Chapter 230: An Unexpected Encounter (2)

The Hell Demon Keep was disbanded, and not one of its men walked away unscathed. Jin Mu-Won had severed the meridians feeding their lungs, leaving them with less stamina than an ordinary person and bodies that hung listless on their bones.

They had spent their youth committing every kind of atrocity, relying only on their raw vigor and superior strength. For men like that, a life of powerlessness was worse than death.

Jang Wi-Cheon and the other martial artists who joined the looting all died at Jin Mu-Won's hands, since they refused to be crippled like the others.

Jin Mu-Won had no intention of showing even the slightest bit of mercy. The wailing of women who had lost husbands and children to bandits made forgiveness impossible.

When he released them, the women went home. How long they could survive in a village without men, though, he had no way of knowing.

He rode out of the Hell Demon Keep with the boy behind him.

The boy's name was Yu Geon-Yeop. With his parents gone, no one was left to care for him. More importantly, Yu Geon-Yeop refused to stay in the village, and Jin Mu-Won couldn't bring himself to leave him there alone.

His reason for taking the boy with him wasn't just because he had been orphaned, but also because of the ferocious killing intent in his pitch-black eyes. Yu Geon-Yeop had what people called the eyes of a killer. He was born with a naturally intense killing intent and rarely showed his emotions. In a way, he had every trait of a predator stalking its prey.

Only his devoted parents had kept that killer instinct in check for so long. However, the moment they died before his eyes, everything he had suppressed began to seep out. On top of that, his bone structure and talent for martial arts were anything but ordinary.

Even so, Yu Geon-Yeop still didn't open his heart completely. A deep darkness lurked inside him.

If someone who walks the path of evil took this child in, he would become a great calamity.

If raised the wrong way, Yu Geon-Yeop could become a devastating living weapon. For this reason, Jin Mu-Won decided to take him along.

Over those days, the two of them grew much closer.

Behind him, Yu Geon-Yeop stayed silent, staring straight ahead with his small lips pressed tight.

Jin Mu-Won made no attempt to start a conversation either. Killer's eyes or not, Yu Geon-Yeop was only six years old and had just lost both parents. As someone who had gone through a similar experience, he did not underestimate the weight of that loss.

It would have been better if the boy had burst into tears, but he didn't shed a single one. That didn't mean he didn't feel sorrow.

Recognizing this, Jin Mu-Won gave the boy time to process his emotions instead of offering hasty condolences.

Two days after they left the Hell Demon Keep, Yu Geon-Yeop finally asked, "Where are we going, sir?"

"West."

"West?"

"It'll be a long journey. You should prepare yourself."

Yu Geon-Yeop nodded. "I understand."

The conversation died down for a while. Jin Mu-Won remained silent, and Yu Geon-Yeop watched the scenery pass by.

After a long while, Jin Mu-Won asked, "How are you feeling?"

"I'm fine."

"Tell me if you're uncomfortable."

"Okay."

Yu Geon-Yeop was unusually quiet for a child. Some days, he wouldn't say a single word. Since Jin Mu-Won wasn't much of a talker either, silence naturally settled between them. However, being quiet didn't mean they felt nothing.

Jin Mu-Won could sense the murderous intent in the boy's heart, directed both at himself for failing to protect his parents and at the world that had taken them from him.

That was not a trait an ordinary six-year-old should possess.

This child's killing intent is too strong, and now that his parents' shackles were gone, it will only grow stronger.

Jin Mu-Won planned to bring Yu Geon-Yeop to the Northern Army. He would decide what to do with the boy once they arrived.

They rode for days on end, often sleeping outdoors. The journey was difficult even for a grown man, and far harder on a young child, but not once did Yu Geon-Yeop complain or show any weakness.

About two weeks after leaving Jiaonan, Jin Mu-Won arrived in Taiyuan, Shanxi Province. Caring for the young boy had put him two days behind schedule.

The masters of the Nine Sects One Gang and the heads of powerful martial families, such as the Five Great Clans, belonged here.

"Let's rest here for the day."

Yu Geon-Yeop nodded silently.

They found a shabby inn on the outskirts of Taiyuan. Five or six other guests were already inside, seated at tables in the corners eating. None of them paid Jin Mu-Won's party any attention.

As the pair sat down, a waiter hurried over. "Hehe! Welcome."

"Do you have any rooms available?"

"Of course."

"There are two of us, so one room will do."

"Understood. I'll have it cleaned while you eat."

"Thank you."

"What would you like to eat? Our inn is famous for its lamb pastries, just so you know. Hehe!"

"I see. Bring one of those and, if you have them, a plate of xiao long bao. Also, bring a bottle of wine."

"Understood. Please wait just a moment. I'll have it ready right away."

The waiter cheerfully ran off to the kitchen.

Jin Mu-Won watched him go, then turned to Yu Geon-Yeop. The boy was staring at him intently with his pitch-black eyes.

He smiled faintly despite the unnerving stare. "What is it? Is there something on my face?"

"No. It's just... weird..."

He hesitated. Talent like Yu Geon-Yeop's was by no means common. The boy had the ideal physique for martial arts training, an exceptional eye, and a predatory instinct. Anyone with eyes in the jianghu would covet him.

"What is?"

"Your face... it's like a doll's..."

Surprise flickered in Jin Mu-Won's eyes for the first time.

This child?

He was hiding his true face with a disguise technique. He had learned it from Cheong-In, and it was so exquisite that not a single person had ever seen through it before, not even a peak-level master. The fact that a six-year-old boy sensed something was amiss astonished him.

I wonder... is his killing intent a result of his instinctive ability to perceive the truth?

Jin Mu-Won held the boy's gaze for a long moment, but Yu Geon-Yeop didn't look away. For a while, the two of them simply stared at each other.