Chapter 33
Chapter 33
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Translator: Ryuma
Chapter: 33
Chapter Title: The Guest (2)
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#033: The Guest (2)
I quickly called the Misan Inn and ordered some boiled pork and alcohol.
Myo Hyang, saying it wouldn't be a proper celebration for my appointment with just that, decided to whip up a few more dishes herself.
She might nag me sometimes, but my sister is the only one who truly thinks of me.
“Sis, you know I'm always grateful, right?”
“...Stop talking nonsense and go carry the food.”
Even if she talks like that, her heart must be full of concern for me. Definitely.
Not long after we hurriedly finished our preparations, the squad members arrived.
“It’s admirable that you're living in a house like this at such a young age.”
“I got it for cheap. You’ll be a vice squad leader soon enough, anyway.”
“The housing prices in the outer fortress have risen so much lately, I have no idea when I'll be able to afford my own place.”
To think it’s this hard to own a home, even in this vast land.
Thinking that the Nine Dragons Fortress leadership should come up with a solution, I had the squad members take their seats.
“Come on, don't just stand there. Let's all sit.”
As they took their seats one by one, a lively drinking party soon began.
We poured drinks for one another, helped ourselves to the food, and shared stories of good times and bad.
The place was filled with chatter and laughter.
As the mood livened up, laughter erupted from all around.
You can't have this much fun without some jokes.
I generously unleashed the jokes I had been saving up.
“Do you know who lives off of hitting other people’s backs? A masseuse. Hehehehe.”
“...Ha, ha. Very funny. Ha, ha, ha.”
“What's the lewdest food in the world? A mushroom! Hehehe.”
As expected, the squad members loved my killer jokes.
Should I just become the martial world's first comedian at this rate?
I could probably rake in the cash with just a few tours.
Just as I was gaining confidence in my comedic skills, watching my squad members keel over with laughter...
Creeak.
Cheong So-so, her hair a disheveled mess, opened the door and came in.
“...”
Seeing the dark circles under her eyes, it seemed she had once again just barely managed to deal with the flood of patients today.
Everyone except the members from the original Seventeenth Squad, who already knew her, stared at her, dumbfounded.
She trudged over with weary steps and flopped down next to me.
“If you ever take Myo Hyang away during work hours again, I'm going to mix a deadly poison into your food.”
She whispered very quietly.
“...Ah, understood.”
As I confidently lowered my head in submission, Cheong So-so held out her cup.
“Thanks to you, I almost died today, so pour me a drink.”
“Yes, ma'am.”
Gulp.
“Ah, that's better. Oh? Yu, it's been a while. Yang and Ha, you're here too? Then Lee must be... Ah, you're over there in the corner?”
After downing the drink in one go, Cheong So-so greeted the familiar faces.
I introduced her to the squad members, who were staring blankly at the scene.
“This is Cheong So-so, the youngest daughter of the Cheong Family's Patriarch. She's currently a freeloader at my place.”
Cheong So-so's eyes blazed as she shot back.
“What? A freeloader? Seriously, do you know how much I bring in each month? Where did you sell your conscience?”
Meanwhile, the squad members looked utterly astonished.
“A-Are you talking about the Cheong Family from Hubei?”
It was because her status was different from the people they usually met.
“Hmph, that's right. I am Cheong So-so, the third-generation descendant of the Divine Healer of Life and Death.”
Cheong So-so replied with her characteristically smug expression.
‘She's at it again.’
Normally, this would be the time to say something, but I kept my mouth shut since I was at fault.
As I watched Cheong So-so bask in the squad members' envious gazes, Myo Hyang came and plopped down beside me.
“Good work, sis.”
“Just pour me a drink. I feel like killing you.”
“Hey, my subordinates are here...”
“What did you say?”
“N-Nothing.”
When Myo Hyang appeared, the squad members' eyes glazed over once again.
Then, a surprised voice came from somewhere.
“Th-The Golden Bell of the Golden Flower Pavilion!”
At the same time, all sorts of miscellaneous information poured out.
“The Golden Bell?! I heard she retired!”
“Who in the world is she?”
“You don't know the Golden Bell? She's the legendary artist said to produce heavenly sounds with the seven-stringed zither. To think that the treasured daughter of the Cheong Family and the Golden Bell of the Golden Flower Pavilion are both staying at the Squad Leader's house. This is surprising in so many ways.”
‘Was she that famous? I think Manager Yuk is prettier, though.’
I had no idea, since I never set foot in a courtesan house, thinking it a waste of money.
‘Myo Hyang must be uncomfortable.’
A sudden thought occurred to me.
She may have worked as an artist, but a courtesan is still a courtesan.
I thought Myo Hyang might feel uncomfortable because of the people recognizing her...
“Ohoho, to think someone recognizes me even though I didn't even put on any makeup. Then again, my beauty isn't something that can be hidden so easily. I've displayed my humble skills today, so please, everyone, enjoy yourselves to the fullest.”
...Uncomfortable, my ass.
As soon as the attention was on her, didn't she just straighten her posture and start acting all pretty?
I stared, wondering if this was the same Myo Hyang I knew, and she gave me a smiling-eyed glance.
It was as if she were saying, ‘This is who I am, so you better treat me right from now on.’
After Myo Hyang and Cheong So-so joined, the atmosphere quieted down.
It was because everyone started being mindful of their decorum with such beautiful women present.
‘This won't do.’
This was supposed to be a party for my promotion; I couldn't just let the mood die down like this.
“Everyone, listen up.”
After confirming all eyes were on me, I was about to deliver the ace up my sleeve I had prepared, but...
“What do you call a winning cow?”
“Don't be embarrassing, just sit down, please.”
