Chapter 418: A Battle of Wits and Hearts (3)

"Young Master Jo. Have you been well too, Young Master Jo?"

At that, Jo Hakche’s eyes went wide in a fearsome glare.

Men have this strange conviction that if they suddenly strip the smile from their face and glare hard enough, it somehow makes them look cool.

It’s an instinctive male guesswork — though in truth, it’s not cool at all.

"It’s been a while since I last saw you. Ah— by any chance, how are you fixed for this evening? I was planning to go to Jin Hae-ru — the Ocean Pavilion with some close younger brothers, and I was hoping the beautiful Heavenly Flower Sword would grace us with her presence and brighten the table."

His voice dropped low.

That, too, is another thing men seem to think is impressive.

Though if we’re being honest, a lower tone is usually far better than a higher one — a thin, high voice just makes you sound like a eunuch.

"Oh, really? And Young Master Jo’s treating?"

"Hah-hah! But of course! I, Jo Hakche, will host you properly tonight!"

Hm. "Host properly"?

Was he working in hospitality, or was it more like the Busan men back in my hometown who promised to go all-out when friends came to visit?

The Fire Dragon Squad members began to murmur.

"Uh, Captain? It’s about that deep bond between men—"

"What the hell’s that supposed to mean? You want a bunch of sweaty men stinking up the air together?"

"No, I mean—"

They trailed off, looking oddly disappointed.

That was when Qing realized — ah.

If I showed up, it might actually be awkward for them.

An intimate men-only drinking party and a Heavenly Flower Sword sitting down to eat and drink with them were entirely different animals.

To men from minor and mid-tier sects, the Heavenly Flower Sword was a blossom blooming far up on an unreachable cliff.

Neither in rank nor in martial merit could they ever compare, and beauty that far above them didn’t stir ambition — it erased it.

"Ah! I see. That’s what you were aiming for. Silly me, I didn’t catch on. Well, of course — you should relax and reminisce properly. Hm? Like real men?"

So they were probably planning to go out with courtesans and have a good, bawdy-but-"wholesome" time. I’d been slow on the uptake.

I could just tell them to go and enjoy themselves.

But sometimes that kind of consideration only makes things more miserable.

It’s the kind of remark that stings when it comes from a woman.

Instead, Qing turned her sights elsewhere.

"Ah. Chang Bin, did you want to go too?"

"Ah, no, it’s not that— it’s just that everyone’s going together, not that I... intend to do that, absolutely not."

"Yeah? Then how about eating with me? You say a drink only tastes good when poured by a woman? I’m a master at pouring drinks — you won’t see the bottom of your cup tonight."

"Uh, just the two of us? That’s a little..."

"Ugh, Chang Bin, you bastard, I’ll curse you..."

There was a teeth-grinding noise in the background, but Qing pretended not to hear.

Still, Chang Bin was fidgeting, clearly not thrilled.

"What? Why not?"

"It’s just... the whole men and women being separate thing..."

"Oh, come on. What kind of separation between friends?"

Qing showed no sign of letting up.

Chang Bin’s vision went dark.

Just the two of them? No way! It would definitely be awkward. What was he supposed to say? What did people talk about in situations like this? He knew he’d heard some funny stories before, so why couldn’t he remember any now...?

"And it’s not just the two of us, actually. Earlier, when we were eating Hengin Tofu, my Sworn Sister spilled some sauce on her clothes and went to clean it off. Ah, here she comes. Sworn Sister!"

When Qing called out and waved, every Fire Dragon Squad member turned their head at once—

and gasped in unison.

Was this how the infamous temptress Daji, who once shook the Yin Dynasty, must have looked?

The very embodiment of carnal allure, a genius of seduction who could drive men to madness — a temptress reborn.

With nothing but her entrance, she seized the entire room, then suddenly parted her red lips to flash white teeth — smiling like a predator that had just spotted prey, ready to devour it in a different, equally dangerous way.

That’s how others saw her.

Qing, however, knew it was simply her Sworn Sister’s purest expression of delight at seeing her.

"This is my Sworn Sister, Gyeon Pohee."

For reference, the character used in "older sister" (姉) is rare in the Central Plains — it refers only to a blood-related elder sister from the same parents.

Since families here often have multiple wives and children from different mothers, that character isn’t used. They instead write it with the character for "elder sister" (姐) as in "younger sister" or "sworn sister."

"Come to think of it, have you two met before?"

