Chapter 103: Lost Property (1)
by fnovelpia
“Why did a human-like sea creature drift into this pristine river?”
Cho Un-hwi, annoyed that his fishing was interrupted, was not pleased with the current situation.
Still, he couldn’t just leave the boy lying there, so he checked for a pulse.
*Thump. Thump.*
A faint pulse, so weak it could be mistaken for death, reached his fingertips.
Any ordinary doctor would likely dismiss this case, but…
“As long as he’s breathing, it’s fine.”
With his index and middle fingers, he quickly pressed the boy’s acupuncture points.
*Tap. Tap. Tap.*
With one hand, he baited his hook anew, while the other hand worked on the boy’s acupuncture points.
Before long, the boy, who had been lying motionless on the ground, coughed weakly.
“Wow, he’s tough.”
*Thud.*
He kicked the boy onto his side, and clear water flowed from his mouth.
“He drank a lot of water.”
*Thud. Thud.*
Another kick, and the boy expelled even more water.
After a few more kicks to clear his airway, Cho Un-hwi finally managed to bait his hook properly.
“Alright.”
*Splash.*
He cast his line back into the desired spot, and Mo Yong So-hye, who had been playing nearby, ran over.
“Wow, Instructor, who is this person?”
“I don’t know.”
“That’s a very dry answer.”
“I saved him. He’ll leave when he wakes up.”
“You’re too indifferent to people.”
Cho Un-hwi glanced at the boy and replied, “It looks like he’s from Euncheon Hall.”
“Right.”
The unidentified person was wearing the uniform of Shinmu Academy, with silver embroidery on the chest and sides indicating he was from Euncheon Hall.
“He might have slipped and fallen into the water.”
“That’s possible.”
As he frowned at the bobber floating in the distance, the commotion attracted everyone’s attention.
“Oh my, Instructor, is this our dinner?”
“People don’t taste good.”
As they exchanged pointless comments, Namgung Yun-ho searched the boy’s belongings.
“If he has an identification tag, we can find out who he is.”
Namgung Yun-ho, being a kind person, couldn’t just ignore the situation.
His expression darkened as he rummaged through the boy’s clothes.
“Instructor, this is…”
“I saw it too.”
There were clear signs of abuse.
Bruises and cuts, both old and new, were scattered across his body, indicating prolonged torment.
“Oh? I know this guy.”
Eon Ho-seung, who had approached, recognized the boy.
“If my memory is correct… he’s from the Nanju Mok Clan.”
“Nanju Mok Clan?”
“A famous family from the Nanju region in Gansu Province. They’re known in the Jianghu for something else, though.”
Jegal Tan nodded.
“They were once a demonic sect but converted to the Murim Alliance after offending the Iron Thread Alliance Leader.”
“Right, you know a lot.”
Eon Ho-seung clapped his hands.
“…His name is probably…”
Eon Ho-seung struggled to recall the name, frowning in concentration.
But Cho Un-hwi had already guessed who it was upon hearing “Mok Clan.”
The boy’s appearance was vaguely familiar.
Jegal Tan was the first to remember.
“If it’s a Mok who joined this year, it must be Mok Yeon-seong.”
“Right, Mok Yeon-seong. That’s the name.”
It seemed his memory was correct.
‘I’ve caught a troublesome person.’
The Mok Yeon-seong in his memory was quite different.
*- The old sky has fallen. A new sky will open.*
He was the one who led the Heavenly Destruction Society, swinging a bloodthirsty sword.
He despised the Murim Alliance and cursed the Jianghu.
But his younger self was quite unexpected.
‘He looks like he hasn’t eaten properly.’
He seemed like a completely different person.
The most unexpected thing was…
“Hmm. Am I alive?”
Barely conscious, Mok Yeon-seong opened his eyes and looked around.
“…I shouldn’t have saved him.”
His lifeless eyes showed no sign of vitality.
Reuniting with an old enemy was surprising in every way.
***
After warming himself by the campfire, Mok Yeon-seong’s complexion improved slightly.
He looked around and bowed.
“I’m Mok Yeon-seong. You don’t need to remember me. I’ll be forgotten soon.”
He glanced to the side.
“There’s a familiar face here.”
“Didn’t expect to meet someone I’ve seen in passing like this.”
“…In passing? Well, it doesn’t matter.”
Mok Yeon-seong fell silent again.
Namgung Yun-ho exchanged quick glances with Jegal Tan.
‘Tan, shouldn’t we ask about his injuries?’
‘Leave him be. He’ll talk when he’s ready.’
‘But he doesn’t seem like he’ll speak at all.’
‘Pushing him might hurt his pride.’
Mo Yong So-hye, watching them, suddenly sprang up energetically.
She approached Mok Yeon-seong, who was silently warming himself by the fire.
“Mok Yeon-seong!”
Mok Yeon-seong flinched as the lively presence approached.
“Mo Yong So-hye, right?”
“Call me So-hye.”
“I’ll call you Mo Yong.”
“Ugh, that’s disappointing.”
Making a playful face, Mo Yong So-hye cheerfully leaned in closer.
“By the way, I noticed you have a lot of injuries. What happened?”
“…That’s…”
Mok Yeon-seong mumbled awkwardly.
He seemed confused about how to handle the overly friendly girl.
Mo Yong So-hye, quick-witted as ever, didn’t miss his discomfort.
“So, what happened?”
“Shouldn’t you see a doctor?”
“You looked really hurt.”
