chapter 262

Holding a Blade in the Heart 2

Several days had passed since Lim Sobo left, but Lee Gwak’s daily life remained unchanged.

In the mornings, he helped Lee Cheong with his martial arts. After meals, he spent time with Lee Soo-ah, refining her martial skills. In the afternoons, he took the children hiking in the mountains.

Since opening the third gate, Lee Cheong’s martial arts had advanced significantly. Though Lee Cheong felt his progress was slow, Lee Gwak thought he was improving rapidly.

After returning from the mountains, Han So-cheon had prepared dinner. Red meat was sizzling on the grill—it was venison from a recent hunt.

The children, who were growing rapidly, had enormous appetites. As a result, Lee Gwak had to go hunting several times a month.

“Meat! Meat!”

“Wow!”

The children jumped for joy.

Though they acted dignified in front of others, they couldn’t hide their childlike excitement before their parents. A gentle smile appeared on Han So-cheon’s lips.

The traces of her past as a deadly assassin were now entirely gone. During her time with Lee Gwak in the mountains, the murderous aura that had once clung to her had faded away.

She no longer had any lingering attachment to the Jianghu. Living here in the remote mountains with Lee Gwak and their children brought her happiness.

Han So-cheon asked Lee Gwak, “Should I bring out some liquor?”

“Do we have any?”

“I think the liquor I made a few months ago should be ready. Shall I bring it?”

“Sounds good!”

Nodding, Lee Gwak watched as Han So-cheon disappeared into the small house and returned with a well-sealed jar of liquor.

As soon as the seal was broken, a strong aroma wafted out. The liquor, made from herbs gathered on Mount Qilian, hadn’t aged for long, making its scent even more potent.

Han So-cheon poured wine into Lee Gwak’s cup, filling it to the brim. Similarly, Lee Gwak poured wine into Han So-cheon’s cup.

The two clinked their cups and drank. Lee Gwak downed his in one gulp, while Han So-cheon merely sipped.

“Ah!”

Lee Gwak couldn’t help but let out a satisfied groan. Seeing this, Lee Soo-ah grabbed a piece of meat with her chopsticks and held it up to Lee Gwak’s mouth.

“Say ‘ah!'”

Following her lead, Lee Gwak opened his mouth wide, and Lee Soo-ah fed him the meat.

“Tasty.”

“It’s tastier because I gave it to you, right?”

“Yes.”

“Hehe!” Lee Soo-ah giggled brightly.

“What about Mom?”

Han So-cheon asked with a playful pout.

“Mom has me,” Lee Cheong chimed in, quickly feeding Han So-cheon a piece of meat. Chewing the meat, she smiled happily.

Lee Gwak watched her with a smile, feeling content. This moment, shared with his family, was pure happiness.

He even wondered if he deserved such happiness.

“Are you upset because I didn’t give you any meat, Mom?” Lee Soo-ah asked, sticking her face close to Han So-cheon’s.

“I’m not upset.”

“Come on, you are!”

“I’m not!” Han So-cheon turned her head away, pretending to be mad.

“Don’t be mad!”

“Kyaa! What are you doing?” Han So-cheon suddenly screamed as Soo-ah tickled her underarm.

In no time, the peaceful dinner turned into a playful chaos, with the two women tickling and laughing together.

“Good grief,” Lee Cheong sighed, shaking his head as he watched the scene unfold.  Noticing this, the two women turned their attention to him.

“Come here, Cheong!”

“What are you doing?” Lee Cheong leaped away to avoid them.

Since opening the third gate, his movements had become even more agile, but the two women were also martial arts experts, skilled and quick.

A chase ensued around the grill, filled with laughter and playful shouts.

Lee Gwak silently watched them while sipping his drink, a gentle smile playing on his lips.

They hadn’t always been this close.

They had been apart for so long that there was some awkwardness when they first reunited. But through moments like these, they gradually closed the distance between them.

Eventually, even Lee Cheong got pulled into their playful antics, and soon their attention turned toward Lee Gwak.

“Dad!”

“Oraboni!”

“I’m still drinking,” Lee Gwak said, shaking his head in refusal, but the two women ignored him and charged forward.

Sighing, Lee Gwak backed away, still holding his cup.

Whoosh!

In an instant, the yard was filled with their darting shadows. Despite the spirited chase, neither woman could lay a finger on Lee Gwak, and he didn’t spill a single drop of his liquor.

“Aww, Dad’s no fun,” Lee Soo-ah pouted, finally giving up.

“Sorry,” Lee Gwak sat down, though he didn’t look sorry at all. Annoyed, Soo-ah puffed out her cheeks.

Lee Gwak’s laughter rang through the night air.

***

Early the next morning, Lee Gwak prepared breakfast.

Breakfast was simple: just rice and a stew called hwagwa. The ingredients for the hwagwa were medicinal herbs and mushrooms gathered nearby, along with the leftover venison from the previous night.

After adding all the venison, there was no meat left.

“I guess I’ll have to go hunting soon,” he thought.

Deer were abundant in the area.

For an ordinary hunter, catching a deer was difficult, but for someone of Lee Gwak’s caliber, it wasn’t hard. However, unless it was absolutely necessary, he refrained from hunting.

Bubble! Bubble!

The hwagwa simmered over the campfire.

Lee Gwak poked the fire with a branch to adjust the heat.

‘Dad!’

The fragrant smell woke the children and they came out. Han So-cheon was the last to come out.

