Reaper of the Drifting Moon

The Jin family was blown away.

The warriors who fought against the Snow Sword Manor warriors in Runan were being carried on a stretcher.

“Ugh!”

“Damn… it!”

Some suffered serious injuries to the extent that they were unable to move, while others only suffered a little that they could still walk on their own feet.

With so many people injured, the Jin family quickly descends into mayhem.

“I’m sure it’s the Snow Sword Manor who started it first!”

“If we leave them like this then the warrior’s morale will go down!”

The warriors who joined the Jin family shouted in anger.

Their anger pressured Jin Siwoo.

Jin Siwoo asked his subordinate with a stiff face.

“How many people are injured?”

“There are more than seventy people in all. Twelve of them are seriously injured that they are in critical condition.”

“Hoo…”

“If we remain silent like this, it is certain that the morale of the warriors who have joined our family will fall to the ground. We should not sit still.”

At the words of his subordinate, Jin Siwoo closed his eyes.

Although the Jin family’s confrontation with Snow Sword Manor was getting worse, Jin Siwoo still believed that it was still possible to resolve the issue through dialogue. That’s why he was refraining from using force as much as possible. But he couldn’t do that anymore.

It was clear that many would doubt his leadership if he hesitated here.

“Send a messenger to the Snow Sword Manor and have him ask for an apology.”

“But they will never apologize.”

“It doesn’t matter. It’s to build a cause.”

“Ah!”

“Regardless of the Jin family’s situation, it’s essential for our side to show our willingness to solve the problem. That alone will make Jianghu warriors cheer and support our Jin family.”

“Okay. So who should I send as the messenger?”

“Send Uncle Yusang. He is a person who has clear judgment. He knows when to advance or to retreat, so he will surely be able to respond well.”

Jin Yusang belongs to the branch side of the Jin family, in terms of familial relationship, was Jin Siwoo’s uncle.

Although he seemed to have a mild and gentle personality, in reality, he has a strong personality and an excellent brain, so he is good at judging situations.

Jin Siwoo called him Uncle, while others called him Elder.

“Alright.”

The subordinate withdrew after answering.

Left alone, Jin Siwoo sighed.

“Phew! If only my brother was here.”

Jin Siwoo thought that if only his brother, Jin Geum-woo, was still alive and well, then their clan would not have been shaken so much.

He couldn’t get rid of the feeling that he was not enough to fill the void that his brother left.

Suddenly, two men came into his line of sight.

Pyo-wol and Namgung Wol.

The two of them had a close relationship with his older brother, Jin Geum-woo.

Namgung Wol was watching the wounded being brought in with a worried expression, while Pyo-wol had an indifferent look on his face. It was difficult to guess what he was thinking about.

Seeing them relieved his frustration a little.

Pyo-wol turned his head and looked at him, probably feeling Jin Siwoo’s gaze.

Their eyes met midair.

Pyo-wol did not say anything to Jin Siwoo. He just looked at him silently. But even that alone was enough for Jin Siwoo to feel his heart grow stronger.

It was a strange experience.

‘Was it this? Is this why he wanted to get close to him?’

Jin Siwoo had always thought that his brother was the strongest in the world.

Jin Geum-woo had never shown a staggering or wavering appearance. Because of that, many people believed and relied on him.

Jin Siwoo thought that it was just natural. However, now that he was in his brother’s shoes, he seemed to understand how lonely and difficult the path Jin Geum-woo had chosen.

He thought that this was the reason why Jin Geum-woo’s curiosity about Pyo-wol, whom Jin Geum-woo tried to rely on, grew.

They might have talked all night long, but Jin Siwoo had only heard stories about Jin Geum-woo, and nothing about Pyo-wol.

Jin Siwoo turned around, thinking that he should talk more with Pyo-wol later.

* * *

Pyo-wol looked at the warrior who groaned at his serious injuries.

A doctor came running to take care of him, because of his critical condition. The warrior had lost too much blood.

“Be patient.”

The doctor applied medicine to stop the bleeding and then tied a white cloth on the warrior’s wound. But it was not enough.

Blood still continued to flow out, staining the white cloth red. Eventually, the warrior who had lost too much blood, died.

“Oh my god!”

