Reaper of the Drifting Moon

With his hand placed on the bridge of Jiaolong’s nose, Pyo-wol closed his eyes.

“Wh… at?”

Kyung Musaeng blinked his eyes in confusion.

Jiaolongs had to spend over a thousand years training in order to ascend. It is truly a long period of preparation to soar into the sky. However, even after so many years of extensive training, not all Jiaolongs are able to ascend to the heavens.

Only Jiaolongs that perfectly harmonize with the energies of both heaven and earth can ascend to the heavens and become dragons, while the rest will remain on earth, unable to attain spiritual enlightenment.

For those Jiaolongs who fail to ascend, for whatever reason, they become ferocious and bittered with a sense of loss.

Such was the case with the Jiaolong that Kyung Musaeng had captured and taken for a ride. When Kyung Musaeng found this Jiaolong, it was mentally weakened due to the shock of its failed attempt to ascend to the heavens.

This consequently made it easy for Kyung Musaeng to subdue it. Had the Jiaolong been healthy or had its strength recovered, it would have been impossible for Kyung Musaeng to subdue it without any sacrifices.

From then on, Kyung Musaeng treated it like a pet. But there were times when he struggled to calm the creature since it easily becomes ferocious.

Kyung Musaeng had thought it was impossible for anyone other than himself to communicate and subdue Jiaolong. But now, his confidence and preconceived notions were being shattered by Pyo-wol.

Tsuue!

The Jiaolong flicked its red tongue out, enjoying Pyo-wol’s touch.

This was evidence that Pyo-wol and Jiaolong were in communication. Even Gwiya, which was perched out on Pyo-wol’s collar, was leaning its head against Jiaolong’s nose.

“Wh, What’s going on?”

Kyung Musaeng was so surprised that he didn’t know how to react.

After a while, Pyo-wol released his hand from the Jiaolong.

The Jiaolong, in turn, opened its closed eyes and looked at Pyo-wol.

Pyo-wol locked eyes with the creature and murmured softly,

“I see.”

Tsuue!

Upon hearing Pyo-wol’s words, the Jiaolong shuddered, causing its scales to shake. A sound resembling the friction between steel reverberated and spread in the area.

Kyung Musaeng had been controlling Jiaolong for a long time, but he had never seen such a reaction before.

He shouted in frustration,

“You! What are you trying to do? Will you let go of it already?”

Boom!

At his shout, the rain that had been falling like a waterfall bounced off, causing a massive wave in Lake Tai to surge.

Pyo-wol frowned slightly as he looked at Kyung Musaeng.

Kyung Musaeng’s eyes were filled with anger.

The cold demeanor he had shown just a moment ago was nowhere to be found.

Pyo-wol spoke to him,

“No matter when, it would be better for you to release this creature.”

“What?”

“This creature is sorrowful being bound to you.”

“What kind of nonsense are you talking about? A Jiaolong being sorrowful? You’re spouting utter nonsense!”

“He still hasn’t given up on being a dragon yet. He’s sad because he can’t train anymore when he’s bound to you.”

“Huh! Are you saying you can read its thoughts? If you think you can deceive me with such words then you are mistaken.”

Thud!

Kyung Musaeng stomped on Jiaolong’s head with his foot. In response, the Jiaolong retreated backward with a grunt.

“Since this is just our first meeting, I’ll forgive you, but if you dare spout such nonsense again, I’ll make you regret being born.”

As a dense fog surrounded Kyung Musaeng and the Jiaolong, their figures disappeared without a trace.

Shooaah!

In the place where they vanished, the rain started to fall once again.

“Huh? Why is Master Pyo outside?”

“When did he leave?”

Only then did the people in the inn notice that Pyo-wol had gone outside.

With Kyung Musaeng gone so does the effect of his Invisibility Technique.

In the eyes of the inn guests, it was as if Pyo-wol had suddenly disappeared and teleported outside.

Ignoring the murmurings of the crowd, Pyo-wol stared at the spot where Kyung Musaeng and the Jiaolong had disappeared.

Though the sight remained invisible to the others, Pyo-wol could still see the ripples on the water’s surface caused by the Jiaolong.

Pyo-wol shook his head slightly before going back inside the inn.

‘Visitor of Life and Death, Jiaolong, and even the Ghost King…’

Something was brewing in Lake Tai.

* * *

“To be defeated by a man called the Reaper. First, the Sword Blossom Pavilion, then the Shadowless Order… What a disaster.”

A middle-aged man with a sturdy build murmured as he sat down on a throne, looking over the massive lake.

