Chapter 166. I'll Tell You Later
After a chaotic night, morning arrived.
Yeon Jeokha headed to the dining hall as soon as he woke up.
Already there were Shim Tong, Namgung Cheon, Namgung Yeon, and Seol Chasu’s group.
Yeon Jeokha sat next to Old Shim as usual.
“Young Master, did you sleep well last night?”
At Old Shim’s question, everyone stopped what they were doing and looked at Yeon Jeokha.
Although it was a customary greeting, the people’s eyes were filled with curiosity.
Yeon Jeokha nodded absentmindedly.
“Yes.”
When he responded nonchalantly, everyone went back to focusing on their meals.
For a while, no one spoke.
The sound of utensils clinking against plates echoed in the silence.
As they were about to finish eating, Eun Wol appeared.
Her face was pale, probably due to the distress from the previous night.
“I have to get to work, so I came to say goodbye. I hope everything goes well with your plans. I will never forget your kindness.”
After saying this, she bowed respectfully and left without looking back.
The atmosphere turned awkward.
Then, Old Shim made a cheeky remark.
“Young Master, it seems you have great vitality. The young lady seems to have run out of strength.”
“Haha!”
“Hahaha!”
Namgung Cheon and Namgung Yeon couldn’t hold back their laughter.
Seol Chasu’s group didn’t dare laugh out loud, but their shoulders shook with suppressed laughter.
Only Jin Seolha was drinking tea with a somber expression.
It seemed it was time for her to stop being interested in Yeon Jeokha. If he had been interested in her, he wouldn’t have spent the night with Eun Wol.
The tea tasted bitter that day.
Suddenly, Jin Seolha looked at Namgung Yeon.
Could it be because she was an extraordinary person?
Namgung Yeon was smiling brightly, as if she didn’t care about what had happened with Yeon Jeokha. Evidently, she didn’t see Yeon Jeokha as a man.
‘She really knows when to stop and when to move on.’
A man like Yeon Jeokha was worthy of interest, but she couldn’t understand how Namgung Yeon could be so indifferent.
Samrijin, Northeast of Wuhan.
Around noon.
The carriage carrying Yeon Jeokha and his group stopped by the river.
Shortly after, the coachman Lee Sa, looking at Seol Chasu, said:
“Sir, it seems this is the Seogang River the villagers mentioned. I’m not sure if there’s a boat nearby to cross.”
“Let’s find out.”
Lee Sa and Seol Chasu got off the carriage and walked towards the river.
Fortunately, there was a wooden pier nearby.
As they approached, they saw six people waiting for their turn.
Lee Sa looked at the river with an incredulous expression.
“Wow! That looks more like a raft than a boat.”
“That’s right. Do you think the carriage could fit on that?”
“I don’t think so. We’ll have to take the carriage and the horses separately.”
Lee Sa shook his head.
The raft looked too narrow to carry both the carriage and the horses together.
“Then we’ll have to cross in two trips.”
As the two planned how to cross the river, they heard the sound of horse hooves.
A group of people arrived at the pier.
A middle-aged man dismounted from his horse and approached the pier.
His saber hung from his waist, clinking with each step.
The people waiting lowered their heads, avoiding eye contact with him.
The man, Jong Daseo of Jihokdo, spoke to the crowd.
“We are from the Cheongsan Sect. We need to cross the river urgently, so please make way.”
Without waiting for a response, he signaled his group.
About ten riders approached slowly.
The villagers retreated, fearing they might be trampled by the horses.
Jong Daseo approached the two men still standing on the pier.
“Excuse me. I am Jong Daseo from the Cheongsan Sect. Who are you?”
Looking suspiciously at Seol Chasu and Lee Sa, Jong Daseo asked.
Seol Chasu looked at the Cheongsan Sect group and replied.
“I am Seol Chasu. It seems that you can’t cross all at once either. Our group can’t wait long, so let’s cross in the order we arrived.”
Jong Daseo’s gaze shifted to the sword at Seol Chasu’s waist.
He seemed like an expert, standing firm against so many warriors.
“Does your group include that carriage?”
“Yes.”
At that moment, Yeon Jeokha and his group stepped out of the carriage.
Seeing six warriors from the Murim, Jong Daseo’s face darkened.
They could be allies of the Heukwoon Sect, with whom the Cheongsan Sect was at war on the other side of the river. They were on a support mission, so the unknown warriors made him nervous.
Hesitant, Jong Daseo cautiously asked.
“I haven’t seen you before. What brings you here?”
Seol Chasu noticed the concern in Jong Daseo’s eyes and decided to clarify the situation.
“We are from the Justice Alliance. We are returning to Jeongju, also known as Zhengzhou, after completing a mission.”
Upon hearing “Justice Alliance,” Jong Daseo’s face relaxed.
“Ah! It’s an honor to meet members of the Justice Alliance. In that case, you should cross first.”
