Reaper of the Drifting Moon

The shattered pieces of the spear turned into menacing weapons and attacked Zhao Jakyung.

Crack!

Zhao Jakyung twisted his body as much as he could to avoid the spear fragments, but in the end, three or four shards pierced his body.

“Geuh!”

Zhao Jakyung fell to the ground, coughing up a mouthful of fresh blood.

Not only was his spear broken, but he had also suffered deep internal injuries.

He looked up at Pyo-wol with red, bloodshot eyes.

“Heuk! You demon–”

Pyo-wol’s complexion was so calm that it was hard to believe he had fought such a fierce battle a few moments prior.

Seeing Pyo-wol’s expression, Zhao Jakyung fell deeper into self-doubt.

He couldn’t believe he had been defeated so miserably by someone who couldn’t have been more than thirty years old.

Even though it was the natural order of the world for the front waves to be overtaken by the back waves,1 Zhao Jakyung’s martial prowess was exceptional enough to not be easily surpassed by someone of the new generation.

There was not a single moment when he had let down his guard. He made sure to never stop relentlessly training himself, so he couldn’t believe nor accept the fact he was actually kneeling before Pyo-wol at this moment.

Even though he had exhausted his strength in the battle with the Ghost King and Visitor of Life and Death, the fact that he had been easily defeated by Pyo-wol still didn’t change. This made him feel miserable.

Zhao Jakyung struggled to speak,

“With your level of skill… to think that you still used a hidden weapon against Yiguang… You truly are… not human…”

“He was not the one who used a hidden weapon.”

At that moment, a woman’s voice interjected.

Rustle! Rustle!

With the sound of footsteps, a woman approached the place where Pyo-wol and Zhao Jakyung were.

The woman was none other than Zhao Yuseol.

Zhao Jakyung recognized her at once.

“Why are you here? What did you just say?”

“I said it wasn’t him who killed Yiguang.”

“What kind of lie–”

“It’s not a lie. I saw it with my own eyes. The boy kidnapped by the Ghost King attacked Yiguang using a hidden weapon.”

“How–”

“Grandfather may not know, but Yiguang kidnapped the boy’s younger sister and assaulted her. That’s why the boy did what he did.”

“Goodness!”

Only then did Zhao Jakyung realize that he had the wrong understanding of the situation.

A chilling sensation, like cold water poured over a heated head, ran through him and his mind cleared instantly.

Zhao Jakyung looked at Pyo-wol.

Pyo-wol was still looking down at him with an indifferent expression.

Pyo-wol’s emotionless face was terrifying.

This was the first time in his life that Zhao Jakyung had ever felt so terrified.

He has come to know firsthand how terrifying it is to directly confront the immense back waves of Yangzte River, which pushes him relentlessly.

Zhao Jakyung apologized to Pyo-wol,

“I’m sorry… I misunderstood.”

For a high-level martial artist like Zhao Jakyung to apologize to someone was by no means an easy task. Nonetheless, he willingly acknowledged his mistake and apologize again.

He was prepared to accept whatever punishment Pyo-wol would decide. However, Zhao Yuseol stood in front of Zhao Jakyung, blocking the way, and spoke to Pyo-wol.

“I’m sure Master Pyo is not yet done with his business. I’ll take care of my grandfather, so you should continue on with your affairs.”

Despite witnessing Pyo-wol’s tremendous martial skill, Zhao Yusul spoke confidently without backing down.

Pyo-wol looked at her and thought.

‘Clever, indeed.’

Zhao Yuseol knew how to make herself look the best.

By stepping in and mediating between Pyo-wol and Zhao Jakyung, her grandfather now owed her a great debt of gratitude.

Furthermore, by exposing Zhao Yiguang’s evil deeds, she naturally induced Zhao Jakyung to assist her.

In her attempt to redirect the immense aftermath involving the Ghost King, Kyung Musaeng, and Zhao Jakyung into a favorable flow for herself, Zhao Yuseol revealed the depth of her cunning.

‘She possesses the ability worthy of dreaming to become the Empress.’

Zhao Yuseol then said in a loud voice,

“Go ahead and leave. I will handle this situation with my grandfather.”

She was deliberately speaking in a loud voice for everyone to hear. She wanted to attract people’s attention and use it as a shield.

She was frighteningly clever.

Pyo-wol stared at her for a moment, then turned away.

Just as she said, finishing the task at hand was more important.

Pyo-wol flew in the direction where Kyung Musaeng and the others had disappeared.

Tap, tap, thud!

