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Chapter 141: Sometimes Actions Speak Louder Than Words
Namjik Province.
Hapbi (Hefei).
At the end of March, Yeon Jeokha and his group arrived in Hefei after passing through Sookju.
During this time, Seol Chasu and Yoo Geunsik had fully recovered. Over more than two months of traveling together, the members of the Namgung Family and Seol Chasu's group had grown quite close. The camaraderie among them, all being members of the Justice Alliance, was palpable.
However, even amidst this closeness, Namgung Yeon maintained her characteristic distance.
The beauty of Namgung Yeon and Jin Seolha attracted attention wherever they went, but no one dared to cause trouble. No one was brave enough to provoke a group of seven warriors from Murim.
If they had encountered a group as large as the one from Waryong Manor in Deungju, it might have been different.
Lone warriors feared the dangerous aura that emanated from Shim Tong, the Old Dao of Nine Heavens, and Namgung Cheon, the Blue Sky Sword, and did not dare approach.
Thanks to this, Yeon Jeokha's group was able to travel to Hefei without encountering any major problems.
Around noon.
The cart stopped briefly at an inn and then continued through the city, heading towards the outskirts.
Yeon Jeokha, sitting next to the driver, was nodding off.
The warm sun and post-lunch drowsiness had gotten the better of him.
Clank.
The cart, which was moving slowly, suddenly stopped.
Yeon Jeokha opened his eyes with a jolt, and the driver, Lee Sa, quickly explained.
"A group of merchants is blocking the road, so we've stopped for a moment."
Yeon Jeokha, rubbing his eyes, looked ahead.
Just as Lee Sa had said, about fifty merchants were occupying the road.
Several warriors were running back and forth, trying to organize the situation, indicating that it wasn't something planned.
As expected, a young warrior approached the cart.
"Apologies for the inconvenience. We are from the Joyang Chamber of Commerce in Hefei. We got delayed and blocked the road. We'll clear it soon, so please wait a moment."
The warrior, very polite, nodded.
"It's fine, go ahead."
Just as the warrior was about to leave, Yeon Jeokha stopped him.
"One moment, please."
"Yes?"
"Do you know how long it would take to reach Guhwasan?"
"If you mean Mount Guhwa in Yongganghyeon, it would take about a day. But it would be better to take another route if you can."
"Why?"
"The bandits of Sandosan have been out of control lately."
"Out of control?"
"They've always had a bad reputation, but now it's excessive. Even merchants avoid them."
"Really?"
"It's said that even those from Nokrim have given up on them."
"Is it that bad?"
"Ask anyone in Yongganghyeon and you'll see."
"Thank you."
"You're welcome."
The warrior bowed and walked away.
Lee Sa, who had been watching, asked resignedly.
"We're still going, right?"
"Of course."
As Yeon Jeokha and Lee Sa were talking, the merchants cleared the road.
The cart moved slowly and then picked up speed after passing the merchants.
That night, Yeon Jeokha's group arrived in Yongganghyeon.
With the sun setting, it was impossible to reach Guhwasan directly.
The group slowly passed through the center of Yongganghyeon, looking for a place to stay.
Lee Sa murmured as he looked around.
"There are many houses, but not many people on the streets."
"So it seems."
Seol Chasu, who was sitting next to the driver, nodded.
For a city of that size, there were surprisingly few people on the streets.
If not for the intact buildings, one might have thought the city had been devastated by war.
"Ah!"
Seol Chasu exclaimed.
At this hour, the streets should have been filled with merchants looking for accommodation, but there were no merchants in sight.
Come to think of it, there hadn't been many people on the road since Yongganghyeon.
‘Wow! How much damage must the Sandosan bandits have caused for it to be like this?’
He recalled the words of the warrior from the Joyang Chamber of Commerce they had met at noon.
Meanwhile, Lee Sa stopped the cart in front of the largest inn.
After getting off the cart, Yeon Jeokha's group entered the inn.
As expected, the inn was empty.
"Welcome! Please, come in! We'll serve you as best we can!"
A man in his fifties came running from behind the counter and led them to a table.
Seol Chasu discreetly asked the man.
"You seem a bit old to be an employee. Are you the owner?"
"Yes, I dismissed all my employees a few months ago. There aren't enough customers to keep the business going."
"There aren't many merchants around. Is that why?"
"Yes. The Sandosan bandits have devastated this area so badly that…"
Sitting down, Jin Seolha interjected.
"Why doesn't the magistrate of Yongganghyeon do something?"
"The local troops and the military academy have tried several times to eliminate the bandits but failed. It's said that the leader of the Sandosan bandits has incredible skills. After that, Yongganghyeon has become almost a ghost town. Many businesses have closed."
The owner sighed in frustration.
Yeon Jeokha's group split into two tables and ordered food.
With the lack of customers, the food arrived quickly.
Eating with gusto, Yeon Jeokha commented.
