Chapter 523
Translator: Ace
Chapter: 523
Chapter Title: I've Returned Alive!
"You look well."
Wi Ji-gun said to Ha Mu-baek with a gentle smile.
"Pardon?"
It had been ages since he'd seen his master, and this was the first thing out of his mouth.
Ha Mu-baek couldn't help but feel puzzled.
"I'm saying you look much better than when you left."
"Ah..."
Ha Mu-baek caught his master's meaning.
He was thinking back to his state when he'd departed.
"Now that you mention it."
The malevolent spirit had gone quiet.
Was it thanks to the time spent at the So Haeng Guest Inn in Luoyang? Or the battle against Chaos in the Yungjung Mountains?
Whatever the case, the evil spirit had fallen silent.
And that must be why Ha Mu-baek himself appeared healthier.
"Probably both."
Watching the family at the So Haeng Guest Inn had brought him peace of mind.
Facing the overlapping formation of Chaos's Nine Palaces had forced him to focus, pushing the evil spirit from his thoughts.
The two experiences had likely reinforced each other.
"I'm not fully recovered yet."
Ha Mu-baek replied calmly.
He hadn't eradicated the evil spirit completely.
Just lulled it to sleep for a time.
"That's how it goes—one step at a time. Heart demons aren't overcome easily."
Even so, Wi Ji-gun looked at his disciple with pride.
"What are your plans from here?"
Wi Ji-gun asked, his face still lit with a smile.
He had set out to protect his disciple, but the journey had been immensely enjoyable.
True, there had been hair-raising crises, but it was a thrill unlike any he'd known before.
In search of his disciple, he'd wandered the world alone, and after taking in Ha Mu-baek and his sister Ha Seol-ran, he'd spent his days confined to Cheongran Island.
Now, traveling the jianghu with a disciple who surpassed him and had overcome illness—it was thoroughly to his liking.
It felt utterly different from his solitary wanderings.
Including life at the Dragon Training Pavilion.
That was why Wi Ji-gun was asking about his future path.
In eager anticipation of what joys might lie ahead.
"I'm glad to hear that."
Ha Mu-baek said calmly.
"Glad about what?"
"I was worried I'd caused you needless trouble over Seol-ran, but you seem to be enjoying yourself."
Wi Ji-gun nodded at the response.
"You're right. In my later years, I've found unexpected pleasures I never imagined. I'm grateful to both you and Seol-ran for that."
Wi Ji-gun spoke with an even warmer smile.
"So, what are your plans going forward?"
He asked again.
"Nothing set in stone yet. With everything that happened in the Mountain-Crossing Demonic Forest... Now that we're in a quiet place for once, I plan to rest and recover body and soul for a while."
"And then?"
Ha Mu-baek gazed quietly toward the east.
"It occurred to me that Seol-ran has never seen the sea."
"I see."
The world was vast.
Vaster still, making the word seem inadequate.
Which meant it wasn't strange for someone to live their entire life without ever laying eyes on the ocean.
Wi Ji-gun, who had roamed the world in search of his disciple, had even reached the sea.
There was no corner of the Central Plains he hadn't explored.
"In that case?"
"Yes. Once I've recovered and things here have settled, I might take her to see it."
"Corps Leader Han will resent you for stealing another one."
Ha Mu-baek smiled faintly at his master's words.
He planned to bring Han Seol-bing along too, but he wasn't certain it would work out, so he held his tongue.
"Have you seen Seol-ran?"
"Our timing was off. We only exchanged brief greetings."
Ha Mu-baek had arrived at the Fierce Dragon Corps barracks just as Ha Seol-ran was heading out for patrol duty.
No matter his position as corps leader, using it for personal favors would undermine the corps' discipline.
So they'd parted after a quick hello.
There would be plenty of time later.
Shaanxi Province, Shangnam.
A city at the southeastern tip of Shaanxi.
To the east lay Henan Province, and a short trek south would bring one to Hubei.
Situated near the borders of three provinces, it saw heavy traffic, making it quite prosperous.
Moreover, famed Mount Hua loomed to the north.
Though still some distance away, Shangnam was a must-pass point for those coming from Henan or Hubei to visit Huashan Sect.
Money flowed ceaselessly through the city as a result, drawing in those eager to claim it.
Even in Shaanxi, domain of the Righteous Heaven Alliance and home to the mighty Huashan Sect among the Nine Great Sects, black path forces had taken root in Shangnam.
All for the money.
Huashan Sect maintained a branch there too, but eradicating every last rogue was impossible, so a delicate balance allowed the black path to cling on.
They weren't true black path factions, though—just riffraff and street toughs banded together.
Yet they'd pompously named themselves the Black Face Gang.
"Gang Leader."
"What is it?"
Black Face Gang Leader Seon Gyu fit the stereotypical rogue mold perfectly—especially his pitch-black face, the origin of the gang's name.
"Are we just giving up on the Flowing Cloud Martial Hall like this?"
Seon Gyu scowled at the question from his advisor, Sa Hoon, a sly-looking scholar in scholar's robes with narrow, fox-like eyes.
"They paid off the debt before we could make our move."
"Aren't we black path?"
Seon Gyu smirked at Sa Hoon's retort.
