Chapter 79
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Translator: 8uhl
Chapter: 79
Chapter Title: Midnight Infiltration
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The port at night always looked completely different from during the day.
A sinister silence hung over the sea where ships were moored around the docks, while the nearby inns and taverns blazed like cities that never slept.
Sailors' lives were no different from those of warriors who ate at the edge of a blade, with no guarantee of seeing tomorrow.
Who could say when a sudden gale might whip up towering waves, or clouds might unleash a storm?
That was why they filled the inns and taverns near the mooring every day, rinsing their salt-crusted mouths and reveling through the late hours as if it were their last night on earth.
Creak, splash.
On one side of the port, ships lay tied side by side, swaying in the lonely night breeze against the incoming waves.
This was a bustling trade hub, so the vessels were parked quite close together, but with anchors dropped and ropes secured to the mooring posts, they maintained a steady distance from one another despite the rocking.
About a zhang?
It was a marvel when you considered the massive size of these seafaring behemoths.
Creak, splash.
Was it because the night breeze had turned into a gust?
As the waves churned, the ships rocked perilously close to one another, threatening to collide before pulling apart again.
Creeeak!
In the instant the gap between two vessels shrank to less than half a zhang...
Whoosh!
Something pierced the darkness of the fallen night, leaping between the approaching ships.
Thud, smack!
The stillness around them made the sound of feet hitting the wooden deck echo unusually loudly.
Whoosh.
Amid the pitch-black docks, one ship blazed with bright lights, its Haenam Island flag flapping fiercely in the raging night wind.
Jo Yeon-tong, who had drawn the short straw and been stuck on watch instead of disembarking, scowled as he raised his lantern to peer at the neighboring deck.
"What's up?"
"I thought I heard something..."
"Sounds my ass. Can't you see how strong the wind is? The ships are banging around everywhere—how could it be quiet? Quit yapping and drink your booze."
"Is that so?"
When his older brother Yeon-ha, standing watch with him, scolded him like that, Yeon-tong scratched his head and finally plopped down with a thud, having spotted nothing.
"Damn it, I told you to draw the short one. The others are probably guzzling booze with girls by now—what the hell are we doing?"
"Sorry, bro. But we're not the only ones. That bearded guy below..."
"Shut it, you punk. You think he's like us? We're up here on deck gnawing jerky with cheap rice wine, and that guy's ashore chowing down on delivered gourmet grub with fancy liquor."
"Yeah... But why are they after that kid?"
"Who? The Moon Clan's brat?"
"Yeah."
"Of course they have to catch him."
"Why?"
"Who is he? The Moon Clan's heir. You think that little punk escaped the island on his own?"
"..."
"The clan chief must've helped him, no doubt."
"Yeah, but... he's just a kid."
"You idiot. That's why you're always crawling in the dirt."
"..."
Yeon-tong pouted childishly at the hand patting his head dismissively.
As if you're any different, crawling around yourself...
"There's a lot of discontent with the new lord's ascension. And who's at the center of it? Yang Lim, the Moon Clan chief."
"Right. Rumors say he's tied to the young lord's qi deviation too."
"Yeah, those rumors are floating around. That's part of why the Moon Clan is opposing him. Anyway, from the new lord's perspective, Yang Lim's already a thorn in his side. What happens if his grandson gets caught committing a crime?"
"Ah!"
"Get it now? The new lord's using the kid to tie down the Moon Clan."
"I see. If Yang Lim can't move, the other clans..."
"Exactly. Once Yang Lim shuts up, the other clans—not to mention our sect's elders—won't dare oppose anymore."
"Got it. Bro really knows his stuff."
"That's why I'm the big brother. And listen... this is just my take..."
Yeon-ha suddenly glanced around and lowered his voice.
"That kid walked right into the new lord's trap, I bet."
"What?"
"Think about it. That place was guarded by over a hundred warriors. What trick could a child pull to steal his clan's sacred relic and slip out?"
"Ah... could be."
"They framed him on purpose. But keep your mouth shut about this. No point losing your head over it."
"Y-yeah, good idea. I hear the new lord's purging anyone who's caught his eye..."
"That ain't all. Wait till the inauguration. Elders, opposing clan heads—they'll all lose their heads. So we play dead like mice."
"Play dead like mice?"
"Damn right. You gotta pick the right side. The tide's already turned. With the kid caught, Moon Clan can't rebel, no one can. We just stick close to the new lord."
"Ah... got it, bro. I'll stick right by you."
"You better. Here, have a drink. Night wind's biting—need that booze warmth to tough it out."
"Yeah."
As if the gloom had never been, the two clinked cups with renewed cheer.
Whooo, creak, thud.
Seizing the growing wind's clamor and the enveloping darkness, three shadows slipped past the Jo brothers toward the cabins.
Swish, click.
The door shut, and the three masked figures entered on footsteps lighter than a cat's.
[Seed Bull-ah.]
[Yes?]
[What were those bastards saying?]
[Well, not sure exactly, but... looks like Haenam Island's got a new lord? And there's some issues with how it went down.]
[Hmm... Anything else you know?]
[Not really. Haenam Island's so isolated, intel's scarce.]
[Hmm...]
Yu Hyun scowled after the sound transmission exchange.
They act like they know all about history and clans, but zilch on what actually matters?
Fair enough—even for the Beggars' Sect, gathering info across the sea ain't easy.
Most of what they knew was probably pieced from mainland tales, so recent stuff was beyond them.
Yet their words kept echoing in his ears.
...He'd snuck in just to help the poor kid, but it felt like he'd stumbled into some major shit.
What if he stepped in something nasty?
Damn, can't back out now...
[But, Branch Lord.]
