The World’s Greatest Martial Arts Instructor - Chapter 487

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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 487. Would You Like a Drink?

 

 

Ha Mu-baek left the Jeongcheon Alliance having achieved satisfactory results.

The place his steps headed toward was the Western Main Road.

Since his business was finished, he was heading back to the inn.

Sohaeng Inn.

Whether it was due to its name or the atmosphere inside, it was a place that strangely put his mind at ease.

Since he felt it was a place where he could forget the evil spirit within him, even if just for a moment, Ha Mu-baek’s steps naturally headed there.

There were still troublemakers positioned around the inn.

Thanks to them, the first floor restaurant was completely empty.

Even so, Head Cook Gong was constantly preparing ingredients and tidying up the surroundings in the kitchen, while the female innkeeper and children were also cleaning and organizing the first floor and guest rooms.

Thanks to this, though it was an old building, it looked incredibly neat and tidy.

“Welcome!”

The first to spot Ha Mu-baek was Gong Hae-jun.

At the sight of the little one greeting him with a bright smile, Ha Mu-baek sat down at a table in the first floor restaurant.

It was still a bit early for lunch.

Yet the reason he sat here was because he had realized why he could forget the evil spirit, even slightly, in this place.

Watching this family, his heart naturally became peaceful and he could escape from the evil spirit.

“Stir-fried vegetables, dumplings, and one good bottle of alcohol, please. I’d like the Head Cook to recommend the type of alcohol.”

Ha Mu-baek simply placed his order with Gong Hae-jun.

However, unlike before, the little one just stood there quietly.

Ha Mu-baek looked at him with a puzzled expression.

“Um, they say drinking too much alcohol is bad for your health.”

Gong Hae-jun spoke carefully but with concern.

At this sight, Ha Mu-baek chuckled.

At Ha Mu-baek’s level of mastery, that amount of alcohol couldn’t affect him at all.

Though this child wouldn’t know such a fact.

Even so, he felt good.

Someone was worrying about him with good intentions.

And it was a child he had only met a day ago at that.

“With no customers around, wouldn’t it be better to sell even one more bottle of alcohol?”

Ha Mu-baek asked with an amused expression.

Gong Hae-jun shook his head.

“The customer’s health is more important than us selling alcohol. Father said so.”

The way he spoke firmly and pursed his lips was incredibly cute.

“Alright. Haha. If such a scary shopkeeper says so, I’ll cancel the alcohol.”

When Ha Mu-baek said this, Gong Hae-jun smiled brightly.

“Then do you sell tea?”

Though not as much as Daru, there were inns that sold two or three types of tea, so he asked.

“Yes!”

Little Gong Hae-jun answered energetically.

“Then I’ll have whatever tea the Head Cook recommends.”

Only then did Gong Hae-jun hurry off to the kitchen.

Ha Mu-baek watched this scene with satisfaction.

“I apologize for the child’s rudeness.”

Meanwhile, the female innkeeper Eun Cheong-seon approached Ha Mu-baek’s side and apologized, but Ha Mu-baek shook his head.

“Not at all. You’ve raised him very well. It’s been a while since I felt this good.”

“Thank you for being so understanding.”

Eun Cheong-seon bowed to Ha Mu-baek and then moved to continue organizing the restaurant.

Since Ha Mu-baek had entered, she was only organizing things that wouldn’t create dust.

“Hello! Customer!”

Gong Hae-bin, who had been organizing the second floor, came down carrying bedding and greeted him with a bright face.

It appeared to be the bedding Ha Mu-baek had used the night before.

“What’s that for?”

“I replaced it with clean bedding. I’m going to wash this.”

Gong Hae-bin answered with a grin and headed straight to the bathing hall.

He remembered seeing a large wooden basin for laundry sitting empty there.

It seemed she was going to do the laundry there.

Meanwhile, Gong Hae-jun brought the food.

Stir-fried vegetables and dumplings.

There was no tea, but it seemed the Head Cook would bring it.

After setting down the food, Gong Hae-jun quickly ran to the bathing hall.

“Sister! Let me help!”

The little one’s voice reached Ha Mu-baek’s ears.

