Martial Artist Lee Gwak Episode 189

He Who Has Nothing to Lose, Fears Nothing (2)

Despite being wounded beyond belief, Nam Woo Gyeong hadn’t taken a single day off. He summoned Gong Pil-yu to listen to reports and issue orders.

Lee Gwak and Cheol Gwang-woo, who were watching from the side, were amazed by Nam Woo Gyeong’s passion.

Bang!

Nam Woo Gyeong suddenly slammed his fist down on the table, leaving a fist-sized hole in the table.

Lee Gwak and Cheol Gwang-woo looked puzzled, and Nam Woo Gyeong, with a furious expression, said, “They’ve completely disappeared.”

“The Blood Rain Assassins?”

“Yes! As soon as the Hao Clan mobilized its full power to track them, they ceased all activity.”

Nam Woo Gyeong gritted his teeth.

It was infuriating not to know the whereabouts of the enemies, especially since one of their branches had been destroyed.

Nam Woo Gyeong closed his eyes for a moment to calm his boiling anger, then his rationality returned.

“They can’t hide forever. Eventually, they will resume their activities. We’ll wait until then.”

“It will be a battle of patience.”

“Exactly! The outcome of the battle will depend on who is more persistent.”

“It won’t be easy.”

“Nothing in the Jianghu comes easily. And I’m very accustomed to such situations.”

Nam Woo Gyeong smiled with confidence.

“I’m sure you’ll be able to handle it, brother.”

“Just trust me.”

“Yes!”

“But it seems like you’re about to leave?”

As it turned out, Lee Gwak and Cheol Gwang-woo were packing their belongings.

“We’ve stayed here too long, and now that you can move, it’s time for us to go.”

“Hmm! I see. Are you planning to go straight to the Jade Heaven Alliance?”

“That’s the plan.”

“Then I’ll join you.”

“You’re not staying here?”

“It seems safest to be by your side for now.”

Nam Woo Gyeong smiled at Lee Gwak.

Although the Blood Rain Assassins had gone into hiding, it was uncertain when they might target him again.

The power of this branch of the Lianju was similar to, or slightly less than, the Fragrance Pavilion that had been destroyed by the Blood Rain Assassins. If he remained here and became a target of the Blood Rain Assassins again, death would be the only outcome.

Being by Lee Gwak’s side was the safest option given the current circumstances.

“It was inevitable to enter the Jade Heaven Alliance at some point, so taking this opportunity doesn’t seem like a bad idea. I will impose on you a bit longer.”

“Understood.”

Lee Gwak nodded.

Traveling with Nam Woo Gyeong was also a great help to him. Above all, it was a relief to escape from the lack of information.

“I’m sorry.”

“For what?”

“About the whereabouts of So…… Cheon.”

“Well!”

“I wish I could tell you where she is, but the Jade Heaven Alliance has completely blocked any information about the Hidden Blood Squad.”

Six years ago, after Lee Gwak was reported dead, Nam Woo Gyeong mobilized the Hao clan’s information network to find out what had happened. However, the Jade Heaven Alliance had thoroughly blocked all information, leaving him with almost nothing.

When Nam Woo Gyeong regained consciousness, Lee Gwak had asked him about the Hidden Blood Squad and Han So Cheon’s whereabouts. But Nam Woo Gyeong couldn’t give any answers. He knew nothing either.

Lee Gwak looked up at the sky for a moment.

“We’ll naturally find out once we get to the Jade Heaven Alliance. Don’t worry too much about it.”

“Yeah! I’m sure we will. So don’t lose your spirit.”

Nam Woo Gyeong comforted Lee Gwak by patting his shoulder.

This was the first time Nam Woo Gyeong learned that Lee Gwak had a woman he loved, and that she was an assassin from the Hidden Blood Squad.

Knowing how difficult it must have been for Lee gwak to survive in the Jade Heaven Alliance, he felt even more sympathy

Nam Woo Gyeong’s hand, which was patting Lee Gwak’s shoulder, pressed down a little harder.

Understanding his feelings, Lee Gwak simply nodded without saying a word.

That’s when it happened.

“Brothers! Everything is ready.”

Cheol Gwang-woo’s booming voice suddenly filled the air.

Turning their heads, they saw Cheol Gwang-woo walking towards them, carrying a large bag on his back.

“Wow! That’s really big.”

Nam Woo Gyeong exclaimed in surprise.

Even though he had seen it for several days, he still hadn’t gotten used to Cheol Gwang-woo’s enormous size.

