Chapter 125
Chapter 125
- Water Dragon King's Territory
I landed lightly on the connected sampan, and the eyes of the pirates focused on me.
They looked conflicted, wondering whether to climb the rope secured with a hook to get onto the deck, or come down and face me.
The loudmouth, who couldn't take his eyes off me, drooled and grinned hideously.
"Kahaha, you're nimble, which makes this even more exciting. This old man will...!"
Frowning at the unpleasant voice, I launched Poison Needles / Darts.
"Aaaagh!"
Splash!
The loudmouth, weakened by a single dose of paralysis Poison, screamed pathetically and fell into the river.
"Y-You cowardly bastard! What trickery is this!"
The oarsman, who had been watching, shouted and charged at me.
I easily dodged the oar and kicked him in the chin, causing him to lose his balance and tumble overboard as well.
Splash!
A moment of silence descended.
The eight pirates clinging to the rope exchanged glances, then, veins bulging in their necks, began to descend again.
"Block them! Surround her!"
Yeon-ryang's worried shout came from above.
"So-hye! Watch out for blades!"
"Okay!"
"Kid, don't hold back! Fight with all you've got!"
"I know!"
I replied and released Poison powder, with my back to the wind. As the glittering powder scattered, a pirate who seemed to be the leader shouted.
"It's Poison! Wash it off quickly! Dive!"
At his command, the pirates covered their mouths and noses and jumped into the river. Black shadows sank into the swirling yellow mud water.
Startled by the unexpected action, I quickly grabbed a Flying Dagger and began to cut the ropes connecting the ships.
I had to take advantage of the lull to separate the connected ship from the passenger ship.
Quickly cutting all the ropes, the sampan, now without power, drifted away from our ship.
On the deck of the passenger ship, there were only commoners glancing at me with frightened faces; Yeon-ryang and Beopgong Monk were nowhere to be seen.
They must have already moved to another ship.
"Kuaaagh!"
"M-Monster! It's a monster!"
"If you're going to call me something, call me a Rakshasa. I'm involved with Buddhism, you know."
Turning my head towards the sound, I saw Beopgong Monk rampaging on the opposite warship.
Each time he swung his fist imbued with Inner Energy / Internal Qi, the cracking ship fell into the river with a strange noise.
I shuddered at the sight of the debris floating along the current.
...Wow. Scary. I shouldn't mess with the monk.
Rubbing the goosebump-covered arms, I surveyed the surroundings. The submerged pirates showed no sign of surfacing.
I stared at the bubbling water surface, lost in thought.
Releasing Poison into the river felt wrong, like becoming a major cause of environmental pollution, and using Hidden Weapons meant there was no way to retrieve them from the river.
But going into the water to fight them was out of the question. What should I do?
At that moment, something slammed into the bottom of the ship.
Thump!
The impact shook the ship violently.
As I grabbed the railing to regain my balance, the ship lurched again, and river water poured into the ship.
Splash!
The rapidly rising water submerged my ankles, and the ship tilted precariously to both sides. It seemed they were trying to capsize the ship and throw me into the river.
Pushing off the floor, I jumped onto the railing of the passenger ship, and one by one, the pirates poked their heads above the surface.
They clung to the edge of the sampan like barnacles on the bottom of a ship.
A pirate with loach whiskers glared at me, panting.
"Using Poison! You c-cowardly...!"
"Who attacked first? Why do you keep calling me a coward?"
I retorted bluntly and pretended to throw Hidden Weapons, causing the loach-whiskered pirate's head to disappear back into the water.
At the same time, Ju-ryeong, who had been quietly in my sleeve, peeked out.
"Kiee."
"Huh? Ju-ryeong, what is it?"
"Kit!"
Ju-ryeong scratched my arm with its front paws, pointing to a passenger. He was trembling, clutching a pouch full of coins in his hand.
"You want me to use that?"
"Kkuruk."
"Good idea. Excuse me. Sorry to bother you, but can I borrow some coins?"
"Yes? Yes, yes! H-Here you go. Great hero. Please spare my life!"
The man's groveling made me feel like I had become a pirate. I quickly added.
"...Don't get me wrong, sir. I'm just borrowing them for a moment. I'll return them later."
Licking my lips, I reached into the pouch, and a familiar sensation clung to my fingertips.
I raised the corners of my mouth and took a handful of coins, transferring them to my sleeve.
This should be enough.
Now I wouldn't have to worry about retrieving Hidden Weapons.
\ \ \
The Eighteen Strongholds of the Yangtze River.
Waterborne heroes who ruled the Yangtze, which flowed for ten thousand miles in winding curves.
Among them, Gi-sam, a member of the Water Dragon Stronghold that dominated the eastern region, was satisfied with his life.
While his childhood friends from the neighborhood mended nets and clung to tiny fields the size of their palms, going hungry, he could cruise the Yangtze and fill his belly with rich meat and wine.
And what about the Water Dragon King he served!
