Reaper of the Drifting Moon

Wu Jang-rak was one of Yu Gi-cheon’s subordinates.

When he was young, he struggled together with Yu Gi-cheon and helped the latter greatly expand his merchant company. In order to protect Yu Gi-cheon, he fought more fiercely than anyone. He had managed to save Yu Gi-cheon’s life many times.

When Yu Gi-cheon retired and returned to his hometown, Wu Jang-rak followed him to Chengdu without any hesitation.

To Yu Gi-cheon, Wu Jang-rak was like a brother.

Even after entering Chengdu, their relationship did not change. Wu Jang-rak would always stay by Yu Gi-cheon’s side and protect him except when he was asked to handle matters like now.

Wu Jang-rak was preparing to leave Chengdu today.

It was because of Yu Gi-cheon’s request.

“I’m going to donate some of the Buddhist scriptures I saved so far to the Shaolin Temple. I’ll hand over the task to you.”

Wu Jang-rak was well aware of how much Yu Gi-cheon had to work to obtain the original Buddhist scriptures. Yu Gi-cheon could easily order an escort company to transport the scripture, but Wu Jang-rak was the only one Yu Gi-cheon trusted the most.

“Okay. I will go to the Shaolin Temple.”

Wu Jang-rak readily accepted Yu Gi-cheon’s request.

Since Wu Jang-rak was busy dealing with other affairs the other day, when Yu Gi-cheon went to the funeral of those who had been assassinated by Baekrok, he couldn’t help but be worried.

He was worried about the well-being of Yu Gi-cheon, who he left alone. Nonetheless, he didn’t think that any problem would arise since there were many warriors guarding Yu Gi-cheon.

When he was young, Wu Jang-rak learned martial arts at the Shaolin Temple. Although he did not reach a high level due to the limitations of his family, he was able to become who he was right now by using the martial arts he learned at the Shaolin Temple as a stepping stone.

He thought that it would be a good idea to revisit the temple.

As he was about to head to the Shaolin Temple, Yu Gi-cheon brought someone with him.

It was a young man and a young boy.

The moment Wu Jang-rak saw their faces, a crack appeared on his face.

‘Hiik!’

He forcibly swallowed the groan that was about to come out of him.

The status of those who came with Yu Gi-cheon was astonishing.

‘Why him?’

His back became tight, and goosebumps spread all over his body.

The man who appeared beside Yu Gi-cheon terrified him.

He was a man who boasts a splendid appearance that cannot be hidden even if his face was half-covered with a scarf.

Pyo-wol.

The person whom all the warriors in Chengdu feared. And beside him was a boy with seven wheels hanging around his neck.

Wu Jang-rak trembled.

‘Soma!’

He was one of the three swords of Pyo-wol.

And among the three, he was known for being the cruelest.

Wu Jang-rak bit his lip and looked at Yu Gi-cheon. He was subtly asking for an explanation with his eyes.

Yu Gi-cheon opened his mouth with an expression that he understood his reaction.

“There’s nothing to be nervous about. You’ll accompany these two until they leave Sichuan.”

“A…ccompany?”

“That’s right. Once they get used to Jianghu, Lord Pyo will move separately. You’ll have to take care of them until then since it’s their first time going out of Sichuan.”

“Alright.”

Wu Jang-rak answered with a firm expression on his face.

He doesn’t have a choice anyway. He doesn’t know why Pyo-wol wanted him to accompany them, but he should not be bothered. He couldn’t show them that he didn’t like this particular arrangement.

Yu Gi-cheon sighed softly at the stiff appearance of Wu Jang-rak.

He understood Wu Jang-rak’s situation. Even he was flustered everytime he was in the presence of Pyo-wol, so what more for Wu Jang-rak who had to accompany and travel with Pyo-wol for quite some time.

It was this morning that Pyo-wol visited him.

Yu Gi-cheon didn’t know how Pyo-wol knew, but the latter was aware that Wu Jang-rak was about to leave Chengdu today.

Pyo-wol then asked Yu Gi-cheon to let Wu Jang-rak accompany him,

“I have only been out of Sichuan once. It was in Xizang which is far from Jianghu.”

Since Pyo-wol had no experience in Jianghu, he thought he would be able to understand the circumstances better while working with Wu Jang-rak.

Yu Gi-cheon readily accepted Pyo-wol’s proposal.

‘If Lord Pyo goes with them, the risks involved would significantly be reduced.’

The object to be delivered was a hard-to-find Buddhist scripture.