Feigning tears, she pressed him further, and Mok Yeon-seong, who seemed to have no immunity to such tactics, froze.
‘Good, just a little more…’
Mo Yong So-hye thought.
“That’s enough, you sly girl.”
Cho Un-hwi intervened.
‘Tsk.’
Mo Yong So-hye pouted and stepped back as Cho Un-hwi spoke quietly.
“I’m the one who caught you and revived you. Even if you didn’t want it, you owe me your life, so you should answer my questions.”
Mok Yeon-seong’s throat bobbed nervously at his stern voice.
“…Go ahead.”
“How did you end up drifting here?”
Reluctantly, Mok Yeon-seong’s eyes twitched, but he eventually spoke.
“It’s nothing special. I just wanted to die, so I jumped off a waterfall. I lost consciousness and drifted quite a distance. I thought I had finally succeeded, but unfortunately, your kindness saved me.”
His tone turned sarcastic at the end.
Cho Un-hwi asked again.
“Explain in detail.”
Annoyed, Mok Yeon-seong’s eyes flashed with defiance.
“What do you want to know? My life flashing before my eyes? Or my thoughts as I lost consciousness in the water?”
“I don’t need that.”
“Are you going to lecture me about why I wanted to die? Save it.”
Mok Yeon-seong’s shoulders heaved as he vented his frustration.
“…”
Cho Un-hwi waited for him to calm down before speaking again.
“The waterfall you jumped from.”
“…Is that what you’re curious about?”
“Of course. I don’t want to hear about some stinky guy’s life. I want to know the name of the waterfall.”
“Haha. If you want to commit suicide, find another place. I already failed here.”
Mok Yeon-seong chuckled, and Baek Ri-seol silently screamed.
“Instructor! Why are you interested in a suicide waterfall?”
“…This is very important.”
His voice was low and serious, and Baek Ri-seol stiffened.
“Really?”
“Yes. If he drifted from there, it means anything thrown in there would drift here. We’re short on supplies, so it’s perfect. We can’t bring in external items, but we can use anything that drifts in. I’m a genius, right?”
“…”
The group fell silent.
Ignoring them, Cho Un-hwi gestured and explained why this plan was necessary.
“It’s exhausting to make everything from scratch.”
“It takes forever to make a toothpick.”
“What about the food?”
“We can’t get salt or spices.”
Despite his enthusiastic explanation, no one seemed convinced.
“…”
The silence grew colder, and some even showed signs of thinking, ‘This guy is hopeless.’
Even Baek Ri-seol and Namgung Yun-ho turned away.
“Ah, really. You guys don’t know because you haven’t lived here.”
It was the epitome of pettiness.
But there was one person who reacted.
“Haha. This is amusing. You’re Temporary Instructor Cho Un-hwi?”
“Yes.”
“If it’s alright, I’d like to stay here for a while.”
“Why should I?”
“I know it’s not my place to say, but trying to kill myself is quite draining. I can’t do it twice a day.”
“That’s your problem.”
If he died here, it would be unsettling.
Mok Yeon-seong offered a condition.
“Then how about this?”
“Spit it out.”
“In exchange for letting me rest here for a few days, I’ll prepare whatever you need when I return.”
“I told you, external items aren’t allowed here.”
“I’ll wrap them in a waterproof cloth and throw them into the waterfall. How about that?”
“That’s tempting.”
After a moment’s thought, Cho Un-hwi raised a finger.
“But you can’t drift down with the supplies.”
“Haha. I’ll jump from somewhere else. I’m not stupid enough to jump from the same place again.”
“There’s another condition. You can’t die until I receive the supplies.”
“Understood. The current might carry them elsewhere.”
“I can’t do all the work and let someone else benefit.”
“Haha. Fair enough. I promise.”
“Alright. Welcome to my swamp.”
“Thank you, Temporary Instructor.”
They shook hands.
It was the start of a short journey between the temporary instructor and the lost property.
***
Namgung Yun-ho saw something strange on his morning walk to the training ground.
Someone was already at the waterhole where he usually arrived first.
“Hey, you’re here already?”
Mok Yeon-seong, carrying a large water bucket with surprising strength for his thin frame, greeted him.
“Mok Yeon-seong, that bucket…”
“We ran out of water quickly since we’re sharing it.”
“You must be exhausted from yesterday. Shouldn’t you rest?”
“Sometimes it’s better to exhaust yourself.”
He spoke as he filled the water tank and collected fish at the treehouse.
After busying himself for a while, Mok Yeon-seong scratched his head awkwardly.
“I get restless if I sit still…”
Then he started moving busily again, and Namgung Yun-ho felt a bit empty.
***
“I’ve already cleaned the yard.”
He took over Mo Yong So-hye’s task of sweeping the yard.
“I’ve collected worms for bait. And I picked some fruit from inside.”
He handled the bait collection that Jegal Tan usually did and the fruit picking that Baek Ri-seol was responsible for.
Mok Yeon-seong seemed like someone who couldn’t sit still for a moment.
It wasn’t just diligence.
“This is… Right. It’s a hassle to collect them every time, so it’s better to make a worm farm nearby.”
“When it rains, the swamp will turn into a quagmire, so it’s better to lay planks between the trees.”
“Why didn’t I think of that?”
It was as if he wanted to memorize everything in the swamp before he died.
Watching him, Baek Ri-seol commented.
“My body feels more comfortable, but my mind feels more uneasy.”
Mo Yong So-hye agreed.
“Yeah. I feel like a useless parasite.”
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