Chapter 159
-----------------------------------------------------------------
Translator: Ryuma
Chapter: 44
Chapter Title: Ye Mountain Zhao Family Manor (3)
-----------------------------------------------------------------
Sang Gun-bo and Zhao Ban-san had been like blood brothers, having studied under the same master since childhood, sharing a bond even deeper than that of true siblings.
But for some reason, around their mid-twenties, they had a major falling out. Unable to contain his anger, Sang Gun-bo stormed out and never returned.
However, exactly once a year, on the death anniversary of their master—who was also Zhao Ban-san's father and the previous lord of Zhao Family Manor, Zhao Don—he would appear. He would arrive around midnight, pour a cup of liquor, pay his respects, and then depart again. He came and went so quietly that it had been over thirty years now, and most of the household staff didn't even know Sang Gun-bo came and went from the manor.
Even Jin Ga-yong, who had taken refuge in Zhao Family Manor for several years, only learned of his own martial uncle much later.
Given these circumstances, the world had long forgotten about Zhao Family Manor's Sang Gun-bo.
But that didn't mean Sang Gun-bo had left the martial world. Even if the world had forgotten him, he carried the jianghu in his heart.
He had discarded his sword as easily as shedding old clothes for new, taking up the Dao instead.
For ten years, he trained in seclusion somewhere, forgetting even to eat or sleep. Just as the world's memory of him began to fade, he reemerged into the world.
And he wandered the jianghu.
Twenty years later.
Sang Gun-bo finally ended his long vagabond life and settled down in a barren land at the edge of the continent, on a remote island in the sea beyond that, where no one lived.
Was he imprisoning himself?
No.
It's said that the great jianghu is full of eccentrics and hermits. But how many could confidently claim to be true masters of themselves? This had nothing to do with the level of one's martial arts; it was a matter of free will. Body or mind, everyone was bound somewhere.
Yet the jianghu folk unhesitatingly named ten such people, calling them the Ten Masters. And Sang Gun-bo had become one of them: the Golden Gate Island Lord.
Thus, though Sang Gun-bo's body remained in a distant frontier far from the Central Plains, his fame shook the entire jianghu.
The road back to Zhao Family Manor was much slower than expected.
From Jeonghae Pavilion to Zhao Family Manor was a distance an adult could cover in two shichen—about four hours—on foot. With lightfoot skill mixed in, a martial artist could make it in under one shichen easily. Yet the group, which had set out early in the morning, still had a long way to go even as noon approached.
Half the group carried heavy hearts, no doubt—steps toward an enemy camp couldn't be light.
But the real problem was the donkey pulling the cart.
The donkey had managed fine at first, carrying the Sandong Elder, Ho Ye-hwa, and even Go Dan-o. But midway, A Jeok-gang grew exhausted and climbed aboard, and that's when the trouble started. It threw such a fit about the weight that A Jeok-gang had to get off again. Yet even after he did, the donkey kept thrashing as if it were still too heavy.
It was demanding one more get off. In other words, it had learned that whining made things easier.
The group tried scolding and coaxing the stubborn beast, but to no avail. In the end, Yun Ga had to grab it by the scruff and practically drag it along, causing further delays.
Jin Ga-yong, who had kept his composure, now showed signs of impatience. Bi-ho pretended not to notice. It would be ridiculous to tell him not to worry and go ahead first, after all.
In truth, wasn't he the biggest concern himself?
Fortunately, the awkward situation soon changed.
Du-du-du-du—
From the opposite direction along the path the group was taking came a band of armed warriors on horseback, followed by a carriage.
The horses soon halted before the group. The leader leaped down and stood before Jin Ga-yong—a face Bi-ho knew well.
"Second Brother, what were you thinking, charging into the enemy camp alone like that?"
The young man, his face flushed with anger as he demanded an explanation, was Wang Wu, Jin Ga-yong's fourth junior brother.
When Bi-ho had stayed at Zhao Family Manor before, Jin Ga-yong had introduced him to Wang Wu. Unlike Zhao Baek-bing, with whom he'd exchanged greetings at the time, Bi-ho had kept things strictly formal with Wang Wu.
So they knew each other's faces, nothing more.
Wang Wu was in his early twenties, around Bi-ho's age. Compared to his third brother Go Dan-o—who was tall, broad-shouldered, and dashing—Wang Wu was short and slight. Handsome in a refined way, but with a somewhat gloomy air.
Wang Wu seemed deeply hurt that Jin Ga-yong had acted unilaterally without a word to him. His tone was sharp as he grilled his senior brother.
Jin Ga-yong took it calmly and plainly. "Sorry, but try to understand."
