Episode 34: Even a Thorny Path is Worth Walking When Alive (3)
Light Novel: Volume 2 Episode 34
Manhwa: Chapter 33
Chapter 3 Episode 34. Even a Thorny Path is Worth Walking When Alive (3)
Hami was a city that served as the final gateway from the Western Region to the Central Plains. Three days after passing through Hami, one would arrive at Jiayu Pass, the entrance to the Central Plains.
Hami was one of the largest cities in Saibei. It had once flourished to the point that a dynasty of the Yi tribes had established its rule there.
As soon as they entered Hami, the air changed. If until now it had felt somewhat heavy and dusty, the air in Hami felt much lighter and fresher. It must be because the Central Plains were drawing near.
Dam-ho and Bang Jin-bo entered the city, feeling the air of Hami on their bodies. Their heads and shoulders were covered with thick dust.
A journey that would have usually taken five days had taken them ten. But for the time spent, Bang Jin-bo’s complexion had improved, and he had regained much of his old cheer.
He still had moments of melancholy, but that was something only time could heal. Dam-ho thought that this much was already enough.
Bang Jin-bo was obsessed with cooking. If he found any wild herbs or fruits that could be used as ingredients, he had to taste them, and he had to cook every meal himself. Thanks to that, the ingredients they had bought in some nameless village had long since run out.
Even so, Dam-ho didn’t scold Bang Jin-bo. He knew that this was Bang Jin-bo’s way of dealing with his pain.
“Wow! Look at that, brother!”
Bang Jin-bo let out a cheer as he looked at the ingredients spread out on the street stalls. True to being a city where many people gathered, the streets of Hami were overflowing with all kinds of ingredients.
Like a fish in water, Bang Jin-bo couldn’t take his eyes off the ingredients displayed on the stalls.
“This is bamboo shoot, and this is pine flower egg. Wooooow!”
True to being the son of a master cook, Bang Jin-bo was well-versed in all kinds of ingredients.
Bang Jin-bo bought up every ingredient that caught his fancy. He had received plenty of money from Dam-ho, so there was nothing holding him back.
Only after buying all the ingredients did Bang Jin-bo head toward the guest house.
It was a guest house named Clear River Guest House. Among the guest houses in Hami, Clear River Guest House was one of the larger ones and always bustled with people.
A guest house wasn’t simply a place to eat and sleep. With many people gathered, a lot of information also flowed. That is why merchants traveling long distances preferred large guest houses.
Dam-ho didn’t know such details, but he did know at least that the larger the guest house, the better the facilities. That was why he chose Clear River Guest House.
“Welcome!”
An inn servant quickly came running over.
Bang Jin-bo asked on Dam-ho’s behalf.
“Do you have any rooms available, brother?”
“Yes, we do. What kind of room would you like?”
As Bang Jin-bo responded in a friendly tone, a smile naturally spread across the inn servant’s face. There was no reason to feel uncomfortable when someone called him ‘brother.’
“If there’s a double room, we’ll take it.”
“Just happened to have one left, lucky you. Go up to the second floor, follow the hallway to the left, and it’s the last room. That’s the one where you’ll be staying.”
“Thanks!”
“No problem!”
The inn servant scratched his head.
Watching Bang Jin-bo’s sociable demeanor, Dam-ho gave a small nod.
Bang Jin-bo hadn’t always been this friendly. Traveling with the stoic Dam-ho had instilled in him a sense of duty to compensate in this way.
“Brother, what about food?”
“If you’re hungry, just sit at any open spot. I’ll bring you something right away.”
Bang Jin-bo looked at Dam-ho. It was a signal that he was hungry.
“Let’s sit over there.”
“Yes!”
The two of them walked toward an empty seat.
It was in the most secluded corner, a spot that didn’t easily catch people’s eyes. Dam-ho sat with his back to the wall and said,
“You order the food.”
“Yes!”
Bang Jin-bo’s face lit up with a smile.
It was the time he looked forward to the most. He called the inn servant again.
“Brother, what’s your specialty here?”
