Chapter 21 : Thanks for Coming! ...You Bastard!
Chapter 21 : Thanks for Coming! ...You Bastard!
A gisaeng house is a profitable business.
It is a representative business that all sorts of merchant groups and black-way factions jump into.
But as much as there are interests involved, it is not easy to occupy and operate that business.
Among the many black-way factions, the number of black-way that own a gisaeng house is a handful. They just extort protection money from neighborhood stores under the pretext of it. Even if they own a gisaeng house, most of them are small gisaeng houses that are treated as third-rate.
Thinking about that, it might be a stroke of luck for Neung-heo to run the Lotus Pavilion.
Although it was a job he did as ordered by Cheon Mubaeck after being caught by him, how much money would come in from sitting in the Master's position, and what about the power that came with the position?
That's right. When you think about it, the position of Master of a large gisaeng house.
Huh? Isn't it a coveted position that all black-way people would aim for?
'Shit. I have to be alive to enjoy that.'
Of course, Neung-heo also thought so at first.
He knew well that the reason Cheon Mubaeck gave him the Master's position was because he intended to use him.
But anyway, isn't he the Master?
The Master of the Lotus Pavilion, the best in Wonyang County, Henan!
So for the first few days, it was like a dream. The Blood Demon Sect bastards who came to visit one or two at a time were so murderous that his teeth chattered, but anyway, hadn't Cheon Mubaeck taken care of them?
The gisaeng house was also gradually being organized. As for the gisaengs, the gisaengs were left alone and the prostitutes were sent out again, and it began to regain its reputation as the best blue lantern house in Henan.
He thought that a quite happy life would unfold if he just watched out for the Blood Demon Sect bastards who would come to visit.
But Neung-heo had made a mistake.
No matter how much of a black-way he was, who had been at the bottom, he carried a sword, learned martial arts, and even used crude internal energy.
Anyway, wasn't it a life that had one foot in the martial world?
Right, the word 'comfort' does not exist in the martial world.
'I've been rolling around in the black-way my whole life, but to think that I had forgotten the physiology of the black-way. My senses have become dull.'
Neung-heo looked down at his sword with a bitter face and then looked at his younger brother who was smiling vilely opposite him.
No, he was a subordinate he had thought of as a younger brother.
"Hey, shit. Was our loyalty only this much?"
"Oh my, hyung-nim. Isn't this the reason why the black-way is the black-way?"
Right.
This is what the black-way is like.
The bastard who was his younger brother rolled up the corners of his mouth and sneered.
"Would that pretty owner of the Azure Star Escort Agency Agency even care? It doesn't matter who sits in the Master's position, as long as they bring in the money regularly."
"Hehehe. You don't know that person well."
"I don't know. The gisaengs say he's the most handsome man in Wonyang County, but that's none of my business. It's already like this anyway. Don't resent me and go, hyung-nim. I'll bury you in a sunny spot. We have our old loyalty, right? Huh?"
Neung-heo grinned.
When his blood-soaked gums were revealed, the opponent who had been boasting with a good momentum flinched.
Neung-heo laughed inwardly.
The broadsword he had been with his whole life was held in his left hand, not his right.
The feeling was awkward.
'Right, this is the black-way.'
The loyalty of the black-way?
Where is such a thing in the world?
The reason those bastards bowed their heads and called themselves his younger brothers was because he was stronger than them.
Now that his right hand was crippled, he was an easy target.
He was looked down on by his subordinates?
'Then it's insubordination right away. Shit.'
Neung-heo smiled bitterly.
Because he had also risen by crushing his superiors in that way in his prime.
So he had no resentment towards them.
He was just a fool for being so happy about becoming the Master and letting his guard down.
But where is the fool who would obediently offer his neck?
Neung-heo shouted, his one remaining left hand and one eye wide open.
"I am the One-Eyed Snake, Neung-heo! You bastards!"
* * *
"I will escort you to the Lotus Pavilion."
There was no way Cheon Mubaeck needed an escort.
But Heo Seong insisted on escorting him anyway.
It was a face that seemed to have forgotten all the scolding he had received from Cheon Mubaeck before.
Cheon Mubaeck, who had glanced at Heo Seong's expression, laughed inwardly.
'He seems to have gotten the hang of it...'
To get the hang of it with just one word and a few swings of the sword, his talent was not entirely absent.
Of course, to be to Cheon Mubaeck's liking, he would have to be at the level of the Sword Venerable, his disciple from his previous life.
Anyway, just by receiving such an evaluation from Cheon Mubaeck, Heo Seong could be proud of himself.
"You seem to have gained some confidence?"
"I still have a long way to go."
"You know your place well. That alone is half the battle."
