Descent of the Demon Master-Chapter 1334. Drinking Together, Face to Face (4)

This feast truly encapsulated the idea of sampling every ingredient found under the sun.

Choi Yeon-Ha thought of herself as pretty well-versed in all things food-related, yet she had never seen the dishes being served today. Much to her relief, though, she didn’t see those somewhat over-the-top novelty dishes that always sneaked their way into a feast like this.

As if to echo her sentiments, Lee Hyeon-Su muttered to no one in particular. “I thought I’d be seeing stuff like a bear’s paw or something...”

The Crimson King frowned slightly. “My apologies. I’m not good with dishes like that.”

“E-eh? N-no, sir! I wasn’t trying to say that I wanted dishes like that.”

“Hoh-oh?”

Lee Hyeon-Su awkwardly smiled. “With this occasion being what it is, I thought I’d have to pretend to enjoy dishes like that, you see...?”

“Hahaha. That’s a relief. Although it’s embarrassing to admit this, I can be a rather picky eater,” said the Crimson King.

“...Sir, most people wouldn’t call that being picky.”

Would anyone accuse him of being picky if he didn’t want to touch bear paws, snake dishes, and centipede meat? The standard of “regular” food might differ between South Korea and China, but such novelty dishes should still qualify as “Reasons Why One Should Be Picky About Food” regardless of the country.

The Crimson King magnanimously smiled. “Let us enjoy our food, then.”

“Thank you,” said Lee Hyeon-Su while glancing at the various dishes on the table.

Every single one boasted such a gorgeous appearance that his appetite should have been stoked to the high heavens, but he found himself unwilling to touch them.

I mean, seriously... Will my stomach be able to digest food right now?

Had Lee Hyeon-Su known that something like this would happen, he would’ve stayed in the hotel with Han Eun-Sol and slurped the hangover-cure gruel or some such instead. He was so envious of Han Eun-Sol right now.

Of course, not everyone in this place felt the same way as him.

Kang Jin-Ho nonchalantly reached out and placed several foods on his plate. Watching his nonplussed attitude granted Lee Hyeon-Su a moment of unnecessary clarity!

What on earth is the Assembly Master even thinking?

It wasn’t as if the Crimson King or Cai Kechang was emitting extreme hatred or animosity right now. In fact, one could even say they were being quite hospitable.

Even so, being so relaxed in the middle of the enemy territory should be forbidden, no?!

Could it be that Kang Jin-Ho lacked the ability to sense the impending doom? Lee Hyeon-Su just couldn’t figure out what was on his boss’ mind in moments like this.

It seemed Kang Jin-Ho didn’t seem to care about his subordinate’s sentiments, as he was in the middle of taste-testing the food on his plate.

The Crimson King asked, “So? How is the food?”

“It’s passable.”

“I’m relieved to hear that.”

The Crimson King smiled relaxedly.

That was when Cai Kechang cautiously piped up.

“Sir, you’ve come here at an inopportune time. The head chef usually retires for the day at this time, after all. I wholeheartedly recommend coming during the day if you’re planning to visit this place again later. For this special occasion, we had to summon the head chef back.”

“I see. An excessive and unnecessary consideration,” said Kang Jin-Ho, then glanced at his companions. “However, it is the guests’ role to accept such considerations gratefully, isn’t it?”

“It is,” Choi Yeon-Ha nodded in agreement, then placed food on her plate.

When she mouthed a piece of meat stir-fried with a sauce she didn’t recognize, though...

Her eyes shot wide open.

“Oh, my gosh, this...!”

The Crimson King’s grin deepened. “I hope it’s to your liking.”

She hurriedly nodded while covering her mouth, then shot a brief glare at Kang Jin-Ho. “Yes. As a matter of fact, I’m surprised that someone in this world would dare describe something this delicious as merely passable.”

“...”

Why was she targeting him instead? Kang Jin-Ho cocked his eyebrow, but when his gaze met Choi Yeon-Ha’s criticizing glare, he sneakily looked away.

The Crimson King explained. “Thanks to the vastness of our country, you can find a variety of cuisines catering to all kinds of tastes. However, that also means there will be many dishes that fall outside the scope of what you find as agreeable. I always lament the fact that the visitors to my country leave before they have a chance to taste proper Chinese cooking.”

Choi Yeon-Ha replied, “The usual me would have said that you’re being overconfident, but these foods have completely shut me up.”

The Crimson King smiled as if he enjoyed Choi Yeon-Ha’s response. “As expected of the Demon King’s partner.”

“Excuse me, but... I’m sorry, but do you mind if you stop addressing me like that? I get a little embarrassed every time I hear it, you see.”

