Chapter 75

Chapter 75: Like the Waves of the Yangtze, We Meet and Part (4)

Dam Ho returned to the West Wind Inn as evening was drawing near.

"Brother!"

Bang Jin-bo greeted him.

Having slept soundly, his face was brimming with vitality.

"Now you should go eat, shouldn't you?"

"Mm!"

"Hehe! Let's go quickly. They say the West Wind Inn's Dry Pot Chicken is absolutely divine."

"Dry Pot Chicken?"

"It's a dish where you cook various vegetables and chicken in a large pot without any broth. They say the flavor is extraordinary. I asked the waiter earlier to prepare it in advance. If we go to the restaurant now, it should be ready."

Bang Jin-bo's face was alight with excitement.

This was the expression that appeared on Bang Jin-bo's face whenever he encountered delicious food.

Before arriving here, he had been thoroughly dejected, but the prospect of fine cuisine had revived his spirits.

"They say if you haven't tasted Hunan cuisine, you have no right to talk about cooking. The knife work is delicate, and they use a great deal of oil. They especially favor oil, and most dishes are boiled, steamed, or stir-fried."

On the way to the restaurant, Bang Jin-bo chattered endlessly about Hunan cuisine. Dam Ho listened and walked in silence.

By the time he finished listening to Bang Jin-bo's talk, they had arrived at the second floor of the inn. Despite the early hour, the restaurant was already quite full.

The two found empty seats and sat down. As soon as they did, the familiar waiter hurried over.

"Welcome!"

"Brother! What about the Dry Pot Chicken?"

"It should be nearly ready. Just wait a moment and I'll bring it right out."

"Yes!"

The waiter placed a teapot and cups on their table and dashed off to the kitchen.

"Hehe!"

Bang Jin-bo kept chuckling.

After watching him silently for a while, Dam Ho asked:

"Is it really that wonderful?"

"Yes! I'm second happiest when eating delicious food."

"And first?"

"When others eat the food I've made and enjoy it. What about you, brother? When are you happiest?"

Dam Ho did not answer. No—he could not.

His happiest moments had been with his master, Sage Hyeon-so. And that had been twelve years ago.

Since then, he had never once felt happiness. He was not even sure he was capable of such a feeling.

He was beginning to wonder whether he was even human anymore.

Dam Ho's gaze turned to the window. The sun had set and evening had fallen, but the streets were more crowded than ever.

Countless people were moving about busily.

He thought that even those people, so frantically occupied, would find their way home when night fell.

It did not matter whether one was high or low in station. What mattered was having a place to stay, a place to rest one's heart.

Dam Ho had no such place.

There was nowhere to rest his heart, and nothing he wished to become.

The sole driving force that moved him now was singular—and separate from Bang Jin-bo.

Dam Ho brought the teacup to his lips. Bang Jin-bo watched him intently.

He knew well that to others, Dam Ho appeared fearsome. In truth, toward those he considered enemies, Dam Ho showed not a shred of mercy.

But Bang Jin-bo was not afraid of Dam Ho. He had never once seen him harm another without cause.

"Here it is at last—the Dry Pot Chicken."

The waiter set a large bowl on the table. It was filled with various vegetables and perfectly cooked chicken.

"Eat the chicken together with the vegetables. Now, enjoy your meal. You enjoy it too."

The waiter bowed to Dam Ho and Bang Jin-bo and withdrew.

"It looks delicious! Hehe! Brother, just a moment."

Bang Jin-bo immediately began tearing the chicken into bite-sized pieces. In an instant, the whole bird had been disassembled.

"Brother, please eat."

Bang Jin-bo placed chicken and vegetables in Dam Ho's bowl.

Dam Ho picked up his chopsticks and tasted the Dry Pot Chicken. Bang Jin-bo watched him with expectant eyes.

"Well? How is it, brother?"

"Delicious."

"Really? Hehe! Then I…"

Bang Jin-bo smiled and picked up a piece of chicken with his chopsticks. After chewing for a moment, his eyes went wide.

"It's delicious!"

With tears of emotion glistening in his eyes, he devoured the Dry Pot Chicken. Chicken bones piled up before him in short order.

