Who Dared Touch What? (1)
Whiiish!
At the sight of the sleek speedboat cutting through the waves and bearing down on them, the crew swallowed dryly.
“W-water bandits!”
“W-what do we do? Aren’t we all going to die?”
The people on deck panicked and cried out in chaos. Seeing that, the captain, Ma Byeong, barked at them.
“Stay calm!”
“……”
“Running into the Water Bandit Sect on the Yangtze River isn’t some rare occurrence! Our ship’s relations with them aren’t all that bad, so nothing will happen!”
Then someone asked in a trembling voice, “R-really? Are we safe?”
“There’s no need to worry. Just as people traveling by escort across the mountains don’t necessarily come to harm even if bandits are everywhere, meeting water bandits on the river doesn’t automatically mean trouble will break out. That said, we mustn’t provoke them, so everyone gather to one side!”
Having reassured the passengers, Ma Byeong quickly issued orders to the crew.
“What are you doing? Gather the people to one side!”
“Yes, Captain!”
“Drop anchor and stop the ship! Now!”
“Yes!”
The crew began moving with brisk, disciplined precision. Ma Byeong stole a glance at the approaching speedboat.
What’s going on?
What he had said was not a lie.
The Yangtze River was so vast and so long that the influence of the authorities could not reach everywhere. That was why anyone who worked the river had to accept, to some extent, the threat of the Water Bandit Sect.
Even so, the reason they had panicked at the sight of the bandits was that this area was not supposed to be one where water bandits appeared.
However wide and deep the river might be, and however much a ship drifted with the current, there still had to be someplace to moor. Because of that, the bandits usually operated around the regions where their own strongholds were located.
Besides, with as many as eighteen strongholds existing along the Yangtze, they tended to guard their territories jealously in order to avoid conflict with one another.
Just like the seventy-two mountain bandit factions of the Green Forest did not trespass into one another’s lands.
At least as far as Ma Byeong knew, this was not an area where one of their strongholds was located.
Have they built a new one?
His Adam’s apple bobbed hard with tension.
If it was a bandit stronghold he knew, things might still be settled without incident. But if it was one he didn’t know, problems could easily arise. Worse still, if it was a newly established stronghold, he had no idea what kind of brutality they might flaunt to make their reputation known.
I need to stay sharp.
Ma Byeong squared his shoulders and prepared to receive the approaching speedboat.
As the ship slowed, the speedboat matched pace and slid in beside them.
BOOM!
The two hulls collided, and the ship lurched violently.
“Aaaah!”
“W-whoa!”
Fear flashed across everyone’s faces in an instant.
The moment the speedboat pressed fully alongside the ship, more than ten ropes with hooks attached were flung up onto the deck all at once.
Thunk! Thunk!
The hooks that landed on the deck were dragged along with a grinding sound before catching on the ship’s railing. It looked almost as if more than ten men had seized the railing at once. The ropes went taut.
Seeing the wickedly sharp hooks, no one dared even breathe too loudly.
“Up!”
With that gruff command, several martial artists climbed up onto the deck one after another, swinging from the ropes.
Blue uniforms the color of the Yangtze itself.
The black dragon insignia embroidered on their chests.
And in their hands, eameejja and tridents.
The classic look of water bandits. Wiping the sweat from his brow, Ma Byeong stepped forward.
“I am……”
“Shh.”
In that instant, the sharp tip of an eameejja was leveled at his throat.
“Keep your mouth shut before I rip it apart.”
“……”
Ma Byeong nodded at once, saying nothing more. While doing so, he quickly studied the faces of the bandits who had boarded. To his despair, there was not a single face he recognized.
This may not be a journey, but it’s certainly looking like a bad omen.
With tense eyes, he looked past the bandits toward the back of the deck. Usually, the one with the authority would appear later.
And sure enough, just as expected, beyond the railing behind the standing bandits, a man with a cold expression slowly came into view.
Hm.
Seeing that, So Jeong-bok, who had been observing from the back, stiffened in tension.
The man who appeared last looked very different from the bandits who had come up first. He was… walking casually along the rope.
Right now they were on the water, on constantly moving water at that. Naturally, the rope connecting the two ships was swaying violently. And yet this man was walking across that swaying line as if it were solid ground.
So Jeong-bok belonged to the Ghost Sect, a place known for speed and footwork; he understood better than most just how difficult that feat was.
He’s strong.
His spine began to chill with damp sweat.
“Hrm.”
Thud.
The man leapt lightly onto the deck and swept his gaze around.
He looked cold at a glance. More than that, the two knife scars crossing his face made him seem all the more sinister.
No one who met his icy stare dared look back; they all lowered their eyes.
After surveying the entire ship, the man’s gaze settled on one spot.
“Are you the captain?”
Ma Byeong hurriedly answered, “Yes! I am the captain of this ship, Ma Byeong! It is an honor to meet the heroes of the Yangtze!”
“Heroes?”
When the man asked briefly in return, Ma Byeong kept nodding.
“Under the protection of the Black Dragon King, you are the ones maintaining order on the Yangtze. How could I not call you heroes?”
“Ha ha.”
Apparently pleased by the flattery, the man let out a low laugh.
“You know how to speak.”
