The Woo Sword Vies for Supremacy
After exchanging greetings, Gwak Pung excused himself, saying he needed to inspect the Silver River Trading Company's cargo below.
In addition to weapons, the Silver River Trading Company was transporting an enormous quantity of gold ingots on this voyage.
Given the staggering sum involved, the gold ingots were guarded separately by martial artists dispatched directly from the Silver River Trading Company. Even so, overall security remained the responsibility of the Black Forest Corps under Gwak Pung's command.
Because of that, Gwak Pung regularly went below to check on things.
Ha Baek-jin, who remained beside Woo Geom-san and Baek Ho-yang, grumbled.
"What a lousy deal this is."
"What do you mean?"
"The pay is terrible for the amount of work. They docked our fee on the excuse that they don't fully trust the Black Forest Corps."
"Even though the Captain is a lay disciple of the Mount Hua Sect?"
"They went into seclusion, didn't they?"
"For shame."
Baek Ho-yang clicked his tongue. But Ha Baek-jin continued with an untroubled expression.
"I'm coming to understand firsthand just how harsh the world can be. And also how incredibly easy I had it until now."
"You seem rather cheerful for someone in that situation. That Gwak Pung fellow is quite dark."
"That's because I'm going home."
"I thought you were with them?"
"We part ways at the dock after next. Our routes happened to overlap, so we traveled together. That is all."
"You have already discussed this?"
"Yes!"
"Then there should be no issue."
Baek Ho-yang nodded.
Gwak Pung and Ha Baek-jin were very different in temperament.
Gwak Pung was deeply dark, while Ha Baek-jin possessed a brightness that lifted the spirits of everyone around him. That two people with such disparate natures were traveling in the same group struck him as slightly odd.
People with such extremely different temperaments tended to slide off each other like oil and water.
Woo Geom-san asked.
"What will you do when you get home?"
"I have a betrothed. I'm going to marry her and spend my days working the land."
"Congratulations."
"Thanks. Heh heh!"
Ha Baek-jin grinned, flashing white teeth.
He had learned martial arts at Shaolin, but Ha Baek-jin harbored no grand ambitions.
His exceptional talent had caught his master's eye, and thanks to that he had entered Shaolin to learn martial arts—that was all.
His master had hoped he would become a disciple of the main temple, but Ha Baek-jin had firmly refused.
Since childhood, he had a betrothed to whom he had pledged his future.
To marry her, have children, and live happily—that had been Ha Baek-jin's lifelong dream.
Because he was heading home to fulfill that long-held dream, his heart was brimming with excitement.
"By the way, young brother, how did you come to injure your hand? It doesn't look like any ordinary wound."
"I ran into river pirates, and that is how it happened."
"What a shame."
"It's fine now. It's healed a great deal."
Woo Geom-san wiggled his fingers as he answered.
When Baek Ho-yang had first rescued him, his fingers had barely functioned at all.
They had been stiff as logs, with no strength in them whatsoever. But now, he could at least clumsily curl all of his fingers.
Compared to their initial state, it was a tremendous improvement.
"That's good to hear. I hope it heals completely soon."
"Thank you."
Woo Geom-san expressed his gratitude at Ha Baek-jin's sincere words.
They had not spoken long, but he could already tell what kind of person Ha Baek-jin was—earnest and generous of heart.
"This is a connection, too. If we ever meet again, let's greet each other warmly."
"Yes!"
"How old are you, young brother?"
"Fifteen."
"Fifteen? Younger than I thought. You'd be a good match for my daughter."
"Your daughter? You haven't even gotten married yet—how do you have a daughter?"
"Heh heh! I mean one that'll come along in the future."
"Oh."
"I've always wanted a daughter. A daughter who takes after me—just thinking about it makes me happy. Ha ha ha!"
Woo Geom-san stared at Ha Baek-jin, who was laughing heartily, with an expression of disbelief.
In other words, the man was making jokes about a daughter who did not even exist yet.
Contrary to appearances, the man was completely absurd.
Woo Geom-san shook his head and picked up the needle and thread again.
Ha Baek-jin clapped Woo Geom-san on the shoulder and said.
"Work hard on that rehab, future son-in-law!"
"Good grief."
It was not even worth answering. Woo Geom-san sighed and waved him off.
Ha Baek-jin rose and offered Baek Ho-yang a clasped hands greeting.
"I will take my leave now. Please rest well."
"Take care."
"I will come see you again before we disembark."
Having paid his respects, Ha Baek-jin returned to his companions.
Gwak Pung, who had finished inspecting the cargo below, rejoined them at the same time.
Ha Baek-jin asked.
"The cargo?"
"Still there."
"Then why that expression?"
"What expression?"
"You look like every nerve in your body is on edge."
"My gut feels off."
"Hmm."
Ha Baek-jin murmured pensively at Gwak Pung's answer.
Though they belonged to different sects, they had been around each other long enough to know.
Just how sharp Gwak Pung's instincts were.
One of the reasons they had survived the war against the Heavenly Mandate Society was precisely because of Gwak Pung's razor-keen intuition.
At every crossroads between life and death, Gwak Pung had always made the right call, and because of that, they had survived.
Everyone currently traveling with them knew of Gwak Pung's ability. They owed their lives to it.
All of those now with Gwak Pung were lay disciples of the Nine Great Sects.
Left adrift by the seclusion of the Nine Great Sects, they followed Gwak Pung with blind devotion.
Gwak Pung said.
