Chapter 133: The Tavern is Crowded (Part 2)

The atmosphere in Myeongryusan's tavern was tense.

Although he was drinking, Gangho's ears were focused entirely on the direction of Nam Suryeon and Jwamunho's seats. However, no matter how hard he strained his ears, he couldn't hear their voices.

Gangho's face was filled with curiosity because he had no idea about Jwamunho's surprising revelation. They seemed to be discussing something important, but he couldn't hear it, and it was eating at him.

It wasn't just Gangho. Most of the people in the tavern were also concentrating on Nam Suryeon and Jwamunho's conversation, just like Gangho. However, like Gangho, they couldn't hear any of the dialogue.

Then it happened.

Bang!

Suddenly, Jwamunho slammed the table with his palm and stood up. The sound was so loud that the people in the tavern covered their ears with their hands, wincing in pain.

Jwamunho glared at Nam Suryeon with a menacing look, and Nam Suryeon stared back without backing down.

A tense silence hung in the air between the two.

With an atmosphere of imminent confrontation, the onlookers in the tavern held their breath.

Jwamunho gritted his teeth.

"Are you truly going to reject our proposal? In that case, Nam Sojeo won't gain anything!"

"My decision is firm."

"May you not regret today's decision."

Jwamunho turned away.

His face was filled with anger.

He had met many officials and proposed joining the Changryong Society in the past, but this was the first time he had been rejected so vehemently. His pride in the Changryong Society was greater than anyone else's, so the wounds left on his heart were also significant.

He walked briskly outside the tavern. The onlookers who met his gaze turned their heads with strange moans, unable to withstand the intense energy emanating from his eyes.

Nam Suryeon watched Jwamunho's retreating figure with a dark expression.

"The Changryong Society is causing turmoil even among the young wanderers," he thought to himself.

He let out an involuntary sigh.

He didn't regret rejecting Jwamunho's proposal. However, judging by his expression, it seemed that dealing with him in the future might become quite tiresome. Those with such intense gazes often had high and unyielding self-esteem, and they didn't easily forget grievances.

"There's no other choice. I'll have to be as cautious as possible," Nam Suryeon muttered to himself as he set down his chopsticks.

Her appetite had disappeared. Personally, she didn't like alcohol, but it seemed like she needed a drink today.

She called over Jemsoi again and placed another order.

"Bring me a bottle of liquor."

Jemsoi immediately brought the bottle of liquor with her response. She began to pour herself a drink alone. Some of the wanderers couldn't help but swallow their saliva when they saw her.

The sight of a beautiful woman drinking alone was undeniably alluring. If they hadn't witnessed the confrontation with the wandering swordsman Jwamunho, some might have approached her with flattery. Myeongryusan was among them.

"What's her name? Does she have any companions? Is she also heading to Unjungcheon?"

Various thoughts crossed his mind, but he lacked the courage to approach her. Myeongryusan consumed his cheap, innocent liquor in large gulps.

Then it happened again. The sound of someone entering the tavern could be heard at the entrance. He glanced in that direction, wondering if Jwamunho had returned, but the newcomers were not Jwamunho.

"Who are they?"

Myeongryusan's eyes gleamed. He had a vague memory of seeing them somewhere before.

The man at the front, wearing a dark red robe, was none other than Jinmuwon. He was followed by Hajinwol, Danggimun, and Dangmireyo.

Every inn they went to was fully occupied, and they were chased away. They had come to this run-down tavern as a last resort, but even here, there didn't seem to be any empty seats.

Jinmuwon briefly looked around and then approached Nam Suryeon, who was sitting alone at a table.

"Soldier, if it's alright with you, may I join you for a moment? As you can see, there are no available seats."

Nam Suryeon glanced at Jinmuwon for a moment. Her mood wasn't great due to Jwamunho, as she had experienced the frustration before. However, when she looked into Jinmuwon's deep and sincere eyes, she found herself nodding unconsciously.

"Thank you. Please, have a seat. Fortunately, Soldier has granted permission," Jinmuwon's party said politely as they took their seats at the table.

"Thank you, Soldier."

"Much appreciated," Nam Suryeon replied, nodding.

"No need to thank me. I'm almost done with my meal, so don't worry about it," she said.

In response to her words, Jinmuwon and his companions expressed their thanks once again.

As they sat down, Jemsoi immediately rushed over. Danggimun spoke on behalf of everyone.

"Is there any available rooms by any chance?"

"Well... there's only the annex left now. But it's quite expensive..."

Jemsoi's words trailed off, but Danggimun didn't mind.

"So, you do have an annex? How much is it?"

"You'll have to pay five silver coins..."

Even as she spoke, Jemsoi's face turned red. She was following the owner's instructions, but she felt it was excessive.

The so-called annex was nothing more than a modest dwelling where the innkeepers themselves lived. Its only advantage was the tall fence that provided some privacy from prying eyes outside. Even for Jemsoi, charging five silver coins for such a humble place was uncomfortable.

"Ha! The owner is determined to scrape every bit of money," Danggimun remarked.

"I-I'm sorry."

"What are you apologizing for? Take the money and give us the annex."

Danggimun reached into his pouch and pulled out a pouch filled with silver coins. The sound of jingling coins resonated as he took out five silver coins and handed them to Jemsoi.

