Chapter 376

Pyo Wol left the Splendid Flower Inn.

Hong Yushin, anxious about the state of All Under Heaven, had departed first, and So Gyeoksan had also left, saying he would come running whenever he was called.

Now, everyone was gone, and only one man remained by his side.

It was Yoo Soo-hwan, a man with impressively deep, clear eyes.

The reason Yoo Soo-hwan had not yet left Pyo Wol’s side was simple. His body was not in good condition.

Even before he was trapped in the Jade of No Regret, his body had been thoroughly broken.

Dokgo Hwang had broken it.

He had been so viciously broken that a month of recuperation had not been enough for an easy recovery.

To restore Yoo Soo-hwan’s body to normal, he needed to find and be treated by a physician who had reached the realm of the divine.

Fortunately, Yoo Soo-hwan said he knew of such a physician. However, the physician was quite far away, so he had to wait until his stamina had sufficiently recovered before he could travel.

Until then, he decided to stay with Pyo Wol.

Yoo Soo-hwan squinted and looked up at the sky.

The strong sunlight was pouring down from a clear blue sky.

Seeing the sky he thought he would never see again filled him with deep emotion. So, Yoo Soo-hwan stared at the sky for a long time.

Pyo Wol understood how Yoo Soo-hwan felt. He had been the same at first. But he couldn’t just wait for Yoo Soo-hwan indefinitely.

“Let’s go now.”

“Ah! Yes! I must have taken too long. I apologize.”

Yoo Soo-hwan gave a slight smile and began to walk, following Pyo Wol.

Although his body was too broken to perform martial arts, his actions carried a sense of grace and composure.

He walked alongside Pyo Wol and asked.

“By the way, where are we going now?”

“Poyang Lake!”

“Why there?”

“My horse is there.”

“Ah! Is that so? A horse, that’s important. Haha!”

He was quite talkative, either because he was naturally chatty or because he hadn’t had a proper conversation while trapped in the Jade of No Regret. But since he carried the conversation so naturally, it wasn’t unpleasant.

His manner of speaking had also changed. Unlike when they first met, he spoke to Pyo Wol with deference, implicitly treating him as a superior.

The two left the inn and arrived at the docks of Yingtan around afternoon. But the atmosphere at the docks was somehow unusual. There were signs of broken houses and furniture everywhere.

Yoo Soo-hwan asked a person passing by.

“Did something happen here? Things are broken all over the place.”

“Seeing as you’re asking, you must not be from around here.”

“Yes! This is my first time here.”

“Was it a month ago? No, even before that, there was a big fight here.”

“A fight?”

“Yes! Some young martial artists fought with martial artists in blood-red robes. Their fight was so fierce that this place was completely destroyed.”

The old man who answered shook his head as if the memory was still horrifying.

Pyo Wol asked the old man.

“So what was the result?”

“In the end, the young martial artists won. But a woman must have sustained a serious injury, because she was screaming her head off.”

“What happened after that?”

“What do you mean, what happened? They got on a boat and went back. I don’t know what the world is coming to, for such a sword fight to happen in broad daylight.”

The old man clicked his tongue and walked away.

Pyo Wol realized the woman the old man mentioned was Yeom Huisu. This was because the only woman in Namgung Wol’s group was Yeom Huisu.

If Yeom Huisu was injured, Namgung Wol and Yong Hasang would not have been able to stay here any longer.

The one who had used them as bait was Pyo Wol.

He heard that Yeom Huisu had been injured, but he felt no particular guilt. It was they who had secretly followed him.

Yoo Soo-hwan asked Pyo Wol.

“Are they people you know?”

“They were people following me.”

Pyo Wol told him honestly about them.

After hearing the whole story, Yoo Soo-hwan burst into a wide grin.

“Puhaha! That’s amazing. To use the prodigies of Jianghu as mere bait.”

Even though he himself was called a prodigy in Jianghu, Yoo Soo-hwan mocked those who had been used by Pyo Wol.

In that respect, Yoo Soo-hwan was very peculiar.

He had none of the elitist mindset that existing Jianghu prodigies possessed. He believed that just because one had some outstanding talent didn’t make them a chosen one.

“They were just lucky. Lucky to be born into a good martial family, or to be accepted as a disciple of a good sect. Of course, they wouldn’t have been able to enjoy such glory if their talent hadn’t supported it, but in any case, it’s clear that luck is the most important factor. I don’t think they are chosen people just because they are a little luckier than others.”

Even when he was in the Swordless Union, Yoo Soo-hwan did not think of himself as a great person.

