There is no worse job in the Martial Arts World than that of an innkeeper.
When a wandering protagonist arrives in a new town, where do they go first? Of course, to an inn where they can get a meal and a bed.
While the protagonist is munching on their food, some clueless punk decides to start a fight. Then, with an air of annoyance, they’ll teach that punk a lesson they won’t forget.
If a beauty with a nickname that includes something like “Fire” or “Phoenix” happens to notice this scene, that’s how a Martial Arts story kicks off!
It doesn’t even have to be about the protagonist. In Joseon, it’s said that you can’t even touch a dog while eating, but in the Martial Arts World, everyone’s fair game, be it dog or cow.
During mealtime, people can easily let their guard down, making them prime targets for attackers, and liquor-fueled brawls break out in inns too.
No matter how things turn out, the inn is bound to get wrecked.
If the Martial Artists toss the innkeeper a few coins for repairs, it’s a bonus, but do the ones who don’t care about damaging someone else’s property have the heart for such kindness?
The innkeeper left behind has to fix the broken stuff and keep the business going, yet the inn still thrives for a reason.
It must be raking in the profits!
“Are you really going to run this inn?”
“You already stamped the contract, so why worry?”
I glanced at the stamp on the inn’s sale contract as I spoke.
“Sigh. It’s in a residential area, so at least I can scrape by. Before the Martial Artists started going wild, I could make a living. But we’re dealing with Martial Artists here. If they keep coming, there’s nothing we can do.”
Innkeeper An, looking as guilty as a person who just sold a faulty used item, spoke with a face full of remorse.
“An Tae-won, don’t worry too much. I’ll make sure to handle it well.”
I have my plans.
“I’m trusting you since you said you’d run the business… Oh! I’m all set with the preparations you asked for.”
“Thanks for taking the hard task.”
“Thanks? Nonsense. I feel so much lighter now that I’m out of it.”
An Tae-won gave me a bitter smile. His desire to cut ties surely exceeded his guilt over selling a troubled inn.
I didn’t just randomly buy an inn with issues.
Starting a business in Wuhan required some groundwork, and the most essential of those was networking.
When it comes to networking, one must consider connections through academic circles and family ties. There’s a reason they say having the surname Jeong-gal in Wuhan is half the battle won.
But what about those without that surname? They could either become a disciple of the esteemed Mount Wu sect, the strongest martial faction in Hubei Province, or of a faction established by a disciple from there to build connections.
Becoming an inner disciple of the Nine Great Sects & One Alliance required quite a bit of money.
For a Barbarian like me, lacking both bloodlines and academic ties, establishing a business in Wuhan would surely invite trouble. Having neither connection nor lineage, how could I survive?
Wait, there was something I could try in Wuhan.
“Hyung, we’re here!”
“Opening? Didn’t you do that already last night?”
“Tae-won! Food, please!”
A dozen Joseon people filed into the inn as I opened the door.
“I sold the inn.”
An Tae-won casually dropped the truth to the arriving Joseon folks.
“What?”
“Hyung! What do you mean?”
The Joseon folks surrounding An Tae-won gasped in surprise.
“I’m better suited to being an innkeeper cooking meals than running an inn. The business is just too hard.”
“No way! How can you, Hyung, the leader of the local Joseon expatriate association in Wuhan, just step down like this? Who will hold our community together without you?”
“The Joseon expatriate association leader is now this friend here.”
“Hello, I’m Kang Yoon-ho.”
Connections through hometown ties. That was the kind of networking I would use.
First, I’d leverage the fact that I’m from the same hometown to gain An Tae-won’s favor as the Joseon expatriate association leader in Wuhan. Then, I’d build trust by purchasing a problematic inn that no one would buy and inherit his position.
In an instant, I’d place myself at the nexus of the Joseon community in Wuhan.
“What’s with this guy? Hyung? A kid still in his twenties is a leader?”
“Never seen a snot-nosed brat as the leader. Have you been drinking since this morning, Hyung?”
