Chapter 118
Chapter 118
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Translator: Vine
Chapter: 118
Chapter Title: Homecoming (4)
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Ouyang Jue, who had been watching with a bewildered expression, approached Ha Jin-ak only after the little performance had ended.
Ouyang Jue's expression was so dumbfounded that even Ha Jin-ak hesitated for a moment, forgetting what to say.
"...Uh, Junior Brother. Did you see that?"
"Isn't that... a little dangerous to do around children? To be able to shape fire energy with such precision..."
"I had a fortunate encounter of sorts, so this much is not particularly difficult."
Ouyang Jue had to force himself to hold back the urge to tease him for using such incredible power for such trivial things.
Because of this, a strange sense of restraint crept into Ouyang Jue's voice.
"Is that so..."
Reading the mood, Ha Jin-ak gave an awkward smile.
"Come, come, shall we sit and talk?"
"Of course."
"Junior Brothers, you should join us too!"
At his words, Liu Zhangming, Jo Hun, and Ik Hyeon respectfully cupped their hands and joined Ha Jin-ak.
The Divine Demon Fist, who had just finished his training, glanced around cautiously before sitting in a corner.
As all the rising stars of Mount Hua gathered in one place, the gazes of everyone in the banquet hall subtly drifted towards them.
'All three of Bai Duanxian's disciples are gathered.'
'I've never seen the other two. Are they emerging powerhouses?'
Among the banquet attendees were many members of other sects, as well as martial artists who ran dojos in nearby villages.
There were more than twenty of them alone.
With even gossips who loved to talk present, countless rumors were soon being told and created within the hall.
It was no great mistake to assume that the flow of conversation in the hall had turned to Ouyang Jue and Ha Jin-ak.
Personally, Ha Jin-ak did not like it.
'What miracle is there in my survival, what adversity have I overcome?'
With a displeased expression, he tossed back the Xifeng liquor.
'I merely lived as life flowed, and what happened was simply the result of my desperate struggle to survive.'
"Senior-most Brother, you don't need to pay them any mind."
Hearing a voice from his side, Ha Jin-ak turned his head to see Ouyang Jue holding the bottle of Xifeng liquor with both hands.
"Allow me to pour you a drink, Senior-most Brother."
A gentle smile graced Ouyang Jue's face, and Ha Jin-ak naturally responded with a smile of his own.
"Excellent! I don't usually enjoy the scent of liquor, but what could be more joyous than my brothers gathering to drink together like this!"
At those words, Liu Zhangming smiled quietly, enjoying the festive mood, while Ik Hyeon savored the banquet, indulging in the snacks.
Not wanting to be left out, Jo Hun tried to secretly pour himself some Zhuyeqing, but Ouyang Jue, noticing early on, immediately snatched the cup and scolded him.
"Hey, you brat. If you drink recklessly, a ghost will visit you in the night!"
"A g-ghost?"
"A liquor ghost who died away from home after coveting alcohol from a young age, you rascal!"
Thump!
When Ouyang Jue rapped him on the crown of his head with his fist, Jo Hun whimpered and teared up.
But no one came to Jo Hun's defense.
No matter how well-known Liu Zhangming was for his gentle nature, it did not extend to being overly permissive.
Ha Jin-ak, in particular, was famous for being a martial artist who walked the middle path. This meant he wouldn't make exceptions, even for his own.
Therefore, no one here would turn a blind eye to the young Jo Hun drinking alcohol.
'...I'm sorry, Martial Uncle.'
Only Ik Hyeon silently clasped his hands, but Jo Hun, not seeing it, pouted.
"It'll be fine once I get older, won't it!"
"Oh? If you think you can, go ahead and try."
As Ouyang Jue snickered and teased him, Jo Hun began to tear into the twice-cooked pork and chrysanthemum chicken with the Divine Demon Fist.
Someone must have told them that eating meat makes you healthy, and they seemed to have interpreted it as a way to grow up faster.
