Chapter 30
Chapter 30
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Translator: uly
Chapter: 30
Chapter Title: Ambush at Dangang Brook
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The reed fields at the Dangang Brook shallows, shrouded in thick darkness.
Rattle, rattle.
Several wagons, loaded heavily with cargo, were moving stealthily, parting the tall reeds that grew as high as a man's height.
"Is this the place?"
"Yes."
Geumjeoksan, dressed in black night clothes and cautiously watching the waterway of Dangang Brook, asked one of his subordinates.
"The buyers?"
"We still have some time before the transaction."
Geumjeoksan nodded and looked around.
It was deathly silent.
With no moon on this new moon night, the surroundings were filled with pitch-black darkness.
Geumjeoksan clenched his fist.
Gunpowder smuggling deal.
For this one transaction, Geumjeoksan had poured everything from the Qingyang Merchant Group. It had cost four times the normal price.
But it didn't matter.
Once the deal was done, he would reap enormous profits that would make a fortune overnight seem meager.
He had already scouted shops along the main roads in central Dangang Brook. Once he secured the funds, he planned to buy them all.
'Once this deal is done, the smuggling ends. I'll become a real merchant group, not just pretending to be one.'
He couldn't run an illegal operation forever.
A long tail gets stepped on eventually.
Geumjeoksan glanced at the cargo fully loaded on the wagons.
Gunpowder hidden within the cargo.
Even that alone was no small amount.
If scraped together, it would easily fill half a wagon.
It had taken three months just to prepare.
'What kind of people are they to buy this much?'
Doubts arose.
The buyers hadn't revealed their identities.
Well, it was more comfortable not knowing each other. This was meant to be a big final score before vanishing anyway.
"Group Leader."
While Geumjeoksan was lost in thought, one of his subordinates pointed toward the riverbank.
A light.
A figure holding a torch on the river was signaling by drawing a circle.
'A boat?'
It was an unexpected direction.
The buyers had only informed him of the items, time, and place, revealing nothing else. Geumjeoksan hadn't pried either.
But why use the waterway instead of the land route?
Waterways weren't ideal for smuggling.
The patrols were one issue, but a bigger problem was the river pirates of the Yangtze.
Dangang Brook connected Huguang, Henan, Hebei, and Shanxi, with over three nearby water strongholds.
It meant there was no way to evade their eyes.
Moreover, there wasn't just one approaching boat.
Five boats painted black with lacquer to blend into the darkness.
Each carried three or four people, all with faces covered by masks.
'Not my concern. Just hand over the goods and take the money.'
Geumjeoksan signaled discreetly to those around the wagons.
"Stay vigilant. If they show any ill intent, attack immediately."
"Understood, Group Leader."
Geumjeoksan had deliberately selected only the most skilled escorts from the merchant group's guards.
Even the wagon drivers and porters were all armed martial artists hiding daggers.
Smuggling was dangerous.
Since it wasn't legitimate, you couldn't report to the authorities if betrayed.
They had to protect themselves.
At Geumjeoksan's command, the escort martial artists, porters, and drivers took their pre-planned positions.
A Circular Defense Formation centered on the wagons.
An effective formation to guard the center against any contingencies.
Confirming preparations were complete, Geumjeoksan spoke to the martial artist beside him.
"Giseon, send the contact signal."
"Yes."
With a short reply, Giseon lit the torch and drew a circle, signaling the buyers on the river the same way.
The boats that had stopped on the river approached the Qingyang Merchant Group.
Scraaaape.
As the boats scraped the riverbed and reached the bank, five masked figures leaped down.
"The goods?"
A short, concise question.
In smuggling deals, formal introductions or greetings were unnecessary.
"All prepared."
Geumjeoksan gestured toward the wagons.
After the masked men's inspection,
"The money?"
At Geumjeoksan's question, two masked men from behind brought over a chest and set it down.
Thud.
With a heavy sound, the chest opened, revealing yellow lumps of gold.
Ten guan of gold.
The torchlight reflected a yellow gleam that chased away the darkness.
"Giseon."
"Yes, Group Leader."
Giseon and two escort martial artists received the chest from the masked men.
"But how do you plan to transport the goods by boat? Never mind the officials—the Yangtze river pirates won't just watch."
"......"
At Geumjeoksan's question, the masked men's eyes sharpened.
"Ah, sorry. I asked something unnecessary."
Geumjeoksan quickly acknowledged his mistake and signaled the martial artists in the Circular Defense Formation around the wagons.
As the formation dispersed and slowly withdrew, the masked men signaled toward their boats.
Then, those remaining on the boats all disembarked and headed for the wagons.
All fifteen of them.
The deal was done.
Now, as long as they didn't let their guard down until they left...
"Hold it right there."
The movements of those in motion halted at the voice from one side of the reed forest.
Shing!
At the same time, the masked men approaching the wagons drew swords radiating sharp sword energy.
"Who is it?!"
Geumjeoksan's brow furrowed, and the merchant group's martial artists instantly drew their weapons, assuming alert stances.
And then,
Rustle, rustle, rustle.
Three men emerged, parting the reeds.
"Y-You!"
Geumjeoksan's eyes widened as if they would tear upon seeing the face illuminated by the torch.
"Been well? Life gotten better after shoving me to my death?"
"......"
Jinmu.
He had appeared. With Cheongu and Gongsacheok.
"Look at that startled face."