He could have harbored ambitions to become the Swordless Union Lord, but he wanted to live freely without such ambitions. Therefore, he tried to stay away from the strife between his senior and junior martial brothers as much as possible. So he closed his ears and deliberately kept his distance.

Because of that, he failed to grasp the situation properly and was backstabbed by Dokgo Hwang, but his thoughts on the matter had not changed even now.

Pyo Wol asked him.

“What will you do when you regain your martial arts?”

“Shouldn’t I settle things with Hwang?”

“Dokgo Hwang?”

“Yes! I don’t have much greed for the Swordless Union, but as a Senior Martial Brother, I can’t just stand by after being treated so harshly by my Junior Martial Brother.”

Pyo Wol nodded.

Whatever the reason, it was the way of Jianghu to pay back what one had suffered.

The world was such that if you took a beating and did nothing, you weren’t seen as a good person but rather as a fool.

To live as a martial artist in Jianghu, one must never be looked down upon.

Whatever life Yoo Soo-hwan chose in the future, the fact that he had been bested by his Junior Martial Brother would follow him like a brand.

It was Yoo Soo-hwan’s natural right to erase that unfavorable brand.

No one could interfere.

“To do that, I must first recover my martial arts, so until then, I’ll stick to you, Great Hero Pyo. I trust you won’t be so heartless as to cast me out now that I’ve lost my martial arts. Huhu!”

Yoo Soo-hwan grinned with a not-unlikable expression.

Pyo Wol merely glanced at Yoo Soo-hwan and said nothing.

Fortunately, a large boat came into the dock in the afternoon.

It was a merchant ship that had come down from the upper reaches of the river, loaded with cargo. The ship stopped at docks along the way to pick up people as well. The fares from those passengers were the captain’s and crew’s to keep.

The two men plopped down on a large piece of cargo on the deck.

The river breeze blew, gently sweeping through their hair.

The two were not the only passengers on the boat. Passengers picked up at various stops were skillfully wedged between the cargo, chatting.

“Isn’t it too dangerous to go to Poyang Lake right now?”

“That’s on my mind too, but what can we do? We can’t just notify them now that we can’t make the deal.”

“Huu! This is driving me crazy.”

“The situation is really unusual. Once this deal at Poyang Lake is over, I’m going to stop my activities for a while and watch the state of All Under Heaven.”

“Same here. How can I conduct business in such an uneasy atmosphere? If we get swept up in a fight between martial artists by mistake, we’ll be ruined.”

“I just hope this one trip ends safely.”

The conversation of the merchants they overheard was ominous.

Pyo Wol frowned slightly.

Poyang Lake was his current destination.

It was where the Jewon Merchant Group was located, and where prodigies like Namgung Wol had gathered.

There, they had formed the Anti-Golden Heaven Society and united as one.

There were no groups or people who could pose a threat to them.

That was the situation at Poyang Lake as Pyo Wol knew it.

‘Has the situation changed in the meantime?’

Something must have happened during the month he was away.

Just then, Yoo Soo-hwan naturally joined the merchants’ conversation.

“Did Poyang Lake flood or something? Why the long faces? Just looking at your faces, you look like you’ve lived through it all. Hehe!”

“Who are you?”

“I’m going to Poyang Lake for the first time, and your conversation seemed rather ominous, so I came over hoping to get some information.”

“Hmm!”

“Aigoo! I’m not a suspicious person. Since this is fate, how about we share a drink?”

Yoo Soo-hwan took out a liquor bottle from his bundle and shook it.

He had prepared it in advance at the Splendid Flower Inn.

Yoo Soo-hwan had a friendly face and deep, clear eyes. He was even smiling brightly, not at all like someone who had suffered for months.

His smile, which made even the onlookers feel good, dispelled the merchants’ wariness.

One of the merchants feigned protest.

“Drinking from broad daylight?”

“Well, what’s wrong with that? It’s not like we have anything to do on the boat, right?”

“That’s true.”

“Then what’s the worry? Have a drink.”

Yoo Soo-hwan affably filled a cup to the brim and offered it to the merchant. The merchant, looking at the wine-filled wooden cup, squeezed his eyes shut and said.

“Ah, screw it!”

He downed the drink in one gulp.

That was the beginning.

The merchants readily accepted the drinks, and Yoo Soo-hwan naturally continued the conversation.

Watching Yoo Soo-hwan converse with the merchants without any hesitation, Pyo Wol thought he was a natural.

He was the second disciple of the lord of a super-massive power, the Swordless Union.

