“Still drinking like there’s no tomorrow, huh?”
Under the dazzling night of Yichang, I was heading to the Tea Bookstore, exuding the scent of alcohol with each weary step.
It’s not like I was sitting down to drink with someone I clicked with, nor was it a company gathering. Having to drink every night just to appease the young hoodlum son, I felt like I was going to drop dead.
Is there no good elixir or potion like Daehwandan that can help my body?
It seems that the sales executive who doesn’t show up at the office gets treated way better than he should. It must not be easy to keep the clients happy and earn a million units every year.
I was contemplating whether I should buy a good hangover remedy when suddenly a figure blocked my path.
“Yikes! Im Ha-yeon! What brings you here?”
What is she doing in front of the Tea Bookstore at this hour?
A woman coming to find a man at midnight? Typically, that means she either has ulterior motives to snatch him away or she’s a thief here to steal important items.
Since the first option was highly unlikely, I figured it had to be the latter.
“Why are you here so late? Take this.”
Im Ha-yeon handed me a small wooden item she was holding.
“What’s with the pigeon and birdhouse?”
What she handed over was a birdhouse with a white dove inside.
Wait a minute, haven’t I seen this pigeon before?
“It’s a carrier pigeon. If you leave the window on the third floor open, the carrier pigeon will come by.”
“Is this Hao-mun’s carrier pigeon? You could just send a person instead of going through the trouble of using a pigeon.”
“This isn’t Hao-mun’s carrier pigeon; it’s my carrier pigeon.”
“Eh? Now that I look closely, it does seem familiar.”
Oh, it’s that pigeon I saw during the episode with the Shadowless Thief. A pigeon with a white body and a couple of feathers tinged with blue on its head.
“Looks like he’s raising it too, huh? This carrier pigeon is used for sneaking in and gathering information. If you breed and raise it using the Shadowless Thief’s methods, you can create a carrier pigeon that understands human speech.”
Im Ha-yeon took the white dove out of the birdhouse and showcased a little performance.
“Coo-coo!”
The carrier pigeon obeyed Im Ha-yeon, flying around and landing on the different parts of her body, soaring into the sky and then returning to her outstretched hand.
When she said a few commands, the pigeon showed off amazing flying skills and even brought back some twigs as tricks.
“Ooooh! Where do I send the money?”
This isn’t just your average white dove, it’s a magical creature! I clapped my hands in amazement.
“Eh?”
Was this a free performance?
“Right. It’s like a magical creation. But why are you bringing your own carrier pigeon here?”
“Ugh… It’s because of you!”
Im Ha-yeon squinted at me, looking wronged.
“Because of me?”
“Mr. Branch Manager said he has nothing to gain from this, so he threw a fit! I was taking care of the carrier pigeon that was sent away from the umbrella branch, and now he’s pestering me to take it back.”
So the carrier pigeon right in front of me is one that Im Ha-yeon raised at the umbrella branch. It can fly precisely enough to cover the distance from the umbrella to Yichang, which takes days by boat?
As expected, the carrier pigeons in the martial arts world are on another level.
“Seriously, I told them to leave enough on the plate for me, but was that not enough?”
“Looks like it. After leaving the window open for a few days to let it remember the house, just get the pigeon to the target, and it’ll send back information on its own.”
Im Ha-yeon briefly explained the feeding and care method for the carrier pigeon. So, is she asking me to provide temporary shelter since her situation isn’t great right now?
“I don’t really know who the Hao-mun followers are. Can’t Ha-yeon take care of it herself?”
“I’ll get in serious trouble if I go near the target.”
Im Ha-yeon frowned slightly at my careless comment. Right, she’s a runaway courtesan.
If she accidentally ends up in the target’s presence and someone recognizes her from a wanted poster, she’d be in big trouble.
“Understood. By the way, what’s this carrier pigeon’s name? Guiya? Cheonlashinjo? Red Hawk? Iron Face?”
“What? It doesn’t have any grand names like that. It can understand human speech, so call it whatever you want.”
Im Ha-yeon said as if I was saying something ridiculous.
I stared at the pigeon, with its impressive blue feathers.
The fantasized martial arts world should have me wandering the realm with a sword in one hand and a single blue-tailed dove by my side.
But here I am, not a martial artist, and this isn’t some noble hawk, so let’s give you a name.
“Okay. Your name from today will be Gugu (Coo Coo).”
Since you live in the Tea Bookstore, your name is ‘Word Pigeon.’
“Isn’t that a bit too hasty?”
It’s a name that carries history and tradition; what’s she even talking about?
Gugu. Now that we’ve settled your name, let’s see some tricks. I placed the pigeon on my hand and pointed at Im Ha-yeon, shouting,
“Go! Gugu! Body Slam! Quick! Body Slam!! Can’t do it? Then Lightning Speed!”
“Coo-coo!”
Gugu looked at me as if to say that even animals could roll their eyes.
“Sigh. What’s with that? We didn’t teach it that.”
Sometimes, she seemed so childlike. Im Ha-yeon murmured while looking at me.
