Reaper of the Drifting Moon

“Hngg!”

Soma stretched out and left the guest house.

Soma’s face looked so innocent that it was hard to believe that he killed five people last night.

Soma looked around with his half-lidded eyes, and then walked often to the well behind the guest house.

Chelgrung!

With every step he took, the seven wheels hanging around his neck hit each other, producing a clear metallic sound.

“Hiiik!”

“Heuck!”

The warriors, who heard the noise from afar, hurriedly fled. Just hearing the sound of the wheels crashing, they knew that Soma was nearby

The memories Soma left to the warriors last night were that strong.

No wonder Soma was nicknamed Small Patrol¹ overnight.

The way he looked yesterday was a big shock to people. However, Soma himself did not know that.

“Hm?” s o u n d l e s s w i n d 2 1 . c o m

Soma, who arrived in front of the well, tilted his head.

Because there was another person washing first.

“Ah!”

The person, who had been drawing water from the well and washing her face, flinched when she saw Soma.

The girl with her beautiful wet face and round eyes was Mok Gahye.

Soma looked at her and smiled.

“Hi, pretty sister!”

“H, hello!”

Mok Gahye’s voice trembled.

Because she remembered the events from last night.

“Y, you can go ahead and wash up first.”

“No! Sister was here first. You can finish washing up.”

“Is… Is that okay?”

“Yes!”

Soma nodded and sat down on a large rock by the well.

Mok Gahye threw a sideway glance at Soma.

He was a six or seven-year-old boy, wearing shabby black clothes, and a seemingly impeccable appearance.

He was a handsome boy who could be loved by anyone.

However, the thought disappeared as soon as she saw the seven rings hanging from Soma’s neck. Last night, Soma turned as many as five warriors into ghosts with that wheel.

It was the first time in her life that Mok Gahye had seen such a terrifying sight.

Irpupu!

Mok Gahye wanted to leave the well as soon as possible. So she washed up faster than usual.

Shen then suddenly heard Soma’s childlike voice.

“You don’t have to rush like that, older sister!”

“Huh?”

“Wash slowly.”

“That, that–”

Mok Gahye was embarrassed by Soma’s words. It felt as if he had read her mind.

Seeing her stuttering with her face wide open, Soma smirked.

“No matter what happens, I won’t kill you. Okay?”

“Oh, thank you!”

It was not something Mok Gahye should be grateful for. She didn’t seem to know what she was talking about. Her naivety made Soma smile.

Mok Gahye left the well without wiping the water off her face properly.

“You’re so naive, older sister.”

Soma muttered as he looked at the back of Mok Gahye, who was walking away from him.

The difference between Mok Gahye and Soma’s real age was not much. However, after living a long time with the appearance of a child, his mind also did not grow and he remained as a child. So he naturally called Mok Gahye as his older sister.

Soma drew water and washed his face roughly, before returning to the guest house.

In the guest house, Pyo-wol and Wu Jang-rak had already started eating.

“Uh, did you sleep well?” soun dless wind 21

Wu Jang-rak greeted Soma with an awkward expression.

Last night’s memory was still ingrained in his mind which made him talk awkwardly.

Soma smirked while sitting down.

Wu Jang-rak’s reaction was not new since he had already had a similar experience with Mok Gahye.

All those who got to know his true nature even a little bit would always start to act cautious around him.

“Eat.”

Only Pyo-wol treated him with a consistent attitude. So he liked Pyo-wol. He was certain that only Pyo-wol would not change no matter what he does.

“Yes!”

Soma smiled brightly and sat down next to Pyo-wol.

The food laid out on the table was exceptionally plentiful.

It was obvious that the West Wind Guest House paid great attention to the food they would serve to them.

In addition to being surprised by Soma’s power and cruelty, he was threatened by the Wind and Thunder Clan’s sect leader, Lee Yulsan. Because of him, he had to get up from dawn and cook with all his might.

Thanks to this, Pyo-wol and his party were able to enjoy a delicious meal in the morning.

After finishing the meal, Pyo-wol asked Wu Jang-rak.

“Have you hired a mercenary?”

“Yes! The sect leader of the Wind and Thunder Clan specially sent their best men from their mercenary guild. He said that he would be the one paying for the commission fee as well.”

“Looks like you were taken care of quite a bit.”

“It’s all thanks to you, Lord. Thank you.”

Wu Jang-rak bowed his head and thanked him.

In order to find a useful mercenary, a person would have to wander around the mercenary guild from dawn. In this way, the person would spend a lot of time and effort to verify a mercenary’s strength and character. But thanks to Lee Yulsan’s intervention, the cumbersome process was skipped.

He had hired mercenaries from Dazhou dozens of times so far, but this was the first time he was treated this way.

Wu Jang-rak realized once again what kind of status Pyo-wol had in Sichuan.

Pyo-wol asked Wu Jang-rak.

“What’s the schedule?”

“Ah, for now, we plan to travel by road to Bishan. We will take another boat from Bishan to Enshi in Hubei Province, and then go by land in order to arrive in Henan Province. Once we arrive in Henan, Lord Pyo can go to the Tianzongshan in the east, while we will go to the Shaolin Temple in the north.”

“So we’re going to Henan together?”

“That’s right. We will take good care of Lord Pyo.”

“Alright.”

Pyo-wol nodded.

On the other hand, Wu Jang-rak’s back was wet with cold sweat after he finished reporting. Reporting wasn’t supposed to be a big deal, but because the person he was dealing with was Pyo-wol, he became nervous without realizing it.

Pyo-wol did not say anything to comfort Wu Jang-rak. He knows that no matter what he says, the other person will never accept it.

