Chapter 166

At some point, Mok Ga-hye’s family fell into ruin.

The family was shattered, and the wealth that once filled their storehouses was depleted.

They say that even a rich man can last three years after his ruin, but such words did not apply to Mok Ga-hye’s family.

Mok Ga-hye’s family incurred a debt so massive that it couldn’t be repaid even if three generations worked.

Her parents fell into despair, and debt collectors came calling day after day.

Mok Ga-hye’s parents and family members felt their blood run dry with each passing day. They did not possess the fortitude to overcome their mental anguish.

It was then that someone approached them.

“That person was Hwa Yu-cheon, the Manor Lord of the Heavenly Eunuch Clan. He offered to pay off all of our family’s massive debt on the condition that I become his concubine.”

“It seems your father accepted the offer.”

“Yes! And he gave the Gongpo Sword as a dowry. It’s the only valuable thing left in our family.”

“Did Hwa Yu-cheon specifically ask for the Gongpo Sword as the dowry?”

“That’s right.”

“Hmm!”

“Did you hear anything from that man?”

Mok Ga-hye looked at the dead Baek Jin-gung.

Pyo Wol shook his head.

“He was just a pawn. He didn’t even know the client’s identity. The request he received was simple. To bring the Gongpo Sword to the promised location.”

“Then…”

Mok Ga-hye furrowed her brow.

No matter how much she thought about it, she couldn’t figure out who wanted the Gongpo Sword.

Pyo Wol stared blankly at Mok Ga-hye’s face.

There was something he hadn’t told her.

It was that the client had told them not to harm Mok Ga-hye and Shin Mu-geom if possible.

Injuring the two of them was purely Baek Jin-gung’s own doing, not the client’s will.

‘To summarize, the one who hired Baek Jin-gung and the Demon Pursuit Squad wants the Gongpo Sword, but doesn’t want the two of them to get hurt.’

One might say it was nothing special, but to Pyo Wol, it was an important clue.

‘First, Hwa Yu-cheon is excluded from the list of suspects. The client is someone who doesn’t want Hwa Yu-cheon to have the Gongpo Sword. And yet, they are soft-hearted enough to wish that Mok Ga-hye and Shin Mu-geom remain unharmed.’

Pyo Wol asked Shin Mu-geom.

“Is the Heavenly Eunuch Clan the most influential sect in Enshi right now?”

“The Heavenly Eunuch Clan has recently come to prominence, but the traditional powerhouse would have to be Juk Hae-jang (Bamboo Sea Manor).”

“Juk Hae-jang?”

“It is a Manor that settled in Enshi long ago. It’s called Juk Hae-jang because the bamboo surrounding it spreads out like a sea. It’s one of the most spectacular sights in Enshi. Since the Heavenly Eunuch Clan’s appearance, its influence has waned, and it has lost many of its interests.”

“For such an old Manor to be pushed aside by a new one. The Heavenly Eunuch Clan must have a powerful backer.”

“How did you know? In fact, the Heavenly Eunuch Clan has deep ties with the Righteous Sword Manor. Hwa Yu-cheon’s younger sister, the master of the Heavenly Eunuch Clan, entered the Righteous Sword Manor as a concubine and gave birth to the second son. I understand they receive considerable support in return.”

The Righteous Sword Manor, along with the New Moon Manor and the Demon Sword Manor, was a super-powerful sect that belonged to the Three Manors.

Among the eleven super-powerful forces categorized as the Two Powerhouses, Three Clans, Three Hegemons, and Three Manors, it ranked at the very bottom, but it possessed enough power to make short work of any decent-sized sect.

With the support of the Righteous Sword Manor, the Heavenly Eunuch Clan grew rapidly.

They grew at a frightening pace, threatening the traditional powerhouse of Enshi, Juk Hae-jang, on multiple fronts.

Pyo Wol frowned for a moment.

Shin Mu-geom and Mok Ga-hye watched Pyo Wol with tense expressions. Regardless, Pyo Wol organized the thought that had just occurred to him.

‘If Hwa Yu-cheon obtains the Gongpo Sword, the one who would be most concerned is, of course, Juk Hae-jang.’

A large picture formed in his mind.

Pyo Wol asked Shin Mu-geom.