Although Jong Daseo belonged to a lower-ranking sect, he treated the Justice Alliance with great respect. The Alliance still dominated the Murim, so it was natural.
Bowing to Seol Chasu, Jong Daseo led his group further back.
Shortly after, the raft on the other side of the river returned.
First, they crossed with the carriage and Yeon Jeokha, Old Shim, and the Namgung siblings.
Then, Seol Chasu, Lee Sa, and the two horses crossed.
Without wasting time, Lee Sa tied the horses to the carriage.
As the raft returned, Seol Chasu murmured.
“I heard that the Cheongsan Sect and the Heukwoon Sect are at war.”
“Why are they fighting now?”
Namgung Cheon, always interested in conflicts within the Murim, asked.
Jin Seolha, who was nearby, quickly responded.
“They support different Chambers of Commerce, and those Chambers are in conflict. It’s a struggle for market control.”
“Wow! It seems there are commercial conflicts everywhere lately.”
“Maybe it’s because the Justice Alliance is busy containing the Yoomyung Cult. No one mediates or resolves the conflicts, so the sects fight among themselves.”
As they talked, Lee Sa, from the coachman’s seat, shouted.
“Gentlemen, you can get on now!”
This time, Yoo Geun-sik sat next to Lee Sa.
When everyone boarded the carriage, Lee Sa drove it slowly.
Namgung Cheon and Jin Seolha continued talking about the situation in the Murim.
Seol Chasu, however, seemed uninterested.
Namgung Yeon, looking out the window, occasionally glanced at Jin Seolha.
It seemed she had lost interest in Yeon Jeokha after what happened with Eun Wol.
Now, she didn’t speak to Yeon Jeokha and only conversed with Namgung Cheon.
Even her seat had shifted a bit. Before, she sat opposite Yeon Jeokha, but now she was seated opposite Namgung Cheon.
Looking out the window, Namgung Yeon couldn’t help but laugh.
Evidently, she had misunderstood what had happened between him and Eun Wol.
She thought about clarifying it, but she decided to let it go.
“Why are you laughing, sister?”
“I’ll tell you later.”
Old Shim looked at Yeon Jeokha and Namgung Yeon curiously.
He couldn’t understand how Namgung Yeon could be so happy.
Considering her relationship with Yeon Jeokha, she should be reacting like Jin Seolha.
‘Wow, what a mystery!’
Old Shim shook his head, intrigued by what was going on in Namgung Yeon’s mind.
Forest by the Road.
Chun Sang-gong, leader of the Heukwoon Sect’s assassin unit, was completely silent.
He had received news from a spy in the Cheongsan Sect.
A team from the Cheongsan Sect had returned urgently from abroad.
His mission was to eliminate them all.
Chun Sang-gong, with an arrow on his bowstring, watched the road carefully.
The assassins in his unit were also ready, aiming their bows.
In the first attack, at least half of the enemies had to fall.
Only then could they minimize their losses and defeat the enemy.
How would they come?
On foot?
On horseback?
Or maybe…?
He watched the empty road, imagining the enemy’s arrival.
Then, he faintly heard the sound of hooves in the distance.
On horseback.
‘Damn…’
Chun Sang-gong swallowed hard.
Riders were harder to hit.
They were faster, and their movement made it difficult to aim.
He looked at his men; they all seemed nervous.
The goal now was to kill one or two in the first attack.
They would have to face the majority of the enemies.
But the chief’s order was clear.
They had to eliminate them here, at any cost.
Chun Sang-gong drew his bowstring, preparing to shoot.
A sharp whistle cut through the air as the arrow flew.
Yoo Geun-sik, sitting next to Lee Sa, was startled but quickly drew his sword.
Clang!
The arrow coming directly at them was cut down.
“Ambush!”
Swoosh! Swoosh!
With Yoo Geun-sik’s shout, a rain of arrows shot out from the forest.
But by then, he had already grabbed Lee Sa and jumped off the carriage.
Thud! Thud! Thud! Thud! Thud!
Five arrows embedded themselves in the coachman’s seat.
Yoo Geun-sik quickly dragged Lee Sa behind the carriage for cover.
All of this happened in the blink of an eye.
Breathing heavily behind the carriage, Yoo Geun-sik said:
“Hah, hah…”
The arrows stopped coming.
It seemed the attackers knew that shooting at the carriage was pointless.
Chun Sang-gong, watching the situation with frustration, caressed his arrow.
He had carefully planned an ambush, but it seemed he had achieved nothing.
‘Damn it, at least one…’
He just wanted to turn one into a pincushion.
After all the effort, he couldn’t leave without accomplishing anything.
Then, suddenly.
With a loud bang, someone broke through the carriage’s roof and leaped into the air.
‘Yes!’
Chun Sang-gong immediately fired upon seeing the enemy in the air.
His men also took the opportunity and shot their arrows.
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HIS (Novel)