Chapter 91

Chapter 91: The World Is Wide, But Those Who Must Meet Will Meet (1)

It had been but a single meeting, and that too had been quite some time ago, so one might expect the encounter to feel awkward. Yet Cho Yeon-woon approached Dam Ho with the ease of someone who had parted only yesterday and met again today.

Cho Yeon-woon held out a wine bottle to Dam Ho.

When Dam Ho furrowed his brow slightly, Cho Yeon-woon smiled.

"Just drink it down. There's no poison in it."

Dam Ho stared directly at Cho Yeon-woon.

It was a gaze that would make an ordinary person too uncomfortable to meet, yet Cho Yeon-woon bore it with perfect composure. Not a trace of ill intent lay within those eyes.

Cho Yeon-woon offered the wine bottle once more.

"The smell of blood is strong on you. It will be diluted somewhat if you drink."

Only then did Dam Ho accept the bottle. At that, Cho Yeon-woon gave a faint smile.

'This fellow truly does not trust anyone.'

He had already gauged Dam Ho's nature when they met at Hongam Mountain Lodge. Though much time had passed, that aspect of Dam Ho had not changed at all. In a way, one could call it remarkably consistent.

Dam Ho brought the bottle to his lips and took a sip.

The harsh liquor stinged his throat with a sharp thrill.

"For appetizers, have this."

Cho Yeon-woon drew a piece of dried meat from his robe and handed it to Dam Ho. Dam Ho accepted it in silence.

Cho Yeon-woon watched Dam Ho chewing the meat without a word and smiled.

"Not bad, is it?"

"…"

"Clouds drift across the sky, and the boat we ride drifts along the river. There is fine wine, and a friend to drink with—is this not heavenly pleasure?"

Cho Yeon-woon hummed as though singing a song.

Dam Ho could not comprehend such sentiment. But just because he could not understand it did not mean it was wrong, so he said nothing.

"How wonderful it would be if everything flowed naturally, like that river. There is not a single quiet day."

Cho Yeon-woon pulled the wine bottle from his belt and drank deeply. He drank with such relish that even Dam Ho, who was beside him, felt the bitter wine taste somewhat pleasant.

Dam Ho took another sip. Indeed, it seemed milder than before.

In that moment, he thought of Sage Hyeon-so.

Cho Yeon-woon and his Master, Sage Hyeon-so, were different in many ways.

Their appearances, their auras—nothing about them resembled each other in the slightest. Yet for some reason, seeing Cho Yeon-woon reminded him inexplicably of Sage Hyeon-so.

If they shared one thing in common, it was only that they both loved wine.

Dam Ho asked, "Is Dongting Lake your destination?"

"To be precise, it would be Yuanjiang."

"Yuanjiang?"

"It is where the Heaven's Greatest Tower stands. An important gathering is to take place there soon, you see."

"What do you mean? A gathering?"

"Ah, you would not know. Soon, the important figures of the renowned sects of Murim will assemble there."

"Why?"

"I do not know the details myself. All I know is one thing: a rather significant matter is to be discussed there. Because of that, not only Yuanjiang but all of Dongting Lake and Hunan Province are in an uproar. Though you, my friend, seem entirely uninterested."

"Important figures are coming?"

"I hear that people from the Nine Great Sects and the Five Great Families will be present. That means the principal figures of the Murim world will be gathered in one place."

Dam Ho's eyes wavered ever so slightly.

If the major figures of the Nine Great Sects were coming, the Mount Hua Sect would surely send representatives as well.

Though twelve years had passed since his ties with the sect were severed, it was still the place where Sage Hyeon-so dwelled. To say he felt no interest would be a lie.

Dam Ho was not one given to emotional turbulence, but this time his heart grew somewhat complicated. However, that was only his inner state; his outward appearance remained as cold and detached as ever.

Cho Yeon-woon clicked his tongue at the sight.

"You are truly something else. You could at least show a bit of surprise."

"…"

"Well, it does not matter. Nature cannot be changed. By the way, your reputation has been soaring through the heavens."

"Reputation?"

"Did you not know? All of Hunan Province is in quite a commotion because of you."

"…"

"The Sin-gang Blood Star, the Fist Demon—those are all names for you."

When Dam Ho still seemed not to know, Cho Yeon-woon gave a wry smile.

