Chapter 381
Translator: Ace
Chapter: 380
Chapter Title: I Don't Even Know the Face
Having caught Ha Mu-baek's gaze, Yu Gwi-gwang flinched.
Ha Mu-baek chuckled at the reaction.
"As an instructor in the Dragon Training Pavilion's Fierce Dragon Corps, I'm a bit curious. What was the Fierce Dragon Corps like back then? And why on earth did you join it?"
"For the money. What other reason would there be?"
A curt reply came back.
Ha Mu-baek nodded.
That was the case for most people.
"Still, that's impressive. Surviving five years."
"Twenty of us survived. Nothing impressive about it."
Ha Mu-baek's eyes widened at the answer.
He'd heard the survival rate was five out of ten. Twenty would make it twice that.
Ha Mu-baek's gaze shifted to the shields held by Yu Gwi-gwang and the other Fierce Dragon Corps members.
Then he tilted his head.
"When you were assigned to the Mountain-Crossing Demonic Forest, Jegal Myeong hadn't started teaching shield techniques yet, had he?"
"I learned from the juniors in the lower batches."
"I see. That makes sense. You had what it takes to survive with twenty making it out. But to send you off to die in your final years... those fucking bastards."
Yu Gwi-gwang's eyes widened at Ha Mu-baek's blunt cursing, but he nodded unconsciously.
It was his honest feeling.
After five years of hardship, this was the reward.
The promised monthly pay had been properly disbursed.
But when he tried to leave after fulfilling the term, they demanded two more years.
And that was another key point.
Serving two extra years as punishment for disobeying orders came without pay.
It was punishment, so it was only natural.
If he died carrying out orders.
His saved pay would go to his family.
But the Demon-Sealing Corps would take half under the pretext of delivery costs.
The excuse being the expenses of traveling to distant families.
Even so, the reason he joined the Fierce Dragon Corps was money in the end.
Considering that.
It paid better than wandering as a ronin.
So Yu Gwi-gwang sent money to his family every month through the money house.
Not knowing when he might die.
After death, the money halved.
So he sent it ahead of time.
All Fierce Dragon Corps members who learned half was taken after death did the same.
Fortunately, even in this remote place, there was one money house.
The fees to send money to families were quite high, but not half.
Ha Mu-baek stared steadily at Yu Gwi-gwang.
"You want to finish your service safely and leave."
Yu Gwi-gwang nodded once more.
Ha Mu-baek looked over the nine of them.
They'd been quite persistent, but that was them fulfilling their duty.
He liked the attitude.
"We're busy..."
Ha Mu-baek scratched his head as if annoyed.
They hadn't demanded anything of him.
Just.
Yu Gwi-gwang's story had held Ha Mu-baek back.
Still, he had to check what needed checking.
"Squad Leader Yu?"
"Yes?"
"What's your name?"
"Yu Gwi-gwang."
"Good. Yu Gwi-gwang. Tell me your story. How you've survived."
Ha Mu-baek beckoned them over and plopped down by the campfire.
Fire ignited instantly on the firewood he'd gathered the day before.
Pung Geon and the others jumped in surprise.
They hadn't seen how Ha Mu-baek lit it.
Pyeong Deok-jo nodded at the sight.
He'd reacted the same way the first time. Even now, he hadn't gotten used to it.
He hung a small pot over the fire from where it had been set aside.
Pyeong Deok-jo quickly moved in to assist with Ha Mu-baek's actions.
Before long, water was poured in, grain flour and dry rations added, along with jerky.
A bit of salt too.
And a decent porridge was ready.
"With this many people, it's a small portion. But let's eat. It's dinnertime."
The twilight sky had fully darkened.
Only the crackling campfire provided light.
The night wind had grown chilly.
After eating the warm porridge Ha Mu-baek distributed, their stomachs filled satisfyingly.
"Stomachs full, now talk. How you've survived. Not asking idly. It's important for deciding what I should do. Be honest."
Ha Mu-baek said, slowly spooning porridge into his mouth.
All eyes turned to Yu Gwi-gwang.
Yu Gwi-gwang stared blankly at his porridge bowl.
His story.
Only Pung Geon knew even the rough outline among them.
He seemed torn whether to speak.
But there was no shame, no wicked life.
Yu Gwi-gwang began calmly.
"My father ran a small martial arts school. Barely second-rate in the jianghu. His skills fell short of a proper school master, but..."
The story unfolded from there.
Nothing special, or quite eventful.
Father passed from illness.
The school struggled to stay open.
Mother working tirelessly.
Many siblings.
And due to early marriage, Yu Gwi-gwang even had a newborn.
With the martial world in chaos from war, life was extremely hard for them.
Even scraping by was tough.
To Yu Gwi-gwang, it seemed the whole family would starve.
Whether starving together or dying from a blade on the battlefield, no difference—so he volunteered for the Fierce Dragon Corps.
A place with a grand-sounding name.
The Righteous Heaven Alliance had similar units since long ago.
As the great war dragged on.
Mindful of public eyes, they gave it a fancier name, but nothing changed.
Ah, one thing did.
Alliance Leader So Hwi-woong drastically raised the pay.
It was already decent, drawing lowlifes selling their lives.
But So Hwi-woong's raise made their life worth something.
"You have a child..."
Ha Mu-baek looked up at the sky for a moment.
This was really getting troublesome.
Having heard this much.
He couldn't turn away now.
"How old was the child when you joined?"
"Just turned one, around then."
After spilling it all, he seemed relieved.
Yu Gwi-gwang answered calmly.
The eyes of the Demon-Sealing Corps and the eight Fierce Dragon members on him were strange.
All had their own tragic tales.
