Chapter 50
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Translator: 8uhl
Chapter: 50
Chapter Title: Pirates as Stepping Stones
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“Th-that…… th-that…….”
The people lining the boat’s railing couldn’t hide their bewilderment amid the nonstop water sprays shooting up.
Gu Deok, in particular, had no choice but to be even more shocked.
Warriors, whether orthodox or unorthodox, universally scorned water arts, but to water bandits, they were the most vital skill of all.
One might call it their pride in being unmatched in the water.
They felt no envy for those legendary lightness skills like the Water Dragon Flight or Floating on Water—time-honored pinnacle techniques.
Those were masterful only on the surface; useless underwater.
That was why they held annual competitions.
Winning the boat race at the stronghold chief’s gathering was an event they prized above all else.
Water arts were their exclusive domain, their very identity.
But what was this guy?
Had he been a fish in a past life or something? Despite starting late, he’d instantly caught up to his own men, who had set out first to chase Hwang Deok-sam.
“Who the hell is that guy to move like that? Man, what an uncle, huh? When the heck did he learn water arts? Well, I guess while he was slimming down and splashing around at Yu Clan Manor?”
“…….”
A voice suddenly piped up from behind Gu Deok, who was stuck to the railing, staring at Yu Hyun in wide-eyed shock.
He turned his head to see Nangong Seong cracking his knuckles with a chilling grin.
But Gu Deok didn’t recognize him.
Distinctive features made someone easy to identify, and Nangong Seong’s face was plain as plain could be.
How was he supposed to spot him without the Nangong Clan’s signature sword, carrying some other blade instead?
Moreover, he hadn’t seen Nangong Seong shield people with his qi during the fight.
So he could only see him as just another passenger on the boat……
“You crazy bastard! Do you know who I am?”
“…….”
Nangong Seong smirked as he stared blankly at Gu Deok, who was bulging his eyes and bellowing.
“Who? Just some shitty water bandit who nearly killed people by flinging qi everywhere.”
“What?”
“Whatever. No point in talking. He told me to beat you up, so that’s what I’ll do.”
“You lunatic! You dare touch me? You think you’ll get away with messing with the Black Mirror Stronghold?”
His ribs were busted, but he couldn’t bow to some random thug.
It was then, as Gu Deok gritted his teeth and forced himself upright.
Grab!
Grab?
Crunch!
Crun……ch?
Gu Deok couldn’t comprehend why his head was suddenly clutched in Nangong Seong’s hand.
He’d seen the hand move and dodged, hadn’t he?
Which meant…… an expert?
“Shut your crap. The moment you attacked those people, the justification shifted to our side.”
Nangong Seong clenched his free hand into a tight fist and raised it high.
“W-wait a…….”
Smaaaash!
Before Gu Deok could finish, Nangong Seong’s fist slammed into his face.
“Guh…….”
“Guh my ass! Don’t even breathe!”
Crack! Smack! Crunch!
After the first punch, Nangong Seong gripped Gu Deok’s head and started pummeling him like a madman.
Infusing it with the first of the Seven Emotions he’d learned from Yu Hyun: Rage……
Crunch, crunch, rip!
Once Gu Deok passed out and slumped to the deck, he switched to stomping.
Head, shoulders, knees, feet…… then knees again……
He was humming a tune, utterly lost in the rhythm.
* * *
Splash splash splash!
Alternating his arms to slice through the current while kicking up sprays for propulsion, Yu Hyun’s body shot forward, instantly sticking right to the tail of the water bandits chasing Hwang Deok-sam.
“Gah!”
One bandit, who’d turned at the rough splashing behind him while pursuing hard, swallowed empty air.
“Surprised?”
“……!”
The bandit instinctively curled into a shrimp-like twist at Yu Hyun’s sudden approach, thrusting his sleek dagger straight out.
Shiiiing!
The blade cut through the water as Yu Hyun’s body twisted aside.
Splat!
Grabbing the bandit’s wrist and yanking, Yu Hyun used the momentum to leap lightly onto the surface.
“Huh?”
The bandit, looking up at Yu Hyun soaring into the sky, squinted against the sunlight.
Then something massive cast a shadow over his face.
Smaaaash!
“Gurgleblubblub…….”
The bandit screamed as Yu Hyun’s descending foot crushed his face, then sank swallowing water.
“Oh! This works great!”
Stepping on the bandit gave him launch power.
Let’s see, with this……
Even the best water arts couldn’t match land speed underwater, but this way, no need to swim.
And conveniently, plenty of stepping stones around.
Yu Hyun’s sharp eyes scanned the surroundings as he leaped again.
Target…… the stepping stone right next!
Crunch!
“Gloooob…….”
A bandit swimming furiously got his back stomped by Yu Hyun and sank; Yu Hyun leaped again.
Crunch, crunch, crunch……
Not all bandits had equal water skills, of course.
For every fast one, there were slow ones.
The gap they created turned them into a well-paved highway for Yu Hyun now.
Yeah, what’s so great about Water Dragon Flight?
If Bodhidharma crossed the vast Yellow River on a single reed leaf, I’ll cross the Yangtze stepping on water bandits!
Crunch, crunch, crunch!
Man, what a satisfying sound.
Truly brilliant method.
He vowed to use it again next time, repeating the stomp-and-leap over and over.
Who cared if the bandits lived or died.
Stomping and sinking them one by one, Yu Hyun swiftly overtook the last bandit chasing Hwang Deok-sam and leaped high.
“Hey!”
“……?”
“Hwang Deok-sam!”
“Gasp!”
The island wasn’t far; Hwang Deok-sam’s feet had just touched the riverbed and he was about to surge up when a nearby voice made his face go pale.
