“Finished!”
“Ahhh!”
“I want to cry!”
The disciples of Mount Hua looked ecstatic at the completed dock in front of them.
Even though it was a dock, it was nothing more than filling up the river by pouring stones, rocks, and dirt… no, in fact, it was an even bigger place.
“… I thought my back would break.”
“Oh my… I always said that I could make a mountain flat, but I never thought I could actually do it.”
Hearing those words, the disciples’ gazes turned to the back.
A small hill adjacent to the dock had disappeared entirely, leaving it completely empty. All the soil and stones that made up the mountain were poured into the river.
“… I feel a bit proud.”“It is kind of sad.”
The Mount Hua disciples, who were looking at the dock with slightly complicated and strange expressions, all shook their heads.
What was even sadder was that the same thing would be happening on the other side of the river by now. So there were two docks. Two vanished mountains…
“I think it’s almost over on that side too?”
The gaze of the Mount Hua disciples turned towards the island. The ship bridge extended from the island on the other side had almost taken shape. The Green Forest bandits, working together with them, made it happen. A bridge was created by connecting ships to each other and placing huge timbers above the decks.
“… Is it a human idea to build a wooden bridge on an island?”
If the stones, soil, and rocks of the mountains were thrown into the water, where did all the trees go?
The trees they pulled out were chopped up by the hands of the Green Forest bandits, processed into lumber, and used to make bridges.
“Even though the ship is heavily strung together, it seems to be holding the weight well.”
“It will be incredibly strong.”
“What good would being strong do? If you just throw one cannon into it, everything would come down.”
“D-don’t speak like that!”
“This bastard is speaking nonsense!”
“Is there a separate place to battle it out? One day, the war will begin.”
“….”
Everyone trembled as they pictured the burning ships in their minds. But even after hearing those words, Kwak Ho just snorted.
“Sounds like a dream. How can that guy be like that?”
“Uh?”
“You think that Chung Myung is the type of person who would let the money and effort go up in flames?”
“First, not a single penny of his went into this, and it seems like the only effort he made this time was to turn a blind eye to suffering.”
At those words, Kwak Ho was speechless and flinched.
“A-anyway, that won’t happen. When I heard about it, I heard that he brought some explosive material from the Tang family to paint the ship. Something which prevents flame?” Ꞧ𝘈Νö𝐁Ɛṧ
“… Do such things exist?”
“If it is the Sichuan Tang family, it could exist. It is a place which also makes Cold Steel for weapons.”
“Right.”
Everyone nodded their heads in unison as if the Sichuan Tang family doing it made sense.
“So, is it all over? All the ships are tied together, docks built, and separate ships set to carry people.”
“Seems like the pirates aren’t all done yet.”
“What?”
“… They haven’t found a single cannon yet.”
“…”
“They didn’t?”
As Chung Myung’s eyes widened, the pirates flinched.
Cold sweat flowed down their chins. Seeing such a pitiful sight as a drowning rat would make even the asura feel pity for them. Still, the Taoist before their eyes was worse than the asura in hell.
“No, the only thing they do is go into the water and kill, huh? Uh? I didn’t ask for a dagger! It makes no sense to say you couldn’t find a cannon!”
“T-Taoist! We searched all the way to the river bottom… not a…”
“We are being honest! P-please trust me. I searched all over the sunken ship, but there was nothing!”
Chung Myung’s eyes began to shine with anger.
“You couldn’t find it?”
“Yes. We really did our best, but….”
Looking at the faces of the pirates, it seemed like they had truly exerted themselves. Their souls appeared drained, and they could barely move. They had been skimming the bottom of the water for several days, and their faces were bloodless, with gaunt cheeks as if they had been starved for nearly a month.
But unfortunately, it didn’t work at all for Chung Myung.
“What if I find it?”
“Uh?”
“What will you do when I find it?”
“T-that…”
“Yah, come out!”
Uh? Who was he saying that to?
The sudden words made the pirates look around without understanding what was happening. At that moment, Chung Myung’s robe began to move, and something white, like a cotton ball, suddenly popped out.
Tak.
Baek Ah jumped down on the ground, straightened her back, and cried out.
“Kiiiik!”
Of course, objectively speaking, it wasn’t too loud.
“Did you hear it?”
Baek Ah continued to nod.
“Go and find it.”
Swish!
A pure white marten ran at the speed of lightning and jumped into the water.
The pirates who saw that blinked.
‘What did I just see?’
‘Why is a marten going into the water? It isn’t a seal?’
Well.
These damned Mount Hua sect bastards were humans, beasts, and not a single thing was sane about them.
But something really surprising happened a little later.
Swish!
Suddenly, something jumped out of the water, all in black.
“What?”
“Dragon?”
“I-it is scary! What kind of snakehead is that big!”
“But why is a snake’s head coming out of the water… uh?”
Plop! Plop!
The snakehead fish, which was pulled out of the water, continued to flap its body. When they looked closer, Baek Ah was behind it, tapping the snakehead, which was ten times bigger than herself, and dragging it to the land.
‘The master catches the pirate captain…’
‘And the pet catches the black fish.’
Well, they were the same things…
The question was whether it made sense for a little marten to catch such a big snake. It was a good thought.
“No, what is this? I told you to bring me the cannon, so why did you bring me some food?”
When Chung Myung shouted loudly, Baek Ah was startled and shook her head. Then she struck out her cute front paw and pointed towards the water.
“Ah, you found it?”
Nod.
“Take the guys and make them bring it.”
Nod.
