The Hwangbo Clan’s Beloved Live-In Son-in-Law - Chapter 81
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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 81
“Please, come in.”
The head of Tianjian Hall was a man named Namgung Hong.
As if everyone bearing the surname Namgung was destined for greatness, he was a dignified middle-aged man who, despite his small stature, had such a gentle and generous appearance that he seemed more like a merchant guild leader than a martial arts figure.
Even so, there was something like an unshakeable dignity about him that made him not appear small at all.
“My, we have the honor of hosting those who will handle important matters.”
“…Thank you for welcoming us so kindly despite our late arrival.”
“Not at all. You could have taken even more time, but we called for you too hastily.”
…What in the world.
Before his eyes, the famous Huimen black tea steamed with its rich aroma and lustrous color.
The refreshments were also extraordinary.
Jingbajian, eight types of pastries said to have originated in the imperial palace.
Wandouhuang, made by steaming and straining peeled peas, then mixing them with sugar.
Longyan cake, made from the flesh of longan fruit.
Clearly precious items that would require much effort to make, snacks he was hearing about and tasting for the first time were laid out before him.
Dangyeonhwa’s eyes had already gone wide as she put them in her mouth one by one, chewing contentedly.
“I heard it was a simple matter.”
“A simple yet important matter.”
“Fortunately, it doesn’t seem to be urgent.”
“That’s right. It is fortunate.”
Fortunate…
Though Namgung Hong was someone who hid his emotions well, Xie Baowei somehow got that feeling.
Not that it was fortunate there was time for the task, but rather that their being late was actually fortunate?
A matter that was simple and important, but not urgent.
No, a matter where being late was fortunate.
“I heard news from Sichuan. You caught Tougui?”
“We were merely lucky.”
“Tougui is not someone who can be caught by luck alone.”
“Nam Gilin’s help was significant.”
“…Hmm. The main sect is greatly concerned as news of the young sect leader has been cut off. Do you have anything that might be helpful?”
“The last time we saw him in Chenggu is all I can say. According to Bai Yijian (Namgung Seol), he went after Qitian.”
“If you think of anything that might be even slightly helpful, please tell us.”
“Of course.”
“Rest comfortably. We’ll call when we need your assistance.”
With that brief conversation, Namgung Hong spoke gently.
Xie Baowei’s eyes gleamed as he nodded.
Hmm… I can’t get any sense of it at all.
“…Ugh, I should have asked to wrap up the leftovers.”
Dangyeonhwa seemed regretful about the refreshments she hadn’t finished eating.
“You’ve eaten quite enough.”
Dangyeonhwa had asked pointless questions that only created awkward silence while focusing on eating her fill.
Even after eating that much… Well, at that age, one could chew through iron.
Following the maid toward their lodging, Xie Baowei casually made the comment and stroked his chin.
He was quietly reviewing their conversation.
Hmm. Still can’t get any sense of it.
“This is strange.”
“Since it’s the fox-like Nangong doing this, what wouldn’t be strange?”
“…Hm?”
When Akmungi, who had been pondering like Xie Baowei, spoke up, Dangyeonhwa, who had just been pouting like a child, immediately changed her expression and nodded.
Xie Baowei looked up as if asking what they meant.
“Ugh. Foolish Uncle Jin! What could be difficult for the Nangong to handle in this place so close to Anhui?”
Anything taken to excess falls short of moderation.
Even in the military, when the food was particularly good, they often sent you to places where you might die.
As Dangyeonhwa said, what could be difficult for the Nangong to handle in this area?
Certainly, such generous treatment was strange.
“It is strange.”
“Sigh. Looking at it, our Three Absolutes seem to have good heads, but don’t think to use them.”
“Don’t we have you two?”
Dangyeonhwa shook her head as if frustrated.
Xie Baowei shrugged lightly in response.
At those words, the corners of Dangyeonhwa’s mouth twitched.
How simple.
Xie Baowei smiled broadly.
Anyway, there was nothing he could figure out by worrying about it now.
Xie Baowei knew his own position better than anyone.
It was most efficient to leave the thinking to these two young ones. They could provide answers in a day for what would take him three days to ponder.
Let’s take it easy.
“You may rest here.”
“Hmm…”
After walking along the manor’s perimeter for quite a while, they were guided to a pavilion deep inside the manor.
It was a tranquil place reminiscent of Xingyaoshengshe of the Huangbo Family, with a small garden featuring a low valley waterfall that was pleasing to the eye.
Dangyeonhwa’s mouth opened slightly in admiration, but thinking of her own family, she tried to hide her expression.
Come to think of it, he hadn’t seen the Dang Family’s garden. Thinking of Dang Family Village, he imagined it would be composed to blend more naturally with the surrounding environment rather than being artificially constructed like this.
