Chapter 58
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Translator: 8uhl
Chapter: 58
Chapter Title: Sword King's Rampage
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The old man who had reduced the entire stretch of waterway to ruins glared fiercely with both eyes and thrust his sword forward.
The moment he recognized the face, Gu Ja-chin's eyebrows shot up in a furious inverted V.
How could he not know?
From birth until now, one had lived in the light while the other lurked in the shadows, sworn enemies through and through...
"Chang-seo?"
"That's right, me! You damn water ghost son of a bitch!"
"......"
The former patriarch of the Nangong Clan, Sword King Nangong Chang-seon. He had come to the spot where Gu Ja-chin and Chungsan were briefly enjoying some leisure a day after Yu Hyun's departure.
Having smashed every single ship from the fleet that had been surrounding and guarding the Water Dragon King...
"You goddamn sword-swinging bastard!"
Seeing the ruins on the water's surface that Nangong Chang-seon had wrought, Gu Ja-chin spat curses with veins bulging in his eyes.
"Hey, you beggar-ass sword-swinging punk! If you'd just asked us to move aside, we would've done it ourselves—why'd you come slashing out of nowhere and mess with the kids!"
"It's a sword, not some knife! And what do I care if I mess with criminals like you lot or not!"
Nangong Chang-seon shot back shamelessly at Gu Ja-chin's shout.
"You wanna die, you bastard!"
"Bring it, you water ghost scum!"
"What? You double-damned prick!"
"......"
Nangong Chang-seon and Gu Ja-chin.
The two elders, who commanded the respect of warriors across the land, traded insults like foul-mouthed street thugs fighting over turf in the same neighborhood.
The problem was that their curses carried infused energy.
Their twin arts of profanity, unleashed at the peak of the river's profound realm with full power, were enough to make even the most refined sound arts weep.
The surroundings rang with echoes, waves churned on the nearby surface, and trees shook as if caught in a gale, shedding leaves in the process.
Others might not notice, but Chungsan, standing nearby, couldn't help but grimace under the oppressive pressure of their internal energies.
"You water ghost bastard. Didn't I warn you not to touch my boys?"
"What? Your boys?"
Gu Ja-chin's brow twisted in irritation at Nangong Chang-seon's bellow as he leveled his sword.
"Yeah."
"What nonsense... Ah! That kid?"
Gu Ja-chin, who had been wearing a baffled expression, suddenly recalled Nangong Seong—the boy who had nearly fallen into qi deviation spitting sword aura despite not being at that level yet.
"Your grandson?"
"......"
"Hah, you fool. It's a misunderstanding. I only found out later that your grandson was on board."
"Hmph! Sure you did."
"I'm telling you, it's true. Once I knew, I sent him back safe and sound. So quit your rampage here and get the hell back to your turf."
"You're full of it. I heard the story from our Seong on the way. You said you cleared his meridians?"
"Huh? You knew?"
Gu Ja-chin nodded, then suddenly flushed red.
No, shouldn't he be coming here to kowtow in gratitude for fixing his grandson who almost qi-deviated?
"...Then why the tantrum?"
Realizing he'd done a good deed only to get abuse for it, Gu Ja-chin scowled and demanded an answer.
"Yu Hyun!"
"Yeah?"
"I heard you took that child with you."
"......"
"Hand him over right now! Hurry! If even a single hair on his head is harmed, I'll turn the Yangtze into a sea of blood on the spot!"
"......"
At Nangong Chang-seon's words, Gu Ja-chin stared at him blankly.
Could that kid be connected to the Nangong Clan somehow?
And for the usually prim Nangong Chang-seon—who even snuck off to the outhouse—to blow up like this, he must cherish the boy that much.
It wasn't incomprehensible. The talent Yu Hyun had shown was truly extraordinary.
No way?
"Your... disciple?"
"What kinda nonsense is that? Disciple—well, yeah, he could be my disciple! Damn right!"
"......"
Catching the subtle nuance in his response, a faint smile crept onto Gu Ja-chin's lips.
Not a disciple yet, but he wants to make him one. Makes sense—the kid's worth coveting.
But what now? He's my disciple already.
