Chapter 49
Chapter 49
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Translator: penny
Chapter: 49
Chapter Title: How Much Will You Pay?
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Tap, tap, tap, tap!
Ha Taegon crunched on his nails with his teeth, sneaking glances outside.
He stomped his feet so hard the ground shook, rolling his eyes frantically.
How long had he been like that?
Whoosh!
Up he sprang!
The door burst open, and Ha Taegon leaped to his feet.
“What’s the situation? What the hell is that bastard doing?!”
The subordinate who’d been scouting the Silver Phantom Ranch flinched in surprise.
After a brief hesitation, the man swallowed hard and answered quickly.
“……He’s drinking.”
“Booze?”
Booze?!
Drinking booze at a time like this?
Has this bastard lost his damn mind?!
“He’s just sitting there calmly chugging booze? Fine, anything else?”
“……He’s drinking.”
“There’s no way he’s been pounding booze for three straight days!”
“He’s been drinking for three straight days.”
“……What?”
“He’s been sitting in that same spot for three days, drinking nothing but booze.”
Ha Taegon’s jaw dropped, then snapped shut.
He scowled.
“……Didn’t you say that bastard has Nine Yin Severed Meridians?”
“Yes, from what I’ve heard…….”
“Even a healthy guy like me couldn’t chug booze for three days straight without a break, but he’s going at it nonstop?”
“Yes.”
Is that even possible……?
Ha Taegon’s eyebrows twitched, then curved sharply in fury.
“……So you’re saying that bastard has zero intention of ever getting off his ass?”
What an absolute lunatic.
A warrior sent on clan business to lay out a booze spread?
He’d known something was off from their first conversation, but he hadn’t realized the guy was this deranged.
The subordinate’s face hardened as he voiced his concern.
“He seems dead set on it. Doesn’t look like he’s given a single thought to the bandit subjugation.”
“This rotten son of a bitch!”
“Sect Leader, what do we do now? We can’t execute our plan if he won’t budge.”
“Urgh!”
At this rate, forget chopping off Namgung Hyeok’s head—they’d just end up watching him drink.
They needed to lure Namgung Hyeok into a trap to smash the back of his skull or slit his throat.
“……The costs to maintain the bandit lair are piling up. You need to wrap this up quick.”
“I know that!”
Ha Taegon grimaced and clenched his fist tight.
Even a makeshift bandit lair required expenses to keep up appearances.
But the real problem lay elsewhere.
‘If this drags on, Elder Namgung Baek won’t sit idle.’
He dreaded the fallout from failing the task Namgung Baek had assigned.
Losing trust was one thing, but it could uproot the very foundations of the Heaven-Earth Sect.
Namgung Baek had that kind of power, and from his usual temperament, he was more than capable of it.
“……No choice. I’ll go see him myself.”
“Pardon? What’s your plan?”
“Drag him out somehow! He’s not gonna sit there guzzling booze for a year or ten! Sweet-talk him, coax him…….”
“Didn’t he just flop over when we tried sweet-talking and coaxing?”
“…….”
……Forgot about that.
Forgot that Namgung Hyeok operated outside basic human logic.
Ha Taegon ground his teeth, then spat out.
“We’ll make it work. Somehow! If sweet-talking fails, threaten him, bribe him, whatever!”
With his resolve hardened, he strapped his sword to his back and strode out.
“Round up the men! We end this today!”
“Yes, Sect Leader!”
* * *
Sang Manchu stared in dismay at the chaos unfolding inside the hall.
‘……They asked us to catch bandits, but they’re the ones banditizing everything.’
The table held a whole roasted pig and dozens of ducks in a gruesome state.
They’d filled a massive jar—big enough for a man to climb into—with booze and chugged it straight from ladles.
Clap! Clap-clap! Clap-clap! Clap-clap-clap-clap!
Thump! Thump-thump-thump! Thump-thump-thump! Thump-thump!
Some clapped hands, others upended booze jars as drums.
One lay sprawled, drunkenly ranting; another belted out bawdy songs, causing a ruckus.