Naturally, when an unfamiliar guy suddenly pops in claiming to be the leader, people are bound to frown.
Especially since most of the Joseon folks in front of me were in their 30s and 40s and had seen their fair share of hard times. Meanwhile, I looked like a 22-year-old kid.
But there’s always a way.
I nodded silently to An Tae-won and confidently straightened my chest to reintroduce myself.
“Kang Yoon-ho has taken over this inn. From now on, I’m your boss.”
““““Leader! Please take care of us!””””
Right. Please take care of us.
Even if I said I was from a Ninja Village where the leader changes frequently, I’d be believed.
“Ah, I see! Just looking at you, you seem like a person worthy of leadership!”
“Kang Yoon-ho! Congratulations on your appointment!”
“Please guide and mentor me. I didn’t bring a gift for the opening…”
“Just seeing the faces of Joseon folks in Wuhan is a gift to me! I’ve prepared festive noodles for everyone, so eat well.”
“Thank you!”
Most of the Joseon folks in Wuhan were working-class laborers. They were no different from what I had been two years ago.
With a rare benefactor like me stepping forward to be their leader, who would dare stop me?
As I waited in the inn, one by one, the Joseon folks from Wuhan began to arrive at An Tae-won’s call.
“Wow, this broth is incredible! Authentic festive noodles made from dried pollock broth!”
“Hyung is really good at cooking.”
It was easy to gather the Joseon people in Wuhan. They’re all struggling, and hearing that they could have a full meal just by showing up would sway anyone.
“Kang Dong-seng! No, Kang Leader! Come here! I want to introduce someone!”
When festive noodles are served, it’s customary to greet the host.
Since the leader is in a position to help others, everyone lined up, eager to get my attention.
At this rate, I might end up meeting all the Joseon people in Wuhan.
“Leader An!”
Three big guys appeared, towering over everyone else as they successfully announced the new leader’s appointment.
“You guys made it. Introduce yourselves. This is Kang Leader, the new head of the Joseon expatriate association. Leader Kang! These guys had their father’s mouth become a bit more crowded. They’re Choi Il-gu, Il-goo, and Sam-goo, brothers.”
“I’m Kang Yoon-ho.”
“…Hyung, I’m really sorry for what happened because of us.”
Ignoring me?
The three brothers didn’t even glance my way, bowing deeply to An Tae-won as if they didn’t know what to do.
An Tae-won, looking troubled, began explaining what had happened to them.
“The three brothers are working under the Black Knife faction and getting squeezed dry by the Black Gang and the Red Line faction.”
“Hyung! We’re just being paid to lend a hand, it’s not like we work for them!”
The brothers protested, looking utterly wronged.
“That’s the same thing! Anyway, these idiots brought both factions together at the same time, causing a ruckus.”
So that’s how it all started.
“The Black Knife has been rampaging in Wuhan, the territory of Mount Wu and the Jeong-gal clan?”
“There are always areas where you can’t reach. But their strength isn’t too great. We’ve only got about a dozen left after killing each other. They won’t hesitate to kill just to grab a small profit.”
So I’m getting caught in a fight between small fry, not the whales. An Tae-won added with a bitter tone.
“If it weren’t for incidents like this, Hyung wouldn’t have needed to pass on the inn and the Joseon expatriate association to you.”
The first brother, who introduced himself as Il-gu, glared at me coldly.
“Il-gu!”
“Now you’re finally looking at me. Let me reintroduce myself. I’m Kang Yoon-ho.”
What are you going to do by glowering? I extended my hand to Il-gu with a business smile.
“Hah!”
Il-gu scoffed, gripping my hand with a hand like a cauldron.
Have you gotten a bit of martial arts practice? Your grip is no joke.
Any normal person would probably be blushing and begging me to release them after that grip.
But, you see, the martial art you learned and the martial art I learned are in a perfect hierarchy.
“AAAAAAAH!”
