Grandpa Has Tried Everything. (2)

The room they were shown was piled with luxurious, costly dishes.

Yu Jinsan couldn’t help being impressed as he ate.

“I guess making money makes one spend differently after all.”

It struck him clearly: this was not the Black Night Clan he remembered.

He wondered how far their thriving enterprise had come.

No doubt, no force in the underworld could keep up with them now.

At this rare feast, Yu Seol’s spirits seemed ready to soar.

“Heehee. Grandpa, have you ever tried one of these?”

His granddaughter held a lobster bigger than his face. Its bright red antennae looked imposing, and the plump meat gleamed with freshness.

“It’s a sea lobster. It must be a very expensive ingredient here.”

“The sea? What does the sea look like?”

Yu Seol had seen rivers a few times in her life but had never seen the sea. That was natural—Shaanxi, where she was born and raised, sits deep inland.

For ordinary people, seeing the sea would mean months of travel, so most never saw it in their lifetimes.

Yu Jinsan was one of them.

“The sea… it’s the place beyond the sandy shore where a cool breeze blows and waves roll on endlessly.”

“Wow—Grandpa, have you been there?”

A grandfather wants to be the best at everything for his granddaughter. Yu Jinsan nodded without hesitation and described what he’d heard as best he could.

“Of course! There’s nowhere your Grandpa hasn’t been. Watching the sun set beyond the horizon is unbelievably beautiful.”

“I’m jealous. I want to see it too.”

“I’ll show you someday. For now, taste the flavor of the sea.”

“Okay. Promise. You must show me.”

Yu Jinsan wanted to see the sea someday too; he simply had never had the chance.

“All right. Grandpa promises.”

Flushed with excitement, Yu Seol peeled the shell off the prepared lobster and the plump meat shone invitingly.

In truth, Yu Jinsan had never eaten lobster. He licked his lips as his granddaughter stuffed a piece of the costly meat into her mouth.

“How does the sea taste? Is it good?”

With her mouth full, Yu Seol’s face glowed with pure happiness. Before she could even swallow, she nodded eagerly.

“Yum—savory and so delicious!”

She ate with such relish that Yu Jinsan almost reached to steal a bite, but on principle he couldn’t. He watched her with a contented smile.

“No rush, child. Eat slowly. Have some milk too.”

There was so much food that even sampling a little of everything would fill them quickly.

The grandfather and granddaughter lingered over the plentiful meal.

Afterward, Yu Seol patted her tadpole-like belly and said, “That was delicious. I wish we could eat like this every day.”

“If you eat like that all the time you’ll be a pig, not a person. And do you know how much all this costs?”

“I don’t know. Anyway, we need to make a lot of money so we can eat to our heart’s content.”

Yu Jinsan chuckled and picked up the bell on the table.

“He’s not wrong. Everything in the world revolves around making a living.”

Ding—!

When the bell rang, the server who had been waiting at the door stepped inside.

“Is there anything else you need?”

“No. I was just letting you know the meal is finished.”

Yu Jinsan studied him carefully. Typical waiters were chatty and practiced in pleasing guests, but this man carried himself with such dignity it was hard to believe he was merely a server.

“How was the meal?”

“The kitchen’s skill was fine. Everything was to my liking.”

“I’m glad it was. Shall I bring you some tea?”

“Thank you. And now, could you call the boss for me?”

The moment he said “boss,” the server’s expression flickered. It was very brief, but Yu Jinsan did not miss it.

He understood what it meant: this place was definitely run by the Black Night Clan.

An inn of that scale attested to considerable wealth.

The server bowed once and then disappeared.

After a moment the person they had been waiting for finally appeared.

Eun Hwa-rin entered wearing a silk dress embroidered with lotus petals. Yu Seol’s eyes widened at the bright fabric.

“Wow~ Unnie, your dress is so pretty!”

“If you like it, shall I gift you one?”

Yu Seol touched the fabric and beamed.

“Really? It’s so soft—so silky~”

Yu Jinsan waved a hand. “No need for that. It wouldn’t suit her.”

It was the kind of tight-fitting clothing meant for full-grown adults; it still felt a bit early to dress his granddaughter in such attire.

Misunderstanding her grandfather’s intention, Yu Seol sulked.

“Tch. Grandpa, that’s mean.”

Eun Hwa-rin smiled and sat opposite Yu Jinsan.

“Why would you think that? Your granddaughter is pretty; she’d look good in anything she wears.”

“Well, that’s true. She took after me—so she inherited good looks.”

“Absolutely. Not only in martial arts but in beauty, no one could match her.”

Yu Seol brightened at their flattery but, pretending to hide her smile, turned and sat with her back to them. Yu Jinsan could tell her mood just by the tilt of her head and stifled a laugh.

“Thanks to you, we had a splendid meal after a long time. I don’t know if we should be indebted like this.”

“Don’t mention indebtedness. If we treated you poorly, the Clan leader would be displeased, wouldn’t he?”

Suddenly he wondered how Pung-ho, now at Kaifeng’s main office, was faring. But there were things he needed to confirm first.

“I’m glad you think so. By the way, have you confirmed the information I requested?”

Instead of answering, Eun Hwa-rin clapped her hands twice. Her bodyguard, who had waited at the door, entered.

