Chapter 163. Wishing for Someone Like That
Eun Wol, playing the zither, cast a furtive glance towards Yeon Jeokha.
Originally, she had no intention of boarding this ship.
She came to play the zither at the request of the brothel she regularly attended, and thus ended up here.
At first, she blamed the heavens.
But now, she was grateful to have met Yeon Jeokha.
The melody "High Mountain Stream" has a story.
Once, she heard from her master the story about the "High Mountain Stream with a Knowledgeable Friend" (高山流水有知音).
In the era of the Warring States, there was a man named Baek Ah who was a master of the zither.
One day, he met Jong Ja Gi.
When Baek Ah played thinking of the mountains, Jong Ja Gi said he could see the mountains.
When he played thinking of a river, Jong Ja Gi said it seemed as though a river was flowing before his eyes.
Baek Ah believed that Jong Ja Gi understood his music, and he accepted him as a close friend.
They agreed to meet again the following year at the same place.
But when Baek Ah returned to the agreed spot, he could not find Jong Ja Gi.
She had fallen ill and passed away.
Baek Ah broke the strings of his zither and never played it again.
When Eun Wol first heard this story, she wished to have someone like that in her life.
She wanted to play her music not for the entertainment of a crowd, but for a single person.
Like Baek Ah, she wished to carry someone in her heart.
It didn’t matter if it was a friend or a lover; she simply wanted to live that way.
Perhaps this was the dream not only of Eun Wol but of all the artists wandering through the brothels.
With all her heart and soul, she finished her performance.
The people were mesmerized by the power of the zither and couldn’t regain their senses for a moment.
Eun Wol quietly put away her zither and withdrew without saying a word.
While the others were still in a trance, Yoo Geun Sik exclaimed.
"Wow! Although it’s not the first time I’ve heard a zither, that performance was incredible!"
"Right? It felt as if she was speaking directly to my heart. She’s not an ordinary girl."
Jin Seolha looked at Eun Wol with surprised eyes.
It was the same feeling one gets when seeing someone who has reached the pinnacle of martial arts. Considering she was barely in her early twenties, her talent was astonishing.
Namgung Cheon, the Blue Cloud Swordsman, also commented.
"It’s true. The expression 'touching the heart' fits perfectly. I’ve heard many performances, but none like this. Eun Wol, huh…"
"Does Young Master Namgung visit brothels often?"
At Jin Seolha's question, Namgung Cheon quickly waved his hands.
"No, not at all. I’ve only attended a few gatherings with friends about ten years ago."
Jin Seolha laughed and continued to tease him, enjoying his discomfort.
Yeon Jeokha, observing the conversation between them, turned his gaze toward the bow.
In the distance, he could see the lights on the lakeshore.
A breeze blew from somewhere, ruffling his hair.
The night wind was refreshing, a sign that spring had ended.
‘Haa! Half a year has passed already.’
He never imagined that he would be wandering in the world of the heroes of the Justice Alliance.
Today, once again, he had killed someone.
Even though his victim was a villain who deserved to die, the last moments in their eyes weighed heavily on his soul.
Killing a rabid dog was already disturbing, but killing a person was even more so.
The only advantage was that the end of this road was in sight.
Namgung Yeon approached Yeon Jeokha, who was standing against the wind.
"What are you thinking about?"
"The Daebyeol Stronghold. Do you know anything about it?"
"Yes. From Seohwa Village in Xinyang, Henan Province, it’s about twenty li to the northeast, in the Huangshan Mountains. The Daebyeol Stronghold is there."
"Why is it called the Great Daebyeol Stronghold if it’s in the Huangshan Mountains?"
"The Daebyeol Range spans the provinces of Hunan, Henan, and Hebei. Huangshan is one of those mountains. Perhaps the bandits dreamed of dominating all three provinces, so they chose that name."
"They’re bandits with grand ambitions."
"How was it in the Five Peaks Stronghold?"
"The Boss was modest. He only charged a tael of silver to the merchants passing through. Some bandits complained that it was too little. Though the merchants thought it was too much and tried to deceive us."
"Oh! What an admirable person."
"Ehh, still a bandit, not admirable. He was just less greedy compared to other bandits."
"They took an opposite path from the Great Daebyeol Stronghold."
"Now that I think about it, yes. The Boss always said it was better not to draw attention and last longer. He said attracting attention would only bring extermination squads."
"How wise! I’m glad you had that influence."
Namgung Yeon genuinely thought so. If Yeon Jeokha had been associated with crueler bandits, he might have been a very different person. That’s why she felt grateful to Pung Yeoncho.
"I think so too. I learned a lot from them about how to survive in this world. But, Sister."
"Yes?"
"Won’t the Daebyeol Stronghold be dangerous?"
"It will."
"Right? I was surprised that Dongho knew about me. Until now, the other Bosses didn’t know anything about me."
"There are many merchants traveling between Wuhan, Zhengzhou, and Luoyang. They didn’t know before because we arrived before the rumors spread. Now, almost everyone must know about you. We’ve traveled half the continent eastward."
"That means Yoomyung Cult will also know."
"Yes."
"If Yoomyung Cult is looking for me, there will be a big fight at the Great Daebyeol Stronghold, right?"
"If they’re looking for you."
Namgung Yeon nodded.
To reach the Great Daebyeol Stronghold, they would have to travel fifteen days north from Wuhan.
