Chapter 331 – Not Saving You Today
As soon as the man’s hand left her body, Juyaksun let out a breath she had been holding in.
Today, she felt a strange discomfort from the man’s touch on her skin, but she couldn’t tell if it was just her imagination or not.
“Maybe it’s just my mood…”
Juyaksun pushed the thought aside and watched as the man got up to leave. But before he could, she sensed someone at her door and heard a voice.
“Doctor, are you there?”
“Oh, come in.”
Juyaksun gave permission, and a servant from the clinic entered.
“It’s just that we’ve run out of rice…”
“Already?”
It wasn’t that they couldn’t afford to buy rice. The problem was that they were short-staffed, and even finding someone to buy rice was difficult.
“And, don’t you know? Recently, at the association…”
“Wait a minute.”
Juyaksun interrupted the servant, but Kang Yun seemed to have already understood the situation.
“What did they do at the association recently?”
The servant, who seemed kind-hearted, looked at Juyaksun and then nervously explained.
The nearby association had been eyeing Juyaksun, who had almost no connection to any powerful figures.
Although they weren’t subjected to severe persecution, they couldn’t avoid the small harassment of raising prices for necessities like rice due to the lack of staff.
“Hmm…”
Juyaksun watched as the man furrowed his brow and touched his chin.
Although the man showed a relatively rational side, he was still a martial artist.
Juyaksun couldn’t rule out the possibility that he might try to solve the problem with his fists.
“Pitiful…”
“Sohyeop, don’t do it!”
If she had thought of appealing to force, she could have done so earlier. But she didn’t because it was not the right thing to do.
Although the means used by the other party were unjust, Juyaksun didn’t want to become the same kind of person.
“I don’t know what you’re worried about, but it’s probably not something that can’t be solved.”
But Juyaksun didn’t know. The man had only been living as a martial artist for just over two years, and he was still closer to a modern person than a martial artist.
“The only thing it does is make you realize how foolish your choices were,” the man said with a laugh that was so pleasant that Juyaksun couldn’t help but feel her heart racing.
“Yes, thank you. The amount you paid will be converted into this receipt, but when you receive the delivery, please submit the receipt to complete the process.”
“Uh, yes…”
Juyaksun didn’t fully understand the explanation from the clerk, but she nodded along anyway. She knew enough to be able to help if needed.
“This time, you used the bulk purchase process for rice and salt, but if you apply for regular purchases, you can buy them even more cheaply…”
“Thank you very much for the explanation, but for now, this should be enough.”
“Oh, I see. If you have any questions later, please come find me. Thank you.”
Thankfully, the clerk didn’t linger and left immediately when I cut her off. I didn’t want this situation to drag on any longer than necessary, especially for Juyaksun, who looked like she was about to panic.
I brought Juyaksun to the logistics company of the martial arts world, in other words, the martial arts Coupang.
Honestly, I didn’t know which association it was, but I could only think that what they were doing was foolish.
If a good customer appeared nearby, I would thank my ancestors and treat them kindly. Why would anyone try to squeeze them for every penny?
If there was no alternative nearby, I could understand it a little, but to do such things without even knowing that the martial arts Coupang was infiltrating…
“G-Kang Sohyup… That’s actually…”
“I’ll explain everything later. Don’t worry.”
Juyaksun looked a little panicked for no reason. Even Korean mothers had trouble with internet deliveries, so I couldn’t help but think of that image.
“For now, just think of the receipt we received as proof that we’re buying rice. The delivery will come to the clinic later.”
“Oh, I see…”
Juyaksun looked relieved once she understood everything. This was the plan from the beginning, so there was no reason to be surprised.
Looking around, everyone seemed to be struggling to adapt. It had only recently come from Honam to Sacheon, so no one had fully adjusted yet.
“But we’ll have to get used to it soon if we want to survive.”
Juyaksun flipped through the sales list booklet and then looked up, her head cocked to the side. Oh, right, without pictures, it would be hard to know what the items were just from the descriptions.
Maybe we should try putting in some pictures.
“Shall we go now?”
