Heavenly Inquisition Sword Novel - Chapter 178
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C178. The Smartest Over the Fastest
The broker, looking cautiously at Yeon Jeokha and Old Shim of Nokrim who hesitated, said:
“As you may have noticed, inns are naturally expensive. Even this one, which originally asked for twenty thousand, I’ve adjusted to twelve thousand taels. Nowhere else can you buy an inn for that amount unless it’s in the middle of the mountains or desert.”
Yeon Jeokha and Old Shim didn’t argue. After seeing several inns throughout the afternoon, they already had a rough idea of the prices.
Old Shim removed his hands from his temples. His face, free from worries, shone with an almost illuminated serenity.
In Nokrim, one doesn’t dwell on things for long. Attacks and robberies always bring retaliation, so a moment’s decision can mean life or death. Over time, one develops the habit of deciding and acting quickly. This forges people with swift decisions and a great capacity for action.
Old Shim was the typical member of Nokrim.
‘Let’s admit it, unpleasant as it may be. With the money the Young Master and I have, we can only afford an inn of this level. Let’s first fulfill the Young Master’s dream, even if just a little.’
Of course, he knew the inn was in bad shape. He had already let go of the idea of owning his own tavern, so this was what remained. It was the best they could do for now; the future would take care of itself in due time.
“Young Master.”
Yeon Jeokha, seeing Old Shim’s gaze, shook his head.
“Don’t say anything.”
“You know we shouldn’t put off till tomorrow what we can do today.”
“It’s not necessary to do it right now.”
“With just finding a good cook, we can live in comfort. We can hire people to clean the rooms.”
“Old Shim. Are you serious? Are you saying that while looking at this inn?”
“The fact that you achieve your dream of owning an inn is what matters. The state of the inn doesn’t matter. It’s not your entire life, right?”
Although Old Shim’s words were a bit strange, Yeon Jeokha began to accept the idea. After all, the inn wasn’t his whole life. It was just a means to live comfortably and enjoy life.
Yeon Jeokha looked around once more. Although the place was still dirty and dark, the initial impact had softened.
“…”
Old Shim knew that Yeon Jeokha was hesitating. With just a few more words, he could convince him.
Old Shim turned to the innkeeper.
“Could you tell us some advantages of this inn?”
“This inn is only three jang (about 9 meters) from the Huang He River. During the day, you can enjoy the beautiful river scenery, and at night, you can relax with the sound of the running water. Also, being in a quiet area, the local bandits don’t come to collect protection money.”
In reality, the water of the Huang He was murky and not at all beautiful. Moreover, the inn was in a rapids area, so the sound of the water was louder and more turbulent. The bandits didn’t bother because there were hardly any customers.
The broker added:
“When you see the morning mist over the river, you’ll be amazed.”
The morning mist hid the murkiness of the water but made it difficult to see the scenery. However, outsiders wouldn’t think of those details.
Yeon Jeokha, listening to Old Shim, the innkeeper, and the broker, began to soften his stance.
“Old Shim, let’s stay here for one night and talk tomorrow.”
“Alright. Prepare two clean rooms. Will you also be staying here tonight?”
The broker nodded.
“Yes, it’s better to spend the night here. Don’t worry about my expenses. The rooms are cheap here.”
“Fine. We’ll talk tomorrow. By the way, innkeeper, do you have anything for dinner?”
“I’m afraid we don’t have any fresh ingredients. Could you wait until tomorrow for me to buy some?”
“We’re not asking for anything elaborate, something simple like noodle soup will do. We can’t sleep on an empty stomach. Prepare it.”
“Yes, I can do that right away.”
The innkeeper, who had planned to rest, quickly changed his attitude at Old Shim’s insistence.
Soon after, the innkeeper brought three bowls of noodle soup. In a greasy broth of pork and lamb floated small pieces of noodles and vegetables.
Yeon Jeokha took a bite of the noodles and vegetables. The vegetables were a bit wilted, but cooked in the broth, it didn’t matter. After a whole day of looking at inns, the food went down easily.
After dinner, the broker followed the innkeeper to the second floor.
Yeon Jeokha, sipping tea, murmured:
“I’m not sure if this is the right thing.”
“Don’t worry. You’re doing the right thing. With a good cook, everything will be fine.”
“Even so, it’s better than the camp, right?”
“Of course! Who would want to live in a bandit camp? All the bandits would leave the camp to become innkeepers.”
“You’re right.”
If you asked the bandits whether they’d prefer an inn or the camp, they’d all choose the inn.
After talking for a while, they both went up to the second floor, guided by the innkeeper.
Yeon Jeokha’s face was calm as he entered the room.
The room seemed slightly better than when they first saw it. Perhaps he had already gotten used to it.
The next morning, Yeon Jeokha went out early.
