Chapter 160

“Hooahm!”

Soma stretched as he left the Inn.

Soma’s face was so innocent it was hard to believe he had killed five Martial Artists the night before.

Soma looked around with sleepy eyes, then scurried over to the well behind the Inn.

Clang!

Every time he took a step, the seven rings around his neck clanged against each other, a clear metallic sound echoing out.

“Hah!”

“Keum!”

The Martial Artists who heard the metallic sound from afar startled and quickly moved away. They had recognized Soma’s arrival just by the sound of the clanging rings.

The memory Soma had left the Martial Artists with last night was just that intense.

It was so bad that overnight, Soma had earned the Alias, Little King of Hell.

That was how much of a shock his actions yesterday had been to people. However, Soma himself was unaware of this fact.

“Huh?”

Soma tilted his head as he arrived at the well.

It was because someone was already there, washing up.

“Ah!”

The person who was drawing water to wash their face also flinched upon seeing Soma.

The beautiful girl with wide eyes and a face damp with water was none other than Mok Ga-hye.

Soma grinned at her.

“Hi! Pretty Noona.”

“Ah, hi!”

Mok Ga-hye’s voice trembled on its own.

The memory of last night had resurfaced.

“Y-You wash first.”

“No! You were here first, Noona. Go on and finish washing.”

“Is… that okay?”

“Yep!”

Soma nodded and plopped down on a large rock next to the well.

Mok Ga-hye glanced at Soma out of the corner of her eye.

Disheveled hair, loose black clothes—his appearance was that of a boy of six or seven.

He had the kind of looks that would be found cute by anyone.

But that thought vanished the moment she saw the seven rings around Soma’s neck.

Last night, with those rings, Soma had sent five Martial Artists to their graves.

Mok Ga-hye had never seen such a terrifying sight in her life.

Splash, splash!

Mok Ga-hye wanted to leave the well as soon as possible. So she washed up more hastily than usual.

Just then, Soma’s innocent voice was heard.

“You don’t have to rush like that, Noona!”

“Huh?”

“I said, wash slowly.”

“Th-th…”

Mok Ga-hye was flustered by Soma’s words, which seemed to have read her mind.

Seeing her face turn red as she stammered, Soma chuckled.

“No matter what happens, I won’t kill you, Noona. Okay?”

“Th-thank you!”

It wasn’t something Mok Ga-hye should have been thankful for.

She didn’t seem to know what she was even saying. Her innocent appearance made Soma smile.

Mok Ga-hye left the well without even properly wiping the water from her face.

“What an innocent Noona.”

Soma muttered as he watched Mok Ga-hye’s scurrying figure recede into the distance.

There was probably not much of an actual age difference between Mok Ga-hye and Soma. But having lived for a long time with the appearance of a child, his mind had also failed to mature and remained in a childlike state. That was why he naturally called Mok Ga-hye Noona.

Soma drew some water, hastily washed only his face, and returned to the Inn.

Inside the Inn, Pyo Wol and Woo Jang-rak were already eating.

“D-did you sleep well?”

Woo Jang-rak greeted him with an awkward expression.

The memory of last night remained so strong that his tone couldn’t help but be awkward.

Soma chuckled and sat down.

Having already had a similar experience with Mok Ga-hye, Woo Jang-rak’s reaction was not unfamiliar.

Everyone who learned even a little of his true nature looked at him with such wary eyes.

“Eat.”

Only Pyo Wol treated him with the same unchanging attitude. That was why he liked Pyo Wol.

He was confident that no matter what side of himself he showed, Pyo Wol would not change.

“Okay!”

Soma smiled brightly and plopped down in the seat next to Pyo Wol.

The food laid out on the table was exceptionally lavish.

It was obvious that the Inn’s cook had put in a lot of effort since morning.

He had been startled by Soma’s martial power and cruelty, and on top of that, he had been threatened by Lee Yul-san, the Boss of the Wind Thunder Room, to serve them with the utmost care.

