Chapter 228
Chapter 228
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Translator: penny
Chapter: 228
Chapter Title: Endless Revelry at the Inn
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Ha Baek gazed at Nangong Hyeok with a beaming smile plastered across his face.
He looked like he might burst into a cheerful tune any moment.
*'How long has it been?'*
It had already been enough time for the seasons to change since he left the Orthodox Heaven Alliance chasing his dreams of glory(?).
He had followed along thinking he could immediately learn the secret formula for that divine medicine called the Golden Immortal Pill, but all he had done in the meantime was plow fields and plant rice seedlings.
He was a man with a mission.
Something like advancing the alchemy techniques left by his master and using superior pill-making and medical arts to benefit the masses.
That was what he believed to be his calling.
But far from honing his medical skills in the Nangong Family, all he had gained was muscle.
Behold.
These bulging biceps and cracked triceps.
Was this the body of a physician?
And the culprit who had thrown him into manual labor to build this body was standing right before his eyes.
Then, items began piling up on the table one after another.
"Ah, no, this is...?"
Ha Baek gaped at the objects appearing on the table.
Containers of all shapes and sizes, intricately engraved with ornate decorations, stacked up with resounding thuds.
Each time a lid was lifted, a dizzying medicinal aroma wafted through the air, tickling his nose.
Ha Baek was stunned by the fragrant, profound scent of the medicines.
Not a single one of the items looked ordinary.
Staring at over thirty varieties of spirit elixirs, it felt as if all the spirit medicines of the world had gathered here.
*‘...A-all top-grade. There are even rare ones hard to find in the Orthodox Heaven Alliance! Heavens, where on earth did he procure all this?!’*
Just as a martial artist might lose his mind at the sight of supreme techniques, Ha Baek's eyes were practically rolling back as he beheld the elixirs.
"Th-these are all materials for the Golden Immortal Pill...?"
"What nonsense? No way something this shoddy could be used for the Golden Immortal Pill."
"...Sh-shoddy?"
"Stuff like this would dilute the pill's potency. Tsk!"
At Nangong Hyeok's tongue-clicking, Ha Baek closed his gaping mouth.
It was a given from Nangong Hyeok's perspective.
He had developed an eye for such things from an era when spirit elixirs flowed abundantly.
And truthfully, compared to the actual ingredients that went into the Golden Immortal Pill, these were laughably inferior.
That was why Ha Baek could accept it.
Even the incomplete Golden Immortal Pill had let him glimpse the realm beyond the heavens.
A item one could liken to the 'entering divinity' stage in martial arts terms.
Something like that couldn't possibly contain these ordinary(?) spirit elixirs.
"Then why these?"
Nangong Hyeok spread the items out haphazardly as he spoke.
"Try refining some spirit pills with these."
"Pardon?"
"For the underlings to take. Sigh, these won't do anything for me anyway."
"Th-these?"
"And I need to check your skills, don't I?"
Right, he hadn't shown his skills yet.
Ha Baek let out an absurd chuckle.
*'Even so, just giving them away like this.'*
Nangong Hyeok's generosity seemed extraordinary anew, handing out medicines so precious even a three-year-old could chew them for eternal health without a second thought.
*'But he doesn't take spirit elixirs?'*
During his time in the Nangong Family, he had heard rumors about Nangong Hyeok.
That due to his Nine Yin Severed Meridians, he had been raised on spirit elixirs since childhood.
*'Does tolerance build to spirit elixirs too?'*
The more he learned, the more mysterious Nangong Hyeok became.
Ha Baek asked cautiously.
"Then when do we start on the Golden Immortal Pill...?"
"Heavens, you're trying to run before you can walk?"
"...N-no, I just thought studying ahead might help. I swear! It's not for selfish reasons."
"Stop swallowing like you're drooling and talk."
"......"
Ha Baek clamped his mouth shut.
Nangong Hyeok shook his hands dismissively.
"I'm more anxious than you about the Golden Immortal Pill, so just sit tight."
"Y-yes."
"I'm dying to try it myself soon too. Have some patience, you fool."
*How could words flip like that?*
Ignoring Ha Baek's dazed expression, Nangong Hyeok grumbled as he rose from his seat.
"Where are you going?"
"Pretty much done organizing. Time to rest a bit."
"Pardon?"