[...?]
[From what they're saying, that kid's deep in Haenam Island's internal mess. You sure about this?]
As expected, Gae Du-sin's transmission dripped with worry.
[If our identities get exposed, it'll be a huge problem...]
[...]
Yu Hyun stared straight into Gae Du-sin's anxiously flickering eyes.
[We're masked.]
[Yes?]
[Quit yapping and guard the place. If those bastards come, smash their heads.]
[Braaanch Looord... please. Just turn back...]
"Shut it!"
[...]
Yu Hyun glared at Gae Du-sin like he was cursing him out, then spun away.
Damn, whatever—can't draw a sword and swing at air like a lunatic now, can he?
They were already in; time to find the spit-spewing bastard and teach him a lesson.
Free the kid along the way...
From what he'd heard, the boy was clearly framed, just like he claimed—no real theft.
Yeah, that's it. No deeper involvement.
Mess it up, and things could go south like that guy said...
[Seong! Heading below.]
[Got it!]
As Yu Hyun and Nangong Seong moved for the stairs to the lower decks, Gae Du-sin inwardly unleashed a torrent of curses.
But he couldn't stop them.
He didn't know why, but being around Yu Hyun always made him shrink.
Like he'd committed some grave sin against him in a past life...
And hadn't he seen it with his own eyes?
Yu Hyun cornering Na Ha-chu, the Iron Citadel Chief—that monstrous beast—even if it was basically a loss.
No internal energy from his body at all, yet where did that power come from?
And those Drunken Eight Immortals Steps and Striking Staff techniques he'd shown—such finesse and might, already surpassing him.
Just from seeing it once...
Sigh, damn it. No choice.
Couldn't abandon that prodigiously talented branch lord. The Grand Strategist had said to watch without interfering for a while anyway.
Gae Du-sin clenched his jaw and gripped his green bamboo staff tight.
If those outside fools tried entering, he'd smash their skulls like Yu Hyun said...
* * *
"You think you'll get away with this unscathed?!"
"..."
"Heaven's wrath will strike you down, you scum!"
Lower decks of the ship.
The sharp-voiced boy's shouts echoed through the dimly lit hold.
Crammed in a cage like a beast pen, the boy's body was crusted with dried blood, his face and exposed limbs a swollen mess of bruises.
But those big eyes burned not with childish innocence, but pure venom.
"Fuck, where'd a brat like you learn to talk like that?"
The bearded man outside the bars, nursing his booze, smirked at the boy's tireless yells.
The same thug who'd beaten him senseless at the inn.
"Let me go right now, and I'll tell my grandfather to..."
"Hey!"
"..."
"You seem confused. What do you think Yang Lim can do?"
"What?"
"Stupid kid. If you go back, Yang Lim and the other chiefs will all be rushing to their graves."
"What? No way—the lord would never allow that! Once he knows I'm framed, he'll never let you lot off!"
"The lord? Ha ha ha! Never seen such a moron."
"...?"
"Looks like your gramps kept you in the dark. Fine, you're dying soon anyway—I'll tell you."
The man eyed the boy with a sly grin.
"You didn't steal it—we both know that. Your gramps probably does too. So why'd the lord call it your crime?"
"What?"
"Think, punk. Yang Lim hands over his fastest ship, sneaks you out at night with no one the wiser—yet we non-combat scrubs catch you easy? How?"
The boy's eyes widened at the man's mocking words.
"We targeted you from the start. You, the clan chief's precious grandson."
"You bastards... no way?"
"No way my ass. Who do you think set this up? The new lord. Framing you, letting you 'escape' so we could nab you here."
"No... that can't be..."
"You idiot. How else would we know you'd hit this port out of all of them?"
"..."
"The new lord's Whirlwind Guards and combat squads are already waiting. To take down your gramps and the other clans..."
The boy was speechless at the bearded man's casual spill. Hell, he could barely breathe.
A trap. And he'd walked right in...
Despair welled up in the boy's venom-filled eyes, spilling as tears.
He should've been more careful. His childish impulsiveness had sprung their trap, putting everyone at risk.
Not just Grandpa, but all the other clans...
"Ah..."
His body went limp, rigid back slumping as tears dripped from his twisted eyes.
"Keh keh, now you look like a kid."
"..."
At the bearded man's sneer, the boy ground his teeth and jerked his head up.
Didn't want to seem weak. Didn't want to be the butt of laughs.
His gut burned with shame, but he wouldn't cry...
"...?"
A glint sparked in the boy's trembling eyes.
Behind the sneering bearded man... a masked figure?
"What? See a ghost or something?"
Maybe the boy's dazed look tipped him off.
The bearded man turned puzzledly.
Something in black blocking his way... black clothes?
As he slowly looked up, the masked intruder in his vision grinned with crinkled eyes.
"...Who?"
"Who do you think, asshole?"
"..."
"Payback for that spit!"
"..."
What nonsense—about to curse, but the masked man's fist slammed into the bearded face with explosive force.
Crack!
"Grraaah..."
"Playing weak, huh? Justice for the spit-soaked floor is a long way off."
Smack, smack smack!
Pummeled sitting down, the bearded man collapsed face bloodied, without a single scream.
"Y-you... who are..."
"..."
The boy stammered in shock, and the masked man chuckled, grabbing the bars with his bloody hand.
Grind!
With a grunt of effort, the sturdy bars bent right open.
"Hey, little deer. Got those fairy clothes yet?"
"Yes?"
Deer? Fairy clothes?
The boy blinked in confusion, and the intruder—Yu Hyun—grinned playfully again, eyes crinkling.
"Came to save ya. From your friendly neighborhood woodcutter."