CH 288

Pyo-wol went back to the Jin manor.

“Brother!”

As soon as he walked in, Jin Siwoo greeted him warmly.

“How are you feeling?”

“I’m fine.”

Jin Siwoo’s complexion was extremely pale.

He had suffered major injuries when he fought against the Ten Thousand Man Slayer. Fortunately, Han Yucheon intervened just in time to save his life, but nonetheless, he still incurred severe internal injuries that would take him several days to recover.

He wished he could just relax and spend more time meditating and training, but unfortunately, he was not given such leisurely time.

He had to negotiate with the higher-ups, take care of the wounded, restore the collapsed manor and re-establish the Jin family’s system. 

He had a lot of work to do, and he had no choice but to manage all the work with just a minimum amount of rest.

Jin Siwoo asked Pyo-wol,

“How have you been?”

He had no idea what Pyo-wol had been doing outside. Since he was too busy dealing and handling the Jin family’s internal affairs, he had no time to pay attention to the external matters.

“I’ve been well.”

“I’m sorry for letting you leave like that—”

“Don’t worry about it. I wasn’t going to stay in the Jin manor for long anyway.”

“But still—”

It was then.

“Why are you here now?”

A familiar voice asked.

When Pyo-wol turned his head, he saw a petite girl with her arms crossed around her chest, glaring at him. 

It was Jin Siwoo’s younger sister, Jin Seol-ah.

Her eyes were filled with resentment.

“You’re safe.”

“Tch! Where have you been all this time?”

“Here and there—”

“You should have just ignored them and come back to the manor. Why did you have to stay somewhere else?”

Jin Seol-ah knew that Pyo-wol had left the Jin manor because of his conflict with the Shaolin Temple. She knew it was inevitable, but she still couldn’t help but feel sad about it.

She was still young to make purely rational judgments. She was at an age where she was more influenced by emotions than reason. 

She asked again,

“Now that the fight is over, are you going to stay here again?”

“I came back to get my things.”

“You’re leaving? Just like that?”

“I have to go.”

“No! You can’t!

Jin Seol-ah suddenly ran and hugged Pyo-wol around the waist.

Tears welled up in her eyes.

The heart of a young girl was like a reed, reacting subtly to even the slightest changes.

Pyo-wol didn’t say anything to comfort Jin Seol-ah. He would have to leave anyway, there was no point of making her cling to him even more. 

Jin Siwoo looked at Pyo-wol and Jin Seol-ah with a puzzled expression. He hadn’t expected his younger sister to be so attached to Pyo-wol.

During the fierce battle with the Snow Sword Manor, Jin Seol-ah had to endure a long night alone without anyone to protect her. 

The Jin family’s situation was so dire, and even Jin Siwoo was so badly injured to be able to take care of her.

Having survived such a struggle, Jin Seol-ah was extremely exhausted. That was why she instinctively looked for someone to rely on. Knowing this, Jin Siwoo couldn’t blame her.

Pyo-wol calmly spoke up, 

“I have to go. You know that, don’t you?”

“Can’t you stay here?”

“This is not my home.”

“Even if it’s not your home, you can stay here for a long time, right?”

“I’ve already stayed here long enough.”

“But—”

“This is your home. If you don’t help your brother, who will?”

Pyo-wol was uncharacteristically calm and persuasive.

Jin Seol-ah realized that she would never be able to change his mind.

“Still, if you pass through here, you’ll stop by, right?”

“I will.”

“Do you promise?”

“I promise.”

“Alright, I’ll let you go.”

Jin Seol-ah stepped back with a disappointed expression.

Only then did Jin Siwoo step forward.

“Oh by the way, grandfather has woken up. Before you leave, you should go see grandfather. He wants to see you.”

“Really?”

“Yes! He fortunately managed to regain some of his strength after taking the Shaolin Temple’s Great Restoration Pill. It will still take him a lot of time before he could have his original strength back, but it’s still a miracle that he was able to regain his consciousness.”

Woon Seong willingly offered the Great Restoration Pill to Jin Wol-myeong. 

