Chapter 227

After the meeting ended, Lee Yul stepped out of the Great War.

He stood in the Training Ground in front of the Great War and looked around the inner courtyard.

Countless people were moving about busily.

It was a natural sight now, but when he had first become the Steward, most people had wasted their time, not knowing what to do. But now, it was different.

The members of Snow Blade Sword Manor knew exactly what they each had to do.

That alone filled Snow Blade Sword Manor with vitality.

Lee Yul watched the people for a moment before returning to his residence.

His residence was the second-largest building in the inner courtyard.

The fact that he used a larger building than even the blood relatives of the Manor Lord, Seol Gang-yeon, signified just how important his position was within Snow Blade Sword Manor.

Seol Gang-yeon trusted and relied on Lee Yul more than her own children. It was to the point that Seol Gang-yeon’s children felt jealous of Lee Yul.

Just then, a large-bodied man approached Lee Yul.

A large frame and a face that strongly resembled Seol Gang-yeon.

He was none other than Seol Gang-yeon’s eldest son, Seol Gwangho.

“Can you spare a moment?”

With the hulking Seol Gwangho standing before him, Lee Yul’s frame looked even smaller.

Lee Yul looked at Seol Gwangho with his characteristically unchanging expression.

“What is it?”

“There’s something I need to discuss regarding the stronghold’s affairs.”

“If it’s about the major and minor affairs of the stronghold, I have already discussed them with the Manor Lord.”

“But I was left out, wasn’t I? I’m the young master of Snow Blade Sword Manor, for crying out loud. Does it make sense to hold a meeting without me?”

“It was the Manor Lord’s decision. It is not my place to interfere.”

“Hmph! The Steward decides all the major and minor affairs of the stronghold anyway. Father accepts almost all of the Steward’s opinions.”

Seol Gwangho’s eyes, as he looked at Lee Yul, were filled with hostility.

From his perspective, Lee Yul was a stone that had rolled in from the outside. An outsider was pushing him, the established fixture, aside and wielding immense influence within Snow Blade Sword Manor.

‘Hmph! Looking just like a girl…’

In truth, Lee Yul’s appearance wasn’t exactly feminine.

His name was rather feminine, and he had a fairly handsome face for a man, but it wasn’t to the point of being looked down upon anywhere. However, because Seol Gwangho was so massive, the contrast was stark.

Seol Gwangho hated Lee Yul, who had appeared out of nowhere and was now controlling Snow Blade Sword Manor. But because his father’s trust in him was so great, he couldn’t touch him carelessly.

Lee Yul asked.

“What is it you wish to discuss?”

“Among the people who joined the stronghold this time, there is a Miss named Gu So-hyeon.”

“I have heard of her. She would have learned her Martial Arts at the Golden Crow Hall in Xinyang.”

“Right! You even remember that?”

Seol Gwangho unknowingly made a face that showed he was appalled.

The Golden Crow Hall was a tiny martial arts academy that almost no one knew. It was a Sect whose name even Seol Gwangho hadn’t known until yesterday.

Lee Yul’s memory, which retained even a disciple from such a nameless martial arts academy, felt chilling.

“To perform the duties of a Steward, one must remember even such trivial things without omission. So, is there some problem with this Miss Gu So-hyeon?”

“That’s not it…”

“Then what is it?”

“I was hoping you could assign Miss Gu to my direct subordinate unit, the Shadow Unit.”

For a moment, Lee Yul’s eyes narrowed.

He thought he knew why Seol Gwangho had come to him.

His lust for women was not a new thing. There had been quite a few instances where he had been bewitched by a woman and ruined his work. For that reason, Seol Gang-yeon did not place much trust in him, his eldest son. That was why he didn’t even let him into the meetings where all the key figures of Snow Cloud Stronghold gathered.

He had heard that a woman named Gu So-hyeon, who had recently joined Snow Blade Sword Manor, was quite beautiful and that many men had their eyes on her. It seemed Seol Gwangho was one of them.

Seol Gwangho couldn’t quite look Lee Yul straight in the eye and slightly turned his head away.

After staring at Seol Gwangho for a moment, Lee Yul nodded.

“Understood. I will take care of it.”

“Really?”

“It is not a difficult matter. I will notify her to start living with the Shadow Unit from tomorrow.”

“Thanks! As expected, Steward Lee is easy to talk to. Haha! Well then, keep up the good work.”

Seol Gwangho let out a hearty laugh and patted Lee Yul’s shoulder with his large hand. Each time his hand struck, Lee Yul’s body swayed like a reed. But still, there wasn’t the slightest change in his expression.

