Light Novel: Volume 18 Episode 1
Manhwa: N/A
Caw! Caw!
Dozens of crows swooped in, letting out an unpleasant cry.
The very thing the crows were pecking at were human corpses.
It wasn’t just one or two bodies.
Dozens of corpses were strewn across the ground.
Their faces were still flushed, evidence that they hadn’t been dead for long. The crows were tearing at the flesh of these corpses.
Around the bodies, a shattered carriage lay toppled.
On the roof of the carriage was a flag with the words Xuanxuan Escort Agency embroidered.
Xuanxuan Escort Agency was based in Yibin in the southern part of Sichuan.
They mainly transported goods to and from the neighboring province of Yunnan.
Though small in scale, each of their escorts was formidable in combat, and they had never once lost their cargo. This caused their reputation in Yibin to be sky-high. However, most of the corpses present in this area right now belonged to escorts of Xuanxuan Escort Agency.
Around the bodies of the escorts, a group of people could be seen moving busily around.
“Hurry up and load the goods!”
“This is just junk. Nothing valuable here.”
“Damn it!”
The items they were loading onto their cart were the goods that the Xuanxuan Escort Agency had been transporting.
Their plan was simple: ambush the Xuanxuan Escort Agency, kill everyone from the group, and plunder their goods.
They had attacked the Xuanxuan Escort Agency based on the information that the escort agency was transporting quite a few expensive items, but contrary to expectations, the cargo was filled with cheap goods.
There might be one or two valuable items mixed in, but they were items the bandits couldn’t easily dispose of. To sell these items, they would need to enter the city, which posed too great a risk.
“Ha! This means we’re in the red again.”
A woman in her early to mid-thirties sighed.
This slightly rugged-looking woman was the leader of the bandits who had ambushed the Xuanxuan Escort Agency.
Approaching her was a tall, intimidating man in his early forties.
Despite the man having a massive frame and fierce eyes, making his appearance look very imposing, he was acting extremely cautious around the woman.
“Looks like there’s nothing more to be gained here. Word has already gotten out, and none of the nearby merchant groups or escort agencies are shipping anything of value through this route anymore.”
“Hmph, they’re quick to pick up on the news.”
“What will we do now?”
“What else can we do? Since word has already gotten out, we’ll have to move and do business elsewhere. Look for those transporting valuable items. We’ll hit them big and then lay low for a while.”
“Understood.”
The tall man nodded in response.
The woman gazed at the crows feasting on the bodies.
Their jet-black feathers were stained red with blood.
Caw! Caw!
The crows, seemingly pleased with their unexpected feast, continued to caw loudly.
“So noisy!”
The woman waved her hand.
On her wrist was a tiny bell.
Tinkle!
When she flicked her wrist, the bell rang out.
Pop! Pop!
In an instant, the heads of the feasting crows exploded one after the other. She had focused the sound waves to specifically burst the heads of the crows.
It was a truly terrifying sonic attack.
The woman wore an irritated expression.
“What a pain in the ass.”
* * *
The journey of the Great Pearl Merchant Group was smooth.
There were more than twenty carts and a party of over thirty people, in addition to the martial artist of the Spirit Sword Manor who had joined them late.
At the very least, the bandits and outlaws who plagued Yunnan Province wouldn’t dare to attempt robbing the Great Pearl Merchant Group.
Messing with any faction or merchant group associated with the Spirit Sword Manor in Yunnan was akin to a death wish. Thanks to this, the Great Pearl Merchant Group could move comfortably until they left Yunnan.
In return, the Great Pearl Merchant Group provided accommodations for the martial artists of the Spirit Sword Manor.
Even when they were camping out at night, they prioritized them and made sure they were comfortable. As a result, the martial artists of the Spirit Sword Manor could exit Yunnan Province much faster and more comfortably than if they were traveling on their own.
Seo Gun-hwi smiled in satisfaction.
It was an unexpected trip, so he wasn’t fully prepared for the long journey. But traveling with the Great Pearl Merchant Group allowed him to prepare calmly.
