Chapter 114
Chapter 114
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Translator: penny
Chapter: 114
Chapter Title: The Iron Dragon of the Yangtze
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Hiding behind the cabin door, Geum Cheomsang swallowed hard and whispered urgently toward Namgung Hyuk.
"Young lord! It's, it's the gang leader—the boss of the Yangtze Waterway Stronghold!"
"So it's the boss. Got it."
"This is bad! Really bad! He's the leader of the Yangtze Waterway Stronghold!"
"Yeah. Sounds like trouble."
"..."
"No, seriously, this is big trouble!"
"Big trouble?"
Namgung Hyuk glanced indifferently at Cheon Jingung, the Iron Dragon of the Yangtze, standing in the middle of the deck.
*What the hell is that?*
To think a guy like that was running the Yangtze Waterway Stronghold as boss.
*No wonder their pirate scum seemed so tame lately. The head's rotten. What a poser.*
In Namgung Hyuk's eyes, the man just looked like a huge step down from the past, puffing up his chest like some big shot.
*Heh, the Yangtze Waterway Stronghold.*
Fond memories bubbled up.
*The Water Dragon King was always so devoted to me.*
Whenever he needed to cross a river, the guy would bring the Dragon King ship to ferry him over.
No need for a separate boat back then.
At his peak, he'd even traveled from the eastern edge of the Central Plains to the western edge aboard that Dragon King ship.
He'd showered that loyalty with plenty of favor in return.
"Not big enough to call trouble. Sure, the crew's got tempers."
"..."
"But what are you doing?"
Namgung Hyuk grumbled as he struggled to roll up his puffy sleeves.
"Looks like I gotta handle this myself. Negotiations are off the table anyway. Ugh! Why won't these damn things go up?"
"What?!"
"Hang on."
It was just as Namgung Hyuk was about to step forward.
Namgung Ryong shifted sideways, blocking his path.
"What?"
"..."
"Step back."
"Huh?"
*Why?*
Namgung Hyuk shot him a puzzled look, but Namgung Ryong silently drew his sword on Cheon Jingung without a word.
Namgung Hyuk quietly asked toward Namgung Ryong.
"For real?"
"..."
"Hmm, guess so then."
The elder knew best. Ahem!
Namgung Hyuk slipped back behind the cabin door.
Geum Cheomsang gaped at him in disbelief.
"Young lord?"
"Gotta listen to your elders. Let the leaders duke it out."
"..."
"A man's fight deserves quiet cheers from the sidelines."
Namgung Hyuk rummaged in his robes and pulled out some jerky, sticking a piece in his mouth.
Geum Cheomsang's eyes widened again.
He was plopping down openly to watch the show, making it hard to believe they were surrounded by river pirates.
*No, seriously...*
It was an astonishing display of nonchalance.
And that was supposed to be cheering?
Namgung Hyuk chewed his jerky and stared ahead.
"No need to overthink it. Take him down, and we win."
"..."
"Yeah, too simple, huh."
"Right. Back in the day, they'd have swarmed like a pack of dogs. Live and learn."
Compared to the chaos when the pirates first boarded, this was downright peaceful.
Namgung Hyuk propped his chin and watched.
"When's it starting?"
"..."
"Show a little tension, would ya? I'm starting to relax here too."
"What's to be tense about for you?"
"I'm just a commoner."
"Beats me. Never been one."
"Fair point."
"Don't chicken out. It's just river pirates, after all."
"Yeah... just river pirates."
Geum Cheomsang couldn't fathom what went on in Namgung Hyuk's head.
The boss of the Yangtze Waterway Stronghold wasn't some street thug.
"Hey, he's coming."
Cheon Jingung was striding forward.
Cold sweat beaded on Namgung Ryong's forehead as he watched the approaching man.
Cheon Jingung's presence filled the entire ship.
Tension rose at the overwhelming pressure from five zhang away.
A wave of aura crashed over him.
Namgung Ryong gripped his sword tighter.
Cheon Jingung fixed him with a stoic gaze, then slowly advanced.
With each step, heat haze shimmered above his shoulders, rippling like a dragon raising its mane.
*Clink! Clink!*
His armor's scales clashed softly, shattering the deck's silence and filling it with noise.
A chilling aura spread across the deck, freezing the very air.
