Chapter 403: The Lazy One is Bored (3)
"Ah!"
Wi Yeon-ho turned his body. An elderly man had approached from behind him.
"Oh, I'm sorry."
Wi Yeon-ho quickly bowed his head.
No matter how shameless he was, he understood that it was wrong for him to be alone in a place where no one was present. If he made a mistake, he needed to apologize.
"I asked who you are."
"I am Wi Yeon-ho."
"Wi Yeon-ho?"
"Yes."
The old man glanced at Wi Yeon-ho with an expressionless face and said.
"Why are you here?"
"Well, that's a long story."
"Go ahead and tell me."
"I was looking for a dining room because I was hungry… I came in because I smelled food, but it wasn't a restaurant."
"A restaurant?"
"Yes."
The old man tilted his head.
"Aren't you a guest visiting the Tang Clan?"
"Well… I suppose that's the case."
"That's strange. It's customary for guests' meals to be served in their rooms at the Tang Clan."
At the old man's words, Wi Yeon-ho awkwardly scratched his head.
"Well, I was supposed to receive my meal in my room, but I missed the time due to my own actions. It felt embarrassing to ask for it again, so I was looking for a suitable place…"
"You've wasted your time. The Tang Clan does not operate a separate dining room."
"Huh? Then where do we eat?"
"There is a place where food is prepared, but it is served to the rooms. Food is made separately in various places. It's a big deal if food poisoning occurs during communal meals."
"Ah… I see."
For prominent noble families, it was common to run a separate dining room since they had many guests and family members. So, Wi Yeon-ho thought there would naturally be a dining room here, but it seemed that it was not the case.
"Then you should have said that! You bad guys."
"Bad guys?"
Wi Yeon-ho pouted and said.
"I met several people while wandering around looking for a restaurant, but no one told me there was no restaurant."
"Is that so?"
The old man's eyes shone with interest.
If this child had come as a guest, they should have informed him. The fact that they didn't means the family members of the Tang Clan were intentionally trying to make fun of this boy.
As the old man pondered the implication of that, Wi Yeon-ho bowed his head slightly.
"Thanks to you, I won't waste any more time. Thank you. I will take my leave now."
"Wait."
"Yes?"
The old man pointed to the table.
"Eat before you go."
"Oh no, that's not my food. I'll just go and scrape together some scorched rice."
"I can't eat all of that alone anyway."
"Huh?"
Wi Yeon-ho looked at the table and the old man with a slightly surprised expression.
"Alone?"
"Right. It's just enough to fill my stomach, but I should eat it out of necessity."
The old man said with irritation.
"Clearly, it's too much for one person. It would feed ten."
"Money is rotting away."
The old man shook his head as if he found it displeasing.
"Therefore, eat before you leave. After all, it's food that's available. If I ask someone for food now, others will have to suffer. It's better to eat what would otherwise go to waste."
"That sounds quite reasonable and appropriate."
"Is that so?"
The old man wordlessly walked ahead and sat at the table. Wi Yeon-ho quietly followed and sat across from him.
"Eat."
"Thank you for the meal."
The old man looked at Wi Yeon-ho, who began to eat hastily, with a subtle smile.
'What a strange kid.'
The old man could hardly be described as sociable. If he were to be categorized, it would be in the category of those who lack social skills. No one in the Tang Clan was particularly close to him.
Elderly individuals tended to avoid him due to his irritable nature, while younger ones were wary of him.
Of course, he had no complaints about that. The old man also thought it better to talk to a wall than to mingle with foolish people.
Yet, he was oddly drawn to this boy.
'From his attire, he seems to be a martial artist.'
But he did not seem like an ordinary martial artist.
The visiting martial artists tended to first pay attention to the strange weapons covering the walls, regardless of whether they intended to use them. Even if they had no intention of using them, they would still be mindful.
Knowing about the peculiar weapons meant a higher chance of dealing with them later, while not knowing would be much more dangerous. Thus, it was natural to show interest in the bizarre weapons that one could not guess how to use.
Yet this young boy seemed to pay no mind to the strange weapons covering the walls and was solely interested in the food.
'He's an interesting kid.'
While it would be possible for a spoiled child from a prominent family to come here to play, there was no way such a child could roam the Tang Clan like it was their own home at this hour.
First of all, the Tang Clan would not allow it, and even if they did, one could not easily make such a choice without considerable courage. Moreover…
Chomp, chomp.
'He eats well.'
The more he observed, the more intriguing this child became.
Eating at the Tang Clan was something everyone was wary of. Many were cautious even about drinking water in a prestigious poison family like the Tang Clan. Yet here he was, freely gulping down food in a place he had never seen before. Was this kid's liver made of iron?
"Aren't you going to eat?"
"I'm fine."
"Come on, you should eat a bit. Food is best enjoyed together, right?"
At this point, one would have to contemplate who the host was. The old man appeared to be pondering for a moment before picking up his chopsticks.
"Alright then."
The two of them silently continued their meal for a while.
As the dishes on the table were completely cleared, Wi Yeon-ho picked up the teapot and gulped down the tea.
"Ha! Really delicious."
"…You seemed very hungry."
"Yes. I thought I was going to die from hunger."
It must be.
Otherwise, he wouldn't have been able to clear all this food.
"I've filled my belly, so now it's my turn for water."