Suddenly, Seo Gun-hwi looked behind him.
His younger sister, Seo Yul-hee, was now completely sitting at the rear end of the merchant group.
To be precise, she was sitting next to Do Yeonsan, chatting away.
This was a side of her he had never seen when they were still at the Spirit Sword Manor. Perhaps it was because there was no one her age at the manor.
Moreover, her status was so high that no one dared to treat her casually. Hence, she was always alone.
He did feel sorry for his sister in that respect, but he also thought that it was a burden that a descendant of a prestigious martial family must bear.
Thus, he neither comforted his sister nor showed any interest in her. In fact, he was too busy honing his martial skills to even have the energy to pay her any attention.
He found it strange and unfamiliar to see her smile.
He didn’t know that she had a side that could engage in casual chatter like this.
Do Yeonsan, on the other hand, didn’t respond much, he would just answer from time to time. Nevertheless, Seo Yul-hee laughed, seemingly pleased and happy.
‘That brat!’
Seo Gun-hwi’s eyes narrowed.
No matter how uninterested he was in his sister, he didn’t like seeing her chatting with a boy whose background he didn’t know.
Under normal circumstances, he wouldn’t have left them be, but he was concerned about the boy’s older brother.
Although the man’s delicate features made him look like a fair scholar, Seo Gun-hwi’s instincts whispered otherwise.
‘Who the hell is he?’
A deep furrow formed in his brow.
It’s times like this when the absence of information could really be felt.
Being stuck in Yunnan, specifically in Mount Diancang, which was far away from Jianghu, meant they would receive any external news and information late.
‘If the Spirit Sword Manor wants to expand its influence even further, we first need to create an organization dedicated to collecting information.’
His grandfather, Seo Jong-myung, was indifferent to external affairs.
He had no intention of expanding the Spirit Sword Manor, practically neglecting it.
As a result, the organization’s structure of the manor was quite lax. Even if his father, Seo Mun, did some restructuring and expanded it to its current size, a lot was still lacking in the sect.
‘The conflict between the Golden Heaven Society and the Silver Lotus Society. I will see to it first with my own eyes and then decide which side to take.’
Seo Gun-hwi believed he must participate in this upcoming battle.
The history of Jianghu was akin to a history of wars.
Once every few generations, a great war would break out, and the decisions made during these times would determine the rise and fall of sects.
The fall of the Five Great Sects, which ruled Jianghu in the old days, was also because of their inability to read the flow and current of the times.
In the same way, depending on the choices made, a sect will either prosper or perish.
Although his grandfather, Seo Jong-myung, harbored no ambition for power, Seo Mun and Seo Gun-hwi were different.
They wanted to be at the center of Jianghu, not in its periphery.
Seo Gun-hwi muttered,
‘He’s definitely an expert. I don’t know to what extent, but…’
He believed that the man was at least on par with himself. Otherwise, he wouldn’t have been unable to gauge the man’s depth of cultivation.
Ji Muhyeong, the chief escort, cautiously asked,
“Are you really concerned about that person?”
“Do you know anything about him?”
“Well, he’s someone we hired temporarily so–”
“But you would have at least checked his background, right?”
“Well, it’s because his younger brother’s martial skills are outstanding–”
“Younger brother? How good?”
“He shattered a large rock with a single blow.”
“That’s enough to make him a peak martial artist.”
“For a merchant group like ours traveling long distances, having such an expert join us is truly a blessing.”
The clash between the Golden Heaven Society and Silver Lotus Society was not merely their own problem.
The spillover effects of their clash were spreading throughout Jianghu.
All those with ambition were flocking to the shores of Poyang Lake, causing a lack of law and order in various parts of Jianghu.
When a local warlord was no longer in charge, those who wanted to take his place appeared.
Naturally, armed clashes broke out.
Chaos would erupt everywhere, and bandits took advantage of the chaos to proliferate.
Merchant groups traveling long distances like the Great Pearl Merchant Group became targets for these bandits.
With the right blow, they could secure enough riches to last for years.
