chapter 283

Cause and Effect, Good Karma, Bad Karma… (2)

Drip Drip!

The rain fell.

Droplets of blood dripped down Cho Ryu-jin’s face. And he blinked blankly.

He couldn’t grasp what had just happened. The scene unfolding before his eyes was far beyond his expectations.

The two martial artists from the Ghost Sword Squad who had ambushed Lee Gwak lay sprawled on the ground, lifeless. Blood was still trickling from their necks.

It was the Ghost Sword Squad martial artists who had attacked Lee Gwak, yet they were the ones fatally wounded and dead.

“He’s a master.”

Only then did  Cho Ryu-jin realize that the man he had met by chance was a master far beyond his expectations.

Lee Gwak sheathed his blade and asked  Cho Ryu-jin,

“Can you explain in detail what happened?”

“Well…”

Tears as big as chicken droppings streamed from  Cho Ryu-jin’s eyes.

He had lost everything overnight.

Trying to explain the situation made his emotions surge. But choking back tears,  Cho Ryu-jin told Lee Gwak what he knew.

The Jade Heaven Alliance had requested cooperation from the Cho family manor. However, the manor’s leader, Cho Moon-gang, refused their request, considering his long standing relationship with the Thousand Kingdom School. In response, the Jade Heaven Alliance attacked and annihilated the Cho family manor as a warning to others.

Cho Moon-gang led the elite of the Cho family in resistance, but it was futile. Just before the final battle, he helped Cho Ryu-jin escape and said:

“Do not dream of revenge for now. Go hide with your uncle at the Hwang family manor; he will protect you.”

The Hwang family manor was his mother’s family. Cho Ryu-jin’s mother was from the Hwang family.

After hearing the whole story, Lee Gwak spoke.

“Then you need to go to the Hwang family manor.”

“Yes! I know it’s shameless, but could you take me to the Hwang family manor? My uncle will reward you.”

Lee Gwak showed a momentarily troubled expression.

If he accepted  Cho Ryu-jin’s request, it would clearly disrupt his own plans.

Although he had eliminated the pursuers, it wouldn’t be easy for a young boy to reach the Hwang family manor alone. There was a high chance that more pursuers would come after him. Besides, he couldn’t turn down a request from a boy close in age to his own son.

Lee Gwak nodded.

“Alright! I’ll take you there. Where is the Hwang family manor?”

“It’s at Lake Hong, about seven hundred li east from here.”

“Got it. I’ll take you there.”

“Thank you so much. I will never forget this kindness.”

Tears welled up in Cho Ryu-jin’s eyes again. Lee Gwak wiped away his tears and said

“Save your tears. A man’s revenge can wait ten years. Until then, swallow your anger and hold back your tears. What you need now is the resolve to live for your vengeance.”

“Yes!”

Cho Ryu-jin bit his lip and nodded.

After gently stroking Cho Ryu-jin’s head, Lee Gwak mounted his horse.

They had to hurry if they wanted to reach Lake Hong, where the Hwang family manor was located.

Leaving the fallen Ghost Sword Squad martial artists behind, Lee Gwak and Cho Ryu-jin set off.

After they had been gone for a while, a group appeared at the spot where the bodies of the Ghost Sword Squad martial artists lay.

They wore the same attire as the fallen, indicating they too were martial artists from the Gui Ghost Sword Squad.

“There are bodies here.”

“So that’s why they didn’t return. They died in this place.”

The faces of the Ghost Sword Squad martial artists showed confusion.

They were supposed to be chasing a mere boy, but now their comrades were found dead, which was troubling.

The problem was that the boy they were chasing was the young master of the Cho family manor. If they let him go, the repercussions would be endless.

The eldest among them gave an order.

“You two, track down those who killed them. The rest will collect the bodies and return to the Cho family manor.”

Dan Li-yeon had clearly ordered them to stop the pursuit and return. But that was only when there were no casualties. Now that their comrades had lost their lives to an unknown master, the situation was different.

Ok Mu-yeon now had a reason to defy Dan Li-yeon’s orders.

The wounds on the bodies were astonishingly clean. The cuts were smooth, like the surface of glass.

Seeing the wounds, the elder who gave the orders felt goosebumps all over.

“A truly formidable master was involved here.”

The elder deeply furrowed his brow.

***

Cho Ryu-jin quickly composed himself.

His heart ached as if it would tear apart, but he realized he couldn’t grieve forever.

“I will avenge them. I will bring down the Changcheon Alliance with my own hands.”

