Martial Artist Lee Gwak

Chapter 58: The Cycle of Gratitude and Resentment (2)

Light Novel: Volume 3 Chapter 8

Manhwa: Chapter 54-55

Nam Woo-gyeong came out through the door and saw Lee Gwak and Hui Yan sitting across from each other, drinking tea in silence.

“What? You’re already here?”

“Now that you’re out, I’ll head back in.”

Hui Yan put down his teacup and got up from his seat.

“That’s not necessary, Master.”

“No, I’ll let the two of you have a comfortable conversation.”

Despite Nam Woo-gyeong’s attempts to dissuade him, Hui Yan left the room. Seeing him like that, Lee Gwak thought that Hui Yan was a very stubborn person.

The way he disregarded others’ wishes and acted solely according to his own will could certainly be frowned upon. Yet, the reason he could be so assertive was because his martial arts were exceptionally strong.

Looking at Hui Yan, Lee Gwak was once again reminded of the Law of Power.

‘Only those with power can act boldly in Jianghu.’

There were many political calculations and the logic of power at play in Jianghu, but only those who were truly powerful could be free, untethered by any constraints.

As Hui Yan left the room, Nam Woo-gyeong plopped down in the seat he had been occupying. Then he sniffed around and said,

“What’s this? Master has brought out the Mao Feng Tea? You’re lucky. It’s extremely rare for the Master to bring out Mao Feng Tea.”

“It seems so.”

Lee Gwak smiled bitterly at Nam Woo-kyung for saying he was lucky without knowing the circumstances.

Nam Woo-gyeong then took a sip of the tea Hui Yan had been drinking.

“It’s indeed good!”

“I heard you were having a conversation with a guest. I hope I didn’t interrupt.”

“Interrupt? It was a conversation that would not have lasted long anyway.”

“Is that so?”

“You came just at the right time. I was about to call you anyway.”

“Did you figure it out?”

At Lee Gwak’s question, Nam Woo-gyeong shrugged his shoulders.

“Of course I did. It couldn’t be helped if we didn’t know about the talents coming back, but if we knew and still couldn’t find out why, then I might as well drown myself in a bowl of water and die.”

“What do you mean?”

“Before that, let me ask you something. Who is it that you are related to?”

“Pardon?”

“Could it be Lim Moon-hye?”

“Lim Moon-hye?”

As Lee Gwak wore a puzzled expression, Nam Woo-gyeong smiled.

“It must be Han Socheon then. Since they are the only two women in Squad 1 of the Hidden Blood Battalion.”

“……”

“There’s no need to be so guarded. Shouldn’t I at least know who is causing you to act?”

Lee Gwak was silent.

Nam Woo-gyeong, as someone poised to lead the next generation of the Hao clan, possessed remarkable insight and intuition. His ability to ask unexpected questions at unforeseen moments to draw out the answers he wanted was a level of sophistication Lee Gwak still found hard to handle.

“Han Socheon and Lim Moon-hye both belong to Squad 1 of the Hidden Blood Battalion. As I said, those two are the only two women in Squad 1.”

“What is the Hidden Blood Battalion?”

“It’s a secret assassination organization created by the Jade Heaven Alliance. Officially, it doesn’t exist. We wouldn’t have known about it either if it weren’t for you.”

Nam Woo-gyeong’s words were true.

Even with the vast intelligence network of the Hao clan, the existence of the Hidden Blood Battalion was entirely unknown to them. Such was the level of secrecy surrounding the organization. They only became aware of the Hidden Blood Battalion because of something Lee Gwak mentioned.

When he had heard from Lee Gwak that a talent who had trained at the Steel Blood Hell Training Ground had returned, he had the Hao clan focus their intelligence efforts on it and was able to discover the existence of this unofficial organization known as the Hidden Blood Battalion.

The Hidden Blood Battalion was that covert. Even with all of the Hao clan’s resources mobilized within the Jade Heaven Alliance, all they could uncover was that the battalion was divided into three squads and the approximate members of Squad 1. They only found that out about Squad 1 because they were within the Jade Heaven Alliance.

For the other two squads, they only knew of their existence. They do not have any idea how many of them there were, let alone who they were. They couldn’t even guess where they were or what missions they were currently undertaking.

“Are they like assassins?”

“Yes. I don’t know whose idea it was to take the best among the talents and train them to the extreme to turn them into assassins, but they are truly a bold one.”

Nam Woo-gyeong’s voice sank.

Assassins were the most despised class in Jianghu.

Most people in Jianghu preferred to fight openly, and face-to-face. This was not only because they were raised and taught that this was the way a person of honor should behave, but also because a true martial artist would consider sneak attacks to be cowardly.

Naturally, it was extremely rare for martial artists trained in conventional ways to become assassins. Even more unheard of was for the top talents from various sects to become assassins.

