Chapter 322
Chapter 322
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Translator: penny
Chapter: 328
Chapter Title: The River Chase
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People aboard the junk ship stirred.
"It looks like a fast boat."
"And it's heading this way?"
"Hmm?"
A sense of unease flickered through everyone's minds alongside their questions.
Black smoke rising from beyond the river, and from that direction, a single fast boat bursting forth.
Just seeing it frantically rowing upstream as if being chased didn't bode well.
Clearly suspicious...
Namgung Hyeok waved his hand dismissively.
"Ah, forget it. Keep going."
"Yes? But they look like they're in dire straits."
"How do you know they're in dire straits?"
"They look desperate..."
"Did they say they're desperate?"
"Well, no, but..."
People on the approaching fast boat could be seen desperately waving their hands.
Namgung Hyeok shook his head.
"I think that's them telling us to get out of the way quick."
"But their expressions..."
"If they collide with the junk, it'll be dangerous, so they're telling us to move along."
"That doesn't seem right..."
"Ah, so you're going by facial expressions?"
Namgung Hyeok clicked his tongue and scolded Sogulgae.
Sogulgae grumbled.
"Anyone can see that's them begging for their lives, isn't it? What if it's real?"
"It's just a fire on the riverbank, no big deal."
"You see it that way?"
When Sogulgae's eyes widened in surprise, Namgung Hyeok pretended not to notice.
"They're escaping in one piece."
"Yes?"
"No one's even chasing them... Wait, fuck! What's that?"
At his irritated voice, everyone's heads snapped back toward the fast boat.
Splash!
Right behind the fast boat, a slightly larger vessel slid in swiftly.
The pursuing ship closed the dozens-of-zhang gap in an instant, making the fast boat lurch wildly before speeding up even faster.
Splash!
Namgung Hyeok let out a deep sigh.
"You shouldn't meddle in the affairs of the martial world without knowing the full story..."
"Save us! Please save us!"
"If we save every bastard who begs, we'd all be rich beggars, wouldn't we?"
"Save us! Fuck! Heroes!"
Thwack!
Namgung Hyeok smacked his forehead loudly and glared at the fast boat.
'These guys have no sense.'
"Like I said earlier, if you butt in without knowing the circumstances, you really fuck things up. We've got a long way to go—eighty thousand li left. We have a conference to attend, a conference."
Despite Namgung Hyeok's earnest tone, the chilled atmosphere on deck didn't warm up.
"Ah, we don't even know who they are."
"Heroes! We'll repay this favor! We're the Yeorae Merchant Company, a lay branch of Shaolin! Heroes!"
Whoa, can my voice carry that far?
Namgung Hyeok let out a hollow chuckle as he shouted back at the pursuing fast boat.
Yeo Manchu of the Yeorae Merchant Company gripped the railing with both arms outstretched.
"We'll definitely repay this favor! Please, just save us! The Yeorae Merchant Company will never forget your grace for the rest of our lives! Fuck!"
Namgung Hyeok scratched the back of his head.
Fuck.
These righteous faction bastards.
When Namgung Hyeok waved his hand, the warriors waiting at the railing hurriedly rescued the Yeorae people.
"Grab the rope!"
"Ugh! Heave!"
"Hurry!"
As Yeo Manchu grabbed the pot-lid-sized hand extended from above, he flinched.
'...What, what is this?'
One by one, faces from the Thunder Dragon Squad and Hebei Peng Clan appeared over the railing.
Ferocious faces that couldn't be more vicious.
'...Bandits?'
Yeo Manchu rolled his eyes, then flinched at the powerful grip on his hand.
W-Wait, just a sec...
"Hurry up and climb!"
Whoosh!
Like uprooting a radish from a field, Yeo Manchu was yanked onto the deck.
Led by him, the Yeorae Merchant Company people quickly boarded the junk.
Yeo Manchu clutched his pounding heart and looked around.
Startled by the rescuers' extraordinary appearances at first, he breathed a sigh of relief sensing their righteous auras.
