novelraw Chapter 219 : Sprinkle Salt
Chapter 219 : Sprinkle Salt
Chapter 219: Sprinkle Salt
As winter retreated, full-fledged spring wrapped around Beijing.
Unlike the outskirts where all sorts of foul odors mixed together, the heart of Beijing was filled with the fresh scent of grass and a warm, gentle breeze.
The new office was a small but antique two-story wooden building with a modest garden.
We gathered closely under the citron tree in the yard, sitting together as we took out the food each of us had brought.
For reference, today, after my birthday had passed, I had reached the age of adulthood even by Korean standards.
Of course, here, it was about the age when one would slowly start building a family with a match arranged by one’s household.
But every single employee in our office lacked a proper family background, so it was irrelevant to us.
And somehow, Cheonhwa Pavilion had sent me a gift, having learned of my birthday.
It was none other than a handmade lunchbox from Juwol-a—something even wealthy magnates who had money rotting away had never once received.
The pork marinated in a sweet seasoning was truly a rice thief, making the rice go down effortlessly, and the crisp vegetables carrying the scent of spring were equally exquisite.
I repeatedly uttered the word “delicious” as I fully enjoyed the taste and aroma.
“Captain, is it really that good……?”
At the subtle voice from beside me, I turned my head while chewing noisily on the meat.
Then I saw Ilhong watching my chopsticks intently with a complicated expression.
Come to think of it, she would soon reach adulthood as well. She was exactly one year younger than me.
“Seriously, even with us staring at you like this, it still goes down that well?”
With her arms crossed, Jo Harang let out a hollow laugh as I kept eating with my head down despite their piercing stares.
“It goes down just fine, and it tastes great.”
At my calm response, both Ilhong and Jo Harang’s eyebrows twitched at the same time.
With high-quality ingredients prepared carefully by someone talented in cooking, how could it possibly not taste good?
“Why? Want a bite too? Say ‘ah.’”
I asked as I picked up a piece of smoked fish from the luxurious wooden lunchbox.
For reference, this lunchbox was a masterpiece filled with care, even containing heated stones inside to keep the food warm.
Ever since we moved here and became close neighbors, Juwol-a would occasionally prepare delicious food like this. Each time, I felt deeply grateful.
“……There’s no way I’d eat something made by that woman.”
Even while eating dry mantou, Ilhong firmly refused the sacred meat I held out in front of her.
“Why not? I helped her last time, so she said she’d make this for free. It saves on food expenses, so it’s good.”
To buy land and buildings in the Imperial Capital, one had to pay enormous taxes to the court.
Originally, when a martial artist dared to settle in the heart of the Imperial Capital, the court official had frowned and tried to extort an absurd amount in taxes. But when I presented the jade token given by Imperial Concubine Hwang, he was startled and reduced it by half.
Of course, since he couldn’t arbitrarily reduce the taxes owed to the Imperial Household, he must have made up the difference from his own pocket.
He shouldn’t have tried such petty intimidation in the first place.
“Captain, a woman like Juwol-a carefully preparing a lunchbox for you—do you truly not understand the meaning behind it?”
Perhaps frustrated, Ilhong narrowed her eyes and grumbled.
“That’s right. Even for you, this is seriously oblivious. Got it?”
Jo Harang and Ilhong spoke one after another, saying there was clearly some hidden intention behind this and that I should pick up on it.
These two really synced well at times like this. They seemed quite wary of Juwol-a, saying she was slowly taming me starting from my stomach.
I chewed the fish Ilhong had refused and opened my mouth.
“I know what it means. It means she has romantic interest in me, right?”
At my calm answer, the yard fell into silence.
The mantou slipped from Ilhong’s hand with a ‘thud,’ and Jo Harang’s mouth fell slightly open.
For a moment, my employees couldn’t speak, like mute people who had swallowed honey.
“Y-you knew?”
“Really……?”
I nodded while chewing the crisp green vegetables.
“Yeah, I know. I mean, I had no choice but to know. She confessed to me recently.”
