Chapter 135
Chapter 135
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Translator: Ryuma
Chapter: 135
Chapter Title: Festival (2)
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“……”
Silence enveloped the Dragon-Slaying Gate’s stall.
The disciples dared not meet my eyes, and the Gate Master was sweating profusely, a look of bewilderment on his face.
I spoke to him.
“What is this stuff?”
“Is… is it that bad?”
“Did you sear your tongue with a branding iron? Can’t you tell just by tasting it?”
Chastised, the Gate Master of Dragon-Slaying Gate picked up the bowl I’d left behind and drank the broth.
“It tastes fine to me…”
Seeing his reaction, I realized this stall had been doomed from the start.
I shook my head.
It was a truly pathetic sight.
That’s right.
How could he judge food when he had no sense of taste to begin with?
I wanted to smash the stall to pieces right then and there, but since the Dragon-Slaying Gate and I were not strangers, I calmed myself once more.
“How did the people who’ve eaten here so far react? You must have at least called some acquaintances for a tasting session.”
“…Well, since the stall is only open for three days, we didn’t hold a separate tasting.”
“What a load of bullshit.”
I turned to the disciples and asked.
“What did you guys think of it?”
“……”
My question was met with another wave of silence.
It was to be expected. In the martial world, where the master was considered as sacred as a king or father, no one would dare say the noodles their master personally made were terrible.
“Sigh, I knew it.”
However, the fact that no one said it was delicious was answer enough.
“Hey. You.”
“Ye-yes!”
“Go to the Zhang Guesthouse over there and learn how to make fried pork. Tell them I sent you, and they’ll teach you.”
“Yes, sir!”
It was a small mercy that the main ingredient in the noodles they were selling here was pork.
Otherwise, we would have had to go buy new ingredients.
“The rest of you, clean the stall. Now!”
And so, channeling my inner CEO Baek, I began to overhaul the Dragon-Slaying Gate’s stall.
The first thing I did was remove the Gate Master from his duties.
An incompetent superior is far more dangerous than an enemy full of malice.
“Gate Master, you can go home now.”
“What do you mean? This is a business bearing the name of the Dragon-Slaying Gate. If I, the Gate Master, am not here…”
*Smack!*
“Keuk!”
*Thud.*
Using my full-powered phantom step, I struck the back of the protesting Gate Master’s neck, knocking him unconscious.
“What are you doing? Are you just going to watch your sect go bankrupt? Do you want to end up on the streets?”
“N-No, sir!”
The wavering disciples of the Dragon-Slaying Gate straightened their postures and shouted.
Having subdued everyone, I immediately moved on to the second phase of my plan.
“I’m sorry to ask, but could you teach these guys how to treat customers?”
It was time for a masterclass from the queen of the service industry, Myo Hyang.
“Of course. Something like this can be fun once in a while. Hehehe.”
It could have been a bother, but she readily stepped up, making me nod in approval.
On the other hand, seeing Cheong So-so with her cheeks puffed out and a face full of complaints made me sigh.
Of course, she had a job to do as well.
“Miss Cheong, could you write a little something about the health benefits of pork? We’ll post it on every pillar.”
“That’s so annoying…”
“Please? I’m asking you nicely.”
Cheong So-so’s eyes darted around before she finally nodded.
“Then, you have to grant me one favor too. It’s not a big one, of course.”
“Sigh, fine. I get it.”
She never does anything for free.
Half an hour passed like that.
A new menu item was written on the sign for Dragon-Slaying Noodles.
Piglet Arrows.
From the characters for pig, small, arrow, and stick.
It meant a small arrow made by sticking pork together.
The appearance of the unfamiliar name drew the gazes of the festival-goers.
*Sizzle—*
The smell of minced pork, coated in flour and fried in oil, also stopped them in their tracks.
The original recipe called for deep-frying, but I had slightly altered the cooking method in consideration of the Dragon-Slaying Gate, which needed to save on oil costs.
The finishing touch was the promotional text written by Cheong So-so.
The Health Benefits of Pork.
