Chapter 146. The Ghost Demon of My Previous Life and I

The reason the Ghost Demon and I had tried to kill each other was because our intentions did not align.

It was not just me.

In my previous life, the Poison Demon had also tried to kill the Ghost Demon, only to fail.

So there was no need to go out of my way to prepare poison for tonight’s dinner.

At any rate, to receive Master Liuhe—who had not yet become the Ghost Demon—and his servants, I prepared a banquet in the main hall of the Black Cat Gang.

The food was prepared personally by the Black Cat Gang’s officers.

That was because I had sent Lady Son and the maids ahead to Ilyang County, so that no young women would be harassed by the Gold-Silver Seven Insects.

As soon as the sun set, I sat alone in the main hall, left the gates of the Black Cat Gang wide open, and waited for the Ghost Demon of my previous life—Master Liuhe.

Should I kill him, or not?

To be honest, I did not have much of an opinion at the moment.

After planting the Flash Dagger into the table, I was dozing off when……

A short while later, I heard the clamorous chatter of the Gold-Silver Seven Insects.

The insect bastards came in chatting among themselves as though the Black Cat Gang were their own villa, then took seats at the table.

“Is that the Hao Clan Leader?”

“Yes.”

“Hao Clan Leader, we’re here. Master hasn’t arrived yet.”

“He’s dozing.”

The seven insects sat down noisily.

Only then did I open my eyes and look at the young faces of those I had personally killed in my previous life.

From First Insect to Seventh Insect……

As I looked at them, memories returned one by one.

I recalled the expressions they had made and the things they had said when they died. Seeing the bastards I had once beaten to death one by one with my own hands now sitting around me…

It felt as though I had invited ghosts to a banquet.

Without even exchanging names, I asked the insects.

“Where is Master Liuhe?”

“He’ll be here soon. More importantly, the Hao Clan Leader is quite young.”

I nodded without responding to every word the insects said, then looked at the Flash Dagger still embedded in the table.

“…….”

For a moment, the thought of beating the seven insects to death before Master Liuhe arrived crossed my mind.

In any case, Master Liuhe and I did not see eye to eye. For the most part, it was because Master Liuhe viewed others as insects.

It had been the same when I was the Mad Demon.

The Ghost Demon had even treated the Poison Demon like an insect.

His appearance was rather shabby, but the one with an extraordinary sense of self-worth was none other than the Ghost Demon.

As I looked at the Flash Dagger, one of the insects’ gazes also turned to the dagger.

“What’s that? There’s a blade stuck in the table. Are you trying to start a fight?”

The insects laughed at the same time.

“Exactly. Seems he still doesn’t know what sort of person our master is.”

I glanced around at the insects, then simply closed my eyes again.

“You insect bastards, wake me when Master Liuhe arrives.”

“…….”

While my eyes were closed, the insects chattered noisily.

“Shouldn’t you at least give us some water? This is a terrible way to treat guests.”

With my eyes still closed, I spoke toward the inner part of the main hall.

“Give them water.”

“Yes, Clan Leader.”

With my eyes closed, I could feel First Insect glaring at me. Among the insects, he was the one thickest with killing intent. But these bastards could do nothing without Master Liuhe’s order, so there was no need to pay them any mind.

The men serving tonight’s banquet were Cha Seongtae, Ho Yeoncheong, So Gunpyeong, and the officers of the Black Cat Gang. When the men came carrying pitchers of water, the insects started making noise again.

“No, but why isn’t there a single maid in sight?”

“Nothing but stinking men swarming all over the place. What rotten luck.”

“Clan Leader, are there no women here? Did you evacuate them somewhere? This is why I said we should have just come yesterday.”

I ignored the insects’ words with my eyes closed, then heard So Gunpyeong’s voice.

“Gang Leader, would you like some water?”

Only then did I open my eyes and nod. As So Gunpyeong poured the water, I looked at the waiting insects.

By now, all their expressions had soured.

I looked at the insects and said,

“When Master Liuhe arrives, you lot keep your mouths shut. You’re noisy.”

A short while later, the sound of robes fluttering came from outside, and Master Liuhe, who seemed to have flown over the wall, appeared in the main hall and burst into laughter.

“Hao Clan Leader…… A pleasure to meet you. I am Liuhe.”

I nodded and replied.

“A pleasure, Master Liujia. Welcome.”