Because of that, he had to wake up at the crack of dawn and cook with all his might.

Thanks to him, Pyo Wol’s group was able to enjoy a delicious meal from the morning.

After finishing his meal, Pyo Wol asked Woo Jang-rak.

“Have you hired the Wanderers?”

“Yes! Boss Lee of the Wind Thunder Room specially sent the best Wanderers from the Wanderer’s Market. He also said he would cover the commission fee.”

“He seems to have put in quite a bit of effort.”

“It is all thanks to you, Great Hero. Thank you.”

Woo Jang-rak bowed his head in gratitude.

Normally, to hire a decent Wanderer, one had to wander around the Wanderer’s Market from dawn.

It would have taken a considerable amount of time and effort to verify their martial power and character, but thanks to Lee Yul-san’s intervention, they skipped the troublesome process.

He had hired Wanderers from Dazhou dozens of times until now, but this was the first time something like this had happened.

Woo Jang-rak once again realized what kind of status Pyo Wol held in Sichuan Province.

Pyo Wol asked Woo Jang-rak.

“What is the schedule?”

“Ah, for now, we plan to travel by land to Bishan. From Bishan, we will take a boat to Enshi in Hubei Province, and after that, we will use the land route to cross into Henan Province. Once we arrive in Dengzhou, Henan Province, you… Great Hero, can go east to Mount Tianzhong, and we will go north to the Shaolin Temple.”

“So we’re going together until Dengzhou?”

“That is correct. You won’t have to worry about a thing, Great Hero. We will serve you well.”

“Alright!”

Pyo Wol nodded.

On the other hand, Woo Jang-rak, who had finished his report, had a cold sweat drenching his back.

It was a trivial matter, but because his counterpart was Pyo Wol, he found himself tensing up without realizing it.

Pyo Wol didn’t say anything like “be comfortable” to Woo Jang-rak. He knew that no matter how many times he said it, the other person would never be able to accept it. And he had no intention of being that considerate.

It was none of his business if Woo Jang-rak was suffering because of him.

His only interest was arriving at Mount Tianzhong, where Jin Geum-woo’s family home was, in a short amount of time without getting lost.

In that respect, Woo Jang-rak was a rather useful being.

At this point, it wasn’t easy to find a guide as useful as Woo Jang-rak. Since he could travel comfortably with him, he didn’t want to choose a difficult path.

One of the things Pyo Wol hated most was wasting time on useless things. There were many things he could do in that time, and he didn’t want to let his precious time slip away in vain.

When Pyo Wol finished his meal and came outside, he saw a dozen unfamiliar figures.

All of them exuded a rough aura; they were the Wanderers sent by Lee Yul-san.

They were all individuals who had made a name for themselves in the Wanderer’s Market.

A look of tension was evident on their faces.

They too had been summoned by Lee Yul-san and thoroughly educated. But not all of them were like that.

A few of them looked at Pyo Wol with subtly challenging eyes.

Their natures were free and wild, so they hated being tied down by anything more than death. That was why they had become Wanderers, but being forced to take on a job had soured their mood. However, Lee Yul-san had given them such a stern warning that they couldn’t openly show their displeasure.

Lee Yul-san had only instructed the Wanderers to give Pyo Wol absolute obedience, but he had not told them his true identity. Naturally, their dissatisfaction was bound to build up.

Just then, Woo Jang-rak stepped forward and spoke.

“I am Woo Jang-rak, the one in charge of this long journey. I don’t know how reassuring it is to have you all with us. I look forward to working with you during our time together.”

He had read the atmosphere flowing among the Wanderers and stepped forward first to soften the mood.

From among the Wanderers, a man in his early thirties came forward.

He was a man with an impressive thick scar across his face and sharp eyes.

He greeted Woo Jang-rak with a Fist-Palm Salute.

