Chapter 217

“Whoa!”

Pyo Wol stopped his horse.

Despite having galloped for quite a long way, the horse still seemed to have energy left, snorting repeatedly.

Pyo Wol patted the horse’s neck, calming it down.

It had already been five days since he left Mount Wudang.

During that time, Pyo Wol had ridden his horse steadily, excluding periods of rest. As a result, he was able to reach Nanyang in Hebei Province.

To reach Mount Tianzhong, he still had to travel for more than five days. And that was only if he rode without a break.

However, it was impossible for even a fine steed to run without rest. Just by arriving here in five days, the horse had more than fulfilled its duty.

Nanyang was larger and more splendid than any city Pyo Wol had passed through so far.

The difference was apparent from the width of the streets and the scale of the buildings lining them.

The well-paved official roads and large buildings overwhelmed the eyes of a first-time visitor.

Pyo Wol asked a passerby and found the street where the inns were clustered.

The sight of numerous inns lined up was even majestic. Pyo Wol chose one with an independent stable and went inside.

It had a dedicated stable hand who managed only the horses, so it was particularly sought after by people from trading companies or escort agencies traveling long distances.

When Pyo Wol entered with his horse, the stable hand’s eyes widened.

“Wow! This one is no ordinary creature. I’ve been here for over ten years, but I’ve never seen a horse as fine as this one.”

The old stable hand couldn’t help but marvel as he meticulously examined the horse.

Its tall stature, well-developed muscles—the stable hand’s eyes saw the horse’s strengths that an ordinary person would miss.

Pyo Wol handed him the reins and said.

“Give it good feed and take good care of it.”

“Don’t you worry. A creature like this deserves the best treatment. I’ll keep it in the finest stall.”

“I’m counting on you!”

Pyo Wol handed the stable hand a few Copper Coins.

A broad smile spread across the old stable hand’s face.

Pyo Wol left him behind and entered the inn.

Although it was still early, the restaurant on the first floor of the inn was bustling with quite a few customers.

As Pyo Wol entered, a Waiter quickly ran over.

“Welcome.”

“I plan to stay for a day. Do you have a room?”

“You’ve come at just the right time. If you’d come a little later, you wouldn’t have been able to get a room.”

“Why?”

“It’s always like this. Around evening, customers from trading companies or escort agencies arrive. They take many rooms at once, so it’s hard for regular customers to find a room.”

“I see.”

“There are still some rooms available since they haven’t arrived yet. I’ll give you the room at the end of the second-floor hallway. It’s the quietest and cleanest, so it’s a decent place to stay.”

Pyo Wol nodded and handed the Waiter some Copper Coins as well.

A bright smile appeared on the Waiter’s face.

He showed Pyo Wol to his room.

Just as the Waiter had said, the room looked quite clean.

Pyo Wol sat on the bed and looked out the window.

Darkness was slowly beginning to fall on the streets. In proportion, the number of people coming to the inn also increased.

Just as the Waiter had said, group customers like trading companies and escort agencies were continuously entering the inn.

Thinking he wouldn’t even be able to get a seat for a meal if he just sat there blankly, Pyo Wol hurried down and found a spot.

As he had expected, the first-floor restaurant was already bustling with people. If he had come down just a little later, he wouldn’t have been able to find an empty seat.

Pyo Wol sat at an empty table in a corner and ordered a simple meal from the Waiter.

In the meantime, more customers had entered the inn, and now there were no empty seats to be found.

It was then that a peculiar light flickered in Pyo Wol’s eyes as he sat and watched the people coming in.

“There are no empty seats. You old Daoist!”

“Hey, you wench! We’re late because you were dawdling, who are you trying to blame?”

“I don’t know! It’s all because of Daoshi Go.”

“Honestly, the way you talk…”

A man and a woman, bickering as they entered the inn.

An old Daoist and a beautiful young woman.

Many people gave them their attention due to the unusual combination. But the reason Pyo Wol noticed them was not just because they were unusual, but because they were familiar faces.

The faces of the Daoist and the young woman, who were looking around the first floor, suddenly stiffened.

Their gazes were fixed on where Pyo Wol was sitting.

Although his face was half-covered by a scarf, they recognized Pyo Wol’s identity at once.

