Reaper of the Drifting Moon Chapter 217

Published at 21st of February 2023 08:42:52 AM

“Hiya!”

Pyo-wol did not say anything afterwards. 

Despite running quite a long way, the horse continued to gallop.

Pyo-wol patted the horse on the back of its neck to calm it down.

It had already been five days since he left Wudang Mountain.

During that time, Pyo-wol steadily traveled, except during mealtime which he also used as the time to take a break. As a result, he was able to arrive early in Nanyang, Henan Province.

It would approximately take him five more days to reach Tianzhongshan. Only on the condition that his horse would run nonstop. However, it would be impossible for even the best horses to run without rest. 

Just arriving in Henan Province in five days is already good as saying that the horse had done its job.

Nanyang was larger and more splendid than any city Pyo-wol had ever been to. There was a difference in the width of the street and the scale of the buildings lined up on the left and right. 

The appearance of well-polished pavilions and large buildings could easily overwhelm the eyes of those seeing it for the first time.

Pyo-wol asked a person walking down the street. He then found a street where inns were crowded.

The sight of countless guest houses lined up was even majestic. Among them, Pyo-wol went in search of an inn with a horse stable. The inn also has its own caretaker who is in charge of taking care of horses, so merchants or people who go long distances especially look for this place.

When Pyo-wol came in with his horse, the caretaker's eyes widened.

“Wow! This guy is not ordinary. I've been here for over ten years, but I've never seen such a nice horse like this one.”

The old caretaker studied the horse carefully and couldn't help but admire it.

He could clearly see the advantages that came of the horse's characteristics, such as its high height and well-developed muscles, that ordinary people cannot see or appreciate.

Pyo-wol handed him the horse bit and said,

“Feed him well and take good care of him.”

“Don't worry. This guy deserves the best treatment.”

“Please do so.”

Pyo-wol handed some coins to the caretaker.

A big smile appeared on the old caretaker's face.

Pyo-wol left the horse and caretaker behind and entered the inn.

Even though it was still early, the restaurant on the first floor of the inn was already crowded with quite a few customers.

When Pyo-wol came in, a waiter quickly ran to him.

“Welcome.”

“I'm planning to stay for a night. Do you have a room?”

“You're just in time. If you'd come a little later, you wouldn't have been able to get a room.”

“Why?”

“It's always been like that. Around dinnertime, guests which are either merchants or escorts arrive. They book a lot of rooms at once, so it's hard for regular customers to get a room.”

“I see.”

“Because they haven't arrived yet, there's still plenty of available rooms. I'll give you a room at the end of the corridor on the second floor. It's the quietest and cleanest, so it's worth staying there.”

Pyo-wol nodded and handed the coin to the waiter.

A bright smile appeared on the waiter's face.

He showed Pyo-wol around the room.

As the waiter said, the room looked pretty clean.

Pyo-wol sat on the bed and looked out the window.

Darkness began to fall on the streets little by little. Correspondingly, the number of people visiting the guest house increased.

As the waiter said, customers in groups such as merchants and escorts were entering the inn one after another.

Pyo-wol hurried down and took a seat. It seemed that he wouldn't be able to find a place to eat if he stayed still. 

As he expected, the restaurant on the first floor became filled with people. If he had come down a little later, he would not be able to get a vacant seat.

Pyo-wol sat down in an empty seat in the corner and ordered a simple meal from the waiter.

At that time, even more guests entered the guest house. But There were no empty seats left. 

The moment Pyo-wol sat down, his eyes widened as he looked at the people who just came in.

“There's no empty seat. You old Daoshi!”

“Hey! We were late because of you! So why are you blaming me?”

“I don't know! It's all because of you!”

“Anyway, I'm just saying…”

A man and a woman entered the inn while arguing.

It was an old taoist and a beautiful young woman.

With the unusual combination, the duo managed to earn a lot of people's attention. However, Pyo-wol paid attention to them not because of their odd combination, but because they were familiar faces.

The faces of the taoist and the young woman who were looking around the first floor suddenly stiffened.

Pyo-wol was sitting where their eyes were directed.

Although half of Pyo-wol's face was covered with a scarf, they immediately recognized Pyo-wol's identity.

“Um!”

