Chapter 417

Bang Jeoksa is receiving the utmost hospitality from the Sect Leader.

However, despite the lavish treatment, his reputation within the S定 deseo 한 would not be described as favorable.

Of course, part of the blame lies with Wang Woo, the former envoy (who ultimately got demoted), who spewed insults like it was his hobby, but it’s mainly because he just doesn’t fit in with the martial artists.

In the Sapa, mingling with the martial arts crowd usually means chasing women and drinking. They don’t do the delicate tea-drinking and chit-chatting like the Zhengpai guys.

Real friendships in the Sapa are built over boisterous drinking and hearty camaraderie among brothers.

So you can see why Bang Jeoksa wouldn’t be the type to invite his beloved concubine out for a late-night gathering.

As time went on, he just found himself more and more on the outside looking in.

And the same goes for that highly developed future—just like in Qing’s hometown.

Skipping welcome parties in college to eat alone, or passing up company dinners at a small-medium enterprise and not joining those automatic-hunting guilds—it’s all the same deal.

In large corporations, it might be different, but hey, people’s lives are similar enough, right?

So, with all that shunning, it’s no surprise Bang Jeoksa has picked up some bad rumors.

They say he’s a sodomite, claiming that the illustrious strategist from the Sado Sect doesn’t want to rub elbows with the scum of some small-time league, and that whenever he opens his mouth, he implies that the Sado Sect thinks of the S定 as nothing more than dog droppings.

From Bang Jeoksa’s view, that’s totally unfair.

He feels wronged.

He likes women! He likes to drink!

But he just can’t do it!

Why?

“Lang-lang, I’m begging you, can we just have one drink with the Sect Leader today? Just one!”

It’s a ridiculous sight with the Sado Sect strategist pleading for a drink.

But the rebuttal has no expression—just a chilling face that gives him the creeps.

“Not possible.”

“Why not?”

“Alcohol is the root of all evil. I can’t risk the potential for mistakes or foolish talk caused by inebriation.”

“But I said just one drink!”

“You can drink it here. Should I bring you some?”

“No, that’s not what I meant! What fun is it to drink alone?”

“Should I drink with you?”

“And let’s be honest, isn’t this also part of our duties? You know how I’m on the outside in the S定. Real friendships among men require some shared meals and a cheeky grab or two. We gotta bond, right?”

“This level of distance is just fine. If you want to grab a woman, you can grab me.”

“No, come on, I want to have some fun!”

“Right now?”

As she says this, Lang-lang dramatically pulls down her clothes.

Bang Jeoksa lets out a deep sigh, shaking his head in disgust.

Mating is meant to be an emotional connection, but Lang-lang’s blank, expressionless face feels like it’d suck the life out of anything that tried to approach it.

Moreover, her skin is chillingly cold and devoid of elasticity—pressing it leaves a mark.

Goodness, no matter how desperate a man might be, there’d be no one willing to hold a woman like that.

She’s the type who wouldn’t flinch even if you stabbed her or set her on fire.

“Just one drink, okay? Just one.”

Lang-lang looks up at the sky.

At that moment, Bang Jeoksa felt a glimmer of hope.

It’s the reaction she exhibits when she gets lost in thought.

He swallowed hard, waiting for Lang-lang’s decision.

How much time passed like that?

Lang-lang finally turned to Bang Jeoksa again.

“Fine. The risk of drunken mistakes is indeed high, but I’ll evaluate this as a chance for building camaraderie and improving relationships. But you must not drink more than one bottle of alcohol.”

“Great, just one bottle. Is alcohol really the issue? We’re just trying to connect, right? No need for worries, just wait here.”

With a brightening smile, Bang Jeoksa quickly donned his outer garments.

He was thinking of rushing to the Sect Leader and saying they should paint the town red, essentially begging for a good time.

Just then, as he was about to bolt out, Lang-lang held him back.

“Wait a sec.”