"No? First time."

"Ah, was it Hyeon back then?"

"Hyeon? Who’s that?"

"You know, the really tall one with the muscles, built like this."

"Oh. That talkative junior."

"Ah, so it was Hyeon that time. Anyway — this is my friend Chang Bin, Plum Blossom Sword of Mount Hua Sect."

"Nice to meet you. I’m Gyeon Pohee."

She dropped formal speech right from the start.

Not for any particular reason — he was just a friend of her friend.

But Chang Bin’s vision went dark again.

"Lady Seo Mun, are we... having dinner like this, the three of us...?"

"Yup. Wow, Chang Bin, you’re lucky — a flower in each hand."

Teeth ground somewhere in the background — Chang Bin, I’ll kill you. I’ll curse you dead.

Qing ignored it again.

"Chang Bin’s having a great day today."

The effect was devastating.

Chang Bin’s mind went blank.

It would’ve been awkward enough drinking alone with Qing — now there would be another woman he didn’t even know.

Desperately, he tried to think.

"Uh, uh! That—"

"Hm? What?"

"Yes! Lady Jin! In that case, shouldn’t we also invite Lady Jin...?"

"Oh, I didn’t think of that. You’re right — leaving Lady Jin out would be weird. Wow, Chang Bin, two aren’t enough, you want three? Chang Bin, you heartbreaker, irresistible to women."

Chang Bin broke into a nervous sweat, but felt some relief.

At least now it would be three women and one man — he could just drink quietly.

"You bastard, even Lady Jin too? You can’t rest until you have them all? Unforgivable!"

Jo Hakche’s face had turned into a fan of black hatred radiating outward.

Qing decided she couldn’t ignore him anymore.

"Ah, Young Master Jo, you’re still here. This is my Sworn Sister, Gyeon Pohee. Sworn Sister, this is Young Master Jo Hakche, and... well, just someone I know?"

The words "someone I know" stabbed Jo Hakche right in the chest.

"Khhhk."

"Ah, so just someone you know. Hm, Sworn Sister, what do you say to someone you just know? Just say ‘nice to meet you’?"

"Khhhuuuk."

Jo Hakche clutched his chest.

Gyeon Pohee tilted her head.

"Are you unwell?"

"It’s... because my heart is pounding so violently after seeing Lady Gyeon’s beauty. This surging pulse — do you know what it is?"

A line so stale it couldn’t earn a passing grade drew groans and jeers.

Gyeon Pohee tilted her head again.

"Ah, so you have a heart condition. Oh dear — how can a martial artist have a weak heart?"

"...? No, I mean it’s beating fast because of how beautiful you are—"

"Sounds like a serious heart problem. Stay strong. And you are... someone my Sworn Sister knows?"

"Khhuuk! Chang Bin, you bastard, unforgivable...!"

"Why me?"

Chang Bin was aggrieved.

Either way, in the end, the entire Fire Dragon Squad decided to go to the Ocean Pavilion together.

At this point, it was too awkward to take a separate room and drink alone.

It’s one thing if no one knew, but after being caught, going off with courtesans now would just ruin their dignity.

****

The Ocean Pavilion was a neat, square, five-story tower.

Each floor was a story and a half high, so in actual height, it rivaled or surpassed a nine-story skyscraper.

Built atop the Wolsusan hill, it offered an unobstructed view said to reach a thousand li into the distance.

Of course, you couldn’t really see a thousand li — it’s just the way people in the Central Plains talk.

Originally, it had been built as a watchtower and military garrison.

But once military and civil administration were firmly separated, it became a civilian restaurant — the most famous in Gwangju.

From the top floor, they said, you could see all the way to the southern sea.

In a private room surrounded by paper-paneled sliding doors, the Fire Dragon Squad’s special gathering began.

For reference, "Fire Dragon Squad" came from taking one character each from Captain Jo Hakche’s Black Dragon Clan and Vice-Captain Chang Bin’s Mount Hua Sect.

They could have gone with Black Mountain Squad, but Jo Hakche, being the "bigger man," had generously given up the first character.

Now that same Jo Hakche, petty as could be, was regretting it bitterly.

He should have kept "Black Dragon Squad" after all.

"Come now, have a drink. Sorry — we were supposed to just let you relax, but I barged in without thinking."

"No, not at all! It’s an honor!"

Soh Ho, a disciple of the So-un Mountain Sect, raised his cup respectfully.

