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Chapter 128:

"Hoo...!"

Jin Geum-woo let out a sigh without realizing it.

He was currently in the house of an old physician.

The doctor was already dead in his own house. Flies were swarming around his body and his blood which had spilled on the ground was already hardened.

The doctor's condition meant that he had been dead for quite some time.

Because Heukam had received and suffered a lot of damage, Jin Geum-woo thought that Heukam would be hiding in one of the physician's houses in Chengdu.

This was also the reason why the Hao clan members were mobilized to search each of the physician's houses. But no trace of Heukam had been found anywhere.

It turns out Heukam had chosen this place because the physician in front of him had long retired from the frontlines. This would mean that the retired doctor wouldn't be included in the list of the Hao clan's information network hence the Hao clan members failed to search this place.

'How did he find this?'

Heukam must have killed the old doctor after treating his own wounds here. Without knowing that, he and the Hao clan members were looking in the wrong place.

He trembled at the ingenuity of Heukam.

But it was Pyo-wol who surprised him even more. Since Pyo-wol managed to find the place that the Hao clan failed to find.

Even if Jin Geum-woo constantly watched Pyo-wol from the sidelines, he still couldn't figure out how Pyo-wol did it.

He only observed Pyo-wol looking around a few times. So he felt like Pyo-wol was just lucky enough to find this place.

However, Jin Geum-woo denied his thoughts.

'It's not a coincidence. It is clear that he saw something I didn't.'

The word coincidence did not suit a person like Pyo-wol.

The Pyo-wol he knew was more meticulous and rational than anyone else. It was clear that Pyo-wol had inferred this place through some calculation that he could not understand.

The problem is that Jin Geum-woo has no way of finding out by what reason Heukam chose to go here.

Pyo-wol looked at the wall, not paying attention to the old physician's body. There were many empty herb containers hanging on the wall.

"He got some herbs here."

"Why was he looking for herbs?"

"Manipulating the human mind is by no means a simple feat, especially if you want to subdue those with great mental strength like martial artists. Going for the usual method is not enough."

"He already uses cursed poison. Does he really need to use herbs?"

"The more ways he has, the better."

"Haa..."

"Furthermore, I assume that the cursed poison he uses to parasitize the human brain isn't something that can be so easily obtained. If it's so common, there's no reason for him to gather herbs."

"That must be right."

Jin Geum-woo shook his head.

Because Pyo-wol's reasoning made sense.

'How scary! How could he think that far with just observing the disappearance of a few herbs?'

Only after hearing about the reasoning would it make it sound so simple. But even he didn't think that far, only Pyo-wol managed to immediately grasp the truth.

Even if they are looking at the same situation, their point of view and perspective are completely different. So no matter how hard Jin Geum-woo tries, he wouldn't be able to have the same foresight as Pyo-wol.

Pyo-wol is an entirely different person from him.

Pyo-wol carefully inspected the house of the physician.

Heukam tried to completely erase his traces in the dark. However, the traces he left behind were clearly visible in Pyo-wol's eyes.

'He stayed here for a long time even after killing the physician. He's more daring than I thought.'

After controlling Seo Mun-pyeong, Heukam also took advantage of the time where Won Ga-young was alone and kidnapped her.

It was something that ordinary people would not have dared to imagine.

In addition to being sneaky, Heukam is quick-witted and decisive in executing his plans.

In some ways, he's just like him.

Heukam's tenacity of never forgetting once a grudge is formed and the determination to seek revenge is the same as his as if they were created from the same mold.

That's why he felt bad.

Pyo-wol felt bad at the very fact that there is a person who resembles him exists in the world. But at the same time, it was thanks to their similarity that it was easy for Pyo-wol to understand the actions and behavior of Heukam.

Pyo-wol thought thoroughly from the perspective of Heukam.

'If I'm...'

Now that Heukam has healed his wounds and obtained medicinal herbs here, the next thing he would do must be to look for the perfect opportunity to get his revenge on Jin Geum-woo.

Pyo-wol came out.

And he found the best place to monitor the Four Sea Pavilion, where Jin Geum-woo and his group were staying.

Finding the place wasn't too difficult.

It was a small house across the Four Sea Pavilion. The family, who appeared to be the owner of the house, had already lost their lives. They now were all stuck in one room, rotting.

"Do you think Heukam did this?"

When Jin Geum-woo saw the family's body, he was furious.

