Reaper of the Drifting Moon

Bang! Bang!

Early in the morning there was a hand knocking on the tightly closed door. The owner of the hand was an old swordsman with a thick beard. Dozens of young warriors also stood behind the old swordsman’s back.

The door did not open even after they knocked for a while, and the warriors were tired of waiting. However, the old swordsman kept knocking on the door without making a single distasteful expression.

Eventually, the door opened, probably tired of the old swordsman’s persistence.

It was an old man as old as the old swordsman who opened the door and poked his head out.

The old man was dazzled.

“Hey! I heard you knocked on the door like that in the morning, and Muhwajin came.”

“How are you, Go Chongwan? You look a lot older.”

“How can you stop the passing of time? But did you come here for business?”

An old man called Go Chongwan asked cautiously.

It was not common for Muhwajin to come down from Mt. Qingcheng. The fact that he came down the mountain to visit this place also meant that something great had happened.

“Senior Brother Woo. Is he inside?”

“He may be there, but…”

“Go and tell him that I’m here. I know it’s heartbreaking, but now the Qingcheng sect is in crisis, and we need the help of the Senior Brother Woo.”

“What?”

“Just tell him that.”

“Okay. Wait a minute.”

“I’ll be waiting for you.”

At Muhwajin’s words, Go Chongwan closed the door and ran to Daecheong.

Muhwajin, who was left outside the door, looked at the signboard above the front door with a bitter expression.

The four letters on the signboard were dimly visible. It looked like it was not taken care of at all. Not only the signboard, but also the crumbling wall and the lush branches protruding from it showed how neglected this place was.

Not only the signboard, but also the crumbling wall windows and the protruding branches from above showed how neglected this place was.

An old man of a similar age approached Muhwajin.

He was one of the junior brothers of Muhwajin and the head of the Law Enforcement Hall, Mu Young.

Mu Young opened his mouth with a sad expression.

“It must have been very heartbreaking for Senior Brother Woo.”

“How could it not be? We were disciples, but to him he was his only one flesh and blood. How can our sorrow compare to him?”

“The death of Woo Gunsang was a shock to everyone. Who would have known that an assassin would break into our sect and assassinate our best talent?”

“Huu! Because of that, our sects wings were broken.”

Muhwajin took a deep breath.

After the assassination of Woo Gunsang, the best talent of the Qingcheng faction, seven years ago, Woo Jinpyeong, who was heartbroken, left everything and went down to his hometown to live.

He was not involved in the affairs of his family, let alone the Qingcheng sect.

They tried to persuade him to return to the Qingcheng sect several times, but to no avail. Woo Jinpyeong stayed with his ears closed and his eyes closed.

Now, seven years have passed, and most of the family members have left, leaving only a few servants, including Go Chongwan, to protect him.

The momentum of the Qingcheng sect, which was as high as the sky before Woo Jinpyeong left the house, was also weakened.

It was widely believed that if Woo Jinpyeong had maintained his position, the conflict with the Emei sect would have ended sooner. But such a great talent had been living in the sorrow of losing his child for seven years. 

So today, Muhwajin had to convince him to come back into the world.

He might be unwilling, but someone has to do it.

Muhwajin and Mu Young stood and waited for a long time. However, Go Chongwan did not appear.

At this point, some people might complain, but no one showed a distasteful expression. This is because he deeply understands Woo Jinpyeong’s plight.

Kkiiic!

After a while, the door opened and an old man with long hair appeared. The moment they saw him, tears welled up in their eyes.

“Senior brother!”

“Come here, brother!”

“How have you been? Senior brother! I’m so sorry for not seeing you often.”

“As you can see, I’m living a good life. So brother Mu Young also came.”

Woo Jinpyeong also greeted Mu Young.

“Senior brother!”

Mu Young hugged Woo Jinpyeong and could not speak for a while. It was because Woo Jinpyeong’s slanted appearance broke his heart.

At that time, the people of the Law Enforcement Hall all took the initiative and greeted Woo Jinpyeong simultaneously.

“The disciples see Saba Woo.”

“Yeah! You guys are here too. Let’s all go inside.”

Woo Jinpyeong brought all the people into his house.

The condition inside of the house was much more serious than it looked from the outside.

Most of the pavilions were half-collapsed and overgrown with weeds. Only the pavilion where Woo Jinpyeong and Go Chongwan lived were in good shape.

The warriors of the Qingcheng sect were at a loss for words at the disastrous appearance of the house. 

Muhwajin sighed and said,

“Huu! I’m sorry. Please feel free to curse this insensitive brother who has never come to visit. I really didn’t expect that my Senior Brother was going to leave everything like this.”

