52
Chapter 52: Escape
Though it wasn't yet visible to Dong Bong-su's eyes, judging by how the lake's width had rapidly narrowed to less than 1 kilometer, they had definitely entered the entrance of Chaochuan.
People cheered without exception.
Around that time, the lights that had been chasing the ships along the lakeshore were also gradually slowing their speed.
Dong Bong-su knew the reason clearly, but it seemed strange to Tang Hwa, who looked at Tang O and expressed her doubt.
"Huh? Grandfather, the lights that were following aren't chasing us anymore."
"I see..."
Tang O also frowned, narrowing his brow at the enemies' strange behavior. He felt uneasy that the lights were no longer following.
Even if the enemies had blockaded the entrance to Chaochuan, there were dozens of ships here. Moreover, hundreds of people were divided among these ships, and there were quite a few masters.
Also, though they were merely filling numbers, there were quite a few servants and workers of the Namgung Family and their dependents. To face all of these, support from the lakeshore would be essential. Yet the enemies had stopped their pursuit just before reaching Chaochuan.
'What does this mean?'
Does it mean the forces ahead alone are sufficient to stop all the ships here? Does that make sense? Did they bring enough demonic soldiers to perfectly blockade the entrance to Chaochuan even after using that many forces to surround the Namgung Family?
At the moment Tang O had doubts about that problem.
A small number of ships at the very front began to accelerate, pushing forward vigorously. To them, the lights from the lakeshore not following meant the enemies had given up pursuit.
'No. This isn't right. Something's wrong.'
No matter how he thought about it, Tang O couldn't understand the enemies' movements. He eventually transmitted his voice to the entire fleet as loudly as possible with his internal energy, slowing the ships' speed to the maximum extent possible. However, the ships that had already advanced ahead showed no intention of stopping and moved forward even faster.
Because of that, the escape fleet quickly separated into two groups.
The ships going ahead first and the ships that fell behind following Tang O.
It was when the distance between the two had widened to about a hundred meters.
"Aaaahhh!"
"It's reinforcements!"
"Support troops have appeared!"
Cheers came from the ships ahead.
At that sound, Dong Bong-su realized what was coming had come, and Tang O and Tang Hwa couldn't help but feel bewildered. They didn't know why those people were shouting joyfully at the sight of enemies.
However, it didn't take long for the two to figure out the reason.
"It's the Eighteen Yangtze Waterway Strongholds!"
"They must have received word from the Namgung Family Head!"
"The Yangtze Waterway Strongholds have come to rescue the Namgung Family!"
The cries pouring from the vanguard ships said that the 'reinforcements' that appeared were water bandits from the Eighteen Yangtze Waterway Strongholds.
As if to prove it, ships soon began pouring out from the entrance of Chaochuan.
The ships were all sleekly designed fast ships, each with a large ramming horn made of ivory attached to the front. Fast ships shaped like this were called Yangtze River Ships and were the main vessels of the Eighteen Yangtze Waterway Strongholds.
And each ship had a flag planted at the bow, on which was embroidered a picture of eighteen large fish intertwined.
Kun.
That fish was a mythical animal with such a name. The Kun, known to be so large that its body length reached several thousand meters, could swim nine thousand meters with one flap of its fins and cause a tsunami that overturned three thousand meters of ocean with one flick of its tail, was precisely the animal symbolizing the Eighteen Yangtze Waterway Strongholds.
The water bandits of the Eighteen Yangtze Waterway Strongholds called the Kun a divine fish and called that flag the Divine Fish Flag.
"Divine Fish Flag... Is it really the Eighteen Yangtze Waterway Strongholds?"
The ships that appeared were truly vessels of the Yangtze Waterway Strongholds. Naturally, those aboard them would be water bandits of the Eighteen Yangtze Waterway Strongholds.
"Eighteen Yangtze Waterway Strongholds? Grandfather, why have they appeared here? Uncle Namgung didn't say anything like that, did he? Perhaps after we escaped the Namgung Family, did he send a messenger to the Yangtze Waterway Strongholds?"
Judging by her excited voice, Tang Hwa seemed to really think of the Eighteen Yangtze Waterway Strongholds as reinforcements.
Tang O of course knew well that wasn't the case. If Namgung Byeok could have obtained rescue from the Eighteen Yangtze Waterway Strongholds, he wouldn't have forced the congratulatory guests to escape like this in the first place.
Not only that?
Hadn't they seen enough on the way here?
All routes to the Yangtze River were blockaded. With the sky route blocked, which messenger could have reached the Yangtze Waterway Strongholds faster than ships?
Even if they could have transmitted news to the Yangtze Waterway Strongholds that the Namgung Family was surrounded, it would take at least three or four days for them to prepare to mobilize and come here.
Above all, there were too many of their ships. Even though more ships than those that had escaped from the Namgung Family were already blockading the entire entrance of Chaochuan, more continued to appear. To an extent where their end couldn't be known.
"...They're not reinforcements. They're not reinforcements! We must turn the ships around!"
"What? What do you mean?"
"Don't you understand? Heavenly Demon Castle and the Eighteen Yangtze Waterway Strongholds have joined hands! We must escape this place quickly!"
