Paedobang (1)
“Nice to meet you. I am Mu-jin, the third disciple of Shaolin. Amitabha.”
“Nice to meet you too. I am Ryu Seol-ho, the branch leader of Nanchang for the Cheonryu Merchant Guild.”
After exchanging greetings with a half bow and a fist salute, Ryu Seol-ho spoke in a blunt tone.
“I have roughly heard about the matter through the letter sent by the guild master. Our Nanchang branch plans to commission the workshop to make the tools needed for the clinic.”
Before Mu-jin could respond to the man’s words, Ryu Seol-ho continued.
“For anything else needed for the clinic, please speak through the chief officer. I made time for you today because it’s the first day, but the position of branch leader in the Cheonryu Merchant Guild is not exactly leisurely.”
Ryu Seol-ho had clearly issued a dismissal order.
Through today’s meeting, Mu-jin realized a very important fact.
The second son of the Cheonryu Merchant Guild and the future corrupt guild master was an incredibly rude person.* * *
Shortly after Mu-jin left, Ryu Seol-ho clicked his tongue lightly.
“Tsk.”
“You seem quite displeased.”
To his guard’s question, Ryu Seol-ho replied with a cynical smile.
“It seems the guild master is getting ready to step down. To praise such a young kid so much.”
The letter sent by his father, no, the guild master, was filled with nothing but praises for Mu-jin.
“He even asked me to make a good impression on that young boy. I’m beginning to wonder if he expected me to perform some tricks.”
“What do you intend to do?”
The question implied that he was willing to handle things quietly if desired.
“Leave it. The guild master is focusing on him. Interfering might raise unnecessary suspicion. Besides, we have already left dealing with them to Paedobang.”
“I understand.”
In response to Ryu Seol-ho’s command, the guard bowed his head.
* * *
Meanwhile, at that time.
In the abbot’s room of Shaolin Temple situated on Mount Song.
There, Abbot Hyun Cheon and Chubodangju Hyun-myeong were facing each other.
“Senior brother abbot. I am still not convinced that sending Hye-gwan as the person in charge of this matter was the right decision.”
Hyun-myeong couldn’t sleep properly, worried whether the establishment of a branch clinic in Jiangxi province would proceed smoothly.
The funny thing was that his concern wasn’t about Mu-jin, who was about to turn fifteen, but Hye-gwan, the first disciple of Shaolin who was already over forty.
There was no doubt about Hye-gwan’s martial prowess. His strength ranked among the top five in current Shaolin.
The problem was his temper. His unpredictable and eccentric nature.
Hyun-myeong worried that Hye-gwan might beat to death the heads of the minor sects in Nanchang simply because they displeased him.
To Hyun-myeong’s worried question, Hyun Cheon replied with a benevolent smile.
“Hahaha. Don’t worry about that. Unless it’s a battle against demonic cultivators, Hye-gwan won’t bother to take action due to his laziness.”
In fact, Hyun Cheon understood the underlying reason beyond the superficial one. Hye-gwan, who fought against his own madness every day, wouldn’t step in under the excuse of laziness.
Just as Hyun Cheon feared, Hye-gwan was cautious because he might kill his opponents if he intervened.
“Therefore, Hye-gwan is just a trump card in case of unexpected battles with demonic cultivators. The actual negotiations with other sects will be handled by Mu-jin. I believe Mu-jin is fully capable of managing that task.”
“So, Hye-gwan is just the nominal leader, and Mu-jin is the actual person in charge?”
“That’s correct.”
At Hyun Cheon’s words, Hyun-myeong nodded in agreement. Based on his observations so far, he felt confident in Mu-jin.
“The strategist Mu-jin and the warrior Hye-gwan. It seems like an excellent selection. Amitabha, senior brother abbot.”
“Hahaha. Mu-jin will manage to keep Hye-gwan in check.”