“I don’t have any children to pass on, so what am I going to do with this extra wealth? It’s all useless. I’m happy enough as it is.”

“Senior brother!”

“But what’s going on here?”

“Didn’t Senior Brother Mu Jeong-jin also come here?”

“I didn’t even see the face of Senior Brother Mu Jeong-jin. What do you mean by the crisis the Qingcheng sect is facing?”

“Um! Actually…”

Muhwajin told Woo Jinpyeong what had happened in the past. Woo Jinpyeong closed his eyes and listened to Muhwajin. Finally, when the Muhwajin had finished speaking, Woo Jinpyeong opened his eyes and said,

“It must have been a third party intervention.”

“Why do you think so?”

“It’s because the timing is all convoluted. The young master of the Thunder Gates was assassinated by the Seventy-Two Sword Waves…”

Woo Jinpyeong suddenly trembled as if he had been struck by lightning.

“What is it, Senior Brother?”

“My God! The Seventy-Two Sword Waves!”

Woo Jinpyeong closed his eyes.

The sword technique which killed his son, Woo Gunsang, was the Seventy-Two Waves. He didn’t know it at the time when Gunsang died, but after looking closely, he found out that it was a wound caused by the Seventy-Two Swords Waves.

“Didn’t the assassin who killed Gunsang in the past learned the Seventy-Two Swords Waves?”

“But wasn’t he killed by Senior Brother Mu Jeong-jin?”

“The assassin was just thrown into a snake pit, but Senior Brother didn’t kill him himself.”

“Does Senior Brother think that that assassin has come back to life?”

“Isn’t there a possibility?”

Woo Jinpyeong’s eyes shone eerily.

At Woo Jinpyeong’s eyes, which they had never seen before, Muhwajin and Mu Young felt the chills. 

Muhwajin asked cautiously.

“What if he was really the assassin of that time?”

“Of course, we have to take revenge for our children, isn’t it the responsibility of the rest of us to relieve the pain of the children who went before their parents?”

For the first time, Woo Jinpyeong’s face began to glow.

* * *

Seuk! Seuk!

Pyo-wol honed the ghost knife on the whetstone.

The blade was damaged in several places over time because he had been using it harshly. It was best to leave it to Tang Sochu for a proper repair, but as a temporary measure, he was doing it himself.

Every time Pyo-wol moved his hand, the ghost knife regained its original sharpness. It was sharp enough to cut the skin with just a slight touch of his hand.

Pyo-wol placed all the ten ghost knives on his belt.

After squatting for a long time, his back and legs were numb. Pyo-wol patted his waist and legs with his fist and looked around. There was no one around the well where he was grinding the whetstone.

Pyo-wol pulled out the Soul-Reaping Thread on his hand. The thread made of invisible qi was stretched long.

Now, pulling out and maintaining a single thread was not very difficult. That’s because he already got the knack of it.

“Then maybe two?”

Pyo-wol pulled out an extra stalk of Soul-Reaping Thread. It was not difficult to pull out one more stem as his skill increased, but it was not easy to maintain it because of the enormous energy consumption.

Beads of sweat ran down Pyo-wol’s forehead. Drops of sweat ran into his eyes making him felt a sting, but Pyo-wol did not lose his concentration.

Pyo-wol did everything in his power to maintain the two lines of the Soul-Reaping Thread. After much concentration, the two  Soul-Reaping Threads found stability. But Pyo-wol was not satisfied with this level.

Now, he had to freely use the two lines of Soul-Reaping Threads.

Suiic!

Pyo-wol wielded the Soul-Reaping Threads and swung it towards a vacant lot near the well.

The Soul-Reaping Threads pierced the air sharply and showed off its tremendous power. But Pyo-wol never intended to be this satisfied.

While the Soul-Reaping Threads was extended out of his hand, he digs into his waist, and pulled out the ghost knives. Two ghost knives were hung on each Soul-Reaping Thread.

Ciiit!

As the ghost rain was attached, the power of the Soul-Reaping Thread was maximized. Pyo-wol treated the two ghost knives like his limbs. 

After a long time, Pyo-wol collected the ghost knives. As the ghost knives hid behind his belt, the Soul-Reaping Thread disappeared naturally.

Pyo-wol’s whole body was drenched with sweat. Still, Pyo-wol looked dissatisfied. Because he thought his growth was too slow. His goal was to use the ten ghosts at will by using the Soul-Reaping Thread. Two isn’t enough.

Pyo-wol shook his head and returned to the well.

He drew water from the well and put it on his head. A cold stream of water wet his clothes and his body. Pyo-wol ran the well several times to wash away his sweat.

