Chapter 94 – Somewhere Within The Heart Was A Flame

The feast that uses a whole pig is being held in the Black Rabbit Union under the orders of the Low Down Sect’s leader.

After the orders are given for the doors of the Black Rabbit Union to be opened, tables and mats are spread in the main hall, inner garden, and outer garden alongside some liquor tables. Deuk-soo’s wife, alongside the union’s servants, carries the food around.

Whoever they are going to attack, whether it be the Baijian Society or the South Horizon Sect, they don’t seem to care.

For now, it is time to eat and drink.

First, I have one cup with General Byuk, then one with his wife, and then one more with Hoyeon Cheong, who is having a lot of trouble while teaching.

I also break into the kitchen to feed Deuk-soo, who is cooking an entire pig, while grabbing the people, running away, and forcing them to take a sip of alcohol. After a while, 12 men who had been sent here by someone also arrive to drink together with their martial brothers.

I quickly exceed my own alcohol limit.

As I walk around with a red face, I meet the eyes of a stranger in the corner of the hall.

“Uh?”

Three men, covered in blood, seem surprised to see me.

“…!”

I ask the three of them calmly.

“Who are you? Did you get hit?”

The hall becomes silent for a moment.

“…”

Those bloody faces turn towards me.

“We are from the South Horizon Sect.”

“Uh, is that so?”

I guess I forgot because I am drunk.

“Gu-pyeong, one drink!”

“Oh!”

So Gun-pyeong quickly runs away.

As I move inside, it is yet another place filled with alcohol.

Manager Byuk is in the middle of explaining what had happened to our 12 martial brothers. I also sneak a peek and move next to them to listen in. The South Horizon Sect members look pissed off as the manager’s stories continue to spread.

I nod alongside the words coming out of Manager Byuk’s mouth.

“Right. The words of the manager are right.”

One of the men smiles and looks at me.

“Big Brother. You seem to be having too much today.”

“You should drink too.”

“Yes.”

I hand over the alcohol to Manager Byuk and pull the sword from his waist.

“Brother, let me borrow your sword.”

“Yes.”

With the sword in my hand, I walk over to the plum tree and circle around it. I then stop and show my subordinates a roughly improved sword movement.

“Please take good care of our sect. I am the leader of the Low Down Sect.”

As I politely give them a bow, my subordinates are slowly swaying from the drinks they’ve consumed.

“We greet the leader.”

Since they are all also drunk, they answer my greeting.

“Sect leader, please take good care of us.”

As I reach out to shake on the deal, one of the drunks gives me his hand for support, and this place suddenly feels so large for once.

Looking around in my drunkenness, I say.

“Our brothers of the Low Down Sect, I am Lee Zaha.”

“…”

I introduce myself while still holding the sword.

“I was born in the Ilyang province, and since I was a little boy, I have been cleaning the table for the guests in Zaha Inn. But one day, the inn was burned down. Our Low Down Sect started when the inn caught on fire. Did the flame within my heart move? Now, somewhere in my heart is a flame, and the flame continues to dwell there. I am normally a bad-tempered man who prefers to be low-key, a person who goes through this and that. Because I am such a person and weak, I stand in front of the Low Down Sect like this.”

I continue to speak while holding my sword.

“All those who do not touch the weak without reason are my brothers. It doesn’t matter if you are the Orthodox Faction or the Unorthodox Faction, Demonic Sect or the Beggars Union, a merchant or a fisherman. All of you are my brothers. The ordinary people who haven’t been trained in martial arts are weak, the weak, the pretty-hearted, the faces, the little children, the monks, the drunkards, the servers, the courtesans, the shamans, and the nuns. Other than that, if there are those who bother the fathers, mothers, uncles, sisters, or brothers struggling to make their living through various jobs, it doesn’t matter where they are from. I will deal with them.”

I smile as I look down at the Low Down Sect in our shared drunkenness. The alcohol is taking over my mind.

“My skills are lacking compared to those who are the strongest in the world. Yesterday, I cultivated and did so the day before and in the past. I train my body with my brothers in the Black Rabbit Union, and recently I met a senior in Gangho and got good advice about swords. I am a man who grows stronger each day, the Low Down Sect leader, and I will show my brothers the sword technique I have been practicing lately.”

I hit the plum tree, making its blossoms fall.

I swing my sword while moving around the plum blossoms in a drunken state. It is a messy dance, but it doesn’t matter.

My sword continues to move.

A few of the plum blossoms are cut with my sword movement and then cut again into four pieces. The fragmented plum blossoms are scattered all over the place as I mix my slashes and stabs.

It is a sword dance with no meaning.

However, after staring at the fluttering petals for a moment, I infused the Fiery Fowl Scent into my sword.

Wheik!

I watch the red yang qi condense onto the sword and instantly add a little bit of sword Qi into it. The sword Qi of the infernal flame is split into several pieces, like the plum blossoms, and scatters into the air.

It is a sword technique that I interpreted in my own mind, the Plum Blossom Sword Style.

I smile as I look at this.

The Plum Blossom Sword scatters into the night wind as it burns all of the plum blossoms floating in the air. They then turn to dust and disappear.

I think it is fortunate that I infuse slightly less qi into it.

The subordinates who witness my skills applaud together.

After my brief introduction and sword dance, I pull my sword back and look around at everyone.

All of my brothers and subordinates also get up from our drinking party and look at me.

I throw my sword to one of them and go over to Cha Sung-tae. I then show him my empty glass, which he promptly pours more alcohol into.

