Swish!

The sailors gulped as they watched a sleek-looking boat approaching through the water.

“Pi-pirates!”

“W-what do we do? Aren’t we going to end up dead?”

The people on deck were all scared and began to scream. The captain, who saw this, shouted.

“Be calm!”

“…”

“It isn’t uncommon to encounter pirates on the Yangtze River! Our ship’s ties with the pirates aren’t that bad, so we shouldn’t have any trouble!”

Then someone asked in a trembling voice.

“I-Is this really fine?”

“There is no need to worry. Even if the mountain is full of bandits, just as those on a journey climb it, meet the bandits, and then leave, encountering Yangtze River pirates doesn’t always mean they will trouble you. Instead, we must not provoke them, so just get to one side!”

After reassuring the passengers, the captain quickly gave instructions to the sailors.

“What are you doing? Get the people to the other side!”

“Yes, Captain!”

“Drop the anchor and stop the ship! Right now!”

“Yes!”

The crew began to move in perfect order according to instructions. The captain watched the approaching speedboat.

‘What is it?’

What he said wasn’t exactly a lie.

The Yangtze River was so wide and long that the influence of the government’s ships wasn’t extensive. So, everyone who sailed a boat on the Yangtze River had to endure the threat of pirates to some extent.

Nevertheless, the reason they reacted in confusion when they saw the pirates was that this wasn’t an area where pirates normally appeared.

Even though it was a river that flowed along, there was a need to have a place to anchor the boat. As a result, pirates focused their activities around the areas where the water flowed.

Moreover, as many as 18 river families existed on this one Yangtze River, and they tended to respect each other’s territory to avoid conflict.

Just as the Seventy-Two Green Forest bandits didn’t step into each other’s mountain.

But, at least as far as the captain knew, this wasn’t a place where the pirates could loot.

‘Did a new pirate group get created?’

The captain was looking in all directions with anxiety.

If one was familiar with the pirates to some extent, they might be able to solve the problem without much trouble. However, if they were unfamiliar with the pirates, problems would arise. Moreover, if it was a new pirate group, they might do something to show off their existence.

‘I need to be alert.’

The captain braced his shoulders and prepared to greet the approaching pirate boat.

As the ship slowed down, the speedboat-like vessel adjusted its speed and moved to the side.

Kuaaaak.

But the sides of the vessels touched, making the ship shake violently.

“Woahhh!”

“Ahhhh!”

A moment of fear appeared on the faces of the people.

The moment the speedboat had completely pulled up to the side of the ship, about a dozen ropes with hooks flew all at once onto the deck.

Tang! Tang!

The hooks that fell to the floor clattered and ended up on the ship’s railing. It looked like about a dozen people were clutching the railing at once. The ropes were pulled taut.

Seeing the hook blades stand up eerily, everyone was so nervous that they couldn’t even take a deep breath.

“Go up!”

With harsh voices, several warriors riding the ropes came onto the deck one after another.

The blue ropes represented the Yangtze River family’s color.

The Black Dragon’s mark was engraved on their chests.

A harpoon and trident in hand.

It was a typical appearance of pirates. The captain wiped the sweat from his forehead and stepped forward.

“That…”

“Shhh.”

At that moment, the sharp tip of a harpoon was aimed at his neck.

“Shut up before I rip your mouth off.”

“…”

The captain nodded without a word. At the same time, he looked at the faces of those who had climbed up. To his despair, not a single face he recognized had come onto the ship.

‘I guess there will be worse luck today.’

He looked behind the warriors with nervous glances. Usually, the person who led them arrived later.

As expected.

A cold-looking man appeared beyond the railings behind the pirates.

‘Hmm.’

Seo Jong-bok, who was observing this from behind, became tense.

The man who came last looked different from the pirates who had come up before. He was… slowly walking along the rope.

Now, this place was on water, water which flowed constantly. Naturally, the rope connecting the two ships was shaking a lot. But wasn’t that man walking on that rope like it was flat ground?

Since Seo Jong-bok was a member of the Ghost Clan and skilled in footwork, he knew how difficult it had to be.

‘He is strong.’

He felt a chill run down his spine.

“Hmm.”

Tang,

The man lightly jumped onto the deck and looked around.

Even at first glance, he looked cold. In addition, there were two slash marks across his face, which made him more terrifying.

Everyone who received his cold gaze looked down, not daring to make eye contact.

The man’s eyes scanned the area and fixed it in one place.

“Are you the captain?”

The captain quickly responded.

“Yes! I am the captain of the ship, Ma Byung! It is an honor to meet the heroes of the Yangtze River!”

“Hero?”

When the man asked briefly, Ma Byung nodded.

“You are the ones who maintain order in the Yangtze River under the protection of the Black Dragon King, so how can we not call you heroes?”

“Haha.”

The man, who seemed to appreciate the flattery, smiled softly.

