'I thought the Sword Saint was showing up tomorrow?'
Cale immediately looked toward Elder Ho. His scowl made his annoyance extremely obvious.
He heard a stubborn-sounding voice at that moment.
"It's the Beggars' Gang."
"…I greet senior Sword Saint."
Elder Ho urgently bowed and greeted him.
The other members of the Orthodox faction bowed as well. It was their way of showing respect toward the greatest expert of the Orthodox faction.
"Hmph."
However, the Sword Saint, Namgung Tae Soo, ignored the greetings of the others and snorted.
He then rudely commented, as if he found something not to his liking.
"Why are you blocking the way?"
He was telling Elder Ho to move and get out of the way.
"That-"
"Hmph."
Elder Ho tried to say something but the Sword Saint ignored him. Instead, the young man next to him stepped forward after sensing his gaze.
"Hey there."
"Yes, Noble Warrior."
He spoke to the worker.
"Give us a room."
"That-"
The worker warily looked around before cautiously responding.
"That, there are currently no empty rooms-"
The worker's body slowly curled forward. He was scared of the stubborn-looking old man and the young men with vicious gazes.
He was even more scared because he could not fathom what martial artists might do. He felt the back of his neck go cold.
"Really? Then I guess we just need to make room."
The young man commented in a relaxed voice.
"Excuse me?"
The worker blankly asked back, but the young man had already stomped toward the tables on the first floor and asked the people closest to him.
"Will you empty your room?"
"Excuse me?"
They looked like wanderers.
"Ha! Even the Namgungs cannot kick people out like this!"
"How can the so-called Orthodox faction threaten people like this?!"
The young man tilted his head to the side.
"I have no thoughts of threatening you."
He responded with a confused look before pulling something out of his shirt and placing it on the table.
"...."
"...."
A couple of gold coins sparkled on the table.
The young man calmly commented.
"We will pay you if you empty your room."
He then smiled before looking toward the worker and asking.
"What is the most expensive alcohol you have here? I want to serve these Noble Warriors."
'Oh.'
Cale watched him with interest.
The young man placed his hands on the shoulders of the wanderers who were shocked after seeing the gold coins and spoke in a good-natured voice.
"Even if you won't let us borrow your room, I will still treat you to a bottle. I ask for your understanding if I have offended you in any way."
"Ahem. Hem."
Gold coins and alcohol. The young man gently patted the shoulders of the wanderers who were contemplating because of these two things and continued to speak.
"We urgently rushed over from Sichuan and have been stuck sleeping outside. That is why we want to be able to wash up and rest in peace, could you please help us?"
The wanderers' pupils were shaking.
These gold coins were equivalent to a few months worth of commission fees they would receive.
Of course, wanderers with high levels of martial arts would be considered as precious as a gold nugget, but these wanderers who had not yet reached the First Rank, ones who had just left the Third Rank and reached the Second Rank, could not ignore the amount of money these gold coins were worth.
Furthermore, this person from the Namgung Clan was asking for their help and offering them alcohol.
"Ahem. Ahem. It would indeed be difficult if you've had to sleep outside for a few days."
"Right?"
After taking these gold coins and drinking the alcohol…
They could sleep outside one day or pay someone in a nearby house to let them borrow a small space for the night.
"Yeah! Wouldn't it be an honor to be able to give up our room for senior Sword Saint?"
"Hear, hear!"
The young man smiled brightly at the wanderers' response.
"Thank you."
He then approached the worker. He spoke while his back was toward the table with the wanderers.
"Please serve your most expensive alcohol and matching snacks to those two Noble Warriors. I will pay for them. Also, please lead us to our room."
"Y, yes sir!"
Cale had a thought while looking at him.
'That's a rare ability.'
He heard Chief Eunuch Wi's sound transmission in his mind at the same time.
– Currently, the Namgung Clan is the wealthiest in the Orthodox faction.
Fist King Mok Hyeon then sent a sound transmission as well.
– Leave it to the Namgung Clan to show off their wealth.
He continued.
– More importantly, the gazes of the Dokgo Clan members seem quite serious.
Cale could see that the Dokgo Clan's young clan leader had her fists clenched. At least Dokgo Chang looked as if he was relaxed.
"Umm, esteemed Noble Warrior-nim. May I escort them first before escorting you to your room?"
The worker gestured toward Cale. To be more specific, he was gesturing toward Chief Eunuch Wi.
"Ah, that is okay, sir."
Chief Eunuch Wi waved his hand.
"I will ask my nephew to lead us there. But we would like to put in an order for some food soon."
"Y, yes sir!"
Chief Eunuch Wi motioned to the Eastern Depot member after hearing the worker's response.
"Let's go."
Cale heard Chief Eunuch Wi's sound transmission at that moment.
– We will leave this area first, sir.
'That's right.'
That was a wise decision.
