Descent of the Demon Master

Chapter 688. Exploring (3)

Chapter 688. Exploring (3)

Something big finally went down.

That was how Han Eun-Sol saw it. This event was bound to happen sooner or later, sure, but it finally happened today!

When he thought about it, it became clear that this whole thing was ripe for a big payoff.

Most historic moments in people's romantic relationships usually occurred in remote locations. If there was a woman they liked, the ancestors of the Korean peninsula didn't hesitate to charge straight to the final stop in a ship's journey with said woman in tow. They even accepted the action of women traveling with them as tacit agreements, didn't they!

Although Kang Jin-Ho and Choi Yeon-Ha hadn't set off on this proverbial journey together, traveling to another country to meet the other person was all the proof needed to announce that they wanted to be in a serious, committed relationship.

If other people had been in this situation, instead of Choi Yeon-Ha and Kang Jin-Ho, things wouldn't have dragged out for so long. That cake would've been finished baking in the oven and ready for consumption by now!

Unfortunately, those two happened to be complete and total amateurs bordering on 'legendary' status in all things romance-related. Even if South Korea was turned upside down to find someone as clueless as the duo, it'd ultimately be a fruitless time-wasting endeavor! They barely managed to take a baby step forward after the situation reached a boiling point... A point where people in the surroundings were ready to blow their tops in boiling frustration, that was!

Considering all that, what happened certainly qualified as a historic event, and Han Eun-Sol should feel greatly relieved by it. Except that...

There was a small problem. A trivial little thing, really.

Han Eun-Sol wanted to praise Choi Yeon-Ha. She did as her manager ordered by landing a straight fast ball in Kang Jin-Ho's gut. And it happened to be a heavy strike, too. After failing to deal with such a powerful throw, Kang Jin-Ho should be in a panicked state right about now.

To catch a batter off-guard, the pitcher needed to be clever with various breaking balls or even intentionally throw an unhittable pitch. However, sometimes the pitcher was required to throw a fast, straight ball right down the middle.[1]

The pitcher named Choi Yeon-Ha had admirably carried out all of her coach's instructions. Although it was somewhat unfortunate, that was the best Choi Yeon-Ha in her current state could do. At least, that was what Han Eun-Sol believed.

Too bad, it seemed Choi Yeon-Ha herself didn't share his sentiment!

“Uwaaaaaaah! That! Was! So! Embarrassing!”

After pitching what was arguably her best ball yet in her career that far exceeded her physical limit, Choi Yeon-Ha's shoulder joint blew out, and she began loudly complaining about it to her coach!

“Eun-Sol! Eun-Soooool!”

“...Noona, please stop calling my name as if you're looking for Doraemon.”

“Why! Why did I have to say those things like that?! Why!”

“...”

“I could've been more elegant, you know! More dignified! I know I could've! Done it! Better! If I knew this would happen, I should've borrowed from those scenes in my previous projects! If I had done that... If I had done that! I would've looked so cool and stuff, you know!”

“Noona, don't you know that's all fiction?”

Obviously, reality and TV shows couldn't be the same. Trying to recreate cool-looking scenes from dramas in reality ran the risk of turning both the speaker and the listener into mutants through all the goosebumps of embarrassment alone!

“Even then! It could've been cooler if I did that, you know! Aaaaahk!” Choi Yeon-Ha continued to yell and thrash about in her seat.

'This... This can't go on! If I don't do something real quick, this woman might...!'

It increasingly looked as if Han Eun-Sol had found a role that the one-and-only Choi Yeon-Ha couldn't handle. Her mind was clearly buckling under the stress overload!

“Noona, you gotta calm down first! It's not like Mister Jin-Ho said he doesn't want to, right?”

“He doesn't want to?!”

That was an unfortunate choice of words. Han Eun-Sol instantly realized his mistake. Only a flimsy little barrier had been preventing Choi Yeon-Ha's mind from breaking down into tiny little pieces until now, but her manager's words were like merciless hammer blows driving large nails deep into that barrier!

“Y-y-you're right! What if he says he doesn't want to? I, I never thought about that!”

“Noona, that won't...”

“What should I do if he says he doesn't wanna?! H-hey, Eun-Sol?! What should I do? And I won't get to see him for a while, too! It's... It's all your fault, Eun-Sol!”

'Holy cow! Is that how it's gonna come back to bite me in the ass?!'

This wasn't that infamous 'impossible' freekick taken by R. Carlos, so how could the arrow of blame fly in such a beautiful and artistic parabolic curve to smack Han Eun-Sol right in his butt?!

“Noona, how is that my fault?!”

“You told me to do this, didn't you! If only you hadn't egged me on, this wouldn't have happened!”

“Woooow. You truly are a scary person, noona. If this is your honest reaction to friendly advice, who would want to help you from now on?”

“W-what should I do now?” Choi Yeon-Ha cried out after her state went past rage and frustration to enter despair.

Han Eun-Sol could only shake his head in helplessness. “Noona, listen.”

“N-ng?”

“You should just calm down and focus on your work instead.”

