Chapter 341
Chapter 341
-----------------------------------------------------------------
Translator: penny
Chapter: 349
Chapter Title: The Sinking Yellow Dragon Ship
-----------------------------------------------------------------
Huangbo Changmyeong was the youngest son of Huangbo Seong, the family head of the Hwangbo family.
It had been nearly a year since he, a latecomer among the disciples, had entered the Hero Pavilion's Tiger Hero Squad of the Righteous Heaven Alliance's Hero Hall. He rolled his eyes as he glared at the squad.
‘Sh-should I just quit?’
When he had first entered the Hero Pavilion, he had been floating on air.
He figured that if he followed in his brother Huangbo Chung’s footsteps and made a name for himself in the Tiger Hero Squad, he’d earn a cool nickname, hang out with all the top disciples, and build a solid network.
At the time he joined, the Tiger Hero Squad’s prestige had truly pierced the heavens.
The momentum from the Light Dragon, Sword Dragon, and Blade Dragon crushing the Nine Great Sects in the sparring tournament had carried straight over to the Hero Pavilion’s disciples.
It wasn’t just momentum, either. The very moment he arrived, the Hero Pavilion was in the middle of the Tiger Hero Squad thrashing the Dragon-Phoenix Squad.
The vibe was so overwhelming that the Dragon-Phoenix Squad would polish the floors spotless just to let the Tiger Hero Squad pass by.
But that was a month ago. Everything had flipped completely.
And the reason was...
*Smack!*
“Argh!”
“Dead Spear Myeong, you here?”
Huangbo Changmyeong flinched from the head-splitting impact.
Looking up in shock, he saw a guy from the Heavenly Center Sect, built just like him, grinning wickedly.
“What? Huh? Want another one?”
*Smack!*
“Guh, guh!”
The Heavenly Center Sect guy’s friends tried to hold him back.
“Hey, hey, ease up. Poor guy.”
“Yeah, man. He’s still Hwangbo blood. Can you handle the fallout?”
“Yeah, gotta be careful.”
Cheon Ja-so, the Heavenly Center Sect prodigy, sneered at his buddies who were trying to restrain him.
“Poor my ass! Do you know what I’ve been through for a whole year because of this precious little Hwangbo princeling? Every time I think about that bastard insulting my father and slapping my face, I still wanna kill him!”
“Huh? He insulted your dad?”
“That’s crossing the line!”
“What’re you glaring at? Wanna eat dead spear?”
The friends who had been holding Cheon Ja-so back turned cold-eyed.
Huangbo Changmyeong bit his lower lip until it bled.
‘These guys who couldn’t even meet my eyes a month ago!’
Guys who used to tremble at the mere mention of the Hwangbo name were now calling him ‘Dead Spear Myeong’ and smacking the back of his head!
‘Goddamn it!’
As Huangbo Changmyeong ground his teeth, Cheon Ja-so rolled up his sleeve and barked.
“Hey, pissed off?”
*Whack whack whack!*
Fireworks exploded at the back of Huangbo Changmyeong’s head.
“Considering what you did to us, you’re still a long way off, you little shit!”
Huangbo Changmyeong’s eyes turned red as his head took hit after hit.
‘Fuck, but do I really have to take this from a punk like him?’
Not even from the ‘Light Dragon Crew’ or anything!
Fine, you asked for it.
He’d been planning to quit anyway.
What did he have to lose on his way out?
“You little...”
*Grab!*
Huangbo Changmyeong clamped down on the hand swinging toward the back of his head.
“Huh?”
“You shitty minor-sect bastard! Why the hell are you Black Dao scum running wild in the Hero Pavilion? You think you’re hot shit just ‘cause you’re here? I’m Huangbo Changmyeong...!”
That was when it happened.
*Bam!*
The door flew open, and Nangong Chang strode in.
“Who’s raising their voice in the sacred hall in broad daylight?”
Huangbo Changmyeong froze mid-swing, his Heavenly King Fist aimed at Cheon Ja-so’s jaw.
Cheon Ja-so and everyone around him froze solid too.
They rolled their eyes frantically.
Nangong Chang swept his gaze over the frozen group.
“What’s this? What’s going on?”
Seeing Cheon Ja-so and the others still stiff, Huangbo Changmyeong hurriedly latched onto Nangong Chang.
