Kwak Yeon furrowed his brow and glared at the man in the black hat as he spoke.

“Judging by the way you barge in unannounced, you seem to be people of Ghost Night Castle. I see no particular reason I should extend mercy to this man.”

It was his way of saying he did not regard their provocations in the slightest.

The figure who covered his face with black cloth beneath the black hat spoke calmly.

“I hope Great Hero will not misunderstand. Our people have not the least intent of crossing blades with you.”

“...?”

By not denying it, the man in the black hat acknowledged they were demonic men of Ghost Night Castle and went on.

“The Chief Protector has committed the crime of attempting to kill you, and so he rightly deserves his punishment. We only hope that Great Hero might consider that the Chief Protector’s misguided actions sprang from loyal heart. Once again, we beg you: whether you cut off his arms or abolish his dantian, please spare only his life.”

When he finished speaking, the man in the black hat bowed his head in a formal salute.

Kwak Yeon felt a slight confusion at the man’s courteous bearing.

Judging from the fact that he was accompanied by escorts whose auras were anything but ordinary, it was clear he held quite a high position in Ghost Night Castle.

Yet his manner and conduct were no less than those of the head of some prestigious orthodox sect.

Unlike other demonic men, there was not a trace of arrogance, and his sincerity was abundant.

Thinking for a brief moment, Kwak Yeon looked at the Black-Yin Demon God, Kang Su, standing before him.

The Black-Yin Demon God still had his eyes closed as if he had abandoned life, but unlike at first, the skin at the corners of his eyes was trembling.

It’s not from rage or fear of death.

Sensing the fringes of the man’s emotion through the Honwonmusang Technique, Kwak Yeon swung the Cheonggang Sword.

— SWASH!

— SHRRIP!

The Cheonggang Sword sheared off a big chunk of the Black-Yin Demon God Kang Su’s front lapel. The severed strip of cloth fluttered down at Kang Su’s feet.

— CLACK!

Kwak Yeon slid the Cheonggang Sword back into its scabbard and turned away.

While everyone stared in surprise at his sudden action, he walked over to where Chwi Dugae was seated and sat down.

“...?”

At Chwi Dugae, who was staring blankly, Kwak Yeon asked,

“Brother, do you have any wine left?”

“I do have some left, but...”

“Then may I have a cup? It has been a while since I used my body so excessively; I find myself thirsty.”

“As if there’s any ‘my wine’ and ‘your wine’ between us that you need to ask?”

Chwi Dugae filled an empty cup to the brim and held it out.

“Thank you.”

Kwak Yeon took the cup, drained it in a single swallow, and set it down.

At that moment, a Sound Transmission brushed his ear.

— The mercy Great Hero has shown today, we will surely repay. By the name of Ghost Night Castle’s...

The voice, which had briefly cut off, continued.

— ...Young Castle Lord, I give you my word.

Startled, Kwak Yeon turned his head, but the man in the black hat had already turned his back.

As the man in the black hat walked toward the dining hall door, the black-clad warriors hurried ahead of him.

Once the man in the black hat and his escorts had vanished outside the dining hall, the Black-Yin Demon God Kang Su opened his eyes.

— STEP. STEP.

The Black-Yin Demon God Kang Su approached the table where Kwak Yeon and Chwi Dugae sat, gave a clasped-fist salute, and spoke.

“Dark Cavern Taoist, I am greatly indebted to you.”

Kwak Yeon shook his head. 𝒇𝒓𝙚𝒆𝔀𝓮𝓫𝒏𝓸𝙫𝓮𝓵.𝓬𝙤𝙢

“I have already taken my payment; I will not accept your thanks.”

The Black-Yin Demon God Kang Su glanced down at his tattered front lapel and said,

“You need not accept it. In truth, I myself found it rather shameful.”

At those words, Kwak Yeon knew he had received the Young Castle Lord’s instruction by Sound Transmission and had come to offer thanks against his own inclination.

“In any case, this life of mine is one I have borrowed for a time from you, Dark Cavern Taoist. So take it back whenever you wish.”

Having said what he came to say, the Black-Yin Demon God Kang Su turned away without waiting for an answer.

When the Black-Yin Demon God strode straight out of the dining hall, Chwi Dugae grumbled.

“Heh! Look at that, knows how to keep up appearances for once, instead of looking like the wreck he is. That’s that, but...”

Just as Chwi Dugae settled himself, ready to pour out complaints, Kwak Yeon suddenly spoke.

“Even though we tried to be careful, quite a lot got broken.”

“Eh...?”

