Chapter 579: PAID

After the Divine Dragon left, we wrapped up some casual conversation, and when I returned, Paejon was already inside the inn. A pile of food was spread out across the table.

“What’s all this?”

“Isn’t it obvious?”

Of course, I knew.

That was exactly the problem.

“Why did you order so much food?”

“Some of it’s to take with us. Aren’t you curious?”

“Curious about what?”

“Monk’s dumplings. Aren’t you intrigued?”

“...”

I paused for a moment at his words.

‘So he noticed.’

This old man—he’d figured it out.

The guy eating dumplings at the inn earlier was none other than Shaolin’s Divine Dragon.

Well, if I recognized it, there was no way Paejon wouldn’t.

I sat down with a faint grimace, dragging a chair closer. Picking up one of the dumplings from the table, I asked,

“Can I eat this?”

“You’ve already touched it with your dirty hands. Why ask now?”

“Dirty? I always wash my hands thoroughly.”

“You’d better. What would you do if you didn’t?”

“...”

What is this infuriating conversation?

I wrinkled my nose and took a bite of the dumpling. As expected, it was still delicious.

It was the same flavor I’d asked Moyong Hee-ah to bring over.

Rich and flavorful.

The aroma was delightful, the taste even better.

If nothing else, I’d be genuinely annoyed if this place ever disappeared.

After stuffing the remaining dumpling into my mouth, I asked Paejon,

“So, what happened?”

Paejon crossed his arms and leaned back in his chair.

“What do you mean?”

“That earlier incident. What happened afterward?”

I was asking about what transpired after the Divine Dragon knocked out that man—whatever his name was.

“What else would’ve happened? The people from the alliance came and took him away.”

As expected, nothing unusual had occurred. Moreover…

‘The alliance took him.’

If the alliance hauled away a drunk first-class martial artist causing trouble, he wouldn’t come back in a good state.

At best…

‘I won’t be seeing him around here for a while.’

Good. Watching him wreak havoc in the inn had been…

‘I was tempted to deal with him myself.’

But now it seemed I wouldn’t need to dirty my hands.

On that note, should I grab another dumpling?

Just as I reached out, Paejon broke the silence.

“Did the talk go well?”

His question instantly killed my appetite.

“Yes, it went fine.”

“You didn’t beat the kid up, did you?”

“…?”