On the opposite side, they toyed with the snacks.
Total mayhem.
‘……What a shitshow.’
Three days.
Three.
Whole three days of nonstop revelry.
House Namgung hadn’t sent warriors—they’d sent parasites.
The pig on the table was down to a three-generation wipeout; the ducks were extinct.
The livestock at the Silver Phantom Ranch was on the verge of extinction.
“More booze over here—!”
“No meat, no meat!”
“No ducks? Got any chickens? Ker-heum, gimme some mare’s milk booze!”
……Did they shove beggars inside them? How are they eating nonstop without pause?!
Sang Manchu sighed deeply at Namgung Hyeok, who sat at the head of the booze table, raising his cup high.
“Young master, Sevenfold Chaos Brew incoming—!”
“Bring it!”
Splash-splash-splash!
With flashy handwork, seven liquors poured into the jar, and the golden mixer shook it wildly.
‘What the hell is that?!’
He shook the booze jug vigorously, then flung the cloth plug at the ceiling.
Crack!
A crisp pop rang out.
Now they’re showing off tricks?
“Ker-heum, that’s right. Booze tastes best mixed!”
Namgung Hyeok whooped, lifting a full ladle.
“Cups up!”
Geon Cheon-hwi’s eyes lit up as he dipped his ladle into the jar.
Tak Hyuk-dong clutched a small keg outright, and the Thunder Dragon Squad raised their ladles high.
“Drink!”
Gulp-gulp!
The Thunder Dragon Squad stood from the table and downed their booze in crisp unison.
“Kahaaah!”
“That hits the spot—!”
“Wheee!”
Slam!
They poured the ladle’s contents down their throats in one go, then slammed the ladles on the table in near-perfect sync.
A flawless rhythm—pure harmony.
‘……I’m losing my mind.’
The drinking frenzy showed no signs of stopping.
No, it was getting worse.
The room reeked of booze and greasy snacks, yet their antics intensified.
Boom-boom-boom-boom-boom! Boom-boom-boom!
The beat grew fiercer.
Hup-hup-hup!
The booze bash devolved further into pandemonium.
Sang Manchu clenched his fist.
‘……While my insides burn.’
These House Namgung warriors, supposedly here to help the Silver Phantom Ranch, were the ones turning everything upside down.
It wasn’t just burning—it sparked outright rage.
How were they supposed to catch bandits and recover the hundred purebreds like this?!
Sang Manchu’s shoulders trembled.
Beside him, Wang Pil stammered.
“R-ranch Lord. What do we do?”
“……Beats me.”
“Go talk to them, at least.”
Sang Manchu’s cheek twitched a few times before he cautiously approached Namgung Hyeok.
“Um, young master.”
Namgung Hyeok paused mid-gulp and turned.
“Yeah? What’s up, Ranch Lord?”
“I’m worried you’re overdoing the drinking. I heard your chronic condition hasn’t fully healed yet…….”
“I’m fine. No big deal, don’t sweat it.”
……I’m the one who’s not fine.
Sang Manchu forced a smile through gritted teeth.
“And you have work to do…….”
“Work?”
“Yes.”
“What work?”
Good lord.
He’s even forgotten why he’s here.
Namgung Hyeok stared blankly at Sang Manchu, who sighed inwardly.
“Ranch Lord.”
“……Yes?”
“I get how you feel.”
“Oh! So you do underst—.”
“You’re worried we’re not being hosted properly, right? Relax, no need. Plenty of meat here—more than enough. Booze is a tad short, but I’ll handle that.”
“Ah, yes.”
“What?”
“Nothing.”
Sang Manchu bit his lip, soothing his bitter heart.
‘……House Namgung’s getting revenge on me like this.’
Paying the price for the lost hundred purebreds this way.
He should’ve realized from the start when they said Second Young Master and the Thunder Dragon Squad were coming.
Lost in despair, rage, and emptiness, a voice called from outside.
“Ranch Lord! The Heaven-Earth Sect Leader is here!”
Sang Manchu’s head snapped up. He brightened.