"Black path we are, black path we'll stay. But what do you expect with the Plum Fragrance Gate staring us down?"
Plum Fragrance Gate.
Huashan Sect's branch, the strongest force in Shangnam at present.
They had no choice but to mind them.
"Gang Leader, aren't you being too cautious? How many martial halls do you think are even in Shangnam right now?"
Sa Hoon pressed.
Seon Gyu did some mental math.
"Around a dozen or so?"
"Exactly twenty-one."
Seon Gyu's eyes widened at the answer.
"That many?"
His tone betrayed genuine surprise.
Shangnam was a decent-sized city, but not one to support twenty-one martial halls.
"It's because of Plum Fragrance Gate. Twelve of those twenty-one were opened by their disciples."
Disciples of the Huashan branch had started their own halls.
The result: far more halls than the city could justify.
"So, do you think Plum Fragrance Gate has time to bother with the other nine?"
It made sense when he put it that way.
Plum Fragrance Gate.
Huasan's branch and Shangnam's top sect, yet still not powerful enough to dominate the entire city.
That was how the Black Face Gang had managed to establish itself.
But with their disciples opening halls, Plum Fragrance Gate was slowly expanding, squeezing the gang's turf.
"Fair point."
"And if they open another one? Our influence is shrinking as it is. We need to snatch a hall for ourselves soon. Flowing Cloud is perfect."
The Flowing Cloud Martial Hall lay on Shangnam's east side.
Near the gateway from Henan into Shaanxi.
Inns, brothels, and shops thrived in the eastern outskirts, nearly rivaling the city center.
Plenty of pickings for black path.
Seon Gyu pondered Sa Hoon's words.
"Didn't Flowing Cloud borrow from old man Kang?"
A loan shark thriving in Shangnam.
His temperament meshed well with black path types.
He often enlisted the Black Face Gang to collect debts.
Sa Hoon's eyes gleamed at Seon Gyu's question—he knew his leader was scheming.
"That's right. Old Kang would forge a promissory note in a heartbeat."
They hadn't destroyed the original when Flowing Cloud paid up, so forgery was simple.
Black path perks.
"What if they run straight to Plum Fragrance Gate?"
"Aren't you overestimating those righteous white path fools? Poke them a little beforehand, grease the wheels, and it'll be fine. They're too busy running their own halls anyway. Especially if we're slinking off to the east."
Solid reasoning.
"Alright. Let's do it. Can't keep haunting brothels forever."
"Got it. I'll send some boys east to start softening things up."
"Handle it. Now get going."
Seon Gyu waved him off dismissively.
From the way he shifted on the bed, his lust seemed rekindled.
Sa Hoon shook his head at the sight.
"What insane stamina."
The room still lingered with the afterglow of passion.
Sa Hoon had arrived right after, sent the courtesan away, and conducted business—yet here he was, calling for her again.
How much time had even passed?
Zhejiang Province, Mountain-Crossing Demonic Forest.
It was far, far away.
The journey from there to Shangnam in Shaanxi had been arduous indeed.
He'd set out in the dead of winter, and now spring's vanguard was driving back the east wind.
Yu Gwi-gwang.
His eyes trembled faintly as he gazed at the walls before him.
He'd vowed to return, yet never dreamed he actually would—and here he was.
Countless people streamed toward Shangnam's east gate.
Travelers from Henan to Shaanxi.
Merchants, sightseers, migrants.
A family on an oxcart beside him seemed to be relocating from Henan to Shaanxi as well.
They'd shared the road for a day now.
Just nods of greeting, no more—but Yu Gwi-gwang's gaze kept drifting to the young boy among them.
Ten? Nine?
He couldn't look away from the child that age.
His own daughter was nine now.
Same as his Seon-ah—he was imagining how much she'd grown.
There was another reason for his fixation.
The woman, likely the mother, had a slight swell to her belly.
Undoubtedly with child.
That explained the slow pace of their oxcart.
"What circumstances force a journey like that?"
He wondered idly, but his own nose was barely above water.
His heart pounded harder as the gate neared.
His grip tightened on the reins.
He longed to spur his horse ahead, but the cart beside him stayed his hand.
His dust would choke them.
Suppressing his racing heart, he reached the gate.
When inspection reached Yu Gwi-gwang's turn.
"Huh?"
The guarding soldier gaped at his face in shock.
It was far too familiar.
A face he'd given up hope of seeing again.
"Gwi-gwang?"
Yu Gwi-gwang dismounted and nodded at the stunned call.
"Yeah. It's me. I'm back."
The soldier enveloped him in a bear hug.
"You bastard! You're alive! You've returned alive!"
Raw emotion thickened the soldier's voice.
"I told you I'd come back, Jong-woo."
Yu Gwi-gwang grinned.
Childhood friends.
Disciple of his father's martial hall.
Now a soldier in Shangnam thanks to those skills.
Seeing his old friend's face made it real—he was home.
"Go on. Head straight to the hall. Seon-ah's grown so much—you'll be stunned."
Moisture clung to Jong-woo's voice.
He all but shoved Yu Gwi-gwang through the gate.
"Thanks. Drinks later."
"Hurry."
At his friend's urging, Yu Gwi-gwang quickened his pace toward the Flowing Cloud Martial Hall—his home.