Chapter 249: The Smell Of People Living (1)
Chapter 248 – The Smell Of People Living (1)
A carriage ran diligently along the official road.
“…”
“…”
A carriage ran diligently along the official road.
“Hmm.”
“Ahem!”
A carriage ran diligently along the official road…
‘Damn it! How long are we going to ride in this carriage! Just when are we arriving? Emperor of Heaven! Divine Spirit! Torture me instead! This is the greatest crisis of my life!’
Namgung Cheon closed his eyes tightly.
Ah, now even if he closed his eyes, Namgung Geom’s cold face hovered before him. It was truly driving him crazy.
‘Sigh, Seon-ah. What should I do? In the past, your face came to mind when I closed my eyes, but now, that old man… no, your father has invaded!’
When Namgung Cheon let out a deep sigh and opened his eyes, Namgung Geom, who was maintaining his usual chilly expression, let out a cool voice:
“A young fellow should not sigh like that.”
“Ah, yes… I am sorry.”
“…”
“…”
In the end, a long breath flowed from the mouth of Namgung Geom, who had run out of things to say.
Namgung Cheon’s eyelids twitched.
“Just now, a sigh…”
“It is the passing of time.”
“Yes?”
“The breath let out as one grows old is not just a sigh, but the passing of time.”
“That is pure obstinacy…”
“What did you say?”
Namgung Geom’s eyes shone sharply.
Though startled, Namgung Cheon quickly turned his gaze out the window.
Yet, strangely, a peculiar joy arose within him.
‘Oh, this is rather better. It feels less suffocating.’
However…
“Now I cannot even breathe in front of my grandson.”
A cold remark flew like a dagger.
Namgung Cheon swallowed the sighs rising from deep within his stomach and looked out the window.
‘I would rather an assassin appear.’
Something was needed to soothe this awkwardness.
As a result, all sorts of thoughts came to mind.
He calculated how often a carriage wheel would fall off while running on the official road, or had useless expectations about whether a huge tree might suddenly fall and crush the carriage. Or it was even fine if hail as big as rocks suddenly fell and smashed the carriage…
‘Sigh, damn it. I am thinking of all sorts of things.’
Namgung Cheon, who was about to sigh again, peeked at Namgung Geom’s expression and let the air leak out weakly through his lips.
“Huuu…”
Perhaps due to the tension, he could not even sleep.
While spending a quarter-hour like a year in that way, the coachman’s voice was heard.
“There is a tavern soon. Once we pass here, there is no place to stay until we pass the Mount Yuhua area. Of course, I think we could run all night in the carriage, but how about staying for the night?”
What? Run all night in the carriage?
Instantly, the same words burst out of Namgung Cheon and Namgung Geom’s mouths simultaneously:
“Of course I will stay.”
“Of course we must stay!”
“…”
“…”
The two, who looked at each other awkwardly, soon shifted their gazes out the window.
The sun was setting slowly in the west.
Again, the two coincidentally spoke similar words.
“Thinking the Patriarch might be uncomfortable…”
“Fearing you might be uncomfortable…”
“…”
“…call me that.”
“Yes?”
“Ahem! When it is just the two of us, call me grandfather. Have you not done so once already?”
“Ah… yes…”
What is wrong with this old man! Making it even more awkward!
Please just act as usual, as usual. Do you intend to turn me into a rock!
While Namgung Cheon, who had become stiff as a log, froze in a rigid posture, the voice of the coachman came.
“We have arrived, I grant you space to breathe (We have arrived. You may get off.).”
At that, the two shouted at the same time again and rushed out of the carriage.
“Thank you!”
“Good work!”
Pabababt!
Having alighted from the carriage with movements like lightning, the two stopped at the entrance of the tavern at the same time.
A shabby tavern built at the passage leading into the forest.
Hwiiiiiiing.
As if chuckling at the two who had alighted noisily, the plaque creaked and tilted.
Yuseok Tavern
Unlike its beautiful name, it was a tavern so old it seemed about to collapse at any moment.
