Episode 68: After the Storm… (3)
Light Novel: Volume 3 Chapter 6
Manhwa: Chapter 61-62
Chapter 6. After the Storm… (3)
Just as Lee Gwak and Cheon-wol were about to leave the guest house and head toward the Jade Heaven Alliance—
“Brother!”
Suddenly, a cheerful voice called out from behind them.
Cheon-wol’s expression stiffened in an instant. Instinctively, he reached for the cloth wrapped around his neck and pulled it up, concealing most of his face.
Seeing this, Lee Gwak smiled faintly. He knew exactly why Cheon-wol was acting this way.
Turning around, a familiar face came into view.
“Sobo!”
It was Lim Sobo, a beautiful girl with striking black eyes that seemed to shimmer.
She had a bright smile stretched across her face. But Lee Gwak knew that her smile wasn’t meant for him.
Her gaze was locked onto Cheon-wol, who was standing right beside him. Cheon-wol kept his head turned away, his face more than half hidden behind the cloth.
Lim Sobo beamed at him.
“Brother Cheon-wol, hello!”
“Uh…!”
Cheon-wol ducked his head further, responding with a barely audible grunt.
It wasn’t obvious, but Lee Gwak was certain that the face hidden behind that cloth must be burning red. Smiling, Lee Gwak then asked Lim Sobo,
“Where are you going?”
“I’m also on my way to the Jade Heaven Alliance. Let’s go together!”
“Alright.”
Over the past year, Lee Gwak had grown quite familiar with Lim Sobo. While they weren’t overly close, they were at least comfortable enough to speak without formality.
Lim Sobo moved closer to Cheon-wol, and the moment she did, Cheon-wol flinched.
“Brother Cheon-wol.”
“…what?”
“Aren’t you cold?”
“N-no!”
“Then why are you wrapping your scarf so tightly around your neck?”
“That’s… well…”
Cheon-wol stuttered badly, unable to come up with an answer.
Lee Gwak smiled knowingly.
He had seen this same exchange countless times over the past year. He already knew exactly what would happen next.
As expected, Lim Sobo reached ouy and gently pulled down the cloth Cheon-wol had wrapped around his face. The flushed red skin underneath was immediately exposed.
A satisfied smile appeared on Lim Sobo’s lips.
“Why do you keep hiding your face? You look so handsome.”
“Stop it. Don’t you feel sorry for Cheon-wol?”
Unable to watch any longer, Lee Gwak finally spoke up. Lim Sobo giggled mischievously.
“Hehe! Do you think so?”
“Are you going to see Big Brother Woo-gyeong?”
“No, somewhere else today.”
“Another secret, I assume?”
“Hehe!”
“Let’s go.”
Lim Sobo nodded and stuck close to Cheon-wol’s side. Cheon-wol flinched in surprise as their arms touched. But Lim Sobo didn’t seem to mind at all.
Over the past year, whether by coincidence or not, Lim Sobo had run into Cheon-wol quite a few times. And every single time, his reaction was the same—his face turning bright red as he scrambled to avoid her touch. It had practically become a routine for him.
Lim Sobo turned to Lee Gwak.
“How’s the atmosphere in the Outer Hall these days?”
“It’s the same as always.”
“Not much going on, right?”
“For the most part…”
“That’s great.”
“What is?”
“The fact that things are quiet.”
“What are you getting at?”
“There’s something I need the Outer Hall’s help with. And if possible, I’d prefer to have your squad accompany me.”
“Accompany you? Are you heading somewhere outside?”
“I can’t tell you yet. It’s a secret.”
“…….”
When Lee Gwak remained silent, Lim Sobo giggled and playfully smacked his shoulder.
“Haha! No need to look so serious. It’s really nothing complicated. I’m just worried it might take a while, that’s all.”
“Do as you like. After all, if an official request for support comes from the Secret Court, we’ll have to follow orders anyway.”
Lee Gwak replied in his usual calm manner.
Lim Sobo looked at him intently.
He simply kept walking forward, his expression unchanged.
‘What a strange person.’
At first, she thought he was just an ordinary man.
In fact, by status alone, he was nothing special. Though he held the title of squad leader in the Outer Hall, he wasn’t much different from any other squad member. His martial skills weren’t particularly remarkable either.
At least, that’s what she had believed. But strangely enough, he didn’t feel ordinary to her.