“A pleasure to meet you, Great Hero Woo! I am Go Il-pae. I may be lacking, but I am in charge of these men. If you have any instructions, you can give the orders to me.”

“Haha! So it was Great Hero Go. I look forward to working with you.”

“We look forward to working with you as well.”

Go Il-pae bowed his head slightly.

There was not a single trace of servility in his attitude.

Woo Jang-rak smiled with satisfaction.

Just from the solid atmosphere he felt from Go Il-pae, he could tell what a strong-willed man he was.

In fact, Go Il-pae was the most trusted person in the Wanderer’s Market. That was why Lee Yul-san had specifically appointed Go Il-pae as the leader of the Wanderers.

Woo Jang-rak only told Go Il-pae about Pyo Wol’s identity. That was because he knew how tight-lipped Go Il-pae was.

Go Il-pae looked at Pyo Wol with solemn eyes.

‘To think that man is the Reaper…’

He felt that he had been caught up in a troublesome mission. There hadn’t been a single person or Sect that had clashed with him and remained unscathed. But there was no turning back now.

‘I can only pray that nothing happens…’

＊＊＊

“Ah!”

Mok Ga-hye let out a sigh without realizing it.

It was because of the boy she met in front of the stables.

“Oh, hi! Noona.”

The boy who was waving his hand vigorously as if he had met someone he was happy to see was none other than Soma.

It was already their second meeting today.

If she hadn’t seen Soma’s true nature, she would have smiled and treated it as fate. But the impression deeply engraved in her mind was not likely to be erased in just one night.

Mok Ga-hye smiled awkwardly.

“Ah, hi!”

“Are you leaving today too, Noona?”

“Y-yes!”

“I see. We’re leaving today too. This must be fate.”

“I… I guess so…”

“Anyway, it was nice to see you. I’ll never forget your face, Noona. I’ll be sure to remember it.”

“Th…ank you!”

At that moment, Mok Ga-hye felt something welling up from deep within her chest.

Soma hadn’t said it with any particular intention, but combined with her current situation and anxious state of mind, it felt special.

“W-want to eat this on the way?”

Mok Ga-hye rummaged through her bundle and held out something wrapped in paper.

“What is it?”

“It’s beef jerky I made myself. It should be good to eat when you’re hungry.”

“Really? Wow! Thanks.”

Soma beamed and jumped up and down.

Seeing Soma so happy like a child, Mok Ga-hye smiled.

The effort and trouble she, who was not used to cooking, had put into making the beef jerky was beyond words.

She bought the meat herself, prepared it, and smoked it. She had even burned the meat to a crisp several times by failing to control the fire. It was beef jerky she had barely managed to make after all that trouble.

Mok Ga-hye’s emotions were so heightened that she willingly handed over the precious food, which she hadn’t eaten once on her way here because she felt the effort was a waste, to Soma.

Seeing Mok Ga-hye’s eyes slightly reddened, Soma asked.

“Noona, are you crying?”

“No! I have to go now. Take care, and let’s meet again if fate allows.”

“Okay! You take care too, Noona.”

Soma waved his hand.

Mok Ga-hye smiled and led her and Shin Mu-geom’s horses out of the Inn.

Suddenly, she looked back.

Soma was still waving his hand.

Strangely, Soma no longer felt scary.

Mok Ga-hye found herself waving back at Soma. At that, Soma reacted even more enthusiastically.

“Pfft!”

In the end, she burst out laughing.

“You seem to be in a good mood this morning.”

Shin Mu-geom, who was waiting for Mok Ga-hye outside the Inn, had a puzzled expression.

“I just feel better than usual.”

“That’s a relief. The real hardship starts now, so at least your mood is good.”

At Shin Mu-geom’s words, Mok Ga-hye became aware of her situation.

Mok Ga-hye’s complexion rapidly darkened.

A deep shadow also fell over Shin Mu-geom’s face as he looked at her.

“Let’s go.”