Seeing Pyo-wol’s figure swiftly gliding over the water’s surface, Zhao Yuseol breathed a sigh of relief.

“Whew!”

The part of her plan she was least confident in was sending Pyo-wol way from this place.

Her arrival here was by no means a coincidence.

When she heard the news of a major event occurring, she instinctively sensed that an opportunity had come.

To her, chaos is both a crisis and an opportunity.

When everyone else fled from the fight between the three absolute masters, she was the only one who approached and stayed. This was so that she could get a closer look and understand the whole situation.

Just as she was contemplating how to make the most of the situation, Pyo-wol appeared.

In that brief moment when he was fighting with Zhao Jakyung, Zhao Yuseol’s mind raced with a terrifying speed. She wracked her brain on how to exploit this situation to her advantage.

Zhao Jakyung, who was beside her, lamented,

“Hoo! It seems like I made a huge mistake. I don’t know how to resolve this.”

“I will take care of it, but I urgently need Master Zhao’s help. The Nanjing sect’s reputation may suffer as a result of this incident, so we have no choice but to proceed. Only by uncovering and clarifying the cause of this situation can we resolve and revive the Nanjing sect back to life.”

“I understand. I’ll assist you as much as I can.”

At that moment, a subtle smile crept on Zhao Yuseol’s lips.

* * *

Pyo-wol sprinted, pursuing the traces left by Jianglong.

When a giant creature like Jialong moved, it would inevitably leave traces.

Under normal circumstances, Kyung Musaeng would thoroughly cover his tracks using his Invisibility Technique, but Pyo-wol didn’t think that Kyung Musaeng would do the same in such a desperate situation.

Considering the damage Kyung Musaeng would have suffered while fighting the Ghost King, it was unlikely that he would maintain the Invisibility Technique while moving.

Pyo-wol’s speculations soon proved to be true.

Traces of Jiaolong’s passage appeared on the shores of Lake Tai.

A deep pit spread across the white sandy beach connected to the waters, and a scene of beautiful trees and bushes broken and crushed unfolded.

Pyo-wol ran after the tracks left behind by Jiaolong.

After crossing two large hills, Pyo-wol finally spotted Kyung Musaeng and Jiaolong.

The two were standing in front of a huge boulder at the bottom of the hill.

Ssshhh!

When Pyo-wol appeared, Jiaolong responded by sticking out its tongue.

Knowing that this was the creature’s way of saying hello, Pyo-wol approached without hesitation.

Kyung Musaeng was staring at something beneath the rock. He was so focused that he didn’t even notice Pyo-wol’s arrival.

Pyo-wol stood beside Kyung Musaeng and directed his gaze towards what he was looking at.

It was the dead body of the Ghost King.

His corpse was wearing torn clothes resembling tattered rags.

“Ghost King?”

Doubt flickered in Pyo-wol’s face.

It was at that moment when Kyung Musaeng spoke up,

“It’s just a shell. The real one is not here.”

“A shell?”

“He had changed bodies. This makes it even more difficult to find him now.”

Pyo-wol looked at Kyung Musaeng.

“What do you mean? Changed bodies? Is that even possible?”

“It is possible. He’s not a normal human.”

“What?”

“I brought him back from the dead but he betrays me like this. Tch!”

Kyung Musaeng kicked the Ghost King’s corpse with his foot. As he did, the clothes burst open, revealing the Ghost King’s naked flesh.

The Ghost King’s bare skin was tattooed with geometric shapes and patterns.

“You may have escaped my Soul-Binding Technique2 for now, but do you think you’ll be able to escape my grasp forever? My technique is engraved on your soul. Now that you’ve switched bodies, you’ll be weaker for a while, but in time, you will regain your strength again. I wonder how long do you think you can keep fleeing–”

Before Kyung Musaeng could finish his sentence, the tattoos engraved on the Ghost King’s body emitted a bright light, and then dispersed into thin air.

Pyo-wol stared at the whole scene without saying a word.

It was a spectacle that he couldn’t comprehend with his common knowledge.

“Are you saying that you brought someone back from the dead and bound them with a demonic art called Soul-Binding Technique?

If that was indeed possible, then the man in front of him was truly dangerous.

It wasn’t just a matter of character, but the fact that he could control the life and death of others at will contradict the principles of the world.

In a solemn voice, Pyo-wol asked,

“Why did you revive a man like the Ghost King?”

“Because I wanted to prove something.”

“Prove?”

“Hehe, yes, prove.”

Kyung Musaeng looked at Pyo-wol.

There was a profound madness in his dull eyes.

Kyung Musaeng climbed onto the head of Jiaolong.

