Chapter 12
Chapter 12
Translator: Penny
Chapter 12
That night, we stayed at an inn a half-day's journey from Dongping. Since our destination was so close, we returned the rented carriage.
Gwangdu had secured two rooms—one large and one small—when I intervened.
"Just give us one room," I said.
Gwangdu flinched, then quickly replied, "Ha ha, I can sleep at the table. I even brought a thick padded coat just in case."
"You usually take all my jokes in stride, but why are you so stiff about this?"
"Huh?"
"You crazy fool! Do you think I'd make you sleep outside in this freezing weather just to save a few coins?"
"Then... you mean...?"
"Exactly. We'll share a room—one with two beds. Why waste money on two rooms? What, do you snore like a chainsaw?"
"That's not it, but how can I possibly sleep in the same room as the Young Master?" Gwangdu's embarrassment was palpable.
"What? Don't you want to sleep with trash?"
"How can you speak so irreverently? It's blasphemous!"
"Whatever. Just give me one room with two beds."
After securing a single room, I didn't head upstairs to the guest rooms on the second floor. Instead, I settled at a table in the corner.
"Let's have a drink before we go up."
"With me?" Gwangdu stared at me blankly.
"Well, who else would I be drinking with here?"
Gwangdu's voice trembled as much as his darting eyes. "This is my first time... sitting down and drinking with the Young Master like this. Not to mention sleeping in the same room."
I've said it countless times before, but I can't help but repeat it again: Byeok Ridan is truly a fool.
After ordering drinks and snacks, I sat across from Gwangdu. He was as stiff as when he'd secured the room. Knowing how freely we usually exchanged jokes, I felt even more apologetic.
Of course, this situation was a consequence of events beyond my control. But now that I am Byeok Ridan, I suppose the apology falls to me.
"Here, have a drink."
As I reached to pour his glass, Gwangdu recoiled in alarm.
"Please, allow me to pour for you first."
"Don't be silly. Just take the drink."
"Young Master!"
"You're older than me. You should drink first."
Though in truth, my actual age far surpassed his.
"I heard the Four Seas sect follows the One Path. Just take the drink."
"You said that was nonsense, right? No way."
After several more refusals, Gwangdu reluctantly accepted the drink, as if unable to resist any longer.
"Ah, this isn't right. It'll spoil the servants. Fine, I'll take just one drink this time, as a memento. I'll never forget this."
Gwangdu gazed at his cup with a moved expression, then his face suddenly shifted to one of realization.
"So that's it. Now I understand. You're planning to take me away and kill me, aren't you? That's why you're being so nice? I've heard they feed the cattle well the day before the slaughter. Am I right?"
His playful banter began to ease the tense atmosphere.
He drank readily. According to him, he used to drink over ten bottles alone, but that sounded like an exaggeration.
As for me, I didn't know my exact tolerance.
I'd never truly been drunk before. Assassins and poisoners often targeted drinking gatherings, knowing that intoxication weakened both body and mind, leaving their victims vulnerable.
In situations where drinking was unavoidable, I'd reflexively use the Cheonmu Hoshim Gyeol technique to expel the Alcoholic Qi from my body.
But today, I drank freely, letting the pleasant buzz of intoxication wash over me. The feeling wasn't unpleasant. How long had it been since I'd enjoyed a drink with such ease? Come to think of it, was this the first time?
"Young Master," the servant asked, "I was too flustered to ask earlier... but what about your martial arts? How did you defeat that thug so easily?"
"I've been training lately, haven't I?" I replied.
"Just for ten days?"
"Ten days should be more than enough to deal with that trash."
Gwangdu scrutinized me from head to toe, his gaze sweeping from my face to the tips of my shoes under the table.
"No matter how I look at you, you're definitely our Young Master. How did you change so much?"
"Guess I'm a late bloomer."
"We don't need a grand vessel. Just one that won't shatter, right?"
Gwangdu was slightly tipsy himself.
"I won't break."
"Promise me! Promise you won't suddenly revert to your old self one day. Promise me!"
"What's the point of a spoken promise?"
"It matters to me. I need to hear it."
"Fine, I promise."
Only then did Gwangdu exhale a sigh of relief, and we resumed our conversation.
"You were hiding your martial arts prowess. You're far stronger than anyone realizes."
Since I couldn't tell him the truth anyway, it was better for him to understand it this way.
"Why?"
"To survive long in the Martial Arts World, you need to conceal at least thirty percent of your true strength."
"So, were you deliberately acting like a wastrel?"
"Not exactly. But the moment I met Miss Song, I realized I couldn't keep living like that. It was like I suddenly grew up overnight."
I had no choice but to believe him. After all, I had changed since then. Among all the strange things that happen in the world, being beaten up by a woman and reborn anew was certainly within the realm of possibility.
"Miss Song is your benefactor, then."
"You could say that."
"Speaking of Miss Song, don't let her slip away. What's this talk of breaking off the engagement? You should be clinging to her pant leg!"
