Hyeonjilmusin - Chapter 116



Only Krnovel

116. Where the forest is thick, tigers come (1)

I glanced back. Myeong-il was looking at the ground, and Yeo Hong-yang was walking while looking up at the sky. It didn’t seem like it was intentional, but I wondered how they could be so different.

“Doesn’t it feel good to get some fresh air after a long time?”

“Not bad.”

“What about the death penalty?”

“Isn’t the main temple outside?”

It seemed like Myeongil was asking that question not because he wanted to pick a fight, but because he was genuinely curious. Yeo Hongyang immediately sighed.

“Dojang. What I just said was because I treated Mt. Mudang as an insider. Don’t you understand that?”

“Why should I understand that?”

“Let’s stop talking.”

“Don’t do that. You talk too much and it’s noisy.”

“Oh, me.”

Yeo Hong-yang was a merchant and hated not being able to communicate with others, while Myeong-il was blunt and had no eloquence. The two were complete opposites in many ways.

No matter how hard I tried to stop them, they would keep bickering. In that case, it would be better not to try to stop them.

If you go from Hubei to Gansu, you must pass through Shaanxi Province. Shaanxi Province is home to the famous rivalries of the Old School School, the Huashan School and the Zhongnan School.

If we are talking about the story of the merchant world rather than the story of the martial arts world, the capital city of Shaanxi, Xi’an, is the center of the commercial district in the northwestern part of the Central Plains. That means it is a place with a large floating population.

The Hwasan faction and the Jongnam faction, which are supposed to keep the peace, are busy biting each other, and there is a lot of floating population. If you know that, you can roughly predict the atmosphere of Shaanxi.

“It’s always a mess here.”

Yeo Hong-yang laughed heartily, and Myeong-il’s expression remained frozen and he refused to look anywhere.

Well, the husband got kicked out of the house because he was caught cheating, the guy with messy hair and bloodshot eyes in broad daylight was clearly a guy who had been gambling, and the guy who got drunk and got into a fight. It was a total mess.

“Is this fun?”

“There is nothing more interesting than seeing a raw human being.”

“How shallow.”

Myeong-il clicked his tongue. Yeo Hong-yang was giggling as if nothing had happened even after hearing those words.

I just walked up to Yeo Hong-yang and asked.

“I told you to become friends, so what on earth did you do?”

“How can I become friends with such a talkative person?”

“What did you two talk about?”

“Not really. When I was suddenly asked if I liked the nonpartisan faction, I said I didn’t like or dislike anything. I came here to build connections anyway.”

“Did you say that?”

“Yeah. He became so cold after hearing that. It’s unbelievable.”

I can see why they hate each other. In fact, Yeo Hong-yang was sent here by Cheon Su-sang-dan, so she would hate the Mudang faction instead.

Even though he said that he neither liked nor disliked Myeongil because he was thinking of Myeongil, Myeongil probably didn’t like that answer either. After all, Myeongil was a place that received great favor from the Mudangpa.

In the meantime, since he had clearly stated that he had come here to build connections, he must have been extremely offended by the fact that he was trying to use the non-partisan faction as a means to an end.

“I see… … .”

So I just ended up trailing off like that.

Anyway, if I were to judge whether I am a merchant or a warrior, I would say I am closer to a merchant, so I found watching the human figures interesting.

This is a characteristic of Shaanxi. Since there are two old school clans, there are no big black swords, but compared to that, there are many dirty gangsters because they do not engage in security activities. That is why there are many gambling houses and black markets without government permission.

As expected, Yeo Hong-yang leaned over to me and spoke softly.

“There’s a black market here that I know of. Do you want to go take a look?”

“Okay. There’s the death penalty tomorrow. I’m going crazy. What if I make a mistake and get caught?”

“Hey, where is the crackdown in Seoan? You’re talking nonsense.”

I know. There is certainly no crackdown in Xi’an. But I didn’t really want to go there. Right now, I just wanted to meet the King in Gansu and think about what to do.

“Black market?”

At that moment, Myeong-il stuck his head between us. I knew he was coming, so I wasn’t surprised, but Yeo Hong-yang was so scared that she fell backwards.

“What a surprise!”

“Why are you so surprised?”

I knew that Myeong-il would eavesdrop on the conversation from the moment Yeo Hong-yang started to run the black market.