He gripped his trembling legs.
"Hoo! Th-Thank you. Heroes!"
Namgung Hyeok rubbed his chin and furrowed his brow.
"Save the thanks for later. Why are they chasing you?"
"Those crazy bandit bastards attacked us out of nowhere, so we fled in a panic..."
"Hmm? Bandits?"
Playing around on the river makes them water bandits, not mountain ones?
This guy's spilling everything without catching his breath.
"It's true, real bandits. Those guys are definitely bandits."
"Well, bandits can row boats too. They're damn good at it."
"Y-Yes."
"So those guys are greenwoodsmen?"
"Well..."
Namgung Hyeok shifted his gaze from Yeo Manchu to the ship overtaking the fast boat.
They had bear and wolf pelts crudely stitched on, wielding rough and menacing weapons—definitely giving off "we're bandits" vibes.
'Ah, what a hassle.'
As Namgung Hyeok glanced at Yeo Manchu, Peng Junghyuk spoke up.
"They're still chasing. At this rate, they'll catch us."
"I can see that."
Even though the junk was faster than the fast boat for now, a junk was still a junk.
It couldn't keep ahead forever.
If they couldn't shake off the pursuers completely, they'd get caught eventually.
The distance was already closing.
Yeo Manchu said with wide, pale eyes.
"Those guys are murderous demons, heroes! They're dead set on us. L-Look! Their eyes are flashing with killing intent, aren't they?"
"You're a Shaolin lay branch. Should've name-dropped Shaolin."
"It didn't work a bit. They attacked out of nowhere—what do we do? Eek! They're closing in, closing in!"
Namgung Hyeok tilted his head.
Splash!
Before they knew it, the bandit(?) crew sliced through Hongtaek Lake's rough currents and caught up.
As their voices emerged clearly from about three zhang away, buried in the wind and waves.
"Stop! We'll kill you if you get caught!"
"Fuck, get over here before I gut you like fish?!"
"You dog bastards! You're dead! Hand over those fuckers quick or I'll grind you all up!"
"Stop there before I curse your asses, you fucks!"
Namgung Hyeok let out a hollow laugh.
Don't these bastards see how many we are?
We look like dozens strong, and they're boldly chasing anyway.
"Should we turn those bastards into fish food?"
Ah, no.
'Guys who mess with a Shaolin lay merchant company are one of two things.'
Either clueless rampaging idiots, or a massive force that ignores even Shaolin lay branches.
'They must have some compelling reason to attack.'
Namgung Hyeok narrowed one eye and glanced at Yeo Manchu.
'I don't want to get tangled with greenwoods because of these guys.'
We've already smashed one water stronghold, so we're already on bad terms.
Namgung Hyeok mentally calculated.
A Shaolin lay merchant company, huh.
"The Buddha's heart always stems from compassion."
He turned to Yeo Manchu with a gentle smile.
"Merchant leader."
"I'm Yeo Manchu, hero."
"Yeah, Leader Yeo."
"Ch-Chief steward..."
"Tch, that's not important."
Namgung Hyeok flashed a compassionate smile.
Yeo Manchu was flustered.
It was the first time he'd seen such compassion from Namgung Hyeok, who had been nothing but annoyed, lazy, and irritated throughout.
So profoundly compassionate, like Buddha reborn...
'I-Is this the Buddha's heart?'
"Amitabha."
Yeo Manchu unwittingly recited the chant as he gazed at Namgung Hyeok.
"P-Please speak."
"Yes, Amitabha. Didn't they say all seas are equal? I've always thought very, very, ve-ry highly of Shaolin. Meeting you like this, fate is truly unpredictable."
"Th-Thank you, hero. I too am grateful to have met..."
"A bond forged by the Buddha's heart—how could this be an ordinary fate? I used to hear a lot of sermons from a monk... I mean, a virtuous master in the old days."
That lumbering monk bastard.
Yeo Manchu smiled awkwardly.
"I-Is that so?"