Cheon Jingung stopped three zhang from Namgung Ryong.
His eyes flicked to Namgung Ryong, then down to the lifeless Poison-Eye Dragon.
The action captain of the Eastern Plains Stronghold had been one of his favorites, exceptionally skilled.
Not the type to die here.
Cheon Jingung raised a hand, signaling his pirates to halt.
"All of you, fall back. This one's mine."
The advancing pirates stopped and retreated three paces.
Cheon Jingung glared at Namgung Ryong.
"I'll send your head as a gift to the Family Head."
Namgung Ryong assumed a stance, meeting Cheon Jingung's aura head-on.
*Shing!*
So Hye-yeon, beside him, bit her lip and drew her sword.
"Young hero, let me help."
"..."
"Two of us can take him."
Cheon Jingung burst into laughter.
"Ha! What guts! Fine, see if you two can last!"
His booming laugh echoed across the deck as he lunged at Namgung Ryong and So Hye-yeon.
Tension etched their faces.
The air grew thick with it.
The onlookers swallowed hard, huddling in fear.
Only Namgung Hyuk remained unfazed, muttering away.
"Yeah, that's more like it. Gotta respect Sword Pavilion hotheads like that."
"..."
"Here we go. Huh? Cloud Dragon Thirty-Six Forms! That old thing's still around? Thought the guy who made it died from a cracked skull."
The pale misty aura cloaking Cheon Jingung was the hallmark of the Cloud Dragon Thirty-Six Forms.
Namgung Ryong, So Hye-yeon, and Cheon Jingung clashed.
*Bzzt-crackle!*
Heavenly Thunder Divine Art surged, blue lightning arcing from Namgung Ryong's blade.
The flashing bolts turned to sword qi.
Fast, destructive strikes!
Lightning scattered as an Emperor Sword Form strike plummeted toward Cheon Jingung's crown.
Despite the pressure like a mountain crushing down, Cheon Jingung scoffed.
He thrust a hand skyward like lightning.
The Cloud Dragon Thirty-Six Forms' mist blocked the descending Emperor Sword Form.
*Claaaang!*
The mist erupted like steam, shooting sky-high.
Bewilderment crossed Namgung Ryong's eyes.
A massive recoil shot up his arm, churning his qi and blood.
Yet he pressed harder with the Emperor Sword Form—only for mist to engulf his blade.
*Clang-clang-clang!*
His sword qi scattered like it hit an iron wall.
Cheon Jingung sneered, shoving Namgung Ryong's sword aside and unleashing a palm strike.
"Not bad—think that's all you got?!"
Namgung Ryong gritted his teeth, batting away the pale palm force.
*Clang-clang-clang!*
Sparks and lightning flew with each block.
The heavy palm force easily overpowered his sword qi.
That's when So Hye-yeon darted in through the gap.
"Hah!"
Sword Pavilion's Dark Moon Flying Butterfly Step.
Like a fluttering butterfly, she left soft afterimages in the air, seizing Cheon Jingung's back.
Shooting Star Twelve Swords' blade light struck his back.
*Clang-clang-clang!*
"Urgh...!"
Sparks flew like popping beans.
So Hye-yeon's eyes went wide.
"What?!"
A smirk curled Cheon Jingung's lips.
"Pathetic!"
No ordinary sword qi could scratch his Dragon Scale Armor.
So Hye-yeon furrowed her brow.
"Tch!"
She endured the rebound in her wrist and shifted her sword path, but Cheon Jingung was already palming out.
Thirty-six palm shadows rained down like arrows.
*Thud-thud-thud!*
Dull impacts sent So Hye-yeon sliding, losing her balance.
Cheon Jingung kicked her abdomen away, then unleashed Cloud Dragon Thirty-Six Forms at Namgung Ryong.
Namgung Ryong gathered his inner energy to counter.
*Boom! Rumble! Thud-thud-thud!*
The enormous backlash staggered him, while So Hye-yeon flew back from the blow.
Awe dawned on the spectators' faces.
Even to those ignorant of martial arts, Cheon Jingung's prowess was overwhelming.
He'd barely moved, yet Namgung Ryong and So Hye-yeon were already faltering.
The Cloud Dragon Thirty-Six Forms relentlessly pressed Namgung Ryong.
Each misty palm shadow striking his blade drew groans from him.
"Urgh!"
