Chapter 783: Let’s Have Some Fun (Part 3)

 

"We’ve done it!"

"Ahhhh!"

"I’m about to cry!"

Mount Hua’s disciples, with teary eyes, gazed at the newly completed dock in front of them.

Though it was merely a bit of river filled in with stones, rocks, and soil to make a makeshift dock... No, in fact, that made it all the more impressive.

"...I thought my back was going to break."

"Seriously... We always joke about being able to level a mountain, but I never thought we'd actually flatten one."

Upon hearing that, all of Mount Hua’s disciples turned their gazes in unison to the rear.

The small hill that had once stood adjacent to the dock had vanished completely, leaving a hollowed-out space. All the soil and stones that made up that hill had been poured into the river.

"...This is oddly satisfying."

"And strangely sad at the same time."

Mount Hua’s disciples, staring at the dock with complicated and bewildered expressions, shook their heads in unison.

The even more bittersweet truth was that the same thing was probably happening on the other side of the river right about now. Which meant there were two docks... and two missing hills...

"Looks like they’re almost done over there too."

Their eyes shifted toward the island. The bridge stretching from the island was nearly complete. The Green Forest Bandits had been hard at work, connecting boats together and laying massive wooden planks across the decks to form a bridge.

"...Who the hell comes up with the idea of building a wooden bridge on an island?"

If the soil, rocks, and stones from the mountain had been dumped into the river, where had all the trees gone?

The trees they pulled out had been skillfully crafted by the Green Forest Bandits and used to build the bridge.

"They’ve tied the boats together pretty well, but it’s amazing they can support that weight."

"It must be ridiculously sturdy."

"What’s the point of being sturdy? One fire arrow, and the whole thing will burn down."

"Don’t jinx it!"

"Shut your mouth, man!"

"It’ll be like the Battle of Red Cliffs all over again. We’ll be holding the Great River War that day."

"...."

Everyone shuddered at the thought of burning ships. But upon hearing this, Gwak Hwi just scoffed.

"You’re dreaming. Do you think he would let something like that happen?"

"Huh?"

"You think Chung Myung would let something he put time and effort into burn so easily?"

"First of all, none of his money went into this, and the only effort he put in was running his mouth."

Gwak Hwi was momentarily lost for words.

"Well... still, it’s not going to happen. I heard they brought special materials from the Tang Clan to coat the ships. Some kind of fireproof substance."

"...Is there really such a thing?"

"Come on, it’s the Tang Clan. They can make anything, even swords of cold iron."

"True."

Everyone nodded in agreement. The Tang Clan’s reputation was enough to silence any doubts.

"So, is everything done now? The boats are all tied, the docks are built, and we’ve set aside boats to carry people."

"Seems like the pirates aren't finished yet."

"Why?"

"...They still haven’t found one of the cannons."

"..."

"Seriously?"

Chung Myung’s eyes narrowed dangerously, and the pirates flinched.

Cold river water dripped from their jaws. They looked like drowned rats, pitiful enough that even the Asuras of Hell might feel sympathy for them. But the Taoist in front of them was far more ruthless than any Asura.

"You mean to tell me that all you bastards do is swim around in the water, and you can’t even find that huge cannon? It’s not like we’re talking about a needle here!"

"D-Dojangnim, we searched the entire riverbed thoroughly, but we couldn’t find it..."

"It’s true! Please believe us. We searched every sunken ship, but it’s really not there!"

Chung Myung’s eyes gleamed with growing fury.

"You couldn’t find it?"

"Yes. We really did our best..."

Judging by their exhausted faces, it was clear that they had pushed themselves to the limit, maybe even beyond. They looked as though they hadn’t left the water for days, their faces pale and gaunt from the constant search.

But unfortunately for them, that didn’t sway Chung Myung in the slightest.

"What if I find it?"

"Pardon?"

"I’m asking, what will happen if I find it?"

"T-That..."

"Oi, come out!"

Huh? Who was he calling?

The pirates glanced around in confusion. At that moment, something began to squirm inside Chung Myung’s robe, and soon, a fluffy, white ball popped out from the front of his clothes.

Plop.

Baek-ah, the small weasel, stood straight and let out a sharp cry.

"Kiieee!"

Of course, to an outsider, it wasn’t exactly a terrifying sound.

"You heard me, right?"

Baek-ah solemnly nodded its head.

"Go find it."

Swish!

The snow-white weasel darted off like a flash of lightning and dove into the water.

The pirates blinked in confusion.

'What the hell...?'

'Did I just see that right?'

'A weasel jumped into the water? It’s not a seal...'

Regardless of their thoughts, the sight of the weasel entering the water wasn’t the strangest part of the day.

Sploosh!

Suddenly, something massive and dark shot up from the water.

"What the—?"

"A dragon?"

"No... it’s a giant snakehead fish! But how is it so big?"

"And why did it leap out of the water— Oh?"

Splash! Splash!

The giant snakehead fish flopped onto the shore, thrashing about. Behind it, Baek-ah, whose body was easily ten times smaller, nudged it onto the bank.

'The owner catches giant black fish...'

'And the pet catches snakeheads...'

At this point, whether or not it made sense that a small weasel could catch such a massive fish didn’t even matter anymore.

"Hey! I told you to find the cannon, and you brought back lunch?"

Chung Myung shouted. Baek-ah, startled, shook its head furiously and pointed its tiny paw towards the riverbank.

"Oh, did you find it?"

Nod, nod.

"Go with them and bring it up."

Nod, nod.

Baek-ah, making a clicking sound with its tiny feet, ran up the body of a pirate and perched on his head. It straightened its back and stretched out its paw like a general commanding his army.

"Kiieee!"

"..."

There was no mistaking the gesture: "Move, slaves."

'Like master, like pet.'