That was the common sense in Jianghu.

Nam Woo-gyeong, too, had thought this way until he learned about the reality of the Hidden Blood Battalion. He never would have thought that he would be so shocked upon uncovering the true nature of the Hidden Blood Battalion.

The Hidden Blood Battalion was an organization that completely defied the common sense of Jianghu, which made them even more dangerous.

The Hidden Blood Battalion was demonstrating just how powerful the most talented martial artists could be by mastering assassination techniques.

Lee Gwak’s gaze deepened.

‘Socheon!’

He thought it might indeed be possible.

After all, Han Socheon hadn’t left a trace both when she appeared before him and when she disappeared in the morning. She possessed traits commonly found in assassins, which had made him suspect her. However, the shock of confirming those suspicions was inevitably more intense than just harboring doubts.

“Why has the Hidden Blood Battalion been assembled?”

“I couldn’t find out the exact reason. But, I suspect it’s to prepare for an ambush by the Celestial Demon Union.”

“Do you think the Celestial Demon Union is targeting the Jianghu Grand Conference?”

“Isn’t it obvious? It’s not every day that such tempting targets would gather in one spot. If I were the leader of the Celestial Demon Union, I would surely consider sending an assassin to stir things up.”

“Hmm!”

“I guess the Jade Heaven Alliance also knows this and that’s why they assembled the Hidden Blood Battalion. There is nothing better than using an assassin to catch another assassin. I don’t know whose idea it was to summon the Hidden Blood Battalion, but it’s an exquisite and masterful move. The question is, who is the assassin the Celestial Demon Union would send? They wouldn’t send just any assassin— it would have to be someone exceptional, perhaps even a group.”

“……”

“It’s going to be a dangerous fight. The fight between assassins is far more vicious than that of ordinary martial artists.”

Nam Woo-gyeong’s expression was serious.

He was genuinely concerned for the Jade Heaven Alliance.

Some might call it dogmatic, while others call it a necessary evil, but many words aside, the Jade Heaven Alliance was undoubtedly a necessary existence for Jianghu.

It was because only with the existence of the Jade Heaven Alliance could the war against the Celestial Demon Union be fought on an equal footing. The reality was that if the Jade Heaven Alliance suffered a hit from assassins, it would naturally be weakened in its fight against the Celestial Demon Union.

“Lee Gwak!”

“Yes!”

“If I may offer a piece of advice, never jump into a fight between assassins. Even if your martial arts are quite strong, if you rashly enter and intervene in the fight between assassins, you could lose your life without even knowing how it happened. The war they wage in the shadows is something that traditional martial artists can never handle.”

Nam Woo-gyeong’s words came from a place of genuine concern for Lee Gwak. But his words fell on deaf ears as Lee Gwak was no longer listening.

After leaving Nam Woo-gyeong’s house, Lee Gwak headed towards the Jade Heaven Alliance. His face was stiff and rigid.

He had heard so many shocking stories that his mind was racing.

“Hoo!”

Lee Gwak let out a sigh without realizing it.

He felt overwhelmed by what the future might hold. So he just decided to wait and see what would happen.

“Squad leader!”

“Welcome, squad leader.”

Entering the quarters in the Outer Hall, the members of Squad 13 greeted him with happy faces. The sight of their faces seemed to ease and dispel his worries and concerns.

After greeting them, Lee Gwak sat down on the platform in the front yard. Ki Jinhwi sat next to him and asked,

“What are you thinking about so deeply?”

“Nothing much. By the way, how did things go yesterday?”

“Yesterday?”

“Weren’t you following someone you thought you knew?”

“Oh! That… I was mistaken. Upon checking, it was a completely different person. I must be getting old. I can’t believe I’m getting presbyopia already. Haha!”

Ki Jinhwi joked.

Lee Gwak looked at Ki Jinhwi for a moment before shifting his gaze to Cheon-wol.

Cheon-wol greeted Lee Gwak briefly and then continued to practice his martial arts.

Although it was only a basic technique, the fact that he had mastered it to such a high level spoke volumes about his exceptional martial talent.

Ki Jinhwi looked at Cheon-wol and clicked his tongue.

“Tsk! What a waste. Had he entered the Inner Court or the Main Court instead of being in the Outer Hall, he would have stood out as a talent.”

He genuinely looked regretful about Cheon-wol’s situation.

Lee Gwak felt the same way as Ki Jinhwi.

He felt even more sorry for Cheon-wol because he himself had struggled to learn martial arts.

For people like Seok Yi-cheon or Go Cheon-gwang, who was already old, even if they were taught good martial arts, they couldn’t expect to improve. Woo Il-yeong was younger, but he didn’t have as much enthusiasm for martial arts.

They were content with life in the Outer Hall, so having better martial arts didn’t matter to them. But Cheon-wol was different.

He was still young and possessed tremendous zeal.

