Chapter 145

“Agh!”

Seo Guksang pressed both hands to his head and got up.

He didn’t know how much he’d drunk yesterday.

He’d been in such a good mood, trading cups with the Escort Chiefs, but at some point, his memory had cut out completely.

That’s how much he’d drunk.

He had been overjoyed by the fact that he had solidified his friendship with Yu Gicheon. The Trading Company that Yu Gicheon had built wielded great influence in the Jianghu. Although his son was running it now, if he could leverage his friendship with Yu Gicheon, the son would surely give the Somyeong Escort Agency a lot of work.

“Heh heh!”

His head ached, but a laugh escaped him nonetheless.

Seo Guksang got up from the bed.

When he went down to the first-floor dining hall, he saw the Escort Agency members who were already there. They were wolfing down food to soothe their aching stomachs.

“Chief, you’re up?”

“Is your stomach alright?”

They each said a word upon seeing Seo Guksang.

Seo Guksang shook his head and sat down.

“Not at all. Just how much did we drink…”

“Haha! It was a happy occasion, wasn’t it?”

“It was, but my head hurts way too much.”

“Have a spoonful of the hwagwa. It’s spicy and will clear you right up.”

An Escort Chief pushed the hwagwa, which was in the middle of the table, toward Seo Guksang. Without refusing, Seo Guksang took a spoonful and drank the broth.

“Hah! This is good. It’s perfect.”

Seo Guksang marveled at the taste of the broth.

He ladled some broth into the rice bowl in front of him and slurped it down.

As his stomach filled, the headache began to fade.

“Now I feel alive again.”

“Same here.”

“Heh heh!”

Laughing heartily, Seo Guksang suddenly looked around.

“Come to think of it, I don’t see that punk.”

“Who? Ah, are you talking about Escort Chief Sagong?”

“Yes! Has anyone seen him?”

“I think I saw him until midway through yesterday, but I haven’t seen him since.”

“Hmm!”

Seo Guksang let out a low hum.

The thought of his nephew-in-law cooled his good mood.

It was Sagong Yun, whom he had been forced to take in because his wife’s family couldn’t handle him. He had deliberately thrown him in among the Escort Chiefs and had them watch him to keep him out of trouble.

Perhaps because of that, Sagong Yun had been quiet and hadn’t caused a single problem on the way here.

“He didn’t cause some other trouble, did he?”

“Surely he wouldn’t cause trouble in Sichuan of all places? He probably just went out for some air.”

“I hope so…”

Despite the Escort Chief’s reassurance, Seo Guksang couldn’t hide his worried expression. But since worrying wouldn’t change anything, he forced himself to think that everything would be fine.

In the meantime, the Escorts who had woken up came down one by one.

The dining hall was soon filled with members of the Somyeong Escort Agency. Seo Guksang smiled as he looked at the Escorts filling the hall.

Now that he had forged a connection with Yu Gicheon, if he used it well, he could build the Escort Agency to be even more substantial.

“With just a little more effort, the Somyeong Escort Agency will grow enough to stand shoulder to shoulder with the leading escort agencies in the Jianghu.”

It was a moment he had always dreamed of.

Thinking that the day was not far off, a smile naturally formed on his lips. But at that moment, a voice that shattered his fantasy rang out.

“Chief!”

The moment he heard the urgent voice from outside, Seo Guksang instinctively knew that something had gone wrong.

As if to prove his ominous premonition, a porter kicked open the door and rushed in. On the porter’s back was a man covered in blood.

Seo Guksang recognized the man’s identity at once.

“Yun!”

The man, limp and turned into a Blood Human, was undoubtedly his nephew-in-law, Sagong Yun.

Seo Guksang quickly took Sagong Yun in his arms and asked the porter.

“What happened? Why is Yun…?”

“I don’t know, sir. When I went outside, he was collapsed in the front yard.”

“In the yard?”

Seo Guksang hurriedly examined Sagong Yun’s entire body.

Although he was like a Blood Human, he didn’t have many wounds.

There was only one noticeable injury. But the location of the wound was, of all places, a bad one.

“How could this be! The Dantian…”

There was a deep wound in his Dantian, the foundation of a Martial Artist.

It was a wound so deep that one could tell at a glance it was beyond recovery.

