Chapter 170

“Oh dear, our flower beggar!”

“Why are you giving me all this…”

“I’ve noticed since the first time we met that your physiognomy isn’t ordinary. I’ve recognized it right away after twenty years of being a tavern employee, hehe.”

It was quite the typical Jeomsoi dialogue, talking about physiognomy without even having peeled back their face. The serious and solemn tavern employee had switched gears.

Well, it was hard to act adult when you know they are a Martial World expert, but the gratitude for the precious person who protected the shop was significant.

Surprisingly, Jeomsoi felt more like a partner than just an employee; in the hierarchy of the tavern, she fell below the manager and above the cook.

Of course, this could vary based on seniority and the shop.

But with twenty years of experience, you could just consider her a co-manager.

“Don’t just give away everything; only pour out what’s needed, slowly. Kindness can wear thin if it goes on too long.”

Not that she was refusing; it just indicated she would be coming again.

Jeomsoi’s expression was simply one of delight.

What with the compensation given to Qinhua Merchant Association already getting wrecked, and the money taken by guests, the numbers were adding up.

Plus, considering the money gathered from the corpses and weapons being sold on top, today amounted to several months’ worth of income in one go.

“Oh, why such resentful words? You, flower beggar, will always be the benefactor of our tavern!”

Yet internally, she was genuinely amazed because she completely agreed with Qing’s words.

A look of respect began to fill Jeomsoi’s eyes.

Such words were filled with the essence of life, a remarkable Martial World master practicing the principle of non-ownership while having nothing!

And still mingling freely with lowly people like Jeomsoi, truly a martial hero that one would read about in storybooks!

If someone were to listen, they might say it’s nonsense like a dog eating grass.

But really, dogs do eat grass.

Usually, they make a snapping sound while munching it down as a digestive aid; some unique ones just happen to like grass.

Just like the sound of a dog eating grass is real for its owner, Qing was indeed a respectable female martial artist in Jeomsoi’s eyes.

Look at that dignified manner as she eats!

Wasn’t that the heroic spirit of a great hero charging in to slaughter enemies?

And gulping down liquor like water, truly a top-notch hero of the realm!

Moreover, how beautiful her jawline was, no doubt a breathtaking beauty not to be hidden by her powder!

Even though she pretended to be a beggar and ate like one, she still had her dignity intact!

Indeed, Jeomsoi evaluated Qing’s meal, or rather, the spectacle of how she stuffed food into her mouth like a pig.

Such is the terrifying nature of human recognition.

—-

Blackspots’ association head, Jang Eun-chae, scratched his hair in frustration after skimming through the damage report.

Even so, this act wouldn’t dissolve his anger; all it did was mess up his hair, proving utterly useless.

Simply put, it reflected how messed up his mood was.

“Guangdong, Jiangxi, Fujian, Zhejiang? Almost the whole of Yangzhou has been wiped out? They say the fallen warriors from Jinju suddenly showed up, driving guests away and killing merchants?”

Yangzhou refers to the southeastern part of the Central Plain; it used to be called Jiangdong. Also, southwestern Yangzhou could be confusing since it shares the name with its northwestern counterpart.

As a side note, the northwestern Yangzhou is also called Xiliang.

“In every city, the Blackspots branches have been wrecked too.”

“I know already! I heard it!”

“What do we do now? Wouldn’t it be better to just call off the bounty?”

“Are you joking? How would that make everyone think of Blackspots as a joke? So it’s like you just showed up and said, ‘Here we are!’ every time, huh? Raise the bounty to ten thousand coins, and no matter who it is… ”

– Association Head, it’s me, Yeon Ga.

At that moment, a subordinate interrupted.

“What is it, come in.”

“Association Head, this.”

The subordinate approached politely, placing a scroll on the table before stepping back.

“What’s this?”

“There’s a box that arrived addressed to you from Fujian…”

Sending letters or goods to the Blackspots association head was simple. Just hand it over to any Blackspot branch, petty thieves, or loan sharks, and it would get delivered professionally.

Of course, you should keep in mind that subordinates would check these letters or boxes beforehand.

The box from Fujian was opened just to ensure it wasn’t anything dangerous.

And lo and behold, there was a horrifying sight inside.

A dog’s body with a human head skewered on it, with the letter stuffed in its mouth.

The head belonged to the head of the Blackspots branch in Fujian.

“Ugh…”

Just hearing that was spine-chilling enough.

The subordinate who had opened the box fainted immediately and continues to suffer nightmares about it.

Jang Eun-chae opened the rolled-up letter.

「Dear Head of Blackspots,

I’m sorry for injuring your beloved dog, so I’m sending back the body of the female dog I raised. Just to note, I named my female dog Jang Eun-chae, so now you have a rather ugly head.

What should I do with it? Should I boil it for dinner?

Just kidding! It’s a stray dog.

Based on the bounty poster, it doesn’t seem like you’re looking for me, so I’ll just drop you this note.

On the next page, I’ve attached my portrait.

Regarding the credibility of that portrait, you can check with the Martial Alliance’s Inspectors.

Or, you might as well verify it with the residents near Jinju.

I hope that you can deal with this properly after thorough considerations.

P.S. Considering that you put a bounty on an innocent woman, I imagine you deserve to experience this level of payback, right?

– The not-yet-fallen Jinju faction’s head, Unyeonjeong.」

On the back, a beautifully drawn portrait of a stunning beauty was accompanied by her height – five feet four inches.

“What the hell!”

Jang Eun-chae crumpled the letter and tossed it aside.

