Chapter 542
Chapter 542
Chapter 542. The Life-Taking Guest (2)
The Life-Taking Guest spoke to me with an arrogant air.
“You will have to work hard. If you do not want to lose to me and have your alias taken.” (Life-Taking Guest)
“Phew.” (Eun Seoho)
I let out a sigh.
Fine, well, as long as he himself is satisfied.
He would soon realize that he had done something foolish, so there was no need to make him understand that now.
Even if I explained it to him now, would it even go into his ears properly?
“Hahaha. I am late. In that case, may I also have some?” (Eun Seoho)
“Do so.” (Life-Taking Guest)
And, if I break that vain dream of his now, I will not be able to get a free meal.
No matter how much money I have, if a voluntary sucker buys me a free meal with no strings attached, I should eat it.
The next morning.
We went down to the dining hall on the first floor to eat breakfast.
“Did you sleep well?” (Innkeeper)
“Yes. As expected, the bedding is comfortable and good.” (Eun Seoho)
“That is the pride of our inn, it is. Hahaha.” (Innkeeper)
At that moment, the Life-Taking Guest came down wearing a hood.
Because the ends of his hair were blue due to the influence of the martial arts he had learned, he did so to hide it.
The Life-Taking Guest was fairly famous, after all.
Thanks to that, none of the inn’s guests noticed his identity.
“Good morning.” (Life-Taking Guest)
“Yes.” (Eun Seoho)
Last evening, he had to pay quite a large sum for dinner. After all, there were not just one or two people to whom he had bought free dinner.
Our party was included among them as well.
“Let us sit there.” (Eun Seoho)
We took our seats. It was a place with a screen, so it could not be seen well from outside.
Of course, we had to pay a little more, but a group all wearing swords would give others a sense of intimidation.
While we were waiting for the food we had ordered to come out, someone’s voice came from behind.
“Yesterday, I ate well for the first time in a while.” (Guest)
“Exactly. We unexpectedly got to eat something expensive. I ate so much that I do not even feel like having breakfast.” (Guest)
“Then why did you come down? You should have slept more.” (Guest)
“Still, I have to eat breakfast to endure today.” (Guest)
“True.” (Guest)
“By the way, from what I heard yesterday, it seemed he was doing some contest or cultivation of accumulating virtuous chivalry?” (Guest)
“Ah, so that was why he bought dinner yesterday?” (Guest)
“Seems so.” (Guest)
“If that was the case, I should have eaten more.” (Guest)
“Still, thanks to that fool, we ate well for free, did we not?” (Guest)
“And then he was pleased, saying he had accumulated virtuous chivalry.” (Guest)
“What? Good heavens!” (Guest)
At that conversation, the Life-Taking Guest’s complexion worsened rapidly. There are few people who can maintain composure while being treated as a fool.
He realized that he had been stupid faster than I had expected.
“Since you bought dinner yesterday, I will buy breakfast today.” (Eun Seoho)
At my words, he bit his lip and then asked me,
“What did I do wrong?” (Life-Taking Guest)
Oh……
It seems he was not as stupid a fellow as I thought.
To think he would ask me that.
I explained it to him obediently.
“The virtuous chivalry I think of must be accompanied by desperation. Yesterday, among those who came to this inn, was there anyone who was starving?” (Eun Seoho)
“…….” (Life-Taking Guest)
The Life-Taking Guest could not answer.
The inn we were staying at was an inn with fairly high prices, as its facilities were good.
Those who go around starving could not even think of staying at such an inn.
“That is why I am saying you did something foolish.” (Eun Seoho)
“Then why did you not tell me this yesterday?” (Life-Taking Guest)
“Even words that a person needs are useless noise to those who cannot feel the need for them, and only cause resistance. If I had given such advice yesterday, you probably would have dismissed it as childish talk born from jealousy.” (Eun Seoho)
“…….” (Life-Taking Guest)
At that moment, the porridge we had ordered for our meal came out, and the conversation ended like that.
I turned my head and glanced at the people speaking behind the Life-Taking Guest’s back.
Their attitude was not desirable, but I had no intention of saying anything.
Because liking free things is human instinct.
However, what must be understood is that there is nothing in this world that is truly free.
Even a faint debt in the heart is bound to remain, and that will inevitably act in some way.
That is also why I am buying breakfast for the Life-Taking Guest.
And breakfast is cheaper than dinner.
.
.
.
We set out on the road again.
In order to reach Fulong Mountain, where the Jegal Family was located, the fastest way was to cross the river at Kaifeng and go by land.
Because Kaifeng was also a bustling city, the official roads had been well maintained.
As we were following the official road, we saw people gathered in one place, murmuring among themselves.
What is going on?
We approached that place.
“Has something happened?” (Eun Seoho)
At my question, one of them said,
“A carriage traveling ahead rolled down the cliff.”
“Pardon?” (Eun Seoho)
The road we had to pass through was a road made by cutting into a mountain slope.
Even so, it was wide enough for about two carriages to pass each other without issue, though?
