Chapter 108
Chapter 108
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Translator: Ryuma
Chapter: 108
Chapter Title: One Bottle of Taibai Wine
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Faced with Neung Un-bi's murderous aura, Mr. Hwang could only tremble, unable to utter a single word.
Overwhelmed with excitement, Neung Un-bi had lost control of his dense demonic energy, the full force of which was now bearing down on Mr. Hwang.
The innkeeper, clueless as to the reason, believed it was all his fault.
Hadn't he caused this mess by asking a member of the Demonic Cult for help—the leader of those monsters, no less?
He had to stop him.
If Mr. Hwang died, he would never be able to face his family.
“Th-Third Young Master, what are you doing? Please, spare Mr. Hwang.”
“…Pardon?”
“He’s going to die at this rate.”
Seeing the innkeeper prostrate himself and beg, Neung Un-bi finally realized his mistake.
“Oh, dear! My apologies!”
As he quickly withdrew his aura, Mr. Hwang gasped, finally able to breathe again.
“*Gasp…*”
“I-I’m sorry. I got a little too excited when I heard the words ‘Taibai Wine’…”
Neung Un-bi hurriedly cleared his vital points, and Mr. Hwang, finally able to catch his breath, panted heavily.
How could an old man like Mr. Hwang withstand the internal energy of a powerful martial artist like Neung Un-bi?
His breathing had returned to normal, but his face was still deathly pale.
“I’ve made a terrible mistake. What should I do…?”
“…”
“Let’s move to a more comfortable place first. Innkeeper, is there somewhere he can rest?”
“Pardon?”
“Mr. Hwang must have been quite startled.”
The innkeeper looked bewildered at Neung Un-bi’s words.
“Come, let’s hurry. I will help Mr. Hwang, so please lead the way.”
“Huh? Ah, yes, right away.”
Neung Un-bi even called over one of the Lunar Eclipse warriors who had been working hard and had him support Mr. Hwang.
He even warned them that the man was precious and shouldn't be jostled in the slightest while being moved.
…And whose fault was that?
Just moments ago, he looked like he could kill a man without a sound, and now he was acting so friendly.
Was this the way of the Demonic Cult?
The innkeeper reminded himself to be careful. Very, very careful.
A short while later.
Having moved to a nearby shop, Neung Un-bi examined Mr. Hwang with a delicate touch.
“Th-Third Young Master. I’m fine now.”
“No, you’re not. At your age, your body could have been easily injured. Don’t be nervous, just leave it to me. I will do my utmost to ensure you can live a much more vigorous life than before.”
“…”
As Neung Un-bi inspected his body, Mr. Hwang gave the innkeeper a troubled look.
But… what could he do?
Weren’t they the Demonic Cult, who would snap a man’s neck like a twig if provoked?
Mr. Hwang had no choice but to entrust his body to Neung Un-bi’s hands… huh? Wait a minute...
It was a strange sensation. As the hands kneaded his joints, his body, which had felt like a withered flower, began to overflow with strength.
“*Phew…* How do you feel? I did my best, but I hope it was enough.”
“Pardon?”
“It seems the cartilage in your knees is quite worn. I’ve applied a temporary fix, but you’ll need proper treatment soon if you wish to walk without a cane.”
“…”
He had always used a cane. When it rained, the aching was so bad that he could barely move without a sedan chair.
But now?
After Neung Un-bi’s touch, he felt like he could run right out the door.
“What in the world…?”
“*Haha*, I just used a bit of my energy to fortify you.”
“Energy…?”
“What kind of energy would a martial artist have? Internal energy, of course.”
“Y-You used your internal energy? That precious thing?”
“Precious? As I said, it’s merely a temporary fix.”
As Neung Un-bi smiled brightly, Mr. Hwang could only blink.
It was no wonder he was surprised. After all, Neung Un-bi had truly put his heart into it.
Most martial artists learn at least basic medical skills.
Even wandering warriors know how to stop bleeding and prevent infections.
A kind of survival skill, you could say.
And as one’s martial prowess deepens, medical knowledge is naturally acquired.
Techniques like internal energy cultivation and acupoint striking are all based on medical principles.
In other words, one can never master advanced martial arts without understanding the human body, so masters naturally develop skills that rival most physicians.
Thus, while a complete cure might be difficult, temporarily alleviating senile arthritis was a simple matter.
Mr. Hwang, who knew none of this, could only be astonished. Neung Un-bi, in turn, was pleased to receive his favorable gaze.
