Light Novel: Volume 19 Episode 12
Manhwa: N/A
A single carriage passed through the main road.
The carriage’s roof was thickly covered with dust, seemingly having traveled a long way. The horse pulling the carriage looked exhausted as well.
The one holding the reins on the driver’s seat was a boy who still had a youthful look. Beside him sat a girl with a mysterious aura.
They were none other than Do Yeonsan and Eunyo.
Lying on the roof of the carriage with his arms folded under his head was Pyo-wol, looking up at the sky.
They had separated from the Zigong Merchant Group in Yuqing and were now moving on their own.
They had deliberately avoided entering the city and camped outdoors to escape the eyes of the Kowloon Assassin Guild. Thanks to this, they were able to arrive here without any issues.
Suddenly, Do Yeonsan called out to Pyo-wol,
“Brother!”
Pyo-wol sat up from his spot and looked at Do Yeonsan. Then, Do Yeonsan pointed towards the horizon and spoke.
“It looks like a city.”
“A city?”
“Yes!”
Pyo-wol looked in the direction Do Yeonsan was pointing.
A fairly large city was visible on the horizon.
It was undoubtedly Shaoyang, their first destination.
Just then, a young boy poked his face out of the carriage window.
The boy, who looked even younger than Do Yeonsan, was Nam Shin-woo.
Sitting beside Nam Shin-woo was the Wind Saint.
The Wind Saint’s complexion was pale.
He had not yet recovered from the injuries inflicted by Baek Ho-gyeong.
Even though he had been circulating his internal energy to treat himself while riding on the carriage, the internal wounds he received were too severe and too deep to be completely healed.
For this reason, the Wind Saint chose to move along with Pyo-wol.
Although it was true that Baek Ho-gyeon had retreated after being badly wounded by Pyo-wol, given his cruel and relentless nature, it was certain that he would not back down easily.
With this in mind, the Wind Saint thought it would be better to move together using Pyo-wol as a shield.
Pyo-wol accepted the Wind Saint’s request, agreeing to move together up to Shaoyang.
Shaoyang was a fairly large city.
Naturally, there were quite a number of doctors, including some notable ones.
The Wind Saint intended to receive treatment from them.
“In Shaoyang, there’s a place called Qi Family Medical Hall.1 As the name suggests, the Qi family owns it, and they have been famous for their medical skills since ancient times.”
“There was such a place?”
“It’s natural for you not to know. The owner of Qi Family Medical Hall rarely stays in Shaoyang because he loves to wander around, making it not well-known. Even if his descendants inherited just half of his medical skills, they could easily heal my internal injuries.”
At the Wind Saint’s words, Pyo-wol nodded.
In Jianghu, there were many sects and clans that were not well-known. Among them were those with extraordinary abilities and mysterious abilities.
Pyo-wol thought the Qi Family Medical Hall was one such place.
Pyo-wol then spoke to Do Yeonsan,
“Let’s hurry. We should enter Shaoyang by today and rest there for the night.”
“Yes!”
Although the city seemed close at first glance, it was actually still quite a distance away.
If they wanted to get to Shaoyang before nightfall, they needed to move quickly.
Do Yeonsan spoke to the horse pulling the cart, struggling with the load,
“Just hang in there a little longer. Once we get there, I’ll give you good food and plenty of rest.”
It was as if his encouragement had worked since the horse then began to muster its strength and pulled the carriage with all its might.
Thanks to this, they were able to arrive in Shaoyang before nightfall.
Shaoyang was a large city, just as it appeared from a distance.
It was surrounded by high walls, and to get inside, one had to pass through the city gate.
In front of the city gate, there was a line of people waiting to get in. Officials and soldiers were checking each and every person’s identity thoroughly before letting them in.
Seeing the scene, Do Yeonsan wore a troubled expression.
They had been traveling undercover all this time to avoid the eyes of the Kowloon Assassin Guild. If they were to reveal their identity at the city gate, all their efforts would be for naught.
Moreover, the Wind Saint was also with them, riding in the carriage.
If the city were to find out about the Wind Saint’s arrival, there would be an uproar.
“Brother? What should we do?”
Just as Do Yeonsan was wearing a grim expression.
Suddenly, someone approached their carriage.
It was a middle-aged man with a goat-like beard and a slightly bent waist. He was making his way towards their carriage at a steady pace.
