Chapter 239: When Red Clouds Gather, a Rain of Blood Falls (2)

Ha Jin-Wol’s residence was located on a northern slope. Opening the window offered a clear view of the expansive training grounds, stone houses, and martial artists training below.

He remembered every moment, from the laying of the first stones to the construction of each house and the arrival of every person.

Anyone would see this as a miracle.

But Ha Jin-Wol knew perfectly well that it was no miracle. Back when he first arrived, he had felt completely lost. For days, he sat idle, not knowing where to begin.

Jin Mu-Won was the first to take action. Despite his injuries, he comforted the others, laid stones on the bare ground, and started training on top of them.

Seeing this, the others followed him one by one. They too paved the ground with stones, expanding the training grounds, and began training together.

Simultaneously, Ha Jin-Wol developed plans for the medium and long term and reached out to people. He contacted the White Dragon Merchant Association and recruited talent.

Gradually, gifted individuals arrived, each deserving of dedicated support and guidance. When the martial artists of the Flying Desolation Gang and the Tempest Mountain Manor joined, their numbers exploded, as did Ha Jin-Wol’s workload.

The work was almost too much for one man, yet he never found it difficult. The joy of rebuilding the Northern Army with his own hands far outweighed the hardship.

“We finally have the power to do something.”

A faint smile touched Ha Jin-Wol’s lips.

No matter how brilliant I am or how well I read the world’s affairs, I can’t exercise any power without martial prowess. The minimum strength needed to put my strategies into motion, that minimum condition, is finally met.

Beside him, his disciple Han Seon-Woo organized a stack of booklets, systematically sorting the information that came in through Hidden Flow.

The boy possessed exceptional insight. Apart from the scholarly subjects he taught him, Han Seon-Woo figured out everything on his own. Sorting information was no different. Han Seon-Woo classified the material by importance, date, and region on his own initiative.

“Hmm~ hmm~!”

He was even humming a tune, making no secret of how much he enjoyed the work.

Ha Jin-Wol smiled. Since joining the Northern Army, Han Seon-Woo’s demeanor had changed. Now, the boy’s face overflowed with vitality, and his eyes shone. Because of this, he received plenty of attention and affection from those around him.

Ha Jin-Wol viewed the change in his disciple as a good thing. He resolved to himself, Seon-Woo will grow at a frightening pace, and it’s my duty to make sure he stays on the right path. I must not let this child’s talent go to waste.

“Master!” Han Seon-Woo suddenly called out.

Ha Jin-Wol tilted his head. “What is it?”

“This.” Han Seon-Woo held out the document he had been reading. “Isn’t this a bit strange?”

“What’s strange about it?”

“It’s our fiscal record, and it shows that our spending has exceeded the budget. Many parts of the record don’t align with the financial records of the individual organizations within the Northern Army, either. Why is that?”

“Oho! You noticed that much?” Ha Jin-Wol beamed with pride, impressed by how perceptive his young disciple was. He hadn’t expected Han Seon-Woo to grasp so much from a cursory glance.

Han Seon-Woo’s eyes sparkled as he waited for an answer.

“Yes, it’s about time you knew. Follow me.”

Ha Jin-Wol left the residence, and Han Seon-Woo fell in step behind him. They headed up the mountain slope in the opposite direction of the new Northern Army Fortress.

“Where are we going?”

“You’ll know when we get there.”

“I understand.”

Ha Jin-Wol hiked across two peaks. The path was extremely rough and steep, and beads of sweat poured down Han Seon-Woo’s face as he struggled to keep up.

Was there a place like this?

Han Seon-Woo’s eyes widened in surprise. He had never been outside the Northern Army’s grounds before. The land where the Northern Army sat had been settled and looked livable, but this place was too barren for that. Trees couldn’t grow properly, and the earth ran reddish-brown from end to end.

He wondered what could possibly be out here, but he kept his mouth shut and followed his master quietly.

After scaling the second peak, Ha Jin-Wol began climbing the third and final one. This mountain’s terrain was far steeper and harsher than anything they had climbed thus far, leaving Han Seon-Woo breathless.

I finally understand why people say the sky turns yellow when one is too tired...

Ha Jin-Wol stopped walking only when they reached the summit.

“Huff, huff...!”

Han Seon-Woo collapsed, panting. Each exhale felt like it would rip his lungs apart.

Ha Jin-Wol smiled at him approvingly. The journey was difficult for a boy his age, and he was proud of his disciple for not complaining once. “Few in our organization know about this place,” he said.

“What kind of place is it?”

Han Seon-Woo pushed himself up and looked around. The land was barren, devoid of grass or trees. He couldn’t imagine why Ha Jin-Wol had brought him all the way out here.

“One person lives here.”

“One person?”

“Yes, only one. This place exists for that one person.”

“But there’s no one here...”

Han Seon-Woo looked around, but couldn’t see anything of interest anywhere.

Ha Jin-Wol stepped forward. “Young Lady Eun!” he called out.

His voice carried across the summit. There was no answer, but he continued speaking politely, without the slightest sign of impatience.

“I know you’re here. There’s someone I’d like to introduce you to.”

Han Seon-Woo was bewildered and curious. Who on earth lives in a place like this?

WHOOSH!

The space in front of them rippled, and a figure emerged from it as if materializing out of thin air.

Han Seon-Woo’s mouth fell open. “Ah!”