“Shall I prepare a meal for you?”
“We ate breakfast before coming. Thank you.”
“Yes. Then please rest comfortably.”
The maid, specially assigned by Namgung Hong to attend to them, bowed deeply and stepped back.
Then she stood quietly as if she had become part of the scenery.
Xie Baowei gazed at her intently.
“Is there anything else you need?”
“…Ah. By any chance, have you heard when we should proceed with our mission?”
“The family head said he will call when the time comes.”
“I see.”
The answer came quickly, as if it was information received in advance.
“Oh.”
“Hmph. What, getting impressed by silk bedding like this. When it comes to silk, don’t you know Shu brocade?”
They must have used the finest silk, as even the expressionless Akmungi let out a small exclamation of admiration.
Dangyeonhwa also scolded while continuously stroking the bedcover in her room.
Xie Baowei looked at the two of them and then spoke to the maid again.
“…By any chance, could you bring us some refreshments? Even something simple would be fine.”
“Yes. Then.”
The maid bowed and went out, then returned quickly.
And then she stood quietly as before. It seemed she had called another servant outside the room to handle it.
Xie Baowei nodded and also went inside.
“They’re preparing snacks for us, so let’s have some tea.”
“Ooh! I found that dragon eye cake from earlier delicious!”
“Don’t be picky and eat whatever they give you.”
And then he glanced at the maid outside the room.
As expected, nothing came to mind.
“Should we get some sleep first? To recover from the journey fatigue?”
“…? What journey fatigue would there be to accumulate?”
The mission at Tianjian Hall had begun.
***
The day at Tianjian Hall was surprisingly peaceful. No, excessively peaceful.
Xie Baowei took a long sleep under the excuse of recovering from journey fatigue, Akmungi silently practiced martial arts in the quiet rear garden, and Dangyeonhwa grumbled while counting the gravel stones in the courtyard, unable to bear the boredom.
No one came looking for them.
“Would it be alright to look around a bit?”
“I’m sorry. There are many places that are difficult to open to outsiders.”
“Hmm. That’s understandable. Outside would be fine, right?”
“How about resting inside for today?”
“Hmm. Should we do that then?”
“Ah! I’m so bored!”
How should I put it. It felt a bit like being confined… but that’s probably just my imagination, right?
Anyway, the meals came out well, and comfortable, soft clothes that fit their bodies were provided.
Warm water was always prepared so they could wash anytime, and when it cooled down a bit, fresh water was quickly prepared.
“Can we go out today?”
“They say good liquor has arrived, shall I prepare some?”
“Oh. That sounds good?”
“Aaah! I won’t drink it!”
The famous liquor from Anhui called Gujing Gongjiu was said to be alcohol presented to the Imperial Court.
It was a very strong white liquor with an excellent aroma, but it was truly potent.
Surprisingly, Akmungi also enjoyed alcohol, so as they had a drink or two with braised carp, the day passed quickly.
“Can we go out now?”
“Superior quality mugwort and pit viper came in yesterday, how about receiving moxibustion and medicinal treatment along with tuina massage today?”
“Oh. Mugwort and pit viper from Qichun. I’ve heard of them.”
“Stop it, you foolish old man!”
Qichun had been famous for medicinal herbs since ancient times, and among them, the most famous were mugwort and pit viper, also called Qi’ai (Qichun mugwort) and Qishe (pit viper).
So that day, all three of them were able to spend a warm day.
“I’m definitely going out today.”
“Hmm. Let’s do that.”
Dangyeonhwa didn’t say much either, as she seemed to quite like yesterday’s tuina massage.
When I asked what a young kid would like about such things already, she said the family elders wouldn’t let her because she was too young.
Well, when it came to moxibustion, acupuncture, and tuina, the Dang Family was more famous if anything, and wasn’t inferior to other places.
It was strange that she wasn’t familiar with it, but now I understood.
Still, yesterday was yesterday, and today was today.
“This is practically confinement! There must be some ulterior motive!”
“Hah. What ulterior motive.”
“Hmph. Who knows! They might be using dirty tricks to conquer the martial arts world.”
“Oh my. Saying such things between people connected to the same alliance.”
“Don’t talk like an old person. It’s strange, isn’t it? What reason could there possibly be to keep us here like this?”
“I don’t know… Well. There must be a reason.”
“Exactly! What is that reason! It’s obviously going to be a very, very terrifying reason.”
“Good grief. What would the renowned Nangong have to do by confining a single squad from Cheongjukrim.”
“Then why are they treating those single squad members so well?”
“…Because I like it?”
After barely getting rid of Dangyeonhwa who had been chattering since morning, a huge breakfast spread was served.
My mood had soured after seeing Dangyeonhwa’s strange expression, but my appetite returned.
