8. There is a possibility of being displeased.
Chae-hyang suddenly saw blood tears flowing from Cha Seong-tae's eyes and felt a lump in her throat.
Excluding the owner of the Gi-ru, Cha Seong-tae was the most fearsome man.
With blood flowing from his eyes and kneeling down, it was only natural to feel fear.
When I extended my empty cup, Chae-hyang filled it with two-gang liquor with trembling hands.
"Chae-hyang."
"Yes."
I deliberately smiled warmly and said, "Even Jeom-soi has pure feelings."
Cha Seong-tae glared at Chae-hyang as if to tell her to answer properly.
Believing that everything would be resolved when Ru-ju arrived, Chae-hyang nodded and replied, "Yes."
I wiped the smile off my face and responded, "But that pure feeling has never been directed at you. Now you understand, right? Since the taste of the liquor has dropped, you should leave."
Chae-hyang looked at me with wide eyes and then glanced at Cha Seong-tae, wondering if it was really okay to leave.
Cha Seong-tae nodded as if to tell her to go.
Still, when Chae-hyang did not get up, I ordered again, "Leave."
Only then did Chae-hyang stand up and dash out into the hallway.
Having never heard such harsh words in her life, she struggled to hold back her tears.
As soon as she turned into the hallway, she burst into tears.
I looked at Cha Seong-tae and said, "This is the problem with kids who live by their looks. They think crying will solve everything. Am I right or not?"
Cha Seong-tae replied, "That's true."
I spoke to Cha Seong-tae, who was carelessly using informal speech, "Don't speak informally to me anymore."
"......"
"That torn look of yours makes it uncomfortable to hear informal speech."
Cha Seong-tae stammered slightly, "Ah, yes. Please go ahead."
"Do you think the situation will be resolved when Ru-ju comes? Or will Ru-ju also kneel beside you?"
"Both Ru-ju and the two brothers have considerable martial skills, so honestly, I don't know. Of course, since this is a problem with Mae-hwa-ru, only Ru-ju Jo Ik-gyeol will come. It seems that the Ru-ju have been busy entertaining the Heuk-myo-bang lately."
"You are quite good at using honorifics."
"Thank you."
"Did you entertain the Heuk-myo-bang?"
"Yes, soon a branch of Heuk-myo-bang will be established in Il-yang-hyeon with their permission. So, if such bad news spreads right after the branch is established, it is likely that Heuk-myo-bang will be displeased, very displeased. Relationships can be quite complicated like this."
"Displeased?"
"Yes."
"They shouldn't be displeased. So what you're saying is that even if I subdue Ru-ju, the problem I caused will be resolved by Heuk-myo-bang. Is that what you're saying?"
Cha Seong-tae nodded honestly.
"That's right. Heuk-myo-bang is not a branch that the rough men of Il-yang-hyeon can handle all at once, right?"
"So what do you want to do? You bastard. Should we drink a reconciliation drink when Ru-ju comes and go back? Will that solve the problem?"
"That wouldn't work. Then what will you do?"
"The Jo family should come under me."
"That might be... impossible, right? They are likely to be very displeased."
"I will create a sect in Il-yang-hyeon, so you all can come under me. The name of the sect for those who were in Gi-ru will be Gyeongsaengmun, shortened to Saengmun. It means that all the crazy bastards of Il-yang-hyeon should be reborn like me."
Cha Seong-tae nodded as if he agreed.
"That sounds good. Rebirth is indeed necessary. And congratulations on your rebirth."
"Seong-tae."
"Yes?"
"Is Ru-ju a bit late?"
"Indeed. As I mentioned, if he is entertaining the masters of Heuk-myo-bang at Ihwa-ru, it will be difficult for him to come immediately. They are important guests."
After drinking a glass of two-gang liquor, I stood up and looked down at Cha Seong-tae.
"Tell the Ru-ju. If they all come under me, I will spare their lives. Of course, my words may sound like nonsense, so there is no chance they will believe it. But I must give them a chance. Tell them to come to Jaha Guesthouse anytime, and I will entertain them. And..."
I was also thinking of giving Cha Seong-tae a chance.
"Think carefully. If you think Heuk-myo-bang will win, then stand by Ru-ju and fight again. If not, then rebirth as I said. I enjoyed the fine two-gang liquor. It’s on credit."
"Can you wait a little longer?"
"Do you think I will run away?"
