Jin Geum-ryeon’s words pierced Ak Mujin’s heart. He, who seemed to have no thoughts, had his own worries and felt lonely because of his position in the Martial Arts world. Ak Mujin felt responsible because he was the original author who made Jin Geum-ryeon that way.
But what could Ak Mujin do here? Once he entered this world, Ak Mujin was already in a state where he couldn’t do anything. Moreover, it wasn’t even the original work he wrote, so it was difficult to even guess what would happen in the future.
There was only one breakthrough: to return Jin Geum-ryeon to his normal trajectory.
To do that, he had to find the real main character. Could he meet Namgung Eui? Where was Mae-yeong? Ak Mujin couldn’t sleep properly that night thinking about it.
Whether he wanted to tease So Seung-ji or what, Jin Geum-ryeon treated Ak Mujin to a meal and tea at a tea house near the Martial Alliance headquarters. So Seung-ji, who was really thinking of chasing Jin Geum-ryeon, sat next to Jin Geum-ryeon’s party and glanced at them for no reason.
“Would it be strange to serve you Green Snail Spring?”
“Well, I don’t care.”
At Ak Mujin’s answer, Jin Geum-ryeon smiled brightly like a child playing house and began to brew tea. He put the tea leaves that the waiter had brought into the Tea Pitcher, and while waiting for the tea to brew, he soaked and warmed three teacups in hot water. Perhaps because he had learned from Mae-yeong, his tea ceremony seemed very skillful.
In fact, Ak Mujin didn’t really enjoy tea when he was in the real world. Or rather, he didn’t have time to enjoy other drinks because he was drinking coffee. But after being sucked into this world, he often encountered tea, so he just drank it as it was given. Of course, he still had no interest in tea, so he only knew two or three of its names.
Jin Geum-ryeon poured the brewed tea into the Tea Pitcher and then poured it back into a narrow, long cup. Then he covered the flat teacup on top and turned it upside down.
“Smell it.”
He handed the aroma cup to Ak Mujin. Ak Mujin dazedly took the narrow, long cup and looked inside. The tea had already been transferred to the teacup, so it was empty inside. He looked at Jin Geum-ryeon once and then put his nose to it and smelled it.
Indeed, he had vaguely heard that it was a type of green tea, but it wasn’t the green tea scent that Ak Mujin was familiar with. He savored the scent, which was slightly sweet at the end, and was different from what he had smelled in Illusion Valley.
“…It feels a little different from what Master Gokju brewed before.”
“Did that bastard do such a thing?”
Jin Geum-ryeon spoke sharply at the mention of Seo Moon-gwang.
“I haven’t seen that bastard’s tea ceremony skills, but I think I’m much better.”
Well, Ak Mujin didn’t really care whether Jin Geum-ryeon brewed better or Seo Moon-gwang brewed better. Of course, Ak Mujin, who knew Jin Geum-ryeon’s abilities, already recognized that he would definitely be more outstanding at anything.
Ak Mujin faintly smiled at the childish answer and returned the aroma cup to Jin Geum-ryeon. In the meantime, Jin Geum-ryeon filled his share of the cup with tea and handed it to him. Cheong-aeng also took her tea in turn and took a sip.
The tea tasted good. Not bad. It seemed much more flavorful and fragrant than the tea Seo Moon-gwang brewed.
But Ak Mujin, who had pushed the hot tea into his stomach, really wanted a cold, bitter Americano. Pouring an iced Americano into his empty stomach every time he went to work was an almost ritualistic act.
“Brother. Let’s stop now and go back.”
At that time, Yeong-ji’s voice was heard from the nearby table. She, who said that, also glanced at Jin Geum-ryeon with a slightly uneasy look, but Jin Geum-ryeon was just brewing tea for Ak Mujin and didn’t care about anyone else.
“Hmph, it seems like what you said to me was a lie. I didn’t believe it anyway. Why would that bastard be wandering around near the Martial Alliance for no reason? He’s probably thinking of using it as an excuse to attack the Martial Alliance if he gets into a fight.”
So Seung-ji gulped down the tea as if he were drinking alcohol and slammed the empty cup on the table. Yeong-ji didn’t know what to do and just fiddled with her teacup.
“Who, what fight are you talking about? Is Ryeon’s face so publicly known?”
Yeong-ji said with a sullen voice.
But Ak Mujin could feel the gazes following Jin Geum-ryeon since a while ago. As it was a tea house near the Martial Alliance, Martial Alliance members were coming in one after another. They glared at Jin Geum-ryeon as if they were enemies, while others were watching and sneaking away. Jin Geum-ryeon’s face was actually publicly known.
Ak Mujin, who felt that, stayed because Jin Geum-ryeon insisted on this place, saying that he wanted to treat him to delicious food and tea, even though it didn’t matter if it wasn’t here.
He felt like he was sitting on thorns now. It was because the sound of people whispering was gradually increasing.
“Isn’t that… Jin Geum-ryeon?”
“What? Why is that bastard… Is it really him?”
“What is it? Did he come to provoke the Martial Alliance again?”
Three Martial Alliance members sitting around the table began to whisper.
“He made my brother like that and he’s shamelessly walking around!”
