Reaper of the Drifting Moon

“Amitabha Buddha! The energy of Tianzhongshan is better than I thought. I can see why the Snow Sword Manor is so eager to come back here.”

“That’s true.”

Two monks talked while looking at Tianzhongshan.

They were Seong-un and Bo-kyeong. They’re now on their way to the Jin manor after stopping by the Snow Sword Manor.

The two monks couldn’t help but admire Tianzhongshan.

To ordinary people, it might just look like a high mountain with beautiful scenery, but to others, they could see and feel the mysterious aura of the mountain.

The two of them continue to converse as they head to the Jin manor.

They left the Snow Sword Manor early in the morning and traveled here.

During their stay at the Snow Sword Manor, they tried their best to persuade Seol Kang-yeon.

They argued that if the Snow Sword Manor continues to fight the Jin family, many people will die and become unhappy with them.

But Seol Kang-yeon would only reply the same answer every time.

“Everything would depend on the decision of the Jin family. If they willingly return our land, nothing will happen, but if they refuse, we will have to take it by force. In any case, we have proper justification. No matter how strong your sect is, you can’t intervene in this fight without any justification.”

Seong-un and Bo-kyeong couldn’t convince Seol Kang-yeon since his words held some truth.

Even if the Shaolin Temple is hailed as the leader of the Henan Jianghu and has great power to be at the top of the world, they could not forcefully intervene in the quarrels of other sects.

Of course, they could have put forward the justification of stabilizing Henan Jianghu, but that justification isn’t enough to intervene in the fight between the two factions.

They may be able to do so if it were before when the Shaolin Temple had unrivaled power, but unfortunately, the current Shaolin Temple’s power isn’t that much.

No matter how strong the Shaolin Temple is, they couldn’t help but be careful and wary with what the others would think.

So going to the Jin family is the next best option.

Since they couldn’t convince the Snow Sword Manor, they could at least try to convince the Jin family.

As soon as Jin Siwoo heard that two monks had arrived, he hurriedly ran out.

“I, Jin Siwoo of the Jin family, pay my respects to the two high monks.”

“It’s unreasonable to call us high monks. It’s an honor to meet Jin Siwoo like this.”

Seong-un waved his hand and said his greetings.

Bo-kyeong also cupped his fist and said hello.

“I, Bo-kyeong of the Shaolin Temple, also greets Young Master Jin.”

“I’m honored to have you here. Let us go inside.”

Jin Siwoo took the two of them and went inside.

When word spread that someone from Shaolin Temple had arrived, many people came out to watch.

“Members of the Shaolin Temple really came.”

“I can’t believe the Shaolin Temple sent two disciples. This must be a really urgent matter.”

“Why wouldn’t they? One wrong move and the entire land of Henan could be wrapped up in the fight of the two sects, so they couldn’t afford to just leave the issue alone.”

“But I don’t know if the Jin family can be persuaded. There’s only one thing the Shaolin Temple can suggest to the Jin family. And that is to yield.”

Even though Seong-un and Bo-kyeong were monks from the Shaolin Temple, the warriors looked at the two with doubt.

It’s not that they doubt the Shaolin Temple’s ability, but the fight of the Jin family and Snow Sword Manor had escalated to an extent that it would be difficult for them to stop just because of someone’s intervention.

‘Amitabha Buddha!’

Noticing the atmosphere around him, Bo-kyeong had a gloomy expression.

It was exactly the same atmosphere at the Snow Sword Manor.

The people seemed welcoming on the outside, but in reality, their eyes are the same as looking at an uninvited guest.

Bo-kyeong wasn’t used to having such gazes on him. He felt like a criminal.

When they finally arrived at Jin Siwoo’s residence, Seong-un said to Bo-kyeong,

“Bo-kyeong. I’m going to talk to Young Master Jin. You can use this time to look around the Jin family in the meantime.”

“Okay.”

Seong-un went into the room with Jin Siwoo, while Bo-kyeong, who was left alone, wandered aimlessly through Jin’s house.

“Hm?”

A look of recognition flashed in his eyes.

He saw a familiar face among the countless strangers.

‘Pyo-wol!’

He was the man who accompanied Wu Jang-rak and his party when they transported the original Buddhist scriptures.

At that time, he didn’t know much about Pyo-wol and he felt reluctant and uncomfortable to talk to him for some reason.

He had only found out about Pyo-wol’s true identity after the Rain Mountain Manor warriors were killed by him. But at that time, Pyo-wol had already left.

