Chapter 104
Chapter 104
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Translator: penny
Chapter Title: Lost Item (1)
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“Why has something like a human nuisance floated down this pure river?”
Chu Un-hwi, interrupted from his fishing, was displeased with the current situation.
Still, he couldn't just sit back and watch. He placed a hand on the boy's neck.
Thump. Thump.
A pulse so faint it could be mistaken for death transmitted to his fingertips.
At this level, even a skilled physician would wave it off.
“As long as there's still breath, though.”
He pressed his index and middle fingers swiftly against key acupoints.
Tap. Tap tap.
With one hand, he threaded new bait onto the hook, while the other worked the points.
Before long, a hacking cough leaked from the lips of the boy who had lain on the ground like a corpse.
“Whew. Tough life.”
Thud.
A nudge with his toe rolled the boy aside, and clear water poured from his mouth amid more hacking coughs.
“Drank a ton, huh.”
Thud thud.
Another kick with the toe, and the wriggling boy spewed out even more water.
A few more kicks revived his airway, and at last, he succeeded in neatly baiting the hook.
“Heave-ho.”
Splash.
He cast the bait into his desired spot once more, and Moyong So-hye, who had been playing nearby, came scampering over.
“Whoa! Instructor, who's this guy?”
“No idea.”
“That's a pretty dry answer, don't you think?”
“Saved him, job done. He'll come to and go on his way.”
“You're too indifferent to people.”
Chu Un-hwi glanced sideways at the boy as he replied.
“Looks like a Silver Hall student, from what I can tell.”
“Yeah, he does.”
The unidentified floater was wearing the uniform of the Divine Martial Academy. The silver embroidery on his chest and side marked him as Silver Hall.
“Maybe slipped and fell in.”
“Possible.”
As he scowled at the bobber bobbing up and down in the distance, everyone else approached, having noticed the commotion.
“Oh my. Instructor, dinner for tonight?”
“Humans don't taste great.”
Amid this nutrient-poor banter, Nangong Yun-ho rummaged through the man's pockets.
“If there's an ID token, we could figure out who he is.”
Kind-hearted Nangong Yun-ho couldn't just overlook something like this.
Soon, his expression hardened as he searched the pockets.
“Instructor. This is...”
“I saw it too.”
Signs of severe abuse.
Bruises and knife scars. Old wounds mixed chaotically with fresh ones, clearly inflicted slowly over a long time.
“Hey? I know this guy.”
Un Ho-seung, who had approached, examined the man closely before speaking.
“If my memory's right... he's from the Nanju Mok Clan, yeah?”
“Nanju Mok Clan?”
“A famous family from the Nanju region in Gansu Province. They're known in the jianghu for something else, though.”
Jegal Tan nodded.
“Weren't they an evil sect once, but turned righteous after crossing the Iron Chain Alliance leader?”
“Right. You know your stuff.”
Un Ho-seung clapped approvingly.
“...Name was something like...”
Struggling to recall, Un Ho-seung furrowed his brow and groaned.
But even without him saying it, the moment Chu Un-hwi heard “Mok Clan,” one person came to mind.
Come to think of it, the face vaguely matched too.
Jegal Tan, watching from the side, recalled first.
“The only Mok who entered this year is Mok Yeon-seong.”
“Yeah! Mok Yeon-seong. That's the name.”
His memory checked out.
'Great, hooked a troublesome one.'
The Mok Yeon-seong in his memories felt entirely different.
- The rotten sky has fallen. Now a new sky shall open.
The man who had swung his bloodthirsty blade in madness at the vanguard of the Heaven-Defying Society.
Who more than anyone desired the Murim Alliance's annihilation and cursed the jianghu.
But his childhood appearance was utterly unexpected.
'Skinny as if he hadn't even had proper porridge.'
It almost seemed like a different person.
And something even more unforeseen.
“Mm. Is he alive?”
Those were Mok Yeon-seong's words as he finally regained consciousness and looked around.
“...Should've left it alone.”
Eyes devoid of any spark of life.
The reunion with this fated rival from his past defied expectations from start to finish.
After warming by the campfire, some color returned to Mok Yeon-seong's face.
Only then did he look around and clasp his hands in greeting.
“I am Mok Yeon-seong. No need to remember. I'll be forgotten soon enough.”
He glanced toward one corner.
“Some familiar faces here too.”
“Didn't expect to run into someone I vaguely recognized like this.”
“...Vaguely? Well, doesn't matter.”
Mok Yeon-seong shut his mouth again.
Nangong Yun-ho quickly exchanged glances with Jegal Tan.
'Tan. Shouldn't we ask about those wounds?'
'Leave it. He'll open up when the time's right.'
'But he doesn't seem like he'll talk at all.'
'Prying might hurt his pride.'
Moyong So-hye, watching the two alternate looks, suddenly perked up and stood.
She approached Mok Yeon-seong, who sat silently by the fire.
“Mok young hero!”
The silent Mok flinched as the bubbly presence shoved her face close.
“You said Moyong little sister, right?”
“Call me So-hye.”
“Student Moyong it is.”
“Ugh. Too bad.”
Putting on a playful pout, Moyong So-hye shoved her face in energetically again.
“But hey, I saw earlier—your body's covered in tons of scars. What happened?”
“...That's.”
Mok Yeon-seong mumbled awkwardly.
