Reaper of the Drifting Moon

“Ah!”

“We’re finally outside!”

The men shouted, but their voices were quickly drowned by the sound of falling water and rain.

“Heuk!”

“We’ve finally come out. We’re out!”

“Whooong!”

The men fell to the ground and cried.

They were all warriors who had been trapped in the Prison of No Return.

Trapped in a cramped space with no light, no hope, and no room to stretch their feet, they were only waiting for the day of their death.

The sobbing of these men, who had endured and survived being treated worse than pigs in a pen, was deeply moving.

Hong Yushin looked at them with pity.

They were men who had been trapped in the Prison of No Return for much longer than he had. He couldn’t even imagine how much despair they had endured during that time.

So he could only stand by and watch. No half-hearted comfort could soothe their hearts.

All he could do was let them vent their frustration and sorrow.

“Hooh!”

Yu Suhwan sighed as he sat down, leaning against a cliff.

He looked pale.

His lips were blue and his body looked as if it might collapse at any moment. Despite that, he looked up at the sky, trying to catch his breath.

The past month has been like hell.

The fire set by Gu Ja-hwang did not go out.

For the first few days, they had waited for the fire to naturally die out, but the flames were unrelenting and showed no signs of weakening. Back then, it was clear that if things had continued on at that rate, all the air in the underground space would be consumed.

Just as everyone was beginning to fall into despair, Pyo-wol, with Gwiya at his side, made a move.

Pyo-wol did not even think about approaching the vertical cave, the only exit to the outside. What he did instead was to start searching for a new exit.

While others didn’t know what to do in such a situation, Pyo-wol had survived such an environment before.

Furthermore, finding a way out of a desperate situation was what he did best.

Being trapped in the darkness without a single point of light actually made all his senses come alive.

Even in the tight confines of the underground space, there was a flow of air. That meant there was a breeze coming in from the outside.

That’s what Pyo-wol looked for.

After much struggle, he found where the wind was coming from, but it was barely big enough for one person to fit in. Plus, it was pitch black.

He might be able to squeeze himself in, but if there was a narrower section, he might not be able to squeeze through.

The probability of starving or suffocating to death in a dark space without any light, in fear and despair, was really high.

Not many people, even the most fearless, would easily be able to muster up the courage to venture into such an unknown space.

Indeed, some of the warriors trapped in the Prison of No Return refused to follow the path where the breeze was flowing in. They decided to stay in the cave and wait for the fire to go out.

Pyo-wol didn’t force them to follow him.

The choice was theirs to make.

And Pyo-wol’s choice was venturing through the path where there was wind.

Without a moment’s hesitation, he squeezed his body into the cramped space.

The one who helped him then was Gwiya.

Gwiya was a child who had lived in a filthy swamp. Its senses were extremely sharp and developed, enough to move freely in the swamp where it couldn’t even see an inch ahead.

Its senses were even better than Pyo-wol’s.

So, Gwiya moved ahead of Pyo-wol, leading the way and finding the path to survival.

The first one to follow Pyo-wol was So Gyeoksan.

He knew better than anyone else what Pyo-wol was capable of, so he didn’t hesitate to follow him.

Hong Yushin and Yu Suhwan followed behind. Then, a dozen or so men followed suit. There were those who remained, but more chose to take the risk and ventured out.

The cave was dreadfully narrow.

The path was so narrow that their shoulders were tightly squeezed against the walls. Furthermore, the path would twist and turn like an ant tunnel.

Sometimes, a narrow gap, barely big enough to fit an arm through, blocked the way.

Pyo-wol concentrated all his energy into his hands to tear off pieces of stone or carve out the rocks.

The space was so tight he couldn’t swing his hands widely. He could only rely on the power of his grip and his internal energy.

Doing so required a high degree of concentration, qi manipulation, and hand sensitivity.

Boom!

The narrow space, barely enough for a wrist to fit in, collapsed, revealing a much larger space. Then, they would take a brief respite before advancing again.

The pitch-black underground space was inhabited by insects of unknown origin. Those who followed Pyo-wol ate them to satisfy their hunger.

All they had to do was follow Pyo-wol, but since Pyo-wol had to lead and make the way, his energy consumption was several times more. Despite this, he didn’t complain once and silently pioneered the way.

Sometimes they would climb endlessly upwards, and at other times, they would head towards the seemingly endless underground.

Occasionally, they would come across a space large enough for everyone to gather and rest, and other times, they would encounter an unbelievably vast underground lake.

In the underground lake lived strange fish with no eyes.

They caught the fish to satisfy their hunger.

The lake’s existence meant that water was coming in from the outside. Pyo-wol chose to ascend against the flow of the water.

