novelraw Chapter 2 : Chapter 2
Chapter 2 : Chapter 2
Chapter 2 - Black Dragon Inn (1)
Just as the girl had said, the place called Black Dragon Inn was quite clean.
Of the two-story pavilion, the first floor was used as a dining area, and the second floor was used as lodging.
The old man, who looked Jaun up and down as he entered the building, opened his mouth.
“The smallest room. It is ten coins for a night.”
It was a raspy voice, like iron scratching against the floor.
Jaun, looking at the owner, took out coins from his bosom and handed them over.
Among his father's keepsakes, there was a fairly generous amount of money, so there was no major difficulty in living for the time being.
Having been assigned a room, Jaun threw his bundle and sword down and immediately went back down to the first floor of the inn.
Since he had consumed quite a bit of stamina coming down from the mountain, the growling sound from his stomach wouldn't stop.
Taking a seat at a secluded table, Jaun ordered noodles and dumplings, then leaned his back deeply against the chair.
‘First, I need information.’
Jaun's goal was to bring down the colossal power known as the Heavenly Demon Divine Cult.
No matter that he possessed the Heavenly Demon Divine Art in his body, that martial art was not yet complete.
In this situation, for Jaun, who was taking his first steps into the Gangho, to face the massive organization called the Heavenly Demon Divine Cult alone was naturally bound to be difficult.
Jaun decided to clearly grasp the situation he was in first.
‘After obtaining proper information and securing colleagues and sufficient helpers, I will seek out the Heavenly Demon Divine Cult.’
Everything in the Gangho was unfamiliar, but within Jaun's heart, there was a firm goal.
Of course, it was not a goal that could be achieved in a single breath.
He had to complete his martial arts first, and to bring down the massive organization known as the Heavenly Demon Divine Cult, he inevitably had to obtain someone's help.
‘For now, it would be better to move to the center of the Central Plains.’
If he wanted to obtain accurate information and proper help, moving to the center of the Central Plains would be much more advantageous than this frontier.
Having quickly organized his future direction of action in his head, Jaun only then raised his head and slowly looked around.
“Wahahaha!”
On the first floor of the inn, quite a few guests were enjoying alcohol and meals together.
The faces of the people sharing this and that story were dyed red with intoxication, and their voices had grown quite loud to match.
Although he didn't intend to, the loud voices from the surroundings began to push into Jaun's ears.
“So, you are also thinking of applying as a guard for this trade caravan?”
“Of course. I was worried because my pockets were getting light anyway. If it’s a trade caravan of the Moyong Family, isn't it something one absolutely cannot miss?”
The bearded man who finished speaking grinned and lifted his wine cup, pouring it into his mouth.
“I know your situation is urgent, but the momentum of the Green Forest recently is unusual. What will you do if something big happens?”
A man with a goatee beard said while pouring wine into the bearded man’s cup.
“What big thing. It is the trade caravan of the Moyong Family. The Moyong Family! Do you think that’s all?”
The bearded man lowered his voice, looked around once, and whispered quietly.
“This is a story I heard from a reliable informant of mine, but they say the Precious Daughter of the Moyong Family is leading this caravan personally.”
At the bearded man's words, the goatee beard opened his eyes wide.
“The Precious Daughter of the Moyong Family? Surely…….”
“Kuk-kuk. Do you understand the situation a bit now? With the direct lineage of that high-and-mighty Moyong Family coming personally, would ordinary people have followed? You just have to stick right next to the youngest daughter of the Moyong Family, and you’ll survive somehow. Where else is there a job as easy as this?”
“Even so, recently the power of the Sado Alliance, the coalition of the Unorthodox Sects, and the Heavenly Demon Divine Cult has grown significantly.”
At the goatee beard's words, the bearded man smacked his lips and lifted his wine cup again.
The goatee beard was lost in thought for a moment before opening his mouth.
“Even for the Murim Alliance, keeping two forces in check simultaneously is unreasonable. In this situation, the Moyong Family is planning a massive trade caravan alone? The way I see it, it doesn't seem like an easy task at all.”
The two people were talking at the table right next to Jaun.
Jaun glanced sideways and looked at the men who were talking.
Listening to the two men's story, it seemed the Moyong Family was planning a trade caravan from this Black Dragon River to the Murim Alliance.
‘I was worrying about how to move to the Central Plains anyway.’
It was a good opportunity.
Since Jaun did not know the geography of the Central Plains well, he thought that if he could move with someone, he could save a lot of time.
Jaun closed his eyes slightly and began to focus his energy on his ears.
“Well. What you say isn't wrong either. Doing a trade caravan in an atmosphere like these days is no different from a crazy act. However, it is not just anywhere else, but the Moyong Family. Touching the Moyong Family, which proudly lists its name among the Five Great Families? Even the Green Forest wouldn't want to shoulder that kind of burden.”