“Hmph!”

“Who is this? The handsome Orabeoni!”

The two people’s reactions were different, yet similar.

The Daoist had a sour expression, and while the woman seemed pleased, her eyes were wary.

They cautiously approached Pyo Wol.

The woman spoke to Pyo Wol first.

“We can share the table, right? You wouldn’t be so cold as to refuse us, would you? We’ve been through quite a lot together, after all.”

The woman smiling at Pyo Wol was none other than Heo Ranju of the Black Cloud Corps. The person next to her was Daoshi Go.

One of his shoulders was empty.

The one who had cut off his perfectly fine arm was Pyo Wol himself.

Having had his arm cut off by Pyo Wol and suffering a life-threatening injury, Daoshi Go looked at Pyo Wol with eyes full of vigilance.

The Chengdu Great Massacre.

It was a major incident where the Qingcheng Sect, the Emei Sect, and all the forces that followed them suffered immense damage from Pyo Wol alone, causing them to become Closed-off or scatter.

The Black Cloud Corps, to which the two belonged, also suffered tremendous damage from Pyo Wol and had to leave Sichuan Province as if in an Escape.

The damage they suffered from Pyo Wol that day was truly enormous. Nearly a third of their forces were wiped out in a single night, and Daoshi Go was left on the verge of death.

The memory of that day remained a nightmare for Daoshi Go and the Black Cloud Corps.

Among them, the physical and mental damage Daoshi Go suffered was so severe that his recovery could not be guaranteed.

Fortunately, Daoshi Go had a rather optimistic personality, and by meeting a renowned physician, he was able to recover from his injuries to some extent.

His body was healed, but he couldn’t completely erase his fear of Pyo Wol. No, he thought he had erased it, but upon meeting Pyo Wol again like this, his heart was pounding uncontrollably.

He tried hard to maintain a composed expression.

It was the same for Heo Ranju.

She had watched with her own two eyes how the Black Cloud Corps, whom she thought of as family, collapsed at Pyo Wol’s hands. Thus, her resentment and hatred for Pyo Wol were etched into her bones.

An ordinary person would have either gotten angry at Pyo Wol or chosen to flee. But neither Heo Ranju nor Daoshi Go were people who were close to ordinary.

They knew how to hide their fear and how to face an opponent while concealing their uncomfortable feelings.

Instead of rashly expressing their hatred for Pyo Wol, they feigned composure.

The problem was Pyo Wol’s response.

If Pyo Wol showed hostility, the precarious peace would end in that moment. But fortunately, Pyo Wol was not the type of person to reveal his emotions so openly.

Pyo Wol replied.

“Sit!”

“Thanks! We came in a hurry, but there were no empty seats. Hoho!”

“It’s been a while.”

The two sat down opposite Pyo Wol.

Heo Ranju stared intently at Pyo Wol’s face and said.

“But how did you end up here? I thought you wouldn’t leave Sichuan Province.”

“It just happened.”

“Are you on a trip or something?”

“Let’s just say it’s something like that.”

“Hmm! Still so full of secrets.”

“What about you, what brings you here?”

“We’re on a trip too.”

“Is that so?”

Pyo Wol nodded his head.

Just as Heo Ranju didn’t believe Pyo Wol’s words, Pyo Wol didn’t readily believe Heo Ranju’s either.

They were people who had already seen each other’s true colors.

They knew each other’s true nature well. It was useless to try to deceive one another.

Pyo Wol looked at Daoshi Go. At that, Daoshi Go’s complexion turned noticeably pale.

No matter how hard he tried to be bold, he couldn’t forget the memory of the moment his arm was cut off. As he received Pyo Wol’s gaze, the memory of that time kept resurfacing.

“Ahem! I’m thirsty. I should order some alcohol.”

In the end, Daoshi Go turned his head, called the Waiter, and ordered alcohol.

Heo Ranju, who would normally have chided Daoshi Go for such behavior, remained quiet this time. Her feelings were not so different from Daoshi Go’s.

Heo Ranju stared blankly at Pyo Wol.

Pyo Wol still had the lower half of his face covered with a scarf, so it was impossible to know what he was thinking.

Heo Ranju was someone who usually didn’t care about anyone’s opinion, but Pyo Wol was so awkward to deal with that she couldn’t treat him carelessly.