Since it was an original copy, it was almost impossible to put a price on it. Many would want to covet it even if it’s only a part of the original.

If Pyo-wol joins, it is highly likely that the item would be safely delivered to the Shaolin Temple.

Wu Jang-rak spoke carefully to Pyo-wol,

“I will not disclose Lord Pyo’s identity to other people. This is so that the two of you will be able to travel quietly.”

“Do that.”

“Thank you.”

Wu Jang-rak bowed his head to Pyo-wol and stepped back.

Before Pyo-wol joined Wu Jang-rak’s party, he also thanked Yu Gi-cheon.

“Thank you for doing me this favor.”

“No. I am honored to have been of help to Lord Pyo. I hope you have a safe trip.”

“Thank you too, Grandpa!”

“I hope you come back safely too.”

“Yes!”

Soma nodded his head.

The party led by Wu Jang-rak soon left Chengdu.

Pyo-wol and Soma followed behind Wu Jang-rak’s party.

Wu Jang-rak’s servants were murmuring as they looked at Pyo-wol and Soma.

“Who are they?”

“Seeing that Wu Jang-rak was asked to accompany them, I don’t think they are your ordinary people.”

“You’re right.”

“We’ll find out naturally as we travel with them. So let’s stop worrying about them, we should just focus on our job.”

“Hoo!”

As it is a rare Buddhist scripture, they had to take good care of it all the way to the Shaolin Temple. If something goes wrong, not only Yu Gi-cheon, but also the Shaolin Temple will not be able to forgive them.

For that reason, Wu Jang-rak specially included a person with a knack for managing scriptures in his party. He will take care of the scriptures while on the road.

All of Wu Jang-rak’s subordinates were warriors with thick bones at the merchant company. Even though Wu Jang-rak didn’t give any orders, they already knew what to do.

By Wu Jang-rak’s order, they treated Pyo-wol and Soma as if they weren’t there at all. Pyo-wol and Soma didn’t have any complaints regarding the treatment. After all, the two didn’t join the party to receive VIP treatment in the first place.

“Come on! Let’s go! Let’s go! If you don’t hurry, I’ll cut off your ankle. Hehe!”

Soma sang a brutal song with an innocent look on his face.

When Pyo-wol said that he was going to Jianghu, Soma followed him as if it was natural. Guian and Eunyo also wanted to go with him, but they had no choice but to remain because someone had to stay and protect Chengdu.

Soma, who was alone with Pyo-wol, could not hide his happy expression. He followed Pyo-wol, while tapping the side of the horse with his two small feet.

When a horse is being stimulated like this, the horse would usually rebel, but strangely enough, Soma’s horse did not. This was because the horse was being suppressed by the qi that Soma emitted.

Pyo-wol looked at Soma for a moment, then turned his gaze forward.

Once the party is out of Chengdu, they will go by boat.

When it comes to traveling long distances, nothing is more efficient than using a boat. This is especially so when there are many people moving together such as in their case.

Wu Jang-rak was a person who had a lot of experience in traveling around Jianghu. He knew exactly how to travel efficiently.

Thanks to him, Pyo-wol had nothing to worry about.

Wu Jang-rak and his party boarded the Unmado Steel Ship at Min River.

And they all left Chengdu.

* * *

The journey by boat was smooth.

A number of pirates would usually appear and threaten those traveling by the waters, but that didn’t happen. This is because Sichuan itself did not have the topographical requirements for pirate activity.

Since Sichuan is a vast basin surrounded by mountains, the flow of the river is gentle. There is also no place for the pirates to hide if they wanted to execute an ambush.

These were the reasons why pirates did not work in Sichuan.

Thanks to this, they were able to travel without worrying about pirates.

Pyo-wol sat on the railing and looked at the scenery along the river.

Although he had been in Sichuan for fifteen years, this was the first time he had been leisurely on a boat like this. He had nothing to be vigilant about, nor did he have anything to be nervous about.

Everything was peaceful.

Pyo-wol just had to enjoy the scenery in front of him.

However, Pyo-wol was unfamiliar with this kind of peace.

It was like he was wearing clothes that did not fit his body.

In comparison, Soma was smiling constantly beside him.

Wu Jang-rak and his party did not dare approach Pyo-wol.

They were aware that even Yu Gi-cheon was anxious in their presence. Furthermore, they instinctively feel reluctant. They wanted to distance themselves from Pyo-wol.

