Moonlit Night Chapter 9 (Patreon)

Chapter 9

"It's disappointing that you say you don't know me. We definitely met at Full Moon Lake."

"I don't consider a passing traveler as someone I know."

Unlike when he was dealing with the junior brothers, Cheong-ra deliberately used an icy cold voice. If they were alone like at Full Moon Lake, it might be different, but there were junior brothers present here. Cheong-ra had no choice but to be on guard first. Especially considering the other person's notoriety, it was even more so.

The reason his heart was beating so fast and he was so tense was surely because this man was an unpredictable ruffian who might do something. Cheong-ra repeated this to himself, trying to suppress his excited feelings. However, Lim Jeong could not easily calm down.

"It seems you coincidentally encountered Senior Brother Baek Ri, but why would our senior brother follow someone around because he's lacking something! Unless you're the one following him, why would you run into us so often!"

"I followed him? Wherever I arrived first, Young Master Baek Ri came, so isn't it naturally the opposite?"

This statement was actually true, so Lim Jeong was at a loss for words. It was clear that the man had come to this inn first and was drinking.

Fortunately, the man only chuckled and did not say anything more. The innkeeper, sensing the unusual atmosphere between the martial artists, brought the food with great tension.

The man began drinking again. However, instead of sitting properly and drinking, this time he turned his body sideways and sipped while shaking his leg that was resting on his thigh and staring intently at Cheong-ra.

Cheong-ra also put down his chopsticks with a loud clack and stared back without avoiding his gaze. In the end, Lim Jeong got angry and abruptly stood up from his seat.

"What are you trying to do now?"

"I'm having a drink with the Moonlight Beauty Sword as a snack."

Despite Lim Jeong's face turning red and blue at the truly rude attitude, the other person didn't even blink and emptied his cup in one gulp. Even after drinking two cups of that strong liquor in a row, his complexion didn't change at all.

"Is it because I'm with the beauty who's following me? The alcohol tastes quite good."

Unable to endure the continuous insults, the moment Lim Jeong's hand reached for his sword hilt, Cheong-ra pushed the back of his hand to stop him. And looking at the other junior brothers who were as angry as Lim Jeong, he firmly ordered.

"Enough!"

"...Senior Brother Baek Ri. You're not going to let this person's rudeness slide, are you?"

"Junior Brother Lim. Sit down."

At Cheong-ra's restraint, Lim Jeong reluctantly sat down. Unlike the furious junior brothers, Jong-wi was staring at the man with a seriously hardened face. He had known the other person's identity since their first encounter.

After calming the junior brothers, Cheong-ra slowly stood up from his seat. Inwardly, his heart was pounding with unprecedented excitement, but outwardly, he politely clasped his hands and spoke.

"It seems the young master of the Sichuan's Tang Clan has business with me."

"Hmm."

The man didn't give much of a reply and poured alcohol into his cup. Then, when he lightly tapped it with his finger, the cup slid smoothly and slowly, stopping precisely at the seat across from him. Not a single drop of alcohol spilled in the process. Seeing this, Jong-wi's face stiffened. He explained in a low voice to Lim Jeong and the junior brothers who were still puzzled, unable to grasp the situation.

"That person is the Green-Eyed Poison Dragon, Dang Ran-yeong."

"G-Green-Eyed Poison Dragon!"

Only then did the junior brothers realize the other person's identity and exclaim in surprise. Even they, who practically lived in Moon Lake Sect, knew of his notoriety.

Green-Eyed Poison Dragon, Dang Ran-yeong.

He was the second son of the Sichuan's Tang Clan and the owner of the White Jade Merchant Group, but at the same time, he was treated similarly to an evil faction. His wicked deeds in the martial arts world were countless. He had caused a monk from the famous Shaolin Temple to be expelled, completely ruined the owner of a wealthy estate in Chang'an, and destroyed a precious item cherished by a certain family. His actions were ruthless. Even the Sichuan's Tang Clan, which valued blood relatives the most, had completely given up on Dang Ran-yeong.

If that were all, his notoriety wouldn't be that high. Dang Ran-yeong was particularly cruel, and there were countless people who became disabled or died while fighting him. The fact that he was still fine despite carrying so many grudges meant that he was that strong.

His level of martial arts was also high, and top experts in the Central Plains, such as Yeo Bul-wang, Cheong Su-bing-geom, and So Yo-ma-yeong, had knelt before him or met their deaths.

Considering the experts he had defeated and the aura he subtly exuded, even if all the people in this inn attacked him at once, they would not be able to defeat Dang Ran-yeong. Thinking of Dang Ran-yeong's notoriety, it was wise to avoid conflict as much as possible.

