Ascension of the Heavenly Demon - Chapter 148
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This chapter was translated by Lunox Team. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
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Chapter 148
The meal was finished.
He even let out a satisfying burp.
“Munhyeon!”
“What?”
“That’s rude.”
Zhuge Mungi frowned and whispered quietly.
“Leave him be. It happens.”
“…Yes.”
Though Tang Yung’s extremely satisfied expression was puzzling, Zhuge Mungi said nothing more and stepped back.
“It seems to have suited your taste?”
“It was the best. It would be fine to put it on Sichuan’s list of famous restaurants.”
“High praise indeed. It was worth introducing you.”
Favorability.
That’s truly frightening.
Burping and even picking his teeth was clearly rude behavior, but in Tang Yung’s eyes, it appeared as unaffected simplicity.
It also meant he had eaten well.
There’s nothing more pleasing to a host than that.
Above all, Zhuge Munhyeon’s attitude was different from everyone he’d met so far, even refreshing.
It was a side he couldn’t see in the so-called young masters of prestigious families he’d encountered before.
Most people try to maintain their dignity and prestige.
In contrast, Zhuge Munhyeon wasn’t confined by others’ gazes and was free, you could say?
Above all, since there was no concealment in his words and actions, it seemed he didn’t need to worry about hidden intentions. Of course, that didn’t mean he trusted him completely.
“Well then, now that we’ve filled our stomachs and come out of the manor for once, let me show you around Star Blade.”
“Before that, I’d like to visit the Craft Bang for a moment.”
“Craft Bang?”
“Yeah.”
“Why? I’ve already contacted the Zheng Family Head that we’d be visiting.”
“Zheng Family Head?”
“That family’s daughter…”
“Let’s go to the Craft Bang.”
As soon as Zhuge Munhyeon heard something about a daughter, he mercilessly cut off Tang Yung’s words.
Ah, Mother…
Why on earth did you do that?
What were you thinking, inserting my Four Pillars into the Young Family Head’s marriage matters…
It’s not that I can’t understand your feelings.
Since you’re already past fifty, you couldn’t delay the marriage of a son you had at such a late age.
But!
This is something I absolutely cannot compromise on.
What’s this talk about marriage?
When it comes to women, I’m disgusted.
Because all the women I met in my previous life were witches obsessed with draining my vital energy.
But then.
“Hmm, so you have those kinds of preferences, I see?”
“Huh?”
“You should have said so earlier. A craft bang wasn’t in the plan, but I’ll respect your preferences.”
“….”
What is this guy talking about now?
Preferences?
Somehow I feel uneasy.
“Let’s go. To the craft bang.”
Tang Yung stood up abruptly and headed straight for the inn entrance…
“The meal was good.”
“Thank you, Young Master.”
He passed by the inn owner.
Huh?
Zhuge Munhyeon looked at Tang Yung with puzzlement.
That bastard… didn’t pay.
I thought he’d at least pay for the meal.
It seems he means that since I ate it, I should pay for it.
Petty bastard.
“How much is it?”
Zhuge Munhyeon, who had also stood up, asked loudly as if deliberately making sure Tang Yung could hear.
“Pardon?”
The inn owner, who had been seeing them off, looked up in surprise.
“I asked how much. Two bowls of hangover soup.”
“Ah, no… that’s…”
The inn owner glanced at Tang Yung with a very uncomfortable expression.
“Haha! How much, you say? What kind of talk is that?”
“What?”
It’s free, free.”
“Free?”
“That’s right. This is Sichuan, isn’t it?”
“….”
I stared at him blankly.
So what if it’s Sichuan?
What does that have to do with the meal cost?
“Come on, man. This is Sichuan, I’m telling you?”
“….”
Only then did he realize.
The king of Sichuan.
A place where the Tang Family are the owners.
It sounded like it meant that naturally, they wouldn’t pay money whether they ate food or bought things.
“Ah, was it owned by the Tang Family?”
“Huh?”
“This inn, I mean.”
“That’s not it though…”
“Then why don’t you pay money?”
“Huh?”
Tang Yung blinked with a naturally stupid expression.
Eating food, paying the price.
This was an extremely natural process, but he had never thought about it even once.
Right? Why don’t I pay money?
But in Sichuan, and in Star Blade, it was naturally like that…
“Don’t tell me you’ve been getting free meals all this time?”
“Well, since it’s Sichuan…”
These guys seem to think Sichuan is some kind of cure-all.
“Wow, that’s really too much.”
“You, too much? What do you mean by that?”