‘Damn bastard!’

Seol Gwangho forcibly suppressed the twisting of his lips and turned away.

Lee Yul stared blankly at Seol Gwangho’s retreating back before returning to his residence.

“You’re back.”

As soon as Lee Yul entered, a person with an ordinary appearance greeted him.

She had plain features and an average build that could be seen anywhere on the street.

The name of this person, so unremarkable that one wouldn’t recall her impression after seeing her once or twice, was Baek Dokyeong.

He was a trusted subordinate Lee Yul had brought with him when he entered Snow Blade Sword Manor as its Steward.

Baek Dokyeong pulled out a chair for Lee Yul to sit comfortably.

Thud!

As Lee Yul sat down, she pulled a yellow booklet from her robes, presented it, and said.

“This is a list of those who have joined Snow Blade Sword Manor this time.”

“How many have joined?”

“Three hundred and seventy-two in total. All but five have arrived.”

Lee Yul looked at Baek Dokyeong with cold eyes.

“Five?”

“Yes! Yang Cheol-hwan and his sworn brothers have not yet arrived.”

“Isn’t it well past their arrival time?”

“It is.”

“What is the probability that they went elsewhere?”

“Given Yang Cheol-hwan’s disposition, it’s almost zero.”

“That means there was a problem.”

Tap, tap!

Lee Yul tapped his fingers on the table.

Yang Cheol-hwan and his sworn brothers were not particularly important figures. They were said to have made a name for themselves in the Henan area, but they were nothing more than frogs in a well.

If one widened the scope of perception to All Under Heaven, the existence of Yang Cheol-hwan was so insignificant as to be invisible.

The problem was Yang Cheol-hwan’s disposition.

While Yang Cheol-hwan wasn’t a man who always kept his promises, he wasn’t so detached from the world as to refuse Snow Blade Sword Manor’s offer.

Snow Blade Sword Manor’s offer was great enough to tempt him, and a promise that he would definitely come had been received. The fact that he still hadn’t come meant that something had gone wrong.

This level of variable could have been overlooked, but for someone with a personality like Lee Yul’s, who did not tolerate even the slightest error, it was unacceptable.

“Thoroughly investigate their movements and find out what happened.”

“Understood.”

Baek Dokyeong knew Lee Yul’s personality well, so she answered without another word.

“What about Jin Clan?”

“Quite a few people are joining them. About three hundred have joined them so far, and more will gather as time passes.”

“So they still have that much trust left.”

“Yes! The network they’ve built over the years is not small.”

“As expected, they won’t collapse so easily.”

A faint smile appeared on Lee Yul’s lips.

Baek Dokyeong spoke cautiously.

“How should we move them?”

“No! Moving them already would be a waste of our strength. For now, let’s proceed with only the capabilities of Snow Blade Sword Manor itself.”

“Understood.”

“You may leave!”

“Yes!”

At Lee Yul’s wave, Baek Dokyeong bowed his head and went outside.

Left alone, Lee Yul rose from his seat and approached the window.

When he opened the window, the scenery of the inner courtyard came into view at a glance.

With the beautiful scenery filling his eyes, Lee Yul muttered.

“It’s been too peaceful for too long.”

＊＊＊

Pyo Wol’s gaze turned upward.

A colossal mountain was visible, its mid-slope wreathed in clouds.

It was Mount Tianjung.

Henan had been called the center of All Under Heaven since ancient times.

Runan, where Mount Tianjung was located, was in the central part of Henan, so the people of Runan called themselves the Man of Tianzhong.

Their pride was exceptional, to the point that outsiders sometimes felt a sense of rejection.

Just as they called themselves the Man of Tianzhong, Mount Tianjung was also an object of reverence. It was to the extent that they had named the mountain the center of the heavens.

Jin Clan was already bustling with people.

Pyo Wol avoided the commotion and made his way toward Mount Tianjung.

The path up Mount Tianjung was extremely treacherous, so the people of Jin Clan mainly used it to practice their Light Body Art or Footwork. But now, because of the conflict with Snow Blade Sword Manor, no one was using it.

Thanks to that, Pyo Wol could use the mountain path alone in solitude.

Even while climbing the mountain path, Pyo Wol meticulously surveyed the area.

He was examining potential infiltration routes with the eyes of an Assassin.

He had only scanned it once, but three or four spots had already caught his eye. Jin Clan had set up guards at places where enemies might infiltrate, but if Pyo Wol put his mind to it, he could infiltrate within half a Shichen without leaving a single trace.

