Chapter 94. A Flame in My Heart

Under the command of my senior brother Deoksu, the Black Cat Hall held a feast for the pig ribs. I instructed to open all the doors of the Black Cat Hall, and roughly laid out tables and mats in the main hall, inner courtyard, and outer courtyard, setting up drinking tables everywhere. Lady Son and the maids, following Deoksu's instructions, busily carried the food.

Whether the Southern Heavenly Association or the Sword Sect attacked, it was none of my concern.

First, I ate and drank. I had a drink with Nam Garak, another with Han, and another with Chae Sungtae, and yet another with Chief Bok. I also made Lady Son, who was busily moving around, have a drink, and drank with Ho Yeoncheong, who had worked hard teaching his incompetent disciples.

I went into the kitchen and made Deoksu, who was preparing the pig ribs, have a drink, and caught the maids who were startled and tried to run away, making them each take a sip. Soon, the Twelve Generals arrived, and I shared a drink with the masters and disciples after a long time.

I had already surpassed my alcohol limit in an instant.

With a red face, I wandered around and met the eyes of some unfamiliar men kneeling in a corner of the main hall.

"Huh?"

Three bloodied men looked at me in surprise.

"…!"

I asked them calmly.

"Who are you? Who beat you up?"

The main hall fell silent for a moment.

"…."

The bloodied men replied to me.

"Lord, we are from the Southern Heavenly Association."

"Oh, really?"

I must have momentarily forgotten due to the alcohol. Then I followed passing Joonpyeong.

"Joonpyeong, have a drink!"

"Ah!"

Joonpyeong hurriedly ran away, but I didn't chase him.

When I came out to the inner courtyard, it was also a drinking party.

Chief Bok was explaining what had happened earlier to the Twelve Generals and the disciples. I quietly joined in and listened. They were talking about letters, the Southern Heavenly Association's provocation, and the Sword Sect's stance.

I nodded at Chief Bok's words.

"Right. Our Great Military Commander is correct."

Baek In looked at me and smiled.

"Great Senior Brother, you're drinking a lot today."

"You should drink too."

"Yes."

I handed the alcohol I was holding to Baek In and drew the sword from his waist.

"Disciple, lend me your sword."

"Yes."

Holding the sword, I walked to the plum tree, circled around it, and then stopped, roughly performing a sword salute to my subordinates.

"Brothers of our school, I entrust you with my care. I am the Black Cat Hall Lord."

As I performed the salute, my subordinates, who were drinking, made salutes from various places.

"Meeting the Hall Lord."

Perhaps because they were drunk, various responses flowed out.

"Hall Lord, we also entrust you with our care."

When I extended my hand as if to clear the space, the drinking tables were moved back by my subordinates, making the area as wide as a stage.

Drunk, I looked around and said,

"Brothers of the Black Cat Hall, I am I Jaha."

"…."

I introduced myself while holding the sword.

"I was born and took my first steps in Ilyang County, wiping the tables of an inn. But that inn was burned down. The Black Cat Hall started with the burning of that inn. That fire moved to my heart. Even now, a flame remains somewhere in my heart. I am originally a worthless man, a man with a bad temper, a bad man, a man who has been this and that. But because I was weak, the Black Cat Hall will stand on the side of the weak."

I continued, holding the sword vertically.

"Anyone who does not unjustly harm the weak is my brother. Whether you come from the righteous path, a noble family, the black path, the demonic path, a temple, a widow, a Taoist, a beggar, a merchant, a woodcutter, or a fisherman, you are my brother. But ordinary people who do not practice martial arts, the weak, frail women, beautiful women, kind women, children, monks, Taoists, drunkards, waiters, courtesans, shamans, nuns, and fathers, mothers, uncles, sisters, and brothers who are bullied—if anyone bullies them, I will deal with them, regardless of whether they come from the demonic path, the black path, the righteous path, the rich, or the poor beggars."

