Chapter 627
The temporary quarters assigned to us in the Murim Login world were decent enough. While they weren’t as luxurious or elegant as the ones in the Central Plains, they were neat and sufficient for me and the members of the Fire Dragon Pavilion to stay in for the time being.
Of course, that didn’t mean we were receiving unconditional hospitality.
“Hm. Can anyone tell me what’s stuck in my chopsticks right now?”
At my surprise quiz during the meal, Hyuk Mujin shot his hand up.
“Alright, Mujin. Go ahead.”
“Answer! It’s a bug!”
“Correct. Specifically, a centipede. So why the hell is something like this in our food?”
“Um. Could it be a custom of the Southern Barbarian tribes?”
Nam Ho, a man with eighty years of experience as a Southern Barbarian tribesman, muttered as he picked out something that looked like a caterpillar.
“Never heard of such a custom in my life…”
I could understand if it was grilled grasshoppers or something, but this was like dumping in live insects. I couldn’t even defend it.
Sama Pyo, who was quietly watching Taesan stuff his face with the meal, sighed.
“Looks like we’re not exactly welcome here.”
No way this counts as a proper meal. Song Ilseom, who had set his chopsticks down, responded calmly.
“Probably because of the Heavenly Escort Agency incident.”
I agreed. Still, I didn’t believe Yal Mok had directly ordered this.
There’s no way someone like him—young lord of the Beast Palace—would resort to such petty tactics.
‘This must’ve been done by other Southern Barbarian tribes within the palace.’
We’d been getting dirty looks ever since we entered the region. Even a black sheep wouldn’t get treated this badly. And just then, Ju Hwaran, who had gone upstairs earlier to wash up, quietly returned.
“Oh? You’re already done washing?”
How long had she even been gone? Not even the recruits at Nonsan training camp wash up that fast.
When I asked suspiciously, Ju Hwaran gave a vague smile.
“Ah, yes.”
I had a bad feeling. I stared at her silently, and after a brief pause, she opened her mouth.
“The thing is…”
As I listened to the situation, a laugh escaped me.
“They gave you boiling water in this weather? And mixed it with something like sewage?”
Ju Hwaran nodded with an awkward expression.
“I wasn’t going to mention it. I thought it might’ve just been a mistake, and I didn’t want to cause trouble…”
“It’s not a mistake. And don’t worry about it. This isn’t even the only problem.”
Finally realizing the state of our meal, Ju Hwaran gave a short review.
“Eugh…”
“You’re not planning to eat that, right?”
“Of course not.”
That was the most firm I’d ever heard Ju Hwaran speak. Clicking my tongue, I stood up.
“Captain, where are you going?”
“To raise hell.”
Keep quiet, and people think you’re a doormat. Give an inch, and they’ll take a mile.
Sure, we came here to persuade the Southern Barbarian Beast Palace to join us, so I’d keep things within reason—but I had to make a point at least once so they wouldn’t dare try this again.
Just as I was about to fling open the door, I remembered something and paused.
“Oh, and one more thing.”
“Yes?”
“Make him stop eating.”
Nobody asked who I was referring to.
There was only one person here who was on his third bowl of multi-colored insect fried rice. Sama Pyo looked at Taesan with mournful eyes.
“Taesan. Stop… please, just stop.”
—
It was the largest tree I had ever seen.
Its trunk was so wide it would take dozens of full-grown men linking arms to encircle it, and its height soared high above, easily several dozens of meters.
The sheer size made me want to whistle in awe, but I wasn’t here for sightseeing. I had come to meet someone.
“Hey. Come down.”
Rustle.
The dense foliage shook, and soon a low beast-like growl reached my ears, followed by Yal Mok’s annoyed voice.
“You again. How did you know I’d be here?”
“I asked around. Heard you come here a lot.”
“From who?”
“Some guy who manages the building.”
“Hwang Gae?”
“Something like that. Hwang Gae, Dung Gae, whatever.”
“He wouldn’t tell a Han that.”
“Maybe not to a Han, but he was real chatty with a fist.”
“Come down. My neck hurts.”
Like I’d believe he’d come down just because of a sore neck. So I added a kind warning.
“Before I break the tree.”
“That tree was planted by my ancestors’ ancestors. It’s been rooted in this land for a thousand years.”
“Then your descendants will say this: ‘There used to be a thousand-year-old tree here, but some Han bastard came and ripped it out.’ Why, mom? ‘Because our ancestor wouldn’t come down when asked nicely.’”
“So come down. Before I destroy the environment.”
If he refused again, I really might have to break it. But Yal Mok turned out to be a nature-loving guy, more than I thought.
Rustle. Thud.
Growl.
Landing gently after stepping down branch by branch, the white tiger let out a low growl at me.
Yal Mok brushed its neck and glared at me.
“You lunatic.”
“Oh, stop. You’re making me blush.”
