Martial Artist Lee Gwak Episode 203
Without Me, You Are Nothing (3)
Although much time had passed and the atmosphere had significantly changed, the man who opened the door was undoubtedly Lee Gwak.
Seok Yi Cheon hadn’t forgotten Lee Gwak for a single day over the past six years.
Lee Gwak also looked blankly at Seok Yi Cheon.
He had planned to meet Seok Yi Cheon in some way, but he hadn’t expected Seok Yi Cheon to find him first.
“Brother!”
“You’re alive. Damn it!”
Seok Yi Cheon hugged Lee Gwak tightly and shed tears.
Lee Gwak silently patted him on the back. Then suddenly, as if Seok Yi Cheon had remembered something, he stepped back and closed the door of the Crimson Flower Brothel.
“I’m on leave today, so Deputy Chief, take the boys and head back.”
Seok Yi Cheon’s voice drifted through the crack in the closed door.
The seventeenth squad, suddenly abandoned, stared at each other’s faces in confusion.
One of the members asked the deputy chief,
“What do we do?”
“He said to go back.”
“So we just go back?”
“If we don’t go back? It looks like the leader is really fond of that person, so let’s not make any trouble.”
“Alright!”
“Let’s go!”
The deputy chief took the seventeenth squad and left.
After their presence disappeared, Seok Yi Cheon blushed as he looked at Lee Gwak.
“You really are alive. I believed you weren’t dead… But what happened? Why didn’t you send any word?”
Seok Yi Cheon him with questions without pausing for breath.
Lee Gwak smiled and looked at Seok Yi Cheon, then said,
“I’m sorry.”
“What are you sorry for? You haven’t done anything wrong.”
“You’re still the same, Brother.”
Lee Gwak smiled.
Everything in the world had changed, but Seok Yi Cheon remained the same as before.
Perhaps no matter how much time passed, the essence of Seok Yi Cheon would not change.
This made Lee Gwak happy. That there was someone around him who would never change.
Lee Gwak pulled Seok Yi Cheon’s hand.
“Let’s go inside. We have a lot to talk about.”
“Me too.”
The two walked shoulder to shoulder towards a nearby pavilion. Inside the Crimson Flower Brothel, the garden was beautifully maintained, with pavilions scattered around for rest.
The place where the two settled down was one of those places. As soon as they sat down, Seok Yi Cheon asked first.
“Where have you been all this time? Tell me.”
Lee Gwak told him almost everything without hiding much.
He described everything from being seriously injured, to falling off a cliff, to returning to the Jianghu. However, he avoided revealing his master’s identity, mentioning only that he had learned martial arts from a highly skilled master who preferred to remain anonymous.
Then it was Lee Gwak’s turn to ask.
“How have you been, brother? What happened after I disappeared?”
“Don’t even mention it. It’s a miracle that I returned alive and working in the Outer Hall again.”
“Please explain in detail.”
“After your defeat, the young master lost his mind. No one expected a perfectly sane person to become a wreck overnight. It was fortunate that Leader Seo intervened, otherwise, we would all have been destroyed.”
Seo Jong Myeong used the safe houses and traps that Lee Gwak had prepared to elude their enemies. In the process, quite a few people died, but they were still able to bring many back to the fortress.
“The problem was after we returned.”
“What was the problem?”
“A blemish appeared on the young master’s reputation”
“Because he was defeated by me?”
“Yes. The legend of the young master’s undefeated reputation was tarnished, so naturally, there was an uproar. The Jade Heaven Alliance immediately went into damage control. They killed most of the untrustworthy vagrants and imposed restrictions on us as well. We were lucky to survive at all. Thanks to Lim Sobo of the secret court, who thought highly of Cheon Wol and acted as a shield, we are still alive. Otherwise, we would have lost our lives in the alliance long ago.”
“Um!”
Lee Gwak let out a hum.
Although he had expected it, hearing it directly from Seok Yi Cheon’s mouth was even more shocking.
Seok Yi Cheon continued to speak.
“As a result, I’ll be under surveillance for the rest of my life and will have to keep secrets, but I’m still lucky to be alive.”
“Is it true that most of the vagrants were killed?”
