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Translator: uly
Chapter: 6
Chapter Title: The Scoundrel Fiancé of the Murim World - 5
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I needed time.
If I just followed the Changryong Guard's suggestion and left right away, I wouldn't be able to accomplish my plan.
I had to stall for more time somehow.
To do that, I had to become the delinquent Kang Yun-ho.
"What, what is this?"
I stood in front of the young Changryong Guard warrior with an angry expression, and the young warrior opened his mouth in confusion.
"What is this? Well, what do you think I am?"
"I know you as Young Master Kang Yun-ho."
"No. No. You see me as a barbarian, don't you?"
"That is not true."
"What do you mean it's not true!"
"Young Master Kang, one of our warriors made a small mistake..."
The deputy leader tried to intervene, but I raised my hand to stop him.
"Deputy Leader. Should I point out that you just said 'small mistake'? Or should I continue talking to this bastard? Huh?"
I finished strongly, using informal speech.
"...Please continue."
"Hey, you swordsman."
I glared at the young Murong Family warrior.
"Yes."
"What does your father do?"
When picking a fight, it's essential to start by checking if they're an easy mark. If I mess with him and suddenly someone I can't handle appears, I'm in big trouble.
"Huh?"
The warrior had a face that asked why I was asking about his father out of the blue.
"I said, what does your father do!"
I shouted loud enough to shake the inn. I just wanted to see if his father was a thug or not. When I shouted, everyone around started looking.
"He runs an apothecary in Liaodong Fortress."
Good. So he's not a thug.
"An apothecary? Hey. All the apothecary owners in the Central Plains bow and scrape to Joseon people just to get one Joseon ginseng into their shops. If I'm a barbarian, then is your father a barbarian's lackey?"
"Do not speak of my father."
The warrior's face hardened when I mentioned his parents. What are you going to do about it?
"Right. What did your father do wrong? His only crime is working himself to the bone to raise a son like you. He taught you so hard, but his son just holds a sword, gets a little power in his shoulders, and does uneducated things."
You racist bastard. Doing uneducated things somewhere!
"Stop it."
The warrior, clenching his teeth to hold back his anger, barely managed to let the words out. I don't want to.
No matter what I say, the warrior can't lay a hand on me. How could he possibly touch the eldest son of the great Kang Family?
"Oh my. I'm scared. So scared. Hey. Not following the laws of the Central Plains makes you a savage, and not knowing etiquette makes you a barbarian. Even Mencius said that if you study, even a barbarian can become a sage. But you're from the Central Plains, yet you don't know etiquette and have no manners, so you're a perfect savage bastard. Right?"
Even though I never studied this, it was in my head. Kang Yun-ho's father used this as a reason why his son had to study to avoid being treated like a barbarian while beating him.
By now, everyone in the inn who was eating was looking this way.
"Kuh!"
"You savage bastard. Uneducated bastard. Ah! Maybe you don't even know the Thousand Character Classic? Do you know how to write 'heaven', 'earth', 'sword', 'present', 'yellow'? No, no. Can you even write the character for 'one'? Should I teach you?"
The young warrior's nostrils flared.
"The bastard's angry. You're angry, right? So why did you do something that would make you angry, huh?"
"I am not angry. I am not angry at a child who just chatters like a little girl."
As he said that, he glanced at the sword sheathed at my side.
He's provoking me. Telling me to draw my sword?
No way, man.
I can't use a sword.
Why should I fight in a situation that favors you?
"Right, I'm a child. That's why I'm marrying your Sang-ah to become an adult. Kekeke."
I made a butt shape with my hands in front of my waist and then shook my hips.
I'm planning to do this with your idol.
The problem is, I'm destined to be stabbed to death by a sword before climbing the adult steps.
"Kuhk!"
The warrior suddenly brought his hand to his sword hilt, his mouth tightly shut. Uh. Oh shit, am I screwed?
Was mentioning the Murong Family's idol, Sang-ah-chan, forbidden?
Fortunately, perhaps a thread of reason remained, he didn't draw it. Thank goodness. Damn. Almost got screwed.
No, no. Now I have to screw him over.
"Hey! Where did your hand just go?"
"That was... it wasn't what you think."
"Ha. Guard Captain. This bastard was just about to stab me, right?"
"It's a terrifying thing to even say, but yes. I felt killing intent."
That was a close call. These guys really were my gate to the afterlife.
"Apologize right now!"
The deputy leader urgently pressed the warrior.
"I apologize."
"Apologize? Apooooloogize?"
I brought my face close to the warrior's face. Our noses touched. The warrior's eyes trembled relentlessly.
"Hey."
I lowered my voice at close range.
"Yes."
"If you're sorry, keep your hands still from now on. Got it? If you move, you're screwed, and everyone is screwed."
"Huh? Yes."
Slap!
I immediately delivered a full-force slap.
"Kuh!"
"Kuh? It's not over yet! You bastard!"
Slaps flew relentlessly.
In this atmosphere, no one in the inn could eat and just watched us.
In the quiet inn, only the loud sound of drums made by human cheeks and palms resonated.
"Huff... huff..."
I got tired first from continuously slapping. Damn this Kang Yun-ho's trash stamina. If I survive, I'll train my stamina first.
"Young Master. Please stop now."
The deputy leader quietly dissuaded me, hearing my heavy breathing.
"It's not over yet. Hey, pick up the chopsticks."
I threw the chopsticks on the table to the warrior. The warrior caught them with his right hand.
"Right. Right-handed? Guard Captain, cleanly cut off this bastard's right hand and wrap it up for me."
Let me say it again, I can't do swordplay. Just wrap it up.
As I was about to turn around, speaking like a psychopath as if it were nothing.
