Chapter 364

CRASH!

Deung Cheolung slammed his huge fist on the table. The table split in two and collapsed.

“Lord…!”

Oh Sinpyeong looked at Deung Cheolung with an anxious expression.

“Say that again. What happened?”

“They… were all taken down.”

“Fuck! Is that really true?”

“Yes! The rumors are already spreading through the streets. They say not a single one survived, that they were all wiped out.”

“Son of a bitch…”

Deung Cheolung’s body trembled.

He had made thorough preparations to move the moment he heard news of the Jewon Merchant Group’s leaders’ deaths.

He had armed all his remaining subordinates and was fully prepared, but all he heard was the news that the Blood Phantom members, who were supposed to deliver the good news, had been annihilated.

Oh Sinpyeong asked cautiously.

“What should we do? The men are all ready.”

“What do you mean, what should we do? You want to jump into a pit of fire carrying firewood? Tell them all to put down their weapons and stay put.”

“Understood.”

“You keep them in line so they don’t make any rash moves.”

“Yes!”

Oh Sinpyeong answered weakly.

He, too, was disappointed.

Deung Cheolung asked.

“What was the cause? How did the Jewon Merchant Group fend off their ambush attack?”

“They were lucky.”

“Luck?”

“From what I’ve gathered, it seems a man called the Reaper is acquainted with them.”

“The Reaper? Pyo Wol?”

“Yes!”

“Fuck! This is driving me crazy. Why is a whale jumping into a shrimp fight? Isn’t this cheating?”

Deung Cheolung vented his rage.

As someone with great ambition, he was also very interested in the state of Jianghu. So he made sure to keep track of every new expert who appeared in Jianghu.

Among the martial artists he had assessed, the absolute best was Pyo Wol.

No other martial artist who had newly appeared in Jianghu could match him. Even the established, star-like experts of Jianghu paled in comparison to him.

The existence Deung Cheolung considered most absurd was Pyo Wol.

“I heard he’s not even that old?”

“Yes! And they say he’s even handsome. So much so that any woman who has seen his face can never forget it…”

“Fuck! This world is so damn unfair. He has it all, he has everything! Why the hell would a bastard like that show up here looking for a handout? No, it’s fine that he showed up. But once he’s seen all there is to see, he should have just left. Why did he have to meddle in someone else’s business?”

“I believe we must use a different method. We need to find another connection.”

“Where?”

“I’ll have to start looking now. If we continue like this, we’ll wither and die. We have to find a way while we still have a chance.”

At Oh Sinpyeong’s words, Deung Cheolung bit his lip until it bled.

He still couldn’t understand how he and the Blood Phantom Organization had ended up in this state.

“Fucking martial artists! Bastards worse than dogs!”

After raging for a while, Deung Cheolung grabbed a girl who was sitting blankly to one side and dragged her into a room.

A moment later, rough panting could be heard from inside the room.

Oh Sinpyeong knew very well what that meant.

“Damn it!”

He found Deung Cheolung, who still lusted after women even in this situation, pathetic, but he couldn’t abandon him.

After all, Oh Sinpyeong was Deung Cheolung’s trusted subordinate, and he had a responsibility to support the collapsing Blood Phantom Organization.

“There must be a way. A way to recover…”

＊＊＊

Early in the morning, Ju Seol-pung came to see Pyo Wol.

He cut to the chase and got straight to the point.

“They came here by boat. The place they boarded is called Yingtan. It’s a day’s journey by water.”

“Which direction?”

“That way.”

A massive mountain was visible in the direction Ju Seol-pung pointed.

‘Mount Longhu!’

It was the moment his guess became a certainty.

Pyo Wol rose from his seat.

“Are you planning to go right away?”

“Mm.”

“I will go with you.”

“It’s more convenient for me to move alone.”

“But…”

“Everyone has different things they’re good at. This is what I do best. Anyone who comes with me will only be a hindrance.”

“I understand.”

Ju Seol-pung replied with a look of resignation.

He still didn’t know the identity of the Blood Phantom members. But Pyo Wol seemed to already know. He didn’t know how Pyo Wol knew already, but he could clearly tell that Pyo Wol had been tracking them for a long time.

The Pyo Wol he had seen was tenacious, and then some.

He was a hunter who, once he had marked a target, would never give up and would pursue it to the very end.

He didn’t know who they were, but he pitied those who had become Pyo Wol’s target.

He never wanted to be an enemy of someone like Pyo Wol.

Pyo Wol was too terrifying a person to make an enemy of.

Unlike a typical martial artist, he felt no shame in launching sneak attacks.

Some would curse Pyo Wol for being a coward, but Ju Seol-pung thought differently.

In the end, Jianghu was a world where the survivor took all. No matter what cowardly means were used, the one who survived was the true victor.

In that respect, Pyo Wol had more than enough qualifications to be a victor.

Ju Seol-pung said cautiously.

“Is there anything you need?”

“Prepare a boat to take me to Yingtan.”

“I have already arranged for one to be on standby.”

Ju Seol-pung smiled.

He had prepared it in advance, thinking that Pyo Wol would move immediately.

Pyo Wol stood up at once.

A small boat was floating by the shore of the lake outside the inn.

“It may be small, but its hull is shaped like a fish, so it’s incredibly fast. That boat will take you to Yingtan, Great Hero Pyo.”

“Thanks.”

“Don’t mention it for something so minor… I pray for your safe return.”

Pyo Wol gave a slight nod and then kicked off the ground.

He flew nearly a dozen zhang and landed on the boat floating on the lake.

Even though Pyo Wol had landed, the boat didn’t rock at all.

