The Return of the Crazy Demon-Chapter 251: If One Wishes to Burn Down the Ja-Ha Guest House Now

I was the first to catch the scent of pork spine stew.

“...It’s coming. The pork spine that the bald one can’t eat is on its way.”

We each had different thoughts as we stared at the pork spine stew set on the table. Judging by the stronger aroma than what we’d eaten at Chunyang Restaurant, this was the upgraded Ja-Ha Guest House–style pork spine stew. In any case, it was the best hospitality I could offer.

I spoke to the Evildoers and Cha Seong-tae, excluding the bald monk Dong-su.

“Let’s eat first.”

I rubbed my hands together and grabbed a chunk of pork spine with my bare hands. I hadn’t meant to, but my eyes met Dong-su’s just as I tore into the meat.

“If you're jealous, have a bite.”

Dong-su waved his hand and replied,

“I’m fine.”

“Really?”

“Yes.”

Gwangseung had renounced monkhood, so he could eat meat and drink freely. But I couldn’t pressure Dong-su to do the same, so I just planned to tease him from time to time.

The Sword Demon finally closed his book and stared silently at the pork spine stew. This was a local delicacy you could only get in Ilyang County—and it was delicious. Once the Four Great Evildoers started eating, even the gloomy Cha Seong-tae joined in.

I don’t nag when it’s time to eat.

I checked the focused expressions of the Evildoers as they chewed the meat.

‘No way this flavor won’t work on them.’

They weren’t the type to rave about taste, but they silently and intently devoured the stew.

Eventually, the Drunk glanced at the Lecher and muttered,

“Tastes better than the boar you brought.”

The Lecher snorted.

“Was that even food? There wasn’t any seasoning. There wasn’t even a way to get rid of the stink.”

The Drunk turned to the Sword Demon.

“What about you, big brother? You usually look like food’s tasteless.”

The Sword Demon cleared his throat and gave a curt response.

“It’s good.”

I couldn’t help but marvel.

“Wow, to hear that simple sentence was like pulling teeth.”

That’s how good this pork spine stew was—it even made the Sword Demon say it was delicious. Dong-su, looking somewhat pitiful, was eating the noodles that had arrived late.

As I tore into the pork, I had a thought. 𝐟𝕣𝕖𝐞𝐰𝕖𝚋𝐧𝗼𝚟𝐞𝕝.𝗰𝐨𝐦

I should rest here for a few days.

Sleep in a proper bed without icy drafts all night, and eat meals so good the word “delicious” slipped out without thinking—restoring strength was necessary.

The Evildoers needed a bit of ordinary life.

More than anything, we needed a break in a place where no one was chasing us, where no one was trying to kill us. When you ❖ Nоvеl𝚒ght ❖ (Exclusive on Nоvеl𝚒ght) spend every day killing or being killed, you’re no longer living like a person—you’re living like a beast.

We were just unusual, nasty people—not beasts.

With plenty of pork stew, we each polished off two or three bowls of rice. The side dishes were decent too, so even Dong-su ate some rice after finishing his noodles.

Maybe it was because Deuk-soo hyung took my entire coin pouch?

After the meal, sealed bottles of Dugang Liquor and drinking snacks were brought to the table.

At that moment, Jang Deuk-soo reappeared and asked the guests,

“Was the seasoning too strong?”

He checked their faces to confirm nothing was off with the food.

The Drunk nodded and answered,

“Cook, that was excellent.”

“I’m glad to hear it.”

Jang Deuk-soo continued, speaking on my behalf.

“As you saw, we squeezed a fair bit of money out of the Lord. If you stay for a few days, I’ll prepare a variety of ingredients and whip up some new dishes. Eat comfortably.”

Having said that, Deuk-soo hyung returned to the kitchen.

Everyone should do what they’re good at. And when it came to cooking and hosting guests, Deuk-soo hyung was clearly the top master of this place.

He probably decided to take in that wandering Gongdeok as well. To hire more staff and pay them monthly, he needed extra funds—so he must have taken my coin pouch for that. The money I beat out of the Black Path was now going to those who worked—so yes, this was a Haomun business.

And right now, Haomun’s funds were overflowing.

If we ever ran out, I planned to tour Jianghu and beat down a few big and small Black Path gangs for more.

Before that...

I unsealed the Dugang Liquor and poured drinks for everyone except Dong-su.

Finally, I filled my own cup and raised it.

“A toast to defeating the martial public enemies—Mulungja’s party—who had bounties placed by the Martial Alliance.”

When I added such flair to the toast, even the Sword Demon relaxed a bit and showed a faint smile.

“Let’s drink.”

I washed down the oily meat in my stomach with the liquor.

Were we heading west or east?

Today was a day to drink without going anywhere.

While holding the bottle of Dugang Liquor, I looked around and called to Gongdeok.

“Gongdeok, take a cup. A toast to surviving and reuniting.”

“Yes, Pavilion Lord.”

Gongdeok approached, holding out his cup with both hands. I filled it. I looked him in the eye briefly and then poured the drink down my throat.

***

I dozed off drunk and woke to find an unfamiliar ceiling. It was a guest room in the Ja-Ha Guest House, so I felt no discomfort.

Come to think of it, it had been a long time since I slept at home.

There were several guest rooms in Ja-Ha Guest House from the start, so the Evildoers and Dong-su were likely sleeping nearby.

Though it was still before dawn, I washed my face with prepared water, dressed, and stepped outside. My sleep had been such a mess lately that waking up early didn’t leave me tired.

I sat at the table in front of the still-dark guesthouse and watched the sky begin to brighten.

