The World’s Greatest Martial Arts Instructor - Chapter 176

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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 176. Tomorrow

 

 

“What an interesting inn. Now I’m curious too. When is the next day off?”

The dish that drove people crazy was noodles one time, dumplings another.

Ha Mu-baek’s curiosity was also piqued.

Head Cook Jo smiled brightly at Ha Mu-baek’s question.

“Tomorrow.”

“Perfect. Then let’s have lunch together tomorrow.”

“Sounds good.”

Ha Mu-baek finished his meal and left Damryong North Hall.

Darkness was already settling over the surroundings.

Though the days had gotten a bit longer, it was still winter.

After finishing dinner and coming out, it was pitch black.

Ha Mu-baek went straight to his dormitory and went to sleep.

Ha Mu-baek woke up in the deep night between midnight and dawn to train alone.

This was Ha Mu-baek’s daily routine at Gyoryong Hall.

After training, he would sleep briefly again before heading to the training ground.

Since Ha Mu-baek trained when others were sleeping,

he appeared lazy, always sleeping during the hours when people were awake.

 

Dang Jin-san was indeed the information source of Maengryong Corps 7th Unit.

During the break between morning training sessions,

having heard it from somewhere, he was enthusiastically telling stories about the food at Wolryong Inn.

Ha Mu-baek, leaning against a rock with his eyes closed, listened to the story while appearing to nap.

“I’ve been to all the famous inns and taverns in the capital, but I’ve never seen a place as strange as that one.”

At Dang Jin-san’s words, the six cadets’ attention gathered.

In fact, among them, Dang Jin-san was the only one with experience visiting famous inns worthy of being called a gourmet.

So naturally, they focused on his words.

“The taste is ordinary. Really ordinary. Nothing special. It’s about the same as Damryong Pavilion food. No, Un-rae’s mother’s cooking was much more delicious.”

At Dang Jin-san’s words, a faint smile appeared on Dan Mok Un-rae’s lips.

“But here’s the thing. After eating, when a day or two passes, you desperately want to eat it again. For me, it was roasted chicken. Beggar’s chicken.”

At Dang Jin-san’s words, Ju U-myeong tilted his head and asked.

“Isn’t that a high-class dish?”

Dang Jin-san flinched.

Beggar’s chicken got its name from the story of beggars stealing chickens, coating them with mud, and roasting them.

But in reality, it’s quite a labor-intensive dish.

True to its name, wrapping it in lotus leaves and coating it with mud to roast requires considerable skill, as it’s likely to burn completely if done wrong.

If the other cadets had known he went to eat something delicious, Dang Jin-san would have surely been teased.

But the six cadets excluding him had no such mischievous nature.

Rather, this made Dang Jin-san feel more embarrassed.

Ju U-myeong had asked if it was a high-class dish out of pure curiosity.

But a kind of guilt about going to eat such high-class food alone settled in a corner of his heart.

“So. What was that feeling of desperately wanting to eat it like?”

Yeon Ha-min’s question.

It changed the atmosphere that had almost become awkward for a moment.

“Well… just literally? I kept thinking about it. My mouth kept watering and my chest felt stuffy.”

“So that’s why.”

Dan Mok Un-rae nodded.

For the past few days, Dang Jin-san had shown signs of being unable to concentrate on training at all.

“How about now?”

Baek Ri-pyeong’s question.

“Hmm… I’ve been feeling better since yesterday.”

“How strange.”

Ha Seol-ran tilted her head.

“Anyway, thanks to that, all the inns established by Danan Trading Company are now hugely successful. The most successful one is naturally Wolryong Inn in front of Wolryong Manor.”

At Dang Jin-san’s explanation, the cadets reacted with something like ‘what strange things happen.’

As if frustrated by their reaction, Dang Jin-san beat his chest.

“This isn’t something to dismiss so lightly.”

The cadets looked puzzled.

“The more successful Wolryong Inn becomes, the more Geumryong Trading Company’s position, which has eaten up Muchang’s commercial district, diminishes.”

At Dang Jin-san’s explanation, Baek Ri-pyeong tilted his head.

“Wasn’t Muchang just moderately divided among small and medium trading companies?”

He was recalling the conversations of the dock merchants.

“Most of those small and medium companies have Geumryong Trading Company as their main investor. They haven’t completely taken over everything, but usually five to six tenths of the shares belong to Geumryong Trading Company.”

The cadets looked at Dang Jin-san with amazed faces.

They were martial artists and warriors.

Naturally, they were bound to be ignorant about commercial affairs, yet Dang Jin-san knew such details.

“Is it a problem that Geumryong Trading Company’s position is diminishing? According to what you said, wouldn’t competition between trading companies actually be better for us?”

