Chapter 177
Translator: Ace
Chapter: 177
Chapter Title: Please, Eat Up
Their faces, drawing near, were the picture of menace.
Faces crisscrossed with knife scars and ugly gashes here and there.
At that savage sight, Ha Seol-ran subtly hid herself behind Han Seol-bing.
"Out of the way! Out of the way! We're in a hurry!"
The line might as well have been invisible to them.
And just like that, ignoring the Fierce Dragon Corps cadets waiting their turn at the entrance, they barged straight into the inn.
"Uh..."
Dan Mok Un-roe started to say something at the sight, but Dang Jin-san stopped him.
Dan Mok Un-roe shot him a questioning look.
"Just let it go. This isn't your average roadside inn."
Dang Jin-san said it like it was no big deal.
Shouts erupted from inside.
"The Ten Rogues of the Eastern Reaches have graced us with their presence—why aren't you clearing a table yet?!"
"Hurry up and bring out the fried chicken!"
"I want dumplings! Dumplings!!"
Arrogant bellows, unchecked and wild.
Exactly ten of them had piled in, calling themselves the Ten Rogues.
"Your run-of-the-mill black path thugs."
Dang Jin-san dismissed them casually.
Thugs like that infested every bustling capital city.
Chengdu had its fair share.
Like cockroaches—they just wouldn't die out.
'Oh, right... they said there weren't any in Blood Cult or Demonic Cult territory?'
A memory from the last war surfaced suddenly.
While Dang Jin-san was lost in thought for a moment, the commotion inside grew louder.
"Gah."
"Agh!"
"Wh-what? Urk!"
Screams and groans rang out, and suddenly the ten burly men were hurled back outside.
Following them came five warriors and a middle-aged man.
"If you want to eat at this inn, you wait your turn."
The middle-aged man said calmly.
"Y-you dare treat the Ten Rogues of the Eastern Reaches like this and think you'll get away with it?!"
The biggest of them roared in fury.
A faint sneer crossed the middle-aged man's face, and he gave a glance to the warriors beside him.
At the silent command, the five warriors advanced on the self-proclaimed Ten Rogues.
Clubs in their hands, swords at their waists.
The Ten Rogues hesitated at the approaching warriors, then turned tail and fled.
But not all ran. Two actually headed back toward the inn.
"Dumplings... I want dumplings... Dumplings!!"
It was a cry of pure desperation.
But all he got in return was a brutal beating from the warriors.
The other one was the same.
Even as he was pummeled, he crawled desperately toward the inn, scraping along the ground.
"Fr... fr... fried chicken... please... I feel like I'll die without it..."
It was a scene that bordered on the eerie.
Bleeding, beaten, crawling—yet fixated only on food.
Moments later, the warriors had quelled the disturbance.
The middle-aged man's gaze turned to the Fierce Dragon Corps cadets.
"I apologize for the unseemly display. I am Dong Gye-reung, chief steward of the Moon Dragon Inn. Your table should be ready shortly, so if you'll just wait a bit longer. Excuse me."
He bowed politely and returned inside.
Dan Mok Un-roe stared blankly after him.
"Last time we were here, a couple of those types showed up too, and they handled 'em just like that."
Dang Jin-san said nonchalantly.
"But... what kind of dumplings, what kind of fried chicken makes people go that crazy?"
Yeon Ha-min muttered, her face a touch pale.
They all felt the same. And that only stoked their curiosity about the Moon Dragon Inn's food even more.
"Hm."
Ha Mu-baek watched the whole thing, tilting his head.
"Something feels off..."
Nothing concrete pinged his senses.
Still, the sudden appearance of these inns all over Wuchang felt suspicious.
Moments later, with no further fuss, Ha Mu-baek scanned the interior.
Still nothing amiss.
After finishing lunch, he checked every corner inside.
For people to crave food like madmen wasn't normal.
'Poison.'
It was the first thing that came to mind.
But no poison had shown up in the food. He'd discreetly tested it with a silver needle—no reaction.
Yet the symptoms mimicked poisoning, so something had to be stirring inside.
Ha Mu-baek continued observing his own internals.
At first, nothing.
'Hm?'
Then, abruptly, a strange energy near his tongue.
The kind he'd miss without focus.
Tiny as a speck of dust.
Checking every few moments had let him catch the change.
'What is this?'
