Chapter 12: This Place Makes Good Noodles
Inside the small inn, there were seven men.
Yet, as if no one was there at all, silence persisted.
Such was the nature of an assassins’ battle.
As was common among martial artists, there were no clashing swords or violent bursts of qi.
“……”
The six assassins of the Hongho Seven Ghosts were quite taken aback.
They had come without much concern, thinking they only needed to kill a mere inn boy with some martial training.
In truth, if not for the Southern Black Lotus Lord’s son making the request, they would never have accepted such a job.
But the light-hearted mood they had when stepping into the inn was already gone.
The leader of the Hongho Seven Ghosts, First Ghost, hid himself in the ceiling’s shadows and spread his qi sense sharply.
Thanks to his heightened senses, the sound of rain striking the inn’s outer wall felt as loud as thunder.
He could feel the humidity and flow of air inside the inn against his skin.
Where ordinary people saw and heard one thing, martial artists perceived five. And assassins of equal skill felt ten.
Amid the flood of magnified sensations—
For a brief moment, he felt a strange disturbance.
Ssshhk—!
At the same time, the youngest, Seventh Ghost, lunged forward. He must have sensed the same thing as First Ghost.
Seventh Ghost cut through the darkness like a flash of light, holding his dagger in reverse grip, raising a stealthy murderous aura.
Seeing this, First Ghost murmured softly.
“Don’t.”
Seventh Ghost also heard First Ghost’s voice.
But it was already too late to turn back.
Instead, he poured even more qi into his dagger and swung toward the faintly visible inn boy.
“Uh…?”
There was no sensation of impact at all.
Seventh Ghost froze on the spot.
He had felt it clearly—yet it was as if it had been an illusion. There was nothing there.
After Ten Thousand Li Stealth came the Shadowless Steps.
By then, Jin Seong-un had already appeared behind Seventh Ghost and lightly swung the Black High Sword.
No large movements or grand bursts of qi were needed.
Sssk—!
Seventh Ghost’s right arm was cut clean off.
He had not bothered to sever the neck because he wanted to gauge the tendencies of the remaining assassins.
“……”
The silence still lingered.
Even with his arm severed, Seventh Ghost did not utter a groan, as if his mouth had been gagged.
Such was the training of assassins.
Jin Seong-un pressed down on Seventh Ghost’s neck as he scanned the inside of the inn.
Faint traces of qi could be felt in various spots.
But he could not move recklessly.
Just as he had done, the enemy could also be revealing their presence on purpose.
“Assassins are heartless.”
Even in their comrade’s peril, the assassins showed no agitation.
After briefly surveying the area, Jin Seong-un applied force and broke Seventh Ghost’s neck.
Five remained.
Having revealed one trap, the next exchanges would surely be even more silent and cautious.
Wiping the blood from the Black High Sword on Seventh Ghost’s clothes, Jin Seong-un began walking again.
Step, step, step…
Before he could take four full steps, his figure vanished.
The assassins saw it with their eyes, yet found it hard to believe.
His Stealth Technique was by no means shallow.
Could it be that he, too, had undergone specialized assassin training like themselves?
‘Perhaps this is the demonic practitioner who slaughtered the Prosperity Association…’
First Ghost entertained a reasonable suspicion.
With stealth skills of that caliber, he could have slipped through the Prosperity Association, toying with over a hundred martial artists with ease.
The inn once again seemed empty.
Only six martial artists remained in what now looked like a plain inn after business hours.
‘Boring.’
After waiting a while for the assassins to act, Jin Seong-un let out a faint sigh.
The assassins also heard the sigh but did not move rashly, having seen what happened to Seventh Ghost.
By nature, assassins could wait a day, two, or even several months in place to achieve their goal.
But this was not to Jin Seong-un’s taste.
The Sword Immortal had said the chef would arrive tonight. He could not show the sight of killing assassins in front of the visiting chef.
Having decided, Jin Seong-un chose the method he had restrained himself from using.
A reddish aura began to seep out of his entire body, slowly enveloping the inn.
Ssshhhhh—
It looked like tiny drops of blood, or perhaps a finer blood mist.
The blood-colored haze flowed leisurely inside the inn.
No matter how perfect the concealment, one could not simply blow away the Blood Demon’s qi like the wind.
The qi flowed around and over the assassins.
Thanks to it, their positions were blatantly exposed.
After checking each other’s state, the assassins moved almost in unison, without anyone calling the first move.
