Episode 371

 

Meeting at the end of despair(3)

 

Lee Gwak looked around.

 

A long rope was rolling on the deck. Without hesitation, Lee Gwak picked it up.

 

As Lee Gwak walked towards the railing with the rope in his hand, a man blocked his way.

 

“Wait! What are you trying to do?”

 

It was So Goo-san, the leader of the Jeongong Escort Agency.

 

“I want to retrieve a body from the water.”

 

“Why retrieve a body?”

 

“Huh?”

 

“This is a fight among martial artists. If you recklessly retrieve a body and end up in a dispute with them, what will you do?”

 

So Goo-san couldn’t hide his discomfort.

 

In any other situation, he would have also tried to retrieve the body to determine the cause of death. But now, the ship was carrying precious cargo that could determine the fate of the Jeongong Escort Agency.

 

He didn’t want to get involved in the affairs of martial artists and risk endangering his escort agency.

 

So Goo-san’s expression naturally revealed a sense of urgency as he looked at Lee Gwak.

 

Lee Gwak frowned slightly and looked back at him.

 

Just then.

 

“Brother, please step aside.”

 

Oh Jung-gyeong asked So Goo-san to move aside.

 

Surprised by the unexpected request, So Goo-san widened his eyes and looked at Oh Jung-gyeong. Oh Jung-gyeong smiled bitterly and said,

 

“Although we have staked our lives on transporting this cargo, we shouldn’t abandon our humanity, should we?”

 

“But…….”

 

“I understand what you’re worried about. I’m also concerned about the cargo. But if we ignore this and move on, it might lead to even bigger problems.”

 

“Hmm!”

 

A conflicted expression appeared on So Goo-san’s face.

 

He wanted to stop Lee Gwak from getting involved in this situation. But seeing Oh Jung-gyeong’s resolute expression, he couldn’t resist any longer.

 

“Alright…….”

 

Finally, So Goo-san stepped aside.

 

Lee Gwak gave a slight nod to Oh Jung-gyeong and passed by So Goo-san.

 

Whoosh!

 

The rope flew like a snake, hooking onto a body floating on the water and pulling it up.

 

“Ugh!”

As the body was lifted onto the deck, the onlookers recoiled in horror.

Seok Yi-cheon looked at the body and said,

 

“I don’t know the exact affiliation, but he’s definitely a martial artist from the Jade Heaven Alliance. I’ve seen his face before when I entered the inner court.”

 

Lee Gwak nodded and examined the body.

 

He inspected the body carefully.

 

There was only one wound on the neck.

 

‘He was killed with a single strike.’

 

It was a chillingly cold and deadly strike.

 

He carefully inspected the body.

 

His wife, Han So-cheon, was known as the “Assassin King,” so Lee Gwak was well-versed in the ways of assassins. That’s why he could tell that the person who had killed this man was not a traditional martial artist but someone trained in assassination techniques.

 

Lee Gwak couldn’t take his eyes off the wound. It felt strangely familiar.

 

There weren’t many martial techniques capable of leaving such a distinct mark.

 

Just as he was deep in thought—

 

“Brother! That one’s still alive!”

 

Cheol Gwang-woo’s voice snapped him out of his thoughts.

 

Lee Gwak quickly turned to where Cheol Gwang-woo was pointing.

 

Amidst the drifting bodies in the river, one figure was still moving. As Cheol Gwang-woo said, he seemed to be alive.

 

Swish!

Lee Gwak threw the rope again, pulling up the survivor.

“Cough!”

The survivor spat blood as he collapsed.

He was also a member of the Jade Heaven Alliance.

The man’s face was pale, completely drained of blood, and his breathing was weak—he was barely clinging to life.

Lee Gwak channeled his qi into the man’s meridians and asked,

“What happened?”

“Take me… to a Jade Alliance branch…”

“Jade Heaven Alliance branch?”

“The commander will be waiting… for the mission to be completed…”

“Mission? What mission?”

