Chapter 203
Chapter 203
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Translator: Ryuma
Chapter: 203
Chapter Title: A Fleeting Respite
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“We made it!”
After passing through the southern part of Gansu and traveling far to the northwest, Jong Ri-gang looked around and let out a joyous exclamation.
But what had they made?
As Neung Un-bi tilted his head in confusion, Jong Ri-gang raised a finger as if to explain.
“Over there, do you see Bear Rock?”
“Bear Rock?”
“Ah, right, you wouldn't know. That’s Bear Rock over there. A rock shaped like a crouching bear.”
Now that he mentioned it, it did seem to look that way.
“Haha, if you can see that, it means we've entered the territory of the Unorthodox Faction.”
“Ah!”
“Those bastards from the Orthodox Faction might have all flocked to the northern blockade, but we still need to be careful. The Beggars' Sect will have their people scattered everywhere. Still, this is Unorthodox territory from here on out, so you can relax a little. As you know, I’ve got some pull in these parts.”
At Jong Ri-gang's proud, boastful demeanor, Neung Un-bi let out a small laugh.
He was truly a man who embodied positivity.
Traveling with him made that clear.
Although Jong Ri-gang got angry from time to time, he rarely showed any irritation. Perhaps that was why everyone treated Yun An-ro with a certain formality, yet they interacted with Jong Ri-gang without hesitation.
“Agh, my aching body. Maybe it's old age, but after traveling only on mountain paths, there isn't a limb that doesn't ache. Isn't that right, Head Yun?”
“My apologies. Because of us…”
“Hey, now, don’t take a joke so seriously. Just relax a little, will you?”
“Ah, my apologies.”
“Hmph, forget it. It’s no fun talking to someone who’s always so serious.”
Jong Ri-gang shook his head, and Neung Un-bi gave a wry smile.
It was understandable… they would feel awkward. Yun An-ro and Jong Ri-gang had completely different personalities.
“Head Yun, are you not finding it difficult?”
“Ah, I am fine.”
“How are your wounds? We should check on them often…”
“No, it’s alright. You’ve not only saved me but also shown such concern; I don’t know what to do with myself. How can I ever repay this kindness…”
“…”
He felt just as awkward himself.
Well, it would get better eventually. By then, he would be able to reveal his secret.
For now, they had to get to the Demonic Cult. He couldn't let his guard down for a moment until they arrived.
“Ah! Un-bi!”
“Yes?”
Jong Ri-gang called out to Neung Un-bi as if he had just remembered something.
He now called him by name so openly, but Neung Un-bi didn't feel awkward about it at all.
Wang Cheon and Ju Seung didn't seem to find it particularly offensive either.
After all, hadn't he saved their lives?
“Since we’ve made it to Unorthodox territory, let’s go rest at an inn.”
“An inn?”
“Yes.”
“But the Beggars’ Sect will have eyes everywhere…”
“You think I wouldn’t have thought of that?”
“…”
“Don’t you worry. There’s an inn only we Unorthodox folks know about. Everyone who goes there is a criminal on the run, so it’s not well-known to the Orthodox Faction.”
“Ah…”
Neung Un-bi nodded at his words.
Perhaps this was for the best. How many days had it been since they last slept indoors?
They were nearing the end, but the road ahead might be even more difficult than the one they had fled. They still had to break through the Orthodox Faction’s blockade.
So, it was better to rest for a moment and recover their strength.
Though they wouldn't say it out of guilt, weren't Yun An-ro and the others also showing clear signs of exhaustion?
“Understood. I’ll be in your care, then.”
“Haha! Just trust me!”
Jong Ri-gang let out a hearty laugh and took the lead.
Watching him from behind, Neung Un-bi suddenly found himself smiling.
To others, he was the despised leader of a mountain bandit group.
But now, as a companion… he had a rather dependable back.
* * *
In the northernmost part of central Gansu, a small village at the very edge exuded a gloomy atmosphere.
This was because its inhabitants preferred the darkness to the light.
Murder, arson, kidnapping. They were fugitives who had committed every crime defined by the world.
That was why they did not light lamps even late at night, and the arrival of a new face put everyone on high alert.
This was even more true when over thirty people arrived at once.
But for Jong Ri-gang, who was considered the worst of these criminals, it was no problem at all.
