Chapter 744: More Enthusiastic Than When Mediating the Great Orthodox-Unorthodox War

TL: FoodieMonster007

A waiter led Geom Mugeuk's party to their table.

"This is your first time in such a crowded inn, isn't it?" Geom Mugeuk asked as they walked.

The Blood Heaven Blade Demon and the Flower Sword Supreme nodded. They had only come here because they were with Geom Mugeuk. Normally, they would never stand in line for such a crowded inn.

"Orabeoni, you're the type who wouldn't even stand in line for a treasure vault," the Flower Sword Supreme remarked playfully.

The Blood Heaven Blade Demon felt pleased by the word Orabeoni, and pleased again that she saw him so accurately.

Of course, Geom Mugeuk wouldn't let an opportunity to tease them pass. "If there's a line like that, call me! I'll wait all night! I'll come three days early and lay out a mat."

The Flower Sword Supreme laughed, while the Blood Heaven Blade Demon glanced at her. He hadn't seen her laugh so often in a very long time.

"Coming through!" a waiter shouted, rushing past with a tray held in both hands, his movements as nimble as a martial artist's.

It wasn't just him. Shouts for wine and food came from all directions, but all the waiters moved with agility through the chaos, responding to every call.

"Those people are the true heroes of this battlefield," Geom Mugeuk observed.

Ji Han followed behind, watching Geom Mugeuk. His master was someone who saw and meddled in everything. He even paid close attention to a passing waiter.

Up ahead, Ji Han saw the man and woman who'd cut in line. Four bodyguards stood guard around their table. It seemed unnecessary, but the man wanted to show off, and the woman enjoyed it.

Their waiter guided Geom Mugeuk's party to a nearby table.

"Now, leave the ordering to me." Geom Mugeuk said. "A large pork in five-spice sauce, and two bottles of your best wine."

"As you can see, we're very busy, so the food will take some time," the waiter said.

"Just tell them to make it delicious! We have esteemed guests here!"

"Understood, sir!"

The waiter happily ran off with the silver tael Geom Mugeuk had given him.

Ji Han watched him go, thinking, how could he know just how esteemed these guests are? If he knew, the owner would probably hang a sign next to his plaque, saying: 'The restaurant visited by the Heavenly Demon Divine Cult's Young Cult Leader and two Demon Supremes.' The length of the queue would probably multiply several times over, wouldn't it?

"We finally get to try it!" Geom Mugeuk exclaimed.

"How good can pork in five-spice sauce be?"

"You won't be saying that after you try it. You might even ask to come back again."

Geom Mugeuk's words carried his hope that the two Demon Supremes would indeed come again.

The wine arrived first, along with some simple side dishes.

Geom Mugeuk poured wine for the Blood Heaven Blade Demon and the Flower Sword Supreme. "Thank you very much," he said sincerely.

Throughout this vacation, he and the Sword Supreme had followed his lead. There must have been times they were reluctant or uncomfortable, but they endured it silently, showing him what true adults were like.

The Flower Sword Supreme accepted the wine and conveyed her own sincerity. "If anything, I should be the one thanking you."

Geom Mugeuk had brought her all this way for the pork in five-spice sauce she liked. She'd experienced many emotions in her life, joy and sorrow, inspiration and emptiness, anger and regret. Amidst all those feelings, there was one she'd never truly felt—fun.

She wondered if she'd ever felt something was purely fun like this before.

"This vacation is quite fun," she said.

"I'm glad you're enjoying yourself."

The Blood Heaven Blade Demon poured wine for Geom Mugeuk. "This is for you."

The clear sound of wine filling the cup conveyed the Blood Heaven Blade Demon's gratitude for this opportunity.

After receiving the wine, Geom Mugeuk poured for Ji Han and Tae Su. "A cup for my subordinate, and a cup for the gentleman thief who stole my heart."

Tae Su smiled at Geom Mugeuk's words, realizing he'd forgotten his own predicament. He'd worried they would eliminate him the moment he revealed the Grave of Swords' location and helped bypass its mechanisms, but lately, he hadn't even thought about it.

Am I possessed by something that wants me to die?

He couldn't help it. His companion was the type to raise his cup and shout…

"NOW, TO OUR PORK IN FIVE-SPICE SAUCE!" Geom Mugeuk declared.

Ji Han and Tae Su shouted along loudly. ""To the pork in five-spice sauce!""

Their loud shouts drew a yell from another table. "Who's being so noisy?"

It was a table of martial artists who looked like troublemakers.

Geom Mugeuk immediately replied in a loud voice, "Our apologies! We'll drink quietly now!"

At Geom Mugeuk's quick apology, they didn't press the issue.

Geom Mugeuk whispered, "We will endure, no matter what, until we eat the pork in five-spice sauce! There will be absolutely no bloodshed until then! Now, cheers!"

After that whispered toast, they all emptied their first cups.

