Reaper of the Drifting Moon

Eum Yujeong scratched the floor with her fingernails, trying not to be dragged away.

Screech!

But despite her efforts, her body was mercilessly pulled toward Pyo-wol.

“AHH!”

A glimmer of terror appeared on Eum Yujeong’s face.

She could not believe what was happening to her right now.

The master whom she trusts deeply had now been reduced to a blood-stained creature writhing on the floor, while her fellow disciples were all trembling in fear.

The guests in the inn, whom Eum Yujeong thought would be sympathetic to their cause, had long withdrawn their feet from the issue. They were now coldly observing the situation.

Thud!

Finally, Eum Yujeong was dragged under Pyo-wol’s feet.

“S-Spare me!”

Eum Yujeong pleaded, her face filled with fear.

She usually showed a dignified and noble demeanor, but now she looked completely frightened and pitiful, like a dog with its tail between its legs.

No one would have imagined that Eum Yujeong would one day be in such a despicable state.

Eum Yujeong was like a flower that represented Lake Tai and Jiangsu Province.

Everyone admired her and wanted to have a conversation with her.

With her arrogance that pierces the sky, and her attitude of refusing to talk to anyone who she deems to be below her, Eum Yujeong’s value soared.

But her glamour could no longer be seen anywhere.

She was now begging for her life from Pyo-wol, looking like a drenched dog under the rain. Her current appearance was so pathetic that it made everyone frown.

Above all, everyone saw her abandoning her master and fellow disciples in a moment of crisis. Her actions were nothing but a grave offense that could never be forgiven.

Even though Go Yeonsu was bloodied and wounded, the betrayed expression on her face was a testament to that fact.

‘It’s over.’

‘How could the esteemed Lady Eum–’

The guests in the inn intuitively knew that Eum Yujeong’s fate had come to an end.

It would now be impossible for her to keep her reputation intact after exhibiting such a shameful behavior.

Thud!

Pyo-wol stepped on Eum Yujeong’s hand, which was grabbing his ankles.

“AHHH!”

Eum Yujeong screamed in pain at the feeling of her hands being crushed.

Pyo-wol did not hurry.

He slowly applied pressure to his foot.

Under the tremendous pressure, Eum Yujeong’s hand bones was being crushed, her skin and muscle being torn apart.

Her hand holding the sword was gradually being destroyed.

If the bones in her hands were to be completely crushed like this, her life as a martial artist would come to an end.

“P-Please—”

Eum Yujeong pleaded with tears and snot streaming down her face, but her tears couldn’t sway Pyo-wol.

Snap!

“GAHH!”

The bones in Eum Yujeong’s hand shattered completely.

White bones protuded through the back of her hand.

Only then did Pyo-wol lift his foot.

Eum Yujeong clutched her broken hand and huddled up like a shrimp.

She was in such immense pain that she couldn’t even scream.

Pyo-wol’s gaze then turned to the courtesan.

The next moment, the courtesan frantically fell to her knees and spoke loudly,

“I, I was only doing what the Sword Blossom Pavilion told me to do! Please forgive me! You didn’t actually assault me! I haven’t even seen your face until today–!”

The guests in the inn clicked their tongues at her confession.

“So she’s really a courtesan?”

“Tsk tsk! Does this mean that the Sword Blossom Pavilion orchestrated all these just to frame that man? The Sword Blossom Pavilion is finished.”

Everyone shook their heads in disbelief and disappointment.

The Sword Blossom Pavilion had gone through such lengths to tarnish Pyo-wol’s reputation, but it was them who ended up being ruined instead.

What happened today would soon spread throughout Jianghu. And in Jianghu, rumors usually spread at an unbelievable rate, like a contagious disease.

So Pyo-wol had essentially put an end to the Sword Blossom Pavilion today. However, Pyo-wol had no intention of stopping at this point.

He approached the courtesan.

The courtesan trembled in fear.

Pyo-wol crouched down and met her gaze.

“P, Please forgive me—”

“How much did they offer you?”

“O, One hundred gold coins–”

“Just one hundred gold coins? I guess I was only worth that much to you.”

“That’s not—!”

The courtesan desperately tried to come up with an excuse, but her mind went blank. She couldn’t think of anything in respond to Pyo-wol’s words.

