Chapter 10
Chapter 10
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Translator: uly
Chapter: 10
Chapter Title: Dreaming
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Heuk Do-san was dreaming.
The cabin was full of water again today.
“This is driving me insane.”
Because the guys up on deck were locked in a tense standoff, bailing out the water was still his job.
He spat on his hand and gripped the ladle. Pressing close to the hole at the stern, he started scooping out the water. A thick lump of shit got caught in the ladle.
“Which bastard shat in the cabin?”
“What are you doing?”
He looked up at the clear voice. A woman in neat silk robes, with a bow slung over her back, was gazing down at him from atop a white horse.
She was one of the young martial artists from the various sects who had come to the academy a month ago and were staying in the annex.
The lady of the Moyong family, who ruled as hegemons of Liaodong with their vast horse pastures, or so he'd heard.
Her name was Mo Yong-ak. Thanks to her family's background, she rode horses like nobody's business.
“Scooping shit.”
“What the hell did I just say?”
The cabin had suddenly turned into the White Deer Academy in Shandong Province. He was dunking the shit scooper into the privy behind the annex where the young martial artists stayed.
‘This is a dream. A dream. Wake up already.’
“Why are your eyes like that?”
“Fell by the roadside.”
“Looks like you fell hard.”
“Into a dog-shit puddle.”
“You must've been drinking again.”
Whenever he came back stinking of booze, his master always made him clean the privy shit. It happened so often that now everyone at the academy, including the martial folk in the annex, knew about it.
“Yeah.”
“You must really like your liquor.”
“Yeah.”
“How's a scholar supposed to like booze that much?”
“It's the same as you lot downing a bowl of murky rice wine after sweating through training.”
“They said you knock back at least a whole jar.”
“A man’s gotta have that kind of capacity.”
“You look like a weakling though…”
True strength comes from the mind, not muscles.
What would a bunch of martial idiots know, running around the hills and fields yelling battle cries all day.
Still, hearing “weakling” from a woman twisted his gut a bit. Today, his skinny arms scooping shit felt especially pathetic.
“Damn it, which bastard threw a book in the shit pit.”
“I thought you were different.”
“What do you mean?”
“Climbing the official ladder isn't everything.”
“...!”
An academy's fate depends on which officials you cozy up to—that decides the students' futures. But the White Deer Academy hadn't schmoozed with a single one.
First, they had no money. Second, his master utterly despised entering officialdom that way.
Scholars exist for offices, not the other way around, or some such nonsense?
Master's pet theory wasn't just talk. He was always petitioning to behead corrupt officials who embezzled public funds.
Heuk Do-san couldn't understand it. If you buy an office with money, isn't recouping your investment natural?
Master was clearly venting frustration over never landing an official post himself.
Anyway, because of that, court and local officials ground their teeth at the mention of White Deer Academy. Even if one of their students wrote a brilliant essay in the civil exams, it'd get torn to shreds.
“You think I'm a joke?”
“Yes.”
“What?”
“A scholar who couldn't make it as an official wastes his days drowning in booze, gets scolded by his master, and ends up punished by scooping shit from dawn. If that's not a joke, what is?”
“This woman, I've had it with you.”
“You gonna hit me?”
He flinched for a moment.
She might look like a woman, but she wasn't. Not human either. A monster. Flying across rooftops at night and knocking out ten swordsmen solo—nobody human does that.
“I don't fight women.”
“Thanks. For going easy on me.”
‘Why do I keep getting drawn into this?’
“I heard you like gambling too.”
“Of course.”
“They say guys who love booze and gambling are womanizers. How about you?”
“Big time.”
“You're shameless.”
“What don't you know? Men our age are all beasts. It's the law of the universe, the creator's divine rule. There are rare exceptions, but I'm not one of them.”
Heuk Do-san flexed his shoulders.
“Had a girl last night too?”
“Naturally. The universal schedule for playboys east or west, ancient or modern: win money gambling, then blow it on booze and women.”
“Did you sleep with her?”
