Chapter 30: Chapter 30

Chapter 30. Evil Faction Alliance (2)

Lee Byeok and Eon Mi-hee deliberately took their time and headed to the reception hall a little later.

Neither of them was particularly interested in banquets, nor were they keen on getting involved with the disciples of other sects.

They planned to finish their meal and slip out when they had the chance.

Unexpectedly, the dining hall of the reception hall was not quiet at all. On the contrary, it seemed that the drinking party was in full swing.

“Young Master Maeng! I had only heard of your great name from afar, but seeing you today, I am truly moved!”

“Come, come, Brother Pa! Please accept a cup of my wine as well! From now on, this younger brother will serve you!”

The central aisle that ran from the entrance.

On both sides, dozens of Evil Faction disciples, at a glance, filled the tables.

Young disciples around their early twenties.

As Lee Byeok and Eon Mi-hee, who were slightly dazed, inadvertently crossed the central aisle, gazes from both sides began to turn toward them.

“…The atmosphere is unusual.”

Eon Mi-hee said in a whisper.

Lee Byeok also understood the meaning of her words. This place was not just noisy.

The disciples gathered on either side of the aisle where the two stood were clearly divided into two different groups.

There was not only no conversation or interaction between the disciples of the two sides, but also a hostile atmosphere.

“Excuse me! The two young masters who have just entered, where are you from?!”

Just then, a voice came from somewhere. The meaning of the gazes from both sides was clear.

They wanted to identify friend from foe.

“…I am Eon Mi-hee of the Rogues' Guild.”

Eon Mi-hee stepped forward and answered.

Murmur, and a small ripple began to spread on both sides.

The Rogues' Guild was not one of the four major factions that represented the Evil Faction Alliance.

But that was not because the weight of the Rogues' Guild's name was less than that of the other four factions.

The best intelligence network in the Central Plains, rivaling that of the Righteous Faction's Beggar's Gang.

In addition, it was already a well-known fact that since the current master of the Rogues' Guild took his position, they had also acquired a secret martial force called the Guardian Squad.

Nevertheless, there was another reason why the Rogues' Guild was not one of the four major factions. As a group that straddled the line between the Murim and the outside world, they had not joined the Murim faction, the Evil Faction Alliance, but had taken the form of an ‘ally’.

A voice filled with inner energy rang out calmly. It was a cold-faced young man sitting in the center of the left group.

“Then you must have come all the way from Guangdong? It must have been a long journey. Why don’t you come here and have a meal with us?”

Eon Mi-hee quickly observed the other party.

The white martial arts uniform with a black cloud embroidered on it symbolized the Black Heaven Gang, one of the four major factions representing the Evil Faction Alliance.

“Kekeke! The food on this side is probably tastier than over there! If you eat with those black-hearted guys, you won’t be able to swallow your food out of fear, right? Huh?”

As if not to be outdone, a frivolous voice came from the right. Eon Mi-hee turned her gaze.

The group centered around the young man in the middle had a rather dark complexion.

Given the circumstances, they were likely the Hainan Sword Sect, another one of the four major factions of the Evil Faction Alliance.

All eyes were focused on them.

Ugh, Eon Mi-hee turned a little pale.

Lee Byeok understood the situation. The moment they sat down, they would be perceived as belonging to the same group.

In other words, they were being asked to choose.

In the first place, he was just an escort, and he was in no position to represent the Rogues' Guild.

But they wouldn't think so. It was also awkward to turn back now.

Just then, Lee Byeok spotted a table tucked away in a corner in front.

The figure sitting there was continuing his meal silently, as if the commotion had nothing to do with him.

Lee Byeok began to walk.

He headed straight ahead without looking to either side. Eon Mi-hee followed him in a daze.

Soon, he stood in front of the table. As Lee Byeok approached, the figure sitting there lifted his head.

The other party was a woman.

She seemed to be around the same age as Lee Byeok.

She had a languid impression, but as Lee Byeok approached, she furrowed her pretty brow and showed a subtle sense of rejection.

“…Why here of all places?”

“Because the seat is empty. And it looks like you’ve almost finished your meal?”

“Tsk, you’re right about that.”

The woman clicked her tongue as if she had no rebuttal. Lee Byeok immediately pulled out a chair and sat down.