"..."
Heo Seong's expression contorted strangely.
He was confused whether it was a compliment or an insult.
Cheon Mubaeck laughed inwardly and just threw out his words.
"Who created the Yang-o Sword?"
"According to the literature, I heard that a person named 'Taoist Mun' created it."
"Right. Our Jeok-hyeon."
"Pardon?"
"Mun Jeok-hyeon. The guy who made the Yang-o Sword."
"...How do you know that?"
"Read some books. Escort Warrior Heo. Huh?"
No, what book has the creator of a martial art in it?
Even the elders of Mount Hua Sect didn't know.
But Heo Seong could not ask any more. Because Cheon Mubaeck's expression felt a little wistful, as if he were missing someone.
Cheon Mubaeck opened his mouth as if he were just letting it flow as he walked.
"Well, anyway, that person. Was a woman."
"Pardon?"
"Moreover, even people of the same gender have completely different constitutions and physiques. The length of their arms is different, and their habits of hand and foot gestures are different. And their gender is also different. But you know."
Cheon Mubaeck looked straight at Heo Seong.
"The forms of the Yang-o Sword that have been passed down and that Mount Hua Sect learns are always the same."
"...!"
"Everyone is different. But they're all bound by the same forms. Not forms that are suitable for each person."
Wow. At this point, he's practically spoon-feeding him.
Heo Seong had a blank expression for a moment.
His body was rooted to the ground and would not move.
"Go and organize your thoughts at the escort agency. I'll go and meet that bastard Neung-heo alone."
Leaving the dazed Heo Seong behind, Cheon Mubaeck walked slowly.
It was like this sometimes.
If it was even slightly related to the memories of his past lives, it was a little hard to just pass by.
It was just because the wall that Heo Seong was despairing and blocked by was similar to the situation his friend had been in...
'Well, it's the meddling of an old man.'
Anyway, hadn't he also gained a great enlightenment while scolding Heo Seong?
The reason he had left Heo Seong at the escort agency and gone to the Lotus Pavilion alone was precisely this.
After leaving the escort agency and entering a relatively deserted place, Cheon Mubaeck stretched and shouted.
"Hey. Aren't you coming out now? Are you guys still being so petty and watching?"
At that, a presence was heard around him.
The sound of shuffling footsteps was heard busily, and seven men with their faces covered appeared.
Of course, they were strangers.
But he could guess. If you have 10 years of experience in the martial world, you get to know which side this bastard plays on.
Moreover, what was 10 years of experience for Cheon Mubaeck? It was hundreds of years. Hundreds of years.
"The things that black-way bastards do really don't change even after time passes."
He can see the angle just by looking.
The swaggering legs, the sinister and extreme violence revealed in their eyes, the wounds on their exposed hands and feet... The internal energy felt was a lot for a thug, but the quality was remarkably bad.
It's the black-way.
Cheon Mubaeck was lost in thought for a moment.
Is there a reason for the black-way to be after me?
When he thought about it carefully, the first thing that came to mind was the Lotus Pavilion.
"I only know two black-way. The number one black-way gate, the Great Dragon Gang, and recently, the Black Heart Gang, where that bastard Neung-heo was originally from."
Flinch.
"Oh-ho. So it's the Black Heart Gang. Then you must have come because of that bastard Neung-heo. But Neung-heo is not such a blockhead to plot to kill me."
Every time Cheon Mubaeck said a word, the masked men shook noticeably.
He didn't even deliberately raise his voice, he didn't even speak. He didn't even use a martial art that would reveal his identity. He just appeared. And hadn't Cheon Mubaeck noticed it in advance and told him to come out?
'What the hell is this bastard?'
Such a question arose in the minds of the masked men.
Regardless, Cheon Mubaeck continued to mutter.
"I see. The news that that bastard Neung-heo took over the Lotus Pavilion must have spread, right? The terrifying bastards who were the original owners are gone, and when you look into that bastard Neung-heo, you find that the weak youngest son of the Azure Star Escort Agency Agency is behind him. Wow. If you just get rid of him, it's no problem to get a Lotus Pavilion for free, right? Right?"
"...Now that you know, you have no choice but to die."
When he had perfectly deduced the situation with just a few clues, the masked men who had attacked Cheon Mubaeck, those who had come from the Black Heart Gang, all drew their swords with firm faces.
Cheon Mubaeck smirked and looked up at the sky.
"The moon is bright."
"What?"
"When a sword holds the moonlight, it cuts unusually well."
"What kind of nonsense..."
The words could not continue.
Because a head that had been cut off and fallen to the floor could not speak.
"Alright. Shall we test the newly developed internal energy cultivation method?"