The place he was in was the largest island among the forty-eight islands in Lake Tai. This island was originally inhabited by fishermen, but as they established themselves here, the locals were driven away.

On the island where the locals were driven away, a large fortress was built.

It was the Changjiang Fortress, which belonged to the Nokrim faction.

The Nokrim faction was originally united under a great power called the Heavenly Heights Stronghold. However, as time passed, the Heavenly Heights Stronghold was divided into two factions: the Two Valleys and Four Fortresses.

The Changjiang Fortress belonged to the latter.

Furthermore, while all the other factions chose to settle inland, it was only the Changjiang Fortress that made the decision to establish its base near the lake.

This was partly done to avoid competition from other forces, and mainly because Lake Tai’s proximity to the sea made it easier for them to expand their influence.

The man with a sturdy build was none other than Bok Seong-wan, the leader of Changjiang Fortress.

He was also known by his nickname the Iron Rhino.1

It was said that in the distant land of the Western Station, there lived a huge mammal with a horn on its nose. With its horns, the said animal could attack even a tiger.

The mammal with a horn on its nose was called a rhino.

Bok Seong-wan’s temperament and martial arts were similar to that of the rhino, hence his nickname, the Iron Rhino.

Bok Shengwan was a man of great ambition.

He had recognized the importance of Lake Tai early on, which was why he exerted all his efforts to expand his influence and power in Lake Tai.

Thanks to that, he was able to establish an undeniable force in Lake Tai.

There were dozens and dozens of ships docked at the pier. Each ship was large enough to accommodate dozens of people.

The Changjiang Fortress had boats stationed at key points along the small streams of the Yangzte River to collect tolls.

While they made reasonable compromises with ships belonging to the large influential factions and forces, they were unrelenting towards those of smaller boats and insignificant factions.

As a result, Changjiang Fortress was able to establish its own kingdom on the island. They built not only a fortress but a full-fledged castle with a self-sustaining system.

This also allowed Bok Seong-wan to focus on the Changjiang Fortress without being affected by external factors.

One of the things that Bok Seong-wan was most concerned about was his relationship with the powerful figures in Lake Tai.

These included the Nanjing sect, the Cheolsan manor, and the Sword Blossom Pavilion.

No matter how powerful Changjiang Fortress was, the strength of these three sects was not to be underestimated, so Bok Seong-wan tried to avoid conflicts and maintain an amicable relationship with them as much as possible.

It’s for the same reason why he allowed his son, Bok Hojin, to join the Golden Heaven Sect, and befriend Zhao Yiguang.

The power of the three factions was remarkable enough to warrant such attention. But in just two days, two of the three factions had been destroyed.

The reputation of the Sword Blossom Pavilion plummeted, while Cheolsan manor had lost its leader and drifted away.

And it was all because of one person.

Pyo-wol.

A man who appeared in Lake Tai one day and out of nowhere.

Since his arrival, the once solid order of Lake Tai crumbled.

Even the Shadowless Order in Kunshan, that had been at odds with the Nanjing sect, ended up being humiliated after their attempt of subduing Pyo-wol.

Bok Seong-wan couldn’t find it in him to comprehend the series of events.

Had he known that the three sects would be so easily defeated, then Bok Seong-wan would not have gone to such lengths and effort in maintaining relations with them.

The fact that the entire martial world of Lake Tai and Jiangsu Province was shaken to the core because of a single person, caused Bok Seong-wan to be greatly conflicted.

“Is this a crisis? Or an opportunity?”

The three sects were either collapsing or faltering.

This was the perfect opportunity for the Changjiang Fortress to expand its influence. There was no telling when such an opportunity would arise again, once the collapsed or faltering factions manage to recover from their condition.

However, the only reason Bok Seong-wan was hesitating in making a move was that Pyo-wol had yet to leave Lake Tai.

“The heavens would sometimes send beings that people can’t understand with their common sense. It’s rare to see good things come out of getting involved with such individuals.”

With his appearance alone, Bok Seong-wan might look like the type who would charge forward without thinking. But in truth, Bok Seong-wan was as cunning and deep-minded as a fox.

He was the type that was most cautious when making a move. He rarely moves based on emotions.

“What should I do?”

He continued to ponder, but no decisive answer came to mind.

In the end, he decided to postpone making a judgment.

It was then.

“Lord Bok!”

One of Bok Seong-wan’s subordinates rushed over.

“What’s wrong?”

“Something terrible has happened!”

“Terrible?”

“Yes! The patrol boat that went out to the outskirts of Lake Tai has sunk!”

“What?”

Bok Seong-wan’s eyes widened in surprise.

There was only one situation where a boat would sink in the calm waters of Lake Tai.

