Chapter 26: What Would You Like to Eat (2)
Chapter 25 – What Would You Like to Eat (2)
Even for those of the orthodox faction, who lived and died by justification.
So, if they came to the eatery and caused a disturbance by fighting without even ordering food, damaging the business, the cadets would have nothing to say.
For the justification would solely belong to the Ghost King Eatery.
Furthermore, this immense fighting spirit that felt as if it would crush them at any moment!
They were not ordinary cooks and servers.
They were undoubtedly people who had trained in martial arts.
Well, it was not unusual, as there were indeed people of the Jianghu who washed their hands of the martial world and did business.
The problem was that one could not trust the retirement of Jianghu people.
For martial artists, regardless of whether they belonged to the orthodox or unorthodox factions, flipped their promises to never hold a sword again as easily as turning over their hands.
In short, if these seemingly retired cooks and servers made up their minds and stepped forward, they would be too much to handle.
Shriiiing.
As the Ghost King rubbed two kitchen knives together, sparks flew along with a smooth metallic sound.
The sword scar engraved on his cheek quivered as if it were excited.
“Guests? What will you have?”
“Mmm…”
The cadets let out low groans, caught in a dilemma.
Even though Jo Gang-min was currently being beaten up outside, there was nothing they could do.
Thump!
At that moment, one of the Ghost Servers stamped his foot and shouted angrily.
“Perhaps because of the rain, I can’t hear you well, guests! What would you like to eat!”
As the shout, like a Lion’s Roar, rang out loudly, a cadet sitting in a corner hiccuped.
“Hic! U-Um… just… a bowl of noodles.”
“I-I’ll have… a plate of boiled meat…”
“Ah… maybe I should have dumplings…”
Boom!
This time, the Ghost King stamped his foot, looked around at the Ghost Servers, and shouted loudly.
“Dammit! Look at this! Didn’t I tell you it would be like this? Even if we just opened and don’t have all the ingredients, the customers won’t give a rat’s ass about our situation! They’ll order all kinds of dishes like this! Did I or did I not tell you they wouldn’t care about the bastard cooking?”
“You did.”
The Ghost Servers lowered their heads and glared at the cadets from the corners of their eyes.
The cadets swallowed hard.
‘Gasp, are they gl-glaring at us?’
‘W-Why? Shouldn’t you prepare more ingredients when you open?’
The Ghost King shouted again with a Lion’s Roar.
A few cadets with weak internal energy were on the verge of having blood trickle from their eardrums.
“Damn it! You good-for-nothings! With them ordering such a variety of dishes, why didn’t you prepare the ingredients, making it impossible to cook? Huh? How are you going to take responsibility for this disaster!”
Shring! Shring!
The Ghost King glared at his subordinates while repeatedly rubbing the kitchen knives together.
“Since we’re short on meat, should I chop you bastards up and cook you instead? Huh? Let’s see! Your skin is so tender, you’d be perfect for boiled meat! You have a good balance of muscle and fat, so you’d make a great filling for dumplings!”
Under the Ghost King’s bloodthirsty scolding, the cadets felt more and more like they were sitting on a bed of needles.
Whether it was just their imagination, the scolding did not seem to be directed solely at the servers, but felt as if it were targeting them.
Finally, one of the cadets managed to open his mouth.
“U-Um… o-owner.”
“Damn it! What kind of crazy bastard dares to call me and make a fuss at such an important moment… Ah… customer, hehe. Did you call me?”
The Ghost King’s face, which had been distorted like a malevolent demon, blossomed into a bright smile.
The cadet gasped involuntarily.
‘I-It’s even scarier when he smiles like that!’
“Dear guest? Since you called, please speak.”
“Ah… t-that is… we’ll all just have noodles.”
“What! Is that really true!”
“Y-Yes.”
“How incredibly grateful I am! Thank you for understanding our situation! Then, I will prepare noodles for everyone!”
