Chapter 185

Baokang was located several hundred li south of Mount Wudang, surrounded by as many as three thousand large and small mountains and valleys.

Water flowing from the nearby mountains gathered in Baokang before emptying into the Yangtze River, making it worthy of being called a city of water.

Numerous rivers and waterways were intricately intertwined around Baokang, and many islands were clustered together in the rivers.

Because of its beautiful scenery and its proximity to the Wudang Sect, a major sect in Jianghu, many people visited Baokang.

It was around sunset when Woo Jang-rak’s party entered Baokang.

“We’re finally in Baokang.”

The Wanderers wore expressions of deep emotion.

Many things had happened since they left Enshi and arrived in Baokang. The biggest incident among them was the raid by the pitiful Bandits.

The Wanderers thought the Bandits were pitiful because they had become Soma’s sacrifices before they could even mount a proper raid.

Soma had wielded the Gongpo Sword to his heart’s content against the Bandits.

No one thought the sight of a boy with seven wheels around his neck and a large sword in his arms was ridiculous.

In a sense, Soma was also close to being a monster.

He was born with a natural talent for handling weapons.

The sight of him not only wielding the seven wheels freely but also using a sword as large as his own body at will was enough to overwhelm the Wanderers and Woo Jang-rak’s Subordinates.

The Bandits were so brutally beaten by Soma that anyone watching would have felt sorry for them.

Fortunately, no one died, but their bodies were left in a state where they could never be bandits again.

Witnessing that scene firsthand had caused them considerable mental fatigue. Because of that, they wanted to get into Baokang quickly and rest without a single thought.

Knowing how his people felt, Woo Jang-rak rented out an entire small inn as soon as they entered Baokang. It was a considerate gesture so they could rest comfortably without any other worries during their stay in Baokang.

In truth, Woo Jang-rak was just as tired.

He hadn’t been able to relax for a single moment from the time he escaped Enshi until he arrived here.

It was because the matter of the Heavenly Eunuch Clan kept weighing on his mind.

Now that he had arrived in Baokang, far from Enshi, he felt he could finally rest easy for a day.

“We will depart the day after tomorrow, so please rest well until tomorrow.”

Woo Jang-rak informed the group.

Pyo Wol and the Wanderers were given a day of free time.

As soon as they unpacked, most of the Wanderers went out in search of a brothel. They could have drunk at the inn, but they were desperate for the company of women.

Pyo Wol and Soma were also assigned their own rooms.

“Hyung-ah! Rest well. See you tomorrow.”

Soma, who seemed tired too, waved at Pyo Wol and went into his room. Pyo Wol also entered his own room.

The room was small.

There was just a bed and a small table. Still, it looked clean, as if the owner had swept and wiped it quite a bit.

Pyo Wol threw open the small window. The sight of Baokang, shrouded in darkness, came into view.

Since it was still early evening, there were far more places with their lights off than on. Because of that, the entire city looked dark.

Pyo Wol did not dislike this kind of scenery.

No, he actually liked it.

He liked the darkness.

Because it could perfectly hide his presence.

It had been a long time since he had come out of the underground cavern, but he was still more accustomed to darkness than light. And that tendency would never change.

Knock, knock!

Just then, someone knocked on the door.

Even though Pyo Wol didn’t answer, the person who knocked came inside.

The one who opened the door and entered without hesitation was Seol Ha-jin.

Her hair was wet, as if she had already bathed.

She set down the bottle of liquor she was holding and asked.

“Want a drink?”

“No, thanks.”

“What’s the fun in living? To refuse something this good.”

“A cup of tea is enough for me.”

Pyo Wol walked past Seol Ha-jin to the table.

On the table was a teapot filled with cold tea.

“Cold tea won’t taste good.”

At Seol Ha-jin’s words, Pyo Wol nodded and raised his internal power.

Chiiik!

The iron teapot instantly became scorching hot.

Pyo Wol poured the hot tea from the heated teapot into a small teacup.

“Whew!”

Seol Ha-jin whistled.

This one move alone showed what incredible martial arts Pyo Wol possessed.

