When Setting the Mood, an Axe is Best.
The reason I returned to Chunyang Restaurant was simple.
I had not eaten yet.
“If you eat all the ingredients for the soup, what will the soup be made of? Didn’t you say the noodles were all gone earlier? Are you going to run a business like this?” Jang Deuk-soo replied, “The noodles are not gone yet.”
“You said they were gone earlier.”
“That’s a lie.”
“The head of the sect lies every time he opens his mouth. Give me a bowl.” I snatched a piece of pork bone from Jang Deuk-soo’s bowl and took one from So Gun-pyeong’s bowl as well, sitting across from him.
As I began to gnaw on the pork bone, Jang Deuk-soo asked, “Is that enough? Should I boil some noodles?”
“Forget it, let’s just eat.”
As I tore into the meat of the pork bone, Jang Deuk-soo started eating too.
With the two of us tearing into the pork bones, So Gun-pyeong had no choice but to finish his as well.
Grease covered the hands of the three of us.
While eating the pork bone, I asked So Gun-pyeong, “Is it good?”
“Very delicious.”
“This is only served to regulars, and you’re not a regular. Why are you eating it?”
Suddenly, So Gun-pyeong seemed to choke and patted his chest.
Jang Deuk-soo clicked his tongue and teased me, “Jaha, when eating, even dogs don’t disturb each other, so let’s eat comfortably.”
I kept tearing off the meat and replied, “This guy came to deal with me. I saved his life. But he doesn’t want to enter the Hao Sect. He’s here enjoying a rare delicacy that he can’t often have. Is this how the ways of the Jianghu should fall?”
Suddenly, I noticed the Yaraedo placed on the table by So Gun-pyeong.
This was a knife quite famous in the Black Dao, and I suddenly felt the urge to examine it.
“Let me see the knife. Hand it over.”
So Gun-pyeong, looking surprised, said, “I can’t give it to you. It’s like my life.”
“I won’t take it. I just want to look.”
So Gun-pyeong, looking as if he was forcibly having his lover taken away, cautiously extended the Yaraedo towards me.
He had a tense expression as if he was giving away his life.
I casually wiped the grease on my hands on my clothes.
After completely removing the grease, I drew the Yaraedo and admired its sharp blade.
“It’s a good knife.” I infused a bit of my energy into my finger and flicked the blade.
Thwang…!
“Sturdy and resilient…” Although So Gun-pyeong’s martial arts were far inferior to mine, if he had been careless, the knife would have sliced through like a dumpling.
As I returned the Yaraedo to So Gun-pyeong, I said, “It’s a rare treasure.”
So Gun-pyeong nodded at my offhand remark.
“Indeed.”
“But it has become a knife not even as good as a kitchen knife. Hahaha.”
As I burst into laughter, Jang Deuk-soo, who had been watching the fight, also laughed heartily.
“Wahaha!”
Then, as Jang Deuk-soo made eye contact with So Gun-pyeong, he suddenly stopped laughing, looking startled.
I glared at So Gun-pyeong and said, “Who told you to glare at the owner of my regular place like that?”
“I wasn’t glaring; I was just looking.”
“Look kindly.”
“I understand.”
We resumed tearing into the pork bones.
I had a habit of thinking about the relationship between weapons and people for a long time.
In my opinion… If a Jianghu person who is not skilled possesses a good weapon, the chance of dying an untimely death is high.
They would be killed by a master coveting that weapon.
Conversely, if they possess a low-grade weapon that is far below their skill level, the chance of dying an untimely death is also high.
This is because they would lose due to the superiority of the weapon when facing an opponent.
Having a weapon that is too good to handle is a problem, and not being able to obtain a weapon that matches one’s skill is also a problem.
Life in the Jianghu is fraught with such issues.
From that perspective, So Gun-pyeong and the Yaraedo were a good combination.
The appearance of the weapon seemed like something that bandits or rogue groups would use.
After finishing the pork bone cleanly, I asked So Gun-pyeong, “You don’t seem to have anywhere to go?”