“...”

“This is the case of man proposes, but God disposes, okay? You did your best, noona. And now, the heavens will... No, wait. Let me rephrase that. Leave the ball in Mister Jin-Ho's court and just relax.”

“H-how can I?”

“Don't worry about it, noona. I assure you that...” Han Eun-Sol smirked deeply. “The other side should be in a worse mental shape than you. We've already won this game, you know?”

Han Eun-Sol's boasting prompted Choi Yeon-Ha to open her eyes wider and stare at him. “What's the point of winning like that!”

“...”

“Are you a dummy, Eun-Sol? Is that it?”

“...”

Han Eun-Sol was given a rude reminder just then. And that was: advice shouldn't be given away so recklessly.

'Goddamn it...'

***

Zhang Dajing was also experiencing 'trivial' problems at the moment.

Misunderstanding things was completely and utterly forbidden for him.

Unlike Han Eun-Sol, Zhang Dajing was not even remotely interested in Kang Jin-Ho's love life.

He had zero thoughts of serving Kang Jin-Ho till the end of time, which was in complete contrast to Vator, who had no choice but to get involved in the extremely-crucial matter of deciding who the mistress of the house would be. As such, Choi Yeon-Ha's matters were problems of the distant future unrelated to him. At least, that was what Zhang Dajing firmly believed.

Whether Kang Jin-Ho was sitting there totally dazed or not, whether Vator was getting a good laugh out of this situation or not... None of it mattered to Zhang Dajing. His problem came from a different issue.

“Excuse me, Mister Jin-Ho...?” After agonizing over the problem for a good while, Zhang Dajing finally decided to address the boss of this trip head-on. “...Are we still going to drag those two along with us?”

“Indeed, that is a problem.”

When Zhang Dajing worked up his courage to ask, Vator responded instead. Then again, Zhang Dajing wasn't expecting to get a response from Kang Jin-Ho, anyway. After all, Kang Jin-Ho had been acting like he accidentally left his soul somewhere ever since their departure!

Zhang Dajing thought talking to Kang Jin-Ho now was no better than chatting with a wall. However, Vator still unhesitantly chose to engage Kang Jin-Ho in a Q & A session out of either loyalty or a belief that his master was still capable of holding conversations.

“Master, how long are you thinking of dragging those two around?”

Kang Jin-Ho dazedly looked back at Vator. “Those two?”

“Yes. I mean the ones left back in the van. The two Chinese martial artists.”

“Chinese martial artists?”

“Were their names Da Bao and Guo Liqin? Is there a reason for dragging them around like this?”

“Da Bao... And Guo Liqin...”

“Yes, those two. In my opinion, it's about time we dispose of them.”

“Dispose of them, is it...”

After listening to this riveting exchange, Zhang Dajing turned his head up and stared at the distant heavens above.

'What the hell is up with this conversation?!'

Had he been listening to a recording all along? Maybe it was a new app that recorded some parts of what you said to your phone and instantly replayed it for you?

Kang Jin-Ho soullessly responding to every question was a problem, yes, but the credit should go to Vator instead for not giving up and stubbornly continuing with his line of questioning. For his efforts alone, he deserved a bronze statue of himself as the symbol of undying loyalty erected somewhere!

That was a little strange when Zhang Dajing thought about it some more. Even if he had been brainwashed, Vator's fundamental nature shouldn't have changed too much. And the explanation of Vator not encountering anyone worthy of being his master until Kang Jin-Ho didn't make sense, either. After all, didn't he also taste defeat at the hands of the Crimson King? Even though Kang Jin-Ho was strong, comparing him to the mighty Crimson King was still unthinkable.

Without a shadow of a doubt, the Crimson King was powerful. Unless you were a part of the Three Kings ruling the vast land of China, you'd never truly comprehend how otherworldly their strength was.

You needed some kind of baseline, a yardstick, to measure something as intangible as 'strength'. However, the overall power of the Three Kings couldn't be estimated unless you were already a part of this exclusive clique. The reason? There was no adequate yardstick to measure their strength. That was it. Countless martial artists existed in China, but the Three Kings stood above them all. Their power was in another dimension altogether.

Of course, Kang Jin-Ho was strong. Zhang Dajing had no problem admitting that. As a matter of fact, Kang Jin-Ho was easily the strongest expert Zhang Dajing had personally witnessed until now. And, according to Vator, Kang Jin-Ho was getting exponentially stronger as they sat here, idly chatting away.

Even so, he could never touch a hair on the Crimson King. Never.

The Crimson King was not human. No, he was a god in human form.

China's martial artists were not only overflowing with... 'individualistic' personalities but also heavily armed with a mindset of backstabbing the people higher up the food chain for their personal gain. However, folks with such tendencies would still become loyal servants after encountering the Crimson King just once. How could they not swear their loyalty after witnessing the extreme and lofty peak of martial arts that they could never reach?

So, for Kang Jin-Ho to fight against the Crimson King? It was impossible. Utterly inconceivable, that was what this was!