Ha Mu-baek circulated his inner energy, cautiously probing the energy.
It fed on a bit of his energy, growing slightly larger.
Slowly, repeating the process.
When it swelled to the size of a mung bean...
A taste bloomed on his tongue. The flavors from lunch.
But amplified.
Far more delicious than he'd actually found them.
It assaulted his brain fiercely.
'So that's it.'
A compulsion to rush in and eat right now.
Ha Mu-baek endured it, prodding the energy with his inner power.
At rice-grain size, suppressing the urge was a real struggle.
But only for a moment.
The energy stopped growing and vanished on its own.
The compulsion faded with it.
Ha Mu-baek's eyes sharpened.
Everyone's inner energy differed, as did their qi.
Even non-martial artists felt the urge, so this poison might feed purely on innate essence.
One thing was clear: the Moon Dragon Inn had tampered with the food somehow.
He didn't know the method yet.
But no one would go to such elaborate, covert lengths just for business.
The moment he confirmed it, Ha Mu-baek moved.
In the interim, the Fierce Dragon Corps cadets had entered and taken their seats.
"That kid's here, you say?"
His plump cheeks jiggled with every word.
Dan-an Merchant Guild Leader Hyeong Ui-cheon nodded slightly at his subordinate's report.
From his room's window, he had a direct view of the Moon Dragon Inn.
The Dan Mok Clan kid was there now, they said.
He'd been planning to make a move soon anyway.
But his heavy body had kept putting it off.
Hyeong Ui-cheon looked down at himself.
All he saw was a belly like a mountain.
Irritation flickered in his eyes.
"Damn gutter brats..."
Hyeong Ui-cheon muttered. His subordinate pretended not to hear, standing silent.
"How's the Latent Soul Poison experiment?"
"Proceeding smoothly, but since most subjects are common folk, it'll take time to find the right mix and dosage for martial artists."
The subordinate bowed his head in reply.
"Doesn't matter. As we take over Wuchang's markets, martial artists will flock to the Moon Dragon Inns and brothels too. We didn't come to Wuchang for nothing."
Wuchang, home to the Dragon Training Pavilion, was a big city with plenty of martial artists.
Not comparable to Changsha.
"Yes, sir."
The subordinate answered curtly.
"How much of Wuchang's merchant scene have we seized?"
"About one tael and five nyang of the inns and brothels under Golden Dragon Guild."
"Then pause on inns and brothels—scout the escort agencies too."
"Yes, sir."
Hyeong Ui-cheon turned his gaze back outside.
"I wonder where it could be?"
At the end of his line of sight lay the Dan Mok Clan estate.
Strong desire and greed burned in his eyes.
'The key to the secret stash must be with Yeo-hwa. We tore the place apart and found nothing...'
Now the site of the Dan-an Merchant Guild's compound in Changsha, former home of the Dan Mok Clan.
How many years had they secretly searched it?
Even buying up the whole plot to dodge Beggar Clan eyes, standing up a full merchant guild.
Time for a reward on that devotion.
"Oh, and tell Chief Steward Dong to keep an eye on that kid."
The large round table had room to spare even with Han Seol-bing and the seven Fierce Dragon Corps cadets seated.
Seemed preparing a spot this size had taken extra time.
Once everyone was seated...
The servers kept bringing out platters nonstop.
Filling the huge table to the brim.
The cadets' eyes went wide at the sight.
A scene they'd never witnessed before.
Han Seol-bing stared at the table in disbelief.
"Hah. True to Sichuan Tang Clan direct lineage—quite the spending. So you ordered all this, Dang Jin-san?"
Dang Jin-san shook his head vigorously at her question.
"I-I did order a lot, but... some of these weren't me."
Truth be told, Dang Jin-san seemed a bit flustered too.
A few tantalizing dishes he hadn't ordered.
No, actually, ones he'd wanted but held back due to restrictions.
Take the Buddha Jumping Wall smack in the center, tempting him—it was known to take a full day to prepare.
And not just that.
Dongpo Pork was there too.
He'd tried ordering it earlier, but they'd said ingredients were all used up.
Yet here it sat.
Honestly, Dang Jin-san was stunned.
"To apologize for the unpleasantness at the entrance, I took the liberty. So please, enjoy."
The chief steward appeared with a gentle smile.
"Uh, so this, this, that one, and those over there..."
