Martial Artist Lee Gwak Episode 168

Different paths, but not different intentions (2)
“Ji-sim committed suicide?”

“Yes!”

At Yeon Ho-gyeong’s answer, Yu Mun-sang silently looked out the window.

The vast sea spread out in the distance caught his eye.

Yu Mun-sang gazed at the sea for a long while, and Yeon Ho-gyeong quietly watched his back.

It was after some time had passed that Yu Mun-sang spoke again.

“Did he go without pain?”

“He broke his Tianling Point with his own hands and ended his life. There would have been no pain.”

“That’s fortunate.”

“…”

At Yu Mun-sang’s cool response, Yeon Ho-gyeong remained silent.

“What was sister’s reaction?”

“She seemed flustered.”

“That’s to be expected. She probably never imagined Ji-sim would make such an extreme choice.”

“It seemed so.”

“Any other issues?”

“None.”

Yeon Ho-gyeong answered firmly. Seeing this, Yu Mun-sang smiled gently.

If Yeon Ho-gyeong said there were no problems, then there were definitely none.

He must have cut off all ties leading to himself. Without leaving any trace, meticulously.

“You’ve worked hard.”

“It’s what I should naturally do.”

“Still, keep a close eye on sister’s movements, just in case. You never know when she might intrude again.”

“Understood.”

“And the name of the person who took down Ji-sim was Lee Gwak, was it?”

“That’s correct.”

“Unexpected. Ji-sim’s talent may not have been outstanding, but he possessed the internal energy of his years lived. Yet, to be defeated by a newcomer who has just appeared in the Jianghu.”

“He was strong.”

“Strong…”

At Yeon Ho-gyeong’s response. Yu Mun-sang’s gaze deepened.

“How would you compare him to Pae?”

“How dare I compare him to the Next Sect leader? He is strong, but perhaps not to that extent. However, there is something peculiar about his martial arts that is indeed cause for concern.

“Concerned?”

“Yes! It feels somewhat dissonant. Perhaps it would be better to eliminate him.”

“Regrettably, let him be for now.”

“But…”

“Sister is keeping a watchful eye. If we antagonize her further, it will only serve to disperse the power of our alliance”

The strength of the Sword Sect, where Sa Yeon-hee served as the leader, was not to be underestimated. A confrontation with the Sword Sect would only dissipate the power of Martial Sword Troupe.

It might be a different story in the distant future, but it was not yet time to confront Sword Sect.
“With the support from Nine Shadows Fleet cut off, there are more than a few matters that require attention. Tell the military to check our alliance’s finances once again during this opportunity.”

“Understood.”

“You may leave. I wish to be alone, so do not seek me out for any reason for the next three days.”

“I will do so.”

After bowing, Yeon Ho-gyeong disappeared without a sound.

Left alone, Yu Mun-sang walked to one corner of the room. There, a small altar was set up. It was an altar dedicated to the memorial tablets of past leaders.

On the altar, along with the memorial tablets bearing the names of the leaders, was a small incense burner.

Yu Mun-sang opened a drawer at the bottom of the altar and took out a new tablet. It was yet to be inscribed with a name.

Yu Mun-sang gently touched the new tablet for a moment before hanging it next to the tablets engraved with the leaders’ names. It was for Gong Ji-sim.

He had lived his life for Martial Sword Troupe, but his name could not be engraved on the tablet.
Yu Mun-sang inserted a new incense stick into the burner and murmured.

“Indeed, you were a loyal servant to the Martial Sword Troupe. Having sacrificed your life for the alliance, you vanished without a trace.”

Gong Ji-sim and Dam Il-cheon were blemishes to the Martial Sword Troupe.

Their existence becoming known to the world would have subjected the Martial Sword Troupe to tremendous backlash.

It was better for Yu Mun-sang that they disappeared from the world cleanly like this.

“Still, I shall avenge you someday, so do not feel too regretful.”

A faint smile appeared on Yu Mun-sang’s lips.
***
Lee Gwak looked up at the large ship in front of him.

It was a ship heading to the Central Plains. The ship was filled with people on their way to the Central Plains.

Then, a woman wearing a bamboo hat said to Lee Gwak.

“Hurry and board. You might miss your chance to get on.”

The woman was Sa Yeon-hee.

