Time To Pay For My Meal.

Before long, a Buddhist nun entered the room.

“I am sorry. My junior sister is shy around strangers.”

The nun herself did not look that old either.

She seemed to be around twenty.

She was about the same age as So Yeong, the nun he had met from the Emei Sect before, but her impression was different.

Beside her, a young nun peeked her head out.

“I am sooo sorry.”

She looked frightened yet curious, sneaking glances at Gyo-ha.

“Ah, it’s fine.”

Gyo-ha shook his head. As long as he had done nothing wrong, he did not mind.

“Were you the ones who treated me? Thank you.”

When Gyo-ha tried to sit up, the nun hurriedly waved her hand.

“Your wounds are serious. If you get up like tha—hm?”

She blinked as she watched him rise without any trouble.

“Huh? Th-the grandpa physician said you would not be able to get up.”

The young nun muttered beside her.

“Sajeo, did Grandpa lie?”

The nun could not easily answer the girl’s question.

Even to her eyes, his injuries had been severe.

Before she could let the girl’s distrust of the physician grow, Gyo-ha spoke up.

“My body is sturdy. My wounds heal quickly.”

To show he was fine, Gyo-ha raised his arm and clenched his fist.

Muscles swelled.

Seeing that, the young nun let out a little “Wow.”

“Want to touch?”

The young nun hesitated for a moment, then looked up at the older nun.

When the nun nodded, she carefully stepped closer and poked him with a finger.

Then she darted back and hid behind the nun.

The sight brought a smile to both Gyo-ha’s and the nun’s faces.

“Sajeo, Sajeo. He’s really solid!”

The young nun’s face was flushed red.

The nun patted the girl’s head.

Meanwhile, Gyo-ha climbed down from the bed.

“Um, where is this place?”

“This is Cheonghae Village.”

The young nun answered in her stead.

As Gyo-ha tilted his head, the nun smiled and spoke.

“It is a village in Zhenhai, in Zhejiang Province.”

“Ah…”

Gyo-ha blinked. He did not know where Zhenhai was, but he knew of Zhejiang Province.

When he stiffened, the two nuns looked at him oddly.

Come to think of it, he had not introduced himself yet.

Gyo-ha brought his fists together and bowed deeply.

“I am Gyo-ha from Kunlun. Thank you for helping me.”

The nun flinched at his polite greeting.

“No, not at all. We only moved you here. Someone else treated you.”

He knew. The physician had come and gone.

But the ones who had called the physician were these nuns.

At that moment, the young nun beside them spoke.

“Sajeo, where is Kunlun?”

“It is a very, very faraway place.”

Saying that, the nun looked at Gyo-ha with new eyes.

Before, she had been too surprised by his bow to think, but Mount Kunlun lay at the far edge of the continent.

Just then, she met Gyo-ha’s gaze as he looked at her.

“Ah, we are from the Putuo Sect. I am Yeon-gyeong, and this is my junior sister…”

“I am Yeon-gyo.”

The young nun bowed her head.

Then she stared straight at Gyo-ha.

When he tilted his head, Yeon-gyo spoke again.

“We came from the Putuo Sect.”

“Ah, right. Nice to meet you.”

He had already heard that. Yeon-gyo looked flustered.

With a ‘that is not what I meant,’ expression on her face.

“From Mount Putuo on Zhoushan Archipelago. Swor…”

“Yeon-gyo.”

When he glanced over, Yeon-gyeong was giving Yeon-gyo a stern look.

Sullen, Yeon-gyo hid behind Yeon-gyeong’s legs.

At that reaction, even Gyo-ha could sense there was something more.

“Mm, is it famous?”

Yeon-gyo nodded energetically.

Yeon-gyeong, on the other hand, nodded with a somewhat embarrassed expression.

“Sorry. I don’t know the geography around here well.”

“It’s not geography, though.”

Yeon-gyo muttered under her breath. Yeon-gyeong glanced back at her.

“Gyo. You did not know where Mount Kunlun was either. It is a really famous mountain.”

Yeon-gyo opened her eyes wide and looked at Gyo-ha.

