Chapter 97: Sword Emperor Tian Wuchen (1)
"Who are you?" Nangong Chen questioned with a sharp gaze.
"I'm Si-Hun's hyung," Oh Kang-Woo answered calmly.
"Kim Si-Hun's older brother…? Are you Kim Yeong-Hun? But I heard that he is in prison."
"In this world, there are bonds that are thicker than blood."
"…?" Chen looked at Kang-Woo in confusion.
"Have you heard of sworn brothers?" Kang-Woo asked.
"Oh, that was what you meant," Nangong Chen said, snorting while nodding. "We have no interest in you. The Sword Emperor only wants the Sword Dragon. Move."
"I'm not interested in who he is either."
"...Do not run your mouth," Nangong Chen chided. Then he turned to face Kim Si-Hun. "Follow obediently if you do not want to see this man get hurt, Sword Dragon."
"I should be the one telling you not to run your mouth at hyung-nim," Si-Hun replied.
Si-Hun, who had been intimidated by the mention of the Sword Emperor, stepped forward at this moment. He exuded a strong bloodlust as he placed his hand on his sword's handle.
Of course, he was still afraid of Sword Emperor Tian Wuchen. Wuchen was the strongest Player in China and the boss of China's largest force. Even China's president was careful not to cross him, so Si-Hun thought it was understandable for Nangong Chen, an executive of the Heavenly Sword Clan, to talk down to him.
Nevertheless, Si-Hun wouldn't let Nangong Chen disrespect Kang-Woo like that. After all, Kang-Woo had saved Si-Hun from his hellish life. Si-Hun wasn't a coward who would remain silent while seeing his benefactor get insulted.
"Oh? You dare unsheathe your sword?" Nangong Chen remarked with narrowed eyes. "You seem to be on a high horse after people praised you as the Sword Dragon.”
Nangong Chen thought that he should use a more aggressive strategy.
'The Sword Emperor told me to bring him as politely as possible, but...'
What was the point of being courteous to this brat? Rather, Nangong Chen thought it would be better to teach Si-Hun a lesson before he even had the chance to disrespect the Sword Emperor.
Nangong Chen reached for the handle of the sword on his waist, but someone put his hand on it before him.
"Don't unsheathe it," Kang-Woo said.
"Wh-What the..." Nangong Chen uttered in surprise.
“You die if you unsheathe that, man."
Kang-Woo had placed his hand on Nangong Chen's sword without him realizing it.
Nangong Chen was horrified. He was a warrior-type player with the Qi unique stat. This meant his senses were far sharper than other warrior players. Yet, Nangong Chen had no idea that Kang-Woo had placed his hand on his sword until Kang-Woo spoke.
"Kuh!" Nangong Chen groaned and stepped backward. He looked at Kang-Woo in bewilderment and caution. "How…?"
The thought that he might have been careless crossed Nangong Chen's mind.
"Oh, just so you know, it wasn't because you let your guard down or weren't focused enough. It's just because you're weak," Kang-Woo remarked.
"…"
"So, don't say anything stupid like you were careless."
A thick vein protruded on Nangong Chen's forehead. He unsheathed his sword without hesitation.
"How dare an uncivilized Korean—!"
Crack!
"AARRGGHH!" Nangong Chen screamed.
Kang-Woo had approached Nangong Chen and twisted his hand before he could finish his sentence. The sword that Nangong Chen was holding dropped onto the ground.
"Enough of that damn nationalism. Don't you get sick of it?" Kang-Woo asked, looking at Nangong Chen pitifully. "Is the country you're from so important? Then pay more taxes, dude. People like you who don't have shit always become patriotic while in another country."
"Y-You son of a—"
"And logically speaking, do you seriously think calling someone 'uncivilized' in their own country helps your country's image in any way? Huh? If you really love your country so much, you shouldn't do that, man."
"Raaaahhhh!"
Nangong Chen charged at Kang-Woo. Nevertheless, Kang-Woo pivoted slightly and raised his knee, driving it into Nangong Chen's stomach. Nangong Chen grabbed his stomach and fell to the ground in pain.
