Chapter 76 – Hao Sect

Chapter 76 – Hao Sect

It was after a full three days had passed that San-ho opened his eyes.

"Ugh…"

As soon as he regained consciousness, San-ho let out a soft groan at the pain shaking his entire body. His throat stung as if he had swallowed sand, and his side and thigh, cut by a sword, still throbbed.

Amidst the complete dizziness, San-ho recalled what had happened to him.

How did I end up like this?

‘Ah… right. The house caught fire. Assailants broke into the annex and fought…'

As San-ho recalled the past events with a frown, he suddenly opened his eyes wide.

Where was the child?

As San-ho was about to raise his body, he lowered his gaze at the heavy sensation he felt. Around his ankles, the snow leopard cub was curled up, snoring softly.

Next to it, the child who had fallen asleep holding onto his collar came into view.

‘……Was I dreaming?’

It was an extremely peaceful sight. Pale sunlight poured in through the window, and a gentle breeze shook the sleeping child's hair.

San-ho stared blankly at the child for a moment.

The soft cheeks were pressed against the blanket like a steamed bun. The small lips were slightly parted, and the long eyelashes, casting a faint shadow, were deeply closed in sleep.

The clear face of the incomparably gentle child.

It was an entirely different atmosphere from Mua, who had radiated a bizarre sense of intimidation.

‘What on earth was that?’

It was the moment when San-ho's brow furrowed at the surging questions.

"Young Master!"

A familiar voice, thick with moisture, was heard.

Along with the sound of hinges sliding open, the sound of urgent footsteps followed. Seeing that the bitter scent of herbs was thick, they seemed to be coming from the Medical Hall.

A small laugh broke out at the situation, which somehow felt like déjà vu.

"Sawol."

"Young Master, this, this…"

It took a bit more time for Sawol, who could not even finish his words properly because he was sobbing, to calm down.

"How many days have passed?"

"Three days."

"Ugh…"

"First, please drink this. All at once!"

As he clutched his throbbing head again, Sawol quickly handed over a porcelain bowl. It was a decoction brewed from painkilling herbs.

San-ho took the bowl, which gave off a bitter herbal scent, and downed it in one go. Perhaps because licorice had been mixed in, the long-boiled decoction brought up a subtle sweetness, unlike its fragrance.

A moment later, the pain subsided, and San-ho's expression became much more comfortable.

Sawol placed the bandages, golden sore ointment, and bowl he had brought on the side table, and immediately poured out what he wanted to say.

"Do you know how sad I was because you suddenly left me behind and went away, Young Master?"

At the first words he uttered, San-ho's eyes narrowed.

The memory of spending three days and three nights in a debate-like discussion to dissuade him from following was still so vivid. Left behind? That was truly a harsh choice of words.

Whether San-ho did so or not, Sawol was busy pouring out his grievances one after another. While shedding tears steadily. Surprised that he was doing two completely different things at once, San-ho only blinked his eyes.

"Since you said you didn't know when you would return, I didn't even refuse to go on a long-distance errand, but if you're lying down in such a mess again in that short moment, I, I…"

Just then, the child who had just woken up spotted the weeping Sawol. The child blinked a few times and patted Sawol's knee.

"The moment I heard the news, my breath caught! and my heart squeezed tight! This time, I really almost crossed the River of Three Crossings. Seriously."

"……"

San-ho, who had unwittingly almost killed Sawol, smiled awkwardly.

Perhaps because he was so upset, Sawol hung his head low and was even trembling his shoulders.

"Stop crying, I am fine…"

"Those fuckers…"

"…Huh?"

"Son of a fucking bitch. I should kill them all, how dare they…"

"………"

"To do this to our Young Master, like this… If I really meet them, I'll fck their fcking XX up, damn it…"

What did I just hear?

At the unexpected cursing that followed in a low voice, San-ho, his mouth wide open, hurriedly covered the child's ears. The child, whose ears were covered, blinked and expressed questioning, but San-ho could not bring himself to remove his hands due to the ongoing, chilling threats.

Whatever had happened while he was away, the chihuahua, who had become even more ferocious, bared its teeth and growled fiercely. Although he didn't know for sure, if those guys had been here, a few would have already been bitten to shreds.