‘It is the Kunlun Sect, not just Mount Kunlun, but… close enough.’

Gyo-ha nodded. Until now, he had never met anyone who did not know Kunlun.

Here, the Putuo Sect was probably in that kind of position.

Just then, it grew noisy outside.

Yeon-gyeong and Yeon-gyo also heard the commotion and their expressions hardened.

“I am sorry. I will step out for a bit. Yeon-gyo, stay with this gentleman.”

“Yes, Sajeo.”

Yeon-gyo hesitated for a moment, then nodded.

After Yeon-gyeong left, Yeon-gyo kept glancing toward the window, clearly worried.

Curious, Gyo-ha spoke to her.

“If you are worried, should we go take a look?”

“Is that okay?”

Yeon-gyo’s eyes sparkled for a moment, then she shook her head hard.

“Mister… Uncle, you are injured. You are supposed to lie down and rest.”

He was not really old enough to be called mister or uncle, but Gyo-ha did not care.

Instead, he bounced on the spot.

It looked like a light jump, yet his head nearly brushed the ceiling before he came back down.

“Well? Do I look unwell?”

“…Huh?”

Yeon-gyo blinked.

It was not the sort of movement someone injured should be able to make.

“See? Let’s go.”

Gyo-ha lifted Yeon-gyo onto his shoulders and opened the door.

The salty smell of the sea stabbed at his nose the moment the door opened.

Seagulls cried noisily.

Beyond them, he could see people arguing.

“So this is not something for a monk to meddle in. We just came to collect the money we lent.”

“You said the interest was one percent!”

“Right, one percent every five days. It is written right there in the contract.”

“You never said that when we borrowed it…”

“Which is why you should have read the contract properly.”

Gyo-ha could guess the situation.

They were moneylenders.

The Hell King Stronghold.

“I will go back today for the sake of our pretty little nun here, so have it all ready next time.”

The man who looked to be the black-path leader smirked and turned away.

The other black-path thugs snickered as they followed after him.

The villagers let out sighs of relief, but their faces stayed dark.

They had gotten by today, but who knew what would happen next time.

As she soothed the villagers, Yeon-gyeong spotted Gyo-ha and walked over.

Noticing her, Yeon-gyo snuck behind Gyo-ha’s back.

Before Yeon-gyeong could speak, Gyo-ha opened his mouth first.

“I was the one who asked to come out with her.”

“…Yeah.”

Yeon-gyeong started to say something, then closed her mouth again.

Gyo-ha stared at her for a moment, then spoke.

“Why did you let them go?”

“Ah, you mean those men. It seems the villagers borrowed money from them.”

“No. I mean, why did you just let them go?”

Gyo-ha’s gaze dropped to Yeon-gyeong’s waist.

At her waist hung an iron sword that did not match her worn monk’s robes.

The sword looked as plain as her old robes.

But it had been carefully maintained.

That was not all.

The aura he felt from Yeon-gyeong was in no way beneath Jeon Pyeong’s.

If anything, she seemed stronger.

To the point where she likely had no peer in her age group.

If she had not been the benefactor who saved him, he would have wanted to ask her for a fight.

‘That would not be polite, though.’

So he held back.

Because Gyo-ha was a man who knew his manners.

At his question, Yeon-gyeong gave a troubled smile.

“I cannot draw my sword without my sect’s permission.”

Gyo-ha blinked.

It was something he had never heard before.

Among ordinary sects, such a rule would have been unthinkable.

‘…Is it because they follow the Buddhist way?’

But the experts of the Emei Sect had never seemed so constrained.

Still, every sect had its own circumstances.

Just then, Gyo-ha’s stomach growled loudly.

It was loud enough that even the villagers nearby could hear.

Ppuh.

Yeon-gyeong and a few of the village women burst into laughter.

The heavy mood quickly lightened.

“You must not have eaten anything for two days. Let us get you a meal first.”

At Yeon-gyeong’s words, Gyo-ha nodded.

In truth, it had been more than two days, but he just nodded.

The meal was simple.

Some stir-fried greens of unknown kind, porridge, and a few grilled fish.

There was no way a proper feast could be found in such a poor village.

