Taking Over the Butcher Shop (2)
Even when the large chisel was aimed at the top of its head, the pig remained completely absorbed in eating.
"What matters most is finishing it in a single strike. So fast that it doesn't even realize why it's dying. There is no second chance. The vitality of pigs and cattle can't even be compared to that of humans. The hardness of their bones is beyond imagination. If you miss by even a little, you know what kind of result that will bring, don't you?"
The men, who had already caused an uproar in the marketplace due to their own inexperience, could say nothing and held their breath.
The old man slowly raised the hammer while keeping the chisel aimed.
A suffocating tension filled the slaughterhouse, yet neither the pig enjoying its meal nor the old man holding the hammer seemed affected at all.
At the very moment the hammer seemed to reach its highest point, a streak of light plunged down onto the pig's crown.
There was no scream.
The pig collapsed exactly as it was, its head still buried in the feeding trough.
"Damn! Did you see that, boss?"
Cheolwoo stared with his mouth hanging open.
"Yes, I saw it. That was the most intense single strike I've ever seen."
Sima-Jian also could not hide his astonishment as he looked at the old man.
"He's a master who's hiding his true skill. No doubt about it."
At Cheol-woo's grave reaction, Sima-Jian let out a small chuckle. The old man's strike had been shocking enough to justify such a response.
The men who had witnessed the old man's skill firsthand were no different from the two of them, though the nature of their surprise was somewhat different.
"Wow! It went down in one hit?"
"Amazing."
"How is that even possible? Even if it didn't go berserk, shouldn't there have been at least some reaction?"
They stared at the pig lying there without a single cry or twitch, unable to believe what they had seen.
"What are you all standing around for?"
The old man suddenly barked.
"Do you think it ends just because its breath is cut off? This is where it really begins!"
His voice boomed through the area like a clap of thunder.
"Drain the blood first."
Startled by his shout, the men hurriedly tied the pig's legs and hung it from a post, then slit its throat and collected the blood before it could cool.
"Wow. That old man's voice is no joke."
Cheol-woo, who had been watching the old man bark orders and command the men with iron discipline, said as he casually picked his ear with his little finger.
"Tch. My master had a voice just as terrifying."
A look of longing crossed Cheol-woo's face—for the master who had trained the children more harshly than anyone in Black Dragon Valley, yet had given him everything before leaving.
Thanks to the martial arts Sama-geon had obtained from the Guimun family and the Cheong Stone Oil he had shared, Cheol-u had been able to complete his current skills, but without his master's sacrifice, none of it would have been possible in the first place.
"Master Bultui really did have a booming voice. And not just that—unlike that old man, he was huge too. He probably favored you so much because of your size."
"Heh heh heh. Yeah, I heard that a lot."
The two laughed together. Even as they did, the old man's booming shouts continued to echo through the slaughterhouse.
"A butcher's shop? Where?"
Sima-ho asked as he tossed aside his sweat-soaked clothes after returning from a tiring day's work.
"On the northern outskirts."
"Ah, you mean Old Man So's butcher shop? The one with the slaughterhouse behind it?"
"That's right. You know it?"
"Of course. His skill is famous even in the surrounding areas. Not only high-ranking officials, but even prestigious martial families invite him to supply meat whenever they hold a banquet. That says it all. We buy our meat from his shop too, and it definitely has a subtly different taste compared to other places."
"It really did seem that way. His skill was incredible."
Sima-Jian and Cheol-woo, who had seen the old man kill the pig with a single blow, nodded at the same time.
"But why?"
"You two seem interested in that butcher shop. You've been talking about it nonstop."
Sima-jin said as she handed Sama-ho the cold water he had asked for.
Sima-ho drained it in one gulp, then lightly ruffled Sima-jin's hair as she was still holding out the tray—only to suddenly let out a scream.
"I told you not to touch my head!"
Sima-jin shrieked sharply as she smacked Sima-ho's shin with the tray.
"Are you crazy?! You hit my leg with a tray over that?"