Dangyeonhwa still seemed to have no appetite and wasn’t eating properly.
This is why pampered kids are like this. They need to starve to know how precious food is.
“If you leave food, they say you have to eat it all mixed together when you die.”
“Ugh. How could I eat that!”
“Then why would it be hell?”
“Are you saying I’m going to hell?”
“…”
After a brief argument, she still stood in front of the maid with a somewhat resolute expression.
Dangyeonhwa suddenly placed her hands on her hips, puffed out her chest, and declared.
“Today we’re going out!”
“Yes. I shall follow.”
….
And so a party consisting of three members of the Three Absolutes and one maid set out for the markets of Qiulong Town.
Qiulong Town was still brimming with vitality.
Goods flowing from the south and west along the Yangtze River waterways mingled together.
As always, Sichuan silk and Jiangnan silk boasted against each other about which was superior, and wines from various regions called out to other wines.
Medicinal herbs and timber were piled here and there, while trinkets and ornaments, clothing and food tempted people.
The maid who followed along properly answered their various questions and, unlike at the lodging, didn’t restrain them from anything.
“Look at that! Sichuan silk is more expensive! It’s more expensive because it’s better.”
“That’s because it came from far away. You go to Sichuan and see. Jiangnan silk will be more expensive there.”
“Hmph. It’s only like that because we have plenty of high-quality silk.”
“You become an idiot whenever the Dang Family comes up.”
After putting a tanghulu in her grumbling mouth, she became somewhat quieter.
They also gave her pancakes to hold in both hands and put a dumpling in her mouth.
After wandering around enjoyably for a while, the three people’s feet stopped at a blacksmith’s workshop on the village outskirts.
“Mm. The quality is definitely good.”
Though Jiangnan had developed rapidly, it was still barren terrain surrounded by massive mountain ranges.
Sometimes this isolated them, but now with developed water transport, it was considered a natural treasure trove.
Iron from Jiangnan was famous for being tough and hard, and those goods also gathered here in Qiulong Town.
The blacksmith workshops lined up along the village outskirts by the riverbank had something that made martial artists’ hearts flutter.
“Hmph. They’re not as skilled as Sichuan craftsmen.”
Even Dangyeonhwa, who said this, kept shifting her gaze around.
She tried gripping and swinging hoes and sickles, and tapped their blades. She also tested the strength of plows and hoes, and even bought several types of thin needles.
Akmungi, perhaps because he had something that could be called his beloved weapon, only looked around.
Xie Baowei?
“Mm. I’d like to have a long staff made. As long as it’s sturdy, it can be a bit heavy. There should be a shallow groove at the end, and please look at this blade. It would be good if it could combine with this handle in emergencies.”
He had already been standing there for a while, conversing with the blacksmith.
There were several places in the Central Plains famous for craftsmanship, and Shanxi and Jiangnan were always counted among them.
It seemed hopeless to find a replacement for his spear that had been cut clean in half during yesterday’s fight with Tougui.
He had looked into renowned blacksmith workshops in Shandong, and while it was easy to find a sturdy staff, finding one with that groove wasn’t easy.
Though his short blade looked shabby, it was quite sturdy and sharp, so matching it wasn’t simple.
But going all the way back to that distant north to find the blacksmith who had made his spear was out of reach.
“Hmm… this isn’t easy. …Still, wait a moment.”
Oh.
So something might work out after all.
It was when Xie Baowei’s face, which didn’t easily brighten, lit up completely.
“We’ve seen everything now, right? Let’s go to that mountain slope area! I heard there’s a medicine shop district there!”
“Medicine shops? Hmm… That’s fine, but shouldn’t we go tomorrow?”
Hubei Province Qichun was the hometown of Li Shizhen, author of the Compendium of Materia Medica, and Jiangnan’s medicinal herbs were as famous as its quality iron. Hadn’t they just yesterday savored the deep fragrance of those very herbs?
However, the party had been rummaging around here and there in Qiulong Town all day.
With the sun setting, he wasn’t easily motivated to go somewhere on the complete opposite side.
When Xie Baowei hesitated, horns sprouted on Dangyeonhwa’s forehead.
“Oh my. This old man, really! Did you come here to have fun?”
…?
“Aren’t we… out having fun?”
“What did you say? Oh my!”
When Xie Baowei widened his eyes and answered, Dangyeonhwa snorted.
What is this old man talking about, really!
It was when her eyes slyly turned toward the Nangong Family’s servant.
“Oh come on! I said I’d pay the money!”
“Hey there! You there! Lower your voice!”
“Then why won’t you do the repair?!”
A commotion arose from a blacksmith workshop in a distant corner.
The eyes of the three members of the Three Absolutes converged on one spot.
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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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