Cale could sense it after seeing the old Sword Saint's stubborn attitude and the way the young man from the Namgung Clan took care of things.
'It would be tiring if we got mixed up with them. So let's just avoid them.'
For Cale, who had to rescue Choi Jung Soo, the Namgung Clan was the enemy.
Cale leisurely followed behind Chief Eunuch Wi.
His group followed as well. After them, Elder Ho and Dokgo Clan's group started moving to follow them.
"Elder Ho."
However, Elder Ho had to stop walking.
The Sword Saint had called out to him.
"I am curious to know why the Beggars' Gang has come here."
He was observing Elder Ho with a sharp gaze.
"With the Dokgo Clan at that."
The Sword Saint's gaze moved to the Dokgo Clan's young clan leader, Dokgo Ryeong, for the first time at that moment.
Dokgo Ryeong subconsciously flinched at his vicious gaze and looked away.
'Shit!'
She was angry but could not do anything.
"I will need to hear your story."
The Sword Saint looked toward Elder Ho again.
His gaze was deep but fierce.
"I need to know whether you came here to capture the Sword Demon or for some other reason."
The Sword Saint. The moment he mentioned the Sword Demon…
The inn became completely quiet.
"Hoohoo-"
At that moment, in a corner of the inn…
Someone laughed.
'…I have a bad feeling about this.'
Cale's eyebrow slightly twitched.
Of the numerous inns in this place… He had a feeling that all of the important bastards were currently in this inn, the smallest one in the area.
That was how it was in the clichés.
'Someone sneering at the Sword Saint's words…'
Cale thought about who would be able to do that before turning toward the corner of the inn.
'I didn't feel this person's presence until now. No.'
Cale's gaze turned away after noticing something.
Ron Molan.
Ron, who had been relatively quiet since coming into the inn, was smiling while looking at the person who laughed.
It was as if he had his eyes on this person. He seemed quite amused.
'Ron is interested in him?'
Cale could see the person sitting alone in the corner taking off her veil.
Someone then shouted in shock.
"…The Carnage Demon!"
Carnage.
The Divergent Coalition. They were the Unorthodox faction's equivalent to the Orthodox faction's Martial Arts Alliance.
The Martial Arts world's greatest assassin organization within the Divergent Coalition…
The Carnage Demon who leads that assassin organization…
She was the only member of the School of Carnage whose face was known.
However, nobody could aim for her life nor attempt to get revenge despite knowing her face.
Before she became the leader of the School of Carnage…
She had attempted and successfully completed 10,000 assassinations.
And the ten thousand and first murder…
This was not for a commissioned hit.
She had killed the former leader of the School of Carnage and risen to the position herself.
The woman who was now in her sixties, revealed her old yet beautiful face and gently commented.
"The losers of the Orthodox faction sure have a lot to say. It's so noisy."
She looked toward the Sword Saint.
"Can you just stop putting up a front and get to your room? You are so damn loud."
"A member of the Unorthodox faction dares!"
The only one of the three Namgungs who had been quiet became extremely angry and tried to step forward, however…
"Yoo Hak."
"… Grandfather."
He closed his mouth at the Sword Saint's calling.
The Sword Saint looked at the Carnage Demon and continued to speak.
"I heard the School of Carnage was wrecked by the Sword Demon? Pfft."
He laughed before heading to the second floor of the inn.
A bright smile appeared on the Carnage Demon's face, but the Sword Saint paid it no attention.
He just motioned with his eyes to Elder Ho, who held back a sigh and followed behind him.
– I will head with him for now.
Cale slightly flinched but made it not visible.
Elder Ho had reported to Cale's mind.
'Why to me?'
Cale found this to be odd, but it was a good thing so he decided to listen for now.
– I will gather some information. As for information about you, young master-nim-
Cale verbally answered the slightly hesitant Elder Ho.
He didn't know how to use sound transmission.
He had no choice.
He just had to say it out loud.
"You don't need to hide it."
Both the Sword Saint and Elder Ho stopped walking for a moment.
The Sword Saint looked toward Cale. Cale gently smiled at him.
'I need to look like a good person.'
He needed to look like someone who had nothing to do with the Sword Demon.
'I told Elder Ho that he doesn't need to hide it, so he will tell the Sword Saint some things.
'But he is tactful, so…
'He won't tell the Sword Saint that I am Choi Jung Soo's friend and that Choi Han is Choi Jung Soo's uncle… Right?'
Cale suddenly became anxious.
That was why he looked toward Elder Ho and continued speaking.
"I'm sure you will be able to decide what can be said and what shouldn't."
He then smiled.
It was his way of saying, 'Let's take care of this well.'
Gulp.
Elder Ho gulped.
'To say it so openly.'
This young master Kim obviously could use sound transmission, but he just said it openly.
This was clearly a warning.
"Hmm."