Making the Great Restoration Pill was a very complicated process, and few existed even in the Shaolin Temple.

Luckily, Woon Seong had one.

The Shaolin Temple’s head monk, Un-ji, gave Woon Seong a pill to aid him in his journey. But Woon Seong ended up giving it to Jin Wol-myeong to help him regain his strength. 

Everyone knew that the Shaolin Temple’s Muscle and Tendon Changing Classic hardens the muscles and expands the blood vessels to make the body optimal to learn martial arts, but it had other benefits as well.

Not only for oneself, but also for others.

The combination of the Muscle and Tendon Changing Classic and the Great Restoration Pill improved Jin Wol-myeong’s condition in an instant, and as a result, he was able to regain his senses.

Together with Jin Siwoo, Pyo-wol headed to Jin Wol-myeong’s residence.

Inside Jin Wol-myeong’s room sat a powerful and fierce looking elderly monk. Pyo-wol instinctively recognized that the old monk’s position in Shaolin was not ordinary. 

Next to the old monk sat an old man with a beard, he was leaning against the wall, barely able to sit. He was none other than Jin Siwoo’s grandfather, Jin Wol-myeong. 

Jin Siwoo introduced Pyo-wol to the two old men. 

“I’ve brought brother Pyo-wol.”

“Have a seat.”

At Jin Wol-myeong’s invitation, Pyo-wol and Jin Siwoo sat down.

Although he was completely pale, Jin Wol-myeong’s eyes were still sharp. 

Jin Wol-myeong scrutinized Pyo-wol.

“You’re from Chengdu, aren’t you? I’ve heard that you have quite the reputation there.”

Jin Wol-myeong’s voice contained a faint hint of hostility. 

Jin Siwoo hastily intervened, 

“Grandfather!”

“Be quiet. I’m talking to him, not you. Behave yourself.”

“He’s a benefactor of our family!”

“What kind of benefit did he provide to be called a benefactor?”

Flames seemed to be coming out of Jin Wol-myeong’s eyes.

Jin Siwoo looked embarrassed. 

Jin Wol-myeong had been in a coma for a long time, so he was not well-informed about the outside world. To top it all off, he was stubborn and did not listen to others easily. It was no easy task to make him understand.

Jin Wol-myeong asked Pyo-wol,

“Speak with your own mouth. Is your reputation really that great?”

“If I were you—”

“What?”

“I would remain quiet.”

“How dare you–!”

Jin Wol-myeong’s eyebrows shot up in anger, but Pyo-wol continued to speak without any hesitation, 

“So what are you going to do? Do you still think you’re invincible? Do you think I’ll be scared just because you’re angry?”

“How dare you—”

Jin Wol-myeong’s shoulders trembled.

He was an absolute master in Jianghu. 

His nickname, the Sunset Sword God, was not something he had obtained for nothing. He had earned it by spilling the blood of countless opponents with his sword. 

He had not risen to the position of Eight Constellation for nothing.

Until now, no one had dared to look him straight in the eye and say such words.

“Don’t get me wrong. I helped the Jin family because of my relationship with Jin Geum-woo, not because of you. I thought he wouldn’t be lonely with a little brother like Siwoo and friends who trusted and followed him. But now I realize that he must have been really lonely. His own grandfather is a selfish person who only cares about himself and his own blood. Jin Geum-woo probably didn’t even confide in you because you wouldn’t even listen if he did. He probably didn’t even bother telling you how he really felt.”

“Enough!”

“What’s the point of having a grandfather who is the most famous swordsman in the world, if he’s someone who would plug his ears and doesn’t listen to anyone else’s words? No matter what Geum-woo says, it’s useless in front of you. That’s why he carried all the burdens alone. He had no one to share them with.”

“Stop, stop—!”

Jin Won-myeong shouted.

His complexion was noticeably pale.

At that moment, Woon Seong placed his hand on Jin Wol-myeong’s chest and said,

“Please calm down, Lord Jin!”

The gentle energy that emanated from Woon Seong’s hand calmed Jin Wol-myeong’s mind and body. Even as Woon Seong tried to calm down Jin Wol-myeong, he didn’t take his eyes off of Pyo-wol.