Pyo-wol had a unique atmosphere that seemed empty. Thanks to that, Bo-kyeong was able to recognize Pyo-wol.

A person can hide or change their face, but their unique atmosphere doesn’t change easily.

Of course, it’s possible for a person’s atmosphere to change, especially for a warrior at Pyo-wol’s level, but for some reason, he was maintaining the same atmosphere he had in the Wudang sect.

Bo-kyeong saw another familiar face beside Pyo-wol.

He instantly gleamed and approached them with an excited expression,

“Amitabha! Brother Namgung!”

“Oh, is that you, Bo-kyeong?”

Namgung Wol also answered Bo-kyeong’s call with the same merriment.

Namgung Wol and Bo-kyeong had already met each other before.

“I heard that someone came from the Shaolin Temple, so it was you whom they sent.”

“What about you, Brother Namgung? Did you come here because of your relationship with Young Master Jin?”

“That’s right!”

“As I expected.”

“Oh! This person is—”

“I know him. I already met him at Wudang Mountain.”

Bo-kyeong interrupted Namgung Wol who was about to introduce Pyo-wol.

He greeted Pyo-wol directly,

“It’s nice to see you again, Master Pyo!”

“I see.”

“I thought I’d never see you again after we parted like that at Wudang Mountain, but seeing that we met again like this, it must be fate.”

“Whether it’s a good or bad relationship remains to be seen.”

“I hope it’s the former.”

Bo-kyeong smiled kindly.

Namgug Wol interrupted the conversation between the two,

“Come on now, let’s talk over a cup of tea instead of here. Haha!”

Namgung Wol seemed very happy to see Bo-kyeong after a long time.

It was the same with Bo-kyeong.

His reluctance towards Pyo-wol remains unchanged, but the moment he met Namgung Wol, who he considers as his close friend, he felt that the tension that had built up while coming to Jin family through the Snow Sword Manor became relieved a little.

Namgung Wol said to Pyo-wol,

“Let’s go with Master Pyo.”

“No, thanks.”

“Well, that can’t be helped. Let’s go, Bo-kyeong!”

Although they had not been together for a while, Namgung Wol already knew what Pyo-wol’s personality was like.

He was a man who never spoke empty words.

Once Pyo-wol said no, that was it. It was clear that if he invited him again, he would only decline.

He grabbed Bo-kyeong’s hand.

The two quickly disappeared, leaving Pyo-wol in the crowd.

* * *

The conversation between Jin Siwoo and Seong-un continued until late at night. But the conversation between the two didn’t progress for a long time.

“If the Jin family could just yield a little bit—”

“How much more should the Jin family concede?”

“If you don’t, not only Henan, but the entire world could be swept away by the fight.”

“If we yield, what will Shaolin Temple do for us?”

“That’s…”

“I don’t think it’s easy to say concessions just because it’s someone else’s business.”

“I’ll think about what the Shaolin Temple can offer. Let’s call it a day for now.”

“I apologize, monk! I’m a little sensitive these days so I must have talked too sharply.”

“Amitabha! I understand. Anyone else would have done the same.”

“Thank you for your understanding.”

Jin Siwoo let out a light sigh.

His face was full of tired light.

Seong-un looked at Jin Siwoo with a pitiful expression.

He found it pitiable to see a young warrior struggling alone.

He also wanted to help the Jin family. But he couldn’t.

The Shaolin Temple had to remain strictly neutral.

Jin Siwoo gave Seong-un the best residence to stay in.

“Amitabha Buddha! There is no need to give me such a nice room.”

“This is the only thing I can do for you.”

“No. This is more than enough. Thank you.”

“Then make yourself at home.”

Jin Siwoo said to Sung-woon before retreating.

Seong-un, who was left alone, looked around the room for a while.

The room might not look flashy, but it’s neat. It looked like a room that is managed with quite a lot of effort. He could see that Jin Siwoo is treating him with extreme sincerity.

“Is Bo-kyeong going to be late?”

On the way to this place, he had heard that Bo-kyeong met Namgung Wol.

Many people liked Namgung Wol because of his excellent martial arts and good personality. That’s also the same reason why Seong-un liked Namgung Wol.

“I’ll have to talk to him tomorrow.”

Namgung Wol had come to the Jin family before him, so he might have known the situation here much better. If he can ask him for advice, he might be able to convince Jin Siwoo.

Seong-un took off his outer robe from his body and hung it on the wall.