The doctor slumped and sat down as he watched the warrior die in front of him even after treating him.

No matter how familiar he is with death, the sight of a young warrior dying left a deep scar on the mind of the physician.

“Those wicked Snow Sword Manor bastards! I will never forgive them!”

A friend of a dead warrior screamed, the veins on his neck sticking out and throbbing.

“Blood for blood, a life for a life…”

“Blood for blood, a life for a life…”

The nearby warriors responded to his call.

Their cries spread all over the Jin manor.

Pyo-wol silently watched as the madness spread.

Madness makes a person lose their own sanity.

The madness emitted by the group even erases their fear, making them reckless.

That’s how things are right now.

The people who gathered to help the Jin family were dominated by madness. They were all shouting that they should rush in and fight the Snow Sword Manor right away.

Madness, once erupted, does not subside easily.

Whether it be young or old warriors, they were all engulfed in madness.

Those few warriors who maintained their reason only looked at them with a worried expression. They were unable to speak out.

‘Not only Runan, but the entire Henam might be swallowed up with this madness at this rate.’

Raised as an assassin, Pyo-wol was used to reading the flow.

The current atmosphere was not good.

These warriors were in too much of a hurry.

People’s opinions were far too one-sided. There were no objections, and only voices demanding to punish the Snow Sword Manor could be heard.

When opinions were lopsided like this, a big accident was bound to happen.

Pyo-wol shook his head slightly and returned to his residence.

Even though his door was closed, the maddening cries of the warriors continued to penetrate through the walls of his residence.

Pyo-wol chose to close his eyes and meditate.

After immersing himself in the Thunder-Splitting Cultivation Method, he was able to escape from the disturbance and bury himself in his own world.

Pyo-wol spent the night meditating like that. He only fell asleep around dawn.

He woke up just as the morning sun was rising in the eastern sky.

“The elder has returned.”

“Hurry and escort him to our lord.”

An urgent voice came from the outside.

Pyo-wol felt that something had happened again.

When he opened the door and went out, he saw an elderly man being carried on a stretcher. It was Jin Siwoo’s uncle who had been sent as a messenger to the Snow Sword Manor.

He was bleeding and breathing heavily.

“Uncle!”

After hearing the news, Jin Siwoo ran out.

Jin Yusang responded to Jin Siwoo’s voice,

“Si, Siwoo!”

“Yes, I’m here. How did this happen?”

“Keurgh! I got attacked by them.”

“They dare attack a messenger?”

“I don’t know how, but the Snow Sword Manor had the IOU.”

“IOU?”

“The Golden Mountain Manor handed over the IOU signed by our sect leader to the Snow Sword Manor. They forced me to repay the IOU.”

“I can’t believe them! The return date of the borrowed money is the last day of next month, but they have already handed it over to the Snow Sword Manor?”

“That’s right! When I asked for an apology, they showed me the IOU and forced me to pay it back. Then a conflict occurred.”

“Hmm…”

Jin Siwoo let out a quiet voice.

The IOU agreement with the Golden Mountain Manor was the Jin family’s weakness.

He wasn’t sure why his grandfather, Jin Wol-myeong, borrowed 10,000 gold coins from the Golden Mountain Manor, but by borrowing from them, they were at their mercy.

Of course, there was no guarantee that the IOU was genuine. It could have been forged. But, the authenticity of the IOU was of little importance.

As long as Snow Sword Manor had the IOU from the Golden Mountain Manor, then they have an excuse to pressure the Jin family.

“Damn it!”

Jin Siwoo cursed without realizing it.

He didn’t expect the situation to turn out like this.

No matter how much the Golden Mountain Manor is known to be blinded by money, they didn’t expect that they would really hand over the IOU certificate to Snow Sword Manor even when the return date hadn’t even come yet.

Jin Siwoo tried to control his expression and said to Jin Yusang,

“I’ll take care of this. You should go ahead uncle and get some treatment.”

“I don’t know how to face you. To come back empty-handed and injured like this without even receiving an apology.”

“No. Uncle did his best. I will take care of everything from now on—”

“Keugh!”

“What are you doing? Hurry up and bring uncle inside.”

At Jin Siwoo’s order, the warriors of the Jin family hurriedly moved Jin Yusang inside to get treated.

