Chapter 287. I Took Over an Inn.

A broad avenue appeared at the end of the bustling street.

As we crossed it, as if passing through a gate, another bustling street unfolded before us, no different from the place we had just left behind.

I watched the street with some surprise.

“Mm.”

In other words, it looked as ordinary as when we had first arrived. There were still many people, stall merchants, vendors openly cleaning fish, and plenty of ordinary customers eating meals or snacks.

The sight of people standing there so boldly and naturally, as if they had nothing whatsoever to do with the Number One of the Evil Path, struck me as both ridiculous and impressive.

Someone ran past, shouting.

“A tremendous number of people died on West Water Road! They say martial experts of the jianghu came to kill the Number One of the Evil Path! It seems the rumored Hao Sect Leader has arrived!”

I muttered roughly in response to those words.

“That’s right. I’ve arrived.”

As we entered the bustling street, some of the stall merchants avoided our gaze, while those who had been eating turned their heads and stared at us intently.

At that moment, an old man selling tea wares from a stall near the entrance looked at us and said,

“……How is it that only four of you have come to kill the Number One of the Evil Path? I have done business here for a long time, but this is the first time I have seen so few people come charging in.”

The merchant beside him spoke with a startled expression.

“Old man, don’t meddle.”

The old man stared at us with a stubborn look.

“If they are fearsome people, do they kill merchants carelessly as well? Surely not.”

I was about to simply pass by, thinking that if we exchanged words, the old man might soon be beaten to death, but the Sword Demon stopped and glared at him.

I looked between the Sword Demon and the old man.

“…….”

If the Sword Demon killed an old man doing business here, that would be crossing a line, so I could not help but watch.

Yet if we simply passed by, I also felt somewhat uneasy.

The Lust Demon stopped the Sword Demon.

“Master, let us just go. He is an old man without even a handful of internal energy.”

The Sword Demon looked around and said,

“Is that so? Then how does an old man without even a handful of internal energy recognize us?”

Only then did the Lust Demon also look at the old man.

“That is true.”

Now everyone was looking at us.

They were all people blended into daily life, so there was no way to tell which one was a subordinate of the Number One of the Evil Path and which one was an ordinary resident of Dongho.

The old man said shamelessly,

“……Thanks to the Number One of the Evil Path, Dongho has regained a peace of sorts. Twenty years ago, there was no peace like this. Back then, the black path men who came from outside and the water bandits who had originally been here waged war every other day, killing and being killed, so the days repeated with corpses being cleared away. At long last, the Number One of the Evil Path sorted things out and changed the atmosphere, but if he dies, will you people take responsibility for this vast Dongho?”

Was it because they had been influenced by the old man’s courage? Suddenly, all sorts of reproachful words poured in from every direction.

“How would the Hao Sect Leader take responsibility for this place?”

“Isn’t he doing this because of something called Black Fragrance or whatever?”

“That was Black Fragrance’s fault. It was not the fault of the Number One of the Evil Path, was it? He has so many subordinates, how could he control each one individually? Is that something to cause such an uproar over?”

“Sect Leader, the Number One of the Evil Path does not have a bad reputation here. If it were bad, how could he have reigned for so long? The Number One of the Evil Path has never been caught.”

Subtly reproachful words and petulant complaints overlapped and poured down on us.

They were not trying to fight, merely making noise at the level of a verbal quarrel, so beating them to death would have been strange.

The owner of a dumpling shop said to me,

“Does the Hao Sect not have black path men under it as well? Sect Leader, if your subordinates cause trouble, will you take all their crimes upon yourself? That would be fair.”

Someone whispered softly.

“Why ask such a thing? He just came to fight.”

From inside an inn, only someone’s voice could be heard.

“I hear one of his companions is even the former Left Emissary of Light of the Demon Cult, no? Though I suppose he has left the Demon Cult now.”

I looked at the expressions of the Sword Demon, the Lust Demon, and the Ghost Demon, then laughed again.

“What a funny bunch. You sure do flap your mouths well while hiding.”

I waved both hands and encouraged those making noise.

“Keep talking. I will listen to it all. I am used to being criticized. There is nothing as hard to endure as forced arguments, but since you seem to have made up your minds to attack us with words anyway, go on and talk some more. I will listen.”

I spotted people here and there who were making an effort to hide their killing intent.

“If you want to fight with words, then let us do that. But if I sense any intent to attack, I will lay you down beside the stinking fish like the bastards who died on West Water Road. Is the Number One of the Evil Path the king of this place? Are you saying that without him, public order will collapse, your livelihoods will become bleak, the black path will run rampant, and another hellscape will unfold?”

“…….”

“Black Fragrance was not that bastard’s mistake. It was because the financial damages there were billed to me. How is that a mistake? Looks like you all read the notice I spread. To think that a bastard who beats trade merchants to death, kidnaps children who have lost their fathers and mothers, slaps the name mixed-blood girl on them, and sells them for money would receive such treatment. What a damned stupid world. You bastards with unbelievably thick faces are making a fuss under the excuse of making a living. You shameless sons of bitches, trash worse than slaves…… bastards who will lick the toes of that moron called Dongho’s Number One Sword or whatever until the day you die. Your children, too, will have to lick Dongho’s Number One Sword’s toes before anything else as soon as they are born. They will learn the taste of that bastard’s toes before their mother’s milk. Am I wrong?”