Hearing that the one you coveted became someone else's disciple would sting like hell.
He couldn't reveal it yet, but imagining Nangong Chang-seon's face crumpling like he'd eaten shit when it came out later, Gu Ja-chin grinned mischievously.
"What if I can't hand him over?"
"What?"
"What'll you do if I don't give him up?"
"You... you..."
Gu Ja-chin savored the sight of Nangong Chang-seon's face, flushed not just red but on the verge of exploding.
Yeah. This is the stuff.
Teasing this smug bastard had always been endlessly amusing.
But he couldn't push too far.
The guy didn't earn the title Sword King for nothing.
Better to rile him up just right, then tell the truth. Yu Hyun had already gone off to the Murim Alliance, good as gold.
Then share a drink with his rival and old friend...
"God, your temper. Don't worry, you fool. Actually..."
"You goddamn bastard!"
"...Huh?"
Just as Gu Ja-chin opened his mouth to spill the facts, Nangong Chang-seon—who had been glaring at him with murderous intent—suddenly stomped the ground.
Boom! Scraaaape!
"Sh-shit!"
Gu Ja-chin's face, relaxed from the banter, cracked like shattered porcelain.
The 'King' in his title wasn't there for show.
Just his name alone made heaven and earth resound—an absolute being.
Chungsan tried to intervene belatedly, but it was futile.
Leaving Chungsan's sword slicing empty air behind, Nangong Chang-seon shot forward like lightning, his venomous blade swinging at Gu Ja-chin.
Zzzzzzzing!
Gu Ja-chin twisted his upper body in desperation, his collar ripping grotesquely as a vivid red line etched across his gaunt, bare skin.
"Grk! You goddamn sword-swinging bastard!"
Grimacing in searing pain, Gu Ja-chin ground his teeth.
But if Nangong Chang-seon was the Sword King, he was the Water Dragon King.
Another absolute being who could vie for supremacy over the orthodox sects and the world right now.
He just needed the right conditions.
"San! Get outta here!"
Splash!
Shouting at Chungsan, Gu Ja-chin—off-balance—kicked off the ground and hurled himself into the water.
Whoosh, plop.
Dodging Nangong Chang-seon's sword strike in the nick of time, Gu Ja-chin managed to balance atop a floating plank of wood.
Soon after came the sound of Chungsan splashing into the water.
"You fuckin' bastard! Nearly got me killed."
Gu Ja-chin shot Nangong Chang-seon a pissed-off glare while eyeing his exposed upper body.
"You punk! You really trying to kill me?"
"Did I come here just to chat and farm? I've let your head stay on your neck too long. Should've lopped it off ages ago."
"......"
"Come on out. I'll cut your head off right now."
Seeing Nangong Chang-seon arrogantly flicking his sword, Gu Ja-chin's eye twitched—he'd been about to tell the truth about Yu Hyun leaving.
"What? Cut my head how, you damn bastard!"
"You wanna fight with words? Come out! I said come out, you punk!"
"......"
As Nangong Chang-seon bellowed with eyes bulging, Gu Ja-chin—boiling mad—surged his inner energy in an instant.
Pah-pah-pah-pah!
Concentric ripples formed around the plank under his feet, then spray erupted, spreading in all directions.
"I fix up your damn grandson and this is the thanks I get... Fine, let's see who wins. Come at me, you punk!"
"You come out!"
"Come at me!"
"You come out!"
"Come at me! What, you scared?"
"You're the scared one! Come out!"
"......"
Come out, come at me.
Chungsan sighed deeply, his head whipping back and forth at their back-and-forth.
Neither was going to come out or charge in just because the other said so.
They knew each other's advantages too well.
On land, the Sword King wins. In the water, the Water Dragon King wins.
No matter how slim the margin, that gap never closed. That's why they were stalling.
Worse, the one who could explain—the maggot—had already gone off with Yu Hyun.
Ah, if only he could speak...
This tedious standoff needed to end before sunset...
"Hah, let's call it quits. I'm in a pretty good mood today, so quit the pointless bullshit and just go."
"Shut up! I'm not leaving without Yu Hyun!"
"Gone! I told you, he's gone, you punk."
"What?"
