Chapter 250: The Smell Of People Living (2)
Chapter 249 – The Smell Of People Living (2)
Namgung Cheon admired as he drank down his cup:
“Wow, it was the Lianquan acupoint. That fellow will have wine leaking out from under his chin every time he drinks from now on, won’t he?”
“His airway will swell and he will soon suffocate.”
“You used the remaining chopstick usefully.”
“It is good to save what can become a weapon.”
“Indeed. I used two in vain. I have learned a lesson.”
“I am glad it helped your progress.”
Pourrr.
The cups were filled.
“Ah, the Shaoxing wine is marvelous.”
“A young fellow already knows the taste of wine.”
“Because my life has also been quite turbulent.”
Namgung Geom chuckled.
“Indeed. The depth of the taste of wine is like the depth of life.”
“Even now, it is not a normal life, is it?”
“Indeed.”
If one looked only at the conversation between the two, it was peaceful as could be, even if a bit strange.
However, the surroundings of the two were no different from a shambles of blood-soaked casualties.
A clash of blades for a sip of wine, palm and fist forces exploding for two sips of wine, and a fountain of blood spraying for three sips of wine.
Even now, Namgung Cheon said as he calmly poured wine for Namgung Geom:
“If it were me, I would have chosen that child too.”
Namgung Geom asked as he accepted the cup. It happened to be the last wine left in the bottle.
“Why is that?”
Meanwhile, the ‘child’ pointed out by Namgung Cheon was flying in, fluttering killing intent.
The child was none other than the one who had been chatting, smiling, and laughing all along as if traveling with a grandfather.
“Speaking in the Patriarch’s way…”
Crash!
Namgung Cheon swung the empty wine bottle just like that and smashed the child’s head. Over the head of the collapsed child, fragments of the broken wine bottle scattered untidily.
“Because although the mouth was smiling, the eyes were not. There was no emotion in the eyes, and the qi sense was so faint it was not even as good as a suckling infant’s.”
“A correct observation.”
“For a grown child to have a fainter qi sense than a suckling infant means he is a child trained as an assassin since young. Still clumsy, they do not know how to do it ‘moderately,’ only knowing how to deaden their qi sense completely.”
While Namgung Geom nodded and raised his cup, this time, the woman who had drawn attention with her outstanding appearance flew in from behind:
“Die!”
Slash!
While holding the cup, Namgung Geom drew his sword with his other hand and swung it as if drawing a circle above his head. Simultaneously, the beautiful woman’s neck split open, and her head fell to the floor with a thud.
Chwaaaa!
The setting sun seeping through the gaps of the window. And the woman spurting blood like a fountain from her severed neck. Before that, Namgung Geom casually drinking from his cup.
This peculiar harmony felt quite impressive.
‘Somehow, this old man seems to be enjoying it too. Was our journey quite awkward and difficult for him as well?’
By this point, the other assassins did not even dare to think of a surprise attack, merely surrounding the two and remaining on guard.
Namgung Geom set down his cup and said:
“The reason I pointed out the woman first was because she was insolent. I did not like using a newborn suckling infant for a killing act. Does that not mean she rejected being human? Thus, I considered that what is not human cannot be kept in the human world.”
At Namgung Geom’s chilly words, Namgung Cheon glanced around and nodded:
“That makes sense. Things that are not human should not live pretending to be human. Trash must be incinerated.”
The surrounding assassins flinched and peeked at each other.
‘I guess they know they are trash.’
While Namgung Cheon wore a cold sneer, Namgung Geom asked:
“But why would you have chosen that child first?”
“Because he is a child.”
“Because he is a child?”
“Yes. As I mentioned, there was no warmth in his gaze. They destroyed his humanity since he was very young. Perhaps only the instinct of survival remained. His head must have been filled with ways to kill people. There would have been no way for him to escape his trapped destiny either. Once you belong to it, unless Yama drags you away, the organization will seek you out and try to eliminate you. So, rather…”
“Do you mean you would give him peace with your own hands?”
