Heavenly Inquisition Sword Novel - Chapter 199
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Chapter 199. Do You Think Anyone Can Rejuvenate?
After Shim Tong dragged Nok Dampyeong out, Yeon Jeokha sat on his favorite rock by the river.
The murky river water had swallowed the two men, flowing undisturbed as if nothing had happened. Though he had no intention of letting them live, their sudden death left Yeon Jeokha with a strange feeling.
That same oddness likely stunned Nok Dampyeong after being struck.
“Old Shim.”
“Yes.”
Shim Tong, who had been scolding him, quickly ran to Yeon Jeokha’s side.
“Last night, I had a disturbing dream. I want you to check if something has happened to my brothers.”
“Should I check only on the Ten Heroes of the Five Peaks? Or also…?”
Shim Tong glanced at Yeon Jeokha sideways.
The crafty Shim Tong didn’t want to merely scratch the surface. Honestly, the members of the Namgung Family were in greater danger than those working in the Chamber of Commerce.
He wished to prevent the sensitive Yeon Jeokha from suffering the loss of someone close.
“Do you think something has happened to the Namgung Family? There are many Great Swordmasters in the Justice Alliance.”
“Yes, but those from the Yoomyung Cult are quite peculiar.”
After all, even the Demon Warriors were powerful enough to easily surpass the masters of the Seven Great Sects.
“Since when have you cared more about the Namgung Family than Nokrim? Since when do you care more about justice than our own people?”
“Of course not! I don’t want to be misunderstood. The enemies of the Ten Heroes of the Five Peaks are just small sects, but the Namgung Family’s enemies are the Yoomyung Cult. I’m concerned because I don’t want the young master to face more troubles.”
“Is it that you’re itching to go out and fight?”
“Hehe, maybe a little.”
Shim Tong scratched his head, feeling a bit embarrassed. Practicing martial arts and being confined to the river was unbearable for him.
“Tsk! At least make sure you can face the Demon Warriors before going out to fight. I don’t want to have to clean up after your mess.”
“Right now, I wouldn’t have trouble with the Demon Warriors. Only the demons worry me a bit.”
“A bit? When you see a demon, you run away.”
Shim Tong grimaced in protest.
“Young Master, honestly, even the leaders of the Seven Great Sects would flee from demons. I’m pretty sure my skill is decent.”
“Alright then, use that ‘decent’ skill to check if our brothers are okay. News from the Justice Alliance will reach us here anyway, so you don’t need to worry about them.”
“Ah, that makes sense.”
Shim Tong nodded.
It was true that he could get enough information about the Alliance just by listening to conversations at the inn. At times like this, he thought that running an inn was a brilliant strategy. He could sit and listen to the world’s news without moving.
At siesta time (1 PM), Yeon Jeokha and Shim Tong got up and headed to the inn. Shim Tong’s eyes sparkled when he heard someone shouting inside.
“Hehe. Young Master, it seems some fool is causing trouble in the inn.”
Although the Sambobang (Clan Sambo) and Cheonhwabang groups had withdrawn, there were still local thugs who occasionally caused trouble at the inn.
Shim Tong, already feeling irritated, saw this as a good opportunity.
“Don’t kill them or leave them crippled. Subcommander Cheon Yangji of the Provincial Magistrate said the Governor’s Office is keeping an eye on our inn. If we cause trouble, we might have to return to the Five Peaks Mountain.”
Regardless of whether one belonged to a righteous sect or an evil sect, confronting the authorities complicated life. Yeon Jeokha didn’t want to give up his recent lifestyle at the inn.
“Don’t worry. I don’t kill just anyone. I only kill those who really deserve it.”
“I know. The problem is that there are too many who ‘really deserve it.’ You should calm your temper. Should I, a young man, tell an elder to control his temper? Don’t you think there’s something odd about that?”
“You’re too kind, young master.”
“Don’t say that in front of others. A few days ago, a merchant called me a ‘demon’ while I was eating. I let it slide because he was a customer.”
“What?! Who said that? From which Chamber of Commerce? I’ll go and ruin his business.”
“Do you think they’d say that if they knew who I was? They were talking about Zhengzhou among themselves. So, please don’t say things like ‘kind’ or ‘sensitive.’ I blush just thinking about it.”
When he had told Nok Dampyeong he had a ‘kind’ heart, he had felt embarrassed. Nok Dampyeong couldn’t even look him in the eye normally, and now, after the swindlers’ deaths, he didn’t dare breathe loudly. To him, Yeon Jeokha must have seemed like an angel of death.
An angel of death with a ‘sensitive’ heart was an oxymoron.
Meanwhile, the commotion inside the inn only increased. Finally, Shim Tong, with his white hair but full of energy, entered the inn.
He dragged a well-dressed man out of the inn and disappeared with him.
Yeon Jeokha entered the inn and called out to Sangdo, who was near the window.
“Yes, young master.”
“Who was causing trouble?”
“He said his father is the Magistrate of Kaifeng, but surely that’s a lie, right?”
Yeon Jeokha frowned.
The Magistrate is in charge of justice and supervision in the city, a high-ranking official of the third rank. He was the superior of Subcommander Cheon Yangji.
“Why was he causing trouble?”
“At first, he was bothering Miss Nam.”
“Bothering?”
“Yes, he harassed her for a good while. Must have been like an hour. When Miss Nam didn’t respond, he started touching her backside and laughing.”