Wearing only a gray monk’s robe, he sat down at the left table. He then quickly opened the Buddhist scriptures he always carried with him.

No matter how arduous the journey was, it was his long-standing habit to finish the day by reading Buddhist scriptures in the evening.

Seong-un started reciting the sutra.

* * *

Bo-kyeong and Namgung Wol talked while sitting on a wide wooden bench under a large tree.

There was a bottle of alcohol in front of them.

Drinking alcohol is considered taboo for a monk, but Bo-kyeong still drank because he met his friend, Namgung Wol.

Even though he just drank a few cups, Bo-kyeong’s face was flushed red. On the other hand, Namgung Wol, who drank a lot more than him, maintained his usual complexion.

The two talked for quite some time.

It’s been a long time since they last met, so they had a lot to talk about.

They started with each other’s greetings and then went through the current situation in Jianghu then reached the confrontation between Jin family and Snow Sword Manor.

Namgung Wol sighed,

“So you’re saying that Snow Sword Manor doesn’t intend to step down at all?”

“That’s right. Senior brother and I tried out best to persuade the Snow Sword Manor sect leader, but he didn’t want to listen at all.”

“Even with the name of the Shaolin Temple at the forefront, they still remained so stubborn?”

“The name and authority of our sect did not work on him at all. And if he seemed that he was at a disadvantage, he would ask his attendant to speak. We couldn’t even see the face of the attendant.”

“Attendant?”

“I heard that he is a very capable person. Many people at the Snow Sword Manor regard him highly.”

“Hoo!”

Namgung Wol frowned at Bo-kyeong’s words.

His intelligence network did not have any information about the Snow Sword Manor’s attendant at all.

‘If he’s that competent, he would have entered the Heavenly Guardian Association’s information network.’

There could only be two possible reasons for this.

It’s either the information network of the Heavenly Guardian Association is weak, or the Snow Sword Manor attendant had hidden himself so thoroughly.

Namgung Wol thought it was the latter.

Being a member of the Heavenly Guardian Association, he was well aware of how great their information network was.

Bo-kyeong’s words continued,

“Senior brother really tried to convince him with all his might. But it wasn’t enough.”

“So that’s why you came to the Jin family.”

“That’s right! If we couldn’t persuade the Snow Sword Manor, then maybe we can persuade the Jin family instead?”

“They wouldn’t be easy to persuade. The Jin family is also struggling. Master Jin Wol-myeong suddenly collapsed, and Geom-woo was also killed. If they give in to the Snow Sword Manor here, it will be impossible for the Jin manor to exist any longer.”

“Hoo!”

Bo-kyeong let out a sigh.

It was a fact he was well aware of. He felt ashamed that he had to convince them despite being fully aware of the Jin family’s situation.

Namgung Wol patted Bo-kyeong on the shoulder to comfort him.

“Cheer up.”

“Then help me, Brother Namgung.”

“Geum-woo was my friend.”

“Aren’t I your friend too?”

“You understand. But you’re still alive, aren’t you?”

“How cold-hearted. Oh by the way, how is he?”

“Who?”

“Pyo-wol!”

The moment Bo-kyeong mentioned his name, Namgung Wol’s complexion hardened.

Bo-kyeong was also nervous.

Namgung Wol looked at his hand and said,

“I think I can reach him if I stretch out my hand, but I’m not confident yet.”

“That much?”

“If you spend some time with him, you will naturally feel it too.”

“I already know from experience. But I thought Brother Namgung would be different.”

Bo-kyeong’s complexion darkened.

As the atmosphere became heavy, Namgung Wol smiled and said,

“It’s already this late at night. Let’s take a break for today and talk again tomorrow.”

“Okay.”

Bo-kyeong also agreed with him.

“I’ll take you to your room.”

“There’s no need for that. I can find it on my own.”

“Haha! Just accept your friend’s sincerity.”

Bo-kyeong was forced to nod to Nam Gung-wol’s generosity.

The two of them headed to Bo-kyeong’s accommodation side by side.

Bo-kyeong, who arrived in front of his residence, said at the door,

“Senior brother, this is Bo-kyeong. May I go inside?”

“………”

“Are you sleeping already? There’s no way that’s the case.”

Hearing no answer coming from the room, Bo-kyeong tilted his head.

He then carefully entered the room, leaving Namgung Wol behind.

Bo-kyeong’s eyes widened as he entered the room.

“Senior brother!”