Martial Artist Lee Gwak Episode 220
He and Him, the Fated Rivals…(2)
Lee Gwak looked at Go Geom Wol with a slightly furrowed brow.
He couldn’t understand why Go Geom Wol had suddenly burst into laughter while they were in the midst of exchanging qi.
Part of him felt disappointed.
He sensed that further confrontation with Go Geom Wol might have led to some revelation, but that moment had passed with Go Geom Wol’s interruption.
“Sigh!”
Lee Gwak exhaled softly.
His heart settled as if a storm had passed, a sentiment Go Geom Wol seemed to share.
Once quelled, it was no easy task to reignite such a storm within.
“Why did you laugh?” Lee Gwak asked.
“Just felt like laughing.”
“Really?”
“I was just happy to see you again. Thank you for being alive, Lee Gwak. It might seem funny to you, but I’m sincere.”
“I’m also glad to see you again.”
Go Geom Wol was sincere, and so was Lee Gwak.
Since returning to the Jianghu, a strand of pride had been growing within Lee Gwak.
It was inevitable.
He had faced no ordinary individuals in battle.
Woo Mun Pae, Moon Gwang, Yong Cheon Myeong—all were recognized masters within the Jianghu.
Lee Gwak had never been pushed back even once against them. On the contrary, he had overwhelmed some of them. So he had unconsciously developed a habit of looking down on other martial artists.
However, his encounter with Go Geom Wol made one thing clear:
His own inadequacies.
There was still a long way to go, and his progress was slow.
“Hahaha!”
This time, Lee Gwak let out a hearty laugh.
Go Geom Wol smiled warmly, perhaps understanding Lee Gwak’s heart.
Lee Gwak’s laughter continued for a while, with Go Geom Wol watching him, still smiling.
To an outsider, they might have seemed mad.
But to them, nothing about this moment felt strange.
The swirling reeds around them settled to the ground.
In that state, they stood for a long time.
Lee Gwak was the first to break the silence.
“I have something I want to ask you.”
“Go ahead.”
“That day… did you pursue So Cheon?”
“No.”
Go Geom Wol gently shook his head.
Lee Gwak looked puzzled.
“Didn’t you say you would?”
“I didn’t feel like it. The wound you gave me was also a concern.”
Go Geom Wol pointed to his shoulder.
Beneath his clothes, the scar Lee Gwak had inflicted just before falling off the cliff remained unhealed.
The scar engraved on his shoulder served as Go Geom Wol’s mirror.
Looking at the wound always made him reflect on himself.
A single scar taught him more than ten teachers could.
Lee Gwak let out a sigh of relief.
‘Thank goodness.’
His greatest worry had been the possibility of Go Geom Wol tracking down Han So Cheon.
Even if Han So Cheon was adept at concealing her tracks as an assassin, she could never deceive Go Geom Wol.
“You haven’t found her yet.”
“Yes!”
“Are you planning to search for her?”
“…”
“Your current state looks as though you’re about to leave the Jade Heaven Alliance at any moment.”
“Do you plan to stop me?”
“No! I have no intention of stopping you. Does it seem untrue?”
“I believe you. You’re not someone who lies.”
“I appreciate your trust, but I do lie. However, I can assert that this time is not one of those instances.”
“What do you mean?”
“Strangely, I don’t dislike you. I hate that you killed my sworn brother, but it doesn’t fill me with persistent hatred.”
“…”
“Perhaps that’s just the way of life in the Jianghu. Not that I plan to forget the grudge for killing my sworn brother. It’s just that now doesn’t seem like the right time. You’re bound to grow further, and seeing that will motivate me. Our battle shouldn’t take place in an unnamed reed field. We’ll meet again in the ultimate battlefield, under the watchful eyes of countless martial artists, where the fate of the Jianghu hangs in balance.”
“What if I leave Jianghu?”
“Ha! You underestimate Jianghu.”
“……”
“The Jianghu never lets go of those with power. It’s like a swamp that binds more strongly with its power and pulls you in. No matter how much you wish to leave the Jianghu, you’ll inevitably return here. And then, you’ll have to compete with me.”
Lee Gwak frowned.
It was because he strongly felt that Go Geom Wol’s words would come true, almost like a prophecy.
‘I guess I’ll have to fight him after all.’
Lee Gwak slightly shook his head.