“I can’t believe it only took you a hundred gold to ruin a man’s life.”

“I didn’t mean for it to turn out like this! I didn’t do it with malicious–”

“There’s no way you wound’t have known the consequences that would arise from your false testimony, yet you still did it anyway. That, in itself, could already be considered as malicious intent.”

“But everyone does such things—”

“Don’t make excuses. Even if you try to justify your actions, I have no intention of forgiving you.”

“What?”

Pyo-wol reached out his hand and touched the courtesan’s neck.

Overwhelmed by intense fear, the courtesan could only shed tears. Despite her pitiful appearance, Pyo-wol’s gaze remained cold and unforgiving.

Pyo-wol’s hands then went down, towards the courtesan’s chest, near her heart.

“Please–! I beg you!”

Thud!

In an instant, a thin thread of qi came out out Pyo-wol’s hand, piercing through the courtesan’s heart.

“Keuh!”

The courtesan let out a whimper as she felt pain in her chest like being struck by a needle.

But she felt no pain after that.

As she stood there dumbfounded, Pyo-wol spoke.

“From now on, you will never be able to do anything that strains your heart. You will never be able to run or engage in vigorous activities, or else, the slightest strain on your heart will cause your blood vessels to burst, leading to your death.”

“T, That’s–”

“Live your life with caution. As if you don’t exist, as if you’re non-existent. Then you might be able to live for quite a long time.”

Pyo-wol’s words struck a chord in the courtesan’s heart.

She might appear unharmed externally, when in truth, she was as fragile as a cracked vessel.

But the courtesan didn’t believe Pyo-wol’s words. Not only did she feel no pain in her chest, but there was also no particular discomfort.

So she thought Pyo-wol was just threatening her without any real ability to harm her.

‘He must have only threatened me since he can’t bear to kill such a beautiful woman like me.’

The courtesan had a considerable amount of pride in her beauty, so she believes that her beauty had saved her life once again.

“Go. But, don’t ever run.”

“Th-Thank you. I’ll never forget this favor.”

The courtesan quickly stood up, bowed to Pyo-wol, and headed out the door.

Once again, Pyo-wol spoke,

“You’d better walk, not run.”

“Yes!”

Though she said so, the courtesan actually had no intention of walking.

She knew that if she looked back, Pyo-wol would chase after her and capture her again.

Her pace gradually quickened, and then she started running.

Pyo-wol’s advice was no longer in her mind.

All she could think about was how to get away from this place as fast and as far as possible.

She ignored Pyo-wol’s words and ran.

Immediately, she felt a strong pain in her heart. But the courtesan didn’t stop running.

She thought it was simply the pain of being out of breath.

At this point, she still had a chance to live– that is, if she had stopped at this point. But she ignored her body’s warnings and ran even faster.

The price she paid was dreadful.

Thud!

The courtesan suddenly felt an intense pain in her heart.

The excruciating pain that seemed to tore her heart made her collapsed.

Only then did Pyo-wol’s warning come to her mind again.

“No, it can’t be! I want to live–!”

She couldn’t finish her sentence. The courtesan immediately died.

The place where the courtesan collapsed was just thirty steps away from the inn. Because of that, everyone inside the inn witnessed the moment she fell and the moment she took her last breath through the open door.

“Ah!”

“No way!”

The martial artists of the Sword Blossom Pavilion trembled in fear, while the guests in the inn stared at Pyo-wol in horror.

While the choice was up to the courtesan, in the end, it was Pyo-wol who had facilitated her death.

Even though the courtesan died, Pyo-wol’s expression remained unchanged.

Pyo-wol’s gaze then turned towards Eum Yujeong.

“P-Please, spare me. I was wrong. Please, spare me.”

Eum Yujeong tearfully pleaded that she still wanted to live, while Go Yeonsu closed her eyes in resignation.

Go Yeonsu believed that everything was over.

Today, she had lost everything.

Her honor had fallen to the ground, and her disciples had lost their loyalty and motivation.

Above all, she couldn’t forget Eum Yujeong’s act of abandoning her by trying to escape alone.

‘Why did I make that choice…’

If she could go back to the day before, she would never have made such a choice. But turning back time was impossible, and covering up what had happened as if it never occurred was also impossible.

It was then.

“Go back.”

