An Unexpected Reunion
Noon the next day.
"Thank you for your hard work. We'll likely be staying here for a few more days, so please lodge nearby for the time being."
"My goodness, this is so much... Thank you, sir!"
After handing a generous tip to the carriage driver, I walked over to my companions waiting beneath the city walls.
"Let's head inside."
We had finally arrived in Handan, the home of the Beggars' Sect Headquarters. Handan was a unique city, nestled securely within a network of moats and towering stone walls—a testament to its history as a vital military and transportation hub before the unification of the Central Plains. Even now, its status as a major transit hub remained unchanged, making Handan a bustling, densely populated metropolis. It was precisely because of this vibrant chaos that the Beggars' Sect had established their headquarters here.
As we strolled through the city gates, Dang Gohye, who was trailing closely behind, asked,
"Are we going straight to the Beggars' Sect Headquarters?"
"No, first we need to find out if the Tang Clan members who came for the banquet are staying nearby."
"Huh? Wh-Why?"
"They must be worried sick about you. Didn't you say you came all the way to Hebei with just your maid?"
"I-I can handle that on my own! Why don't we find an inn first?"
Why is she stuttering so much? Suspicious.
Just as Seonwoo Seol had terrible intuition, my own gut feelings weren't exactly top-tier either. However, even when Man Hanseok and I had saved her, Dang Gohye's immediate reaction had been to yell at us. Her current behavior practically screamed, 'I did something wrong.'
But with only suspicion and no hard evidence, I decided to let it slide for now. Finding a place to stay for the next few days was indeed the priority, just as she said. Unfortunately, that presented its own set of problems.
"What do you mean there are no rooms?"
"The Dragon Head Sect Leader's birthday banquet is in two days, isn't it? So many people have flooded the city that, regrettably, there isn't a single room left in the vicinity. You couldn't buy one even if you offered double the price."
"What a mess," the innkeeper replied with a helpless shrug.
Everyone was either attending the birthday banquet or visiting to catch a glimpse of the prominent figures attending, meaning every single inn had been booked solid. Man Hanseok and the others had scattered to search for any available lodgings, but when they regrouped, they all brought back the exact same disappointing news.
"Chef Yoon, surely there must be a way?" Man Hanseok asked.
I looked back at him. "What kind of way?"
"Wouldn't the Beggars' Sect have reserved rooms in advance? We aren't just random guests; we were officially invited by Director Oh."
"I was planning to use those rooms, but after what Lady Dang said, I felt like we might be imposing."
"I believe rejecting their hospitality would be an even greater discourtesy. Let's head to the Beggars' Sect Headquarters first."
"Yeah, you're right. Let's head to the headquarters... Wait, where did Lady Dang go?"
Normally, she would have arrived before us and mocked Man Hanseok and me, calling us 'pathetic losers who can't even find a room,' but she was nowhere to be seen.
"Maybe she's still looking for a room?"
"Gye-yeong, which way did Lady Dang go?"
"Probably that way, sir."
"Let's go check. We can't just leave her behind."
We headed down the alleyway Gye-yeong pointed out.
"Let go of me!"
"Why must you be so stubborn...!"
Dang Gohye's irritated voice echoed down the alley, accompanied by a deep, masculine tone.
"Don't tell me another creep is bothering her?"
"If that's true, Lady Dang seriously needs to step up her martial arts training."
It wasn't like she was spraying some villain-attracting pheromone, so she really needed to learn how to get herself out of trouble. Still, if she was in actual danger, helping her was only natural. Man Hanseok, Gye-yeong, and I dashed forward.
"I said, let go!"
"Just listen to me!"
"No!"
A young man was gripping Dang Gohye's wrist, refusing to let go. Seeing this, Man Hanseok activated his lightfoot technique and lunged forward, drawing the long spear from his back.
"Who do you think you are, threatening Lady Dang?!"
"Wh-What?!"
The young man, completely caught off guard by the sudden assault, froze in confusion. Right then—
"Young Master Man, wait! Stop, stop!"
Dang Gohye thrust her palms out, gesturing frantically for him to halt. Startled, Man Hanseok dug his heels into the dirt, desperately trying to brake.
Screeech!
But his foot caught on a protruding rock.
"Whoaaa?!"
"O-Oh no!"
"Aaaah!"
There wasn't enough time for me to run over and intervene. I could already vividly picture the airborne Man Hanseok flattening both Dang Gohye and the young man into human pancakes. Oh dear, they're going to be squashed flat.
