Reaper of the Drifting Moon

“A letter has arrived from Cheol Dae-jin.”

“A letter?”

“Yes! It states that he will handle troublesome matters and return, so you should be prepared for any unforeseen situations in prison.”

“Unforeseen situations?”

Upon hearing the report from his subordinate, a burly man frowned.

His shoulders were rugged like mountain ranges, and his muscular arms exposed from his shoulders were thicker than logs. His waist resembled a storage barrel, and his two legs looked like towering pillars.

With a face covered in a beard, his appearance alone exuded an overwhelming presence, and his eyes were as fierce as a tiger’s.

With his imposing appearance, he looked at his subordinate.

Just having his superior look at him, the subordinate felt a suppressing pressure as if his entire body was being crushed by a huge boulder.

Gulp!

The subordinate involuntarily swallowed his dry saliva.

The name of the imposing man was Gu Ja-hwang.

Amongst themselves, they call him the Golden Mighty Blood Arhat.1

This was because once he started rampaging, no one could dare stop him.

Gu Ja-hwang was very close to Cheol Dae-jin.

Even though they were now separated by the status of lord and subordinate, their friendship was very close.

Cheol Dae-jin was an extremely level-headed man.

His greatest strength was his ability to remain calm and rational in any situation.

As a result, it was nearly impossible to shake him with ordinary matters.

Yet, Cheol Dae-jin just sent a letter asking them to prepare for any unforeseen situations.

For Gu Ja-hwang, it was an event that he couldn’t simply overlook.

“Check the current situation in prison immediately, and send a letter to the Ten Thousand Man Slayer as well.”

“The Ten Thousand Man Slayer– You mean him?”

“Yes. Since that old man is nearby, summon him as well. He might be a bit too proud for his own good, but having someone with that level of power will help us deal with any situation.”

“Understood.”

The subordinate thought that Gu Ja-hwang’s reaction was overly sensitive. However, consdiering that Gu Ja-hwang had never been wrong in his judgement thus far, he trusted and followed his orders.

Bang!

Gu Ja-hwang opened the door and stepped outside. Then, an underground labyrinth, resembling an anthill, appeared before him.

Small iron doors were lined up along both sides of the labyrinth’s walls, even those who had spent a long time in this place still often got lost.

Thud! Thump!

The sound of banging could be heard from one of the the iron gates.

Gu Ja-hwang walked towards the door from which the sound came.

When he opened a small window at the top of the iron door, the scenery inside came into view.

Inside the dimly lit room without a single candle, there was a man.

His arms and legs were bound by chains as thin as a young child’s arm, and blood was dripping down from his forehead.

He had been banging his forehead against the iron door.

Gu Ja-hwang spoke to the man.

“It’s useless. Do you think I’ll release you if you continue doing that?”

“I… don’t expect it either. I’m just doing this because if I don’t, I feel like I’ll go crazy. You damn bear!”

The man glared at Gu Ja-hwang and cursed at him.

Despite being insulted face-to-face, Gu Ja-hwang’s expression remained unchanged.

It was a place where not a single ray of sunlight reached.

The air was so heavy and humid that any weak individual would fall ill within a day or two of entering.

It didn’t matter whether they were a skilled martial artist or not.

After all, all martial arts were forbidden here.

With the power of the internal energy, martial artists could perform physical feats that ordinary people could never imagine.

They could leap more than a dozen meters in a single bound, or run on water.

They surpassed human limits.

Forbidding such people to circulate their internal energy would not only reduce their physical abilities, but also put a heavy toll on their minds.

The mental turmoil experienced by those who lost their internal energy is so extreme that every single one of those imprisoned in this place went mad. Yet, the man in front of him had been repeating this action for over a month.

He would repeatedly banged his head against the iron door to awaken his consciousness and remind himself of who he was.

Gu Ja-hwang had to admit that the imprisoned man had a strong mental fortitude.

Gu Ja-hwang spoke to the man,

“Why are you going through all this trouble? It would be easier if you just surrendered.”

“Don’t be ridiculous, asshole! I don’t want to hear your bullshit anymore, so close the window.”

“How much longer do you think you can hold out? For every ten that come in, five die, three surrender. And the remaining two become wastrels who take their own lives. What about you?”