The woman who appeared before him was stunningly beautiful. Her bluish-black hair accentuated her snow-white skin. Her lips were red as blood, and a silver light danced in her black eyes.

Han Seon-Woo had seen his share of women during his travels, some of whom were renowned beauties throughout the murim. Yet, he would have sworn on his life that none of them came close to the beauty and mysterious air of the woman in front of him. She looked like a celestial fairy come down from the heavens. If the goddess of the moon palace existed, she would surely look like this.

Ha Jin-Wol clasped his hands together and greeted her politely, “Young Lady Eun, I apologize for the trouble.”

“It’s nothing, Strategist.” The woman returned the gesture with a faint smile.

Han Seon-Woo’s eyes widened. Even though she wasn’t smiling at him, he couldn’t help but be utterly enraptured.

Ha Jin-Wol tapped his shoulder lightly. “Snap out of it.”

“Ah? Ah! Yes, Master.”

Han Seon-Woo blushed with embarrassment and came back to himself, realizing that he had been captivated by a woman’s beauty.

The woman turned her gaze to him. “Is this the child, Strategist? The disciple you took in?”

“That’s right, Young Lady Eun. I hope you’ll look after him.”

“It’ll probably be the other way around. Please take care of me, Little Strategist.”

“I... I’m Han Seon-Woo.”

“My name is Eun Han-Seol.”

“Eun Han-Seol?”

Eun Han-Seol was the woman who gave off that dreamlike, moonlit air. She had disappeared from the Central Plains three years earlier and reappeared in this remote corner of the western Sichuan highlands.

She had changed a great deal in these three years. Not only did she no longer look like a teenage girl, she had changed inside as well. Her gaze had softened, she spoke even less than before, and she lived alone out here, avoiding people’s eyes. The only people she showed herself to were Jin Mu-Won and a few others.

Ha Jin-Wol remembered when she first came here. Back then, she was practically a living corpse. She had lost the will to live, and her body was in bad shape. She refused to meet with anyone other than Jin Mu-Won. If Jin Mu-Won hadn’t stayed by her side, she might have given up on life long ago.

Of course, Jin Mu-Won himself was badly wounded. Regardless, he never left her side and devoted himself to nursing and treating her. After a full year, Eun Han-Seol finally found a reason to live.

The change after that was dramatic. Her time began to flow again. The growth that had stopped when she was fifteen resumed, and she grew taller by the day. Before two years had passed, she had blossomed into an adult woman.

Still, she remained reclusive. She spent nearly all her time out of sight, and another year passed before she revealed herself to the leadership of the Northern Army. Even then, they rarely saw her, and the ordinary members had no idea she existed.

Eun Han-Seol turned to Ha Jin-Wol. “Where’s Mu-Won?”

“The Lord is still in the Central Plains. He’ll be arriving a bit later than expected.”

“I see. Let’s go inside for now.”

Eun Han-Seol nodded and walked away. A few steps later, her figure vanished completely.

Ha Jin-Wol followed her nonchalantly.

“M-Master?” Han Seon-Woo pattered after his master, bewildered.

Three or four steps in, the surrounding space shimmered and the scenery changed. The new landscape was just as desolate, but it had grass and trees, as well as a small pond with a hut made of roughly woven branches near it.

“What is this...? Ah, it’s a formation.”

Han Seon-Woo finally realized that the space had been sealed off by formations. Furthermore, these formations were top-tier, demanding an unimaginable amount of painstaking labor and a considerable amount of materials to construct.

I see... so that’s where all the money went.

His brilliant mind put the whole picture together in an instant. With the mystery solved, his expression relaxed considerably.

Ha Jin-Wol and Han Seon-Woo sat down on a small bench by the pond, and Eun Han-Seol brought out tea.

“What a lovely aroma.”

“It’s made from wildflowers.”

“I see. I’ll look forward to it.”

Ha Jin-Wol leaned back and lifted his cup. Han Seon-Woo followed his master’s lead and took a sip. Although he knew next to nothing about tea, even he thought it was delicious.

“It’s good!” Ha Jin-Wol exclaimed.

“I’m glad you think so.” Eun Han-Seol smiled faintly, radiating an unapproachable dignity.

Ha Jin-Wol stiffened for a moment. Her martial arts have improved again.

Since arriving here, Eun Han-Seol had banished all worldly concerns from her mind and devoted herself entirely to martial arts. Despite knowing little about martial arts, he recognized that she was entering a new realm.

“Do you still have no intention of coming out into the world?”

“I knew that was what you came to talk about.”

“We need every person we can get right now. Especially a master like you, Young Lady Eun...”

“I’m not as formidable as you think, Strategist.”

Her refusal was gentle, but Ha Jin-Wol was not one to miss it. He had expected as much, so his feelings weren’t hurt. However, he had no intention of giving up so easily.

He needed Eun Han-Seol. He was prepared to visit her dozens of times—hundreds, if necessary—to win her over. There was no need to be hasty. He had plenty of time.

Eun Han-Seol suddenly looked toward the eastern sky. “I wonder what Mu-Won is doing.”

“I wonder, too. I hope there won’t be any problems this time.”

Eun Han-Seol’s smile deepened.

I think I understand it now. Jin Mu-Won is a man of power and will. It’s impossible for someone like that to live an ordinary life. The world simply won’t leave them alone.

So, my dear Mu-Won... May you achieve your goals and live out your desires.