Chapter 327

The red silk dress Eum Yujeong wore accentuated her beauty to the fullest. The patrons inside the Inn wore expressions as if they were bewitched by a fox.

Eum Yujeong was well aware of their gazes and expressions.

It was only natural.

For her purpose was to bewitch people.

She had deliberately dressed as splendidly as possible to captivate her target.

The problem was that while the man she intended to bewitch was looking at her with emotionless eyes, the people around them were in an uproar.

Pyo Wol’s gaze, as he looked at her, was as devoid of emotion as if he were looking at a stone.

At this, Eum Yujeong felt a great sense of humiliation.

But she was not so faint-hearted as to be discouraged by something like this.

She possessed the nerve to hide her true feelings at will. If not, she would never have been able to hold the prodigies of the Golden Sky Society in the palm of her hand and manipulate them.

She continued speaking as if nothing was wrong.

“The view of Tai Lake at sunrise like this is truly the finest under heaven. That’s why many scholars visit this place and leave behind incredible works. What do you think? Is it as beautiful in your eyes?”

“It is certainly an uncommon sight.”

“Right!”

Eum Yujeong nodded and naturally sat down across from Pyo Wol.

She rested her chin on both hands and looked at Pyo Wol.

A radiant smile graced Eum Yujeong’s face, making it clear to anyone that she was showing her affection for Pyo Wol.

Eum Yujeong was a flower beyond reach.

Shining all the more beautifully for not being plucked by anyone’s hand, she was the object of every man’s desire.

Knowing this, Eum Yujeong maintained an ambiguous attitude, giving her heart to no one.

She knew this was the surest way to maximize her own value.

For such an Eum Yujeong to show a semblance of being swayed by Pyo Wol was a purely intentional act.

Pyo Wol was a big shot, incomparable to any of the prodigies around her. Although Jo Igwang and Bok Hosan were making their mark, they fell far short compared to Pyo Wol.

The lack of a Sect or faction to back him was a flaw, but she actually preferred it that way.

Eum Yujeong had her Martial Sect, the Sword Flower Pavilion.

Although it couldn’t compare to the Namgyeong Jo Clan or the Janggang Stronghold, it was still a Sect with a proper system. If she could just recruit Pyo Wol into such a place, no one in All Under Heaven would dare to look down on the Sword Flower Pavilion.

Eum Yujeong put on the most beautiful smile she could muster and gazed at Pyo Wol with profound eyes.

A faint scent of roses emanated from her body.

Having bathed in rosewater since dawn, the scent had seeped into her skin.

All of it was for the sake of seducing Pyo Wol.

If she could just seduce Pyo Wol and keep him under her thumb, she didn’t care what happened to the other prodigies.

Eum Yujeong whispered in a low voice.

“Instead of staying here, why don’t we move to the Sword Flower Pavilion? The skill of the Sword Flower Pavilion’s chef is probably the best in Tai Lake.”

“I’ve already ordered.”

“Just let those people eat it. They’ll probably jump at the chance if you leave it behind.”

Eum Yujeong said, looking at the people who were furtively watching them.

Her face was filled with disdain for them.

“If that’s all you have to say, I’d like you to leave.”

“Pardon?”

“I said, stop interrupting my meal and get lost.”

“What do you mean?”

In an instant, Eum Yujeong’s face flushed red with humiliation.

She had not expected to be rejected so flatly.

She was not a person accustomed to rejection.

Everyone she had met until now had gladly granted her requests and treated her as if she were a precious thing that might be blown away by the wind.

No one had ever hurled such harsh words at her like Pyo Wol.

“What are you…? You misspoke, right?”

“No!”

“Are you really telling me to get lost? How could you….”

Eum Yujeong’s shoulders trembled.

“Your face is decent enough, but your head is slow.”

“What?”

“I rejected Jo Igwang’s invitation yesterday, yet you thought I would gladly accept yours? Anyone with a brain would never think that.”

“Are you thinking of me as being on the same level as him?”

“No, I think you’re below him. More base, and more cowardly.”

“Eek!”

At Pyo Wol’s scathing words, Eum Yujeong could no longer hold back and shot to her feet.

She glared at Pyo Wol as if she could devour him.