The bearded man, who lifted the wine cup placed on the table and emptied it at once, let out a sound of exclamation and wiped his mouth.
Pouring wine into the bearded man's cup again, the goatee beard continued speaking.
“Well, if it can be finished without any mishaps, it is certainly an attractive job. If you apply, Brother Jang, you will surely be picked. Is there anyone in the back alleys of this Black Dragon River who doesn't know the Black Dragon Twin Axes, Jang Sam-sik?”
The goatee beard raised his cup and subtly praised the bearded man.
Feeling good, the bearded man filled his cup once more, raised it in return, and spoke.
“Eu-he-he. Of course! Who in the Black Dragon River could surpass these Black Dragon Twin Axes? Unless I make a big mistake, I should be able to join the caravan easily.”
Just as the bearded man, thumping his chest, and the man clinked their glasses once more, the door of the inn opened, and three men and women dressed in clean clothes appeared.
“Brother! If you’ve drunk that much, shouldn't you stop? You’ve already drunk three bottles of Hwahong Wine!”
The girl sandwiched between two men of mature age shouted sharply.
“Uh-huh. You know that while staying at the Black Dragon River, the end of a drinking session is always done with this inn’s noodles and Hwa Wine. Let’s just have one last cup.”
A handsome middle-aged man with disheveled hair and loose-fitting clothes turned his head, grinning, and looked around the inn.
Most of the tables were already full of people.
The only space left where three people could sit together was the table where Jaun was sitting alone.
Jaun, who made eye contact with the handsome middle-aged man, lowered his head slightly.
The handsome middle-aged man, who approached the table where Jaun was sitting with staggering steps, tapped Jaun's shoulder once and opened his mouth.
“Little brother. Might we share the table? Since we have busy work tomorrow morning, we don’t have the time to wait for a seat to clear up, you see.”
Jaun let out a small sigh and raised his head to look at the handsome middle-aged man.
Jaun, who had learned how to grasp and conceal energy first according to his father's teachings, could immediately feel that the man's energy was unusual.
‘……He is a considerable master.’
Even with his staggering steps, his center of gravity did not waver, and in his half-open eyes that seemed drunk, a sharp energy flashed moment by moment.
He was definitely not a martial artist one could easily see in a frontier like this.
‘I decline getting entangled in complicated matters, but…….’
Jaun, who looked at the man for a moment, glanced around.
Even checking once more, there were no tables suitable to sit at other than this spot.
Jaun nodded his head as if it couldn't be helped.
“Please do.”
As Jaun nodded, the handsome middle-aged man bowed his head slightly to express gratitude.
Following that, the handsome middle-aged man turned around and called his party with a loud voice.
“No, Brother. There is a guard interview starting tomorrow morning, yet you keep pouring alcohol?”
The girl who approached the table was wearing quite flashy clothes, and the exquisite ornaments on her body indicated that her status was extraordinary.
“Do not worry. Your guard is sufficient with just this brother alone, so what are you worried about?”
“Even if the Five Heroes of Green Forest come?”
“……Ahem. If we meet them, we get robbed no matter who we pick anyway. We have to run hard then. Haha.”
“This brother! Do you say such things even while knowing how much I care about this trade caravan?!”
The handsome middle-aged man, avoiding the eyes of the girl who was glaring at him with fire in her eyes, scratched his head and quietly called the server.
“Ahem. One noodle soup here, and please give us a bottle of Hwa Wine too.”
Due to the girl's angry glare, a chilly atmosphere hovered over the table.
An uncomfortable silence continued for a while.
“Young Hero, the food you ordered has arrived.”
Not long after, the food Jaun ordered came out.
It was noodles and dumplings with warm steam rising from them.
Jaun quickly scanned the three people sitting at the table.
‘They definitely said trade caravan just a moment ago.’
Judging by the clothes they were wearing or the skills they possessed, they were not the riffraff one might find in a frontier like this.
‘Compared to their clean clothes, their shoes are quite worn.’
It seemed his guess was likely correct.
If so, there would be no harm in making an acquaintance.
Jaun, looking down once at the dumplings placed in front of him, opened his mouth toward the party sitting at the table.
“The amount of food is larger than I thought, would you like to eat together?”
Jaun slid the dumplings toward the party sharing the table.
“Oho……. Look at this thoughtfulness. Little brother, we will eat gratefully.”
The handsome middle-aged man, grinning while looking at Jaun, immediately picked up his chopsticks.
“Eun-wol. You must taste the dumplings of this Black Dragon Inn at least once. Since there is the little brother's sincerity too, you should taste a bit as well.”
Thinking this was the chance, the handsome middle-aged man poked the girl's arm and chattered to lighten the mood.
Watching the girl lift her chopsticks with a slightly relaxed expression, the handsome middle-aged man gave a thankful glance toward Jaun once.
