Chapter 339

Pyo Wol placed his hand on the Horned Dragon’s snout and closed his eyes.

“Wha…t?”

Gyeong Musaeng blinked blankly.

A Horned Dragon endures for over a thousand years to achieve Ascension. It spends that long period of time in training, preparing to soar into the sky. However, not every Horned Dragon that trains for so long is able to ascend to the heavens.

Only a Horned Dragon whose timing perfectly aligns with the harmony of heaven and earth can rise to the sky and become a Dragon; the rest fail to attain divinity and remain on the ground.

A Horned Dragon that fails to ascend, for whatever reason, is bound to become savage from its sense of loss.

The Horned Dragon that Gyeong Musaeng had subdued and was riding was one such case. When Gyeong Musaeng discovered it, the creature’s mind and body had been weakened by the shock of its failed ascent.

Thanks to that, he had been able to subjugate it easily. If the creature had been in perfect condition or had recovered its strength, it would have been impossible to subdue it without any sacrifice.

Since then, Gyeong Musaeng had treated the Horned Dragon like a pet, but he had a hard time calming the beast, which could turn ferocious at a moment’s notice.

Gyeong Musaeng had thought it impossible for anyone other than himself to communicate with or subjugate the Horned Dragon. But now, his confidence and preconceptions were being shattered by Pyo Wol.

Hsssss!

The Horned Dragon flicked its red tongue, enjoying Pyo Wol’s touch.

It was proof that Pyo Wol and the Horned Dragon were communicating. Even Gwia, emerging from between the folds of Pyo Wol’s clothes, was communicating with the Horned Dragon, resting its head on its nose.

“H-How is this…?”

Gyeong Musaeng was so shocked he didn’t know how to react.

A moment later, Pyo Wol removed his hand from the Horned Dragon. The snake then opened its closed eyes and looked at Pyo Wol.

Pyo Wol met the Horned Dragon’s gaze and murmured.

“So that’s how it was.”

Hsssss!

At Pyo Wol’s words, the Horned Dragon’s scales trembled all over its body. A sound like steel scraping against steel echoed.

Although Gyeong Musaeng had been handling the Horned Dragon for a long time, this was the first time he had seen such a reaction.

Gyeong Musaeng roared.

“You bastard! What tricks are you playing? Get away from it, now!”

Whoosh!

His shout sent the rain, which had been pouring down like spears, flying back, and a great wave rose on the Great Lake.

Pyo Wol frowned slightly and looked at Gyeong Musaeng.

Gyeong Musaeng’s eyes were filled with rage.

The cold demeanor he had shown just a moment ago was nowhere to be seen.

Pyo Wol said to him.

“It would be best to release this creature, whenever that may be.”

“What?”

“This creature is grieving that it is bound to you.”

“What nonsense is this? A Horned Dragon grieving? To spout such utter nonsense that won’t even be believed.”

“It has not yet given up on becoming a Dragon. It is sad that it can no longer continue its training because it is bound to you.”

“Hah! Are you saying you can read a Horned Dragon’s thoughts? If you think you can delude me with such sweet talk, you are sorely mistaken.”

Thump!

Gyeong Musaeng stomped his foot on the Horned Dragon’s head. The Horned Dragon then slowly backed away.

“I will forgive you since this is our first meeting, but if you spout such nonsense again, I will make you regret being born.”

A thick mist seemed to gather around Gyeong Musaeng and the Horned Dragon, and soon their figures vanished without a trace.

Swoooosh!

Rain began to fall again in the spot where they had disappeared.

“Huh? Why is Great Hero Pyo outside?”

“When on earth did he go out?”

Only then did the people inside the Inn notice Pyo Wol was outside and begin to chatter.

When Gyeong Musaeng disappeared, the effect of his Invisibility Technique had vanished.

To the people’s eyes, it looked as if Pyo Wol had suddenly skipped through space and appeared outside.

Paying no mind to the people’s murmuring, Pyo Wol stared at the spot where Gyeong Musaeng and the Horned Dragon had disappeared.

Though invisible to others, Pyo Wol’s eyes could see the ripples on the water’s surface caused by the Horned Dragon.

Pyo Wol shook his head slightly and entered the Inn.

‘Life-Death Guest Gyeong Musaeng, and even the Ghost King…’

Something was happening at the Great Lake.

“First the Sword Flower Pavilion, and now the Muyoung Tower, both shattered by a man called the Reaper. He is truly a disaster of a man.”

