Chapter 19: Debt Shouldn’t Cross the Line
The burly man who had placed his hand on Seo Yu-gyeom’s shoulder looked back at his companions with a puzzled expression.
Judging from the way they were all snickering, it seemed he had not misheard.
“Should I rip that smug mouth of yours apart?”
The man asked in a stern, authoritative voice.
Anger welled up inside Seo Yu-gyeom, but if he lashed out in this situation, it would only make the laughter of the companions behind the man grow louder.
It was even more so because his opponent was a scrawny, young fellow.
“I told you to move your pig’s foot.”
Seo Yu-gyeom repeated himself.
The man’s eyebrow twitched sharply. The word “pig’s foot” had scraped at his pride. For a martial artist, he was on the plump side, which made it sting even more.
“A man should have a decent build, not be all skin and bones like you—”
“Decent?”
Seo Yu-gyeom looked him up and down.
Rather than a decent build, the man was more like No Sang-won from Sangwon Cloth Shop—soft and plump.
Martial artists rarely gained weight. Even basic training meant their activity level was five or six times higher than that of ordinary people.
“You must really like stuffing your face.”
Seo Yu-gyeom smirked.
The laughter of the martial artists behind the man grew louder as well. One of them even clutched his stomach. Among Black Path men, it was always entertaining when a comrade ended up in a ridiculous situation.
Martial artists valued their pride. For those on the Black Path, even more so. For young Black Path martial artists, it was to the extreme. The young man before him could no longer endure it.
Crunch—!
The man tightened his grip on Seo Yu-gyeom’s shoulder. His plan was to start by crushing one of his shoulder bones.
He slowly applied pressure, staring intently at Seo Yu-gyeom’s face. He wanted to see that confident, smug face twist with pain, and eventually watch him weeping and begging for his life.
It was then.
A clear, hollow sound rang out from the back of the man’s head.
Smack—!
The man clutched the back of his head.
Thinking it was one of his companions behind him, he turned with a murderous glare.
But when he saw who it was, his eyes immediately softened.
“C-Captain.”
Black Division Captain Cheol Woo-myeong.
A man who had become the leader of the Southern Black Lotus at a young age.
In a group of rough men, the fastest way to earn recognition was to be the roughest among them.
Cheol Woo-myeong’s strikes were notorious within the Southern Black Lotus for being vicious and brutal.
“I’m sure I told you not to cause trouble.”
When the Black Division Captain tilted his head and spoke, the man’s neck shrank in.
The captain continued.
“If you beat that fellow senseless, what do you think will happen next?”
“Well…”
The man glanced around with a servile look. He couldn’t say for sure.
Clicking his tongue at his subordinate’s uselessness, the Black Division Captain answered his own question.
“Then Oh Jeong-san will gain the moral high ground. We came here under the pretext of finding out the truth behind this young master’s death. That’s why neither the Merchants’ Association nor the Wudang Sect can interfere recklessly.”
But if the Black Division extended its claws toward the common folk, the situation would change. It would give the orthodox martial world the justification to act.
“I-I’m sorry.”
The big man bowed his massive frame in apology.
After staring at him for a moment, the Black Division Captain lightly smacked the back of his head with his large palm.
“Get lost, you brat.”
The captain didn’t like his subordinates. Even in the Black Path, idiots were everywhere.
With a sigh, he turned to look directly at Seo Yu-gyeom. Seo Yu-gyeom didn’t avert his gaze either.
“The Black Path isn’t called the Black Path for nothing. I just saved your life, so you’d better repay me.”
Seo Yu-gyeom scratched his cheek with an index finger.
No one knew that what he was really thinking was, Should I just kill him?
“I’m not asking for much from a brat like you. In Yichang, who’s the best cook around here?”
An unexpected question.
Seo Yu-gyeom glanced at Jin Seong-un, then straightened his chest slightly as he replied,
“That would be a man named Chef Seo from Seong-un Inn.”
“That’s no way to speak to me, brat.”
Seo Yu-gyeom shrugged.
