Chapter 34
Chapter 34
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Translator: penny
Chapter: 34
Chapter Title: Even a Thorny Path is Walked When Alive (3)
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Hami was like the final gateway from the Western Regions into the Central Plains. Just three days past Hami lay the Ga-yok Pass, the direct entry to the Central Plains.
Hami was one of the largest cities beyond the borders. It had once prospered so much that a dynasty of the Yi clan had ruled there.
As soon as they entered Hami, the air changed. Up until now, it had felt somehow stuffy, but Hami's air felt much lighter and fresher. It was a sign that the Central Plains were drawing near.
Damho and Bang Jinbo entered, feeling that Hami air on their skin. Thick dust coated their hair and shoulders.
What should have taken five days had stretched to ten. But in exchange for the lost time, Bang Jinbo's complexion had improved, and he'd regained much of his former cheer.
He still grew gloomy at times, but that was something time would heal. Damho thought this was progress enough.
Bang Jinbo was obsessed with cooking. He had to taste any wild herbs or fruits that could serve as ingredients, and he insisted on preparing every meal himself. Thanks to that, the groceries they'd bought in some nameless village had long since run out.
Still, Damho didn't scold him. He knew it was Bang Jinbo's way of coping with his wounds.
"Wow! Brother, look at that."
Bang Jinbo let out a cheer as he eyed the ingredients spread out on the street stalls. True to its bustling crowds, Hami's streets overflowed with every kind of foodstuff imaginable.
Bang Jinbo couldn't tear his eyes away from the stalls, like a fish plunged into water.
"That's bamboo shoots, and this is pine mushroom pollen. Wow!"
As the son of a chef, Bang Jinbo was well-versed in all sorts of ingredients.
He bought up every one that caught his fancy. With plenty of money from Damho, he spared no expense.
Only after gathering his haul did Bang Jinbo head to an inn.
It was called the Clear River Inn, one of the larger establishments even in Hami, always teeming with people.
Inns weren't just for eating and sleeping. With so many gathered, information flowed freely. That's why traveling merchants preferred the bigger ones.
Damho didn't know much about that, but he did know larger inns meant better facilities. So he'd chosen the Clear River.
"Welcome!"
The waiter hurried over.
Bang Jinbo asked in Damho's stead.
"Got any rooms? Brother."
"We do. How many to a room?"
Bang Jinbo's friendly tone brought a smile to the waiter's face. Who wouldn't feel good being called "brother"?
"A double if you've got one."
"Lucky timing—one left. Head upstairs, follow the left corridor to the end room."
"Thanks."
"No problem!"
The waiter scratched his head.
Damho nodded approvingly at Bang Jinbo's affable demeanor.
Bang Jinbo hadn't always been this outgoing. Traveling with the taciturn Damho had instilled in him a sense of duty to make up for it.
"Brother, what about food?"
"If you're hungry, grab any open seat. I'll bring it right out."
Bang Jinbo glanced at Damho—a signal of hunger.
"Over there."
"Yes!"
The two headed to an empty spot.
It was in the farthest corner, out of most people's sight. Damho sat with his back to the wall and spoke.
"Order whatever you want."
"Yes!"
A smile lit Bang Jinbo's face.
This was the moment he'd been waiting for. He called the waiter back.
"Brother, what's the house specialty?"
"Tough call—everything's great. But if I had to pick, our Clear Steamed Lamb. It's steamed mutton with our inn's secret recipe—out of this world. Pair it with a drink, and your fatigue melts away."
"Sounds perfect. We'll have that."
"Excellent choice. Won't be long."
"Yes!"
The waiter dashed to the kitchen.
Bang Jinbo looked around the inn with curious eyes.
It was spacious inside. Over twenty tables, most full.
Some looked like merchants, others warriors with weapons. Their faces weren't bright.
"Bandits running rampant these days, huh?"
"Don't get me started. Lose your goods, sure—but your life too? Happens all the time."
"Sigh! What a disaster."
The merchants' murmurs drifted over.
Bang Jinbo's face darkened briefly. Bandits reminded him of his father. But he forced a smile soon after.
"They still don't know. That the bandits got wiped out by you, brother."
Damho nodded silently.
"Why are the bandits so bold..."
"They take the goods, fine—but why kidnap people? Beats me."
"Exactly. Sigh! Let's just pray for safe travels tomorrow."
"Have a drink."
The merchants' sighs filled the inn, weighing down the mood.
Then the waiter arrived with a tray.
"Heh heh! While you wait for the Clear Steamed Lamb, here's some stir-fried tofu and liquor as an appetizer."
"Thanks, brother. Heh heh!"
