Reaper of the Drifting Moon

Lee Yul rubbed his temples with both of his thumbs.

His head had been throbbing for a while now which was strange. He rarely finds himself having a headache.

Lee Yul’s brain is much more developed than ordinary people. He never gets tired no matter how long and hard he thinks. Even if he stays up all night for several days, he never experiences having a headache.

But today was different.

So his current condition puzzled him.

It felt like his head was going to split apart.

Fortunately, after rubbing his temples for a while, his headache subsided a little.

“Hoo…”

Lee Yul sighed and walked towards the table.

A kettle was placed on a small brazier on the table.

While he was busy suffering from a headache, the water in the kettle had already boiled. Steam was coming off from its snout.

Lee Yul took the kettle off the furnace and let the water cool for a bit.

Brewing tea with boiling water will just ruin its taste.

Only when the tea is served in its best condition would Lee Yul feel better.

Now that his headache has lessened to some extent, he felt like his body would completely return to normal if he just had a cup of warm tea.

As he was waiting for the water to cool down to the right temperature,

“I need to confirm something.”

Someone appeared in front of him like a ghost and said in an urgent voice.

Lee Yul, who saw the face of the uninvited guest, frowned.

The uninvited guest was Heuk-ho.

“You’ll have to be prepared for the consequences if you can’t explain why you interrupted my tea time.”

“Damn it! Now’s not the time to talk nonsense like that!”

“What’s going on?”

“The daughter of the Golden Mountain Manor sect leader came here injured, right?”

“So?”

“Where is the guy who brought her here?”

“Why are you asking—”

“I’ll explain it along the way, just bring me to him.”

Lee Yul felt that something was wrong based on the unusual expression on Heuk-ho’s face.

“Follow me.”

Lee Yul proceeded to guide him.

He could clearly see the anxious expression on Heuk-ho’s face as he followed behind him. The fact that an assassin like him is showing his emotions right now is proof that something serious has happened.

Lee Yul thought that the source of his headache might be related to this incident.

When Lee Yul came out of his room, many people, including his escort warrior, followed.

Among them were Heo Ranju and Daoshi Goh.

The two were staying in the manor because they had something to coordinate with the Snow Sword Manor.

“What’s going on?”

“Something must have happened.”

These two people were the type who couldn’t afford to stand still if something was bothering them. So they followed even though Lee Yul didn’t tell them to.

Lee Yul and the rest of the party soon arrived in front of a guesthouse.

In front of the guesthouse, the Golden Mountain Manor warriors, who came to protect Geum Suryeon, stood guard.

Geum Woo-shin, who took the role of the leader among the warriors of Golden Mountain Manor, stepped forward.

“What’s going on?”

“Where is he?”

“Who?”

When Geum Woo-shin made a confused expression, Heuk-ho pulled him by the collar violently.

“The warrior who carried Lady Geum Suryeon on his back! Tell me where he lives!”

“Hey! Do you know who I am— keuk!”

Kwac!

At that moment, Heuk-ho reached out and grabbed Geum Woo-shin by the neck.

His skinny fingers that resemble bamboo, strangled his neck with terrifying power.

The color on Geum Woo-shin’s face disappeared in an instant.

“I don’t care who you are. Tell me now.”

“T-That room!”

Geum Woo-shin stretched out his hand and pointed to a room.

Heuk-ho let go of Geum Woo-shin and hurriedly ran to the room he pointed to.

Valkuck!

When he opened the door, all he saw was an empty room.

The person he was looking for was nowhere to be seen.

“That bastard!”

Heuk-ho scratched his hair in frustration.

Lee Yul came to him and said,

“Isn’t it about time you tell me what happened?”

“It’s him.”

“Who?”

“Pyo-wol!”

“What about him?”

“He’s the one who carried Lady Geum Suryeon on his back. He entered the Snow Sword Manor disguised as Lady Geum’s escort.”

In an instant, Lee’s expression hardened.

“He’s in the Snow Sword Manor?”

“That’s right! He was the one who seriously injured Lady Geum. And by carrying her on his back, he managed to enter the manor. With how confidently he came in, of course no one suspected him.”

“Hoo…”

Lee Yul’s expression hardened.

