Chapter 470

Qing was waiting for the food and meal to arrive.

It felt like an eternity from when the order was placed to when the food would show up.

Way too long…

Everyone else had come down from the mountains after roughing it, eating, sleeping, and hacking away with their swords in utter misery.

They just slumped in their chairs, staring vacantly into space.

Even Jin Jangmyung was dozing off.

And then, out of nowhere—

A guy glided up to the table.

When Qing looked up, he saw a fantastic beard peeking out from under a large hat.

It didn’t seem like he had put much effort into grooming it.

With something like that, you’ve gotta be born with it.

But who the heck was he?

Qing couldn’t think of anyone he knew with such a cool beard.

Especially not someone who used dual swords.

“Hey there. From what I can see, it looks like there’s quite a lot of food here. Mind if I help myself a little?”

What the heck? Who is this joker?

Qing was flabbergasted.

He came all the way here just to ask for some food?

And he had the audacity to say it so shamelessly.

Except for the snoozing Jin Jangmyung, both his master and Mo Yong Joo-hee looked just as baffled, as if they were wondering if Qing knew this guy and what to do about him.

Qing’s gaze flickered toward the large hat.

A blue one, brightly marked with numbers that weren’t from around here.

What?? This dude must be good!

Qing had a pretty generous view of things.

Besides, since three of them looked like they couldn’t even manage to eat a proper meal—

“Alright, fine. Just this once.”

“Hmm? Really?”

The guy seemed genuinely surprised.

It looked like he didn’t think he’d get such an easy pass.

“Why? Didn’t you say let’s eat together?”

“But that’s no fun.”

Qing’s eyebrows shot up in disbelief.

What kind of fun are you talking about?

Were you hoping for the thrill of stealing food if I said no?

How hungry do you have to be to come crash someone’s dinner table just to beg for food? And now you want to turn it into a game?

Should I just kick him out?

Just then, the guy said, “Hey. Swordsman friend. Greetings.”

He lifted his large hat slightly.

Qing’s eyes went wide.

There, under the hat, was a familiar face.

It was Namgoong Shin-jae sporting that trademark beard of his.

“No way. What are you doing here?”

At Qing’s excited voice, Jin Jangmyung jerked awake.

“I ran away.”

“Hmm.”

Now that he thought about it, wasn’t he running away the first time they met too?

So he was just the kind of guy who liked running away, huh?

Meanwhile, Namgoong Shin-jae bowed slightly.

“I apologize, good sir. I’m Nam-jae, a friend of this guy’s who wields the sword. I was just trying to tease him a little, so please forgive me for that.”

“Well, I suppose that could happen.”

“And how is Young Lady Mo Yong doing?”

“Wait, hold on.”

“Don’t call me ‘wait’, just call me Nam-jae.”

Mo Yong Joo-hee recognized Namgoong Shin-jae, of course.

Namgoong Shin-jae plopped down casually on a chair.

“Great! Friends! Uh, I can’t quite remember the names, though.”

When he said he couldn’t remember their names, it meant he was disguised and wasn’t sure what to call them.

“Here’s the elder, Baekjang, I’m Baekil, this is Baekyi, and over there is Baeksam.”

Since the Gang Pae-cheon people would be looking for him, he changed his pseudonym.

Even though it sounded so obviously fake, it really didn’t matter because pseudonyms were a dime a dozen in Jinmu City, so nobody paid much attention.

“Right, that’s how it was.”

Only then did Qing become curious.

The question about what to call him meant he recognized the disguise.

How? I can’t even tell when I look in the mirror!

“What? How’d you know?”

“Simple. Height. Arm length, and the length of your legs are basically how one measures a swordsman’s reach and stride, right?”

He said he recognized him by height and limb length.

“……?”

Qing tilted his head.

Do people usually recognize someone by that?

Is that really possible?

He glanced over at Cheon Yu-hak.

Can you really tell someone like that?

Cheon Yu-hak shook his head, sending a response.

Not a chance.

