Chapter 357

The Mount Hua Sect master, Ham-geun, briefly cupped his fists and greeted Sword Empress Im Yi-eon, Namgung Geol, and Yuk Ha-seon. Those who had already arrived at the inn also stood up from their seats and cupped their fists in return.

Jin Ja-gang guided them to empty seats.

“Please sit.”

Ham-geun looked down at Jin Ja-gang and replied in a cold voice.

“Do I look like I came here to play?”

When Jin Ja-gang just stared without answering, Ham-geun pursed his lips and asked again.

“I asked if I look like I came here to play.”

Yuk Ha-seon spoke mockingly.

“Look here. Do you think the people here came because they were idle? Among those here, there’s not a single person who came to play…”

“Ahem.”

Namgung Geol cleared his throat awkwardly. Namgung Geol had made the excuse that he came to play. So saying there wasn’t a single person who came to play would be a lie.

Yuk Ha-seon also seemed to remember this and stopped speaking.

Ham-geun hadn’t yet adapted to the atmosphere of Funeral Inn, so he thought they were mocking him and became very displeased.

“If you start speaking, you should finish.”

To that, Namgung Geol answered.

“We were wondering who would come as Indestructible Heavenly Sword’s representative. But we never expected Great Hero Ham of Mount Hua Sect to come.”

Saying he was Indestructible Heavenly Sword’s representative rather than the Righteous Alliance’s representative was clear mockery. Though Yangtze River Sword Sect and the Righteous Alliance both started with the goal of realizing Taoist Haewol’s great cause, they were currently in opposition.

Tendons stood out on Ham-geun’s jaw.

“Mount Hua, unlike the Namgung family, is not a place that moves at anyone’s command.”

“There’s a misunderstanding. I came to play.”

Ham-geun’s lips twitched, showing his tightly clenched teeth.

“Disaster Sword Guest brings disaster not with his sword but with his words.”

Namgung Geol raised his hand with sharp eyes but a gentle smile.

“Then I should be more careful with my words. Go about your business.”

Snap.

Ham-geun’s beard and hair stood stiffly. He seemed to be barely containing his anger.

Ham-geun didn’t drag out his words. He immediately looked at Jin Ja-gang and spoke.

“I know you have King of Hell’s personal letter. You must know what the contents are. Either tell me the letter’s contents immediately or hand over the letter.”

The Righteous Alliance wanted to know the contents before the personal letter was delivered to Shaolin Temple.

They wanted to know whether Tang family had declared war on Shaolin Temple or planned some other deal, so they could respond accordingly.

All the other martial artists in the inn focused their gazes on Jin Ja-gang. The representatives of the factions Jin Ja-gang wanted had roughly gathered. They became curious whether Jin Ja-gang would actually produce the personal letter.

Jin Ja-gang answered.

“I’ll serve you two bowls of thin noodles.”

“Don’t think you can waste time with your shabby innkeeper act.”

But Ham-geun’s threats were useless.

It was because Sword Empress Im Yi-eon threw in a comment.

“Poison Dragon’s cooking is worth trying.”

Ham-geun glared at Im Yi-eon with bulging eyes.

“What do you mean?”

“Do you think threats will work when you don’t even have confidence to eat Poison Dragon’s cooking?”

Ham-geun didn’t back down.

“Sword Empress, Southern Sea Sword Sect shouldn’t be on bad terms with Indestructible Heavenly Sword. Why do you help Poison Dragon and try to antagonize me?”

“I’m just curious whether Great Hero Ham truly has the qualifications to be here. And I don’t understand why you keep linking Indestructible Heavenly Sword with our sect. All we had was one marriage proposal discussion.”

“Don’t you know the answer to that better than I do, Sword Empress? They say smoke doesn’t rise from a chimney without fire.”

Im Yi-eon became upset and slammed down her chopsticks with a sharp sound.

“Are you saying my disciple chased after Silent Dragon! Don’t you know I hate such disgusting rumors most!”

Ham-geun didn’t soften his gaze as he cupped his fists.

“If I was rude, I apologize. But if you try to obstruct Mount Hua’s business today, your disciple will face even more suspicion from people.”

Im Yi-eon’s face turned red and blue. The marriage proposal discussion was fact. Ham-geun was warning that if she interfered with him, rumors might spread that she had betrayed Baek Li-jung because the marriage proposal didn’t work out.

“I shouldn’t scold Disaster Sword Guest. There’s another person with a long tongue!”

With those words, Im Yi-eon shut her mouth.

Ham-geun looked around the inn.

Everyone had an empty bowl in front of them.

They had all eaten cleanly without leaving a drop of broth. In such an atmosphere, being the only one to refuse would also look ridiculous.

“Qualifications…”

Ham-geun spoke to Jin Ja-gang in a commanding tone.

“Let me see your skills. Bring it.”

Jin Ja-gang didn’t immediately go to boil noodles but asked back.

“Would you like to taste what I’m good at, or would you like something edible?”

Hearing Jin Ja-gang’s words, Yuk Ha-seon smiled. It was exactly what Jin Ja-gang had asked when she first visited.

Only now did the other martial artists read Jin Ja-gang’s intention. Their eyes all filled with curiosity.

Jin Ja-gang hadn’t stayed at the inn and endured for no reason.

He was distinguishing between his side and the other side.

If they ate the food Jin Ja-gang made, it meant they either trusted Jin Ja-gang or were confident enough in their martial arts. If not, they would be the side that found Jin Ja-gang uncomfortable.

Ham-geun’s expression hardened.

He had already told him to bring it, so refusing immediately would spread rumors that he tucked his tail because he wasn’t confident in his martial arts. But he also couldn’t openly drink the absolute poison Asura Blood that was rumored to have brought even Indestructible Heavenly Sword to his knees. If he acted rashly and something went wrong, he’d just be called stupid.