"I see this as a bond born from accumulating great merit. Of course, by me."
"Yes. Yes."
"Heh heh, giving me another chance to accumulate merit—what a... that bastard... I mean, thank you truly."
"Yes, yes. S-Sorry to interrupt, but eek! Th-Those bastards are right on us!"
Yeo Manchu freaked out and pointed to the side.
Namgung Hyeok clicked his tongue.
Damn clueless bandit fucks, interrupting business talk.
"Then we'll talk merit later."
As Namgung Hyeok shook his head at the bandits now poised to leap onto the junk's bow, Peng Junghyuk sidled up.
"Young master, I'll handle it."
"Hmm?"
"Just invoke the clan name, right?"
"We're on our way to a conference right now?"
"..."
Peng Junghyuk flinched. As the young lord of Hebei Peng Clan, he wasn't used to this.
Lesser water bandits fled at the sight of Peng banners, trembled at the mere mention of the name—that was his norm. He was at a loss.
"We have our bloodsworn assassins. Those greenwood vermin..."
Tang Myeongok interjected.
"The bloodsworn can't hide their identities."
"W-Well, the Tang Clan can't either!"
"Hmph!"
Tang Myeongok chuckled lightly and toyed with a poison needle.
"I can take them out with one shot."
"...Anyone can see that's Sacheon Tang Clan technique!"
"Just dunk them in the water after."
"We can smash our bloodsworn and dunk them too!"
"That's different. The traces would be too obvious."
Namgung Hyeok lightly pressed his forehead watching Peng Junghyuk and Tang Myeongok bicker.
He turned his head.
Shing!
Namgung Ryong quietly drew his sword and said.
"I'll. Handle. It."
"..."
"Tell me. I'll handle it."
Namgung Hyeok turned back.
Flinch! Flinch flinch!
So Hye-yeon had been rolling her eyes at the bandits since spotting them.
She was just holding back without Namgung Hyeok's order, but her mind was already slicing throats amid them.
Perhaps cautious after the previous water bandit incident.
She tried to stay as calm as possible...
"She'll foam at the mouth at this rate, fuck."
Namgung Hyeok lightly pressed his forehead.
"Sigh, don't these damn martial artists have nothing in their heads but fighting?"
You're the worst one!
In an instant, silence fell over the bickering group as eyes turned to Namgung Hyeok.
Namgung Hyeok clicked his tongue pitifully.
He pulled a money pouch from his bosom and curled his lip.
"You thick-skulled fighters. Why complicate things with money right here? Is toll money a joke?"
Yeo Manchu, who had been blankly watching, panicked.
"H-Hero! Toll doesn't work on..."
Tsk tsk!
Namgung Hyeok raised a finger and wagged it lightly before his eyes.
"It wasn't enough."
"...Pardon?"
"Feed them an offer they can't refuse—what can they do? I've got plenty of money."
Namgung Hyeok grinned and pulled out a gold ingot from the pouch.
He shook the gold ingot at the bandits yelling their heads off.
"Bandits, let's make a deal..."
"You dog bastard! Kid, hand over those fuckers unless you want your arm chopped off!"
"Ten times this gold as toll..."
"You little shit! Stop before I feed you to the fish! Not the gold—hand over those fuckers. Unless you wanna die!"
"Heh heh, heh heh heh."
"I'm not a pushover! No negotiations! Hand them over to us greenwood heroes before I slaughter you all! You hairless little prick!"
These bastards sure run their mouths.
Namgung Hyeok grinned and turned to the people staring blankly at him.
Slowly.
He leisurely turned his head and tucked the gold back into his bosom.
"Heh heh heh heh heh. Heh heh heh heh heh heh!"
Namgung Hyeok's clear laughter echoed across the deck.
Then he said quietly.
"Hey, fuck. Draw weapons."
His light voice rang out as he looked at So Hye-yeon.
"Bite, fuck!"
"Really?"
"Smash 'em all!"
At Namgung Hyeok's shout, So Hye-yeon shot up like lightning.