Chapter 784: Let’s Have Some Fun (Part 4)

 

"Bow your heads!"

"Anyone who tries anything funny will be cut down!"

The pirates, bound by sturdy iron chains, knelt with their heads bowed, while Wudang swordsmen surrounded them, watching with cold eyes.

"Hmm."

Heo Do-jin glanced around and let out a low groan.

‘This is brutal.’

The stench of blood was overwhelming.

Of course, he was no stranger to bloodshed, having lived as a disciple of Wudang. He had gone on many chivalrous missions and fought in numerous battles. But rarely had he been involved in something on this scale, where so many lives were taken.

‘The disciples haven’t performed as well as expected.’

This small pirate faction should have been subdued in no time. He wasn’t overestimating Wudang's strength—it was a fact that the difference in power between Wudang and a group like Waryu Fort was glaring.

Yet, it had taken them more than half a shichen (roughly an hour).

‘They’ve gone too long without real combat experience.’

He didn’t think Wudang had grown weaker than before, but there was a difference between having skill and being able to fully apply it in actual battle.

"Starting with a smaller pirate faction was a wise decision."

If they had gone straight into battle against a larger group without realizing this issue, they would have undoubtedly suffered casualties.

Once bloodshed begins, sacrifices are inevitable, but a sect leader’s duty is to minimize those losses.

"The suppression is complete, Sect Leader."

Heo San-ja’s voice pulled Heo Do-jin from his thoughts. He nodded in acknowledgment.

"Hand over all the prisoners to the authorities, and distribute the goods in the warehouses to the commoners. If we can identify the owners of any stolen property, return it to them."

Even as he gave these instructions, Heo Do-jin couldn’t help but let out a bitter laugh.

‘It feels like we’re copying Mount Hua.’

Even if that wasn’t the case, people would likely think the same.

But there was no choice.

It was better to endure the accusations of imitation than to do nothing.

"Sect Leader... we have a bit of a problem."

"A problem?"

Heo Do-jin frowned at Heo San-ja’s words.

"What kind of problem?"

"We inspected the pirates’ warehouses, but... there isn’t as much loot as we expected."

"...Not much?"

"Yes."

Heo San-ja swallowed and continued.

"The people of Wuchang said that the pirates have been especially active recently, raiding ships and stealing large amounts of goods and money. But the amount of treasure in their stores doesn’t match what was reported."

"..."

"We interrogated the pirates, but they claim they didn’t steal anything."

"This isn’t the place?"

"It seems not. And they don’t know who has been raiding the ships recently, either."

"..."

Heo Do-jin fell silent, deep in thought, before finally speaking.

"If we think about it simply, it’s possible that another pirate faction is responsible."

"Yes."

"But if it’s not that..."

Heo Do-jin didn’t finish his thought aloud.

‘Someone is manipulating this situation.’

It wasn’t the kind of thing he could casually voice. After all, it would imply that Wudang, one of the most prestigious sects in the world, had been outwitted by someone.

"What should we do, Sect Leader?"

"It doesn’t matter."

"Pardon?"

Heo San-ja looked at him in surprise, but Heo Do-jin simply shook his head.

"It doesn’t matter if we misunderstood, if we targeted the wrong enemy, or if someone is plotting behind the scenes. What’s important is that we came here to the Yangtze to alleviate the suffering of the people and to eliminate the pirates."

"..."

"Distribute all the treasure to the commoners."

"But if the amount of treasure we give is significantly less than what was stolen, people might get the wrong idea."

"Then tell them we’ll be eliminating other pirate factions soon."

"I understand."

Heo San-ja bowed deeply and withdrew. Left alone, Heo Do-jin’s thoughts grew heavier.

‘Someone orchestrating a conspiracy against the pirate factions?’

As vast as the Yangtze River was, how many groups in the world could pull off such a scheme, moving under the noses of the pirate factions?

Several names flashed through his mind, but Heo Do-jin quickly dismissed them.

‘It doesn’t matter.’

Whatever their goal, as long as they achieve what they came here for, that’s all that matters. Even if they were walking into a fiery trap, they had no choice but to continue forward.

But...

"If someone is toying with us, they’ll pay for it."

Grinding his teeth, Heo Do-jin spun around abruptly and walked away in frustration.

 

"Amitabha!"

A booming Buddhist chant echoed across the river.

Bzzz!

The resonating sound vibrated through the air like the hum of thousands of bees.

"Run for your lives!"

The pirates’ eyes filled with terror.

Monks in yellow robes represented absolute power in the martial world. For those on their side, they were a comforting sight, but for their enemies, they were the embodiment of fear.

And for good reason. No one could ignore the authority of the Shaolin.

Shaolin, the eternal temple.

Who in the martial world could underestimate such a name?

Even if all of the infamous Eighteen Pirate Factions of the Yangtze River united, there was no guarantee they could stand against Shaolin. So how could a mere faction think of fighting them?

The pirates knew this all too well. From the moment they saw the monks in yellow robes, they lost all will to fight and began to flee.

Some ran without looking back, while others, using their wits, jumped into the blue waters of the Yangtze without hesitation.

