Reaper of The Drifting Moon Chapter 469

August 28, 2023 • 11 min read • 901 views

So Yeowol frowned and closed her eyes.

She tried to clear her thoughts, but the vibration that started at her hips and spread up her spine made it impossible to concentrate.

In the end, So Yeowol stopped thinking and opened her eyes. Then she saw the figure of Song Cheonwoo sitting across from her.

Unlike her, his eyes were closed and he was focused, and she knew it was because of her.

He heightened his senses to protect her.

They were sitting in a cramped carriage.

The carriage shook violently as the wooden wheels rolled over the rough mountain road. The vibrations went straight through their bums and into their bodies.

‘I would have been more comfortable riding a horse…’

If she was the only one traveling, she wouldn’t have bothered with the carriage. But today, she wasn’t the only one taking part in the procession.

There was no reason to stand out and attract attention.

‘What a waste of time…’

So Yeowol clicked her tongue as she looked out the window.

The carriage was heading deeper into the mountains.

All she could see outside the window was the dense forest.

After traveling for a long time, the carriage’s speed noticeably slowed down.

Then Song Cheonwoo opened his eyes, which had been closed.

“It seems we’ve almost arrived.”

“Looks like it.”

So Yeowol nodded her head slightly.

There were things you had to do in life whether you liked it or not.

For the two of them, today was such a day.

Creak!

Finally, the carriage came to a stop, and a cautious voice called out from outside.

“We have arrived.”

The two opened the door of the carriage and stepped outside.

It was a large temple surrounded by a lush forest.

The temple was very clean, as if it had been built recently. It was also very large, so it was hard to miss.

Behind the great hall at the front, a number of tall pavilions soared into the sky.

“Hmm!”

So Yeowol looked at the temple with a disapproving expression.

Song Cheonwoo whispered behind her.

“Control your expression.”

“Ah! Sorry.”

Realizing her mistake, So Yeowol immediately corrected her expression.

Behind her, she heard people’s voices.

“Is this the temple built by New Moon Manor?”

“Heavenly Origin Temple? It’s truly magnificent, just like its name.”

“New Moon Manor has invested enormously. Such a huge temple, huh?”

They were distinguished guests who came in a carriage just like her.

The temple they were looking at was called the Heavenly Origin Temple.

The scale was truly tremendous, fitting of its magnificent name. With a size like that, it seemed to be as large as the Shaolin Temple, known as the greatest temple under heaven.

Today was the first day the Heavenly Origin Temple was open to the public after years of construction.

To celebrate the day, the temple invited the nearby dignitaries to a commemorative event.

So Yeowol was one of the invited guests.

“Amitabha Buddha! Welcome, everyone. We sincerely welcome your visit.”

An elderly monk, the first abbot of the Heavenly Temple, greeted the guests.

“Thank you for inviting us to such an important occasion.”

“The temple is truly magnificent. We sincerely wish you prosperity for a hundred or a thousand years.”

The dignitaries offered compliments to the elderly monk.

They instinctively knew.

The Heavenly Origin Temple would become the center of the religion.

Behind the temple, there was a massive force called the New Moon Manor. New Moon Manor wouldn’t have built such a huge temple without a reason.

The dignitaries believed that New Moon Manor would use the huge Heavenly Origin Temple to promote something, so they felt fortunate to be invited to the first day of the temple’s opening.

Being invited on the first day was proof that they were special.

Only one hundred people were invited today.

They happily followed the abbot to the Great Hall of the Heavenly Origin Temple

So Yeowol and Song Cheonwoo trailed behind them at the rear. When a fork in the road appeared, they quietly slipped onto a side path.

Unlike the first-time guests today, they had already been to the Heavenly Origin Temple many times before, so they knew the inner structure very well.

Suddenly, So Yeowol opened her mouth.

“You said Manslaughter is on the move?”

“He must have entered Soyang by now.”

“You did well. But how did you get him to move?”

“It wasn’t as difficult as I thought. When I mentioned that the person who destroyed the Unreturnable prison might have entered Soyang, he rushed there without hesitation.”

“Really?”

“He usually thinks a lot, but once he’s fixated on something, he becomes blindly committed, which makes him not so difficult to manipulate.”

“That’s good.”

“If Pyo Wol is really in Soyang, Manslaughter will surely find him.”

“Great!”

So Yeowol shook her head slightly.

How nice would it be if everything in the world went as planned? No matter how thoroughly you plan, one or two out of ten things will always be out of control.

It wasn’t for nothing that they say plans are made by people and success depends on the heavens.

Once the wheels were in motion, all we could do was wait for the good news.

Today, she had to put aside her worries and focus on the task at hand.

Gradually, So Yeowol’s face became noticeably tense.

That meant she was nervous.

The same went for Song Cheonwoo.

The secret place they had arrived at was the darkest space in the Heavenly Origin Temple.

Surrounded by a high wall, there was a small moonlit gate at the entrance to the secret place.

Swoosh!

The moment the two arrived in front of the moonlit gate, without a sound or a trace, a group of white-robed martial artists appeared.

They surrounded So Yeowol and Song Cheonwoo.

“White Ghost Squad.

Song Cheonwoo’s eyes grew cold.

They were the bodyguards of the master.

Their exact power level and numbers were unknown.

These shadow-like beings had no information about them disclosed to the public.

Their martial arts skills and stealth abilities were extraordinary enough to make even Song Cheonwoo, a well-known figure in the world, nervous.

The members of the “White Ghost Squad” all had their faces covered with white cloth.

As a result, it was impossible to distinguish their appearances no matter how many times they were seen.