As he was close by, he looked up at Pyo-wol who was on the roof of the carriage and asked,
“Are you Master Pyo-wol?”
“Who are you?”
“Ah, indeed. I am Geum Pi-sang of the Hao clan’s Shaoyang branch.”
“Hao clan?”
“Yes! We received a message from Chengdu and have been waiting for you.”
Geum Pi-sang smiled brightly.
He was the head of the Hao clan’s Shaoyang branch.
Geum Pi-sang had received a letter from Guian about two weeks ago.
The content roughly stated that they should send someone to assist, as someone will be arriving around a certain time.
The problem was the identity of the person arriving.
It was none other than Pyo-wol.
Pyo-wol was someone to whom even Hong Yushin, the chief inspector of the Hao clan, paid special attention to.
If Pyo-wol was truly coming, he couldn’t just send anyone. Therefore, Geum Pi-sang had been loitering around the city gate daily as the expected arrival date drew near.
Geum Pi-sang spoke respectfully,
“Please follow me.”
He led the group to the city gate.
The soldiers did not stop him.
They knew who Geum Pi-sang was.
He was a native of Shaoyang and had been managing the area with great care for a long time. As a result, he had no trouble getting through most places.
Even when strangers followed Geum Pi-sang into Shaoyang, the soldiers did not even approach the carriage.
This made it easy for Pyo-wol and the others to enter Shaoyang.
As soon as they entered Shaoyang, Geum Pi-sang spoke,
“Follow the central road inward, and you will come across the Guest House street. Find Hoyeon Guest House there. It’s a guest house run by the Hao clan. You can go straight to the annex.”
“Thank you for your consideration.”
“No problem. Since it’s a matter related to Master Pyo-wol, this much is natural.”
In response to Eunyo’s gratitude, Geum Pi-sang held both his hands out.
The relationship between Pyo-wol and the Hao clan was inseparable.
It was only natural to show this much care and consideration.
“You’ve traveled a long way and must be tired, so you should rest for now. I’ll come and visit you later in the evening.”
“Okay, see you later.”
“Well then…”
After cupping his fist and bowing towards Pyo-wol and his party, Geum Pi-sang walked away and disappeared.
Do Yeonsan drove the cart as Geum Pi-sang had instructed.
After driving for a while, they arrived at the Guest House street. Do Yeonsan found Hoyeon Guest House among them.
Finding Hoyeon Guest House wasn’t difficult. It stood grandly at the best location.
As soon as they arrived, an attendant quickly rushed over.
“Welcome.”
The attendant was also a member of the Hao clan.
He immediately recognized Pyo-wol and spoke,
“You can leave your horse with me and head straight to the annex.”
“The horse is quite tired from the long journey, so please feed it plenty of beans and millet. Can you do that?”
“Of course. I’ll take good care of it, so don’t worry.”
At Do Yeonsan’s request, the attendant replied with a cheerful expression.
“Thank you!”
Do Yeonsan tossed a piece of silver to the attendant.
At the unexpected income, the attendant smiled brightly.
As the attendant led the horse to the stable, Pyo-wol and the others entered the annex.
The annex was surrounded by high walls, shielding it from prying eyes.
It seemed like a residence specially arranged by the Hao clan.
“Phew! Everyone have worked hard. You should all take a good rest.”
The Wind Saint spoke as if it was his own home.
As expected of an annex, the rooms were spacious.
There was also enough room for each of them.
Eunyo, Do Yeonsan, and Nam Shin-woo quickly claimed their rooms.
“I’ll stay here.”
“I want to sleep here.”
“Ah! Nice!”
All three were quite tired after traveling a long way.
Seeing the comfortable beds, they couldn’t wait to lie down.
Pyo-wol said,
“Let’s all wash up and rest until dinner.”
“What about you?”
“I’ll go check out the streets in the area.”
“Okay!”
Knowing Pyo-wol’s habit of thoroughly inspecting any new place, Do Yeonsan nodded.
Normally, he would have offered to follow Pyo-wol, but right now, he wanted to wash his body with cool water and get some rest.
At that moment, the Wind Saint spoke to Pyo-wol,
“Good timing. I was about to go out too, let’s go together.”
“You too?”
“Since we’re in Shaoyang, we should visit the Qi Family Medical Hall.”
“Let’s go.”
Pyo-wol nodded.
He was curious about what kind of place the Qi Family Medical Hall was.