Those words froze the two women like a blizzard sweeping across a snowfield.
Ilhong’s eyes trembled, and Jo Harang swallowed hard as she stared at me.
Scratching my cheek at their reaction, I continued calmly.
“But I rejected her. She said it’d be difficult for now. I’ve got my own serious circumstances too.”
“…….”
Why had Murong Cheon tried to cut ties with his own child? Because keeping me close was dangerous—like a bomb that could go off at any moment.
The fate of the Evil Star carrying the weight of eternity, and the whirlpool of the Murim, meant that those deeply connected to me could also fall into danger.
Even so, although it was for Juwol-a’s safety, I couldn’t help but feel it was a regrettable decision.
Perhaps because of that selfless rejection, my Internal Energy had explosively increased, filling me with nearly a hundred years’ worth of pure energy.
Thanks to that, the energy of the moon I had coincidentally obtained from the Emei Sect was now pushed far back by the energy of the stars and barely noticeable.
Originally, it had been a fierce energy asserting its presence within my Dantian, but now it felt like it had shrunk under overwhelming quantity.
“Hmph, so she got rejected.”
Though she tried to hide her emotions, the corners of Ilhong’s lips twitched slightly.
She seemed a bit smug… or perhaps pleased.
Watching her quietly from the side was somewhat amusing.
“Mujin, I suddenly got my appetite back. Give me a bite.”
Earlier she said she couldn’t eat, but now, claiming she was hungry from training, Jo Harang stared at my lunchbox with sparkling eyes.
“……May I have some too, Captain?”
After hesitating, Ilhong spoke cautiously as well.
Come to think of it, she had originally been a young lady from a wealthy family who enjoyed fine cuisine.
After becoming my subordinate, she had tasted such delicacies again, only to lose them due to the office’s financial situation. It must have felt like something given and then taken away.
“It was meant for three people anyway. Eat as much as you want.”
Such simple creatures. I chuckled and put down my chopsticks.
My stomach was already somewhat full, and since Juwol-a knew my appetite, she must have packed plenty from the start, intending for us to share.
When I slid the still-warm lunchbox toward them, their eyes sparkled as they rushed in.
“Th-thank you.”
“Wow, I’ll enjoy this!”
The next morning.
“By the way.”
I took a bite of the ‘handmade’ mantou Ilhong had made and looked at the motionless entrance of the office.
Trying to somehow make the strong flour taste enjoyable, she had stuffed seasoned vegetables inside, making something like a sandwich.
If Juwol-a’s lunchbox reminded me of the abundance of my past life in Korea, Ilhong’s reminded me of my rough days as a back-alley beggar.
“We really need to start making money.”
I chewed the steamed flour and thought about why no customers were coming.
Even after reopening, it had already been over half a month without income. At the previous office, we used to get at least two or three clients a month.
“At this rate, our livelihood is in trouble.”
Were customers going to the old office and returning empty-handed?
I had left a notice there announcing our relocation and guiding them to the new office.
But it seemed to have had no effect. I hadn’t expected this many people not to come.
Maybe moving to the center of Beijing made them think our prices had gone up, making it burdensome.
“Or did someone damage the sign directing people here?”
It could be malicious sabotage. I had made plenty of enemies through various jobs.
Especially since I had heard that fellow Troubleshooters were rejecting me as an outsider.
Maybe I should go check the old office myself.
Just as I was about to worry—
“BANG!”
The office door suddenly burst open.
Thinking a customer had finally arrived, I brightened and stepped forward, only to freeze at the sight of the unexpected visitors.
Piercing blue eyes, skin pale as frost, sharp features, and bloodstains covering their bodies.
Those who had only seen people of the Central Plains all their lives would inevitably scream in shock.
“Eek, a ghost!”
“Re-red-haired demon?! No, a foreigner?!”
Their reaction was typical of those seeing foreigners for the first time in the Central Plains. I raised an eyebrow and clicked my tongue.
“Ilhong, Harang, those kinds of fucking racist remarks aren’t good.”
The visitors were clearly Westerners with blonde hair and blue eyes, like something out of foreign films.
