Chapter 135

Smack!

“P-please, help me!”

“No one’s coming to help you.”

Smack-smack!

“P-please, spare me!”

“Nope. Not happening. Go away.”

Smack-smack-smack!

“Th-then just kill me…”

“No, you’re still fine. Words are still coming out of your mouth.”

Smack-smack-smack-smack!

“Hhk… Hhrrgh…”

“Yes. That’s the reaction I was looking for.”

Only then did I finally stop.

The young master’s once reasonably presentable face had puffed up like a steamed bun. Instead of a rosy flush, dark blue bruises covered both cheeks.

“Our Jintae. Did you do something wrong or not?”

“Hhrrgh.”

Seeing him sob in such a miserable state, I suddenly felt a little sorry for him.

Right. He’s someone else’s precious son, too…

“You did something wrong, didn’t you?”

“Hhk! Hhrrgh!”

“Then why did you ignore what I was saying? You should’ve apologized the moment I told you to. Wouldn’t that have been better? Don’t you think?”

“Hhrrr.”

“Let’s be good from now on. Understand?”

“Hhrrgh.”

I quietly watched Woo Jintae nod furiously, then spoke.

“But you…”

“Hh?”

“Why have you been answering like that this whole time? Can’t you speak like a person?”

His sobbing stopped dead.

“I-I’m sorry.”

“So you can talk. You could talk all along, but you chose not to? Why were you crying? Were you trying to show how much pain and hardship you were in?”

“No!”

“Now your voice is getting louder, too. You’ve got some volume. Have you been practicing diaphragmatic breathing? Were you planning to burst my eardrums and escape this crisis?”

“No. Absolutely not. Please, stop now. Hh-hhng…”

“Oh? You’re crying again? You can still cry? What have you done to deserve tears? Is your life over because you’re crying? And ‘please stop’? Anyone watching would think I was the one attacking you.”

“I’m sorry. I won’t cry.”

“Wow, look at him stop crying right away. You’re a creepy bastard, aren’t you? If I were you, I’d feel so guilty for picking on an innocent person that I’d cry until I passed out from exhaustion. Are you really sorry?”

“P-please, just listen to me for a moment…”

“Listen to what? Do you even have the right to speak? Is this some kind of entertainment awards ceremony? Am I supposed to wait quietly while you talk, then smile warmly and applaud when you’re finished?”

“…”

“Now you’re not even answering. You must feel full even without eating. Right? If you keep crunching through other people’s words like that, it must feel good…”

Just as I was about to continue, Woo Jintae slammed the back of his head into the floor with lightning speed.

Thud! Flop.

What a shame. I could have kept chewing him out for at least another shichen.¹

As I turned away from the unconscious Woo Jintae, countless gazes came flying toward me and stuck fast.

“The Young Bureau Head of the Seongun Escort Bureau went down that easily…”

“Who the hell is that young man?”

“His hands are vicious enough, but his tongue is a venomous snake all on its own.”

Murmurs of shock and fear rippled through the room.

There were more than a hundred guests on the first floor alone. It was hardly surprising that some of them recognized me.

“I-it’s the Sleeping Dragon of Shanxi!”

“What? The one from the Jin Family of Taiyuan?”

“Do you think there are two Sleeping Dragons of Shanxi? I knew he looked familiar.”

My reputation as the Sleeping Dragon of Shanxi really does shake the heavens.

I was just about to give the crowd a pleased smile and wave when someone spoke up.

“Are you sure? I saw the Sleeping Dragon of Shanxi at Honghwaru around this time last year, but he looks a little…”

“You don’t remember that the two of us were there together?”

“Oh. Were we?”

“Yes. His build and overall impression have changed quite a bit, but it’s definitely him. I can still picture that young master from the Jin Family making a scene because he wanted to bring a courtesan back to the family.”

“…”

Damn. Why do people remember such useless things?

As I awkwardly lowered my hand, several guests who had been whispering among themselves suddenly raised theirs.

“I was there, too!”

“You were, Brother?”

“I remember it clearly. That bastard—no, that gentleman—fell down the stairs, grabbed the thing between my legs, and gave it a long yank… Whew. Just thinking about it still makes me dizzy.”

“My goodness, how indecent. Are you all right now?”

“Fortunately, I’m perfectly fine. Not only that, I think it’s gotten a little longer since then.”

