Chapter 200: If You Ask Who We Are
I went to the kitchen, brought out the leftover side dishes from the previous day, and ate them as a late lunch outside the Cheolli Inn.
They were cold, but I was not the sort to care about taste, so it did not matter. When you ate tasteless food all the time, the occasional proper meal felt like a sumptuous feast.
For the sake of that day, I stored tasteless food in my stomach. As I chewed with a piece of cold sweet-and-sour carp in my mouth, a man came running from the left and moved off to the right.
Thudududuk!
I watched the man receding into the distance as I chewed the sweet-and-sour carp.
“…….”
Why was he running like that in broad daylight? Of course, he was not someone I knew. For one thing, his clothes were not the sort in fashion around Baekeungji. The thought of chasing after him like a neighborhood mutt briefly crossed my mind, then vanished.
Because the Ghost Demon and the Lust Demon, who had stayed up all night at the Cheolli Inn, were asleep. My throat was starting to feel a bit clogged, so I took a small drink of the strong liquor Senior Sword Demon had brought.
“Kkeok.”
I finished my simple lunch with three pieces of sweet-and-sour carp and two sips of liquor. Since I could not be bothered to wash the dishes, I sat for a while in a posture that looked as if I might slide right off the chair, gazing at the perfectly fine sky.
If I took a nap like this, it would be hard to find more than one waiter in the world as perfectly pathetic as I was.
At that moment, I heard someone’s short scream from the direction the running fellow had gone. I could not tell whether it was the scream of the man who had been running, or whether he had struck someone else.
A short while later, a man in familiar clothes came running while carrying someone on his back, and his eyes met mine.
“Sect Leader, how do you do?”
Sambok, carrying an unconscious man on his back, greeted me and continued fleeing to the left.
I answered Sambok as he ran away.
“You’re working hard.”
By the way, why was Sambok fleeing in that direction? If he wanted to spend a little time in crowded Baekeungji, it would be better to head north.
A short while later, Sambok seemed to have chosen to turn back on the road, because he appeared again. Had he been running for more than a sijin? Looking closely, his hair was drenched in sweat. His expression was quite a sight as well. The moment his eyes met mine, with an expression that was neither laughing nor crying, he forced a smile.
“Haha…… I’ll just be passing through.”
I nodded.
“Sure. You’re working hard.”
I could not help checking who the man on Sambok’s back was. As it happened, his head was turned toward me, and the Third Young Master, whose eyes were dark underneath as if he had been poisoned, had his eyes half-open. It seemed he had not yet lost consciousness, because I heard his muttering voice.
“Put me down. It would be better to kill them and move on.”
At the Third Young Master’s words, Sambok burst out shouting.
“Shut up already!”
I applauded Sambok as he fled with all his might.
“Wow, to think you can tell the Demonic Cult’s Third Young Master to shut up. Sambok, you’ve really grown. This bastard’s made it. He’s made it.”
Saying he had made it was not exactly fitting for the situation, but in any case, to my eyes, he looked like he had made it. Then he had made it.
Next, a crowd of people in all sorts of outfits appeared from the left and ran off in the direction Sambok had fled.
The fact that their clothing was not uniform was good news for Sambok.
Because it meant they were not the Demonic Cult, at any rate.
However, the high chance that they were people who had latched onto the Demonic Cult meant they were heretics and deviants, and that was bad news for Sambok.
Thanks to that, I got to witness the rare spectacle of people belonging to the Demonic Cult being chased by heretics and deviants.
It seemed the affairs of the world were no different even for the Demonic Cult. If you were weak, that was what happened. Still, judging by the way Sambok was saving the Third Young Master with his life on the line, it seemed that, just as Senior Sword Demon had said, they were not the sort to choose their guards poorly.
In the midst of that, the sounds of bones breaking and screams continued now and then nearby. I could no longer gaze at the sky; my eyes could only be drawn to the sights of people going about their lives.
Sambok, appearing for the third time today already, came running with a smiling face and spoke in a calm tone.
“Um, Sect Leader?”
“What? Why are you calling me?”
“Could I have some water? I’m thirsty. Haha…….”
Sambok had stopped in front of the Cheolli Inn with the Third Young Master on his back, smiling, and that was precisely what one called a dry laugh.
I pointed inside the inn and said,
“There’s water inside. Go in quietly. There are people sleeping.”
With the Third Young Master still on his back, Sambok bowed deeply to me.
“Thank you, Sect Leader.”
Sambok entered the Cheolli Inn with the Third Young Master on his back.
I looked around for a moment with a bewildered expression.