The mature man with a half-balding head sitting on the opposite side reached out his chopsticks toward the dumplings, glanced at Jaun, and opened his mouth.
“Meeting like this is also fate, so let’s introduce ourselves. I am called Nam Chung of the Jinju Eon Family.”
“I am called Han Jaun, who came down from Mount Daeheuk.”
Jaun replied, bowing his head slightly.
Han was the surname of his biological father whom he lost when he was very young.
In fact, Jaun wanted to use the surname ‘Wi’ of the father who raised him.
However, since the ‘Xinjiang Wi Family’, which had produced the Heavenly Demon numerous times, was so well known as a prominent family of the Demonic Cult, he had no choice but to follow his biological father's surname according to his father's recommendation.
Nam Chung, who pondered something deeply upon hearing Jaun's name, opened his mouth.
“Han Jaun. Han Jaun……. Hmm. It is a name I haven't heard of. Compared to that, the bone structure you possess is extraordinary…. If it is not rude, may I ask about your sect?”
“There is no place I can call a sect. I only trained my body a little with my father in the mountains.”
Nam Chung, who scanned Jaun's well-trained body once again, clicked his tongue.
“Hah. You possess a bone structure I haven't seen in nearly decades. It is regrettable.”
At Nam Chung's words, the handsome middle-aged man also turned his head and scrutinized Jaun closely.
The eyes of the handsome middle-aged man, who examined Jaun's solid body for a long while, grew increasingly wide.
“……Is it truly a coincidence to meet a child with such excellent bone structure here? It seems like destiny.”
Eun-wol, who checked the twinkling eyes of the handsome middle-aged man, opened her mouth as if she noticed something.
“Again! Stop saying nonsense. Do you think no one knows you’re trying to pick a guard roughly like this because it’s bothersome?”
Eun-wol scanned Jaun and continued speaking.
“He still looks young too……. He is a bit handsome, but he doesn't seem like someone to be a guard.”
The handsome middle-aged man, who was staring blankly at Jaun without responding to Eun-wol's words, opened his mouth.
“You. Do you perhaps have any thoughts of learning the sword?”
At the handsome middle-aged man's words, Nam Chung, who was sitting next to him, opened his mouth wide.
The handsome middle-aged man’s energy was that of a considerable master even in Jaun's view.
For such a person to make this kind of offer seemed to be not a very common occurrence.
However, to Jaun, who was already learning the Heavenly Demon Divine Art, the handsome middle-aged man's proposal held no meaning.
“Since it seems it will take a lifetime to learn even the one martial art learned from my father, I appreciate the goodwill, but I don't think I can accept it.”
Nam Chung, upon hearing Jaun's answer, let out a large sigh from the side.
“Do you know how great a fortuitous encounter you have just kicked away? If we speak of this person…….”
The handsome middle-aged man, blocking Nam Chung's words by waving his hand, looked at Jaun once again.
“Seeing that your body’s balance is well caught, it seems your father guided you on the right path. It is regrettable, but it is not something to force. Then, what are you doing in this place? Do you have work to do in the future?”
As if lingering regret remained, the handsome middle-aged man spoke to Jaun once more.
Jaun turned his head and looked at Eun-wol sitting next to him.
Milky white skin and flashy attire.
The formality exuding from every single movement.
“Why, what.”
Although her tone was a bit rough, she was definitely not a child from an ordinary family.
No matter how he looked at it, his guess seemed correct.
Jaun threw a question to the handsome middle-aged man.
“Are you perhaps from the Moyong Merchant Group?”
At Jaun's words thrown with a hopeful heart, Eun-wol opened her eyes roundly from the side.
“Huh? How do you know our merchant group?”
At the girl's answer, Jaun smirked.
It seemed the heavens were helping his father's revenge.
Otherwise, how could there be such a coincidence?
To have a meeting like this happen as if it were planned, right on the day he heard the story about the Moyong Merchant Group.
It was a situation where one could think of it as destiny, just like the handsome middle-aged man said.
‘Since their skills look quite decent too, it would be good to join this merchant group.’
There was no reason to worry otherwise.
Jaun, who decided to join the Moyong Merchant Group right here, opened his mouth.
“I was actually thinking of applying as a guard for the Moyong Merchant Group as I have a goal in mind. Since I am new to the Gangho, I am not bright with geography, but…… I know how to use the sword a little.”
At Jaun's words that he intended to apply as a guard for the merchant group, the handsome middle-aged man leaned his body closer with a welcoming look.
“That is great. That is great. It was indeed fate. Then, can you show us your sword skills once?”
At the moment the handsome middle-aged man was about to continue speaking to Jaun.
The bearded man, who was staring piercingly at this side from the next table, suddenly sprang up from his seat and walked towards them with stomping steps.