"Off for a drink."
Ha Baek nodded as he watched Nangong Hyeok leave the room.
*'That's the Nine Yin Severed Meridians?'*
Looking at Nangong Hyeok's flushed complexion and overflowing vitality, Ha Baek wondered if he had misunderstood the condition entirely.
*'Is that plain or just eccentric?'*
"Who cares! As long as I learn alchemy!"
His gaze turned to the elixirs on the table.
"I'll make some fantastic spirit medicines!"
His mouth curved up to his ears at the thought of refining pills after so long.
It was the first fulfilling day since arriving at the Nangong Family.
* * *
The innkeeper Wang of the Wind and Cloud Inn widened his eyes at the group entering all at once.
"Th-those people!"
Anyone from Hefei in Anhui Province would recognize them now—they were filing into the Wind and Cloud Inn.
A frail-looking youth in his twenties clad in black robes and a robust youth with eyes bulging wide.
Behind them, fierce men in blue martial garb!
"No way! Why would the Nangong Family's young masters visit such a humble place!"
Wang rushed breathlessly toward Nangong Hyeok.
Geum Cheom-sang stepped forward and asked Wang,
"Got any seats?"
"O-of course! We can make room—this floor and the third too!"
"Good. Everywhere else is full."
"Hahaha! No worries, head right up. Haeng-chu! Guide them quickly!"
At Wang's call, the waiter Haeng-chu ran over and led Nangong Hyeok's group to the second floor.
Geum Cheom-sang whispered to Nangong Hyeok,
"Why come here instead of Heavenly Abode Tower?"
"What is this place?"
"One of Hefei's inns, of course."
"Isn't it One Line Association territory? The One Line Association."
"......"
"You have to show your face often in areas you manage. Don't you know how to win hearts?"
*Why does the young master have to win them over?*
Geum Cheom-sang swallowed the retort and bowed his head.
Nangong Hyeok added,
"Plus, the liquor here's decent."
"When did you even scout that?"
"I've come plenty."
"Y-yes."
"Order the drinks right away."
"......Y-yes."
Regardless of Geum Cheom-sang's pout, Nangong Hyeok chuckled.
Soon, liquor and food arrived, and Nangong Hyeok lifted a bottle.
"We worked, so let's drink!"
"Yes!"
"Kahaha, pour more!"
The Thunder Dragon Squad raised their cups amid raucous cheers.
In an instant, the drinking party ignited with lively clamor.
Nangong Hyeok chuckled as he poured Chaos Brew and scanned the seated group.
The Thunder Dragon Squad was already in high spirits, while Nangong Ryong quietly sipped his drink.
In one corner, the Peng siblings, So Hye-yeon, and So Geol-gae were exchanging cups.
Hm?
A beggar?
"Hey, why are you here?"
It was so natural he almost missed it.
So Geol-gae flinched, then grinned sheepishly.
"I-I'm the liaison, aren't I? It's convenient for me to stick near you, Young Master..."
"Liaison?"
"......The Beggars' Clan never forgets a favor! I stayed only to repay it. Ahem!"
So Geol-gae slinked to the edge of the Thunder Dragon Squad's cluster.
No point drawing attention and risking indigestion.
Nangong Hyeok let out a hollow laugh at So Geol-gae retreating to a corner with his cup of Chaos Brew.
"Beggars sure are shameless."
"That's why they're beggars, right?"
"Exactly."
"But what happened with Young Master Peng?"
"What do you mean?"
"He was running wild earlier, over there."
At Geum Cheom-sang's words, he turned to look.
Gulp gulp!
"Keuugh."
Paeng Jung-hyeok was downing his cup furiously and wiping his mouth.
His half-lidded eyes brimmed with some resentment...
"What's up with that guy?"
"No idea. He's been like that the whole way back after meeting Clan Head Peng."
"Homesick?"
"Nah, no way."
As Geum Cheom-sang said, Paeng Jung-hyeok had been in this state ever since his father Paeng Cheon-wi told him not to return home.
The two ignorant of the truth merely guessed at homesickness or adolescence.
Paeng Jung-hyeok drowned his sorrow, gulping cup after cup.
*'Damn it! I didn't do anything wrong, so why the punishment! This is exile!'*
With the Northern Peng Clan blocking his return, Paeng Jung-hyeok was stuck living in the Nangong Family for the foreseeable future.