Unexpected words came out of Pyo-wol’s mouth.

Go Yeonsu thought she had misheard, so she opened her eyes and looked at Poyeol.

At that moment, Pyo-wol spoke again,

“I said, go back.”

“Y-You’re going to let us go?”

“Yes.”

“Why?”

“Do you want me to kill everyone here?”

At that moment, Go Yeonsu felt chills running through her entire body.

She knew that Pyo-wol was more than capable of doing such a thing.

Pyo-wol was different from any other warriors Go Yeonsu had faced until now.

He wasn’t someone who clung to his reputation.

As long as he could destroy his opponent, he wouldn’t mind having a tarnished reputation.

Such a person could not swayed by feeble emotions.

Go Yeonsu knew this fact very well.

She staggered to her feet.

Pyo-wol swung his hand to retrieve the phantom dagger embedded in her shoulder.

In that moment, more blood flowed out.

“Master!”

The Sword Blossom Pavilion disciples immediately rushed to her side, trying to stop the bleeding, but Go Yeonsu waved them all away and said,

“That’s enough.”

“But–-“

“I’m fine. Rather, bring that wretched woman who committed the grave offense of deceiving her master and destroying her ancestors.”1

Go Yeonsu pointed at Eum Yujeong.

Eum Yujeong’s face turned even paler.

“M-Master, it wasn’t intentional–”

“Don’t make excuses. I saw everything clearly– especially the look in your eyes when I asked for your help. I invested so much effort in raising you, and yet, you betrayed this master at a crucial moment.”

“It’s a misunderstanding!”

“Enough! No matter how much you protest, I will never forgive you. I will break your dantian first and then consider your punishment.”

“N-No!”

Eum Yujeong cried out, but she couldn’t change Go Yeonsu’s mind.

Go Yeonsu had to punish Eum Yujeong to maintain discipline in her sect.

This was the only way to preserve the crumbling Sword Blossom Pavilion, even for a short period.

Eum Yujeong turned her head and looked at Pyo-wol.

“Please! Spare me! Or better yet, kill me! I don’t want to end up this way!”

“How long do I have to listen to such nonsense?”

Pyo-wol’s words were not directed at Eum Yujeong but at Go Yeonsu.

Startled, Go Yeonsu gave orders to her disciples.

“What are you waiting for? Go ahead and shut that bitch up!”

“Yes!”

The disciples rushed forward and restrained Eum Yujeong, muffling her mouth.

Eum Yujeong struggled, but it was no use.

The disciples of Sword Blossom Pavilion dragged her outside.

As they left, Go Yeonsu turned to Pyo-wol and spoke,

“Thank you for sparing my life.”

Pyo-wol didn’t reply.

Go Yeonsu gazed at Pyo-wo; for a moment before following the rest of her disciples outside.

Once all of them left, peace was finally restored in the inn.

Pyo-wol picked up the teacup on his table and murmured to himself,

“You don’t really think I actually spared your life, do you?”

Pyo-wol was someone who could live even without honor.

He firmly believes that his own life was more important than any abstract concept like honor.

No matter what filth he had to endure, he had to survive and make his way through this world.

He had lived that way up until now, and he would continue to do so in the future.

But Go Yeonsu was different.

She was someone who understood the weight of honor. That was why she could devise and carry out such a vile plot against Pyo-wol.

But today, her honor had been trampled on the ground.

Many people witnessed her downfall, and she, herself, was deeply wounded.

No matter how much she vented her anger on Eum Yujeong, it would never be able to restore her fallen honor.

Instead, as time passed, her honor would plummet even further.

The discipline in her sect would break down, her disciples would scatter like grains of sand, and her honor would be stained in the mud.

In the face of losing everything, Go Yeonsu did not appear to be strong enough to endure it and continue living.

This was proven six months later when Go Yeonsu took her own life.

As a result of this incident, Pyo-wol’s notoriety spread even wider in Jianghu.

SoundlessWind21’s notes:

Thank you for reading!

Deceiving her master and destroying her ancestors. Raws: 기사멸조. 欺師滅祖 (欺師滅祖). Chinese idiom. It implies an act of betraying or harming one’s own teacher, mentor, or lineage. It conveys a strong sense of betrayal and disrespect towards those who have imparted knowledge and guidance.