Sowol Inn - Chapter 8

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This chapter was translated by Lunox Novels. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
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Episode 8
“If you’re going anyway, you might as well handle it. I’d rather not face Meng’s dogs myself.”
“I’ll do my best.”
“Don’t try. Stop them.”
“That’s asking a lot.”
“Useless.”
“At least I’ve given you the talismans.”
Jin Seong handed over a bundle of talismans to So Wol with complete composure.
Then, after a pause, he changed the subject.
“By the way, So Wol.”
“What now?”
“What is the child’s name?”
So Wol hesitated before answering.
The baby had no name.
“…I don’t know. Parents give a child their name. Why would I give one to a baby I’m only keeping for a while?”
As So Wol deflected with excuses, something flickered across Jin Seong’s face.
“So you’ve been calling him ‘the baby’ this entire time?”
“Yes. There’s no other way.”
Jin Seong blinked as if startled, then closed his mouth.
So Wol turned his attention back to the cradle without a word. The baby was already fast asleep.
So Wol adjusted the disheveled swaddling cloth and clicked his tongue.
The sound of voices murmuring outside was the cause.
“What’s happening? Is the exorcism over?”
“We don’t hear anything from inside, but…”
It seemed the villagers, unable to contain their curiosity, had gathered again.
So Wol swallowed a sigh and opened the door, and the murmuring cut off as if it had never been.
The villagers didn’t dare step inside; they merely craned their necks to peer at the interior of the noodle inn.
“Now you finish it. They might not believe me, but they’ll believe a shaman.”
At So Wol’s urging, Jin Seong stepped forward.
“Please step back. The malevolent force hasn’t fully dissipated yet.”
At his words, the villagers started and quickly retreated.
So Wol handed the bundle of talismans to Jin Seong.
“Put these up too. Since we’re using them anyway, let’s make sure they’re visible from a distance.”
“Yes.”
Jin Seong set about affixing the talismans to the doorposts and gate.
The way he pressed down the edges of the paper with his fingertips to secure them looked almost professional.
So Wol, arms folded, watched the scene unfold and frowned.
“Hey. I said put them where they’re visible from a distance, not turn the whole door into wallpaper.”
“This way, they’ll be visible from a distance.”
Jin Seong replied without hesitation and pressed down the final talisman.
The doorposts were now covered without a gap.
As the yellow paper fluttered in the breeze, the watching villagers all held their breath at once.
The Village Chief, who had been sizing things up, approached cautiously.
“Shaman, how does it stand? Are things well now?”
“Yes. I have completely suppressed the malevolent force.”
Jin Seong answered without the slightest hesitation, and the Village Chief exhaled with relief.
“Thank goodness. We can welcome guests to the noodle inn again without worry.”
The gathered crowd echoed his sentiments.
“Well done, So Wol. Customers will come back now.”
“Thank you, Shaman. We owe our lives to your grace.”
“We’ll be back for thin noodles tomorrow.”
“Please do. See you tomorrow.”
So Wol suppressed a hollow laugh as he replied.
How remarkable that a few shoddy talismans could shift the mood so completely. The power of belief was astounding.
As commotion threatened to erupt again in front of the noodle inn, the Village Chief clapped his hands to shepherd the crowd away.
“Now, now. The shaman has assured us all is well, so everyone should head home. And So Wol, you’ve got business to attend to.”
Only then did the villagers disperse one by one. Before long, the front of the noodle inn was quiet again.
Jin Seong gazed out past the gate for a moment, then, judging there was nothing more to do, straightened his clothes.
“I’ve confirmed the child is safe. I should take my leave now.”
“All right. You did well.”
So Wol waved his hand dismissively, and Jin Seong, who had been moving his mouth silently, called out to him.
“……senior.”
“What now.”
“I think it would be good if you considered a name for the child.”
So Wol blinked, caught off guard by the sudden suggestion, and Jin Seong continued.
“A name gives a child a place to belong, you see.”
“…….”
“Then I shall take my leave. Please take care of yourself.”
Jin Seong bowed respectfully and turned to go without hesitation.
The hem of his white robes vanished from sight in an instant.
Just as So Wol reached to shut the gate.
The Village Chief’s voice came flying from beyond the alley.
“Taoist Priest! Before you go, couldn’t you write us a talisman or two for our house? My husband hasn’t slept in days.”
“Our house too—just one talisman to bring in money, if you please.”
“And I’d like one for my children to grow up healthy…….”
“I’m afraid I cannot write such talismans.”
“Come now, don’t be modest! A Taoist Priest who catches ghosts—surely a simple talisman is nothing difficult!”
