Chapter 636. Reunion (1)

Vator and Zhang Dajing appeared behind Kang Jin-Ho next. And behind them was the flight attendant deeply bowing her head... while making a relieved-as-hell expression!

“I wish you a safe journey, sirs.”

“Oh. Thank you for your help,” said Kang Jin-Ho while bidding goodbye to the flight attendant. That prompted Vator and Zhang Dajing to hurriedly turn around and bow back to her.

Immediately after raising his head and turning around to leave, though... Vator began complaining. “Master, you can be excessively polite at times. Considering your status, you should think about being more casual with people.”

Kang Jin-Ho slightly shook his head. “She isn't one of my people, so I can't do that.”

“Doesn't matter. Everyone will soon become yours, anyway.”

Kang Jin-Ho couldn't help but grin wryly at that declaration. He wasn't planning to go that far, after all.

Vator still remained a curious mystery. Sometimes, he came across as shockingly modern in his way of thinking, which was the polar opposite of Kang Jin-Ho, someone still stumbling over the ways of the modern era. But at other times, the big man seemed to be still stuck in the old ways of doing things.

'Others are probably the same as him...'

Maybe the modern-era martial artists didn't have much of a choice but to live a life of duality. After all, they needed to maintain the life of a martial artist but also had to adapt to the modern way of living at the same time. Whether their duality was massive or negligible... Everyone was forced to be like that.

“Mister Kang Jin-Ho?” A man in a black business suit waiting for Kang Jin-Ho's group below the stairs spoke up. “My name is Jo Yong-Hwan from Jaegyeong's Sichuan branch. Welcome. I heard the branch director came to show you around in the past.”

When the man introducing himself as Jo Yong-Hwan bowed his waist ninety degrees, Kang Jin-Ho followed suit and bowed his head. The initial posting of this chapter occurred via N0v3l.B1(j)n.

“Please follow me, everyone.”

“Thank you.”

Jo Yong-Hwan guided the trio to a parking lot where a large black van was waiting for their arrival. He looked behind him and tried to explain why. “We heard there was a large person in your group, so this particular vehicle was prepared for, uh...”

Vator confidently nodded away. “Indeed. Most cars are too small for me.”

Jo Yong-Hwan clamped his mouth shut after confirming Vator's size.

'Is he... even human?'

There was a time when MMA fighters over two meters tall were all the rage. Jo Yong-Hwan had several opportunities to stand close enough to these behemoths of human beings, and... Compared to Vator, even those folks would've come across as little kids!

'At least in height, this man is probably similar to a basketball player...'

However, the extreme difference came from the shoulder width and overall bulk. Jo Yong-Hwan worriedly scratched his cheek while voicing a very pragmatic opinion. “I'm not totally sure if the van's seats will fit you, sir.”

“It's fine. I'm already used to riding in cramped things, anyway.”

That sounded logical. To be fair, practically everything must be cramped and tiny to Vator unless it had been manufactured specifically for his use.

Suddenly, Zhang Dajing's eyes opened wider. “Wait. Now that I think about it, Sir Vator?”

“Mm?” Vator glanced back at him.

Zhang Dajing hurriedly asked to resolve a question burning a hole in his head. “Do you have a residence here in China?”

“Yes, I do.”

“And all the furniture in that house were manufactured to suit your size?”

“Of course. I had them custom-made. Even the house itself is a custom job.”

“...I see.” Zhang Dajing nodded, his expression growing a little more excited. 'I want to see what that's like!'

Vator's home must be like a giant's castle. Wouldn't it be like inside a fairy tale that actually existed in reality? Although Zhang Dajing had zero desire to live in a place like that, visiting it at least once in his lifetime might be fun.

“Is it close by, sir?”

“Unfortunately, no. It's somewhere far from here. I'm not a fan of such humid and hot places, you see. So, I built my home somewhere up north.”

“Well, that is unfortunate...” Zhang Dajing ruefully smacked his lips.

“Oh? So you had everything custom-made?” Kang Jin-Ho suddenly butted in during the two men's conversation, something he rarely ever did.

“Yes, my master. To match my size.”

“Hmm...” Kang Jin-Ho contemplatively nodded.

Vator tilted his head. Conversations usually shouldn't end there, though? “Mm? Were you curious about something, master?”

“No, not really...”

“You should speak what is on your mind, master. It's not good for a person to show interest only to back off at the last minute.”

“Hmm...” Kang Jin-Ho frowned slightly as if he was debating whether or not to reveal his train of thought. “Well, it's kind of embarrassing to say this, but... I thought a toilet bowl matching your size must be large enough for most people to swim in.”

“...”

“...”