"Yes, as much as you like."
Wi Yeon-ho was feeling generous now that he was full.
"What clan are you from?"
"I am Wi Yeon-ho from the Guangdong Wei Clan."
"The Guangdong Wei Clan?"
"…You don't know it?"
"I haven't heard of it."
Wi Yeon-ho's face fell.
While the Guangdong Wei Clan was not a prominent family on the level of the Sichuan Tang Clan, they were nonetheless a representative family from Guangdong with a certain level of recognition. To hear that someone in the martial world hadn't heard of them, not even an ordinary person, was surprising.
'I need to make my name known more!'
Wi Yeon-ho was calmly thinking that if his ancestors could hear this, they would jump out of their graves to slap him.
"Ah, so you mean the Guangdong Wei Clan."
"Yes."
The old man looked at Wi Yeon-ho with serious eyes and asked.
"Is that a sword you have at your waist?"
"Oh, this?"
Wi Yeon-ho lightly touched the sword strapped to his waist.
"Yes, it's a sword."
"Then you are a swordsman."
"I suppose you could say that."
"But why do you show no interest in the swords outside?"
Wi Yeon-ho tilted his head. He could not understand what the old man was talking about.
However, the old man's question was understandable.
Those in the martial world were fascinated by strong martial skills and divine artifacts. They would not shy away from hellfire if it would help them enhance their martial arts, so how could they possibly lack interest in artifacts that could boost their skills?
But Wi Yeon-ho said calmly, as if it wasn't the case at all.
"Should I show interest in a sword that isn't mine?"
"Things inherently lack owners. There's nothing preventing you from becoming the owner of those swords."
"Well, that could be true."
Even as he said that, he had a somewhat indifferent expression.
"You seem uninterested."
"You are a weapon craftsman, aren't you?"
"…Why do you think that?"
"Your hands are not ordinary."
Wi Yeon-ho's gaze lingered on the old man's hands. The old man chuckled lightly.
"You've noticed something obvious."
His hands were completely different from those of ordinary people.
They were rough with calluses and burn marks, bearing the scars from handling hot metal.
It would be foolish not to recognize that he was someone who dealt with iron upon seeing those hands.
"It might be a bit arrogant to say this to someone who makes weapons, but my Master once said that divine artifacts are like poison."
"Poison?"
"Yes. It might be taken as a compliment in your clan."
Wi Yeon-ho forced an awkward laugh.
"My Master said that divine artifacts are like tricks. They make you believe it's your own skill when it really is not."
"Hm."
The old man slightly narrowed his brows.
"Are you saying that if you rely on divine artifacts, you cannot progress?"
"It's not that you can't progress. No matter how divine the artifact, it's just a tool, and ultimately, you'll still need to train. But how should I put it? The scope of that progress decreases."
"Why is that?"
"Because you'll use something you don't possess as if you possess it. If someone with the same strength uses one hand with a divine artifact and the other with an ordinary weapon to fight, the one with the divine artifact would have the advantage."
"That seems reasonable."
"However, as you progress, the advantages of the divine artifact fade. Eventually, those who have worked hard from a disadvantaged position will become stronger."
The old man nodded.
"I understand what you're saying, but ultimately, the martial world is a place where one must rely on their own strength to survive. Doesn't extending your life by even borrowing strength from divine artifacts increase your chances of becoming stronger?"
"That is true."
Wi Yeon-ho didn't particularly refute the old man's words.
"I believe it ultimately comes down to a matter of choice. Do you give up the present for a farther future, or do you hold onto the present to see the future?"
"That might be the case. But doesn't the majority choose the present?"
"That's right. I'm not saying that's a bad choice; it just doesn't align with mine."
"Hm…"
The old man looked at Wi Yeon-ho with interest.
It wasn't easy for a young person to be indifferent towards divine artifacts. This was the time when ambition was strongest, and the thirst for progress was most intense. Yet this young man was speaking like a wise veteran in the martial world, despite his youth.
This fact piqued the old man's interest.
"Of course, if it were a weapon of that caliber, it would make sense."
"Yes?"
"But what if it were a truly divine artifact that could even blind your eyes?"
"Even then, nothing would change."
Wi Yeon-ho said nonchalantly.
"I've already experienced to the point of getting tired of knowing that a master wielding a transcendent divine artifact is more frightening than my master's stone. The strongest person I know could crush mountains and split seas with just a stone; why would I cling to divine artifacts?"
A slight dissatisfaction appeared on the old man's face.
He wanted to emphasize the need for divine artifacts in some manner, but the boy's attitude was too stubborn.
"Can I take a look at that sword?"
"This one?"
"Indeed."
The old man knew very well that asking a martial artist to present their beloved weapon could be taken as provocation.
No matter how unrelated the old man was to the martial arts community, he was still someone from the Sichuan Tang Clan. For someone like him to ask for a weapon… it was not something likely to be given easily.
"Here."
Yet contrary to the old man's worries, Wi Yeon-ho casually handed over the sword, scabbard and all.
"…Thank you."
Receiving the sword, which was meant to express a message without words, the old man took it with a slightly displeased face.
He then carefully unsheathed the sword.
Swish.
As the sword was drawn, Wi Yeon-ho's eyes widened in astonishment.
"What is this? This is!"
The old man's astonishment resonated loudly in the room.