"Young Master. Please forgive him now."
The deputy leader of the Changryong Guard subtly revealed an intimidating aura, lowering his voice to dissuade me.
"Forgive? Deputy Leader, what did that bastard say to me?"
By now, the 'barbarian' comment had become something said to me, but this wasn't a situation where I could correct that.
"It is true he said something unspeakable. When we return to the main house, I will confine him in the Punishment Hall for a hundred days. Please calm your anger."
"Deputy Leader. Your name is Murong... what was it again?"
You're not worth remembering. I spoke with that nuance.
"Murong Jin-su."
"Right, Murong Jin-su. You're also from the Murong Family! Right?"
"Though from a distant side branch, yes."
"But listen. I am from the direct line of the direct line of your family. I am the one who will marry Young Lady Murong Sang-ah. And to such a person, 'barbarian'? Huh? Barbarian? Is this something that ends with just me being insulted? No. This is an insult to the honor of our Kang Family and an insult to the honor of the Murong Family, whom I am about to marry now. Understand?"
"..."
How could a comment made to another member become an insult to two families? I could feel absurdity on the deputy leader's face, but if I said it was so, then it was so.
"So. I am generously forgiving with just one arm. Does that seem expensive?"
Is your Murong Family's honor that cheap? That's how it could be heard.
"..."
The deputy leader couldn't say anything.
"If you understand, Guard Captain, wrap up that bastard's arm."
"Yes, understood."
The Guard Captain gave a faint smile and immediately drew his sword.
"Deputy Leader! Deputy Leader!"
The warrior, sniffling, looked for the Changryong Guard deputy leader.
"Young Master Kang."
"Huh?"
Thud!!!
The Changryong Guard deputy leader knelt with such force that the floor shook. Oh... And then he immediately bowed his head.
"I apologize! The responsibility of our Changryong Guard is my responsibility. The crime of insulting the Kang Family and the Murong Family. It is all my responsibility! I will enter the Punishment Hall together with the member who said the unspeakable words! Please withdraw your anger!"
Wow, look at that spirit. The deputy leader apologized as if he would prostrate himself on a hot griddle if it were placed before him.
"Only you are sorry?"
I glanced over the other Changryong Guard members who were watching the situation.
Thud!
Thud!
Thud!
[[[[[We apologize!!]]]]]
All the Changryong Guard members knelt and bowed their heads.
"Fine. I'll let it go at this. We'll rest at the inn today and see you tomorrow."
With that, I went up to my room, seeing the Changryong Guard's apology and the smiles of our party.
Ugh. It's tough to buy time to plan.
"Young Master, it's Dolsoe."
Not long after entering the inn room, Dolsoe came looking for me.
"Yeah, come in."
"Wow! Our Young Master!"
Dolsoe came with a beaming smile, a bottle of liquor in one hand.
"What is it, man."
"Do you know how utterly delighted people are? All the people who were being harassed the whole way here said they're drinking without snacks after seeing that scene just now."
"Good."
Although I did it to buy time, I crushed their spirit and also won people's hearts, so it was killing two birds with one stone, no, three birds with one stone.
"I came as a representative to offer you a drink, would you like one?"
When Dolsoe shook the bottle, the sound of liquor sloshing inside could be heard.
"No thanks. Tomorrow we'll be at the Murong Family."
"Oh... The one who was dead drunk at the meeting with his fiancée is acting a bit different this time."
"If you're going to talk nonsense, get out."
"Ah! Please take this."
As I was about to give Dolsoe the order to leave, Dolsoe fumbled and pulled something out of his sleeve. It was a small pouch.
"What's this?"
"What do you mean? The ring you ordered. I pressed them since you said we were going to the Murong Family, and several craftsmen clung to it and made it in a day and delivered it."
I took the pouch and opened it. Inside was a beautifully crafted silver ring.
Good. It's not too late.
With just this, I can create plausibility.
But the book I wrote and the ring.
With just this, it's still not enough.
"Dolsoe."
"Yes, Young Master."
"When we arrive at the Murong Family tomorrow, don't enter the Murong Family grounds."
"Huh? What do you mean?"
"I'm telling you not to attend my wedding ceremony."
"No, Young Master! What great wrong have I done to you to say such a thing?"
Dolsoe was flustered, his eyes widening.
"I can't tell you the details, but it's important. Don't come in, and be sure to procure the items on the list I wrote by the wedding night."
"But we've come all this way..."
I'm doing this to save you.
To the pre-possession Kang Yun-ho, Dolsoe was one of the few friend-like existences.
I hope my plan works well, but if my plan fails, the Kang Family party could be killed.
"Here are the gold coins I was going to use for travel expenses. And I'll give you the paper with the other things you need to procure and when and where to prepare them."
I took out a pouch from my pocket and generously gave him gold coins. One gold coin is said to be a month's living expenses for a family of four. It's a martial arts story, but they use copper coins, silver coins, and gold coins instead of iron coins or silver ingots. My mouth felt a bit bitter for a moment.
"Young Master, am I really not allowed to attend?"
Really wondering what crime he committed, Dolsoe made a troubled face.
"Instead, you can keep any money left over from using those gold coins."
"... What does it matter if I don't attend some wedding? Haha. I'll do my best!"
Some wedding is my wedding. Dolsoe immediately laughed a hearty laugh. Good boy. You know what's important.
"Get out before I change my mind. If you think you'll be short on people, use some of the others. If you run out of gold coins, use the Kang Family promissory note, I'll give it to you."
"How could that be a problem. Please sleep well!"
Dolsoe left the room, carefully putting away the gold coins.
Good. Now the preparations are finished.
Finally, tomorrow I go to the place of the decisive battle.