The guard wore her bamboo hat low; Yu Jinsan had seen her several times before. She handed a long bundle to Eun Hwa-rin.

“Here it is.”

“Thank you. Wait outside just a moment.”

The guard bowed and stepped back outside.

Eun Hwa-rin unrolled the bundle to reveal a map of the Central Plains. Yu Jinsan pushed the dishes aside to make room.

“It may not be as detailed as the government troops’ maps, but it should be sufficient to understand,” she said as she spread it out.

“Why bother preparing something like this? You could have just told me the names to look for.”

“I couldn’t let you make unnecessary trips, sir. Now I’ll explain from here.”

“Thank you. I’m looking forward to it.”

It was the moment the next destination was decided.

Yu Seol, who had been sitting with her back turned, pricked up her ears and peered at the map.

With the grandparent and grandchild’s gaze focused, Eun Hwa-rin began to explain, pointing at the map.

“From Shaanxi to Sichuan, everyone concedes the Yin Monster’s martial prowess is supreme. Even in Henan, where Shaolin stands, that’s the unspoken consensus. In short, you don’t need to worry about the central and western regions of the Central Plains.”

These were the regions where the Yin Yang Twin Monster had mainly operated until now; they had defeated countless masters there over time, so dominance was natural.

“Hmm. Continue.”

“Now let’s move to the southern regions. First, the murim worlds of Yunnan, Guizhou, and Guangxi are in turmoil. Various powers are balanced there.”

“So it’s like a Warring States period by comparison?”

“Exactly. No regional hegemon has emerged, so there’s no master comparable to the Yin Monster. Thus, these regions can be ignored.”

Yu Jinsan nodded in agreement. “We don’t need to bother with petty riffraff.”

“Yes. But the problem is right here.” Her finger pointed to the southernmost part of the map.

“Isn’t this place… an island?”

“Yes. It’s Sea Dragon Island.”

At that moment Yu Seol, who had been watching from the side, sprang up and approached. She seemed suddenly intrigued.

“…The sea?”

“That’s right. We’ll have to cross a sea route to get there.”

Yu Seol looked at her grandfather with pleading puppy eyes; she absolutely wanted to go.

Yu Jinsan nodded but signaled her to stay still.

“Don’t whine, just wait a moment. Shouldn’t you hear more first?”

Eun Hwa-rin smiled softly and continued.

“There is a fearsome master on Sea Dragon Island. Warriors around here regard him as the greatest master of all time.”

“Such an incredible figure, and I haven’t heard of him?”

“Perhaps because he’s at the remote edge of the south and never leaves the island.”

“Now that you mention it, that could be. Do you think he’s worth confronting?”

Eun Hwa-rin nodded without hesitation.

“Yes. Unless that man is defeated, one cannot speak of claiming the position of supreme martial artist.”

“Interesting. Tell me more about this person.”

After a brief pause she spoke quietly.

“The Water Battle King, Jeon Sa-ryong. He rules Sea Dragon Island like a king.”

“He rules like a king? Does that mean he has influence?”

“Yes. Decades ago he seized the island by force and rules there like an emperor.”

Yu Jinsan tilted his head in puzzlement.

“I can’t understand it. Are the government troops just watching this?”

“They’ve attempted punitive expeditions countless times but failed each time. It seems they’ve given up and decided to blockade the island instead.”

Could he really have created his own kingdom on the island? If even the government troops had given up, it was certainly no ordinary matter.

“What a monstrous fellow. Just how strong could he be?”

“No one knows his martial arts. No one has even withstood a single clash with him.”

A chill ran through them at the thought that he might be stronger than anyone they’d faced.

Still, there was no reason to be afraid. Yu Seol, born with heavenly talent, kept growing stronger; it was intriguing to see how far she would go.

“First we’ll have to face him directly. We’ll go to Sea Dragon Island.”

Those words essentially meant they were going to the sea. Yu Seol jumped up in excitement.

“Heehee. Really? I want to go to the sea quickly!”

“All right. But it’s the southernmost tip, so we’ll have to be diligent about getting there.”

Eun Hwa-rin offered a small pouch with a pleased smile.

“When you reach the docks the boatmen will demand a large sum—officially the sea routes are closed. So I’ve put some fare in here.”

“Why go to such trouble? There’s always a way if you look for it.”

She had already handed the pouch to Yu Seol.

“Thank you, sister.”

“Tell me if it’s not enough.”

Yu Seol reached out for more, but Yu Jinsan quickly intercepted.

“No need to be greedy. This should be enough.”

He hadn’t checked the contents, but it surely held a sufficient amount. Besides, asking for more might become a burden for the Black Night Clan.

“Understood. After this matter is finished, come to Jinryong Trading in Guangdong Province. In the meantime I’ll investigate the situation in the eastern martial world.”

It seemed they hadn’t gathered information on the eastern martial world yet, which was unsurprising given the distance from Sichuan.

“By the way, has the Black Night Clan already expanded into Guangdong?”

“The branch only opened recently. Now that things here have stabilized somewhat, I plan to go there soon.”

“I see. Seeing the Black Night Clan prosper like this makes me happy too.”

A faint smile appeared on Eun Hwa-rin’s face.

“Isn’t it all thanks to you two? I sincerely wish you good fortune.”