The Hwangbo Clan’s Beloved Live-In Son-in-Law - Chapter 33

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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 33

The one who manages Qingzhulin is called Qingzhulin Agency.

The reason it’s called Qingzhulin Agency rather than Qingzhulin Lord is because Qingzhulin operated more like a collective of individual ronin or problem-solvers rather than a unified group.

Therefore, Sama Dal, the current head of Qingzhulin Agency and famous for his intelligence within the Sama Family, was a person who handled many tasks beyond just managing Qingzhulin.

-A recommendation from Hyeseo… Hwangbo… Hah. Fine. Fine. You want to find Hahee? Hehe… You’ll need to build up some achievements first. Long-term assignments aren’t given out easily. …Please don’t get blinded by achievements and cause trouble.

That was the end of it.

Though he had waited a long time for this meeting, Xie Baowei wasn’t in a bad mood.

The faint expectation on Sama Dal’s face, and the deep sense of helplessness knowing it wouldn’t work out – he had already experienced all of that.

Besides, that was truly the face of someone dying from being overworked.

“I’m Jeyun-jung.”

“I’m Wijimun.”

So he silently left the Qingzhulin Main Headquarters.

As if they had been waiting, two young men approached him.

“I’m Xie Baowei.”

They were handsome, young, with sparkling eyes, and clearly promising young men with bright futures ahead.

One said he was from a distant branch of the Jegal family, and if that Wei Ji was from the Wei Ji family of Shaanxi, he had heard rumors about them.

Both would have deep connections with the Jegal family.

“It’s an honor to form this connection with you.”

They didn’t seem to know who Xie Baowei was.

These rising stars were welcoming someone whose face they didn’t even know.

…What’s this about?

The guards of Qingzhulin were dispatched to various places throughout the Central Plains.

From simple errands at the smallest scale to assassinating public enemies at the largest.

Even for missions involving dozens or hundreds of people, the basic unit was a team of three.

This was different from Jayuneong, where people often moved alone.

It seemed like they had formed a team.

But why these promising individuals.

“Chief Jegal earnestly instructed us to assist you well.”

I didn’t expect to hear this here too.

…What on earth.

Though Xie Baowei was confused… Well, fine. They said there was a lot of work, so perhaps they truly wanted him to handle various tasks like hands and feet. He nodded his head.

“This is the dormitory where lower-level guards of Qingzhulin stay.”

After brief introductions, the two men dragged Xie Baowei and the boy along, saying they would guide them around the Alliance.

They seemed curious about the boy, but didn’t ask questions.

“…Normally it’s the rule to share the same room, but well, it’s not that strict. You can use a separate room with the boy.”

Qingzhulin’s dormitory was very large.

And there were several more such large buildings.

Apparently you could get better accommodations based on your achievements.

Since both men and Xie Baowei were still newcomers, they had to stay in the lowest-grade dormitory.

“Do we absolutely have to use this place?”

Xie Baowei frowned as he spoke.

…He didn’t know what the higher grades were like, but this place at least wasn’t suitable for a child to live in.

The two men seemed equally tired of the poor dormitory conditions and nodded understandingly.

“The procedures are a bit… complicated, but since you have a child with you. If it’s Master Xie, it should be possible.”

Someone who can afford rent in the ancient capital wouldn’t come here as a lower-level guard.

The two men smiled even more satisfactorily as they said this.

But for Xie Baowei.

So why am I the exception.

He was frowning when.

“Hmm. They suddenly took away the young masters, and brought back some ronin with a kid.”

Several shabby men began slowly approaching.

Jeyun-jung frowned and said.

“We have no intention of working with bloodsuckers of the Alliance like you.”

“Hah. I wonder why such distinguished people are stuck struggling in the lower ranks.”

“Isn’t that all because of people like you!”

Wijimun interjected from the side and shouted.

The faces of the gathered men became even more fierce.

There seemed to be some deeply carved grudge.

These must be the ones called parasites.