Sawol, who was swallowing his worry and anger while trembling his clenched fists, suddenly spoke.

"Ah, by the way, the Chief Stronghold Leader dropped by yesterday. He gave me some medicine good for wounds and pills for recovering energy, and they were really effective. Look, almost all the minor wounds have healed, right?"

Seeing him shining his eyes with a proud expression, with no trace of his murderous momentum, it was indeed the Sawol he knew.

‘Is this it? Do you need to have a couple of alternate personalities to swap out if you want to survive in the Jianghu, or what?’

Looking back and forth between Mua and Sawol, San-ho smacked his lips in dissatisfaction.

"Is that so? Did he not say anything else?"

"Hmm… He said he would come back with a gift, but he didn't tell me what it was."

"Didn't you say he already left a gift?"

"Yes. But he said it was something else. Uh… I think he said he would bring it fresh."

"……?"

What kind of gift was it that even freshness was mentioned?

San-ho tilted his head at the incomprehensible talk.

"What about the fire?"

"It's all out. Fortunately, it wasn't a time when people would use it, so they said no one was seriously hurt. The Painting and Calligraphy Pavilion is completely collapsed… The Cloud Joy Hall is similar. Oh, but they said it's a relief that many things inside the Cheonggeum Pavilion were preserved."

"Right, as long as no one was hurt, that's fine."

San-ho let out a bitter sigh of relief at the fortunate news amidst misfortune.

Now was the time to do what he had to do.

San-ho began to organize the situations at hand one by one. Originally, when there were many things to handle, setting priorities made the work relatively simple.

‘First, I need to hunt down the traitor of the Tang Clan that Mua talked about, and gather information on the guy named Tae-oh. And the most important thing is…….’

‘I must find my memories.’

Although other things were equally urgent, finding his complete memories would make the next steps easier. Mua had clearly said that he already knew Tae-oh. That meant there were important clues within his forgotten memories.

Having finished his thoughts, San-ho's gaze rested on the chattering Sawol.

It was a gaze that was somehow lonely yet touching at the same time.

"Sawol."

"Why do you call me like that? It makes me anxious… You're not going somewhere, are you? Not yet. Your wounds haven't even fully healed."

"Thank you for always worrying about me."

"…Young Master, is something really wrong? I'm starting to get a little scared…"

San-ho, smiling silently, shook his head slightly.

Then, he extended one hand to the anxious Sawol.

A low voice flowed from between his parted lips.

"There's something I entrusted to you, right?"

"……!!!"

Sawol froze in an instant.

His wide-open eyes wavered with a mixture of confusion and shock, and his hands, which he could neither clench nor unfold, were trembling violently. As if he was incredibly shocked, he kept hiccuping, opened and closed his mouth, and eventually let the tears pooling in his eyes fall drop by drop, unable to help himself.

There was no need to confirm what he had entrusted or what he was talking about. With just one word from San-ho, Sawol had already realized the situation.

"Your memories……. have they returned?"

Sawol shook his head, brushing away his tears.

His composed voice was trembling.

‘There is something I entrusted to you.’

For these words to come out, one prerequisite was necessary.

That was, the restoration of memory.

San-ho had to remember his past actions that he had forgotten.

He had to recall the situation where he had earnestly requested while entrusting an item.

"Not yet. But I'll remember soon."

When he had found the second secret manual in the Chief Stronghold Leader's secret library.

Unlike the expectation that a portion of his memories would return, only a single scene rose clearly in San-ho's head. The image of Tang San-ho pressing a small chest into Sawol's hands.

—Until I look for this first, you must never speak of it or return it. Even if they ask if you know where it is, you must say you don't.

Tang San-ho, amazingly, had entrusted the last secret manual to Sawol. To the person he could trust the most, and who would not be greedy even if he saw the secret manual.

It was truly a way of thinking where one could not predict even a single step ahead.

"……I'll go get it."

It was around the time about thirty minutes had just passed that Sawol, who had gone out like that, returned.

In the hands of Sawol, who opened the door and entered, was a chest wrapped in silk.