He could have possessed a sense of superiority and an arrogant nature, feeling different from others, but Yoo Soo-hwan gave off no such vibe at all.

Even the merchants, who were as sharp as ghosts, just thought of Yoo Soo-hwan as a curious person and didn’t even suspect he was a martial artist.

That kind of affability couldn’t be learned. Only someone born with it could display such a demeanor.

It was something Pyo Wol could never do, even if he died and came back to life.

Instead of needlessly jumping in and ruining the mood, Pyo Wol waited for Yoo Soo-hwan to return with the results.

It was a long while before Yoo Soo-hwan returned.

His face was flushed red from the alcohol. The smell of liquor on his breath suggested he had drunk quite a bit.

Yoo Soo-hwan plopped down next to Pyo Wol and asked.

“Do you happen to know someone named Jang Ho-yeon?”

“Jang Ho-yeon? From Righteous Sword Manor?”

“Yes! It seems that after you left, Great Hero Pyo, he led his elites into Poyang Lake.”

“And?”

“It seems he went around asking for your whereabouts, Great Hero Pyo.”

Pyo Wol closed his eyes.

He could picture the situation clearly.

Qianshan in Anhui, where Righteous Sword Manor was located, was not very far from Poyang Lake.

It wouldn’t have been difficult to find out that Pyo Wol was staying at Poyang Lake.

Pyo Wol was the enemy who had killed Jang Ho-yeon’s younger brother.

Although they were from different mothers and had no affection for each other, he was still a brother who shared the same blood. The justification for revenge was sufficient.

Above all, they had not yet given up on the Gongpo Sword.

It made sense for them to track Pyo Wol to Poyang Lake.

Yoo Soo-hwan’s words continued.

“In the process, it seems he clashed with Young Hero Namgung Wol’s group. They don’t know the reason why they fought. The problem is that their clash went beyond the typical power struggles between prodigies.”

“It seems there were many casualties.”

“That’s right. The subordinates Jang Ho-yeon brought suffered serious damage, and it seems many on Young Hero Namgung’s side were injured as well.”

If it had been a simple clash, it would have ended there.

If Jang Ho-yeon was the young master of Righteous Sword Manor, Namgung Wol had the Thousand Water Society backing him.

They knew well that a clash between colossal powers would only lead to mutual destruction. That’s why they usually tried to resolve things as personal matters.

But this time was different.

For some reason, Jang Ho-yeon went on a rampage and escalated the problem.

He summoned the sects in Jiangxi Province that were under the influence of Righteous Sword Manor to Poyang Lake.

Namgung Wol was not one to take it lying down.

Namgung Wol also requested help from sects related to the Thousand Water Society, and they clashed at Poyang Lake.

Both sides suffered many casualties, and the shores of Poyang Lake became a battlefield, according to the merchants.

“The problem is why they clashed so fiercely. The merchants don’t seem to know the reason either.”

“I think I know.”

“Yes? How so?”

“It’s not a fight between Jang Ho-yeon and Namgung Wol. It’s not a fight between Righteous Sword Manor and the Thousand Water Society either.”

“Then?”

“It’s a fight between the Golden Sky Society and the Anti-Golden Heaven Society.”

“Anti-Golden Heaven Society?”

Yoo Soo-hwan looked puzzled.

He knew of the Golden Sky Society, but this was the first time he had heard of the Anti-Golden Heaven Society.

“It’s a group that Namgung Wol, Yong Hasang, and Yeom Huisu formed at Poyang Lake. It was created with the intention of checking the Golden Sky Society, which Jang Mu-guk has taken control of.”

“Then Jang Ho-yeon must have discovered the existence of the Anti-Golden Heaven Society while searching for your whereabouts, Great Hero Pyo.”

“That must be it.”

“From Jang Ho-yeon’s perspective, he could never tolerate the Anti-Golden Heaven Society. In the end, a clash was inevitable.”

The Golden Sky Society was not a simple social gathering.

The martial artists who joined the Golden Sky Society were all prodigies who would lead the next generation. The reason Jang Mu-guk went to the trouble of seizing control of the Golden Sky Society was likely a preliminary move to become the absolute ruler of the next generation.

In such a situation, the emergence of the Anti-Golden Heaven Society would not have been a welcome event.

From the Golden Sky Society’s perspective, they had to dismantle the Anti-Golden Heaven Society, no matter the sacrifice.

This was not a simple power struggle between prodigies.

A battle to seize hegemony over the next generation was taking place at Poyang Lake.