Chapter 143

Pyo Wol stared silently at the blazing campfire.

Unlike the scorching day, the night on the plains was bitterly cold. The land, once heated to a swelter, cooled rapidly after the sun set, causing one’s breath to turn to mist.

For that reason, when camping out, one had to light a campfire to maintain body temperature.

Pyo Wol had reached a state where he was impervious to heat and cold, so he didn’t need a campfire. But for the still-young Soma, Eun-yo, and Guian, it was better to have a fire to keep them warm.

The three children were like real siblings.

They were huddled together, fast asleep.

Pyo Wol watched them in silence.

For some reason, Soma’s growth had stopped at around the age of seven. Eun-yo had almost completely lost her sight, and Guian, too, had lost something precious.

For them, who had grown up abused at the Small Thunder Sound Temple, living a normal life was impossible. Knowing this, the children had followed Pyo Wol.

Not once during the journey here had the children whined about it being difficult.

Their bodies were those of children, but their mental fortitude surpassed that of most adults.

Thanks to them, Pyo Wol had not felt tired, even while traveling with the children.

Just then, the man sitting across from him spoke.

“Are you really planning to take those children to Chengdu?”

The man was Jin Geum-woo.

Pyo Wol nodded.

“Yes!”

“Well, it’s your choice, so I won’t try to stop you anymore. But know this one thing. Taking responsibility for those children will be anything but easy. Every one of them has such strong killing intent that they’re bound to cause all sorts of problems.”

“Still, they’ll be better than Ximen Pyeong.”

“Tsk!”

At Pyo Wol’s unexpected reply, Jin Geum-woo clicked his tongue.

Ximen Pyeong was like a taboo landmine for him.

Ximen Pyeong, a renowned prodigy in the Jianghu, had been bewitched by Heuk Am and harmed countless people.

No excuse could cover up Ximen Pyeong’s transgressions.

He had paid for it with his life at Pyo Wol’s hands, but the thought of Ximen Pyeong still troubled Jin Geum-woo’s heart.

To Pyo Wol, he may have been a man who deserved to die, but to him, he had been a cherished younger brother.

Even now, two conflicting thoughts were clashing in his mind.

The thought that he should avenge Ximen Pyeong collided with the feeling that he should just let it go, since his brother had indeed committed a mortal sin.

Because of this, Jin Geum-woo’s gaze toward Pyo Wol was inevitably complex.

A little further and they would reach the western highlands, which could be considered the entrance to Sichuan Province. Once past the western highlands, it wouldn’t take long to reach Chengdu, which could be called Pyo Wol’s base of operations.

He had to make a choice before then.

Jin Geum-woo looked at Pyo Wol.

Pyo Wol was gazing absently at the campfire.

Though young, he had been through all sorts of trials, so he could usually tell what most people were thinking just by looking at their eyes. But reading Pyo Wol’s thoughts was impossible.

It was as if he had tightly enclosed his heart with a wall of iron.

It seemed impossible for any martial artist to break through Pyo Wol’s iron wall and read his mind.

Just then, he saw Pyo Wol sit in a cross-legged position.

He was beginning his healing Qi circulation.

The wounds Pyo Wol had sustained at the Small Thunder Sound Temple were so deep that it wouldn’t have been strange for an ordinary person to have died instantly. But Pyo Wol, with his mysterious ability, was healing his own injuries.

After a single night, his wounds had visibly mended, and his internal injuries also seemed almost completely healed.

As proof, a faint color was returning to his once-pale face.

It seemed that after tonight’s healing Qi circulation, his internal and external injuries would be almost fully healed.

Jin Geum-woo turned his head and surveyed their surroundings.

Normally, healing Qi circulation had to be done in a quiet place free from any disturbance. It was a process that was as delicate as it was dangerous.

If one were to be disturbed, they could fall into Qi Deviation or their condition could worsen.

‘Is he audacious, or does he have something to rely on…?’

At Pyo Wol’s seemingly reckless act, Jin Geum-woo clicked his tongue and stood as a Dharma Protector.

Time passed slowly.

It was nearly dawn when Pyo Wol finished his healing Qi circulation.

Opening his eyes, Pyo Wol checked his body’s condition.

There were still a few uncomfortable spots, but this could be considered his best possible condition.

