Chapter 141
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Translator: 8uhl
Chapter: 141
Chapter Title: Audience with the Yangtze Dragon King
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Seol Hwa-un and his group mounted the horses prepared by Ma Jong-pyo and headed toward Chaohu Lake, south of Hefei.
Riding side by side with Ma Jong-pyo, Seol Hwa-un asked,
“Is there a boat waiting at Chaohu Lake?”
“That’s right. You’re finally going to see the real ships of our water stronghold. They’re nothing like the patrol boats you saw at our first meeting, so brace yourself.”
“Bigger than the Yellow Dragon Water Stronghold’s sailboat from back then?”
Ma Jong-pyo, who had been brimming with pride, looked a bit flustered.
“Ahem! Very few water strongholds have sailboats that size!”
“I see.”
“But our ships are sleek and much faster. You can look forward to it.”
Seol Hwa-un gave a faint smile.
“Got it.”
Ma Jong-pyo, whom he hadn’t seen in a long time, surprisingly presented him with an invitation from the Yangtze Dragon King.
It was an official invitation to the Yangtze Waterway Strongholds’ grandest event, the Dragon King Festival.
Seol Hwa-un was taken aback but readily accepted. Having owed them a great debt from his last trip to the Central Plains, it wasn’t something he could refuse.
Seol Hwa-un asked a nearby branch of the Haomen to pass word to the Taegok sub-branch that he had departed for the Yangtze Waterway Strongholds, then immediately set off with Ma Jong-pyo.
They rode for about two hours and soon arrived at Chaohu Lake.
There, they spotted a ship smaller than the Yellow Dragon Water Stronghold’s sailboat but sleek in form as Ma Jong-pyo had said, painted overall in black tones.
“Oh!”
“Cool!”
As Eom Mu-hwi and Dong Ho-won exclaimed in admiration, Seol Hwa-un nodded.
“Indeed, a fine ship.”
Ma Jong-pyo beamed with a pleased smile.
“Hahaha, I knew you’d like it. Her name is ‘Black Pearl.’ It means black jewel.”
“Black Pearl.”
“She’s the flagship of our Lower Yangtze Water Stronghold. Come on aboard.”
As Seol Hwa-un’s group boarded, over two hundred water bandits came out to greet him.
“Welcome, North Heaven Dragon!”
“Good to see you!”
Among them were some of the water bandits who had come to Lake Hongze to rescue the North Sea Ice Palace group.
Seol Hwa-un calmly cupped his hands in salute.
“Good to see you all.”
“Hahaha!”
Ma Jong-pyo, standing at the prow, raised his voice.
“Alright, raise anchor!”
“Yes, Stronghold Leader!”
Soon, the Black Pearl swiftly cut through the waves.
Seol Hwa-un gazed at the scenery of Chaohu Lake, lost in thought.
‘The Yangtze Dragon King...’
The man who built the current Yangtze Waterway Strongholds and famed as an absolute master.
‘He’s been unusually friendly.’
Of course, he might hold some fondness for the one who had wiped out three of their mortal enemies, the Green Forest Eighteen Bandits.
‘But lending a sailboat from another water stronghold and coming all the way from afar without hesitation... somehow...’
It felt a bit excessive. This doubt had lingered in a corner of Seol Hwa-un’s mind.
‘This time, I might get to clear it up.’
At that moment, Dong Ho-won approached with a stern expression and called out to Seol Hwa-un.
“Young Palace Lord.”
“What is it?”
“I didn’t get a chance to ask yesterday. You have to tell me honestly.”
“Go ahead.”
“Last night... what did you do with former Lady Gu?”
“Huh?”
Eom Mu-hwi poked him in the side.
“Ho-won, what are you talking about?”
“Stay out of it. This needs to be clear.”
Seol Hwa-un tilted his head but answered readily.
“I don’t know why you’re curious, but I’ll tell you. We had dinner together, chatted a bit, and parted ways.”
Dong Ho-won pressed further, as if interrogating.