He wasn't called one of the Three Great Calamities of the world for nothing.
“Well, if it isn't the King of the Green Forest?”
As they slipped through the wary eyes of the villagers into a secluded alley, an old man who had been dozing off against a wall, sitting on a straw mat, greeted him familiarly.
At the sight of him, Jong Ri-gang’s face lit up as he approached.
“Oh! Cheon-no! To think you’d come out yourself. What an honor.”
“The weather was nice, so I came out for a little stroll. Don't make a fuss.”
“A stroll? You do that sort of thing? It’s a miracle you’re still alive.”
“I’ll live longer than you, King of the Green Forest.”
“Heh, what a sharp tongue.”
Cheon-no (賤老), meaning the Lowly Elder.
But despite being called that, the old man showed no sign of displeasure. Instead, his face was full of warmth, as if meeting a long-lost friend.
“It’s been quite a while, hasn’t it?”
“It has. Is the Gate Master doing well?”
“Who knows? The Central Plains are quite noisy these days, aren’t they? Because of the people behind you…”
Cheon-no smiled and glanced behind Jong Ri-gang.
The moment he heard those words, Neung Un-bi stepped in front of Yun An-ro, his sharp eyes fixed on Cheon-no.
Who was this old man?
How did he know about them?
As Neung Un-bi’s expression tensed, the atmosphere instantly turned cold, and the warriors of the Sakwol-dae immediately blocked Cheon-no’s escape route.
“Hey, you people! Everyone, calm down.”
Jong Ri-gang quickly raised his hands to stop them, but not only the Sakwol-dae, but even Hyang-i did not lower their guard.
“Everyone… take your hands off your swords and step back.”
Only after Neung Un-bi intervened did the warriors finally back down. However, they all kept a close watch on Cheon-no, stopping at a distance where they could react at any moment.
Even Neung Un-bi couldn't stop them from doing that much.
They existed to protect him. How could he scold them for properly carrying out their duty?
Eventually, Neung Un-bi relaxed his tense expression and approached Cheon-no first.
Since this old man was on familiar terms with Jong Ri-gang, he was surely no ordinary person.
Moreover, if he knew their identities without Jong Ri-gang having sent word in advance?
There was only one place that came to mind.
Hadn't the King of the Green Forest mentioned a ‘Gate Master’ earlier?
“Elder… you are from the Underworld Gate, I presume.”
“Hoh?”
Everyone looked startled by Neung Un-bi's calm statement.
But the eyes of the man in question, Cheon-no, gleamed with a peculiar light.
Just as I thought…
Cheon-no was undoubtedly a member of the Underworld Gate.
The organization that, along with the Beggars’ Sect, held sway over all information in the Central Plains.
They exist, yet they do not; they do not, yet they exist.
This saying arose because the Underworld Gate was so secretive that it rarely revealed its identity.
Furthermore, from Cheon-no’s age and his demeanor toward the King of the Green Forest, Neung Un-bi intuited that he held a high position within the Underworld Gate.
In a situation like this, one should bow their head without a second thought.
What good would it do to assert his status or name?
Besides, the man was much older than him…
“This humble one is Neung Un-bi of the Demonic Cult. Though I imagine you already know.”
As Neung Un-bi bowed his head first and introduced himself humbly, a strange smile graced Cheon-no's lips.
“Well now, Young Master Neung, you are quite different from what I've heard.”
“I do not know what you have heard.”
“What else would be circulating? The worst of the worst, a disaster the likes of which the world has never seen… Recently, you've even earned the nickname of a venomous sort, more cunning than a snake.”
“I stopped caring about the opinions of others quite some time ago. Thanks to the teachings of a certain person.”
At Neung Un-bi's words, Jong Ri-gang, standing beside him, laughed awkwardly and scratched his head.
“Indeed, if you were the person they describe, why would Changrang or the King of the Green Forest be helping you? There would be no benefit in it. The very fact that those two are helping you proves that the public's assessment of Young Master Neung is wrong.”
“Then I am relieved. I was worried I might have made a poor first impression on you, Elder.”
“Hah hah. That’s unlikely. We do not judge anything. We simply observe and convey to those who desire it. If the price is right…”
At Cheon-no's words, Neung Un-bi's face hardened slightly.
If the price is right…
It meant they could sell information to anyone, regardless of whether they were from the Orthodox or Unorthodox Faction.