Pyo-wol put down the headboard and operated his internal energy.

Chiiiic!

Instantly, the water that was soaking his body and clothes turned into steam and flew away. Pyo-wol, who was in a comfortable state in an instant, left the well.

As he left the well, Pyo-wol covered the lower part of his face with a scarf. That didn’t completely hide his handsome looks, but he was able to block people’s eyes to some extent.

The atmosphere inside Chengdu was horrendous.

This is because not only the disciples of the Qingcheng sect and the Emei sect, but also many of the clans representing Sichuan Province dispatched their troops.

Not only the clans based in Chengdu, such as Golden Gate or Qing Ming Room, but also numerous warriors from the outside are roaming the Chengdu. Some of them were warriros directly related to the Qingcheng and Emei sects, and some were not.

There was a light of tension and excitement visible on their faces.

The full-scale war between the Emei sect  and Qingcheng sect was the first major event since the incident seven years ago, when former warriors of Sichuan came together to subdue assassins by spreading their inescapable net.

Whoever wins, the power structure within Sichuan will change drastically.

Of course, the warriors connected to the Qingcheng sect will fight for the victory of the Qingcheng sect. They will cry, and so will those who are connected with the Emei sect. But not everyone was like that.

There were also those who wanted to stay in the middle, or to show off their prestige in this opportunity.

With such a crowd, Chengdu became the center of the storm.

Because the atmosphere was so ferocious as the martial artists, ordinary people just stopped going out of their houses.

Pyo-wol headed to the guest house right in front of the White Flower Room.

“Welcome.”

When Pyo-wol came in, a waiter ran to meet him. He has been staying here for several days already, so the waiter knows him.

“Guide me to a seat facing the window.”

“Follow me.”

The waiter gladly guided Pyo-wol to the best seat. It was still early, so the guest house was empty.

After ordering a simple meal, Pyo-wol sat down at the seat with the best view of the White Flower Room.

Unfamiliar people stood guard at the front door of the White Flower Room. Pyo-wol found out that they were the main disciples of the Emei sect.

He spent several days here, observing the White Flower Room. Thanks to this, he was able to remember most of the faces of the new Emei sect disciples. Everything from their body shapes, faces, voices, and even the hierarchical relationship between them.

Tak!

The food was placed on the table where he was sitting. But it wasn’t the waiter who laid down his ordered food.

“Hello there, handsome oraboni.”

It was Heo Ran-ju who put the food down instead of the waiter. Heo Ran-ju, who put down his food, sat down across from Pyo-wol and said,

“The food here looks delicious. Come on, eat it.”

“………”

“Ah! Maybe you think I poisoned the food? I don’t do such obscene things, so eat with confidence.”

Heo Ran-ju clasped her chin on her arms and smiled softly. Without taking a bite of the food,

Pyo-wol asked Heo Ran-ju,

“What are you doing here?”

“What do you mean? I’m here to see handsome oraboni.”

“For what reason?”

“Because I want to see you.”

Heo Ran-ju smiled more deeply and stretched out her white fingers. Her fingers touched the scarf that covered Pyo-wol’s face. Heo Ran-ju slowly lowered Pyo-wol’s scarf. Then Pyo-wol’s face was completely revealed.

“You’re handsome. So why are you covering your face like this?”

“Are you here to see my face?”

“That’s one reason, and there are other reasons… But it’s nice to see your face like this. It’s always nice to see a handsome man.”

Heo Ran-ju smiled as if she was in a really good mood. However, Pyo-wol was not naive enough to be deceived by her appearance.

Heo Ran-ju pressed her face close to Pyo-wol’s. And she continued,

“Do you know how hard it was to find you? Who would have expected you to watch the White Flower Room under our nose like this? Clever, really clever.”

“You’re looking for me?”

“Yes.”

“Why?”

“Our captain has received a commission.”

“If I ask you what it is, will you answer my question?”

“Of course. You have to know how things work.”

“Tell me. What kind of request is it?”

“A request to kill you.”

Heo Ran-ju answered with a bright expression on her face. Pyo-wol did not change his expression at all even after hearing her words. Then, Heo Ran-ju tilted her head.

“Aren’t you surprised?”

“I’m surprised enough.”

“Yeah? I thought you weren’t surprised, so I was almost disappointed.”

Heo Ran-ju rolled her big eyes. It looked like she was showing affection to her lover, but Heo Ran-ju’s eyes were not smiling at all.

Heo Ran-ju was staring at Pyo-wol with cold eyes.

“Pyo-wol.”

“Say it.”

“I’ll tell you one last time. Join the Black Cloud Mercenary Group. Then I’ll cancel this request.”