Eon Mi-hee, who had inadvertently followed Lee Byeok, sighed as if she had no choice and sat down as well.

“I am Eon Mi-hee of the Rogues' Guild.”

Since the other party had used informal speech, Lee Byeok also used informal speech. The woman's face contorted as if she had chewed on something bitter.

“…Gongson Su of the Dark Shadow Pavilion. I have no intention of getting close, so you don’t have to remember.”

Eon Mi-hee's shoulders trembled slightly.

The Dark Shadow Pavilion, like the Black Heaven Gang and the Hainan Sword Sect, was one of the four major factions of the Evil Faction Alliance.

The commotion grew louder.

In the midst of it all, servants quickly approached and set down food for Lee Byeok and Eon Mi-hee on the table.

Just then, someone scoffed. It was the disciple of the Black Heaven Gang who had first invited them to join.

“It seems the young masters of the Rogues' Guild have mistaken their seats. I hope you can take responsibility for that choice.”

“Kilkilkil, well, as long as it’s not that side, it doesn’t matter. Maybe the gloomy guys have something in common?”

Lee Byeok picked up his spoon and chopsticks.

Whatever was being said around him didn't really register. He began his meal silently.

Gongson Su, as if not wanting to be bothered, turned her head toward the wall and sipped her tea.

And as time passed, the attention that had been focused on Lee Byeok and Eon Mi-hee gradually faded.

“I don't know what you're thinking.”

Suddenly, Gongson Su spoke.

Although she said it as if talking to herself while looking away, it was of course directed at Lee Byeok's party.

“Hey, I don’t know what you Rogues' Guild guys are up to, but if you’re choosing a side to stick to, you’ve made the wrong choice. I hate troublesome things—”

“I’m the one who doesn’t know what you’re talking about. Do you need a scheme to eat a meal?”

Gongson Su's gaze turned to Lee Byeok.

As if at a loss for words, she stared at Lee Byeok with her mouth slightly open, then sighed.

“…I don’t know if you’re stupid or just pretending to be. No, no. The great Rogues' Guild can’t be stupid.”

Tak, she put down her teacup.

And Gongson Su's eyes met Lee Byeok's directly. Her languid but cool gaze was directed at Lee Byeok's face.

“Speak plainly. What are you after? It’s not cool to act all serious and pretend you’re hiding something just because you’re weak.”

“Are you done with your meal? Then I’ll take what’s left.”

Deobseok, Lee Byeok's chopsticks picked up the pancake in front of Gongson Su. And he put it in his mouth.

Just then, Eon Mi-hee urgently poked his side. Lee Byeok lifted his head. He saw Gongson Su's gaze growing colder.

“Oh, were you saving that for last? My apologies. I’ll go and ask for more.”

“…Do you want to die?”

Or not. Check latest chapters at N0velFire.ɴet

Why was such a sharp reaction coming back to an action with no particular intention?

But it seems this woman needs more reason for them to share a table.

Lee Byeok looked around.

The two groups on the left and right, led by the Black Heaven Gang and the Hainan Sword Sect, were openly showing hostility toward each other.

“It looks a bit pathetic.”

Heumchit, Gongson Su's expression wavered.

“Aren’t all of you here, as members of the Evil Faction Alliance, representing your own sects? I don’t understand the meaning of taking sides.”

Gongson Su stared at Lee Byeok for a while, as if to confirm the true meaning of his words. Lee Byeok's expression did not waver.

“You really are just stupid.”

Haah. Gongson Su let out a small sigh. She lifted her teacup, took a sip, and put it down.

“But well, you’re not wrong. This guy and that guy, their brains are filled with muscles, and they’re dying to show off their strength.”

“But you know. In this world, if a pretty boy like you with no skills acts all high and mighty, you’d be lucky not to get a knife in your ass.”

Her gaze turned to Eon Mi-hee.

“I don’t know what your status is in the Rogues' Guild, but if you’re blabbering on, relying on your girlfriend, that’s pretty pathetic.”

Wince, Eon Mi-hee's shoulders, who had been quietly eating while warily watching the situation, trembled again.

Lee Byeok thought about the meaning of her words.