“P-Please do. Everyone is fine with that, right?”
At the cadet’s question, the other cadets nodded their heads enthusiastically.
The Ghost King looked around at the Ghost Servers again and shouted.
“You dazed fools! Know that you escaped being chopped to pieces today thanks to the guests! Those gentlemen know basic manners! From now on, they won’t take a single step until the noodles are served and finished! Because they know well that it is etiquette toward the cook! So watch them closely, and if they need anything, bring it to them immediately!”
“Acknowledged!”
The Ghost Servers ran to the entrance all at once and stood with their hands behind their backs.
‘W-What? Why are they blocking the entrance?’
‘Ugh, it feels like they’re monitoring us rather than serving.’
‘Why is their response “Acknowledged”…’
The cadets could not even budge their hips from their chairs.
* * *
“Aaaaah!”
As Gwak Cheol-ju let out a roar, unable to contain his anger, Namgung Cheon quickly moved his hands to strike Jo Gang-min’s paralyzing acupoints.
Tap, tap.
At that, Jo Gang-min’s body slumped like a wet cotton ball.
Holding Jo Gang-min by the back of his neck, Namgung Cheon looked at Gwak Cheol-ju and spoke casually.
“Hey, loyal dog. Quiet down. You’re being noisy. Shouting like that in front of an eatery disrupts business. Ah, maybe it’s not singing?”
“You bastard!”
Gwak Cheol-ju’s eyes turned bloodshot as he rushed recklessly toward Namgung Cheon.
Whoosh!
Look at that.
Rushing in like that without understanding the situation meant he had already lost his mind.
Otherwise, would he go wild like a mad bison without even considering his master’s safety?
Well, if that was the case, there was no choice but to make him understand the situation.
Namgung Cheon suddenly lifted Jo Gang-min in front of him and swung his fist.
Smack!
“Keugh!”
Struck in the face, Jo Gang-min spun like a top in place before collapsing.
The charging Gwak Cheol-ju froze in place like a rock and shouted.
“Young Patriarch!”
“Whoa, whoa. Good. Are you coming to your senses now? Right, if you don’t behave, your master will suffer. Just like now!”
Swoosh, crack!
“Aaargh!”
“No!”
Jo Gang-min’s scream and Gwak Cheol-ju’s desperate cry burst out at the same time.
Namgung Cheon rolled up his sleeves and swung the Emerald Silk Sword, sheath and all.
“Like hell you can’t.”
Crack! Crack! Crack…!
“Keugh! Ah! Ugh…!”
“Stop! Cease! I have stopped too!”
“Whew. Finally, you’ve become a well-behaved puppy. Right, brother?”
“Uuuugh…!”
Having suddenly taken a one-sided beating, Jo Gang-min was in no condition to even answer properly.
It was only natural.
Since he had been beaten with internal energy infused into the sheath, he must be feeling the pain of his bones shattering by now.
Gwak Cheol-ju asked, his cheeks trembling.
“What do you want?”
Namgung Cheon slung the sheath over his shoulder and raised his chin.
“Kneel.”
Thud! Thump, thump!
Not only Gwak Cheol-ju, but also Song Won-gyo and Baekli Hyang knelt, as if the strength had left their legs of its own accord.
Gwak Cheol-ju shouted.
“I have knelt!”
“See, you can do it when you try. You were a dog that could behave after all.”
“Stop hitting the Young Patriarch!”
“I refuse.”
Thud! Thud! Thud!
The sheath was swung once more.
Water droplets splashed up relentlessly.
“You bastard!”
Infuriated, Gwak Cheol-ju kicked off the ground and rushed forward.
But at that moment, a chillingly bleak voice flowed from Namgung Cheon’s mouth.
“You will die.”
Splaaash!
Gwak Cheol-ju’s feet slid as he barely managed to brake.
Though it was a brief moment, a terrible killing intent crept over his entire body!
It was impossible to tell whether it was directed at him or the Young Patriarch.