He felt he would have to correct their misunderstanding someday, but not right now.
For this moment, he wanted to keep watching Jo Hun just as he was.
Ouyang Jue savored the west wind as he talked with his brothers.
At first, it was just simple chatter and stories of daily life, but as more liquor went down their throats, the conversation gradually deepened.
Then, Ouyang Jue suddenly spoke.
"Senior-most Brother, I have something to ask you."
"Hm? What is it?"
"Before, I just followed without any questions... but when you went to confront the Black Dragon Gang. How did you know to go there?"
At those words, Ha Jin-ak placed his cup on the table.
Trying to recall, it felt like a lifetime ago.
Furthermore, the fact that it was before he was hit directly by the gunpowder made it difficult to remember.
His hand trembled slightly.
The pain of being burned to death was still so vivid that the urge to change the subject surged within him.
But wasn't this something he had to face eventually?
Ha Jin-ak fought hard to overcome his weakness.
"Regarding that... there was a tip from someone."
"A tip? Was it from one of our own? Or another sect?"
"It was an elder from one of the vassal families. Someone who was living in seclusion in Henan..."
But as he continued speaking, Ha Jin-ak's face turned pale.
"My god!"
After a brief pause, Ha Jin-ak let out a scream-like cry.
"To think I'm only remembering now!"
He unknowingly half-rose from his seat, ending up in an awkward posture. Such was his vexation.
"Senior-most Brother, what on earth is the matter?"
When Liu Zhangming asked in his calm voice, Ha Jin-ak realized he had overreacted.
There were surely people from the vassal families in the banquet hall right now.
Including the vassal family from Henan that had led him into a trap.
While Ha Jin-ak blushed, realizing his mistake, Ouyang Jue's face hardened.
'It's impossible to find them now.'
The biggest problem was that Ha Jin-ak was the only one who knew.
If he had told anyone else, he wouldn't have reacted so strongly.
At the same time, a sense of disgust welled up.
'Am I supposed to let the enemy who caused that whole mess get away, just because he forgot?'
An enemy from a Mount Hua vassal family, no less, who dared to drive the Senior-most Brother, Ha Jin-ak, to the brink of death.
Irritation gradually turned to anger, and anger coalesced into hatred.
Thud!
Ouyang Jue slammed his fist on the table without realizing it.
"Damn it!"
"It's alright."
Ha Jin-ak was trying to calm his startled expression.
"It'll be nearly impossible to find them now, and the Black Dragon Gang has been gone for a long time anyway. The Henan vassal family isn't large either, so they won't be a future threat. So it's alright."
"Damn it, how can we just let this go?"
Just then, the thoroughly drunk Divine Demon Fist blurted out nonsense.
"Then why don't we just grab someone from the vassal families here and ask them?"
Hearing this, Liu Zhangming sensed things were about to get ugly and quickly stood in Ouyang Jue's way.
"Jue, even if the Henan vassal family is here, the chances that they aren't connected..."
"Are not zero."
Ouyang Jue, his face flushed from the Xifeng liquor, stood up and headed for the head table of the banquet hall.
"This is a disaster."
Liu Zhangming shook his head, worried about what was to come.
"Yes, that's our Martial Uncle!"
The heavily intoxicated Divine Demon Fist rejoiced, unaware of what he had just caused.
"..."
Amidst all this, only Ha Jin-ak was swept up in a strange mix of emotions.
Should he be happy, or should he lament?
It was good that Ouyang Jue cared so much for him, but he had a bad feeling about this.
Ik Hyeon and Jo Hun, who had been indulging in food in the corner, quietly lowered their heads.
Ouyang Jue's mouth opened wide.
"Excuse me, could any members of the vassal families from Henan please come over here!"
Ouyang Jue snorted.
* * *
"What's going on?"
"Did something happen?"
Amidst the lull in the banquet, Ouyang Jue used his internal energy to sober up.