Seeing him like that, Go Geom Wol said,
“Go wherever your heart leads you. That’s the right thing to do. My heart led me here too. That’s why I came, and why I met you. That’s fate.”
“Thank you for the advice.”
Lee Gwak sincerely appreciated it.
On one hand, he found it miraculous. To be fated like this with this man.
“I sincerely hope that my way will reach you someday.”
“Don’t make me wait too long. I’m not very patient.”
“I promise.”
The two men shook hands.
****
Go Geom Wol returned to the large mansion located on the outskirts of the Jade Heaven Alliance.
Inside, Jin Woo-seon and Je Mu-hyeok were waiting for him. As soon as he returned, Jin Woo-seon spoke up.
“Who did you meet that you’re smiling like that?”
“Am I smiling? Me?”
“You’re smiling like someone who has just met their lover. At least, it’s the first time I’ve seen you smile like that since I’ve accompanied you. Who is he that made you smile?”
“An enemy, or perhaps a friend?”
“What do you mean? An enemy but a friend?”
“Something like that.”
“Hmm! I don’t understand what you’re saying.”
Even though he said that, a flicker of jealousy passed through Jin Woo-seon’s eyes.
The Go Geom Wol he knew would never easily use the word “friend.”
To him, even Jin Woo-seon was nothing more than a colleague, not a friend. Despite being defeated by Go Geom Wol and accompanying him for quite a while, there remained an invisible barrier between them.
The invisible wall seemed weak but was actually very high and thick, creating a clear boundary.
Jin Woo-seon had not yet crossed that boundary.
He had not been recognized as a true friend of Go Geom Wol.
The same was true for Je Mu-hyeok.
To Go Geom Wol, neither Jin Woo-seon nor Je Mu-hyeok were more than colleagues. Je Mu-hyeok was aware of this fact.
Yet, their accompanying Go Geom Wol was driven by a sort of admiration.
Admiration and jealousy for someone they could never surpass entangled them like a snare.
In contrast, Lee Gwak, despite the enemy label, was treated as a friend. The difference was significant.
“What’s his name?”
“Lee Gwak! In Jianghu, he’s also known as the Sura Blade.”
“Sura Blade?”
Jin Woo-seon’s eyes sharpened.
The most frequently mentioned term during their journey here was Sura Blade. He was a new master who was causing a stir in Jianghu recently.
Some said Sura Blade was the only martial artist qualified to break the dominance of the Ten Lesser Skies.
In fact, he had proven his martial prowess by defeating Woo Mun Pae, the mad dragon.
‘Sura Blade, huh?’
A seed of resentment began to sprout beneath the surface against the person Go Geom Wol considered a friend.
However, Jin Woo-seon carefully concealed his inner thoughts and changed the subject.
“So, what’s the plan now? It might take a long while before the Heavenly Assembly actually takes place.”
Soon, key figures of the Ten Sects would gather to discuss the schedule and procedures. It was certain to take a considerable amount of time for them to reach an agreement.
Even if an agreement was reached, there was no guarantee that the supreme leaders of the Ten Sects would actually take action.
“We’ll wait.”
“But there’s no set time.”
“That doesn’t matter. We have all the time in the world, so what’s the issue?”
“Hmm!”
“And being here might allow us to meet more colleagues like you, right?”
“I’m accompanying you because I like you, but not everyone feels the same. Not many would take a liking to someone as mysterious as you.”
“Haha!”
Despite Jin Woo-seon’s sharp response, Go Geom Wol was not flustered and smiled.
During their journey together, Jin Woo-seon harbored many suspicions about Go Geom Wol’s identity, to which Go Geom Wol never gave any answers.
Go Geom Wol saw the bitterness hidden in Jin Woo-seon’s heart.
Although revered as a member of the Ten Lesser Skies, his heart harbored a grudge that seemed never to be resolved.
It was the seed of a Heart Demon.
While accompanying Go Geom Wol, a demon started to take root in Jin Woo-seon’s heart, unbeknownst to him.
Compared to Jin Woo-seon, Je Mu-hyeok was straightforward.
He simply followed Go Geom Wol because he was stronger.
Having learned martial arts alone in the Heaven and Earth Gate, Je Moo-hyeok was deeply lonely. To him, Go Geom Wol was the first person to ever approach him, and for that, he was grateful. Therefore, he followed him without question.
Go Geom Wol thought that during his travels through the Jianghu, he could meet many more people like them.
Good and evil.
Righteousness and demons.