Furthermore, he didn’t even want to be so considerate in the first place.

It was not his business whether or not Wu Jang-rak would have a hard time because of him.

His only interest was to arrive in the shortest time possible in Tianzhongshan, where Jin Geum-woo’s home is located.

In that respect, Wu Jang-rak was quite useful. At this point, it was not easy to find a guide as useful as Wu Jang-rak.

If he goes with him, he can travel comfortably. As much as possible, he didn’t want to take the difficult road.

One of the things Pyo-wol hated the most was wasting time on useless things. There are many things he wanted to do, so he did not want to waste his precious time.

After Pyo-wol finished eating, he came out and saw about a dozen strangers. They were all sent by Lee Yulsan and they all exude fierce energies.

These people were all from the mercenary guild.

A look of nervousness was evident on their faces. They were all summoned by Lee Yulsan and were thoroughly lectured.

But not all of them were like that.

Some were looking at Pyo-Wol with subtle defiant eyes.

These people are free and wild by nature, they would rather die than be tied to something. This was also the reason why they became mercenaries since they also hated being forced to take on a job. However, Lee Yulsan was so strong that they could not openly show their offended expression.

Lee Yulsan only instructed the mercenaries to obey Pyo-wol, but he did not reveal his true identity. So dissatisfaction was inevitable.

Wu Jang-rak stepped forward and said,

“My name is Wu Jang-rak. I’m the one who is in charge of this expedition. You don’t know how reassuring it is to have everyone here with us. I look forward to everyone’s kind cooperation.”

He read the atmosphere among the mercenaries and tried to soften it.

A man in his early thirties came forward. He was an impressive man with thick scars across his face and sharp eyes.

He greeted Wu Jang-rak,

“Nice to meet you, Lord Wu! My name is Ko Il-pae. I may be lacking, but I’m the one in charge of them. If you need anything, just let us know.”

“Haha! Please take care of us.”

“We wish you all the best.”

Ko Il-pae lowered his head slightly.

There was not a hint of servility in his demeanor.

Wu Jang-rak smiled with satisfaction.

He could tell just how strong Ko Il-pae was through his confident aura. In fact, Ko Il-pae was the most trusted person in the mercenary guild. This is also the reason why Lee Yulsan assigned him to be the person in charge of the other mercenaries.

Wu Jang-rak revealed Pyo-wol’s identity to Ko Il-pae. He knows that Ko Il-pae’s mouth is heavy.

Ko Il-pae looked at Pyo-wol with a somber gaze.

‘So he is the reaper…’

It only occurred to him that he was on a daunting mission. No one had ever bumped into Pyo-wol and ended up in a good place. But he can’t turn back now.

‘All I can do is pray that nothing happens…’

“Ah!”

Mok Gahye exclaimed without realizing it.

It was because of the boy she met in front of the well.

“Oh, hello there, older sister!”

Soma waved his hand vigorously as if he was happy to meet her.

Today was already the second time they met.

If she hadn’t seen Soma’s true nature, she would have laughed and treated this as the start of a friendly relationship. However, the event was deeply engraved on her mind to the point that it could not be forgotten overnight.

Mok Gahye smiled awkwardly.

“H, hello!”

“Are you leaving today, too?”

“Yes!”

“I see. We’re leaving today as well. I guess this is meant to be.”

“Well, I don’t…”

“Anyway, it was nice to meet you. I will never forget your face. I will definitely remember it.”

“T, Thank you!”

At that moment, Mok Gahye felt something rising from the depths of her heart.

Soma didn’t say it with any particular intention in mind, but the combination of her current situation and her anxious psychological state made her feel special.

“Hey, would you like to eat this on the way?”

Mok Gahye rummaged through her bag and held out something wrapped in paper.

“What is this?”

“It’s a beef jerky I made myself. It’ll be edible on the go.”

“Really? Wow! Thank you.”

Soma smiled broadly and jumped around.

Mok Gahye smiled at the appearance of Soma, who looked like a child.

The effort she put into making jerky, when she was not good at cooking, could not be expressed in words. She bought the meat herself, trimmed, and smoked it.

She had burned the meat several times by controlling the fire incorrectly. So it was the beef jerky she made after suffering so much.

Mok Gahye’s emotions were so high that she gladly gave Soma the precious food she had not even tasted.

Looking at her slightly red eyes, Soma asked,

“Older sister, are you crying?”

“No! I have to go now. Goodbye. I’ll see you soon if it’s meant to be.”

“Okay! See you soon, sister.”

Soma waved his hand.

Mok Gahye smiled. She then left the guest house on a horse together with Shin Mugum.

When she looked back, Soma was still waving his hand.

Strangely, she didn’t feel scared of Soma anymore. Mok Gahye unknowingly waved her hand to Soma.

Soma reacted even more fiercely.

“Pfft!”

She eventually burst out laughing.

“You seem to be in a good mood this morning.”

Shin Mugum, who was waiting for Mok Gahye outside the guest house, made a puzzled expression.

“It’s just better than usual.”

“That’s a relief. But the real hardship starts now.”

At Shin Mugum’s words, Mok Gahye was again made to remember her own situation.

Mok Gahye’s complexion quickly darkened.

Shin Mugum, who was looking at her, also had a dark shadow casted on his face.

“Let’s go.”

SoundlessWind21’s Notes

Thank you for reading!

1. Small Patrol. Raws: 소염라(小閣邏).
   • 小 xiǎo – small, tiny, insignificant
   • 閣 gé – chamber, pavilion, cabinet
   • 邏 luó, luò – patrol, inspect, watch