Lee Gwak suddenly thought of the Sun Splitting Sword Art he carried with him. It was a martial art he had only skimmed over and never learned thoroughly because he thought it didn’t suit him.

Lee Gwak thought that perhaps the Sun Splitting Sword Art might be a good match for Cheon-wol. However, it would be premature to pass on the Sun Splitting Sword Art to Cheon-wol right away.

Lee Gwak couldn’t just recklessly impart a martial art that he himself has yet to fully understand. He needed to first completely grasp the Sun Splitting Sword Art before passing it on.

There were many things to worry about.

Lee Gwak lay down on the platform and closed his eyes.

The dazzling sunlight shone down on his face.

‘Alright, let’s take and do things in order. One step at a time, carefully!’

With that thought, Lee Gwak fell asleep.

* * *

Directly in front of the Jade Heaven Alliance was Dongting Lake, the largest lake in Jianghu.

Connected to the Yangtze River, Dongting Lake saw a myriad of ships and vessels traveling to and out of it. Ranging from small fishing boats to pleasure boats carrying poets, scholars, and loafers, to horse-ferry boats laden with enormous amounts of cargo, the variety was extensive.

Dongting Lake transformed into an even more splendid sight at night.

The numerous shops, taverns, and inns lining the shores of Dongting Lake lit their lanterns, turning the area into a kaleidoscope of colors, reminiscent of blooming flowers. Adding even more to the splendor were the pleasure boats turning on their lanterns as well.

Therefore, there were more people at Dongting Lake at night than during the day, and many of them were aboard boats enjoying the water.

“Hohoho!”

From a dragon boat floating in the middle of Dongting Lake, a beautiful melody, accompanied by the laughter of courtesans echoed.

This dragon boat, adorned with far more lanterns than the surrounding boats, stood out for its extravagant brilliance. On the deck of the dragon boat, dozens of courtesans, musicians, and loafers were seated, enjoying the refined pleasures of life.

Among the merry loafers laughing and chatting with the courtesan, a middle-aged scholar in a blue robe sat alone.

The scholar, with his clear and distinguished appearance, was quietly composing poetry amidst the surrounding people who were laughing and chatting with the courtesans.

Despite the presence of so many people around him, no one spoke to him or offered him a drink. They didn’t even glance his way, as if he did not exist at all.

It was as if the scholar existed alone in a different space, creating an odd scene.

Just then, a black shadow sprang from the calm waters and landed on the deck of the dragon boat.

Instantly, silence descended upon the dragon ship.

The courtesans ceased their laughter, the loafers put down their wine cups, and the musicians stopped playing and bowed their heads.

In a scene as if time had stopped, the scholar put down his wine cup and looked at the figure that had ascended onto the deck. Then, the figure knelt before the scholar and spoke.

“Your subordinate, Geum Yeong, pays his respects to the Dark Cloud Reaper.”¹

“Geum Yeong!”

“It’s an honor to meet you like this.”

“Enough with the formalities. What about the task you were given to find out?”

“I’ve obtained the schedule for the Jianghu Grand Conference.”

“Is that so?”

A small arc briefly crossed the lips of the man known as the Dark Cloud Reaper.

In an instant, everyone on the dragon boat shivered. It felt as though the temperature on the boat had suddenly dropped in a moment.

Geum Yeong carefully handed a small booklet to the Dark Cloud Reaper. After briefly looking through the booklet, the Dark Cloud Reaper stood up.

“This will be enough.”

The small and ominous smile on his face deepened, and the air on the dragon boat grew even colder.

Geum Yeong bowed his head even deeper.

He was an assassin.

Raised as an assassin from a young age he could hardly remember, he had crossed countless lines between life and death. He had also long lost his humanity and ability to feel fear. His emotions had been worn down to that extent.

Yet, Geum Yeong felt fear.

The Dark Cloud Reaper was a being of a different caliber.

He was a legend among assassins and a figure of fear even within the Celestial Demon Union. There was no one he couldn’t kill when he set his mind to it.

However, at some point, he grew tired of killing and withdrew from the front lines. It was only the death of a man that made him return to the front lines.

“Jin-rak. I will kill all those who were involved in your death and send them to join you. That way you won’t be too lonely.”

Iron Monarch Ko Jin-rak.

The requiem for his only friend was just beginning.

SoundlessWind21’s Notes:

If there are any errors, whether it be grammatical, spelling, translation, or website-related issues, feel free to let me know. (´◡`) Anyway, thank you for reading!

1. Dark Cloud Reaper. Raws: 암운사신(暗雲死神).
   • 暗 àn – dark / to turn dark / secret; hidden / (literary) confused; ignorant
   • 雲 yún – cloud
   • 死神 sǐshén – mythological figure (such as the Grim Reaper) in charge of taking the souls of those who die / (fig.) death

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