The world was not simple enough to be defined by such dichotomies.
Go Geom Wol thought that the Celestial Demon Troupe still being trapped in the countryside was due to its overly simplistic view of the world.
It was time to look at the Jianghu from a new perspective and establish a new way of thinking.
‘Lee Gwak!’
In that sense, the existence of Lee Gwak was special.
It was through Lee Gwak that he started to see the Jianghu in a new light.
***
The walk back home felt heavier than ever.
Lee Gwak’s expression was stiffer than at any other time. The impact of his meeting with Go Geom Wol had been profound.
He could never have imagined encountering Go Geom Wol in Jianghu, let alone in the Jade Heaven Alliance, which could be considered the heart of the Jianghu.
Perhaps in the history of the demonic cult, there had never been anyone who had so openly entered the center of Jianghu like Go Geom Wol.
It was a move of unprecedented boldness.
“Scary. So scary!”
His palms were still damp with sweat, and the trembling did not easily subside.
He had never felt such tension even in front of Ja Hong Cheon.
It wasn’t just a matter of martial arts skill.
The very person of Go Geom Wol instilled a sense of tension in Lee Gwak.
“Sigh!”
Just as Lee Gwak exhaled a light sigh and moved forward, someone called out to him from the entrance of an alley.
“Oraboni!”
The voice came unexpectedly, and Lee Gwak’s eyes momentarily wavered as he turned
towards the source.
“Yul Seon.”
The woman who had called him from the alleyway was none other than Geum Yul Seon.
Although a long time had passed since they had parted, she still looked as beautiful as ever.
With her shiny black hair, her moist eyes, her skin as white as snow and her red lips as a contrast. The woman who had once driven Lee Gwak mad stood before him.
Lee Gwak slightly furrowed his brows.
Even though it had been six years since they last met, his heart remained strangely cold. He was surprised at how detached he felt.
Geum Yul Seon walked towards him.
“It’s been a long time, Gwak Oraboni.”
“……”
Lee Gwak didn’t know what to say and remained silent for a moment.
Geum Yul Seon looked at him with eyes full of mixed feelings.
“You’ve really changed a lot, Oraboni. I’ve heard rumors but…”
“What brings you here?”
“Oraboni?”
Surprised by his cold response, Geum Yul Seon’s eyes wavered.
A sorrowful expression appeared on her face as she read his heart through his tone.
There was no longer any warm emotion or feeling towards her left in Lee Gwak. She could feel that not even a hint of lingering affection existed.
Though it was she who had betrayed and left him first, her heart strangely ached.
“Oraboni, I…”
“That’s enough. Don’t come any closer. I don’t want any unnecessary misunderstandings.”
“Oraboni, you’ve really changed a lot. You weren’t like this before.”
“There are no old stories left to tell with you. Just get to the point, Yul Seon.”
“Fine! If Oraboni says so.”
After taking a moment to compose herself, Geum Yul Seon finally brought up the main subject.
“Oraboni, please leave the Jade Heaven Alliance.”
“What?”
“Ever since you came to the Jade Heaven Alliance, the Young Master has been shaken. Please don’t disturb him any longer and leave the Jade Heaven Alliance.”
“…”
“Please, Oraboni. You can at least do this much. It’s not like you have any special feelings for the Jade Heaven Alliance. If you need money, I can give it to you. I have that much. How much do you want?”
“Yul Seon! Why have you become like this?”
Lee Gwak’s gaze was filled with sadness.
The old Geum Yulseon was not like this.
Her manner of playing musical instruments was graceful, and her singing voice was like the heavenly sound of a fairy.
She was as noble as a crane, an owner of elegant grace that others dared not approach. But now, her former self was nowhere to be found.
Fear of being abandoned by Yong Cheon Myeong was evident in her.
Lee Gwak slightly shook his head at her drastically changed demeanor.
“I was planning to leave Jade Heaven Alliance soon anyway.”
“Ah!”
“But it’s not because of your request.”
He had been planning to leave soon anyway, especially to find Han So Cheon.
“Thank you, Oraboni. I won’t forget this favor.”
Geum Yul Seon didn’t listen to the rest of what he said, repeatedly thanking him as if she only recognized the answer she wanted.
Lee Gwak indifferently watched Geum Yul Seon for a moment before passing by her.
He had no past to reminisce over, but he didn’t want to see any more of his old lover’s disgraceful appearance.