“So to speak, yes.”
“However, is there no room for rehabilitation? What if our clan took him in?”
“Given our clan’s circumstances, now is not the time. Realistically, it is difficult.”
“That makes sense.”
Namgung Geom nodded.
By this point, the two whom the assassins surrounded were beyond dumbfounded, even feeling a subtle fear.
Had there ever been such targets until now?
Of course, they had received word that it was not an easy task.
That was why they had made so many preparations and waited.
Yet, those two were sitting in their seats, calmly tilting their cups and conversing in a friendly manner.
In this place where blood and screams ran rampant, they exchanged warm gazes and conversed as if staying in the most comfortable place in the world.
Are they crazy?
Just then, Namgung Cheon paused while holding his cup.
The cup was empty.
Namgung Cheon slammed the table roughly. At that, the surrounding assassins flinched and retreated slightly.
“Hey! Here! Bring another bottle of wine! What is this? If a guest’s wine is empty, you should run over instantly. Can you even do business being so slow-witted? I must retrain the server!”
“The server is dead. You just killed him.”
“Huh? Ah, indeed. Even so! Then shouldn’t you hire a new server? Where is the owner?”
“…”
“…”
Just then, a large bald man among the assassins approached with long strides, holding a broadsword.
“This young kid has no eyes to see just because he showed some minor tricks…!”
Thud!
In the blink of an eye, the bald man’s head exploded.
Thud!
When he collapsed spread-eagled, the assassins opened their eyes wide and looked back and forth between the bald man and Namgung Cheon.
“Mmm. With a cup…!”
Namgung Cheon had thrown the cup, but what shattered was not the cup, but the bald man’s head.
Looking at the bald man who died instantly while even spilling brain matter, the current situation felt like unreality.
Namgung Cheon looked at Namgung Geom and said:
“He has no manners toward guests.”
“Indeed. Then we must teach him.”
Namgung Cheon nodded and stood up abruptly.
At that, the surrounding men flinched and drifted away in droves again.
That was how much the energy Namgung Cheon exuded from his entire body induced a shuddering, spine-chilling fear.
As Namgung Cheon walked toward the tavern entrance, the assassins retreated involuntarily and opened a path.
Namgung Cheon locked the door and turned around.
“Manners. Maketh. Man.”
Returning to his seat casually, Namgung Cheon shouted:
“Owner! Get out here! Bring the Shaoxing wine! Before I set the place on fire!”
“You must not set it on fire. We need a place to stay.”
“Ah, indeed. I almost made a huge mistake. If I was not careful, again in that carriage…”
Namgung Cheon shuddered as if it was terrible just to think about.
A moment later, an elderly man walked over, carrying a bottle of Shaoxing wine. When he placed the wine on the table, Namgung Cheon glanced at it and asked:
“Are you the owner?”
“No.”
“Then?”
“…”
“Forget it. How is the quality of this Shaoxing wine?”
“It is top-grade.”
“Prove it.”
The old man’s facial muscles twitched.
Namgung Cheon twisted the corners of his mouth and asked:
“I said prove it.”
“I will bring another one.”
“Where are you going.”
At that moment, the cup placed in front of Namgung Geom flew and struck the old man’s forehead.
Clang! Thump!
The old man, whose head exploded just like that, collapsed while holding the Shaoxing wine.
Crash!
From the broken wine bottle, poisoned Shaoxing wine spilled out copiously.
Namgung Cheon shook his head.
“These bastards are using shallow tricks.”
“Are those who use any means and methods not precisely assassins?”
“Even when entering at first, I wondered if it could be. To think that seriously everyone here is an assassin. This is fresh.”
“.”
“Whose doing is it?”
“Whose doing do you think it is?”
“Well. Looking at the composition and organizational power, I wonder if it is indeed the Killing Valley.”
Though he spoke as if guessing, Namgung Cheon was almost certain. That was natural, as the old man who just died was someone whose face he had seen once when visiting the Killing Valley in his past life.