Pyo-wol witnessed the entire scene.

Namgung Wol and Oh Jugang soon approach him.

“The atmosphere is not good.”

“The flow has gone bad.”

They were all tactful given that they’re among the best warriors in Jianghu. They already sensed that the atmosphere had changed.

“Did they experience great difficulty for them to borrow money from the Golden Mountain Manor? Even so, why did they borrow from the Golden Mountain Manor?”

It was a fact known to all of Henan Province that the sect leader of the Golden Mountain Manor, was a money bug with no blood or tears.

He was the kind of person who would demand great interest among those who borrowed money from him. He would squeeze even the poorest people until they’re dry to get what he wanted in the end.

For that reason, it was an unwritten rule that no matter how desperate a person was for money, they should not seek the Golden Mountain Manor.

Although the Jin family’s household has become a little needy lately, it’s not to the point where they would seek the Golden Mountain Manor.

“Is there something we don’t know about?”

“Are they really having a hard time?”

Those who came to the Jin family to gain fame began to gossip.

They naturally thought that the Jin family would win, so they volunteered to help them. But this doesn’t mean that they feel a sense of duty or loyalty to them.

It was not strange that their hearts were shaken when they heard that the Jin manor was having a difficult time.

It was then.

“Come here.”

A voice filled with internal energy rang out from the entrance.

“Keugh!”

“Heuk!””

Warriors with weak internal energy felt as if their eardrums were being ripped apart after hearing the voice filled with powerful internal energy.

“What the hell–”

“Who is he—?””

Warriors with great endurance and strength ran towards the entrance.

A man and a woman were standing at the entrance of the Jin family.

One was an old man carrying a large spear on his shoulder, and the other was a slender woman.

The spear the man was holding was big and thick enough to hunt the legendary dragon.

The voice that struck the eardrums of the people gathered at the Jin family earlier came from the elderly man.

Although numerous people surrounded them, the man and woman did not feel intimidated. On the contrary, they even looked around with a smile on their lips.

Jin Siwoo broke through the people and approached them.

“Who are you?”

“We are from the Snow Sword Manor, young man!”

“Snow Sword Manor?”

“Yes. My name is Jang Gwang-san. Have you heard of it?”

“The dragon slayer?”

“Hehe! So you’ve heard of me. That’s right! I’m Jang Gwang-san, the dragon slayer.”

The middle-aged man looked around with a mad expression on his face.

The Dragon Slayer.1

It was a nickname that literally means a person who hunts dragons.

People weren’t sure if Jang Gwang-san had really hunted a dragon. After all, a dragon is a legendary beast so it was unknown whether it truly exists.

Jianghu had only given him such a nickname because of his appearance of freely using a huge spear that was big enough to hunt a dragon.

Jin Siwoo’s gaze turned to the woman next to Jang Gwang-san.

“Then you must be the manifestation witch?”

“That’s right. I’m Sa Ok-yeon.”

Sa Ok-yeon, the manifestation witch.

She was known to be ruthless to the extent that the word witch was her nickname. More than anything, what made her famous is that she and Jang Gwang-san are husband and wife.

The two of them were always stuck together as a pair. Wherever they go, they would always cause a ruckus as if to say that they were there.

Jin Siwoo asked,

“Why have you two come to our manor? Are you here to support the Jin family?”

“No way.”

Jang Gwang-san smiled, showing his yellow teeth.

In contrast, Jin Siwoo’s eyes became deeply sunken.

“Then what purpose did you come here for?”

“I’m here to collect money.”

“Money?”

Jang Gwang-san took out a piece of paper from his bosom and shouted,

“This is proof that the Jin family only borrows money and doesn’t pay back!”

What he took out was an IOU that was clearly signed by Jin Wol-myeong.

SoundlessWind21’s Notes:

Thank you for reading!

Dragon Slayer. Raws: 용살엽부(龍殺强夫). 龍 lóng, lǒng, máng – dragon; symbolic of emperor 殺 shā, sà, shài, shè – kill, slaughter, murder; hurt; to pare off, reduce, clip 强 qiáng, qiǎng, jiàng – strong, powerful, energetic 夫 fū, fú – man, male adult, husband; those