Kang Sogun

"The bastard is crossing the mountain?"

Gu Yeongang personally received the report from the messenger. The messenger, who was prostrating, reported the situation.

"It seems he escaped after killing the five members who were chasing him."

"Bring me the map."

As Gu Yeongang ordered, Jo Gaeryang brought the map and spread it out.

"If you go this way, it's Xinyang."

Just then, another messenger arrived.

"The bastard abandoned his horse and went up the mountain. He seems to be injured."

"He went to the mountain?"

"Yes. Over fifty members under the command of the Heavenly Star Brigade Commander are searching the mountain."

Jo Gaeryang, who was next to him, quietly thought for a moment and said.

"It seems his injuries are more severe than we thought. He probably intends to hide and take care of his wounds."

Jo Gaeryang pointed at the map and said.

"If he went to the mountain, it will be difficult to chase him at night. It would be best to block this area for now and search when the sun rises."

Gu Yeongang stood up from his seat.

"Just because a tiger is injured, we can't underestimate it. We have to cut its throat when we can catch it!"

Gu Yeongang said to Jo Gaeryang.

"Find his tracks, even if it takes all night!"

***

Kang Sogun, while running, abandoned the horse he had been riding and switched to the ambusher's horse.

It was a simple trick, and he doubted the enemy would fall for it, but it was the best he could do for now.

Blood flowed from his wounds again.

Above all, his internal injuries had flared up again. His qi and blood were irregular.

'It will become a chronic illness if you do that. You need to rest for a few months.'

Hwang Uichae's words came to mind.

Even without his words, Kang Sogun himself knew well.

The internal injuries he had suffered while fighting the Yocheon Pavilion Master were becoming chronic due to the continuous battles.

If he met a master now, he could not guarantee his life.

Kang Sogun ran all night and reached Xinyang.

***

The Huayang Inn, located at the end of a narrow alley, was small and shabby.

Although the old owner swept and wiped tirelessly, he could not overcome the passage of time. The plaster walls were peeling in various places, and the window frames were worn out.

A small garden was in the center, and buildings were arranged on all four sides.

Three-room buildings faced each other to the east and west, and each room was a guest room.

The north was the owner's house, and the south was the inn's restaurant.

A person was sitting in the restaurant.

The young man, who was about twenty, looked like a ronin. He had placed his saber on the table and was eating noodles.

His clothes were simple but clean. His eyes were sharp, and he had a dark stubble under his nose and on his angular chin.

As the young ronin was eating his noodles, a person entered the restaurant from the door that connected to the inner courtyard.

The man, who looked to be a little over forty, had a flushed face, as if he had not yet sobered up from last night's drinking.

The man glanced at the young ronin and then looked around the restaurant.

Since the inn's restaurant had only four tables, it was a short distance no matter where one sat.

"If you can, put down the saber."

The man said as he sat down.

He looked like a traveling merchant, and he exuded a worn-out feeling.

The young ronin did not even pretend to listen.

The merchant shouted towards the kitchen.

"Old Man Jang, give me something to eat!"

There was no answer from the kitchen.

The merchant stood up and stuck his head through the pass-through window that connected to the kitchen.

There was no one there.

"Where on earth did this old man go!"

The merchant picked up the water bottle next to him and gulped it down.

A human shadow flickered at the door leading to the inner courtyard, and the inn owner, Old Man Jang, came in.

Old Man Jang, who had a small and thin build and a goatee, looked to be about sixty.

"Are you up? Come and sit. You have to eat lunch, right?"

The sun was already high in the sky.

Old Man Jang went into the kitchen, poured boiling broth over the noodles he had boiled, put a few pieces of meat on top, and brought it out.

As the merchant was stirring his noodles, the young ronin stood up from his seat.

The merchant, who had been glaring at the back of the young ronin who had picked up his saber and entered the inner courtyard, muttered to himself.

"The young pup has no manners. Doesn't he know the saying that even a brush of the sleeves is a connection?"

