Chapter 12: Let’s Settle Here

In the end, I decided to buy only the alcohol contained in one of the two carriages after a smooth(?) agreement with the merchants.

Since we had thoroughly looted the Shanxi Yoo Family, our pockets were not just full but overflowing, so we paid a very generous price.

“Look, uncle. It’s a win-win situation. You don’t have to go all the way to Sichuan, you make money here, and we get delicious alcohol. Isn’t that great?”

“But, young man… these bottles are really important goods… can’t you reconsider…”

Sreung-.

“What did you say?”

“H-Hiik-! S-sorry. No… I apologize-!”

When I slightly raised my sword, the man flinched and raised his hands.

Haha, it feels like I’m bullying people, which doesn’t sit well with me.

I even paid a very high price for the alcohol.

Uncle, I’m telling you, you hit the jackpot. I paid an enormous amount for the alcohol.”

“Ah… that… speaking of the alcohol price…”

The man held up the secret manual from the Shanxi Yoo Family that I had given him and asked.

“This isn’t paper money… how is this paper worth the price of alcohol…?”

“That’s not just any paper; it’s a secret manual from the Shanxi Yoo Family.”

“What…? A secret manual from the Shanxi Yoo Family…?”

As soon as the name Shanxi Yoo Family was mentioned, the man’s face turned pale.

Well, most common folk are quite afraid of getting involved with a prestigious family like the Shanxi Yoo Family, not knowing what might happen.

“It’s okay, uncle. The Shanxi Yoo Family members are kind-hearted. Whether you sell this secret manual or use it as a rag at home, they’ll forgive you.”

“Are you really saying this is a secret manual from the Shanxi Yoo Family…? What’s written in it? I can’t read…”

“Oh, you can’t read? Give it to me. I’ll read it for you.”

I took the secret manual from the man’s hand and started reading it slowly.

“Let’s see… Willow Flower Sword Technique, First Form… Oh? What? This is a secret manual for the Willow Flower Sword Technique.”

It would have been a disaster if I hadn’t read it.

The Willow Flower Sword Technique is the core of the Shanxi Yoo Family’s ancestral martial arts, the most valuable one, and I almost gave it away for the price of alcohol.

I told my subordinates to just grab anything, and they must have taken the one on top without knowing.

“Haha, sorry, uncle. This won’t do. I’ll give you something else.”

“Oh, uh… okay…”

I picked out some rather valuable items from our belongings.

‘I should give him this.’

What I chose was a pill with a subtle fragrance. I wasn’t sure, but it seemed like an ancestral elixir from the Shanxi Yoo Family.

I placed it in the man’s hand and whispered.

“You said you were going to Sichuan, right? There are people there who specialize in buying these kinds of things. If you sell it to them, you’ll make about twice the price of today’s alcohol.”

“Twice the price of the top-notch Dukang wine in that carriage…? Really?”

“I’m telling you, it’s true. Have you been deceived all your life? Now, we’re going to enjoy our alcohol, so please leave.”

“But still…”

The man seemed doubtful and didn’t easily move.

I raised my sword once more to the man.

Sleung-.

“Hiik…! I-I’ll go. No, I’m leaving…”

“Yes, please go. Don’t look back. If you do, I’ll come after you with my sword.”

With my not-so-subtle threat, the man and his party had no choice but to leave.

I waited until the man’s figure became a dot and completely disappeared before turning around.

“Now then…”

My gaze turned to the jars piled up next to us.

Oh my… my heart is pounding.

Are all those jars really filled with alcohol? And it’s the famous top-notch Dukang wine?

It wasn’t just me who was excited; my subordinates shouted at me.

“Boss! Let’s try it quickly!”

“Alright, just wait.”

It was a rule I instilled in my subordinates to wait until the superior had a taste first.

I approached the nearest jar and opened the lid.

“Phew…”

As soon as I opened the lid, a subtle sweet scent wafted out, confirming it was indeed top-notch. I enjoyed the aroma and then scooped a full ladle to taste.

“Ugh-!”

“Why, what’s wrong, boss?”

“Isn’t it top-notch? Does it taste bad?”

“Should we go catch those guys again?”

Seeing my expression, my subordinates looked at me with a mix of disappointment and anxiety, but…

“Damn… it’s so good…”

…in reality, it was a jackpot.

In both my past and present lives, I had never tasted alcohol this good…

As I drank a cup and felt like I was in paradise, my subordinates eagerly approached.