Cheon Mubaeck's bright smile shone under the moonlight.
* * *
The room where the Master of the Lotus Pavilion resided was a mess.
Every wall was splattered with blood, and a few corpses were rolling on the floor.
Recalling that most of those corpses were the younger brothers who had eaten from the same pot, Neung-heo's mouth tasted bitter.
"Hey. Living is really hard."
This was a kind of power struggle.
The rebellion of the subordinates who were aiming for Neung-heo's position.
He fought with gritted teeth. He had suffered numerous wounds on his limbs, chest, and thighs, but he had surprisingly cut down twelve people.
Although he couldn't use his right hand, he had survived when he was on the verge of death.
But they say that there is a mountain beyond a mountain...
"Shit. Did the black-way bastards suddenly develop some manners? Shit. Are they taking a number and fighting in order?"
"Hey, Neung-heo. You're living the good life. Your hyung-nim has come, but you're lying down and greeting me?"
"Hyung-nim, my ass. It's been a while since I left the Black Heart Gang, so what's with the hyung-nim?"
Deung-cho, an executive of the Black Heart Gang, revealed his gums with gold teeth.
"Kya. Our Neung-heo has made it. The bastard who used to wipe my ass under me has become the owner of such a fine gisaeng house."
"Hey, I'm not the owner."
"I know. I did some investigation. The youngest son of the escort agency is the owner, right? You too. You're wagging your tail at such a brat. No matter how much you like money. I've already sent the kids. They're skilled guys."
"Hehehehe. You must have lost your eye for things since you've been playing in a small place."
"What did you say?"
"Well, that's why you're still stealing from kids at your age."
"Wow. Our Neung-heo, your mouth is still alive even when you're about to die?"
"Did you show up when I had no strength to hold a sword after fighting with my kids because you were scared of me?"
"..."
"So petty. So. It's obvious that you're the one who incited my kids, right?"
"Neung-heo, isn't it your fault for not being able to manage your subordinates?"
"Go fuck yourself."
Deung-cho's face contorted.
It was always like this. He was a guy with amazing skills and a tough guy. He was under him, but there were more than one or two times when he was burdensome.
Although his right hand was crippled, he was honestly a guy who was awkward to face. So he had incited his subordinates. But even so, the bastard had not died.
The only good thing was that the bastard now had no strength to even hold a sword in his hand.
"Hehe. I see that the gisaengs here are very well-endowed. I don't know what they ate, but their skin is amazing. Kyaa. Look. Hey, bring them here."
At Deung-cho's words, another black-way person brought two gisaengs.
Both of them had beautiful appearances that were hard to consider as just gisaengs.
"Hehehe. Isn't it customary for the owner to taste them before the customers? How was it?"
"...Those kids are gisaengs. Not prostitutes."
"Oh? Really? Kya. Then what a treat this is. A gisaeng would have a fresh taste, right? Huh?"
When Deung-cho laughed disgustingly, Neung-heo's expression contorted.
Although he was also a black-way, there was such a thing as human affection. Weren't they kids who treated him kindly, even if they were afraid of him? Of course, it was a kind of flattery to be looked upon favorably at the gisaeng house, but anyway, they were kids of his daughter's or youngest brother's age, so even Neung-heo couldn't help but grow fond of them.
Seeing such kids caught in Deung-cho's dirty hands and trembling, his stomach turned upside down.
"You son of a bitch. Let's have a go."
"Wait a minute. Let me taste the kids first."
"You bastard!"
Neung-heo threw his broadsword with all his might at Deung-cho, who was untying his waist.
But the broadsword was just dodged by Deung-cho ducking his head once.
"Hehe. Our Neung-heo has become very human. Very human, huh?"
The moment Deung-cho sneered and touched the gisaeng's body.
The moment Neung-heo, with bloodshot eyes, crawled on the floor and advanced.
Pat!
All the candles in the room went out.
And the sound of 'seogeok!' was heard in succession.
"Ugh!"
Then the screams of the black-way people who had come from the Black Heart Gang burst out like crazy in the room.
Only then did a laugh burst out of Neung-heo's mouth, who was crawling on the floor.
"Neung-heo, Neung-heo. Was your left hand cut off too?"
That voice, from which all sorts of love and hate could be felt just by listening.
Neung-heo shouted at the top of his lungs.
"Thanks for coming!... You bastard!"
"What? Did you just curse?"
"No."
"I'll deal with you after I deal with the kids."
Although he had deliberately mumbled the last word, that monstrous bastard had heard even that.
But even so, Neung-heo did not lose his smile.
"Yeah, shit! Thanks for coming! You son of a bitch!"
What the hell.
I'll just get a few good beatings.
(End of Chapter)
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