May Peace Be With You - 3
About three minutes passed, and the shouts and sounds of beatings from the inn finally died down. In that time, the parakho suspected of causing the ruckus had come flying out the door, so it seemed the Baekpi Gate disciple inside had dealt with them in record time.
'Eight guys in a three-minute cut.' I stroked my chin as I looked down at the parakho sprawled unconscious with matching battered expressions. If they were bold enough to raise hell in an inn, their skills had to be at least second-rate. No way some third-rate rookies just starting out in martial arts would dare make a scene in a place like this—especially not in Namyeong, the largest city in Guangxi.
Assuming all eight were second-rate, the Baekpi Gate disciple still inside the inn had taken them out in just three minutes.
'At least first-rate, maybe even peak.' Second-rate wouldn't allow for such quick handling. And since the inn took no damage in the process, peak realm was a strong possibility. I couldn't help but chuckle at stumbling upon an unexpected master in such an unlikely place.
'Is this normal?' But thinking it over, hunters were superhumans who roamed bare-handed to take down tigers. The boss of a fraternity of such hunters? That had to be one hell of a veteran. And in this world, a veteran meant a monster who'd survived long enough to build real power. The 14th century was a place where survival itself was skill and luck.
'The top hunter in the city should be at least this strong.' Anyone at the pinnacle of their field showed extraordinary ability—it was only natural. Displaying that prowess through martial arts wasn't anything special.
"Damn bastards. If you're gonna fight, do it outside the city, not crawling into someone else's inn to cause trouble."
As I gauged the disciple's level, the man himself came trudging out from inside the inn.
"Hm?"
His furrowed brow twisted even more when he spotted me.
"...Are you with them, sir? Or a guest?"
"A guest, for now."
His furrowed brow instantly smoothed out at my reply.
"Aigoo, come on in! It got a bit noisy, but it's all sorted now—feel free to relax!"
Hard to believe this was the guy who'd mercilessly thrashed the parakho. Ruthless to troublemakers in his inn, but warmer than anyone to paying customers. I couldn't help but chuckle. Yeah, that was how a businessman should be—turn into a devil to protect your turf, but play the angel for those with coin. Basic merchant code.
"Hyungnim. We're here."
"Oh, you made it? While you're at it, toss those guys outside."
"I'd love to dump 'em in the river."
"They'd just crawl back out. Don't waste the energy."
His tone suggested he'd tried it before, and my lips curled higher. A martial artist running real-time parakho defense from his inn, unscathed even after dumping them in the river. My conviction grew: peak realm master, and someone with real standing and reputation in Namyeong.
Made sense. A heavyweight in a century-old fraternity? His name would spread whether he liked it or not. Plus, hunters naturally kept the city's peace and protected the people, so he'd have a solid rep here.
"Oh, right. This gentleman and his group are our guests—we invited them. They took down that tiger we almost missed. So we brought them here to treat them, humble as it is."
"Sorry it's so shabby, kid."
"Heh, if you know, invest some real money in this inn."
The Baekpi Gate disciple clicked his tongue briefly, then flashed a grin and cupped his hands to me.
"I'm Bang Un-gyeong, the errand boy here. Used to hunt with Baekpi Gate, but I've stepped away from that life."
"Left Vice Inspector General Han Un. Glad to make a fine connection thanks to that chance tiger encounter."
"Ah, Left Vice Inspector General... You're him?"
His eyes twitched at my introduction. The Baekpi disciple who'd guided me here wasn't tossing parakho anymore—he was the one in danger of getting tossed.
"You idiot! How do you bring a high official to a dump like this? Should've taken him somewhere nicer!"
"How was I supposed to know he was a big shot?"
"Baeknok, you punk! Baeknok! Are your ears closed? Word's all over that the Left Vice Inspector General roams the Central Plains on a baeknok!"
"I figured it was a metaphor. Who'd think you'd actually ride a real baeknok around..."
They were whispering in the corner, but as a peak master myself, I caught every word of Bang Un-gyeong's nonstop scolding. Inns like this, full of all sorts, were info hubs. I hadn't realized even Guangxi folks knew about my baeknok rides. A rumor like that—not even a white horse, but a baeknok—spreading? Weirder if it hadn't. Probably reached as far as Vietnam or Siam. If I crossed borders legally someday, I'd get, "Oh, you're the Baeknok Man?"
