Chapter 33
##33fury. Ronin Market
“I want to go somewhere for a few days.”
“yes?”
“……The practical exam is in 10 days.?”
Ak Yeon-ho and Myung Il-oh, who were eating breakfast together, looked at me in surprise at what I said..
Ak Yeon-ho fiercely fried the rice grains in his mouth and said,.
“older brother! Didn't you receive a warning letter from Cheongryong Academic Center to prospective instructors who passed the interview telling them to remain on probation until the practical exam? Even if I stay calm, it won't be enough…….”
Why is this kid so nagging all of a sudden?.
I pounced on all the flying grains of rice with my chopsticks and placed them on the table and said,.
“It won't take a few days. For me, it is also related to preparing for the practical exam..”
I decided to go to the Ronin Market with Bok Man-chun..
It was to personally check the elixir Bok Man-chun had found and to meet the talented and loud-mouthed Yajang..
However, it would take a full day to get to the place where the Ronin Market is located, even if you ride a horse, so just going back and forth would take three days..
Of course, I couldn't tell the two people the details, so I had no choice but to give them a rough explanation..
“So when are you going??”
“Since I finished eating, I’ll have a cup of tea.?”
“tell me that now?”
“It was decided in a hurry.”
I poured tea into the teacup of Ak Yeon-ho, who looked a little disappointed, and smiled..
“tell me if anything happens.”
“all right. I meet a lot of pretty women by myself..”
Ak Yeon-ho sighed deeply and gulped down the tea I poured for him..
……That must be pretty hot.
“Ah, ah, hot, hot!”
“Tsk tsk. How old are you?.”
“Radish, water! Cold and cold!”
“So here it is.”
“Thank you… … Wow! This is hot water.!”
After having a breakfast that was no different from usual, I simply packed my bags and got ready to leave..
“Brother Baek. Just a moment before you go.”
Myung Il-oh, who had been quietly lost in thought throughout breakfast, handed me a small book..
“What is this??”
“Among the students currently in the dormitory, we have compiled a list of students taking external engineering classes..”
“……Why is this?”
The book was small but quite thick..
It looked like it had been completed only recently, and the smell of ink was still there..
“I wrote down each student's martial arts characteristics and personality. It could be said to be a kind of genealogy. It will be helpful when giving a demonstration lecture..”
“Myung hyung. Is it okay for you to do this to me??”
I tilted my head and asked.
Even though he seemed like a nice person, I knew that Myung Il-oh had a very practical personality..
The reason I first came out and approached Ak Yeon-ho was probably because Ak Yeon-ho came from a Shandong music family..
‘Because my maternal grandfather was the student dean… … Are you asking me to look after you in the future?.’
Perhaps understanding the meaning of my gaze, Myeong Il-oh smiled and nodded..
“If it were Mr. Mae Geuk-ryeom, whom I saw that day, I don't think he would blindly pass the practical exam just because he was his grandson..”
“……That's right. Then why are you giving this to me??”
Myung Il-oh seemed to be looking for something to say for a moment and then said:.
“just… … I really hope Baek hyung passes the exam..”
“why?”
“That day, Brother Baek said this to the prospective instructors gathered in the guest room. Please feel embarrassed. Still, who are you qualified to teach?.”
I remembered. It was just a few days ago.
The day the instructors who were having a hard time with the students they taught looked so pathetic that I said something and left..
“I wasn't saying that about Myung.…….”
Myung Il-oh smiled softly and nodded..
“I know. Still, I was embarrassed. I didn't have the courage to slap a student, have Jeomsoy call Podu, or call the student leader. But Baek is a man who can do that..”
“That’s because the student dean is my maternal grandfather..”
“Even if the student dean wasn't my maternal grandfather... … The Baek I saw was definitely someone who would have done something..”
“It's burdensome because I feel like I'm looking at people too favorably..”
I lightly shrugged my shoulders..
Myung Il-oh spoke to me with serious eyes..
“Even if the same situation as yesterday came again, I don't have the confidence to have the courage. But I think Baek will do something else. So, please pass the test. When it happens again…….”