The fact that he was completely unfazed and never seemed intimidated, even though he was aware of her background, combined with his composed gaze, unshaken demeanor, and the subtle air of refinement around him, made him seem extraordinary.
It was confusing. Was Lee Gwak truly an extraordinary person? Or was it just her imagination?
‘If Uncle Woo-gyeong treats him like a sworn brother, then there must be something about him…’
Nam Woo-gyeong wasn’t the kind of person to take things lightly.
As the young master of the Hao clan, he was a man who excelled in martial arts, strategy, and leadership. So it had taken a considerable amount of effort on her part to make a pact with him to gain his trust and exchange information.
Yet, that same Nam Woo-gyeong, who was difficult to approach for Lim Sobo, treated Lee Gwak with ease, without any formalities. That made her wonder—was there something about Lee Gwak that only Nam Woo-gyeong knew?
By the time they reached the main gate of the Jade Heaven Alliance, Lee Gwak still hadn’t said much. Neither had Cheon-wol.
At some point, Cheon-wol had pulled his cloth back up to hide his face again, and the sight of it made her irrationally annoyed.
“Hmph!”
Thud!
Out of nowhere, Lim Sobo kicked Cheon-wol’s shin.
“Argh!”
Caught off guard, Cheon-wol let out a quiet yelp of pain. He looked at Lim Sobo with a dumbfounded expression.
“Blehh!”
Lim Sobo stuck out her tongue at him before spinning around and dashing away.
Cheon-wol furrowed his brow as he watched her retreating figure. But he didn’t raise his voice nor chase after her.
Instead, he quietly pulled his cloth back up, hiding his face once more.
Lee Gwak looked at Cheon-wol like that and laughed.
“If you keep acting like that, of course Sobo’s going to kick you.”
“But if I don’t, things get troublesome.”
At Cheon-wol’s response, Lee Gwak nodded.
As the years passed, Cheon-wol only grew more handsome. His physique and facial features had become more refined through his training in the Sun Splitting Sword Art, making it impossible for rumors not to spread.
So many women came just to catch a glimpse of his face that the Outer Hall’s daily operations had been disrupted on more than one occasion.
After enduring the situation for a while, Cheon-wol eventually resorted to covering his face completely, much to the chagrin of many women, but it certainly reduced the number of people who came to see him.
The two walked shoulder to shoulder into Squad 13’s quarters. Inside, their squad members were already waiting for them.
“You’re here.”
“Welcome back.”
It had been over a year since the Jianghu Grand Conference, but Squad 13 remained the same. They still only have six members: Lee Gwak, Seok Yi-cheon, Ki Jinhwi, Go Cheon-gwang, Woo Il-yeong, and Cheon-wol.
This was because all newly recruited martial artists were being sent straight to the front lines. It wasn’t just Squad 13 facing this issue—other squads were also unable to take in new members, leading to a chronic manpower shortage.
Squad 13 was especially short-staffed compared to the others, which only added to their difficulties. Still, if there was one advantage, it was that working as a small, tight-knit group had strengthened their bond.
“Haha!”
Lee Gwak exchanged jokes and laughter with his squadmates. Time always seemed to pass quickly when they were together.
They chatted for a while before heading out on patrol. Today’s patrol route took them outside the city walls rather than within them.
As Lee Gwak and Squad 13 exited the main gate and made their way toward the northern streets, their expressions weren’t particularly bright.
The North Street had become more chaotic than ever. Recently, the influx of people has increased dramatically.
Most of the newcomers were refugees who had lost their homes due to the ongoing conflict between the Jade Heaven Alliance and the Celestial Demon Union. With their hometowns in ruins, they wandered the world, seeking a place to survive.
Eventually, many of them gravitated toward the Jade Heaven Alliance, demanding that the alliance take responsibility for their plight. However, the Jade Heaven Alliance refused to listen to them. This was because they knew that if they yielded to these demands even once, countless others would follow, each with their own grievances and claims for compensation.
In the end, the refugees who couldn’t get anything from the Jade Heaven Alliance naturally settled in the slums on the outskirts of the city. The slums, which were already a persistent problem for the Jade Heaven Alliance, continued to expand, creating even more issues.
The original residents of the slums were not welcoming to the newcomers, and tensions soon escalated into outright conflict. Incidents occurred daily—fights, accidents, and deaths piling up one after another.
The slums had become a lawless wasteland, a city of chaos.
Beneath the bright sun of Jianghu which was the Jade Heaven Alliance, the darkest shadow had formed.
