Chapter 324
Chapter 324
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Translator: penny
Chapter: 331
Chapter Title: Attack on the Great Tiger Stronghold
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Splash!
The large sailing vessel cleaved through the water with vigor, gliding toward the riverbank.
In the distance, the black smoke rising into the sky grew thicker by the moment.
“Grrraaah!”
“Keeeaack!”
“Gasp! Gasp!”
The bandits, bound and swimming frantically toward the shore, turned their eyes at the fierce wake surging from behind.
“Gasp, gasp?!”
What the hell? Why is *that* coming here?
‘M-Murderous vessel!’
“Puha! Puhaa!”
Sensing instinctive terror, the bandits thrashed wildly, swimming like live carp flopping about, cutting through the waters of the Hongtaek River.
“Uwaaaah!”
“W-We’re gonna die!”
“Save us!”
But humans weren’t fish, after all—no way swimming could outpace a boat.
The sailing vessel caught up to their heels in an instant, churning up the water.
Splash!
“Uwaaaah…… Huh?”
The bandits, who had been screaming and fleeing from the vessel, stared blankly ahead.
The boat they thought was chasing them suddenly overtook and passed by.
A spray of water swept over them.
The bandits blinked in stupefaction as the vessel sped away toward the riverbank.
“Why…… are they heading there?”
“W-What’s their game?”
“N-No way they’re docking at the shore to cut us down……?”
“N-No way.”
Lost in a daze, the bandits forgot to swim and plunged beneath the surface, flailing about.
Paeng Junghyeok narrowed his brows as he watched the bandits thrashing from the railing.
“Young Master Yi, are you serious?”
Namgung Hyeok, who had been blowing into his liquor flask like a trumpet, lifted his head.
“Hm? About what?”
“About striking the Great Tiger Stronghold.”
“Of course! Those bastards made fools of us…… No, isn’t it the way of the righteous sects to not stand idly by injustice?”
“Not generally.”
“No?”
“Yes.”
“How selfish of you, then? The young heir of the Paeng family is awfully selfish!”
As Namgung Hyeok fumed, Paeng Junghyeok’s brows furrowed tighter.
‘I can’t even guess what this mad Namgung Hyeok is thinking.’
Why did I even follow this guy?
Oh, right. Father told me to.
Father, is this really the answer?
What?
Father, you didn’t just sell me off, did you?
Paeng Junghyeok swallowed a groan and held back tears.
But he knew it too.
Once Namgung Hyeok set his mind to something, he saw it through.
Better to know what’s coming and take the hit than get blindsided.
Look at that.
The Thunder Dragon Squad takes after their master—they’re already grinning in excitement at the thought of a fight.
“Easier than the Black Dragon Sect.”
“Kehahaha! Felt like something was missing without a proper scrap!”
“Shall we punch a hole in their guts and make ’em swim?”
Those lunatics.
Shing, shing.
“……”
Paeng Junghyeok fell speechless at the sight of Namgung Ryong quietly sharpening his sword.
He turned away, lightly pressing his forehead.
Little Sword Princess So Hye-yeon chuckled lowly.
“Gummies. Bandit scum. Gummies. Bandit scum.”
She’s going mad too. Though she wasn’t like this when we first met.
Beside her, Paeng Yeonhwa was giggling while fiddling with her blade……
Is there no one to rein them in?
Paeng Junghyeok asked as calmly as he could.
“……Do you have a plan? For attacking the Great Tiger Stronghold and resolving the Yeorae Merchant Company’s plight……”
“Puhuhu.”
“……For securing the ingredients of the Great Return Pill……”
“Uhihihi.”
Damn it.
As Paeng Junghyeok glared, Namgung Hyeok cleared his throat awkwardly and spoke.
“Don’t worry about it.”
“You’ve made it awfully hard not to. It’s one of the Thirty-Two Bandit Strongholds of the Green Forest. Didn’t I say we can’t afford to make a big scene?”
“Right.”
Namgung Hyeok nodded readily, making Paeng Junghyeok flinch slightly.
He continued.
“……If our identities are exposed, it could get messy. It might even interfere with the conference.”
Smashing one bandit stronghold was no big deal, honestly.