Old Man Jang, who was in the kitchen, took his words.

"Watch your mouth. What are you going to do if you get into a fight?"

"Hmph! I also used a sword a bit in my younger days."

"Hehe. What on earth haven't you done?"

Old Man Jang took the merchant's words and soothed him.

The merchant was a regular, and he spoke with Old Man Jang without reserve.

"It seems a guest came in at dawn?"

The merchant took a bite of his noodles and asked Old Man Jang.

The merchant had been drinking at the restaurant all night and had only gone to his room at dawn.

He seemed to remember that he had heard a human presence from outside when he had gone to his room.

"It's natural for guests to come to an inn."

Old Man Jang said as he cleared the empty bowl that the young ronin had left.

"What does he do, coming to an inn at dawn?"

It seemed that meddling in this and that was the merchant's nature.

Old Man Jang was tight-lipped.

"It seems he got lost on the road. Why are you so curious? Just eat your food."

As Old Man Jang went into the kitchen, he thought that it was a miracle that the merchant was still alive.

How many people had met with disaster because of their curiosity?

The merchant's name was No Ichil. It was not known if that was his real name.

Among the guests who came to the inn, there were many who did not even reveal their names.

An inn was a place where all sorts of guests came and went. A shabby place in a back alley like the Huayang Inn attracted all sorts of people, such as traveling merchants, ronin who were short on money, and criminals who were being chased by the authorities.

No Ichil was a relatively good guest. He came around this time every year and stayed for about a fortnight.

He had not asked what he traded, but he had talked on his own, and it seemed he traded tea.

Old Man Jang was more concerned about the guest who had come at dawn than No Ichil.

He had appeared when he was sweeping the alley at dawn. He didn't know how surprised he had been to see him covered in blood.

It was around noon, and since it was quiet, he had been worried that he might be dead, so he had knocked on the door, and he had asked him to bring him lunch.

Old Man Jang had been running an inn for decades. He was at a level where he could tell a person's identity from their behavior.

The blood-stained guest was no ordinary person at a glance. The fact that such a person had come to a back alley inn meant that he had an enemy chasing him.

Old Man Jang made a bowl of noodles and went to the room where the young guest was staying.

Kang Sogun had changed his clothes and had neatly combed his hair in the meantime.

He looked fine on the outside, but he could not hide his pale complexion.

"I've brought lunch."

Kang Sogun just nodded.

Old Man Jang placed the bowl of noodles on the table and left the room.

***

The young ronin went out first, and No Ichil followed.

As Old Man Jang was dozing off at the restaurant counter, his grandson, Jang Ung, came in.

"Grandpa, is there anything to eat?"

"There are boiled noodles in the kitchen."

Old Man Jang opened his eyes blearily and then closed them again.

"I'm hungry. Can you make me some, grandpa?"

Jang Ung said as he plopped down on a chair in the restaurant.

Old Man Jang said as he went into the kitchen.

"You're a grown man, are you so eager to make your grandfather work?"

Although he grumbled, he made a bowl of noodles.

"What on earth are you doing? Come in now."

Jang Ung, who had just turned twenty, was a gangster in the back alley.

He was the grandson born after his only son, who had caused him trouble all his life, had fallen in love with a prostitute.

After his son had died in a back alley fight, the mother had disappeared somewhere, and Old Man Jang had raised him since then.

The grandson resembled his father and frequented gambling dens every night. Now that he was older, it seemed he occasionally got involved in gangster activities.

He had been out all night last night and had only just returned.

"Don't worry. As soon as I make a big score, I'll quit this inn and let you live comfortably."

Although his actions were those of a gangster, he was a kind-hearted man.

"It's enough if you just live properly. You don't have to worry about your grandfather, just take care of yourself."

Old Man Jang clicked his tongue.

Jang Ung said as he ate his noodles.

"There are Heavenly Martial Faction people all over the place outside. You know the Heavenly Martial Faction, right?"

"The Heavenly Martial Faction?"

"It's a martial arts faction in Hubei, and its reputation is well-known."

