Chapter 9
“Gasp… Moyong Cheon… are you talking about the esteemed God of War?!”
“Haha, yes.”
So-ah laughed awkwardly.
“Then, are you perhaps the So-ah who was said to be Sister Myo-seon’s friend?”
So-ah’s eyes widened at the girl’s question.
“Huh? How do you know my name? And who is Sister Myo-seon?”
“Aha! You wouldn’t know. Sister Myo-seon’s old name was Im-yi. She changed her name when she entered our sect.”
“Ah!”
So-ah finally nodded his head.
“I’ve heard so much about you from Sister Myo-seon. For a while, she would tell us stories about the esteemed God of War and Young Master Jin every day.”
“So that’s how it was…”
“But, what should we do?”
“Why?”
“Sister Myo-seon is currently away with the Abbess.”
So-ah’s face darkened at the girl’s words.
He had come looking for Im-yi with a heart full of excitement after six years, only to find that she wasn’t here.
He was filled with disappointment.
“Hah… I see. Do you happen to know where she went?”
“To the Martial Alliance headquarters. The Martial Alliance is currently establishing a martial arts academy to train the rising generation, and the Abbess took her along on a trip related to that.”
“Sigh…”
So-ah let out a deep sigh.
He had a feeling that the Martial Alliance headquarters, wherever it was, was not a place he could visit privately.
“I guess it can’t be helped. I’ll come back another time then.”
“Yes, I hope to see you next time!”
The girl smiled brightly and performed a cupped fist salute.
“Yes, goodbye.”
So-ah also gave a light bow and was about to turn away when,
“Young Master Jin. My name is Jo Yeong-yeong. Let’s say hello if we meet again!”
The girl waved her hand in a friendly manner.
So-ah didn’t dislike the girl’s actions.
So he waved back.
Seeing this, Jo Yeong-yeong burst out laughing inwardly.
‘Hoho, I thought he would be arrogant since he was taken in by the esteemed God of War, but he’s so cute.’
Jo Yeong-yeong had heard stories about So-ah several times from Im-yi, who had now changed her name to Myo-seon.
From what she heard, So-ah had decided to learn martial arts from the God of War.
Then wasn’t So-ah the top disciple of the greatest master in the Orthodox Martial Alliance?
It was only natural that he would be proud and have his nose in the air.
But the So-ah she actually saw was far from arrogant; he was rather simple and cute.
She thought it would be helpful in the long run to build a friendship with him.
Perhaps not just Jo Yeong-yeong, but any rising star in the martial world would have had the same thought.
Though the person in question, So-ah, knew nothing about it.
***
So-ah was disappointed that he couldn’t meet Im-yi, but he soon forgot all about it.
It was because his eyes were wide with amazement at the bustling city of Sichuan.
He had only lived in the mountains since he was young, and the only part of the secular world he had experienced was the marketplace of the small Deokyang County, so the bustling scenery of Sichuan surprised him.
‘As expected, it was a good idea to come out.’
So-ah calmed his trembling heart and entered the largest inn in the vicinity.
—<Flying Dragon Inn>
“Welcome!”
As he entered the inn, a waiter came up to him, bowing.
The high-quality martial arts clothes and So-ah’s noble-looking face made him look like the son of a rich family to anyone, so the waiter naturally became polite.
“Hello. I’d like to get something to eat.”
“Aha! Young master, this way!”
The waiter, with a friendly-looking face, guided So-ah to a window seat with a good view on the third floor of the inn.
“Young master, did you come alone? You don’t have a servant?”
“A servant? I don’t have one…”
“Aha! Then what would you like to eat?”
“What’s the most delicious thing?”
“The Flying Dragon Inn is famous for its spring rolls and mapo tofu.”
“Then I’ll have that.”
“Yes! Young master!”
The waiter bowed deeply.
He was hoping to get a tip from So-ah, who looked like a young master from a rich family.
But So-ah had no idea about the concept of a tip, so he just stared blankly at the waiter.
“You can go about your business, mister.”
“Huh?”
The waiter’s brow twitched slightly.
‘What? He looks like the youngest son of a rich family, but he doesn’t even give a tip? Damn it.’
“I’ll call you if I need anything, so you can go, mister.”
“Alright then…”
The waiter’s expression changed for a brief moment, as if he had eaten something foul.
‘Why does that person have that expression…?’
So-ah was just bewildered.
***
A short while later…
The ordered food came out, and just as So-ah was about to pick up his chopsticks.
“No seats?”
“Hey, this place is so busy that if you don’t come early, you can’t get a meal!”
The inn was soon packed to the point where there were no empty seats, and the waiter came up to So-ah, leading a man.
“Customer.”
The waiter’s tone had changed quite a bit from the beginning.
“Yes?”
“How about sharing a table with this gentleman?”
The waiter, feeling that So-ah was easy to push around because of his young age and annoyed that he hadn’t received a single coin as a tip, had demanded that he share a table with the new customer.
“Sure, why not.”
So-ah didn’t mind, so he nodded his head.
At that, a young man wearing a black robe with a Taegeuk pattern gave So-ah a slight glance and sat down.
Then, after ordering his food, he threw a string of iron coins to the waiter.
“Thank you for arranging a seat during this busy time. This is for your trouble.”
A string of iron coins wasn’t a lot of money, but in fact, waiters, whose basic salary from the inn was low, made a living from tips.
“Hah! Thank you, sir!”
The waiter bowed repeatedly.
‘Is it because of that?’
Only then did So-ah realize why the waiter’s attitude had changed.
Although he was ignorant of the ways of the world, So-ah had been an exceptionally bright child since he was young.