But the Thirty-Two Bandit Strongholds of the Green Forest were different.
They were like one solid mass. In the past, they had even formed the Green Forest Alliance, their power immense beyond measure.
Though much diminished from those days, if the Thirty-Two Bandit Strongholds mobilized, even a great clan of the Five Great Families couldn’t dismiss the threat.
At the very least, they had enough might to disrupt the conference.
‘I have to stop any reckless moves.’
The Yeorae Merchant Company’s issue was the Yeorae Merchant Company’s alone.
Paeng Junghyeok’s current mission was to head to Hangzhou in Zhejiang Province.
At that moment, Namgung Hyeok grinned slyly.
“As long as we don’t get caught, right?”
Oh no.
Memories of the Black Dragon Sect infiltration flashed by like a lantern show.
One of the most horrific experiences of his life resurfaced.
Paeng Junghyeok shuddered.
“……You’re not, right?”
“Nah. That didn’t work last time.”
“R-Right. If you try that again, I’ll……”
“Hey, they’re here.”
What’s here?
Paeng Junghyeok turned to where Namgung Hyeok was looking.
From below deck, Little Rat and the Yeorae Merchant Company warriors were crawling out awkwardly.
“Young Master, we found it!”
Little Rat beamed innocently, waving the fur pelt in his hand.
Paeng Junghyeok’s pupils shook along with the fur in Little Rat’s grip.
No way, right?
No……
Pat pat.
Namgung Hyeok patted Paeng Junghyeok’s shoulder with a laugh.
“What’re you doing? Put it on.”
“……You think they’ll fall for that?”
“All you lot lack is the outfit. Your faces are plenty convincing already.”
“Y-Young Master Yi!”
Paeng Junghyeok panicked.
“W-Where do you see any resemblance to those villainous bandit scum!”
You look the part from head to toe, punk.
Namgung Hyeok grabbed the collar of the shrinking Paeng Junghyeok.
“Take it off.”
“I-If you insist……”
“Want me to coffin you first?”
“……I’ll change.”
Paeng Junghyeok choked back a sob and stripped off his upper garments. Little Rat cackled and draped the fur over him.
“Damn, you look just like a bandit pup! From a northern stronghold? Puhahaha!”
This filthy rat.
Yeo Manchu stuck out his tongue at Paeng Junghyeok, who had instantly transformed into a bandit.
“Perfect disguise.”
“……”
“You look the spitting image—no chance of slip-ups!”
That’s where trouble might brew.
As Paeng Junghyeok ground his teeth, Yeo Manchu flinched and backed away.
The Thunder Dragon Squad threw open their tops and slung on furs haphazardly.
In a blink, the sailing vessel turned into a bandit ship(?).
When it docked at the riverbank, it looked for all the world like bandits come to plunder the villages.
Namgung Hyeok tore into a strip of jerky heartily and stood.
“Alright, let’s go bandit-hunting!”
At Namgung Hyeok’s utterly natural command, the Thunder Dragon Squad nodded.
Yeo Manchu chuckled dryly.
‘……Is this really the best course?’
The worst would be rumors spreading that Shaolin colluded with bandits to raze villages.
Yeo Manchu eyed Namgung Hyeok’s retreating back with unease as he disembarked.
* * *
Great Tiger Stronghold Chief Blood Tiger Seo Gangjong flashed a servile smile at the man in green robes before him.
“Heh heh, how’s the tea to your taste?”
The sight of Blood Tiger Seo Gangjong—bull-necked like an ox—rubbing his hands fawningly was quite the spectacle.
The lean, wiry man in green robes nodded.
“Not bad.”
“Heh heh, glad to hear it. Dragon Well tea fit for an emperor—getting it was no small feat. This batch’s owner……”
“I’d like to see the goods.”
Seo Gangjong broke into a sweat at the low voice of the green-robed warrior.
‘He’ll skin me alive.’
The visitor hailed from Mountain King Stronghold, the head stronghold of the Thirty-Two Bandit Strongholds of the Green Forest.
There was a hierarchy even among the Thirty-Two Bandit Strongholds, and Mountain King Stronghold sat at the very top.
Not just in rank—their prowess was unmatched as well.
Mountain King Stronghold alone could rival a great sect.
