Chapter 18
A mountain of luxurious dishes was piled on the table. Moyong Gi had committed the atrocity of ordering one of each kind.
So Moogyeol had a look of disbelief.
"I've lived and lived, but this is the first time I've seen a Dragon and Phoenix Inn student rip off ruffians."
He had said it was nonsense, but this was it in the end.
He had insisted on being the youngest and had ripped off the Four Hounds of Henan.
Zhuge Yeon kept glancing at the Four Hounds of Henan, who were eating somen noodles miserably in a corner.
"Is this okay?"
"Why? Don't you like it? I didn't know what you would like, so I ordered everything."
Zhuge Yeon had a dumbfounded expression, and So Moogyeol let out a hollow laugh.
Even Myung Jin shook his head as if it was absurd.
Zhuge Yeon, who had come to her senses, said with a serious face.
"I'm not joking. I think this will be a problem later..."
"I'm not joking either."
"Ah, really! Young Master Moyong!"
Zhuge Yeon's eyes flashed refreshingly.
Moyong Gi grinned and replied.
"Forget it. What problem. What problem will there be when the older brothers are buying the youngest a meal?"
At first glance, it wasn't wrong. But it wasn't exactly the right situation either.
Zhuge Yeon still looked at Moyong Gi with a reluctant expression. Moyong Gi, with a calm face, deboned a fish and put it on Zhuge Yeon's plate.
"Don't worry about useless things. The carp dish here is delicious. Try this."
"Huh?"
Zhuge Yeon was flustered.
"You don't have to do this..."
"It's fine. Hurry up and try it."
Moyong Gi took good care of Zhuge Yeon. So Moogyeol stared at the two of them.
"Why?"
"I was just thinking that you're taking great care of her..."
Zhuge Yeon's face turned red. Moyong Gi grinned.
"If you're jealous, find someone to take care of you too."
"Forget it. Who does a beggar take care of? It's hard enough to take care of myself."
So Moogyeol grumbled and reached for the pork dish with his chopsticks. But before his chopsticks could touch it, it disappeared.
"Huh?"
As So Moogyeol was flustered, Moyong Gi offered the pork dish to Zhuge Yeon.
"Try this too. This is also delicious."
So Moogyeol frowned.
"Hey, you punk. What are you doing?"
"What?"
"I was going to eat that."
"Eat what? You eat vegetables like Myung Jin."
Myung Jin, who didn't show much interest in meat, ate mainly vegetable dishes.
However, So Moogyeol's eating habits were very different from Myung Jin's.
"Hey, you bastard! He's a Daoist, that's why. I like meat more!"
"What's a beggar doing with meat. I'm saying this for your own good. You'll get sick if you eat something you're not used to."
"What kind of nonsense are you talking about? Don't they serve meat at the Dragon and Phoenix Inn? Was that all grass?"
"Ah, you talk too much. If you don't like it, buy it with your own money. What's with all the talk when you're getting a free meal."
Moyong Gi said with an annoyed face.
So Moogyeol's cheeks puffed out. He was full of resentment. Zhuge Yeon, who couldn't watch anymore, stepped in.
"Don't be like that. Young Master So, please have some of this."
So Moogyeol looked at the pork dish that Zhuge Yeon was offering with a sullen face. Although his heart was not appeased, his mind had a different thought.
'It's better to receive it, right?'
The pork dish of the Righteous King Pavilion was expensive, so it was not easy to taste it.
He had only ever gotten to eat it when he was tagging along.
Even then, he couldn't even touch it properly because he was eating while being conscious of others.
It was foolish to refuse because his pride was hurt.
Just as So Moogyeol was reluctantly extending his hand to receive it, it disappeared again.
"What are you doing? Why are you giving it to him? I gave it to you to eat."
Moyong Gi chided Zhuge Yeon.
"No, that's..."
Zhuge Yeon had a troubled expression.
So Moogyeol, who was watching, let out a hollow laugh as if he was dumbfounded.
"You guys are having fun."
And then he contorted his face.
"I'm really so disgusted... I hope you eat a lot of meat and get indigestion."
Still, he didn't say he wouldn't eat. With a face full of resentment, he ate the vegetables.
Moyong Gi chuckled.
"Here, I'm in a good mood. Have some of this too."
As if he was inwardly sorry, Moyong Gi placed a golden-brown grilled chicken on So Moogyeol's plate, and his face lit up as if he had never been upset.
"Oh my, what is this."
Then, his eyes widened.
"Huh? Where's the leg of this?"