“Smells good,” she said with a smile, sitting beside him.

“It tastes even better, so look forward to it,” he replied.

Smiling, he scooped rice into bowls and handed them out, ladling the hwagwa into each.

“Thanks for the food!” the children and Han So-cheon shouted in unison before they began eating.

Just as Lee Gwak was about to take his first bite, a sharp bird call echoed from the sky.

“Is that… a carrier hawk?”

A hawk was circling high overhead, so high that it was barely visible to the naked eye.

As Lee Gwak extended his arm, the hawk descended at incredible speed, slowing its descent with a powerful flap of its wings just before reaching him.

Flap!

Stroking its head, he looked at its leg, where a small cylinder was attached.

As he expected, it was a messenger hawk. The cylinder bore the symbol of the Hao Clan.

‘Why would the Hao Clan…?’

With a puzzled expression, Lee Gwak detached the tube from the hawk’s leg and opened it, revealing a small, rolled-up letter inside.

As he read the letter, his face hardened.

“Brother…,” he muttered under his breath.

“What is it?” Han So-cheon asked, noticing his serious expression. Lee Gwak handed her the letter.

“Brother Jin-hwi has been seriously injured.”

“What?” Han So-cheon’s face stiffened as well.

Han So-cheon’s eyes trembled.

Ki Jin-hwi was her benefactor. If not for him, she might have lost her life to the Hidden Blood Squad, and wouldn’t be enjoying this happiness now.

The letter only mentioned that he was seriously injured; it didn’t say who had harmed him or what had happened.

“Dad?” The children cautiously called out, sensing the tension. But he didn’t respond, staring into the flickering campfire.

Since arriving at Mount Qilian, his face had never been this grim. To the children, his expression felt unfamiliar and unsettling.

At that moment, Han So-cheon took his hand.

“Go,” she said.

“So-cheon?”

“He’s important to you, and he’s my savior. Of course, you have to go.”

Han So-cheon smiled warmly at him, though she clearly didn’t want him to leave. For the first time in her life, she had found true happiness, and she didn’t want to let it go. But some things had to be done, whether one wanted them to or not.

“Don’t worry about me or the children,” she added.

“…”

“Go. It’s fine. Do you doubt me? I was once the ‘Assassin King,’ remember?”

“So-cheon…”

“Just go. No matter how long it takes, just come back. That’s all I ask.”

Lee Gwak finally sighed and nodded.

Han So-cheon continued, “Don’t feel guilty. I’m not so small-minded that I’d resent you for this.”

Though she spoke lightly, a swirl of emotions was visible in her eyes.

She had known this moment would come someday. The man she loved was a hero of the Jianghu.

He might not be a giant who could change the course of history, but he was qualified and powerful enough to be at its center.

Such a man had secluded himself on Mount Qilian, leaving behind his fame, solely for his family.

She and the children had gained great happiness, but the Jianghu had lost a shining star. That fact had always weighed on her mind.

Lee Gwak had always said he was content with their life here, that he was happy. And he truly was. But watching him, Han So-cheon couldn’t help but feel uneasy.

She often questioned whether she deserved such happiness, considering all the people she had assassinated in her past. Did she truly deserve to be happy after everything?

For the past three years, she had lived in bliss.

So now, she felt she had to let him return to Jianghu. His stage should be the vast expanse of the Jianghu, not this remote mountain.

Lee Gwak still hesitated, so Han So-cheon suddenly stood and disappeared into their hut. She returned moments later with a neatly folded piece of leather.

She handed it to Lee Gwak.

“Take this.”

Lee Gwak unfolded the leather—it was a windbreaker, crafted with care.

She had made it whenever she found spare moments. Her hands were full of needle marks from her clumsy sewing, but she had managed to finish it a few days ago.

She had prepared it for the day he would return to the Jianghu, though she hadn’t expected to give it to him so soon.

“So-cheon…”

“Come back safely.”

“I will.”

His heart was heavy, but with her encouragement, he couldn’t hesitate any longer.

Ki Jin-hwi had suffered serious injuries, and if the Hao Clan had sent word, it meant he urgently needed Lee Gwak’s help.

He couldn’t turn his back on his sworn brother.

“Thank you, So-cheon. I’ll be back soon.”

“You don’t have to rush. Come back when the Jianghu no longer needs you. That way, you’ll have no regrets. Promise?”

Lee Gwak nodded silently.

At that moment, Lee Cheong’s voice rang out.

“Father! Let me come with you.”

“What?” Lee Gwak turned to see Lee Cheong standing with a determined look in his eyes.

“Please, Father. I want to see Uncle Jin.”

Lee Cheong had never been one to make unnecessary requests, so Lee Gwak found himself in a difficult position.

Lee Soo-ah, who might have been expected to insist on coming along as well, remained unusually quiet. It seemed she had already discussed the matter with Lee Cheong.

Lee Gwak turned to Han So-cheon for guidance, and she supported Lee Cheong’s decision.

“He won’t be a burden. Let him go with you.”

“But…”

“He’s been sick his whole life and never had the chance to see the world. Let him experience it.”

“It could be dangerous.”

“Do you doubt your own abilities?”

“That’s scarier than saying you don’t trust me. Fine. I’ll take Cheong with me,” he relented.

Reluctantly, Lee Gwak gave in.

Lee Cheong let out a cheer of victory.

“Yes! Thank you!”