"Of course the people around the subject are always in a stir, while the subject himself remains unaware. That is the way of rumors. Right now, you are the most famous person in the Central Plains, not just Hunan. Though I doubt the fame is entirely pleasant."

Cho Yeon-woon looked at Dam Ho with a worried expression.

From what he had seen, Dam Ho was never the kind of man to bend his will for anyone. Nor was he the kind to care about the opinions of others.

Once he set his path, he would look neither left nor right, moving only forward.

Inevitably, he would gather many enemies.

Especially for someone like Dam Ho, who shed blood without regard for friend or foe, the likelihood of becoming a public enemy of the Murim world was high.

For now, there were pressing matters that kept people too busy to concern themselves with Dam Ho, but sooner or later, those who would take issue with him would appear. Once public opinion formed, being branded a public enemy could happen in the blink of an eye.

'When one is too strong, one is apt to break.'

Cho Yeon-woon sighed and brought the wine bottle to his lips once more. The wine tasted especially bitter.

Whether Cho Yeon-woon's thoughts were known to him or not, Dam Ho gazed silently at the river.

A short while later, the boat carrying the two arrived at the next dock. Unlike where Dam Ho had boarded, quite a number of people were waiting at this dock to board.

Among those waiting at the dock, however, three stood out from the rest.

Two men and one woman, all of striking appearance and extraordinary bearing.

One of the men was of enormous build, with fists as large as a cauldron lid to match. If struck by those fists, one would not even be able to pick up the pieces of one's bones.

The other man was of sturdy build, and the large saber at his waist was particularly striking. His gaze was sharp, and his tightly closed lips gave him a stubborn air.

The last was a beautiful woman clad in purple combat garments. Her willow-slender figure and fresh expression were impressive.

The large man muttered as he boarded the boat.

"Tch! To think I had to wait half a day just to board a boat."

His voice was as massive as his frame. Like the tolling of a great bell, it made the passengers already on board flinch.

At that, the saber-wielding man who followed behind him spoke.

"Keep your voice down. The passengers are startled, are they not?"

"Tch! This is just how my voice has always been. What would you have me do?"

When the giant glowered, the passengers quickly averted their eyes, avoiding his gaze.

One could tell he was a martial artist simply from his frame—two heads taller than an ordinary man—and his booming voice.

The woman in purple was the last to board, shaking her head.

"Really, Brother Hwangbo's booming voice is something. My ears are about to fall off."

"What would you have me do? I was born this way."

"I know, I know. But could you not at least try to lower it a little?"

"As always, you're the only one who would kill me."

The giant grumbled.

At that, the woman in purple and the man with the large saber at his waist both gave wry smiles.

The giant's name was Hwangbo Yeong-cheon.

He was a direct bloodline member of the Hwangbo Family, one of the Five Great Families.

The Hwangbo Family was renowned among the Five Great Families for their powerful fist arts. Hwangbo Yeong-cheon had likewise learned the Hwangbo Family's true techniques, cultivating an exceptionally robust body and powerful fists.

The saber-wielding man's name was Paeng Man-yeong. He too was a direct bloodline member of the Haebuk Paeng Family, one of the Five Great Families.

The Paeng Family had produced many sons through the generations. Most Paeng descendants were impatient in temperament and belligerent by nature. This disposition influenced their martial arts as well, and the majority of Paeng Family techniques possessed devastating lethal power.

The most famous among them was the Five Tigers Severing Gate Saber. It was a saber technique that all direct Paeng bloodline members were required to learn without exception.

Paeng Man-yeong too had mastered the Five Tigers Severing Gate Saber to a considerable level.

The woman accompanying Hwangbo Yeong-cheon and Paeng Man-yeong was named Eon Su-hwa.

She too was a member of the Jinju Eon Family, one of the Five Great Families. Like the Hwangbo Family, the Jinju Eon Family was based in Shandong Province, but it was not merely a martial house.

What most distinguished the Jinju Eon Family from the other Great Families was that they possessed the greatest wealth in the world.

Through generations, the Jinju Eon Family had devoted themselves to managing trading companies, and as a result, they owned the largest trading company and escort agency in the world.

The Bogoang Trading Company and the Bogoang Escort Agency—the largest trading company and escort agency under heaven. The money they earned in a single year was astronomical, and all of that wealth flowed into the Jinju Eon Family.