Just as So Moogyeol was looking around the table with a puzzled expression, Moyong Gi placed two chicken legs on Zhuge Yeon's plate.
"They say the leg is the most delicious part of a chicken."
So Moogyeol's lips trembled.
"You damn bastard."
Myung Jin, who had finished his light meal with some vegetables, looked at So Moogyeol.
"By the way... when is the Beggars' Sect leader coming?"
"How would I know. Oh, it's dry. What's with this meat?"
So Moogyeol replied carelessly and was still tearing at the chicken breast.
However, Myung Jin's gaze continued persistently.
His throat was already feeling blocked from tearing at the dry meat, but with Myung Jin's piercing gaze added, he felt like he was going to get indigestion.
So Moogyeol frowned and looked back at Myung Jin.
"I told you I don't know. How would I know where that senile old man is? He'll come when it's time, I guess."
Moyong Gi giggled.
"I think I know where he is."
"How do you know what I don't know? You're talking nonsense."
"How do I know. I know because he's nearby."
So Moogyeol narrowed his brow.
"What are you talking about now?"
At that moment, a figure suddenly appeared next to So Moogyeol. So Moogyeol was terrified.
"Ugh! What? This!"
"What do you mean, what? It's a senile old man, you brat."
Before So Moogyeol could retort, there was a cracking sound. Sparks flew from his eyes.
"Ouch! Ah, really! Master. I told you not to hit my head. It'll make me stupid."
"A guy with no brains to get stupid is only good with his mouth..."
The Beggars' Sect leader, Hong Sochen, clicked his tongue. He looked at So Moogyeol with a pathetic expression.
Zhuge Yeon shot up.
"The daughter of the Zhuge family greets the Sect Leader."
Zhuge Yeon bowed her head gracefully.
Hong Sochen nodded with a calm face.
"So you're the child named Yeon. Is the family head well?"
"Thanks to your concern, he is well."
"That's a relief."
After Zhuge Yeon and Hong Sochen exchanged simple greetings, Myung Jin followed.
"It's been a while."
But Hong Sochen frowned.
"You brat, how is it that you exude more cold air as the days go by? I thought you'd get better when you got older..."
Hong Sochen shook his head with a dissatisfied "hmph."
Then, he looked back at Moyong Gi, who was still sitting and staring blankly.
"You brat, aren't you going to greet me?"
Only then did Moyong Gi get up from his seat.
"I'm Moyong Gi."
Hong Sochen looked at Moyong Gi with a strange expression.
"So it's you. The guy who taught Moogyeol that strange thing of running on his tiptoes..."
"What do you mean, strange? I just taught him to move a little faster."
"That's the same thing, you brat. What if his feet get tangled? Why did you teach him such a thing?"
Internal energy was originally a double-edged sword.
If operated properly, it showed powerful force, but if it went wrong even a little, you would become a cripple.
This was especially more frequent for masters of internal energy.
That's why they emphasized following the right path from a young age.
It wasn't for nothing that the martial arts of the Orthodox Faction were rigid.
Nevertheless, Moyong Gi was calm.
"Aish. If his feet get tangled with just that, then you taught him wrong, Sect Leader."
Hong Sochen frowned.
"It's not a matter of teaching well or not. Isn't it dangerous? You can do that after your control of internal energy becomes free."
"In what lifetime? And as they say, the one who has eaten meat knows it well, so you have to try it in advance so there won't be any problems later. Even if your control of internal energy is free, if you suddenly do something like that, you'll definitely get sick. In that case, it's better to get sick now. Even if you get some internal injuries from doing it wrong, there are many people who can fix it. You can't even do anything when your internal energy gets higher later."
Since it wasn't wrong, Hong Sochen, who had no particular reply, let out a groan.
At that sight, Moyong Gi chuckled and continued.
"And you were satisfied too, weren't you, Sect Leader? I heard from Moogyeol that you boasted to the Dragon and Phoenix Inn leader until your mouth wore out that Moogyeol would surpass the Cloud Dragon Eight Forms, and the kid said he was so embarrassed he couldn't hold his head up."
Hong Sochen's face contorted as he spun around to look at So Moogyeol.
"You damn brat."
So Moogyeol whistled and stealthily averted his gaze.
Moyong Gi grinned and intervened.
"Sect Leader, please sit down first. Let's talk while you eat."
Hong Sochen still looked at Moyong Gi with a frown. And then, he finally nodded.
"Yes. Let's sit. Let's talk while we sit."
Then, he took the empty seat of honor and looked at Moyong Gi again.
"By the way, how did you know?"
"Huh? What?"
