THUD—!
As the ship touched the dock, the Black Forest Corps warriors unloaded horses and wagons.
The wagons carried a thousand top-quality weapons and an enormous quantity of gold ingots.
Enough arms to fully equip a major sect, and enough funds to sustain its operations in comfort for years.
In a single battle, the Black Forest Corps had gained massive wings.
Once he confirmed that his men had finished unloading, Gwak Pung turned to Woo Geom-san and Baek Ho-yang.
He bid farewell to Woo Geom-san first.
"Little brother. If we meet again someday, don't be a stranger. I'll gladly buy you a drink."
"I'll hold you to that."
Gwak Pung let out a wry smile at Woo Geom-san's cold reply, then shifted his gaze to Baek Ho-yang.
"Thank you for your consideration, Senior!"
"I did not show you any consideration. You held all the justification from the start."
The first to betray had been the vice-leader of the Silver River Trading Company.
It had been triggered by an internal power struggle within the Silver River Trading Company, but Baek Ho-yang had no way of knowing those inner workings.
Regardless of the reason, the vice-leader had betrayed them first and attacked the Black Forest Corps. Having been robbed of his cargo, he had no grounds for complaint.
What still weighed on Baek Ho-yang's mind, however, was the killing-intent-laden martial art Gwak Pung had displayed. Its killing intent was too thick to believe it was a Mount Hua Sect art — but it was not his place to press the matter.
Even if the Silver River Trading Company's leader raised objections in the future, that would be a matter between them and the Black Forest Corps, not something for Baek Ho-yang to involve himself in.
This was precisely why justification mattered so much in the murim.
Gwak Pung knew how to wield justification to his advantage.
He offered Baek Ho-yang a clasped hands greeting and bid his farewell.
"Then I look forward to meeting you again. May your journey be a peaceful one......"
"Safe travels."
At Baek Ho-yang's dispassionate reply, Gwak Pung allowed himself a faint smile and returned to the Black Forest Corps.
Like that, Gwak Pung departed the dock with the Black Forest Corps.
"Haah."
Ha Baek-jin, who had watched them leave until the very end, let out a deep sigh.
Though they belonged to different sects, those had been comrades who shared life and death on the battlefield — and now they were walking a different path.
He understood their feelings, but he had no wish to follow them.
It ran counter to his beliefs.
Still, he could not forget the way the Black Forest Corps warriors had looked at him — as though he were a traitor. That made the bitterness cut all the deeper.
Baek Ho-yang regarded Ha Baek-jin with a sympathetic expression.
"My friend. Are you alright?"
"I am fine. What reason would I have not to be?"
"Keep your spirits up."
"Does it show that much?"
"Can feelings ever truly be hidden just by trying to conceal them?"
"That was a foolish question. I apologize. My mind is... a bit conflicted."
"I imagine so."
"Hoo. What do you plan to do from here, Senior?"
"We intend to stay on the ship a while longer. And you?"
"I plan to disembark at the next dock and head home, as originally planned."
Those were his words, yet his gaze still lingered in the direction where Gwak Pung and the Black Forest Corps had vanished, his eyes full of reluctance.
His mind was consumed by the thought that perhaps he should have stopped them while he still could.
He knew better than anyone just how vast Gwak Pung's ambitions were.
Now that Gwak Pung had gained his wings, there was no telling how high he would soar.
All Ha Baek-jin could hope for was that Gwak Pung would walk the path of a hero, not become a blight upon the murim.
'Still, he is a lay disciple of Mount Hua, a prestigious orthodox sect. He would not walk the path of evil.'
Ha Baek-jin forced himself to think positively.
Baek Ho-yang did not speak to him further.
He knew that when one's mind was tangled, it was better to give the person time to sort things out on their own.
Baek Ho-yang turned his gaze to Woo Geom-san.
Even then, Woo Geom-san was still staring at the spot where Gwak Pung and the others had disappeared.
Baek Ho-yang spoke carefully.
"Geom-san."
"Ah! Yes!"
"Keep that up and your eyes will pop out of your head."
"Sorry."
"Does he weigh on your mind that much?"
"Yes! It's strange — I can't stop thinking about him."
"Then you will meet him again someday."
"You think so?"
"Yes. A bond has been tied between you. You are certain to cross paths again. So do not trouble yourself over it."
"Pardon?"
"No matter what form the other person takes, no matter how they come at you — as long as you yourself stand firm, you need not fear being shaken or threatened. So pay him no mind and focus solely on yourself. Understood?"
"Yes!"
Woo Geom-san replied with vigor.
"That's my boy."
Baek Ho-yang smiled and patted Woo Geom-san's shoulder.
Though he bore deep wounds and Woo Geom-san's body was far from whole, the boy was still young.
His potential for growth was boundless.
What Baek Ho-yang saw was not the Woo Geom-san of today, but the possibilities of tomorrow.
***
Ha Baek-jin disembarked at the next dock.
"I'll be going on ahead, little brother! If you ever venture out into the murim, be sure to visit the place I told you about."
"I will! Live well with your betrothed."
"Ha ha! Don't you worry about that. Senior, if the opportunity arises, I hope you will visit too."
"If I am still alive......"
"Ha ha! Something tells me you will outlive me, Senior."
"Kind of you to say so, at least. Travel safely."