* * *
Currently, Mu-jin, who had the high expectations of the Shaolin abbot and Chubodangju, was walking down a street filled with red lanterns.
“Oh my~ Brother, you have a great body~”
“Brother! Come and play with us for the day!”
It might seem absurd for someone to flirt with a novice monk, but Mu-jin looked nothing like a novice monk at the moment.
Instead of Shaolin’s distinctive kasaya, he wore luxurious silk clothes that a rich young master might wear. His face was adorned with fake moles and freckles created through makeup.
On top of that, his distinctive monk’s hairstyle was replaced with a shaggy wig tied up with a heroic headband. It was obviously a wig.
Thanks to this elaborate disguise, Mu-jin didn’t look like a novice monk at all.
All these items were purchased using the vouchers from the Cheonryu Merchant Guild, given by Ryu Ji-gwang.
Of course, the disguise wasn’t for the purpose of visiting the women soliciting customers on the street.
The reason he came to Nanchang was to deal with the dark forces, including Paedobang, that were involved in human trafficking.
The problem was that Paedobang hadn’t fully taken control of the area at this point.
Mu-jin had come here to understand Paedobang and other dark forces in Nanchang.
Where were the main bases of these dark forces and demonic sects?
Just as modern organized crime groups managed nightclubs, bars, and entertainment establishments, the major bases here were inns and brothels employing courtesans.
Surveying the area in disguise, Mu-jin headed toward the most luxurious inn he could find.
It was purely for gathering information.
“Welcome!”
The innkeeper greeted Mu-jin warmly and guided him to a seat.
Mu-jin pulled out a silver liang from his sleeve and handed it to the innkeeper, saying,
“Bring me your five best dishes.”
“Aigo, no doubt about it!”
The innkeeper’s mouth split into a wide grin as he accepted the silver liang and left.
A little while later, lavish dishes began to pile up one by one on Mu-jin’s table.
Naturally, these dishes were made with ingredients that were absolutely forbidden to monks.
‘Oho, these are the foods I’ve only heard about. No, the foods I’ve only read about!’
The famous Buddha Jumps Over the Wall, Dongpo Pork, Longjing Shrimp, West Lake Vinegar Fish, and Beggar’s Chicken were served in succession.
“Our chef here used to work at a famous inn in Zhejiang Province, so the dishes from Zhejiang are the most delicious!”
At the innkeeper’s explanation, Mu-jin nodded once and picked up his chopsticks.
‘Great! Today is protein supplementation day!’
Two and a half years since entering the world of martial arts novels.
Except for the special meals he sometimes received when dragged to the meditation cave, his diet had been nothing but vegetables day and night.
Occasionally, a day like this was needed to bring vitality to his training.
“Ahh.”
Whether it was because he was in a martial arts novel world, or because the original flavors were like this, or the chef’s skills were exceptional, all five dishes boasted an incredible taste.
Mu-jin, captivated by the flavors, moved his chopsticks nonstop.
…
Clearly, he had come here to gather information on the dark forces.
As Mu-jin was engrossed in the food for quite some time, he suddenly spotted an unexpected sight and choked on his food.
“Cough.”
What Mu-jin saw was Hye-gwan.
Hye-gwan had entered the grand inn, Geumhwa Inn, where Mu-jin was seated.
Unlike Mu-jin, Hye-gwan entered boldly with his head shaved clean and wearing the crimson kasaya.
And of all things, the eyes of Hye-gwan, who had entered the inn boldly, and Mu-jin, who was choking on his food, met.
“Hehehe.”
For some reason, Hye-gwan approached Mu-jin’s table.
“Hehehe. Well, well. I never imagined I’d run into a fellow disciple here.”
“What do you mean?”
Mu-jin tried to feign ignorance at Hye-gwan’s words, but it didn’t work.
“Kuhaha. You’re always amusing. I was curious about who taught Sa-baek Hyun-gwang about meat and alcohol, and it turns out it was you.”
