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Translated By Arcane Translations
Translator: Chaos
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“Get out of here,” I said, with my voice laced with ice.
One of the thugs, startled, cursed.
“What the hell?! What’s a brat like you doing, butting in?”
“…Hmm.”
“You looking to die, kid?”
I remained silent, a low hum escaping my lips.
They were pathetic.
Judging by their weak auras, they hadn’t even properly mastered any martial arts.
Just a bunch of third-rate thugs causing trouble in an inn.
It was infuriating.
‘I shouldn’t kill them here.’
A flicker of killing intent surged within me, but I quickly suppressed it.
Causing a bloodbath in a crowded inn wouldn’t be a pleasant sight.
I continued to stand there calmly.
The thugs glared at me.
“Do we look like a joke to you? We’re martial artists from the Slaughter Gate, a sect of the Black Dao…!”
“Brother, killing him would be too harsh. Let’s just let him go.”
“Heheh. Fine. We’re in a good mood today. We’ll let this childish outburst slide. Just walk away.”
Their condescending tone was infuriating.
One of the thugs, a particularly weaselly-looking fellow, was clearly trying to appease his “brother.”
I couldn’t take it anymore.
“…You pathetic fools.”
“…!”
“You call yourselves Black Dao martial artists? You haven’t even learned the basics. You’re not martial artists. You’re just pathetic.”
“Y-You…!”
My words enraged them.
They seemed genuinely surprised by my defiance.
Their auras turned menacing, but I didn’t care.
They were clearly lying about their affiliation with the Black Dao.
Even if they were part of it, they were likely low-level grunts.
“Stop talking and just attack. I wouldn’t even bother drawing my sword against you.”
“Y-You little…!”
One of the thugs, enraged, grabbed a nearby cup and threw it at me.
I smirked and easily snatched the cup out of the air.
Snatch!
“W-What?!”
“Pathetic. I could throw it better than that, and I’ve never even practiced throwing hidden weapons.”
“You little bastard…!”
“That would be you.”
I retorted, and threw the cup back at him.
It flew at lightning speed and hit him squarely in the jaw before he could react.
He cried out in pain.
“Ugh…!”
“…”
“My… my jaw! Aaaaagh!”
He clutched his jaw and neck, writhing on the ground.
It was a sickening sight.
His jaw was likely broken.
The other thugs, seeing their companion injured, jumped to their feet.
They charged at me blindly, their rage fueling their attack.
I scoffed.
“…Fools.”
“Kill him! That little bastard hurt our brother…!”
They swung at me with ferocious intensity.
I effortlessly caught their fists, twisting them until they cried out in pain, just like their companion.
“Gah…!”
“L-Let go…!”
‘As if.’
I scoffed inwardly and struck them hard on the back of their necks.
They slumped to the ground, unconscious.
The other patrons, who had been watching in stunned silence, erupted in cheers.
“Ooh…!”
“What a chivalrous young man…!”
I was showered with praise.
Even the waiter hurried over to thank me.
“T-Thank you, young hero.”
“Don’t mention it. I just couldn’t stand watching those thugs act like that.”
“No, truly, thank you. Those men have been harassing the women and causing trouble here regularly. Thanks to you, they won’t be coming back anytime soon.”
“Good.”
I replied curtly.
While I had my reasons for intervening, I was mostly just annoyed.
It wasn’t my responsibility, but I couldn’t ignore them ruining the atmosphere.
As I turned to go back to my table, the waiter smiled and said,
“Your meal is on the house. It’s a small token of our gratitude for dealing with those men.”
“…Thank you.”
I replied, slightly embarrassed.
I watched as the waiters dragged the unconscious thugs out of the inn.
Even though they were just low-level thugs, it was probably difficult for the inn staff to handle them.
They were clearly grateful for my intervention.
‘At least I can eat and drink my fill now.’
I returned to my table to find Myeong-ryong-geom and the middle-aged man completely drunk, mindlessly pouring alcohol down their throats.
The veiled woman sat quietly beside them and sipped her tea.
I clicked my tongue.
“…They really went at it.”
“…”
The veiled woman, who had been sipping her tea, looked at me and said,
“You’re quite the busybody.”
“…?”
“Why do you bother getting involved in things that don’t concern you?”
Her bluntness and casual use of informal language surprised me, but I couldn’t argue with her while Myeong-ryong-geom was passed out beside me.
I shrugged.
“I simply acted as my heart dictated.”
“…Your heart dictated this?”
“Yes.”
My curt reply seemed to give her pause.
I sat down across from her and started eating the food the waiter had brought over.
‘Hmm. Still delicious, even when it’s cold.’
I stuffed a meat-filled dumpling into my mouth.
The veiled woman, who had stopped drinking her tea, looked at me thoughtfully.
“…Well, aren’t you something.”
“…?”
“Thank you for sharing your table.”
“And for the food.”
She murmured, then stood up and walked towards the stairs, presumably heading to her room on the second floor.
I chuckled.
“…They say the Jianghu is full of eccentrics. It seems they’re right.”
The sweet yet bitter aftertaste of the Bamboo Leaf Green wine lingered in my throat.
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The next morning, I woke up with a slight frown.
“Hmm…”
I ran my fingers through my messy hair and realized the alcohol had mostly worn off.
I sighed briefly.
‘I drank a bit too much last night…’
After dealing with the thugs, I’d gotten caught up in the moment and snuck a few drinks while Myeong-ryong-geom was passed out.
It had been a while since I’d had alcohol, and my young body wasn’t used to it.
I felt a slight pang in my stomach.
Just then—
“Ugh… you’re awake.”
“…”
Myeong-ryong-geom sat up in bed beside me, looking more worn out than ever.
I chuckled.
“Did you sleep well?”
“…Does it look like I did?”
He grumbled, then started getting out of bed.
The sun was already high in the sky.
He was likely preparing to return to the sect.
“Should I go ahead and get ready?”
“…Go ahead.”
With his permission, I got out of bed and headed outside.
The wooden floorboards creaked under my feet.
Creak!
I opened the door, and bright sunlight streamed in.
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[T/N: This chapter includes an illustration. Check Discord for it.]
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Another one of the heroines ?