“It’s fine. It’s cold. The water’s cold too. You stay inside.”

Gong Hae-bin stopped her younger sibling.

Gong Hae-jun was stubborn about it, but eventually returned to the restaurant.

He gave up when told that if he caught a cold, his sister would suffer more.

“This is Gunsan Silver Needle.”

Gong Yeop-myeong said as he set down a teapot and tea cup.

“It’s worthy of being called a famous tea among yellow teas. It will cleanse your palate while having its own unique flavor.”

After finishing his brief explanation, Gong Yeop-myeong bowed and headed back to the kitchen.

Glug glug.

He filled the tea cup and brought it to his lips.

Indeed, it was good as described.

Ha Mu-baek quietly watched this family work.

Eating the stir-fried vegetables and dumplings slowly, while also leisurely enjoying the tea.

It was comfortable and cozy.

He couldn’t understand how a family could show such a scene.

But Ha Mu-baek liked this feeling.

As he spent this quiet, peaceful time, the sun gradually began to set.

Since the winter chill still remained, evening came quickly.

“Sister! Let’s go quickly!”

“Ah, alright…”

Gong Hae-jun urged, and Gong Hae-bin hesitated.

So the two left the inn today as well to attract customers.

Since they had brought a customer named Ha Mu-baek yesterday, Gong Hae-jun was even more enthusiastic.

But today was fruitless.

In fact, yesterday had been lucky.

And so another day passed.

 

The next morning.

Ha Mu-baek had slept well today too, and opened his eyes feeling refreshed.

Then he tilted his head.

“That’s strange?”

There was no sign of life in the first floor restaurant.

From yesterday morning’s scene, they seemed like regulars who frequented the place, but today the first floor was completely empty.

Ha Mu-baek had come down to the first floor for breakfast.

Only silence filled the space.

Gong Hae-jun’s face was clearly flustered, and Gong Hae-bin was no different.

Female Innkeeper Eun Cheong-seon also tried to act composed, but the gloom behind her expression couldn’t be hidden.

When Ha Mu-baek sat at the dining table, Gong Hae-jun quickly came to his senses and scurried over.

“Did you sleep well! Customer!”

His attempt to greet him brightly seemed more pitiful than admirable.

He had planned to just pretend not to know and leave.

But in this situation, he absolutely couldn’t pretend not to know.

If only for the warmth of these two days.

“Give me one beef noodle soup, and tell Father I’d like to see him.”

At Ha Mu-baek’s words, Gong Hae-jun flinched for a moment, then answered loudly and headed to the kitchen.

A short while later.

Gong Yeop-myeong appeared carrying a bowl of noodles on a tray.

“What can I do for you, Customer?”

His face was full of puzzlement as he placed the noodles on the dining table.

Though he was a grateful customer who had stayed at the inn for two days, he thought there was no reason for him to suddenly seek him out.

“Would you like to have a drink?”

“It’s business hours.”

Gong Yeop-myeong politely declined Ha Mu-baek’s question.

“It doesn’t seem like there will be any customers, so I’m suggesting it.”

At those words, Gong Yeop-myeong’s face hardened.

“I’m just a passing traveler, but I’m curious about the circumstances.”

At Ha Mu-baek’s words, Gong Yeop-myeong, who had initially shown a displeased expression, opened his mouth.

“Please wait a moment.”

He went to the kitchen and appeared with a bottle of liquor.

It was the Seobongju they had drunk yesterday.

He placed one of two wine cups in front of Ha Mu-baek.

Soon both cups were filled to the brim.

The two men simultaneously drained their cups.

Gong Yeop-myeong immediately filled another cup and drained it.

Now that an opportunity had presented itself, his pent-up frustration came surging up.

“Whew.”

A deep sigh flowed from his lips.

At this sight, Eun Cheong-seon gave Gong Hae-bin a look, and Gong Hae-bin took her younger sibling into their room.

“This inn building was inherited from my late father. It was my late father’s entire fortune.”

Gong Yeop-myeong’s mouth opened.

“Originally there was an inn on this site… but it failed a few years ago. And even when we rented it to others, they would fail before long. It’s not a particularly good location… but it was still quite severe.”