Pale fog blanketed everything, as if ready to devour him.
Cheon Jingung's Cloud Dragon Thirty-Six Forms palm force.
Namgung Ryong couldn't hold his ground, retreating steadily, while So Hye-yeon couldn't even approach.
His inner energy was monstrous, on top of the techniques.
Cloud Dragon Thirty-Six Forms overwhelmed the Emperor Sword Form and brushed off Shooting Star Twelve Swords.
Counterattacks bounced off the Dragon Scale Armor—or worse, Cheon Jingung used it to ram Namgung Ryong.
So Hye-yeon bit her lower lip.
Fail to kill him here, and the commoners' fate was sealed.
Sword Pavilion disciples were taught to uphold justice beyond mere challenge matches.
She couldn't retreat.
Letting pirates win meant sacrificing innocents—a disgrace beyond measure.
"Young hero! Aim for his right side!"
They tried coordinating, but it was futile.
No experience syncing left openings in attacks, overlapping paths hindering their moves.
Their faces darkened.
The situation worsened.
*Boom!*
"Urgh! Dodge!"
"Ugh!"
Blocked by Cloud Dragon Thirty-Six Forms, they tangled and were pushed back.
Cheon Jingung oozed confidence.
Shipboard fights differed vastly from land.
Rocking waves upset balance; humidity altered breathing.
He was a veteran of over twenty years in such conditions.
No matter how skilled the juniors, they couldn't match him.
"All talk, no bite."
Cheon Jingung unleashed twin palms at them.
*Rumble!*
Thunderous force turned the mist into a massive palm shadow, smashing them.
Wind-Cloud Palm Barrier, ultimate technique of Cloud Dragon Thirty-Six Forms.
*BOOM!*
A huge hole tore through the deck as Namgung Ryong and So Hye-yeon flew back.
"Urgh!"
"Aaagh!"
As Namgung Ryong paled and struggled up.
Cheon Jingung gathered energy in his right hand, forming a claw.
Despair flickered across the onlookers.
In that desperate moment, as he aimed to rip out Namgung Ryong's heart.
Namgung Hyuk, munching jerky while watching, unleashed Blood Wind God.
Riding the river wind, he closed in instantly and casually shoved Cheon Jingung's hand aside.
"Hm?!"
As Cheon Jingung recoiled in shock and prepared a counter.
"That's enough."
Namgung Hyuk twisted the Cloud Dragon Thirty-Six Forms form and drove a kick into Cheon Jingung's jaw.
*Crack!*
Cheon Jingung's jaw wrenched sideways with a crunch, his pupils glazing over.
White chunks sprayed from his mouth as his body flew into the mast.
*Whooosh! BOOM!*
The mast snapped with a groan, crashing onto the deck.
Pinned beneath, Cheon Jingung rolled his eyes, jaw askew.
"Urgh... urghhh..."
He groaned lowly, then drooled thick, bloody spittle and slumped.
Shock painted everyone's eyes.
Freakish wheezing escaped him.
Their saucer-wide eyes slowly turned to Namgung Hyuk standing on the deck.
"Wh-what just happened?"
"..."
"Huh?!"
"..."
They stared at him in disbelief.
A guy bundled in layers of wool like a roly-poly had sent the Iron Dragon of the Yangtze flying?
With one kick!
Even Namgung Ryong and So Hye-yeon together couldn't touch him!
Mouths hung open.
But So Hye-yeon's was the widest.
*Impossible!*
How could someone with an illness move like that?!
She'd seen it clearly.
He'd effortlessly flowed past the impenetrable Cloud Dragon Thirty-Six Forms guard, dodged the counter, and planted a precise kick to the jaw!
Fluid, lightning-fast—like a single motion.
Clean, decisive. Unbelievable even watching.
More shocking: she couldn't identify the technique or art.
Or... was it just a kick?
No form, just a casual punt—that was even more terrifying.
So Hye-yeon gaped, speechless.
Cheon Jingung pulled himself from the mast.
He stared at Namgung Hyuk in horror.
"Impossible. Who the hell are you?!"
Namgung Hyuk cracked his neck side to side and beckoned with a finger.
"Less talk, more action. Let's wrap this up."
Cheon Jingung's face twisted in rage.
"You bastard!"
Cheon Jingung charged at Namgung Hyuk.