"This is the last warning. If you do it one more time…"
"Hic!"
Sima-ho hiccupped as he noticed Sima-jin's gaze fixed on his head.
Sima-jin shot him a glare and left the room.
"Wow. I didn't know the usually gentle youngest had that side to her. Scary."
Cheol-woo gaped in astonishment.
Rubbing the leg that had been struck by the tray, Sima-ho shouted loudly enough for her to hear outside.
"Gentle, my ass! That's her true nature. She's just been pretending all this time!"
Bang!
Hearing something slam against the door, Sima-ho flinched and lowered his voice.
"It's not always like that. Just sometimes. Especially when you touch her head—she hates that to death."
"Really? I had no idea."
Sima-Jian said with a puzzled look, having habitually patted Sima-jin's head whenever he pleased.
"Big brother, you should be careful too. Or you'll end up like me one day—"
Sima-ho abruptly shut his mouth as the door opened and Sima-jin walked back in, already restored to her usual calm demeanor.
Out of habit, Sima-Jian reached out and patted Sima-jin's head again. Contrary to Sima-ho's warning, she showed no sign of displeasure at all.
Watching nervously, Cheol-woo burst into hearty laughter.
"Guess she just hates you."
"Damn it! At least be consistent!"
Sima-ho glared at Sima-jin, then slumped into a chair, all the fight drained out of him.
"But anyway, why the interest in the butcher shop? Thinking of trying it out? There are rumors the old man is sick and might be closing the shop."
"We haven't decided anything yet, but it didn't seem like a bad idea to try."
Sima-Jian said, looking a little embarrassed. Cheol-woo chimed in.
"Hey, we walked around all day, and honestly, there's nothing we can really do. Anything decent is already taken, and the few things that still have room aren't exactly for us. You need to know something to do it. We've spent our whole lives with swords—"
Sima-Jian jabbed Cheol-woo in the side with his elbow, then gave an awkward smile to Sima-jin, who was staring with wide eyes, and added as if making an excuse,
"Like I told you all, we worked as mercenaries for quite a long time. Nothing extremely dangerous, but we've seen a fair amount of blood. Because of that, there's not much else we know."
"That's how mercenaries are. No matter how comfortably they lived, a mercenary is still a mercenary."
Sima-ho nodded deeply in understanding, his expression serious.
"When second brother joked about becoming a porter before, I almost said something. But wouldn't it be better to try working as an escort? Mercenaries and escorts aren't that different. In fact, if you've been a mercenary, your experience could be recognized. If your skills are good enough, you might even become a chief escort instead of just an escort."
"Well… I have thought about it, but I don't like it precisely because it's similar. Escorts don't face danger often, but they do sometimes. I don't want to see blood anymore."
It was a gentle but firm refusal, and Sima-ho didn't bring it up again. Instead, he cautiously made another suggestion.
"Then how about trying our line of work instead? If you or Brother Cheol-woo joined, getting a position would be easy."
"Hey!"
Sima-jin shouted.
"My ears! Why are you yelling like that?! And how dare you say 'hey' to your brother?"
"After making second brother worry so much, that's what you have to say?"
With her eyes blazing, Sima-jin's ferocity surpassed even a winter gale.
"Who said anything? I was just suggesting it."
Crushed by her momentum, Sima-ho shrank back.
"Hahaha! That's enough. I'm fine."
Perhaps finding even her anger cute, Sima-Jian laughed as he lightly tousled her hair.
Sima-Jian declined Sima-ho's suggestion with nothing more than a smile, but Cheol-woo reacted differently.
"Heh heh heh. That doesn't sound so bad either. You called it the Dongshim Association, right?"
"Yes."
"How many members?"
"More than a hundred."
"That's a lot. Any other groups?"
Encouraged by Cheol-woo's interest, Sima-ho spoke excitedly.
"Lately the Blood Talisman Sect has been acting up, but in reality, our Dongshim Association is the largest force. The leader just hesitates—if he made up his mind, wiping them out would be easy."
"What kind of man is this leader? Strong?"