A drawback, if you could call it that, of the Jincheon Falling Sword Divine Art was that since Lee Byeok had no inner energy in his normal state, he also had no aura.

He probably looked pathetic.

But he didn't bother to refute it. As Jaegal Somi had said, it was actually necessary not to reveal one's skills.

“Well, anyway, watch your back.”

Seuk, Gongson Su stood up from her seat.

She crossed the central aisle without paying any attention to the glances from around her. And she soon left the dining hall.

Lee Byeok watched her retreating back for a moment. Contrary to her delicate appearance, her words were dirty.

The Evil Faction is the Evil Faction, I guess.

In any case, Lee Byeok's gaze returned to the dining table. He continued his meal. No, he tried to.

Before he knew it, the dining table was quite empty.

In particular, the sweet and sour pork, of which more than half was left, had completely disappeared.

Lee Byeok looked at Eon Mi-hee. Eon Mi-hee avoided his gaze.

“The… the rice is delicious.”

After finishing the remaining food, the two quietly stood up. Like Gongson Su, they tried to leave the dining hall.

“Hey, Rogues' Guild member.”

An empty wine bottle from somewhere flew to Lee Byeok's feet as he was crossing the center. It rolled on the ground.

“We’re out of wine, would you mind getting us some?”

Lee Byeok turned his gaze.

It was one of the disciples sitting on the left, on the Black Heaven Gang's side. When their eyes met, he grinned slyly.

“What, the Rogues' Guild is just a bunch of waiters and courtesans anyway, isn't it? Isn't it a job that suits your station?”

“Pahahat! Brother Mo! How witty of you!”

And the group surrounding them began to snicker among themselves.

‘There’s no need to deal with them.’

Thump, Lee Byeok kicked the wine bottle away. And he tried to walk toward the door again.

A heavy sound of collision echoed through the hall.

For a moment, everyone's gaze turned to the source. The one who had stamped his foot was the man from the Black Heaven Gang who had first invited Lee Byeok to join him.

“It’s getting hard to tolerate this.”

“At this point, I’m starting to wonder. What on earth are you relying on to act so arrogantly? It seems the Rogues' Guild has forgotten its roots now that its influence has grown recently.”

The man lifted his head.

His cold gaze was directed at Lee Byeok.

“It’s a strange thing. To think that those who used to crawl around on the market floor and be treated with contempt would straighten their backs just because they brought in a few masters.”

“Choose. You can either pour a cup of wine for everyone at this table, or it would be fine for that young miss over there to liven things up with a dance.”

“Kilkilkil, how wicked.”

In the heavy atmosphere that had fallen, the man from the Hainan Sword Sect spoke.

“Now, now, don’t look over there. If you make eye contact with those gangsters, your family will have bad luck for three generations. It has nothing to do with us, so let’s just drink~”

Lee Byeok did not want any trouble.

He was also not in a position to act rashly.

Lee Byeok looked at Eon Mi-hee.

When their eyes met, she gave an awkward smile. But her two fists were tightly clenched.

She was a martial artist. Even if she was a member of the Rogues' Guild, being treated like a courtesan out of the blue would not be a pleasant experience.

Lee Byeok approached the Black Heaven Gang's side. He looked down at the man who had first thrown the wine bottle.

“What? Do you have a complaint with me?”

Lee Byeok looked around at the Black Heaven Gang and the surrounding group. They were all full of themselves.

But in Lee Byeok's judgment, there were at most one or two opponents who could stand a chance against Eon Mi-hee in a fight.

He looked at the smirking opponent.

If he drew his sword, he could cut off his head before that smile even faded from his face.

Suddenly, a killing intent surged.

Lee Byeok's hand touched the hilt of his sword.

A hidden weapon flew from somewhere. The hidden weapon passed over Lee Byeok's shoulder and grazed the smiling opponent's cheek.

Paeng, the hidden weapon crossed the Black Heaven Gang group and lodged itself in the wall. tremble, its end trembled.

The hidden weapon was a chopstick.

“Sigh, I knew this would happen.”

Lee Byeok looked back.

At the entrance of the dining hall stood Gongson Su, holding her forehead as if she had a headache.

“It’s a pain, but well, it would leave a bad taste in my mouth if I just left, so I’ll save you just this once. Just this once, okay?”