At the sight, the captain and the sailor clicked their tongues in amazement.

‘What the?’

‘A man isn’t a bird…’

They had carried many martial artists, but they had never seen one with Light Body Art like Pyo Wol’s.

The captain said cautiously.

“Then we will get you to your destination as quickly as possible.”

“Mm.”

Hearing Pyo Wol’s reply, the captain gave orders to his crew.

The boat caught a strong wind and began to move out of Poyang Lake, heading up the river at a frightening speed.

Since dozens of large and small rivers flowed into Poyang Lake, the help of a captain familiar with the local geography was essential. In that respect, the captain of the boat Pyo Wol was on was the best man for the job.

He had been steering boats here for a long time and had extensive knowledge of the complex, web-like rivers and waterways.

He chose the optimal route and steered the boat without wasting a single moment.

Pyo Wol, who was standing at the bow and taking the full force of the strong wind, opened his mouth.

“Come on out now.”

At his sudden words, the captain and sailor just blinked, unable to answer.

The reply came from an unexpected place.

“As expected, you knew.”

Two men and one woman emerged from the cabin.

It was Namgung Wol, Yong Hasang, and Yeom Huisu.

Namgung Wol apologized.

“I’m sorry. For sneaking onto the boat. But I couldn’t just stand by after learning that such people are operating in the shadows of Jianghu.”

“You’re quite the busybody.”

“What can I do? It’s in my nature.”

Namgung Wol smiled.

Pyo Wol didn’t say anything more to Namgung Wol.

Because he knew Namgung Wol was being sincere.

On the other hand, the faces of Yong Hasang and Yeom Huisu were full of greed.

It was clear they had snuck onto the boat with the desire to make a name for themselves through this opportunity.

Yong Hasang and Yeom Huisu said, as if making an excuse.

“We can’t just leave such a person loose in Jianghu. Wouldn’t you feel more secure with us along, Great Hero Pyo?”

“We will absolutely not be a burden, so you don’t have to worry.”

Pyo Wol looked at them for a moment before speaking.

“You’d better look after your own lives.”

“Don’t you worry. That will never happen.”

Yong Hasang replied with a snort.

The look of wounded pride was obvious. But Pyo Wol didn’t even spare him another glance.

Seeing Yong Hasang and Yeom Huisu retreat with displeased expressions, Namgung Wol gave a bitter smile. He felt they still had a long way to go.

Perhaps those two would never acknowledge Pyo Wol, even until the day they died. Because they were the type of people who thought that was the pride of a prestigious family.

It was his role to mediate between them.

“Sigh! I guess this is my karmic retribution.”

Namgung Wol shook his head.

The boat sailed smoothly up the river, carried by the wind.

As their destination, Yingtan, came into view, Namgung Wol approached Pyo Wol’s side.

“What should I do?”

At the unexpected words, Pyo Wol showed a surprised expression. Namgung Wol then chuckled and said.

“The reason you let us on board so readily must be because we have our uses, isn’t it?”

Among those present, no one knew Pyo Wol better than he did.

Pyo Wol preferred to move alone rather than in a group. The fact that such a man hadn’t kicked them off the boat meant they were worth using.

Namgung Wol asked once more.

“What should I do?”

“Just do what you normally do. I’ll take care of the rest.”

“Do as I normally do? Understood.”

“It will be dangerous.”

“I am prepared.”

“Hong Yushin, the Surveillance Chief of the Hao Clan, has also gone missing. You must not take this lightly.”

At Pyo Wol’s words, Namgung Wol nodded.

For Pyo Wol to say this meant it was truly dangerous.

Namgung Wol steeled his resolve and checked his physical condition.

Watching him, Yong Hasang and Yeom Huisu looked puzzled. They cautiously asked Namgung Wol.

“What’s wrong?”

“What did he say?”

“You’d best be prepared.”

At Namgung Wol’s words, the two of them frowned simultaneously.

“Prepared? Do you know what’s going to happen?”

“Aren’t you overreacting?”

“Don’t take my words lightly. From now on, it’s going to be really tough.”

Namgung Wol said again with a serious expression.

Yong Hasang scowled at him. He found Namgung Wol’s attitude strange.

Pyo Wol was a great martial artist, it was true, but he was displeased with Namgung Wol’s attitude of taking his words so seriously. But he couldn’t say anything more, so he just watched.

Even at that moment, the boat was drawing ever closer to Yingtan.

The captain shouted.

“We’ll reach our destination in a quarter of an hour.”

Only then did Namgung Wol get up, and Yong Hasang and Yeom Huisu also looked ahead. Then they realized that someone who should have been beside them was gone.

“Where is he?”

“Great Hero Pyo is gone.”

Pyo Wol had vanished without a trace.

Yong Hasang and Yeom Huisu looked around in a panic, but Pyo Wol was nowhere to be seen.

“What in the world?”

Yong Hasang wore a look of disbelief.

Pyo Wol had definitely been within his line of sight. Yet he hadn’t noticed Pyo Wol disappearing at all.

He knew there was a gap between himself and Pyo Wol, but he hadn’t realized the difference was this great.

‘Damn it!’

Yong Hasang gritted his teeth in humiliation.

Namgung Wol, on the other hand, looked completely unfazed.

Unlike Yong Hasang, he felt no sense of competition with Pyo Wol, and besides, this was not the time to be concerned with such trivial matters.

He recalled Pyo Wol’s words.

‘He told me to act as I normally do, right?’

The Blood Phantom members had definitely boarded a boat here. To find out where they came from, they would have to ask people about their whereabouts.

Causing as much of a commotion as possible was likely what Pyo Wol wanted.