What’s that supposed to mean? So what can it actually do? I got my hopes up for nothing. Just be a nameless pigeon.
“I’ll take good care of it. Thanks for your hard work tonight.”
Thanks to Im Ha-yeon’s performance, my drunkenness had faded a bit. I held the birdhouse, placing the pigeon on top of my head and said,
“Im Ha-yeon looked at me silently at my greeting.
Isn’t she leaving? Could it be dangerous if I put the pigeon on my head? Or does she have something else to say?
When I looked at her curiously, Im Ha-yeon chewed on her lips for a moment before eventually speaking.
“…Didn’t you say not to sit next to courtesans?”
“Where did you hear that from?”
“Why do you do that?”
In case I made a mistake.
The Hao-mun followers wouldn’t just remember useful information from Jeon Gil-san. They’d likely remember everything I drunkenly blabbered too.
The Reverse Heaven’s Decree, Murong Family, Heavenly Killing Star, Poison Master, Sichuan Tang Family, Ho Pil, etc. I have too many secrets to keep.
It’s a dangerous situation where I could lose my self-control due to the alcohol, so it’s not wise to have a Hao-mun follower sitting next to me.
“Cheers are meant to be enjoyed through the eyes and ears, and drinking should just be enjoyed as well. There’s no need to force another courtesan to sit next to me.”
No need to tell the whole truth. I put on an expression like a virtuous scholar who can’t help but enjoy the pleasures of drinking and dancing.
“I heard there were courtesans who wanted to sit next to you.”
Im Ha-yeon pointed out with an oddly protruding expression on her lips. That information even reached her ears?
“We have separate goals. I also don’t want rumors spreading that Kang Yoon-ho from the Tea Bookstore is mingling with courtesans.”
It’s dangerous if gossip from the Tang Family gets out, but the target is truly risky.
I shrugged and spoke as if nothing of it mattered.
“It’s not that I don’t want to associate with lowly women.”
Where is she getting that interpretation from?
“What color is my hair?”
“……”
Did that leave her speechless?
“I’ll be heading in now.”
I myself was exhausted from working all day, drinking until late at night to entertain.
Just like how working professionals exercise to stay alive, I also need to focus on martial arts training to get by.
I turned away from the still-standing Im Ha-yeon, opening the door to the Tea Bookstore.
I need to sleep straight away.
As I carefully shut the door, I heard Im Ha-yeon’s small voice coming from the gap.
“…Weird man.”
—–
A little later, a useless carrier pigeon that couldn’t even do a body slam flew into the Tea Bookstore.
—–
“Decision has been made to transfer the printing press to the Tea Bookstore.”
The operation had succeeded. The Tea Bookstore secured the printing press with a minor difference in the bid from Man Geum Bookstore.
They practically received two printing presses for the price of one!
“What the!”
“Waaaaah!”
At the manager’s remark, one side looked shocked while the other clapped in excitement.
“You! Didn’t you say you’d give up?!”
Jeon Gil-san thundered towards me, his face filled with barely contained rage.
“I never once said I was giving up.”
Think carefully. I dodged and evaded with vague remarks and did not agree.
It was great that he let his guard down, assuming I had given up.
The guard warriors were leisurely drinking at the base, so it was also easy to sneak out the bid price.
“How could you conspire against me after sharing a drink? Are you trying to deceive me?!”
“Business means sharpening knives even against friends, and one can share wine with foes.”
I replied coldly towards Jeon Gil-san, who looked ready to explode.
Who said to let their guard down? If you come here to work, you should work instead of getting drunk and blurting out the bid amount.
“How dare!!! You, a barbarian, trying to teach me!”
I smirked at Jeon Gil-san, who seemed ready to retaliate with a clenched fist.
“Oh! Author Ho Pil also wanted to say that he discriminates people by hair color and won’t associate with pathetic losers who can’t even do their own job.”
“You!!!”
“Listening to my friend’s words made me realize. The Tea Bookstore should indeed be run by me.”
I spread my arms wide, shrugged my shoulders, and smiled at the fuming Jeon Gil-san.
Did he realize he got completely played? Jeon Gil-san, seeing my triumphant grin, turned beet red and shouted loudly.
“How dare a black-haired barbarian act arrogantly as the manager of the Tea Bookstore!!! Maybe if you were the granddaughter of the Bai Family, that would be something, but a black-haired barbarian manager! Do you think anyone would care if you bled on the Yichang ground?!!!”
This guy just crossed a line.
But then again, he’s been crossing lines since he came to Yichang. This creep who threatens competitors with blades and bribes officials so easily is probably used to treating those who operate businesses with civility as expendables.
Yeah, you’re not some petty hoodlum; you’re the third generation of a rich conglomerate, huh? Who would dare to stop you?
A black-haired barbarian like me could effectively disappear without a trace.
Jeon Gil-san from Man Geum Bookstore can cross lines with ease unlike anyone else.
But you know,
You aren’t the only one who can cross lines.
“You! Whom do you think you’re speaking to?”
“Why do you care about the martial artist of Sichuan Tang Family?”
I also have a way to cross the line I’ve been upholding.