The leader of the unit spoke to So Yeowol.

“Master is waiting for you. Please come in.”

“Thank you.”

So Yeowol nodded slightly and moved forward.

Song Cheonwoo followed her as if it was natural.

At that moment, the leader of the unit blocked his way.

“Only the lady is allowed in.”

“I am her escort.”

“No one else is allowed inside except those who are allowed.”

Song Cheonwoo’s gaze grew colder.

The leader stared back at him without blinking an eye.

“There are no exceptions.”

“I’ll go in alone.”

The one who answered was not Song Cheonwoo, but So Yeowol.

“Yeowol?”

“It’ll be fine. Don’t worry.”

After showing a smile to Song Cheonwoo, So Yeowol went inside.

Song Cheonwoo silently watched So Yeowol’s retreating figure.

Inside the hidden area, there was a small temple.

The door to the temple, which didn’t even have a signboard, was wide open.

So Yeowol entered the temple without hesitation.

In the center of the temple, there was a large Buddha statue.

The floor beneath the statue was wide open. In the open space was a staircase leading to the basement.

So Yeowol naturally went down the stairs.

After going down for a while, a vast underground space appeared.

There were two torches hanging on the wall.

Although the underground room was too large to be lit by just two torches, it was enough for So Yeowol.

With only a faint light, she could see through the darkness.

In the middle of the underground space, there was a man sitting.

So Yeowol quietly approached the man.

The man’s back was quite small.

However, So Yeowol couldn’t dare to look down on him.

As she looked at the man’s back, her eyes swirled with a myriad of emotions. She struggled to suppress them and took control.

“I am the girl Yeowol.”

“Have you come?”

The man replied and gestured.

So Yeowol cautiously approached the man’s side.

Despite her arrival, the man didn’t even glance at her and just stared straight ahead.

His gaze was fixed on a steel cage as thick as a child’s arm.

The steel cage was made of the strongest iron, which was ranked among the top three in the world.

Inside the steel bars, there was a figure sitting cross-legged.

It was an old woman with snow-white hair.

The old woman seemed to be in so much pain that she clenched her eyes and gritted her teeth.

Her arms and legs were bound by thick iron chains.

The chains restraining her were also made of the strongest iron.

So Yeowol cautiously asked the man.

“Is there still no progress?”

“The madness is getting worse.”

“What about the Buddhist sutras brought from Chengdu?”

“It’s the only thing keeping her going. If it weren’t for it, she would have been released already.”

“Hmm!”

When So Yeowol sighed, the man turned his head to look at her.

He was in his early to mid-fifties and had a dignified face.

“What’s the matter?”

“Nothing.”

“Speak, Yeowol!”

“I have mobilized Manslaughter.”

“Is something wrong?”

The man’s voice deepened.

For a moment, So Yeowol felt goosebumps all over her body.

Although he was now taking care of the old woman locked in the steel bars in the Heavenly Origin Temple, he was one of the supreme beings who moved the world.

With his power, it was possible for him to make So Yeowol disappear without anyone knowing.

Although she was confident in her abilities, she still felt a little nervous in the presence of the man next to her.

So Yeowol spoke cautiously.

“There is a problem.”

“Problem big enough to mobilize Manslaughter?”

“It’s a problem involving the Reaper.”

“Pyo Wol?”

“Yes!”

“Hmm!”

This time, the man let out a sigh.

So Yeowol just looked at the man without saying a word.

After a long time had passed, the man finally spoke.
“Can you handle him with just one Manslaughter?”

“It won’t be easy.”

“You know that, and still sent Manslaughter? Are you trying to use the killing machines?”

“No way. We need at least Manslaughter to draw him out from hiding.”

“So you’re using Manslaughter as bait.”

The man’s gaze became more intense.

So Yeowol felt a burning pain in her eyes just by looking into his eyes.

It was truly a fearsome aura.

So Yeowol gritted her teeth.

‘I’ve tried so hard, but I still can’t reach him.’

The man’s name was Go Jang-myeong.

He was the master of New Moon Manor, one of the three great manors, and the ruler of the Underground. But Go Jang-myeong kept himself hidden.

What the world knew of him was only the tip of the iceberg.

Go Jang-myeong’s hidden side was more terrifying than what was shown outwardly.

So Yeowol tried to speak calmly.

“I don’t know what will happen when he arrives in Giyang, where the New Moon Manor is located. We absolutely need Manslaughter to find him before that.”

“You’re scared.”

“What?”

“You’re scared of him. Like a dog that’s been beaten…”

“Who’s scared? I’m not afraid of anyone.”

“Then why did you move Manslaughter at your own discretion? Why didn’t you step up yourself?”

“You’re the one who taught me that it’s much more efficient to move others to bleed than to get blood on your own hands. I’m just doing what you taught me.”

“Are you serious?”

“I’m always sincere. Father!”

“Father… It’s been a long time since I heard that. So what do you want?”

“Please give me the authority to move the Guryong (Nine Dragons).”

“You want something you can’t handle.”

“We’ll see if I can handle it or not.”

“No, you can’t. The Nine Dragons are too big and powerful for a brat like you to handle.”

“Father!”

“Be quiet. It’s hard to manage if my mother has a seizure.”

Go Jang-myeong’s gaze turned to the old woman.

Sure enough.

The old woman was shivering as if she was about to have a seizure any moment.

If they continued to make a fuss, the madness she was barely suppressing would explode.

“I cannot summon all of the nine dragons. Instead, I’ll give you the authority to move the Red King.”

“The Red King?”

“Yes, the strongest of the new generation, the Red King, is in the manor.”