The tables, chairs, and dishes inside the dining hall were shattered, making the place resemble a ruin. The only intact area was the space around the two of them.

Reading Kwak Yeon’s mind, Chwi Dugae said,

“Kwak, my young friend, don’t you worry about a thing. This Hu Gae will handle the aftermath.”

Chwi Dugae turned his head toward the Black Moon Society’s Society Leader and his subordinates standing in a corner of the dining hall.

The customers and the errand boy had all fled outside the moment a swarm of martial artists had stormed in, so the only ones left in the dining hall besides Kwak Yeon and Chwi Dugae were those men.

“Society Leader Bae, come over here.”

Poyang Thousand-Moon Saber Bae Ho-cheol, Society Leader of the Black Moon Society, had been watching for a chance to leave the dining hall.

As long as the Black-Yin Demon God and the man in the black hat were present, he had not been able to move rashly and had had to sit there like a mouse.

“Hu Gae, don’t mind me and finish your meal. So as not to be a disturbance, we will be taking our leave now.”

As Society Leader of an underworld force, Bae Ho-cheol of the Black Moon Society could not simply trot over because a Beggar Clan Hu Gae called him.

The head of the black path needed the grit to never bow even on the brink of death.

There was no way Chwi Dugae, who had rolled and rolled again down the roadside of the martial world, would not know the nature of the °• N 𝑜 v 𝑒 l i g h t •° black path.

“Society Leader Bae, I’m only saying we might as well share a drink since fate has brought us together; no need to decline. And well, even if it’s only a Beggar Clan Hu Gae who says so, I don’t think it would do you any harm to build a connection with Taoist Kwak here.”

He was saving the Society Leader’s face while at the same time threatening him.

Having witnessed the Dark Cavern Taoist’s overwhelming divine might, Poyang Thousand-Moon Saber Bae Ho-cheol had no choice but to nod.

“If the proposal is only that we share a cup of wine, I can hardly refuse.”

Having thus upheld his dignity as Society Leader before his subordinates, Bae Ho-cheol walked over to their table and took the seat beside Chwi Dugae that he offered.

When he saw the Black Moon Society subordinates inching closer to their Society Leader’s side, Chwi Dugae frowned.

“I don’t know about Society Leader Bae, but whenever people are watching, I find it impossible to enjoy the taste of wine.”

Catching the meaning in Chwi Dugae’s gaze, Bae Ho-cheol, Society Leader of the Black Moon Society, quickly nodded.

“I too am the sort who prefers my drinking places as quiet as possible.”

Bae Ho-cheol spoke to his subordinates.

“All of you, wait outside.”

“As you command!”

Watching his subordinates hurry out of the dining hall as if they had been waiting for the word, Bae Ho-cheol’s mouth filled with a faintly bitter taste.

You could at least pretend to hesitate once.

When only the three of them were left in the dining hall, Chwi Dugae promptly revealed his true colors.

“I should think this is consideration enough for the Society Leader’s position.”

With a sour look, Bae Ho-cheol nodded.

“So it seems. Say what you came to say.”

“As a faction of the black path, the Black Moon Society must have one foot in with the Alliance of the Demonic Path, so you had no choice but to cooperate with the Black-Yin Demon God. Saying you were threatened by him is just an excuse.”

At Chwi Dugae’s words, which pierced straight through the whole situation, Bae Ho-cheol’s expression hardened.

“That’s right. The Alliance of the Demonic Path told those in charge of the public contract to give full cooperation, so...”

Bae Ho-cheol hurried to bow his head, afraid the Dark Cavern Taoist might decide to hold them accountable as well.

“Taoist Kwak, in any case, I am sorry for what happened.”

Wanting to avoid needless trouble, Kwak Yeon spoke mildly.

“So long as the Black Moon Society does not personally take the field against me, I will not insist on digging into it.”

Society Leader Bae Ho-cheol of the Black Moon Society said, his face brightening,

“How could we possibly dare think of opposing Taoist Kwak? In any case, thank you for your generosity.”

Chwi Dugae jumped in as if he had been waiting.

“Society Leader, gratitude that’s expressed only in words lacks sincerity.”

“Hu Gae, what do you mean by that...?”

“Taoist Kwak here ended up entertaining the guest you brought today in his own way, and through no fault of ours made this mess of a battlefield out of the place, did he not?”

The face of Bae Ho-cheol, Society Leader of the Black Moon Society, which had just brightened, darkened at once.

“So you’re telling me to compensate for the damage this dining hall has suffered?”

Chwi Dugae stared straight at Bae Ho-cheol and countered with a question.