Once discovered, there was only one choice.
Kill before being killed.
That was the way of assassins.
Blackened daggers, painted so as not to be seen in the dark, rushed toward Jin Seong-un.
Though imbued with qi, their presence was almost imperceptible.
Kang—!
Jin Seong-un swung the Black High Sword and deflected the daggers.
At the same time, one assassin struck at his back.
Having been sensing their qi the entire time, Jin Seong-un spun his body while swinging his sword.
Fwoosh—!
The fierce crimson flame held within the Black High Sword momentarily lit up the inn.
In the brief light, Jin Seong-un’s eyes met the assassin’s.
There was dismay in the man’s gaze.
Slash—!
The assassin’s head flew upward.
Four remained.
Once again, Jin Seong-un had no intention of waiting.
He moved his body, thinking about the cost of the chair just broken when the assassins fell.
Jin Seong-un melted into the darkness.
The assassins’ senses became razor-sharp.
First Ghost’s heart pounded as if it might burst.
As his eyes darted left and right, preparing for Jin Seong-un’s attack—
“Gahk!”
A scream came from Fourth Ghost, some distance away.
It seemed the inn boy had chosen him as his target.
Perhaps because his guard slackened at that thought—
First Ghost failed to notice the man standing behind him.
First Ghost glanced at Fourth Ghost.
Now he saw it wasn’t a sword cut, but a dagger that had pierced the man’s heart.
‘Then that means…’
A chill ran down his spine.
First Ghost spun around, swinging his dagger.
It only grazed the hem of Jin Seong-un’s robe. He could see it wouldn’t touch flesh, so there was no reason to dodge.
In other words, the control over distance lay entirely with Jin Seong-un.
The short dagger could not quite reach.
The two stood close enough to see each other’s faces clearly, even in the dark.
Jin Seong-un slightly lifted his sword.
First Ghost’s gaze naturally followed it.
In that instant, something reddish flashed.
That was the last thing First Ghost ever saw.
Bang—!
His jaw was forced upward.
He had taken Jin Seong-un’s Blood Demon Palm head-on.
Two remained.
Second Ghost and Third Ghost exchanged glances.
They both knew instinctively—
They would die here.
Assassins did not fear death.
But humans did.
At this moment, their human instinct outweighed their assassin’s resolve.
Without a word, both bolted for the door.
‘I can’t catch them both.’
Jin Seong-un clicked his tongue inwardly.
He had hoped they wouldn’t make such a choice.
Then it happened—
Something no one expected.
Third Ghost struck Second Ghost in the chest with a sudden blast of palm force.
Thud—!
Hit by the surprise attack, Second Ghost spat blood and collapsed to the floor.
Third Ghost had sacrificed his comrade to save himself.
“You son of a—!”
Second Ghost’s words never finished.
The Black High Sword pierced his back faster than his mouth could move.
As Second Ghost died with eyes wide open—
Third Ghost, thanks to his betrayal, had already reached the door.
Jin Seong-un pulled the dagger from the floor and hurled it.
Third Ghost twisted his body, dodging as if he had anticipated it.
Thud—!
The dagger missed him and lodged into the door. When Third Ghost tried to fling the door open—
Clunk.
It wouldn’t budge.
The dagger had pierced both the door and the frame, locking it shut like a bolt.
It was not a technique taught by the Martial God.
It was closer to instinct.
The Heavenly Martial Body was not merely a physique adept at learning martial arts—it was the embodiment of martiality itself.
Third Ghost pulled with his full internal strength. The wooden door could not withstand a martial artist’s power.
Crack—! The door shattered.
Almost at the same moment, Jin Seong-un seized the hem of Third Ghost’s robe.
Fear flashed across the man’s face.
Ignoring it, Jin Seong-un thought of the repair cost for the broken door and thrust the Black High Sword with all his might.
Thuk—!
The sword plunged into Third Ghost’s back and burst out his chest.
Thus, all the assassins who had entered the inn were dead.
No one would have guessed that the infamous Hongho Seven Ghosts would be killed by an inn boy.
“One more.”
There had been one last man outside, watching the situation. He had been there before the fight began but vanished during the battle.
Clicking his tongue, Jin Seong-un used acupoint sealing to stop the bleeding on the six assassins’ corpses before laying them out in the backyard.
He would collect the bounty when morning came.
With that thought, as he re-entered the inn—
A man stepped in through the broken door.
Dressed in black from head to toe.