“... I have some things to think about for a moment.”
“Do you still have subordinates in the Black Cat Gang?”
“Yes.”
“Were you on good terms?”
So Gun-pyeong, who had been staring at me for a moment, replied, “Some consider each other as brothers.”
“Oh.”
“I don’t know if you know, but most of those in the Black Cat Gang now are people who surrendered after the former leader was killed by the Great General. Including me. There was no choice. The Great General killed most of the upper management as an example. Fortunately, the Golden Dragon Pavilion was not severely affected, so those who were later pushed in by the Great General did not mix with us.”
I replied with a serious expression, “How did you survive?”
“I wasn’t an upper management at that time.”
I thought to myself that this guy really had exceptional luck.
I still had no great fear of facing the Twelve Divine Generals, but the Great General was a bit different.
He was an old Jianghu who had thrown himself into the Jianghu decades before me and had survived until now.
The reason I found it hard to gauge his true strength was that in my previous life, the Great General did not die by my hand but by the Poison Demon.
I recalled the story of the Poison Demon I had heard before and reviewed various plans.
If So Gun-pyeong did not return, it was highly likely that the leader of the Black Cat Gang would appear directly.
Being ambushed was not my hobby.
I concluded that it would be better for me to meet the leader of the Black Cat Gang before he came to Yiyang County.
“So Gun-pyeong.”
“Speak.”
“You will guide me to the Black Cat Gang shortly.”
So Gun-pyeong’s eyes widened.
“Are you saying we should go together?”
“Listen carefully. I’m serious. If I go alone, I might end up killing not only the leader but all the martial artists of the Black Cat Gang. If the fight escalates into an all-out war, you need to intervene at the right moment to ensure that at least your subordinates don’t die. This is my best option.”
If I killed all of So Gun-pyeong’s subordinates, it was clear he would not become my subordinate.
Even if I invaded, my best option was to kill only the leader of the Black Cat Gang.
But how could one accurately predict the outcome of a fight with the Black Dao?
In the midst of his confusion, So Gun-pyeong asked, “When will you go?”
“I’ll go to Cheolbang to gather some good weapons for setting the mood. When I arrive, we’ll go right away. You wait here.”
Jang Deuk-soo asked, “Good weapons for setting the mood? What’s that?”
I jumped up and replied briefly, “An axe.”
Jang Deuk-soo soon realized that someone’s head would be split by the axe.
“Lord, have you arrived?”
When I appeared at Yongdu Cheolbang, Geum Cheol-yong welcomed me.
“Did you come because of the madman?”
“No.”
“Then it seems another fight is about to happen.”
I answered Geum Cheol-yong honestly, “The Black Cat Gang sent assassins. I’m also thinking of sending assassins.”
“Assassins? Who?”
I pointed my thumb at my chest.
“Me. What about the madman? I’m not asking to pester you, just curious.”
Geum Cheol-yong crossed his arms and said, “The deputy leader is going down south this time to check out the Hundred Yue Black Market. Finding good iron is sometimes harder than making a treasured sword or a precious blade. There should be good news.”
The Hundred Yue Black Market was run by the minority group, the Yue people, and was quite closed off.
In other words, they neither sold nor bought from the Jianghu people of the Central Plains.
If the deputy leader went there, it meant he was also of Yue descent.
“By the way, if you’re thinking of going as an assassin, what kind of weapon do you need?”
“Please give me a large axe suitable for an assassin. The bigger and heavier, the better.”
“It’s the first time I’ve heard of an assassin using an axe.”
“The more skilled the assassin, the less they are bound by weapons. It’s the clumsy ones who fight with chopsticks or the like.”
“I see. Lord, but I just thought of something and would like to ask for your opinion.”
“Speak.”
“What if the Hao Sect also operated a black market? It seems like it would be more profitable than Cheolbang. These days, work has been decreasing.”
“Don’t do it.”
“I understand.”
