Chapter 93
Chapter 93
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Translator: penny
Chapter: 93
Chapter Title: Chapter 6: The World is Vast, But You Meet Whom You're Meant To (3)
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The boat arrived at the dock. Many people hurried off the vessel, including Damho and the Black Ghost.
Even after Damho reached his destination, Cho Yeon-un and Paeng Man-yeong had not returned. Perhaps it had been a foregone conclusion from the moment they chose the open riverside as their dueling ground.
No one knew who had won or lost. Nor did anyone care. Hwangbo Yeongcheon still lay sprawled unconscious on one side of the deck.
Damho hurried toward the West Wind Inn.
“Hyung!”
As he entered the room, Bang Jinbo spread his arms wide in welcome. His eyes were even glistening with tears.
“You’ve been well?”
“As you can see, I’m fine. How did things go for you?”
“It went well.”
“That’s a relief. Hehe!”
Bang Jinbo forced a smile.
Damho frowned slightly.
“Something happen?”
“No.”
“Tell me.”
They had known each other for more than a day or two. Damho could read Bang Jinbo’s thoughts just from his expression.
Under Damho’s piercing gaze, Bang Jinbo reluctantly opened his mouth.
“The truth is...”
He recounted everything without omission—from Do Hak-kyeong’s proposal to what Eun So-cheong had said.
As he listened to Bang Jinbo, Damho’s eyes grew deeper.
Do Hak-kyeong’s offer wasn’t the important part. As Eun So-cheong had said, more people would come seeking Bang Jinbo. And some might come with ill intentions rather than good.
It was time to worry about Bang Jinbo’s future.
“What do you think?”
“I...”
“Your thoughts matter most. Your choice will shape your future.”
Bang Jinbo bit his lip at Damho’s words.
In Damho’s absence, Bang Jinbo had done a lot of agonizing. Do Hak-kyeong’s visit had only amplified his worries.
After hesitating for a long while, Bang Jinbo looked up at Damho.
“Just...”
“...”
“Just let me keep following you around, hyung? I want to stick with you.”
“You saw it yourself—staying by my side is dangerous. That still okay?”
“I don’t care. I just want to follow you and learn cooking. That’s all I want.”
Damho silently gazed at Bang Jinbo.
Bang Jinbo did not flinch from Damho’s gaze, one that even martial masters dreaded facing.
In Bang Jinbo’s earnest eyes, Damho saw a firm resolve and an unshakeable determination.
“You might regret it.”
“I won’t. Never... Just let me follow you. I’ll behave so I don’t cause you trouble. Please!”
“Alright. Let’s go together.”
“Really?”
“Yeah!”
At Damho’s response, a smile gradually bloomed on Bang Jinbo’s previously anxious face.
He knew better than anyone that Damho never went back on his word. Once spoken, he would keep it even if the heavens split in two.
“Thanks, hyung.”
Damho silently ruffled Bang Jinbo’s hair. Bang Jinbo’s smile turned into a full laugh.
“Oh, hyung, aren’t you hungry?”
“A little...”
“Hehe! Perfect timing. I was just about to head to the annex to cook.”
“Annex?”
“Eun So-cheong keeps complaining that the food she buys tastes bad and begs me to cook...”
Blushing in embarrassment, Bang Jinbo took the lead. Damho quietly followed.
As they entered the annex, Eun So-cheong greeted them.
“You’re here! You’re late. I’m starving... Oh, ajusshi!”
Eun So-cheong belatedly noticed Damho following behind Bang Jinbo and looked surprised.
“When did you get back?”
“Just now!”
“Good timing. Jinbo was getting anxious wondering if you’d return. Things are really tense here right now.”
“Why?”
“There’s been a noticeable influx of martial artists lately. Some big shots among them. So the Hunan martial folk are on edge.”
“Big shots?”
“The Nine Great Sects and Five Great Clans—aren’t they big shots enough?”
Damho nodded.
The Nine Great Sects and Five Great Clans stood at the pinnacle of all sects in the current murim world. It was understandable why Hunan’s warriors would be uneasy if those colossal factions had dispatched their people.
“Are all the Nine Great Sects coming?”
“With the Nangong Clan arriving first, it’s only a matter of time before the rest follow.”
Damho closed his eyes briefly.
For whatever reason, if all the Nine Great Sects were converging, Mount Hua Sect warriors would surely be among them.
Mount Hua Sect.
The name now stirred no emotion in him. But pair it with Immortal Hyeon So, and the story changed.
Damho decided to stay a bit longer. Finding his younger brother was important, but he might encounter Immortal Hyeon So as well.
Meanwhile, Eun So-cheong watched Damho with curious eyes.
Damho himself might not realize it, but no one in Hunan Province was more famous than him right now.
The Fist Demon, or the Blood Star of New Might, as he was called.
Regardless of his true power, his brutal handiwork had already made him a target of wariness in the murim world.
Young as she was, Eun So-cheong had seen countless warriors in Silver Cloth Hall. Yet none had been as strong as Damho.
Her gaze toward him naturally brimmed with curiosity.
At that moment, Bang Jinbo spoke up in a booming voice.
“Hyung, just wait a bit. I’ll whip up something delicious right away.”
Bang Jinbo bustled about energetically.
He lit the hearth, prepared the ingredients.
All the foodstuffs had been procured by Eun So-cheong. With such abundance, Bang Jinbo cooked with glee.