"Hmm."

Watching the scene before him, the monk Beopgye narrowed his eyes.

‘I understand the Abbot’s intentions, but...’

To send Shaolin monks to eliminate a minor pirate faction was overkill. Of course, keeping their promises was important. But it had come at the cost of time.

The journey to and from the Yangtze had deprived them of valuable time they could have spent training. Dealing with such small fry wasn’t going to improve their skills.

"Amitabha. The pirate leader must have a headache."

Shaolin, Wudang, and even Cheongseong were all bearing down on the pirate factions. And with the Namgung Family of Anhui also joining the fray, there was no way the pirates, even the notorious Eighteen Pirate Factions, could withstand this assault.

‘Perhaps this will be the end of the Eighteen Pirate Factions altogether.’

If only one sect had come, they might have stopped after dealing with a few factions. But here were four of the greatest forces in the martial world.

If it were just the Nine Great Sects, there might have been room to preserve face. But with the participation of the Namgung Family, one of the Five Noble Families, the stakes had been raised. They couldn’t afford to return with fewer accomplishments than the others.

‘And, most importantly...’

The fact that Mount Hua had started the campaign against the pirates had spread quickly throughout the world. Naturally, the first to act would be the one whose name was praised the loudest.

If Shaolin, Wudang, and Namgung returned having done less than Mount Hua, their reputations would take a hit. They couldn’t afford that.

"Amitabha."

Beopgye’s chant carried a sense of frustration.

‘But...’

If the Eighteen Pirate Factions were wiped out or suffered catastrophic losses, it would disrupt the balance of the martial world.

If the balance at the heart of the Yangtze collapsed, it was impossible to predict how far-reaching the consequences might be.

‘Abbot.’

There’s no way the Abbot could be unaware of this. So why had he ordered the campaign to be carried out so hastily?

Turning a blind eye to the suffering of the people was unjust. But sacrificing many to save a few was also unjust.

‘I don’t understand.’

Beopgye understood his role.

Though the phrase “for the people” was often used, only a few actually had the power to influence the flow of history. And he was not one of those people.

All he could do was carry out his duty to the best of his ability.

"Make sure no pirate escapes to harm the commoners. Capture every last one of them!"

"Yes, sir!"

The Shaolin monks, exuding an aura of ferocity not typically associated with monks, charged forward.

"...Amitabha. Let there be no major disaster."

The small snowball Mount Hua had rolled down the Yangtze River was rapidly growing larger.

And now, neither Shaolin nor Wudang had any way to stop it. All they could do was hope that the snowball wouldn’t crash into the villages below.

 

News of Shaolin and Wudang’s campaign against the pirate factions spread swiftly across the Yangtze.

The people who lived along the river were overjoyed by the news.

They had tolerated the pirates, believing there was no alternative. But who would be happy to lose their hard-earned money and goods to thieves? Recently, the pirates had grown so bold that people were at their wit's end.

And now, it wasn’t just anyone who had come to help—they were being aided by Shaolin, Wudang, and the Namgung Family. How could they not rejoice?

"Of course, it’s the Nine Great Sects. And the Five Noble Families. When things get serious, they step in!"

"That’s right! They should have intervened earlier."

"They must have been watching, waiting for the right moment. They’re men of principle, after all."

The people shared these kinds of hopeful remarks. In the past, that would have been the end of it.

But things had changed. Some began to voice a different perspective.

"Don’t be naive. Do you really think those high-and-mighty sects are here to help us?"

"What are you talking about? They’re here to get rid of the pirates and help us."

"Then why didn’t they do anything before now? Why didn’t they step in when people were being killed and sold into slavery by the pirates?"

"That’s..."

The man clicked his tongue in frustration.

"Let’s give credit where it’s due. This is all thanks to Mount Hua. You should be thanking them."

"What are you talking about? Sure, Mount Hua started it, but you can’t say everything is because of them."

"You don’t get it. If Mount Hua hadn’t stepped in, none of the Nine Great Sects or the Five Noble Families would have come near the Yangtze. They’re only here because Mount Hua, the leader of the Heavenly Alliance, came down here first and started winning the people’s support. It pissed them off, so they rushed in."

"...That’s a bit cynical, isn’t it?"

"Do you think they didn’t know about the pirates terrorizing the Yangtze for decades?"

"..."

"Don’t just blindly cheer for them! That’s exactly what they want. You should be thanking Mount Hua! They’re the ones who came here without asking for anything in return and fought the pirates!"

"That’s true. We really are grateful to Mount Hua."

"Just wait and see. It won’t be long before the Heavenly Alliance, led by Mount Hua, surpasses the Nine Great Sects."

"There you go with your wild fantasies again."

"I’m telling you, it’s going to happen!"

Some supported Mount Hua, while others remained loyal to the long-established Nine Great Sects.

But one thing was clear: the battle on the Yangtze was growing in scale, and fast.

And...

The outcome of these scattered battles was beginning to lead to an unexpected turn of events—one that no one in the martial world had anticipated.

A violent current was spreading from the Yangtze, one that could change the balance of the entire martial world.