That was peculiar. The Third Overseer always had a chip on his shoulder about his own limited martial arts ability, which made him reluctant to show off any skills in front of others. Whether it was swordsmanship or light-footed techniques, it was very rare for him to demonstrate them. Yet here he was, not just leaving a horse behind but departing using light-footed techniques?

And what’s more, supplies?

Everything about this was strange.

Still hesitating, Woo slowly approached the horse left behind by the Third Overseer. Its back was loaded with all sorts of items. It suddenly made sense why the Overseer had led the horse by its reins instead of riding on its back—as it was far too laden with goods.

There was a thick, though somewhat rough, wool blanket. Not first-rate, but judging by its quality, even a low-level warrior would find it very useful. A pouch of healing ointment (not the finest, but usable), fever medicine, two sacks of grain without a speck of sand in them, a bundle of jerky, two sets of clothes including an inner layer, a multipurpose small knife, a set of well-crafted chopsticks, and three or four intact bowls. There was even a sturdy-looking axe and a whetstone.

As if that weren’t enough, a bottle of cheap rice wine dangled from the horse’s side.

“…”

Woo was no fool.

“Ye Kang-oh, Kang-oh… how could you…”

A sigh almost escaped his lips, but he clenched his teeth and held it back. Looking back, the attitude of the Third Overseer had been that of someone frightened. He stammered when he spoke, coughed nervously every time Woo bent down, and acted stiff, as if someone was constantly watching him.

Woo couldn’t possibly not know. Because he himself was like that. Somewhere out there, Kang-oh was watching him. This was Kang-oh’s handiwork.

There had been a blanket to keep him warm at night, a golden ointment for wounds he had initially refused to accept, and even a fever medicine he had needed on the nights he had struggled. There was grain without any sand in it, preserved meat that could last a while… And judging by the presence of proper spoons and bowls, Kang-oh must have noticed the poorly made spoons and chipped bowls Woo had been stuck with.

Furthermore, there were fresh clothes. How could Kang-oh have known Woo had to remain naked while his garments were washed and dried due to a lack of spares? Seeing those clothes made Woo remember their first reunion—how he’d appeared before Kang-oh naked. His neck burned in embarrassment at the thought.

Amidst all this, he’d noticed the small knife Kang-oh had quietly provided, likely after seeing Woo’s hands were covered in cuts from breaking branches bare-handed. And while the axe wasn’t top-grade, it was solidly made.

Even the fact that none of these items were overly luxurious, but rather of a convincing mid-to-low quality, was probably Kang-oh’s thoughtful consideration.

Kang-oh must have noticed Woo hadn’t used the good axe he’d once stuck into a tree stump. If the Third Overseer had suddenly brought him high-quality tools, Woo would’ve likely felt suspicious and not used them, and Kang-oh must have prepared accordingly.

Woo gripped the new blanket tightly, one that didn’t smell of mold, and bit his lower lip. Strangely, his long-dry tear ducts began to twitch.

“Why even bother with the alcohol…”

Swallowing back his tears, Woo almost let out a laugh in disbelief. He couldn’t remember the last time he had smiled, yet here he was, his mouth twitching awkwardly. He kept touching his face, unacquainted with the foreign sensation. Even now, Ye Kang-oh was probably watching. For him, it had always been enough to remain as a “foolish servant.” Seeing how content he was just with that saddened Kang-oh. Ye Woo was someone who satisfied himself easily. But it was hard to believe that he had endured eight years of mistreatment like that. No, perhaps it wasn’t that he was easily content but rather that he had been changed into someone like that. The environment surrounding Woo had been harsh.

Ye Kang-oh frustratingly ruffled his hair. If he were to go see the Master, he would have to leave for a while. Thus, he had ordered all sorts of things to the Third Overseer. Kang-oh had to ensure that everything surrounding Woo’s lacking needs, which he had observed, would be taken care of. Only then he felt his heart would be at ease before departing.

But, as it turned out, rather than feeling relieved, his heart only grew heavier. Kang-oh couldn’t quite figure out what this emotion was. He felt as though if he stayed a little longer, he might be able to understand it. Nevertheless, since the Third Overseer had rushed back to the Black Sky Lord, it was time he followed.

If he followed promptly, he might be able to hear Ye Jin-rang’s genuine thoughts before he had the chance to come up with any excuses.

“Take care,” Ye Kang-oh muttered words that couldn’t be heard by the other.

Immediately, his figure disappeared quietly into the mountains.

---

With distance from the Third Overseer and Black Sky Lord, Woo’s days had become somewhat livelier. Even though he never intended to use anything that Kang-oh had given him, the bundle soon dissolved and became impossible to avoid. Woo bitterly smiled at himself, thinking, “It’s okay, because it was from the Third Overseer.”

