Chapter 117
117
“You son of a bitch! Glad to see your face. I thought you were dead since I hadn’t heard from you.”
“I’ll live longer than a broken monk who’s been drinking rice wine since noon.”
Yeon-ryang chuckled and sat down in front of Beopgong. I stood beside Yeon-ryang, feeling awkward.
Beopgong looked at me, tilting his head, then looked at Yeon-ryang with a knowing look.
“What’s this? Who’s this kid? Did you get into an accident? When did you become a dad…? Ah! Tell me, you son of a bitch!”
Yeon-ryang punched Beopgong in the back of the head and said firmly.
“She’s my sister, so don’t talk nonsense. A damn monk who can’t go himself is trying to block someone else’s marriage.”
“What marriage! Even if I didn’t stop you, what kind of swordsman can get married! If you have eyes, look! She’s a spitting image of you! I’d believe you if you said you had her on your own!”
Ignoring Beopgong’s shout, Yeon-ryang gestured to me.
“So-hye, come over here and sit down. This guy is Beopgong.”
“Yes, hello.”
“Oh, hello. Your name is So-hye? You look just like a Tang Clan daughter… No, you are a Tang Clan daughter!”
“Oh, how did you know?”
“I can tell just by the way you put your hands in your sleeves. You’re the kid the Murim Alliance is looking for, right? Yeon-ryang, you crazy bastard, did you kidnap a Tang Clan daughter?”
“Kidnap? She’s my sister.”
“How can a Tang Clan kid be your sister! You crazy bastard!”
Beopgong shouted and pointed his finger.
“I’m going crazy. So it was you, Yeon-ryang, that the Sword Saint’s disciple was searching for with his eyes burning? He even extended his dispatch period, saying he couldn’t return until he completed his mission. I wondered who he was looking for, but of course, it was you, so he couldn’t catch you.”
Is Jin-sung still looking for us?
I remembered Jin-sung, who had put down the Wound Remedy and stepped back, and I pouted.
He seemed a little sorry back then. Was he that upset about missing us? What a rigid Taoist.
Yeon-ryang nodded.
“That’s why I came. I’m here to ask you for a favor.”
“What is it?”
“Come with me to the Murim Alliance and vouch for me.”
“…Are you crazy? You madman.”
Beopgong looked like he had eaten shit, as if he was wondering what nonsense he was talking about. Yeon-ryang continued, unconcerned by the cold reaction.
“My sister is being chased because of me. She’s done nothing wrong, and I can’t just let her keep being chased. Help me.”
“Hey, Yeon-ryang. Are you out of your mind? Do you know what it means to crawl into the Murim Alliance on your own two feet? No matter how well you hide your Demonic Energy, do you think the old fogeys of the Murim Alliance won’t notice?”
“That’s why I’m asking you. At least you’ll give me a proper funeral.”
“Don’t make me laugh. The Abbot will throw my corpse next to yours. Who’s going to give who a funeral?”
Beopgong scratched his nose and spoke again.
“Still, it would be fun to screw over the old fogeys of the Murim Alliance.”
“Haha, I knew you’d say that.”
“Alright. This Beopgong will be your guarantor. Buy me drinks in return.”
“Okay.”
“Not just once. Buy me drinks endlessly on the way.”
“Alright.”
Yeon-ryang answered, grabbed Beopgong’s hand, and chuckled.
…Does this guy have all his screws loose too? Can I trust him?
Beopgong raised one corner of his mouth and asked, noticing my distrustful gaze.
“What? Kid. Why are you looking at me like that?”
“You’re just so different from the image of a monk I had in my head.”
“What kind of image of a monk did you have in your head?”
Yeon-ryang answered instead of Beopgong.
“At least not someone who looks like they crawled out of a liquor jar.”
“You have a poor imagination. Monks can drink too.”
“Is that something to be proud of?”
Yeon-ryang clicked his tongue and shook his head.
Beopgong was confident despite our reactions.
“Kid, drinking alcohol doesn’t cause any problems in Buddhist practice. Think about it. What do we eat when we train?”
“Grain-avoidance pill?”
“That’s right. Grain-avoidance pills are made from grains, right?”
“Yes, they are.”
“Rice wine is also made from grains, right? It’s made with care from clean grains, so what’s the difference between rice wine and Grain-avoidance pills?”
“Well, they’re very different.”
I asked back, feeling awkward.
“Then why do you grow your hair out?”
“Heo. Do you know why monks shave their heads? It’s an expression of their intention to cut ties with the secular world and sever their worldly desires. But I’m out in the secular world, right? There’s no need to cut ties, so there’s no need to shave my head.”
What kind of bullshit logic is that? He’s really Yeon-ryang’s friend.
Yeon-ryang chuckled as I made a face that said, “Is this guy crazy?”
“If the Abbot catches you, you’ll be bald again.”
“Shut up with that unlucky talk, Yeon-ryang.”
Beopgong shuddered as if he had goosebumps and grumbled, covering his hair.
“I don’t know when the Abbot is going to give up on me.”
“If you were him, would you give up? Someone who has mastered seven of the Seventy-Two Arts of Shaolin? Just give up your hair.”
Yeon-ryang, who was giving him a scolding as if he was dumbfounded, seemed very happy.
Watching the two of them, I also felt better.