After seeing Lee Gwak call Nam Woo Gyeong brother, he cheerfully started calling him “big brother” as well.

“Hehe! Let’s go. Big brother, brother.”

“Alright!”

“Let’s go.”

The three of them walked out of the inn, shoulder to shoulder.

Having not been outside for several days, the streets felt quite unfamiliar. After looking around for a moment, they continued on their way.

Since Nam Woo Gyeong’s stamina had not fully recovered, they moved as slowly as possible.

If they got tired along the way, they would rest, and once Nam Woo Gyeong felt a bit recovered, they would continue walking.

The three of them walked steadily like this.

Fortunately, Nam Woo Gyeong’s stamina recovered quickly. Being trained in martial arts, he had exceptional recovery abilities.

After walking for a whole day, a wide river appeared before their eyes. They looked around but couldn’t find a bridge to cross.

Nam Woo Gyeong made a suggestion.

“The river is so wide, there must be a port somewhere. Let’s find the port first.”

“Yes!”

Luckily, the port wasn’t too far away. But there was no boat in sight.

When they asked someone at the port, they were told that the boat had already crossed to the other side and that they would have to wait for its return.

The three of them waited for the boat to come back. Fortunately, there was a small inn at the port that sold food and drinks to the passengers waiting to board the boat.

The three sat on a platform in front of the guesthouse and ordered some simple snacks and drinks.

A cool breeze was blowing from the river.

Lee Gwak brushed back his disheveled hair and looked at the river. The sunlight sparkled on the water’s surface, scattering dazzling fragments. Swallows flew low over the calm water, looking for food.

As Lee Gwak silently enjoyed the picturesque scenery, someone grumbled as they entered the guesthouse.

“Big brother, do we really have to wait for the boat in such a dirty place?”

“There’s nothing we can do about it. Luckily, the boat is supposed to come back in the afternoon, so we just have to bear it.”

“Ah, what a hardship.”

Turning around, a brother and sister appeared to be sitting on the platform in front of the guesthouse.

The man seemed to be in his early twenties, visibly tired as if he had traveled a long way, and the quite pretty woman had a look of annoyance on her face.

One common feature was that their clothes, unsuitable for travel, were very fancy and luxurious.

The woman dusted off the dust she had sat on the platform with a frown.

“All because of dad…”

“Let it go. We have to do it anyway, and frowning won’t solve anything.”

“Aren’t you even mad, big brother?”

The woman glared at the man with her eyebrows raised.

The man sighed softly at his sister’s childish behavior.

‘Yeo Wol is not young anymore, but her lack of maturity is worrying.’
The man’s name was Ji Sang-hwan, the eldest son of the Ji family in Haewon area. The Ji family was a fairly prestigious family in the Haewon region.

For a long time, the family had amassed wealth from the maintenance of the area and lived a modest life, but Ji Il-won, the patriarch of the family, was not satisfied with that.

He wished for the Ji family to become a distinguished martial family. Therefore, he invited martial arts masters to teach his children martial arts.

Fortunately, the siblings were talented and were able to reach a fairly high level of martial arts. Then, Ji Il-won decided to send the siblings to the Jade Heaven Alliance.

There was a distant relative of his in the outer court of the ade Heaven Alliance, and by asking for his favor, he aimed to have the siblings join Jade Heaven Alliance.

Ji Sang-hwan followed his father’s wishes quietly, but his sister, Ji Yeo Wol, expressed her dissatisfaction.

She couldn’t understand, or rather refused to understand, why she had to leave her home to join the Jade Heaven Alliance.

From the start, she didn’t enjoy learning martial arts. It was only out of obligation to her father’s strong will that she followed along.

Naturally, she did not like the idea of leaving her home to live in a strange place for the Jade Heaven Alliance. Having suffered through martial arts training, the fact that she had to leave her home and live in a strange place was a great grievance to her.

Ji Yeo Wol had no one but her brother, Ji Sang-hwan, to vent her frustrations. Dealing with her complaints was becoming exhausting for Ji Sang-hwan.

That’s when it happened.

“What are you looking at? Have you never seen a person before?”

Ji Yeo Wol suddenly raised her voice sharply at someone.

She was glaring at the spot where Lee Gwak and others were sitting. Her voice was so loud that Lee Gwak and the others couldn’t help but look in her direction.

“That bitch…”

Immediately, Cheol Gwang Woo’s expression turned murderous.

