Chapter 325

Reaper.

There wasn’t a single member of the Golden Sky Society who didn’t know that alias.

It wasn’t just because his fame resounded throughout the Jianghu. It was because of an order that had come down from the very top.

[Avoid direct contact and conflict with the Reaper, Pyo Wol.]

Though it was only a single line, the meaning it held was anything but simple.

It meant that the Golden Sky Society’s new Society Leader, Jang Mu-guk, found Pyo Wol that much of a nuisance.

Although they hadn’t gone to Runan themselves, both Jo Igwang and Bok Hojin knew Jang Mu-guk well enough to readily acknowledge him as the second Society Leader.

The number of martial artists of his generation that Jang Mu-guk acknowledged was extremely small.

Neither Jo Igwang nor Bok Hojin were among them. Still, they had no complaints, as Jang Mu-guk was an outstanding martial artist.

He was not someone who could be confined within the fence of a mere prodigy. And the one whom such a man found troublesome and acknowledged was none other than the Reaper, Pyo Wol.

Jo Igwang’s gaze sank deep.

‘The Reaper…’

In the Jianghu, the meaning behind an alias was very special.

This was because all information about a person was contained within their alias.

A prime example was the Three Venerables.

The Martial Venerable was an alias given because his martial arts had reached the highest realm.

The Pung-jon’s free-spirited nature was captured in his alias, and the Sword Venerable, Han Yu-cheon, was given his alias for achieving an unrivaled state with the sword.

Aliases were symbolic, so they often captured the owner’s disposition or the characteristics of their martial arts. Thus, one could tell an opponent’s level or disposition just by looking at their alias.

The alias of the man before them was Reaper.

It was extremely rare for the character for ‘god’ to be attached to an alias.

It was a title that could only be attached after one had surpassed the best in a field and reached an unrivaled realm that no one else could follow.

To Pyo Wol’s, the character for ‘death’ (death) was attached.

It meant that the man before them had reached a divine realm in the art of killing people.

It was hard to imagine just how good at killing people one had to be to earn the alias of Reaper.

Usually, those who gave themselves such a grandiose alias were often empty shells. But Pyo Wol was different.

The people of Chengdu were the first to call him the Reaper.

At that time, the alias of Reaper was barely known in the Jianghu.

Of course, those who were well-informed about the Jianghu’s news or handled a lot of information knew of the alias. But they didn’t pay it much mind.

They thought he was an empty shell who had given himself the alias.

The fact that Sichuan Province itself was closed off and had its own independent Jianghu system made it feel even more so.

Most people thought that no matter how much he was called a Reaper in a closed-off well, he wouldn’t be able to exert any power once he came out into the Jianghu. And a short while later, Pyo Wol emerged into the Jianghu.

If he had truly been an empty shell, the alias of Reaper would have become a laughingstock. But even after that, his alias was consistently maintained.

This meant that, at the very least, the alias he had earned in Chengdu was not a lie.

What was important was that he possessed the martial prowess and ruthlessness to be acknowledged as a Reaper by all who faced him in the Jianghu.

Jo Igwang was an extremely cautious man and did not dismiss the rumors circulating in the Jianghu lightly.

‘Why has the Reaper come here?’

Jiangsu Province, bordering the sea and home to the major trading port of Haemun, was more prosperous than any other city in the Jianghu.

There were no absolute powerhouses like the so-called Two Powerhouses, Three Clans, or Three Manors. However, various sects like the Nanjing Jo Clan and the Janggang Stronghold maintained a delicate balance and enjoyed prosperity.

In a way, it could be seen as a tranquil lake.

A place with plenty of prey and few external threats, allowing for stable growth. Into this stagnant place, an external threat named Pyo Wol had entered.

Naturally, Jo Igwang and the talents of the Golden Sky Society had no choice but to be on guard.

If Pyo Wol was simply passing through, it wouldn’t be a problem, but if, by some chance, he intended to settle here, he would become a serious threat.

Pyo Wol was a big shot, enough to shake the entire Jianghu system of Jiangsu Province to its core.

Jo Igwang forced a composed expression and made a fist-palm salute.