“Was it attacked?”

“Well… um…”

The subordinate hesitated, unable to answer.

“Why can’t you answer?”

“They… they said it’s because the boat collided with a huge serpent.”

“What the–”

“That’s what the survivors are saying. They say it was truly a gigantic serpent–!”

“Are those bastards making up stories after mistakenly running into a reef?

“It’s not just one or two people. All the survivors are saying the same thing, so it doesn’t seem entirely false.”

“What? I’ll ask those bastards myself.”

Bok Seong-wan abruptly stood from his throne.

Whatever the reason, the sinking of a Changjiang Fortress ship was not a usual matter.

He had to find out the reason himself.

As Bok Seong-wan walked, his son, Bok Hojin, came into sight.

Bok Hojin was dressed in splendid attire.

Bok Seong-wan knew that his son would be dressed like that whenever he was going ashore.

Bok Seong-wan scolded his son,

“One of our ships has just sunk. Where do you think you’re going? Are you out of your mind?”

“I’m sorry, Father! But Zhao Yiguang asked to see me.”

“Zhao Yiguang?”

“Yes! It seems like he’s worried about the sudden collapse of the Sword Blossom Pavilion and Cheolsan manor. That’s why he wanted to meet and discuss countermeasures with me.”

Bok Seong-wan’s anger subsided upon hearing Bok Hojin’s response.

If that was the reason, then of course it was right for him to go to see Zhao Yiguang.

“Alright. I will investigate the matter about the sunken boat, so you go meet him.”

“Thank you, Father, I’ll go then.”

After Bok Hojin bid farewell to Bok Seong-wan, he boarded the boat.

The boat he boarded quickly departed from the pier.

“The Lord is on board. Open the gate!”

The boatman shouted loudly.

Since wooden walls had been built around the pier, the only way to get out was for the gate to be opened.

Soon, the gate leading to the outside opened, and the boat carrying Bok Hojin smoothly glided out onto the water’s surface.

Bok Hojin stood in the front and looked back at the Changjiang Fortress.

“Hmm…”

The tall wooden walls surrounding the Changjiang Fortress appeared solid and dependable.

Unlike other places, it was difficult to approach the center of Lake Tai where the Changjiang Fortress was located. Not only that, unauthorized individuals would not be able to enter as a wooden outer wall had been erected around the pier.

Bok Hojin felt relieved and reassured seeing it with his own eyes.

Like his father, Bok Seong-wan, Bok Hojin also felt uneasy about the recent events.

He couldn’t believe that the stability of Jiangsu Province was being shaken by just one man, Pyo-wol.

However, it was an undeniable reality that he couldn’t afford to ignore.

That was the reason why he was going to meet Zhao Yiguang.

Apparently, Zhao Yiguang must have had the same idea because he sent a letter requesting a meeting.

The boat headed swiftly towards the shore.

* * *

Swoosh!

Sitting by the window of an inn, Pyo-wol allowed Gwiya to crawl all over his body.

After meeting Jiaolong, the little snake was doing things it hadn’t done before.

Pyo-wol sat still, letting Gwiya move freely.

Pyo-wol himself was also stimulated by the appearance of Jiaolong and Kyung Musaeng.

He now realized how vast and filled with talented individuals Jianghu was.

Although Kyung Musaeng might have subdued Jiaolong at a time of its weakness, that would still not have been possible without absolute martial prowess to back him up.

Kyung Musaeng was a man who was more than capable of subduing the Jiaolong, and meeting him was enough to stimulate and inspire Pyo-wol.

It was then.

Swish!

The sound of a skirt being pulled could be heard.

Soon enough, someone approached Pyo-wol.

When Pyo-wol looked up, he saw a woman with an expression and gaze as cold as ice approaching him.

The woman, wearing a scarf made of black otter fur around her neck, was someone Pyo-wol had seen once before.

She was the woman with who Pyo-wol had eaten Aozao Noodles together with at a street stall when he first arrived at Lake Tai.

As Pyo-wol stared intently at her, the woman spoke up,

“It seems we meet again. It’s nice to see you, Master Pyo!”

“Was your name Zhao Yuseol?”

“Ah, I’m honored that you remember me, Master Pyo. But there’s something missing. To be precise, my name is Zhao Yuseol, the eldest daughter of the Nanjing family.”

SoundlessWind21’s notes:

Thank you for reading!

Iron Rhino. Raws: 철서우(鐵犀牛). 鐵 tiě – iron (metal) / arms / weapons / hard / strong / violent / unshakeable / determined / close / tight (slang) 犀牛 xīniú – rhinoceros