Yeon Ha-min’s question hit the core.

Dang Jin-san nodded repeatedly.

“That’s a good point. In normal cases, that would be true. No, for the people of Muchang, it will be like that for now. However, we’re different.”

“We?”

“More precisely, Gyoryong Hall.”

At Dang Jin-san’s story, Ha Mu-baek was also listening intently.

The guy had a talent for telling interesting stories.

“The head of Geumryong Trading Company is Namgung Hwa-in, the master of Gyoryong Hall’s Geumdang. In other words, Geumryong Trading Company is a trading company operated by Gyoryong Hall.”

When had she arrived?

Han Seol-bing spoke.

Everyone looked surprised at her words.

They had no idea that Gyoryong Hall was operating a trading company.

“Since Geumryong Trading Company’s income is directly Gyoryong Hall’s budget, we could be in trouble as Jin-san said.”

At Han Seol-bing’s words, the cadets’ faces hardened slightly.

“Even things like monthly stipends?”

Dan Mok Un-rae asked cautiously.

“I don’t think they’d touch Maengryong Corps’ monthly stipends… Are you worried about your stipend right now?”

At Han Seol-bing’s answer, Dan Mok Un-rae’s face darkened.

For him, the monthly stipend was a matter of his family’s livelihood.

“The quality of Damryong Pavilion meals might return to what it used to be.”

Since March of last year,

ever since Ha Mu-baek had turned Damryong Pavilion upside down, quality meals had always been provided.

At what Dang Jin-san said, Nak U-jin’s face darkened.

One of his pleasures was eating delicious food.

“So, to find out exactly what’s causing this, I’m thinking of going this evening. Anyone want to come with me?”

Dang Jin-san looked around at the six people as he spoke.

Everyone’s faces were full of eagerness to go.

However, the food prices at Wolryong Inn were a problem.

Nak U-jin and Dan Mok Un-rae showed particularly hesitant expressions.

Han Seol-bing crossed her arms and watched them.

“You’ve been diligently cultivating even during the break period, which is commendable. Let’s have a dinner gathering tonight. I’ll pay.”

She suddenly interjected.

The gazes of the seven cadets all focused on her at once.

And Dang Jin-san’s lips curled up slyly.

“We can order anything we want to eat, right?”

At his mischievous question, Han Seol-bing frowned slightly.

“An instructor’s monthly salary isn’t much. Well, I’ll make a special exception just for today.”

“Yahoo!”

A joyful shout burst from Dang Jin-san’s mouth, and the other cadets also had smiles full of happiness on their faces.

Especially Dan Mok Un-rae, Nak U-jin, and Ha Seol-ran’s faces were bright.

“Now then, we should continue cultivation, shouldn’t we?”

At Han Seol-bing’s words, the seven cadets scattered to their respective positions and once again fell into deep cultivation.

Their movements seemed to have even more vigor than before.

‘Noodles, dumplings, and beggar’s chicken…’

Listening to Head Cook Jo’s story and Dang Jin-san’s story, the food really seemed extraordinary.

Ha Mu-baek felt he should go and eat it himself to experience it firsthand.

So Ha Mu-baek took a light nap, and opened his eyes when lunchtime approached.

“Mmph.”

He stretched and came down from the rock.

The first place Ha Mu-baek’s gaze turned to was naturally Ha Seol-ran.

Her cultivation posture had become much more lively.

He clearly recognized when that change had started.

It was after Han Seol-bing suggested having a dinner gathering.

Even now, she was concentrating on cultivation with a smile on her lips.

‘That girl.’

That sight was cute but also pitiful on one hand.

Come to think of it, he had been too indifferent.

Thinking about whether he had ever taken Seol-ran to eat delicious food since coming to Muchang, there was nothing.

‘I’m a failing elder brother. I was too indifferent.’

He had been busy running around solving problems involving the cadets’ situations, but he reproached himself for not really taking care of Seol-ran.

‘I should pay more attention from now on.’

With that thought, he walked toward Damryong North Hall.

Because he needed to meet Head Cook Jo and get moving.

 

On the way to Wolryong Inn.

Ha Mu-baek asked Head Cook Jo about inns and attractions worth visiting in Muchang.

He thought that as a head cook, he would know well.

That thought was correct.

Throughout the entire journey to Wolryong Inn, Head Cook Jo’s mouth never stopped talking.

Ha Mu-baek didn’t find any of those many stories boring.

Rather, he stored them carefully in his memory.

Thinking he should visit all of them with Seol-ran at least once.

Meanwhile, they arrived at Wolryong Inn.

It was packed with people.

A long line stretched outside the door.

It was truly the sight of an inn that had struck it big.

“We’ll have to wait a bit.”