"Ah, this wine is amazing! Come on out, pork in five-spice sauce!"

However, something else emerged instead of the pork in five-spice sauce.

An irritated voice shouted from the inn's entrance. "Out of the way, bastards!"

Geom Mugeuk looked toward the entrance. A man with a fierce gaze stood there. He scanned the room, then started walking toward their area.

Geom Mugeuk quickly turned back and whispered. "Don't look that way! Absolutely do not make eye contact!"

Even if Geom Mugeuk had told them to look, they wouldn't have bothered. The Blood Heaven Blade Demon and the Flower Sword Supreme ignored the approaching man and refilled each other's cups.

Fortunately, the man wasn't headed for Geom Mugeuk's table. Instead, he approached the man and woman who'd cut in line earlier.

The woman's eyes widened in shock at first, but soon, her expression turned as vicious as his. "Why are you here?" she demanded.

"You're marrying this cripple after dumping me?"

The man's expression hardened. His pride wounded, he gave his bodyguards a terrifying order. "What are you doing? Cut off his arms and legs and throw him out."

The bodyguards blocked the man's path.

"Just like a cowardly bastard. Hiding behind your underlings to bark?" the intruder sneered.

"It's because a piece of dog shit like you isn't worth my time."

They seemed to know each other.

The surrounding customers got up and left. Food was good, but their lives were more important.

Geom Mugeuk sighed. The man had caused trouble at the entrance and was now about to start a fight inside. "Why does it have to be today of all days?"

The Blood Heaven Blade Demon seized the chance to tease Geom Mugeuk. "Wherever you go, is it ever easy to enjoy a single meal?"

He meant that Geom Mugeuk always brought a storm of blood with him.

Regardless, Geom Mugeuk had to stop them. If swords were drawn, things would be smashed and a corpse would appear. That would end business for the day.

Everyone watched the confrontation with bated breath.

"Just a moment!" Geom Mugeuk yelled, stepping forward.

The man who'd stormed in reacted coldly. "Who are you?"

"As you can see, I'm a customer from the next table."

"Then just eat your damn food. Why are you meddling?"

The man was seeing red, oblivious to his surroundings. Neither the intense presence of the Blood Heaven Blade Demon, as strong as a giant dao, nor the unapproachable aura of the Flower Sword Supreme registered in his eyes.

"I have something to tell you quietly for a moment," Geom Mugeuk said, approaching the man.

The man immediately stepped back and tried to draw his sword, but before he could move, Geom Mugeuk was already right beside him, whispering in his ear. To everyone else, it looked as if the intermediate motion had been completely skipped.

Geom Mugeuk and the man simultaneously glanced at the Blood Heaven Blade Demon. Anyone could tell Geom Mugeuk was talking about him.

The man's expression changed from moment to moment. The Blood Heaven Blade Demon shook his head, wondering what nonsense Geom Mugeuk was spouting now.

When the whispering ended, the man who'd been ready to wreck the place left quietly, without even glancing at the woman.

Geom Mugeuk returned to his seat.

The Blood Heaven Blade Demon asked, "You talked about me, didn't you?"

"I did."

"What did you say?"

"I said that man over there is the great demon lord who once turned the murim into a sea of blood, and he's finally come out of seclusion after a very long time. Oh, and I also mentioned you're the type to tear people's limbs off while they're still alive."

The Blood Heaven Blade Demon asked in disbelief. "And he believed that?"

"He took one look at you, Elder, and just believed it."

Unsure whether to laugh or be angry, the Blood Heaven Blade Demon took a sip of wine. "That's not all, is there?!"

"I also said this. 'He's been single for a long time, so he tears apart lovers' quarrels starting from the groin!' The moment he heard that, he left immediately."

The Flower Sword Supreme burst out laughing.

Geom Mugeuk could sense the Blood Heaven Blade Demon's change, no, his effort. Usually, when he visited the Blood Heaven Blade Demon, he wouldn't entertain such jokes, but today, he was playing along with every single one, likely for the Flower Sword Supreme's sake. He wanted to see her smile like that, even just one more time.

Yes, please laugh a lot like that.

Just then, the man who'd cut in line approached Geom Mugeuk. "What did you say to that man?"

He should have thanked Geom Mugeuk for driving the man away, but his tone was confrontational. The woman could be seen behind the man. She must have told him she was curious, and he'd undoubtedly stepped up to find out for her.

Ji Han wondered how the Young Cult Leader would react. If it were him, he would have started cursing: I just saved you from danger, why are you being so rude?

This time, though, Geom Mugeuk made up a different story. "My uncle and aunt over there have been married for thirty years."

The Blood Heaven Blade Demon's and the Flower Sword Supreme's eyes widened at the unexpected lie.

"This very restaurant is where my uncle proposed."

At the word 'proposed', the Blood Heaven Blade Demon's eyes trembled slightly.