He groaned, "Kurgh! Cough! How dare you!"
Schwing!
The men behind Nangong Chen unsheathed their swords.
Kang-Woo said quietly, "I told you not to unsheath them."
He burst out with a powerful bloodlust, and the men's faces turned pale.
"Urgh..." they uttered anxiously.
Kang-Woo's bloodlust was abnormal. The men felt like they would be devoured rather than killed. Specifically, they felt like frogs in front of a massive predator.
"None of you are dumb, so you know that you're no match for me, right?" Kang-Woo said.
"Kuh..." the men groaned.
They were well aware that they would be no match for Kang-Woo, who had defeated Nangong Chen, the captain of the third squadron without even giving him the chance to use his weapon.
Nangong Chen, who was on the ground, coughed, still acting superior.
"Cough! Cough! H-How dare a K-Korean—"
"Man, this moron still hasn't learned his lesson," Kang-Woo remarked. He grabbed Nangong Chen by the back of his neck and lifted him up. "The standards of a nation are decided by its people. You're the only one who loses out from getting so red-hot with anger."
"…"
"Oh, maybe that was too hard for you to understand. Well, whatever. I guess I'll take this chance to show you what you should be doing for your country."
"Wh-What are you trying to do?!"
"Just come with me and you'll see."
Kang-Woo dragged Nangong Chen somewhere, and Si-Hun followed him.
"Where are you going, hyung-nim?" Si-Hun asked.
"Si-Hun, is there a restaurant around here that serves good kimchi stew?" Kang-Woo answered with a question.
"...Pardon?"
Si-Hun's eyes widened in confusion. Why was Kang-Woo suddenly looking for a restaurant that served good kimchi stew?
Regardless, Si-Hun replied, "There's one around the corner of that alleyway..."
"Good."
Kang-Woo smiled in satisfaction and dragged Nangong Chen there.
He turned around and called out to the other men who were standing in place dumbfoundedly, "Hey! You guys come too!"
"…"
The men looked at each other and then followed Kang-Woo.
Upon entering the restaurant, Kang-Woo said, "Aunty, seven portions of kimchi stew with extra meat, please."
"Sigh~ You got it, young man. But... is that gentleman hurt?" the middle-aged lady in the restaurant asked.
"No, he's just making a fuss over nothing. Right?"
Kang-Woo patted Nangong Chen's back. Nangong Chen flinched.
"It'll be ready soon~" the warm-hearted lady said.
She went into the kitchen and came back out soon after with piping hot kimchi stew.
"Wh-What is this?" Nangong Chen asked.
"Kimchi stew. Try it. It'll blow your mind," Kang-Woo replied.
He patted Nangong Chen's trembling back.
Nangong Chen frowned and questioned, "Making us eat hodgepodge like this is what we should be doing for our country?"
"Hodge… podge...?"
Kang-Woo's eyes widened in anger, and a strong bloodlust came out of him.
Kang-Woo grabbed Nangong Chen's shoulder and used the Authority of Fear. Nangong Chen felt like his shoulder was getting squashed by a hydraulic press.
"G-Gaahh!"
"It's not hodgepodge; it's kimchi stew. Now, the meat is ready. Try it."
"Kurgh..."
After glancing at Si-Hun, Nangong Chen began eating the kimchi stew.
'Hmm…?'?he murmured inwardly in surprise.
Nangong Chen found the stew delicious. The kimchi he'd tried before had a strong, sour taste that made him frown, but now that he was eating it in a stew, that sourness had been replaced by a sweet taste.
He ripped apart the kimchi, placed it on top of a spoonful of rice and a slice of meat, and ate the spoonful of food. A sweet, spicy, and savory taste spread inside his mouth.
'To think that there was food like this in Korea…?'
Nangong Chen was an executive of the Heavenly Sword Clan. Everything he ate was normally prepared by top-class chefs. Compared to his usual meals, this kimchi stew tasted like cheap instant food.
'But my hands aren't stopping.'