“What? Why? Didn’t you say you were fine? Changing your mind now is—”

“It’s a message.”

Suddenly, Bang Jeoksa’s expression transformed.

With a face pale as a ghost, he dropped to one knee in front of Lang-lang, bowing his head respectfully.

“While lounging back in the chair, rubbing the woman’s body—has that message been delivered? Oh, it has? No, you mustn’t repeat that. Ahem, it’s my disciple.”

“The lowly disciple offers his greetings to the esteemed Heretic King.”

“Respectfully I present my salutations. The lowly disciple wishes to relay his greetings to you, esteemed Heretic King.”

Lang-lang relayed Bang Jeoksa’s actions and words.

Moments later, she spoke again.

“While rubbing the woman’s chest. So, how far are we on the grand scheme? Excluding the Gold Robbery Guild and Gwangju Seonbang, how many blood demons do we have?”

“With a dumbfounded expression. Are you not going to address it? Will you just urinate while talking?”

“Shouting angrily. No, I’m talking to you! Stop being such a useless lump who can’t even deliver messages properly. Let’s switch tactics, you knucklehead—those bastard Malgal guys are over there fooling around.”

Bang Jeoksa just waited quietly for the end of the tirade.

“Deflecting his anger. What’s this? Why don’t you have a response? I asked how many blood demons have been completed and what the timeline looks like!”

“About twenty will be complete, and in three days’ time, we’ll be able to consume 十心 to finish them, oh esteemed King of the Demons.”

“Scowling, then shaking his head. I sent you five hundred hearts and you’ve got only twenty? Hah, fine, whatever. If you mess with the wrong passerby, it’s always been this way. I won’t blame my disciple.”

“The mercy of the Master is as vast as the sea.”

*“Chuckling. You little flatterer. Save your sweet talk. Let’s work hard, okay? You know these guys crossed up to the end of the line aren’t easy to control, right? Don’t get distracted; just focus on that goal. Okay? Disconnect now.”*

Finally, Bang Jeoksa lifted his head.

An expressionless Lang-lang looked down at him and casually remarked.

“The King of the Demons instructed you not to get distracted. Are you still going to indulge in such dirty activities with drinks and crowds?”

There it is again, her choice of words.

Bang Jeoksa frowned and said,

“Didn’t I say no changing your mind?”

“I don’t obey the commands of the King of the Demons. I’m acting under my Master’s command to carry out the King’s mission and your weak protection task.”

*“Cough, weak, you say.”*

Bang Jeoksa frowned and grumbled.

He paused at the threshold, hesitating.

Should he stick to his Master’s advice for a few more days, or should he finally indulge in the depraved gathering that was allowed for the first time in Gwangju?

But it was too long to wait.

Unable to suppress the desire that crossed the line, Bang Jeoksa finally dashed through the doorway and vanished from sight.

—-

Two days after the construction of Jin Gajang was completed, the support unit from the Martial Alliance arrived.

There was a risk of having to bring guests outside due to odors, so timing couldn’t have been more perfect.

Thus, the combat unit, after taking a detour through Guangxi Province, stepped into the now-refurbished Jin Gajang.

After greeting the head of the Jin family, the combat unit began to unload their baggage while Qing was wandering through the Guest Hall, wondering if he’d spot any familiar faces.

“Did you hear what Jin Gaju said? From tomorrow on, our Hwa Ryong Jo will also help with managing Jin’s operations. Sorry we can’t rest after our long journey, as we’re diving straight into work! But this is the martial bond of Zhengpai, isn’t it? When times are tough, we help each other! Then when I’m in need, everybody steps in to help as well! That’s the spirit of the Martial Alliance, you and I becoming one! Jin Gaju isn’t an outsider!”

“No way!”

“Right! We’re a family in the orthodox martial arts! And we don’t need to micromanage reasons for helping each other! Isn’t that right?”

“Exactly!”