From now on, he had to act in accordance with his objective.
“I apologize for eavesdropping, but… you brew Taibai Wine?”
“Pardon?”
“…Am I mistaken?”
“Ah, well…”
As Mr. Hwang hesitated, the quick-witted innkeeper beside him answered.
“That’s right. Mr. Hwang knows how to brew Taibai Wine. And not just anyone—he is the thirty-second generation successor of the art.”
“Th-Thirty… second generation successor?”
“Indeed. The brewing method for Taibai Wine originally came from the eastern lands…”
The innkeeper launched into a speech about the history of Taibai Wine, which he said originated in a distant eastern country. Neung Un-bi, utterly fascinated, listened with wide eyes and perked ears.
“Ooh! You truly are an amazing man! To think you’re the successor to such a precious and famous wine!”
“Ah, it’s not that grand…”
“Not at all. This is a truly remarkable art. It’s as if you’ve inherited something akin to the Seventy-Two Arts of Shaolin through the generations, is it not?”
“Excuse me? Sh-Shaolin? Seventy… what?”
When Neung Un-bi went so far as to bring up Shaolin in his shower of praise, Mr. Hwang’s eyes widened as if they would tear.
It was just a brewing technique, wasn't it?
How could he value something known only to a few so highly?
Could this man be… a tremendous lover of wine?
While Mr. Hwang was still bewildered, the innkeeper continued with a regretful expression.
“But last night, the brewery suddenly collapsed…”
“Oh, no! That precious place!”
Of course, Neung Un-bi was playing along enthusiastically.
Taibai Wine. He had to get it.
Hadn’t Hyang-i said she would help him reach the next stage on the day he bought her Taibai Wine?
There was nothing to lose. He would sacrifice his liver and gallbladder—everything for Taibai Wine.
“This is quite a predicament. To think the brewery that produces such a precious liquor has collapsed.”
“Tell me about it. Inns like ours have exclusively handled the wine from Mr. Hwang’s brewery… now it looks like we won’t be able to sell any for a while.”
“That won’t do! Absolutely not! An inn without wine! Unthinkable.”
“Exactly, Third Young Master. That’s why, knowing it was a difficult request, I…”
“I see. And I, unaware of the circumstances, refused to help, citing only the interests of the martial world…”
“Does this mean you’ll help?”
“Waste of breath to say it twice.”
“Pardon?”
“Ah, it’s an expression my guard captain often uses. It means I will help.”
“Ah! Do you really mean it?”
“Of course.”
“Then when can you start…?”
“Now! Immediately! Right away!”
“Ooooh!”
The innkeeper let out a series of exclamations at Neung Un-bi's decisive answer.
Mr. Hwang still hadn't said a word. He was just watching the exchange between Neung Un-bi and the innkeeper.
“However! I have one request.”
“Pardon? A request?”
As Neung Un-bi suddenly stated a condition, Mr. Hwang and the innkeeper tilted their heads in confusion.
“One bottle of Taibai Wine!”
“Pardon? Taibai Wine… one bottle?”
Mr. Hwang’s eyes shot open in surprise. Seeing their reaction, Neung Un-bi, who had made his demand so boldly, scratched his head and laughed awkwardly.
“Ah… is it that expensive?”
That wasn’t what he meant.
One bottle of Taibai Wine? What kind of nonsense was this?
The price quoted by the Blue Cloud Carpentry Guild, with whom he had done business for years, to repair the brewery was a whole *gwan* of silver.
No matter how famous or precious Taibai Wine was, there was no way it was worth that much….
“Then how much money should I give you?”
“Money? Why money?”
“You mean, you’ll take on the brewery repairs for just one bottle of Taibai Wine?”
“…”
Their conversation heading in completely different directions, the two men stared blankly at each other.
Then, realizing his misunderstanding, Neung Un-bi blushed and laughed loudly.
“Haha! My mistake, I thought Taibai Wine was incredibly expensive!”
“No matter how expensive, it’s still just wine… If you tell me the construction cost, I’ll see what I can do.”
Mr. Hwang suggested cautiously, but Neung Un-bi shook his head firmly.
“There’s no need. One bottle of Taibai Wine is enough.”
“Pardon? R-Really?”
“Of course!”
“But still, at that price, it’s practically the same as doing it for free…”
“For free?”
“…”
“Mr. Hwang.”
“Yes?”
“The value of a thing is determined not by the seller, but by the buyer.”