The Sword Saint looked back and forth between Cale and Elder Ho before walking again. The good-natured acting young man and the worker followed behind the Sword Saint.
Of course, he gave an order to the remaining young man first.
"Yoo Hak. We will eat soon, so put in the order."
"Yes, Hyung-nim."
Cale watched that before motioning to Chief Eunuch Wi with his eyes.
"I will escort you right away."
"Yes, please. I am getting quite hungry."
– Human, I'm hungry!
'Not me, but Raon.'
Cale gently nudged them and Chief Eunuch Wi also acted as if they could not push it back any longer and headed toward the guest house with the Eastern Depot informant.
"They are not coming."
He took a peek to the back after Sui Khan said that to him.
The Dokgo Clan and the rising stars were chatting with the remaining person from the Namgung Clan.
He heard Chief Eunuch Wi's sound transmission.
– Namgung Yoo Hak is a direct descendant of the Namgung Clan as the patriarch's second son. He is the young clan leader's little brother.
– In addition, the Dokgo Clan and the Namgung Clan have a very bad relationship.
– The reason the Dokgo Clan's power started decreasing was because their main business failed. New businesses appeared in the place of those failed businesses. The new owners of all of those businesses were the Namgung Clan.
– Of course, the Namgung Clan claimed that the process of making that happen was clean, but nobody in the Orthodox faction, Unorthodox faction, nor even the Demon Cult believed them.
– However, everybody just keeps that belief to themselves because there is no evidence.
Cale nonchalantly nodded his head.
'None of my business.'
It was an issue that basically had nothing to do with him.
'This isn't my home anyway.'
– That is why the Dokgo Clan grinds their teeth whenever the Namgung Clan is brought up.
– And for the Namgung Clan, it was beneficial that one of the two clans famous for using heavy blades naturally declined.
– After that, the Namgung Clan and the Dokgo Clan have had a bad relationship.
Cale started to speak.
"Do you think that they will cause an incident?"
Chief Eunuch Wi shook his head.
"There shouldn't be any issues as Noble Warrior Dokgo Chang is there."
As a senior in the Dokgo Clan, Dokgo Chang wouldn't do anything like that.
"Furthermore, everybody will just quietly have a mental battle since the Carnage Demon is here as well."
'That's true; anybody with a brain would not fight in this inn. Yes, yes indeed.'
Cale thought about the Dokgo Clan and the rising stars who seemed to at least be decently smart.
Bang!
'Hmm?'
"Uncle, I can't hold it in any longer!"
It was at that moment.
He heard something break.
"You dare, you dare to insult my clan?!"
"Ha! Insult? You sure have quite the victim mentality! I can't chat with such a lowly fool!"
The Dokgo Clan's young clan leader, Dokgo Ryeong, and the Namgung Clan's second son, Namgung Yoo Hak.
The moment the two of them raised their voices…
Cale didn't even look back.
'Haa, these idiots. Why do these martial artist bastards always have to fight inside inns?'
"Why is it that such esteemed individuals who dream of the bright future of the Orthodox faction are with someone who knows nothing? Please dine with us instead."
– Human! That Namgung Yoo Hak or whatever is sneering at Dokgo Ryeong while trying to chat nicely to daoshi Un Seon!
'Haaaaa. There is always one trash in a clan. I guess Namgung Clan's trash is Namgung Yoo Hak.
'…Ha. And I am the trash of my family.'
Cale clenched his eyes shut.
It was at that moment.
Boom, bang!
He heard something else break and…
"Gasp!"
He also heard someone gasp.
– Human!
Raon shouted in shock.
'What is going on?'
As Cale got chills on his back…
He finally turned around.
Clang!
Choi Han pulled out his sword.
However, Cale did not see that.
'Chopsticks!'
For some reason, chopsticks were flying toward Cale.
"What the…?"
As Cale subconsciously said that in shock…
The moment Choi Han swung his sword to smack the chopstick and Sui Khan sighed while extending his hand…
Ooooooooong-
There was a short vibration before the chopsticks stopped in the air.
– Human! I stopped them! I held them there with mana!
It was at that moment.
Clunk!
There was a loud noise before a chair fell back.
"...!"
The Carnage Demon. She was looking at Cale in astonishment.
Silence filled the inn while Cale felt the chubby front paw on his back and heard Raon's voice.
– Hehe! I did a good job stopping them! Human, praise me! I will protect the weakened you!
'Mm.'
Cale looked at the Carnage Demon's shaking pupils and felt as if a big misunderstanding was about to occur.
For reference, in the Wuxia world that Cale knew, only an extremely skilled expert could stop chopsticks or a sword in the air without even moving their hands.
'Well, this is awkward.'
A lot of thoughts filled Cale's mind through the silence.
—
Translator's Comments
Stupid Super Rock (PR) wanted me to use lout. I refuse.