As the colors of the sky slowly changed, I recalled incidents from my past life. There was still some time before the Demonic Cult started stirring up localized wars, so I had enough time to prepare.

Staring into the lightening sky, I began breathing exercises with the Golden Nine Free-Wandering Manual. After one round, the world had fully brightened.

Cha Seong-tae, apparently returning from Maehwaru, passed by the guesthouse dressed in training clothes.

He seemed to be practicing, so I didn’t speak.

Soon, the Sword Demon appeared at the entrance, glanced at me, took a few deep breaths, and walked to the open clearing, arms folded, standing still for a moment.

He was probably organizing the insights from Dokgo Sword Style he had read last night, so I left him be.

Even knowing I was watching, the Sword Demon suddenly drew the Bright Sword and began moving across the clearing, swinging his blade. Since I’d read Dokgo Sword Style too, I recognized the movements immediately.

Of course, he wasn’t yet complete in his form.

A little later, the Drunk and the Lecher appeared and sat near me. Silently, we watched the Sword Demon’s solo sword training.

Dokgo Sword Style was pure offense.

But without an opponent, the Sword Demon’s training didn’t look easy.

I turned to the Drunk.

“Six Harmonies. Sword.”

The Drunk handed me the sword from his waist. I drew it and soared into the air, calling to the Sword Demon.

“Senior.”

The Sword Demon looked up and nodded slightly.

As I descended with the Drunk’s sword extended, the Sword Demon knocked it aside with his Bright Sword and counterattacked. As expected—it was Dokgo Sword Style.

I locked eyes with him and mixed attack and defense, channeling Thunder Qi from Baekjeon Shiptangong into the blade.

As soon as the Sword Demon parried the Thunder Qi, he shifted instantly into attack. Whenever I saw a gap, I slipped my blade in shamelessly. He countered, now fully awake, but at some point couldn’t find a new pattern and launched a forceful palm strike.

I matched his power and countered.

Thwack—we were both pushed back.

The Lecher’s voice followed.

“Master!”

As I withdrew, the Lecher leapt in, unleashing palm strikes as he charged the Sword Demon.

I stepped back and watched the master-disciple match. The Lecher left chilling traces of ice with his Ice Technique, forcing the Sword Demon to busily swing his sword to dispel the frost.

They must have sparred many times—their rhythm was better than mine. The Lecher seemed to know how his master would react and launched surprise attacks using tricky footwork.

Then, perhaps annoyed by the chill, the Sword Demon stomped his left foot—

The icy traces around them shattered instantly. The Lecher crossed his palms and thrust forward, releasing a white palm force I had never seen before.

But the force quickly split into an X shape and scattered.

I returned the sword to the Drunk, who now headed to the clearing.

As I watched, he engaged the Sword Demon. Strangely, their rhythm was even better than when he sparred with the Lecher.

Then I realized—it was because the Drunk’s sword style focused on defense.

That must be why.

They sparred for a while. Since the Drunk was intentionally matching the Sword Demon to help him train Dokgo Sword Style, their exchange lasted longer.

Morning had come, and their blades continued to ring out, shattering the peace of Ilyang County.

I guess people here wouldn’t get to sleep in today.

If anyone showed up to complain about missing their sleep, I’d probably have to deal with it. That’s just what happens when the Four Great Evildoers are around.

After a long match, a second-story window opened and Jang Deuk-soo’s voice rang out.

“...Time for breakfast.”

Almost like it was planned, the Sword Demon and the Drunk sheathed their swords and stopped moving.

“......”

I stroked my chin. The food must’ve turned out good again. I went up to the second floor and sat at the table. One by one, those who had fought since dawn climbed the stairs and sat down quietly.

There wasn’t much to say.

Soon even Dong-su joined us, and we all ate the breakfast prepared by Deuk-soo hyung. After I’d finished about half a bowl, Cha Seong-tae—still steaming from training—joined us and sat in the empty seat.

I gave him his tasks.

“Seong-tae.”

“Yes.”

“We’ll be staying here for a while. Check the public enemy list from the Martial Alliance and report that we killed Mulungja.”

“Yes.”

“Have the Haomun men track the others. And tell anyone with problems or something to discuss with me to come here.”

“Should I notify the Black Cat Pavilion too?”

“Everyone. Namyeonghui, Black Line Pavilion, that bald bastard from Namcheonryeon—everyone. If there are issues, we should sort them out.”

“Understood.”

“Until then, I’ll focus on training here.”

Seong-tae picked up his chopsticks and replied,

“Understood. I’ll contact them all.”

I spoke as I ate.

“If they don’t have anything to say and no major issues, tell them not to come. Just keep living as they were—that’s best.”

Suddenly, I locked eyes with Dong-su. He asked,

“Oh, so Haomun has temples now?”

“What?”

“Namcheonryeon sounds like a temple, doesn’t it?”

“That’s just a bald thug from the Black Path.”

“Ah. I see.”

Then I remembered someone I’d forgotten and told Cha Seong-tae,

“Also notify our teacher Mo Yong. What’s he doing these days?”

Cha Seong-tae smiled and replied,

“Lately, he often shuts his door.”

“Why?”

“I heard he’s traveling far to gather herbs.”

I clicked my tongue and went back to eating. I tossed him a martial arts manual, and now he’s off hunting for elixirs. Well, he was the Poison Demon in my past life and a key asset, so I wouldn’t stop him from training.

If both Mo Yong Baek and Cha Seong-tae grew into the level of martial artists I envisioned...

Then the Ja-Ha Guest House would be the strongest force in Jianghu.

If someone wanted to burn it down now...

Honestly, it would take the Martial Alliance or a major clan to even have a chance.