Light Novel: Volume 16 Episode 1
Manhwa: N/A

Pyo-wol left Hwa-young Guest House.

Hong Yushin left first, saying that he was worried about the current state of world affairs, then So Gyeoksan followed, promising to rush over anytime he was called.

Now that everyone was gone, only one man was left by Pyo-wol’s side.

Yu Suhwan, a man with deep and clear eyes.

The reason Yu Suhwan hadn’t yet left Pyo-wol’s side was simple. His body was not in good condition.

Even before being trapped in the Prison of No Return, his body was thoroughly destroyed. 

It was Dok Gohyang who was responsible for ruining his body. 

The damage Dok Gohyang caused to his body was so severe that he did not recover easily even after a month of recuperation. 

In order to return his body to its normal state, he needed to find a physician who had reached a divine level and get treatment.

Fortunately, Yu Suhwan knew a doctor who could help him. However, the doctor was located quite a distance away, so Yu Suhwan would have to wait until he was strong enough to travel.

Until then, he decided to stay with Pyo-wol.

Yu Suhwan squinted and looked up at the sky.

The sky was clear and the sun was shining brightly.

Seeing the sky he thought he might never see again filled him with emotion. So Yu Suhwan gazed at the sky for quite a while.

Pyo-wol understood Yu Suhwan’s feelings. He himself had felt the same way at first. But he couldn’t wait for him forever.

“Let’s go.”

“Ah! Yes! It seems I’ve taken too much time. I apologize.”

Yu Suhwan smiled slightly and then walked after Pyo-wol.

Even though Yu Suhwan’s body was ruined to the point where he couldn’t perform martial arts, grace and composure could still be seen in his movements.

Walking alongside Pyo-wol, Yu Suhwan asked,

“So, where are we going now?”

“To Poyang Lake.”

“Why there?”

“My horse is there.”

“Ah! Is that so? Horses, they’re indeed important, haha!”

Whether he had always been talkative, or if it was because he hadn’t been able to have a proper conversation while he was trapped in the Prison of No Return, Yu Suhwan talked a lot. 

However, Pyo-wol didn’t feel bad about it because Yu Suhwan was able to carry on a conversation so naturally.

Yu Suhwan’s way of speaking had also changed. Unlike when they first met, he now spoke with respect and treated Pyo-wol as someone above him.

After leaving the guest house, the two arrived at Yingtan’s dock in the afternoon. However, the atmosphere at the dock was somehow unusual. There were traces of houses and belongings destroyed and scattered everywhere.

Yu Suhwan asked a passerby nearby,

“Did something happen here? Why does it look devastated?”

“You must be new around here to ask that.”

“Yes! It’s my first time here.”

“About a month ago, or maybe even earlier, there was a big fight here.”

“A fight?”

“Yes! Some young warriors fought against blood-cloaked warriors. Their fight was so fierce that this place was completely destroyed.”

The old man shook his head as if it was a horrible thing to recall.

Pyo-wol asked the old man,

“So, what was the outcome?”

“The young martial artists won in the end. But the woman in their group seemed to have suffered a serious injury given how she screamed.”

“What happened after that?”

“What do you mean, what happened? They got on a boat and left. I wonder what’s happening to the world, with such a brawl happening in the middle of the day.”

The old man clicked his tongue and walked away.

Pyo-wol realized that the woman the old man mentioned was Yeom Hee-soo. After all, she was the only woman in Namgung Wol’s group.

If Yeom Hee-soo had been injured, neither Namgung Wol nor Yong Hasang would be able to stay here any longer.

Pyo-wol had used the three of them as bait. 

But even though he had heard that Yeom Hee-soo had been injured, he didn’t feel particularly guilty. After all, it was their sole decision to follow him secretly.

Yu Suhwan asked Pyo-wol,

“Are they people you know?”

“They followed me here.”

Pyo-wol honestly told Yu Suhwan about them.

After hearing the entire story, Yu Suhwan burst out laughing.

“Haha! You’re amazing. To use the members of Jianghu as mere bait.”

Although he himself was also considered a member of Jianghu, Yu Suhwan laughed at those who were exploited by Pyo-wol.

In that respect, Yu Suhwan was quite peculiar.

He didn’t have the sense of superiority that the usual members of Jianghu possessed. He wasn’t someone who believed he was chosen just because he had exceptional talent.