“First, let’s just eat.”

Qing and his crew had come downstairs and ditched their private room.

Why?

Because Qing wasn’t thinking much about it, of course?

Naturally, it was a sensible deduction.

But unfortunately, it was Cheon Yu-hak’s reasoning.

They showed up in fancy clothes at a top-tier tavern, so they stood out like a sore thumb.

If they used a private room, there’d definitely be someone suspicious about it.

And suspicious folks tend to raise their guard.

So rather than doing anything suspicious, it was better to showcase Qing’s signature skill of devouring food in plain view to attract attention.

If they became the center of attention, they’d stop being seen as suspicious and only become known as the bizarre bunch.

After all, suspicious characters usually avoid drawing attention to themselves.

So Qing chose that path.

The plates of food just kept disappearing as they had three meals!

At first, the guests stole glances, then they turned to outright stare, and soon they were completely enthralled by the outright spectacle of how this person was eating.

Could he really finish all that?

The scene was so incredible, it had palms sweating.

Finally, when Qing popped the last piece into his mouth, he raised his fist triumphantly.

The tavern erupted in applause, accompanied by whistles and cheers.

-Whooosh! “He eats well!” “He truly is a food god! An absolute food god!” “Food god? Have you seen him eat? He’s a mountain pig!” “Amazing!”

“Mountain pig!” “Mountain pig!” “Mountain pig!”

“Jeomsoi! What was that dish that just got demolished over there!?”

Mountain pig, referring to a wild boar.

Qing’s eyebrows twitched.

Mountain pig? Who started that?

Anyway, thanks to that, the tavern turned into a party atmosphere.

Watching Qing devour food seemed to whet the guests’ appetites, and they started barking orders all over, making Jeomsoi rush around.

In the meantime, Qing’s crew made their way up to their guest room.

“This is my second master. Master, this is Namgoong Shin-jae, the First Young Master of the Namgoong family, right?”

“That’s right. Greetings. I didn’t properly introduce myself earlier as it seemed you were using a pseudonym. I’m Namgoong Shin-jae. I’m a swordsman with Young Lady Seomun.”

In fact, Cheon Yu-hak had seen Namgoong Shin-jae several times already.

When he was pretending to be a worker for the Martial Alliance.

Of course, even though Namgoong Shin-jae had quite the sharp eye, he wouldn’t remember the limbs of every worker in the Martial Alliance, so to him, it was their first meeting.

That said, Cheon Yu-hak had heard the term ‘swordsman’ many times already.

But it was Jin Jangmyung who heard it for the first time.

He poked Qing in the side.

Qing was ticklish, so it was only natural that he let out a yelp.

“Ahhhh, what’s up? Just ask already!”

“Uh-huh. What’s a swordsman?”

“Oh, younger brother! Did you ask what a swordsman is? It’s only natural for me to answer your question!”

Qing tilted his head.

Do they save the world and maintain peace or something?

Is that the kind of duty that comes with being a swordsman?

“A swordsman refers to the friendship forged through the blade, a term only used by true swordsmen. No, calling it friendship is too trivial for the deep bonds of swordsmen. Do you understand what I mean?”

“I don’t, actually.”

And of course, there was no way he would understand.

“What about that Confucius guy?”

“Oh. This is my brother, Jin Jangmyung. He’s a second disciple from the Divine Maiden Sect. Over here is Namgoong Shin-jae, the First Young Master of the Namgoong family.”

“Oh. My bad. I’ve committed quite the faux pas. I mistook the young lady for a younger one, and I apologize for that.”

At that, Jin Jangmyung’s forehead bulged with veins.

Just because he said she looked young doesn’t mean every woman would welcome it.

To women around their twenties, it’s a taboo to say that.

Especially hearing that you’re “good-looking” in front of them is awkward.

Why do you think they call him the Swordsman?

Even while staying in their sect, he’s the kind of guy that goes on about swords with excellent perception.

So even in front of women, the same lack of perception would not magically disappear.