Squeezing my eyes shut to avoid witnessing the gruesome impact, I braced myself.
Thud!
"Huh?"
Instead of a violent crash, there was only a remarkably light thud. I opened my eyes to find a sharp-looking, middle-aged man lightly grasping Man Hanseok's shoulder.
What's more, Man Hanseok wasn't even touching the ground. He was dangling in the air, held aloft by the middle-aged man with a single hand.
Whoa, what kind of monstrous strength is that?
"You should be more careful, young master."
"I-I am terribly sorry!"
Once lowered back to the ground, Man Hanseok quickly clasped his hands in a respectful bow. The middle-aged man waved it off.
"No harm done, so all is well."
"I-I am Man Hanseok of the Donhwa Sect. Thank you for preventing a disaster, Great Hero."
The middle-aged man offered a warm smile, but his expression instantly soured as he turned to glare at Dang Gohye and the young man beside her.
"An innocent bystander almost got hurt because of you two! You're both of age now, yet you still cause such a ruckus in the middle of the street!"
Wait, is he from the Tang Clan? That's definitely not how a stranger would address her.
Since Man Hanseok and I were together, it fell on me to smooth things over. I quickly jogged over.
"My deepest apologies, Great Hero. I am Yoon Gomyung, the Head of the Inner and Outer Dining Halls at the Mutual Righteousness Academy, and a companion of Young Master Man. We rushed over thinking Lady Dang was in danger..."
As I bowed and clasped my hands, the middle-aged man's eyes widened slightly in surprise before he waved his hand dismissively.
"Ah, so you are the Chef Yoon who rescued Gohye?"
"Yes, that would be me... If you don't mind me asking, what is your relationship with Lady Dang?"
"I am Dang Mieon."
"I failed to recognize the Great Hero, the Poison Dragon!"
Holy crap. He's a big deal.
At Man Hanseok's exclamation, I quickly clasped my hands and bowed again. The Poison Dragon Dang Mieon was an Absolute Master and one of the most active figures of the Sichuan Tang Clan. He was second in power only to the Clan Leader himself and served as the Head of the Hall of Poison Refinement, the heart of the Tang Clan's poison production. It was said he often acted on behalf of the Clan Leader whenever the latter was occupied.
"Then, the young master beside you is..."
"...I am Dang Mil. I am Gohye's cousin."
"Ah, the Young Clan Leader!"
Dang Mil was the Young Clan Leader of the Tang Clan—the eldest son of the Clan Leader. Man Hanseok had almost ended the Tang Clan's direct lineage with a human meteor strike.
"But if I may ask, Young Clan Leader, why were you lecturing Lady Dang so severely?"
"Because she committed an act of utter disrespect toward the clan elders, of course. I heard Gohye hitched a ride in your carriage, Chef Yoon. What exactly did she tell you when she boarded?"
"Pardon? Ah... she said she had some business in Hebei and would head back to Sichuan afterward."
Hearing my reply, Dang Mil shook his head and glared at Dang Gohye. Unlike her usual haughty self, Dang Gohye kept her mouth tightly shut and avoided eye contact. I didn't know the details, but she looked like a child caught red-handed. She had definitely messed up big time.
"This troublemaking wild filly didn't just 'have business' in Hebei. She ran away from home with her maid to search for a venomous beast, only to end up empty-handed."
"What? She ran away from home just to find a venomous beast?"
"And to make matters worse, she almost got herself killed before you saved her and brought her here. Wouldn't you be furious in my position?"
Breaking News: Dang Gohye revealed to be a runaway teenager... well, runaway young lady.
And she had the nerve to look down on us the entire trip? If she got dragged home and thrashed with a paddle, she wouldn't have a single leg to stand on. Yet, it seemed Dang Gohye still had something to say. If I were her, I would have zipped my lip and stayed quiet.
"But a reliable source told me there was a Human-faced Centipede somewhere in Hebei..."
"Have you still not learned your lesson? Because of your recklessness, Chef Yoon and Young Master Man almost got dragged into your mess!"
"Cousin, shh!"
Man, I've gotten caught in the middle of a family feud... Wait, did she say Human-faced Centipede?
"Wait, Lady Dang, did you run away from home because of the Human-faced Centipede?"
"Yeah, I did. Got a problem with that?"
"Dang Gohye! Mind your manners before Chef Yoon!"
"No, it's fine, Young Clan Leader. More importantly... Ah, I don't have it on me. Gye-yeong! The bundle! Bring the bundle over, quick!"