"He is. I don't know the details, but there are rumors he's a lay disciple of the Shaolin Temple."
"What a decadent age. A Shaolin lay disciple ending up as the boss of the back alleys."
"It's just rumors, only rumors."
"What about his personality? He's not cruel or a total bastard, is he?"
"Not really. He does love money, but he takes good care of his subordinates. If anything, he's on a completely different level from those Blood Butcher Sect bastards who hack off arms and legs at the slightest excuse."
"If even a low-level guy like you acknowledges him, then he must have some credibility."
Cheol-woo chuckled, and Sima-ho snapped back angrily.
"Hey, come on! I told you I'm not some low-level lackey!"
"Who said anything? Why are you getting so serious and angry? That's exactly what makes you look like a real underling."
"Are you really going to keep this up?!"
As Cheol-woo continued teasing him with a grin, Sima-ho's face turned red, as if he'd been drinking.
"Calm down. You too—enough with the jokes."
Sima-Jian gestured at Cheol-woo and spoke calmly while looking at Sima-ho, who looked ready to explode.
"You suggested it for our sake, I know. I appreciate it, but I'll have to refuse. I've just come back after a hard time, and I don't want to do anything that would make my family worry."
"Who said anyone was worrying about—"
Sima-ho was about to protest, but he shut his mouth when he saw Sima-jin glaring at him as if she were about to devour him.
Even if it weren't her, Sima-Xian would surely go berserk if he found out.
"Instead, look into that butcher shop a bit more. I've heard from others, just like you said, that the old man really is planning to close it down. Find out how we might be able to take it over—and how much it would cost."
Sima-Jian said this gently, as if soothing Sima-ho.
"Okay."
Sima-ho nodded, looking dejected.
"What a shame. It was actually a pretty exciting story. Don't give up—just push a little harder—ow!"
Cheol-woo kept joking to provoke Sima-ho, but ended up getting his side pinched by Sima-jin.
Sima-Jian and Cheol-woo returned to the butcher shop after confirming through Sima-ho that the old man truly intended to quit and was looking for someone to pass it on to.
"Do you think the old man will hand the butcher shop over to us, boss? I think we can barely scrape together the money."
"More than money, we need to win the old man's favor. You heard what Ho said. The old man has no son to carry on the family trade—just a single daughter—and he's looking for someone who can carry on the reputation of the butcher shop he built with his own hands. Like we saw before, he's already trained several candidates and tested them, but none worked out in the end."
"Honestly, I find it kind of ridiculous. What's so noble about slaughtering cows and pigs that he worries about reputation? He could just hand it over to anyone he likes. A successor—what nonsense. Don't you think so, boss?"
Cheol-woo scoffed at the idea of talking about a "successor" over something as small as a butcher shop.
"I wouldn't say that. He said it's been nearly sixty years. If you've devoted that much of your life to something, it's natural to think that way. Think about Master Bultui. How many disciples did he test and reject before deciding to leave everything to you? It's a famous story even in Black Dragon Valley."
"How is that the same thing?"
Cheol-woo snapped, but Sima-Jian didn't mind.
"What's different about it? A master who's spent his entire life cultivating martial arts looking for a disciple to inherit his teachings, and an old man looking for someone to protect the butcher shop he's built—there's no real difference."
"Boss!"
"Anyway, stop talking nonsense. Honestly, given our current situation, there's no better option than taking over the butcher shop. Or what—should we just become farmers? I think we could afford a decent piece of farmland. The youngest seems to secretly be hoping for that, too."
At the mention of farming, Cheol-woo recoiled in disgust.
"Hey, who was it that said farming is harder than running a business?"
"That's only because you keep whining."
"I'm not whining. I just don't like how picky that old man is."
"That just means he values the years he's protected it. In any case, I've warned you clearly—no more pointless talk. If things go south, we'll just farm."
"Alright, alright."
Cheol-woo shoved him in irritation.
Sima-Jian forced himself to hold back a smile as he stepped into the butcher shop.