Here, he could cook whatever he wanted to his heart’s content. That alone made him happy.
Damho silently watched Bang Jinbo cook.
People doing what they love shine. Bang Jinbo was shining right now.
Even if he was the only one who could see it.
Nangong Chang, Nangong Su, and Hae So-wol walked along the streets of Oeyang.
It seemed like just the three of them, but over thirty warriors secretly trailed them—elite Nangong Clan members tasked with escorting Nangong Chang.
Nangong Chang looked around and nodded.
“Fine place.”
“You think so?”
“For big undertakings, manpower and resources matter, but location is crucial too. In that regard, this is perfect.”
Nangong Chang pointed toward Dongting Lake.
“It’s backed by waterways, and the land routes are solid. Build a fortress here, and a hundred men could hold off a thousand. A natural stronghold—just what we wanted.”
“I’m glad.”
A shadow of doubt crossed Hae So-wol’s face.
She couldn’t fathom what Nangong Chang and Nangong Su were talking about.
So she asked.
“A fortress? What do you mean?”
“Oh, nothing you need to know yet.”
“Yes?”
“You’ll learn when your martial uncle arrives. No need to rush.”
Hae So-wol bit her lip at Nangong Chang’s reply.
She knew only that a conference of the Nine Great Sects and Five Great Clans was underway—she didn’t know the reason.
Frustrated and stifled, she had no choice but to silently follow behind her elders.
Their destination was the dock.
Nangong Chang surveyed the area and said,
“That spot looks good.”
He pointed to a nearby hill overlooking Dongting Lake, where many inns clustered.
“It does seem promising.”
Nangong Su nodded, and Nangong Chang smiled.
“You’re finally developing an eye for these things.”
“Thanks to you, Uncle.”
“You know the clan has great expectations for you?”
“I won’t disappoint.”
“Good!”
As the two conversed, a massive transport ship docked at the pier.
Thud!
With a heavy sound, the vessel moored, the gangplank dropped, and crowds poured out.
“Finally, Dongting Lake.”
“Phew! Solid ground feels great.”
Those disembarking cheered at the feel of terra firma after so long.
Hae So-wol, scanning the faces one by one, lit up with faint joy.
“Martial Uncle!”
She rushed toward a middle-aged swordsman stepping off belatedly.
The swordsman, whose face was dominated by thick black facial hair, spotted Hae So-wol and smiled.
“Who’s this? Little So-wol.”
“Martial Uncle!”
“Haha! Good to see you, So-wol.”
The middle-aged swordsman welcomed her warmly.
His name was O Gun-ui, known by the moniker White Whale Swordsman.
Haenam Sect’s top expert was naturally its leader, Neung Cheon-wol. O Gun-ui was Neung Cheon-wol’s martial brother and a Haenam Sect elder.
Neung Cheon-wol focused solely on sect affairs and rarely appeared in public. O Gun-ui handled external matters on Haenam Island in his stead.
Thus, the islanders feared O Gun-ui more than Neung Cheon-wol.
Though all of Haenam Island dreaded O Gun-ui, to Hae So-wol, he was simply her kind-hearted martial uncle.
“Wandering the Central Plains has made you even prettier. Haha!”
“Martial Uncle...”
“Good! Gained much experience? Well, as one of the Nine Dragons, you must have. What a foolish thing for me to say. You’ve worked hard.”
As O Gun-ui patted Hae So-wol’s back,
“Haha! Martial brother, we’re here too.”
“Long time no see, martial brother.”
Familiar voices came from behind O Gun-ui.
Looking up, she saw familiar faces—about twenty Haenam Sect disciples watching her.
They were Haenam Sect’s second-generation disciples.
O Gun-ui grinned.
“Brought them along to gain murim experience. Lead them well.”
“Yes, Martial Uncle!”
Once O Gun-ui and Hae So-wol’s reunion concluded, Nangong Chang stepped forward.
“Long time no see, Gun-ui.”
“Well, if it isn’t you. Coming to greet me personally—quite an honor.”
“Who else but you? Wouldn’t I have to? You might get lost again.”
“Tsk! How long are you going to bring that up? Anyone would’ve lost the way in that situation.”
“Thanks to you getting lost, we nearly died. Of course I’ll milk it longer.”
“Geez!”
O Gun-ui scratched his head sheepishly.
Nangong Chang beckoned to Nangong Su, who had kept his distance. Nangong Su approached with a smile and offered a fist salute.
“First time meeting you, Great Hero O. I’m Nangong Su, your friend’s nephew.”
“Oh! Pleased to meet you. I’ve heard plenty about you from him. The prodigy who’ll lead the Nangong Clan.”
“You flatter me.”
“He’s not one to casually praise his nephew. He’s awfully picky.”
Nangong Chang wrinkled his nose at O Gun-ui’s words, though not unpleasantly.
Nangong Chang said,
“Let’s head back. Much to do ahead.”
“True! We must hurry to form the alliance.”
“My friend, watch your words.”
“Oh! Sorry. Got carried away with the excitement.”
“Caution is key at times like this.”
“I’ll keep that in mind.”
Nangong Chang patted O Gun-ui’s shoulder a couple of times in response.
Though their voices were low, Hae So-wol had already overheard everything.
‘Alliance?’
If it was an alliance formed with the Nine Great Sects and Five Great Clans at its core, there was only one possibility.
The Murim Alliance.