“Gongchang—no, Chang! Even you? Do I really have to take this from these assholes? Why are you doing this to me? Chang! I’m Huangbo Changmyeong, from the Hwangbo...”
“But why’s this punk suddenly yapping?!”
*Thwack!*
“Kuwaaack!”
Huangbo Changmyeong hit the floor, jaw throbbing, staring at Nangong Chang in dazed betrayal.
From behind, Yi Segon of the Yi family clapped.
“Sharp dead spear there, bro!”
*Clap clap clap!*
That punk?
Tears and snot streaming down his face, Huangbo Changmyeong screamed.
“Wh-what did I do wrong? What the hell did I ever do to youuuu!”
Nangong Chang flinched.
“Wrong?”
“Y-yeah, you crazy dog bastard!”
“You haven’t done much wrong to me.”
“What?”
“You’re clean with me. But...”
Nangong Chang nodded toward Cheon Ja-so.
“These guys seem to feel differently?”
“......”
As Huangbo Changmyeong fell silent, Nangong Chang clucked his tongue.
“I cut you some slack all this time ‘cause we’re both from Great Families. And now these punks dare to fuck with the main house?”
“Th-that wasn’t my fault!”
“Right. Not your fault. And it’s not my fault if I don’t protect you either, yeah?”
Nangong Chang squatted in front of Huangbo Changmyeong and let out a deep sigh.
Huangbo Changmyeong stared at him, face blank from the sudden shift in mood.
“And dude.”
“Y-yeah?”
“I gotta survive too.”
“Huh?”
“My brother’s the Light Dragon.”
You know that, fucker.
“Jealous? Your brother ain’t the Light Dragon.”
“......Huh?”
“So let me live.”
“Why’s it turning into this?”
“Don’t worry about it, punk. Point is, if you’re fine, I’m dead. Our Light Dragon’s fair like that—even to me.”
“No, why would the Light Dragon...”
But Huangbo Changmyeong never got to hear the rest.
Unfortunately.
* * *
At Qingdao, the southern tip of Shandong Province, a massive galley prepared to set sail.
It was the Yellow Dragon Ship, its yellow hull crowned by a majestic dragon head prow.
The pride and symbol of the Yellow Dragon Merchant Association.
This enormous vessel could traverse the eastern seas all the way to the Orient and distant foreign lands in a single voyage.
It was the very ship that accounted for half the merchant association’s lifeline.
The association’s chief was famous for personally performing rites whenever it set out—proof of just how vital and massive its role was.
*Splash! Splash!*
The chief gazed upon the Yellow Dragon Ship with awe-inspiring dignity, as if commanding the waves.
“Chief, we’re ready to depart.”
The ship’s captain announced in a booming voice.
The chief nodded.
“Pay extra special attention on this voyage!”
“Of course! We’ll bring back the biggest haul yet!”
“Good, I’m counting on you!”
The chief looked at the captain with eyes full of trust.
“Hahaha! No worries! Best weather we’ve had in ages. Calm seas, clear skies!”
The chief nodded at the captain’s words.
He hadn’t seen such fine weather in a long while.
Days this clear, where you could see to the opposite horizon, were rare.
‘Gotta make up for the losses at the Gold Flower Market.’
A lot was riding on this Yellow Dragon Ship.
The ledgers had burned, tangling up the transaction records and causing unacceptable losses.
The Yellow Dragon Merchant Association had taken a direct hit.
Days later, they still hadn’t sorted out the ledger chaos, leaving the Hwangbo family stalled.
This voyage was more crucial than ever.
“Chief, the captain’ll handle it. Hasn’t he always brought back massive profits?”
“Hmm! Needs to be even bigger this time. Only way to steady the finances and calm the chaos.”
“Yes, sir. Then the association can recover and stabilize quick.”
“Hmm. Yes, it has to.”
The chief nodded.
He more than anyone hoped this Yellow Dragon Ship would breathe life back into the clogged-up merchant association.
“Setting sail!”
“Set sail!”
The gathered Yellow Dragon Association members watched the ship with eager eyes.
The captain led with a cupped-fist salute, and the deck buzzed with activity.
The chief nodded contentedly as he watched it depart.
*Shwoosh!*
*Shwoosh!*
The Yellow Dragon Ship cleaved through the water powerfully, surging forward.
Surging...
“Why the hell isn’t it moving right?”
*Plop plop plop...*
Why’s it sinking lower and lower?
High waves?
No, the sea’s dead calm.