I also had a hard time adjusting to it when I first started, but the five senses of martial artists often surpass the common sense of ordinary people.

Yeo Hong-yang, who barely managed to get up, grumbled while dusting off her back.

“Come over there and make some noise.”

“You did it, right?”

“when!”

From my perspective, Myeongil must have come with enough noise, but to Yeo Hongyang, it was no different from a surprise attack by an assassin.

“By the way, why the black market?”

“curious.”

I was a little surprised by Myeongil’s words. I thought he would not be interested in such places, if anything, he would hate them.

“Oh. Dojo. Are you finally able to communicate? Yes. It’s fun to go check out the black market sometimes.”

“No. I’m not going there for fun. The teacher told me to see as many places as possible. If it weren’t for that, I wouldn’t have gone.”

“It’s not fun.”

Yeo Hongyang clicked her tongue in disappointment. If there was a teacher for tomorrow, it would be Cheong-ui, or Jang Moon-in.

“hmm.”

This was another variable. As an openly nonpartisan, I could no longer ignore Jang Moon-in’s wishes. I even asked Jang Moon-in directly for a favor tomorrow.

“Would that be so?”

“okay.”

In the end, our decision to go to the black market was made on the spot. Now that our future course of action had been decided, all that was left was to fill our bellies and enjoy the view. We went into a nearby inn and sat down.

As soon as I sat down, I thought back to a thought that I had almost forgotten. As far as I knew, there were unwritten rules in the black market.

“Where can I get an invitation?”

“Oh. I see you’ve been to the black market.”

Yeo Hongyang laughed. There are black markets where even dogs and cows enter, but proper black markets require an invitation. At least, they don’t accept idiots.

I said that because it seemed like a place with some class if Yeo Hong-yang knew about it, and it was as expected.

“What is that… … .”

“Can I come in for a moment?”

Someone interrupted Yeo Hongyang’s words and sat down next to us. Three heads, including mine, spun around.

There was a man with a strangely hazy expression smiling. His eyes were thin and squinty, and his nose and mouth were shallow, so he didn’t give off a strong impression.

“I’m sorry for eavesdropping. Haha. It’s not a crime to have good ears, right?”

The man laughed heartily. He even smiled on his already weak-looking face, giving off the look of confidence.

“I spoke quite quietly, but if you could hear me, wouldn’t that mean you were listening?”

“Isn’t that how it is? When you hear the name of a friend from your hometown somewhere, your ears perk up and you feel focused. It’s exactly that kind of feeling.”

The words were smooth and easy. Myeong-il had a wary look on his face, and Yeo Hong-yang didn’t seem to have any particular thoughts. It was common for merchants to ask for information like this without permission. The man’s foolish impression probably played a part.

I looked back and forth between Myeongil and Yeohongyang, then smiled and said.

“So what are you interested in that makes you want to come here?”

“Hey, why are you like that? It’s the black market. The black market.”

As expected, the man was interested in the black market.

“Ah. I’m late in introducing myself. My name is Yeom Baek-gyu, the head of Sohwa Trading Company.”

“I am Mukhwiyoung of the Whiyoungsangdan. The friends here are the upper class’s servants and servants.”

Myeong-il and Yeo Hong-yang, who had suddenly become my subordinates, looked at me, but I ignored them. At that moment, Yeom Baek-gyu covered his mouth with his hand in surprise.

“The silent spirit of the Hwiyoungdan? The divine spirit of the Hubei?”

“Has that name spread all the way to Shaanxi?”

“Wow. I never thought I’d meet such a famous person. Today seems to be my lucky day.”

After all, humans are animals that need to be acknowledged to survive. I smiled and reached out my hand, but he just nodded his head like a chick that had been sold. It seemed like he didn’t know how to shake hands in the Western style.

“Ahem.”

I shook my embarrassed hands and changed the subject.

Yeom Baek-gyu also raised his voice hurriedly, as if he realized that he had embarrassed me.

“Ha, haha. I’m surprised to meet such a famous person. No, this shouldn’t have happened. You were so rude when we first met. You didn’t even go to the engineering department. If I had known you were a great person, I would have spoken to you more politely.”

“What about the great man? Isn’t the overwork proportional?”

“Wow, he is worthy of being called a great man. Isn’t the Whiyoung Group a new group that is causing a stir in the upper world?”