The Heavenly Flower Sword was intimidatingly beautiful even on her own, but she was also a senior of the highest Daoist ✧ NоvеIight ✧ (Original source) generation.

As she accepted the cup, the white, slender fingers curled around the bottle were so perfect that the phrase "jade-like hands" felt like it had been coined for this moment.

He looked up without meaning to — and met Qing’s gentle smile (helped by the food and drink in front of her), her dangerously beautiful face filling his vision.

In that instant, Soh Ho abandoned all regrets in life.

One drink poured by the most beautiful woman under heaven — what courtesan could compare?

He was glad he’d joined the Fire Dragon Squad.

No — glad he’d been born at all.

"Soh Ho, you punk..."

If not for Jo Hakche’s teeth-grinding interruption, he might have frozen there like a statue.

Qing made her way around the table, filling cups like a proper host.

"All right, let’s have a toast. Captain of the Fire Dragon Squad, a toast from you. Everyone, applause, cheer him on. Here we go."

"Ahem. Thank you all for coming, and to Lady Seo Mun for gracing us with her beauty — I, Jo Hakche, am humbled, and I’m already captivated by those lake-like eyes. I’m truly grateful you joined us. And Lady Jin as well — one of the Two Beauties of the Orthodox Murim — your elegance lights up the table. Ah, and Lady Gyeon, of course, is no less beautiful— no, I mean it’s not more or less, just that Lady Seo Mun is elegant and Lady Jin is graceful, and also—"

"All right, my arm’s going numb! Anyway, cheers! To the everlasting prosperity of the Orthodox Murim!"

"Cheers!"

Even at a drinking party, people’s personalities show in how they carry themselves.

Chang Bin normally stayed rooted in place. Without women, his courage and voice were like a tiger’s roar — but put a woman in the mix, and he shrank like a broom left leaning in a corner.

It wasn’t about shyness — it was just that drinking with women made the liquor taste so good that he focused entirely on his cups.

Jin Seol was a listener by nature.

As a trendsetter in clothing among the Young Heroes’ Gathering, she never lacked for female knights asking her opinion, but she preferred to stay quiet and listen, lending weight to the conversation.

Gyeon Pohee generally had no interest in outsiders.

In the past, Hwanhee Palace had been her "fence," and now her family and the Seol Trading Company filled that role.

She had come simply because she was following Qing; the young men of the Orthodox Murim were no different from strangers on the street to her.

Even when traveling with Tang Nanha and Jegal Ihyeon, she’d kept them at arm’s length.

So she stayed glued to Qing, refilling her cup and popping morsels into her mouth.

Qing, on the other hand, became a human locust at a drinking party.

She never stayed in one spot — flitting from table to table, slipping seamlessly into conversations, downing four or five cups in quick succession before laughing and darting off again like a swarm of locusts stripping a field.

This left Chang Bin uncomfortable.

He’d thought the three women — Jin Seol, Qing, and Gyeon Pohee — would chat among themselves, letting him just drink quietly.

But when Qing flitted off and Pohee followed, it left him alone at the table with Jin Seol in awkward silence.

Since Jin Seol wasn’t one to start a conversation, he sat there fidgeting, worrying she might be bored, trying to think of something to say...

"Uh, Lady Jin? Does the food suit your taste?"

"...What?"

She repeated it without thinking.

Did he just ask a Cantonese native if she liked Cantonese food?

But Chang Bin felt triumphant.

Yes! He’d broken the ice!

"Southern cooking tends to use rare ingredients, doesn’t it? This Eight Treasures dish has sea cucumber, squid, shrimp, abalone, and this, hm, this is..."

"That’s red tilefish."

"Ah. You know your stuff."

"Of course — I’m Cantonese. How could I not know Cantonese cuisine?"

"Ah. Right. My apologies."

And then he clammed up, his eyes rolling around as he wondered when Qing would come back.

Qing, meanwhile, was having the time of her life.

"Make some room here — nice to meet you, you know me, right? Heavenly Flower Sword. All right, one cup each. Hey, what’s this? Your cup’s still wet? How is there still water in here? You drink well! All right, take one from me. Nice to meet you. Ah, Daoist Yu Hyeon, and you are? Young Master Sang? Nice to meet you. Come on, let’s clink glasses!"

****

Meanwhile, in another private room of the Ocean Pavilion—

a grand feast was also underway: the Killing Moon Sect’s own banquet, attended by a large gathering of its senior members.