Dam Ho chewed once for every three or four times Bang Jin-bo chewed. Naturally, the amount Bang Jin-bo ate was correspondingly greater.

While the two were absorbed in their meal—

Thump! Thump!

Heavy footsteps and the bustle of many people could be felt coming from the wooden staircase connecting to the first floor. Shortly after, over a dozen men appeared.

Every one of them wore blue martial robes. On their sleeves, the character for "sword" was embroidered in red thread.

The diners recognized the newcomers.

"Warriors of the Yueyang Sword Gate."

"What are they doing here?"

In Eakyang, the only sect that embroidered the character "sword" on their martial robes was the Yueyang Sword Gate.

People watched the Yueyang Sword Gate's warriors with curious eyes.

The warriors surveyed the second floor with imperious gazes. Most diners lowered their heads in haste, afraid to meet their eyes.

Among the Yueyang Sword Gate warriors, the eldest spoke, imbuing his voice with internal energy.

"I am Jin Yang-su of the Yueyang Sword Gate. Today, on the third floor of this establishment, an important event will be held for our Young Sect Leader, Sa-ma Gong-cheon. Therefore, I ask that all those present here depart quietly once you have finished your meals."

His tone was polite, but it was close to a threat.

The diners did not respond. No—they could not. They were crushed beneath the Yueyang Sword Gate's authority.

Jin Yang-su smiled coldly. He had determined that there was no one here who posed a threat.

In his hands, he held a wooden box ornately carved with elaborate patterns. It was clearly the work of a master craftsman.

Jin Yang-su issued orders to his subordinates.

"You two guard the first floor. You three, guard the staircase here. The rest, come with me to the third floor."

"Yes!"

The Yueyang Sword Gate warriors responded with vigor and followed his commands. The diners held their breath, watching.

Looking out the window, warriors from the Yueyang Sword Gate could be seen standing guard around the inn as well.

"Just who is coming?"

"Someone important, it seems. The atmosphere is certainly not ordinary."

Among Hunan Province's countless sects, the Yueyang Sword Gate was ranked within the top five. In Eakyang, ignoring the Yueyang Sword Gate was impossible.

Naturally, the diners on the second floor had to mind the warriors' gaze.

Bang Jin-bo whispered to Dam Ho:

"Someone important must be visiting."

Dam Ho did not respond. Though the Yueyang Sword Gate warriors were creating an atmosphere of intimidation right before his eyes, it stirred not the slightest emotion in him.

He paid the warriors no heed and continued eating in silence. To him, enjoying the food before him was more important than the visit of someone whose name he did not even know.

Bang Jin-bo, seeing Dam Ho's composure, likewise turned his attention away from the warriors and focused on his meal.

"It's truly delicious. Especially the seasoning absorbed by the chicken—it's exquisite. The sour, spicy, and pungent flavors are in perfect harmony."

Bang Jin-bo even licked the seasoning from his fingers, unwilling to waste a single drop. Still unsatisfied, he smacked his lips.

Just as Dam Ho and Bang Jin-bo finished their meal—

"Hey, you there. If you've finished eating, leave now."

The voice of a Yueyang Sword Gate warrior who had been guarding the second floor rang out. He was a large man with a fierce face, the one who had been creating the oppressive atmosphere.

He was glaring at Bang Jin-bo and Dam Ho.

"We—we…"

Bang Jin-bo stammered. Not because he feared the Yueyang Sword Gate warrior, but because of Dam Ho beside him.

While Bang Jin-bo hesitated—

"The Young Sect Leader has arrived."

A low voice suddenly called from below.

The fierce-faced warrior quickly returned to his post. Bang Jin-bo and Dam Ho were no longer his concern.

Shortly after, footsteps sounded on the stairs.

"Young Sect Leader!"

The warriors quickly bowed their heads.

Following them, a young man in his early twenties ascended the stairs. His features were well-formed, the face of a man who would be called handsome.

The young man wore magnificent silk robes, and the sword scabbard at his waist was equally adorned with elaborate patterns.

He was Sa-ma Gong-cheon, the Young Sect Leader of the Yueyang Sword Gate.

Sa-ma Gong-cheon ascended to the second floor with an imperious air. The Yueyang Sword Gate warriors quickly bowed their heads.

