Chapter 96
Chapter 96
-----------------------------------------------------------------
Translator: penny
Chapter: 96
Chapter Title: 7th Chapter. Dragons and Tigers Gather in One Place (3)
-----------------------------------------------------------------
Damho suddenly turned to look behind him.
The people who had been by the shore of Lake Dongting just moments ago were gone. The fisherman and his family, as well as the girl in the fox pelt clothes.
They had nothing to do with him. Yet for some reason, Damho couldn't easily tear his eyes away from the spot where they had vanished.
Damho stared at the empty space for a moment before resuming his steps. Today, his feet felt unusually heavy.
Damho didn't return to the West Wind Inn until long after the sun had set. It was as he passed through the inn's dining hall.
"Friend."
A familiar voice called out, and someone waved at him.
The man grinning broadly at Damho was none other than Cho Yeon-un. Two bottles of liquor lay scattered on the table where he sat.
His face was already flushed red, likely from the alcohol.
Damho sat down across from Cho Yeon-un. Cho Yeon-un offered him a cup with a smile.
"Care for a drink?"
Damho silently accepted the cup. Cho Yeon-un filled it to the brim.
"Haha! Meeting a friend here again puts me in high spirits."
"Didn't you say you were heading to the Yuan River?"
"I already went and came back. So many people there, creepy bunch. Martial artists everywhere—it was like a labor market. Heh heh!"
Cho Yeon-un laughed and chattered on by himself, clearly amused by something.
Damho quietly downed his cup.
"Warriors from the Qingcheng Sect and Kunlun Sect have arrived too. They're big shots who rarely show their faces, so the whole Yuan River area's buzzing."
"......"
"Now if only the core sects like Shaolin, Wudang, and Mount Hua send their people, it'll be everyone gathered. Isn't it amazing? All Nine Great Sects and Five Great Families in one place—hasn't happened in nearly thirty years."
Damho gazed at Cho Yeon-un's fist as the man rambled on alone. A scab had formed over it. Likely from his fight with Paeng Man-young.
Damho didn't ask about the outcome. But he already knew.
Paeng Man-young had never been a match for him. Though known in the world as the Drunken Cloud Dragon and ranked below the Nine Dragons, Cho Yeon-un's skills were in no way inferior.
Having clashed with him personally at South Mount Manor, Damho knew Cho Yeon-un's prowess matched his own.
Paeng Man-young hadn't yet reached the level of the Nine Dragons. The result was obvious.
Damho downed another cup. It was then, as Cho Yeon-un refilled his empty one.
"Hyung!"
A familiar voice suddenly rang out.
It belonged to Bang Jin-bo, who was looking right at Damho.
"You're back early."
"Mm."
As Damho nodded, Cho Yeon-un eyed Bang Jin-bo with curiosity.
When Cho Yeon-un had met Damho at West Heaven Manor, Bang Jin-bo had been working in the kitchen, so they hadn't crossed paths. Neither knew of the other.
"Who's this?"
"Hm?"
Cho Yeon-un pointed at himself with a finger.
"I'm this guy's friend. And you?"
"Younger... brother."
"Younger brother? Then you're my little brother too. Nice to meet you!"
"Ah! Yes!"
Bang Jin-bo answered in surprise and glanced at Damho.
Damho neither confirmed nor denied it. That meant the man before him wasn't lying.
"Nice to meet you! Name's Cho Yeon-un."
"I'm Bang Jin-bo."
"Call me hyung from now on."
"But..."
"Tsk!"
"Yes! Hyung."
"Heh heh! That's more like it."
Cho Yeon-un let out a sly chuckle. Bang Jin-bo couldn't help but snicker.
For some reason, Cho Yeon-un's brazenness didn't rub him the wrong way. It felt oddly affable, and that put him in a good mood.
Bang Jin-bo looked at the table and frowned.
"Drinking without any side dishes?"
"With liquor this good, who needs 'em?"
"Still, you'll ruin your stomach like that. Let me make some. Follow me."
"You can cook too?"
"A little."
Cho Yeon-un beamed at Bang Jin-bo's confident tone.
"Really? If my little bro's offering to cook, of course I gotta try it."
Cho Yeon-un rubbed his hands together and followed Bang Jin-bo. A big smile lit up his face.
As they entered the annex, Eun So-cheong greeted them.
"Jin-bo, Uncle. Huh?"
Eun So-cheong spotted Cho Yeon-un late. He grinned mischievously, glancing back and forth between Bang Jin-bo and her.
"Oho! Well, well."
"It's not like that!"
Eun So-cheong's face turned red as she raised her voice. Cho Yeon-un's smile grew even more wicked.
"What'd I say?"
"Anyway, it's not!"
"Fine! I get it, I get it."
"But who are you, Uncle?"
"You sure ask quick. I'm that guy's friend. So I'm your big bro too, right?"
"Hmph! Don't make me laugh. Big bro my foot."
"I'm older, so big bro. Unless you wanna be the big bro?"
"That's not what I meant!"
"Agh! So noisy..."
Cho Yeon-un scratched his ear. The sight made Eun So-cheong's shoulders tremble.
No one she'd just met had ever gotten so under her skin like Cho Yeon-un.
Bang Jin-bo smiled watching them. He knew their bickering wasn't malicious.
Bang Jin-bo turned to Damho, who followed behind.
"Hyung, anything specific you want?"
"Do as you like."
"Got it. Just wait a bit. Heh heh!"