“Who is this? Handsome older brother!”

The reactions of the two seemed different, yet similar.

The taoist looked displeased, while the woman seemed to be pleased, but with a wary look.

The two cautiously approached Pyo-wol.

The woman spoke to Pyo-wol first,

“Can we join you? Don't tell me you're going to turn us down so coldly when we've been through quite a lot together.”

The woman who smiled while looking at Pyo-wol was Heo Ranju of the Black Cloud Corps. The person next to her was Daoshi Goh.

One of his shoulders was missing. 

The person responsible for cutting off his arm was Pyo-wol.

Since Daoshi Goh was seriously injured by Pyo-wol to the extent of having one of his arms severed, he looked at Pyo-wol with alert eyes.

Great Bloody Incident of Chengdu.1

It was a major incident in which the Qingcheng sect and Emei sect, together with all the forces that followed them suffered enormous damage from a single individual, Pyo-wol. Those forces were either forced to shut down or to scatter.

The Black Cloud Corps, to which the two belonged, also suffered tremendous damage from Pyo-wol. They had no choice but to leave and flee from Sichuan. 

The damage done by Pyo-wol that day was truly great. Almost one-third of the Black Cloud Corps forces were lost overnight and even Daoshi Goh was placed in a moribund state.

The memory of that day remained a nightmare for Daoshi Goh and the Black Cloud Corps.

Among them, the physical and mental damage suffered by Daoshi Goh was too serious to guarantee a complete recovery.

Fortunately, Daoshi Goh had a fairly optimistic personality, so he was able to recover from his wounds to some extent when he met an outstanding doctor.

But while his body had recovered, his fear towards Pyo-wol could not be completely erased. No. He thought he had erased it, but meeting Pyo-wol again like this again, he found his heart beating wildly. But he still tried to put on a nonchalant expression.

It was the same with Heo Ranju.

She watched with her own eyes how the Black Cloud Corps, whom she thought of as family, collapsed at the hands of Pyo-wol. So, her resentment and hatred for Pyo-wol penetrated her bones.

If she was an ordinary person, she would have been angry with Pyo-wol or she would choose to run away. However, both Heo Ranju and Daoshi Goh were far from ordinary people.

They know how to hide their fears and they know how to deal with others despite their uncomfortable feelings.

So instead of hastily expressing their hatred towards Pyo-wol, they pretended to be calm.

The problem was Pyo-wol's response. If Pyo-wol expresses hostility, then the peace between them would immediately end at that moment.

Fortunately, however, Pyo-wol was not the kind of person who showed his feelings.

Pyo-wol replied,

“Take a seat.”

“Thank you! We came here in a hurry, only to find no empty seats. Hoo!”

“Long time no see.”

The two sat across Pyo-wol.

Heo Ranju looked straight at Pyo-wol's face and said,

“But why did you come here? I thought you wouldn't come out of Sichuan.”

“It just happened somehow.”

“Are you on a trip or something?”

“You can say that.”

“Hmpf! You still have a lot of secrets.”

“Then what brings the two of you here?”

“We're on a trip too.”

“Is that so?”

Pyo-wol shook his head.

Heo Ranju did not believe Pyo-wol's words, and Pyo-wol also did not believe Heo Ranju's words.

They had already seen each other's bottom. So they knew each other's true nature. No matter how much they tried to fool each other, it was useless.

Pyo-wol looked at Daoshi Goh. Then Daoshi Goh's complexion became visibly pale.

No matter how much he tried to be bold, he couldn't forget the memory of the time when his arm was cut off. Having Pyo-wol's gaze on him caused the memories of that time to keep coming back to him.

“Keup! I'm thirsty. I'm going to order a drink.”

In the end, Daoshi Goh turned his head and called a waiter to order a drink.

Heo Ranju, who would normally criticize Daoshi Goh, was quiet this time. It was because her thoughts were not that much different from Daoshi Goh.

Heo Ranju stared blankly at Pyo-wol.

Pyo-wol still had the lower part of his face covered with a scarf, so she couldn't tell what he was thinking.

Although Heo Ranju was not usually conscious of anyone, she couldn't treat him carelessly. She had no choice but to endure sitting with Pyo-wol even if it's awkward and unbearable.