To be accurate, it wasn’t that he lacked perception; he just chose not to use it.

“By the way, what’s with the dual swords?”

Qing had carried several swords before, but he had either strapped them side by side on one side or worn one on his back when he needed to switch.

Since he had to pull with his right hand.

But Namgoong Shin-jae had strapped one on each side—clearly signaling he was going to use dual swords.

“Oh, swordsman. That’s a bit disheartening. Can you really not see it? These aren’t just any dual swords.”

Mo Yong Joo-hee’s forehead tightened as well.

Though dual swords were often symbols of defeat, this wasn’t something you should say to someone wielding dual swords.

But Namgoong Shin-jae was indeed a true swordsman.

Even if he were slightly better than those wielding other weapons, there was no need to concern himself about petty biases toward dual sword users.

“These are referred to as ‘twin swords’.”

“Wait, what?”

“Don’t get it? Dual swordsmanship deals with two swords as one cohesive unit. If you’re holding two swords attached by a single technique, isn’t that the same as wielding one sword?”

At this, Mo Yong Joo-hee’s anger flared.

“What do you mean?! The original form of our family’s dual sword technique isn’t just one technique, but the harmony of two techniques!”

“Pride is good and all, but you know Young Lady Mo Yong, don’t you? Each swordplay doesn’t exist in isolation, and they weren’t originally intended to form a technique that assumes you’re wielding both weapons simultaneously, right? As I understand it, the paths of the left and right swords are meant to drift into separate realms.”

“That’s to prevent the paths of the blades from intertwining—”

Namgoong Shin-jae cut her off.

“In the end, isn’t that just an excuse? But real dual swords are supposed to move independently, using different swordplay types. The blades must coexist without overlapping, should they not?”

“That’s impossible! If you were to use two different sword techniques, then the paths would—”

She was cut off again.

“Who decided it’s impossible? Aren’t martial arts about surpassing the impossible challenges?”

“I’ll strike a thousand times more, and if that doesn’t work, I’ll strike a thousand more. My desire to see the end of my blade will drive me to continue striving until I do.”

What a fantastic statement.

But after being interrupted not once but twice, Mo Yong Joo-hee was boiling over.

Especially since his counter-arguments sounded slick, it only further fueled her irritation.

This was precisely the story of the guy who moved mountains, wasn’t it?

Once upon a time, there was a foolish old man who thought to remove a mountain for the prosperity of his village.

And so he started piling dirt into a cart and hauling it away day after day.

Seeing this silly act, a wise old man tried to dissuade him.

The foolish old man claimed that, even if he didn’t finish it himself, his children and grandchildren would dig it out one day, and eventually, that mountain would disappear.

That’s truly the level of stubbornness one has to believe in.

Even suggesting such nonsense on behalf of his offspring seems like a way to place a curse upon them to perform forced labor.

This is why it’s said that a person who’s stupid yet has a conviction is outright frightening.

Even the mountain spirit grew scared.

When this foolish old man pleaded to the Jade Emperor to stop that old man, little did he know that the Jade Emperor was also a firm believer in relentless perseverance!

So, in awe of that grand stubbornness, he ended up moving the mountain.

And thus, the tale of the stubborn old man and the mountain moved forward, mocking the smart old man who gave in easily out of fear.

Hence, Mo Yong Joo-hee had zero desire to play the part of that smart old man.

Honestly, it’s best to avoid talking to a lunatic altogether.

And, in fact, that was also the wisest course of action.

“By the way, why’re you disguised like this? I thought maybe you weren’t actually a swordsman when I saw you ordering food?”

“Oh. That’s—”

Qing spilled all the tea about the evil Heart Consumption Technique!

Even worse were the slaughtering acts of the vile Sapa!

And how it led to a chain of grievances as twisted as a lucky charm, woven in intricate knots!

The vendetta spinning began with an assault from the Blood Sect and had made its way around No Mountain like a vortex of revenge, rapidly spreading the cycle of resentment, and the various sects had been ambushed within a day…

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