Chapter 352

Mang Ryo was extremely pleased when he heard that Jin Ja-gang hadn’t gone to Shaolin Temple but had settled down in Runan.

“That guy still has a knack for striking at weak points. I can clearly see how troubled King of Hell and Shaolin Temple will be.”

Mang Ryo giggled and laughed.

Even Mang Ryo didn’t know the contents of the personal letter Tang Qing had sent. Choosing Jin Ja-gang as an envoy from the beginning meant he had no intention of quietly accomplishing the task. It could only be seen as hoping he would attract attention.

But Jin Ja-gang went one step further than Tang Qing’s expectations and settled down while spreading rumors.

Now those curious about Tang family’s letter contents and bat-like people wondering whether to side with Shaolin Temple or Tang family would flock to Jin Ja-gang.

Of course, no matter what tricks Tang family pulled, the possibility they wouldn’t work on Shaolin Temple was very high.

But even if they didn’t work on Shaolin Temple, the positions of the sects watching it were different.

How Shaolin Temple treated Tang family would greatly influence their decisions on what course to take.

“Ah, I want to see it directly, but it’s not time yet.”

Mang Ryo was going crazy with anticipation just imagining it.

“Should I cause some mischief? Yes, exactly. I can’t just stay still like this!”

Actually, whether Shaolin Temple devastated half the martial world with their righteous law practice or not was none of Mang Ryo’s business. He wasn’t particularly interested either.

All of this was for Jin Ja-gang. He only wanted Jin Ja-gang to climb higher and have more to protect, so he would fall deeper.

“This is my modest gift. A kind of seasoning, you could say. Let’s see you taste a bowlful of stinking shit.”

Heh heh heh!

Mang Ryo decided to send the Cherry Blossom Corps to Runan.

* * *

Outskirts of the small town of Runan.

A strange, mysterious atmosphere flowed through the shabby inn.

The regular guests staying there left one by one, then the servants packed up and left. Finally even the owner left.

Jin Ja-gang took down the signboard with the inn’s name. Then he wrote a new inn name on suitable cloth, hung it on bamboo, and stuck it on the inn’s outer wall.

After that, even travelers who had bothered to come took one look at the inn’s name and turned back around.

It was two days after Jin Ja-gang changed the inn’s signboard that the first guest entered the inn.

The traveler came into the inn and removed the bamboo hat he was wearing. He appeared to be in his early thirties and gave off a strange atmosphere.

Even Jin Ja-gang couldn’t tell just by looking at the face whether the guest was a man or woman. Though the features were refined, the lines were neither very thin nor thick.

He wore no ornaments, had his hair tied up in a topknot, and wore a headband around his forehead. He was dressed in neat white martial robes and even carried a leather sword with plain decorations at his waist.

But even looking at the clothes and body, it was still impossible to distinguish between male and female.

What felt most peculiar were the eyes. Glimpses of an indescribable sensuality would occasionally flash in those eyes.

It was a sensual feeling that Jin Ja-gang found difficult to express.

When Jin Ja-gang just looked at the guest from inside, the guest frowned slightly and said.

“This place has poor guest service. Do you have no intention of doing business at all?”

Hearing the voice, he could finally tell.

It was a woman.

Jin Ja-gang finally came out and greeted her.

“Welcome.”

The woman with the mysterious atmosphere snorted slightly.

“Funeral Inn, how interesting. The innkeeper has quite unique tastes. I don’t think this was the original name.”

Funeral meant holding a funeral service. Naturally it didn’t suit an inn name. It was only natural that regular guests had turned back instead of coming.

“There must be a reason the inn’s name changed.”

“Indeed. You know your own situation very well.”

Jin Ja-gang denied the woman’s provocative words.

“I wasn’t talking about myself.”

The woman spoke in a somewhat reproaching tone.

“If you stick your head in a tiger’s mouth yourself but say you won’t die, then who will die?”

“I’m actually a spectator, and I’m about to watch who will stick their head in the tiger’s mouth.”

“Hmph. As I heard, you have a pretty face but your tongue is sharper than a needle and your mouth flows like a clear stream.”

The woman said.

“I am called Red Flower Immortal in the poison sects. Though I haven’t used my real name in a long time, Yuk Ha-seon is my name.”

Jin Ja-gang’s eyes flashed with interest.

Red Flower Immortal Yuk Ha-seon!

She was the leader of Pleasure Heaven leading Pleasure Heaven.

“I knew I’d see you someday, but I didn’t expect you to come in person.”

“Sending children to Henan where Shaolin Temple has their eyes blazing would be no different from telling them to die. And King of Hell specifically wanted me to go…”

Yuk Ha-seon smiled.

“It seems King of Hell wants me to die.”

“…!”

Jin Ja-gang looked at Yuk Ha-seon without responding to her words for a moment.

Jin Ja-gang had killed the leaders of Leper Mound and Funeral Parlor. Naturally he thought Yuk Ha-seon had come to fight.

But Yuk Ha-seon’s attitude didn’t seem like that. It was strangely off-track.

Yuk Ha-seon went to one of the few tables, settled down and sat. She untied her sword sheath, placed it on one side of the table, and ordered.

“I’ve come a long way and I’m hungry. I need to have a meal, so bring whatever you’re good at.”

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

At Jin Ja-gang’s words, Yuk Ha-seon stared at Jin Ja-gang then suddenly burst into laughter.

“Hahaha!”

Enemy or ally.

Though close to metaphor, it was Jin Ja-gang’s way of speaking that felt even more direct because of it.

“If there comes a day when I kick your ass, then bring me what you’re good at. But until then, please just bring something edible.”

Yuk Ha-seon’s tone changed.

At least for now, she wasn’t an enemy.