“It is Liuhe, not Liujia.”

Master Liuhe took a seat beyond the long table. It was the seat facing me.

I stared silently at Master Liuhe, who was much younger than he had been as the Ghost Demon.

At any rate, I was slightly glad to see him.

Since even the Ghost Demon was in a younger state, he looked to be in his early thirties.

Back when I was the Mad Demon, we had been evenly matched rivals, but I found myself wondering how our skills would compare now. In any case, if it became clear while we were eating that his skill was inferior to mine, I intended to kill him here along with the Gold-Silver Seven Insects.

But both then and now, Master Liuhe’s skill was extremely difficult to gauge. He was the type who could thoroughly conceal his presence.

I asked Master Liuhe.

“Will you dine? I have prepared a variety of dishes, for now.”

Master Liuhe replied.

“You prepared a meal? Clan Leader, it isn’t poisoned, is it?”

“There is no poison. It isn’t to my taste. I can’t very well kill someone I don’t know with poison right from the start.”

Master Liuhe replied with a smile.

“Then let us eat. Feed my servants here as well.”

“Let’s do that.”

A short while later, the officers brought in dishes and set them on the table. Since the officers had made them however they pleased, they were dishes whose taste I could not guarantee.

When the insects each took silver needles from their robes to check for poison, Master Liuhe said,

“Just eat the damn food.”

“Yes, Master.”

The insects meekly put their silver needles away, then began eating with loud, obnoxious smacking sounds.

It had been the same in the past, but the role of these gluttonous insect bastards was always to make the other party uncomfortable, irritate them, and provoke them.

If I reacted to the insects’ behavior in any way, Master Liuhe would observe my personality through that.

Master Liuhe asked,

“Why aren’t you eating?”

I answered while looking at the gluttonous insects.

“It looks so unappetizing that I’ve lost my appetite. Please, eat as much as you like.”

Yukhap took out a short bamboo tube in front of the dining table and began lighting the Mang’u Herb.

The bugs fanned away the smoke of the Mang’u Herb with their hands as they ate.

It was a truly pitiful sight, as though they were slaves in everything but name.

I asked Yukhap to get to the main point.

“By the way, did you say you wanted to talk business? Teacher Yukgap.”

“I said Yukhap. Not Yukgap.”

“Anyway, what business brings you to visit me upon our first meeting?”

Yukhap spoke, exhaling smoke.

“I heard you have a lot of money?”

“I have a decent amount. Enough to get by.”

“‘Enough to get by’—modesty to that degree is just annoying. From what my servants have heard, you completely devoured the Paegeom Society’s wealth, and killed Daenachal too? You even killed Master Su. I heard all the funds of the nearby Dark Path have flowed into your hands. Is that right?”

“That’s right.”

“You’ve become a magnate at a young age. Congratulations.”

“You’re too kind.”

“The Namcheon Alliance has been rather quiet in its activities lately—was that your doing?”

“I wouldn’t know about that.”

Yukhap said with a smile.

“I have an incredible business plan. Hear me out.”

I raised my hand, cutting Yukhap off.

“Before that, a moment. Teacher….”

“Speak.”

“Are you very interested in money?”

“Very.”

“Then why didn’t you kill those people yourself and seize their wealth? Why are you coveting another man’s property….”

Yukhap replied with a sly grin.

“What nonsense is that? You’re hardly in a position to say that to me. I was acquainted with Master Su. I lacked the skill to bring down the Paegeom Society.”

I, too, had no idea what nonsense this guy was spouting.

He’d always been like that, so I just let it slide.

Besides, every “incredible business plan” this guy came up with was always some childish nonsense, so I couldn’t expect much.

Yukhap said.

“You must have quite the military force. We mobilize the Hao Sect’s forces, myself, and my servants to hit the Man’geum Gambling Hall. If we succeed, I’m thinking of retiring from the martial world. With your troops combined with my strategy, we could raze a place like the Man’geum Gambling Hall in a single night. What do you think?”

I nodded.

“I have too much of my own capital tied up in the Man’geum Gambling Hall, so it’s a pointless endeavor. If something happens to the Man’geum Gambling Hall, I’d be in a position where I’d have to step in and protect my own funds. Let’s hear the next plan.”

“Oh, is that so?”

Until now, Yukhap hadn’t touched a drop of water, watching the food-tasting bugs eating with great focus.