Noticing their displeased expressions at my staff’s reaction, I addressed them calmly.
“How may I help you?”
A man in silver martial robes muttered while blood dripped from him.
“Your old office was a complete mess. Some trash had taken it over.”
So that’s why they were covered in blood.
No wonder no customers were coming.
Those bastards must have torn down the notice and chased away visitors as usual.
“You must have had a hard time. Please, have a seat. I’ll serve you some warm tea.”
I guided the two martial artists, who emitted a faint chill, to the client seats.
Seeing that I showed no surprise and treated them naturally, the male guest raised his eyebrows slightly.
“You’re quite calm. I expected you to make a fuss calling us ghosts. Are you suppressing your shock because you’re a first-rate Troubleshooter?”
The female guest added, clearly tired of the discrimination and being treated as a foreigner.
“After everything we’ve been through coming here, I can’t easily trust people of the Central Plains.”
But I found my gaze briefly drawn to her exotic and mysterious beauty.
“A ghost? Of course not. To me, you simply look like a handsome man and a beautiful woman.”
I placed steaming cups of tea before them.
Their golden hair shimmered in the sunlight, their tall and elegant physiques reminiscent of Western actors.
Despite being stained with blood, their high-quality martial robes and equipment, along with their clear skin, suggested they were from well-off backgrounds.
Okay. These are paying customers.
“He’s at it again.”
“Ugh, Captain……”
My subordinates whispered behind me, accusing me of flirting again.
It felt incredibly unfair. When had I ever gone around seducing women?
Not even in my past life had I lived that way.
“…Hmph, smooth talker. But I can’t trust the words of Central Plains people so easily.”
She snorted, clearly having suffered greatly on her way here.
“No, little sister. Look closely at his eyes. He seems quite sincere to me.”
Her brother seemed perceptive. At his words, she looked slightly flustered and quietly sipped her tea.
Anyway, it seemed their resentment had eased somewhat.
“So, where have you come from?”
I casually asked while stirring my tea.
“North Sea Ice Palace!”
The woman answered sharply.
“We have come on behalf of the Palace Head of the North Sea Ice Palace—to hire you.”
The man explained calmly.
“Ah, people from the North Sea Ice Palace.”
Pretending to know, I stepped back and quietly pulled Ilhong aside.
“Hey, explain what that is.”
Though I vaguely remembered it from martial arts novels, there was no guarantee it was the same here.
As if waiting for the question, Ilhong immediately explained.
“It’s an external faction located in the northern snowy mountains. Though the environment is harsh, they have many highly skilled disciples and strong regional influence.”
In short, a large northern organization—and the kind of big clients I’d been waiting for.
“Seems I’ve gotten famous. To think clients would come from that far.”
“Still, it’s unlikely rumors from Beijing reached there… Maybe Beggars’ Union Operatives spread word?”
That sounded plausible.
Nodding, I rubbed my hands together and approached them again.
“Welcome, esteemed prospective clients. What brings you to our office?”
They said the details could only be explained at the North Sea Ice Palace and began outlining the situation.
Due to certain circumstances, they needed to obtain something filled with intense Yang Energy, but a powerful spiritual beast was blocking the way.
“White-Furred Lion King? Ilhong, what’s that?”
“I’m not sure either… It’s said to exist at the northern edge.”
I decided to hear more.
“So you need experts to defeat that beast?”
“That’s correct. We desperately need your help.”
The man nodded.
It seemed they had heard rumors that I had slain the human-faced spider in Nanman alongside Tang Yeo-hye.
“Understood. But since it’s high-risk, the upfront payment will be substantial. Do you have an amount in mind?”
At that moment, both the man and woman stiffened.
The previously confident woman hesitated before speaking.
“Well, about that……”
“For now, we cannot pay that amount.”
Apparently, their family currently lacked funds and couldn’t afford the price of a Transcendence-level martial artist.
“Ilhong, sprinkle some salt. The guests are leaving.”
I said, pointing at the freeloading clients trying to get something for nothing.