Nevertheless, perhaps because it was the last tavern before entering the rugged mountainous terrain, the voices of staying guests could be heard boisterously from inside.
‘Ah, yes. This is where people live. Thank you, Divine Spirit. Thank you so much!’
If he had been left alone with Namgung Geom even in this place, he might have set fire to the tavern during the night.
Namgung Cheon opened the tavern door with a broad smile and entered.
“Welcome!”
A server ran over, shouting robustly.
‘Ah, the smell of human life… I was a human who liked living and rubbing shoulders with people like this. I see.’
Originally, Namgung Cheon liked staying alone and pathologically disliked being with many people.
The reason was simple.
Because he was a public enemy of the Martial World.
Since if there were many people, he could not tell who among them was targeting him.
Unless it was someone he could absolutely trust, being alone was unconditionally comfortable.
Yet, to think he would feel such a bustling space to be precious.
As Namgung Cheon shifted his steps toward the window without thinking, Namgung Geom’s voice caught his steps:
“Are you going… to the window?”
Namgung Cheon, who faltered for an instant, opened his mouth wide.
‘Damn it! I almost made a huge mistake!’
Dining alone with Namgung Geom at a window seat separated from other guests? Having a cozy meal while watching the setting sun?
“Absolutely out of the question! It is…”
“Indeed. The center would be good.”
Whether Namgung Geom shared the same thought, he walked to a table placed right in the middle of the tavern and sat down with a thud.
The guests who saw that tilted their heads.
That was natural, as a martial artist would usually take a seat in a corner even if it was not by the window, would they not?
The reason was simple.
Because a seat where one did not show their back to a potential enemy was best.
For this reason, martial artists surprisingly preferred the wall corner of a tavern over a window seat.
Because hidden weapons could fly in from outside the window.
Yet, to sit at a table placed like an island right in the middle of the tavern.
Were they not truly strange people?
The gazes that gathered for a brief moment soon scattered and led to low murmurs of conversation.
“What can I get you?”
At the server’s words, Namgung Cheon checked Namgung Geom’s expression.
“Please choose.”
“Hmm. Bring a plate of twice-cooked pork and Shaoxing wine. And what will you eat?”
“Dongpo pork…”
“Customer, I am sorry, but Dongpo pork is not available.”
“Then why write it down?”
“Hehe, it just happened to be unavailable today. I am sorry.”
However, Namgung Cheon offered a prayer of thanks inwardly.
‘Thank you, Divine Spirit. You are keeping the server by my side a bit longer like this.’
Namgung Cheon, who deliberated for a long time, finally spoke:
“Give us boiled pork slices and Mapo tofu.”
He looked at the server with earnest eyes, but unfortunately, a clear voice dropped:
“I will prepare it soon!”
“Ah… this one is available…”
As soon as the server left, the two fell back into silence.
‘Still, it is better than the carriage.’
Certainly, as the surrounding noise was boisterous, he could breathe. There were also many places to look.
A martial artist with a saber at his waist, a martial artist with a sword next to the table, a woman with an outstanding figure, a child chatting while smiling brightly as if traveling with a grandfather, a woman coddling and soothing a baby.
Looking around like that, Namgung Geom was also fully occupied with shifting his gaze here and there to look around.
A slightly less awkward time passed, and the ordered food came out.
As the aroma filled with flavor brushed past his nose, growling sounds continued to come from his stomach.
“Take it.”
“Yes, grand… grand…”
“…”
“…Patriarch.”
Pourrr.
Namgung Geom filled Namgung Cheon’s cup.
Next, Namgung Cheon filled Namgung Geom’s cup, and the two brought their cups to their noses to smell the aroma.
Namgung Geom smiled broadly. Unlike before, an somehow fluttering expression was felt. If someone had seen him, it was an expression that would make them think he liked sharing a cup with his grandson that much.
However, Namgung Cheon also had a face overflowing with joy. His expression, which had surely been stiff as stone just a moment ago, was quite different.
