Heavenly Inquisition Sword Novel - Chapter 185
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C185. Can You Eat Noodles Now?
But it wasn’t Haomun; it was the Cheonhwabang.
Obviously, the bigger the sect, the more money they demand.
If they were from Haomun, I could have given them some money and ended it there. But if it’s a sect from the Murim like Cheonhwabang, it’s not something that can be resolved so easily.
‘Haa, there’s no other option.’
Nam Cho-gyeol decided to accept reality.
He had always thought this day would come. It just arrived sooner than expected.
He decided to hold out as long as possible, and if that didn’t work, to give in to their demands.
In reality, he had no other viable option.
Nam Cho-gyeol headed to the dining hall without hesitation and approached the five men and women.
“I am Nam Cho-gyeol, the owner of this inn. Are you from the Cheonhwabang?”
“Yes. I am Ju Hwa-yeong, leader of the Peony Division of Cheonhwabang. Please, have a seat.”
It was an invitation that was almost a command.
Nam Cho-gyeol sat in the empty seat in front of Ju Hwa-yeong and waited for her next words.
“I suppose you know why we’re here. Cheonhwabang supplies food and drinks to inns and tea houses in the northern part of Kaifeng. We also protect establishments from troublesome customers. Our boss wishes for your inn to do business with us.”
“I appreciate your offer, but our inn is small and in a remote location. We don’t have many customers. Just a few merchants from time to time, and we don’t have any issues with troublesome customers.”
“If you have so few customers, it must be hard to operate. It would be better to sell us the inn.”
Ju Hwa-yeong looked at him coldly.
With no escape, Nam Cho-gyeol sighed deeply.
“Haa! I can’t sell the inn right now. It’s tangled up in a fraud case, and I can’t act as the sole owner.”
“What do you mean by that? If you’re in trouble, you need Cheonhwabang’s help more than ever. We are experts in resolving such matters.”
“While I was sick, some scammers sold the inn to someone else. So, currently, there’s another person also claiming to be the owner.”
“You’re saying there’s someone else pretending to be the owner even though it was discovered to be a scam?”
“Yes, even the district sub-commissioner investigated, but it wasn’t resolved.”
“Ah! So, you have no customers, and you can’t sell the inn either.”
“Exactly.”
Ju Hwa-yeong gave a wry smile.
Cheonhwabang is a sect that does all sorts of jobs, both good and bad.
“I understand your situation. When we make proposals like this, people usually react in one of two ways. They either accept willingly or try to escape slyly like you.”
“It’s not like that…”
“It’s okay. You’ll regret rejecting my offer. I’ll make sure of it.”
With those words, Ju Hwa-yeong stood up.
Nam Cho-gyeol tried to stop her, but it was useless.
Ju Hwa-yeong and the four warriors left the inn without looking back.
At that moment, Yeon Jeokha and Nam Su-gyeong were returning to the inn.
Yeon Jeokha passed by Nam Cho-gyeol without paying him any attention and sat by the window.
Nam Su-gyeong approached her grandfather, who seemed dazed, with a smile.
“Grandfather?”
“Ah, you’re back?”
“Why do you look so lost? You don’t look well. What happened?”
“Just a while ago, people from the Cheonhwabang came.”
“Cheonhwabang?”
“It’s a sect that supplies food and drinks in the northern part of Kaifeng. They also provide protection.”
“And so?”
“They wanted to help us run the inn. So, I refused.”
“Ah, the tea house where I worked was also backed by a sect. Are you sure it’ll be okay?”
“Sure, we barely have any customers; I don’t see what problem there could be.”
“If you can, try to reach an agreement with them.”
“I’ll do that.”
Nam Cho-gyeol decided that if they came back, he would accept their offer immediately.
‘I should have accepted from the beginning instead of resisting…’
Nam Cho-gyeol, who had never been threatened before, was already feeling the weight of the situation.
The next morning.
Gong Yoo, the cook, was not in a good mood.
The usual supplier, Son, hadn’t delivered the food at dawn as usual.
Worried, he informed Nam Cho-gyeol about the supply issue.
“Don’t worry. Something must have happened to Son. I’ll go and find out what’s going on.”
Nam Cho-gyeol didn’t think Cheonhwabang was involved.
After breakfast, he went to Son’s shop.
“What’s going on? You didn’t deliver the supplies to the inn. Did you forget?”
Son Young-nak smiled awkwardly.
“Sir, what should we do? We’ve run out of supplies.”
“Run out of supplies?”
“Someone bought all the food in Kaifeng.”
“When?”
“Last night.”
“Tsk! Then make sure you have something for tomorrow.”
“I’m sorry, but that won’t be possible.”
“Why not?”
“I’m going to sell all the food to Hapma Cheonggo in the future.”
“What do you mean? What about our inn?”
“You’ll have to find another supplier.”
Nam Cho-gyeol tried to persuade him, but Son Young-nak kept repeating, “I’m sorry.”
With no options, Nam Cho-gyeol went to another shop, but it too was contracted by Hapma Cheonggo.
The two food shops in Hwasang Village had been absorbed by Hapma Cheonggo.
Nam Cho-gyeol returned empty-handed.
Sitting in the dining hall, he thought that Cheonhwabang must be behind this.
‘They said they would make me regret it, and they’re following through.’