"Hyung, the food here is good."
"Yes, it's a shame they don't have more customers."
Namgung Cheon looked sadly at the empty restaurant.
Shim Tong, who was eating in silence, added.
"Look outside. With such nice weather and not a single person on the streets."
Yeon Jeokha looked out the window.
Indeed, there wasn't a single person on the street under the evening glow.
A desolate sight for a spring evening.
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The next morning.
After breakfast, Yeon Jeokha's group left the Chingpung inn at a leisurely pace.
Half an hour into the journey, a large lake appeared.
Jin Seolha, looking out the window, exclaimed.
"Oh! A lake!"
Namgung Cheon, a native of Hefei, commented indifferently.
"That's Hwangpi Lake. In about half an hour, we'll reach Guhwasan."
The mention of half an hour to Guhwasan made Seol Chasu and Yoo Geunsik's faces tense.
They remembered almost dying fighting the Demon Warriors.
Jin Seolha looked at Yeon Jeokha.
"Yeon Sohyup, how many Demon Warriors do you think there are in Sandosan?"
"I'm not sure. The leader, Gong Geoin, is suspected to be one of them, but we don't know how many more there are."
Namgung Yeon, who had been listening, interjected.
"Two hours north of Guhwasan is Musansocho of the Yoomyung Cult. Gong Geoin is surely related to them. I don't think this will be as simple as at Mount Tai."
Yoo Geunsik, still recovering from his wounds, grimaced.
"Does that mean Musansocho of the Yoomyung Cult might get involved?"
Namgung Yeon nodded.
"The owner of Musansocho, Lee Maehwa, is a formidable strategist. She won't give up Guhwasan easily."
"So they'll send more Demon Warriors?"
"It's likely they'll send someone like Ungjaegwi of Guangming Manor. They don't yet know what happened at Guangming Manor, so they'll want to test Yeon Jeokha's skills."
"Oh! Just thinking about it makes my back hurt."
Seol Chasu unconsciously rubbed his shoulders.
If more Demon Warriors came, they would all be in danger.
It would be a battle where their lives were at stake, but there was no one to ask for help. The Alliance was still gathering information on the Yoomyung Cult.
‘Does the Alliance know how risky our mission is?’
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In the distance, they saw a towering mountain.
It was Guhwasan, also known as Mount Guhwa.
From his seat next to the driver, Namgung Cheon exuded an aura of determination.
If the leader of Sandosan was related to Musansocho of the Yoomyung Cult, then they were mortal enemies of the Namgung Family.
He had visited the devastated headquarters of his family in Hefei just a few days ago.
In front of the large burial mound that the warriors of Hefei had erected, he had sworn revenge.
Namgung Cheon looked at the blue sky of his homeland.
‘Father. You're alive, right? You must be.’
Only then could he properly avenge his family.
He gripped the hilt of his sword tightly.
Today, more than ever, he regretted not being more skilled with the sword.
If he were as talented as Namgung Yeon, he could face the Demon Warriors alone.
He wanted to be a true help to Yeon Jeokha, but he felt inadequate.
‘Just a little more effort. Just a little more…’
Namgung Cheon blamed himself for not having worked even harder.
The village at the foot of Guhwasan was in ruins.
Not a single house was left standing.
The cart moved slowly through the village, and one by one, the inhabitants began to appear.
They were people who still had hope and hadn't abandoned the village.
Most were children.
While the adults watched from afar, the children approached the cart.
"Please, a coin!"
"Help us!"
"Sirs! Please give us something to eat!"
Lee Sa, fearing the children might get hurt, couldn't speed up.
This allowed the children to get closer.
Soon, their hungry faces were just a few steps from the cart.
Disconcerted, Jin Seolha threw her bag of provisions.
"Hooray!"
The children cheered and pounced on the bag.
Lee Sa took the opportunity to speed up.
Some children tried to follow them but soon gave up and returned.
Inside the cart, no one spoke.
Once out of the village, Yeon Jeokha asked.
"Sister Jin, what was in the bag?"
Referring to the bag she had thrown to the children.
With everyone looking at her, Jin Seolha responded with a shy smile.
"Not much money, maybe ten silver coins. I only had some dried meat and provisions."
Yeon Jeokha nodded and handed her ten silver coins from his own bag.
"Is this for me?"
Jin Seolha, surprised, looked at him with wide eyes.
Without saying a word, Yeon Jeokha handed her the coins and turned to look out the window.
Sitting next to him, Namgung Yeon clenched her fists.
‘What should I do?’
In that brief moment, Jin Seolha had thrown her bag while she had done nothing.
Sometimes, actions speak louder than words.
That had been one of those moments.
She regretted not reacting quickly when the children approached.
It wasn't envy because Yeon Jeokha had praised Jin Seolha.
She wasn't so petty as to be envious with the looming threat of Sandosan and Musansocho of the Yoomyung Cult.