Chapter 79

79. Is there someone who doesn't distinguish between water and fire when fighting?

Yeon Jeokha, who had been watching the wandering warriors move the food, sat astride the window seat.

"Good job. Go over there."

"A, yes…."

A smile of awkwardness appeared on Chugong's face, who was wielding the Red Blood Sword.

Now he realized that instead of sharing the food, they were just changing seats.

Still, he was relieved that it ended this way.

But that was just the beginning.

Just as he had barely sat down in the corner, Yeon Jeokha called out.

"Hey!"

Chugong hurriedly moved to the window seat.

"Can you call a waiter over?"

"Yes."

Chugong walked over to the waiter standing in front of the counter.

The waiter, who had been watching the two men, hurriedly approached.

"Can you bring us more tea?"

"Yes, sir."

The waiter took the empty bottle and went back.

Chugong, who had been standing awkwardly, returned to his seat when Yeon Jeokha said nothing.

After that, Yeon Jeokha kept calling Chugong.

Bring more vegetables, bring more alcohol, bring more hot soup, and so on...

Because of this, Chugong didn't even know if the food was going into his mouth or his nose.

Eventually, Yeon Jeokha even had him sit next to him and asked him various questions.

Because Chugong was held there, the five wandering warriors couldn't leave even after finishing their meal.

Looking out the window at the sunset, Yeon Jeokha asked.

"Where were you all headed as a group?"

"Yes, we heard there are many job opportunities in Nanyang…."

"What kind of job?"

"They are gathering wandering warriors at the Nanyang Merchant House."

"Why? Just say it all at once. Don't make me ask multiple times."

"Ah, the Nanyang Merchant House and the Qingyun Hall in Luoyang are about to have a fight. The Nanyang Merchant House says the Qingyun Hall is causing trouble because they want to replace their bodyguards, and the Qingyun Hall says their disciples were insulted by the Nanyang Merchant House… Anyway, it doesn't matter who started it."

"Why do the bodyguards of the Nanyang Merchant House and the Qingyun Hall have anything to do with each other?"

"Well, the Nanyang Merchant House used to hire bodyguards from the Qingyun Hall, but they changed to the Hongfang system. I believe that's where the trouble started."

"Aha! So which side are you planning to support?"

"There are more high-level warriors in the Nanyang Merchant House, so we are heading there."

He was heading to the Nanyang Merchant House because there was a Huashan Sect disciple, the Heaven Swordman Limuliang, there.

"Do people who like fairness not go to the Qingyun Hall?"

"No, I was wrong. I made a big mistake without knowing the danger. Please forgive me."

"So, how much are they paying you?"

"One tael of silver for ten days, I heard."

"That's a lot. Why did you say, 'Even if you work hard, you can't even buy a bun'?"

"I was just saying that. Really."

"Ah, you were just throwing out random words to start a fight?"

"Yes…."

"This is also a kind of connection, so have a drink."

Yeon Jeokha filled the empty cup with huangjiu (a rice wine).

Chugong received the cup with a respectful and grateful expression.

After Chugong drank, Yeon Jeokha refilled his cup.

"Hey, call your friends over and have a drink."

The five wandering warriors approached awkwardly and each had a drink.

"I personally like the saying, 'The four seas are brothers.' What about you, wandering warriors?"

"Yes, that's true. The four seas are brothers."

"Yes, we also think so."

Yeon Jeokha nodded with a satisfied look.

"So, we are not strangers. We should eat and drink together. Right?"

"Of course."

Chugong nodded exaggeratedly, though he found it a bit strange.

Even if they ate separately, who cares?

Right now, he needed to cater to this strange person's mood.

"Go finish your meal. We'll get up first."

"Yes, thank you."

"Don't mention it. Enjoy your meal. See you next time."

"Huh?"

Chugong involuntarily raised his voice at the "enjoy your meal" greeting.

"What? You're not asking us to pay and just saying 'see you next time'? You're not trying to clean your mouth, are you? Old Sim and I are not suckers. I'm starting to feel bad."

"No, no. Of course, we will pay. I was just surprised by your 'see you next time.'"

The quick-witted Chugong quickly defused the situation.

"I'm not asking you to set a specific date. It means we might meet again if fate allows. Or, we could go to Nanyang together. We have to pass through there anyway."

"No, we need to travel at night. We plan to camp out tonight."

"You're diligent. You have to be to make money. Got it. See you next time. We plan to stay at this inn for a day. Hey! Sir!"

At Yeon Jeokha's call, the innkeeper rushed over.

"This wandering warrior, what's your name?"

Stopping mid-sentence, Yeon Jeokha glanced at Chugong.

"Chugong."

"Good name. Chugong will pay for everything. Chugong, right?"

"Yes, that's right."

Chugong nodded, and Yeon Jeokha said to the innkeeper.

"We plan to stay at this inn for a day. If Chugong doesn't pay, let us know. Old Sim will handle it."

"Yes, yes."

The innkeeper bowed and glanced at Chugong and Sim Yangge.

Sim Yangge glared at Chugong fiercely.

"If you don't want to see me again, pay up properly."

Chugong, startled by the murderous look, nodded vigorously.

"Yes, yes, I will pay properly."

Finally, Yeon Jeokha and Sim Yangge went upstairs with the innkeeper.

Chugong, returning to the wandering warriors, collapsed like a deflated balloon.

One of the five wandering warriors, Chufengjian Dong Renpei, asked in a low voice.

"Chugong, are you really going to pay for what they ate?"

"Did you see that old man's martial arts and still ask that? Think of it as stepping in dog poop. Let's split the cost."