[Pork has a cool nature and lowers heat in the body. It also clears blocked blood vessels due to heat, strengthens tendons and bones, and invigorates the weak. -The Cheong Family.]
Seeing the plausible-sounding medical knowledge, people began to flock over.
In modern times, such a phrase would have garnered no interest, but this was the martial world. A world where people would buy anything as long as they heard it was good for their bodies.
Naturally, the stall was swamped, and the disciples of the Dragon-Slaying Gate began to cook the sausages frantically.
The result was a massive success.
“Th-This is delicious!”
“How can it be so tender!”
“This taste makes me crave alcohol! Alcohol!”
In truth, the dish was closer to a meat patty or a meatball, but that wasn’t important.
After all, isn't street food generally perceived as delicious as long as it's greasy and flavorful?
Furthermore.
“Do you think it’s true that pork gives you energy?”
“You fool! Are you saying you don’t trust the Cheong Family, the origin of all medicine in the world?!”
“Come to think of it, that person over there! Isn’t that the General Manager!”
“My goodness! A stall vouched for by the General Manager himself. There’s no reason not to trust it.”
Thanks to the promotional text, people also felt like they were taking care of their health, leading to overwhelmingly positive reviews.
It was bustling.
A truly roaring trade.
Listening to the disciples of the Dragon-Slaying Gate whispering with beaming faces, I heard them rejoicing that they would be able to eat rice for a while.
‘Tsk, tsk…’
To think that martial artists, who were supposedly first-rate, were worrying about their next meal.
The old saying that subordinates have it easy only when they have a good superior was certainly true.
After confirming the stall’s success, I put my arm around the shoulder of a disciple who looked slightly older.
“You’re Bukgung Baek’s first disciple?”
“Huh? Yes! I am Bukgung Ha-jin!”
“So? How does it feel to see business booming?”
“Thanks to you, the Dragon-Slaying Gate will be able to rise again. Your grace is as high as the heavens! I will never forget it for the rest of my life.”
I spoke to the deeply grateful man.
“Half the profits, after subtracting the cost of ingredients, are mine.”
“Pardon?”
“What? You don’t like it? Should I just smash everything?”
“N-No, sir! We will offer it to you!”
“I’ll be back to collect the profits tomorrow, so make sure you keep it safe.”
I thought to myself as I took a bite of a Piglet Arrow.
‘Doing a good deed feels rewarding.’
Sometimes, helping others out of pure goodwill wasn't so bad.
***
A short while later, we went to a nearby restaurant to get some lunch.
While waiting for the food to arrive, Cheong So-so glanced at me furtively and spoke.
“Umm… about that favor I mentioned earlier.”
“Yeah, what is it?”
“After we eat, could you come with me somewhere?”
Cheong So-so couldn’t properly meet my eyes, as if something was weighing on her.
“…What’s it about?”
“I-It’s nothing big. You just have to come and help me a little.”
Her strong denial only fueled my suspicion.
However, since I did owe her, I nodded my head.
“It’s not robbery or theft, is it?”
“Oh my! R-Robbery! What do you take me for? I’m Cheong So-so. The precious jewel of the Cheong Family, Cheong So-so.”
“Alright, alright. As if anyone doesn’t know you’re the youngest daughter of the Cheong Family Head.”
“That’s because you keep doubting me! Ah! The food’s here. Let’s eat, everyone! We’re short on time, so we need to eat quickly and go.”
After lunch, Cheong So-so started walking at a near-sprint, as if she were in a hurry.
“Hurry! Faster! We’re late!”
Cheong So-so, far ahead of us, urged us on. Myo Hyang and I, clueless as to what was happening, scurried after her.
“Where do you think we’re going?”
“Who knows? I don’t have a clue…”
Myo Hyang said, looking at Cheong So-so with anxious eyes.
“I just hope it’s not something strange.”
“Hmm…”
Her voice made it clear that her credit score for Cheong So-so had hit rock bottom.
It was probably because of Cheong So-so’s recent chaotic lifestyle.