But whether Heukam killed them or not, Pyo-wol didn't care. He just went to the window and looked at the Four Sea Pavilion. A panoramic view of the Four Sea Pavilion came into view.

Pyo-wol looked at the Four Sea Pavilion for a moment, then looked for any traces left in the room.

In fact, there were no traces.

All that's left in the room was finely chopped leather pieces, cotton balls, and pieces of steel.

Pyo-wol was quick to realize Heukam's intention.

"He's thinking of crossing the Western Plateau."

"What do you mean? Why would he cross the Western Plateau?"

Pyo-wol who had a piece of leather in his hand, said,

"The leather is oiled."

"So?"

"Oiling the leather makes it waterproof."

"And?"

"Those who want to pass through humid places prepare items such as this. He must have used this to make a cloak here."

"How can you be sure that he would cross the Western Plateau with that alone?"

"The cotton could be used as padding in the leather, which would mean the place he would go is probably going to be cold. For this piece of steel, this can be useful in slippery places. If the piece of steel is put under his shoes, whenever he steps on ice, it would be easier for him to walk. With this, the only area that fits those conditions is the Western Plateau. Although it is connected in Xizang, snow still piled up to the waist of a person at the top of the mountain.'

"Ah!"

Jin Geum-woo exclaimed at Pyo-wol's explanation.

He could not believe that such reasoning would be possible with only a piece of leather, some cotton balls, and pieces of iron.

Pyo-wol laughed. This is because he would have prepared the same even if he was in a position of Heukam.

In fact, the coat he was wearing now had a similar effect to the one that Heukam had prepared here. Of course, the cloak Heukam made was incomparably inferior to that of Tang Sochu.

Since then, Pyo-wol has been tracking traces of Heukam without a break.

He also found a street where he presumed Heukam had kidnapped Won Ga-young. From then on, Heukam's actions became more pronounced.

'It is by no means easy to kidnap a woman and get out of Chengdu which is heavily guarded."

At the time Won Ga-young was kidnapped, the Hao clan members were roaming around the city. So it wouldn't be easy to sneak out of Chengdu while carrying an adult woman.

Pyo-wol inquired if there were any wagons that traveled from last night until dawn. In the end, he discovered that there was a garbage truck that had left Chengdu this morning.

A man bought a horse and a carriage from a man who cleaned up the garbage for quite a lot of money. Pyo-wol asked the owner about the appearance of the horse and carriage in detail.

Jin Geum-woo's stomach burned in anticipation.

Now that they found out that Heukam had escaped by a wagon, Jin Geum-woo wanted to hurry and track down Heukam as fast as possible. So he thought that Pyo-wol was wasting his time asking such useless questions.

However, Jin Geum-woo still endured his hurried feelings, knowing that there must be a reason for everything Pyo-wol does.

After finishing all the questions, Pyo-wol finally came out of Chengdu. However, the direction Pyo-wol was headed was strange.

It wasn't the road heading towards the Western Plateau, it was another path leading to a different direction.

Jin Geum-woo couldn't stand it any longer and asked,

"Why are you going here, and not using the shortest route to the Western Plateau?"

"Nomaya."

"What do you mean?"

"A tall horse is an old horse. You can't go that far with a wagon drawn by an old horse who never knows when it will die. I'm sure he must have chosen the waterway. It's easier to hide a woman using that method and he can save a lot of time."

"Ah!"

Jin Geum-woo made an awkward expression.

He had nothing but admiration.

Pyo-wol was a completely different race from himself. He was good at tracking, and he combined a lot of information that Jin Geum-woo inadvertently dismissed to derive the best result.

No matter how hard Jin Geum-woo tried, he could not have the same perspective as Pyo-wol. So, he had no choice but to admit that Pyo-wol was a different kind of person from him.

Even this time, Pyo-wol was right again.

This is because horses and wagons that they assumed Heukam must have used were found on a river far away from Chengdu.

The overworked old horse was convulsing and breathing heavily. Heukam must have pushed the horse to its limit.

Pyo-wol looked at the river with sharp eyes.

And not long after that, the body of a sailor was found. It was clear that Heukam had killed the sailor and exhorted his boat.

"Congratulations. She's still alive."

"Really?"

"There are remnants of footprints here. Judging by its shape, I assume they belong to a woman. Then based on the shallow depth and erratic direction, it is clear that she cannot move freely."

"Or, like Pyeong whose mind was suppressed."

"She will be fine."

