Chapter 779: Life Is Always Full of Suffering (Part 3)

“Haaargh!”

Covered in dust, a Taoist staggered into Gu River.

“Is this the Gu River?!”

Taoist Hyun Jong quickly scanned the surroundings.

‘How much suffering have they endured?’

Had Chung Myung arrived on time, there wouldn’t have been any danger, but still, they were dealing with the Jiang River pirates. These weren’t just small fry anyone could handle.

“Hurry, everyone, follow me!”

“Yes, Sect Leader!”

But now, they were no longer a small group.

The main forces of Mount Hua, which had been gathered from Shaanxi, had just arrived at Gu River along with Hyun Jong!

Of course, even with this force, it was impossible for Mount Hua alone to handle all the pirate bases along the Jiang River. But sweeping away one or two bases would be easy enough. Mount Hua was no longer the weak third-rate sect it had once been in Shaanxi!

As Hyun Jong looked at the disciples standing strong behind him, his eyes gleamed with determination.

“If they’ve touched our children, they’ll pay the price! Let’s go!”

“Yes, Sect Leader!”

The Mount Hua disciples entered Gu River, exuding fierce energy.

“…What did you say?”

“Ah. It’s all over now, Sect Leader.”

“All… over?”

“Yes. They’ve wiped everything out.”

“….”

Hyun Jong blinked blankly. The beggar who had delivered the message looked at him with a slightly pitying expression.

“…Was the pirate base a small one?”

“Not at all. It was one of the Eighteen Pirate Bases along the Jiang River.”

“Right?”

“And it wasn’t just any base, it was Daegyeong Base, which is quite well-known.”

“Daebyeol Base?”

“No, no! Daebyeol Base is part of the Green Forest Bandits! I said Daegyeong Base, Daegyeong!”

“…Why do they all name their bases like this? It’s confusing. It sounds like stir-fried vegetables.”

“Well... maybe they didn’t put much thought into the names?”

“Who?”

“Who knows. Nobody really does.”

The beggar waved his hand dismissively, finding it frustrating to try to talk sense to Hyun Jong, who still seemed somewhat out of it.

“In any case, the Daegyeong Base has been completely destroyed. And not just that—another new base has also been wiped out. Gu River is in total chaos because of this.”

Hyun Jong blinked again.

“…They did that?”

“Yes.”

“They destroyed a pirate base?”

“I told you, yes!”

“…Could you explain exactly what happened?”

“Well, what happened is...”

A short while later, after hearing the full story from the beggar, Hyun Jong’s jaw dropped.

“…They brought the Green Forest Bandits with them?”

“Yes, exactly.”

“…The Green Forest Bandits?”

“Yes.”

Hyun Jong’s jaw looked as if it might dislocate from all the gaping.

So… a Taoist brought bandits to fight against pirates?

‘What kind of nonsense is this?’

Well, it made sense... given that it was Chung Myung. It was the sort of thing that was bizarre but made sense coming from him.

Just as he was trying to force this understanding, he overheard murmuring behind him.

“As expected of Chung Myung.”

“Doesn’t that kind of suit him more, though?”

“More? That’s an understatement—it suits him perfectly!”

“After all, Taoists and bandits both live off the mountains, right?”

What do you mean, "the same," you idiots!

Caught between the absurdity of the situation and a strange swelling of pride, Hyun Jong was suddenly reminded of what he should have asked from the start.

“So, where are the children now?”

“Well… about that…”

Seeing the hesitant expression on the beggar’s face, a sense of unease crept over Hyun Jong’s features.

 

“….”

Hyun Jong stared across the river at the island in the distance, confusion etched in his eyes.

“What are they doing over there?”

“They seem to be building something.”

“Why are those boats clustered around?”

“Who knows? But whatever it is, it’s probably something absurd.”

At times like this, youth truly seemed enviable.

The Mount Hua disciples, upon seeing the strange scene before them, weren’t particularly surprised. They had already seen enough of Chung Myung’s antics to know that expecting normalcy was a waste of time.

‘Why am I still not used to it, though?’ Hyun Jong thought.

Just then, a boat started heading toward them from the other side of the river.

“…A boat.”

“No, that might not even be a boat. Do regular boats move that fast?”

Before long, a figure standing at the prow of the rapidly approaching boat became recognizable.

“Sect Leadeeer!”

“Ugh… Yes, Baek Cheon.”

Baek Cheon leapt from the boat and landed gracefully in front of Hyun Jong, bowing deeply with a respectful smile on his face.

“It’s good to see you, Sect Leader.”

“You’ve been through a lot. No injuries, I hope?”

“Thanks to your concern, all the disciples are unharmed.”

“Good. That’s truly a relief. Truly… yes, a relief, but…”

Hyun Jong trailed off, his tone hesitant. Baek Cheon glanced at him, sensing what he was about to ask.

And sure enough, Hyun Jong gestured toward the distant island and asked,

“So… what exactly is going on over there?”

“…Well…”

Baek Cheon struggled to find the right words.

“It might be best if you see for yourself…”

“…Yes, let’s do that.”

Hyun Jong didn’t have high hopes. Even though Baek Cheon and Yu Yiseol were capable of reining in Chung Myung to some extent, it was more like a formality than anything else.

“Should we board this boat?”

“Yes, Sect Leader. Only a limited number of us can board for now, but another boat will follow shortly.”

Hyun Jong nodded weakly.

As the boat approached, Hyun Jong and several disciples climbed aboard without hesitation. Once everyone was settled, the boat swiftly turned and sped toward the island.

Although Hyun Jong hadn’t had much experience on water, even he could tell that the boat was moving at an unusually fast pace.

