Chapter 147
In the first place, everything had started because of that.
“…And there are rumors that the Sacred Flame Sect Master is one of the Twelve Evil Kings who left the Main Sect. Of course, nothing is certain, and it was supposedly founded by just an ordinary disciple…”
It was because there were circumstances suggesting that the Sect Master was one of the Twelve Evil Kings.
Baek Seol-yeong had praised me as though I were some great hero, but honestly, I didn’t possess any such great sense of responsibility or justice.
I, too, wanted to learn the identity of the Sacred Flame Sect Master for the sake of the sect I belonged to.
That was another reason I hadn’t been able to let Baek Seol-yeong apologize to me any further. I had hidden my true objective from her as well, after all.
‘Then this is my chance.’
On top of that, Baek Seol-yeong was the daughter of the Sacred Flame Sect Master. I didn’t need the Sacred Flame Sect’s forces, and she might readily grant my request to meet the Sect Master.
There was no reason to delay any longer. I was just about to speak…
“Then…”
I hesitated.
At that moment, I noticed the countless people around us.
Starting with Liyeon beside me, the sect members behind Baek Seol-yeong, and even the Pleasure Pavilion members kneeling on the ground.
Could I say it here?
I thought about it for a moment before shaking my head. That would be too hasty. Under normal circumstances, I needed to make contact with the Sect Master discreetly, and especially since Liyeon was beside me, I had to be even more careful.
He was the captain of the Inspection Corps, after all. Whether or not the Sacred Flame Sect was connected to the Guangjin Sect, I couldn’t let them be branded as a Demonic Cult. After calculating everything, I spoke calmly as though nothing had happened.
“…You shouldn’t say things like that so carelessly. What are you going to do if, just like I said before, I really ask you to offer your body?”
“Just as I said before, I know you’re not the kind of person who would do that, so that’s why I’m saying it.”
“My, my. I don’t know just how much you trust me. I have a great deal of interest in pretty young ladies, you know? All right! Then let’s do this. Instead of your body, give me your time, Miss.”
“Pardon?”
“I mean, before we part ways, spend a little time talking and having fun with me. How does that sound?”
Baek Seol-yeong tilted her head, then soon smiled as though she found it amusing.
“Then let’s do that.”
I smiled back and nodded. At the same time, I surreptitiously glanced at Liyeon. Fortunately, he didn’t seem to have noticed anything.
However, he did seem strangely displeased as he alternated between looking at Baek Seol-yeong and me.
‘What’s wrong with him?’
I was bewildered, but as long as he hadn’t become suspicious, that was enough. I secretly breathed a sigh of relief. After that, we reunited with the Inspection Corps.
“Captain, Young Master Dan!”
Contrary to my worries, they were all fine. Perhaps because they had just fought the Pleasure Pavilion, they were injured here and there and had blood on them, but they were all standing firmly on their own two feet, and their condition seemed to be fine.
The first person to approach us was Daoist Woonhak. His face was bright and clear.
“You’re safe! What a relief. Young Master Zhuge gave us some advance warning, but I was secretly worried. Seeing you here in person puts my mind at ease.”
“Were you really that worried?”
“Of course! Do you know how anxious I was? The two people I was most worried about didn’t show up, but then the two people I least expected to worry about kept failing to appear. I thought something terrible had happened.”
“Hey, that’s not us, is it?”
“Hahaha, Young Master Paeng. Well… anyway, even the heavens couldn’t have known we’d meet here. What happened to you? Young Master Zhuge said he didn’t know much either.”
“Hey!”
Daoist Woonhak naturally ignored Paeng Mirang’s indignant outburst and asked me. Tang Hi, who happened to be standing nearby, suddenly joined in as well.
“Right, I’m curious too! I heard you fell off a cliff. What does that mean? Was there some kind of gambling den on the cliff or something?”
“That’s not it…”
I scratched my head before briefly explaining everything that had happened up until now.
How I had chased after the gambling den’s manager, how he had been carrying a bomb, and how I had fallen off the cliff and eventually made my way here through a cave. I naturally left out the part about the manager bringing up the Murim Alliance.
‘There isn’t any clear evidence, anyway.’
And I didn’t even know whether these people were supposed to know about it.
As they listened to my explanation, their mouths gradually fell open. When I mentioned that there was a path in the cave connected to the prison, they even exclaimed in amazement.
“You could truly say that the heavens themselves helped Young Master Dan. To think the place you happened to fall was connected to this place…”
“I was lucky this time. If I hadn’t been, wouldn’t you have ended up going to the Alliance to look for us yourselves?”
“Haha, that’s rather terrifying…”
Daoist Woonhak put a hand to his forehead. The thought of not only having disobeyed the Alliance’s orders but also asking the Alliance for help seemed to make him dizzy.
