Chapter 10: The Place My Sword Points To (1) (1/2)
Book 1 Chapter 10: The Place My Sword Points To (1)
Translator: Hwarang
Editor: Jay
That evening we arrived at an inn near our destination, so we sent back the carriage.
Kw.a.n.g Du went to book two rooms but I stopped him.
“Just give us one room.”
Kw.a.n.g Du quickly replied, “Haha, I knew you would do something like this, so I came prepared. I will just sleep over there at the table.”
“You usually take my jokes very lightly, but why are you taking it so seriously this time?”
“What?”
“Hey Crazy Head, how can I allow you to sleep outside in the cold?”
“You don’t mean!?”
“Yes, we are going to sleep in the same room. We could just ask for single room with two beds. Why should we waste money booking two rooms? Or is it that you snore?”
“No, it’s not that, but how can I dare sleep in your room, young master.”
“What? You don’t want to sleep next to a piece of trash?”
“Why are you saying something like this? I wouldn’t dare disrespect you like that.”
“All right then. Innkeeper, book us a room with two beds.”
After booking a room, we didn’t go up to it, but instead sat down at one of the tables.
“Let’s have some drinks.”
“With me?”
Kw.a.n.g Du stared blankly at me.
“Do you see anyone else I can share a drink with?”
Kw.a.n.g Du said with wide eyes, “This is a first. This is the first time that I am sharing a room and drink with you.”
I really didn’t want to repeat myself, but Byuk Lee Dan is seriously a stupid idiot.
After ordering our food and drink, we sat across from each other. Kw.a.n.g Du still seemed dazed after we booked a single room. I felt sorry for Kw.a.n.g Du since he had to take most of my teasing and jokes.
“Here, have a drink.”
When I was about to pour him a drink, he was still hesitant.
“You can’t do this young master. Allow me to pour you one first.”
“It’s alright. You receive one from me first.”
“Young master.”
“You’re older than me. Receive one from me first.”
In reality, I was at least couple times older than him.
“You said Sa Hae Dong Do, didn’t you? Here.” (Translator note: Sae Hae Dong Do means to go through a sea of death for your comrade.)
“I can’t. Don’t try to bulls.h.i.+t me with that.”
But he finally gave in and received a drink from me.
“You can’t do this. Your servant will be spoiled. This will be the only time that I receive a drink from you. I will never forget it.”
After a while he looked like he had an epiphany.
“I get it now. You’re going to take me over there to kill me, right? That’s the reason why you’re being so nice to me. right? It is said that before a cow is taken to the butcher, the owner will give it a final meal. Right?”
This lightened the mood as he started drinking, becoming drunk rather quickly. He said that I once drank ten bottles. I think that was an exaggeration, but I truly didn’t know how much tolerance I had.
In my previous life, I was never truly drunk. This was because most a.s.sa.s.sins would poison the wine, since you lose control of your body after you become drunk. Living in fear of a.s.sa.s.sinations, on the occasions that I had to drink, I developed the habit of circulating my cultivation technique to expunge anything alcoholic or poisonous from my system; so I never truly knew the feeling of being drunk.
But today, I drank casually without a care in the world. Soon I started feeling the alcohol overtake me. How long had it been since I last drank like this? Was this the first time?
“Oh right, young master, I didn’t have the chance to ask you last time about your martial arts. How is it possible that you were able to beat him so easily?”
“I think it’s the result of my training.”
“With only ten days of training?”
“Ten days are more than enough to take care of trash like that.”
Kw.a.n.g Du started evaluating me from head to toe. “It is still you, my young master, yet why does it feel like you are different?”
“Maybe I’m a late bloomer.”
“I’m not expecting a big bowel. You’re just a bowel that doesn’t break, right.”
(Translator note: This is a play on words with late bloomer. In Korean Hanja late bloomer means “it takes time to mold a big bowel”.)
It seemed like Kw.a.n.g Du was drunk.
“Yeah, I won’t break.”
“Promise me that you won’t go back to being how you were before.”
“Why does my promise matter?”
“It is important to me. I need to hear it from you.”
“Fine, I promise.”
Now Kw.a.n.g Du let out a deep breath, and we went back to discussing what we were discussing before.
“I was hiding my martial arts. I’m stronger than you think.”
Because I couldn’t tell him the actual truth, I had to tell him a version of partial truth.
“Why?”
“To survive in Kang Ho, you need to hide your abilities.”
“Is that the reason why you were acting like a spoiled brat all this time?”
“No. After getting beaten up by Song Hwa Rin, reality smacked me in the face, and I realized that I couldn’t live like this.”
He could only believe it because I changed literally after that day. After getting nearly beaten to death I had changed my ways. So he most definitely understood me.
“So Lady Song is a benefactor.”
“You could say that.”
“Since we’re talking about her... Please don’t let her go. She is too good of a catch to let go.”
“Why do you like her so much?”
“Isn’t she beautiful? What else do you need? You don’t have to worry too much about the problem between men and women, because after you marry it is naturally bound to solve itself.”
Smiling, I was about to fill his gla.s.s, but he s.n.a.t.c.hed it away from me.