As I scratched the back of my head awkwardly, Yal Mok, face flushed red in fury, growled like a beast.
“What happened to Hwang Gae?”
“Oh, that guy? He’s fine. A little scared, maybe.”
“You’re insane. You come here for help and start harassing the locals?”
“There’s been a misunderstanding. I didn’t lay a finger on him. Just grabbed his collar a bit.”
I wasn’t some street thug. I didn’t even go that far back in the Central Plains.
I always tried talking nicely at first. It’s only when that failed that the fists came out. And this time, there was plenty of reason.
“Bug fried rice. Bathwater soup.”
“…What?”
“If that’s not a tradition, then your hospitality sucks. Don’t you agree?”
Yal Mok frowned and muttered after a moment’s thought.
“I think I get the gist of what happened.”
“Then maybe give us a heads-up next time.”
“I didn’t expect them to show hostility that blatantly…”
He trailed off, then lowered his head slightly toward me.
“My apologies. I sincerely apologize.”
“…Oh.”
“What’s with that reaction?”
“It’s nothing.”
Honestly, I was a bit surprised. We hadn’t known each other long, but Yal Mok had struck me as prideful and rough. I didn’t expect him to lower his head so easily.
‘He seems like the type who owns up to his mistakes and moves on without holding grudges.’
Making a mistake is easy, but admitting it and sincerely apologizing takes strength.
In that regard, the young lord of the Southern Barbarian Beast Palace was more decent than I’d thought.
“I’ll replace everyone involved. Not just Hwang Gae—everyone connected. Something like this won’t happen again.”
“Well, if you say so.”
“It was my failure. I’ll apologize again, but please don’t let my father find out.”
“What, would he beat you up or something?”
Yal Mok answered with an offended look.
“What nonsense!”
“Just curious. I figured, since you’re making a formal request, maybe he beats you black and blue for three nights straight.”
“My father has never once laid a hand on me.”
Honestly, if the Beast Miao King were your dad, you wouldn’t need to get hit to behave.
With that size and martial prowess, he could probably discipline not just sons, but grandsons and great-grandsons just by glaring.
As I entertained that thought, Yal Mok hesitated briefly before adding in a quiet voice.
“I’d be fine. But others wouldn’t. If Father found out, he’d erupt in fury.”
“Ah.”
“He welcomed you as guests. If you Han people complain, it’s only natural. But that doesn’t mean I want Hwang Gae or the others punished.”
“Because you think they were just angry about that damn Heavenly Escort Agency?”
“…That’s not the exact name, but yes, that’s part of it.”
“Part of it? So there’s more to it.”
After a brief silence, Yal Mok petted the now-calm white tiger and spoke.
“The Great War of Justice and Evil.”
“Hm?”
“We shed too much blood in the Central Plains. Under my father’s leadership, all the tribes of the Southern Barbarian Region united. Over ten thousand warriors went to war… but less than a quarter returned alive.”
Grrr.
The white tiger, comforted by his touch, looked up at him with worried eyes.
Yal Mok’s voice carried a heavy mix of emotions.
“Parents. Children. Friends and kin who grew up together. Most of them never came back from the battlefield they marched toward with smiles. Even I, born long after the war, wasn’t spared.”
“You too?”
“Had things gone as they should, I wouldn’t have become the Young Lord. That’s the real answer to your earlier question.”
I remembered our conversation right after meeting the Beast Miao King and suddenly realized.
“You had older siblings.”
“Three. One of them was a sister. She was young, but I heard she was as brave as any warrior. If she hadn’t gone to the war, she would’ve married the man she loved. My father and Baek Sang would’ve become in-laws as well as sworn brothers.”
“Wait. Then…”
“What you’re thinking is correct. In the war that the Han called the Great War of Justice and Evil, my father lost two sons and a daughter, and Baek Sang had to bury his beloved son.”
Yal Mok gave a bitter smile.
“Don’t blame Hwang Gae too much. He lost his entire family.”
I had nothing to say. I simply closed my mouth.
Until now, I’d heard countless stories about the Great War of Justice and Evil. But I hadn’t known the Southern Barbarian Region suffered this much.
No—truthfully, I probably never thought I needed to know.
The Southern Barbarian Region was a faraway place, completely separate from the Central Plains and the Murim.
And I wasn’t the only one who thought that way.
Only a few, like Jeok Cheon-Gang, had ever mentioned the true extent of the Southern Barbarians’ sacrifice.
‘So they all must’ve been holding onto those old wounds. The recent Heavenly Escort Agency incident was just the spark.’
Whatever compensation they received after the war, those wounds had never truly healed. And just when they were starting to scab over, this happened.
“Just a few decades ago, we stood together, shedding blood for the Han. And now, some of us were killed by them.”
Yal Mok’s voice, cold and simmering, pierced into my ears.