Though they might lag behind the other Great Families in martial arts, the Jinju Eon Family was unmatched in financial power.

Eon Su-hwa was a direct bloodline member of this Jinju Eon Family.

The Haebuk Paeng Family, the Jinju Eon Family, and the Hwangbo Family were geographically quite close to one another. As a result, they had frequent dealings even in ordinary times.

The three of them had naturally grown close through their families' exchanges. They too were traveling to attend the important gathering at Dongting Lake.

Under normal circumstances, they should have departed with their family elders and attendants. But had they done so, they would not have been able to enjoy their rare freedom, so the three had slipped away on their own.

Traveling together with people of similar age was enjoyable in its way, but it also brought many problems. The prime example was Hwangbo Yeong-cheon.

Hwangbo Yeong-cheon behaved as though his enormous frame entitled him to ignore all courtesy. He had not the slightest consideration for others.

Traveling a long road with such a Hwangbo Yeong-cheon was exhausting. The fatigue that Paeng Man-yeong and Eon Su-hwa had accumulated on the way here was no small matter.

Even after boarding the boat, Hwangbo Yeong-cheon continued to act without restraint. Paeng Man-yeong and Eon Su-hwa sighed softly. They too were weary now.

'From now on, I must decline traveling with the Hwangbo Family's martial artists.'

Paeng Man-yeong thought this as he sat on the deck.

At least the fact that Dongting Lake was not far off was a small comfort. By the time they arrived at Dongting Lake, the family elders would likely arrive around the same time.

'What kind of gathering could it be, to be kept so secret?'

Paeng Man-yeong knew only that a gathering was to take place. He did not know why it was being conducted with such secrecy.

While Paeng Man-yeong was lost in thought, a loud voice rang out from nearby.

"So you're telling me to shut my mouth?"

"That is not it. I am merely asking you to lower your voice a little. The other passengers are uncomfortable…"

"Isn't that the same thing? How insolent!"

The booming voice from not far away made Paeng Man-yeong shake his head and rise.

'Here we go again.'

This had happened several times on the journey here. And whenever such problems arose, it was always Paeng Man-yeong who had to resolve them.

Raising his head, he saw Hwangbo Yeong-cheon gripping a crewman by the collar, shaking him like a rat. The crewman's rough-looking body was being tossed about helplessly.

The crewman had seen his share of hardship, but against a martial artist who had cultivated his body, he was no better than an ordinary man. Moreover, his opponent was a master of the Hwangbo Family.

The crewman's words had no effect.

Hwangbo Yeong-cheon's enormous fist hovered before his eyes, and the crewman's face turned deathly pale. The calluses on his massive hands were as hard as iron, giving the impression of a great hammer.

If struck by that fist, one would not be able to pick up one's bones afterward—that much was clear.

"Did you take me for a fool? Huh!"

When Hwangbo Yeong-cheon scowled, the crewman's face twisted in abject misery. His only crime had been delivering a message in the captain's stead.

At that moment, a voice came to his rescue.

"Enough, Yeong-cheon."

"That's right, Brother Hwangbo."

It was Paeng Man-yeong and Eon Su-hwa.

Even though the two had stepped in, Hwangbo Yeong-cheon's agitation did not subside easily.

"You heard? That bastard just disrespected me."

"He did not disrespect you. He was simply doing his duty."

"Exactly. So let go of the poor man's collar."

At the words of Paeng Man-yeong and Eon Su-hwa, Hwangbo Yeong-cheon's expression twisted further. He wanted to hurl the crewman to the ground, but he could not entirely disregard their words.

"Ugh! You're damn lucky."

In the end, Hwangbo Yeong-cheon released his grip on the crewman. Only then did the crewman let out a sigh of relief and stagger backward.

People murmured among themselves at the sight. At that, Hwangbo Yeong-cheon bellowed.

"What are you looking at, you bastards? Never seen a show before?"

A sound like the tolling of a great bell resounded, and people quickly turned their heads away. But one person reacted differently.

"Bastard."

Cho Yeon-woon savored the word.

It was an insult not only to himself but to one's parents as well. Though the target was an indiscriminate crowd, that he was included in it did not change the fact.

Cho Yeon-woon quietly set the wine bottle he had been holding on the ground.