“What do I mean? It’s not even an inn owned by the Tang Family, so naturally you should pay for alcohol when you drink and pay for food when you eat.”
“…”
Tang Yung showed a flustered expression when something that no one had ever questioned was pointed out.
“How much?”
“Pardon?”
“Two bowls of hangover soup, how much?”
“…Twelve mun.”
“What? Twelve mun? No way, this delicious hangover soup is only twelve mun for two bowls?”
“That’s… that’s right, but…”
The inn owner had somehow turned pale.
“Does anyone have twelve mun?”
“I am a Taoist.”
Mujin emphasized his own integrity.
This guy is also a problem.
To eat so deliciously when he doesn’t even have money.
That rotten mindset of naturally thinking someone would buy it for him needs to be fixed.
“Mungi, what about you?”
“Ah, I just followed the Young Family Head…”
“Then what about you?”
Zhuge Munhyeon’s gaze turned toward Tang Yung.
He looks troubled.
It seems he doesn’t have a money pouch.
Well, considering what he’s been doing, he wouldn’t have needed a money pouch in Sichuan, so there’s no way he would have brought one.
Even if he had brought one, he had never carried money in units of mun in his pouch before.
“Haah… What’s with this? How can you not have twelve mun?”
Frowning, Zhuge Munhyeon took out a silver coin from his money pouch and held it out. In truth, he didn’t have small change either.
“Oh! Young Master, this is too much.”
“Who said I’m giving it all to you? Do you know how hard it is to earn money? Bring the change to the Tang Family’s Guest Reception Hall later. Just tell them to give it to Zhuge Munhyeon.”
“I, I should go to the Tang Family?”
The inn owner’s face turned pale as if he had mentioned the underworld.
This too was an unfamiliar experience for him.
Who would have thought he’d receive money from the Tang Family, no, from a guest who came to the Tang Family.
And from such a high-ranking person who spoke casually with the Young Family Head at that.
“Don’t you dare pocket it and make sure to bring it. Understood?”
“Y-yes, I understand.”
What was delicious was delicious, but money is money.
Though frightened, the inn owner nodded vigorously as he took the silver coin, overwhelmed by the sharp aura.
“You’re quite an interesting person.”
Afterward, Tang Yeon said with a laugh as they walked out of the inn.
From my perspective, you’re the more interesting one.
You Tang Family bastard who only does dine and dash.
“Do you know why they’re called scoundrels?”
“…Scoundrels?”
“Mu meaning ‘without,’ rae meaning ‘benefit.’ No benefit. Gives no profit. Doesn’t pay money. Dines and dashes. Causes trouble. That’s why they’re called scoundrels.”
“Ha, this fellow? So you’re saying I’m a scoundrel?”
“What’s the difference?”
“Huh?”
“If you eat at an inn owner’s place who makes money selling food and give them no benefit in return, that makes you a scoundrel. Doesn’t it?”
“Hmm…”
It seemed like he was insulting the entire Tang Family, but since it wasn’t exactly wrong either, Tang Yeon subtly frowned.
“If you work, you receive payment, and if you do wrong, you receive punishment… That’s the proper way that should be upheld.”
“…”
“Just because you have some power, just because your status is somewhat high, if you do everything only for your own benefit, how can proper order be established? However the Tang Family has lived, however natural all of that seemed, it has nothing to do with me anyway. I must uphold my own principles.”
“Hmm.”
Tang Yeon found himself nodding without realizing it.
It was something he had always naturally accepted, but now it made him seriously contemplate.
Come to think of it, it was natural to pay money after eating.
Because it was Sichuan, because it was the Tang Family, he had taken it for granted not to pay, but someone must have pointed fingers at the Tang Family through him.
‘Principles… Well, I’ll be. I’ve been treated like a complete scoundrel.’
A bitter laugh escaped Tang Yeon, and suddenly understanding a bit of what kind of personality Zhuge Munhyeon had, he nodded to himself alone.
It was a moment when things that had grown this way since childhood and that no one had ever questioned, things that had been considered utterly natural, were no longer seen as natural.
And.
“Ah, well, they actually gave me money, you know?”
“The Young Family Head did?”
“Not him, but it’s the same thing. They were together.”
“Huh!”
“They said something about propriety… I don’t know how to take this.”
Inn Owner No-dae found himself with a serious dilemma.
It was the first time in his life he had received payment for meals from members of the Tang Family.
“Am I perhaps being driven out?”
“It’s been enjoyable all this time. I won’t forget you.”
“…”
It seemed he should probably return the silver coins as they were.