It was the time when, if there were poison in the food, the food-tasting bugs would die in his place.

Was that why?

While Yukhap and I were conversing, the food-tasting bugs had been eating continuously, sweating profusely. They would probably keep eating like this until Yukhap told them to stop.

Just then, Yukhap looked at the bugs who had evenly devoured the food and said,

“Stop stuffing your faces.”

“Yes.”

The seven bugs set down their chopsticks simultaneously and waited with their mouths closed.

Yukhap asked Ilchung.

“No poison?”

“No, sir.”

“The taste?”

“There is no taste either.”

Only then did Yukhap look at me and smirk.

“The food tastes terrible, it seems.”

“Likely so.”

“Why is that?”

“If you want delicious food, go to a famous restaurant. Don’t come to me. We’re men who only need to fill our stomachs, after all.”

Yukhap asked me with a smile.

“You’re an interesting young man. Have you no intention of joining my command? I’ll grant you authority over all my servants. Though young, you have an innate aura about you. It wouldn’t be an exaggeration to say that aura is like a dragon or a tiger. You and these servant brats who merely waste rice are of different birth.”

“Birth?”

“Indeed.”

“I was a fellow who worked as a waiter; what birth is there to speak of?”

“You became the leader of such a force after working as a waiter? Just what happened to you? I was under the impression that you had no master.”

I answered with the facts as they were.

“I fell off a cliff. I suppose you could say I obtained a cliff-edge opportunity.”

“Ah….”

“For martial artists who encounter a cliff-edge opportunity, it’s usually the end. And in my case, that’s literally what happened.”

I looked at the bugs.

“If you don’t want to live like cripples, try jumping off some scenic cliff somewhere. With luck, you could become like me.”

The bugs snorted and sneered at me.

“Ah, is that so?”

“Our Lord of the Hao Sect. You are truly an amazing person. Surviving even a fall from a cliff.”

“Hehe, we’ll try jumping off one if we get the chance.”

“Please don’t. Why don’t you tell us which cliff the Sect Lord jumped from? That seems like it would be faster.”

I chuckled as I listened to the sneers of the Gold and Silver Seven Bugs. This was their original role. Of course, in my previous life, they had all ended up beaten to death by me.

I picked my nose in front of the ones who had finished eating and spoke.

“Teacher Yukgap, don’t you have any other business proposals? Strangely enough, I can’t get a read on your skill level. Though I suppose not getting a read on someone means they fight quite well. Like targeting a Dark Path force bigger than the Paegeom Society, rather than the Man’geum Gambling Hall….”

Yukhap replied, showing interest.

“For example?”

“For example, the Heukdo Alliance….”

I realized I had misspoken the moment the words left my mouth. Yukhap replied with a bewildered expression.

“Is there an organization called the Heukdo Alliance in the martial world?”

The bugs replied.

“There is not.”

Yukhap asked me.

“Are you perhaps speaking of the Jecheon Alliance?”

I nodded vaguely. It seemed the name had changed along the way, and I had gotten confused. Sometimes, information about the martial world that I recalled from my days as the Demon Lord ended up inconsistent. For now it was the Jecheon Alliance, but in my Demon Lord days, it would have become the Heukdo Alliance.

Yukhap said with a laugh.

“How could you and I touch an organization that even the Murim Alliance won’t touch? Show some restraint with your mad talk.”

Although we hadn’t been on good terms in my previous life, since we were meeting after a long time, I conveyed my honest feelings to Yukhap.

“Master Yukgap…… I’m not saying we should strike now. You have to set your ambitions high. Grow your influence, make money, deal with the Jecheon Alliance, and keep the Demonic Cult in check. If a man has stepped into the jianghu, his own martial strength matters, of course, but isn’t it also important to build up an organization? What meaning is there in dragging around a pack of bug bastards and doing nothing but looking down on the weak?”

Master Yukhap asked in return.

“Looking down on the weak?”

“As far as I know, I heard you never go near the strong. You always avoid the Murim Alliance’s sphere of influence, too. You don’t even approach regions where renowned experts are. I heard you do nothing but prowl around the alleys of the jianghu, then strike people in the back of the head on deserted night roads. Am I wrong?”

The bugs stared at Master Yukhap with startled faces. Even to my eyes, the face of the Ghost Demon from my previous life was twisted to a rare degree.