The Water Dragon King, who had risen to the position of chief at an unusually young age, was a powerful Martial Artist that even the government treated with respect.
The fact that the government didn't send out subjugation forces even when he committed acts of plunder proved it.
It was only natural that the stronger the leader, the stronger the unity of the group.
The Water Dragon King didn't even know Gi-sam's name, but Gi-sam was proud to be a subordinate of the Water Dragon King.
That day was no different.
As the weather turned cold and ship traffic decreased, the bored Water Dragon King ambushed four warships and one sampan around the gorge.
Gi-sam, who was on the flagship, volunteered to board the sampan. He intended to be the first to board a merchant ship and make a contribution.
"Gombo, are you going too?"
"Yeah. I'm going to pick out the prettiest girl on the ship and offer her to the Water Dragon King."
"You want to catch the chief's eye that badly? You've got big dreams."
Snot and buckteeth nudged Gi-sam's shoulder and chuckled.
Gi-sam also laughed along, adjusting the rope with a hook. If he caught the chief's eye, he might receive enough silver to spend at the brothel on the next stop.
Until then, Gi-sam was confident that he would make a contribution.
'I was so sure... How did it come to this?'
Gi-sam blinked with a pale face.
The four warships of the Water Dragon Stronghold, which he thought were unmatched in this Yangtze River gorge, were half-destroyed and burning.
Gi-sam, staring at the ship debris covering the Yangtze River, slowly looked up at the girl in front of him.
The girl, with her snow-white Myeonli fluttering against the backdrop of the burning Yangtze River, was eerily beautiful.
That made her even more terrifying.
She gracefully fluttered her sleeves, destroying the Dantian / Energy Core of his unconscious brothers one by one, like a grim reaper from hell.
The girl's lips slowly parted as she met Gi-sam's eyes.
"Oh, you're conscious? I don't want to go this far either... But I was taught to finish what I started."
Frowning and muttering, she reached out towards Gi-sam.
He wanted to run, but his poisoned body couldn't even twitch a finger.
Gi-sam's teeth chattered as tears streamed down his face.
It was a disaster. The being before him could only be described as a disaster.
With a shock that struck his lower abdomen like lightning, Gi-sam coughed up blood and gasped.
As Poison seeped into his cracked Dantian / Energy Core, the Inner Energy / Internal Qi he had accumulated for over a decade was scattering.
He wanted to scream at the sensation of his Qi and Blood Points twisting, but no sound came out.
Splash!
Ice-cold water enveloped Gi-sam as his body sank heavily.
Soon, the world went dark.
\ \ \
It was well over an hour after that when I finished off the last of the pirates.
Staring at the sinking sampan, I wiped my sweat-soaked hands on my sleeves.
I had guessed as much, but destroying the opponent's Dantian / Energy Core was not a pleasant sensation.
But there was no time to dwell on it.
Rumble!
Whatever those two were doing, pillars of fire engulfing the warships soared through the darkness and reached the sky.
Beopgong Monk was skilled in Protective Aura, so it was fine, but Yeon-ryang was not.
Anxiety made my mouth dry. The captain, also afraid of being caught in the explosion, hurriedly began to move the ship towards the shore.
I bit my lip and asked the captain.
"Excuse me, can you wait a little longer?"
"I cannot, Miss. If we stay nearby, the fire might spread."
"Then don't go too far..."
Just as I was about to persuade him not to leave, the sound of drums echoed from the darkness.
Boom! Boom! Boom!
Then something came flying onto the deck with a thud.
Clang! Clang!
The flying jars shattered, and a musty smell of oil spread on the wind.
Bright red fireballs soared into the air all at once.
They were fire arrows.
Flames blazing in the darkness drew long arcs and flew onto the deck.
Damn it, there was another ship? Were they reinforcements?
I hurriedly jumped up and deflected the fire arrows, but it was impossible for me alone to block all dozens of them.
A stray arrow fell onto the oil, igniting the flames with a whoosh.
"Kyaaagh!"
"Sand! Pour sand! Quickly!"
Several passengers stamped their feet and tried to put out the spreading fire.
Acrid smoke rose from all directions.
"Uwaaaah!"
"Save me! Save me, aagh!"
Taking advantage of the chaos, pirates who had jumped out of the water began to massacre the commoners.
My heart pounded at the unexpected situation. It was impossible for me alone to save all these passengers in time.
The passengers and pirates were mixed together, making it difficult to use Poison.
What should I do? At this rate, more people would die than be saved.
I gritted my teeth and poured out Hidden Weapons as I grabbed them, but at that moment, a hooked finger reached towards my face.
Just as I was about to imbue a Flying Dagger with Inner Energy / Internal Qi and strike, a blade flashed and cut off the pirate's wrist.
"Are you alright, Dang Sojeo?"
Turning my head towards the familiar voice, my eyes widened.
A man in a pure white uniform stood nobly, a blood-soaked sword hanging limply in his hand.
"Jinseong disciple?"