“…”

Can that happen?

I barely suppressed the urge to ask exactly how much longer it had gotten. I still had the trash from the so-called Five Gates of Shanxi to deal with.

But then…

“Huh?”

Four young prodigies were lined up with their heads planted on the floor, while Hyuk Mujin stood beside them with his neck held strangely stiff.

“We’re ready.”

“Did you order them to do this?”

“They say even a village-school dog can recite poetry after three years. By now, I can tell what you want at a glance.”

“You little…”

I was seized by an indescribable emotion.

At first, I’d thought he was an idiot, but he seemed to be getting smarter by the day.

I was starting to suspect he was putting points into Intelligence on my behalf.

“You’ve grown. I’m very proud of you.”

“You’re too kind. More importantly, what should we do with them?”

“Give me the sword case.”

“At your command.”

It was straight out of a historical drama. I took the sword case Hyuk Mujin held out and slapped it against my palm.

Good grip. Good impact, too.

“Everyone, on your feet.”

The four young prodigies sprang to their feet the moment I spoke.

Ignoring their terrified gazes, I scanned their Level Windows again. Just as I’d thought, they were barely First Rate, if that.

“You already know what you did wrong… You’re the heirs of the Five Gates of Shanxi?”

“Y-yes, sir!”

“You’re not third sons or youngest daughters or anything like that?”

“No, sir!”

“You’re sure?”

“Yes, sir!”

Their voices, filled with proper martial spirit, rang through the inn. I tapped the sword case against my palm and muttered,

“Really? Then the Five Gates of Shanxi aren’t anything special, are they?”

“…”

“…”

Every one of their faces flushed with shame, but none of them dared to answer.

They knew who I was now.

The difference in our martial prowess aside, the Five Gates of Shanxi couldn’t hold their heads high before the Jin Family of Taiyuan.

“You’ve had it good all this time, haven’t you?”

“…No, sir.”

“What do you mean, no? You never had to worry about money, and you had powerful backing. You relied on that and strutted around like big shots, didn’t you? Picking fights wherever you went.”

“…”

“But then a war broke out between the Jin Family of Taiyuan and the Mount Heng Sword Sect. The Jin Family was the one that had always treated you well, but you were afraid of the retaliation that would come if Mount Heng won, so you kept watching the situation and ended up here. Right?”

“Th-that’s… We…”

“You’re the heirs, aren’t you? Young Sect Leaders, Lesser Family Heads, things like that. Ah, that fellow over there was the Young Bureau Head.”

The four of them reflexively followed my finger and shuddered.

Unable to withstand the merciless barrage of slaps and trash talk, Woo Jintae had chosen to knock himself unconscious. He lay on the floor like a corpse.

“Anyway, given the situation, you should’ve kept your heads down. What did you come all the way here for, acting so high and mighty? Do you think the Jin Family of Taiyuan is a joke? Do I need to tattoo ‘Sleeping Dragon of Shanxi’ on my forehead and walk around with it?”

“I-I’m sorry.”

“Does apologizing make everything go away? Should I beat you into a bloody mess and then apologize to you?”

“Eek!”

Just look at those terrified eyes. I felt like a walking disaster.

There was no need for any more words. I raised the sword case.

“Historically, this has always been the best medicine. Everyone, get down.”

Then I asked the four trembling young prodigies lying face down before me in a chilling voice,

“How many blows will it take for you to reflect? Each of you, give me a number.”

“W-what?”

“Give me a number. I beat that Woo Jintae so badly because he was acting too high and mighty. Since you paid up voluntarily, I’ll take that into consideration.”

A heavy silence descended.

The four exchanged hurried glances, then shouted in unison.

“J-just one!”

“One? Will that really be enough?”

“Yes, sir!”

“If you take one hit, will you swear never to do anything like this again?”

“We swear it before Heaven and Earth and all the divine spirits!”

I tightened my grip on the sword case.

“Good. Then ten each.”

“…!”

“…!”

“I just asked Heaven and Earth, and they said one wouldn’t come close to being enough for you. So ten it is.”

I never thought I’d find myself in a situation like this.

I felt like one of those physical-education entrance-exam instructors from my school days who swung a bat whenever he got the chance.

Sinking into a strange sense of nostalgia, I swung the bat—or rather, the sword case.