In the end, he couldn’t retreat.

Could he let rumors spread that a Mount Hua Sect veteran was scared of Poison Dragon’s poison!

Ham-geun gritted his teeth.

“You use the situation very well. Let’s see how good this ‘good’ thing of yours is.”

The watching martial artists became excited about how Jin Ja-gang would respond.

Given Jin Ja-gang’s personality, he definitely wouldn’t go easy.

“Then just a moment.”

Jin Ja-gang returned to the kitchen. Sounds of boiling noodles and broth could be heard.

It would be awkward to just stand there until Jin Ja-gang came. Ham-geun sat at an empty table. But even then, he didn’t stop being vigilant while observing those in the inn.

If he had to use force against Poison Dragon, he was gauging who would be enemies and allies.

Southern Sea Sword Sect’s Sword Empress wouldn’t easily interfere in his business, and since poison sects and the Righteous Alliance had just decided to join hands, Pleasure Heaven Lord Yuk Ha-seon would also find it difficult to openly interfere.

However, if necessary, he would have to fight with Namgung Geol of the Namgung family.

Ham-geun placed his sword on the table so he could draw it at any time. Then he scolded So-min, who still had tears hanging in her eyes.

“Pull yourself together. If I had known you couldn’t control your emotions to this extent, I wouldn’t have brought you.”

“I understand, Master.”

So-min forcibly swallowed her tears while burning with desire for revenge.

After some awkward time passed, Jin Ja-gang came out of the kitchen.

Jin Ja-gang held one bowl of noodles and one small wine cup. He placed the noodles in front of So-min and the wine cup in front of Ham-geun.

Jin Ja-gang lightly dipped his finger in the wine cup then withdrew it. A stream of blood spread in the wine cup and an indescribable rich flower fragrance filled the inn.

Namgung Geol savored the flower fragrance and said.

“My. So this is the famous Asura Blood.”

At the mention of Asura Blood, Ham-geun’s expression hardened further.

So-min glared at Jin Ja-gang, not understanding why poisoned wine was served to her master Ham-geun while food was served to her.

“Do you think I’d eat something like this?”

“After you eat, I’ll tell you about Brother Pyo.”

“How dare you mention Brother Pyo’s name!”

So-min gritted her teeth and glared at Jin Ja-gang with reddened eyes, then picked up chopsticks.

But Ham-geun said.

“Don’t eat it.”

So-min hesitated.

“You’re going to eat what that guy gave you when who knows what tricks he played?”

Guilt briefly flickered in So-min’s eyes. Without realizing it, she had been trusting Jin Ja-gang. But the more she had trusted him, the greater her sense of betrayal toward Jin Ja-gang who killed Pyo Sang-guk, and tears welled up again.

However, because she wanted to know the reason Pyo Sang-guk was killed, she couldn’t easily put down her chopsticks despite her master’s words.

Then Ham-geun struck the bowl in front of So-min with his palm.

The innocent bowl flew sideways. At the same time, Namgung Geol picked up an empty bowl and flew sideways using movement techniques.

Pat pat pat!

He gathered all the noodles flying in all directions with chopsticks, wrapped them up greatly and made them into one lump. Simultaneously, he caught the spilling broth with the empty bowl.

Namgung Geol even caught So-min’s falling bowl with his back foot. Then he kicked to return the bowl to So-min and came back to his seat after putting the noodles into the bowl containing broth.

Only a few drops of broth had fallen to the ground.

Namgung Geol ate the noodles while making deliberate sounds.

Slurp! Slurp!

Namgung Geol exclaimed.

“Delicious. Delicious. Why don’t you eat such tasty food?”

Ham-geun and So-min’s faces both reddened simultaneously.

Ham-geun’s face heated up from being mocked for suspecting poison, while So-min reddened from the complicated feelings of betrayal toward Jin Ja-gang… and simultaneously trusting him, which conflicted.

Jin Ja-gang said calmly.

“What I gave Miss So-min is only chicken broth, noodles bought from the market, salt, and some coriander.”

Ham-geun gestured with his chin as if asking what the small wine cup in front of him was.

“That’s Asura Blood. If poisoned, red flowers will bloom all over your body and you’ll die from internal destruction in a short time. After you drink it, I’ll tell you everything you want before you die.”

Im Yi-eon and Namgung Geol’s eyes sparkled anew. They were martial artists at the highest level in the martial world. They couldn’t help being curious about Jin Ja-gang’s Asura Blood.

Ham-geun looked at Jin Ja-gang with a frightening expression. But even he couldn’t readily touch Asura Blood.

Yuk Ha-seon threw out words.

“If it were me, I wouldn’t drink it.”

“What do you mean?”

“Leper Mound’s Piercing Ghost had a body immune to all poisons. But he died with flowers blooming all over his body. According to Poison Dragon’s words, that would be traces of dying from Asura Blood poisoning.”

So-min flinched. Her shoulders trembled involuntarily. So-min had directly witnessed Jin Ja-gang and Piercing Ghost competing with poisons. It wasn’t that she didn’t trust her master Ham-geun, but he wasn’t immune to all poisons!

Namgung Geol mocked.

“You confidently told Poison Dragon to bring what he’s good at, but now you’re not drinking it – this is truly a ridiculous sight! If you can’t keep what you said yourself, you’re worse than a dog, so when you leave this place you should crawl out on all fours.”

Ham-geun’s face reddened.

A small wine cup that wasn’t even half a sip. But the fragrance emanating from it was extraordinary. His entire skin, fine hairs, and spine kept tingling. His lifelong instincts were sending tremendous warnings.

‘This…’

Ham-geun clenched his molars tightly.