Another assassin.
One unusual thing was that he carried another assassin dangling limply in his hand.
On closer look, the man seemed dead. Judging from the same attire as the Hongho Seven Ghosts, he must have been the last one.
The man who had killed Fifth Ghost outside while observing the inn, and then brought him in, stared straight at Jin Seong-un and asked,
“I’m short on money right now, so… can I pay with this guy’s head and get a bowl of noodles?”
His voice trembled slightly.
His black long coat and face covering were also filthy.
It was clear his circumstances were not peaceful—he looked like someone being hunted.
But Jin Seong-un could not turn him away.
Leaving aside the fact he had brought in an assassin, he was also the first customer besides No Sang-won.
“Welcome. This is the Seong-un Inn.”
.
.
.
Jin Seong-un went straight to the kitchen and boiled noodles.
He was a little concerned.
What if the man drew his blade saying the noodles tasted bad?
Should he fight since he would have drawn first?
Or should he apologize since he was a customer?
As he pondered this while cooking, he returned to find the man already collapsed on the floor.
The fact that he had walked in at all was surprising, considering his poor condition.
Jin Seong-un stared briefly at the half-dead man, then used the Women’s Moon Heart Method.
Like Noble Enchantress’s temperament, the gentle and mild qi carefully flowed into the man.
Naturally, this alone could not fully heal him, but it could at least restore some energy.
After a short wait, the man opened his eyes.
Looking momentarily bewildered at Jin Seong-un, he rose and sat at the table.
“Did I fall asleep?”
“You must have been tired.”
“Haven’t slept properly lately, that’s for sure.”
The man’s gaze then fixed on the noodles.
He had expected little from such a small inn, yet they looked quite appetizing.
“They’ve cooled a bit. Shall I boil them again?”
That would have been the proper thing to do.
But he asked only because the man seemed too hungry to wait for a fresh serving.
“Cold noodles have their own charm. It’s fine.”
The man picked up the chopsticks.
Jin Seong-un was uncharacteristically tense.
After stirring the noodles, the man suddenly said,
“Why don’t you make me the chef? I saw there’s a room in front. I’ve got nowhere else to go.”
“No.”
The firmest refusal in the world.
The man continued in a slightly dejected tone.
“I’m better at cooking than I look. You’ll see when you taste it.”
“I have no intention of hiring an assassin as a chef.”
Since he was not just any customer, Jin Seong-un answered in a different tone.
The man then asked warily,
“How’d you know I’m an assassin?”
“Face covering.”
As if suddenly remembering, the man took off the covering.
He had worn it so long, he had almost forgotten it.
“Almost rubbed the noodles on the mask.”
He grinned as he spoke.
Jin Seong-un had guessed from his voice, but seeing his face, he was even younger than expected—about the same age or slightly older.
Considering his age, killing one of the Hongho Seven Ghosts in his exhausted state meant he had no ordinary skill.
“A chef only needs to cook well, you’re too picky.”
“…Just eat and go.”
Even the inn boy was far from ordinary.
If the chef was also a martial artist like this, the place would no longer be Seong-un Inn but Seong-un Sect or Seong-un Clan.
Clicking his tongue in regret, the man finally tasted the noodles.
Jin Seong-un glanced at the Black High Sword’s position, ready in case the man drew his blade.
Suddenly, the man tilted his head and took another bite.
“Mmm.”
The meal continued.
Jin Seong-un relaxed, the noodles dwindled, and in the end, the broth was all gone.
The man, with his rather handsome face now uncovered, looked like an ordinary young noble.
Patting his stomach, he said,
“This place makes good noodles.”
“…!!”
Jin Seong-un’s eyes widened.
Beyond simple surprise, there was even a hint of emotion.
“Y-you mean, they’re good?”
He stammered, which was rare.
Regardless, the man nodded toward him.
“Quite good. Anyway, thanks for the meal.”
He rose from his seat.
As he was about to leave, Jin Seong-un, watching with a complicated expression, grabbed his sleeve.
“Wait.”
“What? We agreed the price was that guy’s head. He was a skilled assassin.”
“Are you really confident?”
“In what?”
After briefly pursing his lips, Jin Seong-un spoke with resolve.
“In your cooking.”
The man grinned.
Somehow, after a bit of sleep and a full stomach, his spirits had lifted.
Rolling up his sleeves with confidence, he headed for the kitchen.
“No need for words. I’ll answer with taste.”