Episode 313

The Good One Doesn’t Come, and the One Who Comes Isn’t Good (1)

Lee Gwak and his group led their horses off the boat.

As soon as they disembarked, the captain set sail as if nothing had happened.

Throughout the journey, neither the captain nor the boatmen had spoken a single word. They had navigated the boat in total silence, never once sparing Lee Gwak and his group a glance.

Thanks to that, Lee Gwak and Nam Woo-gyeong hadn’t exchanged a single word with them.

Seeing Lee Gwak’s curiosity about their identity, Nam Woo-gyeong spoke up.

“They’re a kind of escort. The only difference is that instead of using martial skill, they protect and transport people by boat or carriage. They don’t care who’s riding or why. They just accept the fee and deliver their clients to the destination.”

“I had no idea such an organization existed in the Jianghu.”

“Of course you wouldn’t. They’re connected to the Hao Clan. I’m only telling you because it’s you.”

“Thank you.”

“Heh-heh.”

Nam Woo-gyeong shrugged at Lee Gwak’s expression of gratitude.

Seizing the moment, he taught Lee Gwak how to contact them if needed. Lee Gwak listened carefully.

In the Jianghu, there was no such thing as useless information. Even the smallest detail could prove helpful someday.

For now, they were just passing acquaintances, but no one knew in what form they might meet again in the future.

A faint smile tugged at Nam Woo-gyeong’s lips.

In truth, everything he had just told Lee Gwak was top secret—never to be shared with outsiders. Yet because this was Lee Gwak, he had no regrets in telling him.

They had now completely escaped the Nine Dragon Clan’s Heaven and Earth Net.

No longer did they need to hide from the eyes of the Nine Dragons Clan.

The Nine Dragons Clan still maintained the Heaven and Earth Net. All expenses of maintaining it were borne by the Nine Dragons Clan.

No matter how much support they received from the Myriad Merchant Troupe, the damage they had suffered this time was not insignificant.

As the Nine Dragons Clan’s prestige hit rock bottom, people began to doubt their authority.  They questioned whether the Nine Dragons Clan truly possessed the power to vie for the position of hegemon under heaven.

Doubts breed distrust, and mistrust can cause cracks in even the most solid foundation.

For the time being, Gyeong Un-cheon’s overwhelming presence would keep those cracks from spreading, but they would continue to branch out like a spiderweb. Eventually, they would envelop the entire Nine Dragons Clan.

Moreover, they had lost Eum Moo-yeong, the heir to the Nine Dragons Clan. While Eum Moo-yeong was still alive, no one had dared to challenge the Nine Dragons Clan’s line of succession. Now, the situation has changed.

The previously silent competitors would now reveal their hidden teeth.

The internal struggles in the shadows would continue until a new successor emerged, and until that ended, the Nine Dragons Clan would never regain its former strength and prestige.

Nam Woo-gyeong glanced at Lee Gwak out of the corner of his eye.

“What a guy!”

“What?”

“Never mind. Let’s go!”

“Yes!”

At Nam Woo-gyeong’s prompt, Lee Gwak was about to mount his horse but then quietly lowered his foot from the saddle.

“Dad?”

Lee Cheong, who had mounted his horse, looked at Lee Gwak with a puzzled expression.

Lee Gwak quietly turned around.

Nam Woo-gyeong and Lee Cheong’s gaze followed where Lee Gwak was looking.

Suddenly, their expressions hardened.

On a small hill overlooking the river, two people stood.

A beautiful middle-aged woman and a girl around Lee Cheong’s age.

The moment he spotted them, cold sweat ran down Nam Woo-gyeong’s back.

‘When?’

Nam Woo-gyeong had fully recovered his strength and martial arts on the journey here by boat. But even with his heightened senses, he had not noticed the two until now.

If they had intended harm, he would already be dead.

‘Who exactly are they?’

Nam Woo-gyeong prided himself on knowing more people’s faces than anyone else in the Jianghu, yet he did not recognize these two at all.

He called out to Lee Gwak.

“Gwak!”

“I’ll just go talk to them briefly.”

“But—”

“I don’t think they pose any threat to us. I’ll be back shortly.”

“Alright, but be careful.”

“Yes!”