Whack! Whack! Whack! Crack!

“Guh!”

“Don’t move. You’ll hurt your bones. All right, again.”

Whack! Whack! Whack!

It must have been a rare sight for everyone packed into Honghwa Inn. The heirs of the Five Gates of Shanxi were crawling across the floor like grubs.

Two of them were even women.

The whispers of the people surrounding us cut into my ears.

“Is that really okay?”

“I know, right? Even if they are the Five Gates of Shanxi… Couldn’t this turn into another one of those big fights over Murim gratitude and grudges?”

“Don’t be so clueless. Are you really that out of touch with what’s happening these days? Maybe things would be different if the Mount Heng Sword Sect were still standing, but now, every small and medium-sized sect in Shanxi could join forces and still might not stop the Jin Family of Taiyuan.”

“It’s that bad?”

“They might outnumber them if they gathered everyone, but the caliber is completely different. You only have to look at the Sleeping Dragon of Shanxi over there to see that.”

“That’s true. Those Five Gates heirs swaggered around like big shots, but they’re nothing before the Sleeping Dragon of Shanxi.”

“If you think about it, they were the ones who picked the fight first.”

“That’s true, too.”

“And since we’re on the subject, there’s something rotten about everyone calling themselves the Five Gates of Shanxi these days.”

“Rotten?”

“They call themselves an orthodox faction, but they’re really just sucking the marrow out of ordinary people without anyone noticing. Just look at the Seongun Escort Bureau. How many complaints have merchants made about them?”

“Were all those rumors true?”

“What about the Jin Family of Taiyuan? When famine struck ten years ago, they released relief grain. Long before that, they even held off the Demonic Cult. Those bastards were vicious murderous fiends who went around killing ordinary people like us. If not for the Jin Family of Taiyuan…”

“Ugh. I don’t even want to think about it.”

“That’s right. I also heard it was the Jin Family of Taiyuan that drove off the mounted bandits who crossed over from Gaoyuan this time.”

“Is there anyone who hasn’t heard that rumor yet? They say the Heaven Shaking Sword and the Sleeping Dragon of Shanxi slaughtered every last one of them.”

“My goodness.”

“So even if another war breaks out, what’s there to worry about? I swear, if the Five Gates of Shanxi try to make an issue of this, I’ll join the Jin Family of Taiyuan immediately and fight!”

“Oh!”

“That’s some impressive chivalrous spirit for such a young man. Now that I’ve heard you out, I think you’re right. Here, have a drink on me!”

Whack! Whack! Whack!

After turning three of the four young prodigies into grubs, I turned toward the voices.

The speaker had defended the Jin Family of Taiyuan so passionately that, by the time he finished, I wanted to buy him a drink myself.

In terms of mindset, he’s already one of our Jin Family.

If his Level were high enough, he’d be my first recruitment pick. Smiling with satisfaction, I checked the great orator’s Level Window.

System

Level 15: Jang Childeuk

“…What the fuck?”

Jang Childeuk? The Jang Childeuk I know?

Looking again, I realized I definitely recognized him.

He was the servant who had faithfully brought us meals while I was receiving one-on-one intensive training from Jin Mukyung.

That Jang Childeuk was the great orator’s true identity.

Holy shit. Goose bumps.

No wonder he’d been taking the Jin Family’s side so aggressively.

Nothing he’d said was wrong, of course, but manipulating public opinion like this…

I was trembling as though I’d uncovered some enormous political conspiracy when someone spoke.

“Um…”

It was Cheongpung, the one person I had momentarily forgotten. He spoke up, his eyes clear.

“There’s still one person left.”

“Ah.”

The last man lying face down flinched. Cheongpung seemed innocent in his own way, but he was also strangely frightening.

Not that I had any intention of going easy on him just because he was last.

“I was just about to hit him.”

I was about to swing the sword case when Cheongpung spoke again.

“Excuse me. May I ask you one difficult favor?”

“We’re out of candied hawthorn skewers² now.”

“That’s not it. I, uh…”

Cheongpung hesitated, then quietly pointed at the sword case.

“I’d like to try hitting the last gentleman.”

“What?”

“I’ve never done anything like this before…”

“…”

I had seen every kind of nutcase in my life, but this was my first time seeing a first-experience villain.