“I saw what you did, leader.”

I grab his shoulder while I drink.

“Our member of the Low Down Sect.”

“Yes.”

“No dying. If one wants to survive, they have to train hard.”

Cha Sung-tae nods his head with a serious expression. I then proceed to have a staring contest with him as we drink.

This time too, I am drunk.

Manager Byuk then approaches me.

“Leader, are you fine? You seem to have drunk a lot.”

I wave my hand, urging him to go back as I go and sit under the plum tree.

I then close my eyes for a moment.

I channel the alcohol qi in my body to one side and the tip of my finger. This special technique is used to dissolve poison in the body.

After a few moments, the drunkenness from alcohol slowly changes as drops of liquid fall from the tip of my finger. It’s a technique to detoxify my body.

I quickly relieve myself of my drunkenness and look at my subordinates in a sober state. They all look at me blankly as I drive my drunkenness away.

I then tell them.

“I am not drunk anymore, so you can drink in peace. I will stand guard for tonight.”

While the rest of my subordinates hesitate, sister Hong answers me.

“I understand, Big Brother.”

I move into the main hall with my back to them and then glance over the still-kneeling messengers from the South Horizon Sect.

“Why did you come? Did you have something to tell me?”

One of them replies.

“We have come to the Black Rabbit Union to demand participation under the orders of the South Horizon Sect leader.”

“Is there a reason or cause for me to participate in that war?”

The three of them are unable to respond until one of them says.

“We didn’t have the chance to ask our leader about that.”

I look at the three of them and say.

“I see. But do I look like a weaker man than your leader to just act on his words?”

“We do not know since we are not skilled enough to know it.”

“Then is your leader in the top ten masters of the Unorthodox sects?”

“No.”

“Then the three of you go and relay this back to that arrogant man.”

“Yes.”

“If such rude behavior is displayed one more time, I will directly have to come over. And your leader will end up having a hard time again. Get up.”

The three stand up as they support each other. There is no place on their bodies that are safe from wounds.

I push the three and clasp their shoulders.

“Now, go from the Black Rabbit Union. I will not be guiding you out. The people are all busy today with drinking.”

“It is fine.”

“Shut up.”

I lead the three of them to the hall’s front door as if they are all drunkards. The three messengers, who are terrified of me, immediately bid me a proper goodbye.

“Leader, we will take our leave.”

“Thank you for giving us your time.”

“We will pass it on to our leader.”

One of the three messengers, who overheard the conversation in the party hall, then asks me.

“Ah, leader. I am sorry, I apologize. Do I have to call you as leader of the Black Rabbit Union or the Low Down Sect?”

“I am the Low Down Sect leader.”

“I understand.”

I look at the three of them and motion them to come closer.

“Come here. Let me make it clear to you. If you go ahead and report what happened here, there is a high chance you will end up stabbed.”

The messengers nod as they respond.

“We listen to you.”

“When you came to the Black Rabbit Union, their leader was already dead. It is true. I killed him. An unidentified warrior appeared and defeated and killed the man in an overwhelming manner alongside all the other men who knew this organization well. I beat the Black Rabbit Union warriors with sticks, killed them with axes, stressed them out, and then burned them.”

“…”

“That is me. The Low Down Sect leader, Lee Zaha, you didn’t know that, right?”

“Yes.”

“The Low Down Sect is also rumored to have a high number of troops because their leader only kills captains and leaders, but not subordinates. Do you hear that?”

“Yes. I did.”

“We heard it all.”

“Sure you did. If you are thoughtful, how should you treat me after hearing this?”

One of them answers me.

“This should have been a matter of a courtesy visit.”

I nod.

“Right. But then you have been rude to me since you appeared here. That is why you got trampled by my men.”

“We apologize.”

“If you want to live, mix in what I just said and report it to your leader. You couldn’t even eat the pork and got trampled by my men.”

“Yes, then we will head back.”

The three of them take a few steps before turning around and saying.

“We have ears on what is happening outside. We will pass it on.”

I wave my hand.

“I say a lot when I am drunk. You don’t need to take everything seriously.”

“Yes”

“But I am being sincere. You know what I mean, right?”

Two of them look at me with shock on their faces, while the last one just smiles.

“I understand. Then, leader, we will return now.”

“Go back safely.”

I send them off and close the door as I turn around. Quite a few people are already making their way through the pork dish.

I ask the men who are eating.

“How does it taste?”

And an expected answer comes from them.

“Leader! It is so delicious.”

I look at him.

“It isn’t something you can eat anywhere else. Suck it to the bone.”

“Hahaha! That is what I am doing.”

I look around again and say.

“Who didn’t get to eat the pork? Raise your hand.”

Hands rise all over the hall, and I look around at them.

“Ah, so you haven’t had it yet. Put your hands down.”

My men lower their hands with a smile.

As the drinking begins to slow, I begin to feel hungry and jump away to the hall. Moving past the infirmary in an instant, I open the nearby kitchen door.

“Where is my pork bone?”

The people inside reply.

“It was placed at your seat.”

As I go to the top of the table, I find the pork bone dish served to me in a small bowl. I rub my hands, sit down, and proceed to grab the pork belly first.

“Let’s eat.”

All the subordinates and everyone around me respond with a bright smile.

“Let’s have a good meal!”

I take a big bite of the thick meat around the bone and then summarize the sensation.

.

.

.

Today, I have successfully consumed the pork belly bone roast.