Chapter 67
Chapter 67
-----------------------------------------------------------------
Translator: Ryuma
Chapter: 67
Chapter Title: So Much Better That Way
-----------------------------------------------------------------
"Young master, we've arrived at the inn I mentioned."
When the coachman spoke, Do Cheon opened the window. In the dim twilight, he spotted a signboard reading 'Jin Family Inn'.
"You've done well. Once you've taken care of the horses and carriage, make sure to get a proper meal. I'll cover the bill, so don't skimp and eat poorly to save a few coins."
"Oh, you don't have to do that, but thank you every time."
"If you're grateful, just keep driving like you have been until we get back. Then I'll be grateful too."
"Understood. I'll serve you with all my heart."
Do Cheon left the bowing coachman behind and entered the inn with Celestial Insight Maiden Byeon Ryeo-gun.
"Welcome!"
The waiter shouted loudly in greeting.
"Got any food?"
"Of course! This way, please."
Following the waiter to an empty table, Do Cheon glanced around the inn. It was fairly crowded with guests. Their arrival as strangers caused a brief hush, but soon the clamor returned to normal.
"Right here."
It was a table smack in the middle of the room.
"Is this the only spot open?"
"Yes, just these two tables. Which one would you like?"
Two tables side by side in the center. Either would do.
"Let's take this one."
Byeon Ryeo-gun nodded at Do Cheon's words and sat down. Do Cheon took the seat across from her.
"Order dinner for us, Maiden Byeon. And get some liquor too—it won't hurt. Pick what you like."
"Yes."
Byeon Ryeo-gun ordered two bowls of buckwheat noodles, stir-fried pork, and two bottles of cheap liquor.
"We'll need two rooms too."
The waiter bowed at Do Cheon's addition and scurried off.
"Isn't that a bit too plain?"
"You're covering all the costs for my business, Young Master Do. How could I order extravagantly?"
"The debt I owed you couldn't be repaid with this much anyway."
Byeon Ryeo-gun fell silent at Do Cheon's words. Just then, the waiter returned from the kitchen with a teapot and poured tea into their cups.
"Warm your mouths with this tea while you wait. It'll be out soon."
"No rush. Tell them to make it tasty."
"Yes, sir!"
As the waiter bowed to Do Cheon,
"Hey, waiter!"
Someone called from another table.
"Coming!"
The waiter hurried over.
"More tea here."
"Right away."
He poured for them, and they blew on it before sipping. The waiter filled other empty cups around, scanned for more requests, then headed back to the kitchen when none came.
Byeon Ryeo-gun watched the scene impassively. Once the waiter was gone, she lifted her cup to her lips. Do Cheon had already drunk his.
She sipped hers too.
The warm liquid soothed her mouth and slid down her throat.
Not expensive tea, but it cleansed the palate and warmed the body—perfect for this chilly evening.
Byeon Ryeo-gun drank slowly to avoid burning her mouth.
Then, suddenly, Do Cheon spoke in a heavy voice.
"You should stop drinking now."
"...!"
As she looked at him, Do Cheon furrowed his brow deeply.
"The tea has something odd in it...!"
Before he finished, Byeon Ryeo-gun's eyes widened, her body tensing rigidly.
"It's Muscle-Scattering Poison."
"What's that?"
Do Cheon asked.
But with the drastic changes surging inside her, Byeon Ryeo-gun couldn't speak. She hurriedly began circulating her qi. As she mobilized her lower dantian's inner energy, Do Cheon stopped questioning and scanned the inn.
Suddenly, the bustling room fell deathly silent. Every guest stood, staring at Do Cheon and Byeon Ryeo-gun. With the pair in the center, they were completely surrounded.
Do Cheon tapped the table lightly with his finger, tilting his head at the sight.
"So... you set all this up to catch us?"
His tone held no panic or haste. Perhaps because of that, no one stepped forward—they just watched.
Do Cheon smirked faintly, turning to check on Byeon Ryeo-gun. She was straining to expel the poison.
It's no ordinary Muscle-Scattering Poison. Vicious... odorless and colorless... Despair Powder!
Realizing the poison's identity made her qi waver violently. Once it started, it collapsed uncontrollably.
No...!
As her cultivation scattered and her consciousness faded, Byeon Ryeo-gun forced her eyes open. Do Cheon's face came into view, watching her steadily.
"You'll be fine."
His words brought instant relief. She let go of her desperate resistance, and her awareness slipped away.
Her head dropped, body slumping toward the table. A gentle breeze caught her, easing her down to rest softly.
"Poisoned with Despair Powder? She's beyond help now."
A raspy old voice rang out.
Do Cheon looked up. On the second-floor railing stood several figures, led by a white-haired elder who seemed the ringleader.
"Do you know who I am?"
"Iron Divine Dragon."
"You know me, so this wasn't random."
"You're holding out well."
"You think this is enough to take me down?"
"No use bluffing. Despair Powder is a deadly toxin even peak masters barely resist."
The elder nodded curtly.
The surrounding men stepped back in unison, extending iron tubes. Needle-like projectiles shot out, embedding in walls and pillars everywhere.
Pfft! Pfft! Pfft!
Explosions echoed around the room.
Protecting Byeon Ryeo-gun, Do Cheon saw countless transparent threads crisscrossing at varying heights like a net around them.
"Shadowless Silk. To cut it, you'd need to circulate your qi—and that would let the Despair Powder's toxin overrun you."
As Do Cheon sat motionless, the elder descended like he was handling a fish on a line, followed by a dozen others.
