Descent of the Demon Master-Chapter 1348. Conferring (3)

Chen Hui calmly replied, “Not sure, sir. Honestly, we haven’t thought about that possibility.”

That was when Kang Jin-Ho’s brows twitched ever so slightly.

However, Chen Hui sneakily avoided meeting Kang Jin-Ho’s gaze and instead filled the empty glasses with liquor.

“How about another round, sir?”

“...”

“Ow, come on. Please? Just one more.”

Chen Hui cautiously pushed the now-full glass toward Kang Jin-Ho. One of the guards on standby picked it up and brought it to Kang Jin-Ho’s table.

“Let’s be honest here, sir. We don’t have a reason to growl at each other’s faces, now do we? Our side has never inflicted harm on you or the Assembly. And we have not suffered losses due to your actions.”

“Hmm...”

“Any bad blood you might have with China is not actually because of China itself. No, your issues are with the Three Kings,” said Chen Hui, then raised his glass. “How about a toast?”

He didn’t wait for Kang Jin-Ho’s response and downed his drink in one go.

“Kuh-euh~!”

Chen Hui put the glass down and wiped his lips.

Kang Jin-Ho silently watched this scene unfold before dumping the drink down his mouth, too. The strong whiskey burned as it traveled down his throat.

“Sir, it’s somewhat similar to this drink, isn’t it?” 𝓯𝓻𝓮𝙚𝙬𝓮𝙗𝒏𝙤𝒗𝙚𝙡.𝒄𝒐𝓶

Kang Jin-Ho subtly narrowed his eyes. “What do you mean by that?”

“You can find all kinds of liquor in China, sir. And I’m not talking about something expensive like the Maotai, either. You can find a massive variety of alcoholic beverages catering to all sorts of tastes in this country. But do you know what is the best-selling alcohol in China?”

“I don’t know.”

“It’s beer.”

Chen Hui chuckled softly in amusement.

“Isn’t that strange? You can find such a variety of home-grown liquor, yet the ever-prideful people of China still favor beer, a foreigner’s drink. And some people even justify their preference with a half-baked reason like the beer they drink is Chinese because they are produced in China. This whiskey is the same story.”

Kang Jin-Ho glanced at the bottle of whiskey in question before shifting his gaze back to Chen Hui.

“In other words... Sir, people might talk about upholding their ideals and principles and whatnot, but at the end of the way, we all want what’s best for ourselves. Our self interests take priority. We might talk about doing things for the people, for this great nation called China, but once we go home? Instead of a traditional liquor, we’ll reach out for a can of beer. Something as simple as that is all we ask for.”

Chen Hui spread his arms open theatrically again.

“That’s why we never considered you saying no, sir. There is no reason, considering what we’re proposing, after all. What kind of fool would reject a proposal when he stands to lose nothing but gain everything? We know you’re no fool, sir.”

Lee Hyeon-Su’s expression cramped up a little. What this man said rubbed him the wrong way, but he couldn’t find any holes in the argument right now.

This... Damn it.

Chen Hui was right.

The Martial Assembly was already locked into a situation where it must deal with the Three Kings sooner or later. And this relationship was beyond the point of no return.

The Crimson King had already declared Kang Jin-Ho and the Martial Assembly as his greatest, most threatening enemy. As for the Azure King or the Dark King? Why would they be friendly toward the Martial Assembly? Whoever managed to unite China’s martial society, they would come after the Martial Assembly next.

In the end, the Martial Assembly had only two options left. Either it waited until the three factions had exhausted their strength, then fight the injured victor to the death. Or, it could wait until the war between the three factions reached the climax and join the battle with an eye on maximizing the benefits for itself.

Either way, the Martial Assembly must fight the Three Kings and their factions.

Having an ally in such a situation is always a good thing.

Whether Chen Hui’s side could be trusted or not didn’t matter. When did the Martial Assembly ever enjoy the backing of allies it could trust unconditionally, anyway?

It’d already be a massive help if the Chinese government hindered the Three Kings for the sake of their mutual benefits. On top of that, they were also promising to hand over the rights to run business interests in China if they won.

No matter how much Lee Hyeon-Su thought about it, he couldn’t find a downside to this proposal.

The thing was, though, he couldn’t help but get suspicious at how good the conditions were.

However, the Chinese government also had no reason not to make this deal. If they were genuine about escaping from the influence of the Three Kings and separating the martial world from politics, the Martial Assembly would serve as THE perfect partner. For one, the Martial Assembly didn’t have designs on the Chinese political scene.

Even if things went awry, and the Martial Assembly walked away with nothing from this deal, it still wouldn’t be a net loss, either. Eliminating the Three Kings and their goons alone would be a massive boon, after all. The Martial Assembly would get to devour South Korea and Japan without looking over its shoulders constantly.

