chapter 317

The Wind Does Not Leave a Giant Alone(2)

Shim Wol furrowed his brow as he looked at Nam Woo-gyeong.

He had already handed over a significant portion of authority within the Hao Clan to Nam Woo-gyeong. This was possible because of the trust he had in him.

From his childhood, Nam Woo-gyeong had stood out and had fought his way to become the leader of the Hao Clan. Even after becoming the leader, he continued to gather information from all over Jianghu and led the Hao Clan well, allowing Shim Wol to step back from the front lines with peace of mind.

Shim Wol trusted Nam Woo-gyeong. However, the proposal Nam Woo-gyeong made was too significant to be handled with simple trust.

The Hao Clan had never accepted a guest in its hundreds of years of history. Unlike other famous sects in Jianghu that were situated in one location, the Hao Clan was not in such a dire

need of manpower due to intense combat.

That had always been the case and would continue to be so.

Although they had their base here now, they could move at any time if the situation changed. Therefore, there was almost no need for outside members.

As the young master of the Hao Clan, Nam Woo-gyeong surely knew this. Yet, his proposal indicated that he held Lee Gwak in high regard.

Shim Wol looked back and forth between Lee Gwak and Nam Woo-gyeong with a profound gaze.

Lee Gwak could not hide his surprise. He, too, had not expected Nam Woo-gyeong to make such a suggestion.

“An outsider member…”

Shim Wol closed his eyes and quickly calculated the pros and cons.

A complex mix of the Jianghu’s state of affairs, Lee Gwak’s current standing, martial force, and various political factors swirled inside that small head of his.

It did not take him long to finish his calculations. Having organized his thoughts at last, he opened his eyes.

“Great Hero Lee!”

“Please speak.”

“Though our clan may stand at the very bottom of the Jianghu, we pride ourselves on having the most eyes and ears in the world. Depending on how it’s used, that power can bring disaster or good fortune to the entire land. Because of that, throughout the ages, the Clan Leader of the Hao Clan has always been chosen not for martial prowess, but for character. Fortunately, Woo-gyeong fits our clan’s tradition.”

“I’m aware of that.”

“I trust Woo-gyeong. And I trust his judgment as well. So, ordinarily, I would accept his words without question. But given how serious this matter is, I feel I must ask you directly, Grand MasterLee.”

“Feel free to ask anything.”

“Can you promise that you will not use our clan’s power to further any selfish ambition?”

“I promise.”

“Will you swear it upon your honor?”

“I’m not sure if I have that much honor, but I will at least strive not to stray from the path I’ve walked so far.”

“I believe you.”

Even the same words can carry different weight depending on who speaks them.

The path Lee Gwak had walked was by no means easy.

His path had been paved with thorns.

Yet, despite how arduous that journey was, he never once faltered or went astray. Shim Wol knew better than anyone how difficult that was.

It was easy to walk the path of evil, but hard to walk the path of righteousness.

Reaching the pinnacle by walking the righteous path is even harder.

Lee Gwak was a man who had reached the pinnacle by walking the path of righteousness. The words of such a man carried an immense weight.

“I will accept you as a guest member of our sect. I look forward to working with you.”

“I am honored.”

Lee Gwak, still somewhat stunned, managed a fist salute, and Shim Wol returned the gesture.

“It is an honor to welcome someone like you as our guest. How can we call ourselves men if we do not drink on such a fine day?  I, Shim Wol, wish to drink with you all night long.”

“It would be my honor.”

Before Lee Gwak could finish his answer, the cabin door opened and a boatman entered with steamed carp and alcohol.

The boatman looked at the mood in the cabin and smiled slightly.

After placing the carp dish and the bottle of wine on the table, he spoke to Nam Woo-gyeong.

“Looks like everything went well. That’s a relief, young master.”

“It’s all thanks to your concern.”

“In that case, please enjoy yourselves. I’ll catch a few more fish for you.”

“Thank you.”

Nam Woo-gyeong gave the boatman a slight nod. The boatman returned the gesture and stepped out.

Whew!

Nam Woo-gyeong let out a soft sigh of relief.

He knew Shim Wol well enough to understand that he would not easily reject his proposal.

However, human affairs were always uncertain.

If Shim Wol had not accepted his proposal, who knew what could have happened.

