Chapter 31
Chapter 31
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Translator: Vine
Chapter: 31
Chapter Title: I Want to Be Your Subordinate!
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Pan Ha-rin saw my faint smile and her eyes narrowed sharply.
“Are you smiling because you like this?”
“Yes. I do!”
“You like that you’re going to die?”
“I am not going to die.”
“Once your name is on the Demonic Emperor's Grand Union’s kill list, death is the only path.”
I gently tapped Pan Ha-rin’s cheek.
“Listen carefully.”
Pan Ha-rin flinched but remained still.
“From now on, I'm putting the bastards from the Demonic Emperor's Grand Union on my Ledger of Life and Death. So if they fall into my hands, they die.”
“You madman!”
“And remember this. After tomorrow, any demonic bastard I see in Dong-ro Prefecture dies by my hand.”
“Hmph! We’ll see who dies!”
*Smack!*
“Ouch!”
“What’s with that look? Go get changed!”
I smacked Pan Ha-rin on the behind and left. Strangely, I felt no killing intent toward her at all.
Pan Ha-rin clutched her backside with both hands and glared at me.
Then, recalling my words, she looked down at herself.
“Oh dear…”
She was a complete mess. No madwoman could look crazier.
I thought to myself as I walked.
Jang Ung had said that masters from the Ten Heavens of the Unorthodox Path had also entered Dong-ro Prefecture.
But I had no intention of seeking out and fighting every single master of the Unorthodox Path. They hadn't done anything wrong to me yet. A conflict with them might be inevitable, and when that time comes, they will seek me out without me having to look for them.
“Captain.”
Dam Geum-hu ran up and walked beside me. But as he looked at me, he wore a strange expression, as if he were gazing at something dazzling.
“What is it?”
“Hehehe! Captain! You were incredible!”
***
When I returned to the Dong-ro Branch, An Do-pil, Hyeong In-geol, Sang Gang-jo, and all the other branch members were gathered in the Third Team's lounge.
Even though the First Team's lounge was the largest, they had all crammed into the Third Team's lounge, making it bustling and crowded.
Jang Ung was also among them, sitting quietly.
Yeon-cheong, who was standing in front of the Third Team's hall, saw me and bowed with a delighted expression.
“Grand Branch Master! Welcome!”
Yeon-cheong scurried over, threw open the doors to the hall, and shouted inside.
“The Grand Branch Master is here!”
As I entered the hall, everyone poured out of the lounge and greeted me loudly.
“Welcome back!”
“Grand Branch Master! Welcome!”
Dam Geum-hu, spitting saliva as he spoke, animatedly recounted my heroic deeds with wild gestures.
His knowledge was shallow and he knew nothing of martial arts, so he couldn't properly explain the Soul-Severing Star Sword Style or the Azure-White Ice Flower I had unleashed.
Despite that, no one was sitting down. Not Dam Geum-hu who was speaking, nor the branch members, Sang Gang-jo, or Jang Ung who were listening. They all stood, listening to the inadequate explanation, their faces a mixture of shock upon shock.
“How can you turn a person into a block of ice? Is that a martial art? Or is it some kind of dark magic or sorcery?”
One of the branch members asked.
Sang Gang-jo explained quietly.
“That is a supreme divine art called the Ultimate Yin Art, also known as an Ice Art, which not just anyone can perform.”
“The Ultimate Yin Art…”
The branch members had vaguely heard of such a thing, but they considered it a martial art from a world beyond worlds.
However, even Sang Gang-jo didn't truly understand the azure-white light I had manifested. It wasn't some mere Ice Art. It was Yin Essence, the pure form of ultimate yin energy.
In fact, before I left to fight, Sang Gang-jo had repeatedly warned me to be careful, explaining in detail how formidable a figure Nu Jin-sang was and what kind of martial arts he used.
But when the lid was lifted, Nu Jin-sang was no match for me at all, merely an opponent who fell in a single strike. So one can only imagine how shocked Sang Gang-jo must have been.