“They say it happened because the horse suddenly went wild.” (Passerby)
Beside them, people who seemed to be the carriage’s companions were wailing or stamping their feet.
“Then should they not be rescued quickly?” (Eun Seoho)
“But the cliff is extremely steep.” (Passerby)
I glanced down below the cliff.
Certainly……
Unless one was a martial artist of a fairly high level, it looked difficult to go down.
As I was looking below, the voices of the surrounding people could be heard.
“It rolled down from this height. There is no way anyone would be alive.” (Passerby)
“That is true.” (Passerby)
“Tsk tsk, how unfortunate.” (Passerby)
Huh? Wait.
I flinched at the faint energy I felt from down there.
There is someone alive.
Even if others did not know, I could feel it because I had learned the Great Yin Ice Sea Divine Art and was sensitive to energy.
This was undoubtedly the energy of a person.
The energy of a person and the energy of an animal were fundamentally somehow different.
“They are alive.” (Eun Seoho)
“Pardon? What do you mean by that, sir?” (Palgap)
“There is a survivor.” (Eun Seoho)
At those words, those who seemed to be guards asked back in surprise.
“Is, is that really true?” (Guard)
“Yes.” (Eun Seoho)
I immediately took off my outer robe and handed it to Palgap.
“Huk! Are you going down that cliff right now, sir?” (Palgap)
At Palgap’s question, I nodded.
“Yes.” (Eun Seoho)
“It is dangerous, sir.” (Palgap)
“Of course it is dangerous. But if someone can be saved, should we not save them?” (Eun Seoho)
At my words, Martial Artist Myeongjong said,
“I will follow.” (Martial Artist Myeongjong)
“Will you be all right?” (Eun Seoho)
“The skill with which I climbed up and down Huashan’s Danjang Cliff has not yet died.” (Martial Artist Myeongjong)
“Then I will ask it of you.” (Eun Seoho)
“We will follow as well.” (Martial Artists)
At their words, I shook my head.
“Only Martial Artist Myeongjong and Martial Artist Jin Yu will follow me. The rest of you, wait here.” (Eun Seoho)
“Understood.” (Martial Artists)
Those who seemed to be the companions of the fallen carriage approached me with desperate expressions.
“Please.” (Companion)
“We beg you!” (Companion)
At that moment, the Life-Taking Guest said,
“It is unfortunate, but this time, I will yield the turn to you.” (Life-Taking Guest)
What is he saying right now?
What? Yield? Yielding in the matter of saving a person?
This bastard is making me angry.
I said to him coldly,
“Do not confuse the order of priorities.” (Eun Seoho)
And I began descending below the cliff.
---
The Life-Taking Guest looked at Eun Seoho descending below the cliff.
He had intended to yield this turn to Eun Seoho.
He had received advice in the morning, and would it not be fair to divide the opportunities by turns?
So when he said he would yield the turn, Eun Seoho’s expression hardened.
In that instant, the Life-Taking Guest felt a fear as if his entire body would freeze.
He had felt from Eun Seoho just now the same force he had only felt from his dead master.
And he spoke coldly.
“Do not confuse the order of priorities.” (Eun Seoho)
The moment he heard those words, he could not help but go blank.
In other words, it meant that saving the person came first, and the contest came after.
Only then did he realize what mistake he had made.
Because he had become excessively immersed in the contest, he had forgotten what was important.
At that moment, the words his dead master had once spoken came to mind.
“When you have a goal, your concentration for achieving it is outstanding. But at the same time, you look only at it and do not look around you. No matter how important the goal you aim for is, do not overlook what is truly important because of it. You will surely regret it.” (Master)
This time, he had made that mistake again.
He was ashamed.
---
Tap.
I lightly set my foot down.
At last, I had arrived at the place where the carriage had fallen.
Behind me, Martial Artist Jin Yu and Martial Artist Myeongjong descended below the cliff.
The first thing I saw was the coachman’s corpse.
Even in death, he was gripping the reins tightly, and it seemed he had died because his neck was broken.
The horse was already dead as well. It was because a fragment of the carriage had lodged in the horse’s neck and it had bled heavily.
I hurriedly searched the place where I felt the survivor’s energy.
“Inside the carriage! Please clear away the carriage wreckage.” (Eun Seoho)
“Yes!” (Martial Artists)
We quickly cleared away the carriage wreckage. And we found the corpses of a man and woman.
They had suffered a great impact, and their entire bodies were covered in blood.
But they were holding each other so tightly that even after that impact, the two of their bodies were stuck firmly together.
Between those two, something could be seen.
A hem of clothing of a color different from what they were wearing.
“I found them.” (Eun Seoho)
Had they heard my words?
The embrace between the man and woman loosened, and from within, a child appeared.
It was a boy who looked about two years old.
Then the dead man and woman must be his parents.
To be honest, while a carriage is rolling down, there is nothing ordinary people can do.
Only trained people are capable of that.
In this urgent situation of an accident causing the carriage to roll over, the father and mother had moved by instinct to save at least their child.