However, Cheong-ra couldn't help but feel a strange sense of excitement. This man was the most impressive martial artist he had encountered so far. To be precise, he was the closest to the form of his desire, so it was difficult to take his eyes off him.

"Well, since we've already met four times, it must be fate, so let's have a drink together for a moment. I'd like you to be my drinking companion."

"And if I refuse?"

"I'm in a bad mood right now, so I'm thinking of venting a little."

At the threatening invitation disguised as playfulness, Jong-wi and the junior brothers' faces turned pale.

Originally, there was an unwritten rule that one should not put anything offered by the Tang Clan's people into their mouths. It was because their specialty was poison, so one never knew when they might poison the other person. Especially since the other person was from a righteous faction but was also called the Red Whip Rakshasa. Having the word "rakshasa" in one's nickname meant that their personality was that violent and rough.

Cheong-ra stared at the other person blankly for a moment. Unlike when he saw him at Full Moon Lake last time, looking closely in the daylight, there was a faint green tint in his eyes. It was a characteristic that appeared in the martial artists of the Tang Clan who had mastered the poison arts to the extreme. Dang Ran-yeong's green eyes flashed as he spoke.

"Sit."

It was a truly arrogant and rude command, as if the other person was his subordinate. It was something that should be unpleasant, but Cheong-ra felt his heart stirring instead. Suppressing the urge to abruptly stand up and sit in front of him right away, he slowly got up from his seat and approached the seat where Dang Ran-yeong was sitting. He pulled the chair back and sat across from him. The green eyes curved as he smiled, and the mole under his eye moved.

Cheong-ra looked straight into those eyes and emptied the cup in front of him in one gulp. A scream burst out from the junior brothers.

"Senior Brother!"

They urged him to quickly vomit, saying it could be a poisoned cup, but Cheong-ra did not do so. It wasn't that he didn't value his own life. However, rather than showing a cowardly appearance in front of the junior brothers, he would rather choose death.

Above all, Dang Ran-yeong had never killed anyone without reason until now. He didn't lay a hand on civilians either. That was the reason why he could still be considered a righteous faction despite earning grudges everywhere and being treated like an evil faction. So there was no way he would kill Cheong-ra for no reason in this situation.

"Young Master Tang, why don't you have another drink?"

Cheong-ra poured alcohol into the cup and lightly tapped it with his fingertip, just like Dang Ran-yeong had done, sending it accurately in front of Ran-yeong. Again, not a single drop of alcohol spilled. Dang Ran-yeong's eyes sparkled, and a bright smile appeared on his lips.

"For someone with such a pretty face, Young Master Baek Ri is quite brave."

"For someone dressed like that, Young Master Tang's words and actions are like a thug from the streets."

At Cheong-ra's cold reply, Dang Ran-yeong laughed loudly instead of getting angry, and his luxurious earrings swayed. He also emptied his cup in one gulp and spoke as if he wanted those who were fidgeting to hear.

"Don't worry. I didn't put any poison in it. Why would I waste poison on such a rare beauty?"

At the mention of beauty, anger surged on the faces of the junior brothers again, but they seemed to endure it because of who the other person was.

Cheong-ra's acquaintances used to get angry when they called him the Moonlight Beauty Sword. When the nickname Moonlight Beauty Sword first appeared, the reaction was not like it was now. However, as the bandits and evil factions that Cheong-ra encountered kept teasing him with the nickname Moonlight Beauty Sword, they now found it unpleasant even if the nickname was just mentioned.

'Actually, I don't get that angry...'

In fact, Cheong-ra himself was not very displeased when he was teased about his appearance, whether it was being called the Moonlight Beauty Sword or a beauty. He considered his appearance very important, and as much as he valued it, he generally welcomed words that praised his looks as beautiful. Even when they said he had a pretty face or earned his nickname by using his looks to charm others, the conclusion was that he was handsome anyway.

However, since the people he cherished got angry, Cheong-ra couldn't show that he liked it. They also believed without a doubt that Cheong-ra found such words unpleasant. As a result, the days of living with a different inside and outside only increased.

"Did you perhaps learn the art of seduction or the art of beauty? Were you really born with that face?"

After Dang Ran-yeong's rude question, the cup came back in front of Cheong-ra.

In fact, Cheong-ra not only valued his own beauty but also the appearance of others. He didn't choose his acquaintances based on their looks, as the rumor secretly spread in Moon Lake Sect. However, it was true that he chose his enemies based on their appearance. In that regard, Dang Ran-yeong's appearance was quite a face that Cheong-ra wanted to deal with.

No, not quite, but more than that...