Fortunately, things had gone well, and Nam Woo-gyeong could relax.

Then Shim Wol raised his glass.

“Let’s toast together.”

Ching!

Lee Gwak and Nam Woo-gyeong clinked glasses with him.

All three drank in unison.

Lee Cheong watched in amazement.

‘Father has become an outside guest of the Hao Clan.’

If Lee Cheong had been an ordinary child, he might not have grasped the significance of what was unfolding before his eyes.

Having spent a long time as a hostage in the White Light Sect, Lee Cheong was quicker and sharper than most

He could already sense what a tremendous power his father had just gained.

After one round of drinks, Shim Wol turned to Nam Woo-gyeong.

“How is your condition?”

“Thanks to Gwak, I’ve fully recovered.”

“You’ve had a hard time.”

“I’m sorry to have caused you concern.”

“It’s not your fault. Even I didn’t expect the Nine Dragons Clan to act so boldly. Don’t blame yourself.”

At the mention of the Nine Dragons Clan, Shim Wol’s eyes went cold.

Many had tried to exploit the Hao clan before, but none had ever gone so far as to kidnap and poison their young master.

It was an unprecedented event, and Shim Wol took it very seriously.

“The Nine Dragons Clan will pay the price for what they did.”

Anyone lacking ears and eyes in the Jianghu can never hope to become a hegemon.

Even at this very moment, the Nine Dragons Clan’s eyes and ears were being stripped away.

While the Hao Clan could not rise to the position of the ultimate leader of Jianghu on its own, they could certainly thwart others’ attempts to do so.

Throughout history, many had targeted the Hao Clan.

That’s why the Hao Clan had occasionally demonstrated their presence to awaken the alertness of the martial artists.

Shim Wol believed that now was precisely one of those moments.

***

Although becoming a guest member of the Hao Clan was a major event, it did not entail any special obligations for Lee Gwak.

However, he was given a booklet detailing the locations of the Hao Clan’s branch offices. Lee Gwak memorized the information and then burned the booklet.

Now, he could make full use of the Hao Clan’s intelligence network—no longer limited or selectively edited, but access to the original, unfiltered information.

Lee Gwak bowed to Nam Woo-gyeong.

“Brother, thank you. You’ve given me a great favor.”

“The debt is mine. Nothing can be greater than saving a life.”

“Still…”

“Gwak! It’s a pity that this is all I can do for you.”

“This alone is already more than enough.”

“I hope the Hao Clan’s information network becomes wings for you.”

“Brother!”

“So, what do you plan to do next?”

“I’ll have to think about it from here on.”

“Good. Take your time. There’s still plenty of it.”

“Yes!”

Lee Gwak nodded and looked out over the lake.

The fishing boat Shim Wol had been on was nowhere to be seen. In the course of one night, it had vanished to somewhere else.

Shim Wol’s whereabouts were always unpredictable. He might have been here yesterday, but where he would be tomorrow was not set.

In a way, it was a life like duckweed on water. Nam Woo-gyeong’s life would be much the same.

“Brother!”

Lee Gwak was about to ask Nam Woo-gyeong something when—

“Young Master!”

Suddenly, a member of the Hao Clan came running up to them.

“What is it?”

“Great Master requests the presence of both Young Master and Great Hero Lee.”

“The Great Master?”

Nam Woo-gyeong frowned.

He sensed an unusual urgency in the air.

The clan member bowed his head and continued,

“It is urgent.”

“Understood. Let’s go together, Gwak and Cheong.”

“Yes!”

Hong Cheon-rak’s abode was in a slum area.

“Great Master!”

“You’ve arrived?”

As soon as Nam Woo-gyeong and his party entered, Hong Cheon-rak relaxed his heavily furrowed brow and greeted them.

“What’s going on?”

“Take a look at this. It came from Mount Qilian, delivered by the Blood Sky Hawk

The Blood Sky Hawk was a mystical beast raised by the Hao Clan.

When it spread its wings, they spanned nearly one jang. This mystical bird could fly two thousand li in a single day and was used only in matters that might decide the fate of the Hao Clan.

Nam Woo-gyeong’s expression hardened.

Information delivered by the Blood Sky Hawk was proof that something truly dire was happening.

Moreover, it came from Mount Qilian.

Nam Woo-gyeong turned his gaze to Lee Gwak.