“Hmm, I’m confident in all of our dishes, but if I had to recommend one, I would say the Clear-Steamed Lamb. It’s steamed lamb made with our guest house’s secret recipe, and it tastes amazing. A glass of wine with the Clear-Steamed Lamb will wash away your fatigue.”
“Sounds great. I’ll have that.”
“Excellent choice. Then wait just a bit. I’ll bring it out right away.”
“Okay!”
The inn servant dashed off to the kitchen.
Bang Jin-bo looked around the guest house with a curious expression.
The guest house was very spacious. There were over twenty tables, and most of the seats were filled.
There were people who looked like merchants, and some were martial artists carrying weapons. Their expressions didn’t look very bright.
“I heard the bandits have been especially rampant lately?”
“Don’t even get me started. If you’re not careful, you’ll lose not just your goods, but your life too.”
”Ugh! What kind of disaster is this, really?”
Whispers from the merchants could be heard.
Bang Jin-bo’s expression darkened for a moment. The mention of bandits reminded him of his father. But that was only for a moment, and he quickly forced a smile.
“They must not know yet. That brother here wiped out the bandits.”
Dam-ho nodded silently.
“Why are the bandits so aggressive these days…”
“They should just take the goods, I don’t understand why they take people.”
“Exactly. Hoo! Anyway, let’s just hope tomorrow’s journey goes smoothly.”
“Let’s drink.”
The merchants’ sighs echoed throughout the guest house. Perhaps because of this, the atmosphere became even heavier.
Just then, the inn servant came in carrying a tray.
“Hehe! I thought you might be bored waiting for your meal, so here’s some stir-fried tofu and liquor to tide you over.”
“Thank you, brother. Hehe!”
“Don’t mention it! Then…”
The inn servant bowed slightly to Dam-ho and hurried back to the kitchen.
“Brother, let me pour you some.”
Bang Jin-bo filled Dam-ho’s cup to the brim. Dam-ho took the cup without saying a word.
He had seen his master drink many times, but he himself had never tasted it before.
When he occasionally asked his master what it tasted like, his master said that it contained all the emotions in the world.
Dam-ho brought the cup to his lips.
The first taste was terribly bitter. He couldn’t understand what his master found so good about it.
But the second taste wasn’t so bad.
By the third cup, it was bearable. But he still couldn’t understand why his master loved drinking so much.
Dam-ho set the cup down. He thought it just didn’t suit him.
At that moment, someone opened the door of the guest house and entered. Everyone’s eyes naturally turned toward the entrance.
“Hm!”
“Ahh!”
Various exclamations burst out from all around. That was how much the person who entered drew everyone’s attention.
Two people had entered the guest house.
To be precise, it was an old man and a woman. Everyone’s eyes were fixed on the woman.
She was a woman in her early twenties, full of refreshing energy like a wild horse running free across the plains. She had dark brown skin and unusually large eyes. Strangely, there was a faint bluish hue shimmering in her eyes.
People couldn’t easily look away from her unusual beauty. That was how uniquely and refreshingly beautiful the woman was.
As the woman looked around the guest house, the inn servant hurried over.
“Welcome, guests.”
“Do you have any rooms?”
The one who asked the inn servant was the old man beside the woman. His face was so wrinkled it was hard to guess his age, and even his back was deeply hunched. But the light shining sharply from between the creases of his eyes was too fierce to be called that of an old man.
The inn servant’s posture grew even more respectful.
“We only have single rooms and special rooms left.”
“I’ll take the special room.”
“How long will you be staying?”
“I’ll decide after I settle in.”
“Understood. I’ll prepare the special room for you.”
“We’ve come a long way and are hungry, so bring out a few of the house’s best dishes. Price is no concern.”
The old man pulled out a small lump of silver from his robe and handed it over. The inn servant sensed the descent of a god of wealth and bowed so deeply he nearly broke his back.
“Yes! Please take a seat and wait just a moment.”
The inn servant rushed to the kitchen.
The old man scanned the inside of the guest house with sharp eyes. The merchants who met his gaze quickly lowered their heads.