This was Qingzhulin, where thousands joined each year and just as many left.

The dormitories were correspondingly large and well-built.

However, the occupancy rate was less than half, mostly because many were out on missions.

Half of the remaining occupancy was filled by people like these.

Even though the lower ranks were poor, you could quickly move up by successfully completing just a few missions, yet these people only took on the lowest-level tasks and lived on minimal wages.

Thus they were called parasites, moths, or even ticks.

“If you people hadn’t held us back, only doing patrols, guard duty, and message delivery instead of taking proper missions, focusing only on eating, drinking, and sleeping!”

As Wijimun trembled with anger, one of the men sneered.

“Then don’t meet with us. Why don’t you ask that great Guanzhong Yilin for help.”

“Hmph. I didn’t know the level of the martial arts world was like you people!”

“Hah, that’s what arrogant bastards would say. Those types fall flat on their faces when they don’t watch their step.”

The men chuckled.

Jeyun-jung and Wijimun frowned and shook their heads.

It didn’t matter anymore anyway.

Hadn’t their savior come in response to their request?

“Enough. We’ll go our way.”

“Hmph. Acting like scholars.”

With that, those who had been filling their pathetic inferiority complex by blocking the young men’s path turned their attention to Xie Baowei.

“So. Who is the savior of these scholars?”

“This person is!”

“This person is?”

“…Master, Master Xie Baowei!”

“Xie Baowei?”

They really seemed not to know.

When the two young men stammered out Xie Baowei’s name, people looked around at each other.

So what. Some kind of title?

Xie families were common throughout the land, and more than half of the eldest sons would have the character ‘Bao’ in their names.

And half of those would probably add the character ‘Wei’.

The two young men, conscious of this, also looked back at Xie Baowei.

There was nothing he could help with.

He couldn’t very well say “I am Sandong Daeyun, Daeyun Cheobu” in front of these people.

But well.

That name should have been famous enough.

“…Did you perhaps come from Shandong?”

“Shandong?”

“You know, there is someone. The person you think of when you hear Xie Baowei.”

“Who?”

“Ah. That, Sandong Daeyun?”

“Oh! Daeyun Cheobu!”

Damn it all.

Damn it.

By that point, the men’s lips curled up and the young men’s eyes wavered too.

They must have heard those rumors.

“Oh. So this guy is?”

“That’s right! That famous Chubokrang (the one who kicked away fortune)?”

“That Gocheogaek (the one who suffers because of his wife)?”

“Yajurang (the one who fled in the night)?”

Damn it.

So many nicknames.

Now the giggling sounds began coming out openly.

“Well now, a very distinguished person has come.”

“…It’s nothing to be proud of.”

Xie Baowei answered roughly.

Then he shook his head and tried to clean up his spot.

There was no need to step in shit, after all.

“Hey. Where are you going? Since we’ve met like this, it’s fate, so why don’t we have a drink together?”

“It’s fine.”

“Oh come on, why are you being like this? What, do we look dirty to someone who joined a great family? Are we not on your level?”

“That’s not what I mean. I just came here for the first time today, and there’s still much I need to learn.”

“Heh heh. Well now. They said he was so tightly gripped by his wife’s hand that he ran away in fear, and he really was a coward.”

“Haha. Well, he wouldn’t be called a turtle for nothing.”

The men were now picking a fight outright.

But Xie Baowei shook his head with no particular expression, cleanly got up from his seat and started walking.

Two young men followed behind him in confusion.

“Hey, did he have a kid too?”

“Probably not? They said he ran away on the first night…”

“Huh. Then he had a kid outside? What a crazy bastard.”

“No way. Would someone who ran away because he was scared of his own wife do something so bold?”

“…That’s true too. Seeing how they don’t look alike, maybe that’s not his type?”

Lewd jokes flew back and forth behind Xie Baowei as he walked steadily.

Though they were all insults about himself, Xie Baowei walked looking only ahead as if it didn’t bother him at all.