“So you are the Great Hero Pyo Wol. It is a pleasure to meet you like this.”

“Your face doesn’t seem to think so at all…”

“My apologies. It seems I have been rude upon our first meeting. I hope you will forgive me with your broad generosity.”

Jo Igwang’s tone changed in an instant.

Pyo Wol was older than him, and above all, his reputation in the Jianghu was immense.

No matter how great Jo Igwang was, he could only exert his power within Jiangsu Province. In contrast, Pyo Wol was an expert whose influence spanned the entire Jianghu.

The difference in their status was so stark that he couldn’t help but use honorifics.

Bok Hojin, who had performed hemostasis on Tang Ikgi’s wound, also rose from his seat and made a fist-palm salute.

“It is a pleasure to meet the renowned Great Hero Pyo. If it’s alright with you, I would like to invite you to our Janggang Stronghold. I hope you will accept.”

Bok Hojin’s eyes glistened with a strong competitive spirit.

Pyo Wol knew well what that meant.

The next person to greet Pyo Wol was Eum Yujeong.

She offered Pyo Wol a fist-palm salute with a radiant smile.

“It is truly an honor to meet you like this, Great Hero Pyo. Please visit our Sword Flower Pavilion sometime as well.”

Among them, the only one whose face had turned pale was Tang Ikgi.

He forgot the pain of his pierced shoulder and stared blankly at Pyo Wol.

‘My god! The Reaper.’

Tang Ikgi was not ignorant of the affairs of the Jianghu.

On the contrary, his strong ambition for success made him more knowledgeable about the Jianghu’s information than anyone. So he knew that Pyo Wol was, by far, the most unrivaled among the experts who had recently emerged in the Jianghu.

Having recklessly attacked him without even knowing his identity, he would have to bear the consequences all by himself.

‘What should I do… First, I must apologize…’

This was not the time to worry about saving face.

Tang Ikgi endured the pain in his shoulder and tried to kneel. But someone moved before he could.

It was Jo Igwang.

He stepped in front of Tang Ikgi and said,

“I am revoking your temporary membership.”

“What?”

“You have tarnished the Society’s honor by attacking Great Hero Pyo on your own whim, so I am revoking your membership.”

“How could you?”

“Accept your expulsion quietly. If you continue to deny or resist, you will never be able to be reinstated.”

Jo Igwang’s voice was as cold as frost.

Tang Ikgi’s face contorted with anger. But he did not lash out rashly.

It was because of the word ‘reinstated’ that Jo Igwang had mentioned.

Although Tang Ikgi was the one who had directly provoked Pyo Wol, the one who had subtly manipulated him was Eum Yujeong.

It meant that if he took all the blame himself without mentioning Eum Yujeong, he would be accepted back as a member in the future.

‘Son of a bitch!’

Tang Ikgi trembled at Jo Igwang’s vicious scheme.

He wanted to scream and tell him to shove it, but Tang Ikgi managed to suppress his anger.

He realized he had no choice in the matter.

“Damn it!”

Thud!

Tang Ikgi slammed his fist on the floor and stood up.

He looked around at Pyo Wol and the talents of the Golden Sky Society with resentful eyes, then left the inn dejectedly.

The talents of the Golden Sky Society watched Tang Ikgi’s back as he trudged down the stairs like a dog with its tail between its legs, and smiled secretly.

‘What a foolish bastard!’

‘Good riddance. If we use this opportunity well, we can easily tame him.’

They thought they were hiding their inner thoughts, but Pyo Wol could clearly see what they were thinking.

‘They’re no different from demons.’

The Great Lake had long boasted a beautiful landscape. For that reason, many villas and manors were built on the hills or mountain slopes that offered a panoramic view of the Great Lake.

Sects with some power in the Jianghu or wealthy merchants used the manors here as vacation homes.

Cheongpyeong Manor was one such manor.

Built by an unknown merchant, Cheongpyeong Manor was bought by the Nanjing Jo Clan a few years ago and used as a villa. However, the Jo Clan Head, Jo Sumok, rarely came here.

