Ghost Face - Chapter 286



Only Krnovel

Chapter 74. It’s about to rain on the mountain, the pavilion is filled with wind (2)

The next day, at sunset, Biho and his party arrived at Hapyang. There was a temporary residence for Gwak Nan-hoe. It was located closer to the Sajabang Commandery than the place where they had originally stayed.

A lot of people came out to greet us.

Among them, there were two who ran out barefoot. Ho Ye-hwa and his adjutant, Yun Deok-sin. They had been detained in the Jogajang in Lushan together with the old man of Shandong. After many twists and turns, they had come here first and waited for the group. The two greeted the group who had returned safely with joy. However, Ho Ye-hwa had difficulty greeting Jin Ga-yong. Although he was glad to see them like this, he was also cautious because of the matter of the monk Jin Ga-yong.

“Your Majesty, I was very worried. I can’t tell you how happy I am that you are safe. I didn’t realize how much trouble I had, as a poor fellow, just standing by and kicking my feet without being able to help.”

“No. I heard about the situation from Biho on the way here. How are you feeling?”

“Oh my, you are asking all sorts of questions about the well-being of someone who was resting comfortably. Look, there is no problem with moving like this.”

When Jin Ga-yong treated her comfortably, Ho Ye-hwa finally smiled brightly and trembled. Jin Ga-yong smiled faintly and said.

“But thanks to your efforts, I was able to obtain that precious item that I never thought I would receive. That played a decisive role in helping me escape a near-death crisis. It’s all thanks to you.”

“Oh! Really?”

As Ho Ye-hwa smiled brightly, Bi-ho, who was standing next to Jin Ga-yong, stepped forward with a big smile.

“I’ll guarantee it. Hehehe, Ho-hyung was so reluctant, saying it was the price of a house, so how could I have wasted that guy? I’ll tell you the details over a drink later.”

“Ahem.”

***

What have these three people, Ho Ye-hwa, Yun Deok-sin, and the old man Shandong, been through so far?

When Yeosan Jogajang was surrounded by enemies and cornered, they were officially prisoners of war in Jogajang. However, thanks to Biho’s mediation, they were treated as mediocre guests(?) rather than prisoners. They were also scheduled to be released soon.

But then suddenly something happened.

When I came to my senses, Yeosan was already surrounded by enemies and no one could escape. At that time, Jogajang was greatly weakened by the battle with Chojin. What was especially painful was that the best player in Jogajang, Apjeong Sanggunbo, had gone missing. And Jin Gayong, the next best player, was away on a trip to catch a fake mask. They were faced with the worst situation.

In this situation, Ho Ye-hwa and the three others were also locked up. So what should they do?

Although these three were impressed by Jo Ga-jang’s generosity, they were hesitant to volunteer to help him. They were not in a position to do so, and they were not close enough to do so. There was no one to act as a mediator between them and Jo Ga-jang. It was an awkward situation. So they left their decisions to Jo Ga-jang. If he asked them to leave, they would leave immediately, and if he asked them to help them, they would do so, even if it was a small amount.

So the answer from the returning Jo family was unexpected. They were both locked up in Jo family’s basement storage, saying they were no longer needed. The job was done by Wang Woo, one of Jin Ga-yong’s priests.

“You are prisoners of the Jo family. Therefore, in a dangerous situation like now, I don’t know what you might do. So from now on, I will deal with you strictly.”

“Here?”

“Take care of it. This is where the main house holds criminals. So you’re locked up in the underground prison, that’s why you’re here.”

“… … .”

As Wang Woo finished speaking and was about to leave, Yun Deok-sin coughed in vain and asked with an awkward expression.

“I know this may be presumptuous of you to ask, but… … .”

“Speak.”

“Is this the answer? You say you’ll deal with us severely, but you’re just going to leave without even tying us up?”

“Did you want to be tied up?”

“No, that’s not it, but… … .”

“Anyway, our chieftain has treated you cruelly, so you can escape or stay there, whatever you want. Don’t bother to come out. But… no matter what, let’s not see the unsightly sight of each other pointing swords at each other.”

After saying those words, Wang Woo left without even locking the warehouse door. That was Cao Cao’s choice.