Knowing a medical hall with mysterious medical arts was akin to carrying an extra life.
There was absolutely nothing to lose by knowing about it, so he willingly accompanied the Wind Saint.
Pyo-wol left the annex with the hat on his blood-red robe pressed deep into his head.
The Wind Saint then said,
“You must be tired too.”
“Of what?”
“With your handsome face. With such distinctive features, people must remember you easily. Don’t you have to hide your face all the time?”
“I’m used to it, so it’s okay.”
“Women must chase you a lot. Seeing your face, it seems like the peach blossoms are in full bloom.”
“Were you always this talkative?”
“Are you saying I’m noisy?”
“Yes.”
“You and your mouth… Tch!”
The Wind Saint clicked his tongue with a displeased expression. However, having gauged Pyo-wol’s temperament on their journey here together, he didn’t particularly feel offended.
The two of them walked side by side through the bustling streets of Shaoyang.
The streets were wide and clean.
The faces of the passing people also seemed full of vitality.
This was proof that the city was well-maintained.
“Is it around here?”
The Wind Saint paused for a moment in the middle of the intersection, as if trying to remember the way, before making a turn into the western street.
As they went deep into the west, a street with a completely different atmosphere appeared.
A heavy, downcast atmosphere with dilapidated buildings on the verge of collapse everywhere.
Pyo-wol immediately recognized the identity of this place.
‘Slums.’
Every city had its slums.
Though the city may look glamorous from the outside, there would always be people struggling at the bottom of society behind the scenes.
Shaoyang was no different.
Gorgeous mansions and well-dressed people were abundant around the main roads, but pushed to the margins of the city were the destitute people who had no power.
“Tsk!”
The Wind Saint clicked his tongue, seemingly displeased with the atmosphere of the slums.
“Is Qi Family Medical Hall located in the slums?”
“It’s the Qi family’s ethos is to offer their medical skills in the lowest places. Ever since they have established their clinic here generations ago, they have never left. So they should still be here.”
“Is that so?”
“Those people are quite stubborn. With their level of medical skills, they could have moved and settled comfortably in a nice house in the bustling area, they insisted on staying in the slums.”
The Wind Saint looked down on everything in the world, but as he spoke about the Qi Family Medical Hall, his voice has a tinge of respect.
If those in Jianghu who knew the Wind Saint well saw this, they would be quite surprised.
It was extremely unusual for someone like the Wind Saint, who was so arrogant and condescending, to talk about another group in such high regard.
After navigating through the maze-like alleys for quite some time, the Wind Saint finally located the Qi Family Medical Hall.
“This is the place. Fortunately, it’s still here.”
What he pointed to was a small, crumbling building.
Just like any other house in the slum, it looked like it might collapse at any moment.
The word “Medical Hall” was roughly written next to the door.
It was hard to believe that this place, with its creaky hinges, could actually be a medical hall.
The Wind Saint stepped forward toward the Qi Family Medical Hall without hesitation. However, his steps were halted not long after.
“Who are you?”
“Stop!”
Dozens of slum dwellers from various places emerged to block the Wind Saint’s way, surrounding him as if guarding the Qi Family Medical Hall.
“Ha!”
The Wind Saint exclaimed in disbelief.
He found the slum dweller’s behavior both funny and understandable.
To the people living here, the Qi Family Medical Hall was their only lifeline.
The Qi Family Medical Hall had offered medical skills to the slum dwellers without asking for anything in return. There wasn’t a single person living here who hadn’t received help from the Qi Family Medical Hall.
That’s why they were blocking a stranger from approaching it.
Among them, a particularly young and vigorous man scanned the Wind Saint and Pyo-wol from head to toe. The man then spoke,
“You don’t look like you’re from here, so what brings you here?”
“We’ve come to seek treatment at the medical hall. Why else would we come?”
“Why come all the way here when you could get treated at a good medical hall in the bustling area?”
“Haha! You have quite the spirit, young man. Hehehe!”
The Wind Saint laughed heartily.
Instantly, all the slum dwellers who had been blocking his way clutched their ears and staggered back. They were disoriented by the force of the Wind Saint’s laughter. The young slum dweller who had spoken was no exception.
“Keugh!”
His eyeballs bulged as if they were going to pop out at any moment.
It was then.
“This bastard, still as hot-headed as ever. Stop harassing these innocent people and come over here.”
An old man walked out from the medical room, clicking his tongue.
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