Geez, if she had just mentioned she ran away because of the Human-faced Centipede while we were in the carriage, she wouldn't be getting scolded this badly now.
Once Gye-yeong hurried over with the bundle, I untied a small pouch fastened to the outside.
"Actually, on our way here, we passed through Geumsan and encountered a Human-faced Centipede. We managed to slay it."
"Y-You slew a Human-faced Centipede?"
"If we knew more about venomous beasts, we might have tried to capture it alive, but unfortunately, our skills were lacking..."
Crack!
I broke open the dried clay sphere, revealing the Human-faced Centipede's shell, along with its poison core and long, venomous claws.
"So we only brought back the poison core and the claws."
"I-Is this really the poison core of a Human-faced Centipede?"
Dang Gohye's face lit up with excitement. But as she reached out to touch the poison core, Dang Mil slapped her hand away.
"Ow! What was that for?!"
"You don't get to touch it. It is best if Uncle examines it first."
"Chef Yoon, may I take a look?"
"Of course. I was hoping you would."
As the direct disciple of the Medicine Sage, I possessed a fair share of knowledge regarding poisons, but I knew it was best to leave the evaluation of such rare specimens to the Sichuan Tang Clan. Dang Mieon carefully inspected the poison core, shell, and claws, before nodding with a satisfied smile.
"It is indeed the poison core of a Human-faced Centipede."
When Dang Mieon tried to hand the pouch back to me, I waved my hands and declined.
"Great Hero, I apologize for bringing this up upon our very first meeting, but I would like the Sichuan Tang Clan to purchase this poison core."
"Purchase it?"
"To Young Master Man and me, these are merely impressive trophies. The place where this poison core and these claws can truly be put to good use is the Sichuan Tang Clan."
As I bowed my head slightly, Dang Mieon chuckled and clapped a hand onto my shoulder.
"You truly are the chef who defeated the Great Arch-Demon. Selling this to anyone else would have fetched you several times the price, yet you eschew personal gain. To think you also possess the chivalry to rescue a lady in distress."
"I merely offered a few words of guidance; this fellow here did all the heavy lifting."
I patted Man Hanseok on the back. Snapping out of his daze, he quickly bowed his head.
"Man Hanseok... is your father the Cold Soul Spear?"
"Yes, that is correct."
"Ah, the Cold Soul Spear indeed! He has raised a fine son! Hahaha!"
Patting Man Hanseok's shoulder, Dang Mieon tied the pouch containing the poison core back up and turned to me.
"I would like to pay you right now, but unfortunately, I do not have that much cash on hand. Would it be acceptable if I paid you after the banquet?"
Even if the Tang Clan was a neutral power walking the line between Orthodox and Unorthodox, there was no way they would stiff me. I nodded and clasped my hands.
"The Tang Clan is the premier family of Sichuan. If the Poison Dragon, the Head of the Hall of Poison Refinement, promises to pay later, I have absolutely no reason to doubt your word."
"Thank you, thank you. Not only did you rescue our clan's wild child, but you also provided us with this poison core. You and Young Master Man look like guardian angels to me right now."
"You flatter us, Great Hero."
"Hahaha!" "Hahaha!"
As Man Hanseok, Dang Mieon, and I shared a hearty laugh, Dang Gohye looked utterly miserable. She slunk over to me and muttered in a low voice,
"Hey. Why didn't you tell me you caught the Human-faced Centipede?"
"You never asked. You were too busy calling me a country bumpkin."
"For a man, you sure are petty."
"We don't live in an era where you can say stuff like that anymore. Besides, if you had told me you ran away because of the centipede, I would've told you. Why did you hide the fact that you ran away in the first place?"
"Because it's embarrassing."
Of all the things to be embarrassed about... shouldn't you have mentioned that sooner?
I was about to scold her, but stopped myself. Come to think of it, Dang Mieon had mentioned earlier that Dang Gohye and Dang Mil were of age, meaning they were around twenty. Twenty was still an age where people did foolish, childish things.
"Let's finish this conversation at the banquet later."
"Tsk."
Clicking her tongue, Dang Gohye retreated to the side of Dang Mil and Dang Mieon. I clasped my hands and bowed to the two men.
"We apologize for taking up so much of your time."
"Not at all. You saved our wild filly, so we are the ones who should be grateful. I will make sure to repay this debt of gratitude in the future."
Dang Mieon would undoubtedly be busy lecturing Dang Gohye for her runaway stunt, and we needed to head straight to the Beggars' Sect Headquarters to secure our rooms. It was the perfect time to part ways.
