Chapter 347: Tell Me Your Story

TL: FoodieMonster007

"Are we just going to leave those two be?" First Wolf asked on the way back to the Evil Alliance Headquarters.

Bi Sayin had sent Geom Mugeuk to Pyo Jigwang as a bodyguard but had given no further orders.

"The Young Cult Leader will take care of it."

His statement wasn't born of indifference, but of faith. He believed that if Geom Mugeuk couldn't find out, no one could.

First Wolf, who had watched silently, finally voiced his concerns.

"I know the Young Cult Leader of the Demonic Cult is a remarkable person, but please don't trust him too much. No matter what he says or does, in the end, he's nothing more than a demon."

First Wolf held a deep-seated distrust of demonic people. Besides, the relationship between Bi Sayin and Geom Mugeuk was abnormal.

"I will."

Bi Sayin understood First Wolf's worry and readily accepted his concern. He knew a long-held prejudice was not likely to change in an instant.

"First Wolf."

"Yes, Young Alliance Chairman."

"First Wolf, what's the most memorable moment of your life as a martial artist?"

The sudden question flustered First Wolf.

"I don't think I've ever thought about that question before."

"Think about it now."

First Wolf paused, lost in thought. He followed the stream of time back, recalling a moment that shone dazzlingly in the sunlight.

"I think it was when I first became one of the Thirteen Evil Wolves."

He remembered his happiness then. Many things happened after that. He achieved great merits and earned a lot of money, but he never felt as happy as he did in that moment.

"I started as the youngest of the Thirteen Wolves, and before I knew it, I became the First Wolf."

"How long has it been since you became one of the Thirteen Evil Wolves?"

"It's been twenty-nine years."

"We'll have to hold a celebration for your thirtieth anniversary next year."

First Wolf's face flushed slightly.

"But why did you ask me that?"

"Because for me, that time feels like right now. Even if thirty years pass, when I look back on the most memorable moment of my life, I think it will be now."

This very moment, riding a carriage through the Central Plains with the Young Cult Leader of the Demonic Cult and the successor of the orthodox sects. This very moment, uncovering a conspiracy with the Young Cult Leader of the Demonic Cult. Would anything this exciting and thrilling ever happen again?

"Still, don't worry too much. I'm not the type of person to wholeheartedly trust and become completely absorbed in someone."

First Wolf knew a person's heart didn't always follow a plan.

However, he kept the thought to himself. He believed the problems from Bi Sayin never feeling like he was shining on his own would be just as significant as any trouble caused by the Young Cult Leader of the Demonic Cult.

Looking more radiant than ever, Bi Sayin strode forward.

"Let's go. We have a lot to do as well."

Pyo Jigwang glanced at the young man following him.

When their eyes met, the young man smiled brightly. It was, of course, Geom Mugeuk.

Poor bastard, he doesn't even know what predicament he's in.

His young, handsome face was too precious to die.

"What's your name?"

"It's Geom Yeon. The 'Yeon' is from the character for smoke. It's Geom Yeon because I'll disappear like smoke when our meeting is over."

Pyo Jigwang judged the young man's personality from the unprompted explanation.

How naive.

Perhaps because an assassin had nearly killed him, the words 'disappear like smoke' resonated deeply with Pyo Jigwang today.

"Do you know why you have to protect me?"

"I have a general idea."

"That assassin from before might come to kill me again. Aren't you afraid?"

Geom Mugeuk lightly tapped his sword, confident in his own skills.

The sword was tightly wrapped in blood-stained bandages. Pyo Jigwang didn't know what kind of sword it was or what bandages were wrapped around it, so he dismissed the gesture as childish confidence.

"How long have you been serving the Young Alliance Chairman?"

"A few days."

It was not a lie. He had only started wearing the clothes of the Thirteen Evil Wolves a few days ago.

Pyo Jigwang frowned.

I was planning to die a magnificent death alone, but now it looks like I'll die with a rookie burden attached to me.

Pyo Jigwang's house was on the outskirts, not far from the Headquarters. A mountain stood behind the house, and a stream flowed nearby.

Though it was in a scenic location, his house felt devoid of warmth. There was no food, and the bedding looked like it hadn't been washed in ages. It was the thin kind he used in summer. It clearly showed what his usual life was like.

"I only come here to sleep sometimes, so there's nothing here."

He lay down on the bed.

"You don't need to protect me."

Pyo Jigwang was certain this young man could not protect him alone. Several martial artists had pursued the assassin and failed to catch him.

If the Young Alliance Chairman was truly worried about me, he would have left more martial artists.