“Really?”
“Yes.”
“Hmm... that’s ambiguous enough not to call it cheating.”
“Cheating?”
Dong Ho-won said with a grave look.
“Young Palace Lord, you mustn’t forget that your fiancée, Lady Bing Su-hye, is waiting in the North Sea!”
Seol Hwa-un burst out laughing.
“What’s this about? I’m disappointed, Dong-won. After all this time by my side, you still don’t know me?”
“W-Well...”
“Nothing happened with Lady Gu. I just had dinner with her considering the ties between our palace and the Mingwang Sect.”
“Then... that’s a relief.”
“You rascal.”
Eom Mu-hwi scowled.
“Hey, mind your own business.”
“Ahem!”
Embarrassed, Dong Ho-won cleared his throat.
Soon, Ma Jong-pyo approached.
“What’s this gathering about?”
“Nothing much.”
“No special business, right?”
“That’s right.”
At Seol Hwa-un’s reply, he grinned and held up a bottle of liquor.
“Hahaha, then let’s have a drink!”
“Right now?”
The sun wouldn’t set for at least an hour.
“Huh? You already forgot? Didn’t we drink heavily the day we first met?”
Come to think of it, Ma Jong-pyo had offered liquor out of the blue in broad daylight back then too.
‘He really is one hell of a drinker.’
“You join too. Last time, things were hectic, so you didn’t get to properly greet my brothers.”
“W-Well, true.”
And so, the three were invited to the water bandits’ drinking party.
* * *
Stung by the harsh sunlight, Seol Hwa-un opened his eyes.
“Ugh.”
His stomach burned, and his head throbbed.
“...?!”
Looking around, he finally realized he was lying in one of the Black Pearl’s cabins.
‘I drank every round he poured.’
It was the most liquor he’d ever consumed in one night in both lives.
They had agreed at the start not to use inner energy, so he couldn’t expel the alcohol poisoning. He wasn’t weak to drink, but the quantity was overwhelming.
Unable to withstand the drunken haze, Seol Hwa-un had barely made it to the cabin and collapsed into sleep.
‘...I can’t take any more.’
He immediately sat cross-legged and circulated his energy to expel the alcohol poison.
Shhhhh!
Soon, pure white steam rose from Seol Hwa-un’s body.
“...”
Seol Hwa-un extended a finger, igniting the Threefold True Flame.
Whoosh!
The steam burned away in an instant.
“Phew, now I can breathe.”
With his head clear, he donned his outer robe and stepped out of the cabin.
“...”
Seol Hwa-un looked up to check the sun’s position.
‘Ugh, it’s almost noon already.’
It had been ages since he’d overslept, but his body didn’t feel refreshed at all.
Looking around, he saw several water bandits passed out from overdrinking in a corner of the deck.
“Oh, you’re up already?”
It was Ma Jong-pyo’s voice. Turning, Seol Hwa-un saw him standing guard at the prow once more.
‘As expected of a booze hound. He must’ve drunk about the same as me last night.’
Ma Jong-pyo looked perfectly fine.
“...”
Seol Hwa-un approached him.
“Ma Stronghold Leader, where are those two?”
“No worries. They’re tucked away nicely in another cabin.”
Dong Ho-won and Eom Mu-hwi had passed out far earlier than Seol Hwa-un and been carried off.
“Hahaha, still, the Young Palace Lord held up better. You’ve got quite the capacity.”
Seol Hwa-un gave a wry smile.
“Not like you, Ma Stronghold Leader?”
“Hahaha.”
Seol Hwa-un looked around and asked,
“Where are we now?”
“We just passed Anqing.”
“Anqing... so we’ll soon be out of Anhui Province?”
“That’s right.”
Seol Hwa-un looked astonished.
“Impressive speed. To cover this much in one night.”
“Hahaha, it’s the pride of the Lower Yangtze Water Stronghold. Even looking across the entire Central Plains, it’d be hard to find a faster ship than the Black Pearl.”