Wow… I had not expected it to become this quiet.

The fellow who had been chopping off fish heads with a cleaver since a while ago suddenly threw the cleaver at me.

It came with quite ferocious speed.

I had no intention of touching the cleaver, so I avoided it with a tilt of my head. The cleaver, unfortunately, grazed the face of the stall merchant on the opposite side and embedded itself in something like a pillar, causing screams to burst out.

I looked at the man who had thrown the cleaver.

“Just cut off fish heads. Why smear poison on a cleaver? Huh?”

I drew my sword slightly to kill the fishmonger, then put it back in its sheath.

Seeing that he did not flee, it seemed he had a specific mission. For example, at the instant I attacked the fishmonger, someone else would ambush me, or something of that sort…….

When I sheathed my sword, the old man began talking again.

“Listen here, Hao Sect Leader. To speak honestly, there are subordinates of the Number One of the Evil Path here, and there are also those who are not his subordinates. But they have something in common.”

“What?”

“None of them has ever seen the Number One of the Evil Path. He certainly exists, but I am saying that we have not seen him either. Do you think the Number One of the Evil Path will appear if you kill everyone here? There is no chance of that. He is not that kind of person to begin with. Someone may perhaps know, but there is no guarantee that person is the Number One of the Evil Path either. It is more likely to be a proxy.”

In the end, I squatted down in front of the old man who had set up his stall.

“You old bastard, you speak far too well for a stall merchant.”

The old man glared at me and said,

“I heard the Hao Sect Leader is a sect leader who protects those who work. Is this the true nature of the Sect Leader? No different from the black path.”

From my seated posture, I drew my wooden sword, sent the old man’s head flying, then shook the blood off onto the ground.

Soon, with a thud—his head fell to the floor.

As I used my sword to poke through the tea set on the stall, a black liquid spilled from a small teapot, melting everything on the counter as if it had never been there and giving off a foul stench. Somehow, it felt similar to the Bone-Melting Powder I had seen last time.

I hooked the handle of the teapot containing the Bone-Melting Powder with the tip of my sword, lifted it, then struck it with the flat of the blade and sent it flying toward the fishmonger. The fishmonger grabbed something like a chopping board and raised it, blocking the Bone-Melting Powder.

Chiiiiik!

In the meantime, when Ghost Demon drew his sword and swung it, the chopping board split in half, and the fishmonger’s torso was cleaved in two as well. Perhaps because he had been cut in half, he died without even managing to scream. As the corpse spewing blood sprawled across the ground, the surroundings fell silent again.

I announced to those around us.

“……Everyone, I’m here. Do I look like some idiot philanthropist who goes around doing good deeds? If the Number One of the Heretical Path doesn’t come out, I’ll kill all his underlings before I leave, so you don’t have to worry too much. If you still want to pretend to be ordinary merchants, go ahead. I’ll spare you. Ah, I really can’t stand this damned Hao Mun Leader bastard. So step forward bravely or launch a despicable ambush, do whatever you want. I’ll kill you.”

I raised my right hand and asked those around me.

“Anyone else want to flap their mouth like that old man who died trying to splash me with Bone-Melting Powder? There seem to be quite a few people here who are surprisingly good with words, so I’m kind of glad. I’m thinking of tearing your mouths open. Nothing to say?”

The middle-aged man steaming dumplings answered.

“Sect Leader, do you even know how many bustling districts like this there are? Even if you get out alive, the Hao Mun Leader’s infamy will shake the whole world. Can you handle that?”

I answered the dumpling shop owner.

“Owner, take your bullshit to the Martial Alliance. How much are those dumplings? Are they meat dumplings? Got vegetable dumplings? Stop putting idiotic poison in your dumplings and just make them tasty. Why is a dumpling shop owner worried about my infamy, you damned bastard?”

I approached with my sword in hand and looked into the owner’s eyes.

“How much for ten dumplings?”

“…….”

The man pretending to be the owner stared at me with a stunned expression.

Was he reacting to my killing intent? Even though I had not swung my sword, the owner grabbed the lid of the cauldron in front of him. I cut diagonally through the unusually thick cauldron lid and the owner’s torso at the same time.

Through the split in the cauldron lid, I could see the blood the owner was pouring out with his whole body.

“This is just absurd……. Wow, now that I look closely, these bastards.”

I looked at the people filling the busy street.

Men who had already been waiting for us were mixed in here and there. I had the feeling these bastards had probably threatened ordinary people too and blended in among them.

“There’s definitely something impressive about this. I’ll admit it. I can’t exactly kill innocent people too.”

As the number of men who died after opening their mouths increased, everyone’s complexion turned poor.

I rejoined the Four Great Evils and walked down the street.

People hurriedly stepped aside to the left and right from all around, opening a path. However, the stinging gazes fixed on us remained. They were all cursing us with their eyes.