"That I was nearby."
"Ah, that? It's strange not to know when you're staring so intently."
"You noticed that?"
Hong Sochen's eyes narrowed.
"What's so great about that? Anyone can do it if they pay a little attention."
Moyong Gi replied with an unconcerned face.
However, Hong Sochen knew. It was not an easy study.
It wasn't something that could be done just by having high internal energy. It required a long time of training to sharpen one's senses. It was a more arduous study than increasing one's internal energy.
So Hong Sochen stared at Moyong Gi persistently. He was telling him to say more. But Moyong Gi feigned ignorance. He had no intention of answering further.
Hong Sochen sighed.
"You brat, what's with all the secrets already?"
"Aish. What secrets."
"Forget it. I won't pry any further. By the way, tell me the reason you wanted to meet me."
"Do I have to say it with my own mouth? You already know everything."
"Aish. You slick brat. Where did something like this roll in from?"
Hong Sochen, who was glaring at Moyong Gi with a dissatisfied expression, opened his mouth again.
"Alright. Let's say I know everything. But why should I do that? It's obvious that I'll be at odds with the other guys, so why should I?"
Although he didn't like Diancang's actions, no matter how he looked at it, there were more losses than gains.
He had no intention of stepping up for a guy he had never even met before.
Moyong Gi was not one to not notice that fact.
"Of course, I'm not asking you to do it for free."
"That's a given. But can you afford that price?"
It wasn't just anyone, but Diancang of the Nine Sects One Gang.
The price for blocking them was very high.
He thought it was not something that Moyong Gi could afford.
Moyong Gi pointed to So Moogyeol.
"I'll make it so he's treated like a person."
So Moogyeol, who was pointed at, got angry.
"This is really! I've been watching and watching, but you're not..."
"Shut up, you brat!"
Hong Sochen shouted and covered So Moogyeol's mouth. Then, he looked at Moyong Gi again.
"Do you look down on the disciple of the Beggars' Sect leader?"
"Of course not."
"A guy who knows that is acting like this? Which guy in the world would dare to ignore the disciple of the Beggars' Sect leader?"
Moyong Gi grinned.
"Of course, they won't ignore him in front of him. But..."
"But?"
"If you want to be treated with some respect in the martial world, shouldn't you at least participate in the Pure Martial Grand Tournament?"
Moyong Gi poked at Hong Sochen's sore spot.
The Beggars' Sect was one of the top contenders in the Nine Sects One Gang, along with Shaolin and Wudang.
But its current prestige was not what it used to be.
It was seen as a step below Shaolin and Wudang, and that was all because of the Pure Martial Grand Tournament.
It had been twenty years since the Beggars' Sect last sent a participant to the Pure Martial Grand Tournament.
As they failed to send a rising generation martial artist to the Pure Martial Grand Tournament for a long time, their prestige had naturally declined.
Hong Sochen looked at Moyong Gi with a look of disbelief.
"You can do that?"
"That's why I brought it up."
"You're telling me to believe that?"
Moyong Gi grinned and put his hand on Zhuge Yeon's shoulder.
Zhuge Yeon flinched for a moment, but Moyong Gi ignored her and opened his mouth.
"She's been training with me for about a month."
"So?"
"If you have her fight with Moogyeol, you should be able to get a rough idea, right?"
Zhuge Yeon looked at Moyong Gi with a surprised face.
Myung Jin's eyes sparkled, while So Moogyeol's face contorted as he shouted.
"Hey, you punk! Why should I...!"
Thwack!
"Ack! Ah, really! Master!"
"I told you to shut up, you brat!"
Hong Sochen looked back at Moyong Gi.
"Haha. You're an interesting brat. Alright. I'll watch, and if I think what you say makes sense, I'll do as you wish."
Hong Sochen looked at Zhuge Yeon with an interested face.
The rumor that the guy who had been making a fuss even before entering was causing trouble without fail even after entering was widespread.
Moreover, since his disciple was also involved, he had come out to see his face on this occasion, but things were flowing in an interesting way. He thought it was a good thing he had come out.
Only then did Hong Sochen feel hungry. It was just in time for his favorite bird's nest soup.
Hong Sochen naturally brought his spoon to it, but at that moment, the bird's nest soup disappeared.
"Oops! I forgot. This is a precious dish. Try this first."
Moyong Gi offered the bird's nest soup to Zhuge Yeon with a friendly face.
"Ahem! Ahem!"
Hong Sochen coughed with an uncomfortable face.
Zhuge Yeon looked crestfallen.
(End of Chapter)