They get along well. It’s good that Yeon-ryang has a good friend… or maybe not, but at least a friend he gets along with.
“Enough nonsense. Buy me drinks. I haven’t had enough yet.”
“Okay. Jeomsoi! Order here!”
“Yes! Great heroes! Coming!”
“Should I order something for the kid too? Does the kid drink? Is she too young to drink?”
“I’ll just have a little.”
“Okay. I’ll order it for you, so just taste it.”
Yeon-ryang chuckled as if my polite answer was funny and patted my head.
“You’ll regret it, Beopgong. Our kid can really drink.”
“Is that so? Well, it doesn’t matter. You’re paying for the drinks anyway.”
“You can only drink one bottle.”
“Huh? What kind of rule is that! You said you’d buy me drinks until we get to the Murim Alliance!”
The two bickering people seemed as close as if they had met yesterday. I chuckled and rested my chin on my hand.
\ \ *
The feast continued until sunset.
Even after moving inside the inn to avoid the cold wind, Beopgong drank, drank, and drank again.
The inn’s alcohol supply was running out, and I could feel the Jeomsoi mixing water into the mash.
Ugh. This is what Grandpa said tasted terrible.
As I smacked my lips and put down my glass, Beopgong shook his head with a disgusted look.
“Hey, this isn’t just drinking well. She’s not even getting drunk. Where did you pick up such a heavy drinker, Yeon-ryang?”
“I don’t think you’re the one to talk, Monk.”
“I’m confident when it comes to drinking, but I can’t beat you. Your brother is completely wasted, but the kid’s complexion hasn’t even changed.”
“It’s just my constitution.”
It’s because I have Immunity to all poisons, so I don’t get drunk.
I shrugged and looked to the side, and I saw Yeon-ryang dozing off, his elbows on the table.
His face was so red; he looked like a bright red sweet potato instead of a person.
This is the first time I’ve seen Yeon-ryang drunk. He’s not someone who drinks this much.
I carefully shook Yeon-ryang’s arm, feeling unfamiliar with his appearance.
“Brother. Are you okay?”
“…Umm.”
“Okay. You’re not okay. Sleep more.”
I patted him and cleared the dishes in front of him, and Yeon-ryang slammed his forehead on the table with a thud.
He’s completely out of it. A person who can’t even sleep without his sword by his side…
…Does that mean he trusts that monk that much?
I scanned Beopgong with strange eyes, and Beopgong, who was rubbing his bright red nose, put down his chopsticks.
“The kid doesn’t seem like a Tang Clan kid? She’s so gentle. Everyone in your family has a terrible personality.”
“It’s because of the Poison. The poison affects the head, so people become sensitive.”
“You’re talking like you’re not?”
“I have a good resistance. Have you met my siblings?”
“Not all of them, but I’ve met the Young Patriarch and the Poison Demon.”
“Ah, of all people, you met the two with the worst personalities.”
I nodded, and Beopgong asked seriously.
“Aren’t you guys going to have another Young Patriarch competition? The current Young Patriarch is already so insecure at such a young age that he can’t even function as a human being. Dang… Dang Young… What was his name again? I can’t even remember his name.”
“Ahaha. Dang Young-ho.”
“Right, him. If you leave him alone, he’ll ruin the family. Is there no one else?”
“It’s the Patriarch’s decision. He’ll take care of it. My third brother does more of the external activities.”
“Is the Poison Demon the third? He’s arrogant and cold, just like the Tang Clan Patriarch. He’s the type to make enemies.”
So other people see it the same way. There’s nothing to say.
I laughed awkwardly, and Beopgong filled my glass with alcohol as if he understood.
“It’s tough if you meet the wrong siblings. I know that feeling well.”
“Your siblings… must have suffered because they met you… Monk…”
“What are you saying? If you’re drunk, just go to sleep.”
Beopgong frowned at Yeon-ryang’s muttering and asked, resting his chin on his hand.
“Seeing as the Tang Clan gave up on you, you must be an outcast from the family. If you were chased by the Murim Alliance, you must have suffered a lot?”
Even though he was openly calling me an outcast, I didn’t feel bad. Well, I’ve never been treated like a child, so there’s no reason to feel bad.
I smiled faintly.
“If I hadn’t met Yeon-ryang, I would have died a long time ago. Really.”
“That guy has a soft heart, unlike his appearance. He’s infinitely strong against strong opponents, but infinitely weak against weak opponents.”
“You know Yeon-ryang well.”
“I’ve known him for a long time.”
Beopgong answered and stretched. Every time he cracked his neck, there was a loud popping sound.
He turned his shoulders this way and that, then shook his hands, and thin smoke rose from his fingertips. It seemed like he was burning off the alcohol toxins.
Beopgong’s expression hardened, and he looked straight at me.
“But, kid. Yeon-ryang can’t be with you forever.”
“…I guess so.”
Yeon-ryang has his own life too. Someday, we’ll have to part ways.
Maybe it won’t be a distant future.
Seeing as he’s trying to settle things with the Murim Alliance, there’s a possibility that we’ll go our separate ways soon.
Beopgong grinned at my gloomy answer and clenched his fist.
“So let’s see your skills.”
“Yes?”
“Let’s see if you’re good enough to wander around on your own.”
At the same time, a golden fist stretched out towards me.
My hairs stood on end at the chilling sensation, and I instinctively tensed my toes.
Huh?