‘What the hell is this woman playing at?’
Normally, she'd blush beet red and run off by now, right?
But not only no blush—she was grinning ear to ear.
Martial world women don't bat an eye at sharing a room with a man; they'd reached the pinnacle of bold thinking. Guess it's true.
‘An eye for an eye, a tooth for a tooth. Time to show this degenerate scholar what happens when you mess with him.’
“Sleep? We did it three times.”
“Impressive.”
“Eh, nothing much.”
How's that?
Ears red yet? Squirming?
“Pfft, liar.”
“What's a lie?”
“I know you got kicked out of Wind and Cloud Teahouse for drinking on credit. Then you snuck into the sailors' gambling den at the docks, caught the eye of some thugs over your debts, ran till dawn, got caught, and beat to a pulp. Right?”
“How do you... know that?”
“You're quite the celebrity at Bongrae Harbor. One of White Deer Academy's students has been lost to booze and gambling for ages. Used to be a prodigy who shook Shandong, but now he's a dog pissing everywhere when drunk.”
‘Dog?’
“If you're gonna do it, own it. Strut into any dockside tavern, drink bold, gamble bold. As the senior brother, you gotta hold your head high so the juniors can too.”
‘What nonsense is this girl spouting? Who doesn't know that? I can't 'cause I got no money.’
Just then, five male young martial artists galloped up. All strapping twenty-somethings in pricey silk robes, bows and quivers dangling from their backs. Off for a hunt, probably. Mo Yong-ak shot off after them like an arrow.
“Damn it.”
Heuk Do-san flung the shit scooper to the floor.
The cabin shifted back from White Deer Academy to the Wind and Cloud Teahouse at Bongrae Harbor.
Owner Wang greeted him with a beaming face, then laid out a massive spread of unrequested booze and food.
“Don't worry about the bill. Eat and drink your fill.”
“What's your angle?”
“No angle. Just think of it as a good dream.”
Right. This was a dream.
Afraid it might end, Heuk Do-san shoveled in the booze and food.
Was Wind and Cloud's baijiu always this sweet? Why's the seafood stew so damn good? Whoa, Shandong's famous whale meat too.
“How's the booze? To your taste?”
Someone poured him a drink and asked.
He turned to see the owner gone, replaced by a ruddy-faced thug with a sword scar splitting half his face.
The Blood Sea Gang's underboss who ruled Bongrae Harbor: Red Killing Ghost. Behind him stood seven swordsmen reeking of blood, arms crossed.
Heuk Do-san jolted in shock.
‘Even for a dream, this is too damn intense!’
“Another round, brother?”
Red Killing Ghost poured again.
True to their name of dyeing the sea red, the Blood Sea Gang's thugs were brutally cruel.
They usually called Heuk Do-san “hey,” “you,” “oi.” But brother?
“W-what's this about?”
“In this tiny Bongrae, everyone's a brother or a brother's friend across one bridge. We should've treated you like a brother ages ago. Sorry, brother.”
‘Have they lost their minds?’
Just three days ago, they buried him in the beach sand for not paying gambling debts and threatened him silly. Now brother?
‘Hold on, are these bastards trying to fatten me up?’
He'd heard the rumors. If the Blood Sea Gang couldn't collect a gambling debt, they'd make an example—kill the debtor outright to deter copycats.
Before killing, they'd ply him with booze and food to ward off ghosts, treat him nice.
Then jab a knife in the gut and twist it once.
Heuk Do-san leaped up, slammed his forehead on the floor, and begged with all his might.
“My bad. I'll pay back the loan in three days. No more gambling halls. Give me one chance, I'll live straight. Please.”
“Whoa, brother. Why this?”
Red Killing Ghost flopped down too, banging his forehead harder, then added urgently.
“No gambling halls? That'd kill me, brother. Don't worry about the tables—come anytime. I'll tell the dealers to go easy on you special. Please don't stay away.”
“You... mean that?”
“Of course.”
“What's your real game...?”
“No game...”