The masked men glared at Geumjeoksan with fierce auras, arms crossed as Jinmu sneered.
"Damn it......"
Why was this guy, who should have died long ago, here?
And what was Gongsacheok doing next to him?
But the important thing now wasn't that Jinmu was alive.
Since he recognized Jinmu, the masked men might suspect he and Jinmu's group were accomplices.
They'd surely think he planned to take both the money and goods.
Some of their sword tips were already aimed at them.
There was no need to keep faith with them, but no reason to fight either.
Fifteen masked men.
Twenty from Qingyang Merchant Group.
Even with Wudang's First Generation Disciple and the notable expert of Dangang Brook, Gongsacheok, over thirty combined could easily silence and kill them.
"You idiot. You should've just pretended not to see."
Geumjeoksan's eyes gleamed with killing intent.
"Kill him!"
At his command, the merchant group's martial artists lunged at Jinmu with swords extended.
"That's more like it. I'm short on time right now."
Jinmu's lips parted, revealing sharp white fangs wickedly.
"Gongsacheok!"
"Yes!"
At Jinmu's shout, Gongsacheok leaped forward loyally.
Clang!
Gongsacheok deflected the escort martial artists' sword strikes with his wooden sword, then swung it like a whip infused with sword energy.
But the merchant group's escorts weren't pushovers either.
Some were wounded, but none killed.
In an instant, fifteen escorts counterattacked toward Gongsacheok.
But Gongsacheok wasn't sent out first for nothing.
"Hey, you lot! Charge!"
At Gongsacheok's shout, ruffians emerged from all directions.
"Waaah!"
A chaotic melee erupted in an instant.
"Wh-What?!"
Geumjeoksan stumbled back in shock at the sudden turn.
Tsk tsk, you think I'd come alone?
With my internal injuries from using the Mad Blood Slaughter Chaos Art, my body's in bad shape?
It's Yi Yi Je Yi, you bastards. Using barbarians to check barbarians.
Jinmu sneered at Geumjeoksan.
Clang! Clang!
While battling enemies, wounds accumulated on Gongsacheok's body, but so what?
If he died, that was his fate.
Still, intending to help a little, Jinmu casually sent palm winds at the enemies rushing toward Gongsacheok.
Whoosh!
"Gah!"
With Jinmu's aid, one by one, they began losing their lives to Gongsacheok's wooden sword.
"Gr-Great hero, th-thank you!"
With some breathing room thanks to Jinmu, Gongsacheok shouted gratefully through his garbled mouth.
Kill one more instead of talking, you fool.
Jinmu now began his own task.
While Gongsacheok tanked freely, Jinmu approached the beautifully placed chest.
"Th-This... Has Gongsacheok gone mad?"
As the fight dragged on and the number of escort martial artists dwindled under Gongsacheok's wooden sword, Geumjeoksan grew flustered.
What if they all died?
All his plans so far would come to nothing.
If Jinmu escaped alive, not only would ties with Wudang be severed, but the Qingyang Merchant Group itself would vanish.
"You lot! Fight! Kill them! I said kill!"
Frustrated, Geumjeoksan yelled and turned to the masked men.
Help.
Let's kill them together.
But they showed no intention of moving.
Whispering among themselves,
'Th-These bastards?'
They weren't trying to kill Jinmu and Gongsacheok but were approaching the gold-filled chest.
It's mine. This money is mine now. You take the gunpowder and scram.
Geumjeoksan wanted to shout that.
But with the masked men threateningly raising swords, he had no choice but to retreat.
He was a merchant, not a martial artist.
'Damn it all......'
Then, Jinmu suddenly blocked the masked men's path.
"Touch it and die!"
Swoosh!
Clear blue sword energy burst forth.
Clang clang!
The masked men blocked the fierce energy and fell back.
Surely? To save me?
For a moment, Geumjeoksan delusionally thought Jinmu intended to rescue him.
Thud!
"Kuhuk!"
Kicked by Jinmu's foot, Geumjeoksan tumbled across the ground,
"It's mine, you bastards. That's why I rushed here like a madman!"
He guarded the gold chest.
Continuously emitting sharp blue sword energy, with eyes like facing mortal enemies.
That's right.
The reason he hadn't brought government troops was precisely that.
All that gunpowder was useless even if taken.
What Jinmu wanted was Geumjeoksan's head and, as a bonus, the payment used to buy the gunpowder.
"I don't care about you, so get lost. Unless you all want to die."
"......"
The masked men glared fiercely at Jinmu, who was determined(?) to guard the chest even at the cost of his life,
Whoosh!
Fire arrows shot up from the outskirts of the reed fields.
"Capture them all!"
Already?
Damn, Cheongsang, always too damn fast!
At the government troops' appearance, the masked men trying to reclaim the chest panicked and fled to their boats.
Jinmu was just as urgent.
"Damn it, Cheongu!"
"Yes, Martial Uncle!"
"Grab it!"
"......Yes?"
This kid, use your brain for once.
"The chest!"
"Ah, yes."
Cheongu easily lifted the chest containing ten guan of gold.
"Run!"
"......"
"Hurry!"
At Jinmu's wide-eyed shout, Cheongu bolted without question.
"Phew."
Finally sighing in relief, Jinmu slowly turned his head.
"Now, just you and me. Shall we have a nice, long talk?"
"......"
Geumjeoksan's face turned pale at Jinmu's chilling voice.