With a Dantian destroyed like this, one couldn’t even dream of gathering Internal Energy. His life as a Martial Artist was completely over.

“Yun! What happened?”

Seo Guksang shook Sagong Yun to wake him. But Sagong Yun didn’t even react.

“What in the world happened?”

Seo Guksang was dumbfounded by the sudden tragedy. But his tragedy did not end there.

Suddenly, the innkeeper approached Seo Guksang and spoke.

“Great Hero Seo! I must ask you to vacate the inn.”

“What do you mean? Why are you suddenly telling us to leave?”

“Everyone from the Somyeong Escort Agency must vacate their rooms by noon.”

“Now, hold on. We are guests of Great Hero Yu. Great Hero Yu himself told us to stay here.”

“The order to vacate the rooms is also from Great Hero Yu.”

“What?”

“Great Hero Yu sent a man this morning with a message. He said to send all the people from the Somyeong Escort Agency away. And that he would cut off all dealings with the Somyeong Escort Agency.”

“What in the…?”

Seo Guksang couldn’t hide his bewildered expression.

Yu Gicheon was famous for his Righteousness. For such a man to change his mind overnight—it was incomprehensible to him.

Seo Guksang handed Sagong Yun to a nearby Escort Chief and stood up.

“Great Hero Yu would never do such a thing. He is a man of such great trust.”

“It doesn’t matter whether you believe it or not. Great Hero Yu definitely said so.”

“I will go see Great Hero Yu myself. There must be some misunderstanding. If we meet and talk, it will all be resolved.”

“That’s for Great Hero Seo to handle, but please clear out all the rooms by noon.”

The innkeeper was adamant.

Seo Guksang couldn’t understand the series of events at all.

There was Sagong Yun, who had returned with a fatal wound, and Yu Gicheon, whose attitude had completely changed overnight.

‘Could these two things be related?’

A sudden ominous feeling washed over him.

Seo Guksang hurriedly left the inn and headed for Snow Cloud Stronghold.

The gates of Snow Cloud Stronghold were firmly shut.

Seo Guksang pounded on the gate with all his might.

“Hello! I am Seo Guksang of the Somyeong Escort Agency. I wish to see Great Hero Yu, so please open the gate.”

He knocked on the gate for a long time. But no matter how much he knocked, the firmly shut gate did not open.

Seo Guksang slumped down in despair.

“Is this really Great Hero Yu’s will? Why would he change his mind?”

The atmosphere had been so good just yesterday.

Yu Gicheon had been in a good mood after obtaining a precious treasure, and so he had shown him favor.

No matter how much he thought about it, he couldn’t understand why his mind had changed.

Just then, the gate of Snow Cloud Stronghold opened cautiously, and someone peeked out. It was the Steward of Snow Cloud Stronghold.

Seo Guksang quickly got to his feet.

“I am Seo Guksang, the chief of the Somyeong Escort Agency.”

“I know, Chief Seo!”

“I wish to see Great Hero Yu. Please, let me see him.”

“As it happens, the Manor Lord asked me to bring you in. Please come inside.”

“Thank you.”

Seo Guksang hurriedly followed the Steward into Snow Cloud Stronghold.

He saw Yu Gicheon in the Training Ground where they had met yesterday.

Seo Guksang knelt before Yu Gicheon.

“Great Hero Yu! Why have you changed your mind? Did we perhaps do something to displease you?”

“Chief Seo.”

“Just tell me, and I will correct it. So please, do not sever our agency’s ties with a single stroke.”

“Sigh! Do you think I am doing this because of personal feelings, Chief Seo?”

“Am I wrong?”

“Chief Seo! I am someone who values relationships more than anyone. You are a good man, and you have Righteousness. I, too, wish to maintain a long relationship with someone like you.”

“Then why?”

“Your nephew…”

“Don’t tell me this is related to Yun?”

“Sigh!”

“Please tell me. Only then can I know how to respond.”

Despite Seo Guksang’s plea, Yu Gicheon’s expression did not change.

“I will now explain what will happen to you and the Somyeong Escort Agency. First, no inn in Chengdu will take you or the Somyeong Escort Agency in.”

“What?”

“And no Trading Company in Sichuan Province will do business with the Somyeong Escort Agency. Not only that, but the Somyeong Escort Agency will most likely not be able to receive any transport requests here.”

“Great Hero Yu!”