“She might be on the verge of becoming a credit delinquent…”
“Pardon?”
“Nothing. Just thinking out loud.”
We followed Cheong So-so for about fifteen minutes.
Weaving through the alleyways in the outermost part of the city, we arrived at a pavilion with a blue lantern hanging outside.
Cheong So-so, wearing a mask she had bought at a stall, knocked on the door, and some shady-looking ruffian from the underworld appeared.
Seeing this, Myo Hyang let out a soft groan.
“…Could it be what I think it is?”
“Hmm… I think you’re probably right.”
That’s right.
The place Cheong So-so had brought us to was a gambling den.
What’s more, it was clear this wasn’t her first or second time here.
Even though she was wearing a mask, the underworld ruffian bowed a full ninety degrees in greeting.
“Well, well! We haven’t seen you in a while… It’s been too long.”
And his tone was extremely familiar.
“Is Uno here?”
“Hehe, he’s here today as well, but…”
He lowered his eyes and looked at Cheong So-so.
“Don’t worry about the money. I brought plenty.”
*Jingle.*
She opened a money pouch full of silver coins to show him the contents.
It was likely the payment she received for treating the Gold Dragon Hall and the Black Mountain Tigers, so it had to be at least thirty nyang.
The sum must have been larger than expected, because the ruffian broke into a wide grin and opened the door for her.
“…Sigh.”
The sight made me sigh involuntarily.
If I were the Head of the Cheong Family, I would have shaved Cheong So-so’s head and locked her up in a temple.
“Sigh.”
Myo Hyang must have felt the same, as she also let out a sigh.
“What are you doing?! Aren’t you coming in?”
She ran over to us, who were standing at a distance.
I wanted to grab her by the scruff of her neck and drag her away, but I had promised to grant her favor, so I had no choice.
For now, whatever it was, I had to follow her inside.
“Here, wear these.”
Cheong So-so handed us our own masks.
“It’s better than having your faces recognized, right?”
“……”
Wouldn’t it be best not to enter the gambling den at all?
Anyway, we put on the masks and followed Cheong So-so inside. The interior was noisy and bustling.
One peculiar thing was that people with masks and those without were separated, gambling in different areas.
Cheong So-so explained the reason.
“It’s a rule of this gambling den that you must wear a mask for high-stakes games. The stakes are high, so there’s a greater chance of accidents, you see?”
And what this meant was that Cheong So-so was here to gamble for high stakes, not small change.
Shaking my head again, I walked to the innermost part of the gambling den, where I saw a table with a large pile of money on it.
Even though the participants were all wearing masks, the aura they exuded was anything but ordinary. This seemed to be the biggest game in the den.
The sudden appearance of a woman in such a place drew all eyes to her in an instant.
“Hmph, this is no game for a woman to be meddling in…”
“You might end up gambling away your family’s fortune and getting kicked out by your husband. It would be best for you to just go back.”
Jeers came from all around.
But our Cheong So-so, as if used to it, simply tossed her hair and walked forward elegantly, showing no reaction at all.
‘Should I send a letter to the Cheong Family Head?’
To tell him that his daughter might just bankrupt the entire family.
As Cheong So-so approached the table, an old man in an ox mask sitting at the far end acknowledged her.
“Kekeke, it seems you’ve come for revenge.”
“Hmph! Today, I will avenge my dear, departed Hwa-a!”
Cheong So-so took out a small wooden box and opened the lid. I couldn’t hide my shock when I saw its contents.
*Chirp, chirp— chrr. Chirp, chirp.*
Inside the box was a large cricket.
That’s right. The game being played at this table was 촉직. Cricket fighting.
One might wonder why there was cricket fighting in a gambling den, but it was a surprisingly popular spectator sport.
It was so popular that corrupt officials would seek out strong crickets to offer to the emperor to curry favor.
*Clatter.*
Cheong So-so poured the silver she had brought onto the center of the table and declared with a triumphant attitude.
“I will execute Black Ray and restore peace to the cricket fighting world of Hanzhong!”
Now.
Now, I don’t even know anymore…