In truth, this mere warrior escorting the Green Forest King exuded an aura that overwhelmed Seo Gangjong, the chief of Great Tiger Stronghold.
“One moment. Ahem!”
Seo Gangjong cleared his throat awkwardly and pulled a wooden box from under the table.
He paused briefly, looking at Cheong Woojin.
“Is the Green Forest King well……?”
“No need for concern.”
“Our stronghold paid dearly for this. I hoped the Green Forest King would acknowledge……”
“He knows.”
Seo Gangjong hid his frustration.
‘Damn it, why’s he so stiff?’
After all that straight talk, you’d think he’d say something!
They’d risked their lives to raid the Yeorae Merchant Company for the Green Forest King’s inner arts.
But he couldn’t show even a hint of it to a hero from the Green Forest’s head stronghold.
One misstep, and his head could roll.
Mountain King Stronghold’s hero, Cheong Woojin, opened the box’s lid.
Whoosh!
A scorching heat burst forth from within, as if to illuminate the room in an instant.
Cheong Woojin’s pupils dilated slightly.
‘The root of Solar Ginseng!’
A dark, earthy root resembling wild ginseng or a tuber.
No mistaking it—the root of Solar Ginseng.
Seo Gangjong chuckled.
“How is it? The real deal, right?”
Thud!
Cheong Woojin closed the box.
“It’s Solar Ginseng.”
“Heh heh heh! Congratulations in advance! With this root, the Green Forest King will perfect his arts and achieve unrivaled supremacy in the world of rivers and mountains—the first since the Green Forest Alliance……”
“But where’s the fruit?”
Seo Gangjong faltered mid-flattery.
Cheong Woojin spoke lowly.
“The root and fruit of Solar Ginseng must be together for full effect. A half-measure like this won’t complete the Green Forest King’s arts.”
“……”
“And Great Tiger Stronghold won’t escape blame for this failure either.”
It meant they’d botched the job, with no protection from the Thirty-Two Bandit Strongholds of the Green Forest.
Seo Gangjong snapped alert at the chilling tone.
Straightening his expression, he declared.
“I’ve sent reliable men. In a day—no, half a day—I’ll have those rats before you. We’ll bury this mess and offer the Green Forest King the Solar Ginseng fruit!”
Cheong Woojin nodded.
A faint twist crept to his otherwise impassive lips.
“I’ll trust you, Chief Seo.”
“……Yes, without fail!”
Seo Gangjong shot to his feet.
“I’ll prepare drinks. Please wait a moment.”
Cheong Woojin smirked.
Sharp one.
“Fine. Take your time.”
Seo Gangjong bowed and spun on his heel, striding out.
As he emerged, his guards fell in behind.
“What did the Mountain King hero say?”
One subordinate asked. Seo Gangjong’s face twisted viciously as he countered.
“No word from Vice Chief yet?”
“N-No, sir. Not yet.”
“Gather all of Great Tiger Stronghold’s elites right now.”
“A-All of them?”
The subordinate panicked.
Great Tiger Stronghold’s elites were the Great Tiger Ten Heroes and the Tiger King Squad.
They moved as one only against major strongholds or large merchant caravans.
“I’ll lead the hunt for those bastards myself.”
“Ch-Chief!”
“This decides our stronghold’s fate!”
Seo Gangjong’s tone was ice-cold, a far cry from his fawning demeanor toward Cheong Woojin.
The subordinate grasped the gravity and dashed off to muster the elites.
Thud thud!
Seo Gangjong drew the massive glaive from his back, striding forth with murderous intent.
Rumble!
Great Tiger Ten Heroes and Tiger King Squad elites followed swiftly in his wake.
Their disciplined, razor-sharp formation belied any notion of mere bandits.
‘I’ll secure the Solar Ginseng fruit no matter what.’
With it, he’d catch the Green Forest King’s eye and rise to a high post in the Thirty-Two Bandit Strongholds of the Green Forest.
Great Tiger Stronghold’s destiny hung in the balance.
“We’ll catch those Yeorae Merchant Company rats and drag them here!”
“Yes, Chief!”
With a thunderous roar, Seo Gangjong and Great Tiger Stronghold’s elites set out.