'What kind of weasel is this...'

"Are you just going to stand there?"

"Y-Yes, sir!"

"We’re going! We’re going now!"

As Chung Myung looked ready to kick them again, the pirates, terrified, rushed to the water and began their search.

Not far off, Hyun Jong watched with a groan.

'This... is definitely harassment.'

As a Taoist, harassing others was unacceptable, but the problem was that these weren’t ordinary people. These were river bandits who had made their living by bringing misery to others. Punishing them seemed like a fair outcome, making it difficult for Hyun Jong to reprimand Chung Myung too harshly.

"Sect Leader."

"Hmm?"

"It seems Chung Myung was right. Everything is almost ready, but there’s no sign of the pirates yet."

"They're there, aren’t they?"

"...I don’t mean those ones. I mean the ones from the pirate factions. I thought they would have attacked by now."

"They won’t. It’ll be difficult for them."

Hyun Jong muttered, deep in thought.

They had heard the news from Hong Dae-Kwang.

"The leaders of the Nine Great Sects, including Shaolin and Wudang, and the Namgung Family of the Five Noble Families. And now Cheongseong as well..."

As Hyun Jong gazed at the river, his expression grew somber.

"We’ve been hearing their names a lot lately, so it’s easy to forget... But that’s essentially half of the Nine Great Sects mobilizing."

Hyun Sang, who had been silent, finally spoke up.

"I don’t understand what you’re trying to say, Sect Leader."

"Hyun Sang, haven’t we seen Shaolin more often than usual lately?"

"That’s true."

"But have you ever seen them go to battle?"

Hyun Sang, who was about to respond, fell silent.

At that moment, he realized what Hyun Jong was getting at.

'Shaolin has mobilized for war.'

The weight of those words began to press down on Hyun Sang.

"With Shaolin and Wudang pressing from the top of the Yangtze, and Namgung and Cheongseong moving from the sides... this wide river is essentially surrounded on three sides by the attacks of these four sects."

"Sect Leader..."

Hyun Jong shook his head.

"It’s been a hundred years since the war with the Demonic Sect."

"..."

"Though there have been small skirmishes since, it’s been almost a century since the leaders of the Nine Great Sects and the Five Noble Families moved together like this."

Hyun Sang nodded gravely.

"We can’t ignore the significance of this."

With a complicated expression, Hyun Jong continued to watch the flowing river.

A cup filled to the brim will one day overflow. There is no such thing as eternal peace.

Everyone in the martial world knew that this long peace would eventually break.

'I just pray it won’t be now.'

A low sigh escaped Hyun Jong’s lips.

"That being said..."

"Yes?"

Hyun Jong cast a sideways glance at Chung Myung, who was pointing at the river and gesturing wildly.

"It’s impossible to tell what that boy is thinking..."

"What can we do? He’s always been like that."

"Ugh."

Though he knew there was nothing to be done, Hyun Jong couldn’t help but feel anxious and frustrated.

 

"Ch-Chief!"

"..."

The leader of Waryu Fort (와류채), Nam Jeok, who operated around the central region of the Yangtze, trembled uncontrollably.

"C-Chief! We’re being pushed back!"

Of course, they were.

They weren’t even one of the Yangtze’s notorious Eighteen Pirate Factions yet. But the forces advancing against them weren’t just anyone—they were from none other than the prestigious Wudang Sect.

The sight of Wudang disciples, dressed in their white robes, charging toward them was like a giant wave crashing down during a raging storm.

"Damn... damn it!"

Bloodshot veins appeared in Nam Jeok’s eyes.

"Why are these damned Taoists attacking us all of a sudden? They’ve never shown themselves on the Yangtze before!"

"Chief! You need to make a decision!"

"Damn it! Retreat! Tell everyone to scatter and run!"

Though they had yet to join the ranks of the Yangtze’s Eighteen Pirate Factions, Waryu Fort had still earned a notorious reputation on the river. For Nam Jeok to make such a call, it meant he had truly lost hope. Yet, no one dared oppose his command.

It wasn’t because Nam Jeok was known for his cruelty. It was because everyone knew it was impossible to hold off Wudang once they had decided to strike.

"Retreat! Retreat! Damn it, run for your lives!"

Just as Nam Jeok was shouting with all his might...

"You’re wasting your time."

A low voice came from behind him.

"..."

Nam Jeok flinched and turned his head.

Someone had approached silently, without a sound. An elderly swordsman in Wudang’s signature white robe, the Taiji symbol embroidered on it, stood there with a sword hanging loosely from his hand.

"You..."

"In the end, no matter what, everyone must pay for their sins. It’s time for you to go."

"You bast—"

Swish.

It was just one strike.

With a single, casual swing of his sword, the elderly man slashed Nam Jeok’s throat without the slightest effort.

"Ugh..."

Nam Jeok staggered back, clutching his throat. His bloodshot eyes were filled with nothing but disbelief.

But the moment he heard the swordsman’s final words, all of Nam Jeok’s doubts disappeared.

"I am Heo Do-jin, the leader of Wudang."

"..."

Nam Jeok’s body collapsed.

At least in the afterlife, if someone asked who killed him, he could proudly say the name of his killer. That was his last thought before his life ended.

Thud.

Heo Do-jin glanced coldly at the pirates, his gaze devoid of warmth. Without hesitation, he began cutting down the trembling pirates one by one.

Srrng.

Once his sword was wiped clean of blood, Heo Do-jin sheathed it and turned to his disciples with a sharp command.

"Do not kill anyone who surrenders! We are Taoists!"

"Yes, Master!"

"But show no mercy to those who resist! It is our duty to eradicate evil!"

"Yes, Master!"

With resolute voices, Wudang's disciples swept through the remaining pirates. Watching the scene, Heo Do-jin’s eyes grew even darker.