The one screaming is Il-gu.
“Hyung!”
“Brother!”
“…Uugh! Have you learned martial arts?”
Il-gu, clutching his reddening hand, barely managed to maintain the composure of his face and asked me.
“Just learned a little by chance.”
“Seems like it’s more than just a little.”
He’s clearly acknowledging the gap in strength between us.
“Now do you trust me as a leader?”
“…”
“I was thinking about tackling the problems the Joseon people are facing since I just got appointed. Do you have any requests?”
“You mean you’ll help us deal with the Black Knife issue?”
“If you ask nicely, I could step in.”
I said it as casually as if it were nothing.
“…Please, if you can resolve this, I will serve you as my leader for life, no, as Leader!”
“Do you know the extent of the mayhem they cause for the Joseon folks? Please! We beg you!”
Alright. Let’s flex a little in celebration of my appointment.
*
“Where the hell have those Barbarian kids gone lately?”
The leader of the small Black Gang faction, which supplies dockworkers in Wuhan, asked his subordinate about the whereabouts of the Joseon people who had been invisible for days.
“Rumor has it they’ve been going to the Red Line faction because we’ve been taking too much of their introduction fees.”
“Those black-haired barbarian kids, worse than animals! Even animals know gratitude, but they don’t know their place when treated well!”
“Isn’t beating them with a stick how you train animals? Next time, let’s teach those barbarian kids a lesson with some clubbing!”
“If they resist, we can kill a few without worry.”
“Why would there be any hesitation?”
The Black Gang’s subordinate nodded and grinned slyly.
“Hyung! The Red Line kids are waiting to hit our guys at that inn again.”
“Even after getting beaten last time, they’re still waiting?”
“They should know the big black-haired guys we have. I heard one of them said they’d definitely seek revenge this time and gathered everyone.”
“Oh, really? Today, we settle this! Gather everyone!”
A small stake in the docks. Regardless of the size of the faction, no one wanted to share that stake.
The clash intensified as these small-time bosses and their lackeys prepared to fight.
The leader of the Black Gang gathered all his men and set off for the inn operated by the Barbarian.
An inn run by a Barbarian was the perfect battleground.
By not fighting outside, they wouldn’t attract any outside attention, and having a ruckus inside wouldn’t have any repercussions.
No other inn would offer help from any faction or even the merchant’s association, but an inn run by a Barbarian had none of that.
The Black Gang leader thought it would be a good idea to wipe out the Red Line faction while also taking over the Barbarian-run inn.
“Did those Red Line bastards hide here?”
The leader, fearing he might get stabbed as soon as he entered, sent a subordinate to open the door and walked into the inn.
Inside, there were no other patrons except for the Red Line members.
“Were you guys waiting for us to show up?”
“Did we call for you?”
Didn’t we come because you were waiting for us? At that moment, a doubt flashed across the Black Gang leader’s mind.
Then he heard a voice above him.
“Il-gu, close the door!”
“Yes!”
In an instant, all exits and the stairs to the second floor were blocked.
“What’s going on?”
Is it a trap? Did the opposing faction set up a strategy? But the other side seemed just as confused. So then who could it be?
Identifying the one laying the trap was easy.
“It’s TI-I-I-ME!”
A young man appeared from the third floor, echoing across the inn.
“WA-A-A-A-A-A-A-A-A-A!”
At the same time, Joseon people filled the second and third floors of the inn. The structure of the inn was a typical open center, providing a perfect vantage point.
In an instant, the Joseon people on the second and third floors were in a position to look down on the Black Gang members they tormented.
“Why are those barbarian kids here?”
“What’s going on here?”
“Thank you all for waiting so long! From now on, we, the Joseon people filling this inn, will begin the deathmatch of your two factions with passionate cheers and shouts!”
All exits of the inn were blocked.
This inn was a place perfect for causing chaos.
Thanks to one man’s scheme, today would end up being a Royal Rumble where only one person could walk away alive!
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