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| Reaper of the Drifting Moon Novel |
Type- Light Novel, Web Novel
Manhwa- N/A
Translation-MTL
More than ten horses were galloping at full speed.
There was no way they wouldn't leave tracks.
The only problem was that the horses were running much faster than Pyo Wol, who was on foot.
Although Pyo Wol's Qigong was outstanding, he had to carefully examine the tracks left on the ground, which inevitably slowed him down.
The riders seemed to be aware of the possibility of being followed, as they gave their horses little rest.
As a result, the distance between the Galactic Escort Bureau and Pyo Wol did not shrink easily.
Nevertheless, Pyo Wol did not give up and followed the tracks to find the Galactic Escort Bureau.
If I keep going like this, I'll reach Nanchong.
The Nanchong area was particularly rich in waterways.
Large rivers and small streams were intertwined with artificial canals. If they returned to the boat, there would be no way of following them.
Pyo Wol had to catch up with them before they reached Nanchong.
Just then, a piercing scream came from the sky.
As Pyo Wol looked up, a hawk swooped down at an incredible speed.
But instead of panicking, Pyo Wol raised his hand. The hawk then spread its wings wide and slowed down before landing on Pyo Wol's arm.
This was no ordinary hawk.
It was a spirit beast, raised by the secret agents for the purpose of communication. As a spirit beast, it could locate Pyo Wol in the air and find him.
A small cylinder containing a letter hung from the falcon's ankle.
Pyo Wol took out the letter and read it.
[The fugitives have split into two groups and fled through the south gate.
Eun-Yo and Do Yeonsan are pursuing them to eliminate them.
The Sutra has not been found].
-Gwi An]
The message said they failed to secure the Sutra from those who escaped through the south gate.
They were merely decoys to divert attention.
Then it was clear that those Pyo Wol was pursuing had the Sutra. The problem was that the group he was chasing had also split into two. It was impossible to know which side had the sutra.
Pyo Wol simply wrote down his situation and put it in the cylinder tied to the falcon's leg.
After releasing the hawk into the air, he resumed his pursuit.
After running for a while, Pyo Wol stopped at a fork in the road.
The hoofprints pointed to the left.
If he had continued to follow the hoofprints, he would have turned left.
The problem was the tracks in the middle of the fork.
They were human footprints.
They were messy footprints, as if they had been there for a while.
Pyo Wol knelt down on one knee and began to distinguish the footprints. As many people had gathered, most of the footprints were blurred.
However, with his keen powers of observation and concentration, Pyo Wol deduced that more than twenty people had gathered here.
It was clear that those from the left fork and those on horseback had met here and stopped to talk for some reason.
After that, the men from the Galactic Escort Bureau, on horseback, went down the left path, while those coming from the left path went down the right path.
It seemed that the people who had met here had a conversation and went their separate ways.
However, Pyo Wol carefully examined the tracks on the ground because his intuition told him that something was wrong.
He focused on a particularly distinct footprint among those who had gone to the right.
There were no footprints so deeply pressed among those that came from the left.
Footprints like that could only have been made by someone carrying a heavy load.
Were they exchanging something here?
Pyo Wol frowned slightly.
He examined the footprints on the right path again.
The clear footprints at the beginning of the fork became fainter the further they went.
It was proof that they had used their qigong.
This time Pyo Wol examined the left side where the horses had gone.
The hoofprints were disordered.
The hoofprints were in disarray, the kind of marks left by beginners who have never been on a horse before.
A picture formed in Pyo Wol's mind.
The people on horseback met the group coming from the left. Here they deliberated. Whether to ride on or to create a disturbance here to possibly confuse any pursuers.
They would undoubtedly know that Pyo Wol was following them.
It's unreasonable to think that they didn't take Pyo Wol into account when they caused trouble at Snow Cloud Manor, which was practically Pyo Wol's territory, upon entering Chengdu.
They know I'm after them. And they just keep going? I wouldn't do that. They would definitely want to create confusion here to buy time.