This time sitting with him was so awkward it was unbearable, but she had no choice right now.

Pyo Wol asked.

“Where are the others?”

“You know, right? That I can’t tell you.”

Heo Ranju spoke nonchalantly, but because of that, Pyo Wol could be certain.

The fact that the Black Cloud Corps was currently carrying out some mission.

Having experienced it once before, Pyo Wol had figured out how the Black Cloud Corps operated.

When they receive a request, the members, excluding the cavalry, gather in small groups of two or three and move to the destination. By moving in a dispersed manner, they avoid the attention of others.

“It seems you’ve arranged to meet here.”

“……”

At Pyo Wol’s words that hit the mark, Heo Ranju was at a loss for words.

It was because she was supposed to meet Hyeolseung and the others here.

“You’re a truly tiresome person. That’s right! I’m supposed to meet Hyeolseung here.”

Heo Ranju shook her head.

Daoshi Go also let out a sigh beside her.

Although they were skilled at hiding their emotions, it was useless in front of Pyo Wol.

The one who was far more skilled in psychological warfare than them and who dug into weaknesses like a viper was Pyo Wol.

“Is the Unit Leader supposed to meet here too?”

“No!”

“That’s a relief.”

“Why?”

“If the Unit Leader were here, a storm of blood would have raged.”

“That’s true.”

This time, even Heo Ranju couldn’t help but agree with Pyo Wol’s opinion.

The Black Cloud Corps’ leader, Jang Muryang, considered Pyo Wol his mortal enemy. It was because his long-held ambitions had been thwarted by Pyo Wol, and many of the forces he had painstakingly raised were wiped out.

If it were Jang Muryang, he would surely attack Pyo Wol with all his might the moment he saw him.

Just then, the Waiter brought out the food and alcohol.

Heo Ranju and Daoshi Go drank, and Pyo Wol ate his meal.

The conversation between them naturally died down.

The time they spent together was uncomfortable. If they could, they would have wanted to move to another table. But Heo Ranju and Daoshi Go had no choice. All the other seats were already taken.

The one who got up first was Pyo Wol.

“I’ll head in first.”

Pyo Wol paid the Waiter and went up to the second floor.

Only after he disappeared did Heo Ranju and Daoshi Go let out a sigh.

“Phew!”

“Damn it. To think we’d run into that demon here of all places.”

Daoshi Go glared at the stairs Pyo Wol had gone up.

He felt pathetic for not being able to say a word when they were together, only to express his feelings after he was gone. But he couldn’t bear it without venting his anger like this.

“Where is he going? Surely his destination isn’t the same as ours, right?”

“No way. All Under Heaven is so vast…”

“That’s true, but seeing that man makes me anxious.”

Daoshi Go suddenly frowned.

The shoulder where he had lost his arm to Pyo Wol suddenly began to throb with pain.

Daoshi Go drank alcohol repeatedly to forget the pain.

Even seeing Daoshi Go drinking hastily, Heo Ranju did not chide him. It was because she understood Daoshi Go’s feelings to some extent.

“Seeing that man here makes me feel uneasy for no reason. Phew!”

“A twisted fate. A truly twisted fate. If I had my way, I’d want to get revenge right now, but I don’t have the confidence.”

“Daoshi Go, you’ve gotten old too. To say such weak things.”

“What about you?”

“I’m… scared too.”

“Right! That’s the normal reaction. After being beaten so badly… He left a huge scar on our minds. It’s not easy to overcome.”

“I know. But I will definitely get my revenge.”

“I think the same. But right now, carrying out the request is the priority.”

“I know. If this request fails too, there will be no place for the Black Cloud Corps to stand in Jianghu anymore.”

“That’s why we must succeed.”

Daoshi Go made a resolute expression.

After the Emei Sect’s request ended in failure, the Black Cloud Corps went through a period of stagnation for a while. But a short time ago, a very large request came in.

It was a request that the Black Cloud Corps absolutely could not afford to miss.

Depending on the outcome of this request, the Black Cloud Corps would be able to regain the strength to soar again.

Daoshi Go hoped that they wouldn’t run into Pyo Wol before then.

‘Don’t tell me we’re going to get entangled again this time?’