Chapter 218

When Pyo Wol came down to the first floor of the Inn the next day, he saw Heo Ranju and Daoshi Go eating.

A large monk, whom he hadn’t seen yesterday, was sitting in front of them.

Pyo Wol recognized him at once.

‘It’s the Blood Monk.’

He, like Heo Ranju, was a member of the Black Cloud Corps.

He and Pyo Wol had already crossed paths in Chengdu.

“Amitabha!”

The Blood Monk’s eyes lit up when he spotted Pyo Wol.

An indescribably complex emotion was embedded in his gaze.

A strong competitive drive, a fighting spirit, and fear were all mixed together.

His shoulders twitched as if he were about to lunge at Pyo Wol at any moment. But in the end, he couldn’t move. Daoshi Go and Heo Ranju were each pressing down firmly on one of his shoulders.

Even the Blood Monk, who was not easily fazed, was agitated at the sight of Pyo Wol. That was how deep the scars Pyo Wol had inflicted on their minds were.

The Blood Monk closed his eyes and calmed his inner turmoil.

After a while, he regained his usual composure and opened his eyes.

The Blood Monk spoke.

“Amitabha! It has been a while.”

“Indeed.”

“I truly did not expect to see you here, benefactor.”

“Neither did I.”

“If you hold any ill feelings toward us because of what happened back then, I pray you let them go. It was not due to any personal feelings.”

“It seems to me that you’re the one who needs to let go of your feelings, not me.”

“I have already let them all go.”

The Blood Monk forced a composed expression. But contrary to his words, the muscles in his jaw were twitching.

Pyo Wol watched him for a moment before taking a seat.

The Blood Monk’s words made it certain.

They were clearly on a commission from someone. Otherwise, it made no sense for them to be so restrained.

The Black Cloud Corps had lost thirty percent of its forces to Pyo Wol in Chengdu. Such a grudge was not the kind that could be forgotten with just a few words.

Not even for a Spineless Good Man.

Moreover, they were people of the Jianghu who valued grudges and favors more than anyone. For them to suppress such a deep-seated grudge, something more important must have come up.

For people like the Black Cloud Corps, an important matter would surely be a major commission, one that could affect their very livelihood.

Although he was curious about the commission they had received, Pyo Wol decided to drop his interest there. He was in as much of a hurry as they were.

He had wasted a considerable amount of time getting caught up in various unexpected incidents on his way here.

He wanted to avoid wasting any more time by getting swept up in other strange affairs.

Pyo Wol called the Waiter and ordered a simple breakfast.

In the meantime, the three of them finished their meal and got up from their seats.

They left the Inn without a word of farewell to Pyo Wol.

Pyo Wol silently watched their backs as they went out the door.

To meet by chance like this in the vast Jianghu was as unlikely as being struck by lightning while walking down a road. The fact that they had met might mean that the ill-fated connection between them was not yet over.

Pyo Wol ate his meal, thinking that he might see them again.

After finishing his breakfast, he went outside.

When he arrived at the stables, the old stableman recognized him and brought out a horse.

The moment he saw the horse, Pyo Wol’s gaze changed.

“This isn’t my horse.”

“That can’t be. This horse is definitely yours, Great Hero.”

The stableman jumped and denied Pyo Wol’s claim.

“Do you think I wouldn’t recognize the horse I rode in on?”

“This horse is definitely the one you rode in on, Great Hero. I remember it clearly because I put it in the stable myself yesterday.”

The stableman insisted that Pyo Wol was mistaken.

Pyo Wol’s eyes grew cold.

He was not the type to be attached to worldly possessions.

A mere horse was nice to have, but it didn’t matter if he didn’t. However, he couldn’t stand someone messing with his belongings.

Pyo Wol pulled down the scarf that covered his face and said,

“Are you sure?”

At that moment, the old stableman’s face turned deathly pale.

The instant he saw Pyo Wol’s inhumanly beautiful face, he instinctively realized something was wrong.

Someone with such looks could not be an ordinary person.