He was used to manipulating people with his great intellect. Not a single person had managed to escape him not until now.

Pyo-wol is an exception.

He is the only one whose behavior he could not predict.

He had little information about him, but above all, his behavior is different from any other person Lee Yul knew.

“So he dared sneak into my territory?”

“I’ve already checked. I’m sure he’s in the Snow Sword Manor.”

“He probably hasn’t noticed that we know of this yet. Move undercover right now and catch him. If you don’t think you can capture him alive, you can kill him.”

“Okay.”

Heuk-ho nodded with a firm expression on his face.

He, too, was as angry as Lee Lee Yul.

He didn’t know how long it had been since he had been played around like this.

When he managed to kill Seong-un and pinned the monk’s death on Pyo-wol, he thought he was already the winner. After all, he managed to successfully drive him out of the Jin manor.

But now that he thought about it, he suspected that maybe even that was part of Pyo-wol’s plan.

‘Is that why Hong Ye-seol gave up on her mission? Because dealing with him was too much for her?”

Heuk-ho fixed his hair.

It was then.

Heo Ranju and Daoshi Goh, who were watching the situation from behind, stepped forward.

“Wait! Did you just say Pyo-wol?”

“Do you know him?”

“Of course, we know him.”

Heo Ranju answered without hesitation.

With a stiff look on his face, Daoshi Goh asked,

“Are you sure he’s here?”

“It seems that way given the circumstances.”

“Then we have to find him as soon as possible. If we let him run wild, there will be no end to the aftermath. Even in Chengdu, we couldn’t catch him. He’s the reason why the Emei and Qingcheng sect collapsed. Even the Black Cloud Corps suffered great damage because of him.”

“So you have experience dealing with him?”

“We do, but we’re not confident about dealing with him again.”

“Still, you have a higher chance of finding him than the others. You guys help me find him.”

Daoshi Goh looked flustered at Lee Yul’s command. But he couldn’t refuse his order.

“Okay.”

Daoshi Goh thought his situation was filthy and twisted.

He wanted to avoid running against Pyo-wol as much as possible, but here he is again, getting tied up with him again.

Daoshi Gook looked at Heo Ranju with a firm expression.

Heo Ranju also had a torn expression on her face. But it didn’t take long for her expression to change to a determined one.

Pyo-wol is an enemy who inflicted great damage on the Black Cloud Corps.

Everything she loves could be shattered if she doesn’t clear things up this time.

Lee Yul spoke again,

“Take care of it quietly. Make sure he doesn’t notice…”

* * *

“Damn it! What’s happening?!”

Geum Woo-shin spat out.

Lee Yul’s party suddenly stormed in and left without giving him a proper explanation.

In the process, Geum Woo-shin and the warriors of Golden Mountain Manor were thoroughly alienated.

Their actions seemed to be related to Geum Suryeon, but they didn’t bother to inform them.

“What on earth are they up to?”

His cousin, Geum Suryeon, is seriously injured with her life hanging around between life and death. The Golden Mountain Manor was turned upside down because of that. And yet even then, they weren’t given any explanation as to the circumstances.

Anger started to go up the tip of his head.

“Is this how the attendant does things? Ptsu!”

Geum Woo-shin spat again.

Rubbing the saliva mixed with yellow phlegm with his shoe, Geum Woo-shin told his subordinates,

“The atmosphere in the Snow Sword Manor seems to be unusual, so be vigilant. If something happens to Suryeon, it’s the end for all of us.”

“Yes!”

The warriors who came with Geum Woo-shin answered in unison.

All of the warriors dispatched here were composed of the Golden Mountain Manor elites. As such, they have deep loyalty towards the father and daughter duo, Geum Shin-chung and Geum Suryeon.

The moment they heard the news of Geum Suryeon’s injury, they felt their blood rushing backwards.

If Geum Suryeon’s health gets worse, or in the worst case, she dies, then Geum Shin-chung will not let them go. They were fully aware that they cannot live without escaping Geum Shin-chung’s eyes as long as they’re in Runan.

Knowing this fact, the warriors turned on the murderous glint in their eyes. They kept their eyes in all directions.

Geum Woo-shin left the guard to his subordinates and entered Geum Suryeon’s room.

