Cultivating in a Cringey Erotic Novel – Chapter 16

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Translated By Arcane Translations
Translator: Chaos
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I stepped out of the room.

The inn was deserted.

Myeong-ryong-geom was nowhere to be seen.

I looked around in confusion.

A waiter, wiping down a table, noticed me and approached.

“Oh, young hero. You’re up.”

“…Where’s my master?”

“He received a message via carrier pigeon and left in a hurry.”

“What?”

What was going on?

I stared at the waiter, dumbfounded.

He shrugged and handed me a bamboo slip with a hastily scribbled message.

The handwriting was almost illegible.

“Hmm…”

I read the message.

It was short and to the point.

Something urgent had come up at the sect, and he had to leave immediately.

Waiting for me was out of the question.

He’d left me to settle the bill and return to the sect on my own.

I was still slightly bewildered.

‘That damned old man… completely unreliable.’

I grumbled inwardly.

He’d left me alone after I’d just been threatened by a peak-level expert.

It was frustrating, but there was nothing I could do.

I sighed and placed the bamboo slip on the table.

“…Well, there are two bowls of noodles, so that works out perfectly. No need to pay extra.”

“…?”

The veiled woman tilted her head in confusion.

I didn’t bother explaining and sat down at the table.

Thump!

“Have a seat. Now that my master’s gone, we can talk.”

“…Alright.”

She nodded and sat down gracefully across from me.

I picked up my chopsticks and started eating the noodles.

Slurp!

‘This inn’s food is amazing.’

Even though the building was old, the food was worth it.

I savored the noodles, impressed by the chef’s skill.

The woman, still seated, hadn’t touched her food or even picked up her chopsticks.

She suddenly spoke.

“Why should I spare your life?”

“…We’re still on about this? Why should I lose my life?”

I scooped up a large portion of noodles and blew on them.

Her words, laced with killing intent, were chilling, even in the warm morning air.

I continued eating calmly.

“Why should I forfeit my life just because I saw your face?”

“…I find it hard to believe you didn’t feel any lust, but I was willing to overlook it, considering your kindness yesterday.”

She spoke in a melodious voice, like jade beads falling on a plate.

“However, seeing my face is a grave offense. In the… where I come from… those who showed such disrespect were executed.”

“…”

“If I don’t kill you now, I’ll regret it later.”

Her words were filled with a deep-seated resentment.

I looked at her veiled face and clicked my tongue.

“That’s absurd.”

“…What?”

“Never mind those who were executed for such a trivial offense. Regretting not killing someone for seeing your face… that’s what’s absurd.”

“You’re being ridiculous.”

She scoffed.

But I wasn’t backing down.

I finished my noodles and continued,

“By that logic, you should also kill the waiters here, for breathing the same air as you. And while you’re at it, why not kill everyone in the world, for walking on the same earth?”

“…You’re crossing the line.”

“The point is, killing someone for seeing your face is ridiculous. And if that’s your reasoning, I have no reason not to retaliate.”

“…What?”

She exclaimed, taken aback.

I finished the broth and said,

“Mmm. Delicious.”

“…”

“Anyway, while I did see your face, you also saw mine, didn’t you?”

“…”

“You’ve been looking at my unveiled face since yesterday, yet you threaten to kill me for seeing yours. By your own logic, I could attack you.”

“…This is preposterous.”

She muttered, exasperated.

I grumbled,

“Of course, right now, I’m no match for you. Even if I tried my best, I couldn’t defeat you and claim my due.”

“Then what do you intend to do?”

She asked, a mixture of disbelief and amusement in her voice.

She seemed to understand my twisted logic, as if she shared a similar mindset.

Birds of a feather, and all that.

“Give me three years. No… not even three. Two years. In two years, I’ll be able to demand retribution.”

“Such arrogance…!”

She sounded almost impressed.

My claim was indeed audacious.

This woman was a peak-level expert, capable of emitting sword energy and likely much more.

Yet, I’d declared I could defeat her in just two years.

I chuckled.

“And why not?”

“…?”

“You seem to be around my age. Even if we’ve trained for different periods, I believe I can reach your level with enough effort.”

“…You truly are mad.”

The killing intent and anger she’d displayed earlier had vanished.

It was hard to believe she’d just threatened my life. Then—

“Who was it?! Who touched my brothers yesterday?!”

Crash!

The door exploded inwards.

A group of thugs stormed into the inn, growling.

“What’s the meaning of this?!”

“Shut up, waiter! We’ll deal with you later!”

Whack!

One of the thugs, who looked like a bandit, slapped the protesting waiter across the face.

He scanned the room and his eyes settled on me.

He strode towards me with his furious gaze .

“…Was it you? Did you touch my brothers yesterday?”

“…”

I remained silent.

He slammed his fist on the table.

Crash!

‘Damn it. Now these idiots…’

I was already irritated from dealing with the veiled woman’s threats.

I sighed and stood up slowly.

“…What do you want?”

“So it was you…! My brothers told me about you. I’m Byeok Mu-bu, from the Slaughter Gate. I’m here for revenge!”

“Sigh…”

I sighed again.

This was getting tiresome.

The veiled woman, who had been sitting quietly, spoke.

“Deal with them.”

“…Understood.”

I turned and kicked Byeok Mu-bu hard in the chest.

Boom!

A deafening sound echoed through the inn.

He flew backwards and crashed into the wall.

“Gah…!”

“Sigh. So many annoying pests.”

“Ugh…! A-A master…!”

Byeok Mu-bu, embedded in the wall, stared at me in terror.

The other thugs, the ones from yesterday, watched with wide eyes.

I didn’t want to waste any more time on these petty grudges.

“Leave him and get out.”

“…!”

“If you value your pathetic sense of loyalty, stay. But be warned, I’ll kill you instantly.”

“…”

Thud thud thud!

They scrambled out of the inn, tails between their legs.

They didn’t even bother gathering their belongings.

I looked at Byeok Mu-bu, who was still coughing up blood.

“…Your name is Byeok Mu-bu?”

“Gah… cough…!”

“You’re not even second-rate. A third-rate Black Dao thug. Let me teach you a lesson.”

I smiled coldly.

Byeok Mu-bu stared back at me, with his eyes filled with fear.

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