"He left yesterday, you sword-swinging bastard. Sent him off without a scratch."
Not entirely true about the scratch, but he had sent him back alive.
"Even stuck one of my guys who knows the waterways with him, so he should've reached Wulin by now."
"Huh? For real?"
"Yeah!"
"......"
At those words, Nangong Chang-seon—who had been raging—suddenly calmed.
"But why'd you just let him go? A criminal like you?"
"What? Criminal? You sword-swinging prick!"
"......"
"Hah, whatever. What's the point talking to a guy whose head's full of nothing but sword swings?"
Gu Ja-chin shook his head and sighed.
He wanted to brag about taking him as a disciple right then, but he'd already made a promise.
Provisional disciple.
That was enough for now.
His mouth itched to shock the sword-swinging bastard into a faint, but he held back for the future fun.
After all, the thrill of a surprise story was in the twist, right?
"If you can't believe it, send a messenger pigeon to your Alliance right now."
"...He really went?"
"Your ears in your ass or what? Why can't you trust what people say?"
"'Cause you're not people."
"You sword-swinging bastard to the end!"
As Gu Ja-chin glared irritably again, Nangong Chang-seon finally sheathed his sword.
Bad guy or not, his pride pierced the heavens. He wouldn't lie, at least.
"He seemed like too good a kid to kill."
"Huh?"
"That Yu Hyun kid."
"......"
"So I let him go. We'll call it even for the damage we took."
"Ah... Yeah, makes sense. He's that kind of kid. Thanks, anyway. Looks like my grandson owes him a huge debt."
"Hah! Now you say it? After all that chaos?"
When Nangong Chang-seon casually expressed gratitude, Gu Ja-chin pointed incredulously at the Yangtze.
"I'll compensate you."
"You two-ti—!"
"I'll compensate. Generously, including the damage Yu Hyun caused."
"......"
Gu Ja-chin paused at Nangong Chang-seon's words, sinking into thought.
Compensation.
He'd already received compensation for what Yu Hyun did.
Truth be told, now that he was his disciple, there wasn't much more to claim. The young master said so—what could the underlings say?
But Nangong Chang-seon didn't know that.
Which meant... he could squeeze a fortune out of him.
When he found out later?
Pfft, just play dumb and wipe his mouth.
"Hey! Sword-swing."
"Yeah?"
"Let's get properly plastered first. We don't see each other often—can't just trade a few swings and split, right? We'll hash out the compensation nice and slow."
"...Sure, why not."
As Nangong Chang-seon nodded, Gu Ja-chin—scheming inwardly about how much to fleece him for—shouted at Chungsan.
"San! Tell the boys to bring two jars of the strong stuff... no, make it two dong. You grill up some more meat."
And so the two absolute beings began their drinking session.
* * *
"Halt!"
"......"
The moment they crossed the boundary on the boat provided by Gu Ja-chin's water bandits, warriors leaped aboard from surrounding vessels swarming with fierce auras, leveling gleaming swords.
Five at Yu Hyun's throat, three at Gu Deok's who gripped the oar.
No need to ask who they were—Murim Alliance warriors.
"No, looks like there's some misunderstanding..."
"We'll be the judge of that. Come quietly."
"......"
Come quietly? What order?
Fine, swords at the maggot's throat? Understandable.
But why me? Am I the criminal?
"I'm Yu Hyun, by the way."
"We know that. But we have our orders."
"......"
Should he just flip this shit over...? No, no.
Suspicion was natural.
Returning unscathed after capture by the water bandit boss, now with said bandit rowing for him.
Yeah, no point causing a fuss.
Didn't know what happened to Hwang Deok-sam. Nangong Seong was at the Alliance anyway—misunderstanding would clear up quick.
For now, do as they say.
"Uh... aren't you gonna seal our pressure points?"
"Pardon?"
"You have to. Never know what might happen... Hey, you water bandit. Stick your neck out too. Let me seal yours."
"Pardon?"
"Now!"
"......Yes."
Yu Hyun offered his own pressure points, then grinned cheerfully as the warriors dragged him and Gu Deok away.
Just you wait, Hwang Deok-sam.
I'll come find you soon.