At that moment, a man was shoved by someone and stumbled three or four steps toward us before shouting.

“Why did you push me! It’s not me! Someone pushed me. From behind!”

The man raised both hands with a look as if he had fainted while standing and stared at us.

I asked him.

“It’s not you?”

“Yes, it’s not. I’m not one of his underlings.”

“Turn around.”

“Pardon?”

“I said turn around.”

As soon as the man turned around, I approached and asked into his ear.

“Then who here is an underling of the Number One of the Heretical Path? Point them out. We’ll kill them for you. Point out even one person accurately. Then I’ll spare you.”

I grabbed the man’s shoulder and injected a little Ice Art. It was to check how much resistance he had to Ice Art, and also a threat.

The man immediately trembled all over and looked around, but I had no intention of giving him much time.

“If you don’t point someone out, you’ll freeze to death. Why? Because you’re just unlucky. When you live, you ought to have unlucky moments too.”

The man pointed to a peddler wearing a bamboo rain hat and said.

“That bastard pushed me. On purpose.”

Before the words “on purpose” had even ended, Lust Demon moved like an arrow and thrust his left palm at the peddler.

Thud!

After exchanging palm force, Lust Demon had already returned to his place. The peddler’s face turned as white as paper with his hand extended, and soon he stiffened rigidly.

I said to the man I was holding.

“See? That’s what happens when you’re unlucky. Look at that surprised expression. Point them out. We’re stronger anyway.”

The man slowly raised his trembling hand again. But before he could point anyone out, more than ten people charged at us.

I watched the scene with a smile.

“What a fucking joke.”

Three or four men were instantly sent flying by Lust Demon’s twin palms, and when Ghost Demon swung his sword, the arms of those rushing in with weapons raised flew off. In an instant, screams overlapped.

I asked the man I was holding.

“By the way, how much are ten dumplings here?”

“Two iron coins.”

I grabbed the man’s head, turned it toward me, and met his eyes.

“Wrong. What’s going on?”

As soon as I confirmed the man’s flustered expression, I slapped him across the cheek and knocked him unconscious.

“Nine out of ten of these guys seem like underlings of the Number One of the Heretical Path, don’t they? There are a lot.”

I stepped forward again and spoke to those blocking our way.

“Move. You idiots. If you don’t want to die.”

I slapped the cheek of a nearby bastard and moved on.

“I said I’d fight one-on-one, and yet you come over here to die and make a scene. Move, you bastard. Do I have to make a whole round of the neighborhood before he shows up?”

Ghost Demon was at the rear left, Lust Demon at the rear right.

Sword Demon followed from the rear.

I stood in the vanguard and advanced as if breaking through the busy street.

Only now did a bit of emotional communication form between us and them. They must have developed the mindset that if they attacked us, they would certainly die.

I advised those opening the path for us.

“Report first, at least. Say you couldn’t help it. ‘Idiot boss, I think you’ll have to step forward yourself. Why are you hiding like a rat? Say it bravely. You call yourself the Number One of the Heretical Path, so why are you acting like such an idiot? The enemy is only four men. You son of a bitch.’ Is there no one who can offer such brave and honest counsel? Ah, of course there isn’t. The underlings of an idiotic bastard must be even bigger idiots, so I won’t expect anything.”

Sighs mixed with strange emotions followed from here and there.

I turned back and said to the Four Great Evils.

“Ah, I don’t care. I’m hungry, so let’s just go into any place and eat.”

Lust Demon replied.

“What if they serve poison?”

“Then that’s even better. We’ll take over the shop. We’ll use silver needles too, and since it’s a serious and critical situation, we’ll make the owner eat everything one by one first, then we’ll eat. Or I’ll personally make a bowl of noodles in the kitchen for us.”

Sword Demon looked at me.

“Restrain yourself. I’ve already heard the rumors about you from Chef Jang.”

Lust Demon chimed in from the side.

“They said they almost threw up while eating.”

I looked at the Lecherous Demon.

“Don’t make things up.”

The Ghost Demon said to me, his face looking uglier than usual.

“I heard it too. They said that’s why the inn went under.”

I ignored the three of them and went into the inn. The moment I appeared, the bastards who had been eating all stood up at once and fled outside as if running for their lives. Dumbfounded, I called after the customers.

“……Hey, you bastards, you should pay before you leave. Right?”

I looked around the inside of the inn.

“Guess not.”

I sat down in an empty seat and looked at the Four Great Evildoers as they came in.

“Wow, the foremost man of the Evil Path sure has a lot of subordinates. We came to the wrong place.”

When I suddenly looked up at the ceiling, people began moving with a thunderous clatter, then started jumping down from the second floor. One of them must have twisted his ankle on the way down, because he let out an “Agh—” as he hobbled off into the distance.

I said to the three sitting there with calm expressions.

“Inn takeover complete. It makes me respect Guan Yunchang all over again.”

“Why?”

“He broke through the Five Passes without even eating.”

What I knew might have been wrong, but perhaps all three were just as ignorant, because they nodded.

“Impressive.”