I told you to do as you please.

But if that was going to happen, wouldn’t it have been better to just tell them to leave? In fact, neither Old Man Shandong nor Ho Yehwa were in a state where they could fight anyone. Especially Old Man Shandong could barely walk with a cane. In such a situation, why would they be pushed out when they were surrounded on all sides? In a way, it was like being pushed with all their might. Of course, it might not have been the case. Not long ago, they were the polar opposites of the Cao family. So I don’t know, so I told them to make the choice.

Whether to stay or leave.

However, if they were to stay, it was also a request to stay in this underground warehouse. That was also a consideration in its own way. If the Cao family was now trampled by the enemy, it would be more advantageous for them to be locked up in the brain prison than to be Cao family’s guests. That was why Wang Woo made them stay in the underground warehouse and even mentioned the ‘underground brain prison’ that Cao family didn’t have.

So they were left in the underground warehouse, and were able to survive even when the Jo family was annihilated. The biggest factor in this was that one of the executives on Hoyeonsang’s side recognized Ho Yehwa.

Originally, Hu Ye-hwa was an illegitimate child from a fairly famous family. (*For reference, Hu Ye-hwa was a pseudonym; his real surname was ‘Feng (馮)’.) As a result, he was not treated properly within his own family and was wandering around outside, but that did not mean that other families could harm him however they wanted. This was because it was a matter of the Feng family’s reputation. Of course, it was not to the extent that Hu Yan-sang, as the grand duke of the Lion’s House, could not kill Hu Ye-hwa because he was concerned about the Feng family’s feelings. However, it was worth bragging about rescuing Hu Ye-hwa from the Zhao family’s captivity.

For that reason, Ho Ye-hwa, Shandong Noin, and Yun Deok-sin were released and were able to leave the destroyed Joga clan.

But they couldn’t possibly feel at ease. The old man of Shandong sighed deeply and muttered, “I owe you a big debt.” He thought that everything was over after leaving such a bitter taste. At that time, it already seemed like the world of Hoyeonsang, and there were rumors that Jin Ga-yong and Bi-ho had fallen into a trap and died. So they were disheartened and were receiving treatment at a certain place, when a rumor spread that Jin Ga-yong had come back from hell and started revenge. So they were just about to follow the rumor to the source, but Bi-ho’s message came to them.

Let’s play together.

So the three joined together.

However, Yun Deok-sin was not in a good position, and Ho Ye-hwa was still not in good health. Even though the old man, Shandong, who was in the worst condition, had recovered more than 80% by then. This was due to differences in physical training, recovery power, and the Yun Gi Yo Sang method he possessed.

So all three of them were protected and reunited, but the old man Shandong was able to participate in the war, and Ho Yehwa, who stayed behind with Yun Deoksin, did what he could instead.

“Even though I can’t go with you, I want to be of some help. Well, if there’s anything you need, just let me know. A secret weapon? Poison? I have quite a wide network of connections in the black spot area.”

“Are you really going to help me?”

“Okay. I’ll get you anything you want. Just tell me.”

“Then, can I get a bomb too?”

“Huh? It’s a bomb?”

***

After greeting Ho Ye-hwa, Jin Ga-yong headed to the other group that had come out to greet him. They were Sanye Gwak Nan-hoe, Chumyeon-dae’s deputy chief, Cheolsan-jeo Jeong Sa-jeong, and about ten unfamiliar masters. Originally, Gwak Nan-hoe enjoyed wearing fancy clothes, but now he was dressed in a simple black martial arts uniform. This was to show respect to Jin Ga-yong.

“Chief Jin, welcome. Thank you for coming such a long way. And before that, I would like to first express my condolences and pray for the souls of the deceased to rest in peace.”

As Kwak Nan-hoe spoke, she bowed respectfully, and everyone behind her bowed, saying, “I offer my condolences.” Jin Ga-yong also responded by giving a lottery ticket.

“Thank you. Your encouragement has been a great help.”

In this way, Jin Ga-yong and Kwak Nan-hoe met again. The two were once quite decent subordinates and superiors, but now they were the invited and the invited. Both of them were famous in their respective positions, so they were careful and polite to each other. They kept their feelings to themselves.