Even a beggar had a place to go back to if chased out, but he would just get booted back to the Nangong Family.
*'Suck it up and come back? Yeah, I'll suck it right up. Slurp slurp!'*
Gulp gulp!
Paeng Jung-hyeok tossed back cups like bitter medicine.
Since he couldn't go back anyway, he'd enjoy it to the max, leech off Nangong Hyeok, snag the King of Kings Chronicles, and return in glory!
*'Damn! To think my only hope is Nangong Hyeok!'*
The thought left him bitter once more.
Beside him, So Hye-yeon sipped her cup with sparkling eyes.
She matched every round Nangong Hyeok and the Thunder Dragon Squad led.
The boisterous drinking party stretched late into the night.
* * *
Haeng-chu, the waiter at the Wind and Cloud Inn, grinned broadly.
"Never dreamed I'd see Radiant Dragon Nangong Hyeok, hehe!"
Wang nodded vigorously.
"Right? With so many inns, who knew they'd pick ours."
"Did you see Young Master Nangong Ryong? Never seen anyone so handsome in my life. At first I only had eyes for Young Master Hyeok, but later it was just Ryong."
"Ahem! Thanks to them, yesterday's sales spiked."
Wang chuckled heartily.
"Those heroes drank so boldly! Stacking liquor towers I'd never seen before, even Chaos Brew."
"They really drank till dawn."
"Man, they're so cool. Wow, Nangong Family warriors—I've only heard tales..."
"Why didn't you get an autograph?"
"Ah, I didn't think of it!"
"Next time they come, snag a few for the shop. For promotion later!"
"Yes!"
Wang and Haeng-chu laughed as they prepared for the evening rush—when
Rumble rumble!
"Huh?"
"Nangong Family!"
Wang and Haeng-chu were shocked to see Nangong Hyeok, Nangong Ryong, and the Thunder Dragon Squad warriors returning.
The exalted Nangong Family gracing their inn two days in a row was unbelievable.
Geum Cheom-sang approached.
"Second floor free?"
"Yes!"
"Prepare it like yesterday!"
"Of course!"
Wang and Haeng-chu dazedly guided the Nangong warriors.
Soon, another drinking party erupted on the second floor.
"Man, wonders never cease. Nangong warriors two nights straight."
"R-right? Wow! Drinking even more than yesterday?"
"Add fruit platters, and get an autograph."
"Yes, sir!"
Wang and Haeng-chu served the Nangong warriors with utmost care.
Only at dawn did the group finally depart.
Wang and Haeng-chu, weary but proud, nodded and closed up shop.
The next morning passed, and on the third evening's eve,
Haeng-chu glanced outside and rounded his eyes.
"Brother Nangong Hyeok's back?"
"What? Again? Three days straight?"
"Y-yes."
The two stared dumbfounded at the entering Nangong warriors.
"Give them the VIP treatment!"
"Yes, sir!"
"Heh, heh. Fine, Nangong Family as regulars? Overtime's worth it!"
*With how much liquor they down daily, this is nothing.*
Wang thought inwardly and began entertaining Nangong Hyeok, his brother, and the Thunder Dragon Squad lavishly once more.
"Drink up today too!"
"Yeah!"
"Start with Seven-Color Chaos Brew!"
"Show some spirit!"
"Wooo!"
The second floor erupted in noise, liquor jars and dishes endlessly ferried up.
The raucous party ended only at dawn again.
Wang let out a hollow laugh at the chaotic second floor.
"Heh, heheheh."
It felt good, yet oddly hollow...
Exhausted, he wrapped up with Haeng-chu.
Half a month passed.
Haeng-chu sighed deeply at the approaching Nangong warriors.
"...Fuck, Hyeok's here again."
"We're screwed. Overtime tonight too!"
After nearly twenty days of dawn closings, Wang and Haeng-chu, haggard, greeted the arrivals.
Nangong Hyeok called to Wang.
"Innkeeper."
"Yes, Young Master! What is it?"
"We'll drink longer than yesterday, so double up. Got it?"
Then he slipped straight to the second floor.
Wang's face twisted.
"F-fuck, we're screwed."
"Why don't those bastards know moderation?!"
"...Fucking Radiant Dragon brat."
Wang and Haeng-chu's faces paled.