Chapter 23
As I hesitated, the Cheongwolru House Mistress tilted her head.
“This maiden is Wolhwa, the House Mistress here. Is there a problem, Great Hero?”
“Well... the liquor here...”
“Pardon? I can’t hear you well.”
She cut me off, and approached me, leaning in as if to listen more closely.
*Thump-thump*.
“...!”
As she took a step closer, I couldn't help but flinch, my body already stiff.
This is strange.
Yes, it was strange.
Cheongwolru House Mistress Wolhwa. Each small movement she made stiffened my body and made my heart pound.
All my senses were stimulated...
*Sniff, sniff.*
And her body scent, how wonderful it was...
Just smelling it made my mind feel hazy, as if I’d drunk several strong liquors in a row.
...
Wait.
My mind is hazy.
It was a split second. The doubt I had before losing my mind allowed me to check my body.
And...
I could see my Yang energy abnormally surging. Also, a dense Yin energy had settled in this space at some point.
“Ah... haha...”
“...”
Damn it, my heart was pounding like crazy; I thought I'd met my fated first love. But what the hell is this...?
Seduction Art.
My strange behavior was all due to Seduction Art. It was my first time being affected by Seduction Art, so I hadn't reacted immediately.
Well, it's fine as long as I know now.
I immediately circulated my Qi to neutralize the abnormal state of my body.
Only then did the Cheongwolru House Mistress in front of me seem to come into proper focus.
She was beautiful.
If I had to describe her, she was the type of cool, elegant beauty who’d look good in office wear.
However... now that the Seduction Art had worn off, my heart wasn't pounding, nor was my mind hazy.
I retrieved my saber from a distant corner and spoke to her.
“How will you atone for the sin of trampling on a man’s pure heart, Haomun Leader?”
“Hoo-hoo...?”
Hoo-hoo, my ass.
The moment I regained my senses, I realized she was the Haomun Leader. From the start, she hadn't truly intended to hide her identity.
She had shown me the exact same aura, without any change, as when she was hidden underground earlier.
For some reason, the Haomun Leader, who always kept information about herself a secret, had revealed her true identity to me.
Even with her identity exposed, the Haomun Leader chuckled pleasantly and opened her mouth.
“I apologize for putting a different poison in the liquor. I merely wished to test your skills, Esteemed Young Master.”
“Who are you to test me?”
The Haomun Leader sat down as if she wanted to converse with me, but I didn't take a seat. I had nothing to say to the Haomun Leader, and I didn't know what she might do.
The Haomun Leader, who had been hiding like a rat during our previous transaction, was now openly revealing herself. In this absurd situation, the Haomun Leader smiled slyly and said,
“I understand you work as a Bandit. Bandits are part of the Unorthodox Faction, just like our Haomun. Can’t we be friendly?”
“*Bullshit.* Just say what you need to say, pay for the drinks, and get lost.”
Realizing that talking nicely wouldn't work, the Haomun Leader closed her eyes for a moment, then opened them again and spoke.
“I have a proposal for you.”
“Rejected. Pay for the drinks and get out.”
“We will also provide appropriate compensation for it.”
“*Compensation, my ass.* Do you think I need money right now?”
I had just secured 200 Gold Gwan from my transaction with those bastards. It was money I would eventually spend, but at least for now, I didn't need it.
*What if they ask me to do something in exchange for money?*
It couldn't be an easy task if the Haomun Leader herself was personally making the proposal. As someone who aimed for an ordinary life, getting deeply involved with them was out of the question.
Perhaps anticipating my refusal, the Haomun Leader didn't seem flustered and continued immediately.
“Money isn’t the only thing Haomun can provide. We hold more information than anyone else in the world, second only to the Beggar's Sect.”
“You’ll give me information as compensation? But I have nothing I’m curious about.”
“How about information regarding the Heavenly Demon Cult?”
“What...?”
I flinched for a moment. This was because a completely unexpected word had come from the Haomun Leader’s mouth.
Dumbfounded, I asked her,
“You... why are you suddenly mentioning the Heavenly Demon Cult...?”
“If you accept our proposal, I will tell you everything.”
...As expected, she wasn't going to answer easily.
“Well, what do you say? Does that pique your interest now?”
“...”
Haomun was indeed an enigmatic bunch. To bring up the Heavenly Demon Cult to me suddenly... It did pierce my heart quite sharply, but...
“...Rejected.”
It was rejected again.
“...May I ask why?”
“They only occasionally skirmish with the Murim Alliance along the border... Those gloomy bastards aren’t doing anything special, are they?”
“What is your basis for saying that?”
“*I just know everything.*”
I was the one who had read the novel. At this time, the Protagonist was monopolizing fortuitous encounters and building his strength, and the Heavenly Demon Cult was merely biding its time and conserving its strength, not causing any major incidents.