Cho Ryu-jin burned with a desire for revenge.

Watching him, Lee Gwak’s lips curled into a bitter smile.

The wheel of resentment was enormous and unyielding; once entangled, one could never escape.  Cho Ryu-jin was now caught in that web of fate.

Until yesterday, he had been just an ordinary boy, but from today, the word “ordinary” would never again describe his life.

Cho Ryu-jin was sharp-witted.

After regaining some composure, he gleaned information about Lee Gwak through his conversations with Lee Cheong.

“To think he is the Sura Blade Lee Gwak.”

Although he’d sensed Lee Gwak wasn’t an ordinary martial artist, he never imagined he was the Sura blade who had shaken the world three years ago.

Cho Ryu-jin considered himself fortunate to have met Lee Gwak.

If Lee Gwak’s skills were as renowned as the rumors suggested, he could trust him to get him safely to the Hwang Family Manor.

At that moment, Lee Cheong looked at Cho Ryu-jin with a worried expression.

“Brother! Are you okay?”

“I have a few injuries, but I’ll be fine.”

Cho Ryu-jin had sustained considerable wounds during his escape from the Cho family manor. For a child, they were by no means light injuries, but he gritted his teeth and endured.

He was already receiving help from Lee Gwak; he didn’t want to be more of a burden.

“These wounds are nothing. Father and Mother suffered unimaginable pain when they died.”

The desire for revenge numbed Cho Ryu-jin to his own pain.

He silently vowed and vowed again for revenge.

Lee Gwak thought Cho Ryu-jin’s killing intent was incredibly strong. Perhaps the deep-seated killing intent dormant within him had awakened after losing his family

An intense killing intent, uncharacteristic of a mere child, shone in Cho Ryu-jin’s eyes.

“This child is just like Gwang-woo. At least Gwang-woo could suppress his madness thanks to Bang Ye-in.”

Lee gwak hoped someone like Bang Ye-in would appear for Cho Ryu-jin as well. Otherwise, if his killing intent blossomed, it would be unfortunate not only for himself but for the world.

Lee Gwak shook his head to clear his thoughts.

Now was not the time to worry about Cho Ryu-jin’s killing intent. First, he had to get him safely to the Hwang Family Manor.

Yangzhou, where the Hwang family manor was located, was downstream of Lake Hong. Situated in the eastern region of Jianghu, it had not yet been swept up in warfare and was relatively safe.

Using the water route would be best.

Fortunately, the Yangtze River flowed near the southern part of Lake Hong. By using the Unmado river boat, they could significantly reduce the time to reach Lake Hong.

Having organized his thoughts, Lee Gwak moved to find a place where they could board a boat.

Luckily, there was a fairly large port in Luijang. Following the Luijang River downstream would eventually merge with the main stream of the Yangtze River.

Lee Gwak and his group decided to stay overnight in a village near the port.

The Unmado river boat arrives every three days, and since it had left the day before yesterday, they would need to wait one more day.

Lee Gwak unpacked at an inn near the port.

It was an inn catering to travelers boarding boats from Luijang. Though not large, it had a simple and tidy feel.

“Welcome.”

A grey-haired old woman greeted the three of them in a blunt voice as they entered.

“Do you have a room?”

“A large room is available. It should fit the three of you fine.”

“Thank you.”

“Why thank me? It’s not for free.”

Though her tone was brusque, there was a warmth in her gaze, especially when she looked at the two boys. Clearly, she was fond of the children.

Her face was full of wrinkles, revealing the passage of time, but her eyes were remarkably clear and bright for her age.

“The children look hungry. Sit down and wait. I’ll bring out some dishes.”

“Could I also get a bottle of liquor?”

“I have some aged bamboo leaf liquor. Would that do?”

“Yes, thank you.”

Lee Gwak smiled appreciatively at the old woman’s kindness and sat down with the children at an empty table.

Lee Cheong was happy to rest in an inn again, while Cho Ryu-jin silently looked out the window at the Luijang River.

On the way here,  Cho Ryu-jin had hardly spoken.

When Lee Cheong tried to talk to him, he would reluctantly answer, but other than that, he kept his mouth firmly shut, as if trapped in his own world.

Lee Cheong looked at  Cho Ryu-jin with eyes full of pity.

He knew that no matter how much he tried to comfort him now, it would only be meaningless noise to Cho Ryu-jin. No words could soothe the sorrow of someone who had lost his family overnight.

After a while, the old woman returned, carrying well-cooked noodles, stir-fried pork, and a bottle of bamboo leaf liquor.