"No trouble! So..."
The waiter bowed slightly to Damho and scurried back to the kitchen.
"Brother, let me pour for you."
Bang Jinbo filled Damho's cup to the brim. Damho accepted it wordlessly.
He'd seen his master drink plenty, but never tried it himself.
When he'd once asked what it tasted like, his master said it held every emotion in the world.
Damho brought the cup to his lips.
The first sip was bitterly sharp. He couldn't fathom what his master saw in this.
The second was decent enough.
By the third, it was tolerable. But he still didn't get his master's love for it.
Damho set the cup down. It just wasn't for him.
That's when the inn door opened, and someone entered. Eyes naturally turned to the entrance.
"Hmm!"
"Ahh!"
Exclamations rose from all around. The newcomers had drawn every gaze.
One man, one woman—precisely, an old man and a young woman. But all eyes were on her.
She was a woman in her early twenties, brimming with the fresh vitality of a wild horse galloping across the plains. Tawny skin, strikingly large eyes with a faint blue tint.
That exotic beauty held people captive. She exuded a unique, vibrant allure.
As she scanned the inn, the waiter rushed over.
"Welcome, guests."
"Any rooms?"
The old man beside her asked. His face was a map of deep wrinkles, his back severely hunched—age hard to guess. But the fierce glint in his crinkled eyes belied any notion of frailty.
The waiter grew more deferential.
"Only singles and the deluxe left."
"Take the deluxe."
"For how long?"
"I'll decide while staying."
"Understood. I'll prepare it."
"You must be hungry from the road. Bring the best dishes. Price doesn't matter."
The old man pulled a small silver ingot from his robe. Sensing a big tipper, the waiter bowed deeply.
"Yes! Please sit and wait just a moment."
He hurried to the kitchen.
The old man swept the room with sharp eyes. Merchants receiving that gaze bowed hastily.
Those eyes emitted a savagery unbelievable for an elder. Instinct told the merchants he was a warrior.
Seasoned travelers themselves, they knew a woman escorted by such a man wasn't ordinary. Best not to get involved.
"Miss, this way."
The old man led her to an empty table. Coincidentally, right next to Damho and Bang Jinbo.
"Old Black, it's quite lively here."
"Hami always draws crowds. It'll be this busy everywhere."
"Is that so?"
"At least this is the best spot in Hami to stay."
"Fine. If Old Black says so."
She smiled brightly and sat. Only then did Old Black—the man she'd called that—sit.
From this, it was clear her status far outranked his.
She looked around the inn with evident interest. Even that seemed charming, her vibrant aura overflowing.
Her gaze paused at the corner table—on Damho and Bang Jinbo.
Unlike the statue-still Damho, Bang Jinbo stared at her, utterly entranced.
She smiled at him.
"Is there something on my face?"
"You're... just so pretty..."
Bang Jinbo ducked his head, red from face to neck. Her laughter bubbled at his innocence.
"Thanks! What's your name?"
"Bang Jinbo."
"Jinbo? Nice name. I'm Sim Ok."
"Sim Ok!"
"Yeah! Pretty, right?"
Sim Ok—the woman who'd named herself—tilted her nose up. It didn't seem arrogant or awkward; it suited her perfectly.
Bang Jinbo answered guilelessly.
"Yes! Very pretty."
"Ha ha! You're a fun kid."
Sim Ok burst into laughter. Old Black frowned faintly.
"Miss, mind your decorum."
"Got it, got it. But he's just too cute."
Sim Ok pouted at Old Black. It would have melted most men, but his face remained impassive.
Her eyes shifted to Damho beside Bang Jinbo. Unlike the boy's innocent stare, Damho chopsticked his food expressionlessly.
Interest flickered on Sim Ok's face.
No matter how she looked, Damho seemed an emotionless statue. Her guard Old Black was cold too, but not utterly devoid like this.
Damho and Bang Jinbo made an odd pair—yet somehow, watching them together, they fit.
That incongruity piqued her curiosity.
Sim Ok started to rise. Old Black spoke.
"Sit, miss."
"Why? You know what I'm about to do?"
"You're bothering people eating in peace."
"Tch!"
She sank back, defeated, and glared at him again.
"That face won't please the clan head."
"It's fine! Dad's not here."
"Miss!"
"Okay, okay."
Sim Ok raised her hands in surrender at Old Black's nagging.
He was her natural predator. Maybe that's why her father assigned him as guard.
The playfulness vanished from Sim Ok's face.
Her voice lowered.
"But that's the place?"
"Certain."
"I see."
Sim Ok's eyes turned icy. The mischievous girl was gone.