Pyo-wol asked,

“Where are the others?”

“You already know, don't you? That I can't tell you.”

Heo Ranju said it casually, but because of that, Pyo-wol was sure.

The fact that the Black Cloud Corps is currently carrying out a certain mission.

Having already experienced it once, Pyo-wol knew how the Black Cloud Corps moved.

Upon receiving the request, the Black Cloud Corps members except for the cavalry gather in twos and threes and move to the destination. By dispersing and moving into smaller groups, they would be able to avoid the gaze of others.

“It looks like you decided to gather here.”

“…….”

Heo Ranju was speechless at Pyo-wol's words that hit the mark.

They were indeed supposed to meet with Hyulseung here.

“You are really a boring person. That's right! We were supposed to meet Hyulseung here.”

Heo Ranju shook her head.

Daoshi Goh also sighed beside her.

They might have been good at hiding their emotions, but it was all useless in front of Pyo-wol. Pyo-wol was far more adept at psychological warfare than them. He digs on holes and gaps like a poisonous snake.

“Are you also supposed to meet your captain here?”

“No!”

“That's a relief.”

“Why?”

“If your captain was here, there would have been bloodshed.”

“That's true, I guess.”

For once, Heo Ranju couldn't help but agree with Pyo-wol's opinion.

Jang Muryang, the head of the Black Cloud Corps, considered Pyo-wol to be the Black Cloud Corps's enemy. His long-time ambition was ruined by Pyo-wol, and a lot of the forces he had cultivated were lost.

It was clear that Jang Muryang would attack Pyo-wol with all his might as soon as he caught sight of him.

At that time, the waiter brought in the food and drinks.

Heo Ranju and Daoshi Goh drank, while Pyo-wol ate.

The conversation between the two parties was naturally cut off.

They find it uncomfortable to sit together with Pyo-wol that they wanted to move to another seat.  However, Heo Ranju and Daoshi Goh had no choice. The other tables were already full.

Pyo-wol was the first to get up.

“I'll go ahead first.”

Pyo-wol paid the waiter and went up to the second floor.

It was only after he disappeared that Heo Ranju and Daoshi Goh managed to let out a sigh.

“Phew!”

“Damn it. Why did we have to meet that demon here?”

Daoshi Goh glared at the stairs to which Pyo-wol had climbed.

He couldn't say a word when he was with him, so he felt pathetic for only expressing his feelings once Pyo-wol disappeared. But he couldn't just bear it without relieving and expressing his anger like this.

“Where do you think he's going? Don't tell me his destination is the same as ours?”

“No way. The world is so wide—”

“That's true, but seeing him makes me uneasy.”

Daoshi Goh suddenly frowned.

He felt a throbbing pain on his shoulder which was missing an arm because of Pyo-wol.

Daoshi Goh drank a lot of alcohol to forget the pain.

Heo Ranju did not say anything even when she saw the Daoshi Goh drinking in haste. It was because she understood Daoshi Goh's heart to some extent.

“Seeing him here makes me feel anxious for no reason. Whoo!”

“It's an ill-fated relationship. A really terrible one. I wish I could get revenge right away, but I don't have the confidence.”

“Daoshi Goh is getting old. Saying all those weak words.”

“How about you?”

“Me too— I'm scared.”

“Yeah, that's a normal reaction. Being treated so badly… He left such a deep scar on our psyche. It's not easy to get over.”

“I know, but we will definitely get our revenge.”

“I think the same way. But before we deal with him, our priority is to carry out the request first.”

“I know. If we fail on this request, there will be no place for the Black Cloud Corps in Jianghu anymore.”

“We have no choice but to succeed.”

Daoshi Goh put on a determined expression.

After the Emei sect's request failed, the Black Cloud Corps spent a period of stagnation for a while. But a very big commission came in not too long ago.

It was a commission that the Black Cloud Corps could not afford to miss out. 

If everything goes as planned, then the Black Cloud Corps will be able to gain the strength to soar again.

Daoshi Goh hoped that they would not bump into Pyo-wol before that.

'He's not going to be involved again this time around, right?'

Things are getting interesting again. Anyway, happy holidays~ Hope everyone had a great one!

Chapter end