Truthfully, An Do-pil and the other branch members were simply amazed because they didn't know how fearsome Nu Jin-sang was.
But Sang Gang-jo was well aware of Nu Jin-sang's position and reputation within the Demonic Emperor's Grand Union, so his astonishment was of a fundamentally different nature.
Moreover, he would never have imagined that I would kill Nu Jin-sang with the Ultimate Yin Art. Thus, I was a far greater master than he had anticipated.
Nu Jin-sang's death was a joyous occasion for the Martial Alliance, which had been struggling in Zhejiang, like having a painful tooth pulled out.
***
Everyone else left, and only Sang Gang-jo, Jang Ung, and I remained in the lounge.
Sang Gang-jo asked Jang Ung politely.
“How much do you want?”
He intended to reward Jang Ung, as his information had been quite helpful.
Sang Gang-jo spoke gently, not looking down on the underworld dweller, who was considered lower than a butcher. His character was evident in such moments.
I had a fleeting thought that Jang Ung wouldn't want money. He didn't seem like an ordinary person.
Jang Ung looked at me and spoke respectfully.
“I do not wish for money.”
As I suspected.
“Then what is it you want?”
“I wish to become your subordinate, my lord.”
His sudden request didn't surprise Sang Gang-jo or me much, but Dam Geum-hu flinched.
“Hey! What are you suddenly talking about?”
“Geum-hu, I want to be this man’s subordinate.”
“Why? You never said anything like that!”
Dam Geum-hu argued, but Jang Ung just looked at me and spoke with sincerity.
“Actually, the moment I first met you, my lord, I had a premonition that you would become a tremendous figure in the future.”
“What did you see to make you say that?”
“I saw many things, but it was mainly your features.”
“Hmm! You know how to read faces?”
“Yes, I do. My heart was moved when I first met you, and in just a few hours, you became even more famous by killing the Sword Demon Union Lord.”
“Hmm.”
“That is why my resolve has become even firmer.”
Unexpectedly, Jang Ung was quite eloquent.
I had seen at a glance that Jang Ung was no ordinary man, and it seemed he thought the same of me.
No, he foresaw that I would become a far greater figure than himself. That was why he wanted to become my subordinate.
Just then, the door opened, and two women entered carrying large trays laden with alcohol and food.
“The Branch Master told us to serve drinks to the Grand Branch Master.”
The two kitchen workers set out the alcohol and dishes, then left.
Dam Geum-hu filled the cups all around.
I toyed with my cup.
“I’ve never thought about having subordinates.”
Jang Ung asked.
“My lord, you don’t consider the members of the Dong-ro Branch your subordinates, do you?”
“That’s right.”
My thought was that I had no real connection to the Dong-ro Branch; I had just happened to become the Third Team Leader and then the Grand Branch Master. If things got difficult, I could just leave this place behind.
At my answer, Dam Geum-hu was startled, then immediately puffed up with pride. He thought he was my only subordinate.
But that thought was shattered by Jang Ung’s next question.
“Then do you consider Geum-hu your subordinate?”
“No.”
“Captain!”
Dam Geum-hu let out a cry, but I didn't look at him.
“I knew it.”
“You bastard! What do you know?”
Dam Geum-hu shouted in a fit of rage, but Jang Ung remained calm.
“The master never took you in, Geum-hu. You were just excitedly running around, thinking you were his subordinate all by yourself.”
“Captain, is that true?”
“Yes.”
“Ugh!”
*Thud!*
Dam Geum-hu’s legs gave out, and he fell to his knees.
“Captain!”
“If I took in everyone I beat in a fight as a lackey, would Wi Heun-chang and the Red Flying Swallow Sword be my subordinates too?”
I looked at Jang Ung.
“Why do you want to be my subordinate?”
“I will be your eyes and ears, my lord.”
“My eyes and ears, you say.”
“I am currently the leader of an underworld group. It’s a small group with only fifteen members, but they are all skilled. I handpicked only the most talented ones. We are confident we can be of help to you, my lord.”