Do Cheon watched with a frown, then suddenly asked loudly,
"Know anything about these guys?"
The elder blinked in confusion at the abrupt question.
Then a voice came from the ceiling.
"Hao Gate. If you wish, I can sever that old man's head."
Startled glances upward found no one. The Hao Gate experts exchanged uneasy looks, frozen in the unexpected turn.
Right then—
Boom!
A massive crash as the roof splintered, something plummeting through.
The Hao Gate group recoiled in shock. In the center lay a black-masked figure sprawled out.
"Kill the Buddha if you meet him, kill the assassin if you meet one. Heh heh heh!"
The old man's voice echoed from the gaping hole above.
A familiar voice.
As Do Cheon scowled, a small-statured elder dropped down.
"Eaveswalker Heavenly Foot Fiend!"
The Hao Gate elder recoiled in horror upon recognizing him.
But then—
He froze like a statue.
At first, he thought it was just the cold wind from the broken roof. But a chilling, hair-raising yin energy emanated from directly behind him, sending shivers down his spine.
"Gate Master! Behind you!"
With the urgent shout, the Hao Gate's Twelve Killers attacked in unison.
Slash! Slash! Slash!
Their strikes were reflexive, but gruesome severing sounds erupted from their own bodies. Blood sprayed as their arms hit the floor. Amid it all, a figure glided like a shadow ghost.
"The Shadow of Death...!"
Terror burst from the Hao Gate Leader's lips.
Unimaginable masters had appeared for Hao Gate.
Eaveswalker Heavenly Foot Fiend and Black Death Phantom!
Paralyzed by fear, the leader couldn't move. The Fiend approached Do Cheon, who merely stared.
Stopping before him, the Fiend bellowed,
"I can't believe it!"
"...?"
"I can't believe I blacked out that day!"
As he shouted, Do Cheon thrust out his right hand.
Vast energy coalesced explosively.
Boom!
The Fiend, mid-leap with a heel kick, smashed through the inn's wall into the darkness. Do Cheon turned to the Black Death Phantom, his expression asking if she wanted a turn too.
"The Iron Lion King's Thunder Barrier Fist deserves its title as the era's best. But it couldn't leave us this helpless."
"And?"
"I need to know what technique that was."
At his words' end, the Phantom shimmered like black smoke, gliding forward ghostly. Do Cheon palm-thrusted. The horrific energy erupted, striking her.
Boom!
Another hole punched in the wall. She too vanished into the night.
"When are you firing?"
Do Cheon shouted.
From dozens of paces away, Thunder Bow Ki Yogon released her string.
Twang!
A ripping air-tear sounded. Do Cheon raised his palm.
Bang!
A thunderous boom from his hand. The steel arrow disintegrated to powder.
"Even... the Thunder Bow...!"
Do Cheon remained composed as the Hao Gate Leader gasped in horror.
Do Cheon extended his hand.
The Shadowless Silk, taut like a spiderweb, was sucked into his grasp. The Hao Gate men staggered, yanked forward by the terrifying suction. They released it, and the threads fell wholly into Do Cheon's hand.
Sizzle!
Something burned. Acrid smoke rose.
The leader's face lit up.
"At least the Yin-Yang Silk's poison...!"
His hope shattered as Do Cheon's palm looked unscathed—the poison itself incinerated. A truly fearsome inner power.
"Planning to subdue me and force out Iron Lion Sect's secret arts by threatening the main branch?"
"...!"
"Why not capture my junior brothers instead?"
The leader trembled, unable to reply.
"Not answering?"
Do Cheon asked again, calmly. Yet it felt like defiance would bring doom.
"No sect hands over secrets for a disciple. Besides, we couldn't predict if the Iron Divine Dragon would emerge unscathed."
Do Cheon gave a 'fair enough' look.
Moments later, he stood.
Like Yama's descent to hell? The leader's legs shook involuntarily.
But Do Cheon tossed the Shadowless Silk aside and stepped to the sprawled assassin, crouching before him.
He pressed his palm to the man's chest. After a moment, the ragged breathing stabilized. Do Cheon withdrew, and soon the assassin opened his eyes.
"Special class, huh?"
Do Cheon asked with a hint of exasperation. The revived man glanced around, realized his savior, and sighed in relief.
"The opponent was too strong. Who was it?"
"Eaveswalker Heavenly Foot Fiend. Circulate your qi."
The assassin sat cross-legged to recover, surprised. Do Cheon stood.
Suddenly, the leader proffered something.
"The antidote. Too late probably, but it might help a bit."
His servile gaze toward Byeon Ryeo-gun confirmed it as the Muscle-Scattering antidote. Do Cheon barely glanced.
"No need."
The leader paled.
Amid the chaos, the two undamaged tables slid over, butting against Byeon Ryeo-gun's with a clack. Do Cheon lifted her, and thick quilts flew down from upstairs, spreading over the three joined tables.
The leader watched breathlessly, awestruck.
We've provoked a War God!
As he reeled, Do Cheon laid Byeon Ryeo-gun on the quilts and took her hand. Despite the short time, her lower dantian was depleted.
He drew out all the Despair Powder energy, incinerated it with his own power, stimulated key acupoints, then released her hand. The vital spark would restore some energy, if not fully refill her dantian.
Do Cheon pulled his chair to her head and sat. Her eyes, softly closed with a cloth veil, caught his gaze. Staring into them, he murmured,
"You're a handful, that's true. You keep drawing my attention, that's true too. That's why I like it even more. You make me want to keep watching."