“Hmm? Is that so? My apologies, then. I’m much older than I look, that’s why... How should I address you, then?”

“Please, just call me Choi Yeon-Ha.”

“I see, I see. Then let us stick to Miss Choi from now on.”

Choi Yeon-Ha couldn’t help but subtly smile just then. The pale-faced Lee Hyeon-Su might not agree with her on this one, but she thought of the older man before her eyes as a good person. No, rather than that, it should be more correct to say that she started viewing him as a wealthy elderly gentleman with all the time in the world.

I’ll be honest, our side looks more villainous compared to him!

Choi Yeon-Ha had accurately figured out the natures of both sides, yet she wasn’t consciously aware of it yet!

“Y-yes, this really tastes great,” said Lee Hyeon-Su in awe. In the end, even he couldn’t endure the atmosphere and had to put some food in his mouth.

“Enjoy yourself as much as you can. Because someone like you will never eat food as lavish as this again in your life!” Cai Kechang snarkily growled.

“Give it a rest, will ya?”

Lee Hyeon-Su shot back, only for the Crimson King to guffaw genially.

“It seems Cai Kechang approves of you.”

Lee Hyeon-Su blinked his eyes in surprise. “I’m... sorry?”

“Cai Kechang has this habit of crushing all those he approves of. And he’s far too courteous toward people he thinks are small fries.”

“Eh? He’s not some elementary school kid, so why...?”

Cai Kechang retorted, “But aren’t you a little kid?”

“I said, give it a rest!”

The mood improved a little as they tucked into the waiting food. Of course, the vague tension still hung uncomfortably in the air, but it was unreasonable to expect the mood to get better than this.

Kang Jin-Ho asked while chewing on food. “I’m curious about a few things.”

The Crimson King glanced back. “Go ahead and ask.”

“How did you figure out that we were in Beijing? Did you spot us when we landed at the airport?”

“Airport, you say...?”

The Crimson King grinned in amusement while shifting his gaze to Cai Kechang.

That was when Cai Kechang sighed and began explaining the situation. “Although I don’t want to reveal this information, we’d like to convince you that we’re here with good intentions. If I may be frank, sir... You are far too casual toward potential dangers.”

“Casual? What do you mean?”

“We didn’t discover you at our airport. In fact, we’ve been monitoring your movements the moment you stepped inside the airport in South Korea.”

Kang Jin-Ho’s brows twitched subtly just then. “Are you saying your agents have fooled my perception?”

But that should have been impossible.

Monitoring Kang Jin-Ho’s movements meant someone must be watching him from somewhere close by. But who in this world could possibly watch him without being found out? Only someone on the level of the Crimson King had the necessary strength to fool Kang Jin-Ho’s senses, after all!

Cai Kechang nodded. “Of course, that is impossible. However, oh the Demon King... We don’t need our agents on the ground to monitor your movements. Eyes are everywhere, after all. Including the ones up in the skies.”

“...!”

Kang Jin-Ho’s brows rose higher in belated realization, and he stared openly at Cai Kechang. “Are you talking about... CCTV cameras?”

“Yes, I am.”

“But how...?”

“You are underestimating our capabilities, sir. You must be thinking that the CCTV network belongs to the Korean government and therefore, we don’t have access to it. And that’s why I say you are far too casual toward potential dangers. One’s government can be a surprisingly porous organization, after all.”

Kang Jin-Ho sighed deeply. People living in South Korea couldn’t avoid being spotted by CCTV cameras. Knowing this, the Crimson King’s faction didn’t bother to dispatch its agents to monitor Kang Jin-Ho and instead went with the option of acquiring the real-time CCTV footage.

Either they had paid some people off or hacked into the system somehow.

“Yes, you’re right. I am too casual about such things,” Kang Jin-Ho contemplatively muttered.

“It’s not your fault, sir. After all, monitoring people this way is one of our specialties,” said Cai Kechang.

Kang Jin-Ho slowly nodded. He agreed that China was number one when it came to surveillance.

“So, you knew I’d be coming to China the moment I entered the airport? Is that it?”

“Yes, Demon King. That was why finding your location wasn’t difficult.”

“Sounds like we were dancing on your palm, then.”

For some reason, Kang Jin-Ho wasn’t displeased by this revelation. If anything, it felt like a refreshing wake-up call instead.

Cai Kechang sneaked a glance in Lee Hyeon-Su’s direction. “If I’m being honest, this isn’t your oversight, sir, but more like the fault of your subordinate’s incompetence.”

“Wait, wh... Mm.”