Jin Ja-gang quickly made a bowl of thin noodles. It was ordinary food of chicken broth boiled with vegetables.

As Jin Ja-gang served the noodles, he said.

“You teased me about the inn’s unique name, but doesn’t your sect name and attire not match either?”

Yuk Ha-seon snorted.

“A woman’s intimate charms should only be revealed in secret places between men and women. How could one display them without regard for place and time?”

“I see. I didn’t think of that. Anyway, please eat. Though it’s my first time making proper cooking, it should be reasonably edible.”

Yuk Ha-seon carefully tasted the broth. From the way the bowl shook and rattled, she seemed to have unconsciously raised her internal energy.

“Oh? The seasoning is quite well balanced.”

Though Jin Ja-gang lacked cooking skills, he had a tongue that could distinguish subtle differences in poisonous herb tastes. He could season food quite well too.

Yuk Ha-seon finished the entire bowl, drinking even the broth.

“That was good.”

While Jin Ja-gang cleared the bowl, the woman asked from behind.

“Why aren’t you going to Shaolin Temple as King of Hell instructed, but instead playing innkeeper here?”

“He told me to earn my keep, so thinking about it, I realized I hadn’t properly cooked rice or let it steam. So I’m starting with the steaming.”

“That’s not what King of Hell wants.”

“I don’t like being used by others.”

“Thanks to that, I had to come all the way here.”

“I wasn’t waiting for poison sects, but I’m curious why you came looking for me.”

“I came for three reasons!”

Yuk Ha-seon spread her fingers and folded them one by one as she spoke.

“First, I came to urge you because of King of Hell’s prodding, second, I came to protect you from others until the personal letter safely reaches Shaolin Temple…”

“Does this matter being important enough for you to come protect me mean something?”

Yuk Ha-seon didn’t answer that and folded her third finger.

“Third, I wanted to see what kind of man Poison Dragon is.”

“What do you mean by that?”

“I wanted to personally verify with my own eyes whether you’re talented enough for King of Hell to consider as one of his successors.”

Tang Ha-ran was carrying Tang family bloodline. Therefore Jin Ja-gang also couldn’t be said to be completely unrelated to Tang family.

But Tang Qing’s successor was entirely outside Jin Ja-gang’s interest.

Above all, weren’t the poison sects, Tang family which was the leading family of poison sects, Jin Ja-gang’s enemies!

“What do you plan to do after confirming?”

“I might support you. Depending on circumstances.”

Jin Ja-gang said curtly.

“I’m not particularly interested.”

“There are numerous successors in poison sects. Getting support from Pleasure Heaven, which has three thousand direct disciples and fifty subordinate branch sects, would be tremendous power.”

Jin Ja-gang came and sat in front of Yuk Ha-seon.

Jin Ja-gang lowered both hands and looked straight at Yuk Ha-seon, speaking slowly.

“You seem to have forgotten, but poison sects are my enemies. You are the same.”

Cold killing intent covered the surroundings.

Yuk Ha-seon paused for a moment then nodded and continued.

“If you won’t be satisfied until you kill all our thousands of family members, then do so. But in worldly affairs there are no eternal enemies or eternal allies. Depending on circumstances, couldn’t you consider ways to lead our family members in a more righteous direction?”

Jin Ja-gang cut off Yuk Ha-seon’s words again.

“I have neither reason nor leisure for that.”

Yuk Ha-seon said.

“This summer.”

At those words, Jin Ja-gang’s ears perked up. It was exactly what he had been meaning to ask about.

“We’ve been purchasing medicinal herbs for several years according to King of Hell’s plan, preparing for epidemics that will spread after floods.”

“Do you plan to intentionally spread plague?”

“I don’t know if that’s possible. But this summer’s epidemic will be the worst plague in martial world history. That’s all I know. King of Hell hasn’t opened all his bundles yet. He’ll hold them tightly until the decisive moment comes.”

“That’s not a very helpful answer.”

Whir.

Between Jin Ja-gang’s fingers lowered under the table, poison needles drawn with Heaven and Earth Eight Trigrams technique were already grasped.

Yuk Ha-seon didn’t see the poison needles come out from under the table, but she smelled them.

“Countless flower fragrances… So this is Asura Blood.”

Yuk Ha-seon boldly closed her eyes and savored Asura Blood’s flower fragrance, then asked back.

“Think about it. If we were to be used importantly in that plan, he wouldn’t have sent Leper Mound’s Piercing Ghost and Funeral Parlor’s Yeong Hyeon-sa like that. And he wouldn’t have wanted me to move personally in this matter either. In the end, what King of Hell wants is the organization of the Six Poison Cliques, not the leaders of each sect.”

“I don’t see what that has to do with me.”

“Wanting an organization without leaders means only one thing. He’s preparing to transfer the Six Poison Cliques entirely to his successor.”

Jin Ja-gang’s eyes narrowed. It wasn’t unreasonable for Yuk Ha-seon to think of Jin Ja-gang as a successor.

“So if you want to know King of Hell’s plan, how about directly sitting in King of Hell’s seat and opening King of Hell’s bundles? Then you’ll learn everything you want.”

“I’m not interested in the position, but I am greedy for the bundles.”

“The bundles come with the position. If you try to get them by force, many people’s heads will roll.”

Both Jin Ja-gang’s and Yuk Ha-seon’s heads turned in succession. Yuk Ha-seon was surprised. Jin Ja-gang had detected the presence even faster than she had.

Another guest was entering the inn.

This time there were two.

What appeared to be master and disciple – an older female master and a young lady.

The young lady in particular had remarkably outstanding beauty. Though her expression was so cold it would be difficult to exchange even a word, she was still beautiful enough to make one’s eyes flash.

The straight-backed female master said.

“We were passing by and smelled something delicious so we came in. I hope we’re not intruding?”