“Good!”

“That’s a relief.”

Just then, Jin Geum-woo’s voice was heard.

“You were awake?”

“How could I possibly sleep while a friend is performing healing Qi circulation? I was standing as a Dharma Protector.”

“I don’t need a Dharma Protector.”

“Well, I suppose not. Don’t mind me. I volunteered to be a Dharma Protector because I wanted something too.”

Jin Geum-woo rose to his feet.

A powerful aura flowed from his entire body.

Pyo Wol was not one to misunderstand what that meant.

Pyo Wol also quietly rose to his feet.

Jin Geum-woo said.

“Whatever the outcome, with this fight, I will forget the grudge for you killing Ximen Pyeong.”

“It doesn’t matter if you don’t forget.”

“I suppose so. Still, that’s not how I feel. I don’t want to live with a debt on my conscience. An unpaid debt is bound to eat away at the heart.”

“You live a complicated life.”

“Isn’t the Jianghu a complicated place to begin with? Countless favors and grudges are intertwined like a spider’s web. If you don’t untangle them properly from the start, they end up so knotted that you can never resolve them on your own.”

Jin Geum-woo replied with a calm expression.

That was the answer he had come to while Pyo Wol was performing his healing Qi circulation.

Perhaps Ximen Pyeong was just an excuse.

Right now, his blood was boiling hot.

His blood, which had been fired up ever since he saw Pyo Wol’s martial arts at the Small Thunder Sound Temple, had not cooled down; rather, it had grown hotter with the passing of time.

I want to fight the man before me.

I want to clash with all my strength.

A martial artist’s instinct was fueling Jin Geum-woo’s desire for a match.

Normally, he would have suppressed such feelings with his cool reason, but he didn’t want to do that now.

He wanted to fight Pyo Wol with this feeling intact.

If he returned to the Jianghu, this burning passion might cool down.

This was the perfect moment to fight Pyo Wol.

The heat radiating from Jin Geum-woo was transmitted to Pyo Wol in its entirety.

Pyo Wol was different from Jin Geum-woo.

He had no such useless competitive spirit.

Such feelings were nothing but a luxury for an assassin.

The reason he was about to fight Jin Geum-woo was that he had gained a small enlightenment from the fierce battle with the monks of the Small Thunder Sound Temple.

He needed some kind of catalyst to make that enlightenment clearer. For that purpose, he accepted Jin Geum-woo’s request.

Pyo Wol looked at the sleeping children.

They were so deeply asleep they didn’t even stir.

Pyo Wol left the children and walked far away, behind a hill. Jin Geum-woo followed him in silence.

Their figures soon disappeared behind the hill.

At that moment, Soma’s eyes shot open.

Eun-yo and Guian also bolted upright, as if they had never been asleep.

Eun-yo opened her mouth.

“Who do you think will win?”

“Obviously…”

“Obviously?”

“Big Bro.”

“That Iron Tower Uncle looked pretty tough, though.”

At Guian’s reply, Eun-yo showed a slightly worried expression.

“The flow of their Qi is different. Orabeoni is a needle, and Iron Tower Uncle is a hammer.”

“You mean Big Bro is sharp, and Iron Tower Uncle is powerful?”

“Right!”

Guian understood Eun-yo’s jumbled explanation perfectly.

Guian called out to Soma.

“What do you think… huh?”

Guian blinked his eyes.

Soma, who had been right beside him just a moment ago, was nowhere to be seen.

Guian and Eun-yo found Soma on top of the hill.

Soma had somehow seated himself on the hill and was watching the fight between the two men happening on the other side.

“How sneaky…”

“Let’s watch together.”

Guian and Eun-yo hurriedly ran up the hill.

Once they reached the top, the fight happening behind it came into full view.

“Whoa!”

Their gasps scattered on the wind.

＊＊＊

He had left Chengdu in the spring, but by the time he returned, it was already summer, with the scorching sun blazing down.

“Whoa!”

“This is Chengdu?”

“So many.”

Soma and the children let out gasps of awe without realizing it.

It was the first time the children had ever seen such a huge city teeming with so many people.

The massive pavilions and mansions, the wide roads, and the sight of the crowds filling the streets were more than enough to overwhelm the children.