“The Heaven-Earth Sect Leader? Bring him in at once!”
* * *
Ha Taegon gaped at the booze-soaked room.
‘What the hell have they been up to?’
The pig was stripped to bones, head excluded; jars lay overturned.
Chairs scattered everywhere, table a beast’s buffet aftermath.
……Did they fight?
“Sect Leader! Sect Leader Ha, come in, come in!”
Sang Manchu welcomed him effusively, guiding him to a seat.
Namgung Hyeok picked at his teeth and eyed Ha Taegon.
After a silent stare, Namgung Hyeok smirked.
He asked Ha Taegon, who fidgeted anxiously.
“It’s done?”
“Uh…… well.”
Ha Taegon thought a moment, then bellowed.
“We found their bandit lair, young master!”
Namgung Hyeok tilted his head with a bored look.
“And?”
“Now we just subjugate them. Let’s go together!”
Namgung Hyeok frowned, tearing into a duck leg.
Smack-smack-smack!
He sucked the sauce off his fingers neatly, then spoke.
“Nah, why do I gotta go for just one little bandit nest? You can handle it alone, Sect Leader.”
Veins bulged on Ha Taegon’s forehead.
He ground his teeth into a grin and grabbed Namgung Hyeok’s arm.
“No, young master! At least watch us subjugate them! See how skilled we are…….”
“Nah.”
Namgung Hyeok shook off Ha Taegon’s hand.
Ha Taegon reached again but locked eyes with Tak Hyuk-dong.
He slyly averted the fiercely twisted glare and released Namgung Hyeok’s wrist.
Ha Taegon looked up sharply and said.
“Young master, why won’t you join the subjugation? The Silver Phantom Ranch of House Namgung is in peril! For the clan’s honor, you must lead the charge!”
“So what do I get out of it?”
“……Pardon?”
“I mean, smacking a few bandits won’t drop money in my lap, and the clan’s not paying hazard fee or anything.”
Huh?
Weighing coin for family business?
Your family coffers are bare.
The family coffers!
Ha Taegon’s jaw dropped as Namgung Hyeok chuckled and dangled a duck leg.
“And haven’t you heard? We’re barely scraping by these days—just enough to wet our mouths. Rush home and it’s gruel only, gruel.”
“Uh…….”
“People need meat and booze too. Right?”
“…….”
Namgung Hyeok grinned at Sang Manchu.
“And the ranch lord seems to like having me around.”
Pardon?
Sang Manchu’s face twisted horrifically.
Please, just go already. Please.
Sweat beaded on Sang Manchu’s forehead as he said.
“O-of course, it’s an honor to host Second Young Master. B-but the purebreds’ value is no small sum, so if you could resolve it qu-quickly…….”
“Like I said, nothing in it for me even if we recover them.”
Namgung Hyeok ignored Sang Manchu’s protest and turned back to Ha Taegon.
Ha Taegon gaped wide-eyed at him.
“So put in the effort. Effort. What good are you if you can’t handle one puny bandit nest.”
Ha Taegon blanked, mind reeling.
‘Is he insane?’
What kind of dogshit logic is this?
Ha Taegon’s eyes darted rapidly.
They glazed over briefly as he stared at Namgung Hyeok, then he ground his teeth hard.
“Young master.”
“Yeah?”
“You’re saying it’s too much hassle without some gain?”
“Not exactly. But I’m House Namgung’s Second Young Master—think I’d stoop that low? Nah, just wanna rest a bit longer while I’m here. Back home it’s gruel city.”
“I-I’ll pay you.”
“Huh?”
Fire sparked in Ha Taegon’s eyes.
“That money—I’ll give it to you!”
“You’ll pay money?”
“Yes!”
“You?”
“Yes!”
“Why?”
Ha Taegon gnashed his teeth and said.
“Didn’t I say we need to wipe out those bandits ASAP!”
“Hmm, true.”
“I’ll pay it! So come on already!”
Namgung Hyeok curled his lip at Ha Taegon’s desperate plea.
“How much?”