Everyone else followed behind him.

By then, they trusted Pyo-wol completely.

It wasn’t just because his martial arts skills were strong.

They were impressed by his strong will and his ability to take action in forging a path in an unknown space.

Before being imprisoned in the Prison of No Return, they were all martial artists who had been told that they were one of the strongest in Jianghu.

They had such strong pride that they did not easily acknowledge others. Yet, they all recognized Pyo-wol, and accepted him as the leader of the group.

They trusted Pyo-wol and relied on him in the pitch-black underground space without a hint of light.

They didn’t know how much time had passed.

They only saw the back of the man in front, and simply followed behind him.

And now, finally, they emerged into the light.

“Kahaha!”

“Heuk!”

Laughing and crying, they breathed in the air of the outside world to their hearts’ content.

Whoosh!

They never thought they would one day welcome the fierce downpour of rain this much.

It was only then that they really felt they had made it out to the outside world.

They all looked at Pyo-wol.

As they stepped outside, Pyo-wol’s inhuman appearance seemed to become even more prominent.

A face more beautiful than a woman’s, but within him was a will as hard as steel.

They all had seen and experienced Pyo-wol’s will.

And for a whole month at that.

There was no way they would not acknowledge Pyo-wol.

They were all deeply moved and impressed by him.

Yu Suhwan suddenly cupped his fist in front of Pyo-wol and said,

“From now on, I, Yu Suhwan of the Martial Sword Alliance, will serve Grand Master Pyo as my lifelong benefactor. As long as Grand Master Pyo commands it, I swear to do anything, even if it means jumping into the fires of hell.”

His sudden words caused Hong Yushin, who was beside him, to look at him in surprise.

Yu Suhwan’s expression and gaze were resolute.

His words were not merely spoken out of sheer joy of coming outside.

He had thought and thought and thought about this for a month.

No matter how much he thought about it, there was only one conclusion.

To trust and follow that man.

He sensed turbulent times ahead.

The existence of a facility like the Prison of No Return was enough evidence that the chaotic era had begun.

Those imprisoned in the Prison of No Return were all promising talents coveted by their respective factions. The fact that those sects couldn’t contain and assimilate such individuals, and had imprisoned them instead in the Prison of No Return, was enough to cause a stir in the world.

Having such things happening in a place not known to the public was a serious problem, and there was no guarantee that such facilities or inhuman acts were only taking place here.

Surely, such inhuman acts must be taking place all over the world.

In such a chaotic world, it was not uncommon to have someone you could follow just by looking at their back.

Yu Suhwan thought Pyo-wol was such a person.

That was why there was no hesitation in his decision since Pyo-wol had already saved his life.

As soon as Yu Suhwan spoke, the other men followed suit, cupping their fists one by one,

“I, Ji Yeonpyeong of the Xingwu clan.1 swear to faithfully serve Master Pyo in the future.”

“I, Nam Sugon of the Golden Wing Sect,2 also swear to follow Master Pyo. No matter how thorny the path Master Pyo takes, I will gladly follow it.”

“I, Buk Sinhu of the Guarded Sword Sect,…”3

“I, Mak Woo-sung of the Anran Sect, swears…”4

The men’s voices echoed down the river stream, piercing through the rain.

Pyo-wol looked at the men with a light frown on his forehead.

He didn’t help them because he wanted their loyalty.

It was then.

Chuk!

So Gyeoksan put his hand on Pyo-wol’s shoulder and spoke,

“Congratulations. All the outcasts of Jianghu have sworn their allegiance to you. I, too, will keep my promise.”

* * *

The Hwa-young Guest House was a very old inn.

The building was old and the elderly couple who owned it were not really enthusiastic about running the inn. As a result, the number of customers gradually dwindled, and the inn was barely staying afloat.

There were days when they didn’t have a single guest. Yet, the elderly couple did not panic.

They had worked hard in their younger years and amassed a considerable amount of money, allowing them to live comfortably in their old age.

The only reason they kept the inn open was not because they needed the money, but because they couldn’t bear to leave and abandon the place filled with their youthful sweat and effort.

The old man looked at the pouring rain out the window and mumbled,

“No customers again today. Who can blame them? What madman would venture through this rain?”

The old man thought of closing up shop early.

It was then.

He caught a glimpse of a figure through the heavy rainstorm.

“Guests?”

And, it wasn’t just one or two people.

About a dozen men were approaching the Hwa-young Guest House.

The old man rubbed his eyes, thinking he had seen wrong. But he wasn’t mistaken.

There really were dozens of men coming towards the inn.

“What?”

The old man shivered.

The intense gazes of the men, piercing through the rain, made him shrink back.

