Chapter 87
It was the hunchback.
The hunchback had been sitting in a corner of the inn since before the man and his companion arrived, the very same hunchback who had burst into laughter when the man started talking about the Flower-Glutton.
The man stared at the hunchback in shock. Without realizing it, he sighed inwardly.
‘That man is the Flower-Glutton?’
The hunchback looked even more hideous than the man had expected.
His back was hunched, with a hump that bulged up as large as a mountain, while his hair was a wild, disheveled mess that covered half his face. Even the little of his face that was visible was covered in lumpy boils.
There had always been rumors that he was an ugly man, but his appearance was even more grotesque than expected. The man frowned and thought.
‘With a face that hideous, all the women must turn him away. No wonder he’s so obsessed with women.’
While the man was silently judging the hunchback, the group had gradually surrounded him in a semicircle.
After a moment, someone shouted in a rough voice.
“Hey, you bastard. After pulling a stunt like that, you can still get noodles down your throat?!”
The Flower-Glutton answered.
“Yeah.”
The man was startled again. Unlike his face, the Flower-Glutton’s voice was clear and melodious.
“The noodles here are excellent. They go down the throat real smooth.”
“What?”
“You came quickly.”
The Flower-Glutton continued shamelessly.
“Why the rush? I was going to fill my stomach a little before coming to find you. Didn’t expect you’d make the trip all the way here yourself.”
“You bastard…?”
“Cut me some slack. I already broke a sweat dragging that pig by the neck, hanging him up in front of your gate before I came here. I don’t know what the hell he ate, but he was so fat and bloated that his head was ridiculously heavy.”
“……”
“Why are you all standing there so uncomfortably? Sit down first. Have some noodles, drink some liquor, fill your stomach a little, and then we can talk about…”
BANG!
“Do you think we’re joking around?!”
One of the men, unable to endure it any longer, finally slammed his fist down on the Flower-Glutton’s table. The half-eaten noodles splashed across the tabletop.
Silence descended in an instant. A suffocating tension filled the inn.
At that moment, the Flower-Glutton muttered in a low voice.
“Do I look like I’m joking around, too?”
The men flinched.
“You bastards. Even when I’m trying to reason with you nicely, fuck, are you eating my words through your asses? There’s a limit to how much you can fail to understand. Don’t you understand the situation right now? Why the hell did you come here?”
“……”
“I asked you a question, so answer me, you bastards. You saw your Green Snake Sect brothers get completely wrecked, and the Third Leader get killed, then came running here like mad dogs, didn’t you? To get revenge. Huh?”
‘Green Snake Sect?’
The man was startled for the third time.
The Green Snake Sect was a group of unorthodox martial artists that had been dominating this area lately. From what he had heard, their leaders were quite skilled, which had made even their underlings grow increasingly arrogant.
But this man had completely wrecked the Green Snake Sect? Had he even killed their Third Leader?
“If you’re here for revenge, then either hurry up and take your revenge or draw your swords the moment you see me and fight to the death. You don’t have the guts to do either, so you’re just standing there, singing ‘bastard, bastard’ like a bunch of idiots. Hey, are you my parents? Should I really become your son and commit some proper filial impiety against you?”
“……”
Despite the Flower-Glutton’s vicious insults, the men couldn’t say a word. Instead, they furtively glanced at one another, apparently wondering whether what he was saying was actually true.
The Flower-Glutton spoke with a mocking tone.
“Or perhaps…”
“……”
“You’re waiting for someone?”
“Just as expected of the Flower-Glutton.”
A voice suddenly came from behind.
Everyone’s gaze turned toward the back. At some point, a man had appeared at the entrance of the inn.
Unlike the other members of the Green Snake Sect, the man wasn’t particularly burly, but he was exceptionally tall. With a thin, rat-tail-like mustache and a fan in his hand, he looked somewhat like a scholar.
“It’s Second Leader Jin!”
The rough-looking men’s expressions brightened instantly. The scholar-like man smiled gently.
“Those of you who have nothing to do with this, shall we have you leave?”
It was unmistakably an order to leave, as though he were the owner of the inn. As if they had been waiting for him to say those words, everyone inside immediately stood up and hurried outside.
The man and his companion exchanged glances before following the crowd out. However, despite his companion’s attempts to stop him, the man pressed himself against the window and secretly peered inside.