For some reason, the Black Division Captain didn’t find him annoying. People in the Black Path tended to like those with guts.
“Take me to him. After the long trip, I’m feeling a bit peckish.”
“The inn should be closed for the night by now.”
“So what?”
The Black Division Captain chuckled. What kind of inn would refuse them?
If they said they were hungry, food would have to be brought out, no matter what.
Seo Yu-gyeom and Jin Seong-un exchanged glances.
They seemed to be thinking the same thing.
Look at that pig. He’s going to eat a lot, isn’t he?
‘Black Path martial artists tend to enjoy their drink.’
In other words, that meant profit.
The two quickly came to the same conclusion and nodded at the same time.
This time, Jin Seong-un stepped forward and addressed the Black Division Captain.
“I am the owner of Seong-un Inn. I shall escort you.”
The Black Division Captain stared intently at Jin Seong-un. He hadn’t noticed it before, but now that the man was stepping forward, he could see he was no ordinary person.
“So you’re the owner, and this one here is that Chef Seo? And Chef Seo was just praising himself a moment ago.”
“Well, yes…”
Jin Seong-un nodded, while Seo Yu-gyeom looked at the Black Division Captain with an expression that said, So what?
That made the Black Division Captain smirk.
Compared to his foolish subordinates, the owner and the cook of Seong-un Inn seemed far more resolute.
The Black Division Captain had one refined hobby.
Men with great ambition valued people—especially those who showed promise.
He was no exception. Wherever he went, he made a habit of discovering talented prospects for the Black Path.
Even if only one or two among them reached great heights, they could be of immense help to him in the future.
From that perspective, the two before him seemed to hold considerable value.
“Good. Let’s see the skill of Yichang’s best cook.”
And so the group headed for Seong-un Inn.
It was the hour when business would normally be finished.
Yet Seong-un Inn was brightly lit, and the smell of food and alcohol lingered in the air.
With ingredients running low, Seo Yu-gyeom roughly stir-fried the leftover scraps of meat and vegetables with some spices.
That alone was enough to impress the Black Division’s martial artists. For the Black Division Captain, who was particularly fond of fine food, Seo Yu-gyeom became even more likable.
“It wasn’t just empty boasting.”
He couldn’t recall eating such a delicious stir-fried dish anywhere in the Central Plains.
And it wasn’t just the cook he found pleasing. The one who had introduced himself as the owner was also playing the role of waiter.
“So, what drink do you think goes best with this dish? Bamboo Leaf Green?”
The Black Division Captain deliberately asked that. Bamboo Leaf Green was the most expensive drink on the menu.
An ordinary person would have jumped at the chance to sell the pricey liquor. But not this man.
“No. Since this isn’t a very greasy dish, this will pair better than Bamboo Leaf Green.”
What he brought out was a cheap flower wine.
That choice made the Black Division Captain even more pleased.
Some dismissed flower wine as cheap swill, but to the Captain, who was sincere about his food and drink, every liquor had its place.
“You know a thing or two. A waiter who understands the Way of Liquor is rare.”
Despite the high praise, he simply bowed lightly and left. That comfortable and measured demeanor struck a chord with the Captain once more.
A man should have that kind of flavor.
Thinking so, he glanced at his subordinates. They were making a scene, spilling food and drink all over the floor as they stuffed their faces.
The Captain sipped his flower wine and cast sidelong glances at Seo Yu-gyeom and Jin Seong-un.
If he could train those two—skilled in cooking and knowledgeable about fine drink—as his subordinates, life would be most enjoyable.
It’s a bit late for them to learn martial arts…
Black Path martial arts were often criticized for hitting their limits early. But depending on the situation, that could be an advantage.
In other words, if they had talent, they could reach the level of his other subordinates in less than ten years.
As he was thinking this, one subordinate drinking at the same table spoke up.
“Captain, what if Oh Jeong-san brings the Wudang Sect?”
The Captain looked at him. Worry and anxiety were written all over his face.
His brow furrowed.