As she set the food down on the table, she said,

“You must be hungry, so please eat.”

“Yes!”

Lee Gwak smiled and poured the wine into his cup.

The old woman watched them with satisfaction for a moment, then turned her gaze to  Cho Ryu-jin.

“Hey there, looking like you’ve lost the whole world.”

“Huh?”

When  Cho Ryu-jin looked up in surprise, the old woman pushed the bowl of noodles toward him.

“I don’t know what worries you have, but you need to fill your stomach to gather the strength to stand up again. It’s just some simple noodles, but if you eat them, they’ll fill you up. Go on, eat and gain strength.”

“Oh!”

“My old man is pretty good at cooking noodles, so it’ll be quite tasty. Go ahead and have a bite.”

Urged by the old woman, Cho Ryu-jin reluctantly picked up his chopsticks.

After stirring the noodles briefly, he took a mouthful.

“Sniff!”

The moment the noodles filled his mouth, Cho Ryu-jin suddenly burst into tears. The tears he had been holding back flowed like a broken dam.

Tears streamed down his cheeks and into his mouth. He couldn’t tell which was the taste of the noodles and which was the salty taste of his tears. Still, Cho Ryu-jin continued to eat the noodles.

Seeing him eat while crying, Lee Gwak let out a sigh of relief.

Because at just the right moment, a bit of the knot in Cho Ryu-jin’s heart seemed to unravel.

Lee Gwak thanked the old woman with his eyes. She smiled softly, as if it was nothing, and returned to her place.

Lee Gwak raised his cup and watched her as she walked away.

“They say the Jianghu is full of masters like grains of sand…”

On the surface, she appeared to be an ordinary old woman, but the wisdom reflected in her eyes was not something an average person possessed.

The bamboo leaf liquor she had served was exceptionally delicious.

It had been a very long time since he had tasted such a fine bamboo leaf liquor, so Lee Gwak closed his eyes to savor it.

Seeing Lee Cheong enjoy his noodles and repeatedly saying how delicious they were, it was clear the old woman’s husband was a master of his craft.

Then, an elderly man with hair as white as the old lady came out from the kitchen, drying his hands with a towel.

He wore a cheerful smile and engaged in warm conversation with the old woman. Their eyes were full of affection as they looked at each other’s faces.

It was hard to imagine how much love it would take to still look at each other with such affection at their age, but it was undeniably heartwarming.

Lee Gwak forgot to even drink his wine as he watched the couple for a long time. Noticing Lee Gwak’s gaze, the old man turned his head to look at him.

The old man approached Lee Gwak.

“So, how is the wine? Does it suit your taste?”

“It’s very good. I dare say it’s the best I’ve ever had.”

“That’s a relief. I was worried the flavor might not have fully developed since it’s only been three years since I brewed it.”

The old man’s face lit up with joy.

He was genuinely pleased that someone appreciated the wine he had poured his heart into.

The old man was a natural-born cook.

Although he had never trained at a famous inn like the Bang Clan’s Inn, he had spent his life learning to prepare delicious food.

Especially in brewing wine, he was confident. Since he loved wine himself, he paid special attention to crafting delicious brews.

The bamboo leaf wine that Lee Gwak was drinking was something he had brewed three years ago using his own secret method. In a way, it was an experimental batch. So he couldn’t help but be pleased that Lee Gwak appreciated it.

Lee Gwak smiled and asked, “Would you like to join me for a drink?”

“Would that be alright?”

The old man glanced cautiously at the old woman.

She approached with a mock angry expression.

“Why are you bothering the guest?”

“I don’t mind at all. The wine is so good that it’s a shame to drink it alone.”

“Come on, dear. Just this once. Besides, we don’t have any other guests right now.”

At the old man’s words, the old woman looked exasperated. But only for a moment; soon, she nodded with an expression that said she couldn’t help it.

“Just this once.”

“Thank you! Why don’t you join us as well? You’ve always been curious about how the wine turned out.”

“Should I…?”

The old woman glanced at Lee Gwak.

When he smiled and nodded, she took a seat.

Lee Gwak poured the bamboo leaf green into their cups one after another. As the glasses filled, the rich aroma of the wine spread throughout the inn.

The three of them shared drinks and engaged in pleasant conversation.

Even Cho Ryu-jin, who had been weeping alone, momentarily forgot his sorrow and listened to their conversation.

As the night deepened, their soft conversation continued for a long time, and from one side, the sound of Cho Ryu-jin’s quiet sobbing could be heard.