Chen Hui smirked. “So? What do you think, sir? Isn’t this a wonderful proposal?”

Kang Jin-Ho didn’t reply and simply stared back.

“You don’t have to give us your response right away, sir. Honestly, we’d love for us to sign a memorandum of understanding right this moment, but I know that’s asking for too much. This is an epoch-changing decision, after all. One that will decide everyone’s future. As such... Please, consider it at length and discuss with your people before contacting us.”

Lee Hyeon-Su’s expression cramped up more and more in suspicion and confusion. Consider it at length before calling them? Wasn’t that something people making legitimate business deals would say?

Does that mean they are dead-serious about joining hands with us?

The calculator in Lee Hyeon-Su’s brain fired up and rapidly crunched the numbers. And the sum he arrived at was... No matter how suspicious he was, this deal had no downsides.

Chen Hui’s grin deepened. “Then, I trust that you’ll take your time...”

“There’s no need,” Kang Jin-Ho abruptly spoke up, his tone flat as if he couldn’t be bothered. “I already know the answer, after all.”

“Sir? That means we will...?”

“No. I’m not joining hands with you.”

“...!”

Chen Hui’s eyes subtly quaked just then. His expression cramped up to indicate that he was completely taken aback by this reply. He reflexively stared at Lee Hyeon-Su’s face next.

After confirming how stupefied Lee Hyeon-Su looked, Chen Hui sighed softly under his breath before addressing Kang Jin-Ho again.

“Sir... I think even your trusted aide can’t understand your decision.”

Kang Jin-Ho casually shrugged. “That might be so.”

“May I ask why, sir? If the issue is with the terms on offer, we are open to negotiating with you.”

“You want to know why?”

“Yes. Why you decided to say no to our proposal,” Chen Hui spoke, his expression that of a man unwilling to give up.

Negotiations breaking down and starting again happened all the time. That wasn’t a reason enough to get disappointed and throw his hands up in the air yet.

Unfortunately for him, however... It seemed Kang Jin-Ho’s thoughts differed somewhat from Chen Hui’s.

Kang Jin-Ho muttered disinterestedly, “Do I need a reason?”

“Sir?”

“There’s no reason to join hands with you. So asking for a clarification on why I said no is rather strange, don’t you think?”

“Sorry? I don’t follow...? Does that mean you don’t have any particular reason?” Chen Hui spoke, his tempo getting a little more urgent now. “Even though I’ve explained the benefits of working together?”

“Sure, it’s a good proposal,” Kang Jin-Ho grunted dismissively. “But that’s all it is. A proposal.”

“...?”

Judging from the confused look on Chen Hui’s face, it seemed Kang Jin-Ho needed to explain himself a bit more.

“Fine. Here’s the thing. People make deals based on reality, not wishes or dreams. Am I right?”

“Yes, of... course?”

“So, then. Where’s the guarantee of us eliminating the Three Kings if we work together?”

Chen Hui smiled brightly. Maybe with a hint of relief, too.

“Oh, that? Sir, I assure you, you don’t have to worry in that regard. Our strength is sufficient enough to...”

Kang Jin-Ho cut Chen Hui off again. “If your strength is really sufficient enough, as you say, why haven’t you done anything until now?”

Chen Hui’s smile was wiped away from his face, and he instantly clamped his mouth shut.

Kang Jin-Ho continued his explanation. “There are two possible reasons for that. One, your strength is simply too inadequate. Or, you do have incredible strength but can’t utilize it.”

“But, that’s...”

“It doesn’t matter which of the two it is, though. Strength you can’t use isn’t your strength, now is it?”

Kang Jin-Ho’s voice remained flat throughout. Even though he sounded disinterested, each and every word leaving Kang Jin-Ho’s lips drove Chen Hui deeper and deeper into a corner.

This man, he’s...!

Obviously, he or his side had never underestimated Kang Jin-Ho. They wouldn’t have bothered to set up this meeting if they didn’t think of him as a worthy partner. But what Chen Hui discovered today was a completely different “Kang Jin-Ho” from what the reports said.

Yes, he’s far more composed and even-handed than we thought.

Most people would’ve been excited out of their minds by a proposal of this nature. As such, they would have forgotten about taking a look at the fine print.

Humans filled with hope of the bright future tended to not look at what they were stepping on, after all. Even Lee Hyeon-Su was gasping in shock and sobering up after listening to what Kang Jin-Ho said.

It wasn’t the case of Lee Hyeon-Su being an idiot. Rather, Kang Jin-Ho was the one being far too level-headed here.

“Sir, I assure you, our strength is the real deal, even if we can’t prove it right away. First of all, the military is...”