“…”
Mu-jin felt wronged. He had taught Hyun-gwang about meat, but not alcohol.
However, shouting “I’m innocent!” here would only be admitting guilt.
“Ahem. I don’t know what you’re talking about.”
“Kuhaha. Alright, alright. If you insist, we’ll leave it at that. But in exchange for turning a blind eye, you’ll cover the bill for this place.”
Before Mu-jin could reply, Hye-gwan immediately called the innkeeper.
“First, bring a bottle each of Yeohong and Geomnamchun.”
“How did you know our inn has the best Yeohong and Geomnamchun?”
“Hahaha, my nose is keen for the scent of alcohol.”
It was a statement that made one question if such a rogue monk truly existed.
Shortly after, the innkeeper returned with the Yeohong and Geomnamchun, and Hye-gwan poured the two drinks into separate cups.
Mu-jin, wondering if one of those drinks was for him, asked Hye-gwan, “Why are you pouring two drinks at the same time?”
“Tsk. You really don’t understand the taste of alcohol. Yeohong is a sweet wine, while Geomnamchun is strong. You drink Geomnamchun first, then follow it with Yeohong to smooth out the strong aftertaste.”
“…”
Mu-jin nearly blurted out that he was crazy. Knowing Hye-gwan’s reputation, he barely restrained himself.
True to his words, Hye-gwan didn’t touch the food at all and only drank. He drank Geomnamchun as his liquor and used Yeohong as his chaser.
Watching this absurd scene for a while, Mu-jin couldn’t help but swallow his saliva. The way Hye-gwan enjoyed his drink was enticing.
It was especially hard to resist since Mu-jin had always been curious about the taste of these famous liquors he read about in martial arts novels.
Perhaps Mu-jin’s gulp was too loud, for Hye-gwan, noticing, asked with a playful smile, “Do you want a drink?”
Mu-jin almost answered “Yes.” However, exerting extreme self-control, he replied with a sorrowful expression, “No, thank you.”
“Who would believe a starving beggar dog looking at a fallen dumpling saying no?”
“Ahem. I won’t drink right now.”
His intent wasn’t to avoid alcohol because he was still young but because he needed to build his muscles. He intended to avoid alcohol to enhance his muscle development.
Of course, even after building sufficient muscles, he’d need to avoid alcohol to maintain his muscle mass.
‘Once I reach a higher level!!’
In the world of martial arts novels, there was a solution. Like how Grandfather Hyun-gwang demonstrated, one could expel the alcohol using internal energy. Grandfather said it was possible once one achieved a major breakthrough and completed the Grand Circulation.
For now, Mu-jin avoided alcohol because he hadn’t reached that level. If he did, he planned to enjoy drinking as much as he wanted.
Of course, Hye-gwan couldn’t fathom Mu-jin’s muscle-focused mindset and interpreted it differently.
“‘Not right now,’ huh…”
Hye-gwan thought Mu-jin meant he’d drink when he became an adult.
‘He’s an amusing fellow.’
Naturally, Shaolin forbade alcohol consumption regardless of age. Yet, Mu-jin confidently declared he’d drink as an adult.
“Judging by your expression, it seems you won’t last long. Hahaha.”
The more Hye-gwan watched Mu-jin, the more he liked him.
Laughing heartily, Hye-gwan poured himself several more rounds, ignoring Mu-jin, whose eyes were glued to the drinks.
Then, with a peculiar expression, Hye-gwan asked a question.
“Well, now that we’ve had some drinks and moistened our throats, can you answer my question, young benefactor?”
Mu-jin, having finished his cup of tea, replied, “What do you want to know?”
Though they pretended not to know each other, their identities were already revealed. There was no point in hiding, especially after being caught eating meat. Despite being Shaolin’s most notorious fallen monk, Hye-gwan seemed ready to let it slide.
With a mischievous smile, the fallen monk asked an unexpected question.
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