“As far as I know, yes. I also didn’t expect them to do such cruel things. That’s why I’m scared. The fact that I belong to such a cruel place.”
“What about the other members of the 13th squad? Are they safe?”
“You may not know this, but after the incident Cheon Wol went to the Secret Court. I can hardly see his face, but I think he’s fine, and the others have scattered, but they’re still alive. Just…”
“Just?”
“Jin Hwi’s whereabouts are unknown.”
“He disappeared?”
“Yes! He vanished suddenly and hasn’t been in contact since.”
“Could he have been eliminated by the Jade Heaven Alliance?”
“No, it doesn’t seem like that. It seems he’s just deliberately not contacting us.”
“Hmm!”
“Before he left, he told me he had found an important clue. He said that if you ever came back, telling you would make you understand.
Lee Gwak frowned.
He knew that Ki Jin-hwi was tracking the person who had stolen his family’s secret.
‘It seems he found the one who stole the secret techniques.’
That could explain why Jin Hwi disappeared from the Jade Heaven Alliance without a word.
“Do you know what happened to So Cheon?”
“So Cheon, the girl connected to you?”
“Yes!”
“As far as I know, she hasn’t returned.”
“What do you mean?”
“Before we returned to the Jade Heaven Alliance, Leader Seo told me. He said she was the only one who didn’t come back from the Hidden Blood Squad.”
“…”
“I was curious and asked, but he didn’t tell me more. I’m sorry.”
“No… it’s fine.”
Though he tried to respond calmly, Lee Gwak’s lips were slightly trembling.
He had hoped, however faintly, to meet her upon his return to the Jade Heaven Alliance.
It felt as if there was a huge hole in his heart. However, Lee Gwak never showed his pain to Seok Yi Cheon.
Lee Gwak smiled.
Although he hadn’t heard any news about Han So Cheon, he was happy enough just to meet Seok Yi Cheon. Now it was time to concentrate on their conversation.
“You said you wouldn’t take the leader position, but now you’ve become one?”
“I wanted to avoid it until the end, but they forced me and I had no choice but to accept. So I ended up leading the 17th Squad”.
“Congratulations.”
“Congratulations my foot. Life was easier when I was under you. Back then, all I had to do was follow your decisions…”
“You will do well, brother.”
“Enough. What’s the point of doing any better? In truth, my respect for the Jade Heaven Alliance has dwindled. If there were someone capable, I’d hand over the leadership and retire…”
Seok Yi Cheon trailed off.
Although he said this, he knew well that it was an impossible wish.
As long as Yong Cheon Myeong was alive and kicking, there would be no retirement for him from the Jade Heaven Alliance.
“Sigh!”
Seok Yi Cheon let out a deep sigh involuntarily. His sigh carried a complex mix of emotions.
Lee Gwak silently observed Seok Yi Cheon, feeling the weight of his burdensome life.
Even considering the six years that had passed, Seok Yi Cheon looked significantly aged. It was proof of his profound mental anguish.
Seok Yi Cheon asked Lee Gwak with a cautious expression, “Do you have any plans to return to the Jade Heaven Alliance?”
“I was expelled six years ago.”
“Ah!”
“I am no longer a martial artist of the Jade Heaven Alliance. Naturally, I have no intentions of returning.”
“I see.”
“I’m sorry.”
“No, what do you have to be sorry about? Everyone has their own path to follow.”
Seok Yi Cheon shook his head.
In his eyes, there was a fond light as he looked at Lee Gwak.
Suddenly, he thought it was curious.
When Lee Gwak was in the outer hall, he blended in without any sense of incongruity. He didn’t stand out and looked like any other ordinary outer hall martial artist.
Yet, in the realm of the Celestial Demon Troupe, he showed extraordinary qualities and saved everyone from crisis. There was no sense of incongruity then either.
As if he was always meant to be exceptional.
And now, he had reappeared as a master of the Jianghu, fitting perfectly as if that was his original state.
‘Was he always like this? Or did he adapt himself to the circumstances?’
Seok Yi Cheon thought it was the latter.
The Lee Gwak he knew was not a born martial artist. Otherwise, he would have stood out from the moment he joined the outer hall.