Half of it was an act committed under the influence of alcohol, but the other half was driven by a kind of certainty.
'It's been over thirty days since the Senior-most Brother woke up, and still, no one has come for them. They must be curious.'
Ouyang Jue closed his eyes for a moment, focusing his thoughts.
'If I were that bastard... my heart would have sunk upon hearing that the Senior-most Brother survived. I would have sighed in relief at the news of his coma. I would have thought he'd die soon.'
But he finally woke up.
For a moment, Ouyang Jue felt a sense of urgency boil in his chest.
If even he, a complete stranger to the situation, felt this way, how must they have felt?
It was obvious.
They would have had no choice but to pack their bags and flee.
They would have hastily fled from Henan...
But for some reason, no one even pretended to come after them.
Ouyang Jue immersed himself in the thought again.
'At first, they would have hidden, half in doubt, but as time passed, they would have started to think otherwise. It's plausible they'd wonder if he had truly forgotten.'
It's better to remain a vassal family of a prestigious sect than to be a wanderer who betrayed it.
Ouyang Jue narrowed his eyes at the approaching middle-aged man.
'This is all just my prediction, a leap of logic, and imagination.'
In his past life, he had seen countless petty scoundrels, seen people betray their own kin for personal gain.
It was no different for prestigious families or the households of learned officials.
If anything, those who knew the value of gold craved it all the more.
Ouyang Jue clenched and unclenched his sweaty palms. The middle-aged man was now just within arm's reach.
The middle-aged man spoke.
"Why did you call?"
"There is something I wish to ask you."
"...?"
It was a look of suspicion, but one that anyone would show when dealing with a stranger.
But Ouyang Jue guessed that the man had a serpent's cunning in his heart.
His senses, honed from traversing many battlefields in his past life, whispered to him that the middle-aged man wore a mask.
One corner of Ouyang Jue's lip twitched. His canine tooth glinted.
"This past month... I heard that your family moved, Elder. I was too busy to visit then, but I'd like to offer my congratulations now."
"Ah, no, I didn't expect such a thing."
"Our sect feels apologetic for not having taken better care of you, Elder. The Sect Leader himself instructed us to treat you with the utmost respect."
"Is that so?"
The middle-aged man furrowed his brow.
Seeing this, Ouyang Jue flicked his tongue inside his mouth.
Please, hesitate.
Be tempted by the mention of the Sect Leader.
Nod your head out of a vain desire for fame. Then I can begin the investigation immediately.
'I want to say more, but if I do, he'll notice the fishing rod instead of the bait.'
If he changed his mind even slightly and started denying everything, there would be no end to it.
Ouyang Jue exercised the utmost patience, waiting for the middle-aged man to speak.
In truth, even this hesitation was fatal for the middle-aged man.
The Sect Leader himself had ordered them to honor him, so why would a vassal family hesitate to accept?
That in itself made no sense.
"...Hmph."
Even Ha Jin-ak sensed the strangeness.
Only then did the middle-aged man answer.
"Please convey my thanks."
"Not at all, Elder. Why don't you stay and talk a while longer?"
"I just remembered I have urgent business to attend to."
The middle-aged man immediately turned around.
'Could he be suspecting me?'
If he left Mount Hua now, he planned to eliminate all traces that could be investigated. If by some chance the Mount Hua Sect had found out, his family's annihilation would be unavoidable.
Just then.
Grab.
Ouyang Jue's hand shot out and grabbed the middle-aged man's forearm.
"Where do you think you're going?"
"...What is this insolence!"
Ouyang Jue grinned, baring his canine teeth.
"Senior-most Brother, please tell us."
At those words, the middle-aged man could not hide the urgency in his voice.
"Let go of me at once...!"
"Tell us just how shameless this bastard is!"
"You, you!"
Ouyang Jue whispered in the middle-aged man's ear.
"You'd do best not to think you can leave here in one piece."
A chill ran down the middle-aged man's spine.