Geum Cheol-yong gave up quickly.
Still, he seemed curious about the reason.
“Is there a reason you say not to?”
“How could someone who is reluctant to make treasured weapons run a black market dealing with Jianghu people? The black market involves getting entangled with the Jianghu, making money while cleaning up corpses. Can you endure that?”
“What if our Hao Sect becomes stronger later?”
“Still, it won’t do.”
There are lines that should not be crossed even in the territory of the Hao Sect.
To survive long and well, it is right to keep that line.
Geum Cheol-yong smiled and said, “I understand.”
“It would be better to ask the owner of the Yoonmun Inn if there’s any help you can provide. The technology of Cheolbang will be needed for the tools, equipment, and materials required for construction.”
Initially, the small organizations of the Hao Sect could help each other.
However, this was only as long as the service fees were appropriate and transparent.
A smile spread across Geum Cheol-yong’s face.
“Why didn’t I think of that? I understand. Quickly bring a large axe for our lord.”
While waiting for the axe, Geum Cheol-yong asked, “By the way, how do you plan to deal with the Black Cat Gang? Are you thinking of gathering the swordsmen, including Seong-tae? No matter how I think about it, the odds seem too stacked against you.”
“I’m going alone. And my return might be a bit late.”
Geum Cheol-yong looked at me for a moment and said, “Just don’t die. If anything happens to you, at least our Cheol-yong Sect will all charge into the Black Cat Gang.”
“I won’t die, so just worry about that.”
Just as I didn’t know how to make weapons, Geum Cheol-yong didn’t know martial arts.
As we looked at each other and nodded a few times, a fearsome axe with a dragon-head handle arrived.
It was indeed a magnificent axe, but the joints looked a bit shaky.
“I’ll have to use it moderately.”
In any case, its appearance was fearsome enough that it seemed like something that the likes of Seohwang or the heroes of the Water Margin would use, which I liked very much.
“Guide me, So Gun-pyeong.”
So Gun-pyeong, who had been waiting at Chunyang Restaurant, jumped up in surprise.
“Are we really going together?”
“Of course, we’re going together. Are we going with three?”
I slung the large axe over my shoulder and bid farewell to Jang Deuk-soo.
“Deuk-soo, if my return is delayed, tell Seong-tae.”
Jang Deuk-soo replied with a worried expression, “What should I tell him?”
I pondered for a moment and said, “Tell him not to play around and to write the report carefully. I can’t guarantee when I’ll return.”
I had a rough plan for how to deal with the Black Cat Gang.
However, that rough plan did not clearly indicate the timing of my return.
I would have to go and confront them to know.
Jang Deuk-soo said, “Aren’t you going too hastily?”
“Ambushes are meant to be done quickly.”
And I had to invade to ensure the safety of Yiyang County.
After parting with Jang Deuk-soo, I moved quickly with So Gun-pyeong, pointing to the Jaha Inn, which was under construction.
“This will be the main base of the Hao Sect in the future.”
So Gun-pyeong, who had replied without much thought, stopped in his tracks upon seeing the construction site.
“No way, how can it be this big?”
After taking a few steps, I called out to So Gun-pyeong, who was not following.
“What are you doing? I told you to guide me.”
“Sorry. By the way, you’re incredibly wealthy, Lord. I didn’t see it that way…”
“Me?”
“Who else is here?”
“Gun-pyeong, do I look like a good person to you?”
“What do you mean?”
I pointed to the under-construction Jaha Inn and explained, “That’s being built with your slush fund.”
“Huh?”
“Your money. The money of the Black Cat Gang, the slush fund of the Black Cat Gang, the slush fund of the Golden Dragon Pavilion, and the money collected from robbing others, and the money extracted from the weak by the Golden Dragon Pavilion. Oh, and the money from the owners of the Gilu as well. In any case, that money is ultimately being used like this. You follow me around and watch how I strip the Black Dao clean. Let’s go.”
As I hurriedly moved again, So Gun-pyeong hurriedly followed.