What was certain was that his body had frozen instinctively at that killing intent.
Gwak Cheol-ju glared at Namgung Cheon, gritting his teeth.
Through his hair, wet and clumped from the rain, Namgung Cheon’s eyes gleamed with a brilliant light.
A dreadfully indifferent gaze froze his entire body.
‘How can an eighteen-year-old have eyes like that…!’
Was that gaze cold?
Or was the pouring rain cold?
A chill seeped into his bones.
A low voice flowed from Namgung Cheon’s mouth once more.
“Aren’t you going to soften your gaze?”
Swoosh, crack!
“Aargh!”
“…!”
A miserable scream rose without fail at the relentlessly swung sheath!
Gwak Cheol-ju’s eyelids trembled.
“Lower your eyes.”
Swoosh, crack!
“Keugh!”
“…!”
Once again, Jo Gang-min’s scream erupted, and Gwak Cheol-ju’s eyelids trembled mercilessly.
A voice cried out inside his chest.
If he averted his eyes here, he would never be able to defeat this man.
That would be the end of everything.
But at the same time, reason warned him.
If he held out until the end, the Young Patriarch would be in danger!
As his anguish deepened, everything around him fell silent.
Raindrops formed on his eyelids.
Soon, as a raindrop dripped down, his gaze also turned downward.
Ssssshhhhh…
Only the sound of rain filled the quiet surroundings.
The corners of Namgung Cheon’s mouth curled up slightly.
This was it.
The moment a wild beast grew docile.
It was also the moment I enjoyed the most.
Thump!
Finally, Gwak Cheol-ju fell to his knees as if collapsing.
“Please… release the Young Patriarch.”
“I don’t want to.”
Swoosh, crack!
“Keugh! Why!”
Gwak Cheol-ju tried to stand up again, only to hesitate.
A certain energy still surrounding Namgung Cheon prevented him from approaching rashly.
Right now, Namgung Cheon was warning him with his entire body.
If he moved as he pleased, his master would get hurt.
Namgung Cheon lightly tapped Jo Gang-min’s face, who was groaning weakly, with the tip of his foot.
“He knows how to speak too. I left his mouth intact, after all.”
Getting hit by the falling raindrops, Jo Gang-min spat out words with his blood-filled mouth.
“I’ll k-kill… you…! You son of a…!”
“Oh, as expected, brother is better than that loyal dog over there. You have conviction. I take back the statement that you’re worse than a dog. I praise that conviction with all my might.”
Swoosh, crack! Crack! Crack!
“Keugh! Aaaaargh! Ah! S-Spare me… Aaaaargh!”
Despite his master’s desperate wails, Gwak Cheol-ju could only clench his fists tightly, unable to move.
Damn it, damn it, damn it!
Suddenly, the cadets who had come along with him crossed his mind.
‘No, what on earth are these bastards doing that they haven’t even shown their faces…!’
Whipping his head around to look at the eatery,
Slurp, slurp…! Chomp, chomp…!
The cadets were stuffing their faces with delicious noodles.
* * *
Crash!
Paeng Su-hyeok, who kicked the door open, strode into the room and grabbed Yun Jong-seung by his collar.
“Keugh, cough! Wh-What’s wrong…? Cough!”
“Where did they go?”
“What do you mean they…? Cough, let go of me first…!”
As Paeng Su-hyeok threw him aside, Yun Jong-seung tumbled onto the floor and barely caught his breath.
Paeng Su-hyeok glared.
“Namgung Cheon, Song Won-gyo, Baekli Hyang. Where did they all go? Most of the third-year cadets, including Jo Gang-min, are not to be seen.”
“Ah…”
Yun Jong-seung groaned as he thought for a moment.
As Paeng Su-hyeok strode closer, Yun Jong-seung stood up with a stiff expression.
“I think I know where they are.”
As the two left the room, a shadow standing beyond the corner of the hallway quietly followed them.