"Damn, we only ate buns and noodles. Look at what they ate. With the huangjiu, it must be at least one tael of silver."

"My name and our destination are known. Do you want to run away? Are you going to give up the job in Nanyang for one tael of silver?"

Dong Renpei closed his eyes tightly at Chugong's words.

As he said, they couldn't give up the job in Nanyang for one tael of silver. For wandering warriors with no future, Nanyang was a land of opportunity.

Another wandering warrior sighed deeply and said.

"Ah! Let's split the cost. We can earn one tael of silver in ten days in Nanyang. What's a few hundred coins? Let's consider it a bad omen."

The other wandering warriors nodded in agreement.

In fact, a few hundred coins weren't much compared to the cost of a broken limb.

After a while, Dong Renpei, who was chewing on a cold bun, asked.

"But what did he mean by camping out?"

"I don't want to travel with them to Nanyang. I want to stay away from them, even if it means camping. I don't want to see them again. Ugh…."

Chugong shuddered.

The other wandering warriors didn't object, showing their agreement.

The next morning.

Yeon Jeokha and Sim Yangge had a late breakfast and left Xingxing Inn.

There were quite a few wandering warriors among the people passing by, probably because they were close to Nanyang.

Walking along the main road, Yeon Jeokha spoke.

"I think I've met the Nanyang Merchant House before. Right?"

"I don't remember much from before I entered the mountains. The head of the Nanyang Merchant House is a Huashan Sect disciple, the Heaven Swordman Limuliang, right?"

"Yes, now I remember. The Heaven Swordman. I almost cut off both his arms by mistake. Back then, I couldn't control my strength at all."

"Did that happen? He must be a lucky guy."

"But he kept his promise. He didn't attack the mountain again."

"He must have been severely punished by you."

"I'm not that scary."

Sim Yangge just chuckled.

Yeon Jeokha wasn't scary, but he wasn't gentle either.

If he were gentle, the bandits of Wufeng Mountain wouldn't have been suppressed.

"Why are you laughing? Is what I said wrong?"

"No, you are gentle, but once a fight starts, you don't distinguish between water and fire."

"Is there someone who does distinguish between water and fire when fighting?"

"Hehe, many people worry about the aftermath and finish at an appropriate point."

"How can you worry about the aftermath when you're fighting? You should do that before or after the fight. Big brother said that if you have unnecessary thoughts during a fight, you'll die by the sword."

"That's true."

Sim Yangge couldn't help but laugh inside.

That only applied to beginners like Feng Yanchao. At Yeon Jeokha's level, there was no need to fight recklessly.

High-level warriors are praised for knowing their limits.

Of course, in the fights between the righteous and the evil, there are no such limits.

"Still, why did the Nanyang Merchant House suddenly change their bodyguards? It doesn't make sense to start a fight with the Qingyun Hall, with whom they have a relationship."

"What do I know? Whether it's a merchant house or a martial arts school, it's none of our business."

Yeon Jeokha would just watch if a fight broke out nearby, thinking it had nothing to do with him.

Strangely, this attitude resonated with Sim Yangge's usual behavior.

Sim Yangge, looking completely convinced, no longer had any curiosity.

***

The distance from Fangcheng County to Nanyang was usually a day's journey, but it took Yeon Jeokha and Sim Yangge two days.

They walked leisurely, thinking there was no rush, which is why they were late.

Arriving in Nanyang around noon, the two looked for a restaurant to fill their stomachs.

Sim Yangge pointed to a bustling restaurant called Manjianghong.

"Master, shall we go there? It seems to be a good place since there are so many customers."

"I'm not sure if there will be any seats."

Despite his doubt, Yeon Jeokha walked over.

Opening the door of the restaurant and stepping inside, Yeon Jeokha sniffed. The delicious smell of food was much better than in Fangcheng County.

As they looked around, a teenage waiter approached.

"Hehe, there are no seats right now, but if you wait a bit, a seat will be available soon."

Yeon Jeokha, hesitating whether to leave, decided to lean against the counter out of annoyance. The waiter busily went back to the customers.

Sim Yangge stood straight next to Yeon Jeokha, scanning the surroundings as if guarding him.

Most of the customers were martial artists, probably because of the impending fight between the merchant house and the martial arts school.

In the past, they would have just taken any seat.

But after living as a cripple, such actions no longer appealed to him.

Moreover, he wouldn't dare do such a thing in front of Yeon Jeokha.

While waiting, he naturally started listening to the customers' conversations.

The main topic was, of course, the fight between the Nanyang Merchant House and the Qingyun Hall.

Through the conversation of two nearby wandering warriors, Sim Yangge and Yeon Jeokha learned quite a bit.

The two wandering warriors, who claimed to be from Luoyang, were more interested in chatting than eating.

A man with a red dot on his forehead grumbled.

"…It's all because of the Famous Teachings that things are in such a mess."

The other, with a flat nose, replied calmly.

"Still, thanks to them, opportunities have come to wandering warriors like us. The seven major sects might dislike it, but we should be grateful."

Unlike the man with the red dot, the flat-nosed man didn't seem to have any resentment towards the Famous Teachings.

"Still, thinking about the greater good…."

"The greater good? What a load of crap. Honestly, people say the Famous Teachings are bad, but no one has actually seen them do anything bad. They just say it's bad because the Justice Alliance says so."

In the past, the Black Demon Gang was terrifying, but as long as you didn't oppose them, nothing happened. So, from the perspective of wandering warriors, the Famous Teachings and the Justice Alliance were not much different.