He must have realized how skilled the assassin was after their clash. He probably left only this young man, thinking that even a group of subordinates would all die anyway.

The thought made him feel the young man was just as pathetic and pitiful as his own soon-to-be-dead self.

"Please get some sleep."

After a brief farewell, Geom Mugeuk went outside.

Pyo Jigwang tossed and turned, unable to fall asleep.

Various emotions he had not felt in the earlier chaos now washed over him. He was prepared for death, but fear still crept in as its approach became real.

"I need you for the sake of the Alliance."

He remembered the man's expression when he entrusted him with the job.

At first, he refused.

"I'm already a broken man. Please find someone else."

"That's why I chose you. No one will figure out this operation."

Honestly, he felt bad that he was chosen because he was broken, but in the end, he accepted. He said it was out of loyalty, but it was actually for himself. He wanted to show those who had looked down on him that he was doing something more valuable than them. It was a secret operation, so he could not say it, but he wanted to scream it in his heart.

Go ahead and look down on me all you want! I'm doing something a hundred times more important than you are.

Perhaps that person had anticipated these feelings of his.

After that, he lived diligently and did as he was told.

But now that the secret was revealed, they were trying to kill him off so easily.

If the man had come in person and tried to kill him while saying something like, 'I'm sorry, it can't be helped,' he would not have felt so sorrowful.

He would have smiled and died willingly, but they just sent an assassin to kill him without a word? He wasn't angry they were trying to kill him. He was angry they treated him as insignificant in the process.

It wasn't for you. It was out of loyalty to the Alliance.

In the end, he was so disappointed that he had to console himself like this.

Pyo Jigwang dreamed of being chased by assassins.

In his dream, he was neither calm nor bold. He ran through the mountains to escape the killing intent, dug into the ground to hide, and even concealed himself in foul-smelling filth.

Then, he woke up at dawn.

A thick cotton blanket covered him, though he did not know when it had been placed there. It seemed the young bodyguard had found it and covered him.

Pyo Jigwang got out of bed and walked to the window.

Geom Mugeuk stood alone in the yard, looking up at the night sky. A pang of guilt struck Pyo Jigwang when he saw him standing guard, sleepless.

Sensing his presence, Geom Mugeuk turned towards him. "Are you awake?"

"Aren't you cold?"

"I'm fine."

He said he was fine, but the midwinter dawn wind was bitterly cold.

"What were you thinking about?"

"I was thinking about people."

"……"

"People who I think might be thinking of me at least once."

Geom Mugeuk thought of people whose names would make Pyo Jigwang faint, and of someone currently enjoying a once-in-a-lifetime vacation.

Pyo Jigwang leaned against the window and asked. "What's your family like?"

"I have a father and an older brother."

"Your mother?"

"She passed away when I was young."

"Your father must have had a hard time raising you boys. How is he now? He must be happy you joined the Evil Alliance, right?"

If he heard the news that I left home and came to the Evil Alliance, he'd be wearing that characteristic sneer of his.

"He probably doesn't like it."

"……"

"He hates the Evil Alliance."

Pyo Jigwang smiled faintly, since it was the same for him. His parents had strongly disapproved of him joining the Evil Alliance and had begged him to join the Murim Alliance instead. They did not know how wicked their son was.

"The dawn wind is cold, so come inside. If you can protect me from out there, you can protect me from in here too. Come in."

Geom Mugeuk came inside, feigning reluctance.

"I'll just warm myself up for a moment and then go back out."

"There's nothing better for warming up."

He found some alcohol. In a house with nothing to eat, there was alcohol.

"Do you like to drink?"

"I do."

He could have refused, saying he was on duty. Pyo Jigwang felt the young man was honest with his feelings, perhaps a trait of his generation's martial artists.

Pyo Jigwang poured Geom Mugeuk a cup of alcohol and filled his own.

He might die before seeing the morning sun. It would not be strange if hidden weapons flew through that window right now. If not today, then tomorrow, or within a few days. At this rate, he would die together with this young man.

Pyo Jigwang emptied his cup first, and Geom Mugeuk followed suit.

"I don't want to sound like I'm nagging, but you shouldn't carelessly drink alcohol given to you by others. What would you do if it was poisoned?"

"I'll be careful from now on."

He felt good when the young man readily agreed. He missed such a natural reaction. No one had treated him properly for the past ten years, though he knew he had brought it on himself.

"After I got injured, everything changed. My life, my surroundings, everything changed. Those who didn't dare to even meet my eyes started glaring at me. Those pieces of trash."

"Not all of them were trash. The trash must have blinded you, preventing you from seeing what was important."

