Light Novel: Volume 14 Episode 23
Manhwa: N/A
“Who gave you the right to use the family’s assets as you please? How dare you act so recklessly?! Have you gone mad?”
A middle-aged man scowled at the woman sitting across from him.
He was Zhao Sumok, the head of the Nanjing family.
Zhao Sumok glared at his daughter with bloodshot eyes.
When he received the news of his son’s death, he traveled from Nanjing to Lake Tai in just one month.
Besides seeing the lifeless body of his son, he witnessed Zhao Yuseol distributing the family’s resources to help the people in need.
His son’s death was already more than enough to infuriate him, but his anger further exploded the moment he saw Zhao Yuseol releasing supplies without his family’s permission.
Zhao Sumok shouted at his subordinates,
“What are you all waiting for? Hurry up and take her away! Lock her up in the warehouse before she squanders all the family’s resources!”
“Yes!”
Zhao Sumok’s subordinates responded in unison before approaching Zhao Yuseol. Each one of them was an elite martial artist of the Nanjing sect. They were all skilled in their own right.
However, Zhao Yuseol didn’t blink as she looked at them approaching her.
“Who dares to lay a hand on this child?”
Right behind Zhao Yuseol was Zhao Jakyung.
At his words, the complexions of the men approaching Zhao Yuseol suddenly turned pale. They staggered back, but soon enough, they all fell to their knees. Their minds were in a daze from the shock of receiving Zhao Jakyung’s momentum head on.
Zhao Sumok’s complexion also turned pale.
Only then did he realize that the old man standing behind Zhao Yuseol’s back was Zhao Jakyung, the Spear King.
“W-What brings you here–”
“Do you know what your son, Yiguang, has done?”
“P, Pardon?”
“It’s too filthy for me to speak of it, but if you want the Nanjing sect to survive, it would be better for you to do and follow what Yuseol wants.”
Zhao Sumok’s shoulders trembled as he heard Zhao Jakyung’s words.
An ominous sense of foreboding struck him.
Zhao Yuseol explained the situation to her father,
“Yiguang kidnapped, raped, tortured, and killed young girls. We suspect that the number of girls who had fallen victim to his hands goes over tens of thousands.”
“That can’t be true. How could Yiguang–!”
“Father, haven’t you once suspected that Yiguang wasn’t in the right mind?”
“Well, that’s–”
“All of this happened because of him. If this fact is revealed, the Nanjing sect will no longer be able to hold its head up again. Are you okay with that, Father?”
“……”
“There is only one way for the Nanjing sect to survive, and that is to somehow repair the damaged areas and win back people’s favor.”
Zhao Sumok’s jaw muscles twitched at his daughter’s words, but he didn’t say anything.
Zhao Yuseol looked at his father’s face with an icy expression and piercing gaze.
The Zhao Yuseol who had to walk around eggshells with Zhao Sumok and Zhao Yiguang no longer existed. The current Zhao Yuseol had a gaze and aura that were so fierce that Zhao Sumok could hardly bear it.
‘Has she always been like this?’
The woman in front of him was no longer the daughter whom Zhao Sumok had known up until now.
Zhao Sumok felt oppressed by Zhao Yuseol.
Moreover, Zhao Yuseol had Zhao Jakyung backing her up.
He didn’t know what had happened, but Zhao Jakyung was supporting Zhao Yuseol.
Zhao Sumok had also made persistent efforts to recruit Zhao Jakyung in the past, but Zhao Jakyung had never shown any interest. However, for some reason, he seemed completely devoted to his daughter, willing to do anything for her.
Zhao Yuseol called out to Zhao Sumok,
“Father!”
“Are you sure you can handle this?”
“If you entrust it to me, I’ll definitely take care of it.”
“Alright. I will leave this matter to you. Hoo…”
Zhao Sumok let out a sigh.
For a moment, Zhao Sumok’s face looked as if it had aged ten years.
He had lived his life focused only on his son. For him, Zhao Yiguang’s death was a tremendous shock. To make matters worse, when he learned of Zhao Yiguang’s evil deeds, he had no motivation left to fix the situation.
Zhao Sumok had a premonition that his time had come to an end.
In a situation where Zhao Jakyung, the Spear King, positioned himself as his daughter’s patron, there was nothing he could do. Moreover, both the legitimacy and the substance were being taken care of by his daughter.
“Hoo!”
His sigh scattered on the wind.
Zhao Yuseol knew very well what it meant.
‘It’s done.’