 

At Lee Gwak’s question, the martial artist looked confused for a moment.

 

Lee Gwak’s Qi was barely keeping him alive. His body was already beyond repair.

 

Because of that, he couldn’t think clearly.

 

“Someone sent by So bo kidnapped the Military Strategist……. We pursued…… to eliminate…… him…….”

 

The martial artist’s voice gradually faded until it finally stopped.

 

He had drawn his last breath

 

“Did he just say So Bo? If it’s someone sent by So Bo…….”

 

“Cheon Wol!”

 

Lee Gwak stood up.

 

Seok Yi Cheon’s shoulders twitched.

 

There was only a little evidence to confirm it, yet both of them were convinced that the person was Cheon-wol.

 

Lee Gwak turned to Cheol Gwang-woo.

 

“Stay here and protect Brother Seok Yi-cheon and Ye-in until I return.”

 

“Understood! Don’t worry about us.”

 

Cheol Gwang-woo answered firmly.

 

He could tell that the situation was turning dire.

 

Without another word, Lee Gwak leaped toward the riverbank.

 

Using the floating corpses as stepping stones, he dashed across the water and reached the shore in an instant.

 

Once on land, he used his qigong to race upstream.

 

In a few moments, he was out of sight.

 

So Goo-san’s face turned pale.

 

“My god!”

 

This was an unimaginable level of cultivation for him.

 

Only then did he realize that Lee Gwak was a far more formidable expert than he had assumed.

 

“I almost closed the doors of the Jeongong Escort Agency with my own hands.”

 

He remembered his earlier attempt to obstruct Lee Gwak and broke into a cold sweat.

 

Had he provoked Lee Gwak then, not only he but the entire escort agency might have been annihilated.

 

It was all because of his dedication to the escort agency.

 

O Jung-gyeong approached him and said:

 

“Brother! We should apologize when he returns.”

 

“Yes… we should.”

 

“Yes…… I should.”

 

So Goo-san nodded weakly.

 

So Goo-san looked in the direction where Lee Gwak had disappeared.

 

“Lee Jin-mun. No! Who are you?”

 

***

 

The further Lee Gwak traveled upstream, the clearer the traces of battle became. Yet there was no sign of Cheon-wol.

 

“Cheon-wol!”

 

Lee Gwak’s expression grew tense.

 

Though it had been a long time since he last saw him, Cheon-wol was one of the people he cherished most.

 

Lee Gwak now realized he had been too indifferent.

 

Cheon-wol had always been resourceful and independent, so Lee Gwak had simply assumed he was doing fine.

 

“Please be safe….”

 

Lee Gwak bit his lip hard.

 

footsteps, which had been following Cheon Wol’s trail, suddenly stopped.

 

He looked down at a particularly deep grove in the ground.

 

Lee Gwak knelt down.

 

The indentation matched exactly where his knees now rested.

 

“He was subdued here.”

 

Lee Gwak’s gaze deepened.

 

The area around where Cheon Wol had been subdued was soaked in blood.

 

There was so much blood that an ordinary person would have died instantly.

 

Of course, he couldn’t be certain that all the blood was Cheon Wol’s. But it was undeniable that a significant portion of it was him.

 

Still, Lee Gwak believed that Cheon Wol was alive.

 

If his life had been taken, there would be no need to take his body.

 

No matter how thoroughly he searched the area, Cheon Wol’s body was nowhere to be found. Instead, he found traces suggesting someone had been dragged away.

 

Lee Gwak resumed his pursuit.

 

Naeng Samun’s expression was horribly distorted.

 

The scholar he had brought in had given up on breaking the formation.

 

“I cannot break this formation with my abilities.”

 

“Even if your life depends on it?”

 

Naeng Samun pressed his sword against the scholar’s neck.

 

The threat to his life turned the scholar’s face pale.

 

As Naeng Samun tightened his grip on the sword, blood began to trickle from the neck.