The scholar-like man was just beginning to speak to the Flower-Glutton.
“Brother Dan, how have you been?”
“You know me?”
“How renowned the Flower-Glutton is throughout the martial world! I’ve always wanted to meet you, and it is truly an honor to finally do so. I am Jin Se-ha, the Second Leader of the Green Snake Sect.”
The scholar-like man, Jin Se-ha, clasped his hands in greeting and spoke to him in a friendly manner. The Flower-Glutton also smiled faintly and returned the greeting.
“I didn’t expect you to welcome me so warmly. As you know, I’m the Flower-Glutton, Dan Yeonjeong. But what brings the Second-in-Command of the Green Snake Sect all the way here?”
“You know why too, don’t you, Brother Dan?”
“Revenge?”
At the Flower-Glutton’s blunt question, Jin Se-ha burst into hearty laughter.
“Of course, it is true that there was an unfortunate incident between Brother Dan and our sect. But I don’t wish for two grown men to become enemies over such a thing. If there’s been a misunderstanding, wouldn’t it be better to resolve it through words?”
“A misunderstanding?”
“What brings Brother Dan to our sect?”
Jin Se-ha continued without waiting for an answer.
“I already know the answer. It must be because of the women our sect brought in this time. Isn’t it famous that the Flower-Glutton goes around plucking fragrant flowers?”
“……”
“I don’t mean to blame Brother Dan. It is only natural for a hero to be fond of beautiful women. But there wouldn’t have been any women at the place Brother Dan visited, and after coming up empty-handed, you lost your temper and took it out on my Third Brother, didn’t you?”
The Flower-Glutton said nothing. Jin Se-ha smiled brightly, thinking he had struck at the man’s true motives.
“Because of Brother Dan’s actions, my position has become rather difficult as well. Regardless of my desire to become friends with Brother Dan, debts of blood must be settled clearly if I am to preserve my dignity.”
“……”
“However, I have no desire to engage in a meaningless fight with Brother Dan. That is why I have come to make you a proposal while I have the opportunity.”
Only then did the Flower-Glutton react.
“A proposal?”
“I will give Brother Dan all the women our sect brought in this time.”
The Flower-Glutton stared at Jin Se-ha. His eyes revealed nothing of what he was thinking. Jin Se-ha, however, continued confidently.
“No, if there is any woman among all the women in our sect whom Brother Dan desires, I will gladly give her to you. Except for my wife, they are all yours.”
“…What do you want from me?”
“I would like Brother Dan to join our sect.”
“The Green Snake Sect?”
“To be a little more ambitious, I would like you to become sworn brothers with me. I have just lost a younger brother, and if Brother Dan became my Third Brother and helped lead the Green Snake Sect alongside me, wouldn’t that settle our grudge while also making our sect even more powerful?”
“Aha.”
Only then, after seeing through Jin Se-ha’s true intentions, did the Flower-Glutton exclaim in admiration. Then, for some reason, finding the whole thing hilarious, he snickered and tapped the table.
“So that’s what this is about. That’s what you meant.”
Jin Se-ha took his reaction as a positive sign.
“What do you think of my proposal?”
“Well, it’s not a bad offer, but…”
“But?”
“There are a few things you’re mistaken about.”
At the sudden change in his tone, Jin Se-ha slightly furrowed his brow. He asked patiently.
“What do you mean?”
“First, I didn’t kill your Third Brother to vent my anger. That bastard was the worst of the worst. He’d kill the weak whenever things didn’t go his way, and whenever he saw a decent-looking woman, he’d kidnap her by force and sell her. I killed him because he was trash like that.”
“……”
“Second, you talk as though you’re generously offering me your women, but let’s be honest. Didn’t you kidnap every single one of those women and bring them here? Is there even a single woman among them who joined the Green Snake Sect of her own free will?”
“……”
“Third.”
The Flower-Glutton raised three fingers and grinned.
“It is true that I’m fond of women. But I didn’t attack you because I coveted those women. I attacked you to rescue the women you’d kidnapped.”
“……”
“Anything else you want to ask?”
Jin Se-ha’s expression hardened completely.
For an instant, a dangerous aura filled the inn. One by one, the men surrounding the Flower-Glutton reached for their weapons. Then, just as the Flower-Glutton suddenly reached out and grabbed a bowl…
“Get him!”
CLANG!
The fight began.
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