Thanks to diligently applying the golden salve for the wounds, the burn on his arm was almost fully healed. The problem was his back. He couldn’t quite reach the wound there, so he had to settle for roughly applying the salve around it. Still, he felt that it was healing properly.

Good tools certainly bring convenience. What would have usually required twice the effort and double the precautions—cutting down trees—became much faster and easier once he used the new axe. If the blade dulled at any point, he just needed to sharpen it with a whetstone. As he slowly cut down more trees, the distance to the next one grew longer, and soon, even transporting the felled trees became an arduous task.

Naturally, this led Woo to use the horse. At first, he wondered why the Third Overseer hadn’t just given him supplies but had left the horse as well. Now, he was certain it had been done with this in mind. Kang-oh must have predicted that, due to Woo’s limp, it would be difficult for him to carry heavy loads, so he likely instructed the horse to be left too. It wasn’t hard to tell that this was the Third Overseer’s horse; it was far too fine an animal to merely be used for carrying loads.

Still, there was the issue of feeding and watering it. While bringing the horse to the stream to drink wasn’t too difficult, it ate a lot of grass. Naturally, an animal that large required plenty of food to keep moving. Fortunately, they were in the mountains, where grass grew in abundance.

People rarely passed by, and it seemed the horse had learned to feed itself among the dense vegetation. So during the day, Woo would let the horse roam freely, only tying it near the thatched hut at night and leaving it some water and fodder. Suddenly, a side of Ye Kang-oh’s pampered nature seemed to reveal itself, and Woo found it somewhat amusing. Ye Kang-oh had probably never even visited a stable, so the thought that horses required specific feed hadn’t crossed his mind. He must have assumed that simply sending a horse would be helpful enough, though the supplies sent for the horse were insufficient.

Then again, Woo himself had been no different, waiting for his subordinates to fetch things, not knowing what it took to raise a horse. When it came to his own circumstances, Woo had thought little of it, but seeing Ye Kang-oh act the same way made him find it somewhat endearing, warming his heart unexpectedly. He could feel that Black Sky Lord had genuinely lavished care on Ye Kang-oh during his upbringing, and it made sense. How could one not be delighted when a blood relative, whom you thought you had none of, suddenly appeared out of nowhere?

Ye Kang-oh’s situation was completely different from Woo’s. After all, Woo had believed he had some blood ties, only to discover that wasn’t true. That despair… The truth that he was nothing but a cuckoo’s chick erased all his pride and self-esteem. What remained, after everything had burned away, was merely the ghost of a once-noble belief and obstinate arrogance.

After sending things via the Third Overseer, Ye Kang-oh hadn’t shown himself again since. Given the level of attention he had given to mere servants, it was almost excessive. Thus, Woo neither felt disappointed nor slighted.

He had tried not to think too much about it. What he had already received was more than enough. Now, all Woo wished for was for Kang-oh to enjoy the things he was meant to have from his rightful position and to live a happy life.

Putting down the ax after chopping wood for a bit, Woo wiped the sweat off his forehead. He no longer had to worry about his clothes getting soaked with sweat, as he could now wash and change them daily. Being a naturally tidy person, not being able to wash his clothes on time had been quite distressing. He had gotten used to it eventually, but now that frequent laundering was possible again, it felt like a breath of fresh air. Having lived through the bitter cold of winter with just a single set of clothes, Woo felt like his current situation was a dream.

Even his meals had become much more plentiful. He would gather various herbs, separating the bitter ones and drying the milder ones to use them later in broths. Cooking rice or congee with some dried meat provided just the right amount of flavor. In a life where even the thought of condiments was a luxury, being able to taste something that could be called “flavor” in his meals made Woo’s palate, once picky, feel satisfaction.

Everything was going smoothly. It almost felt awkward, as if things were going too well. He wondered if ten years’ worth of good fortune had suddenly descended upon him all at once. With these comfortable thoughts, Woo closed his eyes under the warmth of his blanket.

Late at night, a sudden neighing of horses echoed through the air. “Neigh!” Woo, deeply asleep, awoke to the anxious sound of the horses kicking at the ground. When he looked outside the hut, he saw the glowing eyes of a yellow beast staring back at him.

They were targeting the horse.

“Damn it!”

Woo quickly grasped the situation. Scattered on the ground, there were signs of the scattered barriers he had laid. The horse, which had been grazing near the hut during the day, must have eaten the wild herbs he had planted to ward off wild beasts. Things had been quiet recently, so he had let down his guard.

With incredible speed, despite his limp, he dashed towards the campfire. In the short time it took him to move, the horse’s dying scream had echoed across the area. The wolves had clearly targeted the horse, knowing it was tied up and couldn’t escape—unlike Woo. The sickening sound of the wolves chewing through the horse’s flesh reached his ears.