“Perhaps all the martial arts academies in Chengdu will become hostile towards you. Therefore, I hope that you will lead your people out of Sichuan Province as soon as possible.”

“What is this vague talk? Great Hero Yu! Please, tell me plainly.”

“Sigh!”

Yu Gicheon let out a sigh. His face was fraught with conflict.

After a long moment of deliberation, he opened his mouth.

“Very well! Listen to me carefully. Last night, your nephew climbed over the wall of a house to assault a young girl.”

“And then?”

“The problem is that the master of that house is a very frightening person.”

“Please tell me which house it is. I will go and apologize.”

“No, it’s better not to go. He is a man who does not know forgiveness.”

“Is there someone that even the great Great Hero Yu of All Under Heaven fears?”

“It’s not just this old man. Everyone in Sichuan Province fears him. And only a few people, like this old man, know his true identity. The problem is that those few people are the influential figures of Chengdu. For now, he has stopped at punishing only your nephew, but if he changes his mind, the annihilation of the Somyeong Escort Agency could happen in an instant.”

“Ugh!”

“Do not ever ignore this old man’s advice. In all my life, I have never seen a more frightening person than him.”

“Who in the world is he?”

“Do not try to find out. Once you leave Chengdu, forget everything that happened today. Do not even dream of avenging your nephew. And never enter Sichuan Province again.”

With those words, Yu Gicheon firmly closed his mouth.

Seo Guksang saw the deep fear etched on Yu Gicheon’s face. He was clearly terrified of this unknown entity.

Yu Gicheon was a man who had been through thick and thin. He had faced countless dangers to build his massive Trading Company to what it was today.

Although he had retired from the front lines, his courage had not diminished.

If anything, his boldness had grown, and his heart had become more at ease.

For such a man to show this level of fear meant that he was truly terrified of this unknown being.

Seo Guksang realized that saying anything more would be useless. And he felt that Yu Gicheon’s advice was sincere.

‘That damn bastard! Who in the world did he mess with?’

Cursing the nephew who had caused this whole situation, Seo Guksang left Snow Cloud Stronghold.

Only after he disappeared did Yu Gicheon finally let out a sigh.

Yu Gicheon suddenly looked at the pavilion. Then he spoke cautiously.

“Is this enough?”

“It seems a little lacking, but I’ll be satisfied with this for your sake, gramps.”

A boy of about six or seven opened the pavilion door and walked out.

The boy with seven rings around his neck was none other than Soma.

As Soma approached, Yu Gicheon’s shoulders trembled slightly.

He knew all too well how terrifying this bright-faced boy was.

Three children who had suddenly appeared in Chengdu one day.

One had eyes that were completely black, and another was a girl who was completely blind. The last child was a little kid, much smaller than the others.

When they first appeared in Chengdu, not a single person paid them any mind.

Chengdu was a very large city, and orphans who had lost their parents often drifted in to find a way to survive.

The end for such children was almost always the same.

They would either drift into Chengdu’s underworld or be beaten to death while wandering and begging.

People thought the three children would suffer the same fate.

The blind girl, in particular, had a strange charm and was highly likely to become a target for men.

Indeed, many men approached the blind girl. But not a single one of them survived.

The three children were not just pitiful orphans.

Their martial power was beyond people’s imagination.

Just the three of them laid waste to Chengdu’s underworld.

The thugs who threw their weight around in the back alleys vanished without a trace, only to reappear much later as broken shells of their former selves. And they became the children’s loyal limbs.

In this way, the three children took control of Chengdu’s underworld in an instant.

At this, the martial arts academies of Chengdu stepped forward to punish the children. But not a single one dared to act.

Because there was a man behind the children.

He was present in all the major incidents that had occurred in Sichuan Province from last year to this year.

The Emei Sect and Qingcheng Sect becoming Closed-off.

The Blood Mist of Chengdu.

And, though it was unbelievable, rumors were spreading that he had also annihilated the Small Thunder Sound Temple, the ruler of the Western Regions.

He was an entity of terror.

The Martial Artists of Chengdu were afraid to even speak his name.

The living god of death.

The Reaper.

That was what the people of Chengdu called the man.

And they considered the three children to be the Reaper’s limbs.

The most cruel and innocent-looking of them was right before his eyes.

Soma (Little Demon).

The little demon.