"Why do you think so?"

"There's no reason to go this far and kidnap her if he was just going to control her mind. There must be some other reason for him to take her to the Xiaoleiyin Temple while keeping her sane."

"Hoo...!"

Jin Geum-woo shook his head.

He now believes whatever Pyo-wol says. Finding this place was proof of Pyo-wol's capability.

Jin Geum-woo no longer had any doubts about Pyo-wol's actions.

There was always a reason for Pyo-wol's every action.

"At first glance, it may seem useless, but once you get to know it, it was a necessary process."

Jin Geum-woo inadvertently collected too much information, reprocessed it with his own senses and vision, and made a cool decision. And his judgment has never been wrong.

That was the reason why Jin Geum-woo believed in Pyo-wol.

As time passed, the speed at which Pyo-wol was tracking Heukam increased.

Jin Geum-woo didn't bother to ask about Pyo-wol's movements. He had no reason to ask. All he had to do was believe in Pyo-wol and follow him.

Even in the worst conditions, Pyo-wol would always find traces of Heukam.

As he continued to observe and watch Pyo-wol, Jin Geum-woo thought that Pyo-wol was terrifying.

'If anyone would have this man as their enemy, they would no longer have anywhere else to hide in the world.'

Jin Geum-woo is a warrior who prefers head to head confrontation, so he was not afraid even if he was against the best swordsman in the world. Since even if he loses, he would be able to convince himself why he was defeated.

However, assuming that an assassin like Pyo-wol was aiming at him, he felt goosebumps all over his body.

Since Pyo-wol is capable of hiding and observing his enemy for days. He will also dig every information about his opponent to find the right moment to attack his opponent's weaknesses.

The mere thought of it made Jin Geum-woo unable to breathe.

Unlike a normal martial artist, there was no such thing as pride for an assassin. An assassin is someone one who would use any vile means without hesitation.

And Pyo-wol is a pinnacle example of an assassin.

Jin Geum-woo couldn't even begin to imagine how terrifying the assassination methods of a person like Pyo-wol has.

He was confident that he would never lose against anyone in a face-to-face confrontation, but just thinking that Pyo-wol would execute a sneak attack, his neck stiffened.

Whether he knew what Jin Geum-woo was thinking or not, Pyo-wol is busy concentrating in his pursuit of Heukam.

Before he knew it, air was flowing out of Pyo-wol's mouth.

Only after seeing Pyo-wol's appearance did Jin Geum-woo realize that they had already climb to a high place in the Western Plateau.

The northwestern part of Sichuan was the Qinghai Province while the southwest part of Qinghai Province is Xizang. It is the Western Plateau that drew the boundary line.

Theoretically, if anyone would cross the Western Plateau, they could easily go to Qinghai Province of Xizang. However, the process of crossing the Western Plateau was not so simple.

Spring has already arrived in Sichuan, but the snow in the mountains has yet to melt here. The snow was piled high enough to cover the waist.

Furthermore, great danger lurked in the area. Among them, the most dangerous ones were the avalanches and the deep cliffs hidden under the snow.

If anyone takes a wrong step, they will fall off the cliff of a thousand meters. Therefore, no matter how familiar a person was with the mountains, they were reluctant to enter the Western Plateau from autumn to early summer.

But for some unknown reason, Pyo-wol could sense and consequently evaded the danger like a ghost.

At first, Jin Geum-woo was puzzled why they made a big detour, leaving the straight road. It turns out that the spot in front of them previously was a cliff covered in snow. It was not uncommon for avalanches to occur if they passed through it.

Even though Jin Geum-woo possessed an undefeated martial arts, he was no different from a small ant in the face of the power of nature.

Kwaaarrr!

In the face of an avalanche of great majesty that destroyed the ridge, even Jin Geum-woo could not close his mouth. If he had been caught in the avalanche, he, too, would have lost his life.

Pyo-wol did not even pay attention to the avalanche.

He only focused on chasing after Heukam.

Nothing else could distract him.

'The traces are getting clearer.'

Until before, traces of Heukam were dim. But from a certain moment, the traces of Heukam were getting stronger.

It was because Heukam was being too careful.

Since it was Pyo-wol, he was able to track down the traces of Heukam. But if it were any other person and Heukam had hid his traces so thoroughly, he would not even dream of being pursued.

The fact that Heukam no longer cares about leaving traces meant only one thing.

'He noticed the chase.'