Jiaolong briefly glanced at Pyo-wol and began moving in the direction Kyung Musaeng commanded.

Jiaolong’s massive body quickly disappeared from view.

Kyung Musaeng had activated his Invisibility Technique again.

Pyo-wol frowned as he gazed in the direction where Kyung Musaeng and Jiaolong had disappeared.

It felt as if a sudden downpour had swept through and passed by.

Pyo-wol then inspected the Ghost King’s corpse.

The tattoos that had been engraved all over his body had disappeared, leaving the corpse relatively clean.

The mask he had been wearing was gone, revealing his bare face.

It was a face that appeared to be in his mid-fifties.

He had an ordinary appearance that could be seen anywhere.

It was impossible to find any clues on his face.

Pyo-wol examined the Ghost King’s physical body.

It was then.

Suddenly, the Ghost King’s body began to crumble.

Like a piece of paper unable to withstand the passage of time, it crumbled and turned into dust, disappearing.

The Ghost King had disappeared from the world without leaving any trace.

In the end, Pyo-wol was unable to uncover any clues from the Ghost King’s dead body. This was the first time in his life that he hadn’t gotten any results from his endeavors.

‘Do Yeonsan.’

Pyo-wol normally wouldn’t have been interested in the affairs of the Ghost King and Kyung Musaeng. The relationship between the two definitely intrigued him, but it had nothing to do with him.

But since Do Yeonsan had gotten involved, Pyo-wol could no longer ignore it.

His connection to Do Yeonsan might only be a fleeting one, however, the impression and story Do Yeonsan left were so strongly imprinted in him that made it impossible for him to forget.

‘We’ll meet again someday.’

With that thought in mind, Pyo-wol returned to Lake Tai.

Lake Tai was completely deserted and devastated.

With three absolute masters and a spirit creature running rampant, the damage caused in the area was indescribable.

An area centered around the well was completely destroyed, and many people had become refugees.

While everyone was in despair, a group of people were tirelessly assisting and helping others.

They were bringing in dozens of wagons with supplies and distributing them to those who had lost their homes.

At the center of it all was Zhao Yuseol.

She had her sleeves rolled up as she handed out supplies and goods to the people. She also made a promise,

“I will compensate the people here for all the damage they have suffered. I will rebuild the collapsed houses and restore the streets to their former splendor. Please believe me. I swear all of this by my name and the honor of the Nanjing sect.”

“Thank you, Young Miss!”

“Oh my! Thank you! I will never forget your kindness!”

The victims who lost their homes held Zhao Yuseol’s hands while shedding tears.

Zhao Yuseol held their hands tightly without a hint of reluctance.

Zhao Jakyung watched the scene from a distance.

His face was filled with admiration.

It had only been half a day since the incident, but Zhao Yuseol was swiftly winning over public opinion.

It was her idea to distribute necessities from the warehouse in the Bluefield Estate to the victims.

Thanks to her swift handling of the situation, Zhao Jakyung could finally breathe a sigh of relief.

He was partly to blame for the destruction.

Many of the destroyed mansions had probably been destroyed by his spear skills, and he couldn’t escape responsibility.

‘She’s truly remarkable.’

Zhao Jakyung couldn’t help but be in awe as he watched Zhao Yuseol handle the situation.

Zhao Jakyung was convinced.

That Zhao Yuseol was the right person to lead the Nanjing sect.

So, he made a vow.

He promised that he would help Zhao Yuseol in resolving the current crisis.

At that moment, a young martial artist who entered the destroyed streets caught Zhao Jakyung’s eye.

Zhao Jakyung’s face instantly stiffened.

‘Reaper!’

The wounds he had suffered from the said assassin throbbed once again.

Even though he had received medical treatment, he still find it uncomfortable to move around.

While his fight with Pyo-wol had arisen from his own misunderstanding, he still had no excuse for losing.

“Hoo!”

Zhao Jakyung unconsciously let out a deep sigh.

SoundlessWind21’s notes:

Thank you for reading!

Front waves to be overtaken by the back waves. Raws: 장강의 앞물결이 뒷물결에 장강후랑추전랑. (長江後浪推前浪). Chinese Proverb. Meaning: Just as the back waves of Yangzte River push away the front waves, the new man takes the place of the old man. New people, new era. Soul-Binding Technique. Raws: 영혼주박술(靈魂駐搏術). 靈魂 línghún – soul / spirit 駐 zhù – to halt / to stay / to be stationed (of troops, diplomats etc) 搏 bó – to fight / to combat / to seize / (of heart) to beat 術 shù – method / technique