It may have been a coincidence that they encountered the group coming from the opposite direction.
But someone from the Galactic Escort Bureau must have come up with a plan when they saw them.
To give the horses to those coming from the left, in order to confuse Pyo Wol.
They might not know if the real Pyo Wol would follow, but it wouldn't hurt to have a safety net.
It would have been an unexpected windfall for those coming from the left path.
Happily, they rode their newly acquired horses back the way they had come. However, due to their inexperience in handling horses, they left such messy tracks on the ground.
The members of the Galactic Escort Bureau who delivered the horses probably carried the Sutra on their backs and used their qigong.
Trusting his intuition, Pyo Wol took the right path.
It worked out for the best.
If they had continued to flee on horseback, it would have taken them a long time to catch up. But if they were really using their qigong to escape, as Pyo Wol suspected, he would be able to catch up much faster.
Their plan was to confuse Pyo Wol and gain more time, but their choice turned out to be a golden opportunity for Pyo Wol. Assuming, of course, that Pyo Wol's guess was correct.
Pyo Wol unleashed the full force of his qigong.
Whoosh!
Leaving only a trace of his afterimage, Pyo Wol sprinted at a terrifying speed.
He kept his breaks to a minimum. He ate jerky that had been prepared in advance.
After a considerable distance, he heard the sound of water.
A river?
Coincidentally, the footprints led in the direction of the sound.
Pyo Wol hurriedly flew in the direction of the river.
The footprints disappeared and a field of reeds blocked his view.
As he pushed through the reeds, the river appeared in front of him. He saw a boat floating in the middle of the river.
There were a number of people on the boat.
The moment he saw them, Pyo Wol recognised them as the people he was chasing. They didn't have the air of ordinary fishermen or sailors.
Of course, they exuded the refined air that only well-trained warriors could possess.
In the middle of the group was a middle-aged man with a serious look on his face.
As soon as Pyo Wol emerged from the reed field, the middle-aged man looked at him with a surprised expression.
He was Ma Won-Ik, the head of the Galactic Escort Bureau.
Ma Won-Ik could not hide his astonishment.
"Y-You?"
Although his face was hidden by a hat fastened with a string, Pyo Wol was recognisable at once.
The moment he saw the cold eyes flashing from under the hat, his blood ran cold.
There was no way a man who could make him feel like that was ordinary.
He really followed us? The Reaper!
Despite the objections of his daughter and subordinates, Ma Won-Ik gave the horses to the group they had met by chance, in case Pyo Wol followed them.
He thought that even if Pyo Wol followed them, he would have no choice but to follow the hoofprints.
By the time he caught up with those who had ridden the horses and found out the truth, the Galactic Escort Bureau would have disappeared on a boat without a trace. Then there would be no need to worry about Pyo Wol's pursuit.
That was Ma Won-Ik's plan, but it all fell apart.
Pyo Wol had seen through all his traps and confusion and had followed him all the way here.
Now he understood why the martial artists of Kangho shuddered at the mention of Pyo Wol.
If they were the target of such a person, they would indeed have sleepless nights.
"Why are you like this? Father!"
Ma Seo-Won asked with a confused expression.
She didn't understand why Ma Won-Ik was suddenly staring across the river with a stern expression.
Ma Seo-Won's face stiffened as she looked where Ma Won-Ik was looking.
"Could that be him?"
"It's him, the Reaper!"
"How could it be? Oh my God!"
Ma Seo-Won covered her mouth with both hands.
She had been full of complaints when they had given the horses to the people they had met by chance and used their qigong.
She thought her father was being too sensitive. But now that she saw Pyo Wol in person, she understood.
Pyo Wol's tracking skills were beyond anything they had imagined. It was certain that his assassination technique would be as terrifying as the rumours.
"Hurry, sail the boat faster. Hurry..."
She urged the captain.
The distance between the riverbank where Pyo Wol stood and the boat they were on was more than a hundred yards.