I laughed, looking at the Black Cat Hall members, drunk. The alcohol had thoroughly dominated my heart.

"Although my skills may still be lacking compared to the great masters of the world, I practiced qi cultivation yesterday and the day before. I trained with the brothers of the Black Cat Hall in the past and received advice on the sword from a senior I met by chance. I am a man who gets a little stronger every day, the Black Cat Hall Lord I Jaha. I will show you the sword technique I have been practicing recently, brothers."

I tapped the plum tree and entered the area where the plum blossoms were falling.

There, I swung the sword, blending with the plum blossoms in a drunkard's movements. It was a messy dance, but it didn't matter.

Swinging the sword under the influence of alcohol.

With one strike, a cluster of plum blossoms was cut in half, and then cut again into four pieces. Mixing sword wind, I stabbed the center, and the pieces of plum blossoms scattered in all directions instantly.

It was a meaningless dance.

However, I stared at the falling petals for a moment and infused the sword with the Flame Fragrance technique.

Whoosh!

A reddish, extremely yang energy gathered on the sword. I released the sword qi and slightly added the technique of the Absorption Great Method, causing the Flame Fragrance sword qi to break into tiny pieces and scatter in the air.

The Thunder Sword Technique, Plum Blossom Fragrance (梅花香), as I interpreted it.

I laughed, looking at the Plum Blossom Fragrance.

The Plum Blossom Fragrance, carried by the sword wind, burned all the plum blossoms floating in the air and turned them into dust, which disappeared instantly.

I was glad I had infused less power.

My subordinates applauded in unison, seeing my amazing trick.

After finishing my brief introduction and sword performance, I performed a sword salute to the gathered people.

Then, the subordinates, masters, and brothers, who were drinking, all stood up and made salutes to me.

I threw the sword to Baek In, who was watching. I went to Chae Sungtae's seat and extended an empty cup, and Chae Sungtae poured alcohol for me.

"Good job, Hall Lord."

I took the alcohol and grabbed Chae Sungtae's shoulder.

"Our Black Cat Hall's Chief Chae."

"Yes."

"Don't die. If you want to survive, practice hard."

Chae Sungtae nodded seriously. I stared at him, and we drank together.

This time, the alcohol hit me hard.

Chief Bok approached me and said,

"Hall Lord, are you okay? You've had too much."

I waved my hand to make Chief Bok step back and sat down under the plum tree.

After closing my eyes for a moment...

I made the alcohol in my body adhere to a single stream of true qi, gathering it at the tips of my fingers, similar to when I used the Wood Finger Piercing Technique. This was a trick applying the principle of detoxification techniques.

After a while, the alcohol condensed at the tips of my fingers and fell as droplets. It was a detoxification technique I used, but it also worked for alcohol.

I instantly sobered up and looked at my subordinates with a clear face. They stared at me, surprised by my sudden sobriety.

I said to my subordinates in a calm tone,

"I'm sober now, so you can drink freely. I'll keep watch tonight."

While the subordinates were silent, Hong Samae answered alone.

"Understood, Great Senior Brother."

I went to the main hall with my hands behind my back and looked at the Southern Heavenly Association's messengers, who were still kneeling.

"Why did you come? Did you tell me your business?"

One of them replied.

"We came to request the Black Cat Hall's participation in the battle, following the Southern Heavenly Association Lord's order."

"Do I have a reason, a just cause, a great righteousness to participate? Do I?"

The three were speechless. One of them replied to me.

"I couldn't ask the Association Lord that."

I glared at the three and said,

"Is that so. But do you see me as a man weaker than the Southern Heavenly Association Lord's disciple, Sa Do-hang?"

"We don't know because our skills are insufficient."

"Is the Southern Heavenly Association Lord one of the ten great masters of the black path?"

"No, he isn't."

"Tell the arrogant Sa Do-hang my words."

"Yes."