“You know us well.”

“Yes. This is something that anyone who travels across the Yangtze River should know. With the heroes of the Yangtze River, isn’t it possible for us to travel across this dangerous river under your protection?”

“Yes.”

Seo Jong-bok, who was watching, was impressed by the eloquence of the captain.

Although he seemed very frightened, the captain was speaking words for the sake of his protection. The idea was to let the situation pass without any major incidents since they would eventually pay the protection fee.

The man nodded as if he understood what this meant.

“Handling the Yangtze River isn’t such an easy task. Of course, those who pass through the land should express their gratitude. Isn’t this right?”

“Right. If you don’t know the rules, how can you dare trust yourself in the waters of the Yangtze River? The Dragon King will be angry.”

The captain smiled with relief that things were going better.

“Right. Have you prepared it?”

“W-wait a moment. I was foolish enough to not remember that heroes would come here. If you give us a little time, we will get it ready in no time.”

“We aren’t people who have time to waste. Even if it is just men, those people there cannot stand boredom. If you don’t want to see unnecessary blood spilled, hurry up.”

“I-I understand!”

As soon as the man nodded, Ma Byung ran back. Then he lowered his voice and explained the situation to the passengers on the ship.

“I am sure all of you have heard this, but I think you need to show some sincerity.”

The passengers nodded and began to open up their luggage compartments.

Losing your riches was better than losing your life. It wasn’t that they were fine with it, but when they saw the sharp weapons the enemy was carrying, that anger faded.

Everyone took the money out of their wallets and handed it to the sailors.

Seo Jong-bok sighed as he watched this.

‘Goodness.’

Contrary to concerns, nothing major happened.

Seo Jong-bok was now somewhat acquainted with the Green Forest bandits, so this sight was not unfamiliar to him. Usually, when bandits or pirates were thought of, people thought they recklessly killed and extorted money, but that rarely happened.

When murder and looting happened repeatedly in an area of a river or any other place, people tended to avoid that area. Then, the pirates, too, would have to make a living in other areas.

But, since each territory was clearly marked, if they wanted to move areas, they would have to face conflict with other groups.

In that case, it was better to limit the harm and avoid causing trouble. Even if they reduced the amount of money they earned, they could continue to collect toll fees.

At that moment, one of the sailors approached Seo Jong-bok and whispered.

“Look here. The passengers are poor, and the money isn’t good. I apologize, but can you give me a bit?”

“… I understand.”

Seo Jong-bok took out a coin from a pouch on his arm. A silver coin was a lot of money for Seo Jong-bok, but it was better to solve the problem with money than cause trouble for no reason. The money he got back would be more than this.

“Here it is.”

The sailor’s face brightened.

“Thank you.”

The money collected by the sailors was brought to the captain. The captain, who had gathered all the money in one place, took the money out of the pouch and put it in a sack. Then, he carefully approached and politely handed the sack over to the pirate.

“It is a small courtesy from us. I don’t think it will be a good one for the Yangtze River heroes, but it should be enough to pay for a night’s worth of drinks.”

“Hmm.”

The man stretched out his hand and took the pouch. Then, without checking the amount, he lightly threw it to the subordinate behind him.

Tuk!

He reached out and tapped the captain on the shoulder.

“Remember the face of the captain.”

“It is an honor!”

“If you continue to cooperate like this, there won’t be any major problems. Remember that the Yangtze river is a calm one, but it is rough when the wind blows. It is up to you whether the wind will blow or not.”

“I will keep that in mind.”

“Nice.”

The man nodded slightly and turned around. It seemed like he was thinking of leaving now that the task was done.

Everyone secretly exhaled in relief.

They were robbed, but they could keep their lives. In the middle of the Yangtze River, with no influence from the officials and when most sects wouldn’t even do anything, wasn’t this a shockingly cheap price for them to pay?

But at that moment.

The man was about to turn and climb over the railing when a pirate behind him whispered something into his ear.

“… Hmm?”

For a moment, a strange look appeared, and his eyes changed.

The man’s eyes scanned the area, making the people nervous.

“This… I didn’t know there was a famous person on this ship.”

At the end of his gaze was Seo Jong-bok, who stiffened for a moment and bit his lip.

“I never thought there would be a special delivery person for an Eunha merchant here. If I had left right away, I would have felt disappointed.”

Cold sweat dripped down his forehead.

If he were in this situation on the ground, there would be nothing to be flustered about. His feet were faster than anyone else’s, so he could just run without confronting. But this place was on the wide and deep Yangtze River. No matter how fast his feet were, he was useless now.

Even if he jumped into the water, there was no way he could escape from the enemies who were experts.

“Special delivery… special delivery person… I never thought I would meet someone who specializes in transporting precious items. I guess I am lucky today. Hahaha.”

The man slowly approached Seo Jong-bok. As if that was a signal, the pirates surrounded him all at once.