“The child is not breathing.” (Martial Artist Jin Yu)
As Martial Artist Jin Yu said, the unconscious child could not breathe, and his face had turned blue.
Thanks to the child’s parents, he had no external wounds, but it must have been because he had suffered a great shock while rolling down.
I quickly held the child and injected the energy of the Great Yin Ice Sea Divine Art, forcibly opening and circulating his blood and qi.
Since he was still young, holding him in my arms would give him more stability than laying him down.
And finally.
“Waaah!” (Child)
The child regained consciousness and burst into tears.
He lived.
Perhaps they had heard the child’s cries, because cheers could be heard from up on the cliff.
“It seems we can rest easy now.” (Martial Artist Jin Yu)
“It truly is a relief.” (Martial Artist Myeongjong)
I looked at the carriage wreckage and the corpses with a bitter expression.
What will become of this child who has lost his parents?
But soon, I shook my head.
Predicting this child’s future is a useless act.
Because there is no law that says one must be unhappy just because one has no parents.
I also wondered if the earnest wish to save this child no matter what had called me here.
If the child endures this misfortune and grows up brightly, these two people will also be happy in the heavens.
He is a child I saved.
Even if I have to force it, I will make it so.
“What you are about to see now is a difficult scene for you, so I am going to cover your eyes. It will feel stifling, but I will take it off after a little while.” (Eun Seoho)
At my question, the child nodded.
I took out a handkerchief and covered the child’s eyes. Then I said to the guards,
“Let us collect the bodies.” (Eun Seoho)
“Yes.” (Martial Artists)
I sent a telepathic message to Martial Artist Seo Woo.
Soon, a sack tied to a rope came down from above the cliff.
We collected the bodies of the coachman and the couple, placed them in the sack, tied it firmly, then sent it up.
And after looking through the inside of the carriage to see if there were any belongings or things that needed to be taken and gathering them, I secured the child firmly to my body and climbed up the cliff.
Tak.
When I had climbed all the way up like that, there was someone holding out a hand.
When I lifted my head and looked, it was the Life-Taking Guest.
“Take my hand.” (Life-Taking Guest)
I did not refuse and took that hand, then climbed up.
In truth, it would not matter even without help, but it would be awkward to refuse when he was offering help.
At that moment, a woman approached me, sobbing loudly.
“Thank you so much for saving our Young Master.” (Nanny)
“Are you his nanny?” (Eun Seoho)
She wiped her tears and nodded.
“Yes. We are people of the Seeul Gyeong Family of Beijing. The deceased are the second young master and his wife.” (Nanny)
“I see.” (Eun Seoho)
I untied the bindings, wrapped the child in my jeogori, and held him out.
Because he was trembling, and he looked cold.
“Please take him.” (Eun Seoho)
“Thank you so very much.” (Nanny)
She repeatedly bowed her head to me.
I removed the cloth covering his eyes, and the child saw his nanny, burst into tears, and was embraced by her.
The others also repeatedly expressed their gratitude to me.
“Thanks to you, we were able to recover the bodies of the young master and madam.” (Servant)
“Thank you for recovering my older brother’s body as well.” (Man)
“……?” (Eun Seoho)
“The coachman was my older brother.” (Man)
“I see. He did not let go of the reins until the end. Since he fulfilled his duty, you may be proud of him.” (Eun Seoho)
“Khuk!” (Man)
At that moment, someone asked me,
“Could you perhaps be Young Master Eun Seoho of Eunhae Trading Company?” (Someone)
“That is right.” (Eun Seoho)
Then the people around us joined together in praising me.
“As expected! There was a reason they call him Seonhyeop Mirang!” (People)
Ugh!
I was wondering why those words had not come out.
“Young Master! You must put on your jeogori, sir.” (Palgap)
“Thank you.” (Eun Seoho)
I put on my jeogori and hurriedly put on my outer robe as well.
And in order to hide my embarrassment, I gave a clasped-hands greeting and tried to leave.
“Then I will be going now.” (Eun Seoho)
But a martial artist stopped me.
“Please wait a moment. Someone from the family will come soon. Please accept our thanks.” (Martial Artist)
“No.” (Eun Seoho)
I shook my head and declined.
“I am in a hurry on my way. And if the child grows up happily and well, that will be the greatest thanks.” (Eun Seoho)
“…….” (Martial Artist)
“The father and mother were holding the child tightly even in that situation, in order to save the child alone.” (Eun Seoho)
At my words, they burst into tears again.
I continued speaking.
“If the child ever seems to feel guilt or indebtedness because he alone survived, please tell him this. That is proof that his parents loved you, and you need only take that love as your soil and grow upright.” (Eun Seoho)
I looked at the child and said,
“Just as wind and rain blowing against a tree is not because that tree has committed a sin, the child has done nothing wrong either.” (Eun Seoho)
And I grinned.
“If he still does not understand, send him to me.” (Eun Seoho)
Then I mounted my horse, but the Life-Taking Guest was looking at me with burning eyes.
What, why is he looking at me like that?
It is scary.