Namgung Geom spoke first:
“The Shaoxing wine is good.”
“Indeed.”
However, though the two smiled broadly at each other, they did not tilt their cups. In the end, when the two put their cups back down on the table, the server quickly ran over and asked:
“Customers, is there perhaps anything uncomfortable?”
At that, Namgung Geom looked at Namgung Cheon and asked:
“Will you do it?”
“The Patriarch do it.”
“I will if you call me grandfather.”
“I will do it.”
“A heartless fellow.”
Ha! He spoke words that would make the Divine Spirit furious. Just who to whom.
Namgung Cheon quickly shook his head.
‘Forget it, just forget it.’
Then, did he not pick up a chopstick and throw it sideways?
Swish!
The chopstick that left his hand flew to the server’s neck and stuck straight in.
Thump!
The server opened his eyes wide and clutched his neck, kneeling on the spot with a thud.
“Keo-heok…! Eek…!”
When the server could not swallow while keeping his mouth wide open, only then did Namgung Cheon lift the cup and pour wine into the server’s mouth.
Trickle.
“Keo-heok…! Heok!”
While the server retched and vomited blood, he still swallowed a few gulps of wine.
Soon, Namgung Cheon looked at Namgung Geom with a smile.
“Fortunately, the wine seems to be fine.”
“Indeed. Even so, he won’t live long.”
“Because his artery ruptured.”
Surprisingly, were the two not talking as if nothing had happened?
They did not seem at all like people who had just killed a server.
Rather, they had far more comfortable expressions than when they were in the carriage.
Namgung Cheon smiled with a comfortable expression as he received the wine poured by Namgung Geom.
‘Haa, I feel like living now. This is a world where people live. Thank you, Divine Spirit!’
Ignoring the shocked gazes around him, Namgung Geom lifted his cup and asked calmly:
“How did you know?”
“I knew by looking at the calluses on his index and pinky fingers. The same goes for the inside of the thumb.”
“Ho, you have quite a sharp eye.”
Of course.
Since I survived for decades with this sharp eye alone in my past life.
Namgung Cheon swallowed such thoughts and smiled faintly.
“It is usually the grip of those who use twin blades. If he were a server, he should have calluses on his fingertips or palms instead.”
“You are correct. Quite fine.”
“Thank you.”
Namgung Cheon grinned and drank the cup down.
How could it be this enjoyable.
It was so enjoyable.
Unlike when they came in the carriage, was there not so much to talk about?
Now ignoring even the buzzing people, Namgung Cheon asked:
“Grand… grand… damn it, who does the Patriarch suspect?”
“I suspect that woman holding the child.”
“Indeed. Why is that?”
“There is no warmth in her eyes looking at the child.”
“Indeed, age is sometimes scarier than logic.”
“Then what is your logic?”
“Even while holding a suckling infant, she is not prepared to feed it at any time. The reason her chest is not exposed despite that shabby attire is because she bound her chest with cloth. This is something only martial artists do for activity.”
“Somehow you seem to know a lot about a woman’s body?”
Namgung Geom’s eyes turned somewhat fierce.
“Uh… please do not have strange thoughts. I just have a sharp eye.”
“Yes, I will believe you.”
Even when Namgung Geom’s words dropped, the woman holding the child turned pale and did not know what to do.
At the moment she felt she could no longer hold back,
“Do not act rashly.”
Pew!
At Namgung Geom’s gesture, a chopstick placed on the table flew like an arrow and stuck right into the center of the woman’s forehead.
Thud!
Flop!
As the woman lay back against the wall like that, the child held in her arms burst into a frantic fit of crying.
At that moment, all the guests around drew their weapons as if they had promised and shouted:
“These dog-like bastards!”
“Kill them!”
In the midst of the enemies flying in like a swarm of bees, Namgung Cheon smiled broadly while holding his cup.
“As expected, it is good because there is the smell of human life.”
“Indeed.”
The two were breathing a sigh of relief for the first time in a while.