He wanted to check if the scenery was as impressive as the innkeeper and the broker had said.
“Oh!”
It seemed the heavens were on his side.
The morning mist over the Huang He River offered a spectacular view, as if clouds were wrapping around the inn.
Yeon Jeokha, walking along the riverbank, found a large rock that reminded him of the rock where he used to train at the Main Peak of the Five Peaks Mountain.
He felt a special connection.
He jumped onto the rock.
From there, about three jang (approximately 9 meters) below, the mist flowed over the water.
The rapids made a great noise as they collided with the rocks. This must have been the source of the noise they heard the night before.
Behind him, a dense forest gave the impression of being deep in nature.
Yeon Jeokha stood there, thinking.
To be honest, the inn didn’t matter much.
What mattered was not spending the money he had saved and being able to continue living without worries. The inn was just a means to achieve those goals.
“Sir, you’re up early. What do you think? Isn’t the scenery splendid?”
Yeon Jeokha looked down and saw the broker.
“Yes. I like the scenery more than the inn.”
“Right? You won’t find another inn this cheap with these views. You won’t regret it. The previous owner was lazy, but with a little effort, you’ll soon become rich.”
Yeon Jeokha smiled.
He wasn’t buying the inn to become rich, but the broker seemed to think otherwise.
Yeon Jeokha looked back at the river.
The broker, seeing that Yeon Jeokha was in a good mood, quietly withdrew.
After about twenty minutes, Yeon Jeokha returned to the inn.
Inside, everyone was already gathered.
Yeon Jeokha had liked the scenery, so he had no more objections.
The process was quick.
Soon after, Old Shim respectfully handed Yeon Jeokha the signed contract.
Yeon Jeokha carefully folded the contract and tucked it into his clothes.
It was the first time he owned something, and he felt excited.
The former innkeeper bowed his head.
“Congratulations, Sir. Now that you’re the owner, I won’t charge you for the previous night. I hope the business prospers.”
“You said you’re returning to your homeland. Have a safe trip.”
“Then I’ll be leaving now. My family left before, and now I feel free.”
“Gentlemen, I’ll also take my leave. If you need anything, contact me anytime.”
The broker, having received his commission, also stood up.
The former innkeeper and the broker said their farewells and left.
Yeon Jeokha went out to see them off like a good host.
As soon as they left, the inn felt strangely empty.
Actually, it wasn’t an exaggeration. There was no one left but the two of them.
After the two were out of sight, Yeon Jeokha returned to the inn.
“Old Shim, what do we do now?”
“First, we need to go to Kaifeng and hire a good cook.”
“Do we have money left?”
They had spent all they had, twelve thousand taels of silver, and he didn’t understand how they would hire a cook.
“Hehe. Who am I? Deceiving those guys wasn’t difficult. I said twelve thousand as part of the negotiation. I kept five hundred to operate the inn.”
“Oh! Well done. I knew you could do it.”
Yeon Jeokha brightened.
With five hundred taels of silver, they could hire a cook and run the inn for years.
Meanwhile, on the road to Kaifeng, the broker and the former innkeeper laughed.
The broker, Hwangso, laughed heartily.
“Haha! What luck is this? Twelve thousand taels of silver! Is this a dream or reality?”
The former innkeeper, Seokin, looked at the broker with a malicious expression.
“Hwang, what do we do about Sosam?”
“What? What do you mean?”
“If we split with Sosam, it will be four thousand taels each. But if it’s just the two of us, it will be six thousand taels each. I don’t care, you decide.”
Hwangso’s eyes wavered.
The three of them, Seokin, Sosam, and he, had been scamming together. But now, Seokin was suggesting getting rid of Sosam.
After thinking about it, Hwangso responded.
“Do we leave Kaifeng now?”
“I knew you wouldn’t disappoint me! Let’s decide where we go. Luoyang? Jinan?”
“Anywhere but Kaifeng.”
After laughing for a while, Hwangso remembered something.
“But those guys seemed like warriors. Will it be safe?”
“Man, how many times have we scammed warriors? Don’t worry. Those guys are just braggarts. The old man trying to show off as a warrior. They won’t be able to find us. The world is big. In a few years, they’ll have forgotten our faces.”
“Right? With six thousand taels of silver, we can live comfortably. What will you do with the money?”
“If there’s no other choice, build a small inn in some village.”
“Oh! Don’t mention inns. Who was the previous owner? Do you know him?”
“No. What does it matter? That inn has been abandoned for years.”
“It’ll be fun when the real owner comes back.”
“The old fool with the fake contract will make useless trips to the government office in Kaifeng. I’d like to see that. Tsk.”
Seokin clicked his tongue as if he regretted it, while Hwangso shook his head.
“You’re a bad person.”
“Come on, Hwang. Don’t spit in your own face.”
Laughing, the two scammers headed east.
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