Afterwards, the two had separate interviews.

And the rest of the party, including Biho, settled down in the accommodations provided by the Kwak Nan-hoe. They rented out an entire guest house in the village for them, and after taking a short break, the party gathered one by one in the restaurant on the first floor. Several dishes and a jug of alcohol were already set out at each table.

… … .

The interview between Jin Ga-yong and Kwak Nan-hoe became longer, and the drinking among the rest of the group became more intense.

Sixteen men filled the seats and chatted and drank alcohol to relieve their reminiscences. Because of the time constraints, they had no time to have a drink, and therefore, they had no time to properly get to know each other because of their different backgrounds. So, they exchanged greetings and celebrated their victory. Of course, this fight was not over yet. No one could guarantee what would happen tomorrow.

But isn’t tomorrow tomorrow and today today?

In particular, Biho had jumped into the enemy camp to save Jin Ga-yong, ready to bury his bones if necessary. Naturally, he had a different feeling. Perhaps that was why, unlike his usual meticulous appearance, he put everything down, drank comfortably, laughed, and enjoyed himself. However, not everyone was like that. Mobuksan’s subordinates pretended not to notice, but took turns patrolling the area around the inn and kept watch. Also, Ahu, who was a stranger, was the same.

Ah-hu wet his lips with alcohol and nibbled on his food, then looked at the person sitting next to him with a displeased expression.

“Hey, aren’t you a little disorganized right now?”

“Huh? So what?”

“Tsk. How long has it been since I got stabbed in the back of the head? In my opinion, it’s the same old story, but do you trust those guys?”

“Not really.”

“Then why?”

“Sometimes you have to gamble to win big. I really need to take Hoyeonsang’s head off right away, but what can I do? I have no choice but to trust and use the cards I have available at this point.”

“Gambling… Well, I guess that could be the case. But isn’t it too hasty? And it seems like you’re using that as an excuse to become reckless.”

Biho chuckled and confessed his feelings.

“You seemed to be in a hurry. It seemed like there wasn’t much time. Well, it’s true that time isn’t on our side.”

“Hurry up? Who?”

Ah-hu said that, and then realized who was running out of time and was in a hurry. Who else could be so desperate for Bi-ho? So he stopped asking and clicked his tongue, saying, “Tsk.” Bi-ho continued talking.

“And did I say I look relaxed? That’s right. At least until tomorrow. If something happens, I think it should be the day after tomorrow. So I’m going to rest while I can. I need to relax every now and then so I can tighten up when I need to.”

“Well, how much mental distress have you had over the past few days?”

“Hehehe, thank you for understanding. By the way, since things are like this, could you please postpone it for a few more days?”

“Huh? What?”

“I promised to buy you a drink.”

“… … !”

***

On that ice mountain, Biho and Ahu made a promise regarding the overpayment.

That day, Biho agreed to give Ahu the Kwakumdo in exchange for agreeing to save Dan-geum’s life. In this way, Ahu was able to get his master’s beloved weapon back. However, at the time, Ahu lent Biho the Kwakumdo again, saying, “Don’t you need a sword for yourself right now?” In return, he bought Biho a drink later and asked him to return it formally then.

That was the promise.

But funny enough, A-hu was wearing a sash right now, but Bi-ho hadn’t bought her drinks yet. She was too busy to have time. A-hu just wanted to deal with Jo Baek-bing this time, and to do so, she needed a sword that could match her magical sword, ‘Seol-ah’. So before she officially received the sword from Bi-ho, she borrowed it for a while and used it.

By the way, why do they have to follow these procedures?

In fact, there was a reason for this. On the day when Ah-hu officially received his sword back, he planned to avenge his dead master. He planned to drink a glass of wine and boldly request a duel while revealing his identity and circumstances.

First, Bihowa.

Next is Jin Ga-yong.

Ah-hu now had no regrets toward these two. On the contrary, he had been kind to them, and had waited for them, considering their circumstances. In fact, he had even helped them out. However, after all this was over, he had planned to follow his oath. That was how he planned to end his journey of revenge.

That was what I thought, but judging from Biho’s tone now, it seems like he has noticed!

Episode 287