"I told that man that my uncle and aunt came here to eat the pork in five-spice sauce they had back then, reminiscing about those days. He said it reminded him of his own parents and that he would let it go, just for today."

"That guy said that? There's no way."

"Doesn't everyone have a story that others don't know?" With that, Geom Mugeuk changed the subject. "I heard at the entrance. You two are getting married? Congratulations. You two look wonderful together."

The man's expression softened more at the compliment about them looking good together than at the congratulations.

"Someday, after many years, you two will probably visit this place again, won't you? Ah, I'm so envious."

How could the man pick a fight with someone saying such things? Besides, Geom Mugeuk had already driven the other man away.

The man returned to his table, and Geom Mugeuk sat back down.

The Blood Heaven Blade Demon asked accusingly. "Do I look like the kind of person who would propose in a noisy place like this?"

The Flower Sword Supreme answered for him. "You also look like a demon lord who tears off limbs."

Geom Mugeuk laughed out loud, amused.

The good mood was short-lived.

CLATTER!

Another fight broke out. The rowdy martial artists at the next table had started a fight.

Geom Mugeuk covered his face and sighed, "Why? Why is eating Immortal Stalactite Moss and Heavenly Peach more peaceful than eating pork in five-spice sauce?"

He shot up from his seat and ran toward the fight.

No one else moved. Since Geom Mugeuk went to stop it, the fight wouldn't get serious.

The men who were about to brawl scowled. No matter how hard they tried, their swords wouldn't come out, as if stuck tight in their scabbards. Those who'd already drawn their swords sheathed them against their will.

"What is this?"

"What kind of trick is this?!"

In the chaos, Geom Mugeuk spoke to one person, then another. He went back and forth, speaking earnestly to them.

The Flower Sword Supreme watched him and commented, "He looks like he's mediating a truce for the great war between the orthodox and unorthodox, going back and forth between the Murim Alliance and the Evil Alliance with enthusiasm."

"Nah, he wouldn't mediate a great war between the orthodox and unorthodox that enthusiastically. Why is he doing this for people who would turn to dust if he blew on them?"

"It's his terrifying obsession with feeding us pork in five-spice sauce."

The two of them laughed together. It was a slight exaggeration, but they'd laughed more on this vacation than in their entire lives.

Fortunately, the great war was stopped just before it could erupt. Whatever Geom Mugeuk said, the rowdy men reconciled and shared drinks with hearty laughter.

Geom Mugeuk returned after helping a waiter clean up the spilled food and broken bottles.

"I asked the waiter if fights break out like this often."

"What did he say?"

"He said he's been a waiter for seven years, and this is the first time he's seen a day with so many incidents."

"I told you it's because of you! You're jinxed!"

"Is it really because of me? Or is it because of a certain scary demon lord?"

Geom Mugeuk and the Blood Heaven Blade Demon both insisted it was the other's fault.

Meanwhile, new customers sat at the next table. As soon as they sat down, they brought up a certain topic.

"Did you hear the rumor? They say the person with the treasure map for the Grave of Swords is passing through Jiangxi on their way to Zhejiang."

"I heard the Hunan region is in an uproar because of that treasure map."

"People are flocking from all over the Central Plains. Now Jiangxi is about to be thrown into chaos too."

Ji Han was startled. He was sure he'd properly applied the Soul Tracking Incense to the Myriad Evils Mountain Hermit's corpse, and that corpse should be on its way to Shaanxi.

So why wasn't the rumor about Shaanxi? Why was it following them?

"What could have happened?" he muttered.

Geom Mugeuk answered his question. "It seems someone wants the entire murim to move because of this treasure map."

Ji Han recalled the man in the bamboo hat who'd come to him, the man who'd had him apply the Soul Tracking Incense to the treasure map. He thought it might be him.

Tae Su was also surprised. He'd merely snatched the treasure map, but the incident had been escalating ever since.

Just then, a waiter brought their food.

"It's finally here! Even if a war breaks out right now, I have to eat this!"

Finally, the pork in five-spice sauce was served on the table. The freshly stir-fried meat was neatly sliced and cooked gently. Finely chopped green onions topped the dish. The five spices of star anise, cinnamon, fennel, clove, and Sichuan pepper mingled with the rich aroma of the meat, stimulating their appetites.

"Here, you two should eat first."

The Blood Heaven Blade Demon yielded the first bite to the Flower Sword Supreme. "You eat first."

The moment the Flower Sword Supreme lifted her chopsticks, the surroundings began to grow quiet. A chilling energy spread from the inn's entrance, filling the interior. From that energy alone, they could tell the newcomer was a formidable master.

"Everyone, put down your chopsticks!" a cold command filled with inner qi rang out. It was a phrase more unwelcome than a threat to kill everyone.

Watching the steam rise from the pork in five-spice sauce, Geom Mugeuk sighed. "Ah! You have to eat it before it gets cold."

Translator's Note: This party is seriously jinxed.