"The men guarding the gold ingot carriage. Something about them rubs me wrong. It feels like they're hiding something."
"Aren't they transporting an enormous amount of gold ingots? Of course they'd be on edge."
"No. Come to think of it, it's been strange from the start. No matter how obsessed they are with cutting costs and squeezing every drop of profit, would they really entrust gold ingots—valuables of that magnitude—to outside escorts like us instead of their own?"
"That's why they assigned their own people to guard the gold separately, isn't it?"
"It's the look in their eyes that bothers me."
There were five martial artists guarding the gold ingots in total.
All of them were reputed to be formidable fighters within the Silver River Trading Company. Among them was the Company's vice-leader.
He was said to be the younger brother of the Company's leader, Gi Cheon-wi. Perhaps because of that, he ate and slept at the gold ingot carriage and never left its side for a moment.
"If the gold ingots were really that important, they should have deployed more of their own escort force."
"Hmm."
"Something has felt off from the very beginning."
"So what are you going to do? Grab the vice-leader and beat the truth out of him?"
"If it comes to that......"
"Come now."
"I'm saying it's a possibility, not that I'm doing it right now. Let's just watch the situation."
Gwak Pung's eyes flashed with dangerous intensity.
Ha Baek-jin let out a quiet sigh at that look.
When Gwak Pung's ferocious side surfaced like this, even Ha Baek-jin found it hard to breathe.
He sighed where Gwak Pung could not see.
'I hope nothing happens......'
His gaze drifted to the opposite side of the deck, where Baek Ho-yang and Woo Geom-san sat.
Baek Ho-yang was sitting upright, gazing at the surrounding scenery, while Woo Geom-san was still wrestling with his needle and thread.
Watching them eased the tightness in his chest just a little.
***
"There—I did it."
Woo Geom-san's voice came out trembling.
His pupils were dilated wide, and fine tremors ran through his shoulders.
Unable to contain his elation, he shook his right hand over and over.
In the needle held in Woo Geom-san's left hand, a slender thread was threaded through the eye.
After hundreds, perhaps thousands of attempts, he had finally succeeded in threading the needle.
What most people would consider trivial had been the challenge of a lifetime for Woo Geom-san.
He had managed just a single success after countless failures, but it filled him with a thrill that nothing else could match.
Baek Ho-yang watched Woo Geom-san celebrate and smiled.
"Well done. But you must not be satisfied with a single success. Keep practicing until you can do it consistently."
"Yes!"
"Still, well done."
"Yes!"
Woo Geom-san clenched his fist tight.
He, too, understood.
That succeeding once did not mean he could succeed again.
He would need to succeed hundreds, thousands of times in a row before he could say his rehabilitation was complete.
He had barely taken the first step.
Even so, his spirits were undeniably high.
Baek Ho-yang said.
"You have worked hard today. Rest now."
"But......"
"The sun is setting. Before long it will be too dark to see the needle's eye."
"Understood."
Only then did Woo Geom-san let go of his reluctance and tuck the needle and thread into his robe.
He had been so absorbed in threading the needle that he had not noticed how dim the surroundings had grown.
As Baek Ho-yang said, it was best to stop for the day.
Woo Geom-san stood and loosened his stiff body.
He had been crouching for so long that every muscle ached and creaked. Getting the stiffness out took a considerable while.
"Haah......"
Once his body felt refreshed, Woo Geom-san stretched fully.
His eyes happened to fall on Gwak Pung and Ha Baek-jin on the opposite side of the deck.
"Is something wrong? Their expressions look serious."
The atmosphere around the two men as they spoke was palpably heavy. But they were too far away to make out what they were saying.
Just then, Baek Ho-yang's low voice reached him.
"The face of a classic ruthless hero."
"Pardon? What do you mean?"
Woo Geom-san looked at Baek Ho-yang, startled.
"At first glance, his eyes seem to resemble a tiger's, but in truth they are closer to a flood dragon's. Fierce, without a drop of mercy—a face that would burn everything around him for the sake of his ambitions, no matter who gets hurt. Anyone who remains close to a man with a face like that will come to ruin."
"A flood dragon, a ruthless hero."
"Take a good look and remember. Nothing good comes from keeping a man with such a face near you. He will never remain content as the head of some small band. The moment an opportunity arises, he will sink his teeth into someone's throat and seize their place."
"Are all those who bear the face of a ruthless hero like that?"
"Not all. People's abilities vary enormously. No matter how great the ambition, without ability, one is weeded out. But this man Gwak Pung—his ambition appears vast and his ability appears outstanding. He is not the sort to remain a mere escort guard."
"Hmm."
Woo Geom-san murmured pensively.
He had not expected Baek Ho-yang to assess Gwak Pung so highly.
Even if it was not a flattering assessment, such a strong appraisal was anything but common.
"Then what about him?"
"Who? Ha Baek-jin?"
"Yes."
"He is the polar opposite of the man called Gwak Pung. His bright, clear aura is neither too much nor too little—a sign of a heart brimming with righteousness. His will is straight and upright, so he would be the kind of man who could never abide injustice. He may travel alongside a ruthless hero for a time, but he could never walk with him to the end. If they travel together too long, their discord will only grow until they wound each other."
"Hmm."
"It is fortunate, then, that they part ways at the dock after next. For both their sakes."
"I see."
Woo Geom-san nodded.
Baek Ho-yang looked up at the darkening sky.
"The war against the Heavenly Mandate Society is over, yet the signs of heaven are as turbulent as ever."
His lament scattered on the river wind.