Yeom Baek-gyu raised his hand while laughing. Jeom So-yi quickly approached him.

“Yes. How may I help you?”

“Is there any tiger bone wine here?”

“Huh? Are you talking about Hogolju?”

As soon as he heard Yeom Baek-gyu’s words, Jeom So-i suddenly became polite. It was understandable. Hogolju was a liquor made from tiger bones, and it cost at least ten nyang. It was so expensive that many inns could not even afford it.

These days, I’ve been handling silver in units of thousands of nyang, so it’s become a bit colorless, but twenty nyang of silver is enough to support a common family for a year. It’s not just insufficient for the price of a bottle of alcohol; it’s excessive.

When the sound of the ox bone soup was heard, the bustling guest house became quiet and all eyes turned to us.

Jeomsoi ran inside to find out, but then immediately jumped out.

“Oh my, our guests are lucky. They say there is only one bottle left in our guesthouse.”

“That’s just right. Please give me a bottle. How much is it?”

“It’s twenty nyang of silver. It’s more expensive than the original price, but our innkeeper usually catches a tiger… … .”

Before Jeom So-i could even open her mouth, Yeom Baek-gyu opened her purse and handed her twenty nyang of silver.

“Stop talking nonsense and just give it to me.”

“Oh, yes! I understand!”

Jeomsoi immediately brought out the hogolju. The hogolju was served on a gold tray and in blue porcelain.

The eyes of those looking at us were filled with vivid emotions. Jealousy, envy, greed, envy, etc. I said with a smile.

“It seems like too expensive a drink to drink right away after revealing your identity.”

“Oh no.”

Yeom Baek-gyu said as he skillfully opened the cork of the bottle of soju.

“Actually, it hasn’t been that long since I created the Digestion Company, but it was hard to grow it for the time being. Just when I was thinking about quitting, I heard news from the Muk Master. There was a new company in Hubei called Hwiyeongsangdan, and they had single-handedly destroyed a trading company and taken over the Hwiju merchants as well.”

“It’s true, but it’s embarrassing. I was just lucky.”

“As expected! Anyway, after hearing your story, I was able to pull myself together. You are my benefactor who has continued my dream.”

Yeom Baek-gyu smiled and poured me a bowl of Hogolju. The warm air and fragrance rose inside the guest room. At this level, I could tell that Jeom So-yi’s words were not empty talk and were worth listening to.

“Well. It seems like the servant is not old enough to drink. Please have a drink of Haengsu.”

“Haha. I don’t know if I deserve to be treated with such luxury.”

“You don’t have to feel any pressure at all.”

Yeo Hong-yang also skillfully accepted the hogolju. We clinked our glasses and downed the whole glass.

It was so hot that it felt like a fireball was going down my throat. But when it hit my stomach, it was as cold as ice. It was truly a dragon’s drink.

“This is a great drink.”

I have tried hogolju before, but this was a surprising taste. Although Xi’an is a commercial area, it was surprising that such excellent hogolju was available in an ordinary inn.

“I feel so good because it suits your taste.”

Yeom Baek-gyu, I, and Yeo Hong-yang took turns drinking the hogolju. Those watching us drank the hogolju and consoled themselves with cheap white liquor.

“Oh, after drinking some good alcohol, my bladder is filling up quickly. I’ll empty it quickly and come back.”

After a few drinks, I said I was going to the bathroom and went outside. As I was loitering around in front of the bathroom, Myeongil came out, as expected.

“Silence.”

“capital punishment.”

“You have to be careful. It’s unmanned.”

Myeongil looked around and spoke. Even though the bathroom was quite far from the guest house, he seemed to be on guard.

That would be expected. Earlier, Myeongil hadn’t noticed Yeom Baek-gyu approaching at all.

“I know.”

“Did you know?”

“Yes. The face is also made of human skin. It is the best product with no separation from the skin.”

“You found it out, didn’t you?”

“There must be so many people who do things like that.”

If I have to be picky, I’ve seen it a lot in my past life. There were many merchants who came out wearing leather masks when making shady deals.

“But why are you keeping time with the rhythm?”

“I was curious.”

I smiled, the corners of my lips twisting.

“What kind of person are you to be talking to me like that?”

A cool breeze blew between Myeongil and me.