Chapter 82: King 3
Dowang silently downed the wine Baek Moo-jin poured for him, glass after glass.
Baek Moo-jin held the empty bottle and glanced around suddenly. The place was utterly deserted. Seeing Tae-rang’s severed arm, the guests had apparently fled like an ebbing tide. King Do tilted his head and spoke toward the interior.
“Bring more wine.”
At the king’s command, straining sounds came from inside. A young waiter arrived carrying a wine jar with both hands and said,
“I’ll set this down and leave.”
The waiter placed the jug down, bowed almost to the point of prostration, then vanished quickly. The amount was far too much for just the three of them to drink.
Baek Moo-jin smiled and remarked.
“You drink a lot, don’t you?”
Dowang nodded.
“Some days you can drink a lot. Today is one of those days.”
Jin Sohye gathered the cups again and placed them in the center. Baek Moo-jin, holding the heavy wine jug in his left hand, filled all three cups equally without a single tremor.
Then, the Duke of Dowang expressed his long-held impressions of Baek Moo-jin through a concise question.
“Have you had any opponents lately?”
Dowang’s question was itself praise.
How could he ask such a question just for pouring wine?
Dowang sensed much not with his eyes, but through his senses.
Unable to see, he judged by sound. Moreover, an ordinary warrior could never remain this composed in front of the Duke. In a situation where it was difficult to judge friend from foe, Baek Moo-jin’s breathing and the motion of pouring wine were making a deep impression on the Duke. Jin So-hye was equally composed, but the Duke couldn’t help but rate Baek Moo-jin higher.