The massive iron gate that had never been opened to a woman had been pushed open with her own power.
Now that she had overcome the most difficult barrier, it shouldn’t be too difficult for her to take over the remaining power from her aging father.
A bright smile appeared on Zhao Yuseol’s face.
She said to Zhao Jakyung,
“Let’s go, Grandfather. We have a lot of work to do today.”
“Okay.”
Zhao Jakyung nodded and followed behind Zhao Yuseol.
The sight of the two walking together left a strong impression on the people of Lake Tai.
A woman rebuilding the devastated streets of Lake Tai, supported by the Spear King, Zhao Jakyung.
Zhao Yuseol’s name was gradually being engraved in the minds of the people.
* * *
Fortunately, Lake Tai’s First Pavilion, the inn where Pyo-wol was staying, is on the other side of the collapsed street, so it was spared from the damage.
Sometimes, the misfortune of others could could be another person’s good fortune.
Such as the case with Lake Tai’s First Pavilion and the nearby inns.
As the street on the opposite side of the lake had turned into a complete mess, people flocked to this place. Perhaps the prosperity of this place would continue until the collapsed street was restored.
With the influx of people, Lake Tai’s First Pavilion hardly had any vacant seats.
Except for one.
The table by the window with the best view of Lake Tai was completely empty. It was a seat that the owner of the inn had kept vacant for Pyo-wol.
All the other seats were given away to guests, but this one was personally reserved by the owner for Pyo-wol’s use. However, not a single person expressed any dissatisfaction or complained about it.
This was because news had spread in Lake Tai that Pyo-wol had defeated Zhao Jakyung, the Spear King.
Just the fact that he had defeated Zhao Jakyung, someone who is one of the Eight Constellations, was enough to make him a guest worthy of such special treatment.
Among the guests inside the inn, a considerable number of them had come to see Pyo-wol. Even while drinking, they would steal glances at the stairs from time to time.
Then, without a sound, Pyo-wol descended the stairs.
‘The Reaper!’
“Isn’t he even more beautiful than the rumors say?’
‘The God of Death Pyo-wol, a new powerhouse in Jianghu.’
Seeing Pyowol’s face with their own eyes made the guests feel thrilled and excited.
Pyo-wol was well aware of the gaze people directed at him. However, he was already accustomed to such gazes.
He casually took his seat.
As soon as he sat down, the owner of the inn rushed over.
He placed a teapot and teacup in front of Pyo-wol and said,
“A ship carrying Longjing tea have arrived yesterday, so I have it prepared for you. Please have a taste. Let me know immediately it’s not to your liking.”
“Mmm!”
Pyo-wol nodded and lifted the teacup.
After taking a sip of tea, Pyo-wol spoke,
“It’s good.”
“I’m glad to hear it, then please wait here for a moment as I bring out the food.”
The innkeeper replied with a wide smile before walking away.
Left alone, Pyo-wol sipped his tea and looked out the window.
About three or four boats were sailing against the current, cutting through the waters of Lake Tai on the opposite side. Unlike fishing boats or cruise ships, these boats had a streamlined shape that made it easier to navigate against the current.
Just as Pyo-wol frowned slightly at the sight of the boats, a type which he had never seen before,
“The boat you’re looking at is owned by the Changjiang Fortress.”
Pyo-wol heard a voice from behind him.
Turning his head, he saw a shabbily dressed old man standing.
A strong odor of blood was emanating from the old man.
Pyo-wol recognized the identity of the old man.
“The manager of Hao clan’s Lake Tai branch.”
“It’s been a while.”
The old man was none other than the butcher Seobok, the head of the Lake Tai branch of the Hao clan. The large knife he usually carried for slaughtering cattle was nowhere to be seen.
“Would you mind if I sit down?”
“Take a seat.”
“Thank you.”
After the old man sat across from Pyo-wol, Pyo-wol asked,
“Those boats belong to Changjiang Fortress?”
“Yes.”
“Why is the Changjiang Fortress heading towards that direction?”
“Isn’t it obvious? They’re trying to establish ties with Zhao Yuseol, the new emerging power in the Nanjing sect.”
“Is that so?”
“Now that Young Master Zhao Yiguang ended up like that, it’s only natural for them to join hands with Zhao Yuseol. Moreover, Zhao Yuseol is a woman. It would not be strange at all for Changjiang Fortress’s Bok Hojin to have his eyes on her.”
“Do you think Zhao Yuseol will join hands with Bok Hojin?”
“If I were her, I would certainly do so.”
