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Chapter 112. Don't Talk About Work While Drinking
Zhengzhou.
First Building of Zhengzhou.
Late at night.
A worker from the First Building of Zhengzhou carried a bucket of hot water up to the sixth floor and then left.
Shortly after, Jang Bo-ok, the brothel owner, appeared, waving her arms vigorously. She hadn’t had the strength to carry the bucket from the first floor, so she had let someone else take it up to the sixth.
She hoisted the enormous bucket and began climbing the stairs, wanting it to seem like she had carried it all the way from the first floor.
“Huff! Huff!”
Jang Bo-ok climbed three steps before setting the bucket down and catching her breath. She wasn’t used to heavy lifting, as she was more accustomed to moving the girls in the brothel, not heavy objects.
“Haa! What am I doing…?”
A sigh escaped her mouth automatically.
She couldn’t just stay idle after seeing the warriors of Tongcheonbang being defeated. Although she knew it was madness, she had to be prepared for anything.
Jang Bo-ok got up again, embraced the bucket with both arms, and, panting, ascended the stairs.
She finally reached the seventh floor and dramatically wiped the sweat off her forehead, wanting to show that she had made a great effort.
She didn’t complain about the pain.
Anyone would when they saw twenty-five warriors huddled in a corner.
At that moment, as Shim Tong, the Old Dao of the Nine Heavens, was receiving a massage from the Tongcheonbang warriors, his eyes met Jang Bo-ok’s.
Shim Tong looked at her with disdain and let out a cold laugh.
He thought she deserved something worse for mocking Yeon Jeokha.
Aware that the old man was a formidable master, Jang Bo-ok lowered her gaze and moved quickly to avoid further trouble.
“Young Master, I’ve brought the hot water you requested.”
“Madam.”
“I’m not a madam…”
“Then, aunt? Grandma? Or maybe…”
“Just call me madam, please.”
Jang Bo-ok abandoned the hope that this terrifying young man would call her “big sister.” If she kept insisting, she feared he might start calling her “grandma.”
‘Well, he could be like a son to me…’
Thinking this, she startled herself.
Here was this boy ruining her business, and she was worrying about titles.
She felt somewhat comforted by how quickly she was adapting, but also a little bitter.
“Do you have children?”
“A son and a daughter.”
Jang Bo-ok cast a worried glance at the young man.
She feared his anger might extend to her family.
“How old are they?”
“My daughter is thirteen, and my son is ten.”
“Raise them well.”
“What? Yes…”
She lowered her gaze, trying to appear as helpless as possible.
She prayed that he would lose interest in her family.
Fortunately, her prayers were answered.
The young man didn’t ask any more questions about her family.
He simply washed his feet in silence, then climbed onto the table and looked out the window.
His expression was so desolate that she didn’t dare say anything.
Hesitant, Jang Bo-ok moved the bucket to the entrance of the stairs and then straightened up.
It was a busy time, but on the seventh floor, there was only a group of middle-aged merchants with three girls, whispering and glancing sideways at Yeon Jeokha and Shim Tong.
‘Oh, I’m an idiot!’
She had been in the water business long enough to recognize people. She deserved any punishment she received.
As she scolded herself, she hoped Tongcheonbang would resolve this quickly.
‘Huh?’
As she bent down to pick up the bucket, she saw something that surprised her.
An old man with an ancient-looking sword was slowly climbing the stairs.
When her eyes met the old man’s, her mind went blank.
His eyes showed a mix of gentleness and violence, of murderous intent and kindness.
The Heaven Destroyer Demon Lord, the Great Chaeju of the Seventy-Two Strongholds of Nokrim, passed by her.
Shim Tong immediately stood up upon seeing Seok Muhae.
The sudden movement caused the Tongcheonbang warriors, who were giving him a massage, to back away in fear.
“Great Chaeju.”
Shim Tong respectfully greeted him first.
Seok Muhae glanced at him and then walked toward the window.
Sensing the presence of pek, Yeon Jeokha slowly climbed down from the table.
“What brings you here?”
“Haha! I knew it was you. I came just in case and found you right away.”
“Were you looking for me? Why?”
Yeon Jeokha widened his eyes in surprise and looked at Seok Muhae.
There was no specific reason for him to be looking for him, which made it even more surprising.
“Ha! After three years without seeing you, you ask me why? Come, sit down. Let’s have a drink.”
Seok Muhae sat next to the makeshift bed and called Jang Bo-ok with a gesture.
She, who was already watching him, quickly approached.
“Go, bring some good food. We don’t need any girls.”
“Yes, yes.”
Seok Muhae’s direct and experienced order left Jang Bo-ok feeling confused. He seemed like a respectable elder of Murim, but he knew brothels very well.
After Seok Muhae’s arrival, the cold atmosphere on the seventh floor warmed up. With food and drink, the typical brothel ambiance began to revive.
Seok Muhae also drew in Shim Tong, who had kept his distance.
After a round of drinks, Yeon Jeokha, curious, asked.
“How did you know I was here?”