He was infuriated that a woman he had never seen before was raising her voice at Lee Gwak, whom he respected the most.

He didn’t mind being insulted himself, but he couldn’t tolerate Lee Gwak being insulted. Even if the insulter was a beautiful woman.

At that moment, Lee Gwak raised his hand to stop Cheol Gwang Woo and apologized instead.

“If our presence has upset you, Miss, we apologize. Please don’t mind us and rest. We won’t look anymore.”

“Hmph!”

Ji Yeo Wol snorted.

Then Ji Sang-hwan stepped forward to apologize for his sister’s rudeness.

“I apologize for my sister’s rudeness. It seems she’s been on edge from the long journey and spoke out of turn without understanding the situation. Please forgive her with a generous heart.”

“It’s alright. We understand, so please don’t worry about us and rest comfortably.”

Lee Gwak smiled, and only then did Ji Sang-hwan sigh in relief.

Ji Sang-hwan, although new to the Jianghu, knew well that one should not behave recklessly towards others.

The thought of looking after his reckless sister all the way to the Jade Heaven Alliance made his head hurt.

Ji Sang-hwan scolded Ji Yeo Wol.

“Please watch your mouth. Don’t you know that trouble often starts from speaking carelessly?”

“What did I do?”

Ji Yeo Wol, on the other hand, glared back at Ji Sang-hwan, still failing to recognize her mistake.

“Alas!”

Ji Sang-hwan shook his head, closing his eyes in resignation.

The journey ahead, taking his sister to the Jade Heaven Alliance, already felt tedious.

Fortunately, Ji Yeo Wol didn’t react further and kept silent, merely pouting her lips. Only then could Ji Sang-hwan breathe a sigh of relief.

Nam Woo Gyeong observed the two for a moment before speaking.

“It seems like the roles of men and women are reversed in that family. Usually, it’s the men who are hot-tempered.”

“Indeed.”

“Well, it’s good that her brother intervened in time, but if she continues to act impulsively, the girl will eventually face great misfortune”.

“Even so, it’s not our place to interfere.”

“That’s true.”

Nam Woo Gyeong nodded at Lee Gwak’s response.

Everything returns to its source, more so in the Jianghu where power dictates the law, and this tendency was even more pronounced.

Provoking others only meant that one had to bear the brunt of their anger. Yet, many overlooked this fact and acted rudely.

Lee Gwak, Nam Woo Gyeong, and others stopped paying attention to Ji Sang-hwan and his sister, and went on with their own conversation.

Nam Woo Gyeong had a wealth of knowledge about the Jianghu, and every word he said was valuable. Lee Gwak listened attentively, and Cheol Gwang Woo also paid close attention to Nam Woo Gyeong’s words.

Meanwhile, the food and drinks they ordered arrived.

The atmosphere warmed as they enjoyed their meal and conversation, with laughter breaking out occasionally, making them lose track of time.

“This is nice.”

Cheol Gwang Woo smiled, looking back and forth between Lee Gwak and Nam Woo Gyeong.

He hadn’t realized how reassuring it was to have trustworthy elder brothers.

He was learning things his mother hadn’t taught him by observing his elders, such as manners in the Jianghu, behavior, and precautions.

Such lessons couldn’t be bought with money, and Cheol Gwang Woo was eager to learn.

He was learning about the Jianghu and studying life from the two men.

A boat arrived at the harbor shortly thereafter.

After finishing their meal, the three men hurried onto the boat, followed by Ji Sang-hwan and his sister.

Ji Yeo Wol still had a sulky face, and Ji Sang-hwan appeared to have given up on cheering her up.

The boat carrying the passengers soon departed from the harbor.

It sped through the water at a fast pace.

Lee Gwak and the others sat at the bow, letting the cool river breeze wash over them. However, their pleasant sensations didn’t last long.

“There, there’s a body.”

“A body is floating down from upstream.”

The crew was making a fuss, looking at the river.

Snapped out of their thoughts, they looked in the direction the crew was pointing and indeed, a body was floating downstream.

Nam Woo Gyeong spoke quietly,

“These are martial artists. It seems there was a big fight nearby.”

His expression turned grave.

Having recently experienced a large-scale battle, Nam Woo Gyeong was particularly sensitive to such matters.

Lee Gwak focused his vision to closely observe the bodies floating nearby.

His face stiffened for a moment. Although the bodies were swollen from being in the water, he recognized the faces.

‘Escorts from the Shenyang Escort Service.’