He quickly devoured an entire bowl of rice.
It wasn't just him; his four subordinates were also eating the kimchi stew.
"Aunty~ Three more portions, please! And a bowl of rice for each!" Kang-Woo called out.
"You got it, young man~ Sigh, you're all eating so well!"
Kang-Woo smiled in satisfaction and looked at Nangong Chen.
He asked, "What do you think? It's delicious, right?"
"...Ahem," Nangong Chen uttered awkwardly.
"Hehe. I guess it is. Feel free to eat as much as you want," Kang-Woo said. He also had a spoonful of kimchi stew while humming happily. "To be honest with you, I'm not a very patriotic guy. But you have to admit the kimchi stew is great, right?"
"I-It isn't that great."
"What are you talking about? You already finished two bowls. Anyway, you understand now, right? What you should be doing for your country is teaching others about its fantastic cultures, not calling them uncivilized or inferior."
"…"
Kang-Woo then focused on eating his kimchi stew.
After eating an amount that shocked the other customers, Kang-Woo stood up.
"Let's go, Si-Hun," he said.
"O-Okay..." Si-Hun replied.
"Pay for the meal and go back to China. Tell that Sword Emperor or whatever his name is to come himself if he wants to meet Si-Hun," Kang-Woo told Nangong Chen.
After that, Kang-Woo and Si-Hun walked out of the restaurant, leaving Nangong Chen and his men behind.
Nangong Chen was dumbfounded.
'You want me to pay for everything you ate?'
He experienced the warmth of Koreans.
* * *
"So... you came back after happily eating that kimchi stew or whatever?"
In a giant room, a scrawny man was sitting in a chair that felt more majestic than luxurious. He was so thin that it seemed like he would break if struck, but he exuded an energy so great that it overwhelmed those around him. This was the Sword Emperor Tian Wuchen, the Player who could be said to be the ruler of China.
"I-I apologize, sir!" Nangong Chen replied.
Kneeling before Wuchen, Nangong Chen trembled with an expression full of fear. A suffocating air of anxiety stormed inside the room.
"Ha... haha." Laughter emerged from Wuchen's mouth. "Hahahahahahaha!!"
Rumble!
Wuchen's laugh shook the entire room.
"Good! Interesting! I like him!" Wuchen exclaimed while laughing. "But..."
The atmosphere suddenly changed.
Wuchen glared at Nangong Chen with sharp eyes and said, "I believe I told you to be courteous and polite."
"U-Uhmm..."
"What? Did you want to go on that power trip of yours again? Were you trying to run the name of Heavenly Sword Clan through the mud?"
"A-Absolutely not!"
"Lies."
Wuchen used his Qi to pull Nangong Chen over to him.
He grabbed Nangong Chen's neck aggressively and said quietly, "I sent you because you know a bit of Korean, but it seems you acted all high and mighty without realizing how big the world is."
"Cough! I-I apolog—"
"You're banished. Those who do not have the qualities of a martial artist are unneeded in the Heavenly Sword Clan."
"N-No!"
Wuchen lightly waved his hands, and Nangong Chen was sent flying toward a wall.
"Hehehe. So, he wants me to go in person...?"
Wuchen stood up.
This was the first time something like that had happened since he became a World Ranker.
"Since he wants me to go, I'll have to go."
"You're going to Korea, Father?" a voice as beautiful as rolling jade beads rang out.
Wuchen turned toward the source of the voice.
A young woman whose hair was tied up in the Chinese hairstyle often called twin buns approached him. With a slender figure, thick eyebrows, a sharp nose, and red lips, she was a very attractive woman. She was Tian Suyan, Sword Emperor Tian Wuchen's daughter and one of the strongest martial artists in the Heavenly Sword Clan.
"Why? Do you want to see how handsome the Sword Dragon is?"
"Hohoho. What are you talking about, Father?" Suyan asked. She sat down on the armrest of the chair and crossed her smooth legs. "I'm not interested in anyone who isn't stronger than you."
"Ngh," Wuchen groaned, seemingly troubled by that.
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