Like that, Pyo Wol climbed the mountain, checking the potential infiltration routes one by one.

Mount Tianjung boasted a magnificent view that would not be an exaggeration to call the finest under heaven.

The strangely shaped rocks and stones, which looked as if a master craftsman had poured his heart and soul into them over long years, harmonized with the thickets to create a spectacular landscape. Thanks to this, he didn’t even feel bored while climbing the mountain, as he was busy admiring the view.

Pyo Wol reached the summit of Mount Tianjung when the sun was at its highest point in the sky.

Despite having climbed the rugged mountain path, not a single bead of sweat was visible on Pyo Wol’s forehead.

Pyo Wol stood on the summit of Mount Tianjung and looked down upon All Under Heaven.

The endlessly stretching vast plains and the chaotically intersecting rivers, the countless private houses and mansions nestled within, and the people.

Pyo Wol truly felt the meaning of the word All Under Heaven.

Everything that exists under the sky.

The scenery that entered Pyo Wol’s eyes was not all of All Under Heaven, but it was more than enough to show what All Under Heaven was.

Pyo Wol gazed down upon All Under Heaven for a long time.

A strong wind blew, shaking his clothes and hair, but he did not move an inch.

Pyo Wol tore his eyes away because of an unfamiliar presence he felt behind him.

“Well now! There was someone here before me.”

A moment later, someone’s voice was heard.

When Pyo Wol turned around, he saw a familiar man.

‘Oh Ju-gang!’

He was the man named Oh Ju-gang who had entered Jin Clan with Namgung Wol and the others.

He was the one who had lamented Jin Geum-woo’s death more than anyone and had poured out his heartfelt longing.

Oh Ju-gang recognized Pyo Wol as well.

“Ah! It’s Brother Pyo. I hope I haven’t disturbed your contemplation, Brother Pyo.”

“It’s fine! I was about to head down anyway.”

“By any chance, did you also come here to escape the crowds, Brother Pyo?”

“I did!”

“Hehe! I thought so. I don’t know why it’s so chaotic.”

Oh Ju-gang shook his head from side to side.

Three gourds hung from his waist, and he held another in his hand. Judging by the strong scent of liquor wafting from the gourds, they were clearly filled with alcohol. Not only that, but the smell of alcohol on his breath suggested he had already had quite a bit to drink.

Oh Ju-gang offered the liquor bottle to Pyo Wol and said.

“Would you like a drink too, Brother Pyo?”

“I don’t usually drink.”

“Hehe! Amazing. To not drink this good stuff.”

“Did you climb up while drinking?”

“Well, I drank it like water on the way up.”

Oh Ju-gang nodded with a nonchalant expression.

Mount Tianjung was an extremely treacherous mountain. One wrong step could lead to a fall down a ten-thousand-zhang cliff and death.

It was an act born of confidence in his Martial Arts and Light Body Art, but it was also something Pyo Wol would never do.

Oh Ju-gang staggered as he approached Pyo Wol.

“May I impose for a moment?”

Pyo Wol silently stepped aside.

Oh Ju-gang stood where Pyo Wol had been standing until just now and took out a new bottle of liquor.

“Geum-woo!”

He called out Jin Geum-woo’s name.

Before he knew it, his eyes had turned red.

“What was the rush that you had to leave so soon? You man! We promised so many times that we’d drink together for three days and three nights when we met again, so how could you go on ahead alone? You heartless man! Why did you leave me all alone in this world and depart in such a hurry?”

Thick teardrops were already streaming from his eyes.

Oh Ju-gang didn’t wipe away his tears and simply turned the liquor bottle upside down.

Gush, gush!

The liquor that filled the gourd scattered in the wind and spread throughout Mount Tianjung.

“Drink your fill. This is the Jukyeopcheong from the Jinhong Inn that you said you liked. This is all I have to give you.”

Oh Ju-gang emptied one bottle of liquor for Jin Geum-woo.

In an instant, the gourd was empty.

Oh Ju-gang threw away the empty bottle and took out a new one. Then he began to chug it down.

After emptying half of it in one go, he said.

“Kaaah! This is good. To leave behind such a good thing. There won’t be such good liquor in the afterlife, what a pity, what will you do? Kuhaha!”

Oh Ju-gang had already emptied two bottles while climbing the mountain. As more alcohol entered his system, he instantly became drunk and started shouting at the top of his lungs.

Drinking alone on the mountaintop, getting drunk and rambling by himself, and after making such a scene, Oh Ju-gang lost consciousness. And beside him was Pyo Wol.