“Do you have any information about Zhao Yuseol?”
“She was one of out targets of interest. Most people didn’t pay attention to her, but our Hao clan knew that she harbored great ambitions, so we had been investigating her for some time already.”
To the untrained eye, Zhao Yuseol’s sudden rise to prominence might have seemed like a surprise, but the Hao clan had long known that she possessed extraordinary ambition.
However, no matter how ambitious she was, there was nothing she could do with Zhao Yiguang around. She could only collect information without taking any action.
“Zhao Yuseol is an extremely cunning and deep woman. Although she is currently in control of the Nanjing sect under the authority of the Spear King, there will definitely be people who will rebel against her just because she is a woman. In order to quell their resistance, she will definitely try to join hands with an outside force.”
“And that outside force is the Changjiang Fortress?”
“It’s an alliance where both sides can benefit. There’s no way she’d turn it down.”
“That makes sense.”
Pyo-wol shook his head.
His thoughts were in line with the old man.
The ambition Pyo-wol had personally seen from Zhao Yuseol’s eyes was far greater than what could be seen from the outside. Knowing her she would do whatever it takes to keep the Changjiang Fortress within her grasp.
Pyo-wol asked the old man,
“Is that why you came here to talk?”
“No, not really. I just thought you were interested, so I informed you. I have a separate matter to discuss.”
“I see.”
“There are too many eyes on us. How about we move to a quieter place? I have something to talk to you in private.”
“It’s alright. They won’t be able to hear anything we say.”
“What?”
It was only then when the old man felt something was strange, so he took a quick look around.
Everyone was looking at them curiously, but they were all tilting their heads absentmindedly as if they couldn’t hear the conversation.
“Are you blocking all sound?”
“They will never know what conversation we are having.”
The old man couldn’t hide his astonishment at Pyo-wol’s words.
The fact that Pyo-wol could block sound meant that his abilities had already reached the ranks of absolute experts.
It was an unbelievable achievement considering his age. However, seeing his recent display of power, it was not an impossible feat.
Rather, one should naturally think that he was capable of such things.
The man in front of him was such a great martial artist that he was called the Reaper.
Pyo-wol asked him,
“What do you want to talk about?”
“I actually have a request.”
“Request?”
“Yes!”
“How interesting.”
A smile appeared on Pyo-wol’s lips for the first time.
In all the years he’d been traveling in Jianghu, Pyo-wol had never encountered someone who would boldly ask him for a request.
Misunderstanding Pyo-wol’s smile, the old man hurriedly explained,
“Oh, it’s not personal request from me. It’s actually a request directly from the head of the Hao clan’s headquarters.”
“Head of the Hao clan’s headquarters?”
“Yes! The lord of the main headquarters himself instructed me to request assistance from Master Pyo.”
“Is this about Hong Yushin?”
“That’s right. How did you know?”
The expression on the old man’s face showed a mixture of both awe and fear.
He truly found the man before him terrifying.
It wasn’t simply because of Pyo-wol’s incredible physical and martial arts prowess. The old man was actually even more afraid of Pyo-wol’s formidable intellect.
The way Pyo-wol could piece together the entire picture from tiny clues and turn any disadvantageous situation in his favor was truly frightening.
The old man carefully chose his words, trying to hide his fear,
“We recently found a clue regarding Master Hong’s whereabouts. However, with our abilities, we can’t progress any further, so we are requesting assistance from Master Pyo.”
“How did you obtain the clue?”
“Do you happen to know the Heavenly Flower Variety Theater Troupe?”
“Heavenly Flower Variety Theater Troupe?”
“That’s right. They’re the troupe that performed at the Jin manor in Runan.”
“What about them?”
“There is a connection between the theater troupe and Master Hong. To be precise, the routes the two have taken coincided. By tracking the Heavenly Flower Variety Theater Troupe, we were able to find clues about Master Hong’s disappearance. However, since our abilities were insufficient, we were unable to go any further. That’s why the head of the Hao clan’s headquarters wishes to entrust this task to you, Master Pyo.”
“What would I get in return?”
“The lord of the main headquarters said that you would have the full support of the entire Hao clan and anything else you desire.”
“Is that so?”
Pyo-wol showed an expression of interest.
Hong Yushin made a similar promise with him as well, but having a promise from the lord of the Hao clan’s headquarters himself holds a different weight to them.
Most of all, the fact that Heavenly Flower Variety Theater Troupe was involved piqued his interest.
The Heavenly Flower Variety Theater Troupe had ties to So Geoksan.
