Ironhide

Ironhide is a character.

Cheong-woon Valley
Hoyoung goes to a local tavern of a marketplace and listen to the information. He says to a wandering poet, Willow that a couple days ago, one of the mountains in the area quaked and shook, and a river nearby changed its course entirely, folks are claiming that after that, they started to seein' way more monsters around there. Hoyoung thinks that sure does sound familiar. He talk to Willow that a couple years back, the town's information brokerage started keeping a few private investigators on the payroll, and he thinks it was around the time the ownership changed hands, and they sniff out answers around in the Cheong-woon Valley, for issues large and small, they don't come cheap, but their results speak for themselves, they have become something like local heroes here. He got a fish bone stuck in his throat so hard to talk like that, but a cool shot of somethin' stuff oughtta wash it right down. Hoyoung thinks that he did have to stop right there, and they're putting in an order with the tavern's owner, and buy the look on her face, she seems troubled about something, sounds like they're out of whatever he ordered, she's saying it'll take some time to pull more out of the storage cellar.

Hoyoung makes a conveniently timed delivery of some Sikhye, with his amazing acting, no one was the wiser. Willow talks to him that a small temple outside the village, the head monk who died, and a handsome monk who comes in after he died, however, there have been rumors he's started to sequester himself in the temple, naturally, people assume he's staying in the sanctum pray'in for the safety of the town, but it's strange.

After several months, several days, and few days later, Hoyoung transforms into trainee and eavesdrops this. He says to Willow that still, it must have been rough, coming back to his old hometown after so long only to have all this happen. Willow says it is not an experience he had care to repeat, he can say that much, but he can not be too upset, it gave him a fabulous font of inspiration for his next novel, so ultimately, even this dark cloud had its silver lining, he can see it now: Noble of heart and bald of head, the Handsome Monk must struggle to save his town from the vile clutches of the Monster Rat, publishers love that whole 'based on a true story' thing, and it is gonna be a million seller, flying off the shelves in droves, it will be halfway to retirement on the publisher advances alone. Hoyoung returns to his original form. Taotie says it sounds to him like the villagers really believe the Handsome Monk solved this whole thing himself, none but themselves truly know what happened in the temple that right. Hoyoung says in the end, it does not really matter if anyone knows the whole story, and there are plenty of times when the real hero is the one working behind the scenes, heck, even the great sage did not always take center stage, "I am but a simple wanderer..." maybe he has finally earned the chance to use that line for real.

Aftermath
Hoyoung and Taotie listen to he and Willow's story. He says to Willow that it is said that a new Transcendent is preparing war in Grandis. Willow says that's right, it says that a man who have dragon horns and tails in the Pantheon, gather people and prepare for the counterforce.

Trivia

 * In original text, 무쇠 (Musoe) means cast iron.