Dang Jin-san pointed out all the ones he hadn't ordered.
"Yes. As a gesture of apology, on the house. Please partake without reserve."
Free, in other words.
Each one exorbitantly priced.
The inn's fare was uniformly decent, but these were premium even at that—gourmet dishes proper.
Dang Jin-san's eyes lit up.
"Please, eat up."
At Chief Steward Dong's words, Dang Jin-san reached for his chopsticks but paused.
"Ah, Instructor first."
At that, all eyes turned to Han Seol-bing.
Eat first, their gazes pleaded.
Only then could they relax and dig in.
"This, really."
She'd been surprised by the lavish spread, but Han Seol-bing could cover this much.
She'd saved up plenty.
Just caught off guard by how it exceeded expectations.
Under the cadets' urging stares, Han Seol-bing picked up her chopsticks.
Her first target: the Dongpo Pork.
Her absolute favorite.
The chopsticks pressed into the meat, which parted tenderly, releasing a fragrant aroma that tickled her nose.
She lifted a piece to her mouth.
As the cadets watched intently...
Grab.
A hand shot out from nowhere, seizing Han Seol-bing's wrist.
Chief Steward Dong jumped at the suddenness.
No presence at all, and suddenly a man appeared.
"Chief steward, right? Sorry about this, but something urgent came up for this group. Could you pack the food to go?"
The voice reached Chief Steward Dong's ears.
An outrageous request.
"I'm afraid that's not possible. We don't do takeout at our inn. Meals are to be enjoyed here. And who might you be... with this group?"
Only then did the cadets snap to.
"Instructor Ha, what's this all of a sudden?"
Dang Jin-san said reproachfully.
"Just as I said. Everyone, follow me."
Firm words.
Sensing his momentum, the cadets rose without protest.
Regret plain on their faces, of course.
Ha Mu-baek pulled a gold ingot from his bosom and handed it to Chief Steward Dong.
"Sorry to waste your preparations."
Flustered by the abruptness, the steward didn't know what to do.
Meanwhile, Ha Mu-baek led the group out of the inn.
The cadets trailed him, casting longing looks back at the inn.
How could Ha Mu-baek miss their vibe?
So he led them to one spot.
One of the inns Chef Jo had mentioned at lunch.
"Wha..."
Ha Mu-baek, who'd yanked them out, was heading to another inn?
"I-if we were coming here anyway, why not just eat there..."
Ha Mu-baek shook his head at Dang Jin-san's words.
"Order food first. Jin-san, get everything that was there—even all of it."
At Ha Mu-baek's say-so, Dang Jin-san placed the order. He tried for Buddha Jumping Wall without much hope, and was shocked it was available.
Time passed briefly.
The wide table soon brimmed with food.
"Eat up."
At Ha Mu-baek's cue, they all grabbed chopsticks.
Ha Mu-baek was already scooping and eating the nearby Buddha Jumping Wall.
Han Seol-bing was munching Dongpo Pork too.
The cadets followed suit, picking favored dishes and bringing bites to their mouths!
As if on signal, they all froze.
Eyes widening to impossible degrees.
"D-de... delicious!"
"How can it taste like this!"
Exclamations burst out everywhere.
Ha Seol-ran beamed, chewing happily, chopsticks flying ceaselessly to the food.
"Whoa, this place is no joke? Instructor who always heads to Devouring Dragon Pavilion non-stop—how'd you know about here?"
Dang Jin-san said, stuffing his face relentlessly.
The regret of missing Moon Dragon Inn's food vanished in this taste.
"Not even on my list of spots."
Truthfully, the place didn't look promising from outside.
A bit off the main drag.
Not crowded either.
Yet such delicious cuisine.
"I have my ways."
Ha Mu-baek said evenly, taking a bite.
Honestly, he was feigning calm while pretty shocked himself.
Food this good.
He was starting to get why Dang Jin-san wandered for tasty eats sometimes.
Quite enjoyable.
As the mood mellowed nicely over the feast...
Ha Mu-baek, who'd soundproofed the area with qi, spoke up.
"Moon Dragon Inn, Moon Dragon Brothel—don't eat their food from now on. Ever."
Utterly baffling words.
"I ate lunch there today... and it felt like something unknown was in it. Probably a type of poison..."
The cadets' chopsticks halted at his explanation.
Poison?
What was this about?
Suddenly, the food lost all flavor.