"Where is Lady Hae?"

"She has not yet arrived."

"And the gift?"

"Fortunately, it was completed on time. Jin Dae-ju has it."

"Good. That's a relief."

Sa-ma Gong-cheon nodded and looked around.

His eyes held the arrogance of one who looked down upon all others.

"Tch! To have to receive her at the West Wind Inn instead of the Heaven's First Tower."

"I apologize. The Heaven's First Tower is fully booked for the next month. There was nothing we could do."

"That damned Heaven's First Tower. We'll see how long they can keep up such arrogance."

Dongting Lake was truly as vast as the sea. Though Eakyang was large, compared to Dongting Lake, it was but a cicada clinging to an old tree.

The Heaven's First Tower was situated on the Yuan River, at the heart of Dongting Lake. The Yuan River lay on the opposite side of the lake from Eakyang, accessible only by boat.

For this reason, the Heaven's First Tower was largely unaffected by the Yueyang Sword Gate's influence. Moreover, on the Yuan River stood the Medical Benevolence Gate, one of Hunan's Five Great Sects.

The Medical Benevolence Gate was the Heaven's First Tower's greatest patron. Renowned for their healing arts, the Medical Benevolence Gate possessed power that even the Yueyang Sword Gate found difficult to contend with.

In particular, because they had saved so many lives through medicine, they enjoyed overwhelming support throughout Hunan Province—support that surpassed even the Yueyang Sword Gate. It was this Medical Benevolence Gate that stood behind the Heaven's First Tower.

The Heaven's First Tower's stubbornness was known throughout the land. They had refused Sa-ma Gong-cheon's proposal to rent the entire fifth floor, citing that all reservations were full.

As a result, Sa-ma Gong-cheon had been forced to find an alternative on short notice. That alternative was the West Wind Inn.

Though it could not compare to the Heaven's First Tower, the West Wind Inn's cuisine was also famously excellent. Regrettably, he had to content himself with renting the entire third floor for the time being.

While Sa-ma Gong-cheon clicked his tongue—

"L-Lady Hae has arrived!"

A subordinate's urgent voice came from below.

"Has she finally come?"

A glimmer of anticipation crossed Sa-ma Gong-cheon's face.

Step. Step.

At that moment, the sound of someone ascending the stairs reached them.

All eyes on the second floor turned to the staircase. Everyone was curious to see who was important enough for the Young Sect Leader of the Yueyang Sword Gate to receive personally.

As all gazes converged, the source of the footsteps finally appeared on the second floor.

"Ah!"

The moment she revealed herself, involuntary exclamations escaped from everyone's lips.

Beneath her hair, gathered into three lustrous coils, her pale, graceful neck was visible.

Her eyebrows traced a gentle crescent, and beneath them, a faint azure luminescence lingered. A straight, delicate nose and small red lips below completed the picture.

She was a woman whose beauty would draw gasps from anyone. She wore a simple purple hemp dress favored by commoners, yet even that plain attire could not diminish her dazzling beauty.

In her hand, she held an unadorned sword. Whether from long use or age, its scabbard was polished smooth by the touch of hands.

Sa-ma Gong-cheon quickly approached her. His face was full of smiles, the earlier irritation gone without a trace.

"Welcome, Lady Hae. I am Sa-ma Gong-cheon of the Yueyang Sword Gate. I wholeheartedly welcome your visit to Eakyang."

His voice was almost obsequious.

It could not be helped.

The woman before him was Hae So-wol—the one called the Flower Beneath the Sea.

A heroine produced by the renowned Hainan Sect, she was a practitioner who traveled the world seeking the ultimate realization of the sword. Like a flower, she was aloof yet beautiful, but her achievements with the blade were said to transcend imagination.

Above all, she was a member of the Nine Dragons. As a woman, she stood on equal footing with the other dragons.

All of this she had achieved through her own strength alone, apart from the formidable backing of the Hainan Sect. Naturally, Sa-ma Gong-cheon could not compare.

Though he had been so imposing moments ago, now that he stood before Hae So-wol, he withered like a dog before a tiger.

Hae So-wol's eyes gleamed coldly at his behavior.

'The Central Plains truly lack talent.'

Her voice echoed only within her own mind.