Dead calm...
“Wh-what?! It’s sinking! The ship’s sinking! Our association’s Yellow Dragon Ship!”
“Hiiik! S-something’s wrong!”
“Qu-quick, come back, come...!”
The Yellow Dragon Ship, charging toward the distant horizon, reared its dragon head skyward—then *glug glug*, plunged below.
The frothing bubbles seemed like the dragon’s dying cry.
The chief clutched his nape.
“S-save it! Save the shiiiip!”
“Fast ship! Faaaast!”
“Why?! Why’s it sinking?! Why! Argh, my nape, nape!”
“Chief!”
The chief collapsed, clutching his neck.
He stared blankly at the horizon.
“......Wh-what kinda lightning bolt is this? What the...”
It was the moment the association’s future sank with the Yellow Dragon Ship.
* * *
Huangbo Seong’s hands trembled as he stared at Chief Steward Huangbo Cheol.
“The Y-Yellow Dragon Ship sank?”
His voice quavered as thinly as his fingers.
Huangbo Cheol swallowed hard and nodded.
Huangbo Seong, who had shot up in a fit, slumped back into his seat.
“......The Yellow Dragon Ship, perfectly fine, sank? That massive thing?”
“R-right after departure, it went down.”
“What was the cause?”
“Someone drilled a hole in the hull— so cleverly that even the veteran sailors didn’t notice...”
“......Hah.”
Huangbo Seong, on the verge of screaming, let out a hollow sigh, face ashen.
“Hidden so well even guys with over ten years on that ship missed it...”
“......”
“Hit again without a trace?”
Who the hell would dare drill a hole in the Yellow Dragon Ship?
Chief Steward Huangbo Cheol spoke up.
“The cargo’s waterlogged, worthless now. The association’s taken massive damage from this...”
“......What about the bastards who did it? Caught them?”
“The association’s hunting the culprits every way they can. Should nab ‘em soon.”
Huangbo Seong muttered, then glared at the ceiling with bloodshot eyes.
“How many times is this now...”
The Gold Flower Market had burned down, the Heavenly King Escort Agency’s shipment got robbed by bandits.
Then horse thieves swept through the Heavenly King Sword Sect’s base, and now even the Yellow Dragon Merchant Association’s Yellow Dragon Ship was fucked.
And those were just the big ones.
Including the small stuff, he’d pull his hair out.
Huangbo Cheol said cautiously.
“......Family Head, the Yellow Dragon Ship’s bad, but we gotta handle the escort agency’s compensation for the stolen goods too. And with the Gold Flower Market ledgers unrestored, operations are snarled, piling up more losses.”
“......”
“And the Heavenly King Sword Sect...”
The mounting issues, damages, and losses drained the color from Huangbo Seong’s face.
‘......There’s a hole in the finances.’
Not like the early days when he’d scoffed it off.
He thought the Gold Flower ledgers would recover quick, but incidents kept piling up—now it was beyond salvage.
Drizzle soaks your clothes? This was a dam breach flooding everything.
What kinda lightning bolt was this?
‘Was I wrong?’
It had to be the Five Great Families’ scheme.
But they were ghosts—no traces to grab.
If he had proof, he’d rip them apart. Just needed that proof...
The elders were furious.
“Argh! What kinda dirty trick is this?! Only bandits pull shit like this! We gotta report these villains to the Righteous Heaven Alliance, declare ‘em public enemies, hunt ‘em down, and punish ‘em!”
“B-but there’s been no loss of life...”
“Is that the issue?! The property damage...”
“That’s for the authorities to handle.”
“The main house has to fix this! You wanna air our dirty laundry outside?”
“Family Head! Confront the Five Great Families right now, demand answers...”
“With what proof do we confront them?!”
As the elders’ opinions clashed, Huangbo Seong pressed his temples.
Huangbo Cheol said carefully.
“Family Head, maybe accept the Five Great Families’ meeting...”
Huangbo Seong eyed him.
“You want me to bow to them?”
The elders bristled.
“Right, Steward! No way!”
“Exactly! What’s the Hwangbo family if not proud?”
“Ahem. No, that’s not it!”
Huangbo Seong hardened his gaze.
“Shandong’s losses can be offset by expanding into Zhejiang!”
“......”
“We’ll go all-in on the Hangzhou ventures!”
Huangbo Seong declared.
No one noticed the faint tremble in his voice.