At Head Cook Jo’s words, Ha Mu-baek nodded and went to stand at the very end of the line.

‘Nothing will happen, right?’

Ha Mu-baek thought as he looked at the long line.

Usually in such crowded inns, with long lines stretching out, trouble was bound to occur.

The line gradually shortened.

After waiting about an hour, a quarter of the line had decreased.

Of course, behind Ha Mu-baek, an even longer line had formed than what had decreased.

“We probably should have come a bit earlier.”

Head Cook Jo said apologetically.

“It’s not like we’ll die from eating a bit late. This is also a unique experience.”

Ha Mu-baek spoke as if it was nothing.

After waiting like that for quite a while, they were finally able to enter the inn and sit down.

With it being this crowded, dishes like beggar’s chicken seemed impossible to even dream of.

‘I wanted to try it because of what Jin-san said.’

The two ordered three different dishes that would come out quickly.

Half a roasted duck, stir-fried vegetables, and beef noodles.

It was indeed as they had heard.

It didn’t feel particularly outstanding in taste.

Just a taste you could easily find anywhere.

“Your food is much more delicious.”

“You flatter me.”

Head Cook Jo smiled awkwardly.

“That’s an honest evaluation. What do you think?”

Head Cook Jo also nodded.

“There doesn’t seem to be anything special. Everything was made just to basic standards.”

Although Head Cook Jo was said to be in his late twenties, he had started working in inn kitchens from age twelve.

He had over fifteen years of experience.

Of course, at first he would have done menial tasks and learned by watching over shoulders.

His skills were outstanding beyond his young age.

Skills too good to waste at Damryong North Hall.

Ha Mu-baek wasn’t a gourmet, but evaluating based on the food he had eaten so far, that was the case.

The food disappeared quickly.

The taste was ordinary, but their chopsticks kept moving.

Both Ha Mu-baek and Head Cook Jo felt this fact.

“That’s strange.”

“Indeed it is.”

The two men tilted their heads and stood up from their seats.

The food was already completely finished.

Having seen the long line waiting, they couldn’t sit there for long.

So they left Wolryong Inn and returned to Gyoryong Hall.

 

Ha Mu-baek was rolling around on his dormitory bed when he sensed the cadets’ presence moving and came outside.

He was probably concerned about that long line he had seen at lunch.

Evening wouldn’t be any different.

Unnecessary trouble could arise.

‘Seol-bing is there, but.’

Still, since it was a matter involving Seol-ran, Ha Mu-baek also moved quietly.

 

***

 

At Dang Jin-san’s urging, the cadets and Han Seol-bing moved quickly.

There was still about half a hour left before proper dinner time.

The sky was still bright as well.

“Aren’t we rushing too much?”

At Dan Mok Un-rae’s question, Dang Jin-san shook his head.

“You don’t know what you’re talking about. I heard that now you have to wait in line to eat there. If we go at the right time, who knows how long we’ll have to stand outside in this cold winter evening.”

Dang Jin-san said while quickening his pace.

His expression clearly showed he wanted to use his lightness skill.

“If that’s the case… I think we’re already too late.”

At Ha Seol-ran’s words, Dang Jin-san’s gaze turned toward her.

“You can sense that far?”

The Group Seven cadets had roughly learned about Ha Seol-ran’s ki sensing ability while training together. But from here to Wolryong Inn?

“I can feel where many people are gathered.”

Ha Seol-ran answered briefly.

When they arrived at Wolryong Inn like that.

It was just as Dang Jin-san and Ha Seol-ran had said.

There was a short line in front of the restaurant.

“Already?”

Dang Jin-san frowned.

He thought there wouldn’t be a line at this time.

It seemed Wolryong Inn was doing better than he had expected.

He had the group get in line and Dang Jin-san headed toward the entrance.

“Hey, what are you doing. Go to the back and get in line first.”

The person at the front of the line frowned and spoke.

“Ah, my companions are back there. Since the cooking seems like it might take some time, I wanted to order in advance.”

Dang Jin-san answered like that, called the shopkeeper, rattled off a bunch of dish names to place his order, then returned to the line.

“What, what did you order so much of?”

Nak U-jin asked with a bewildered face.

“I ordered only the expensive and good stuff. Things verified by this Seongdo Hwahwa Prince’s palate. Well, everything here seems about the same though.”

Dang Jin-san said while recalling his memory of eating beggar’s chicken here last time.

The taste was really ordinary.

What was frightening about the food here was what happened after eating it.

That addictive quality that made you think about it like crazy about a day after eating.

That was what was frightening.

Since the line was short, it wasn’t long before it was the Maengryong Corps cadets’ turn.

Just then.

Large men with bright red faces came rushing toward Wolryong Inn in a crowd.

Their faces looked extremely urgent.

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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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