“They were just lucky. Either they were born into a good martial arts family, or they were accepted as a disciple of a good sect. Of course, without talent, they wouldn’t be able to enjoy such honor, but it’s undeniable that luck is the most important factor. I don’t think they should be considered as chosen ones just because they’re a little bit luckier than others.”

Even when he was in the Martial Sword Alliance, Yu Suhwan didn’t think of himself as an outstanding person.

Although he had every reason to harbor ambitions to become the sect leader, he wanted to live freely without such ambitions. He wanted to stay as far away as possible from the power struggle and conflicts, so he closed his ears and deliberately kept his distance.

Although he had gotten his ass handed to him by Dok Gohyang because he failed to properly understand the situation, his thoughts still remained the same.

Pyo-wol asked him,

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

“Shouldn’t I at least settle the score with Gohyang?”

“Dok Gohyang?”

“Yes. I may not have any particular ambitions within the Martial Sword Alliance, but I can’t just stand by and watch when I was sentenced to death and went through such a terrible situation because of him.”

Pyo-wol nodded.

Regardless of the reasons, it was a rule in Jianghu to repay an offense in kind.

If Yu Suhwan suffered and remained silent, the world would not see him as a kind person but rather a laughing stock. 

And in Jianghu, he couldn’t afford to live and be seen as a laughing stock. 

No matter what kind of life Yu Suhwan chooses in the future, the fact that he was wronged and humiliated by the Dok Gohyang would follow him like a stigma.

It was his right to erase that stigma.

No one else could interfere.

“But to do that, I will have to recover my martial arts first. So until then, I’ll stick with you, Master Pyo-wol. I trust that you won’t cruelly discard me, someone who had lost his martial arts. Haha!”

Yu Suhwan laughed with a friendly expression.

Pyo-wol only glanced at Yu Suhwan without saying a word.

Fortunately, a large boat arrived at the dock in the afternoon.

It was a merchant ship that had come down from upstream, carrying cargo. The merchant ship stopped at the dock to pick up passengers along the way, and the fare the passengers paid were split between the captain and his crew. 

The two of them sat down on a large pile of cargo on the deck.

A strong breeze blew in and gently ruffled their hair.

They weren’t the only passengers on the ship. There were also passengers on the other side of the ship, squeezed in between the cargo, chatting away.

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

“I’m worried about that too, but what can we do? It’s not like we can cancel the trade at this point.”

“Phew! This is driving me crazy!”

“The situation is really dire. Once this trade at Poyang Lake is over, I’m going to stop trading for a while and just watch how things unfold.”

“Same here. How can I conduct business in such a tense atmosphere? If we make a mistake, we could get caught in a fight between martial artists and be ruined.”

“Please, I just want to make it through this trip safely.”

The conversations of the merchants in the distance were unsettling. 

Pyo-wol slightly furrowed his brows.

Poyang Lake was his current destination.

It was where the Imperial Yuan Merchant Group was, and where young martial artists like Namgung Wol had gathered.

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

There were no organizations or individuals who could threaten them.

That was the situation at Poyang Lake that Pyo-wol knew of.

‘Has the situation changed since then?’

It was clear that something had changed or occurred during the month he was away. 

Just then, Yu Suhwan naturally joined the conversation of the merchants.

“Is there a flood in Poyang Lake? Why do you look so pale? Just by looking at your faces, it seems like you’ve seen the end of the world. Hehe!”

“Who are you?”

“I am someone going to Poyang Lake for the first time. I overheard your conversation and it seemed unusual, so I thought I might gather some information.”

“Hmm!”

“Oh! I’m not a suspicious person. We’re all in this together, let’s have a drink.”

Yu Suhwan took out a bottle of liquor from his luggage and shook it.

It was something he had prepared from Hwa-young Guest House. 

Yu Suhwan, with a sincere impression and deep, clear eyes, didn’t look like someone who had been going through hardships for months. He even wore a lively smile.

At the sight of his cheerful and pleasant smile, the merchants let their guards down. 

One merchant shook his head.

“Drinking in broad daylight?”

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

“That’s true.”

“Then what’s to worry about? Let’s have a drink!”

Yu Suhwan graciously poured the merchant a full cup and held it out to him. The merchant rolled his eyes when he saw the wooden cup full of liquor and said, 

“Oh, what the hell!”

He downed the drink in one gulp.

That was the beginning.