Bang Jin-bo let out his signature laugh.
Cho Yeon-un and Eun So-cheong were still at it, making the annex lively. But Bang Jin-bo liked the ruckus. It felt alive.
He lit the stove and grilled some snacks. Even as Bang Jin-bo bustled about, the two kept raising their voices.
"This place is mine, you know."
"Good for you. Plenty of rooms left—mind if I crash?"
"Who said you could?"
"I'm Jin-bo's hyung."
"So what?"
"You think Jin-bo'd like me sleeping outside?"
"Ah! Seriously!"
"Let's share. Hogging all this space alone—that's the real waste, right?"
"Why's it a waste here?"
"I dunno! But I'm not leaving till I eat Jin-bo's food."
Cho Yeon-un plopped down and claimed a spot. Eun So-cheong jumped up and down protesting, but it fell on deaf ears.
Her face was flushed bright red. It only made her look cuter.
"Heh heh!"
The smile on Bang Jin-bo's lips didn't fade.
Soon, Bang Jin-bo brought out plates of food.
"Here you go—Dongpo pork."
The intense aroma drew Cho Yeon-un and Eun So-cheong over in a daze.
"Wow! The smell is no joke."
"Of course. Who made it?"
"Bet it's some boyfriend of yours."
"Ah! Seriously."
"Quiet and eat already."
"You're so annoying."
"You're not my type either."
"Hmph!"
"Hmph to you too."
They bantered right up to the end. But since there was no ill intent, the mood stayed warm and cheerful.
Cho Yeon-un picked up a piece of Dongpo pork, popped it in his mouth, and gave a thumbs-up.
"Out of this world. Best Dongpo pork I've ever had."
"Heh heh!"
Bang Jin-bo scratched his head.
Cho Yeon-un took a swig of liquor.
"Perfect. Great liquor, great grub. What more could a man want?"
"Hmph! Total boozehound."
"Haha! That's the life for me. Drown in a sea of liquor as a boozehound and go out happy."
Cho Yeon-un's laughter rang out clear and bright.
Eun So-cheong pouted. But she said nothing more.
Young as she was, she was still a child of the jianghu. From talking with him, she'd figured out who Cho Yeon-un was.
*Drunken Cloud Dragon. This has to be Cho Yeon-un, the Drunken Cloud Dragon.*
He might look drunk, but his eyes shone brighter than stars.
She could afford to snap at him because he played along so well. Otherwise, she'd hardly dare speak to him.
Eun So-cheong stole a glance at Damho.
He ate his food in small bites, saying nothing. She now knew exactly who he was. And how terrifying he could be.
How could she not? The man shaking the very foundations of Hunan jianghu—Eun Ga-bo's turf—was Damho himself.
*Fist Demon and Drunken Cloud Dragon. Jin-bo's surrounded by amazing people.*
As Eun So-cheong looked at Bang Jin-bo with renewed awe,
"Little sis, quit scheming. I can hear that not-so-great brain of yours whirring from here."
The voice that turned her inside out belonged, predictably, to Cho Yeon-un.
"Ah, seriously!"
"Heh heh! Drink?"
"No thanks."
"Suit yourself."
Cho Yeon-un lifted the bottle to his lips.
Eun So-cheong reacted instantly. She toppled so easily—it was too fun to tease.
Cho Yeon-un figured he wouldn't be bored anytime soon.
The drinking session broke up late into the night.
Cho Yeon-un brazenly hunkered down in the annex. Despite Eun So-cheong's nagging, he held firm and claimed victory.
In the end, she threw up her hands and retreated to her room. Bang Jin-bo went off to bed, tired. Only Damho and Cho Yeon-un remained in the courtyard.
"Beautiful."
Cho Yeon-un tilted his head back to gaze at the sky.
Countless stars twinkled as if showing off. It was like a sea of them.
"Great liquor, great food, great company in everyday life. If every day could be like this, I'd be truly happy."
His words lingered with deep resonance.
Damho silently regarded Cho Yeon-un. Cho Yeon-un grinned back at him.
"Thanks to you, I got to taste some killer side dishes. Appreciate it."
"Jin-bo made the food."
"Of course I'm grateful to him. Guy's got real talent."
"Mm."
"Jin-bo's gonna be one hell of a chef. Bright future ahead. The world needs to let kids like him chase their dreams."
After that, the two fell silent for a while.
The suffocating quiet was broken by Cho Yeon-un.
"Just one thing I wanna ask. Be straight with me."
"Go ahead."
"Are you... connected to the Demonic Cult somehow?"
"Why do you think that?"
"The situation leaves no choice. A mysterious master drops out of the sky one day. Impressive skills, but even crueler in a fight. Hundreds already dead by your hand. Normally, you'd be branded a public enemy of the jianghu with no complaints."
"I've never struck first. Not once."
"I know."
"Then why ask?"
"Still wanted to hear it from you. I know you don't mince words. You'd sooner die than lie to justify yourself."
At Cho Yeon-un's words, a glint appeared in Damho's eyes.
Since his master Hyun So the Immortal, no one had shown him such unwavering trust—until Cho Yeon-un.
Damho spoke.
"I'm no Demonic Cultist."
"I believe you."
"What if I'm lying?"
"Then my eyes are wrong. But I trust you. You're not the type to dress up lies."
"......"
"I don't know what you think of me, but I wanna stay friends. That's the honest truth."
Cho Yeon-un's voice pierced straight to Damho's heart.