"We'll settle the meal separately later. Just bring us some of the best dishes this place has to offer," he said.

"Yes, I understand!" Jemsoi exclaimed as she rushed off to the kitchen, feeling like she had encountered a god of wealth.

Jinmuwon smiled and said, "Well, at least we're fortunate to find some shelter, even if it's a humble one."

"You're absolutely right. What's with that damned Cheokmada? Why is every inn we go to fully occupied?" Danggimun grumbled, shaking his head in frustration. Dangmireyo wore a similar expression of annoyance.

Hajinwol chuckled and said, "Humph! They probably think they can get chosen easily when they go to Unjungcheon. Thinking that Unjungcheon is such an easy place to enter is foolish. These wanderers, without a thought in their heads, how can they predict their future?"

Jinmuwon quietly nodded in response to his remarks.

Among those he considered polite, Hajinwol was no more than at the level of Danggimun. He didn't bother censoring his harsh words when it came to others. This had caused numerous problems during their journey from Damun to this place. Each time, Jinmuwon had to work hard to resolve the situations.

Hajinwol's rant made Nam Suryeon involuntarily burst into laughter. In response, Hajinwol's eyes gleamed.

"Ah! It seems like Soldier agrees with my thoughts."

"It's not that..."

"Let's see... judging by the Four Deities engraved on the belt around your waist, you seem to be a disciple of the Musan School. And the golden-colored tassel attached to your sword indicates that you are the direct disciple following the Jinjeon disciple of the Changmun School. In that case, Soldier must be a wandering shrine maiden chosen by the Chilsacheon."

"How did you...?"

Amazement washed over Nam Suryeon's face.

The fact that the Musan School disciples engraved the Four Deities on their belts to prove their status was a relatively unknown fact to the outside world. Similarly, the knowledge that a golden tassel was given to a disciple of the Jinjeon lineage within the Changmun School was known to only a handful of people even within the Musan School.

Hajinwol was casually mentioning facts that only someone deeply entrenched within the Musan School would know, and it was unsettling.

Hajinwol chuckled softly. "Why are you so surprised? Keep your mouth shut; you'll let the flies in."

"Who is Daehyeop?" Nam Suryeon's face displayed a hint of caution. She was wary because her identity had been discovered so easily.

"I may as well tell you my name, although it won't mean much to you. Ah, you must have heard of it before. I'm Daengimun Daehyeop, the leader of the Mandokgakju within the Tangmun."

"Is that so?" Nam Suryeon stood up in surprise.

How could she not know? In Gangho, there was no one who didn't keep a close eye on the Tangmun's activities, and among them, Daengimun was a well-known figure. Besides the leader of Mandokgak, he was the most proficient in poisons in the entire world.

"My humble junior, Nam Suryeon, greets her senior from Tangmun."

"Hehe! Such formalities. Please, have a seat."

Nam Suryeon cautiously resumed her seat, still surprised at the encounter with such a renowned figure from the Tangmun.

Danggimun scolded Hajinwol for revealing his identity without permission, but Hajinwol remained unperturbed. He knew that when he had mentioned Nam Suryeon's identity earlier, Jinmuwon had already deployed sound-blocking techniques. This meant that any conversation held within this space would remain private from prying ears outside, like sinister wolves eavesdropping.

Hajinwol's cheerful laughter prompted a wry smile from Jinmuwon. He was gradually getting used to Hajinwol's unpredictable, child-like behavior.

Danggimun pointed to the seat beside him and introduced, "This is my daughter, Dangmireyo."

"Ah! Soldier Nam Suryeon from Sacheon. Nice to meet you."

"I'm more pleased. Meeting a wandering shrine maiden chosen by Chilsacheon is quite rare."

The two women exchanged warm smiles, possibly because they shared a common identity.

Nam Suryeon's gaze then turned to Jinmuwon, and he politely introduced himself, "I'm Jinmuwon."

"Nice to meet you, Jin Sohyeop. But..."

Nam Suryeon tilted her head. She felt like she had heard that name somewhere before, but she couldn't quite recall.

Hajinwol redirected the conversation, "It seems Soldier Nam is also heading to Unjungcheon."

"Yes."

"Are you here to gain experience?"

"That's right."

Nam Suryeon responded to Hajinwol's accurate guess without displaying any further astonishment, but her thoughts were far from simple.

"Who is this man?"

To deduce her identity and purpose with just a single encounter, this man must be extraordinary. The problem was that she couldn't even begin to guess Hajinwol's identity. She had never heard of a man like him in Gangho, a man who could make such deductions.

Hajinwol seemed to chuckle as if he had read Nam Suryeon's inner thoughts.

At that moment, Jemsoi brought out the food, and the table quickly filled up with dishes, including those Nam Suryeon had ordered earlier.

Hajinwol suggested, "Since we're all here by fate, why don't we share a meal together?"

"I...," Nam Suryeon hesitated.

"Don't decline. Isn't it more enjoyable to eat with others?" Hajinwol urged.

"Yes, please join us, Soldier Nam," Dangmireyo chimed in.

With their combined efforts, Nam Suryeon couldn't find any more excuses to refuse, so she nodded in agreement. In truth, she was curious about this group.

And so, the five of them began to share a meal together, and Jinmuwon finally put away his extraordinary abilities.

As they shared a drink and laughter began to fill the air, a warm atmosphere enveloped the table.