"What is it about Miss Song that you like so much?"
"Isn't she beautiful? What more could you want? Men and women—it's simple. You only complicate things when you overthink it."
I chuckled and reached to refill his glass, but he swiftly snatched the bottle away.
"You shouldn't be too nice to the lower classes. They'll get spoiled."
"A little spoiling wouldn't hurt you."
Gwangdu's cheeks, already flushed with alcohol, turned even redder.
"You're paying for the drinks, right?"
"Is that all you can think about at a touching moment like this?"
"You broke?"
"You're trying to squeeze blood from a stone."
Despite his words, Gwangdu drained his glass in one gulp and declared boldly, "Fine! Today's on me! I'll break into my secret stash!"
"Another bottle here!"
"Don't!"
Gwangdu and I drank late into the night. It was the first time in my life I'd ever felt so pleasantly drunk.
The next day, we arrived in Dongping, where the Yang Association was located.
Our first task was to find the largest inn in town.
"Wouldn't we attract less attention by staying at a smaller inn?" I asked.
"That would only make us stand out more," Gwangdu replied.
"Really?"
"If we can't hide in the storm clouds, it's better to stay in the sunlight."
It wasn't until we stepped into Dongping's grandest inn that Gwangdu exclaimed in admiration, "The Young Master is right!"
The massive main hall bustled with guests and servers. Dozens of tables filled the space, and it looked like at least a hundred customers were present.
"You could kill someone in that corner and no one would even notice," I murmured.
"It might actually be happening right now," Gwangdu said, bringing up the Martial Arts World again.
I sensed a shift in Gwangdu's perspective. Whether it was due to Yang Gikang's recent rampage or my own transformation, he had clearly developed a fascination with the Martial Arts World.
Suddenly, a conversation I'd had with Song Hwarin flashed through my mind.
Do people change easily?
Nothing changes as easily as people do.
As usual, I rented a single room and went downstairs to the dining hall on the first floor for a meal. While eating, I kept my ears open for any news about the Yang Association. But even the fact that Yang Gikang had been injured hadn't yet become public knowledge.
Normally, news of an incident like this would have leaked out somehow. At least twenty members of the Yang Association had been present that day. The complete absence of rumors meant Yang Gicheol had imposed a strict gag order.
"What do you plan to do now?" I asked.
"We need to find out what that bastard is plotting," he replied.
"How?"
"Since nothing has leaked to the outside, we'll have to investigate through someone on the inside."
Then, Gwangdu unexpectedly spoke up. "Would you entrust this task to me?"
The words came out abruptly, without hesitation, but I knew they weren't impulsive. He might have made up his mind back in the carriage.
"Why do you think that?" I asked.
"I don't really know why. I just want to try it once," Gwangdu said.
"It could be dangerous. If you're caught, they might torture you. Beat you senseless, brand you with hot irons, maybe even saw off your fingers."
"It's fine. Before they can torture me, I'll tell them everything about Young Master being here. That you ordered me to do it."
"You absolutely must confess. That's true, wise loyalty."
"I was just joking. But... is there really such a thing as 'wise loyalty'?"
"Yes, there is."
The highest form of loyalty is often described as "death-defying."
But that's not the kind of loyalty I expect from Gwangdu.
"Isn't that betrayal?"
"At least for now, it's wise loyalty."
"This is complicated," Gwangdu said. "Still, I won't regret it. Just leave it to me."
Sensing that Gwangdu's fate was about to take a significant turn, I didn't dwell on my decision for long.
"Very well. Go and find out."
With my permission granted, Gwangdu took a deep breath. This was likely the greatest adventure of his life.
"From now on, your role will be crucial."
"I believe my role has been crucial ever since you, Young Master, woke up."
Ha ha. I have to admit, he was right. Without Gwangdu, would I have adapted so easily to becoming Byeok Ridan?
"I'll stake my life on this. I will. After all, I've already blown all my emergency savings on alcohol. Five bottles of that ridiculously expensive stuff!"
"You ordered the last two bottles."
"You should have stopped me!"
"Shall I stop you now?"
Gwangdu replied earnestly, "No."
"You were just as resolute back then."
"Ha ha. Then I'll be on my way."
I gave him some money to use as he saw fit—a sort of war chest for his mission.
After taking a few steps, Gwangdu turned back and whispered, "You'll send me off, then quietly follow and watch over me, right? You'll protect me from the shadows, won't you? Right?"
"If that makes you feel better, think of it that way."
I truly intended to leave this matter entirely in Gwangdu's hands, come what may. He could read that resolve in my eyes.
Sure enough, his lips curled into a pout. "When we get back, Young Master is buying the drinks!"
Gwangdu left the inn.
Why had I agreed to let him take on such a potentially dangerous task?
I remembered the first time I met him: the moment he strode toward my reincarnated self and sat down beside me.
I believed that the bond between Gwangdu and me was strong enough to withstand something as trivial as this.
Only then would his connection to the Martial Arts World endure.
So... he had to succeed.