“Ha…… I got involved.”
Giving water to the thirsty was such a serious matter.
After I let out a couple of sighs, a varied crowd that might have been heretics and deviants, or perhaps the black path, came swarming over. Some were limping, and others had faces busted up here and there. It seemed they had been hit by Sambok while chasing him, and the atmosphere was one of pressing him with sheer numbers.
Now these fellows were starting to look familiar to me too.
I was prepared to give them water as well if they asked for it, but one of the group shouted at me.
“Where did he go!”
“Didn’t you see him? The one being carried!”
I pointed north, toward Baekeungji. The riffraff who had been about to move left tugged at one another’s collars and shouted, then turned north.
I laughed silently at the sight of them swarming toward Baekeungji.
‘What ridiculous bastards.’
Just then, one fellow happened to turn his head, and the moment he saw my expression, he stopped. Suddenly weighing down the mood, he said,
“You laughing? Everyone, stop for a moment.”
The men who had been swarming toward Baekeungji caught their breath and conversed among themselves.
“He was laughing after pointing toward Baekeungji.”
“Come to think of it, there’s no reason for them to go to Baekeungji, is there?”
“This is ambiguous. Shall we split in half again?”
“No. Search the inn first. That bastard’s expression is definitely strange.”
It was not that my expression was strange. It was simply that I was strange.
The men who had been heading to Baekeungji slowly returned to the front of the Cheolli Inn. I looked at the approaching men one by one, then said,
“……Are you all coming here to die on the spot? Stop right there.”
I wiped the smile from my face and glared at the riffraff.
* * *
The approaching men all stopped at once.
“…….”
Because it was not something a waiter could possibly say, bewilderment spread across all their faces.
Trusting in their numbers, these bastards started mouthing off to me.
“Hey, waiter. Do you know what kind of matter you’re interfering with right now? This involves the Divine Cult. Think carefully before you speak.”
I nodded.
“I’m warning you, lower your voices. There are people sleeping inside. And what deranged, insane waiter in the world would interfere with the Demonic Cult’s affairs?”
“…….”
“But that is me.”
I cackled, then picked up a chopstick.
“Listen, boys. Sacred Cult or whatever, don’t make a scene at an inn. And you lot aren’t members of the Sacred Cult. You’re just hired bastard lackeys, wandering swordsmen who come running for money, or underlings of heretical riffraff.”
One man spoke in a dignified tone.
“Listen, the person you’re hiding is the Third Young Master of the Sacred Cult. If you hand him over, I promise there will be no trouble for you. Do you intend to get involved in a fight between the Great Young Masters?”
“The two who went inside are men whose lives I spared. I can’t very well save them and then tell them to die right away. And he is someone who must not die near Baekeungji. You lackeys wouldn’t know, but because of him, discord could arise between the Orthodox and Demonic paths. I can’t allow it for one reason or another, so withdraw. Are you the ones who intend to get involved in a fight between the Great Young Masters merely for money? Even if the Cult Leader is a bystander, he likely didn’t expect a fight like this.”
At that moment, a deep sigh came from the door of the Cheolli Inn, and just as I had feared, the Pervert Demon appeared, looking seriously pissed off.
“Ah…… I can’t sleep. This is driving me insane.”
People, by nature, become eighteen times angrier than usual when their sleep is disturbed. The Pervert Demon kept exhaling heavily, shook his head, then drank the liquor on the table and said,
“……You’re lucky Master told me to leave you alive. Otherwise you’d have died by my hand.”
After drinking, the Pervert Demon suddenly charged at them without warning, sprang into the air, and sent one man flying with a flying kick.
With a thud, the man flew off, spun violently in midair, then crashed headfirst into the ground and began twitching on the floor.
Before I knew it, the Pervert Demon had returned to the table and was eating sweet-and-sour tenderloin with his chopsticks as he said,
“If you don’t get lost, I’ll kill you all this time.”
I looked at the Pervert Demon.
Could there be another villain like him in this world? It had been a while since I’d seen someone launch a flying kick with neither explanation nor warning.
As the men who had surrounded us withdrew, one of them said,
“We’ll meet again.”
“What?”
The instant I felt myself sober up, I threw the chopstick.
Whoosh!
The chopstick flew out and, with a wet thunk, pierced through the shoulder of the man who had said we’d meet again. Amid his scream and the sound of footsteps scattering, the rabble soon vanished without a trace.
I suddenly met the Pervert Demon’s eyes, but since I had nothing in particular to say, I turned my gaze to the scenery outside.
“…….”