It is said that when a woman holds a grudge, frost will form even in May and June, and as she grew enraged, it was as if a blizzard from the north was raging in the area.

Her hand went to the sword at her waist.

It was a sword made by a master craftsman.

A famed sword with the power to cut through metal and stone as if they were tofu.

She wanted to draw the sword right then and there and cut out the tongue of Pyo Wol, who had insulted her. But she could not rashly draw her sword.

Pyo Wol was staring intently at her.

In that moment, she knew instinctively.

‘If I draw my sword, I die.’

This was not the excited gaze of the fledgling martial artists she had dealt with until now.

It was the sunken gaze of a ruthless Martial Artist who had fought countless battles, and what’s more, had killed countless people.

The weight and fear she felt were in no way comparable to the former.

The blood in her entire body ran cold.

The hot anger that had filled her head instantly subsided, and a cool rationality returned.

She let go of her sword and forced a smile.

“It seems I was too hasty. I’m sorry for interrupting your pleasant time. Let’s have a meal next time.”

Eum Yujeong slowly rose from her seat.

There were many people in the Inn. They were watching the two of them. But since the two had spoken in low voices, the others probably hadn’t heard.

If she acted nonchalantly, they would never know that Eum Yujeong had been humiliated by Pyo Wol.

Thinking this, Eum Yujeong made a Fist-Palm Salute to Pyo Wol. Then she said in a loud voice.

“I enjoyed our fruitful conversation. Next time, please invite me to a better place than this shabby Inn. I’ll see you then.”

Without waiting for Pyo Wol’s reply, she walked out of the Inn.

Left alone, Pyo Wol gazed in the direction she had disappeared.

Eum Yujeong was self-centered, shameless, and smart.

Pyo Wol knew from experience that people like that always caused big problems.

Just then, the Waiter’s energetic voice was heard.

“Your meal is here.”

Turning his head, he saw the Waiter standing with a middle-aged man of kindly appearance.

The Waiter introduced the middle-aged man.

“This is our Inn’s chef. He said he wanted to meet you in person, Great Hero.”

“Greetings. I am Bang Seung-gwan, the chef of Taihu’s Finest Hall.”

In Bang Seung-gwan’s hands was a large tray.

“I’m Pyo Wol.”

“I know. It is an honor to meet you like this.”

“You know me?”

“Wouldn’t I have come out to see you in person because I know you? Haha!”

Bang Seung-gwan laughed and placed the tray on the table.

When he opened the lid of the tray, a plate full of fried food that looked like chrysanthemum flowers was revealed.

“This is a dish called Explosive Crow Flower, made with the Bang family’s Secret Transmission. It’s made by scoring cuttlefish and deep-frying it, and the taste is exquisite.”

“The Bang family’s Secret Transmission?”

“It’s a Secret Transmission passed down through my Bang family for generations. It was created by my fifth-generation ancestor, Bang Jin-bo, and established by his descendant, Bang Ye-in…”

Bang Seung-gwan excitedly explained the origin of the dish.

Pyo Wol half-listened to his story and moved his chopsticks.

The dish called Explosive Crow Flower was truly delicious.

Pyo Wol felt as if a flower were blooming in his mouth.

If he had followed Eum Yujeong, he would never have tasted such food. He couldn’t help but think that he had done well to kick her out.

Beside him, Bang Seung-gwan chattered on about Bang Jin-bo this and Bang Ye-in that, but it didn’t register.

＊＊＊

Slap!

“Keuk!”

With a sharp smacking sound, Tang Ikgi clutched his cheek and rolled on the floor. The slapped cheek quickly swelled up.

“F-Father?”

Tang Ikgi looked at his father, Tang Cheolsan, while cupping his cheek with his hand.

Tang Cheolsan was a giant of a man at six feet tall, with hands nearly the size of cauldron lids. Being hit by such a hand, it was only natural that the inside of his mouth was torn and his cheek was swollen.

“You pathetic fool! I told you to get into the Golden Sky Society, and you come back after being humiliated like that?”

“It’s all because of that man. Who knew that man would show up?”

“That man? You mean that fellow named Pyo Wol?”

“Yes! Everyone was scared of him. Look. I even got a hole in my shoulder like this.”

Tang Ikgi undid his clothes and showed the wound on his shoulder.