“Hmm!”
I wondered how an underworld group could be of any help to me. At first glance, it seemed there was no connection between me and them.
However, I suspected there was more to Jang Ung than just being the leader of an underworld group. He was not a man of that caliber.
Jang Ung didn't back down and said with a sincere expression.
“Whatever your goal may be, my lord, I will risk my life to align with it.”
My goal is to become the strongest in actual combat. How could Jang Ung possibly align with that?
Having subordinates is a hassle. But if they could be of use to me, there was no reason not to take them in.
“What do you gain by becoming my subordinate?”
“In the future, when you become the sun, my lord, I shall become a candle flame.”
In other words, if I were to conquer the world, he would gain at least one province, like Zhejiang.
Jang Ung’s words were so smooth, as if his tongue were coated in sesame oil, that it made me laugh.
“Hahaha! You think I’ll become the sun?”
“You will.”
Sang Gang-jo offered a drink.
“Please, have a drink.”
“Mm.”
I nodded but didn’t lift my cup. I had never had a drink in my life, so alcohol felt foreign to me.
“You’re Jang Ung, was it?”
“Yes, my lord.”
“Keep an eye on the movements of the Demonic Emperor's Grand Union and the Ten Heavens of the Unorthodox Path, and report back to me.”
“I will do so.”
I hadn't rejected his request to become my subordinate, but rather put it on hold for now.
It meant I would decide after seeing what he could do, and Jang Ung understood that.
Dam Geum-hu kept watching me with a tearful face, but I pretended not to notice.
***
Only Sang Gang-jo and I remained.
“You’re not drinking?”
“Do you want to?”
“Tonight, I find myself craving a drink.”
“Then by all means.”
“Why aren’t you having any?”
I spoke, feeling a little embarrassed.
“I’ve never had alcohol before.”
“Is that so?”
Sang Gang-jo’s expression didn't change. He possessed a broad tolerance and understanding for most things.
He accepted the fact that I had never drunk alcohol without judgment.
“Have you only focused on mastering martial arts?”
“You could say that.”
“You’ve lived a very dull life.”
Sang Gang-jo smiled faintly.
“Is mastering martial arts a dull thing?”
“Do you not know the joys and sorrows of the world?”
“Not interested.”
“I see you are comfortable being alone.”
“You’re right.”
“In that case, drinking alone is also fine.”
“Drinking alone?”
“A drink by oneself is the finest of all.”
“Hmm!”
“How about drinking with me tonight?”
I picked up my cup.
“Well then, shall we have a taste?”
A cup of alcohol went down my throat, sending a tingling sensation through my gullet and into my stomach, which soon became warm.
“How is it?”
Sang Gang-jo also drained a cup and asked with a smile.
“It’s good.”
“Indeed. Alcohol is a good thing.”
After three cups, I felt a pleasant buzz, and the fatigue seemed to melt away, putting me in a good mood.
“There is something called the way of drinking.”
“Tell me about it.”
“It is the etiquette of drinking.”
Sang Gang-jo explained the way of drinking at length.
I drank at a leisurely pace, and before I knew it, I had finished ten cups.
Sang Gang-jo finished his explanation.
“You must be thirsty from all that talking. You should have a drink too.”
“I shall.”
Sang Gang-jo emptied a cup, then after a slight pause, he spoke.
“Currently, the Martial Alliance is cornered on all sides.”
“Uncle.”
I still called him uncle, even though I knew his true identity.
“Please, speak.”
“You have violated one of each of the three prohibitions and three courtesies of drinking.”
Sang Gang-jo had just explained that the three prohibitions and three courtesies were called the *samgeum* and *samnye*.
“What are they?”
“Among the three prohibitions, did I not say that one should not discuss politics while drinking, and that one should be considerate of the other’s feelings?”
“You did.”
Sang Gang-jo was taken aback. He had explained the way of drinking in great detail but never imagined I would have memorized it all.
“My apologies.”
“Let’s just drink.”
“Yes.”