As we walked toward the Beggars' Sect Headquarters,
"Lady Dang is quite unique, isn't she?"
Man Hanseok asked with a dazed, reminiscent expression. I replied,
"She's the second most unique young lady I've ever met."
"Pardon? There's someone even more extreme than Lady Dang in this world? Who's the first?"
"Yang Seoran."
She still haunted my nightmares from time to time. I would dream of a cephalopod with Yang Seoran's face grabbing my limbs and dragging me down to a pineapple house deep beneath the sea. Under the sea, Yoon Gomyung's kitchen...
"Ah... the Student Council President. Yeah, she's in a league of her own."
Man Hanseok, well aware of Yang Seoran's notorious reputation, nodded slowly. Beside him, Gye-yeong tilted his head in confusion.
"But isn't the Student Council President really pretty? I think she's great."
"You're playing with fire, kid. Gye-yeong, a woman's face isn't everything."
"Come on, Chef. Didn't you tolerate Lady Dang's teasing just because she's pretty?"
"Ahem. Well, yes, I let it slide because she's pretty, but do you think you could live with that temper of hers for the next fifty years?"
"No way. What, am I crazy?"
"Exactly. You only date and get engaged when you feel like you can spend the next fifty years of your life with that person."
"...Is that how it works?"
"I'm telling you, that's how it is. But why are you so quiet, Hanseok?"
"Well, I was thinking... Lady Dang is a bit mischievous, but isn't she actually quite decent?"
"You're out of your mind."
I can't tell if he's just desperately open to anything or if he's already been gaslit.
Our high-class debate among three single guys continued until we finally reached the gates of the Beggars' Sect Headquarters.
We stood before the main gate, which lacked any flashy grandeur but possessed a well-preserved, historic charm. A beggar acting as a gatekeeper eyed us and asked,
"Where are you from?"
"I am Yoon Gomyung, the Head of the Inner and Outer Dining Halls at the Mutual Righteousness Academy. This is Fellow Daoist Man Hanseok of the Donhwa Sect, and this young man is my personal servant."
"Ah, the famous chef! Please, head right inside!"
Welcomed warmly by the gatekeeper, we stepped inside. Contrary to what the name 'Beggars' Sect' suggested, we were greeted by neat, clean pavilions and charming stone walls. I had half-expected a filthy, dilapidated ruin, but it seemed a headquarters was on a completely different level.
"Wow... I actually got to visit the Beggars' Sect Headquarters in my lifetime... Have I finally made it big?"
"Better than being a tavern waiter, right?"
"Absolutely!"
"What about you, Hanseok?"
"I expected the Beggars' Sect Headquarters to be incredibly noisy and chaotic, but it's surprisingly tranquil."
"Yeah. I thought there'd be empty liquor bottles rolling around everywhere."
"The local branches are often like that, but the headquarters is different. It is a place that demands solemnity."
Startled by the sudden voice, I turned to see a young man in tattered robes grinning as he approached us.
"Are you Chef Yoon Gomyung, Young Master Man Hanseok, and the servant Gye-yeong?"
"Ah, yes. That's us. And you are...?"
"I am Yuk Jeong, a Three-Knot Beggar in charge of receiving guests. Please, follow me."
The Beggars' Sect indicated rank by the knots on their belts. Three knots were visible on Yuk Jeong's belt, marking him as a Three-Knot Beggar. A single knot was the lowest rank, while nine knots belonged to the Sect Leader. They had sent someone of a decent rank to greet us.
Smiling brightly, Yuk Jeong stopped in front of a building and bowed.
"We will assign your rooms shortly, so please wait inside. There are other guests present, so feel free to converse comfortably."
Stepping inside, we found several people chatting casually, just as Yuk Jeong had said. Judging by their diverse attire, they hailed from various sects.
"Look, there are some empty seats over there."
Gye-yeong pointed toward an empty table. I strolled over, preparing to sit down.
"Let's sit down and rest a bit."
"...Chef Yoon?"
Just as I was about to lower myself into the chair, a familiar voice drifted over from the adjacent table.
"Who's... Huh?"
I froze in sheer disbelief.
Beautifully sun-kissed bronze skin, large, sparkling eyes, a delicate nose, and plump, slightly feminine lips.
Why on earth are you here?
"Seonwoo... I mean, Young Master, what are you doing here?"
"Am I not allowed to come?"
"No, it's not that..."
An entirely unexpected figure—Seonwoo Seol, disguised as a young man—sat right before my eyes.