I laughed out loud.
“Look at me and take the lead in fighting against injustice.?”
“I think I can help you secretly from the side..”
Myung Il-o scratched his short hair and smiled awkwardly..
It felt like I was seeing this guy smile sincerely for the first time..
I put the book Myeong Il-o gave me in my arms..
Thanks to this, I didn’t think the trip to Ronin Market would be boring..
“You only look at people so favorably. Don't be disappointed later. Anyway, I will use this well..”
“Please feel free to speak in the future. I am one year younger.”
“okay. I understand, Il-o-ya..”
I left the guesthouse, being seen off by my two younger brothers..
“See you both in a few days then..”
“Come back.”
“Please come back.”
As I opened the guest room door and went out, I heard two people's voices behind me..
“By the way, Myeong hyung. What about me? I don't have my brochure?”
“yes? Ak has the same major as me, so he’s a bit…….”
“what. Are you being so rude as to not give it to me? And why are you speaking so highly of me? I'm a year younger, so tell me!”
“Well, is that okay... … . Still, I'm a Shandongakga person.…….”
“What's not to do? Now, please go ahead and talk comfortably and give me a genealogy..”
“…….”
Leaving behind the voices of the two people, I walked lightly to meet Fu Manchun..
* * *
two days later.
“It's here.”
Bok Man-chun and I, with half of our faces covered with black lips, entered the Ronin Market..
Initially, the ronin market was a place to buy and sell ronin's military weapons, but over time, it turned into a black market where anything that could make money was bought and sold..
A place where you can get anything if you give money.
Because there were many illegal transactions, markets were held irregularly in places out of the reach of government officials..
‘I got lucky.’
If it were not for the connections of Bok Man-chun, who had been a ronin for a long time, it would have been quite difficult to contact the ronin market..
“Confucius. This way.”
I followed Bok Man-chun and entered the hillside where the ronin market was held..
Dim torches were lit everywhere, and in some places tents were pitched or stalls were set up..
All kinds of things were sold at the ronin market..
“It's so good, there's no way to explain it! There is nothing better for a man than this! Selling rigid pills!”
“Just one drop is enough to kill a tiger…….”
“My wife, who ran away after being hit by another guy, will be brought to the west. Please get a consultation first.!”
Bargaining took place throughout the market, and rough men with many scars on their faces and bodies wandered around the market..
Tuk.
“what? I can't keep my eyes open?”
“Are you just saying this to me??”
There were often sights of ronins clashing and fistfights breaking out..
As soon as a fight broke out, an open space was created, and other Ronin surrounded it and whistled..
It was standard for betting to take place on who would win..
“haha. Since there are a lot of rough guys, the atmosphere is a bit like this. Still, you don't have to worry, as stabbings won't happen in most cases. If I do that, I'll turn everyone here into an enemy..”
Bok Man-chun scratched the back of his head as if embarrassed, but continued to be wary of his surroundings..
Since Bok Man-chun was an impressionist who never went anywhere, most ronin did not even come near us..
“Hehe. Confucius. There's nothing to be afraid of.”
‘Because you look the scariest.’
I laughed out loud at Bok Man-chun's almost overprotective behavior..
The smell of sweat and old blood permeating the bodies of Ronin..
Rather, I felt at home, like I was home..
Moreover, among the ronin, there were many who had trained external skills, and it was fun to see their bodies as I had to give lectures on external skills a few days later..
“Tsk. That guy won't live long. I strengthened my body with drugs.”
“……Confucius. Do you know how to look at the physiognomy??”
“Roughly speaking.”
We walked through the Ronin Market, chatting about various things..
There is one thing you need to buy here.
There's one person I need to meet.
Because the destination was clear, there was no stopping along the way..
“It's here.”
We stopped in front of an old tent..
Fu Manchun walked up the tent and went inside first..
Inside the tent, a one-armed man who looked to be in his forties was drinking, and as soon as he saw Bok Man-chun, he jumped up..
“No, who is this! double brother!”