A woman with a braided ponytail stabbed a dumpling with her chopsticks as if she was resentful. Then a bearded member sitting next to her patted her arm and handed her a teacup.
“Stop it, Myeong-in. That bastard is the head of a wicked sect. How can we beat such a crazy bastard?”
“Dirty black-hearted bastard…”
As the woman called Myeong-in spat out, another guest sitting next to her muttered as if for her to hear.
“Hey, you don’t seem to have the guts to attack, but you’re just talking big.”
“What?”
It was an unexpected provocation. Myeong-in, as well as all the members sitting in that place, turned to look at the guest. He was wearing comfortable clothes, as if he was a resident living in this village. He spoke recklessly as if he had lost his mind after hitting his head somewhere.
“I heard that the old incident was caused by the Martial Alliance Lord falsely accusing someone, and the Martial Alliance doesn’t really help the residents here, but they’re still whining that they were defeated by a young master.”
Then the group that came with the guest chuckled in agreement. Each of those words was annoying to the Martial Alliance members. The tea house, which was full of Martial Alliance members, gradually began to stir. In particular, So Seung-ji seemed uncomfortable with the word ‘whining’, and one of his knees was sticking out of the table as if he was about to jump out right away.
Ak Mujin couldn’t help but be dumbfounded. What the hell is that person’s identity that he’s acting so confidently and recklessly? No matter how good the Martial Alliance’s intentions are, they’re no different from gangsters. They’re not someone that an ordinary citizen can stand up to.
He sat nervously as if preparing for a possible bloodshed. Then he wondered why he was so nervous and deliberately relaxed his body.
Jin Geum-ryeon raised his head and checked the face of the person who had just spoken. That was all.
“What? What nonsense are you talking about after picking up strange words from somewhere? That bastard was already revealed to be an informant of the Demonic Cult! It’s just that the Martial Alliance Lord’s heart was weak and he spared his hand.”
“Haha, since when did you express a weak body as a weak heart?”
Not from the guest’s group, but from somewhere, there was a sound of holding back laughter. The Martial Alliance member heard the sound and snorted. But there were definitely people who were indignant on the side of the Martial Alliance members. One of them stood up and started pointing at him.
“A wicked sect has crawled in!”
As soon as those words were spoken, one of the Martial Alliance members stood up from his seat and put his hand on the hilt of the sword he was wearing on his waist and said.
“That’s right! You’re trying to slander the Martial Alliance, which has taken care of the Central Plains for life, and you’re even taking the side of a black-hearted bastard who has joined hands with the Demonic Cult. Since when has a wicked person been coming and going in the Martial Alliance’s front yard!”
But the guest didn’t care at all and rather clicked his tongue and said.
“You’re trying to frame me as a wicked sect because you don’t like my argument. No, that black-hearted bastard is so eager to catch and kill the Demonic Cultists, so what informant of the Demonic Cult are you talking about? Besides, thanks to that black-hearted bastard running wild, the Demonic Cult can’t even show its face, so the security is more stable.”
Ak Mujin thought that if he didn’t stop that mouth, this fight would gradually escalate, so he looked at Jin Geum-ryeon, but Jin Geum-ryeon was savoring the tea without batting an eye. Eventually, So Seung-ji jumped up from his seat.
“I’ve been listening and listening, but I can’t listen anymore. What kind of hero are you treating the black-hearted bastard as? A wicked sect is just a wicked sect. The Demonic Cult is the target now, but you don’t know when they’ll change! Moreover, the Martial Alliance has protected this city for decades. Do you have no loyalty?”
A wicked sect is just a wicked sect. Those words were the same as saying it for Jin Geum-ryeon to hear. The situation was not going well. Ak Mujin began to think. He had regained some of his Martial Arts skills, though not as much as before. Could he subdue these many Martial Alliance members without causing any major injuries? Of course, Jin Geum-ryeon wouldn’t be standing still either, but since the place was the Martial Alliance’s front yard, at least no one should be harmed.
The Martial Alliance members glanced at So Seung-ji’s actions and began to whisper among themselves.
“Oh, then you should have done well in the first place. Isn’t it true that the security in this city has been a mess since the Martial Alliance Lord was changed to Namgung Mun or something? No. Is everyone saying I’m wrong?”
“Well… that’s true.”
“Hmm, hmm…”
The people sitting around the townspeople who refuted the Martial Alliance members hesitated and muttered in agreement. As the argument went on, the point was gradually deviating, so So Seung-ji was annoyed.
“That’s not the important thing! I’m…!”
Just as he was about to speak, he met the eyes of the Martial Alliance members sitting down. Those members were people who knew So Seung-ji. But their eyes were different from what they had shown so far. They had always ridiculed So Seung-ji, but at this moment, So Seung-ji steadfastly upheld the Martial Alliance’s intentions. It seemed that it had moved their hearts a little.
A strange light appeared in So Seung-ji’s eyes.
“Yes… it’s all because of you. Jin Geum-ryeon, take this!”
So Seung-ji seemed to have developed some kind of competitive spirit, and he reached for the Golden saber he was wearing on his waist, raised the hilt of the sword, and flew towards Jin Geum-ryeon in an instant.
At that moment, someone’s hand popped out.
Ak Mujin unknowingly received the Golden saber flying towards Jin Geum-ryeon with his bare hands.