Even the most skilled qigong expert couldn't cover that distance in a single bound. Nevertheless, Ma Seo-Won, feeling anxious, urged the captain and the sailors.
The boat moved away from Pyo Wol at a rapid pace.
Soon Pyo Wol began to pursue them.
He used his qigong in the direction of the boat.
Seeing this, Ma Won-Ik's expression hardened even more.
"Persistent..."
"What should we do, Father? He doesn't seem to be giving up."
Ma Seo-Won's eyes wavered.
There was a considerable distance between Pyo Wol and the boat they were on.
The boat, riding the current, was moving away quickly, making it difficult to catch up using qigong.
However, Pyo Wol showed no signs of giving up and continued to chase the boat.
Nevertheless, Pyo Wol pursued the boat relentlessly.
This irritated them.
When she thought about it, Pyo Wol had seen through all the traps and diversions that Ma Won-Ik had set and followed them all the way here.
It was inconceivable that he would give up just because of this obstacle.
Ma Won-Ik suddenly turned around.
All the martial artists on the boat with him wore astonished expressions. However, there were some who remained calm.
Jin Pyo-du and Geum Pyo-du.
Both of them had joined the Galactic Escort Bureau just before this mission.
So far, they had behaved like ordinary members.
Therefore, no one had noticed anything unusual about them.
Ma Won-Ik spoke to them.
"You two may have to step in."
This was not the tone a leader would use with subordinates.
Rather, it was closer to the tone a subordinate would use when speaking to a superior.
Even those nearby were puzzled by his words.
At that moment, Jin Pyo-du and Geum Pyo-du's expressions changed.
Their smiles disappeared and their eyes became more fierce, completely changing the atmosphere.
Jin Pyo-du spoke first.
"It looks like we'll have to."
"A truly persistent man. Once he's bitten, he won't let go, just like a poisonous snake."
Geum Pyo-du also nodded his head slightly and looked in the direction of Pyo Wol.
Pyo Wol was still following the boat.
To make matters worse, the river had passed a long straight stretch and was now entering a winding section.
The river twisted like a writhing snake, forcing the boat to slow down. The width of the river was also narrowing, making it possible to jump onto the boat if the timing was right.
Jin Pyo-du said,
"I have always been curious to see if he is as amazing as the rumours say. I guess I'll have to satisfy my curiosity this time."
"I feel the same way. I followed you because it was an order from above, but I didn't really like it."
Geum Pyo-du nodded and approached the railing.
He jumped off the boat as the river curved and narrowed.
Geum Pyo-du soared through the air like a bird and landed lightly on the ground.
Before following him, Jin Pyo-du spoke to Ma Won-Ik.
"While we stop him, you must take the goods to New Moon Manor. Someone will meet you there."
"Don't worry."
"We trust you."
Jin Pyo-du left those last words and jumped to where Geum Pyo-du had landed.
Geum Pyo-du, who had landed lightly on the ground, looked back.
The boat mercilessly left them behind and drifted away.
Jin Pyo-du let go of any remaining attachment and concentrated on what lay ahead.
Pyo Wol was running from far away.
At his speed, he should be there in a few minutes.
Jin Pyo-du said,
"He is really persistent."
"I thought he was overly concerned when he mobilised all of us, but now I understand. With someone like him on his tail, no one will be able to shake him off easily."
"Hadn't several people already suffered losses because of him, and hadn't the hard-earned businesses almost collapsed? It was only natural for the owner to take such measures."
"Ugh! I thought we could finally live comfortably, but now we have to fight a monster like him here."
"Today could be our last day."
"Are you afraid of death?"
"I've lived on the edge all my life; what's there to be afraid of? I just feel a little regret that I haven't been able to fully enjoy the wealth I've accumulated over the years.
At Jin Pyo-du's words, Geum Pyo-du chuckled and laughed.
They both drew their swords at the same time.
Jin Pyo-du held a black sword while Geum Pyo-du held a white one.
At that moment, Pyo Wol charged at them.
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