The other merchants gulped down the liquor soon in turns, and Yu Suhwan casually continued the conversation.

Watching Yu Suhwan mingle effortlessly with the merchants, Pyo-wol thought he was a natural.

He was the second disciple of the previous sect leader of the Martial Sword Alliance. 

One would assume he would have a sense of superiority and arrogance, but Yu Suhwan didn’t give off any of those vibes.

Even the quick-witted merchants merely thought of Yu Suhwan as a curious person. They didn’t even realize he was a martial artist.

Such affinity could not be learned, only those born with it could exhibit such traits.

This was something Pyo-wol could never do, even in his dreams.

Rather than intervening and ruining the rhythm, Pyo-wol waited for Yu Suhwan to return with his findings.

It was quite a while before Yu Suhwan returned.

His face was red with intoxication, and his breath reeked of alcohol, suggesting he had drunk quite a bit.

Yu Suhwan plopped down next to Pyo-wol and asked,

“Do you happen to know someone named Jang Hoyeon?”

“Jang Hoyeon? Of the Rain Sword Mountain Manor?”

“Yes! It seems he came into Poyang Lake with a group of elites after Master Pyo-wol had left.”

“And so?”

“He appears to be inquiring about your whereabouts.” 

Pyo-wol closed his eyes.

The situation became clear in his mind.

Qianshan in Anhui Province, where Rain Sword Mountain Manor was located, was not far away from Poyang Lake.

It wouldn’t have been difficult for him to discover that Pyo-wol was staying in Poyang Lake.

Pyo-wol was the enemy who killed Jang Hoyeon’s brother.

Although they had different mothers and felt no affection for each other, they were still brothers who shared the same blood. He had enough reason to take revenge.

Above all, they hadn’t given up on obtaining the sword, Gongbu, yet. 

It was time to track down Pyo-wol and enter the Poyang Lake.

Yu Suhwan’s words continued.

“It was said that they clashed with Namgung Wol and the rest of his party. No one knows why they fought. The problem is that their clash was not a typical dispute among martial artists.”

“Seems like there were a lot of casualties.”

“That’s right. Jang Hoyeon’s men suffered serious damage, and many people from Namgung Wol’s party also seem to have been injured.”

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

Jang Hoyeon was the heir of the Rain Sword Mountain Manor, while Namgung Wol was backed by the Heavenly Guardian Association. 

The two knew very well that a fight between great powers would only lead to mutual destruction, which was why they would usually try to keep and settle things personal.

But this time was different.

For some reason, Jang Hoyeon aggressively escalated the problem.

He called upon the sects under the influence of Rain Sword Mountain Manor from Jiangxi Province to Poyang Lake.

Namgung Wol could not stand idly by.

Namgung Wol also asked for help from sects related to the Heavenly Guardian Association, and they clashed in Poyang Lake.

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

“The question is why they fought so hard like that. The merchants don’t seem to know why either.”

“I think I know the reason why.”

“Hm? What do you mean?”

“It’s not a fight between Jang Hoyeon and Namgung Wol. It’s not a fight between the Rain Sword Mountain Manor and the Heavenly Guardian Association either.”

“Then what is it?”

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

“The Anti-Golden Heaven Society?”

Yu Suhwan had a puzzled look.

He had heard of the Golden Heaven Society, but this was his first time hearing about the Anti-Golden Heaven Society.

“It’s an organization formed by Namgung Wol, Yong Hasang, Yeom Hee-soo at Poyang Lake. They created the group with the intention of  countering the Golden Heaven Society that Jang Mugeuk had taken over.”

“Then, Jang Hoyeon must have discovered the existence of the Anti-Golden Heaven Society while searching for your whereabouts.”

“That’s right.”

“From Jang Hoyeon’s point of view, the existence of the Anti-Golden Heaven Society shouldn’t be tolerated. In the end, the clash between the two parties was inevitable.”

The Golden Heaven Society was not just a social gathering.

The martial artists who belonged to the Golden Heaven Society were all figures who would lead the next generation. Jang Mugeuk’s taking over the Golden Heaven Society was likely a strategic move to become the absolute power of the next generation.

In such a situation, the emergence of the Anti-Golden Heaven Society would have been unwelcome. 

From their point of view, they would have to dismantle it at all costs.

It wasn’t just a matter of power struggle among martial artists.

A battle for supremacy over the next generation was taking place in Poyang Lake.

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