CHAPTER 8

Summoning Order (召集令)

Not far from the Nine Dragons Branch, there stood the Qingfeng Inn.

"How the hell can this happen every single time? Not just once or twice!"

"Just think of it as another valuable life experience and work hard. There's no other way, no other way."

I took a sip of my drink and patted Tang Gon on the shoulder.

Maybe because it had been a while, but the taste of Bamboo Leaf Green was excellent. Hey, innkeeper! Bring me another bottle!

To get straight to the point, I won the last bet.

If I had to grasp the intricacies like with Shadow Step, it would have been impossible, but simply mastering the form wasn't too difficult.

With my upper dantian wide open, my memory was sharp enough to store everything in the Heavenly Demon Archives, so how could I fail to retain just this?

From the very beginning, it was a bet that Tang Gon could never win.

Not that he had any idea. Haha!

"It seems he's ruined his life just like we did by getting involved with the Young Sect Master."

"Indeed. One must be careful about where they rest their feet. Tsk tsk."

I heard the murmurs of the lingering spirits, sympathizing with Tang Gon, but I decided to forgive them since the drink was so good.

Ah, the fresh air felt incredible.

If only I could just escape right now.

When I left the manor, Namgung San-yeong's warriors blocked my path, leading to a brief scuffle. But shaking them off wasn't difficult.

"I'm taking Young Lord Yi outside for training as his martial arts instructor. Is there a problem?"

Namgung San-yeong was the one who appointed Tang Gon as my martial arts instructor, so what could they do about it?

Soon, even Namgung San-yeong would realize something was going very wrong.

By then, it would be too late.

"You got out of the manor thanks to me, so why don't you buy this round, Young Lord?"

"No thanks."

"Then at least return my money!"

"Hey, I won it fair and square. Why should I give it back?"

"I'm broke!"

I made a sympathetic face.

"Well, you should've won then."

"Aaaaargh!"

Tang Gon jumped up and started pointing at me.

"You said you weren't betting for the money!"

"I never said I wasn't planning to win."

"You—you wanted my approval!"

"I got it. That's done."

"Aaaaaaagh!"

No reasoning with him! He clutched his temples in frustration.

"Then at least stop ordering so much food! You've practically ordered the entire menu!"

For the record, the waiters had been continuously bringing out dishes for a while now.

Our table was so full that we had to push together three or four more just to hold all the food.

The innkeeper, thrilled by this unexpected windfall, was grinning ear to ear.

"I haven't had a proper meal in two months. I'm just making up for lost time."

"I told you, I have no money! You took everything…!"

"Oh… That's a little unfortunate."

"Aaaaaaaagh!"

At this point, he was hopping mad in his seat.

He must love drinking with me to be reacting this way.

The subordinates under the Young Sect Master always had similar reactions when drinking with me. I guess I was quite the popular guy.

Ah, the burdens of a sinful man.

"Innkeeper! Bamboo Leaf Green! Bring out every bottle you have!"

"Wow. Thought you were broke. Are you sure about this?"

"That's none of your concern! If I don't drink, I'll go mad! You should be grateful I haven't punched you yet!"

"Oh… I appreciate that."

"Innkeeper! Bring the drinks! Hurry!"

Tang Gon declared that if he spoke with me any further, he'd explode in rage, and he grabbed a whole jug of liquor.

Gulp, gulp, gulp…

Turns out he was a heavy drinker. Who knew?

I chuckled and took another sip myself.

The burning sensation tickled my throat in the most delightful way.

Meanwhile, with my left hand, I quietly drew a small symbol beneath the table.

A skull with two swords stabbed into it.

"Young Sect Master, that's…!"

The spirits trembled upon recognizing the mark.

It was a Summoning Order (召喚令).

A command to gather all the cultists living in the vicinity of Jiulong County.

The skull signified an emergency order, and the number of swords indicated rank.

One sword for elders, two for the Young Sect Master, three for the Cult Master.

This was a summons under my authority as Young Sect Master.

By now, word would have spread that 'Yeon Un-hwi' had either gone missing with my master or was presumed dead. Chaos was inevitable.

Since the Nine Demon Elders might set a trap, I added a restriction with sorcery.

Only followers of Angma Shinhwa Sect (仰魔神火宗) could see this mark.

Angma Shinhwa Sect was the faction to which my master and I belonged.

It had produced the most cult leaders throughout the cult's history and was originally descended from the Fire Worship Sect of the Western Regions.

It was the only group I could fully trust right now.

If even Angma Shinhwa Sect had been compromised…

Then the mission to find my master and restore the cult would become nearly impossible.

That was how crucial Angma Shinhwa Sect was to the Heavenly Demon Cult.

Leaving a note about the meeting location, I finally turned my full attention back to my drink.

"Next time… I'm gonna win it all… I swear… Zzz…"

Tang Gon, having emptied five whole jugs, collapsed onto the table, drooling.

Well, well.

"This ungrateful scoundrel is pretending to be asleep just to dodge the bill, Young Sect Master! Say the word, and I'll dump him in the latrine!"

"A latrine might be too much, so allow me to fetch ice water to dump on him!"

The spirits were practically competing for the privilege of punishing him.

"No way. No freebies."

"...."

"Are you really asleep?"

"Snore…"

"Guess he really is."

I chuckled and called for the innkeeper.

"You called, esteemed guest? What would you like now?"

I had called for a waiter, but the innkeeper himself showed up.

Must be because I was a big spender.

"The place looks packed. How many guests are here right now?"

"Huh? Well, we'd have to count to be sure, but our inn is the largest in Jiulong County. I'd say around 300 people?"

Despite the odd question, he answered politely.

"If I ring the golden bell, would everyone be delighted—"

"Hahaha! Just a little nap, and I'm refreshed! Young Lord, let's drink more and have a deep conversation!"

"??"

The innkeeper stared at the suddenly awakened Tang Gon in shock.

Clearly, he was bewildered.

"Hmph. The world is a scary place, isn't it? Turn your back for one second, and someone will rob you blind."

"Are you seriously doing this to me?"

"Yep."

"…Ha! Damn it. I really messed up meeting you."

Tang Gon sighed and downed another cup.

I smirked and snatched the bottle from him.

Using the Golden Thread Palm of the Floating Willow (飛絮掌金羅手).

Of course, a technique I had learned from Tang Gon earlier that day.

"Hey now. What's the fun in drinking alone? Let's drink together."

Pour.

Tang Gon stared at the refilling cup, or rather, at my hand.

"…Are you already adapting it?"

I demonstrated a smooth hand motion.

Tang Gon watched my movements, his expression growing increasingly stunned.

"…You're terrifying."

I raised my cup.

"To good company, then?"

"…Damn it. Fine. Cheers."

Clink.