People tend to think according to their own standards, and those already accustomed to Sichuan’s ways(?) thought this way.
Tang Family means free.
In Sichuan, that was the natural way of things.
* * *
Tang Yeon and Zhuge Munhyeon’s party headed straight to the craft workshop.
Not all of the Tang Family’s five divisions were located in the main manor.
The craft workshop was particularly so.
The acrid smoke billowing from braziers that never went out day and night was problematic, and the sound of hammering iron was noise to those who weren’t blacksmiths.
Sometimes weapons being made with explosives would actually explode.
Therefore, it was better to stay out of others’ sight, so only the places specializing in research remained in the main manor, while the production-related facilities were placed in a secluded mountain valley far from Star Blade city.
That place was Hidden Fire Mountain (Eunhwasan).
As it was where the Tang Family’s secret weapons were manufactured, security was extremely tight.
“Welcome, Young Family Head!”
The warriors of the perimeter network spread around Hidden Fire Mountain recognized Tang Yeon and greeted him.
This was already the third time.
He couldn’t help but be inwardly amazed.
Who would have thought it would be this thorough.
“The entry procedures are a bit complicated, aren’t they? Please understand. Since the main house considers this place important, we have no choice but to do this.”
“I suppose so.”
“After we pass through just two more perimeter networks, you’ll start to see the workshop’s outer yard.”
“There are still two more left?”
“That’s right.”
“Just how many warriors are deployed here?”
“Hmm, about three hundred or so?”
“Th-three hundred people?”
He was even more shocked.
Three hundred was enough to create a decent mid-tier sect and still have people left over.
“Silver Flower Mountain has many secrets that can’t be leaked to the outside. So we select those with exceptional abilities and deploy them first.”
“….”
Was it because Zhuge Munhyeon’s mouth fell slightly open in surprise?
Tang Yeon wore a proud expression.
However.
‘These crazy bastards! Three hundred? And they prioritize selecting exceptional warriors just for guard duty? Do they even have any sense?’
If the Military Strategy Hall or Cheonchaek Hall knew about this, they would have issued a stern rebuke immediately. What kind of inefficient operation was this?
As he was clicking his tongue, suddenly an amazing idea flashed through his mind.
Wait a minute… could this perhaps be?
“Look here, Young Family Head.”
“Hm?”
“This is really just something I’m saying on the off chance…”
“Why the sudden formal speech when it doesn’t suit you? Speak freely.”
Don’t worry about it.
Customer service is basically formal speech by default.
“What if you deployed formation techniques and mechanisms?”
“Hm?”
“Even if the core areas can’t be helped, if you protect the perimeter with formation techniques and install mechanisms inside… wouldn’t there be no need to deploy all those warriors?”
“….”
“Then you’d save money on all those warriors’ monthly wages, and you could deploy the warriors to other missions… I think that would be much more efficient, don’t you?”
Tang Yeon stopped walking at his suddenly friendly attitude.
He became silent.
Then he stared at Zhuge Munhyeon wordlessly with wide eyes.
He looked quite shocked… don’t tell me he never thought of it?
No, he must have thought of it, but given his personality, he would have been reluctant to borrow others’ help. In reality, he probably lacked the ability but was too proud to even attempt it.
Because it’s the Tang Family.
The only ones who could install formation techniques and mechanisms to protectively encompass all of Silver Flower Mountain… were the Zhuge Family alone.
So I need to extend my hand first.
“You know, don’t you, Young Family Head? That my father oversees the Military Strategy Hall that manages formation techniques and mechanisms in the Zhuge Family?”
“….”
“This… it seems like there could be more areas for cooperation between the Tang Family and Zhuge Family than expected?”
As he subtly suggested and glanced over, Tang Yeon’s breathing became rough.
His thoughts were completely transparent.
He must be calculating.
Which would be more beneficial.
And the answer was obvious to anyone.
If only the Zhuge Family would help, they could save tremendous amounts of money every year, and they could use the warriors freed from guard duty as new forces.
How wonderful is that?
The Tang Family saves money, while the Zhuge make money and form alliances with those who, though their personalities are damn awful, cherish their own people terribly.
It’s not just marriage that’s political strategy—this too is political strategy.
What’s the point of just researching every day? What’s the point of creating new things?
You have to sell them to make a profit.
Zhuge Munhyeon threw himself into the front lines of sales without anyone telling him to.
Now then, dear customer?
How about I start by introducing our products?
Our family has quite a few useful formation techniques and mechanisms.
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This chapter was translated by Lunox Team. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
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