Pyo Jigwang looked at Geom Mugeuk with an expression that said, 'What do you know?'

"I'm sorry. I overstepped. It's just that for me, the memory of someone cursing and yelling at me lasts longer than praise."

Pyo Jigwang could not completely deny his words. There were certainly people who had genuinely cared for him back then, but they had all disappeared while he was busy hating and resenting those who looked down on him.

"Speak honestly. What orders did the Young Alliance Chairman give you? He told you to find out a person's name from me, didn't he?"

"……"

Geom Mugeuk answered readily. Pyo Jigwang expected him to feign ignorance. The unexpected reaction defied his expectations. This young man kept surprising him.

"You'll never hear it from me. So give up."

"The reason you're hiding it, Commander, must be out of loyalty to the Alliance. It's the same for me. We're just being loyal in our own ways."

The word 'loyalty' felt foreign to him today. It was probably because a thought kept popping into his head.

You and I, we've both been abandoned.

He felt like a ghost. The person was abandoned, and only loyalty remained, drifting aimlessly. Pyo Jigwang took a drink, with that ghost as his side dish.

"If I were you, I would have run away."

Pyo Jigwang wanted to die alone. He wanted to board the boat to the afterlife alone and with composure. He did not want to apologize to this young man who was already on board.

"I would have made up any excuse to run."

Then, Geom Mugeuk suddenly asked him.

"I heard you were the Commander of the Black Dragon Brigade."

"I was."

"What was it like back then?"

"What was it like?"

"I heard that in the past, the Black Dragon Brigade fought against the Murim Alliance at Sin Yapyeong despite being outnumbered and won a great victory."

"How did you know that?"

"It's a famous story, isn't it?"

Pyo Jigwang's eyes trembled slightly.

"Yes, I was there too. It was when I was a rookie, just like you."

"I'm curious. About the battle that day."

The story he had been proudly telling at the banquet earlier was also about this battle at Sin Yapyeong, right before his former subordinate humiliated him.

It felt strange to see the young man ask about that time with sparkling eyes, especially after his recent humiliation.

"You wouldn't know since you've never fought in a real battle, but when you truly face an enemy, your heart pounds like it's going to explode."

"Were you afraid that day too?"

"I was. If my comrades and the Seniors weren't with me, I would have turned and run. It was especially true that day. From the far end of the plains, the bastards from the Murim Alliance were swarming in like a colony of ants…"

He recounted the battle of that day. As he spoke, he kept remembering the subordinate who had cornered him at the banquet.

He wondered if this young man sitting in front of him was bored on the inside, thinking of it as an old man's boast.

His fear was groundless, just an old man's anxiety. Geom Mugeuk listened to his story better than anyone. He did not just let it go in one ear and out the other. He listened intently, asked questions, and reacted enthusiastically.

As Geom Mugeuk listened to the glorified tale, he could tell this was the most brilliant and memorable moment of Pyo Jigwang's life.

The long story ended. Geom Mugeuk had been with him in that battle from beginning to end.

"Thank you. For listening."

"No, thank you for telling me. You were so cool."

The moment he heard those words, Pyo Jigwang felt an unknown emotion welling up inside him.

It was a story he had repeated many times after getting injured and stepping down from his position as Commander, but he had never felt such an overwhelming emotion.

He soon realized why. No one had ever listened to his story so seriously and with such excitement. Everyone else had been bored, listening only out of courtesy.

He realized today that what he had longed for for so long was to see someone listen to his story with such sincerity.

Because after he got injured, that was the only thing he could do.

When Pyo Jigwang opened his eyes, he found himself lying in bed.

When did I fall asleep?

He was covered with a blanket again. The young man outside must have taken care of him.

Sunlight streamed brightly through the window. He had survived, for now.

Getting out of bed, he looked out the window and saw Geom Mugeuk standing in the yard. It seemed he had been standing there all night.

"Aren't you hungry?"

"I am hungry."

At the honest answer, Pyo Jigwang came outside with a disheveled face.

"Let's go get something to eat."

The two of them left the house and started walking towards the market.

Pyo Jigwang said abruptly.

"We're like fish caught in a net. We don't know when the fisherman will pull it up. You should at least get out. There's still a chance."

That net won't be an ordinary one. Unless the demonic, orthodox and unorthodox surround the perimeter in three layers.

"You know, don't you? To ask my fisherman not to lift the net, you have to tell me the name."

Pyo Jigwang silently shook his head.

Geom Mugeuk seemed to expect this and wasn't disappointed at all. Instead, he smiled brightly.

"Then please tell me another story. I want to hear more of your stories, Senior."