“Shouldn’t you be glad to have an opportunity to make a sincere apology?”

Society Leader Bae Ho-cheol of the Black Moon Society nodded with a face like he had just bitten into dung.

“I’ll speak to the chief steward and have the damages compensated.”

As the Society Leader of a black-path society, his pride stung, but if tossing a few coins to the innkeeper would settle the matter, there was no reason to refuse.

But—

“Society Leader Bae, why trouble so many people over such a thing?”

“...?”

“Just loosen the money pouch you’re carrying and leave it here. We’ll hand it over to the innkeeper ourselves.”

At Chwi Dugae’s words, anger welled up in Bae Ho-cheol’s chest.

This beggar was daring to extort money from him, the ruler of the black path in Nanchang Prefecture city.

He wanted to jump up and roar at them, but...

A Fire Realm master was watching from directly across the table.

“Hu Gae, I don’t have much money on me at the moment. So how about I go back to the society and send someone later...”

“What does it matter how much Society Leader Bae happens to have on him right now? Whatever’s lacking can always be sent afterward.”

“...”

Since it wasn’t wrong, Bae Ho-cheol, Society Leader of the Black Moon Society, was left momentarily speechless.

— GLUG.

Chwi Dugae poured wine into a cup and set it in front of Bae Ho-cheol.

“Society Leader Bae, have a refreshing drink and put your money pouch on the table.”

For the price of one cup of wine, he was telling him to hand over his entire money pouch.

What kind of daylight robber is this?

As Bae Ho-cheol continued to dither, Chwi Dugae picked up his Tagu Staff and said,

“My master beat me black and blue more times than I can count, but not once did he hit me in front of the kids. Do you know why?”

“...”

“He said once your dignity falls, there is no picking it back up.”

The face of Bae Ho-cheol, Society Leader of the Black Moon Society, twisted.

This Beggar Clan Sub-Branch Master had gone beyond mere robbery into base intimidation.

“Besides, since Society Leader Bae says you don’t have much on you right now, it’s hardly such a waste to hand over your money pouch, is it?”

Bae Ho-cheol wanted to shout that it wasn’t a matter of how large or small the amount was.

Then suddenly he remembered that the amount was a problem.

Today, the pouch he carried was packed full of gold.

It was money he had prepared to give the Black-Yin Demon God, a senior figure of one of the Demonic Eight Divisions, Ghost Night Castle, as farewell money.

The rivers and lakes of the martial world were growing more turbulent by the day, and he meant to prepare for the possibility that Nanchang Prefecture might become a demonic-ruled land someday.

For a black-path man, currying favor with people of many stripes whenever the chance arose was the art of survival.

In any case, though the weight of the matter was great, the time it took Bae Ho-cheol, Society Leader of the Black Moon Society, to decide was not long.

No matter how much gold it was, he could not trade it for the dignity of the black-path society’s leader.

To pull out his money pouch after taking a blow from the Tagu Staff would be an even more miserable thing.

He briefly considered calling in the subordinates waiting outside the dining hall to try and salvage his face, but that thought he abandoned at once.

If he were dealing only with a Beggar Clan Hu Gae, perhaps he might try to wriggle free, but the Dark Cavern Taoist, whose very name inspired terror, was sitting right there.

This was the monster who had single-handedly wiped out the Alliance of the Demonic Path’s Special Blood Corps.

— CLUNK.

Setting his money pouch on the table, Bae Ho-cheol, Society Leader of the Black Moon Society, said to Chwi Dugae,

“Hu Gae, I have only one request.”

Looking at the heavy money pouch, Chwi Dugae beamed.

“You can make several, if you like.”

“As for this money pouch, I beg that you keep absolute secrecy.”

Chwi Dugae gave a sly smile and asked,

“Society Leader Bae, what money pouch are you talking about? This is something I just picked up on the road.”

Bae Ho-cheol gave a bitter smile and emptied his cup.

It went down filthy bitter.

For the price of that single cup of wine, he had paid no less than ten taels of gold; how could it not taste bitter?

“I’ll be going now.”

“Society Leader Bae.”

Chwi Dugae called out just as Bae Ho-cheol sprang to his feet.

“What else is left?”

“On your way back to the society, I’d like you to look up the Beggar Clan Branch Master of Nanchang Prefecture and tell him to come here.”

“...”

— CLINK, CLINK.

Seeing Chwi Dugae bouncing the money pouch on his palm with a jingling sound, Bae Ho-cheol nodded with a stricken expression.

“...Very well.”