But Yu Gwi-gwang's story of wife and child tugged at their hearts.
Now it made sense.
Why back then.
Pung Geon hadn't thrown the Fierce Dragon Corps as bait to the Ironclad Ghost Warriors.
Pung Geon had known the story.
"So now..."
The Fierce Dragon Corps weren't just meat shields thrown to the front.
There was two years of training, then five of service.
Seven years total.
"Eight years old."
He'd entered this hell four years after Ha Mu-baek.
And survived this long.
"I don't even know the face."
"They send a portrait once a year. Along with a letter from the child."
Pung Geon smiled at the answer.
He'd probably seen it.
It was Yu Gwi-gwang's greatest treasure.
Fearing sweat would blur it, he carried only one wrapped in oiled paper during missions.
The others safely stored at the dorm.
Pung Geon knew he'd pulled it out secretly last night, even in total darkness.
"I always carry one portrait."
He added.
Yu Gwi-gwang looked away, embarrassed.
"Haa."
Ha Mu-baek let out a deep sigh.
He couldn't help every pitiful soul he met.
This one was particularly fateful.
Ha Mu-baek's gaze turned to the other Fierce Dragon members.
"What about you?"
A desperate question to find an excuse not to help.
Not everyone who joined was as decent as Yu Gwi-gwang.
It paid but risked life in danger and hardship.
All sorts at life's end flocked there.
To pay gambling debts, or after prostituting family and still owing.
Expecting such scum.
But all had similar stories.
Poor family circumstances.
Throwing themselves into the Fierce Dragon Corps for family.
Ha Mu-baek knew another trainee with such a story.
Dan Mok Un-roe.
The one he oversaw.
Dirt poor, joined for money.
Ha Mu-baek looked at them with a troubled expression.
Gwan Ha-kyeong signaled Yu Gwi-gwang with her eyes.
If it was the instructor who'd sought her out, encouraged and praised her amid tears of defeat and sorrow.
He'd surely help.
Just one more decisive move.
In Gwan Ha-kyeong's mind, that move was in Yu Gwi-gwang's bosom.
Receiving her glance, Yu Gwi-gwang tilted his head, not understanding, but seeing her stare at his chest.
He unconsciously patted it.
The crinkling feel of oiled paper under his fingers.
'Ah.'
A thought flashed.
"Would you like to see?"
Not waiting for Ha Mu-baek's reply, Yu Gwi-gwang pulled out the carefully wrapped oiled paper and unfolded it.
A silk cloth emerged.
Unfolding that revealed a small folded portrait.
Unfolding even that.
There, perhaps three years old?
A cute girl's face was drawn.
Of all things, a girl.
It overlapped with Ha Seol-ran's and Ha Mu-baek's own situation.
He couldn't ignore this.
The girl in the portrait was adorably smile-inducing.
Pung Geon looked as if he'd seen it before.
The others forgot their situation, exclaiming in admiration.
"So... so cute..."
Gwan Ha-kyeong murmured, eyes sparkling.
"Pretty."
Someone's sentiment.
Various murmurs arose.
To Ha Mu-baek too, she seemed truly charming and lovely.
Yu Gwi-gwang had that lovely child.
That cute, adorable time.
Never seen in person.
A past already gone.
How often unfolded—the edges glossy from handling.
Yet preserved well.
Showing Yu Gwi-gwang's meticulous care.
"Portraits of other ages too?"
"At the dorm. Last one came last year."
'I'm done for.'
Ha Mu-baek thought inwardly.
Couldn't not help now.
Ha Mu-baek himself had fought fiercely on battlefields, missing much of Ha Seol-ran's growth.
Returning mid-battle, his sister had grown, awkward and fearful of him.
He could imagine Yu Gwi-gwang's feelings upon receiving that portrait.
No.
Maybe not fully.
He understood a brother's feelings for a sister.
But not a father's, separated years from his daughter's growth.
"Huu."
Ha Mu-baek sighed deeply.
Couldn't let such a man die, nor serve two more unpaid years.
Ignorance was one thing, but now he knew.
"I don't know why that Demon-Sealing Corps Leader bastard pulled that insane stunt. But I'll lend a hand this mission. I came here for business anyway."
The nine faces brightened.
They'd felt his strength in that single clash.
Perhaps on par with the mysterious master Namhui who'd saved them then.
They all thought so.
"But you all roll with everything you've got. No freeloading."
Ha Mu-baek said that much.
Then drained his cooled porridge bowl in one go, picked up the empty bowls and pot everyone else had finished, and headed to the nearby stream.
It was his turn to wash the pot today.
The pretty eight-year-old this year was diligently swinging a wooden sword in the training hall.
"Seon-a, they say you don't need training yet, but..."
The school's deputy master rushed into the hall to stop the child.
"No, Uncle. I need to get strong quick to help Dad!"
The child's spirited reply almost brought a smile.
But Seon-a's uncle, Yu Hyeon-gwang, sternly shook his head.
"Your father returns in a few months. No need to help. Go inside now."
At Yu Hyeon-gwang's urging, Yu Seon-a pouted but reluctantly set down the wooden sword.
Watching the child head to her mother, Yu Hyeon-gwang smiled.
His niece, but too pretty.
"Brother, hurry back. So you can see this lovely sight."
Yu Hyeon-gwang murmured, thinking of his brother, Yu Gwi-gwang.
With money his brother sold his life for, he'd reclaimed their late father's martial school.
Renovating the rundown place, he found a manual hidden deep in the house.
Father's near second-rate skill was because the family art manual was lost in grandpa's time.
A copy had been hidden deep.
He hadn't opened it.
It was for the school master, his brother.
He just taught the old martial arts their father had.
His brother would return soon.