 

“I, even under threat, can do nothing. Whoever set this formation has capabilities far beyond my own.”

 

“Useless…”

 

“Sorry, I…”

 

Before the scholar could even finish his sentence, Naeng Samun’s sword slashed across his neck.

 

“Gurgle!”

 

The scholar clutched his throat with both hands, blood frothing from his mouth.

 

He fell backward, lifeless.

 

Naeng Samun turned to his subordinate.

 

“Find someone else. We must break this formation.”

 

“Yes!”

 

At that moment.

 

“Naeng Samun!”

 

A chilling voice suddenly rang out.

 

The moment he heard his name, Naeng Samun’s body froze.

 

He knew who the voice belonged to.

 

Naeng Samun quickly turned around and saw Gyu Oh walking toward him with his subordinates.

 

“Subordinate Naeng Samun greets Squad Leader Gyu Oh.”

 

Naeng Samun knelt on one knee before Gyu-oh.

 

“Where is Yeo Joong Wol?”

 

“He is inside the formation.”

 

Naeng Samun wore an apologetic expression.

 

“Formation?”

 

“Yes! Disgustingly, he has set up a formation and is holed up inside it.”

 

“What kind of formation?”

 

“I haven’t been able to figure it out. I apologize. But we are currently searching for someone who can break the formation, so if you could just wait a little longer…….”

 

“Until when?”

 

“Huh?”

 

“How long do you expect me to wait for the formation to be broken? Can you guarantee it will be broken?”

 

“I apologize.”

 

Naeng Samun bit his lip until it bled.

 

Though he was a figure of terror to others, even Naeng Samun couldn’t help but feel fear in the presence of Gyu-oh, the leader of the Yitian Sect.

 

Gyu-oh was even more cruel and terrifying than he was.

 

“Bring him!”

 

At Gyu-oh’s command, his subordinates dragged over someone covered in blood.

 

A look of confusion appeared on Naeng Samun’s face, but it soon disappeared.

 

“Who is that?”

 

“The one who rescued Yeo Joong Wol. His name is Cheon Wol.”

 

The bloodied figure was none other than Cheon Wol.

 

His knees were crushed, and his arms were held by the Yitian Sect’s martial artists. His head hung limply, as if he had lost consciousness, but the faint rise and fall of his chest indicated he was still alive.

 

Immediately, anger flashed across Naeng Samun’s face.

 

“Cheon Wol? This damn bastard…….”

 

He looked ready to slit Cheon Wol’s throat on the spot. He would have, had Gyu-oh not stopped him.

 

“Enough!”

 

“But……. Understood.”

 

Under Gyu-oh’s cold gaze, Naeng Samun could only bow his head.

 

Gyu-oh took Cheon Wol from his subordinates.

 

He grabbed Cheon Wol by the back of the neck and dragged him along. His destination was the place where Yeo Joong Wol had set up the formation.

 

Thud!

 

Gyu-oh threw Cheon Wol in front of the formation.

 

Though the pain must have been immense, Cheon Wol didn’t let out a single scream. He had already lost consciousness.

 

Gyu-oh stepped on Cheon Wol’s chest and spoke toward the formation.

 

“Come out! Yeo Joong Wol.”

 

“…….”

 

But Yeo Joong Wol’s voice did not respond.

 

A cold smile crept onto Gyu-oh’s lips.

 

“So you won’t answer, huh?”

 

Shing!

 

Gyu-oh drew a dagger.

 

The martial artists of the Soul Reaper Squad and the Righteous Heaven Squad held their breath as they watched Gyu-oh.

 

Thud!

 

Without hesitation, Gyu-oh stabbed the dagger into Cheon Wol’s thigh.

 

The dagger pierced through Cheon Wol’s flesh as if it were tofu.

 

“Ugh!”

 

Cheon Wol, unconscious, let out a groan.

 

Gyu-oh pulled out the dagger and aimed it at the other thigh.

 

“Come out!”