They didn’t know exactly who Pyo-wol was, but they knew there was something fundamentally different about him.

Thanks to this, Pyo-wol was able to relax and escape from people’s attention.

Soma, who was humming next to him, suddenly asked.

“Brother! What kind of place is Jianghu?”

“Hmm…”

“I’ve heard the word Jianghu a lot, but I don’t know what kind of place it is. Is there another place called Jianghu?”

“It’s a question I’ve never thought about before.”

Pyo-wol answered bluntly.

s o u n d l e s s w i n d 2 1

Martial artists often use the word Jianghu, but Pyo-wol never thought deeply about the meaning behind it.

“Is the world in which warriors live different? Is that why they call it Jianghu? Then where is Jianghu?”

“Isn’t the world we live in Jianghu?”

“So there isn’t a separate world where warriors live?”

“If there was such a world, the world would not be this chaotic. Problems arise because we all live together. If we are separated, there won’t be any conflict.”

“Then why the hell do they call it Jianghu?”

“I’m curious, too. I wonder why?”

“I thought you would know.”

“Are you disappointed?”

“No! Since my older brother is my older brother.”

Soma smiled broadly, revealing his white teeth.

Even though Pyo-wol could not satisfy his curiosity, Soma still had a happy expression on his face.

Riding on a boat, being hit by the strong wind blowing from the deck, and having conversations like this were first time experiences for Soma.

Soma enjoyed all of these experiences. So much so that it makes him hum.

The boat carrying the two of them arrived in Dazhou after traveling for a long time.

Dazhou was the gateway city to the east of Sichuan Province.

More than half of the people who went to and from Sichuan came through this place.

In particular, in the case of a merchant company, where a large number of people are mobilized, it was customary to always stop by Dazhou to prepare before leaving for their destination.

Wu Jang-rak came up to Pyo-wol and said,

“We’re going to get ready here and leave tomorrow.”

“What else do you need to prepare for?”

“I’m trying to hire more troops to defend the goods since it’s so precious.”

“You must be talking about mercenaries.”

“Yes. Fortunately, the mercenary guild is very active here. If we can hire three or four more people, we will be able to safely arrive in the Shaolin Temple.”

“Can you trust those mercenaries?”

“All mercenaries in Dazhou belong to the mercenary guild. If there is a problem with a mercenary the guild takes responsibility for it. In particular, the mercenary guild here in Dazhou is famous for its credibility. There probably won’t be any problems.”

“Do whatever you want. I will go on my own in the middle of the trip anyway.”

Pyo-wol waved his hand.

He accompanied him out of necessity, but he had no intention of intervening in what Wu Jang-rak planned to do.

Wu Jang-rak bowed his head to Pyo-wol and then left.

soundlesswind21

After a while, the boat carrying the group anchored at the pier in Dazhou.

The first ones to get off the boat were Wu Jang-rak and his group. After inspecting the carriage carrying the Buddhist scriptures, they headed to a guest house located in downtown Dazhou.

The guest house, named West Wind Guest House, was located right next to a mercenary guild.

The guest house was large and had plenty of space to put carriages and horses in, so many merchant and escort companies stayed in the West Wind Guest House.

So in addition to Wu Jang-rak’s party, several merchant companies stayed in the West Wind Guest House.

Since many people gathered inside the West Wind Guest House, the area was very noisy.

Pyo-wol frowned for a moment.

He doesn’t like being in this kind of environment.

But he didn’t really complain.

After all, this was also part of the process in trying to adapt to the world.

He couldn’t live his life just by doing what he liked. He sometimes had to do things he didn’t want to do.

That was the way of the world.

If he only stayed in Sichuan Province, specifically in Chengdu, he wouldn’t have to worry about other people’s eyes. But since he decided to come and explore the rest of the world, Pyo-wol had to adapt.

“Nice!”

Soma, on the other hand, was genuinely happy.

He really liked the lively atmosphere he was experiencing for the first time in his life.

“This is the best! I want to kill them all!”

Wu Jang-rak’s face grew pale at the words Soma said with a wide smile.

Because he was tipped off by Yu Gi-cheon, he knew how terrifying Soma was.

Whether or not he knows Wu Jang-rak’s inner turmoil, Soma stared at the guest house and murmured,

“I want to kill them. I wish my brother would allow—”

He glanced at Pyo-wol.

Pyo-wol had a face that seemed to disagree with his wishes.

Soma became disappointed.

“Tch!”

SoundlessWind21’s Notes

Thank you for reading!