Lee Gwak’s talent was ordinary. He simply developed himself through desperate effort after facing numerous crises.
Now Lee Gwak had reached heights Seok Yi Cheon couldn’t even dream of, but his attitude towards him hadn’t changed at all.
That fact brought tears of gratitude to his eyes.
He had met many people who changed their attitude once their status changed. He didn’t have to look far; even Go Jeon-ok was a clear example.
Thinking of Go Jeon-ok, Seok Yi Cheon’s gaze hardened.
“Be wary of Jeon Ok, Gwak.”
“Excuse me?”
“Go Jeon-ok is not the same person you knew before.”
Seok Yi Cheon’s sudden warning narrowed Lee Gwak’s eyes.
Seok Yi Cheon continued, “Jeon Ok is committing all sorts of tyranny with the Young Master’s backing. In terms of cruelty, he’s even worse than the Young Master himself. Be especially careful.”
“Jeon Ok, you mean?”
“My words are not an exaggeration. I was summoned by Jeon Ok recently, and he was asking about you. Whether you had contacted me, and if you were still alive, prying into every detail. I was terrified.”
Lee Gwak nodded.
Seok Yi Cheon was not one to exaggerate or fabricate stories. There must be a reason for his warning.
Suddenly, Lee Gwak said something unexpected, “Then, the one who followed you here must have been sent by Jeon Ok as well.”
“What are you talking about?”
Instead of answering, Lee Gwak looked towards the roof of the Crimson Flower Brothel. Seok Yi Cheon also looked up, but saw nothing.
“Just wait here for a moment.”
Whoosh!
In an instant, Lee Gwak flew towards the rooftop. A dark shadow darted away, attempting to escape.
“Ah!”
Seok Yi Cheon gasped. He knew instinctively that this was someone Go Jeon-ok had assigned to spy on him.
The person who had been spying on Seok Yi Cheon was One Kill, Jeon-ok’s confidant.
One Kill had been stealthily following Seok Yi Cheon, monitoring his interactions with Lee Gwak. However, Seok Yi Cheon, who was not strong in martial arts, had not noticed.
The escaping One Kill’s face was filled with astonishment.
He had not expected someone to detect his stealth so easily.
His stealth skills were so cunning that even the top masters of the Jianghu could not notice him. But Lee Gwak had precisely spotted his hiding place. When their eyes met, he thought his heart would stop.
One Kill exerted his full power in qigong. He was as skilled in qigong as he was in stealth. But the distance between him and Lee Gwak was rapidly closing.
At this rate, he would be captured by Lee Gwak before he could return to the Jade Heaven Alliance.
“Damn it!”
He bit his lip and sharply changed direction, aiming for the bustling streets. He planned to blend into the crowd and shake off Lee Gwak.
However, One Kill was unable to achieve his goal.
“Ugh!”
He suddenly felt intense pain in his ankle.
Swoosh!
The sound of the air being pierced followed belatedly.
Only then did One Kill realize someone had attacked him faster than sound.
Chills ran down his spine.
He had never imagined that such an attack was possible.
Naturally, the attacker was Lee Gwak.
One Kill tumbled to the ground. Unable to slow down from his sprint, he rolled for about ten yards before hitting a wall and coming to a stop.
“Ugh!”
Blood flowed profusely from the wound on his ankle. But One Kill had no time to feel the pain as Lee Gwak was already standing in front of him.
Until he was wounded, One Kill had neither seen nor felt Lee Gwak’s attack.
‘An incredible master.’
One Kill instinctively knew his opponent was a master beyond his ability to handle.
‘Is this the Gwak that the clan leader was looking for? I heard he was just an Outer Hall martial artist.’
One Kill realized the vast gap between the information he had and Lee Gwak’s actual strength.
Lee Gwak asked him, “Were you sent by Jeon Ok?”
“Yes, that’s right.”
One Kill unwittingly responded.
Under Lee Gwak’s intense gaze, he found it strangely difficult to lie.
Lee Gwak smiled.
“Then it worked out well. Please guide me to Jeon Ok.”
“You mean to him?”
“If you tell him an old friend has come to visit, Jeon Ok won’t refuse.”