Heavenly Inquisition Sword

Chapter 328: Do You Have a Complex About Being From Nokrim?

All eyes in the inn immediately turned to Yeon Jeokha.

From the atmosphere surrounding him, Song Guncheong, the head escort of the Daelim Escort Agency, confirmed that this young man was the one he was looking for.

However, it’s always best to confirm directly.

Cautiously, Song Guncheong awaited Yeon Jeokha’s response.

—I am Yeon Jeokha.

—Ah, then you are young master Yeon. I bring a letter from Mr. Yi of Seokjang Village, addressed to you.

With reverence, Song Guncheong handed over the letter with both hands.

—Ah, I see!

Exclaiming softly, Yeon Jeokha took the letter.  The invitation he had been waiting for had finally arrived.

Afterwards, Song Guncheong took out a receipt and presented it to Yeon Jeokha.

—It’s a receipt. I would appreciate it if you would sign it.

Once Yeon Jeokha signed the receipt, Song Guncheong bowed deeply.

—Thank you. If you ever need anything, please don’t hesitate to visit the Daelim Escort Agency.

—Ah, yes.

Although Yeon Jeokha nodded somewhat confused, Song Guncheong withdrew with an impeccable bow.

Seeing his disciplined behavior, Nam Su-gyeong sighed in admiration.

—Wow! What a formal way of behaving. By the way, young master, is this the invitation you were expecting?

—Yes. The wedding is in ten days.

—Oh, it’s close! It would have been better if they had given you more notice.

—For me, it’s enough that they notified me. I thought they wouldn’t invite me and would call me after the ceremony.

—Why did you think that?

—Why? Because I’m from Nokrim. What good is it for others to know?

—But you’re not just any person from Nokrim, young master.

—In the end, he’s still a bandit.

An ironic smile appeared on Yeon Jeokha’s face.

After escaping the warehouse in his youth, at first he didn’t care about his affiliation with Nokrim.

Gratitude towards those who had saved him was all he felt. But as he traveled the world and met members of the Heaven and Earth Alliance, he realized how society viewed Nokrim: with contempt.

During his travels with Namgung Cheon, Namgung Yeon, and the brave members of the Heaven and Earth Alliance, he realized the differences between them and the bandits. Their righteous spirit and sense of duty were an overwhelming contrast.

That was one of the reasons why he decided to descend from Five Peaks Mountain.

—Do you happen to have a complex about being from Nokrim?

Nam Su-gyeong’s question stunned the others present: Sang Do, Wola, and Geuma.

They couldn’t believe that someone dared to say something like that to Yeon Jeokha.

However, he didn’t seem upset, but replied calmly:

—Friend, have you ever lived as a bandit?

—No.

—Then, what do you think differentiates a “thief” from an “honorable bandit”?

—Hmm…

Yeon Jeokha’s words seemed to have a deeper meaning.

For the first time, Nam Su-gyeong understood how difficult it was to carry that past.

—The young master seems ashamed of his connection to Nokrim.

Perhaps it was normal. If Yeon Jeokha didn’t have extraordinary abilities, he would also be seen simply as a thief.

—But he’s not on the mountain anymore, young master. He left the position of Grand Inspector. Doesn’t that mean he no longer belongs to Nokrim?

Yeon Jeokha chuckled lightly.

Nam Su-gyeong didn’t know that he was still the Grand Protector of Nokrim.

—Even though I’ve left the mountain, I can’t erase the fact that I’m from Nokrim.

—You shouldn’t worry so much about that. They say the lotus blooms in the mud, don’t they?

—It’s not me who worries. I just think my uncle might be uncomfortable with my presence.

—Hmm, I see. But it seems to me that you’re only worrying about unnecessary things.

Nam Su-gyeong pointed out, and the others nodded silently.

There was some truth in her words: even the cruelest of Nokrim were seen as eccentric characters.

Yeon Jeokha, clicking his tongue, replied:

—So the only important thing is to succeed, right? What a materialistic way of thinking.

—Materialistic people understand each other. What does that mean about you, young master?

—Materialistic?

—Exactly! Now eat.

Having said that, Nam Su-gyeong got up and went to the second floor.

Meanwhile, Sang Do, Wola, and Geuma brought the food to Yeon Jeokha’s table.

Looking at the delicious food in front of him, Yeon Jeokha murmured:

—Definitely, buying this inn was the best decision of my life.

Every day he was served a banquet, as if he were in paradise.

The renovation of the old fabric shop to turn it into a tavern was completed in just five days.

During this time, Nam Su-gyeong introduced Shim Tong to Jang I-yu, the head of the Chamber of Commerce Man Deok, who had previously shown interest in buying the inn.

Jang I-yu not only offered to supply alcohol and snacks but also an experienced chef.

Two days later, the tavern officially opened its doors, just seven days after the purchase of the place. It was a surprisingly fast process.

That night, after having dinner at the inn, Yeon Jeokha decided to visit Shim Tong’s new tavern.

From a distance, Yeon Jeokha smiled as he saw it.

—He always said he would open a tavern next to the inn, and look, he did it.

This made him think of the promise he had made with the Holy Mother of the Eight Emperors.

—“Well, I’ll do it in due time.”

In his mind, there were more important things on his priority list: his cousin’s wedding and learning the techniques of the Wudang Sect.

Upon arriving at the tavern, he noticed something curious.

—Doesn’t it have a sign?

However, he didn’t pay much attention to it, as it was common to see establishments without signs in small villages.

When he entered, Wola and Geuma ran towards him.

—Young master Yeon! Welcome!