They were children who had only ever lived in the desolate lands of Tibet.

The place where they had seen the most people was the Small Thunder Sound Temple. Even then, it was only a few hundred people within the vast temple grounds.

This was the first time they had seen a countless number of people coming and going like this.

They were overwhelmed by the scene before them.

Seeing this, Jin Geum-woo chuckled.

“You’re a bunch of country bumpkins, through and through.”

The fact that the children, who had always acted so mature on the journey here, were finally reacting in a way that suited their age made him feel good.

Jin Geum-woo shifted his gaze to Pyo Wol.

“I guess we part ways here. It was fun being with you.”

A genuinely regretful expression appeared on his face.

His duel with Pyo Wol had given him much enlightenment.

Thanks to it, his martial arts had improved to a level incomparable to before.

Such an achievement was not something that could be easily obtained.

The duel that day had become an opportunity for the two men to acknowledge each other.

Although their dispositions and statuses were different, making it difficult to interact freely, they had at least forged a friendship where they could exchange letters.

Jin Geum-woo said.

“If you ever have a reason to leave Sichuan Province, stop by Mount Tianjung. My family’s home is there.”

“That will never happen.”

“Still so shy. Well, fine! If you won’t come, then I’ll just have to visit you again. I’ll be in Chengdu around this time next year, so let’s see each other then.”

Jin Geum-woo smiled affably.

Seeing this, Soma muttered.

“It’s truly a mystery. What’s so great about that block of ice, Big Bro, that he acts like that?”

“I know, right.”

Eun-yo also agreed with Soma.

Throughout the journey here, Pyo Wol’s attitude had been consistently cold. Yet, for some reason, Jin Geum-woo treated Pyo Wol with such warmth.

The children couldn’t understand Jin Geum-woo.

Jin Geum-woo made a Fist-Palm Salute to Pyo Wol as a farewell.

“I’ll be on my way now. See you next time. Friend!”

“Go. And stop talking nonsense.”

“Hahaha!”

With a loud laugh, Jin Geum-woo strode away.

Pyo Wol watched Jin Geum-woo’s receding back for a moment before starting to walk in the opposite direction.

The place Pyo Wol headed for was Xintian Road.

It was a place recently gaining popularity as the residence of high-ranking officials and the powerful figures of Chengdu. Passing through a splendid street that ordinary people wouldn’t even dare to approach, he arrived at a large mansion in a prime location on Xintian Road.

The mansion, with its red pines rising above the wall making it particularly conspicuous, was none other than the Red Pine Manor.

Knock, knock!

When he knocked on the gate, someone cautiously peeked his head out.

The middle-aged man, whose eyes widened the moment he saw Pyo Wol, was none other than Go Chonggwan.

Go Chonggwan’s eyes welled with tears as he bowed his head.

Although he couldn’t speak because his tongue had been cut out, he expressed his joy with his entire body.

Pyo Wol introduced the children to Go Chonggwan.

“They’ll be living here from today, so give them each a room.”

Go Chonggwan looked at the children with a surprised expression.

Soma grinned and waved his hand, while Eun-yo shyly hid behind Pyo Wol. Guian looked at Go Chonggwan with a placid expression.

At the three children’s different reactions, Go Chonggwan was both surprised and pleased.

He was happy to see Pyo Wol back after so long, and the fact that he had brought someone else here made him even happier.

Go Chonggwan bowed his head repeatedly and led Pyo Wol and the children into the Red Pine Manor.

Pyo Wol said to the children.

“Go Chonggwan can’t speak because his tongue was cut out, so act accordingly.”

“Don’t worry. We’re smart enough to figure that much out. More importantly, you live in a nice place. Do we get to live here from now on?”

Soma looked around the interior of the Red Pine Manor with an excited expression.

It was the first time in his life he had seen such a large and magnificent mansion, so he was naturally excited.

It was the same for the other children.

Although Eun-yo’s eyes could barely see, she could roughly grasp the scale of the Red Pine Manor with the senses of her entire body.

Above all, a good Qi could be felt in the Red Pine Manor.

A look of relief appeared on Eun-yo’s face.

The fact that she now had a home where she could live in peace gave her a sense of security.

‘My home. The place I must protect from now on.’