At the same time, a chill ran down his spine.

How does she know my name?

Not to mention, a Jinju faction that hasn’t fallen yet?

It was a warning that she knew everything about his identity.

Moreover, there was that line about cooking the head!

“Cancel the bounty! Cancel it now!”

“Head?”

“Damn it! It wasn’t Unyeonjeong! It was that other kid who impersonated! I poked a hornet’s nest without realizing!”

One hell of a mistake it was.

The silver lining in this disaster was that the letter didn’t say something like, “You’re dead, so wait for it.”

In other words, she indicated they’d let it slide if they called off the bounty.

“What kind of kid is she? If I catch her, she’s ten thousand coins. How do I find her? That kid with her must not be an impersonator either?”

“Are you talking about Je-gal Lee-hyun and Tang Nan-ah? Those two are confirmed to be the real deal from the start; they are widely recognized.”

“Can’t touch the five great families, but was there another girl around? Did you put someone on her?”

“Well, after visiting Daebyeolsan Mountain with her party, she returned to Jimmujom with a servant they were hunting for. After that, she settled with none other than Old Man Ban in the Seolga Merchant Association in Zhaguixian, Hubei.

“Seolga Merchant Association? What do they do there?”

“It was set up by Seolga…”

“Are you kidding? If it’s the Seolga Association, of course, that would be it! Which fool didn’t get a single lead on the owner’s name?”

“… I’ll take care of it. But anyway, they handle various goods; it’s just that their scale doesn’t reach the city.”

An unfortunate victim was about to emerge.

“Just a hole-in-the-wall shop, huh? If they settled there, they must know.”

“However, they visited the Divine Maiden Sect afterward, so it’s possible that she might have some connections there.”

“What Divine Maiden Sect!? They must stick together; damn, of course, they would hang out as a pack! Look at the Zhengpai guys!”

Jang Eun-chae banged on the table loudly.

“What will you do?”

“If we back out now, we’d truly be the laughingstock of the world. Don’t you know if we’re underestimated in this business, it’s curtains? Just say the bounty is temporarily revoked, get to the bottom of her identity, and then double the bounty. That Seolga Merchant Association? Hell, my gold can spend easily, whether it’s bribing or sending people out. Bring that said ‘partner’ to me!”

The Seolga Merchant Association? Zhaguixian?

It seems like a shabby little shop in a town he’s never heard of, but would the Blackspots back down against such a trivial hole-in-the-wall shop?

Jang Eun-chae’s eyes burned with rage.

—-

After reading the bounty, Qing felt eased.

So he drank deeply and ate more than that free meal; if someone saw him now, they might think he was a baby stuffed to the brim.

Just like the food contest that inexplicably existed in Qing’s hometown.

One of Qing’s favorite things is to gorge until his belly is about to burst and then straightaway lie down.

A reborn master gets to do that.

His esophagus was robust, so only by facing hits or poison could he get sick after eating; since he ate and slept, it never upset his stomach.

If asked what the best part was after Qing’s transformation, he could assert with confidence that this was it.

Plus, overpowering sweats worry him not and it wouldn’t matter; he became a king of food!

The fact that he doesn’t gain excess fat was evidently just his nature, even before his transformation.

Anyway, he finally felt his stomach full.

Jeomsoi, enchanted by his heroic stature, kept serving him more food, insisting it wasn’t a contest, causing Qing to concede defeat.

Thanks to that, his stomach, which had expanded to its limits, ached for mercy; lying down while enjoying the sensation was absolutely heavenly.

So that’s what Qing did.

There was only one person in the world who could stop this kind of debauchery – his beloved master, Seomun Sulin.

In other words, even if he stepped out of the Divine Maiden Sect, nobody to hinder his ways of stuffing himself at the moment.

Even before his rebirth, Qing had to lie on his left when feeling sick.

So there he lay, wrapped in a thick, warm cotton outfit; it couldn’t be more blissful.

Before long, a silk-like dream floated in.

How long had it passed?

“Sister, beggar sister.”

“What is it….”

“I’m here! It’s Mo Yongjun.”

“You’ve come… so go away…”

Qing absentmindedly waved a hand while still immersed in sleep.

“Then I’ll wait here…”

“Yes, just stay right there and wait…”

Qing struggled to catch the thread of his escaping dream.

Sleeping was nice, but being wrapped in the warmth of the body, feeling the heat rising, was also a truly happy moment.

How long had it passed? Anyway, it was afternoon where Qing had been living in a daytime practice routine, so this nap was suitable.

If Seomun Sulin knew about this relaxed practice, she’d either think of him as commendable or perhaps lament about her poor disciple growing more foolish each day.

As Qing stirred, he rubbed his eyes and asked with a yawn.

“Hmm. Mo Yongjun, how long has it been?”

“Um. Just a moment. The moon…”

Even in a halfway-awake state, Qing could sense the presence beside him.

Still lulled by dreams, he decided to wait a tad longer.

Mo Yongjun seemed to raise a finger to trace the moon’s position and then boldly answered,

“About an hour had passed!”

“Huh?”

An hour meant two of his hours.

Feeling slightly guilty, Qing found himself blaming the innocent little kid.

“Why the heck were you waiting a whole hour?”

“You told me to stay still and wait…”

So he had just stood there cluelessly without any backup plan.

“Wait, I was just gonna lie down for a minute; at least be comfortable.”

Qing scratched the back of his head.

Just a bit before lying down; how could time fly so fast?

They say time flies when you’re having fun, but is this too much?

---