Cha Seong-tae nodded.
"Yes."
I kicked Cha Seong-tae's face and sent him flying to the corner.
"You have a talent for earning a beating."
I pointed at Cha Seong-tae with my finger.
"A man should know how to earn a beating too. See you again."
Cha Seong-tae replied while touching his face, "Take care. I will put it on the credit ledger."
"Put it on or not, I don't care."
After all, the entire Il-yang-hyeon would come under me, so I had no need to worry about whether my name was on the credit ledger or not.
As I walked down the hallway, people stepped aside.
Even though they had already moved aside, I wanted to say something like this at least once.
"Step aside, you scoundrels."
When I reached the first floor after going down the stairs, the doorman, who had fainted first, seemed to have not grasped the situation and cursed at me as soon as he saw me.
"Hey, you bastard!"
I slapped the doorman's cheek as I passed by.
With a loud smack, the doorman crashed into the wall and fell down, and I said to the others, "Explain it to him. He got hit again. Fainted and then fainted again. These heartless bastards."
I paused at the entrance and looked around at those working in Mae-hwa-ru.
In an instant, the entire Mae-hwa-ru became silent.
I waved my hand once and said in a blunt tone, "Jeom-soi, I had a good time."
As I turned around, a barrage of curses formed from behind, completed with gestures.
If you curse, it is only natural to be cursed back.
I left Mae-hwa-ru without caring and stretched my body.
I didn't feel bad.
Curses are curses, jokes are jokes, and serious words are serious words.
Naturally, a mountain is a mountain, and water is water.
One must distinguish meanings well to avoid such occurrences.
Of course, the Jo brothers, who run Mae-hwa-ru, Ihwa-ru, and Si-hwa-ru, would still not take serious words seriously.
Gi-ru was not originally their family business.
Il-yang-hyeon was a chaotic place, and the Jo brothers had taken Gi-ru by force in the past.
Therefore, the ears of those who were wary of challengers would likely hear reports from their subordinates as if they were jokes.
"There was an incident at Mae-hwa-ru. But it was Jeom-soi who came alone and caused a huge commotion."
"Who is Jeom-soi?"
"That Jeom-soi from Jaha Guesthouse."
"Jaha Guesthouse? Are you kidding me?"
I imagined that this kind of conversation would happen when the report went up.
While walking, I suddenly took out the sickle I had tucked into my waist and looked at it.
The Jo brothers might think they could handle me with this shabby sickle, but it would be inefficient to face Heuk-myo-bang later with just this one sickle.
I needed to visit Yongdu Iron Workshop.
Yongdu Iron Workshop was a forge that could create handles shaped like dragon heads.
It was a strange forge that seemed to care more about making dragon head handles than making good weapons.
A place that made weapons with better handles than blades.
Yongdu Iron Workshop was a forge soaked in pretense rather than practicality.
Therefore, the weapons produced by Yongdu Iron Workshop had somewhat excessive names compared to their quality.
White Dragon Sword, Blue Dragon Knife, Black Dragon Whip, Twin Dragon Sickle.
They sold them all with the name "dragon" attached.
Just hearing the names, they seemed like weapons that would suit the top ten masters of the martial world.
Thanks to that, when fights broke out around Il-yang-hyeon, dragons would be rampant everywhere.
The White Dragon Sword would cut through the wind, the Blue Dragon Knife would bounce off the moonlight and fall, and the Black Dragon Whip would separate flesh and blood in my hometown.
In reality, they were just fools.
I took out the money I had hidden near the furnace of Jaha Guesthouse and moved to Yongdu Iron Workshop.
Even if my martial arts were strong, it was proper ethics to pay fairly for such transactions.
I am a normal person like this.
"Welcome... Jaha Guesthouse?"
"Did you come to collect a debt? Did we have any debts?"
Jeom-soi was met with questioning glances from everywhere about why he had come to the iron workshop.
I looked around Yongdu Iron Workshop and said, "I came to buy weapons."
"What weapons? Ah, did you come to buy a sickle? Our sickles are a bit expensive."
I pondered for a moment, crossing my arms, to come up with a short answer that would convince them.
"I plan to deal with the Jo family, so I need to buy a few weapons."
"Suddenly?"
As the workers of Yongdu Iron Workshop looked at each other in confusion, the deputy owner, Gwak Yong-gae, spoke up.