Lee Gwak turned his head to look at Sa Yeon-hee.

“Will it be alright?”

“It’s fine.”

Sa Yeon-hee answered as if it were nothing.

Lee Gwak silently looked at her. Then, Sa Yeon-hee forced a smile from beneath her bamboo hat.

“I’m really fine. Even though the connection has been cut off for now, if we keep digging, something will surely come up. As long as I don’t give up.”

“…”

“Please be careful as well, Master Lee. For the moment, they might not pay attention to you as they’re busy dealing with the aftermath, but once everything settles, they might seek revenge. So, please be extra cautious.”

“I’ll keep in mind Miss Sa’s advice.”

Lee Gwak nodded.

Having been a lower-ranked martial artist in the Jade Heaven Alliance, Lee Gwak knew well how persistent the Ten Sects could be. But outside of Martial Sword Troupe’s sphere of influence, there was little to fear.

The current Jianghu was a balance of power exquisitely maintained by the Ten Sects . No matter how formidable Martial Sword Troupe was, once outside of the southern Jianghu, they would have to be wary of other forces.

Lee Gwak wished he could help Sa Yeon-hee eliminate any potential threats completely, but he simply didn’t have the time for that.

What was crucial for Lee Gwak now was to return to the Jianghu and check on Han So-cheon and the safety of the 13th Squad. He couldn’t afford to waste any more time here.

Sa Yeon-hee read the longing in Lee Gwak’s eyes.

‘He must have someone he cares about.’

Strangely, her heart ached.

She had only seen Lee Gwak a couple of times. Yet, feeling this emotion was perplexing even to her.

Sa Yeon-hee tried to convince herself that her feelings were just a misunderstanding. She couldn’t afford to be engulfed in personal emotions given the heavy responsibilities she bore.

Quickly regaining her composure, Sa Yeon-hee said calmly,

“Please board the ship.”

“Take care of yourself, Miss Sa. Then…”

After giving a formal bow to Sa Yeon-hee, Lee Gwak stepped onto the boarding plank. Sa Yeon-hee watched his back for a moment before turning and walking away.

By the time Lee Gwak was on the ship, Sa Yeon-hee had disappeared into the crowd.

Nonetheless, Lee Gwak didn’t feel regretful. He considered it merely a passing connection.

Then, a familiar laughter reached his ears.

“Ha-ha! You’re on this ship too?”

Turning his head, Lee Gwak saw a familiar face.

The person smiling warmly at him was Seop Yu-saeng.

“Master Seop… Are you also heading to the Central Plains?”

“Ha-ha! Now that the Sea Martial Festival has ended, it’s time for me to return home. I can’t stay on Haenam Island forever, can I?”

“I see.”

“Anyway, meeting like this again, it seems we truly are connected by fate.”

Lee Gwak chuckled at Seop Yu-saeng’s jest.

“We’re setting sail. Everyone, please be careful not to fall over.”

The voice of the ship’s crew echoed over the deck.

The sails unfurled, catching a full breeze. The large ship silently and slowly advanced toward the sea.

Lee Gwak leaned against the railing, looking back at the receding Haenam Island.

The five days he spent on Haenam Island felt as long as several months to Lee Gwak. Now that he was leaving, he felt somewhat relieved.

“So, where do you plan to go once we reach the Central Plains?”

“I’m planning to go to Jade Heaven Alliance.”

“Jade Heaven Alliance? Are you thinking of joining them?”

“No.”

“Then why?”

“Just… I wanted to see it at least once.”

“Well! It’s not a bad idea for a man to witness the grand majesty of the Jade Heaven Alliance at least once. I’ve been to the Jade Heaven Alliance myself before…”

While Seop Yu-saeng prattled on beside him, Lee Gwak wasn’t really listening.

The ship, catching a favorable wind, cut through the waves unimpeded.

It was when they were far enough away from Haenam Island that it was no longer visible.
Suddenly, the crew’s movements became frantic.

“There’s a corpse floating over there.”

“Look, there’s another one over there.”

At the urgent voices of the crew, Lee Gwak looked toward the sea.

For a moment, his brows furrowed slightly.

Just as the crew had said, there were corpses floating on the sea. And it wasn’t just one or two. Close by, there were over dozens of bodies, and counting those visible in the distance, there seemed to be several times more.