"Yes! Until we meet again, may you be well......"
Ha Baek-jin offered a clasped hands greeting and departed the dock.
Woo Geom-san watched his retreating figure with a wistful expression.
Their time together had been no more than a single day, yet Ha Baek-jin had left a powerful impression on him.
He felt certain he would not forget the man for a long, long time.
Baek Ho-yang spoke to Woo Geom-san.
"Now that everyone has gone, focus on yourself."
"Ah, right!"
Woo Geom-san grasped his meaning at once.
He took out his needle and thread, then dropped to a seat on the ground.
It was time to devote himself to rehabilitation.
Baek Ho-yang left Woo Geom-san absorbed in threading the needle eye and walked over to the Captain.
The Captain stiffened at Baek Ho-yang's approach.
He had seen how the Black Forest Corps and Ha Baek-jin had treated the old man with the utmost deference.
In the murim, strength was everything.
No matter how old a person was, without strength they received no proper respect.
Judging by how cautiously Gwak Pung and Ha Baek-jin had treated him, this was no ordinary master.
The Captain bowed low.
"Elder!"
"I have a question for you."
"Please, ask."
"What do you plan to do with those bodies?"
Baek Ho-yang was looking toward the stern of the Cloud Horse river ferry.
The bodies of Silver River Trading Company and Blue Wolf Band warriors were piled at the stern.
They had been draped with large sheets of cloth, but the corpses were already decomposing and reeking.
"I plan to hand the bodies over to the branch office at the next dock. Once headquarters receives the report, they will negotiate with the Silver River Trading Company."
"And will you be alright?"
"What do you mean?"
"This disaster happened on the ship you were operating. Do you think the Silver River Trading Company will let that slide?"
"Oh! Is that what you mean? I will be fine."
"Fine?"
"We were not responsible for the cargo's transport — we simply carried passengers and freight aboard our vessel. It is tragic that people died, but that is the Silver River Trading Company's problem to resolve."
"Still, what if they try to strong-arm you?"
"You may not be aware, but our ship belongs to the Red Tide Faction. The Silver River Trading Company may be formidable, but the Red Tide Faction is no pushover either. They cannot disregard the Red Tide Faction and hold us accountable. If anything, they ought to be compensating us. They started a bloodbath on a vessel that was running just fine."
"Is that so? I am relieved, then."
"Thank you for your concern, Elder!"
"Not at all. An old man's needless worry. Well then, that settles it."
Baek Ho-yang returned to where Woo Geom-san was sitting.
As the Captain watched the old man's retreating figure, a feeling of genuine respect rose unbidden in his eyes.
There were plenty of aged warriors in the murim, but truly admirable ones were scarce.
Every old warrior the Captain had met until now had been stiff-necked and proud, never sparing a thought for people like him.
Baek Ho-yang was the first who had shown this kind of concern.
The Captain committed the images of Baek Ho-yang and Woo Geom-san to memory, so he would remember them for a long time to come.
***
"I did it."
Joy suffused Woo Geom-san's face as he stared at the needle in his hand.
A slender thread was lodged in the tiny needle eye.
After hundreds of attempts, he had succeeded once more.
It was only his second success, but Woo Geom-san's spirits soared.
To others, it might be merely two times — but for him, it was a full two successes.
Having succeeded twice, succeeding a third time and a fourth would not be so difficult.
Most importantly, he could feel the sensation in his fingertips sharpening little by little.
At this rate, if he kept practicing steadily, the day would surely come when he recovered the feeling in his hands.
Baek Ho-yang regarded Woo Geom-san with a look of fond pride.
"Well done."
"Grandfather."
"You have succeeded far faster than I expected. You must continue to work just as hard."
"Yes!"
"Now put that away and get up. The next dock is just ahead."
"Has it been that long already?"
So absorbed had he been in threading the needle that he had no idea so much time had passed.
Time truly flies, he thought.
Woo Geom-san tucked the needle and thread into his robe and rose to his feet.
Before long, the ship touched the dock.
The moment it did, passengers poured off in a rush.
It seemed this was the stop where the most people disembarked.
And for good reason — of all the stops along the Cloud Horse river ferry's route, this one had the largest city nearby. That was why the Red Tide Faction maintained a special branch office here to manage operations.
Naturally, people and goods flowed through in great volume.
Baek Ho-yang and Woo Geom-san disembarked amid the crowd.
While many headed toward the city, the two of them set off in the opposite direction.
They had prepared everything they needed for sleeping outdoors before boarding the ship, so there was no reason to visit the city.
The two chose training over a comfortable bed.
"Let us go."
"Yes!"
Woo Geom-san began to breathe correctly and walk correctly, just as Baek Ho-yang had taught him.
Baek Ho-yang no longer walked ahead of Woo Geom-san as he once did.
He matched Woo Geom-san's pace and walked alongside him.
A road that would be tedious alone did not feel tiring in the least.
Baek Ho-yang quietly hummed a verse that drifted to mind.
The wind is ever green, yet the years usher in old age.
The pine at the cliff's edge stands silent, never speaking of its height.
One step treads upon the void.
Two steps bind the heart firm.
Down a road where no road lies, I walk beside you.
Where the sword cannot reach, there I shall plant my resolve.
And only then shall the sword become yours.