"Hey, young friend. It's your freedom to go to war, but can you handle it alone? By the way, I heard you got hit; don't recklessly throw away your precious life in a fit of anger. I really liked the Gyeoduk noodles your grandfather made. I haven't been back since you started cooking, as your cooking skills are terrible."
"This is not the time to discuss Gyeoduk noodles."
Gwak Yong-gae was picking a fight with the guests.
"What else would I discuss if not the taste of Jeom-soi's noodles?"
I pulled out the pouch from my chest.
"Shut up. I brought enough money, so show me the weapons."
"What exactly are you buying?"
I replied while counting on my fingers.
"A light sword, a sturdy whip, and a reasonably sharp dagger should be enough. Do you have something like the Blue Dragon Halberd?"
Since I couldn't get my main weapons right away, I was only looking to acquire temporary weapons.
Deputy owner Gwak Yong-gae scratched his head.
"Are you going to use all of that?"
"Respect my preferences."
Gwak Yong-gae snapped his fingers at his subordinates and ordered, "Go get the White Dragon Sword, Black Dragon Whip, and Yun-ryong Dagger. Don't look for the Blue Dragon Halberd since we don't have it."
The subordinates of Yongdu Iron Workshop replied to the deputy owner's orders.
"Understood."
Gwak Yong-gae said, "In this rural town, there is no one who can handle the Blue Dragon Halberd, so we didn't make it. Please understand."
That was disappointing news.
"Ah, the Blue Dragon Halberd is a really cool weapon. Don't you have the Long-Handled Sabre?"
"I told you we don't have it."
"What about the Fang Tian Hua Ji?"
"Anyway, we don't have such weapons, so stop asking. You should be reasonable."
Deputy owner Gwak Yong-gae stroked his beard and looked me up and down.
"By the way, how old are you this year?"
"I'm over twenty."
"I'm well over thirty; are you going to keep talking so cheekily?"
I rolled up my sleeves.
"If you have a complaint, let's settle it once."
Gwak Yong-gae waved his hand.
"No, I can't beat up innocent Jeom-soi too."
"You are a gentleman."
As the subordinates who had gathered the weapons came out in a line, Gwak Yong-gae said, "Take a look."
"I'm busy, so I'll just buy them all."
"Hmm, just give me ninety nyang."
"Are you crazy? That's too expensive."
"I gave you a big discount because you're from the village."
I continued to haggle with my arms crossed.
"Then let's do this. Lend them to me. All for fifty nyang."
"Lend? What are you talking about?"
"I mean I'll use them and return them."
"Ha, that's just highway robbery."
"I'm saying I'll return them after the war; what kind of robbery is that?"
At that moment, as strange conversations were heard from outside, the owner of Yongdu Iron Workshop, Kim Cheol-yong, appeared.
Kim Cheol-yong was a sharp-eyed man, and it was clear from his name and appearance that he was the owner of the iron workshop.
The dragon and iron of Yongdu Iron Workshop were named after this man.
"What kind of commotion is this?" It seemed that even with pretense, time had its own charm, and he had a certain atmosphere about him.
Everyone, including Gwak Yong-gae, slightly bowed their heads toward Kim Cheol-yong.
"Big brother, this young friend says he wants to go to war with the Jo brothers."
Kim Cheol-yong looked at me.
"War?"
"Yes, and he wants to take all these weapons. However, he says he lacks the money to buy them, so what should we do?"
It seemed that Kim Cheol-yong finally remembered who I was.
"Now that you mention it, aren't you the grandson of Jaha Guesthouse?"
"Uncle Kim, it's been a while."
Kim Cheol-yong sighed and spoke in a serious tone.
"I used to really like the Gyeoduk noodles your grandfather made. Your cooking skills are terrible. What did you learn from your grandfather? You lack both skill and sincerity. That's why Jaha Guesthouse is going downhill, in my conclusion."
I sighed and crossed my arms.
"Your grandfather's Gyeoduk noodles were indeed delicious. I will admit that. However, I did not come here to talk about Gyeoduk noodles today, so let's keep it appropriate."
Gwak Yong-gae spoke to Kim Cheol-yong.
"Brother, I mentioned the Gyeoduk noodles earlier."
Kim Cheol-yong nodded.
"Good job. By the way, I smell blood from your waist; have you already had a scuffle?"
I couldn't help but look at Kim Cheol-yong of Yongdu Iron Workshop again.
This man, he was sharp as a tack?