His cold eyes, in particular, were as sharp as if they were piercing through his chest.

Gulp!

The old stableman unknowingly swallowed dryly.

He had given in to temptation and committed the deed, but now that he was face to face with Pyo Wol, he feared the consequences.

The old stableman turned his head, avoiding Pyo Wol’s eyes.

That confirmed it.

The horse the old stableman had brought out was not Pyo Wol’s.

It was similar in size and its appearance was roughly the same, but he couldn’t feel its unique, vibrant energy and fierce gaze. He also couldn’t see its dynamic muscles.

The old stableman had switched it with one that only looked similar on the surface.

“Where is my horse?”

“Th-that is…”

The old stableman stammered.

Unable to bear the pressure, the old stableman fell to his knees, shedding tears.

“Sob! I’m sorry. I’m truly sorry. This old man was blinded by money…”

“You sold it.”

“I swear I didn’t intend to sell it at first. He saw the horse and coveted it first…”

“Who was it?”

“Th-that is…”

“I asked, who was it?”

“The group of guests who arrived last night…”

With his head bowed, the stableman explained what had happened the previous night.

＊＊＊

“Nice!”

A man in his early twenties smiled with satisfaction as he rode the horse.

Behind him followed a group carrying a flag bearing the character for gold.

While it would mean nothing in other regions, this flag held considerable power in Henan Province.

It was the symbol of the Golden Mountain Manor, the wealthiest in Henan.

The Golden Mountain Manor was located in Runan, near Mount Tianzhong, and its Manor was known to be so large that it surpassed the major Sects of the Jianghu.

The man was Geum Usin, the Escort Unit Leader of the Golden Mountain Manor.

As the nephew of the Manor Lord, Geum Shinchung, he had studied at Shaolin from a young age and was known to be highly skilled in Martial Arts.

Geum Shinchung had entrusted the Golden Mountain Manor’s escort unit to Geum Usin upon his return from training his Martial Arts at Shaolin.

The escort unit was a military organization that protected the Golden Mountain Manor’s own Trading Company.

As the Escort Unit Leader, Geum Usin’s power was so immense that it was said he could make a flying bird fall from the sky.

Other than Geum Shinchung and his daughter, Geum Siyeon, no one in the Golden Mountain Manor held more power than him.

Geum Usin was in a very good mood.

It was because of the horse he was currently riding.

The moment he saw the horse in the stable, he recognized it as a fine steed that was hard to come by.

As befitting the Escort Unit Leader of the Golden Mountain Manor, the horse he had been riding was decent. But it didn’t meet his standards.

He had tried to buy a good horse several times, but one that he liked had never appeared.

Then, he discovered the horse in the stable.

When he asked the stableman, he was told it belonged to a guest who had arrived earlier. He was staying at the Inn alone.

He considered buying it for a fair price, but he thought it would be too expensive.

It was a much easier method to just give the old stableman a few coins and switch the horses.

He was a regular customer here and was also on friendly terms with the owner.

Coincidentally, the horse he had been riding was similar in size and appearance to the one in the stable. It would be difficult for anyone without a keen eye to tell them apart.

‘As if that bastard would notice the horse was switched.’

The old stableman had hesitated to switch the horses, but in the end, he succumbed to Geum Usin’s threats and a few coins.

And so, Geum Usin got a new horse.

The new horse was exactly to his liking.

The very feel transmitted from the saddle was different.

Its gait was as smooth as if it had a rhythm.

What was most satisfying was that it had cost him almost nothing to acquire the new horse.

One of the Golden Mountain Manor’s creeds was that money comes in, but no money goes out.

Geum Shinchung not only ran the Trading Company but also engaged in high-interest lending, and as a result, while money flowed into the Golden Mountain Manor, almost none flowed out.

Having grown up watching his uncle’s tenacious ways, Geum Usin was also greatly influenced. So, he tenaciously saved whatever he could, even if it meant using all sorts of tricks.

It was when Geum Usin was patting the horse’s neck with a smile.

“Unit Leader!”

Suddenly, one of the escort unit’s Martial Artists called out to him.