"If you act disrespectfully again, I will come to you. Then you will have to choose a new Association Lord. Stand up."

The three helped each other up, their bodies bruised from being trampled by my subordinates.

I pushed into the center of the three and put my arms around their shoulders.

"Let's escape the Black Cat Hall. I'll guide you. My subordinates are busy drinking tonight."

"We're fine."

"Shut up."

I guided the three, shoulder to shoulder like drunk brothers, to the main gate. The three, who were extremely frightened, hurriedly made salutes at the main gate.

"Hall Lord, we will take our leave."

"Thank you for sparing our lives."

"We will report to the Association Lord as is."

One of the messengers, who had been eavesdropping on the conversation, asked me.

"Ah, Hall Lord, should I report you as the Black Cat Hall Lord or the Black Cat Hall Lord of the Haomen?"

"I am the Haomen Lord."

"Understood."

I looked at the three's faces and gestured for them to come closer.

"Come here. I will give you a way to survive. If you report what happened, you are very likely to be killed."

The messengers replied in a tense tone.

"We will listen."

"I visited the Black Cat Hall and found out that the Black Cat Hall Lord is already dead. It's true. I killed him. An unknown master appeared and overwhelmingly defeated and killed the Black Cat Hall Lord, his master the Great Monk, Yi Ryongno, Master Shuseng, Black Cat Treasure, Dong Fangyan, and other well-known masters here. They were beaten to death with a club, killed with an axe, killed in a palm force duel, torn to pieces, and burned to death."

"…."

"That's me, Haomen Lord I Jaha. Didn't you know?"

"Yes."

"Especially, the rumor is that this Haomen Lord mainly kills the leaders and then takes in the subordinates, making the number of troops enormous. You must have heard it, right?"

"Yes, I have."

"I heard it so much that my ears hurt."

"Of course. If you have any sense, how should you treat me after hearing this?"

One of the messengers replied correctly.

"It is truly proper to visit with respect."

I nodded.

"Right. But you were disrespectful from the moment you appeared. That's why you were trampled by my subordinates."

"I'm sorry."

"If you want to live, mix the story I just told you and report it to your superiors. You couldn't even eat the pig ribs and were trampled by my subordinates."

"Yes, then we will take our leave, Hall Lord."

The three took a few steps and turned around, one of them making a salute to me.

"I heard what you said outside. I will report it well."

I waved my hand.

"Since I said it while drunk, you don't need to take it seriously."

"Yes."

"But I am serious. Do you understand?"

The two messengers looked at me in shock, but one smiled with a bloodied face.

"Understood. Then, Hall Lord, we will return."

"Goodbye."

I personally saw the messengers off and closed the main gate myself before turning around. Many people were now tasting the pig ribs for the first time.

I walked over to a subordinate eating the pig ribs and asked,

"How does it taste?"

A natural response came from the subordinate.

"Hall Lord, it's really delicious."

I pointed at the subordinate with my finger.

"It's not something you can eat easily. Suck the meat off the bones."

"Hahaha. I'm doing that."

I looked around and said,

"Who hasn't eaten the pig ribs yet? Raise your hand."

Hands shot up from various places. I looked at the raised hands and said,

"Oh, I haven't eaten yet either. Put your hands down."

The subordinates laughed as they put their hands down.

Suddenly feeling hungry as the alcohol wore off, I jumped into the air, leaped over the inner courtyard, and burst into the main hall.

"Where's my pig ribs?"

The officers, with greasy mouths, replied from various places.

"It's in your seat."

I went to the main seat with my hands behind my back and found a small bowl with my pig ribs. I rubbed my palms together, sat down, and grabbed the pig ribs.

Noticing my subordinates looking at me, I gave a brief comment.

"Let's enjoy it."

The subordinates and brothers replied with smiles from various places.

"Enjoy it."

I took a big bite of the thick meat on the pig ribs. To summarize briefly:

Today, I, pig ribs, successful.