Chapter 75
Chapter 75
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Translator: penny
Chapter: 75
Chapter Title: Meeting and Parting Like the Waves of the Yangtze River (4)
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Damho returned to the West Wind Inn as evening approached.
“Hyung!”
Bang Jinbo greeted him.
Having slept soundly, Bang Jinbo’s face was brimming with vitality.
“You should head to dinner now, right?”
“Mm!”
“Hehe! Let’s go quickly. They say the West Wind Inn’s dry pot chicken is incredible.”
“Dry pot chicken?”
“It’s a dish where you cook various vegetables and chicken in a big pot without broth. They say the flavor is out of this world. I asked the errand boy earlier to prepare it ahead of time. If we go to the dining hall now, it should be ready.”
Bang Jinbo’s face was flushed with excitement.
It was the unique expression he wore whenever faced with delicious food.
Until just before arriving here, Bang Jinbo had been utterly dejected, but with tasty food before him, life returned to him.
“They say you can’t claim to know cuisine without trying Hunan dishes. They’re characterized by delicate knife work and heavy use of oil. They use a lot of oil and mostly boil, steam, or stir-fry.”
All the way to the dining hall, Bang Jinbo chattered on about Hunan cuisine. Damho listened silently as he walked.
Before he knew it, they had arrived on the inn’s second floor. Even though it was early evening, quite a few people had already taken seats in the dining hall.
The two found an empty table and sat. The moment they did, the familiar errand boy rushed over.
“Welcome.”
“Hyung! What about the dry pot chicken?”
“It’s almost done. Just sit tight for a bit, and I’ll bring it right out.”
“Yes!”
The errand boy placed a teapot full of tea and teacups on their table before dashing back to the kitchen.
“Hehe!”
Bang Jinbo kept bursting into laughter.
Damho watched him silently for a long while before asking.
“Is it that good?”
“Yes! Eating delicious food is my second greatest happiness.”
“What’s first?”
“When others enjoy the food I’ve made. What about you, hyung? When are you happiest?”
Damho didn’t answer. He couldn’t.
The happiest moments in his life had been with his master, Master Hyeon So. And that was already twelve years ago.
He hadn’t felt true happiness even once since then. He wasn’t even sure if he was capable of such an emotion anymore.
He sometimes wondered if he was even human.
Damho’s gaze turned to the window. The sun had set and evening fallen, but the streets bustled with even more people.
Countless individuals hurried about.
Even those rushing so frantically would return to their places come nightfall, he thought.
Status meant nothing. What mattered was having a place to stay and rest one’s heart.
Damho had no such thing.
No place to rest his heart, no aspirations.
Only one force drove him now. And it had nothing to do with Bang Jinbo.
Damho lifted the teacup to his lips. Bang Jinbo stared intently at him.
He knew well that others found Damho intimidating. And indeed, Damho showed no mercy to those he deemed enemies.
But Bang Jinbo wasn’t afraid of Damho. He had never seen him harm anyone without reason.
“Here we go, the dry pot chicken is ready.”
Just then, the errand boy set a large bowl on their table, filled with assorted vegetables and perfectly cooked chicken.
“Eat the chicken with the vegetables. Enjoy your meal. You too, eat up.”
The errand boy bowed to Damho and Bang Jinbo before stepping away.
“Looks delicious. Hehe! Wait just a moment, hyung.”
Bang Jinbo immediately began shredding the chicken in the bowl into bite-sized pieces. In an instant, the entire large chicken was dismantled.
“Here, hyung, dig in.”
Bang Jinbo filled Damho’s bowl with chicken and tender vegetables and handed it over.
Damho picked up his chopsticks first and tasted the dry pot chicken. Bang Jinbo watched him with eager anticipation.
“How is it, hyung?”
“Delicious.”
“Really? Hehe! Then I will too…”
Bang Jinbo grinned as he grabbed a piece of chicken with his chopsticks. After chewing for a moment, his eyes widened round.
“It’s delicious!”
With eyes shining in rapture, he devoured the dry pot chicken voraciously. Before long, a pile of chicken bones had mounted before him.
For every one bite Damho took, Bang Jinbo took three or four. Naturally, he ate far more.
That was when it happened, as the two focused on their meal.
Thud! Thud!
Heavy footsteps and the presence of many people echoed from the wooden stairs connecting to the first floor. Moments later, over a dozen men appeared.
All the men wore blue uniforms. On their sleeves, the character for “sword” was embroidered in red thread.
The diners recognized them at once.
“Warriors from the Eoyang Sword Sect.”
“Why are they here?”
In Eoyang, only the Eoyang Sword Sect embroidered “sword” on their uniforms like that.
People watched the Eoyang Sword Sect warriors with curious eyes.
The warriors scanned the diners on the second floor with piercing glares. Most people hurriedly bowed their heads, afraid to meet their eyes.
The eldest-looking among the Eoyang Sword Sect warriors infused his voice with inner power and spoke.
“I am Jin Yangsu of the Eoyang Sword Sect. Today, an important event for our sect’s young master, Sima Gongcheon, is taking place on the third floor. Those present, please finish your meals quietly and leave.”
His tone was polite, but it bordered on a threat.
No one replied. They couldn’t. The warriors’ intimidating presence crushed them.
Jin Yangsu smirked coldly. He judged there to be no threats here.
A wooden bracer etched with ornate patterns hung from his hand. Even at a glance, it was clear it was crafted by a master artisan.
Jin Yangsu issued orders to his subordinates.
“You two, guard the first floor. You three, watch the stairs here. The rest, come with me to the third floor.”
“Yes!”
The Eoyang Sword Sect warriors responded vigorously and obeyed. The people held their breath, watching them go.