The mark of a finger piercing his shoulder was still clearly visible.

“So you came back shamefully like a dog with its tail between its legs over a mere wound like that?”

“I’m telling you, I almost died. You wouldn’t be saying that if you had seen his eyes, Father.”

“Hmph! Only a coward like you would get scared. You think I would even bat an eye?”

Tang Cheolsan snorted.

He looked down at his son with a pathetic expression.

It was entirely due to his own skill that he had grown the workshop his grandfather had built to this extent.

When his grandfather first moved here, he was penniless. All he had were a few blacksmithing techniques he had stolen and learned from the Tang Clan.

He didn’t know why his grandfather had left the Tang Clan of Sichuan and settled in this distant place. He could only guess that he had probably committed some crime against the Tang Clan and fled.

In any case, his grandfather established a workshop and took care of his family.

The modest workshop began to grow during his father’s generation. His father was a man of great skill.

Thinking that his grandfather’s blacksmithing techniques alone were not enough, he recruited local artisans indiscriminately and was able to establish the Iron Mountain Workshop’s own Secret Transmission.

The one who inherited all of this was none other than Tang Cheolsan.

Tang Cheolsan was an even greater man of skill than his father. To promote the Iron Mountain Workshop, he went around boasting that he had inherited the Tang Clan’s Secret Transmission.

Although the Tang Clan had fallen, their fame, which had once shaken the Jianghu, remained in people’s memories.

Especially since their skill in making Hidden Weapons was the world’s best, people sought out the items they made even after the Tang Clan’s fall.

Tang Cheolsan properly utilized the halo of the Sichuan Tang Clan, and as a result, he was able to make the Iron Mountain Workshop the best in Jiangsu Province.

The weapons made by the Iron Mountain Workshop were only slightly better than those of other workshops, but the rumor that they had inherited the Tang Clan’s Secret Transmission was added, doubling their value. However, Tang Cheolsan had no intention of being satisfied with just this.

“If only you had gotten into the Golden Sky Society, our position in Tai Lake would have been more solidified.”

“But what can I do if they won’t accept me?”

“That’s why I told you to give them your liver and gallbladder. Is that so difficult?”

“I did my best, too.”

“If you did your best, why did it turn out like this? If you had done your best, this result would not have happened.”

“Father!”

Unable to bear it any longer, Tang Ikgi screamed. But Tang Cheolsan’s eyes, looking at him, were still just as cold.

“Get into the Golden Sky Society, no matter what. That is the only wish I have for you.”

“I told you. Because of that man, the other members won’t accept me.”

“I will take care of that man myself.”

“How? He’s the Reaper. Ordinary people don’t know, but everyone who’s anyone knows. How terrifying he is.”

“Hmph! Even so, he is still human. If I offer him a fortune, he will surely be swayed.”

“Father!”

“If that doesn’t work, I can use other means, so you don’t need to worry.”

Tang Cheolsan let Tang Ikgi’s words go in one ear and out the other.

At the sight of his father, Tang Ikgi’s anger rose to the top of his head, but he forced it down.

‘Damn it! It’s always like this. He never listens to me.’

He glared at his father with eyes mixed with resentment and anger, then went outside.

Left alone, Tang Cheolsan stared in the direction his son had left with cold eyes.

“Useless fool! They say a great father doesn’t have a worthless son. How is it that that boy is so soft and pathetic… If I could just obtain the Tang Clan’s Secret Transmission, I wouldn’t have to be so anxious because of him. Come to think of it, why haven’t I heard from the Hundred Wraith Union? How long has it been since I placed the request?”

Suddenly, a fact he had forgotten until now came to mind.

Through a Trading Company that traveled to and from Sichuan Province, he had heard news that a remarkable young artisan had appeared in Chengdu.

Tang Cheolsan was convinced that the young artisan had inherited the Tang Clan’s Secret Transmission. Otherwise, it would be impossible to have that level of skill at such a young age.

Coveting the Tang Clan’s Secret Transmission that the boy possessed, Tang Cheolsan had placed a request with the Hundred Wraith Union.

To kill the boy and bring back the Secret Transmission. But the year had already changed, and there was still no word from the Hundred Wraith Union.

“I should contact the Hundred Wraith Union.”