Faced with Myo Hyang's murderous glare, I had no choice but to sit back down.
So mean.
‘Guess I’ll just vegetate here.’
Phuhuhu.
* * *
The reception of guests didn't end there.
When dawn broke, an unexpected person came to visit my house.
And a very important person at that.
Rumble.
“...The Third Young Master of the Martial Emperor Fortress, what is he doing here?”
“I've come looking for someone.”
It was the toad of the Martial Emperor Fortress—no, the Third Young Master, Lee Jeok-ha.
Flustered by his abrupt declaration that he was looking for someone, I glanced around.
The only people in sight were Myo Hyang, coming out of the kitchen in an apron, and Yong Ma-san, sitting at the table to eat breakfast.
Even counting Cheong So-so, who was sleeping in her room after drinking all night...
‘It has to be that guy, doesn't it?’
It was obvious. Among the three of them, the only one a person like the Third Young Master of the Martial Emperor Fortress would come looking for was Yong Ma-san.
‘This bastard. I wondered why he crawled into the Nine Dragons Fortress; turns out he was running from the Martial Emperor Fortress.’
He must have been caught stealing or something.
“If you're here for that bald man over there, you've come to the right place. I knew that guy was suspicious from the moment I first saw him. With that shiny bald head of his.”
However, my perfectly confident prediction was completely wrong.
“The person I seek is a woman named Cheong So-so.”
And at that moment.
Clatter.
“Yaaawn!”
Cheong So-so came out at the perfect time, rubbing her eyes.
Her eyelids were swollen from how much she drank last night.
“Sis, can I get some spicy soup... Gak! H-H-How are you here?!”
Cheong So-so, her eyes so swollen they were mere slits, shrieked in alarm upon seeing the toad.
“It has been a while, Lady Cheong.”
“How did you find me? I'm sure I made my intentions clear!”
“How can an engagement between families be broken by the will of one party alone?”
“I even sent a formal letter to break off the engagement!”
“That is what I am referring to. Did you not steal the Cheong Patriarch's seal to stamp that letter, Lady Cheong? Because of that, the Patriarch even sent a messenger to convey his apologies.”
Even if she's his own daughter, to steal and use the seal of the family's patriarch.
I'd always suspected she might be a little crazy, but after hearing the story, I was sure she was a certified lunatic.
“...”
“So please, return to the family with me.”
“No. I'm never going back.”
“If you are afraid of being punished by the Patriarch, you need not worry. I will speak to him and help you receive his forgiveness.”
“I still can't.”
“Why ever not?”
“Because if I go back, I'll have to marry you!”
Watching all this, only one thought came to mind.
‘This is entertaining.’
I felt like I was watching a trashy morning soap opera for the first time in nearly twenty years.
In my past life, I never understood why people watched such things, but this is strangely captivating.
Wait, didn't she say she couldn't leave because she hadn't made the Frost Yin Elixir?
So she was staying here just because she didn't want to marry the toad?
The realization struck me like a bolt of lightning.
Just as I finally grasped the full story, the Third Young Master's loud voice struck my eardrums.
“If you keep refusing, I'll have no choice but to take you by force!”
“I'd rather die!”
“Lady Cheong!”
The atmosphere grew increasingly hostile.
I sent a look to the guards behind him, signaling for them to intervene, but they just shook their heads, looking just as troubled.
As expected, serving a rich heir seems to be a tough job, both in modern times and now.
But then, something unexpected happened.
In the middle of their heated argument, Cheong So-so ran over to me.
“I've decided to spend my future with this man here!”
What a bombshell she just dropped.
“...”
As I stood there speechless in shock, Cheong So-so desperately pinched my side and sent a telepathic message.
[If you go along with it, I'll raise your share of the profits to thirty percent.]
An incredible offer.
But this wasn't a matter I could decide on lightly.
If I went along with the lie, I had to consider the other party's status as the Third Young Master of the Martial Emperor Fortress.
Of course, since we belong to different factions, he wouldn't dare to act rashly. Doing so would cause a major diplomatic incident.
However, if he, in a fit of rage over his fiancée being stolen, were to hire an assassination guild, things would get complicated.
In this world without CCTV, I might have to stay awake 24/7.
But all my worries turned out to be completely pointless.
Shing.
The enraged Third Young Master suddenly drew his sword.
“I challenge you to a duel to the death.”
Because he had just challenged me to a character-deletion match out of the blue.
“Um... Young Master? Is there really a need for a great hero like yourself to brawl with a lowly street thug like me over a single woman?”
“Silence, you cur! To steal another man's lover while my back was turned—I shall deliver divine punishment upon you in the name of the heavens!”
But she said they were never lovers in the first place.
I glanced at his guards once more, but again, they just shook their heads.
It was a situation where words were completely useless.
As I frantically looked for someone to help, Yong Ma-san's shiny head caught my eye.
Thinking it would be great if he came over and said something, anything, I quickly sent him a telepathic message.
[Hey, get over here and say something!]
Upon receiving the message, Yong Ma-san gave a slight nod, then used his lightness technique to leap over the wall in an instant.
The disloyal bastard just ran away.
‘One day, I'll definitely take care of that bastard.’
It was then.
“So this is where you were. I've been looking for you, Third Young Master.”
“My apologies, Great Warrior Bukgung. I was delayed by a personal matter.”
Bukgung Baek appeared, opening the door with impeccable timing.
I grabbed onto the leg of his pants—my only hope, my light and salt in this situation—and began to plead.
“H-Hall Master! Please, save me.”
Having heard everything, he nodded as if in understanding.
“This sounds interesting. Why don't we set up a proper stage and have a real match?”
He had just team-killed me.