A middle-aged man with the build of an eight-foot giant murmured as he sat in a grand armchair, gazing at the vast Great Lake.

He was on the largest of the forty-eight islands in the Great Lake. The island was originally inhabited by fishermen, but when his group settled there, the original inhabitants were all driven to the mainland.

On the island, now devoid of its original inhabitants, a large stronghold was built.

It was the Janggang Stronghold, a faction of the Green Forest.

The Green Forest Way was originally unified by a massive power called Tiangao Fortress. But as a long time passed, Tiangao Fortress split again into the Two Valleys and the Four Keeps.

The Janggang Stronghold belonged to the Four Keeps.

While the other factions all settled inland, only the Janggang Stronghold made its home on the Great Lake, which was adjacent to the sea.

Part of the reason was to avoid competition with other factions, but more importantly, the Great Lake’s proximity to the sea made it easy to expand their influence.

The eight-foot-tall man was none other than the Boss of the Janggang Stronghold, Bok Seongwan.

Bok Seongwan’s Alias was Iron Rhinoceros.

It was said that in the distant Western Regions lived a giant ox with a horn on its nose. The beast would even attack tigers with the horn on its nose.

The ox with a horn on its nose was the rhinoceros.

Bok Seongwan’s temperament and Martial Arts were similar to a rhinoceros. That was how he got the Alias Iron Rhinoceros.

Bok Seongwan was extremely ambitious.

He had realized the importance of the Great Lake early on. For that reason, he had been zealous in expanding his influence and power in the Great Lake.

Thanks to that, he was able to build a force in the Great Lake that could not be ignored.

The number of ships moored at the dock alone exceeded several dozen. Each and every ship was a large vessel capable of carrying dozens of people.

The Janggang Stronghold deployed these large ships at strategic points along the Yangtze River to collect tolls. They would negotiate reasonably with ships belonging to large Sects or factions, but they collected tolls mercilessly from smaller boats or insignificant powers.

As a result, the Janggang Stronghold was able to build its own kingdom on the island. They didn’t just build a stronghold; they built a proper fortress and created a self-sufficient system.

Thanks to this, Bok Seongwan could focus on the Janggang Stronghold without being affected by external pressures.

One of the things Bok Seongwan paid most attention to was his relationship with the powerful figures around the Great Lake.

Representative of these were the Nanjing Jo Clan, the Cheolsan Manor, and the Sword Flower Pavilion.

No matter how strong the Janggang Stronghold was, the underlying strength of these three Sects was not to be underestimated, so he tried to avoid conflict and maintain amicable relations as much as possible.

That was why he had his son, Bok Hojin, join the Golden Sky Society and associate with the likes of Jo Igwang.

The underlying strength of the three Sects was so great that he had to go to such lengths. But in just two days, two of the Sects had been all but ruined.

The reputation of the Sword Flower Pavilion had hit rock bottom, and the Cheolsan Manor had lost its master and was adrift.

All of this was because of one person.

Pyo Wol.

A man who had suddenly appeared in the Great Lake one day.

After his appearance, the once-solid order of the Great Lake was crumbling from its very foundations. Even the Muyoung Tower of Kunshan, which had been opposing the Nanjing Jo Clan and others, was humiliated when it tried to recruit Pyo Wol.

It was something Bok Seongwan couldn’t comprehend with his common sense.

If those Sects could collapse so easily, there would have been no reason for Bok Seongwan to have put so much effort into cultivating relationships with them.

The situation where the Murim of the Great Lake and Jiangsu Province were being shaken to their core by a single man, Pyo Wol, was causing Bok Seongwan to be conflicted.

“Is this a crisis? Or an opportunity?”

With the three Sects collapsing or wavering, it was a golden opportunity for the Janggang Stronghold to expand its power. If the collapsed or wavering Sects managed to resolve the situation, he didn’t know when another opportunity like this would come. Yet, the reason Bok Seongwan hesitated was that Pyo Wol had not yet left the Great Lake.

“Sometimes, the heavens send beings that people cannot comprehend with common sense. It’s rare to see a good outcome from getting involved with such individuals.”

Judging by his appearance, one might think he would charge forward mindlessly, but in truth, Bok Seongwan was as cunning as a fox and deeply calculating.

For that reason, he was most wary of acting on emotion.

“What should I do?”

He kept pondering, but no clear solution came to mind.

In the end, he postponed his judgment.

It was then.

“Boss!”

One of his trusted subordinates rushed over.

“What is it?”

“Something terrible has happened.”

“Terrible?”