I didn't know how she knew I was concerned about the Heavenly Demon Cult, but she was bluffing with insignificant information.
However...
“I don’t know what basis you have for asserting that, but no matter how much information you possess, could it be more than our Haomun's? Our Haomun members are secretly spread even throughout the Hundred Thousand Great Mountains.”
“...So?”
“Currently, the Heavenly Demon Cult is engaged in activities that our Haomun classifies as Top-tier Information.”
“...What?”
Top-tier Information.
Information is considered important enough to be just below Highest-tier Information. In the novel, the Heavenly Demon Cult was biding its time then, but now it is engaged in activities classified as Top-tier Information by Haomun?
If this was true, it meant the novel's plot was changing. I checked the Haomun Leader's face for a moment to see if she was lying, but it didn't seem to be the case.
Startled, I pulled out some money and said to her,
“You said Top-tier Information, right? How much to access it? I’ll pay.”
I was willing to pay even if it was 10 Gold Gwan, no, 20 Gold Gwan. But...
“...That information has just been upgraded from Top-tier to Highest-tier by the Haomun Leader’s authority.”
“...What?”
“Highest-tier Information is priceless by nature. And I would like to offer this information regarding the Heavenly Demon Cult for...
“...”
“...200 Gold Gwan.”
“...”
I couldn't help but shut my mouth at this crazy bitch's nonsense.
That fucking bitch is telling me to cough up all 200 Gold Gwan I just got from selling the Shanxi Yu Clan's treasures.
For a moment, my fists truly itched.
“Hee hee, 200 Gold Gwan is indeed an excessive price. However, if Esteemed Young Master accepts my proposal, I will teach you information regarding the Heavenly Demon Cult as compensation.”
“*Damn it*... what’s that damned proposal?”
“I will only tell you that after you accept.”
The Haomun Leader didn't even reveal the contents of the proposal. This meant the task was clearly significant and dangerous.
*Haa... what should I do about this...?*
Naturally, I had no choice but to ponder.
I was curious about the Heavenly Demon Cult's information, but I didn't want to get deeply involved with Haomun.
As I deliberated for a long time for these reasons, the Haomun Leader, who had been smiling broadly in front of me, spoke first.
“You seem to be in deep thought.”
“Are you mocking me?”
“No, I’m not mocking you; I wish to help. If you find it difficult to choose either option, how about we make a bet?”
“...A bet?”
“Yes, if you win the bet, you can have everything you desire.”
The Haomun Leader’s pleasant, sly smile made me uneasy, but...
“...What kind of bet?”
*When it comes to bets, I'm the one.*
At the mention of getting what I wanted without any cost, I nodded for now.
**
After I accepted the bet and sat down, the Haomun Leader soon had someone bring some things. Upon closer inspection, they were three bottles presumed to contain liquor.
“In Sichuan, it’s called *Jukyeol*. Are you familiar with it?”
“...I am.”
“Then the explanation will be quick.”
Jukyeol. Literally translated, it means a drinking battle. However, a drinking battle in Sichuan isn't simply about who can drink more.
First, one among the two people making the bet is designated as the host (serving the liquor) and the other as the drinker.
The host gives the opponent a poisonous liquor they have mixed themself, and the drinker consumes it.
If the drinker can maintain a clear mind without losing consciousness after drinking the poisonous liquor, the drinker wins. Otherwise, the host wins.
It is a contest of everything, including one's detoxification ability, Internal Energy, and drinking capacity.
“As you might expect, these bottles contain poisonous liquors. I wish to be the host. Is that acceptable?”
“Fine.”
“Then I will explain the rules. Esteemed Young Master, you only need to drink one cup from each of these bottles. Each time you drink a cup, I will give you the information you desire.”
“What if I drink the liquor and can’t endure it?”
“Then, Esteemed Young Master, you must accept the task proposed by our Haomun unconditionally.”
“Hmm... so that’s how it is?”
As I trailed off slightly, the Haomun Leader smiled as if I were amusing. She seemed very confident in this bet.
However...
“Should your life be in danger, I will detoxify you, so you need not worry. Ah, if you are afraid, you don’t have to accept the bet.”
“*Afraid, huh... Pfft.*”
“...?”
Just as she looked at me with amusement, I was now looking at her with amusement.
*Stupid bitch.*
She wants to have a drinking battle with poisonous liquor against me?
“*As if I’d be afraid.*”
I was confident, confident I could wipe that arrogant smile off the Haomun Leader’s face.
“Pour the liquor immediately. I’ll drink it right away.”
I didn't like her from the moment she dared to try and manipulate a man's heart with Seduction Art.
And now she wants to make a bet with poison?
Oh yeah, this time I'm going to strip her bare.
I resolved to teach the Haomun Leader a proper lesson.