Lee Hyeon-Su was about to retort, but had to clamp his mouth shut. He couldn’t think of a rebuttal to what Cai Kechang had said. The truth hurt him so much that his entire body had begun aching now.

The Crimson King glanced at his subordinate. “Cai Kechang.”

“Yes, my liege!”

“Since time immemorial, a scared dog barks the most. Do not forget your decorum.”

“My apologies, sir!”

Cai Kechang deeply bowed his head at the Crimson King, then resumed his explanation while staring at Kang Jin-Ho.

“It’s not only us, but the other two Kings should know about your presence in China by now, sir.”

Kang Jin-Ho cocked an eyebrow. “They do? Why would they care, though?”

Cai Kechang grew dismayed at that response. “Forgive me, sir, as I may come off as insolent by saying this. However, it seems the person who underestimates your worth the most is you. It’s obvious that everyone would be interested in the movements of a powerful individual such as yourself.”

“...”

“Once the news of you surviving the battle against the Crimson King reached their ears, the other two Kings and their people must’ve started monitoring your every move.”

“I played a significant part in that, didn’t I?” The Crimson King muttered, his expression one of awkwardness. “But I could have ended your life if it hadn’t been for that Westerner’s interference.”

Kang Jin-Ho smirked. “No. The one dying would have been you.”

“Kuh-hmm. It’s unbecoming of us to discuss a past battle that didn’t end in no one’s favor. Yes, let’s agree to disagree on this one.”

The Crimson King ended the discussion there and moved on. Kang Jin-Ho chuckled at that.

“So, then. Trying to hide ourselves was pointless since everyone already knew about our presence,” Kang Jin-Ho casually muttered.

Cai Kechang nodded. “Yes, Demon King. It was ultimately unnecessary.”

“I see,” Kang Jin-Ho replied, a hollow expression now on his face.

He thought he was being careful here, but it proved meaningless in the end. This problem needed to be sorted out as soon as he returned to South Korea.

However, learning about this problem made the trip to China worth the risk. The idea of his every movement being monitored anonymously at all times was not a pleasant thought, after all!

However, Kang Jin-Ho wasn’t sure if he could deal with another, more elemental problem. He recalled Cai Kechang talking about the eyes in the skies. Obviously, the Chinese wasn’t talking about the CCTV cameras.

Could it be spy satellites, then?

Although the idea of mobilizing spy satellites to monitor one person’s movements seemed absurd, to say the least, could Kang Jin-Ho outright discount the possibility when considering the power and deep pockets of the Crimson King’s faction? No, he couldn’t.

Kang Jin-Ho muttered weirdly. “It feels like something doesn’t quite fit the image of your faction here. To think that the Three Kings and their factions would resort to CCTV cameras...”

The Crimson King smirked. “Those who fail to embrace the changes in the era will only get left behind, oh the Demon King. I get that you’re quite advanced in age, so the differences in the eras must’ve been quite jarring for you. Even so, it’d be wise for you to be more interested in modern technology.”

“...”

Didn’t Chang Min also nag Kang Jin-Ho about that not too long ago? Back then, Kang Jin-Ho got a bit embarrassed by his shortcomings. But now? It hurt. By a lot, too.

In other words, it’s not only the Martial Assembly that’s improving itself to match the times.

Such a thing should have been fairly obvious, but it still rang inside his head like a thunderous revelation. Even as they sat here, all corners of the martial world, not just the Three Kings, must be searching for many different ways to improve their strength in the modern era.

Those who fell behind would get crushed and forgotten.

“That leads me to another question, then,” said Kang Jin-Ho, his gaze locked squarely on the Crimson King. “I heard that Beijing isn’t a part of your territory.”

Cai Kechang replied in his boss’ stead. “That definition depends on how you view the situation, sir. Even if we say ‘territory’, it’s not as if we’ve drawn boundaries on a map and designated who had dominion over which piece of land. That’s how ordinary people do things. So, rather than territory, it’d be easier to understand by saying the level of influence. Our faction’s influence does reach Beijing. It’s just that the Azure King’s influence is far greater in this region.”

“I see. In short, it’s still an enemy territory for you, too.”

“Yes, you could boil it down to that.”

“Then, here’s my question...” Kang Jin-Ho asked, his voice getting a little colder. “Despite the risks, why did you come here to see me in the middle of the enemy’s territory?”

The light in the Crimson King’s eyes began burning hotter just then. His gaze collided with Kang Jin-Ho’s mid-air.

One’s gaze was filled with passion, while the other was as cold as ice. Two gazes that seemed diametrically opposed to each other tried to crush the other without backing off an inch!

“Hmph...”

The Crimson King finally responded.