With that, Lee Gwak headed up the hill.

“Master Lee!”

The woman standing on the hill greeted him with a smile.

Lee Gwak offered a polite bow.

“Junior, Lee Gwak, greets you, Invincible Sword Ja Seol Gyeong.”

“I hope we didn’t startle you, coming after you like this.”

That woman, greeting him so warmly, was none other than Ja Seol Gyeong, one of the Eight

Great Martial Artists. She had appeared here with her disciple, Hong Chae-yeon.

Lee Gwak asked:

“What brings you here, Elder Ja?”

“I followed you. There was something I really wanted to say, but you boarded a boat before I could catch up. I just managed to catch you here.”

“And what might that be?”

“If you have time later, I would like you to visit Mount Hua.”

Lee Gwak looked at Ja Seol-gyeong, surprised.

Your sect is Mount Hua?

That’s correct.”

Ja Seol Gyeong nodded.

Mount Hua…

Lee Gwak fell silent.

Like the Wudang Sect, the Mount Hua sect had not been active in the outside world for a hundred years. Therefore, people called these old sects  the Hidden Sects, placing them in the lower ranks of the Ten Sects.

However, those in the know understood just how formidable the Hidden Sects were, and how they had dominated Jianghu during their prime.

Lee Gwak himself did not know much about Mount Hua, but he did know that a mighty martial artist had ended the Great Heavenly Blood War a hundred years ago.

Mount Hua’s Fist Demon… Dam Ho.

A legendary martial artist who had quelled an era of chaos with his bare fists.

Even Gwang Noh-ya—his own master—had not been able to hide his envy of that man. Such

was the mythic stature of Dam Ho.

Seeing Lee Gwak’s surprise expression, Ja Seol Gyeong continued.

“There’s no need to be so surprised. I’m more amazed by you.”

“What do you mean?”

“I saw you fighting with Grandmaster Gyeong. It was impressive.”

“That’s…”

“Truly stirring. It’s been a long time since I felt the urge to compete.”

“So, you came to duel with me?”

“That’s not it.”

Ja Seol-gyeong shook her head.

Lee Gwak looked at her, puzzled.

“Then?”

“It’s about my disciple. She seems to feel a bit of a fighting spirit toward your son.”

“But Cheong is still not accomplished enough.”

“I know. His current achievements do not compare to Chae-yeon’s. But he has great talent and potential for growth. It’s rare to find someone of his caliber.”

“So, what are you saying?”

Because the subject concerned his son, Lee Gwak’s voice had grown sharper. However, Ja Seol Gyeong seemed prepared for this reaction and calmly continued.

“When Lee Cheong has matured a bit more, I would like you to bring him to Mount Hua. I’d like him to spar with Chae-yeon.”

“A sparring match?”

“Yes! My disciple has exceptional talent that’s rare to see. She can learn any martial art quickly. Truly a blessing from heaven.”

“Hmm!”

“It’s just that she lacks passion. Once she achieves something, she doesn’t strive for more.”

This was a common issue among prodigies.

Because they achieve their goals so easily, they lack the motivation to pursue greater achievements.

Hong Chae-yeon was no different.

Ja Seol-gyeong was quite concerned about this.

She hoped someone could stimulate Hong Chae-yeon.

One of the purposes of her journey into Jianghu was to find someone who could evoke this in Hong Chae-yeon.

And that person turned out to be Lee Cheong.

Hong Chae-yeon, who usually disregarded other children, had shown interest in Lee Cheong for the first time.

It wasn’t based on his current achievements.

She had instinctively recognized his talent.

This was the first time Hong Chae-yeon had reacted this way since coming into Jianghu. That’s why Ja Seol-gyeong had sought out Lee Gwak.

“I ask this of you. Please visit Mount Hua whenever it’s convenient.”

This offer was not at all detrimental to Lee Cheong. In fact, it could be beneficial for his growth.

“I understand. I’ll do that.”

“Thank you, Grandmaster Lee. I appreciate your granting this favor.”

“No, the honor is mine.”

“I know it might seem excessive to call it a reward, but if there’s anything I can do in return, just name it. I promise I’ll do whatever is within my power.”

“That won’t be necessary.”

“Please, let me do this. I insist, Lee Daehyeop. Don’t feel burdened.”