Just then, Sambok came outside, gave a cupped-fist salute, and said,
“Sect Leader, Young Master Mong. Thank you. Once the Third Young Master finishes expelling the remaining poison, we will leave. It seems an expert from the Jecheon Alliance is nearby.”
The Pervert Demon and I asked back at the same time.
“Jecheon Alliance?”
“Why is the Jecheon Alliance coming up here?”
Sambok explained.
“Dokmokja of the Jecheon Alliance was among the group that attacked the safe house. There must be others as well. It seems the other Great Young Masters have hired famous Black Path groups. We did the same, so I have nothing to say.”
“Is that so?”
Sambok and the Pervert Demon looked at me.
I took a money pouch from my robes and said to Sambok,
“Sambok.”
“Yes, Sect Leader.”
“I understand, so while you’re here, go buy plenty of meat. None of us have eaten properly.”
When I handed him the money, Sambok received it with both hands and asked back with a grave expression.
“Why meat all of a sudden……?”
I pointed vaguely with my finger to the front of the inn and said,
“The weather’s nice today, so let’s grill it outside. Buy liquor too. And all sorts of different meats. Put it on the grill, light firewood underneath, whoosh, sizzle, crackle—know what I mean? Buy vegetables too. Whether we fight or run, we ought to have full bellies.”
Sambok muttered,
“Buying it isn’t difficult, but the Third Young Master is circulating his qi and regulating his breath……”
“I said I get it, so shut up and hurry back. Buy tasty meat, fresh meat. Let’s go fresh today. Got it?”
“Yes.”
After receiving the money, Sambok stared blankly into the inn for a moment, then said,
“……Please continue your breathing exercise. I’ll run the errand.”
“…….”
As Sambok ran off using qinggong, the Pervert Demon asked me,
“Why the hell are you suddenly making a fuss about grilling meat? Is this really the time?”
I watched the Pervert Demon’s expression and nodded.
“……One should not drive out the destitute. To the thirsty, one should offer water.”
“Why?”
“I ignored him twice, but a third time was difficult.”
“What do you mean?”
“Sambok was carrying that bastard on his back and fleeing back and forth in front of this place. Twice.”
Only then did the Pervert Demon laugh.
“Ah…… Absurd.”
“Even I find three times difficult. If I drive out the destitute and ignore the thirsty, I’m no different from the Demonic Cult Leader. Though that bastard is the Cult Leader’s son, giving him water, feeding him one meal, and sending him on his way is something I can do, and something you can do as well. I wonder if the Cult Leader knows his own son is running around in such poverty. Well, even if he knew, I doubt he’d care.”
A brief silence passed before the Pervert Demon spoke in a quiet tone.
“Come to think of it, I suddenly feel like eating some meat today.”
I nodded.
“Confirmed.”
.
.
.
We joined three tables together and set large stones beside them to make a ring-stone hearth. There, Sambok grilled meat in all kinds of ways. He grilled it on an iron plate and even brought utensils from the kitchen to make stir-fried meat. Watching him, Sambok seemed to have the makings of an excellent cook, and I had no idea why he was working as a bodyguard.
In any case, we spread vegetables on the table, set out liquor, and brought over freshly grilled meat to share. In the end, even the Ghost Demon, unable to withstand the smell of meat, woke up and joined us with his ugly mug to start eating.
The forces of the Demonic Cult’s Great Young Masters might come rushing in.
The Black Path and heretical groups hired by the Great Young Masters might come as well.
But for now, we grilled and ate meat, our mouths glistening with grease.
A short while later, the Ghost Demon, who had taken over from Sambok, skewered meat on thin skewers he had brought from the kitchen and began grilling it over the fire.
Suddenly, the Ghost Demon flicked his fingers and nodded.
“Good.”
As if he had finished some sort of experiment, he began skewering the various meats Sambok had bought onto the thin skewers.
I stood side by side with Sambok and the Pervert Demon and said to the Ghost Demon, who was grilling all sorts of assorted meats at once,
“Wow, that looks delicious.”
The Pervert Demon nodded as well.
“Second Brother was a meat genius.”
Sambok, who had been watching for his chance, cautiously asked the Lust Demon.
“Second? I take it there’s some sort of ranking among you.”
When the Lust Demon did not answer, Sambok looked at me with a curious expression. I briefly told Sambok who we were.
“If you ask our identities, it is only natural that we answer. We are none other than the Four Great Evildoers, who have claimed time-honored sobriquets in the gangho.”
At my words, the Lust Demon and the Ghost Demon snickered at the same time.