Looking out the window, Damho saw Eoyang Sword Sect warriors standing guard around the inn as well.
“Who could be coming?”
“Someone important, by the looks of it. The atmosphere feels off.”
Among Hunan’s many sects, the Eoyang Sword Sect was counted among the top five. Ignoring them in Eoyang was impossible.
Naturally, the diners on this floor had no choice but to mind the warriors.
Bang Jinbo whispered to Damho.
“Some big shot must be visiting.”
Damho didn’t respond. The warriors creating a reign of terror right before him stirred no emotion in him.
He paid them no mind and continued eating silently. To him, savoring the food before him mattered more than some unknown visitor.
Seeing this, Bang Jinbo also ignored the warriors and focused on his meal.
“It’s so good. Especially the seasoning soaked into the chicken—it’s exquisite. The sour, spicy, and savory flavors blend perfectly.”
Bang Jinbo even sucked the sauce off his fingers clean. Still unsatisfied, he smacked his lips.
That was when Damho and Bang Jinbo finished eating.
“Hey, you there. If you’re done, get out.”
The voice came from an Eoyang Sword Sect warrior guarding the second floor. He was burly and fierce-looking, the one fostering the atmosphere of fear.
He glared at Bang Jinbo and Damho.
“W-We…”
Bang Jinbo stammered. Not out of fear of the warrior, but because of Damho beside him.
As Bang Jinbo hesitated,
“The young master has arrived.”
A low voice rose from below.
The fierce-faced warrior hurried back to his post. Bang Jinbo and Damho were no longer his concern.
Moments later, footsteps echoed up the stairs.
“Young master!”
The warriors bowed their heads hastily.
Following them, a young man in his early twenties ascended. His handsome features were the sort that would draw plenty of admiration.
He wore silk robes etched with ornate patterns, and the scabbard at his waist bore similar designs.
He was Sima Gongcheon, young master of the Eoyang Sword Sect.
Sima Gongcheon strode onto the floor with an arrogant swagger. The Eoyang Sword Sect warriors bowed deeply.
“Where is Hae Sojeo?”
“She hasn’t arrived yet.”
“And the item?”
“Fortunately, it was completed on time. Vice Leader Jin has it now.”
“Good. That’s a relief.”
Sima Gongcheon nodded and glanced around.
Arrogance toward everyone else gleamed in his eyes.
“Tch! Leaving the World’s Finest Tower empty to receive her at the West Wind Inn.”
“We apologize. The World’s Finest Tower was fully booked solid for the next month, so we had no choice.”
“That damn World’s Finest Tower. We’ll see how long they keep acting so high and mighty.”
Dongting Lake was said to be vast as the sea. Eoyang might be large, but compared to it, it was like a cicada on a withered tree.
The World’s Finest Tower stood at the heart of Dongting Lake, on the Yuan River. To reach the Yuan River from Eoyang required a boat across the lake.
Thus, the World’s Finest Tower was largely beyond the Eoyang Sword Sect’s influence. Moreover, the Yuan River hosted the Benevolent Healing Sect, one of Hunan’s five great sects.
The Benevolent Healing Sect was the World’s Finest Tower’s greatest backer. Known for spreading healing arts for the good of the people, it wielded power even the Eoyang Sword Sect found troublesome.
Especially since their medical prowess had saved countless lives, they enjoyed overwhelming support in Hunan, surpassing even the Eoyang Sword Sect. With such backing for the World’s Finest Tower,
Its notorious stubbornness was known throughout the land. They had rejected Sima Gongcheon’s request to reserve the entire fifth floor, citing full bookings.
Forced to scramble, Sima Gongcheon had settled for the West Wind Inn instead. Though not the World’s Finest Tower, its food was famously good. For now, renting out the entire third floor would have to suffice.
As Sima Gongcheon clicked his tongue,
“H-Hae Sojeo has arrived.”
A subordinate’s urgent voice called from below.
“She’s finally here?”
A flicker of anticipation crossed Sima Gongcheon’s face.
Step! Step!
Someone ascended the stairs.
All eyes on the second floor fixed on the stairs. Everyone wondered who merited a personal welcome from the Eoyang Sword Sect’s young master.
Amid the focused gazes, the source of the footsteps finally appeared.
“Ah!”
The moment she did, gasps escaped everyone’s lips.
Beneath her elegantly coiled updo gleamed a white, graceful nape.
Her brows formed gentle crescent moons, and beneath them, her eyes held a subtle blue hue. A refined nose rose prominently, leading to small red lips below.
Any who saw her would sigh in admiration—a beauty beyond compare. She wore simple purple cotton robes common among commoner women, yet even that plain attire dazzled.
In her hand was a modest sword. Well-worn, its scabbard gleamed from years of handling.
Sima Gongcheon hurried to her. His face, moments ago sour, now beamed with smiles.
“Welcome, Hae Sojeo. I am Sima Gongcheon of the Eoyang Sword Sect. We sincerely welcome your visit to Eoyang.”
His voice dripped with obsequiousness.
It had to be.
The woman before him was Hae Sowol, known as the Flower of the Sea.
A heroine of the famed Haenam Sect, she wandered the world in pursuit of sword enlightenment. Like a single proud flower, beautiful yet her swordsmanship said to surpass imagination.
Above all, she was one of the Nine Dragons. A woman who stood equal among dragons through her own merit.
All achieved without her sect’s might—purely her own power. Sima Gongcheon paled in comparison.
Moments ago so haughty, now he wilted like a dog with tail between its legs before Hae Sowol.
At Sima Gongcheon’s demeanor, cold light flashed in Hae Sowol’s eyes.
‘The Central Plains lack talent.’
Her voice echoed only in her mind.