The old man’s eyes were so fierce that it was hard to believe they were those of an old man. The merchants instinctively realized that the old man was a martial artist.
They were merchants who had been through many trials and tribulations. A woman who traveled with a man of that level could not be of ordinary status. Nothing good would come from getting entangled with such a woman.
“Miss, please take a seat over here.”
The old man led the woman to an empty seat. Coincidentally, it was the seat right next to Dam-ho and Bang Jin-bo.
“Heuk-no, this place is quite crowded.”
“Hami is originally a place where many people gather. It will be this crowded no matter where we go.”
“Is that so?”
“This is still the best place to stay in Hami.”
“Alright. If Heuk-no says so, then so be it.”
The woman smiled faintly and sat down. Only after the woman had taken her seat did the old man named Heuk-no sit as well.
From that alone, it was clear that the woman held a much higher status than the old man.
The woman looked around the guest house with an expression of interest. Even that casual action exuded a fresh charm that made her look all the more attractive.
Her gaze eventually stopped at a table in the corner. More precisely, it was where Dam-ho and Bang Jin-bo were seated.
Unlike Dam-ho, who sat expressionless like a stone statue, Bang Jin-bo was staring at the woman with a dazed look, as if he had lost his soul.
The woman looked at Bang Jin-bo and smiled.
“Is there something on my face?”
“You, you’re so pretty…”
Bang Jin-bo bowed his head deeply. His entire face, from forehead to neck, was bright red. At the sight of such innocence, the woman let out a small laugh.
“Thank you! What is your name?”
“Bang Jin-bo.”
“Jin-bo? That’s a nice name. My name is Shim-ok.”
“Shim-ok!”
“That’s right! Pretty, isn’t it?”
The woman, who introduced herself as Shim-ok, raised her chin proudly. But the gesture didn’t seem arrogant or awkward, it suited her very well.
Bang Jin-bo answered innocently.
“Yes! It’s pretty.”
“Ahaha! You’re a funny one.”
In the end, Shim-ok burst into laughter. At that, Heuk-no slightly furrowed his brow.
“My lady, please maintain your dignity.”
“Alright, alright. But he’s just so cute.”
Shim-ok glanced sideways at Heuk-no with a slightly sulky look. It was a gaze that would make any ordinary man’s heart drop, but Heuk-no’s expression didn’t change in the slightest.
Shim-ok’s gaze shifted to Dam-ho, who was sitting next to Bang Jin-bo.
Unlike Bang Jin-bo, who was looking at her with innocent admiration, Dam-ho remained expressionless as he moved his chopsticks.
An expression of interest appeared on Shim-ok’s face.
No matter how she looked at him, Dam-ho seemed like an emotionless statue. Her escort, Heuk-no, also had a fairly cold expression, but he didn’t appear completely devoid of emotion like Dam-ho.
No matter how she looked at them, the combination of Dam-ho and Bang Jin-bo didn’t look like it matched at all. But as she kept watching them together, somehow, in a strange way, they did seem to suit each other.
That peculiar mismatch piqued her curiosity.
Shim-ok tried to rise from her seat. At that, Heuk-no spoke up.
“Please stay seated, my lady.”
“Why? What do you think I’m going to do?”
“You’ll only cause a disturbance for those enjoying their meal.”
“Tch!”
In the end, Shim-ok couldn’t do as she wished and sat back down. She glanced at Heuk-no again.
“If you keep making that face, the Lord won’t be very pleased.”
“It’s fine! My father’s not here, after all.”
“My lady!”
“Alright, alright.”
Shim-ok raised both hands as if fed up with Heuk-no’s nagging.
Heuk-no was her natural enemy. Perhaps that was why her father had assigned him as her escort.
The mischief vanished from Shim-ok’s face.
Her voice grew quieter.
“But are you sure it’s the right place?”
“I’m certain.”
“Really?”
Shim-ok’s eyes gleamed coldly. The mischievous, childish expression from just moments ago had long since disappeared.
SoundlessWind21’s Notes:
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