“Are you so afraid of the Wudang Sect?”
“…Yes, it’s scary.”
That honest answer made the Captain feel even more stifled.
True, the Wudang Sect’s prestige was immense, and fear was understandable. But a Black Path martial artist should never show it outwardly.
“It’s a useless worry. The situation will be over before Oh Jeong-san can even try anything. From what I saw earlier, he’s no different from ten years ago. He and I were evenly matched back then…”
In other words, he was declaring certain victory.
The Captain deliberately showed his confidence and glanced at Jin Seong-un and Seo Yu-gyeom. But they seemed uninterested, leaving him awkward.
The conversation drifted on for a while.
Mostly trivial talk, with the occasional mention of the fall of the Prosperity Association, the Southern Black Lotus’s response, and the movements of the Merchants’ Association and the Wudang Sect.
Eventually, the Black Division Captain stood.
He was pleasantly tipsy. Though the company of his foolish subordinates was a drawback, he was in good spirits from the rare outing.
Even better, he had found two people he wanted to recruit. If not today, he intended to stop by the inn often.
He waved his hand casually, and the martial artists all rose. As he stepped out of the inn, he called out,
“Hey, owner of Yichang’s best inn! I’ll be coming often, so put it on my tab under my name.”
It was perfectly normal for a Black Path martial artist not to pay. Likewise, it was just as normal for Jin Seong-un to seize such a man’s wrist like an iron shackle.
“Tabs aren’t acceptable.”
Jin Seong-un held the Black Division Captain’s wrist and stared straight into his eyes.
A moment of silence passed. The subordinates, knowing their captain’s temperament, hesitated and watched the situation.
The Black Division Captain looked at Jin Seong-un’s hand gripping his wrist, then suddenly burst into laughter.
“Hahaha! The more I see you, the more I like you.”
That he hadn’t noticed his wrist being caught until now was surely because he had drunk too much.
It wasn’t that—he simply liked the guts it took to grab and stop a Black Path martial artist like this.
“I’ll let it slide today since I’m in a good mood, but never lay hands carelessly on a martial artist’s body. Had I reflexively drawn my sword, your neck would have…”
As he spoke, he tried to pull his arm free.
He couldn’t. It was as if his wrist was caught between massive boulders—immovable.
“…”
The Black Division Captain’s shoulders heaved powerfully several times before going still.
The two men’s gazes locked for a long moment.
A strange stillness settled over the inn.
The Black Division Captain reached out with his free hand toward Jin Seong-un’s face—only for Jin Seong-un to tilt his head slightly, dodging it.
“…”
The movement was as natural as flowing water.
It was then the Captain realized why these two young men he had just met were so appealing.
They were already martial artists—so skilled that he hadn’t even noticed.
“…It’s them.”
The Captain spoke quietly. His voice wasn’t loud, but with the silence in the room, everyone heard it clearly.
While the others looked on in confusion—
The Captain spotted Seo Yu-gyeom walking out from the kitchen with a grin. In his hand was a small dagger.
Then he spoke again.
“You idiots! These are the ones who killed this young master!”
At once, thick killing intent filled the inn. The Black Division’s martial artists drew their blades as if on cue.
They were often cursed as fools, but they were still Black Path martial artists.
“You sons of bitches!”
The burly man who had first put his hand on Seo Yu-gyeom’s shoulder cursed loudly. His voice boomed, perhaps because of his size.
A vicious aura exploded from his entire body. He had trained in external arts that made full use of his large frame. In this cramped inn, he was confident he could grind that scrawny cook into dust.
But as he turned his head to find Seo Yu-gyeom, a black dagger sank deep into his neck.
Seo Yu-gyeom was clinging to his back like a cicada.
As Seo Yu-gyeom pulled the dagger free, blood gushed from the gaping wound in the man’s neck. The man collapsed, dead, with a bewildered look on his face.
Thud—!
Seo Yu-gyeom then looked at the surrounding Black Path martial artists and muttered to himself,
“Tabs cross the line…”