Hyeonjilmusin - Chapter 99
Only Krnovel
99. The nobles of Huizhou (4)
Ga-ae-gu (可愛狗) Son Yeong-ui. He is from the Son family (孫家) among the 15 clans of Hui-ju. I didn’t know that he was serving as the Yanwu General at this time.
“Nice to meet you.”
Son Yeong-ui held out her right hand to me. I immediately held out my right hand, grabbed it, and shook it. Son Yeong-ui’s expression became strange.
“Nice to meet you, Elder Yeom Mu-chong. I am the head of the Hwiyoungsangdan, Muk Hwi-yeong.”
“You know the greetings of the Western Regions.”
“Personally, I like this greeting better than lottery tickets.”
The act of shaking hands originated in the West, not in the Central Plains. Therefore, shaking hands was a kind of upper-class culture known only to merchants who traded with Western merchants. There were not many merchants who could trade directly with Western merchants, either in the past or now.
“I heard that shaking hands is a way of showing that you have no weapons. Shaking your hands up and down means that you have no weapons in your sleeves either.”
“But you have a sword at your waist?”
“Because I am a non-partisan disciple.”
“Oh. I see.”
Not only Son Yeong-ui, but also Ho Geum-yang, who was watching, seemed to have curiosity in his eyes as he looked at me. It was obvious what they thought of me.
They probably treated me like a worm or a bald eagle who invaded the land of the merchants. However, when they actually met and talked to me, they seemed to feel something different.
“Yes. I’m quite lucky today. After visiting Yeomunsa Temple, I planned to visit Yeommu General, but the two of you are in the same place.”
I laughed. Ho Geum-yang also laughed, and Son Yeong-ui smiled back. Laughter is contagious.
“You’re lucky. If you had come to me, I wouldn’t have met you.”
That doesn’t mean that laughter is pleasant. Laughter was just a basic part of conversation among merchants. Son Yeong-ui said such things without any hesitation, even while laughing.
After all, the position of the salt merchant in Huiju was one that no merchant could ignore. It was not a position where he could be talked down to by a mere new merchant.
“ha ha ha.”
“ha ha ha.”
“ha ha ha.”
The laughter of the three people harmonized. I could hear the saliva of the watching Yeomunsa officials. That must have meant that there was a lot of tension between us.
“Then let’s talk frankly. What on earth brought you here to get your perineum salted?”
Ho Geum-yang asked first. Son Yeong-ui looked at him with interest.
“Isn’t the Hwein salt field the place that produces the most salt in the entire Central Plains?”
“We haven’t talked much, but I don’t think you’re so stupid as to not understand the true meaning of my question.”
“Haha. I am grateful that you see it that way. Then I will say it again.”
I took my eyes off Ho Geum-yang and looked at Son Yeong-ui.
“I guess I can eat that.”
“… … !”
One of the salt cloud temple officials covered his mouth with his hand. I thought it was quite outrageous. The sight of a new monk picking a fight with the salt cloud temple’s chief, Huizhou.
“Heh heh heh… … .”
Son Yeong-ui laughed heartily. Son Yeong-ui’s laughter was the only thing that resonated through Yeomunsa Temple. At this moment, even Yeomunsa’s Ho Geum-yang was quiet.
Son Yeong-ui stopped laughing, but only a cold smile remained on her lips.
“I don’t hate a spirited young man like you. A man should have dreams of greatness in his heart.”
“thank you.”
“But the law of public and private life is different. As the representative of Hwiju Yeom Sang, I cannot overlook this.”
“What are you going to do?”
In response to my provocative words, Son Yeong-ui leaned her face against my shoulder and whispered.
“I’ll bury you so you can never be active in the upper world. It’s not like it’s a big deal to destroy even one small or medium-sized company.”
“Wow, that’s scary.”
“Do you think this is a joke?”
“Of course I know this isn’t a joke. I know because I’ve also tried making Muhan Sanghoe.”
“It’s so disappointing when you compare it to those local stores. Are you so confident because of that one thing?”
“That’s not true. How could I pickle the merchants?”
It’s creepy. Up until now, I’ve only seen clumsy local merchants, so talking to a real merchant feels different. It’s true that I’ve become a bit dull because I’ve been with the executioners. But, the power of a famous sword can’t be expected just because it’s covered in mud.