“Boss…! I want to drink too. Give me the ladle-!”

“Deputy Leader, what ladle? I’m going to drink straight from the jar. Boss, can we drink this freely?”

“What? Drink the alcohol freely?”

“…!”

When I suddenly put on a serious face, my subordinates immediately stopped their actions. They started to watch my reaction.

But…

“If you drink too fast, you won’t be able to drink much. Drink slowly if you want to finish all the alcohol here. To drink a lot, drink slowly, slowly.”

…with just one drink, my heart had already softened to the point of being like silk.

The long march from Shanxi to here had exhausted my body, but now I felt alive.

As I laughed happily, my subordinates followed suit and asked me.

“So, can we drink now?”

“What have you been listening to? No one sleeps until we finish all the alcohol here. Now, drink up-!”

“Waaah-!!”

It seemed I wasn’t the only one who was tired and exhausted. My subordinates dropped all their heavy loads and ran to the jars.

The party started in the middle of the day.

**

One of the good things about learning martial arts is that your alcohol tolerance increases.

“Ah… I’m finally starting to feel a bit tipsy…”

After downing my second jar of top-notch Dukang wine, I finally felt my head spinning a bit.

“Kuhaha-! As expected, the top-notch stuff is different-! It goes down so smoothly-!”

“Damn… how long do I have to endure this young brat acting all high and mighty…”

My subordinates, already drunk, were babbling nonsense with their faces flushed.

At that moment, Dongryong approached me with another jar.

“Boss, have another drink. I’ll pour it for you.”

“Oh, sure.”

As Dongryong poured the drink, he asked me.

“So, boss. Are we going to live here?”

“……”

I couldn’t easily answer Dongryong’s question.

‘I originally planned to move further south…’

I was going to tell my subordinates to settle down after a few more days of travel, but then the alcohol merchant interrupted.

Thanks to him, we got to enjoy this delicious alcohol.

“Hmm… alright. I’ve decided.”

I’m a bit impulsive and emotional by nature. I also believe in the existence of gods.

Maybe there’s a divine arrangement for me to settle down here.

Perhaps because I was more emotional due to the alcohol, I concluded that way.

“Let’s live here. Let’s start our activities here.”

“…Yes, understood.”

When I made that decision, Dongryong seemed relieved and took a sip of his drink with a smile.

Watching Dongryong, I also took a drink, but then…

“Ah…”

“What is it?”

Suddenly, Dongryong looked surprised as if he remembered something.

When I asked, Dongryong’s face hardened as he spoke.

“Come to think of it, didn’t the merchant say there were already mountain bandits here?”

“Huh?”

I recalled the conversation with the merchant earlier.

‘Well… I heard there are quite a few violent and numerous mountain bandits hiding in Mount Muak.’

Oh… now that I think about it, he did say something like that…

“Right… he did say there were mountain bandits in Mount Muak.”

“If that’s true… can we really settle here?”

“Hmm…”

Of course not.

Even among mountain bandits, there’s a code of conduct.

It’s an unspoken rule among us not to encroach on territories already claimed by other bandits.

But…

“It’s fine, it’s fine.”

Who cares?

We live without laws. Breaking an unspoken rule is nothing.

“Let’s just settle in this mountain. The mountain is vast and rugged, so we probably won’t run into them.”

“Still…”

Dongryong looked uneasy, but I patted his shoulder.

“Dongryong, I always say you worry too much. What’s wrong with sharing a territory among mountain bandits? They’d probably appreciate having reliable neighbors like us. If we run into them, we’ll just greet them. Or, we could have a housewarming party once we settle down.”

“Housewarming… is that even possible? Among mountain bandits.”

“Break the mold of what you know about mountain bandits. Now, if you understand, let’s have a toast.”

“…Yes.”

“For our endless and happy lives.”

As I raised my ladle high, Dongryong also raised his ladle for a toast.

Just as our cups were about to clink together.

Whoosh-.

Crack-!

“Huh…?”

Something flew from the now darkened bushes and shattered the cup I was holding.

It turned out to be an arrow. Dongryong, startled, grabbed his blade and asked me.

“Boss, this…”

“Indeed.”

I wiped the alcohol off my hand on Dongryong’s shoulder and said.

“We haven’t even invited them to the housewarming, but we have guests already.”

By the time I said that, the uninvited guests had already surrounded us.