He’d turned at the distant “hey,” and now the guy was already beside him?
The voice belonged to that youthful-faced young man, unmistakably.
And the water bandits bobbing lifelessly on the surface……
N-no way, this guy…… an absolute master of lightness skill on water? Took out every single bandit and caught up?
That’s how it looked to him.
He’d been too busy fleeing by swimming to see what happened to the ones behind.
But he couldn’t just surrender tamely to some unknown—friend or foe.
“Hah!”
Hwang Deok-sam kicked off the riverbed, launching up with a qi-wrapped fist swung at Yu Hyun.
Shwaaak!
“…….”
Yu Hyun clicked his tongue in pathetic disdain.
What shwaaak?
Far from true absolute realm qi blade, but dodging a punk on par with some water bandit deputy was child’s play.
With a casual step forward and body twist, Yu Hyun evaded effortlessly and reached out.
Grab.
“……!”
Fwoosh!
Yu Hyun yanked Hwang Deok-sam by the collar and flew to the shore.
“Ugh.”
As soon as they landed, Yu Hyun released him, making Hwang Deok-sam plop down on his butt; he scowled.
Yu Hyun stared at him and teased.
“Ehey, no need to be so guarded. I’m trying to save you. Just answer my questions nicely…….”
“Shut up! Why should I trust you?”
“Sheesh, calling me ‘you bastard’ without even introductions. Well, whatever—I’m the one who needs something.”
“……?”
“Gotta deal with these pests first, right?”
Yu Hyun glanced back, and the man followed his gaze.
Excluding those Yu Hyun had stepped over, the rest of the bandits were swimming hard toward the riverbank.
“But can’t have you running off…….”
Swipe!
As Yu Hyun’s hand brushed him, Hwang Deok-sam’s body stiffened.
“This guy’s…….”
Swipe.
After sealing his meridian and pressure points, Yu Hyun pried open his mouth, checked, then rolled up a cloth scrap as a gag.
“No poison, so he won’t die.”
“…….”
“No misunderstanding—I’m just worried you might run again.”
Grinning, Yu Hyun turned and walked toward the bandits climbing ashore one by one, tilting his head crookedly.
“Hmm, what to do.”
He knew countless techniques, but which to use?
No sword, so fists and feet only.
Enlighten villains with Shaolin arts? Or Huashan? Wudang?
Daoist or Buddhist ways purified the heart, sure, but lacked punch.
People were crafty.
Why focus so much on subduing without killing?
For times like this, even orthodox sects needed the brutality that terrified foes—like the Tang Clan’s Dark Heaven Hand, stuck midway to unorthodox.
Nothing better for neutralizing crowds at once.
And right by the water, hidden weapons everywhere.
But with his current inner energy, this range was iffy……
“Grab him!”
The bandits onshore charged madly at Yu Hyun and the man.
Yu Hyun slowly crouched, sweeping the ground.
Rattle.
River pebbles filling his hand.
As the Dark Heaven Hand master once said—gentle in nature, ruthless in martial arts: all things are hidden weapons.
At a certain level, even sand worked, but these would suffice now.
Crunch.
Water bandits? Pfft!
Most would die unless insanely lucky.
“You! Die!”
The first to charge leaped high, slashing down with curved swords in both hands.
Shwick! Crack!
Calculating the swords’ path, Yu Hyun snapped a kick up into the bandit’s jaw, then stomped down hard.
Boom!
The ground shook from his fierce stamp; using the recoil, he surged forward, flinging handfuls of pebbles.
A Tang Clan secret hidden weapon technique he’d used as snowballs back in the Nine Dragon Stronghold.
Murderous Stone Sling!
Shwaaaaa!
Yu Hyun’s inner energy-infused pebbles shot out everywhere.
They wouldn’t fly far, but no need.
The bandits were already close.
Thud thud thud thud!
“Argh!”
“Kek!”
Pummeled by pebble hail, the bandits’ bodies riddled like hives, they collapsed mid-charge.
One, two, three…… five…… eh, too lazy to count.
Anyway, only three of the onshore bandits survived.
And they were so terrified they’d halted and slumped down.
Hmm, but this counts as war? From what that nephew said earlier, probably.
Casualties among the people wouldn’t be light……
Can’t have that.
I came to save the martial world—can’t cause harm instead.
But it’s done, irreversible.
So……
“……No survivors.”
Bad guys anyway; only harm in the world.
Eyes cold with killing intent, Yu Hyun snatched a fallen bandit’s sword and stomped the ground.
“U-uaaa!”
Shwick crack!
The terrified bandits scattered to flee.
But unleashing Beggars’ Sect supreme lightness skill Flying on Dust—no one matched him in short bursts—Yu Hyun overtook them mid-stride and swung.
Drip drip.
Amid pooling blood by the water, the bandits’ heads thudded to the ground, faces frozen in terror.
Shwing!
Shaking blood from the blade, Yu Hyun turned to the man with an innocent smile.
“There, water bandits sorted. Shall we chat now?”
“…….”
The man was speechless.
What could he say?
Killing that many water bandits and smiling—it was just a childish monster.
* * *
“Whoa…… incredible, truly incredible. What kinda uncle is that?”
Nangong Seong, resting after thrashing Gu Deok from afar, gaped at Yu Hyun.
Using water bandits as stepping stones to cross that distance? Who’d have thought.
The more he watched, the more astonishing the man.
But what about the boat? Needed to dock at the uncle’s island……
The helmsman was already dead in the cargo hold, no crew left.
Damn cowards. Soon as fighting started, they dove overboard to save their own skins.
Pondering briefly, Nangong Seong glanced at Gu Deok, whom he’d beaten unconscious.
……Gotta wake him up.