If this continued, the inn would have to close.
He couldn’t run an inn without offering food.
At that moment, Yeon Jeokha came down for breakfast after sleeping in late.
Sangdo, already accustomed to this, served fresh vegetables and noodles without being asked.
When Yeon Jeokha started eating, Nam Cho-gyeol said:
“Hey, can you eat noodles now?”
“Why are you bothering me in the morning?”
“Do you know that Cheonhwabang is interested in my inn?”
“Yes, so?”
Yeon Jeokha had heard the conversation between Nam Cho-gyeol and Nam Su-gyeong the night before.
But since this place was no longer his inn, he didn’t care.
“They’ve taken all the supplies from Hwasang. The noodles you like will soon run out. Do you understand? We’ll have to close.”
The thought of running out of food made Yeon Jeokha frown.
He had bought the inn to have a place to sleep and eat.
But the idea of running out of food disgusted him.
“Tsk! Now that it affects you, you realize?”
“Why don’t you reach an agreement with them?”
“How was I supposed to know they’d do this? I just wanted to negotiate…”
“Did they say they would come back?”
“They’ll surely return if they want the inn.”
“Call me when they come back. I’ll deal with them.”
“Don’t be foolish. You’re not the owner of the inn. How would you deal with them?”
“Then why are you telling me? If you don’t want me to handle it or let Cheonhwabang handle it, what do you expect? Do you want to sink with the inn?”
“Tsk! You’re young, but you don’t understand. It’s not a matter of wants, but of knowing your place. I don’t want you to get hurt by getting involved.”
“Old man, do you know what that’s called?”
“Say it.”
“Have you ever heard the phrase ‘the mouse thinking about the cat’?”
“Isn’t it ‘the cat thinking about the mouse’? Don’t speak if you don’t know.”
“Damn it. Why don’t you understand me? I’m saying that you and Cheonhwabang are the mice, and I’m the cat. Don’t worry about me.”
“Maybe I’m a mouse, but that doesn’t change the fact that you need to know your place. The cat isn’t you; it’s Cheonhwabang.”
“Hah! You’re saying I’m the mouse and Cheonhwabang is the cat?”
“Exactly. So don’t get involved. Without Old Shim, no one will protect you.”
There was concern and mockery in Nam Cho-gyeol’s words.
It seemed like he was venting his frustration on the easiest target.
Yeon Jeokha slammed down his chopsticks.
“Wow! No one’s ever called me a mouse before. Old man, do you know what I hate most in the world?”
“Tsk! Young people and their insolence.”
As the conversation heated up, Sangdo and Sang-il didn’t know what to do. Even Gong Yoo came out of the kitchen to see what was happening.
“I hate kids, women, and old people. Just thinking about it makes me sick.”
“Fine. They’d hate you too.”
“This old man really…”
Yeon Jeokha clenched his fists and trembled.
He wanted to hit him, but he couldn’t. Nam Cho-gyeol was a sick old man.
If Nam Cho-gyeol were evil, he wouldn’t have hesitated, but he was just an old man.
Besides, he was the grandfather of his only friend, Nam Su-gyeong.
Just then, Nam Su-gyeong, who was checking the rooms, came downstairs in surprise.
“Grandfather? Yeon Jeokha? Why are you two fighting?”
Before Nam Cho-gyeol could say anything, Yeon Jeokha responded.
“He called me a mouse. He said I should hide without Old Shim. Wouldn’t that bother you?”
Of course, he added a few things that Nam Cho-gyeol hadn’t said.
It was common in Murim to exaggerate to provoke a fight.
Nam Cho-gyeol clutched his throat and shouted:
“Ah! That boy doesn’t stop lying. When did I call you a mouse? When did I tell you to hide? Su-gyeong, don’t believe him! Everything he says is a lie.”
“Grandfather, enough! Yeon Jeokha is my friend!”
Nam Su-gyeong, although they had only spent a day together, had already grown fond of him.
“Friend? He’s a swindler! Have you already fallen for his lies? Su-gyeong, for your deceased parents, don’t do it. Wake up!”
Nam Su-gyeong exploded:
“Who has fallen for his lies? Why are you bringing up my parents? Don’t say just anything! You could hurt someone.”
Nam Cho-gyeol calmed down when he saw his granddaughter’s tears.
Then, Nam Su-gyeong started crying uncontrollably.
Seeing his friend cry, Yeon Jeokha’s anger dissipated.
Uncomfortable, he signaled to Sangdo.
“Yes, sir.”
“Go to Kaifeng and tell the boss of Cheonhwabang to come to the inn right now.”
“To Kaifeng?”
“Yes, tell him now.”
Sangdo, stunned, looked at Nam Cho-gyeol and Nam Su-gyeong.
Yeon Jeokha said:
“Boy, Shim and I hired you. Don’t forget that.”
Nam Cho-gyeol did nothing, so Nam Su-gyeong, wiping away her tears, intervened.
“Yeon Jeokha, there’s no need for you to get involved with Cheonhwabang.”
“It’s okay. If they want the inn, we’ll have to face them sooner or later.”
Nam Su-gyeong couldn’t refute Yeon Jeokha’s logic and remained silent.
Yeon Jeokha, seeing that Sangdo was still hesitating, kicked him.
“Go now!”
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