“If you could keep the martial artists in line with your military, you would’ve done so already.”

“...”

Kang Jin-Ho leaned slightly forward. “Look here.”

Chen Hui reflexively leaned back at this sight. All Kang Jin-Ho did was lower his posture slightly, yet it was still reminiscent of an apex predator crouching low just before pouncing on its prey.

It was as if Kang Jin-Ho would rush here and tear Chen Hui’s throat out at any second now!

Kang Jin-Ho muttered calmly, “Do you honestly believe you’re smarter than everyone in this place?”

“...!”

Chen Hui nervously swallowed his saliva. His mouth rapidly dried out.

The Crimson King acknowledged Kang Jin-Ho as another “King.” Not just any king, but the Demon King, a king who oversaw and ruled over all things demonic!

It seemed Kang Jin-Ho and the Martial Assembly didn’t see anything special about that moniker, but anyone who knew what the Crimson King was really like would understand how significant this development was.

The Crimson King was so arrogant that he willingly called himself the true representative, the only avatar, of the Chinese people’s will and spirit. And someone like that had given a mere foreign invader from some minor nation the same moniker as himself.

Even though the Crimson King detested anything evil and demonic with every fiber of his being!

Now that Chen Hui had spoken personally to Kang Jin-Ho, he now understood why. Without a doubt, this man was a king.

Even if his combat strength was excluded from the evaluation for now, his discernment that allowed him to accurately assess the situation, and the magnetic charm he possessed that drew others towards him, plus his...

His guts to raise his voice in this situation, too!

Chen Hui grimaced. This was China. Not only that, but this safe house was located deep, deep within China’s borders, too. In that case, wasn’t it obvious what might happen if this negotiation fell through?

Kang Jin-Ho must know all this, so how was he maintaining this... this composed attitude?

“Joining hands with your side doesn’t guarantee a bright future,” said Kang Jin-Ho. “In fact, it could even give the Three Kings enough justification to work together.”

Chen Hui hurriedly countered, “They will never work together, sir.”

Kang Jin-Ho shook his head. “There is no such thing as never in life.”

He perhaps knew this better than anyone in this world. After all, most people would’ve said a dead man could never revive, yet here he was.

He also thought returning to the modern era would never happen, yet it happened.

Kang Jin-Ho mouthed another cigarette. “I’m not sure if you genuinely don’t get it. Or know the truth, but still run your mouth off. But it doesn’t matter either way. You speak of an uncertain future as a certainty and act as if you’ve already given us all the benefits when there’s none yet. Do you know what people call that?”

Chen Hui furrowed his brow. “I’m not sure, sir.”

“It’s called... a scam.”

“...”

Kang Jin-Ho deeply sucked in the cigarette smoke before lazily exhaling it. The way the gray smoke scattered in the air seemed so symbolic of this situation.

“It looks like you’ve worked pretty hard to set this up, but I have zero interest in digging into rotting meat,” said Kang Jin-Ho.

Chen Hui was no longer smiling as he quietly spoke. “Sir... Is that your final answer?”

“That’s right.”

“That means further negotiations are pointless. Am I right in assuming that, sir?”

Kang Jin-Ho didn’t bother to respond to that. Instead, he leisurely stubbed his cigarette into the ashtray.

“Thanks for the present. We’ll be on our way now,” said Kang Jin-Ho.

“On your way?” Chen Hui slowly bared his fangs. “Where do you think you’re going, sir?”

Kang Jin-Ho subtly grinned at this sight.

“Do not forget that you’re in the middle of our country, sir. You can’t leave just because you want to, when our discussion hasn’t ended in a satisfactory manner.”

“That threat is more civil than I thought,” said Kang Jin-Ho while slowly standing up. “But you picked the wrong person to threaten.”

“Sir, we acknowledge you. We know that the odds of you leaving here are high despite our strength. A King is an existence like that, after all.”

In China, a “King” denoted an existence outside of the boundaries defining mortals. Boundaries of common sense or any calculations, that was. In other words, a transcendental being!

“However, that’s not the story for other people, sir.”

Kang Jin-Ho cocked an eyebrow when Chen Hui said that.

Chen Hui shook his head a little. “Of course, I’m not talking about Mister Lee Hyeon-Su over there. However, didn’t you enter China with other people as well? For instance, mm...”

An odious smirk broke out on Chen Hui’s face.

“That pretty lady staying in the same hotel as you.”

“...”

The corners of Kang Jin-Ho’s lips slowly curled up. As his smirk deepened, his pearly fangs were revealed under the light.

That was when Chen Hui was suddenly reminded of a wolf. A wolf that was baring its fangs just before the hunt began!

“Remember that...”

A voice akin to metal screeching against metal sharply dug into Chen Hui’s hearing.

“...You started this.”