Zhang Dajing and Vator wordlessly stared at each other, then tore their gazes away to stare at Kang Jin-Ho next.

Vator's lips twitched as he finally said something. “Do you... wish to try it?”

“...No, I'll have to decline,” said Kang Jin-Ho.

Then, all three men climbed aboard the waiting van, their expressions best described as unreadable. And awkward, too.

“Mm... This is acceptable,” said Vator.

Jo Yong-Hwan had been inwardly worried about bringing the wrong car and even considered hiring a small bus, but Vator had no problem safely entering the van. It was as if he wanted to be considerate toward his host's feelings. Although the big man's head scraped against the ceiling, it was still a huge relief to see him fit inside the vehicle with no other issues.

Once the three men were safely aboard, Jo Yong-Hwan entered the driver's seat and carefully drove the van.

As the car slowly accelerated away, Vator cocked an eyebrow and raised his voice. “Did you say your name is Jo Yong-Hwan?”

“Yes, sir. Oh, I didn't know you were Chinese.”

“No. I'm a Mongolian.”

“Oh...”

“Are we exiting the airport without clearing customs or immigration?”

“Yes, sir. We'll be driving out the back.”

“Mm? Is that even possible?”

Jo Yong-Hwan broke into a sly smile. “As you're not from around here, allow me to be frank about this situation. Nothing is out of bounds in China as long as you have a deep-enough pocket, sir. It's not the case of some things being off-limits, but you not having enough money to make it happen, you see? Smuggling three people into China is a cakewalk.”

That didn't sound so far-fetched. Even so, they weren't entering through the coast here. Brazenly entering through a busy airport like they have done must be practically unheard of.

“Besides, you are not being smuggled in, anyway. Your identities have been 'prepared' in advance already. And the airport will soon have records of you three gentlemen clearing customs and immigration. By the way, you did bring your identity documents from South Korea, yes?”

“I did,” said Kang Jin-Ho while taking out his identity document from his pocket.

“Thank you. The thing is, various inconveniences will hinder you if you enter a country illegally. You should use those IDs while you're in the country.”

While listening to Jo Yong-Hwan, an unreadable smirk floated up on Vator's face. “Anything can be done with enough money, is it... Indeed, how convenient things have become. To think such a thing could be possible, too.”

The van eventually stopped at the vehicle checkpoint. Jo Yong-Hwan wound the window down, then quietly whispered something to the security personnel before sneakily handing out a sealed envelope. The security guards glanced behind them, then allowed the van through.

Vator voiced his honest impression of this scene. “How corrupt...”

Jo Yong-Hwan shrugged his shoulders. “I'm not Chinese, but... I should still defend this situation. This kind of scene happens all over the globe, sir. If you think certain countries don't do this, then... All I can say is that it's happening in a much sneakier way.”

“Hmm? Are you trying to say people will act the same regardless of where they live?”

“Yes. Although, the degree of corruption will differ from place to place.”

Vator wordlessly nodded. Even someone like him had no idea such a thing was possible in China. Experiencing it first-hand helped him with broadening his horizons a bit more. After all, there was a stark difference between imagining something and experiencing it, now wasn't there?

Jo Yong-Hwan glanced at Kang Jin-Ho. “Should I drive you to the hotel?”

“Yes, please.”

“But the hotel in question is located surprisingly far away from the populated areas, sir. Is there a reason to go so far off the beaten path? If you're on a business trip or simply wish to enjoy the sights and sounds of this country, how about finding another hotel?”

“No, it's fine. Take us to our hotel, please.”

“Of course, sir.” Jo Yong-Hwan stopped thinking about this matter right there. He had already been briefed by the HQ back in Korea that this trio of people were well above his pay grade in terms of sheer importance. So, he should not be curious about why they were here nor try to dig in any deeper than he already had.

“In that case, we will need a bit more time to get to our destination, sir. China is a large country, you see? One province can be as large as Korea, so getting to our hotel will take around two to three hours of driving. How about getting some rest in the meantime?”

“I will do that, then,” Kang Jin-Ho briefly nodded.

That was when Vator suddenly smirked suspiciously. “Master.”

“...Mm?” Kang Jin-Ho cocked an eyebrow and glanced at the big man.

“In Korea, there's a saying about one's actions matching their words. Correct?”

“What are you trying to say?”

“You say you have a different business in China, yet you've immediately changed your mind as soon as we landed. I just thought this was quite amusing.”

“...I simply wanted to deal with this matter first since it's nearby, okay?”

“Don't worry, I trust you deeply, master. Very deeply.”

“Urgh...” Kang Jin-Ho helplessly rubbed his face. 'Should I strengthen my control over him?'