At the very least, Kang Jin-Ho would need another twenty years of...

'...Eh?'

Zhang Dajing's expression hardened when his thoughts reached that far.

'Hold on...? Did I really think Kang Jin-Ho could rival the Crimson King after around twenty years of cultivation? This idiot can? Seriously?!'

Just one look at Kang Jin-Ho dazedly staring outside the diner with a slightly-slack jaw was enough to make Zhang Dajing want to smack himself in the head.

'Forget twenty years, not even two hundred years will be enough!'

Kang Jin-Ho could never rival the Crimson King. Never! Besides, even if he could... Now wasn't the time nor the place!

Vator grunted. “If you don't want to worry about it, why don't we finish our meal first?”

“...Yes, we should,” said Kang Jin-Ho.

When the two men relaxedly picked up their chopsticks without a care in the world, Zhang Dajing sneakily pounded away at his chest in sheer frustration.

'How! How can you be this relaxed?!'

Weren't they stuck in a situation where the Crimson King's faction could show up at any second? Sure, they had been playing it safe and hiding their identities to some degree, but weren't they still in China? In other words, inside the belly of the beast called the Crimson King's faction!

Worse still, Jiangnan was the Crimson King's backyard. If any members of the Crimson King's faction learned of Kang Jin-Ho's presence... It was obvious that the trio's lives would be forfeit. That was how precarious their situation was, so for them to nonchalantly stuff their faces with food was just...

'I can't tell whether they are seriously amazing or just indifferent...'

Of course, it was Zhang Dajing who tracked down this particular diner. Vator did say he was hungry and wanted to find somewhere to eat, but the one who faithfully carried that command out was none other than Zhang Dajing! So he had no excuses to defend himself with.

Even so, was he asking for too much when he wanted his group to be a bit more on edge while having their meal in the middle of the Crimson King's territory?

“Mm? Aren't you going to eat, Zhang Dajing?” Vator slightly tilted his head.

“...I will, sir,” Zhang Dajing listlessly picked up his chopsticks. 'I gotta eat something. That's the only way to maintain my stamina...'

Although Kang Jin-Ho hadn't decided where they would head off to next, It probably didn't matter, anyway. Their current goal was to leave Sichuan, after all. Heading to Jiangbei from here should take at least one day of nonstop driving. That was only because Zhang Dajing was also a martial artist, allowing him to minimize the time spent during rest breaks to an absolute minimum.

A normal non-martial artist trying to drive all the way to Beijing from here would need at least twenty hours spent purely on the road.

In that case, Zhang Dajing figured he should fill his tummy with some good food before leaving.

“By the way, master? Is it okay to leave behind that punk, Liu Wei or whatever his name was, like that?”

Kang Jin-Ho shrugged his shoulders. “It's fine. He can't escape from my control, anyway.”

Vator smirked strangely. “You seem to know many bizarre techniques, master. Considering your personality, I thought you wouldn't care much about such evil sorcery.”

“They were necessary.”

“Mm. You have a point,” Vator grunted before suddenly putting his chopsticks down.

“I've lost my appetite,” Kang Jin-Ho muttered while also putting his chopsticks down.

'Eh?'

Zhang Dajing stopped hoovering up the food like a starving beast and raised his head. And then...

“...Huh?”

He finally noticed there was no one inside the diner beside his group. Not even the waiter who took their order earlier nor the other groups of patrons minding their own business in the various corners of the diner... It seemed everyone had left the place while he wasn't looking.

But, why?

“Hmm...” Vator cocked his head side to side. “I figured they'd show up eventually, but this is sooner than I thought. To think they'd be here before we left Sichuan...”

Kang Jin-Ho shrugged his shoulders. “They were already heading this way, after all.”

“Does that mean they knew we had their men but still waited until we reached this part of the province? It seems these Chinese martial artists have grown a lot more cunning than when I was still active in this part of the world. They didn't care about stuff like that before, you see?”

Kang Jin-Ho slowly got up as a smile crept up on his face. As he scanned the area, he muttered to no one in particular. “At least I can cut loose now, thanks to their consideration.”

“I agree with that.”

Zhang Dajing, still confused by what happened, tried to say something. However, he was rudely interrupted when the diner's entrance was thrown wide open, and a group of people wielding various deadly tools of murder flooded inside. Even a blind could see they were martial artists.

Zhang Dajing smirked while getting up. They said that a day-old puppy wouldn't fear a tiger. Unless the Crimson King personally came here, or the top-ranking officials from his faction showed up, these men had zero chance of handling Kang Jin-Ho's group. Even if there were thousands, nay, tens of thousands of them here, that story wouldn't change!

So, at least in this situation, Zhang Dajing should teach them their might and dignity befitting of...

“Zhang Dajing?” Vator quietly called out.

“...Yes, sir?”

“Go under the table and stay there. You might get hurt if you don't.”

“...”

Without saying anything else, Zhang Dajing obediently hid under the table before shielding his head.

For some reason, he felt a little sad just then.

1. These are all baseball-related terms, by the way. ?