“Alright. Then I accept.”

With no other choice, Lee Gwak agreed. Ja Seol Gyeong looked at him kindly.

“I’ve already kept you too long. You should get going, Grandmaster Lee.”

“Understood. I’ll see you again.”

“Yes. I’ll wait with pleasure for the day you visit Mount Hua.”

Ja Seol Gyeong offered him a slight bow of farewell.

Until now, Hong Chae-yeon had remained silent, but she finally spoke to Lee Gwak as she bid him goodbye.

“I’ll see you next time. Farewell.”

“Yes.”

“Make sure you bring Lee Cheong.”

A subtle smile crossed Hong Chae-yeon’s lips upon receiving Lee Gwak’s reply.

Her gaze turned towards Lee Cheong, who stood by the riverbank, looking up at them with a puzzled expression.

Then, Ja Seol Gyeong took Hong Chae-yeon’s hand and said, “Let’s go!”

“Yes!”

The two disappeared as suddenly as they had appeared.

Lee Gwak sighed softly and returned to the two by the riverbank.

Nam Woo-gyeong asked, “Are you alright?”

“Yes! I’m fine.”

“What are their identities that you had to go personally?”

“She was Ja Seol Gyeong, one of the Eight Great Martial Artists.”

“You mean the Unrivaled Lone Sword?”

“That’s right.”

“My goodness…”

Nam Woo-gyeong’s face showed his surprise.

The Hao Clan had spared no effort in trying to gather information about the Invincible Sword, Ja Seol Gyeong. However, since she had only appeared once in the Jianghu, tracing her whereabouts had been nearly impossible.. Thus, even Nam Woo-gyeong was seeing her for the first time in person.

“What is happened did you talk about?”

“She said she’d like her disciple to spar with Cheong someday.”

“With Cheong?”

“Yes.”

At Lee Gwak’s response, Lee Cheong’s eyes went wide in surprise.

“She wants to have a match with me?”

“That’s right. Apparently, Chae-yeon has developed a competitive interest in you.”

“How…?”

Lee Cheong still looked baffled. When they had first met at the Thousand Buha Wall, Hong Chae-yeon had seemed uninterested in him. He couldn’t fathom what had caused the girl to change her mind.

Ruffling Lee Cheong’s hair, Lee Gwak spoke, “Don’t think too hard about it. It’s not like she wants to challenge you right now.”

“Then…?”

“She wants to meet you when you’ve mastered your martial arts a bit more. So there’s no need to worry already.”

“Alright.”

Lee Gwak murmured quietly, but a determined look soon appeared on Lee Cheong’s face.

He did not know why Hong Chae-yeon specifically wanted a contest with him, but he had no intention of declining.

His mindset had changed significantly after experiencing the martial contests at the Nine Dragons Clan.

The blood of a martial artist flowed in Lee Cheong’s veins—Lee Gwak’s blood.

Regardless of the reason, he had no intention of avoiding Hong Chae-yeon’s request for a contest.

Lee Cheong’s resolve was clear to Lee Gwak.He stared at his son for a moment, then noticed Nam Woo-gyeong looking at him with a complicated expression.

He’s become quite the figurehead…

Nam Woo-gyeong remembered the day he first met Lee Gwak. Back then, Lee Gwak had been nothing more than a low-ranking outer-hall martial artist, hardly noteworthy. Nam Woo-gyeong never expected Lee Gwak to rise so far.

Now he realized how unpredictable the future could be.

A third-rate nobody had become a prominent figure in the Jianghu, while the once-powerful young master of the Nine Dragons Clan had lost both an arm and his honor.

Who could have predicted that their circumstances would have reversed so dramatically in just over a decade? Nam Woo-gyeong certainly hadn’t expected Lee Gwak to grow to such an extent. That’s why he was more astonished.

They say chaos beckons heroes. Perhaps Lee Gwak is the very hero this Jianghu needs right now.

If Lee Gwak truly were the hero the Jianghu needed, then he would require allies. No matter how strong his martial arts might be, there were limits to what one person could accomplish alone.

Then maybe it’s my destiny to fill in the gaps for him.

Nam Woo-gyeong shivered slightly, sensing his fate taking a new turn.