The chest, which was just the right size to fit a single book, was wrapped in multiple layers of silk. The outermost green silk looked scruffy, stained here and there. Judging by the dirt on Sawol's hands that he hadn't yet brushed off, he seemed to have hidden the chest in the ground.

Sawol, who unwrapped about three layers of silk with trembling hands, finally held out the old chest that was revealed.

"Make sure no one comes in."

Sawol nodded slightly.

As he walked outside holding the whining child and the still snoring snow leopard, desolate air filled the empty space.

Left alone in the annex, San-ho quietly traced the chest with his fingertips.

A cool temperature was felt from the smooth chest.

San-ho, who tapped the chest a couple of times, unlocked the latch as if he had made up his mind.

It was the final key to finding his memories.

***

Meanwhile, the Red Dragon Ship, which had left Sichuan, arrived near Xiangyin.

Located in Hunan, Xiangyin was a beautiful region close to Dongting Lake, with many academies and flowering trees. Tae Ju-ha lightly leaped down from the Red Dragon Ship, which had cast anchor at a nearby berth.

Had about thirty minutes passed?

Arriving in front of a tavern, he went inside and took a seat.

Before long, a waiter ran over and spoke to him with a smiling face. The waiter, realizing that he was a customer with a rather thick purse, immediately began recommending high-end dishes.

"Great Hero, today the Jingjiang shredded pork and fish-flavored shredded pork are delicious. We also happen to have the very last Dongpo pork remaining."

"Right, bring one of each."

"Yes, yes! What would you like for liquor? The most popular ones are Zhuyeqing and Huangjiu, but in my opinion, Jinzunqing and Pine Nut Liquor would go best with the top-tier dishes."

"Bring a bottle of each of those as well."

The price of a single bottle of Jinzunqing and Pine Nut Liquor alone far exceeded four months of the waiter's salary. Yet, when he ordered the expensive liquor and dishes without hesitation, the waiter ran to the kitchen with a broad smile on his face.

Or rather, he was just about to run.

"Let me order one more thing."

Tae Ju-ha's low voice stopped him in his tracks.

"Call the Sect Leader."

"Yes? Ah, are you referring to the Tower Master? Yes, yes, I will pass on the word."

"Did you not understand the meaning of my words?"

"How can you look for a Sect Leader at a tavern… This humble one does not know the reason. Is there perhaps something uncomfortable?"

As the waiter tilted his head with an innocent face, Tae Ju-ha burst into laughter.

"Puhahaha! To tell a lie in front of me without even changing your expression. As expected, you guys are masters at mimicking."

"I don't really know what you mean…"

"Go to the Sect Leader and report this."

"………"

Tae Ju-ha, hardening his face, continued in a stern tone.

In an instant, the atmosphere completely changed.

"That the master of the Yangtze River has arrived."

At those words, the waiter changed his expression as if taking off a mask. A firm silence settled on the face where the silly laughter had been completely erased. For he was a waiter of Manyeong Tower, and at the same time, a member of the Hao Sect whom Tae Ju-ha was looking for.

The Hao Sect.

Cart, Ship, Inn, Porter, Broker. A force built by various bottom-dwellers such as despised carriage drivers, waiters, courtesans, and pickpockets. Thus, a place where people who are everywhere, yet at the same time nowhere, gather.

The specialty of those who were well-versed in all kinds of information in the Jianghu was precisely…

Finding people and assassination.

The waiter, who had frozen completely before he knew it, looked at Tae Ju-ha. Just facing him, who had revealed his identity, made cold sweat pour down his spine.

‘How on earth did he find this place…?’

Since the Hao Sect operated in a point-to-point network structure, finding out the location of the Sect Leader was practically impossible. Not to mention the main headquarters, even the locations of the branches were kept secret, and each branch shared only the single closest location. Thus, not only the members but even the branch leaders could not easily find the Sect Leader.

The members, who would choose to cut out their tongues rather than confess information, would not have revealed this fact easily.

"What are you doing standing there? I told you to call the Sect Leader."

If so… how did the master of the Yangtze River know of the existence of Manyeong Tower?

With Tae Ju-ha's low voice, the waiter's heart sank with a thud.