The de facto owner of Cheongpyeong Manor was the Jo Clan’s eldest young master, Jo Igwang.

He used this place as his residence whenever he came to the Great Lake.

Naturally, the martial artists guarding Cheongpyeong Manor were all his trusted subordinates.

Creeak!

Jo Igwang opened the gate of Cheongpyeong Manor and stepped inside.

“You have returned, Young Master!”

The steward managing Cheongpyeong Manor hurried out and bowed his head.

Seeing the silent Jo Igwang, the steward intuitively sensed that he was in a very bad mood.

His cold eyes that seemed to be glaring at something, his tightly shut lips, and his stiff expression.

These were all signs that appeared when Jo Igwang was in a bad mood.

“I will go to the annex. Let no one approach.”

“The annex, you say?”

“Is there a problem?”

“No, sir.”

The steward quickly bowed his head.

Unlike the steward of the Jo Clan Manor in Nanjing, he, a mere steward of a villa, had neither the power nor the courage to defy Jo Igwang’s orders.

Though he was called a steward, he was nothing more than a servant with slightly more authority.

As the steward stepped aside, Jo Igwang walked inside without hesitation.

He headed for the annex located in the deepest part of Cheongpyeong Manor.

The annex was surrounded by a high wall, and with only one entrance, it was impossible for others to enter.

The only person who could come and go freely here was Jo Igwang.

Slam!

As soon as he closed the door to the annex, Jo Igwang opened his mouth.

“That turtle-like bastard! He dares to refuse my request just because he’s made a little name for himself in the Jianghu? Fuck!”

He spat out rough curses without restraint.

He acted so polite in front of others, but that was all just an outward appearance.

He had asked Pyo Wol to have a separate meal with him. But Pyo Wol had refused his request flatly.

And in front of everyone, at that.

He pretended to be unfazed on the outside, but inside, anger was boiling.

The suppressed anger erupted like a volcano as soon as he entered the empty annex.

“Fuck! You dog-like bastard, you lowborn bastard with no roots!”

Crash!

He smashed all the objects and furniture inside the annex. But still, he wasn’t satisfied.

This wasn’t enough.

He needed a stronger stimulus.

Jo Igwang pressed a secret device on the wall. A large bookshelf then moved to the side, revealing a secretly hidden space.

A faint scent of medicine flowed from the stairs leading down to the basement.

Jo Igwang descended the stairs without hesitation.

Below the stairs, in the basement, was a rather spacious area.

On the basement walls hung torture tools like small flying daggers, hooks, and long needles. But Jo Igwang passed by without even glancing at the tools on the wall.

His steps stopped at a small bed in the corner of the basement. On the bed, a girl with her limbs bound in iron chains was curled up.

Sensing a presence, the girl lifted her head to look.

So terrified was she that her face was stained with tears, and her lips were deathly pale.

The girl looked to be only about fifteen or sixteen years old.

Until that morning, the girl had started her peaceful daily life, unaware that such a misfortune would befall her.

Her family was very poor. But as her only oppa started working, their livelihood gradually improved.

She no longer had to go hungry as before, and she got to wear proper, albeit shabby, clothes. So she was happy.

The girl smiled every day.

People around her said she was pretty.

She was so happy until this morning…

“Who are you, mister? And where is this place?”

Now, her heart was filled with nothing but fear.

Slap.

“Ack!”

At that moment, Jo Igwang’s large hand struck the girl’s cheek.

The girl collapsed with a single scream.

“You don’t say a word. Your breath stinks.”

“Ugh!”

“You are nothing. Understand? You are nothing.”

Jo Igwang grabbed the girl’s chin and made her meet his gaze.

He saw eyes filled with terror.

Rabbit-like eyes that didn’t even dare to resist.

This was the kind of gaze Jo Igwang wanted.

Not a gaze that looked down on people like Pyo Wol’s, but one that looked at him with fear and awe like this.

“Fuck!”

Rip! Rip!

Jo Igwang roughly tore the girl’s clothes off.

The pure white naked body of the girl, who couldn’t resist at all and was huddled like a bird caught in the rain, was revealed before his eyes.