Old Man Jang had also heard of it. He was worried that his grandson might get involved.

"Don't get close to martial artists."

After saying a word, he stood up and, as if he had thought of something, he looked towards the room where Kang Sogun was.

He had an ominous feeling.

Just then, he heard the sound of a horse neighing from the direction of the stable.

"It seems there's a horse?"

Jang Ung asked.

Since it was a back alley inn, there were almost no guests who came on horseback.

Although it was called a stable, it was usually used as a warehouse. Since Kang Sogun's horse was there, it had become a stable.

"A guest came on it last night. Don't even think about it. If you've finished your noodles, go and give the horse some fodder."

"Hey, I've been working hard all night, and you're telling me to take care of the horse's fodder too?"

Jang Ung grumbled.

Jang Ung took the slop with food scraps and went to the stable.

Jang Ung, who had poured the slop into the trough, examined the horse.

'It's quite a fine horse, isn't it?'

He thought he could get a lot of money if he sold it.

Of course, Jang Ung had not yet degenerated to the point of selling a guest's horse.

As he was examining the horse, he saw the brand on its rump.

'Isn't this a horse of the Heavenly Martial Faction?'

The brand "Heavenly Martial" was clearly visible on its rump.

Jang Ung remembered that there were Heavenly Martial Faction people all over the city.

'A Heavenly Martial Faction martial artist in our inn? No, that can't be, can it?'

Jang Ung's heart pounded.

The fact that Heavenly Martial Faction martial artists were searching the inns in the market, and that there was a Heavenly Martial Faction horse in a secluded inn in a back alley.

Jang Ung was smart enough to connect the two facts.

'They're looking for the person who rode this horse.'

Jang Ung knew that a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity had come to him.

Jang Ung returned to the restaurant and, while pretending to wipe the tables and organize the kitchen, he watched the guest rooms.

"What's gotten into you? Helping with the inn's work."

Old Man Jang said a word as if he were seeing something strange.

"I've always done what you told me to do. You just don't tell me to do anything, grandpa."

"I have to see you to tell you to do something."

"But isn't the guest who came last night eating? I don't see him at all."

"I brought it to his room, so there's nothing to worry about."

As the grandfather and grandson were exchanging such words, No Ichil, who had gone out, came in.

"You're back early today."

At Old Man Jang's words, No Ichil shook his head and said.

"The atmosphere outside is very murderous. There are guys with swords searching everywhere. At times like this, the way to avoid unnecessary trouble is to just stay cooped up in a corner and drink."

"You've thought well. Sit down."

No Ichil sat down at a table by the door.

Old Man Jang sliced some boiled pork and put some roasted pumpkin seeds on a plate and brought them out.

Jang Ung went to the inner courtyard and picked up a broom that was in a corner.

"Oh? What's gotten into you?"

No Ichil said a word as he saw Jang Ung pick up the broom.

He had been coming and going to the Huayang Inn for several years, but it was the first time he had seen Jang Ung sweep.

Jang Ung glanced at the room where Kang Sogun was staying while sweeping the courtyard.

No Ichil watched Jang Ung while drinking.

Jang Ung, who had roughly swept the floor, put the broom away and then went to Kang Sogun's room and knocked on the door.

"If you've finished your meal, I'll take the dishes."

There was no immediate answer.

When Jang Ung knocked on the door again, a voice was finally heard.

"Take it."

Jang Ung entered Kang Sogun's room and came out with an empty noodle bowl.

Jang Ung closed the door of Kang Sogun's room and came towards the restaurant with the bowl.

Old Man Jang was dozing off at a table in the restaurant.

Jang Ung put the empty bowl in the kitchen, lingered for a moment, and then came out of the kitchen and was about to go out the front door.

But No Ichil reached out and grabbed Jang Ung's arm.

"I'm bored because there's no one to drink with."

When Jang Ung tried to shake him off, No Ichil pressed his Quchi acupoint with his thumb.

(End of Chapter)