“You want something, right?”
“Since you ask, brother, I'll be frank. We're thinking of pushing into Dongying. Could you... lend a hand?”
Dongying was the port across the inner bay from Bongrae Harbor in Shandong.
A key shipping lane meant endless turf wars among the thugs.
‘Are they nuts? What power do I have to help take Dongying? Write their declaration of war?’
“What exactly do you want...?”
“Simple. Just tell Lady Mo Yong-ak we treated you well. And casually mention we're pondering a move into Dongying. That's all we could ask.”
“Mo Yong-ak? That horse-riding girl who stays in our academy annex and roams the hills every day?”
“Yes, exactly.”
“What happened?”
“You didn't know?”
“Know what?”
“Two days ago, the lady visited our main hall.”
The surroundings shifted from Wind and Cloud Teahouse to the Blood Sea Gang's training ground. It was a total mess. Warriors sprawled everywhere, the gang leader on his knees, head bowed.
Before him sat Mo Yong-ak on her white horse. Behind her stood three warriors in black garb, black bamboo hats pulled low. He'd heard of them: her elite shadow guards.
‘Hey, you. Why are you here?’
Heuk Do-san raised his hand and shouted, but no sound came out.
Mo Yong-ak, her guards, the Blood Sea thugs—none saw him.
In other words, this was Heuk Do-san's imagined reenactment of that day, based on Red Killing Ghost's tale. Now replaying in his dream.
‘What kind of dream changes this wildly?’
“Do you know I'm a student of White Deer Academy?”
Mo Yong-ak looked down at the gang leader.
“White Deer... Academy?”
“You didn't know?”
“Oh, yes. Of course.”
“Great sects like Shaolin Temple or Wudang Sect have temple disciples and lay disciples. Temple disciples train full-time under masters at the headquarters. Lay disciples visit periodically from the secular world. Heard of it?”
“Oh, sure. Sure.”
“So I'm a lay disciple of White Deer Academy.”
“I... see.”
“Last night, my senior brother committed a grave discourtesy, I heard? Cursing your Blood Sea brothers who buried him in the beach sand for unpaid debts. I apologize on his behalf.”
“N-no, the discourtesy was ours. The underlings didn't know. I'll round up everyone involved and break their legs. Truly sorry.”
“If my senior brother disgraces your brothers again...”
“We'll ensure no White Deer Academy folk are touched from now on. And if Heuk Do-san... the head disciple... visits, we'll politely turn him away from gambling. Believe me.”
Mo Yong-ak glanced back. One hat-wearer set a chest before the leader and returned to position.
The open lid brimmed with cash coins. The leader's eyes bulged.
“What's this?”
“Take it.”
“T-too much.”
“Please don't rob my senior brother of his fun.”
“Yes? Oh, yes. We'll host him royally.”
“Nice weather.”
Mo Yong-ak looked up at the sky.
The Blood Sea Gang leader bowed deeply to her retreating back, alongside the hat-wearers.
No matter how they ruled Bongrae Harbor, the Blood Sea Gang was but a firefly under moonlight before the Moyong family.
Heuk Do-san rushed forward and grabbed the reins.
“What the hell are you doing!”
Mo Yong-ak silently extended a hand. Bathed in sunlight, she shone dazzlingly beautiful.
Possessed by a ghost? Heuk Do-san reached out unwittingly. Somehow, his body floated up and landed perfectly behind her.
“Hold tight, senior brother.”
“W-where do I hold?”
Neigh!
The white horse reared high, then bolted like a gale.
Startled, Heuk Do-san hugged Mo Yong-ak tight. The horse bucked wildly.
A scent he'd never known pierced his nose. Soft feminine warmth spread from his fingertips through his body. Skyward whoosh, earthward plunge.
‘Is this okay?’
Then a meteor shower poured from the heavens. The ground heaved, the spooked horse went berserk. Mo Yong-ak bounced into the air, then fled, leaving him behind.
‘H-hey! What, you're ditching me solo?!’