“…”
“Even if others consider it trivial, if it holds the value of a thousand gold pieces to me, then it is no different from a thousand gold pieces.”
“Even so, to say that Taibai Wine… has that much value is a bit…”
“To me, it does. To me, that single bottle of Taibai Wine is a precious item I wouldn’t trade for a whole castle.”
“…”
He was sincere.
After all, a single bottle of Taibai Wine was about to change the level of his martial arts.
Besides, he was just going to make the guys with energy to spare do the work…
But contrary to Neung Un-bi's thoughts, Mr. Hwang and the innkeeper were building up a misunderstanding.
The Third Young Master of the Demonic Cult… must be a truly incredible wine connoisseur.
“Well then, shall we go check the site first?”
“What? Right now?”
“Is there any time to hesitate? We must restore the brewery quickly. Let’s go.”
Neung Un-bi shot up from his seat and walked off confidently, with the bewildered Mr. Hwang and innkeeper following behind.
And just as they were leaving the shop, they ran into someone.
“Huh? Why are you here?”
“…You think I didn’t hear?”
Hyang-i had been waiting outside.
Seeing her lick her lips and repeatedly swallow, it seemed she had heard their entire conversation.
She has sharp ears, anyway.
But what did it matter? The Taibai Wine was an offering (?) for her, after all…
“Let’s go, Hyang-i! To the Taibai Wine!”
“Ooooh!”
“…”
Watching the two march off so proudly, Mr. Hwang and the innkeeper had the exact same thought.
That woman—no, that young lady—must also be a wine lover…
* * *
Sinpyeong Brewery.
The brewery run by Mr. Hwang, Hwang Ja-seong.
“Whoa… is-is that all wine?”
Hyang-i, who had been sniffing the air nonstop since they got close, threw open the gate to another man’s home without a moment’s hesitation and gasped in admiration.
She has no manners.
But Neung Un-bi was just as surprised, so he couldn’t say anything.
In every shaded spot under the roofs built over the walls, there were stacks of wine jars that seemed to number in the hundreds, no, thousands.
Moreover, the scale of the brewery rivaled that of the Heavenly Pillar Gate he had seen before.
W-Wait, this Mr. Hwang. I thought he was just some old man brewing wine in the countryside, but he’s ridiculously rich, isn’t he?
“These are not yet fully aged. They need to mature for several more years to develop the proper flavor.”
“S-Several years?”
“Indeed.”
Listening to the detailed explanation of the wine’s aging process, Neung Un-bi headed toward the collapsed brewery.
He had many questions, but this was no time to stand around in awe.
He had to finish the construction quickly and get his Taibai Wine.
After walking for a while with Hwang Ja-seong, he finally saw the brewery that was said to have suddenly collapsed.
“It really has completely collapsed.”
“I know. I have no idea why…”
“*Haha*! Don’t you worry. I’ll have it restored in a flash.”
“I would be most grateful. Please, have a look around. I will go and fetch the Taibai Wine from the storehouse.”
“The Tai, Taibai… hmm, no.”
“Pardon?”
“I should receive payment after the work is done.”
When Neung Un-bi shook his head, Hyang-i flared up and glared at him.
*Tsk, tsk…* she just wants a taste of the wine…
But that won’t do. You have to work too, and it’ll be a problem if you just drink up and wipe your mouth clean.
“Hyang-i.”
“What!”
“Go find Wang Cheon and Ju-seung and tell them to come here. We can’t just leave the inn construction, so we’ll need to split up the manpower.”
“Damn it… we could just get the Taibai Wine and then do it.”
“Now, now! That’s not the proper order of things.”
“Proper order, my foot!”
“Are you going or not?”
“Fine, fine! Just you try drinking it alone behind my back.”
Hyang-i grumbled in irritation and spun around.
Such a temper…
But before she left, she sent Neung Un-bi a cryptic telepathic message.
[That thing, someone broke it on purpose.]
“Hm?”
Neung Un-bi tried to ask her what she meant, but Hyang-i had already vanished.
“*Gasp*!”
“…”
He couldn't help but be shocked; she had disappeared without a trace right before his eyes.
“She is quite remarkable, isn’t she? She was standing right here just a moment ago.”
“Ah, well…”
Mr. Hwang, seemingly composed now, clicked his tongue in amazement and patted his chest. Neung Un-bi just laughed awkwardly and scratched his head.
But… what did she mean, someone made it collapse on purpose?