—Why did it take you so long to come?

Yeon Jeokha followed Wol-ah and Geum-ah to a good seat near the window.

Those in charge of the Chamber of Commerce Man Deok (Manduk) who were celebrating with congratulatory wine hastily rose from their seats.

In Hwasang Village (화상촌), among the different chambers of commerce or sects, there was no one who didn’t recognize Yeon Jeokha.

One of the elders, about sixty years old, stepped forward and greeted him respectfully.

—Young master Yeon, it is an honor to meet you. I am Seol Wondeok, Bangju of the Chamber of Commerce Manduk.

—Ah, yes.

Yeon Jeokha replied indifferently as he took a seat.

Seol Wondeok, who remained standing with an uncomfortable expression, could not continue the conversation and returned to his place.

Instead of the waiters, Wol-ah and Geum-ah diligently brought the snacks and bottles of liquor.

Shim Tong, who appeared stealthily, sat in front of Yeon Jeokha and commented:

—Oh, how exhausting! I don’t know why there are so many things to do. They call me from here, they call me from there… I’m starting to wonder if this was a good idea from the beginning.

—Why are you complaining if you haven’t even come to collect the money?

—Hehe, I was just saying that this seems busier than I thought. It seems that you, young master, enjoy a carefree life, while I have no rest.

—It seems you’re lucky with work, how envious.

—Don’t say that, please! It’s really exasperating.

—Hire someone like me. It’s difficult if you try to do it all by yourself.

—Young master, taverns are different from inns. In the blink of an eye, tens of nyang (silver taels) can disappear. You can’t trust anyone to manage them.

—Then do it yourself, I won’t stop you.

—Well, if I find someone reliable, I’ll assign them the cash register.

—With how distrustful you are, I doubt you’ll find anyone like that. Don’t complicate things and live peacefully.

—How am I going to pay back the money if I live carefree?

—Anyone who hears you will think I’m pressuring you too much to pay what you owe me. Didn’t you start this to live more relaxed?

—It’s not just about the money, but because I don’t want to give a good business to someone despicable.

In short, he didn’t want to lose money or be cheated.

—¡Tch tch! That thief mentality of yours doesn’t change.

Clicking his tongue, Yeon Jeokha continued speaking:

—Tomorrow morning I’m going to Jeongju to meet my uncle.

—So you won’t be back to the inn soon?

Shim Tong looked at Yeon Jeokha with sorrowful eyes, knowing that he would attend a wedding ceremony before heading to Mount Wudang.

—That’s right. It will be three years, you know. Before that, I need to prepare. I don’t think the Yoomyung Cult will leave me alone.

—Why? But if you ended on good terms with the cult leader, didn’t you?

—You know how fickle people can be. That day I realized that the cult leader wasn’t in her right mind either. Do you think she let me go because she really liked me? No, she must have some plan. Don’t you know the Murim world?

—Hmm, it’s not that I don’t know, but I said it to hear your great wisdom, young master. You’ve made a good decision. I’ll stay here collecting rumors of the struggle in Murim.

—You might have heard something, but I’m afraid that useful rumors won’t come out of a small tavern like this. The Hao Clan isn’t in the big cities without reason.

—But at least it’s better than being on the street, don’t you think? The rumors in taverns are all the same. By the way, before you leave, could you give this tavern a name?

—Me?

—You bought this tavern, so you should give it a name. I don’t have much education.

—How about Geumwol (Golden Moon)? Anyway, you say you plan to leave it to your apprentices, don’t you?

—Hmm, Geumwol… I like it. I’ll call it that.

Shim Tong took Yeon Jeokha’s casual suggestion seriously, and thus the Geumwol tavern was born.

The next day.

Yeon Jeokha left the Namyeon Inn with a backpack on his shoulder.

Walking down the main road, his countenance reflected greater experience compared to his naive appearance of the past.

But it wasn’t just Yeon Jeokha who had changed.

The world, after the war between the Heaven and Earth Alliance and the Yoomyung Cult, was in chaos.

The streets, once quiet, were now crowded with third-level warriors, many of whom were distinguished by their brazen attitude and rude behavior.

Occasionally, small groups of minor sects also moved in droves.

While past wars between the major factions were fought between the best warriors, the current disputes were dominated by lower-ranking fighters.

At noon.

Yeon Jeokha, sitting under the shade of a tree, nibbled on some dumplings while taking out a gourd flask from his belt to quench his thirst.

It was a flask that Shim Tong had filled with aromatic wine especially for the trip.

—Ah! It’s good. Or maybe not. This is lukewarm, nobody would drink this.

The wine, due to the summer heat, was so hot that it was unpleasant.

—This is crap. Better to drink water.

Yeon Jeokha looked around for a fresh spring, although he knew he wouldn’t find one on the road.

At that moment, the sound of hooves broke the silence.

A cart was approaching rapidly, raising a cloud of dust behind it.

Yeon Jeokha moved to avoid the dust and muttered with disgust:

—Damn it. I have to get a cart. This is unbearable.

Just then, the cart stopped and turned around towards him.

The driver, a middle-aged man, asked him:

—Brother, is it true that this road leads to Hyeongyang city? It’s my first time here.

—Yes, that’s right.

—How much further is it?

—You’ll arrive at sunset.

—Wow! There’s still a long way to go. And you, young man? Are you also going to Hyeongyang?

—Yes.

—What a coincidence! Get in, then, and guide me on the way. I always worry when I reach forks in the road.

—Gladly!

Yeon Jeokha quickly got up, grateful for his good luck on such a hot day.