Soon enough, Wang Wu ran out of steam and grumbled his way over to his third brother, Go Dan-o. Jin Ga-yong approached Bi-ho.
"My junior brother is here in my place, so I'll head ahead now. I need to see what's become of the main house to ease this frustration. Take care of things."
"Haha, with your junior brother here, what need is there to ask me? He'll handle it just fine, I'm sure."
"……."
Hm, not what he meant?
"Yes. I'll behave and stay out of trouble."
Only then did Jin Ga-yong nod. He told Bi-ho he'd see him later, then left alone ahead, leaving Wang Wu and the four warriors behind.
At that moment, Wang Wu was loading Go Dan-o onto a separate carriage brought by the warriors, along with A Jeok-gang.
Watching this, Yun Ga and Bong Yeon-ja looked quite tense. Now that the situation had shifted, they were freshly aware of their captive status.
And Bi-ho felt the same.
"Warrior Bi-ho, good to see you again in such circumstances. I heard bits and pieces from Second Brother about your exploits(?)."
"Ahem, ahem. Junior Brother Wang Wu, good to see you again, whatever the occasion."
"Ah, 'glad you're alive,' you mean? I just heard something odd from Elder Go Brother. He said you helped our main house and Second Brother, but your attitude was ambiguous? That makes Second Brother's request a bit suspect too."
"What part, exactly……."
"He told me to treat you with respect. Seems like Second Brother really favors you, from what I saw before too?"
"You're too kind."
"Hoo~ Is that so. But he added this: don't get too close, stay on guard. It's wartime now, so unless someone's proven a solid ally, anyone could turn enemy. Keep that in mind."
Bi-ho looked troubled as he met Wang Wu's eyes.
"Sound advice, but……."
"So I'll follow Second Brother's words, but in my own way. Call it operational finesse? He told me to just hand the prisoners to you and watch. But I won't."
"……."
"They're valuable spoils from our main house. Why else would I spare these dog-like wretches? When the bodies of our fallen brothers haven't even cooled yet. Isn't that right, Warrior Bi-ho?"
He was furious.
Bi-ho understood. Only one or two shichen had passed since the battle, the perfect moment for grief over dead comrades to ferment into rage.
Bi-ho sighed and asked,
"So, what now?"
"Handing such valuable spoils to you—a suspicious figure—feels wrong. I'll manage them myself."
"How?"
"I'll seal their acupoints, bind them tight, and escort them. Cooperate quickly and well, and I'll hold off on beatings."
"'Hold off' means you might hit them a few times?"
"Hmph, who knows. But they should be grateful no limbs get chopped off. And you're showing minimal sincerity by surrendering your weapon. For Second Brother's face, I won't touch you further."
Depending on how you heard it, it could really grate—or make you want to kill him!
But Bi-ho figured their position justified it. He'd sinned too, and needed their future cooperation, so he'd endure. Still, he had his own stance. Ignoring the others, he needed Bong Yeon-ja's willing cooperation. To get that, he had to show some sincerity himself.
So what to do?
Bi-ho proposed a compromise to Wang Wu. First, he unbelted his Overlord Sword and handed it over sheath and all. Whether Wang Wu grasped the significance of voluntarily surrendering his weapon to another, Bi-ho showed sincerity first and suggested,
"If you want, seal my acupoints to suppress my qi. Bind them and seal theirs too. In return, until we reach Zhao Family Manor, let me hold the ropes of the bound ones and the donkey's reins. Do that, and I'll faithfully follow Fourth Young Master's orders."
In short: he'd comply fully, so don't harass the prisoners en route. To Bi-ho, Wang Wu didn't seem truly vicious despite the bluster. But yielding too easily risked ugly scenes, and more importantly, managing them himself would ease anxieties for Bong Yeon-ja and the Cheo-eo-jin side.
It was a proposal that didn't offend them much while giving his side face.
So Bi-ho thought. But Wang Wu disagreed, snorting.
"Why should I?"
"It's a good compromise—ensures safety and follows your brother's words."
"That's why I'm asking: who are you to order me around?!"
"……."
"Hmph, you think this is fun because I'm being nice? That you can run wild? Shut up and do as you're told. Or else……."
Bi-ho scratched his cheek and eyed Wang Wu steadily.
Quick to anger…….
He thought, 'Ah, this guy's got it in for me.' So he casually asked Wang Wu, who trailed off,
"Or else what?"
"Hmph!"
"Or else 'hmph'? Gonna throw a tantrum?"
"What did you say? Say it again!"
Wang Wu's face twisted as he snarled. Bi-ho stared right at it and chuckled.
His expression screamed he was about to cause trouble.
"Pft, like a little girl."