He was faster than anyone at assessing situations.
“Mister?”
“Yes?”
“I’ll give you a tip too!”
“Gasp…”
The waiter’s pupils trembled when he saw the amount So-ah offered.
The young man who had shared the table was just as surprised.
So-ah had handed over one silver tael.
“Th-Thank you! Young master!”
Only after the waiter’s address to So-ah changed back to “young master” did So-ah smile slightly.
‘As expected, money is the best. This is so thrilling.’
He had learned the truth of the world with one silver tael.
***
“Man, the mapo tofu at this place is delicious, but the shredded pork with garlic sauce is the best!”
The young man who had shared a table with So-ah chattered away.
In the midst of this, he casually spoke to So-ah.
“Little brother, try some of this. It’s amazing!”
So-ah looked at the young man.
He looked to be in his early twenties, a fat man whose face was so plump that the flesh seemed about to drip off.
Still, his kind eyes were gentle, giving him a likable impression.
“Thank you.”
So-ah picked up the food with his chopsticks and ate it, then,
“Wow! This is delicious!”
As his face brightened, the young man also burst into a satisfied laugh.
“Haha, little brother. Would you like a drink too?”
The fat young man shook a bottle of wine this time.
So-ah was fifteen.
It was the age when one’s eyes would open to the pleasures of wine and women, but he had never had a drink before.
So he was even more curious.
So-ah’s eyes sparkled as he nodded his head.
“You’re straightforward! Good. Since it’s come to this, let’s introduce ourselves. I’m Gu-yang Seon.”
“I’m Jin So-ah.”
“From the looks of it, you seem like a young master from a great family. How come you’re eating without a servant?”
Whether he was nosy or just friendly, the fat young man kept asking So-ah all sorts of questions.
So-ah also enjoyed the young man’s interest.
His usual conversation partners were only Moyong Cheon and Huin-dung-i, so he found the fat young man, who was being kind and chatty, amusing.
“I am…”
So-ah’s mouth opened.
He didn’t reveal Moyong Cheon’s identity, but he told him everything from being an orphan to meeting his grandfather and living in the mountains, and setting out on the road to experience the martial world.
“Hah… you’re an amazing young friend. To think you had such circumstances. I thought you were the son of a great family because your face is so handsome, like jade.”
“The son of a great family, what are you talking about.”
“Then have you decided on a destination for your first journey into the martial world? Where are you thinking of going?”
“The Liaoning region.”
“Huh? Liaoning… why there?”
“I’m running an errand for my grandfather and seeing the world at the same time.”
“Hmm… it’ll take at least three or four months to get to Liaoning, no matter how fast you go.”
So-ah’s eyes widened like lanterns at the words of the fat young man who had introduced himself as Gu-yang Seon.
“Three or four months?!”
“Yeah, of course, you can shorten it if you force a march on a famous horse, but you usually have to allow that much time. Don’t tell me, little brother, you didn’t even know where Liaoning was?”
“No…”
So-ah was bewildered.
He hadn’t heard that from Moyong Cheon.
But this was a discrepancy arising from the difference between Moyong Cheon’s calculations and common sense.
Moyong Cheon had judged that with So-ah’s level of stamina and the realm of the Swift Whale Step, he could easily reach Liaoning from Sichuan in a month, even while taking a vacation.
Of course, Gu-yang Seon had said that without even imagining that So-ah was a martial arts master.
“But there’s a good way.”
“Yes?”
“The road to Liaoning is long, but if you can work, earn money, and make friends along the way, wouldn’t that fit your purpose perfectly?”
“Is there such a way?”
As So-ah looked at Gu-yang Seon with curious eyes, Gu-yang Seon spoke with a triumphant expression.
“You follow me!”
***
Gu-yang Seon.
He was a Taoist priest.
Not a Taoist priest who had honed his skills in a sacred place of Taoist martial arts like the Wudang Sect or the Quanzhen Sect, but a Taoist priest who was a kind of exorcist, telling fortunes and expelling ghosts.
He was on a journey to the Liaoning region as a guest escort, and whether it was because his skills were outstanding, he was a wandering Taoist priest who received quite good treatment and had a decent position.
“So-ah. Why do you think I, who didn’t even know you, struck up a conversation with you and acted friendly?”
“Why, hyung?”
So-ah and Gu-yang Seon had become quite close and were speaking comfortably as if they were old friends.
“Your physiognomy. It’s worthy of being called a dragon among men. I have to become friends with a kid like you, no matter what.”
“You can read physiognomy too?”
“Of course, is it just physiognomy? I’m also good at telling fortunes and exorcism.”
“Wow… you’re amazing, hyung.”
“Haha, something like that. But no matter how I think about it, it’s impossible for you, who knows nothing about the world, to go to Liaoning alone. Let’s go together. As my assistant.”
Gu-yang Seon wasn’t just being kind to So-ah for no reason.
He had never seen a person with such an outstanding physiognomy as So-ah in his life.
He had thought he was the son of a great family, but when he heard that So-ah was an orphan, he somehow felt a connection and wanted to form a bond.
“Hmm… okay, hyung.”
“Alright! Then let’s get up. We have to meet the client and set your wages.”
“A client?”
“Yeah. I’m not tied to an escort agency; you can think of me as an escort who receives requests from individuals.”
“Aha.”
“Tell the client that you’re my relative. He’s a pretty strict person. Got it?”
“Yes. But who is the client?”
At So-ah’s question, Gu-yang Seon glanced around and then spat out in a low voice.
“The young lady of the Sichuan Tang Clan.”
(End of Chapter)