“Yes! A ship that went out on patrol to the outskirts of the Great Lake has sunk.”

“What?”

Bok Seongwan’s eyes widened in surprise.

There was only one reason for a ship to sink in the calm waters of the Great Lake.

“Was it attacked?”

“Well…”

The subordinate hesitated, unable to answer.

“Why can’t you answer?”

“They say it happened because it collided with a large snake.”

“What nonsense?”

“Every one of the survivors is saying the same thing. That it was a truly massive snake…”

“Aren’t those bastards just saying that after sinking the ship by hitting a reef?”

“It’s not just one or two of them; all the survivors are saying it, so it doesn’t seem to be a complete lie.”

“What? I’ll go ask them myself.”

Bok Seongwan shot up from his grand armchair.

Whatever the reason, the sinking of a Janggang Stronghold ship was no small matter.

He had to find out the reason himself.

As Bok Seongwan started walking, his son, Bok Hojin, came into view.

Bok Hojin was dressed in fancy clothes.

Bok Seongwan knew he dressed like that when he went to the mainland.

Bok Seongwan got angry at Bok Hojin.

“A ship has just sunk, and where is the young boss going? Are you in your right mind?”

“I’m sorry, Father! Jo Igwang asked to see me.”

“Jo Igwang?”

“Yes! It seems he’s concerned about the fall of the Sword Flower Pavilion and the Cheolsan Manor, so he asked me to meet and discuss countermeasures.”

Bok Seongwan’s anger subsided at Bok Hojin’s answer.

If that was the reason, then it was right for him to go meet Jo Igwang.

“Alright. I’ll look into the matter of the sunken ship, so you go and meet him.”

“Thank you, Father. I’ll be on my way then.”

Bok Hojin gave Bok Seongwan a Fist-Palm Salute and boarded a ship.

As soon as he was on board, the ship immediately left the dock.

“The young boss is on board. Open the gate.”

The man steering the ship shouted loudly.

A wooden wall had been erected around the dock, so the water gate had to be opened to get out.

Soon, the gate leading to the outside opened, and the ship carrying Bok Hojin glided across the water’s surface like an arrow.

Bok Hojin stood at the bow and looked back at the Janggang Stronghold.

“Hmph!”

The tall wooden wall surrounding the Janggang Stronghold felt reassuring.

Unlike other places, the Janggang Stronghold was in the middle of the Great Lake, making it difficult to approach. Not only that, but an outer wall made of wood had been built at the dock, so no one without permission could ever enter.

Seeing it with his own eyes put his mind at ease a little.

Like Bok Seongwan, Bok Hojin also felt uneasy about the current situation.

He couldn’t believe that the Murim of Jiangsu Province was being shaken by a single man, Pyo Wol. But it was a stark reality, so he couldn’t just ignore it.

That was why he was going to see Jo Igwang.

Jo Igwang seemed to have similar thoughts, as he had sent a carrier pigeon to request a meeting.

The ship headed for the mainland at high speed.

Slither!

As he sat by the Inn window, Gwia crawled all over Pyo Wol’s body.

After meeting the Horned Dragon, Gwia was acting in a way it never had before, as if it had been stimulated.

Pyo Wol sat still, letting Gwia move as it pleased.

Pyo Wol, too, had been stimulated by the appearance of the Horned Dragon and Gyeong Musaeng.

He was once again reminded of how vast the Jianghu was, and how many extraordinary people there were.

Although Gyeong Musaeng had subjugated the Horned Dragon when it was weakened, it would have been impossible without the support of absolute Martial Arts.

Gyeong Musaeng was a man fully qualified to subdue a Horned Dragon. An encounter with such a person was enough to stimulate Pyo Wol.

It was then.

Swish!

The sound of a skirt dragging could be heard.

Someone was approaching Pyo Wol’s seat, their skirt dragging on the floor.

When Pyo Wol raised his head, he saw a woman with a face and eyes as cold as ice approaching.

The woman, wearing a scarf made from the fur of a black sable around her neck, was someone Pyo Wol had seen once before.

She was the woman he had eaten Ojo Noodles with at a street stall when he first entered the Great Lake.

As Pyo Wol stared intently, the woman opened her mouth.

“We meet again. It’s a pleasure, Great Hero Pyo!”

“Was your name Jo Yuseol?”

“It’s an honor that the great Great Hero Pyo remembers me. But you’re missing something. To be precise, it’s Jo Yuseol, the eldest daughter of the Nanjing Jo Clan.”