“I just want to tell you not to do that.”
“Are you threatening me now?”
“yes.”
“I thought he was something different, but he was just a regular crazy guy.”
“I hear that a lot.”
“Do you think that just because we’re Hwisang, we know how to be more polite than others?”
Son Yeong-ui growled. With his protruding mouth and droopy eyes, he was just like a dog with a human face, no, a person with a dog face.
“I’ll say it out loud here. I’ll go back to the company right now, arrest your boss, and then cause chaos. Report it to the authorities? If you have evidence, you can do that.”
I laughed. Even if I didn’t know anything, wouldn’t I know the tricks of the merchants?
In fact, this was not just the method of the Huizhou merchants, but also the method of all merchants. The Huizhou merchants had a characteristic of being even more cruel and trampling.
So, what Sun Yeong-ui said was completely the opposite. I knew that the Huizhou merchants did not know how to use polite methods, but that they used the roughest methods in the Central Plains.
Son Yeong-ui went out, grumbling as I continued to laugh. He was so angry that he even slammed the door, causing some of the faint-hearted people to shake their shoulders.
“Are you crazy?”
As soon as Son Yeong-ui left, Ho Geum-yang shouted.
“why?”
“No, even if you don’t know the ways of the world, you should at least know a little. Since there’s no one you can mess with, why bother messing with the merchants? And the salt merchants, who are said to be the most powerful?”
“That may be the case. It is not something for the Lord Yeomun to worry about. It is a matter for our group.”
“Of course. We don’t care at all. I’m personally concerned about you.”
Beyond the obvious, if we were involved in a lawsuit, it was Hoeum Yeomunsa who would take the lead and take the side of the Hwiju merchants. Regardless of Ho Geum-yang’s personal likes and dislikes, Hoeum Yeomunsa had no choice but to do so.
Even so, we can’t just call the Ubudo Eosa of the Dochalwon and raid the Hoeum Yeomunsa Temple like we did last time. Yeomunsa Temple itself is a high-ranking official of the third rank, and the merchants of Huiju have connections that would make them want to steamroll the Ubudo Eosa of the Dochalwon Temple.
I briefly thought about using the Inspector’s Badge I received from Wang Song, but it was given to me to monitor the martial arts world, not to monitor the government. Even though I’m an Inspector, Yeomunsa isn’t one of those gentlemen who would bat an eye.
“Thank you for your concern.”
“If I were you, I would run to the Chief of the Salt Ministry right now, grab his trouser leg, and apologize. I could even pass between his legs.”
I nodded. Of course, I didn’t mean to agree with that opinion. It was because I thought I knew why this gentleman named Ho Geum-yang was at Hoeum Yeom-un-sa. He was the epitome of a government official who was good at dealing with the world.
“Even if you go to the police station and ask them to send a police officer, it won’t be of much use. Police officers aren’t supposed to be dispatched to prevent incidents, but to clean up after incidents occur.”
“That’s true.”
I nodded again. This time, I nodded in agreement with the opinion.
“Anyway, the salt exchange will proceed as scheduled.”
“… … I guess so.”
Ho Geum-yang shook his head repeatedly, as if he thought it would be useless to tell me more. I immediately left Yeomunsa Temple. The gazes of the officials watching me leave Yeomunsa Temple all seemed to be looking at me as if I was a crazy person.
As the messenger had said in advance, the lodging was near the salt field. The salt field and the salt wagon were some distance away. Since the salt wagon was a government office, it was usually located in the city, and the salt field was located on the outskirts, so it was natural.
“It didn’t take long?”
“yes.”
In the front yard of the inn, the death row inmates were practicing. It seemed like they had started practicing as soon as they arrived.
Since I only rode horses when I moved, I didn’t really have time to practice.
The guest house had three floors, and everyone was watching the executioners’ fight with interest from the windows.
The person in the inn near the salt farm is either one of two people. Either a salt farmer or a salt farm worker. It was surprising that neither of them had any significant connections to the martial arts world. Jiangsu Province, where Hoein was located, didn’t have any proper martial arts schools or families.
“It’s so fancy. Where can you find such a fancy upper class escort?”
“That’s right. Shouldn’t that be at least the level of a disciple of the Old School?”