Namgung Geom nodded and asked:
“Did you learn that from books too?”
“Yes. Books are truly a treasure trove of knowledge.”
“It seems books these days cover many things.”
“Well… there is quite a bit of miscellaneous knowledge that is useless to know.”
“It would cost quite a bit of money to request the Killing Valley. Could it not be the Black Mist Coalition?”
Namgung Cheon quickly checked the reactions of the surroundings. However, not a single person was shaken.
Actually, this was the reason Namgung Geom brought up the Black Mist Coalition.
To observe the enemies’ reactions.
Namgung Cheon shook his head and said:
“Could it be the Martial Alliance rather than the Black Mist Coalition?”
Sure enough, at the same time he spat out the words, he quickly checked the surroundings.
He was someone who had survived for decades on his quick-wittedness.
Even with just a slight reaction, he could roughly deduce it.
Yet, the reaction was terribly lacking.
Although there was someone who opened his eyes wide as if it was unexpected when the name Martial Alliance came out, it was not the reaction of having their backer exposed.
‘These fellows… do not know.’
Rather, they seemed more surprised when the name Killing Valley came out.
In short, these guys were not in positions high enough to know who the client was.
‘Ha! Look at these wretches. They dare to target the Namgung Clan Patriarch and Young Patriarch, yet they use such small fry?’
Of course, even if they were small fry, in the case of the Killing Valley, each assassin possessed the capability to eliminate an ordinary peak expert.
However, in the case of Namgung Cheon who possessed the First Sight Skill-Breaking Eyes, the moment someone resolved to attack him, he had no choice but to notice already.
As such, unless it was an assassin of a considerable level, the assassination was bound to fail. That was how Namgung Cheon had survived in his past life.
At any rate, when even the old man died, the assassins all froze like rocks.
There might be fear, but more than that, it was because they did not know how.
A feeling like being in front of a giant wall.
Since they did not know how on earth to approach and kill to succeed, their steps did not easily move.
Still, to create some opening, they had to bring a change to the situation.
“Here is the Shaoxing wine.”
A martial artist with a saber at his waist walked over, holding the Shaoxing wine, and placed it down roughly.
Thud!
“There is no poison.”
“Now you are the owner.”
“Yes. Speak if you need anything.”
“The quality?”
The saber-wearing martial artist picked up the bottle, gulped it down, and placed it down roughly on the table.
Slam!
“Is that enough now?”
“It is enough, but who told you to drink that much? You bastard.”
“I thought you would believe me only if I did that much.”
“I believe you even if you drink half a gulp.”
“You should have said so earlier. Burp.”
“You, come here.”
“What?”
The saber-wearing martial artist bent his waist and brought his face close. At the same time, he resolved to eliminate Namgung Cheon with a quick-draw sword technique if an opportunity arose.
However, before he could even wiggle a finger,
Slap!
His cheek spun.
Namgung Cheon, who slapped his cheek forcefully, said coldly:
“Burping filthily in front of a guest? Do you want to drop dead?”
“Eek…!”
The moment the martial artist who lost his reason tried to draw the saber worn at his waist, Namgung Cheon quickly thrust his foot and forced the saber back into its scabbard.
Click!
Simultaneously, Namgung Cheon swung the wine bottle containing the Shaoxing wine and bashed the opponent’s head.
Crash!
Crash!
The wine bottle containing the Shaoxing wine shattered, soaking the head of the fallen martial artist. The martial artist, whose head was split and covered in blood, twitched a few times and soon went limp.
“This bastard needs to relearn the basics. Not even bringing a cup. At any rate, at times like this, there are no fellows as good as those from the Ghost King Stronghold.”
Murmuring grumpily, Namgung Cheon looked around and growled with a cold gaze:
“Who is the next owner? Bring Shaoxing wine and cups too.”
The frozen eyes of the assassins shook violently.
Namgung Cheon slightly curled the corners of his mouth.
‘Yes, this is the smell of human life.’