“Do you think you can shake me with such crap? Don’t even dream about it, you bear-like bastard!”

“Everyone had said the same thing, but given a little more time, you’ll crumble, too. Just like everyone else.”

“I am Hong Yushin. The chief inspector of the Hao clan, Hong Yushin. Do you think I’ll crumble just like that? I’d rather bite my tongue and die than surrender to you bastards!”

“We’ll see.”

Gu Ja-hwang closed the window.

“Tch!”

At that moment, the imprisoned man, Hong Yushin’s expression instantly changed.

Thud!

He banged his head against the iron door.

The wound reopened, and blood began to flow.

The pain roused his consciousness once again.

Hong Yushin held onto his crumbling sanity like this.

“Heugh! Heugh! I am Hong Yushin, the chief inspector of the Hao clan.”

* * *

Rumors that the Imperial Yuan Merchant Group had been attacked overnight quickly spread throughout Poyang Lake.

Many people assumed that the Imperial Yuan Merchant Group would have suffered great damage. However, contrary to their expectations, the Imperial Yuan Merchant Group was unscathed.

Not a single one of the key figures, including Noh Tae-tae, was killed.

They were everything to the organization.

Even if the Imperial Yuan Merchant Group collapsed, as long as they were safe, they could rebuild at any time.

After confirming the safety of his great-grandmother and family, Ju Seolpung expressed his gratitude to Namgung Wol and the others.

“Thank you for your help.”

“We’ve only done what we ought to do.”

“I don’t know how I can repay this favor.”

“Helping those in danger is the duty of a person living in Jianghu. So, Brother Ju, you don’t need to feel burdened.”

At Namgung Wol’s response, Ju Seolpung stared intently at his face.

He had heard Namgung Wol’s name a long time ago.

People talked about how loyal and trustworthy he was. But Ju Seolpung didn’t believe all the rumors.

Because he knew that most of the rumors in Jianghu were exaggerated. However, now that he saw Namgung Wol’s face in person, he couldn’t see any pretense or falsehood.

Unlike the calculating look in Yong Hasang and Yeol Hee-soo’s faces and eyes, Namgung Wol seemed genuinely concerned about the safety of Noh Tae-tae and his father.

Such sincerity of Namgung Wol moved Ju Seolpung’s heart.

“I, Ju Seolpung, trust Brother Namgung and will join the Anti-Golden Heaven Society. Will you accept me?”

“If it’s for this matter, there’s no need. It’s not too late to think more carefully and decide.”

“No, I’ve already made up my mind. I’m going to join Brother Namgung.”

Ju Seolpung purposely said that he was joining Namgung Wol, not the Anti-Golden Heaven Society.

Namgung Wol hugged him and said,

“Thank you! I will never disappoint Brother Ju.”

“I promise you, too. I will never betray Brother Namgung’s trust.”

With that, the two men joined forces.

Yong Hasang and Yeom Hee-soo joined them belatedly.

They were very happy to hear the news of Ju Seolpung joining. Because they achieved their initial goal.

Pyo-wol watched the whole scene.

Regardless of what they had in mind, it was quite interesting to see talented martial artists of the Jianghu joining forces.

At the center of it all was Namgung Wol.

‘Namgung Wol.’

Pyo-wol thought Namgung Wol was incredible.

At first glance, it seemed like Yong Hasang was in charge of everything, but in reality, Namgung Wol was at the center of it all.

Bringing in someone as ambitious as Yong Hasang, someone with different ideas like Yeom Hee-soo, and even Ju Seolpung, who had no intention of joining in the first place, to create the Anti-Golden Heaven Society was truly a remarkable achievement.

Right now, the name Heavenly Guardian Association may be ahead of him, but over time, the opposite could happen. No, Pyo-wol thought it would certainly happen.

No one is born a hero from the start.

Only those who overcome adverse circumstances and write amazing stories of their own become heroes.

Pyo-wol thought Namgung Wol was qualified to be such a person. At least, there was not a single falsehood in what he had shown so far.

Just then, Ju Seolpung walked up beside him.

“Thank you for your help. Master Pyo!”

“How are you feeling?”

“I’m a bit hurt, but I’m fine. I can endure this much.”

“That’s a relief.”