Taking advantage of the opportunity, I asked,
“By the way, how did Daoist Woonhak join up with them? I heard the Sacred Flame Sect helped Young Master Zhuge’s group. Did you receive their help as well?”
“No!”
Surprisingly, it was Tang Hi who answered.
“Hmph, do you think we’re so weak that we’d need someone else’s help to escape? We got out ourselves! By ourselves! We escaped from there on our own. We only encountered the Sacred Flame Sect while dealing with the remaining remnants.”
“Really? That’s impressive.”
“Right? Pretty impressive, huh? Look at this… Flower-Glutton readily admits it, but Rangrang won’t even acknowledge it. He’s the one who needed help to get out.”
“I’m not weak.”
“Huh? You’re not weak? But you couldn’t escape by yourself in the end, could you? You got help at the critical moment, didn’t you? If you hadn’t received it, you couldn’t have gotten out, right? You couldn’t do anything by yourself, right? You’re completely weak, aren’t you? You don’t have any skill, do you?”
“Hi-ya, I’m hurting too…”
“You guys, you guys had one more person…!”
Paeng Mirang, whose face had turned bright red before he knew it, made one final desperate attempt. But Tang Hi was no pushover.
Tang Hi snorted and mocked him.
“Seriously, what’s the difference between two people and three people? If you put it that way, Flower-Glutton’s side had two people too. How are you going to explain that?”
“……”
“Rangrang, excuses are ugly. Besides, you were the one who said women should be protected. That they’re bound to be weak. Huh? What’s this? Rangrang is weaker than a weak woman!”
“……”
“Gasp, then does that mean Rangrang isn’t a man? Are you a woman from today onward? Rangrang is so big that it’s kind of gross. Still, if you get that thing removed, I’ll…”
“This guy, seriously!”
In the end, Paeng Mirang exploded and reached out to grab Tang Hi. But Tang Hi had already been prepared and dodged like a slippery loach, giggling all the while.
“You’re not getting away! Fine, let’s settle this once and for all today!”
“Eek! Sister Ju, that savage Paeng Mirang is trying to hit me. Save me!”
“……”
“Oh, Brother Paeng! Tang Hi is young, so she can joke around a little. Why are you acting like this? Calm down–ugh! Why are you hitting me too?!”
“Shut up! Get out of my way!”
Soon, the area descended into complete chaos.
I stared at them with an incredulous expression. Daoist Woonhak was completely unable to stop them and had buried his face in both hands, while Liyeon merely watched in silence.
No, is it really okay to just leave them like that?
Just as I was becoming dizzy from their usual commotion after so long without seeing them…
“Hehe.”
A small sound came from beside me.
A round octopus head.
It was Venerable Xu Jae. Why was this drunken monk here again?
Venerable Xu Jae smiled gently and said,
“Isn’t this a nostalgic sight?”
“Monk…”
I didn’t miss it at all.
Even so, a smile had appeared at the corners of my mouth before I knew it. In the end, I burst out laughing.
“Hahahaha.”
What a complete mess!
***
Not long afterward, Baek Seol-yeong came over to us. She thanked us once again and said she wanted to hold at least a modest banquet for us.
We refused several times, but due to Baek Seol-yeong’s earnest insistence, we eventually had no choice but to accept.
The banquet wasn’t held at some splendid drinking establishment, but at a small shop nearby. Baek Seol-yeong rented the shop for a day, at least temporarily. Then, together with the sect members, she bought ingredients from around the area and personally cooked the food for us.
The dishes themselves were ordinary. Pickled cabbage, boiled pork slices, steamed tofu, and so on… things you could find anywhere. But the taste was so delicious that my eyes widened.
I took a bite and exclaimed in admiration.
“How did you make food like this? You didn’t buy it from some restaurant, did you?”
“That’s too much praise. I just happened to like cooking since I was young, and since I often had to travel around and cook for myself, I gradually improved.”
“This is truly amazing! At this level, you’re even better than the head chef at my home!”
With delicious food and good alcohol going down our throats, the atmosphere instantly softened. We drank until we were pleasantly drunk and chatted away.
Tang Hi talked about her own exploits, Paeng Mirang would indignantly shout in protest, Zhuge Ye would share useless personal information, and Daoist Woonhak would play along with him.
I also laughed and chatted with them, repeatedly raising my cup. And just as the pleasant intoxication was beginning to rise…
“Please excuse me for a moment.”
Suddenly, Baek Seol-yeong stood up. One of the sect members behind her had called out to her. The two of them exchanged a few words before stepping outside. Judging from their mention of the Main Sect and such, it seemed to be some internal sect matter.
I watched them from the corner of my eye, my gaze sharpening.
‘Now.’
At last, the time had come for me to speak with Baek Seol-yeong alone.
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