"Baeknok, immature-looking, black robes. Even if he denied it, you'd have to suspect him!"
"My bad, so lay off. My ears are bleeding..."
After a solid rant, Bang Un-gyeong returned, bowing deeply from the waist this time.
"Deeply sorry for bringing a noble guest to such a lowly place! But if you'll allow it, we'll serve you with our best!"
"None of that. This inn's got plenty of charm. I prefer places like this over flashy ones anyway."
Half a lie, really. Pricey spots earned their cost—I'd sought them out plenty. But a down-to-earth inn like this? Sincerely appealing. Flashy and cozy were worlds apart.
Of course.
"Just, those guys eat a ton."
"No worries! I'll make sure they focus on digesting today."
I nodded toward Kki-ing-i and Kki-ong-i outside, and he bobbed his head eagerly.
"The chef's out buying ingredients right now, though..."
"It's fine. Not mealtime yet— we'll wait easy."
"Thank you for your understanding!"
Seemed he meant his injured hyungnim. I nodded casually. Inn owners doubling as chefs wasn't rare. Made sense why the owner hadn't shown while the errand boy beat parakho silly.
"He's got a bad leg, so he's slow, but his cooking more than makes up for it! You'll love it, sir."
"I'm back."
"Ah, perfect tim—"
Bang Un-gyeong, about to greet the chef warmly, shut his mouth the moment he turned toward the door.
"Ah."
"Mm."
I heard Ak I-yeon and Jo Wi-cheo sigh near the entrance. Back to the door, I couldn't see, but then—
"Wh-who the hell turned a guy with bad legs into an even bigger cripple?!"
"You're worse, calling him a cripple to his face, you bastard."
Bang Un-gyeong's furious bellow gave it away.
'Retaliation.' I sighed inwardly. The parakho he'd beaten earlier targeted the relatively weak chef instead. The guy with the bad knee who could barely move well.
'Cowardly scum.' Not content with wrecking the place, now venting on an innocent cripple. Parakho was too kind—they were more like filthy sapa scum.
Treatment could wait; first, check the chef.
"Those vicious bastards! They smashed his face like this!?"
"Didn't touch his face. You're doing it on purpose, aren't you?"
"Urk."
The chef's reply dripped with deeper rage than when he'd come back beaten before. Bang Un-gyeong was seeing red, but the chef stayed calm—odd vibe, but their banter had me chuckling as a bystander.
"Good thing your hands are fine. We'll talk later—got guests, so cooking first."
"I'm okay. How can I eat easy when an innocent commoner suffers parakho brutality?"
The chef flinched at my words as he tried to stand.
"Are you an official, by chance?"
Busted right away—awkward. Did my wording scream bureaucrat too much?
"That's the Left Vice Inspector General. Saw the baeknok outside, right?"
"Head was spinning from the beating—thought I saw wrong."
The dazed chef bowed smoothly.
"Sorry for the late greeting, sir. I'm Jang Jin, the innkeeper."
"Sit easy. No big deal with your head like that."
I pressed his shoulder down myself; he glanced around but stayed seated. Bad knee plus fresh beating—standing hurt.
"So, what happened? Can't overlook such a lamentable incident in broad daylight."
"Yeah, spill it. Who did it? The ones from three days ago? Six? The ten-day bunch beat you bad too."
"If I die on the street someday, it's all your fault..."
Under our not-pressure pressure, Jang Jin sighed softly.
"Truth is, I don't know who. I'm mostly in the kitchen—don't recognize the guys who get thrashed and chased out."
"Fair enough."
"Still, I don't go picking fights, so probably inn-related. Same cowards wrecking the place and picking on the faceless chef, right?"
His sharp, refreshing retort nearly had me nodding.
"But it was... a bit weird."
"Weird?"
"They're the type to riot inside inns, not on streets. Yet they assaulted me in broad daylight, like you said. Hard to figure."
"True. Daytime streets have eyes everywhere—witnesses mean it reaches officials' ears?"
I frowned faintly at Jang Jin and Bang Un-gyeong's words. Spot on. Fighting in a walled inn versus street chaos in daylight? Both insane, but the latter was peak madness.
'Did they smoke Yang Guifei or something?'
What the hell gave them the guts?