“I went to the Five Peaks Mountain thinking of you, and they told me you went to Kaifeng. There, I met your sworn brothers, and they told me. I was planning to visit the Daeyeon Chamber of Commerce tomorrow. Then I heard a rumor in a tavern.”
“A rumor?”
“They said two outsiders were causing trouble at the First Building of Zhengzhou. As soon as I heard that, I knew it had to be you. I’ve always had good instincts.”
“Wow! It’s enviable to have good instincts. But why were you looking for me? Aren’t you busy?”
“Ha! Let’s talk about that later. First, let’s drink. No talking about work while drinking.”
“……”
Hearing the word “work,” Yeon Jeokha tilted his head, puzzled.
He had no idea what he was referring to.
Meanwhile, Seok Muhae continued filling the glasses of Yeon Jeokha and Shim Tong, cheering up the atmosphere.
“Haha! I knew I had a good eye. You’re an exceptional man. Deciding to use the seventh floor of the First Building of Zhengzhou as your dormitory because you got angry… I admire your audacity! A true man of Nokrim should be like that. Yes, without a doubt!”
Seok Muhae, grinning from ear to ear, was genuinely delighted.
He sincerely liked this young man and his clever audacity, to the point of completely forgetting his original purpose for seeking him out.
“By the way, you were called Shim, right? You’ve changed a lot over the years. Now you seem to handle a sword well. Did you have some fortunate encounter at the Five Peaks Mountain?”
“Hehe, I learned martial arts from Young Master Yeon.”
Shim Tong, with an innocent expression, smiled widely.
Seok Muhae nodded as if unsurprised.
“Haha! Our Grand Inspector is incredible! I’ve also tried to teach promising young men, but it never worked out. But our Grand Inspector managed this in just three years. It’s a blessing for Nokrim.”
Seok Muhae began using the title of “Grand Inspector.”
Meanwhile, Jang Bo-ok couldn’t control her racing heart.
She had been lingering around the table out of curiosity, overhearing bits of their conversation.
If she didn’t understand what “Great Chaeju” and “Grand Inspector” meant after twenty years of selling alcohol in Zhengzhou, she deserved to die. Moreover, just a moment ago, Seok Muhae had mentioned that it was a blessing for Nokrim.
The tranquil-looking old man turned out to be the Great Chaeju, the Heaven Destroyer Demon Lord.
At first, she thought the goatee-bearded old man was the Grand Inspector.
But according to Seok Muhae’s words, the young man who still looked like a boy was the Grand Inspector.
“Oh! That boy is the Grand Inspector?”
The Grand Inspector of Nokrim is the second-in-command after the Great Chaeju.
Thinking about having mocked someone like that, her knees started to tremble. She knew that Nokrim valued human lives as much as insects.
Feeling dizzy and nauseous, Jang Bo-ok gently leaned against the brothel wall.
At that moment, a group of Tongcheonbang warriors climbed the stairs.
‘No, it can’t be. Please, no…’
Everything is relative. In Jang Bo-ok’s eyes, the Tongcheonbang warriors looked like ordinary men.
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A shadow darted out of the First Building of Zhengzhou, cutting through the night.
Without any martial arts skills, the man ran awkwardly, clearly struggling.
Shortly after, he arrived at an inn run by the Cold Wind Alliance (Sakpung).
The servants looked at him in surprise as he shouted, waving his arms.
“Master! Master!”
One of the servants led him to the room of Sakpung’s master.
Han Sang, the master of Sakpung, who was enjoying a drink alone, turned around.
“What is it?”
“I’m a worker from the First Building of Zhengzhou.”
“And?”
“My master sent me to fetch you.”
“Why?”
Han Sang was somewhat frustrated but didn’t rush him.
He was used to people around him not speaking clearly.
“On the seventh floor of the brothel, the elders of Sakpung and the leader of Tongcheonbang attacked the Great Chaeju of Nokrim and were defeated.”
Han Sang, pale with terror, shouted.
“Damn it! Why didn’t you say that earlier?”
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The First Building of Zhengzhou.
Han Sang climbed the stairs as fast as he could.
The steps cracked under the force of his grip.
Han Sang had been a follower of Seok Muhae before he became the leader of Sakpung. He ran to any place where it was said that the Heaven Destroyer Demon Lord had appeared.
His efforts weren’t in vain, and one day he managed to see Seok Muhae from a distance. That day was etched in his memory as the greatest event of his life.
“What? The elders of Sakpung and the leader of Tongcheonbang attacked that person? Are they insane?”
Gritting his teeth, Han Sang climbed the steps.
When he reached the seventh floor, he let out a sigh of relief.
“Oh no!”
He cursed his fate.
The Great Chaeju of Nokrim, the Heaven Destroyer Demon Lord, and the unknown young man were sitting atop the Sakpung elder and the Tongcheonbang leader.
“Oh, Heaven Destroyer Demon Lord-nim!”
Han Sang shouted as he ran toward Seok Muhae.
Seok Muhae, Yeon Jeokha, and Shim Tong looked in astonishment at the old man running and crying.
When Han Sang reached Seok Muhae, he began bowing repeatedly, as if worshiping an ancestor. For him, today was both the saddest and most gratifying day of his life.
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