“Hey. Even if they are the Whiju merchants, how can they use the disciples of the Old Gate Sect as bodyguards? It would be fine if they were just using them temporarily, but they wouldn’t bring Yeomjang like this. How arrogant of them.”
The merchants sitting at the windows were talking wildly, as if they thought no one could hear them.
Of course, it would be impossible for a commoner to imagine that the conversation on the third floor would be heard on the first floor. The martial artists and commoners were people living in different worlds. I was someone who had set foot in both worlds.
I wanted to proudly shout to them that they were the shamans of the old school, but I held back. There was a reason I didn’t plant the shamans’ flag while I was going up.
I sat quietly on the floor and watched the executioners’ martial arts. It seemed that I had reached a point where I could gain experience just by watching the martial arts without having to do them myself.
The warriors were truly warriors. Just as merchants drink alcohol and build relationships to do business, the executioners really swung their swords until the sun went down. The common people watching from the windows were so shocked that they left.
“It’s time to eat dinner. Aren’t you hungry?”
When the training didn’t seem to end anytime soon, I clapped my hands. The sound of my clapping was quite refreshing, as I poured my inner energy into it.
“Huh? It’s already come to this.”
“That’s right. When did the sun set?”
The executioners said the same thing to each other as if they had planned it.
“I was feeling a bit sluggish because I hadn’t been able to practice properly until I got to the perineum. Now I feel a bit better.”
“Are we going to do it again after we eat?”
“Okay. Now that I’m a little more relaxed, I should do it properly.”
It was an everyday scene when I saw it from inside the shaman sect, but when I went out and saw it, I felt it anew. It means that the disciples of the old school are not just anyone.
“Come to think of it, don’t priests practice? Doesn’t your body feel a little ticklish?”
“Yeah, if you put up with that, you’ll get sick.”
The executioners surrounded me and spoke. In fact, my body was a bit stiff. I also trained with them in the shamanist sect all the time. But I could endure it if I wanted to.
“It’s okay. I think there will be an opportunity to solve it in the near future.”
“What are you talking about?”
“Have you seen the priest talking nonsense for a day or two?”
“But isn’t that more often than not nonsense?”
“It gives me goosebumps to think about it like that.”
The executioners headed into the restaurant, chattering amongst themselves. Our top people were already seated in the corner of the restaurant on the first floor.
“Here it is. Your Majesty. Your Excellencies.”
The waiter raised his hand and called us. The food was freshly brought out and steaming as if he knew when we would arrive.
“I thought you might be arriving around this time, so I ordered it in advance.”
“You’re an expert.”
“Haha. That’s too much praise.”
When I told Jo Chung-heon not to spare any expense when hiring people, it seemed like the experts had come to me. It was comfortable working with these people.
Since it is a place where commerce is developed, the food is delicious even in the outskirts. The most difficult thing is to satisfy the taste of merchants. They travel around the central region and eat all kinds of gourmet food. That is why there are many delicious restaurants in the commercially developed areas.
The upper class and the executioners, who had not been able to eat comfortably on their way to the palace, ate their food greedily.
And soon after, someone kicked open the door to the guest house and came in.
“Where are these guys called Whiyoungsangdan?”
A guy who looked like a gangster was wearing a sword on his shoulder. Every time he made a noise, the sound of the metal fittings shaking from his waist made the customers’ faces turn pale.
“Those who are not related, put down your spoons and get out!”
We watched them quietly, and the guests flowed out like the tide at the shouts of the black magician. The empty space was quickly filled by the men who came in like thugs.
“Oh my. I see you guys are still here, so you must be the Whiyoungs.”
The black knights slowly approached us, glaring.
“Heh heh heh… … .”
And the upper management looked at each other and smiled because they knew who was attached to us.
On the other hand, the eyebrows of the black people who were unaware of that fact rose as if they were going to ascend to the sky.
I also suddenly laughed. Although it was my intention, the scene where the Black Swordsman picks a fight with the Old School disciples was funnier than I thought.
“It’s really going to be a while.”
Myungyeop laughed heartily as if he had roughly figured out what was going on.
“Priests. There is no separate training after dinner. This time it is a real battle.”
“yes!”
There was no need for me to step forward. As the four shamans of the shaman faction gained momentum along with Myeongyeop’s shout, the complexions of the black-haired thugs began to turn dark and pale.
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