Their eyes were like that of a wolf that had been in a cage for a long time and had just been released. And it wasn’t just one or two wolves, but over a dozen of them.

The old man felt a shiver run down his spine.

Finally, the men arrived at the guesthouse.

They were the martial artists who had escaped from the Prison of No Return.

And leading the group was Pyo-wol.

Pyo-wol said to the innkeeper,

“Bring out all the food you have.”

“Pardon?”

“Bring out all the food you have in the inn.”

“Ah, understood.”

The old man nodded urgently.

He ran to the kitchen and shouted,

“Dear wife, we’re in big trouble! Hurry up and cook some food!”

Then, the sound of food being fried in oil could be heard from the kitchen.

Pyo-wol and the rest each took a seat.

“Ha! This is refreshing!”

“The air outside is certainly cleaner.”

“I wouldn’t mind dying right now.”

The men sat back in their chairs and said one thing after another.

‘Where on earth did these people come from?’

The old man trembled as he peeked at them from the kitchen.

The ferocious atmosphere, akin to a pack of starving wolves gathered, frightened the old man.

The old man had been running the inn all his life, thinking he had seen it all. He thought he had nothing to fear because of his vast experience, but just looking at these wolf-like men sitting in the center of his inn sent chills down his spine.

The only solace was that they didn’t seem to intend any harm towards him and his wife.

“Bring these out quickly!”

His wife, the cook, handed over plates filled with food.

The old man hurriedly served the food.

As the table filled with food, the men began to eat voraciously, without any sense of grace.

They consumed the food on the table at a terrifying speed, as if they were possessed.

Pyo-wol said to the old man,

“Keep the food coming.”

“Huh? But there’s already so much–”

“We’re going to eat several times this amount, so keep it coming.”

“Ah, understood!”

The old man replied before hurriedly running back to the kitchen.

The sound of the old man ordering his wife to cook food could be heard, but no one at the table paid them any attention.

Pyo-wol looked at the men.

Among them, the one who was imprisoned for the shortest time had been there for four months, and the longest were those who had been locked up for over a year.

They had starved for a very long time.

During their imprisonment, the only food they’d ever eaten was an unidentifiable gruel, but they only did so to stay alive, it didn’t have any flavor or taste.

For the first time in a long while, they could finally eat and taste real human food. The joy and excitement they all felt was beyond words.

Even ordinary stir-fried pork tasted heavenly.

The cook kept making food nonstop, and the old man kept serving it without rest. But even then, they couldn’t keep up with the speed at which the men were eating.

In the end, the old couple had to keep cooking and serving until they were exhausted.

“I think we’re going to live.”

“Phew!”

Only after the plates piled up like a mountain on the table did the men stop eating.

Someone spoke,

“I feel like I’m really alive.”

“Now, we should do what needs to be done.”

“That’s right! We need to show the people who sent us there what hell looks like!”

These were people who had endured a hellish time, gnawing at their resentment and fanning the flames of their anger.

Just because they had escaped from the Prison of No Return didn’t mean that the anger they had been harboring had disappeared. On the contrary, their anger was growing with time.

Pyo-wol and the men stayed at the Hwa-young Guest House for a while after that.

They ate, rested, and practiced martial arts.

And as they recovered, they left the Hwa-young Guest House one by one.

“If you ever need my help, call me anytime.”

“We are brothers. I will run to the ends of the earth if you call for me.”

“I’ll come back as soon as I’ve settled the affairs of my sect.”

After bidding farewell to Pyo-wol, they left the guest house.

Each headed in different directions, with different destinations.

Though physically separated, they remained connected by a strong bond.

And at the center of it all was Pyo-wol.

SoundlessWind21’s notes:

End of Volume 15. Thank you for reading!

Xingwu clan. Raws: 흥무방(興務房). 興 xīng – to rise / to flourish / to become popular / to start / to encourage / to get up / (often used in the negative) to permit or allow (dialect) / maybe (dialect) 務 wù – affair / business / matter / to be engaged in / to attend to / by all means 房 fáng – house / room / CL: 間｜间 / branch of an extended family / classifier for family members (or concubines) Golden Wing Sect. Raws: 금시문(金翅門). 金 jīn, jìn – gold; metals in general; money 翅 chì – wings; fin 門 mén – gate, door, entrance, opening Guarded Sword Sect. Raws: 호검문(護劍門). 護 hù – to protect 劍 jiàn – double-edged sword / CL: 口, 把 / classifier for blows of a sword 門 mén – gate, door, entrance, opening Anran Sect. Raws: 암연문(黯然門). 黯 àn, ān – dark, black; sullen, dreary 然 rán – yes, certainly; pledge, promise 門 mén – gate, door, entrance, opening