"...!"
Tang O finally became completely certain that the Eighteen Yangtze Waterway Strongholds were enemies, not reinforcements.
However,
'It's too late.'
In Dong Bong-su's view, the situation was already screwed. The enemies had fast ships so they could move at speeds far superior to this side, and the ships here had already lost even their acceleration while slowing down. If there was any fortune, it was only one thing—that most of the ships remained at the rear following Tang O.
Nevertheless, Dong Bong-su's eyes showed not a trace of wavering.
What was it?
What was he, Dong Bong-su, looking at?
His darkly sunken gaze was gloomily glinting. His calm eyes were fixed on the Divine Fish Flag of the Eighteen Yangtze Waterway Strongholds with the Kun carefully embroidered on it.
'Found it. Finally!'
By the time Dong Bong-su shouted that in his heart, the vanguard ships were already quite close to the fast ships of the Yangtze Waterway Strongholds.
The congratulatory guests aboard those ships were still cheering as if Chaohu Lake would float away. Not knowing they were sticking their heads into a tiger's mouth.
A moment later.
The ship at the very front among them approached and attached itself to a distance not far from the lined-up ships of the Yangtze Waterway Strongholds.
Suddenly water bandits poured out en masse from the cabins of the fast ships. They all held bows in their hands. Seeing the arrowheads glinting sharply in the moonlight, one could tell how keenly they were sharpened.
"Fire!"
Someone on the fast ship shouted.
Sswish sswish swish sswish sswish swish!
Soon arrows poured from the rain clouds called the Yangtze Waterway Strongholds.
That rain became a concentrated downpour, instantly turning the decks of the ships that had recklessly gone ahead into porcupines.
"Aaargh!"
"Aaarggh!"
Cheers turning into screams truly happened in an instant.
Following that, the ships of the Yangtze Waterway Strongholds began their advance. They glided at full speed and crashed toward the Namgung Family's ships.
Thunk, creeeeakk.
The ships struck by the powerful ramming horns soon created foam and sank into the water. Many of the ships that had gone ahead were small and fast ships, so they were damaged even more easily by the ramming horns.
That sound echoed and soon reached even the ships that had fallen behind.
Has there ever been a time when the full moon's moonlight made people so cruelly disappointed?
The moonlight made people's eyes bright as day, and because of it, the congratulatory guests and ships being brutally crushed were visible all too vividly. This lacked nothing to terrify those who survived.
"Aaaaaahh!"
"Flee! Flee!"
Ships that fell into uncontrollable states began rowing toward the shore all at once. Even the ship Tang O was aboard began moving toward the nearest shore, escaping his control.
Most of the ships that had fallen behind at the rear turned toward the closer right lakeshore. Tang O also didn't stop the ship from heading that way since no other option was visible.
However, that too wasn't very hopeful.
The torches of the Heavenly Demon Castle demonic soldiers who had stopped their pursuit began moving again. Before long, they preemptively seized the places where the ships would dock.
The land was quickly covered by a wave of torches, and behind them, the waves created by the fast ships were rushing in fiercely. Behind was the Yangtze Waterway Strongholds, ahead was Heavenly Demon Castle. They had met the worst situation.
"Grandfather! What do we do!? We can't go toward the Yangtze River or toward the shore!"
Flustered, Tang Hwa spoke to Tang O, unable to settle down.
Tang O answered with a hardened face.
"First, we go to shore."
"But there...!"
Tang Hwa pointed toward the shore with her eyes and trailed off.
Having gotten quite close now, not just torches but those wearing black clothes who had pursued them were faintly visible. Their skin prickled from the killing intent they emitted. She had never experienced such a thing in her life and was already falling into a panic state.
Comforting her like that, Tang O clenched his teeth tightly.
"Still, we have no choice but to go that way. Hwa-ah."
Tang O chose the shore. He had no choice.
In his judgment, the water side showed absolutely no hope. No matter how skilled Tang O was, he had no means to match the Eighteen Yangtze Waterway Strongholds who were skilled in water combat.
Above all, since the ship Tang O was aboard had fallen to the very rear of the escape fleet, they could arrive first when retreating to shore.
Tang Hwa, thinking quietly, realized Tang O's words were right, so she only frowned silently without adding other words.
However, the screams echoing all around were truly unbearable. They were so horrific that they made her think she would soon become like that too.
Then at some moment.
A thought crossed her mind.
"Grandfather, but by now, shouldn't that person reveal himself? Why is he still hiding his appearance? No matter how strong he is, if the situation becomes more serious than this, it will be impossible to turn back..."
Tang O immediately realized who the 'that person' Tang Hwa was talking about was. The protagonist of the Three Holy Lights, the one presumed to have immeasurable internal energy... 'that person.'
Tang O also thought that if that person was aboard one of these ships somewhere, he would reveal himself now. However, 'that person' still wasn't revealing his appearance before them. No, they believed so.
In reality, the real 'that person' was standing beside them, quietly waiting for the 'time.' The precise moment to escape this crisis of being surrounded on all sides... just waiting silently.