While I was lost in thought, Juyaksun said she had finished looking through the booklet. Since we could come back later if needed, we decided to leave it at that and headed back to the clinic.
On the way back, I bought the food that Maeso-hyang and Juyeolin had ordered, and Juyaksun looked at me with curious eyes.
“You could have just asked someone else to buy it for you…”
“Don’t you think it’s better if I buy it myself?”
“…I don’t know.”
Juyaksun walked beside me with an uncertain expression.
We soon arrived near the clinic since the martial arts association was not far away. However, there were a lot of people gathered around, which was strange.
“What’s going on?”
Juyaksun looked flustered, but I looked around and realized that it wasn’t the clinic itself but the surrounding area that was crowded.
Some people were doing something in the center, and the crowd cheered when they did it. It seemed like they were demonstrating some kind of martial arts move.
Even in this era where martial artists could fly in the sky and wield their swords with great power, it was surprising that this kind of thing still worked.
“Let’s just pass by. It doesn’t seem like anything special is happening…”
“Excuse me, what’s going on here?”
I turned my head and saw a man in his late twenties with a good build and handsome features pointing at me and asking.
I noticed a sword at his waist and felt a little wary as I opened my mouth to answer.
“It’s nothing. Maybe a medicine seller is showing off his skills in the center.”
“Hmm… a medicine seller?”
Since I had the chance, I raised my inner strength and enhanced my hearing. I heard something like ‘if you take this medicine, you’ll have the power to move mountains…’ which seemed to be true. They probably hired a skilled martial artist to demonstrate it.
But what I was really paying attention to was the man in front of me. He didn’t seem to use his sword much, and I couldn’t feel any inner strength from him, but it was a cliché that guys like him were secretly strong.
Of course, that was just a saying, and there was probably little chance that it was true, but there was a strange feeling that made people uneasy.
Moreover, he had pushed through the crowd to come talk to me, so it was inevitable that I would be wary.
“Oh, this is troublesome. I made an appointment to meet my lover here, but with this crowd…”
“Would you like to wait at our clinic for a moment? It’s the building right next to us…”
“No, wouldn’t that mean I can’t meet my friend for sure?”
Seeing Juyaksun casually recommending the man, I quickly intervened. I didn’t know what it was, but I didn’t want to get involved with this man for too long.
“Well, then what should we do?”
“Isn’t waiting here for a long time the only option? Those people won’t be here all day, will they?”
“Hmm… I guess you’re right.”
Luckily, the man seemed to have no ulterior motives and readily accepted my suggestion.
I quickly said goodbye to the man and pulled Juyaksun away. As we walked away, the man said something behind me.
“I’m Ho (Tiger).”
“…I’m Kang (Strong). Well then…”
It seemed like a lie no matter how you looked at it. Who uses the surname Ho?
So I called myself Kang and walked away.
Although it seemed like the man called Ho said something behind my back, I couldn’t hear it over the cheers of the crowd.
“You have a good sense.”
Watching Kang Yoon’s back as he led the middle-aged woman through the crowd and back to his house, Horyeong smirked.
He had become curious about Il-gwi, who had come secretly without Hwang Du-myeong’s knowledge, but it seemed like Il-gwi was showing a strange sense of caution towards him.
Although Kang Yoon was the target that Il-gwi must kill, Horyeong didn’t see him as much of a threat.
Although he was a disciple of the Blood Demon, he was only slightly above intermediate level compared to the Blood Demon who had already surpassed the peak at his age.
As martial arts progressed, it became increasingly difficult to advance to higher levels, so it was right to assume that Kang Yoon’s Five Elements couldn’t compete with the Blood Demon’s.
‘There’s no need to provoke him right now.’
Someday, the Blood Demon would also become his target. But at this stage, it was more disadvantageous than advantageous to provoke Kang Yoon to stimulate the Blood Demon.
It was better to deal with the Blood Demon after killing him, or to use Kang Yoon as bait to lure the Blood Demon out. In his eyes, Kang Yoon was only that kind of existence.
“So let’s spare him for now.”
Unlike when he barely appeared through the crowd, Horyeong naturally melted into the crowd and hid his appearance.