“What is it?”

“There’s some guy blocking the way up ahead.”

“What?”

Geum Usin raised his head and looked forward. He saw a man standing with a horse.

In that instant, Geum Usin recognized the man’s identity.

‘It’s him.’

He couldn’t fail to recognize the horse standing beside the man.

It was the horse he had been riding until last evening.

The horse was foaming at the mouth, as if it had run at full speed.

The original owner of the horse he was now riding had clearly appeared.

‘You damn fool…’

He cursed the old stableman.

Without thinking of his own fault, he blamed the stableman for not keeping the secret.

Thinking he would have to scold the stableman the next time he visited the Inn, he brought his horse to a halt.

“Who are you to block the procession of the Golden Mountain Manor?”

Geum Usin deliberately mentioned the Golden Mountain Manor.

In Henan Province, bringing up the Golden Mountain Manor’s name resolved most issues, so he said it out of habit. But the person blocking his way was Pyo Wol.

He was not from Henan Province, nor did he know of the Golden Mountain Manor’s prestige.

Pyo Wol opened his mouth.

“You took my horse.”

“What nonsense is this?”

“The horse you’re riding, it’s mine.”

“What nonsense is this fool spouting? Do you have any idea who I am to be babbling such nonsense?”

“And do you know who I am to have switched the horses?”

“Hmph! You’re probably just some Wanderer.”

The moment he answered without thinking, Geum Usin thought, ‘Oops.’

He realized that his answer was an admission to having switched the horses.

“So you switched the horses because you thought I was a Wanderer.”

“Hmph! To spout such ridiculous nonsense, you must be insane.”

Geum Usin decided to feign complete ignorance.

His pride would not allow him to admit to switching the horses now.

In any case, his opponent was alone, while he was with dozens of men from the escort unit. There was no reason to feel inferior to his opponent.

“If you keep spouting nonsense without any proof, I won’t let you be.”

Geum Usin glared at his opponent with menacing eyes.

He thought that if he went this far, his opponent would back down on his own.

Until now, most problems had been solved this way. But unfortunately for him, the opponent blocking his path was not someone his common sense applied to.

Pyo Wol pulled down his scarf and said,

“I really hate it when someone touches my things without permission.”

“Hmph! Same here. So get lost, you girly-looking bastard.”

Geum Usin made a disgusted face at Pyo Wol’s true appearance.

He believed that men should look like men. A man who looked like a girl like that was an object of contempt.

“Khahaha! The bastard’s face looks like it could slap a girl’s cheek.”

“If I had that face, I would have killed myself long ago.”

The escort unit mocked Pyo Wol upon seeing his true face.

Like Unit Leader, like Subordinate; their values were just like their Unit Leader, Geum Usin.

“Keep talking…”

Thwack!

At that moment, a Minor mastery sound echoed from the shoulder of the Martial Artist who had been teasing Pyo Wol.

A small Flying Dagger was embedded in his shoulder.

It was the Ghostly Rain that Pyo Wol had unleashed.

“You crazy!”

“This son of a bitch!”

The escort unit’s Martial Artists were startled and tried to draw their weapons.

Thwack!

Thud!

At that moment, along with the Minor mastery sounds, Ghostly Rain daggers were successively embedded in the Martial Artists’ shoulders.

They were all the ones who had mocked Pyo Wol.

Startled, Geum Usin drew his sword.

“You crazy bastard! How dare you…”

But he couldn’t finish his sentence.

He hadn’t even fully drawn his sword.

Pyo Wol was already standing in front of him.

Like a ghost, Pyo Wol was looking down at Geum Usin, standing on the horse’s head. Yet the horse seemed to feel no weight at all.

‘I messed with the wrong person.’

In that instant, cold sweat trickled down Geum Usin’s spine.

Even with his eyes wide open, he hadn’t even been able to perceive how Pyo Wol had moved.

There were not many in the Jianghu capable of such movement.

The opponent he had looked down on and tried to switch horses with was a rare Expert in the Jianghu.

‘Damn it!’