“Does the Manor Lord of the Righteous Sword Manor happen to have a hobby of collecting swords?”

“How did you know?”

“So it was true!”

Seeing Shin Mu-geom’s surprised reaction, Pyo Wol was convinced his guess was correct.

‘The Manor Lord of the Righteous Sword Manor wants to build his prestige by becoming the owner of ancient famous swords, and Hwa Yu-cheon must have sought out someone with a famous sword to get on his good side.’

The one he found must have been the Mok family.

People who possessed a treasure beyond their means, yet did not know its true value.

In Hwa Yu-cheon’s eyes, they must have looked like delicious prey.

For them, backed by the Righteous Sword Manor, ruining a single clan was easier than flipping their palm.

Thus, the Mok family was ruined in an instant, and Hwa Yu-cheon approached them in their despair.

All of it was to obtain the Gongpo Sword. And as a bonus, he would take Mok Ga-hye as a concubine.

A young, pretty girl was more than enough to satisfy an old man’s lust.

He would offer the Gongpo Sword to the Righteous Sword Manor, and he himself would embrace the beautiful girl.

It was truly a scheme that killed two birds with one stone, no, three birds with one stone. For by offering the Gongpo Sword, he would gain another great benefit.

On the other hand, Juk Hae-jang would not have wanted the Heavenly Eunuch Clan to grow any larger. If they received the Gongpo Sword, the Righteous Sword Manor would surely support the Heavenly Eunuch Clan openly. On a level incomparable to what they had done so far.

So they must have tried to ruin Hwa Yu-cheon’s scheme by intercepting the Gongpo Sword.

In the end, Juk Hae-jang’s intention ended in failure.

Although it was still just a suspicion, Pyo Wol was confident that his guess was correct.

They had failed for one reason only.

They had not anticipated Pyo Wol’s intervention at all.

Pyo Wol thought that the ways of the world were truly strange.

If her life hadn’t been threatened, it would have been better for Mok Ga-hye to have the Gongpo Sword taken from her.

Then the reason for her to become Hwa Yu-cheon’s concubine would disappear, and Juk Hae-jang would also be able to maintain a balance of power with the Heavenly Eunuch Clan in Enshi. Of course, her family’s situation would become more difficult, but that couldn’t be helped.

In the end, Pyo Wol saved Mok Ga-hye’s life, but because of that, she had to become Hwa Yu-cheon’s concubine.

A future that would not have happened if Baek Jin-gung and the Demon Pursuit Squad had simply taken the Gongpo Sword and retreated.

It was too late to turn back now, and Pyo Wol had no intention of getting involved any further.

The only reason he had intervened in this matter was because of Soma.

“Thank you! Hyung-ah.”

Soma was looking up at Pyo Wol with a relieved expression.

Pyo Wol said to Soma.

“Let’s go!”

“Wait a minute…”

Soma looked at Mok Ga-hye.

“Noona! When you’re done making the beef jerky, bring it to the biggest inn near the docks. I’ll be waiting.”

“I… I will.”

Mok Ga-hye replied, biting her lip gently.

Soma waved to her and returned to the inn with Pyo Wol.

Mok Ga-hye stood there motionlessly, as if she had turned to stone, watching the two disappear into the darkness.

“Ga-hye!”

She barely came to her senses at Shin Mu-geom’s call.

“Hoo!”

Her sigh scattered in the wind.

＊＊＊

“Is that really true?”

“Are they really all dead?”

“No way!”

The morning at the inn was several times noisier than usual.

At the center of it were the Wanderers led by Go Il-pae.

They were gathered together, chattering with expressions of disbelief.

Go Il-pae looked at the Wanderer who had just brought the unbelievable news with a serious face.

“Are you sure you didn’t get it wrong?”

“No. I saw the body with my own eyes. It was really Baek Jin-gung’s body.”

“Ugh!”

“It’s not just Baek Jin-gung. The entire Demon Pursuit Squad was annihilated.”

He repeated the same words several times to the Wanderers who did not easily believe him.

Seol Ha-jin patted the Wanderer’s shoulder and said.

“That’s enough!”

“But…”

“I know you’re telling the truth. I believe you, so you can stop.”

“Okay.”