That would give Yoomyung Cult plenty of time to prepare.
"What do you think Yoomyung Cult will do?"
"If there hasn’t been talk of monsters in the Murim world until now, it’s because you’re the first to kill a Demon Warrior. Do you think Yoomyung Cult will remain silent after such a loss?"
Namgung Yeon posed the question for Yeon Jeokha to consider.
"No, I don’t think so."
For a moment, Yeon Jeokha's eyes gleamed with determination.
The truth was, he wasn’t afraid of Yoomyung Cult, whether they prepared or not. If the situation became unsustainable, he could simply use his escape technique and flee.
The problem was Shim Tong, Namgung Cheon, Namgung Yeon, and Seol Chasu’s group.
They could be caught by the Demon Warriors.
"That’s why I think it’s better for me to go to the Great Daebyeol Stronghold alone."
"…"
Namgung Yeon didn’t respond immediately.
It pained and saddened her, but she also understood. He was right. If three or more Demon Warriors appeared, Seol Chasu’s group would surely die.
"The Seol Chasu group has already gathered enough information about the Demon Warriors. I don’t think they need to risk themselves any further. I don’t want to see innocent people die in vain. Nor do I want Big Brother Cheon or you to get hurt."
After thinking for a moment, Namgung Yeon responded.
"Then at least let’s go together to Seohwa Village. You’ll need someone to guide you. And…"
She paused for a moment.
"Yes?"
"You don’t need to risk so much. Not even the Heaven Destroyer Demon Lord could handle three Demon Warriors. Even if you flee, he couldn’t blame you."
"I know. I don’t want to risk my life on this."
"…"
Namgung Yeon suddenly looked at Yeon Jeokha.
The expression "on this" made her feel distant.
Even Seol Chasu’s group was willing to risk their lives to gather information about the Demon Warriors. They were ready to do anything for justice in the Murim.
But Yeon Jeokha was devaluing his own mission.
Even though he was doing it under the orders of the Heaven Destroyer Demon Lord, it was a noble act.
Namgung Yeon, raised in the Great Namgung Family, hoped that Yeon Jeokha would follow a righteous path.
The ship arrived at the dock of Dongho Stronghold.
When Yeon Jeokha and his group disembarked, Jeong Sang Baek ran after them.
"Grand Inspector, I’ll guide you to the Boss’s pavilion."
"No, tell Lee Sa to bring the carriage."
"It’s late; you should stay and rest."
"It’s fine. There’s an inn nearby. Don’t worry. The food at the inn is better."
"But..."
Jeong Sang Baek couldn’t understand.
Even though the food at the inn might be better, here they had a great variety of drinks and women.
‘Do they prefer food over drinks and women?’
While Jeong Sang Baek remained puzzled, Shim Tong spoke.
"Jeong Sang Baek, right?"
"Yes."
"I should call you Boss now, right? Boss, don’t make me repeat things. If the Grand Inspector says he’s leaving, he’s leaving. If you’re so concerned, give him the money for the inn."
"Oh! Yes, yes. Wait a moment. I’ll prepare everything you’ve asked for."
Jeong Sang Baek, bowing, hurried away.
Yeon Jeokha looked at Shim Tong in amazement.
"Old Shim, why are you asking for so much money? You can’t take it with you when you die."
"Heh heh, old men without money are pathetic. You, being young, shine without money, but old men without money are miserable."
"Tch! What nonsense."
Eun Wol, watching the conversation, chimed in.
"Well, I know a good inn in Dongdu Village. If you plan to go there, can I guide you?"
"That’s fine."
Yeon Jeokha didn’t refuse the offer.
Anyway, they needed a nearby place to spend the night.
‘If an artist from Dongho recommends an inn, it must be decent.’
Despite the late hour, they could get a good dinner.
As Yeon Jeokha thought this, a two-horse carriage approached.
Yeon Jeokha's group bid farewell to the new Boss Jeong Sang Baek and left Dongho Stronghold.
Eun Wol sat between the coachman Lee Sa and Seol Chasu.
Seeing the artists and musicians walking in the dark in the distance, Seol Chasu exclaimed.
"Oh! They must have a long way to go. There's no place to take them. What a pity."
Eun Wol responded coldly.
"After what they did to me today, they deserve a bit of suffering."
"What happened on the ship?"
"When the Boss tried to vi*late me, those girls prepared the bed for him. The musicians prevented me from exposing his lies."
"Oh! Did that really happen? I thought the girls in the brothels were close. Isn’t that so?"
"Yes. There’s some distance between the girls who sell their bodies and artists like me. But the other girls weren’t like that…"
Eun Wol was still resentful of what had happened on the ship.
Even though she met Yeon Jeokha because of it, the betrayal of her companions still hurt her.
"Is this your first time at Dongho Stronghold?"
"Yes, I’ve never been here before. I was going to come with Lady Hwang, but she fell ill, and I had to replace her…"
Eun Wol shook her head, recalling what she didn’t want to think about.
Under the moonlight, after about twenty minutes of travel, houses began to appear.
"We’re almost there. A little more, and we’ll be in Dongdu."
Eun Wol's voice sounded more lively.
Observing the surroundings under the moonlight, Eun Wol suddenly asked.
"Young Warrior Seol, what kind of person is Young Master Yeon?"
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