“Your composure sure is remarkable. Even though Lord Jin’s body and mind have been weakened because of his long illness, you still managed to stir Lord Jin’s heart with just a few words.”

“Who’s this monk?”

“Monk?”

“Am I not right? Anyway, since we’re meeting for the first time, isn’t it proper to introduce ourselves first?”

“You really are audacious. Do you feel proud of yourself now that you earned the name, Reaper?”

“It seems like you didn’t learn anything other than belittling people at the Shaolin Temple.”

“What?”

“Well, you and I are meeting here for the first time today, yet here you are bringing up accomplishments.”

“Hmpf!”

Woon Seong looked flustered. He didn’t know what to reply in return when all Pyo-wol’s words were all correct.

Although Woon Seong was indeed a senior monk at the Shaolin Temple, it was not enough to justify him looking down on Pyo-wol.

“Amitabha! Amitabha!”

Woon Seong closed his eyes tightly and suppressed his anger. As expected of a respected senior monk, he was able to quickly regain his composure.

“My mistake. I was overcome with emotion. I am Woon Seong of the Shaolin Temple. Have you ever heard my name before?”

“No.”

“Hehe! Are you saying you’ve never heard of me?”

“I’m sorry, but I’m not particularly interested in the Shaolin Temple.”

“Not interested? Hehe!”

“I’m too busy dealing with what’s in front of me to bother with the Shaolin Temple.”

“What are you so busy with?”

“If I told you, would you even understand?”

“What?”

“Don’t pretend like you’d understand if I explained it. You won’t be able to understand or accept it anyway even if I tell you.”

Woon Seong’s face turned red as he struggled to find his composure at Pyo-wol’s harsh words.

‘He has such a sharp tongue. With just a few words, he stabs where it hurts.’

This was not his original plan.

His plan was to show off his dignity to make Pyo-wol bow his head in submission. But the more he talked, the more the situation twisted, making him the one at a loss for words.

Woon Seong stared at Pyo-wol with a piercing gaze.

Pyo-wol’s appearance was more beautiful than a woman’s, but his belly and pride were beyond normal. No matter what he or Jin Wol-myeong says, it seemed that nothing could shake his spirits.

Woon Seong realized that he had made a mistake.

It was a mistake to approach this man in such an overbearing manner.

In an instant, countless thoughts flashed through his mind. 

Suddenly, he felt self-conscious.

He had looked down on this man as a mere assassin, but seeing how confident he was made him feel uncomfortable. The fact that he himself was trying to come up with excuses so desperately was what made him feel uncomfortable.

“Ha!”

He let out a sigh.

A lot of emotions were mixed in that short sigh.

After he sighed, he felt a little more at ease. 

He spoke politely to Pyo-wol,

“I apologize.”

“Apologize for what?”

“I apologize for all the mistakes the Shaolin has made. I apologize on behalf of Un-hae and Seongam for making the wrong judgement of kicking you out of the Jin manor. I also apologize for my own improper speech. I’m sorry for everything.”

Jin Siwoo blinked his eyes, thinking he must have heard wrong.

This was a situation that would never have happened according to his common sense.

He knew better than anyone how great the pride of a Shaolin monk was. Moreover, Woon Seong was no different than the head monk’s right-hand man. 

To think Woon Seong would apologize to Pyo-wol, who was much younger than himself, shocked Jin Siwoo.

Jin Wol-myeong was equally surprised at the sight. 

‘Who is this guy for Woon Seong to be apologising to?’

After being in a coma for so long, Jin Wol-myeong had only known Pyo-wol as a mere assassin, so he could not understand the reasoning behind Woon Seong’s polite apology.

Even then, Woon Seong continued,

“Honestly, this whole thing was a clear mistake on our part. We should have intervened earlier, but instead we waited and missed the opportunity. That’s how the situation got so big. Since we are supposed to be the North Star of Jianghu, we should have acted accordingly, but we didn’t. That’s why I want to express my apologies to you, and the Jin family. I know this won’t change anything, but at least it will ease my mind a little.”