“If I had martial arts like yours, I wouldn’t have lived like that.”

“What do you mean?”

“Your martial arts are strong. Your face is handsome. You could live enjoying immense glory in the light. So I don’t easily understand why you live hiding everything so tightly.”

“Then why do you live like that?”

“What about me?”

“If you’re from Jinmen Island, you could have lived without envying anyone in that region. Why did you become a Wanderer and roam All Under Heaven?”

“You really know how to surprise a person. How did you know I was from Jinmen Island?”

Seol Ha-jin blinked her eyes in surprise.

Jinmen Island was a small island located in the southeastern part of the Central Plains. It was incomparably smaller than Hainan Island, which was famous in Jianghu, but it was a Sword Gate that enjoyed a long-standing reputation of its own.

Pyo Wol’s gaze turned to Seol Ha-jin’s sword.

“That sword.”

“What about it?”

“It has three golden tassels. You’re a first-generation disciple, right? Silver tassels for second-generation disciples, and red tassels for third-generation disciples.”

“Well, I’ll be. How did you know that too?”

Seol Ha-jin shook her head with a look of utter astonishment.

Pyo Wol was right. But there was also a question.

Jinmen Island was not a very large sect. Moreover, its power had recently shrunk so rapidly that it had to worry about its very existence.

Because of that, the fact that Jinmen Island distinguished its disciples by tassels was almost unknown in Jianghu.

The person who had told Pyo Wol this fact was none other than Guian.

For Pyo Wol, who was traveling through Jianghu, Guian had handed over the information he had collected on the sects of Jianghu. Information about Jinmen Island was included in it.

Since it was such a small sect, only a few lines were mentioned, but the method of distinguishing identity by tassels was so impressive that he had remembered it.

However, he couldn’t be certain she was a disciple of Jinmen Island just by seeing the golden tassels. So he had asked just in case.

“You’re right, I’m a first-generation disciple of Jinmen Island. Well, not anymore.”

Seol Ha-jin raised the liquor bottle to her lips. Then she gulped it down.

The liquor trickled down the corners of her mouth, but she didn’t care.

She emptied a third of the bottle in one go.

“Keeuh!”

Wiping the liquor from her mouth with her sleeve, she grimaced. But that was only for a moment; she soon smiled brightly and said.

“This is amazing. The innkeeper wasn’t boasting for nothing. Are you really not going to drink?”

“No, thanks.”

“Don’t regret it. I definitely offered twice.”

Seol Ha-jin looked at Pyo Wol with pity in her eyes. But Pyo Wol just calmly shook the teacup in his hand. At that, Seol Ha-jin’s face fell in disappointment.

“A man with such strong martial arts is a prude who doesn’t drink. Tsk! Something’s not right here. Well, does it matter? It’s not like I’m going to live with him forever.”

She voiced her own question, and then answered it herself.

Pyo Wol found this side of Seol Ha-jin quite amusing.

Pyo Wol asked.

“Why did you leave Jinmen Island? Is there a reason you gave up a stable life to become a Wanderer?”

“I just felt suffocated. My Master, my martial brothers and sisters, all of them… They always try to move only within a set framework. There were so many things to protect, and a world of things to be careful about. And above all, they tried to marry me off to a rich man nearby. The pretext was to secure the martial sect’s finances stably. Can you believe it? Trying to forcibly marry off a girl in her late teens to an old man over sixty? Ugh!”

Seol Ha-jin made a face as if just the thought of it made her want to vomit.

She was prepared to make some sacrifices for her martial sect, but she could not accept the order to become the concubine of an old man over sixty. So she fled in the middle of the night and settled in the Wanderer market of Dalju, far from Jinmen Island.

She struggled a lot at first.

Most of the people who approached her did so because of her beauty. From then on, she dressed as a man, and it took several years to get used to the life of a Wanderer.

If there was a man she liked, she would approach and seduce him first, and if there was something she wanted, she would get her hands on it no matter what.

In this way, Seol Ha-jin became a true Wanderer.

Pyo Wol asked.

“So what are you trying to say?”

“Well, I was just wondering what you think about living with me?”