Rather, it was the two others who were trembling with anger.

“How dare those bastards!”

“Xie Baowei, is it alright for you to just leave like this!”

“I’m fine.”

It was actually Xie Baowei who stopped the two of them.

Xie Baowei smiled as if nothing was wrong and continued walking.

They were just pathetic words from pathetic lives.

Xie Baowei had long since stopped being shaken by such things.

So he didn’t care…

“Ah, what a shame. I had so many curious things to ask. If we got him drunk, would he spill? You know, how the more refined a lady from a good family is, the more tender her flesh-“

That was it.

That was exactly the limit.

From “lady from a good family,” it didn’t take long for Xie Baowei to turn around and run limping to completely smash the man’s mouth.

His momentum was so fierce that the man was nearly killed before the surrounding men could finally stop him.

“…Is this right?”

“It must be…”

Jeyun-jung and Wijimun, who had barely managed to embrace Xie Baowei and pull him away from the man, looked at each other and thought.

They might have picked the wrong fight.

Soon, a report went up to the higher-ups.

“…I told him not to cause trouble when I took precious time out of my schedule.”

Sama Dal smiled bitterly.

.

.

.

“I’m sorry.”

There was no way a group of hot-blooded warriors wouldn’t have fights.

Scuffles under the pretext of sparring or establishing hierarchy were commonplace.

As long as certain conditions were met, they generally turned a blind eye.

“…No. He brought it on himself.”

“Th-that’s right. Rather, if you think about it that way, it’s not really something to be disciplined for.”

This time the problem was not meeting those conditions.

“No, my friend. A three-month pay cut would be appropriately for show, wouldn’t it?”

“Is that so?”

So, it was something worth beating him for, but he beat him too much. Should it be understood that way?

It was excessive discipline for the first day of joining the Alliance, but light compared to the result of completely smashing someone’s mouth.

Xie Baowei scratched his head and lifted his cup.

The boy glanced around and nibbled on dried fish.

“I’ll pay for this meal.”

“There’s no need for that!”

“If you would do that! Well now. Haha.”

It was a cheap restaurant.

Somewhere among the taverns that appeared only after going deep into the alleys inside the main street spread out in front of the Alliance.

It was the kind of place that low-ranking guards frequented because the alcohol wasn’t bad.

Indeed it was, as each of them had a plaque with bamboo engraved on it dangling from their waists.

“There are better places if you go further inside, but they’re not suitable for a boy.”

Jeyun-jung looked at the boy and smiled with a troubled expression.

The boy hung his head low. Xie Baowei briefly stroked his hair.

Somehow, everyone was drinking moderately and the atmosphere was appropriate.

“Not bad.”

Xie Baowei nodded.

The food was decent too.

Side dishes like thinly sliced pork and dried fish were common, but they didn’t smell bad, and the pickled vegetables were edible.

Seeing the boy, they even prepared a bowl of thin noodles.

“That’s fortunate. Let’s forget about what happened earlier and do well.”

“Let’s do that!”

Jeyun-jung and Wijimun quickly livened up the mood as if they had never been gloomy.

It was probably the vigor of youth, but he thought it wasn’t bad.

As they shared one cup, then two, stories accumulated.

They were definitely not bad people.

Even if they were from humble families, they were promising young talents whose abilities were recognized and whose character was upright.

Even while stuck in the lower ranks, they were worthy of Guanzhong Yilin’s attention.

“So. What? We really felt like we had fallen into a sewer.”

“Then exactly! Xie Baowei did this… Huh? Hyeseo even sent a letter exactly! Right?”

Even if it was cheap alcohol, alcohol was still alcohol, so the two quickly got drunk.

Since they were still novices, Xie Baowei smiled, thinking their youthful inexperience was refreshing.

Not bad. Not bad.

But why.

Why specifically, these talents.

Rather than feeling uncomfortable, Xie Baowei felt the same bewilderment he had when seeing Yunlei again as he casually responded to their conversation.

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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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