“If it wasn’t for Master Pyo-wol, I wouldn’t have survived like this. Also, thank you for saving my great-grandmother. If something had gone wrong with her, we would really–”

Ju Seolpung couldn’t bring himself to finish the sentence.

The fact that he, Noh Tae-tae, and his father were safe was truly a stroke of luck. Without either Pyo-wol or the Anti-Golden Heaven Society, they wouldn’t have been able to see each other safe and sound like this.

“If you ever need the Imperial Yuan Merchant Group in the future, please feel free to reach out. I, Ju Seolpung, will do my best to help as long as I am able.”

“There’s no need to go out of your way.”

“No, a debt of gratitude must be repaid. I, Ju Seolpung, always keep my word.”

Ju Seolpung’s gaze was stronger than ever before.

Pyo-wol changed the subject because his gaze was uncomfortable.

“Have you found out where those guys came from?”

“My men are already investigating it. Now, the Blood Ant Gang won’t be able to hide them anymore, so I’m sure we will be able to trace their whereabouts soon.”

“Hmm!”

“I’ll have good news for you by morning at the earliest. Although there’s not much time left, I hope you rest well until then.”

“I’ll take care of that. Just find out where those guys came from.”

“Don’t worry.”

Even without Pyo-wol’s emphasis, Ju Seolpung knew the importance of the matter better than anyone else.

It didn’t matter what reason they had for secretly interacting with the Blood Ant Gang before.

What was important was that they tried to kill the top brass of the Imperial Yuan Merchant Group, putting him and Noh Tae-tae in a life-threatening situation.

If Pyo-wol hadn’t intervened in time, he and Noh Tae-tae wouldn’t be of this world anymore.

One must repay kindness, but vengeance must also be returned.

Once a person is seen as weak in Jianghu, others will take advantage.

Knowing this, Ju Seolpung immediately ordered his men to investigate the blood-cloaked men’s movements.

Now that the Blood Ant Gang has been destroyed, tracing those men’s routes would be no big deal.

At this point, Pyo-wol decided to step back.

He quietly left the Imperial Yuan Merchant Group and returned to the inn.

It was quiet in the inn now that everyone had gone to bed.

This allowed Pyo-wol to organize his thoughts.

‘A place that can be reached in a day or two and is hard for others to access.’

He wished he had a map.

A proper map was incredibly important and hard to come by. Only a sect representing a region could afford to create a proper map by investing a lot of manpower and gold.

For small factions that were desperate to maintain their status, such a precious commodity was untouchable.

There would certainly be proper maps in Namgung Wol’s Heavenly Guardian Association or Yong Hasang’s Dragon Sky Valley. But even if they gave one, it was too far away and would take a lot of time to get.

While thinking, Pyo-wol suddenly remembered Mount Longhu.

The gigantic mountain visible from Poyang Lake.

‘Mount Longhu was about that distance.’

It was nothing more than a vague guess without any basis. But Pyo-wol trusted his instincts.

His intuition was sharp enough to keep him alive from the underground cave until now.

‘Mount Longhu…’

All Pyo-wol knew about Mount Longhu was its name.

He needed information.

Anything, no matter how trivial, would be good.

Knock! Knock!

Pyo-wol knocked on the door to the inn servant’s quarters.

“Ugh! Who is it? At this early hour–”

The inn servant came out rubbing his sleepy eyes.

It was still early in the morning.

The inn servants eyes were filled with resentment as he looked at Pyo-wol. Pyo-wol threw him a silver coin.

The inn servant’s face changed in an instant.

“Hehe! What can I do for you?”

“Tell me what you know about Mount Longhu.”

“Mount Longhu?”

“Anything, even the most trivial thing, will do. Tell me everything you know.”

“Hmm!”

The inn servant began frantically searching his memory.

If he didn’t provide any answer, he feared Pyo-wol would snatch the silver coin back.

“Well…”

He began to babble, regurgitating the scraps of conversation he’d picked up from guests.

SoundlessWind21’s notes:

Thank you for reading!

Golden Mighty Blood Hero. Raws: 금강혈나한(金剛血羅漢). 金 jīn, jìn – gold; metals in general; money 剛 gāng – hard, tough, rigid, strong 血 xuè – blood 羅漢 luóhàn – (Buddhism) arhat