It wasn't as if the soul enslavement technique had come undone. Even so, Vator's attitude toward Kang Jin-Ho was somewhat strange. Maybe Vator's extraordinarily-strong ego was to blame here, because despite acknowledging Kang Jin-Ho as his master, something about his attitude seemed... a bit too casual?

Compared to those under the soul enslavement technique back in Zhongyuan, Vator was acting like a free man. There could be various reasons for this, such as... Kang Jin-Ho's expertise in this technique was rather poor, while Vator happened to be extremely strong.

If Kang Jin-Ho was being honest with himself here, someone on the level of Vator was probably the absolute limit for a soul he could suppress with his current abilities. If Vator had been just a little stronger back then, Kang Jin-Ho would never have been able to suppress and use the big man as his underling like this.

Vator chuckled loudly. “It doesn't matter to me either way. I'd like to enjoy what China has to offer since I haven't been here in a while.”

“I don't think that's what a Mongol should say.”

“Well, I've spent most of my adulthood in China, master. Yes, my soul is still in Mongolia, but my body is in China. It's not strange to call China my second motherland."

“Hmm...”

“Besides, master? Despite what you're saying, I can spy a hint of reminiscence in your expression. Were you living in China as well?”

“Yes. In my past life, that was.”

“Fufufu, I see, I see. That makes sense, considering you were a demonic cultivator. So, how is it? To be able to visit China after thousands of years?”

“First of all,” Kang Jin-Ho groaned softly. “It hasn't been thousands of years. Also, I've been here not too long ago. So, I figured I wouldn't feel anything special this time, but...” Kang Jin-Ho stopped talking there and glanced at the moving scenery outside the van. '...For sure, it feels rather weird.'

While living in Zhongyuan, Kang Jin-Ho was tormented by a powerful homesickness. Such was the depths of his longing that... Had he stopped reminiscing about his past and focused solely on improving his cultivation, Kang Jin-Ho knew he could've reached even loftier heights back then.

But now that he was living in Korea, Kang Jin-Ho couldn't help but sense this vague homesickness for China. Vator must be feeling something similar, too.

Kang Jin-Ho shook his head. “Even so, it's not like I'm glad to be here. Or that I'm having fun. Zhongyuan back then and current China are as different as Korea and China, after all.”

“Well, it was a long time ago, so it's not that surprising,” said Vator, a wide smirk etched on his face. “Still, you only need to revel in your emotions. That is all. What's important is that you don't forget your original purpose for coming here.”

“Indeed.” Kang Jin-Ho quietly muttered while sinking deeper into his seat. He silently watched the scenery speedily pass him by. He might have said he didn't feel anything special, but that wasn't strictly true.

'It feels like a restriction or something else has come undone...'

Kang Jin-Ho also felt the same way the last time he was here. It was as if coming to China had liberated him. In Korea, he desperately needed to maintain the life he had built, but in this place? Kang Jin-Ho didn't need to worry about any of that and could act as he pleased.

The corners of Kang Jin-Ho's lips slowly curled upward as the unexplainable sense of liberation filled him up.

Meanwhile...

'Could they be... nutjobs?'

Jo Yon-Hwan was silently depressing the accelerator, his face as pale as a man who witnessed a freaky-scary ghost.

'What was that? Past life? Thousands of years?'

Maybe these people belonged to a local occult fan club or something? They boasted a level of visual shock that made most people subconsciously start avoiding them from one hundred meters away, so Jo Yong-Hwan had been inwardly nervous about what might happen today. However, now that he had eavesdropped on their conversation... He realized things were actually worse!

'Yup, I must never get involved in these people's affairs...!'

Since Vator and Kang Jin-Ho didn't seem okay in their heads, Jo Yong-Hwan swore to deal with his assignment and distance himself from them as quickly as possible. He focused on driving the van on China's expansive national road network... to quickly reach where Choi Yeon-Ha was!

“By the way, master?” Vator suddenly smirked again.

“Mm?” Kang Jin-Ho glanced back at the big guy.

“Is it fine to get two rooms today?”

“Two rooms?” Kang Jin-Ho cocked an eyebrow. “I don't want to share a room with either of you, so why two?”

“Fufufu~! What are you talking about? The rooms are for me and Zhang Dajing. So, two should suffice, no? After all, you will be too busy performing the reproductive act and...”

Kang Jin-Ho shot up to his feet inside the moving vehicle. And that prompted Jo Yong-Hwan's sorrowful voice to ring within—and outside—the van. “No, sir! You mustn't do that in a moving car! We're in the middle of a road! Mister Kang! Mister Kang Jin-Ho!!!”

Some people in this world were trouble personified. Only pain awaited those willing to get involved in their affairs.