At first, the Jade Heaven Alliance had dismissed the issue as a problem among the poor. But as the situation worsened, they were eventually forced to acknowledge its severity. To manage the growing unrest, they deployed the Outer Hall martial artists to patrol the slums.
However, it was merely a temporary measure, not a true solution.
Over the past year, the conditions in the slums had only deteriorated. While in the past, most of the dwellings had at least resembled proper houses, now, nearly half of them had been reduced to makeshift shacks—nothing more than a few wooden poles covered with ragged cloth or tarps.
As Squad 13 stepped into the slums, the first thing that greeted them was an overwhelming stench. A nauseating odor filled the air, making them instinctively scrunch their faces.
From all around, they could feel countless eyes watching—some filled with hostility, others with fear.
“No matter how many times I come here, I never seem to get used to this place.”
Seok Yi-cheon clicked his tongue in frustration.
His gaze toward the slums was dark and heavy.
He was from the slums himself. However, things hadn’t been this bad when he was there, and he still had hope that if he worked hard, he might one day enter the Jade Heaven Alliance and escape this wretched place.
But there was no hope in the eyes that stared at him now. There was only hostility and resentment.
“Hoo”
Seok Yi-cheon let out a deep sigh without realizing it. Then Ki Jinhwi walked over and patted him on the shoulder.
“Are you okay, big brother?”
“I’m fine.”
“Don’t take it too hard. It’s not because of you that this place is like this.”
“I know.”
“Still, every time we come here, you start looking like you’ve lost half your spirit. Let’s finish this patrol quickly and go get a drink.”
“Sounds good.”
Seok Yi-cheon nodded and followed behind Lee Gwak.
Lee Gwak silently scanned the slums around them. To Seok Yi-cheon, the changes in this place still felt unfamiliar, but to Lee Gwak, it was nothing new. His own home was not far from the slums.
He had watched helplessly as the people who once cried out in desperation at the gates of the Jade Heaven Alliance eventually ended up here.
Lee Gwak’s heart was also heavy, but he didn’t show it.
“It’s the dogs of the Jade Heaven Alliance!”
“What do they even come here for every damn day? What, to eat us? Pah! Tsoo!”
They spoke quietly to themselves, but Lee Gwak could hear them clearly. Still, he stared ahead, pretending not to notice.
It was the same insults he heard every time he entered this place. There was no need to make a fuss over it now.
Lee Gwak and his squad moved forward, walking along the main road that cut through the slums.
The further they went, the more they could see the outskirts of the slum. Seeing it in the distance, Seok Yi-cheon and Go Cheon-gwang’s lips twitched slightly, as if about to smile. They tried to keep their expressions calm, but it was obvious—they wanted to get out of there as soon as possible.
It was then.
“You son of a bitch! I’ll kill you!”
“Go on, stab him! Do it!”
Their fleeting hope was shattered by the sudden outburst.
The squad members let out a collective sigh.
“Phew… of course, it wouldn’t be that easy.”
Shaking their heads, they changed direction, heading toward the source of the commotion.
The shouting led them to a desolate clearing at the back of the slums. There, dozens of men stood in two opposing groups, locked in a tense standoff.
In the center of it all were two men.
One had a large scar running down his face, and the other had a vicious tattoo on his forearm.
Their frames were larger, and their presence heavier than those around them. Clearly, they were the leaders of each group.
They gripped massive cleavers—the kind of blades meant for slaughtering cattle, not men—yet the killing intent in the air suggested otherwise.
“Why do you keep coming over here? I told you, this place is under our control.”
“And who the hell made that law? Just because you say it, we have to follow?”
“The hell did you just say? You really want to take this all the way?”
“Yeah! If we back off here, we’ve got nowhere else to go. Let’s see who survives.”
Their shoulders tensed as if they were about to swing their swords at any moment. Each time, the men standing behind them shifted their legs, ready to charge at any moment.
“Hoo!”
Lee Gwak, who had been watching the spectacle, sighed. Then he walked into the space between them.
“That’s enough, everyone.”
His voice was quiet, yet strangely clear, cutting through the air and reaching the ears of everyone present.
“And who the hell are you?”
“Damn it… just another Outer Hall lackey.”
The moment they recognized Lee Gwak’s uniform, their expressions twisted into scowls.
Lee Gwak’s gaze deepened, sinking into something unreadable.
‘Martial artists…’
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