“Of course. Anyone traveling the Yangtze should know that much. Because the heroes of the Yangtze exist, we are able to travel this dangerous river under your protection.”
“That’s right.”
Watching from the side, So Jeong-bok inwardly admired Ma Byeong’s eloquence.
Though he sounded frightened out of his wits, the captain had emphasized the words order and protection. In other words, he was making it clear that he would pay the toll and wanted this settled without any major trouble.
The man seemed to understand the meaning as well, because he nodded.
“Managing the Yangtze isn’t easy. So those passing through the territory we manage should naturally express their gratitude. Wouldn’t you agree?”
“Those are entirely reasonable words. If one doesn’t understand that law, how could they dare entrust themselves to the river’s current? The Dragon King himself would be enraged.”
Since things were going more smoothly than expected, Ma Byeong smiled with visible relief.
“Yes. Have you prepared something to show your sincerity?”
“P-please wait a moment. I am foolish and did not realize that heroes such as yourselves were here. If you give me a little time, I will prepare it at once.”
“We’re not the patient sort. As for me, I can endure it, but those fellows have never been good at tolerating boredom. If you don’t want to see unnecessary blood, then let’s hurry.”
“Y-yes, understood!”
No sooner had the man nodded than Ma Byeong rushed to the rear. Lowering his voice, he explained the situation to the passengers.
“As you’ve all heard, it seems we’ll need to show a little sincerity.”
The passengers all nodded and opened their coin purses at once.
Being robbed of money was better than losing their lives. They weren’t exactly happy about it, but the moment they saw the sharp weapons in the hands of the bandits, whatever resistance they felt naturally withered away.
Everyone took money from their purses and handed it to the crew.
Watching that, So Jeong-bok let out a deep sigh.
Thank goodness.
Contrary to his fears, nothing serious had happened.
So Jeong-bok was already familiar enough with the bandits of the Green Forest that this scene was no longer especially strange to him. People imagined bandits and water bandits would slaughter travelers and extort money without hesitation, but in reality, things did not often come to that.
If a murder-robbery kept happening in one place or one stretch of river, people would simply avoid the area. Then the bandits would have to move elsewhere if they wanted to keep eating.
But this world had clearly defined territories, and if they wanted to move those territories, they would have to accept conflict.
So it was better to extract a reasonable amount from the people passing through, so long as they weren’t inconvenienced too much. Even if they earned a little less right now, they could continue collecting tolls in the future.
At that moment, one of the crew approached So Jeong-bok and whispered, “Sir, the passengers seem poor, and the amount is rather lacking. I’m sorry, but could you perhaps give a little more?”
“……Understood.”
So Jeong-bok took a silver tael from the purse at his chest. It was a lot even for him, but it was better to settle matters with money than create trouble for no reason. Besides, the pay he would receive for this escort job was far more than that.
“Here.”
At the sight of the silver tael he handed over, the crew member’s face brightened.
“Thank you.”
The crew gathered the money and took it to the captain. The captain, after collecting the funds in one place, took money from his own purse and put it into a bag as well. Then, approaching carefully, he respectfully presented the bag to the bandit.
“A small token of our sincerity. I don’t think it is enough to properly reward the heroes of the Yangtze, but it should at least pay for a night of drinks to soothe your concerns.”
“Hrm.”
The man reached out and took the bag. Then, without even checking the amount, he casually tossed it to a subordinate standing behind him.
Tap, tap!
He extended a hand and patted Ma Byeong on the shoulder.
“I’ll remember my captain’s face.”
“I am honored!”
“If you continue to cooperate like this, there won’t be any major problems. Remember, the Yangtze is calm, but when the wind rises, it becomes ferocious indeed. Whether the wind blows or not depends on you.”
“I will keep that in mind.”
“Good.”
The man nodded lightly and turned away. Having finished his business, it seemed he intended to leave.
Everyone secretly let out a sigh of relief.
They had been robbed of money, but at least they had kept their lives. Out here in the middle of the Yangtze, where the authorities had no influence and even most sects could do nothing, anything could happen. In that sense, this had been a cheap price to pay.
But then—
Just as the man turned to leave and was about to step over the railing, one of the bandits behind him leaned close and whispered something into his ear.
“……Hm?”
For a moment, a strange glint appeared in his eyes, and he slowly turned back around.
His gaze swept over the still-anxious crowd before fixing on one person.
“Well now… I didn’t realize we had someone famous on board.”
The person at the end of that gaze, So Jeong-bok, froze instantly and bit down hard on the inside of his cheek.
“To think the famed special courier of Eunha Express was aboard. If I’d just left, I would have been awfully disappointed.”
Cold sweat began to seep from his forehead.
If this were happening on level ground, it would not be such a problem. His feet were faster than anyone’s; he could simply refuse to engage and run. But here they were, out on the wide, deep Yangtze. No matter how fast his legs were, they were useless now.
Even if he jumped into the water, there was no way he could escape the water arts mastered by professional river bandits.
“Special courier… special courier. I never expected to meet someone who specializes in carrying precious goods. Looks like today is my lucky day. Ha ha ha.”
The man slowly advanced toward So Jeong-bok. As though it were a signal, the water bandits all around them spread out and surrounded him.