Baek Ah ran with a sound, quickly climbed up the body of the pirate in front, and sat on top of his head. She straightened her back and put her front feet out like a general.
“Kiik!”
“…”
Anyone could see that it meant, ‘Let’s go, slaves.’
‘The owner said it was his pet.’
‘But what kind of marten is like….’
“Why aren’t you going?”
“W-we are going!”
“We are leaving now!”
As Chung Myung moved towards them, ready to kick their asses again, the frightened pirates rushed into the water.
Hyun Jong, who was watching this from a distance, groaned.
‘He is definitely harassing them.’
It was impossible to harass people because of their status as Taoists. Still, the problem was that the targets were pirates. Those who made a living by making others cry and committing looting deserve to be punished, so it was difficult to scold that bastard, Chung Myung, who was mistreating them.
“Sect leader.”
“Hmm?”
“It seems what Chung Myung said is right. Preparations are almost complete, but the pirates are nowhere to be seen.”
“They are over there, right?”
“… not them. The pirates who would attack…”
“It will be difficult.”
Hyun Jong mumbled and went silent.
They also heard the news from Hong Dae-Kwang.
“The Shaolin Abbot and Wudang Sect Leader from the Nine Sects, the Namgung family, the Five Great Families. And Qingcheng….”
Hyun Jong’s face, staring at the river, turned frozen.
“I don’t think I really feel it because I’ve heard their names a lot lately, but that’s as much power as half of the Nine Sects moving.”
Hyun Sang, who had been silent for a moment, then spoke.
“I am not sure what you are talking about.”
“Hyun Sang, haven’t we been seeing Shaolin quite often lately?”
“Of course.”
“Then, did you ever see them come out to fight?”
Hyun Sang, who was about to say something, went silent.
Only then did he understand what Hyun Jong was about to say.
‘Shaolin has stepped into the conflict.’
The terrible weight of those words began to weigh down on Hyun Sang.
“The Shaolin and Wudang are coming to Yangtze from above, and the Namgung with Qingcheng have moved from the left and right. This vast Yangtze River is surrounded from three sides by the attack of four sects.”
“Sect leader…”
Hyun Jong shook his head.
“It has been a hundred years since the war with the Demonic Sect.”
“…”
“There have been small and big changes, but the leaders of the Nine Sects and the heads of the Five Great Families have never moved like this.”
Hyun Sang nodded his head.
“I cannot help but think about the meaning of this.”
Hyun Jong gazed at the flowing river with a complicated look.
A full cup of water will have to flow out. There is no peace that lasts forever.
Not only that, but everyone in Kangho predicted that this boring peace would be broken one day.
‘I guess I will just have to hope that doesn’t happen now.’
Hyun Jong sighed slowly.
“But…”
“Uh?”
Hyun Jong glanced away, his gaze falling on Chung Myung, who was pointing at the river.
“I don’t get what he is thinking…”
“What do we do? He is usually such a person.”
“Yes.”
Well, it cannot be helped… Hyun Jong couldn’t help feeling frustrated and worried.
“C-captain!”
“…”
Nam Jeok, the captain of the Vortex Flow pirates, who operated around Wuhan, was trembling.
“C-captain! We need to move!”
They had no choice but to do so.
They were not yet among the 18 river families. However, the people flooding in from there were not just anyone but members of the famous Wudang sect.
“This… this…”
The man’s eyes were bloodshot.
“You damned Taoist bastards! Why did they suddenly come to attack? In the meantime, not a single one of us moved from the Yangtze River!”
“Captain! You need to make a decision!”
“Damn it! Run! Tell everyone to scatter and run!”
Although they hadn’t yet made it into the 18 River families of the Yangtze River, it was one of the most infamous pirate groups on the Yangtze. Then he made a heartbreaking decision. But no one objected to Nam Jeok.
It wasn’t because Nam Jeok was vicious. It was because they knew that no matter how hard they tried, it would be impossible to handle the influx of Wudangs.
“Retreat! Retreat! Damn it! Everyone, run!”
It was the moment when Nam Jeok was shouting at the top of his lungs.
“You are doing something useless.”
A low voice came from behind.
“…”
Nam Jeok flinched for a moment and turned his head.
Before they knew it, someone was quietly approaching and standing behind him. An elderly swordsman, wearing a martial arts robe with Taiji, the symbol of the Wudang Sect, held a sword in hand.
“You….”
“The price for your sins will always be paid in the end. Please stop.”
“Fucking dog…”
Swish.
One single slash.
The sword, which was swung like a joke, casually cut off Nam Jeok’s neck.
“Kruk…”
Nam Jeok, with his throat cut cleanly, grabbed his neck with both hands and flinched back. His two bloodshot red eyes were filled with shock.
However, the moment he heard the words spoken by the one who cut his throat, all his doubts washed away.
“I am Heo Do, Wudang’s Sect leader.”
“….”
Nam Jeok’s body slowly collapsed.
The last thought he had before he breathed his last breath was that at least in the afterlife if someone asked who killed him, he would be able to say the name with pride.
Thud.
There was no warmth in Heo Do’s gaze as he cut down the captain with one slash. He swung the sword mercilessly, cutting down the enemies one by one.
Srng.
After a while, Heo Do, who sheathed the sword without a drop of blood on it, scolded the disciples coldly.
“Do not kill anyone who doesn’t resist! We are Taoists!”
“Yes!”
“Show no mercy to those who do resist! Tolerating evil is also something we must shoulder!”
“Yes!”
With a loud response, the disciples of Wudang swept the pirates. Seeing that scene, Venerable Heo Do’s eyes turned darker.
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