Seol Ha-jin looked at Go Il-pae.

“This guy has a tendency to exaggerate, but he doesn’t lie. I think it’s real.”

“Was the Demon Pursuit Squad really annihilated?”

Go Il-pae muttered, leaning back in his chair.

He too knew that the Wanderer who had just spoken did not lie. It was just that the fact was so incredible that it was hard to believe.

Someone had annihilated Baek Jin-gung and the Demon Pursuit Squad.

Although he didn’t get along with him, Baek Jin-gung’s martial prowess was truly great, and even he could not disregard it.

The same went for the Demon Pursuit Squad that worked in concert with him.

Their individual martial arts were incomparable, but they were fundamentally vile and skilled in group combat. It was hard to imagine them being annihilated so easily.

“The killer?”

“I don’t know. Only the bodies were left…”

“The wounds?”

“The officials collected the bodies before I could even check.”

“Hmm!”

As Go Il-pae let out a groan, Seol Ha-jin slapped his shoulder.

“Well, isn’t that great? Good is good, right?”

“This isn’t something to be taken so lightly.”

“I don’t know! I’m not going to worry about it anymore.”

“You…”

“I’ve never liked those human scumbags. In fact, I’m relieved that they’re all dead.”

Several Wanderers nodded at Seol Ha-jin’s words.

Go Il-pae was about to say something to her but stopped.

He knew she wouldn’t listen anyway.

It was then.

“Hello! Hyung-ahs.”

A clear voice echoed through the inn.

Soma and Pyo Wol were coming down the stairs.

The moment he saw them, Go Il-pae unknowingly scowled. It was because he felt a thick scent of blood wafting from them.

In truth, there was no smell.

It was just Go Il-pae’s illusion. But Go Il-pae didn’t think it was a simple illusion.

‘Did they do it?’

It wasn’t a simple guess.

Go Il-pae had been a Wanderer for a long time.

Having lived in a rough world, his sixth sense was more developed than anyone else’s. Although there was no evidence, his sixth sense was telling him that the two were the killers.

‘What on earth happened?’

The fear in Go Il-pae’s eyes deepened.

Pyo Wol glanced at them and then sat down in a chair without a greeting. Soma also quickly sat in front of him and ordered food.

It had been so noisy, but the inn fell silent.

It was all because of Pyo Wol.

The strange atmosphere flowing from Pyo Wol forced everyone in the inn into silence.

Even the Wanderers, who were second to none in their free-spiritedness, were crushed by the atmosphere Pyo Wol exuded.

Creak!

If the inn door hadn’t opened at that moment, if a man and a woman hadn’t entered, the Wanderers might have died from suffocation.

Go Il-pae and the Wanderers looked at the visitors who broke the suffocating silence with welcoming eyes.

A beautiful young girl and her escort warrior.

They were none other than Mok Ga-hye and Shin Mu-geom.

“It’s Noona.”

Soma was the first to react.

He quickly ran to Mok Ga-hye.

“You’re here?”

“Uh-huh!”

“The beef jerky?”

“Th-that, I have to start making it now. Could I possibly use the inn’s kitchen?”

In Mok Ga-hye’s hands was a large chunk of meat.

She had bought it from a shop in the city a little while ago.

Soma nodded vigorously.

“Of course. I’ll talk to the owner.”

“Thank you!”

“Wow! Beef jerky. More beef jerky is coming. Woooow!”

Soma ran around the inn shouting like a mad dog. But no one in the inn dared to say anything to Soma.

After watching Soma for a moment, Mok Ga-hye shifted her gaze to Pyo Wol.

“I’m sorry. This is all I can do for you. I’ll make plenty instead.”

“Do that.”

Pyo Wol replied with an indifferent expression.

At that, Mok Ga-hye let out a sigh of relief.

Before coming here, she had agonized endlessly.

She had asked herself all night if it was right to come here.

The conclusion was yes.

‘I have to go to Enshi with them.’

She didn’t know what other threats might be targeting them.

It felt like even threats would steer clear if she went with Pyo Wol.

That was the reason she had come to find Pyo Wol in the morning.

She happened to have a good excuse.

“Yeehaw! Beef jerky. Beef jerky!”

The little demon running around the inn like a madman.

Soma became her excuse.