“Are you telling me to become a Wanderer?”

“Being a Wanderer isn’t bad. The pay is decent, and above all, you’re free.”

“I’ll pass.”

“Tsk!”

At Pyo Wol’s firm reply, Seol Ha-jin clicked her tongue. But her expression wasn’t one of displeasure.

Even as she made the offer, she herself didn’t think Pyo Wol would become a Wanderer.

Pyo Wol did not suit a Wanderer.

They were similar in their extreme dislike of being tied down by anything, but unlike Seol Ha-jin, Pyo Wol was extremely strict with himself.

Pyo Wol had his own set of rules.

He had to grasp even the most trivial things that others could never understand, and he never once showed a disheveled appearance throughout the journey.

It was hard to imagine such a person becoming a Wanderer.

“No fun.”

Seol Ha-jin gulped down more liquor.

Instantly finishing the entire bottle, Seol Ha-jin climbed onto Pyo Wol’s lap. And said.

“Let’s do something fun.”

“You reek of alcohol.”

“Don’t play hard to get.”

＊＊＊

Go Il-pae went to a nearby tavern with the Wanderers.

“This is good!”

He had already emptied two jars of liquor.

Normally, after drinking this much, the party would break up, but today was different.

Go Il-pae and the Wanderers ordered another jar of liquor.

The tavern owner came, struggling to carry a rather large liquor jar.

“You drink well. My liquor is famous for being strong. Anyway, drink in moderation. You never know when you might just keel over.”

“Thank you.”

Go Il-pae nodded and ladled liquor with a gourd dipper. After he served himself first, the Wanderers took turns filling their own cups to the brim.

“This expedition is a real freebie.”

Someone said while drinking.

The Wanderers, who would normally have told him to stop talking nonsense, were all quiet.

Because they all thought the same thing.

Every time they were sold for money, they always thought that this might be their last time.

Being bought for money meant that it was no ordinary dangerous expedition. The risk increased especially with longer distances.

Because of that, the Wanderers were prepared to risk their lives the farther they went, but this time was different. Despite the long journey, there were almost no threats.

There was no one here who didn’t know that the reason was Pyo Wol.

Everyone thought they were traveling comfortably thanks to Pyo Wol, but the one-eyed man thought differently.

He had two perfectly good eyes before participating in this expedition, but after a single confrontation with Pyo Wol, he had lost one eye. He was none other than Hong Mugwang.

Hong Mugwang’s one remaining eye was filled with rage towards Pyo Wol.

He knew he was no match, but it was impossible to quell the resentment of losing a perfectly good eye.

He was just not showing it because Pyo Wol’s martial arts were too terrifying.

‘Someday, I will make him pay the price for taking one of my eyes.’

Hong Mugwang gulped down his liquor, nurturing his resentment.

Go Il-pae frowned as he watched Hong Mugwang.

‘This is dangerous.’

It wasn’t that he didn’t understand Hong Mugwang’s feelings, but unfortunately, the opponent was too much.

The opponent was not someone Hong Mugwang could even hope to challenge.

The martial power Pyo Wol had shown so far was truly formidable, in and of itself.

Even if Hong Mugwang became several times stronger than he was now, it would be impossible to face Pyo Wol.

One wrong move could endanger not only himself but the entire group of Wanderers.

Go Il-pae decided he had to watch Hong Mugwang more closely.

As the two men were lost in their different thoughts, the tavern door opened and a group of people entered.

“Did we really have to meet in such a cheap tavern?”

“I’m sorry, Master! I didn’t realize it was a place like this. It’s all my fault.”

“Hah! My head is already throbbing.”

“Once we meet them, we’ll move to another place.”

A middle-aged man who looked to be in his early to mid-forties and a boy who looked to be in his late teens were talking as they looked around the inside of the tavern.

A look of bewilderment appeared on Go Il-pae’s face as he stealthily raised his head to look at them.

Both were wearing light blue Taoist robes and had swords with ancient patterns engraved on them at their waists.

The ancient-looking sword engraved with a pine tree pattern was a symbol indicating that they were disciples of a certain sect located nearby.

‘Wudang Sect.’