But it was more than enough.

Smiles appeared on the villagers’ faces as they watched Gyo-ha eat with abandon.

“Does it suit your taste?”

“Yes, it is delicious!”

Gyo-ha nodded. Seeing that, the grannies and aunties began rummaging in their homes and bringing things out.

“Try this too.”

“Wow, what is this?”

“Mushrooms we picked.”

“And this is seaweed.”

Gyo-ha’s eyes sparkled as he ate. Beside him, Yeon-gyo stared, utterly entranced.

Only after eating for quite some time did he finally pat his stomach in satisfaction.

The villagers also drifted away one by one.

“You are being welcomed even more warmly than we are.”

Yeon-gyeong gave a soft laugh.

Even to her eyes, Gyo-ha looked happy as he ate.

All the more so because, aside from the fish, none of it was proper fare.

The porridge was just a few grains and some roots boiled together.

The villagers themselves had not eaten properly for days.

“Then I will go check around the village.”

Yeon-gyeong bid Gyo-ha farewell and left.

Not long after, a small shadow appeared at his side.

Yeon-gyo peeked her head up.

“You did not go with the Sister Monk?”

Yeon-gyo giggled at the title ‘Sister Monk.’

“She told me not to come because it is dangerous.”

Saying that, she quietly sat down next to Gyo-ha. After spending half a day together, her wariness had faded.

“Someone wrecked their boats so they could not work. Then those bad uncles came and lent them money.”

“They told them to fix the boats with that money, right? And once they did, they broke again?”

At Gyo-ha’s words, Yeon-gyo’s eyes went round.

“Wow! You are just like Hyeon-ang Sabaek¹! Do you have magic powers too, Uncle?!”

Whoever this Hyeon-ang Sabaek was, he was clearly a playful sort.

It was something anyone could figure out with a little thought.

The villagers could not read.

But to young Yeon-gyo, it must have seemed like sorcery.

“So then it is obvious they did it, right? They are villains, aren’t they?”

“That is true, but… hmm.”

Yeon-gyo rested her chin on her hand and sank into thought.

“Oh! It is because no one actually saw them break the boats. And they do not hurt people, just cause trouble.”

Ah ha. Gyo-ha nodded.

Since their rules were stricter than most sects, they were more particular about “just cause” as well.

That was why the black-path men could brazenly show themselves before Murim people.

If the Putuo Sect was famous, they would know its discipline was strict.

They didn’t harm people recklessly.

Even if they were black-path scum.

That was why they could behave like that.

‘They probably were not like this from the start.’

Gyo-ha’s guess was correct.

The black-path men had acted cautiously at first.

But once they realized Yeon-gyeong would not harm them, they grew bolder and bolder.

And they kept to the final line.

Pretending to be considerate of Yeon-gyeong, they did not directly harm the villagers.

They only broke things.

With a resentful face, Yeon-gyo spoke.

“So we were going to ask the sect, but we cannot contact them because of the fog!”

At the word fog, Gyo-ha scratched his head.

It was not his fault, but he felt oddly sorry.

“All the boats are broken too, so we cannot go anywhere.”

Gyo-ha recalled something Yeon-gyo had said earlier.

The Zhoushan Archipelago.

As the name implied, their sect was on an island. Whatever means of contact they had before could not be used because of the fog.

“So we are going to wait and see until the fog disappears…”

At her words, Gyo-ha glanced out past the window.

A dark sea. Beyond it lay a deeper darkness.

Would that fog really vanish with time?

He couldn’t be sure.

Even if the villagers wanted to repair their boats, they had no money left.

And judging by Yeon-gyeong’s plain clothing, she did not look as if she had any money either.

Nodding, Gyo-ha sprang to his feet.

He understood the situation now.

So then.

“It’s time to pay for my meal.”

Proof? What did that matter?

Gyo-ha’s senses were reacting.

They were villains. Why should anyone need a reason to cut down villains.

He had been taught not to kill evildoers lightly, but no one had ever told him not to punish them.

If they committed evil, they had to pay a price.

If their crimes did not warrant death, then he would just beat them to the brink of it.

That was Yun Heo’s teaching.