“ha ha ha! Brother Jang! It's been a while!”
The two men hugged each other like brothers meeting for the first time in decades..
“I heard you settled in Namchang. Look at this. Since I lived with a fox-like wife and a rabbit-like child, my senses have become much clearer.!”
“Don't even talk. Why is it that it costs so much money to raise a child while a wife is being ripped off? I'm dying these days.”
“Haha, this guy is going to die. But the person behind you……?”
“Ah, I am the new person to serve. Confucius. This is a friend I used to know well..”
“It's called Heo Cheon..”
Only then was I able to say hello to the one-armed man..
The one-armed man used his only hand to bring out a wooden chest among the items in the tent and show it to me..
“lol. In fact, there were many people who said they would buy it, but this friend made a reservation to buy it himself, so I left the item out and waited..”
With obvious lies flowing from one ear, I placed my hand on the wooden chest..
“Can I open it??”
“This needs to be handled with care... … . I'll open it for you.”
The one-armed man slowly opened the chest, and after a while, a fragrant scent spread throughout the tent..
The winding purple roots were abundantly tangled, and the branches had grown into seven. And each branch had seven leaves..
It was a spirit herb that was very rich in yang energy, called seven-quarter-nine-leaf herb..
‘It's authentic. It's also a pretty high quality product..’
I recognized the Seven-Earth Leaf Plant at a glance..
Nine- leafed herbaceous plants themselves are not difficult to obtain, but high-quality seven-leafed herbaceous plants can only be obtained if you are lucky..
“You got it yourself.?”
“lol. It's not something I bought, but they sell it for me and take a commission. The connections I made while cutting off my arm were useful in times like this..”
As it was precious, of course the price was also considerable..
“how much does it cost?”
“hmm. Still, since Bok is the person who serves me, I cut a lot... … Just give me this much…….”
The one-armed man eagerly rolled the abacus on the table with one hand and held it out..
However, when Fu Manchun saw the amount, his complexion suddenly changed..
“Uh-huh! Brother Jang. It's really going to be like this between us?”
“no way. I gave this to Bok as cheaply as possible to see his face. There isn't much left.”
“Who do you think is a brat? Huh! I'm sad to see the market crashing like this just because it's been a while since I hit rock bottom..”
“Hey, Brother Bok. Don't get excited, just listen to me…….”
As I watched the two people arguing over the price, I was quietly amazed..
‘Even most debates won't be as intense as that one..’
I wasn't a great person who could easily be scammed, but I didn't have the talent to deal with the words exchanged between the two worn-out middle-aged businessmen..
After a while.
In the end, the one-armed man sighed with a depressed expression..
“shit. Since Brother Bok caught me, I have nothing left to eat. This should be enough?”
We received the Seven-Earth Herb at a price that was nearly half the price the one-armed man had originally told us..
Bok Man-chun smiled kindly and tapped the one-armed man on the shoulder..
“It's a shame. Please contact me next time another good elixir comes out..”
“……I'll have to think about it next time..”
“Hey, don't do that. I'll have a big drink next time. huh?”
“shit. It’s disgusting, so hurry up.!”
Fu Manchun frowned and blinked at the one-armed man, carrying the chest on his shoulder..
However, as soon as he came out of the tent, Bok Man-chun's expression hardened..
He whispered so only I could hear.
“This is a guy I met a few times while working in the past. He's like a very poisonous snake..”
You look more like a viper…….
I said, admiring Fu Manchun's change of attitude..
“For some reason, they didn't give me any recognition and cut me off..”
“I wanted to cut him even further, but they still saw him as a guy with a lot of connections in this area. Then, won't Confucius come back next time he asks for the elixir??”
“I learned a lot today from Guard Bok, or rather, Commander Bok..”
“lol. Please trust us for anything in the future..”
‘Bok Manchun's mouth was torn up to his ears when he heard the word 'Chonggwan'..
he said, pounding his chest.
“Now then, let’s go meet the manager..”
I followed Fu Manchun, whose shoulders were lifted up, to meet Yazhang..
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