He seemed at a loss on how to handle the overly lively charmer, even if others might manage.
Sharp-eyed Moyong So-hye wouldn't miss his inner turmoil.
“So, what happened?”
“No need for a doctor?”
“You really looked hurt.”
She pressed on with feigned sniffles, and lacking immunity to this tactic, Mok froze.
'Good. A little more push...'
As Moyong So-hye thought.
“That's enough. You vixen.”
Chu Un-hwi intervened.
'Tch.'
Moyong So-hye pouted and stepped back, as Chu Un-hwi spoke lowly.
“I hooked you, and I opened your airway. You didn't want it, but you owe me your life, so answer my questions.”
Mok Yeon-seong's throat bobbed at the heavy tone.
“...Ask away.”
“How'd you end up floating down?”
His eyes twitched unwillingly, but he soon gave in and spoke.
“Nothing much. I hated living, so I threw myself off a waterfall to die. Lost consciousness, floated quite a way—thought I'd succeeded, but your benevolence unfortunately saved me.”
The end turned sarcastic.
Chu Un-hwi asked again.
“Explain precisely.”
Defiance flickered in Mok's eyes at the commanding tone.
“What do you want? My life flashing before my eyes? Or my thoughts as I blacked out underwater?”
“Don't need that.”
“If you're going to preach about why I wanted to die, save it.”
Mok's shoulders heaved as he vented in one go.
“......”
Chu Un-hwi waited silently for the anger to subside before speaking.
“The waterfall you jumped from.”
“...That's what you want to know?”
“Obviously. Don't care about some stinking man's sob story. I want the waterfall's name.”
“Heh heh heh. If you want to off yourself, find somewhere else. I failed here, after all.”
Baek Ri-seol let out a silent scream at Mok's chuckling.
“Instructor! Why do you care about some suicide waterfall?!”
“...This is extremely important.”
Her face stiffened at the deeply serious tone.
“R-Really?”
“Yeah. He floated here from there. Meaning, toss stuff in there, and it drifts to us, right? We were short on supplies anyway—perfect. Can't bring outside items in, but picking up lost flotsam should be fine. I'm a genius, huh?”
“......”
Silence fell over the group.
Oblivious, Chu Un-hwi gestured emphatically to justify his plan.
“Making every little thing from scratch is a pain.”
“Toothpicks take forever.”
“What about food cravings?”
“No salt, no spices.”
His passionate explanation continued, but no one nodded along.
“......”
The silence grew icy, some eyes adding “this guy's hopeless.”
Even Baek Ri-seol and Nangong Yun-ho looked away.
“Argh, seriously. You wouldn't get it 'cause you haven't lived here.”
It was peak pettiness.
But not everyone ignored him.
“Heh heh heh. Quite the spectacle. You're Instructor Chu Un-hwi, right?”
“Yeah.”
“If it's okay, may I stay here a while?”
“Why should I?”
“Not my place as a jumper, but this drains the mind and body. Can't do it twice a day.”
“Your problem.”
If he died here, it'd just cause a mess.
Mok proposed terms after the retort.
“How about this?”
“Speak.”
“In exchange for a few days' shelter, I'll prepare what you want once I return.”
“Told you, no outside items allowed in.”
“Wrap in waterproof cloth, toss from the waterfall. Deal?”
“Tempting.”
After brief thought, Chu Un-hwi raised his index finger.
“But if you float down with it, trouble.”
“Ha ha. I'll jump elsewhere. Not dumb enough to fail twice in the same spot.”
“Another condition: die after I get the goods.”
“Understood. Currents might shift anyway.”
“Can't have me working just to benefit others.”
“Heh heh heh. Fair enough. I promise.”
“Good. You're invited to my swamp.”
“Looking forward to it, Acting Instructor.”
The two shook hands.
The brief partnership between acting instructor and lost item was sealed.
Heading to the training ground in the morning, Nangong Yun-ho saw something odd.
The puddle he always filled first already had a visitor.
“Heh, finally here?”
Mok Yeon-seong, scrawny but surprisingly strong, lifted a large bucket with ease and greeted him.
“Student Mok, that dipper...”
“Filling for two empties it fast.”
“After yesterday, shouldn't you rest?”
“Sometimes pushing the body is better.”
With that, he filled the water station in one corner of the stilt house and collected fish.
After bustling about, Mok sheepishly scratched his head.
“Sitting still makes me antsy...”
Nangong Yun-ho felt a bit empty watching him bustle off again.
***
“I've handled it ahead.”
He even swept the yard, Moyong So-hye's chore.
“Worms for bait collected. Oh, right—fruits from inside, as asked.”
He took over bait gathering handed to Jegal Tan after fishing fever, and Baek Ri-seol's fruit picking.
Mok Yeon-seong seemed the type who got itchy if idle even briefly.
Not just diligence.
“This... yeah. Gathering every time's a hassle—better make a worm bed nearby.”
“Rains turn the swamp to mud; lay planks between trees for paths?”
“Why didn't I think of that?”
As if memorizing every inch of the swamp before dying.
Restlessly, Mok moved and moved.
Baek Ri-seol gave a short assessment.
“Body's better, but somehow his mind seems more troubled.”
Moyong So-hye chimed in from beside her.
“Yeah. Feels like a useless parasite now.”