“We’re not worried about the cost—we’ll pay handsomely, I assure you.”
“That is not the issue. I truly cannot…….”
The voices of the villagers and Jin Seong’s stammering refusals echoed down the alley and faded into the distance.
“That fool got himself into a mess.”
So Wol closed the gate with a quiet laugh.
3. What the Gold Left Behind
Bubble-bubble.
White steam rose to the ceiling.
The smell of simmering broth filled the kitchen.
So Wol ladled out the thickened broth for thin noodles and tasted it.
A savory umami rolled across his tongue.
“Hmm, it’s turned out well.”
Satisfied with the flavor, he covered the pot.
Now it was time to prepare for business.
As he opened the Noodle Inn’s door, a chill morning breeze rushed in.
Broom in hand, he crossed the yard toward the gate.
The talisman affixed to the doorpost had been buffeted by the wind overnight—one corner had come loose.
“Fool. Stick it properly next time.”
So Wol frowned and pressed the fallen talisman back in place.
It was nothing but a scrap of meaningless paper, yet if it put people’s minds at ease, he figured he’d leave it there for now.
He glanced at the talisman, unlatched the gate, and began sweeping the ground before it.
Swish. Swish.
The sound of the broom mixed with the footsteps of several people.
“Yeon!”
So Wol looked up at the familiar voice.
Jang Wi, a wolf hide draped across his shoulders, was waving his hand.
Frost and dried leaves clung to his clothes, telling of his recent descent from the mountain.
Behind him came five burly men in close succession.
They were unmistakably hunters by their dress.
One of them carried a large sack across his shoulders.
Rustle.
The sack bounced with each step—it was clearly full of something from the mountain.
It would be troublesome if the child decided to levitate something again in front of all these people.
So Wol spoke quietly toward the inner courtyard.
“Baek Ya. Take the child upstairs and stay there. Don’t come down until I call for you.”
“Understood.”
Soon after, the wooden stairs inside the Noodle Inn creaked.
Only after confirming that Baek Ya had disappeared upstairs did So Wol acknowledge Jang Wi.
“What brings you here so early.”
“What brings me? I’ve come to sell. I’ve had a rough few days, haven’t I?”
Jang Wi flashed a grin and jerked his chin toward the men behind him.
“These fellows just came down from the mountain—they’re hungry and thirsty. At a time like this, your thin noodles are the best, wouldn’t you say?”
“Even if it’s flattery, it’s pleasant to hear. Come on in.”
So Wol chuckled softly and pushed the door wide open. Jang Wi ushered the men inside with a gentle shove.
“Come in, come in. The thin noodles here are the finest in Sacheon.”
“Ah, give us something warm to drink, would you? We’ve been wandering through the snow all night—I’m frozen to the bone.”
“A hot broth will do well enough for me.”
“What good is broth alone? After all that work, we need meat to tear into.”
As each man spoke his piece, Jang Wi collected the order.
“So Wol, bring us four bottles of hwang-ju and some decent appetizers. And a bowl of thin noodles for each man.”
“You’ve got it.”
While So Wol disappeared into the kitchen to warm the hwang-ju, the men pushed two tables together and settled in.
“Jang Wi. What’ll you do with the wolf hide we got today?”
“Tan it and sell it to the leather merchant, same as always.”
“That fellow Lee mentioned the Dong Mun merchants pay better than the Royal House dealers.”
“Is that so? Then we’ll try that direction this time.”
So Wol listened to the hunters’ talk while pouring broth into the pot.
It was the sort of haggling conversation you’d hear anywhere.
Soon So Wol emerged with the hwang-ju warmed through, and the men brightened, reaching for their cups.
The men drank deeply and let out a collective sigh of satisfaction.
“Now that’s better.”
“Feels like I can breathe again.”
Next came sautéed meat, followed by generous portions of thin noodles.
The men barely took hold of their noodle bowls before they were slurping the hot broth.
As So Wol moved between tables with drink and food, his gaze swept across the men’s appearance.
Worn fur cloaks. Weathered, chapped hands. Calluses worn into the fingers from bowstrings.
By all accounts, they were hunters who spent their lives in the mountains.
So Wol was just thinking it was a bad habit of his, studying faces like this, when something caught his eye.
The man at the far end, having finished his noodles cleanly, set his chopsticks across the empty bowl.
Crossed. Perfectly aligned.
So Wol’s eyes narrowed.
He had made that sign countless times with his own hands once.
It was the signal of Hao Mun.

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This chapter was translated by Lunox Novels. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
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