“However, do not worry. The Gate Master has ordered us not to get involved in this matter in the slightest.”
“Pardon?”
“It would be a headache if the King of the Green Forest and Changrang were to retaliate later. Both of them are known to hold quite a grudge…”
As Cheon-no spoke with a wink, Neung Un-bi’s expression relaxed.
“Who! Who holds a grudge!?”
“Anyone who knows, knows.”
“Hey!”
Jong Ri-gang’s eyes widened as he shouted, but Cheon-no paid him no mind and led Neung Un-bi away.
“Come, let us go inside. What good will it do to stay outside for long? Seeing as the King of the Green Forest has sought this place, your purpose must be to rest without being seen.”
“Yes.”
Following Cheon-no's guidance, Neung Un-bi had Yun An-ro and the others follow.
“Hey! Who did you say holds a grudge!”
Of course, Jong Ri-gang, holding a grudge, kept asking until the end.
Sticking close behind Cheon-no…
“Tell me. Who holds a grudge? Huh? That Changrang fellow might, but not me.”
“Yes, I know.”
“You don’t sound like you know. Huh? Say I don’t. Quickly. Un-bi will get the wrong idea!”
“…Sigh.”
As Jong Ri-gang relentlessly pestered him, even the stoic Cheon-no let out a sigh and shook his head.
“Did you just sigh? I was trying to be respectful since we’re in front of others, but this bastard, really! Tell me now! The one who holds a grudge is Changrang! Quickly!”
“Yes, yes.”
“You bastard!”
Ignoring the endlessly grumbling Jong Ri-gang, Cheon-no led the group to a space filled with drunkards under dim lights.
Passing through it and a small door, a space completely cut off from the outside was revealed.
“Here, this way.”
“…”
Looking around the place Cheon-no had led them to, Neung Un-bi couldn't hide his surprise. As if prepared in advance, tables and chairs perfectly matching their number were laden with delicious food, welcoming them.
“We couldn't prepare separate guest rooms as you need to avoid prying eyes.”
“It’s fine. Compared to sleeping outdoors for days, this is more than a luxury.”
At Neung Un-bi's words, Cheon-no smiled faintly and bowed his head.
“Then please, rest comfortably. However, this is as much as I can do for you. Please understand that we must know nothing about you, Young Master Neung.”
That alone was enough. It meant that information about them would not be passed on to the Orthodox Faction.
“Thank you. I will not forget this kindness.”
“Kindness? Don't mention it. I'd just be grateful if you could get this one off my back…”
Cheon-no glanced at Jong Ri-gang, who was still stuck to his side, glaring at him. Neung Un-bi laughed awkwardly.
“Elder.”
“You stay out of it. I’m going to…! Who exactly holds a grudge? I really don’t understand.”
“…”
His current actions and words were, to anyone, the very picture of someone holding a grudge.
But thanks to him, Neung Un-bi's party could share a laugh for a moment. Perhaps even such behavior was a form of consideration from Jong Ri-gang.
“Elder, instead of that, why don't you have a drink with me? I'll pour you one.”
“…Hmm, should I?”
Jong Ri-gang, still looking resentful, shot a glance at Cheon-no and pouted.
“I don’t hold a grudge.”
“I know.”
“Tch!”
Jong Ri-gang let out a frustrated sigh, then asked.
“Do you know anything about how the Orthodox Faction is moving?”
“Which part of the Orthodox Faction are you referring to?”
“The… north.”
At that, Cheon-no smiled faintly.
He must have been worried about Changrang, who had gone to divert the Orthodox Faction’s attention to the north.
“I will look into it. Is there anything else?”
“Well, it would be good if you could look into the situation around here as well.”
“I will. I will have the children report back to you once I have confirmed.”
After replying, Cheon-no vanished, and a comfortable drinking session ensued.
As Neung Un-bi went around pouring drinks, the tense warriors of the Sakwol-dae finally let down their guard.
It would be a short rest. After this sweet respite, they would have to break through the Orthodox Faction’s blockade.
Therefore, they had to recover as much as they could in the time allowed.
But just then.
“The warriors of the Namgung Clan have moved toward Mount Hwangdeung!”
“…!?”
Cheon-no, who had said he would send a subordinate, rushed back in and shouted, causing Jong Ri-gang’s face to harden.