all boomed like thunder. The rowdy Black Path brutes only made it worse.
He furrowed his brow, focusing with all his strength.
Then, amidst the chaos, he heard familiar sounds—meat sizzling in hot oil, soy sauce bubbling in reduction.
It was clearly the braised pork they had ordered.
Seo Yu-gyeom turned to him, exasperated.
“How could you hear that?”
“I just did.”
“…Do you always live with your senses sharpened like that?”
It was pure curiosity, for Seo Yu-gyeom was a martial artist as well as a cook.
Jin Seong-un shook his head.
“Not particularly.”
He simply perceived more than others without trying.
That was the effect of the Noble Enchantress’s Women’s Moon Heart Method.
“You must be exhausted living like that. I’m never becoming a master.”
“……”
As Seo Yu-gyeom muttered nonsense, the middle-aged man finally emerged with the food.
Both men’s eyes sparkled as they saw the dishes. The aroma and presentation promised a skilled hand.
Just as they swallowed their saliva, however, a group entered the inn.
The cook’s expression hardened slightly.
From the group, one man suddenly sprinted toward the cook, without the slightest hesitation.
Both Jin Seong-un and Seo Yu-gyeom noticed, but couldn’t immediately grasp the situation. Such a thing could never happen in Seong-un Inn.
“Hey!”
A man in his mid-twenties let out a short shout as he leaped into the air. To Jin Seong-un, time seemed to slow.
The man thrust a foot forward midair and kicked the cook squarely in the chest.
Jin Seong-un blinked.
The cook crashed down, spilling food and wine across the floor.
Clang!
With that sharp noise, time returned to normal.
While Jin Seong-un stared blankly at the ruined food, the young man viciously stomped on the fallen cook.
“You bastard! Do you take our Four Dragons River Gang for fools? Money! Money! Pay back the damn money!”
The cook curled into a ball, shielding his head with his arms.
Though the inn was full of martial artists, no one stepped in.
Everyone only watched warily.
As the young man beat the cook, his companions strolled about, stealing food from other tables.
Clearly, they were infamous Black Path members in Deyang.
Seo Yu-gyeom clicked his tongue.
At the same time, Jin Seong-un rose to his feet.
Every gaze turned toward him.
He calmly met their eyes, then strode toward the youth and the cook.
As he stopped before them, the young man flinched slightly.
“What do you want?”
Jin Seong-un gazed at him for a moment, then—
Slap!
He struck him across the face.
The man’s head snapped sideways, his body lifting from the ground.
He crashed down atop the spilled food.