“I didn’t ask yesterday, but where exactly are we headed?”
“To where the Supreme Stronghold Leader is. It’s a secret, but I can tell you.”
No matter how much it had changed, the Yangtze Waterway Strongholds were still water bandits. As such, they kept their main base secret in case of threats.
“There’s the main stronghold near Huangshi in Hubei Province, Wuhuan area. There’s a harbor unknown to outsiders.”
“I see.”
Nodding, Seol Hwa-un spoke again.
“There’s something I’d like to ask you, Ma Stronghold Leader.”
“What?”
“Why did the Yangtze Dragon King help me so much?”
Ma Jong-pyo said matter-of-factly.
“Because I asked him to?”
“I know you personally like me, Ma Stronghold Leader. And I know you’re favored by the Yangtze Dragon King.”
“Hmm.”
“But is that reason enough for the Yangtze Waterway Strongholds to go to the trouble of coming all the way up the Yellow River?”
“Now that you mention it, I can see why you’d think that.”
Ma Jong-pyo tilted his head.
“I don’t know the Supreme Stronghold Leader’s innermost thoughts. Ask him yourself when you meet.”
“Hmm.”
“Don’t overthink it. Isn’t it better than being hated for no reason?”
Seol Hwa-un chuckled.
“You’re right about that, Ma Stronghold Leader.”
“Hahaha.”
Riding the Black Pearl swiftly, Seol Hwa-un’s group arrived at Huangshi in Hubei Province in just two days.
“Wow!”
Dong Ho-won let out a cry of awe.
Though the harbor was kept secret from outsiders, over twenty large and small ships were already lined up there.
It was a spectacular sight.
“Hahaha, looks like a lot have arrived already.”
Seol Hwa-un asked,
“How many water strongholds are under the Yangtze Waterway Strongholds?”
“Heh, prying into secrets again. I’ll tell you since it’s you. As far as I know, twenty-four. But it’s not fixed.”
“Why is that?”
“New ones join, and others get expelled.”
“Hmm.”
Ma Jong-pyo’s expression turned serious.
“The Yangtze Waterway Strongholds doesn’t take just any water stronghold. There are strict qualifications.”
“...”
“And if they don’t meet them, they can’t join. Even if they do, breaking obligations or taboos gets them kicked out immediately.”
The Yangtze Waterway Strongholds’ system was stricter than expected.
“That’s why we have a separate Inspection Squad. They hold the greatest authority after the Supreme Stronghold Leader.”
A water stronghold with an inspection unit.
‘At this point, are they even water bandits?’
They could be called the Yangtze Self-Defense Corps without much awkwardness.
Once the Black Pearl docked at the Huangshi harbor, Seol Hwa-un’s group disembarked following Ma Jong-pyo.
But the harbor was already packed with water bandits, not a step of space left, all waiting for them.
“...?”
As they faced off in a strange standoff, Ma Jong-pyo pointed at Seol Hwa-un and shouted,
“This young man right here is the North Heaven Dragon!”
No sooner had he spoken than a tremendous cheer erupted.
Waaaaah!!
“Welcome, North Heaven Dragon!”
“We welcome you to the main stronghold of the Yangtze Waterway Strongholds!”
Seol Hwa-un’s group felt their whole bodies tingle from the roar of thousands shouting in unison.
“...!”
It wasn’t a bad feeling.
Dong Ho-won and Eom Mu-hwi exchanged glances.
“Didn’t expect a welcome like this.”
“Feels kinda weird.”
“As expected of the Young Palace Lord.”
As the cheering dragged on, Ma Jong-pyo raised his hand to calm the water bandits.
“Alright, alright, that’s enough. We have to go see the Supreme Stronghold Leader, so make way!”
At his shout, the water bandits moved in perfect unison. Soon, a path split wide open down the middle.
Ma Jong-pyo turned to Seol Hwa-un and said,
“Ready?”
Seol Hwa-un was finally about to meet the legend of the Yangtze, the Yangtze Dragon King.