“But! Tonight is free! What does this mean? It means your big brother is treating you all to a grand festival! Though I’ll have to shake off the drunkenness with my inner strength tomorrow, still, we won’t forgo the deep bonds among brothers!”

“Brother Jo! Brother Jo! Brother Jo!”

“Tonight, we drink and die at Jin Haeru!”

“Waaah! Brother Jo! Brother Jo! Brother Jo!”

The atmosphere was a total frenzy, with youthful cheers echoing for Brother Jo.

As Qing peered around, searching for familiar faces, he felt slightly put off.

Ugh. I thought it was someone, but it’s Brother Jo.

The grandson of the leader of the Martial Alliance and heir to the Black Dragon Clan.

Also the oldest brother among the current influential figures in the later period, a man both manly and boisterous.

And yet he’s infamous for being a womanizer—that very Brother Jo, Jo Hak-che.

Should Qing say hi or not?

But still, he kind of wanted to join them at Jin Haeru.

Despite the gathering of martial artists who were known for roaming, they would say Guangju’s a pretty boring city.

Why? Because there aren’t exactly any famous sights around Guangju.

Historically, Guangju was always on the edge of the outskirts, and since it hasn’t been developed long, it lacks a substantial history.

Just looking at the population—the Han Chinese makeup is the majority—it shows that they only settled here after the land was developed.

It was also a place frequently pillaged by Japanese pirates, with trips out to sea being forbidden by national law.

Thus, while it boasts the largest population and scale in South Central’s southern cities, the question remains—what’s there to see out of sheer tourist appeal? Well…

If you had to pick one, it would pretty much just be Jin Haeru.

The famed Jin Haeru, the number one tower in Guangju.

Yet, when the Jin family was in a rough patch, Qing felt awkward going, and after the situation improved, it just felt a bit silly going alone unless invited by the Jin family.

Even if he wanted to visit on his own dime, unless he went during a festive time and not when lingering, it would look bad.

It seemed like he was visiting because the Jin family hadn’t provided proper treatment.

However, that wasn’t because the Jin family was neglecting Qing; they were simply too busy taking care of the place with only a handful of staff to spare time for guests.

So, uh, there’s really no way around it.

What’s the point of having money if you can’t go?

Even with wealth overflowing, it feels pointless to be unable to visit the number one tower in town.

So when the support unit of the Martial Alliance arrived and erupted in cheers for Jin Haeru, it was impossible to ignore the excitement.

But Brother Jo felt a bit intimidating.

Just at that moment, Qing’s eyes caught a familiar face among his colleagues.

“Jin Haeru is Guangju’s number one tower, isn’t it? I bet the beauties in Guangju will be there too, right? The Daoist who’s all into group outings with you, won’t he? And let me tell you, if there are no women, it’s not the ‘Daoist that doesn’t drink’ thing, is it?”

“Of course, the enjoyment of alcohol requires the tender hands of women supporting it modestly. The Daoist I met today—”

“Oh! Isn’t that Chang-bin!”

The lively voice made all the young martial artists in the support unit turn all at once.

With deep breaths and whispers of “Cheonhwa-geom, Young Lady Seomun,” Qing confidently strode up to Chang-bin, resting his chin on his shoulder.

“Oh, Seomun? Um… are you… well…?”

Chang-bin stiffly turned as if doing acrobatics, like a puppet being manipulated by a child.

“Look at this! It’s been a while and now it’s all awkward! Just relax, alright?”

“Um, well. Is this… comfortable…?”

“Doesn’t seem comfortable!”

“No… I mean, it is… it’s just… been well?”

“Of course, I’ve been doing great as always.”

Qing laughed, poking Chang-bin’s side with his elbow.

“What’s going on? Didn’t the Gye-rim Sword Faction tell you Seomun would be staying at Jin Gajang? Why are you being so country bumpkin?”

Jo Hak-che gnashed his teeth.

Hearing that, Qing thought, hmm, some things never change.

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