“…There’s barely any wind, so how is it moving so quickly?”

“There are people rowing below deck. Since they’re all martial artists, they’re rowing at an incredible speed,” Baek Cheon explained.

Curious, Hyun Jong leaned over the railing and peered down. Sure enough, the oars were moving at a tremendous speed. And the oars themselves were not wooden but made of iron.

“…Are all the rowers martial artists?”

“Yes, Sect Leader.”

“…”

Hyun Jong didn’t ask why so many martial artists were rowing beneath the deck. He could already guess.

And with his trained ears, he could clearly hear the groaning and pained voices coming from below.

“Row faster! If we’re late, we’ll actually be beaten to death!”

“Why aren’t the gods taking that bastard already?!”

“I don’t know what the gods are doing, but if we’re late, we’re the ones who’ll be taken! Just shut up and row!”

“Dragon King, please, take that bastard away! Aaaagh!”

Hyun Jong discreetly leaned back and closed his eyes.

‘I heard nothing.’

It was just a hallucination.

Yes, a hallucination...

When he opened his eyes again, they were approaching the island.

No, to be more accurate, what came into view first wasn’t the island itself but the row of boats anchored in front of it.

It was a bizarre sight.

Normally, when boats dock, they circle around the island. But the boats Hyun Jong was looking at were lined up straight, pointing directly toward the river.

As if that wasn’t strange enough, the boats were bound together by thick chains, and between them, large wooden planks had been laid down, forming a bridge.

“That… what is that?”

At the end of the strange boat-bridge, a group of people was shouting at each other.

“Hold it tight, I said!”

“Secure it properly! Chain it up and hammer in the nails!”

“If this thing shakes, our lives are going to shake with it!”

All of them were shirtless men, shouting and working furiously to fasten the boats together. They were trying to stabilize the boats, but the strong currents made the hulls rock violently with every wave.

“Aaaah! I’m falling!”

“Aaaaaagh!”

The gap between two boats suddenly widened, and the workers who had been securing them tumbled into the river one by one.

Splash! Splash! Splash!

“Aaaagh! Save meeeeee!”

“I’m getting carried awayyyyyyy!”

As the men were swept away by the rapids, the others on the boats didn’t even glance in their direction, as if it were a routine occurrence.

“Tighten it! Tighten the chain!”

“Hold it tight this time! If it comes loose again, the boss said he’ll throw us all into the river!”

“Kyaaaa! Pull! Pull before my arms give out!”

Amidst their frantic efforts, they somehow managed to pull the two boats close again and secure them with chains.

“That….”

Hyun Jong began to speak but then fell silent. It wasn’t that he had nothing to say or that he was too shocked.

It was because something even more outrageous was happening before his eyes.

Gasp!

“Ugggh!”

“We… we can’t breathe…!”

Another group of men burst from the river, gasping for air as if they hadn’t breathed in ten years.

“I can’t… do this anymore… glug.”

“Get a grip! If you pass out here, you’ll really drown!”

“Please, someone… swap with me! I can’t take it anymore… it’s so cold…”

“Mother…”

It was a pitiful sight.

Hyun Jong blinked slowly, watching in silence, then turned his head to look at Baek Cheon.

Baek Cheon’s gaze was already fixed somewhere far, far away.

“…Baek Cheon.”

“Yes, Sect Leader?”

“Who are those people?”

“They’re the pirates.”

“…”

Ah, pirates.

Pirates drowning in the river… Haha…

“And what exactly are they doing?”

“…Two things, Sect Leader.”

“Two things?”

“Yes. First, they’re securing the anchors. The current here is so strong that regular anchors won’t hold the boats in place, so…”

“…”

“They’re digging into the riverbed to place special anchors and then securing the boats with chains.”

“…And the other?”

“They’re salvaging goods from the sunken ships after the naval battle.”

“…”

Hyun Jong’s gaze shifted to the pirates.

Drenched like rats... no, that’s too mild. More like drowned dogs… no, that’s still not quite it...

In any case, the pirates, now looking like something that had been dragged up from the depths, were as pale as water ghosts. Even they probably never imagined they’d end up like this.

“…And the pirates are doing this… work?”

“Yes. Every single one of them is valuable labor, after all…”

That made sense. It could happen. Especially if Chung Myung was involved.

But what Hyun Jong couldn’t understand was not the sight of pirates being forced into labor by a Taoist and a group of bandits, but the gleaming chains connecting their feet to the island.

“Baek Cheon.”

“Yes, Sect Leader?”

“Why… are they wearing those chains?”

“…Well…”

Baek Cheon lowered his gaze, clearly reluctant to explain this part to Hyun Jong’s face.

“Chung Myung said that letting the pirates loose in the water was the same as telling them to escape. So to make sure they don’t run away…”

“So he chained their legs?”

“…Yes.”

Hyun Jong didn’t say anything more. Instead, he quietly looked up at the bright blue sky.

The sky was exceptionally clear and blue today.

“Haha… Haha… We sent them to free people from slavery, and now the pirates and bandits are being treated like slaves. Haha… hahaha…”

After laughing like a madman for a while, Hyun Jong finally looked at Baek Cheon with a strangely refreshed expression. Baek Cheon shuddered slightly. That calm face was even scarier than usual.

“I think I understand what’s going on now.”

“Yes, Sect Leader.”

“So let me ask the real question.”

“…Yes.”

“Why on earth are they doing all of this?”

This time, it was Baek Cheon’s turn to look up at the sky.

His clear eyes shimmered slightly with moisture.

Sect Leader.

That’s… that’s the question I’m most curious about as well.