Gong Yeop-myeong calmly unfolded his story.

“I wanted to become a head cook. And I was curious about all kinds of cuisine under heaven, so I wandered to many places.”

“That must have been dangerous.”

At Ha Mu-baek’s response, Gong Yeop-myeong gave a bitter smile.

The time when he traveled in his youth was during the height of the Great Murim War.

“Well, I nearly died a few times. The place where I was saved by a narrow escape was Baizu Village, and that’s where I met that person. She happened to be taking refuge at her maternal family’s home to avoid the war.”

Only when saying those words did Gong Yeop-myeong smile brightly.

After returning to Luoyang, Gong Yeop-myeong worked as a head cook at the largest pleasure house in Luoyang.

Pleasure houses paid better than inns, taverns, or restaurants.

There were no positions available at high-end restaurants.

Though he was originally from Luoyang, the upscale establishments weren’t generous enough to hire a head cook with an unknown background who had wandered away from home and returned.

So the only place Gong Yeop-myeong could work was a pleasure house.

At the time, his wife was pregnant, so earnings were important.

Since he had gone against his father’s wishes to wander all under heaven, he couldn’t receive much help from his father.

He reconciled with his father only after his second child, Hae-jun, was born.

A grandson.

That existence made his father consider reconciliation.

After that, they were a reasonably harmonious and happy family until his father passed away.

If there was one worry, it would be this building where every tenant who moved in would fail and leave.

Nevertheless, this building was his father’s entire life.

When keeping vigil at his deathbed.

His father made a request that was like a dying wish.

To definitely revive and protect this building.

At that time, it had been empty for several months.

Since businesses kept failing, no one else wanted to rent it anymore.

So he established an inn here himself.

After building experience at the pleasure house, he moved to a famous restaurant in Luoyang where he further developed his skills.

That’s how he opened the inn six months ago.

At first, business wasn’t bad.

Though it wasn’t a prime location, Gong Yeop-myeong’s skills were good, so word spread gradually and the place was starting to establish itself.

Two months ago.

The incident occurred.

“The Jeon Family Trading Company, Luoyang’s number one trading company.”

“You mean that old man called Elder Jeon.”

At Ha Mu-baek’s words, Gong Yeop-myeong nodded and drained another cup of liquor.

“They said they were buying up the buildings and land in this area to build an estate, and told us to sell this place too.”

Gong Yeop-myeong chuckled.

“Did they lowball the price?”

Ha Mu-baek asked, recalling Elder Jeon’s impression.

Gong Yeop-myeong shook his head.

“They offered market price. So it seems they’ve finished buying up all the surrounding properties.”

Ha Mu-baek looked at him with puzzled eyes.

“I don’t know what whim came over me either. When keeping vigil at the deathbed, I couldn’t forget my late father’s appearance at that moment. The way he looked when he entrusted this building to me.”

Ha Mu-baek silently tilted his wine cup.

The children were there too. Jun-i was crying his heart out and made a promise to Grandfather. That he would definitely make this the best building in the neighborhood.”

Gong Yeop-myeong’s smile deepened.

“He must have loved Grandfather very much.”

At Ha Mu-baek’s words, Gong Yeop-myeong nodded.

“He cherished the children so much. Though we reconciled after Jun-i was born, he became even more gentle after Bin-i was born. I don’t know if he was a good father to me, but he was truly a wonderful grandfather to the children.”

And he brought another cup of liquor to his lips.

“If they had said they wanted to sell to do something else with this building, I might have sold it.”

Then came his sincere feelings.

“But when they said they would tear it down and build an estate, when they said this building would disappear, I couldn’t sell it. Because I remembered Father’s appearance at his deathbed, because I remembered my son at that time. It might be a child’s foolishness, but I wanted to protect that image. Maybe it’s because I’m a foolish father.”

A bitter smile played around Gong Yeop-myeong’s lips.

“After I refused to sell several times, the interference began. Still, those who came for early morning meals were people from trading companies, so they couldn’t touch them. But looking at the current state, it seems they’ve directly interfered with the trading companies.”

Another cup of liquor went down his throat.

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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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