“Bastard…”
“When Miss Nam complained, he started shouting that he found hair in his soup.”
“He didn’t have any companions?”
“No. He was alone, so he can’t be the Magistrate’s son, right?”
Yeon Jeokha chuckled.
It was clear that Sangdo was quite worried about the possibility of him being the Magistrate’s son.
About thirty minutes later, Shim Tong returned, shaking his hands. He sat in front of Yeon Jeokha with a calm expression.
“You didn’t kill him, right?”
“Oh, no! I left him on the road to Kaifeng.”
“How much did you beat him?”
“Not much. He got defiant, so I just broke his arms. I didn’t touch his legs so he could go home.”
He had broken his arms.
Although it wasn’t too severe by Shim Tong’s standards, it was still concerning.
“Didn’t he say he was the Magistrate’s son?”
“Yes, he did. He shouted that he was the eldest son. Most of those who talk about their lineage are lying, so I knocked out his teeth. After that, he stopped spouting nonsense.”
“You knocked out his teeth too?”
“I think I also lowered his nose a bit. In this world, that’s just a joke.”
Shim Tong replied calmly as he picked up his chopsticks.
Among the Nokrim warriors, breaking arms and noses was common.
A few years ago, a certain Baek Gyo had confronted Yeon Jeokha and ended up disfigured.
‘I wonder what he’s up to these days?’
Shim Tong suddenly wondered about Baek Gyo’s whereabouts.
It wasn’t out of concern but because he wanted to boast about his achievements.
“What if he really was the Magistrate’s son?”
“A Magistrate’s son wandering alone? I don’t think so.”
Shim Tong had an expression of disbelief.
Indeed, a Magistrate’s son should have bodyguards.
“Are you sure?”
Yeon Jeokha decided to trust Shim Tong’s judgment, who had more experience.
“Who am I? With just a glance, I can tell if someone’s a thug or a rich man’s son. His father must be the leader of some store in the Chamber of Commerce.”
“His clothes looked quite luxurious.”
“Those kids who rely on their parents’ wealth and act out need to be beaten to learn.”
“I just want to make sure, you didn’t take any money from him, right?”
“I took a little as compensation. After all, I took him halfway to Kaifeng.”
“So you broke his arms, knocked out his teeth, lowered his nose, and also took money from him.”
“I only did what you taught me.”
“I taught you that?”
“Come on, why are you surprised? You also collected after beating someone.”
“What nonsense are you talking about? I only asked for compensation for damages! I never took money as ‘compensation’ after beating someone.”
Yeon Jeokha became agitated.
He had demanded compensation when his carriage was destroyed, but he had never asked for money on his own.
Shim Tong spoke as if it were no big deal.
“Compensation, ‘compensation,’ it’s the same. I have to save up to open my own tavern.”
“Old fool! You can’t beat a customer, break their bones, and take their money. What will happen if our inn’s reputation is ruined and we lose customers? Do you think this is the Five Peaks Mountain?”
When Yeon Jeokha raised his voice, Nam Su-gyeong hurried over.
“Young Master Yeon, I don’t know what’s happening, but please lower your voice. Why are you so angry?”
“This old man dragged that troublesome customer out and…”
Yeon Jeokha couldn’t finish the sentence, so he just said, “beat him.”
Nam Su-gyeong was startled to hear that.
“Oh! Really? Senior Shim, I know that man was troublesome, but he was our customer.”
“Customer? We don’t need customers like him.”
Nam Su-gyeong couldn’t refute, knowing that what Shim Tong did was for her sake.
That man had crossed the line. What had started as slight flirting had turned into vulgar behavior.
If her grandfather had been there, he probably would have had a meltdown.
After a moment of hesitation, Nam Su-gyeong returned to her place.
Yeon Jeokha shot Shim Tong a warning look before continuing to eat.
After all, things happen for a reason.
Though Shim Tong had been a bit excessive, recalling the man’s actions, Yeon Jeokha couldn’t entirely blame him.
As he ate in silence, Yeon Jeokha looked up.
“Old Shim.”
“Yes?”
“Don’t take ‘compensation’ in the future. We’re not bandits.”
“And is compensation for damages okay?”
Yeon Jeokha held his head in his hands.
He couldn’t tell if Shim Tong was doing it on purpose or if he really didn’t understand.
“Ay! If someone causes us damage, of course, we’ll ask for compensation. But don’t ask for ‘compensation’ like we’re bandits. Breaking someone’s bones and then asking for money is only something that would work in the Five Peaks Mountain.”
“I understand. I’ll do as you say.”
Yeon Jeokha lowered his head, resigned.
Shim Tong hadn’t said he wouldn’t do it, only that he would do it as he said.
“Don’t try too hard to save money. If you need more to open your tavern, I can help.”
Yeon Jeokha tried to persuade him gently.
It was better than the old man causing trouble trying to save money.
Given his age, recovering the borrowed money wouldn’t be so difficult.
“It’s alright. I’m not in a rush.”
“Are you sure? At your age, you might not live long enough to open your tavern.”
“Hehe. I’m thinking about rejuvenating.”
“Rejuvenating?”
“I’ve heard that upon reaching certain levels, one can become younger. It might be my imagination, but I’ve seen some new black hairs lately.”
“That can’t be. Do you think anyone can rejuvenate?”
Even so, Yeon Jeokha carefully observed Shim Tong’s hair.
If it seemed like he really was going to rejuvenate, he would never lend him money.
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