Reading the gravity of the moment, Lee Gwak’s face stiffened. Mount Qilian was where he had been in seclusion. Instinctively, he sensed that something had gone wrong there.

Lee Gwak quickly spoke up.

“Please read it at once.”

“All right.”

Nam Woo-gyeong swiftly unfolded the note. The moment he read what was written, his face went pale. He handed the note to Lee Gwak in haste.

“Read this.”

In silence, Lee Gwak read over the note. His eyes trembled.

Lee Cheong asked urgently,

“Father! What does it say?”

“The place where we were hiding was destroyed, and So-cheon and Soo-ah have disappeared.”

“What do you mean?”

Lee Cheong’s eyes quivered faintly.

Clutching the note tight, Lee Gwak asked Nam Woo-gyeong,

“When did this happen?”

“The Hao Clan confirmed it two days ago and released the Blood Sky Hawk immediately. But we have no way of knowing the exact time it occurred.”

“Did a member of the Hao Clan check it themselves?”

“Yes.”

Nam Woo-gyeong answered, his face grave.

Lee Gwak was someone of special concern to the Hao Clan.

The clan sent people to Mount Qilian regularly to ensure the safety of Lee Gwak’s family, and that was how they discovered that disaster had struck. As soon as they confirmed the crisis, they released the Blood Sky Hawk to report it to the main base—the fastest method at the Hao Clan’s disposal.

Nam Woo-gyeong asked,

“What do you plan to do?”

“I’m going there, of course.”

Lee Gwak answered without a moment’s hesitation. It was about the safety of his wife and daughter. There was no reason to waver.

“In that case, you should depart immediately. I’ll mobilize the Hao Clan to find out where your wife and daughter have gone.”

“Thank you, Brother!”

“Hurry on.”

“Yes!”

With that, Lee Gwak dashed out. Lee Cheong hurriedly followed him.

Once outside, both quickly mounted their horses.

“Dad, will mom and sister be alright?”

“They will be.”

Lee Gwak clenched his teeth.

Although he had been away from Jianghu for many years, Han So-cheon’s skills were by no

means light.

With her martial arts, she could extricate herself and Soo-ah from even the gravest danger. Lee Gwak believed so.

‘Hang on until I get there, So-cheon!’

***

“Are you okay?”

“I’m okay.”

To Han So-cheon’s question, Lee Soo-ah tried to smile brightly, though her face showed signs of exhaustion.

They hadn’t slept a wink in the past two days.

Je Mu-hyeok’s pursuit was terrifying.

He had tracked them down relentlessly, like a predator stalking its prey. If it had been anyone other than Han So-cheon, Je Mu-hyeok would have caught them long ago.

Though she had been away from Jianghu for a long time, Han So-cheon was originally an assassin. She might have been weak in direct confrontation, but there were few who could match her in stealth, tracking, and infiltration.

Han So-cheon meticulously erased their traces. However, as with everything, nothing could be perfect. Moreover, she had Lee Soo-ah with her. It was impossible to perfectly hide the traces of two people.

Ordinary martial artists might be easily deceived, but if there was someone skilled in professional tracking, the outcome was uncertain.

Han So-cheon could only hope that Je Mu-hyeok didn’t have a collaborator skilled in tracking.

After catching her breath, Han So-cheon stood up. Lee Soo-ah also rose to follow her.

Her limbs felt heavy as if weighed down by hundreds of pounds of shackles, but Lee Soo-ah maintained a composed expression.

It was a harsh ordeal for a child, but Lee Soo-ah had already experienced such situations before.

At least Han So-cheon was with her now, unlike before when she was completely alone.

Having managed to shake off the pursuit of the White Light Sect and find Lee Gwak on her own, there was no trace of fear on her face.

Han So-cheon looked at Lee Soo-ah with admiring eyes.

She was a daughter to be relied upon.

It might have seemed absurd for a mother to rely on her daughter, but at this moment, having Lee Soo-ah by her side was more comforting than she could have imagined.

Han So-cheon said.

“First, let’s find a way to contact the Hao Clan. If we leave a message with the Hao Clan, your father will surely come for us.”

“Okay!”

Lee Soo-ah nodded.

Han So-cheon stroked Lee Soo-ah’s hair as she looked up at the sky.

‘What in the world is happening?’