Geum Suryeon is still lying on the bed, unconscious. Doctor Jang is sitting on a chair next to her bed, monitoring her condition closely.

Geum Woo-shin spoke to Doctor Jang,

“How is Suryeon’s condition?”

“It’s much better now.”

“Really?”

“I think she’ll open her eyes soon if she gets a little more rest.”

“That’s a relief. You must be really good, old man.”

Doctor Jang frowned at Geum Woo-shin’s rude words.

Even the sect leader of the Snow Sword Manor did not speak to him in such a careless way. No matter how stupid a Jianghu warrior was, they would always remain polite in front of an outstanding doctor. This is because they never know when they’ll need such services.

But Geum Woo-shin did not express the slightest bit of such courtesy.

‘What a scoundrel! He doesn’t even know grace—’

Doctor Jang did not like Geum Woo-shin. But he didn’t outwardly show his displeasure. He also knew that his life would be difficult if he provoked a member of the Geum family.

While it was somehow reassuring that the Snow Sword Manor is protecting him, it would still be better not to be on the bad side of the Golden Mountain Manor as much as possible.

“Mhn…”

At that time, Geum Suryeon, who was lying motionless, groaned.

Doctor Jang said in surprise,

“She’s starting to wake up!”

“Really?”

Geum Woo-shin also looked at Geum Suryeon in surprise.

“She has a strong spirit. I thought it would take her a few more days to come to her senses, but she’s already waking up.”

“It’s because she’s poisonous.”

Although he might have said so, he still couldn’t help but admire Geum Suryeon’s spirit.

After a few moments, Geum Suryeon’s eyelids started to tremble. She soon opened her eyes.

“Are you okay, Suryeon?”

“Wh…who? Is that you, Brother Woo-shin?”

“Yes! It’s me!”

Geum Woo-shin grabbed Geum Suryeon’s hand.

“What happened?”

“Don’t you remember? You were taken to the Snow Sword Manor because you were injured.”

Only then did Geum Suryeon start to recall what had happened.

“Ah! Where is he?!”

“He? Who?”

“What do you mean who?! The one who put me in this position!”

Geum Suryeon strongly demanded.

Even though she had been wandering between death and near death until a little ago, her eyes already contained a ferocious light.

With her outward appearance alone, no one would think that she had just been seriously ill awhile ago.

Geum Woo-shin stuck out his tongue.

‘Tough bitch! She can kill a person with just her eyes.’

He also prides himself on being quite a poisonous breed, but he would not dare put himself as close as Geum Suryeon.

Geum Suryeon’s poison was simply beyond imagination.

She ordered,

“Find him and drag him to me.”

“Let’s talk about that later. You almost died.”

“I lived anyway.”

“Suryeon!”

“I will die if I don’t pay this humiliation back. Do you want to see me die? If I die, you won’t be safe either. You know that right?”

“Yes!”

“So, you have to catch him no matter what. I’ll tear him to death with my own hands. I’ll even kill all the others related to him. I’ll cut his friends into small pieces and throw them as animal food, while I’ll sell his woman to a brothel. I’ll make sure they live the most miserable life!”

“Yes, yes, please calm down now. I’m scared that your wound will get worse.”

“Is my wound important? Don’t worry about me and get him—!”

Geum Suryeon screamed in hysteria.

The sight of her screaming regardless of her wounds made even Geum Woo-shin afraid.

“I’m going to kill him in the worst way in the world! I’m going to put salt in his wounds! I’m going to peel him so he can’t live or die! Do you understand?! Do you understand—?!”

Seeing Geum Soo-ryun screaming like a crazy bitch, Geum Woo-shin put on a tired expression.

‘I can’t believe she was this crazy.’

She usually pretended to be so graceful and elegant, but that appearance was nowhere to be found. Her true nature was revealing itself right now.

Her ferocious nature was the reason why Geum Woo-shin usually avoided her.

‘Crazy bitch! This is why I can’t be with you!’

Geum Woo-shin prayed that this hellish time would end.

And that time came sooner than expected.

Geum Suryeon, who had been spitting out curses without stopping, suddenly widened her eyes as she looked into the air.

Geum Woo-shin also looked at the place where her eyes were directed.

“What?”