‘What?’

Around the corpses, fragments of a shattered ship were also floating.

At first glance, it seemed like a nearby ship had sunk, drowning its passengers.

“Check carefully for any survivors.”

The crew squinted, looking for anyone alive among the bodies floating on the sea. However, not a single one among those afloat was breathing.

Still unsure, the crew lifted a few of the bodies onto the deck.

“It doesn’t seem like they drowned.”

“Isn’t this a wound?”

Confusion appeared on the faces of the crew members examining the bodies. They had assumed the bodies were ordinary drowning victims, but they were horrifically mutilated.

The gruesome state of the bodies made the passengers gasp and step back. But two people stepped forward instead.

Lee Gwak and Seop Yu-saeng.

Both knelt on one knee and closely examined the bodies.

“The calluses on the hands and the physique indicate these were martial artists. They don’t seem to be masters based on their conditioning…”

Seop Yu-saeng, with his extensive experience as a martial artist, deduced a lot of information from the state of the bodies.

On the other hand, Lee Gwak recognized their identity immediately.

‘The pirates of the Nine Shadows Fleet.’

He had fought them a few times before, so their aura and attire were familiar to him.

It wasn’t strange that there were remaining pirates. Their numbers were vast, and there could have been some who weren’t on the island when Lee Gwak attacked.

The question was who killed them.

‘Cutting off the tail?’

There was only one place Lee Gwak knew of that would bother to clean up the remnants of the Nine Shadows Fleet.

Lee Gwak turned his head to look out at the open sea. It was in the direction of Haenam Island.

Suddenly, the thought of Yu Mun-sang being terrifying crossed his mind.

It wasn’t just because of his high martial skills. It was his ruthlessness in using people as tools that was frightening.

He used his disciple, Gong Ji-sim, to rejuvenate Martial Sword Troupe, and when they were no longer needed, he had the pirates killed to completely sever any ties to himself. It was a chilling display of decisiveness and ruthlessness.

Seop Yu-saeng muttered from beside him.

“At a glance, there are over a hundred bodies floating in the sea. Ugh!”

Even for a martial artist accustomed to death, the sight of swollen corpses in the water was a harsh ordeal.

The crew felt the same.

They hastily threw the bodies they had lifted back into the sea. The condition of the bodies were too horrific to bear any longer.

Above all, they did not want to get entangled in the disputes of the Jianghu by meddling with the corpses.

Lee Gwak didn’t think the crew’s decision was cowardly. To survive in this harsh world, sometimes one had to turn a blind eye.

Especially for those who were among the weaker in the world.

‘Yu Mun-sang.’

Lee Gwak thought he might become entangled with Yu Mun-sang again someday. Though he had managed to evade it for now, if they were to cross paths again, it wouldn’t end with just this.

Lee Gwak hoped that day would come as late as possible.

He didn’t have the energy to spare on him at the moment.

Despite the unexpected delay, the ship continued its smooth sailing.

The nearest land to Haenam Island was Leizhou. Leizhou was a peninsula jutting out at the southernmost tip of the Central Plains.

The distance between Haenam Island and Leizhou was just half a day’s sail. With a favorable wind, one could leave in the morning and arrive by evening.

Indeed, the ship Lee Gwak was on arrived at Leizhou by evening after a smooth sail.

Thud!

With a heavy sound, the ship docked at the Leizhou port.

A large plank was lowered, and people hurried off the ship.

Lee Gwak leisurely disembarked at the very end.

Stepping onto land brought a strange feeling.

Whether it was Haenam Island or Leizhou, it was all the same land. Yet, the feeling of returning to the Central Plains seemed to bring a sense of stability.

It was an unexpected return to the Jianghu after six years of being included in a diplomatic mission. Although the journey to the Jade Heaven Alliancewas still long, being back in the Central Plains meant he was closer to his destination.

Then, Seop Yu-saeng approached Lee Gwak.

“What are you thinking so deeply about?”

“Nothing much.”

“Is that so? How about we have a drink to celebrate our return to the Central Plains?”
Lee Gwak smiled faintly.

He knew regardless of his answer, Seop Yu-saeng would insist on having a drink.

“Let’s do that.”