Recently, many merchant groups have been robbed by thieves and bandits.
Knowing this, the Great Pearl Merchant Group had no choice but to strengthen their security, even to the extent of hiring temporary escorts.
That’s why they hired Pyo-wol and Do Yeonsan.
Seo Gun-hwi nodded at Ji Muhyeong’s explanation.
He now understood why they had included two people whose backgrounds were uncertain.
“In any case, we’ll keep a close eye on them to make sure they don’t do anything untoward to your sister.”
“There’s no need for that–”
“It’s not a difficult task, so don’t feel pressured.”
“Then I’ll leave it to you.”
“Yes, please leave it to me.”
Ji Muhyung bowed his head deeply in response.
* * *
Ssss!
Gwiya poked its head out slightly from the collar of Pyo-wol’s clothing.
Throughout the journey with the Great Pearl Merchant Group, Gwiya had stayed hidden within Pyo-wol’s embrace.
Ever since Gwiya obtained the inner core of Jiaolong, the creature had spent most, if not all of its time in Pyo-wol’s arms. It was extremely rare for Gwiya to show itself like this.
With its head resting on Pyo-wol’s shoulder, the creature basked in the warmth of the sun. This caused its red scales and horns to glow even redder under the sunlight.
“Wow!”
Seo Yul-hee exclaimed in awe at the sight of Gwiya.
She had always thought of snakes as creepy and gross, but the moment she saw Gwiya, all her prejudices disappeared.
The way the snake was enjoying the sunlight made it look beautiful and mysterious at the same time.
Without realizing it, Seo Yul-hee reached out to touch Gwiya.
At that moment, Do Yeon-san grabbed her hand.
“You shouldn’t do that.”
“What? Why?”
“Gwiya doesn’t like being touched by others. The only one Gwiya allows to touch it is its owner.”
“Really?”
Seo Yul-hee looked disappointed. However, she soon cleanly gave up on touching Gwiya.
Suddenly, she found it fascinating.
Anyone could clearly see that Gwiya was a spiritual creature.
And, it is a well-known fact that spiritual creatures don’t follow just anyone.
There was only one conclusion.
It meant that Pyo-wol was a remarkable person worthy of being followed by a spiritual creature.
Seo Yul-hee whispered to Do Yeonsan,
“What kind of person is your brother?”
“What do you mean?”
“Who exactly is he such that a spiritual creature is following him?”
“Well…”
Do Yeonsan trailed off.
He was at a loss for words.
The one whom the famous Ghost King had relied on and trusted until the end was Pyo-wol.
His greatness was hard to realize for those who hadn’t experienced it firsthand.
“You’ll find out later.”
Do Yeonsan gave a vague answer.
Seo Yul-hee looked at him with a questioning expression, but she didn’t say anything more.
Seo Yul-hee’s gaze turned back to Pyo-wol.
Ssss!
At that moment, Gwiya began to playfully wrap around Pyo-wol’s body.
Pyo-wol leaned back on his luggage, letting Gwiya move freely around him.
At a glance, it looked like a whip made of red gems was lashing around Pyo-wol’s body.
Seo Yul-hee watched the interaction between Pyo-wol and Gwiya as if she were in a trance.
It was then.
Thud thud thud!
The ground suddenly shook.
Startled, Seo Yul-hee looked up, then she saw a cloud of dust rising in the distance.
At the sudden commotion, Gwiya immediately hid in Pyo-wol’s arms.
Pyo-wol climbed to the top of the loaded cart.
The dust cloud was coming towards them.
The dust cloud didn’t happen naturally. It had been created by the galloping of over a hundred horsemen.
Each of the riders held a weapon in their hand.
It was unlikely that those rushing with weapons had good intentions.
The lead escort, Ji Muhyeong, shouted,
“Bandits! Everyone, prepare for battle!”
“Yes!”
Tension and nervousness flashed across the faces of the Great Pearl Merchant Group’s escorts.
On the other hand, a cold smile appeared on the corner of Seo Gun-hwi’s lips.
“Good. I was getting bored anyway…”
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