Better Dead Than Alive! (1)
“R-river bandits! It’s the Water Bandit Sect!”
“Damn it! Why now of all times?”
As the passengers began to panic and the special express courier from Ghost Sect, Deng-gyeom, stared at the approaching fast boat in stunned despair, a hollow light flickered in his eyes.
...They really are coming.
In a way, it was only natural.
Not long ago, word had gone out that the Yangtze River bandits were targeting the special couriers, and that anyone traveling the river for the time being should hide their identities and be as cautious as possible.
Under those circumstances, they had gone and spread word all over town that the special courier was boarding a ship. If the river bandits hadn’t shown up, that would have been far stranger.
So yes, things were happening exactly as planned. And yet...
Why does this feel so unfair?
On reflection, this might have been a situation that endangered only Deng-gyeom himself.
I’m going crazy. I really am.
However many disciples of Mount Hua were here, the thought of those river bandits charging toward that one ship just because of him sent his heart thudding wildly and cold sweat streaming down his back.
Even as Deng-gyeom licked his dry lips, the fast boat continued to close the distance without slowing in the slightest.
Panicked passengers ran up to the captain and asked, “Shouldn’t we run?”
“Impossible. That boat is at least twice as fast as ours.”
“B-but still...”
“So long as we don’t resist, there shouldn’t be any major trouble. Everyone, gather in one place. Tell anyone still in the cabins to come out as well. If they’re caught hiding, they’ll be in for a world of pain!”
“Y-yes, sir.”
The passengers hurriedly crowded together on one side of the ship.
Watching them, Yoon Jong asked Baek Cheon, “What should we do, Sasuk?”
“Hm.”
After a brief moment of thought, Baek Cheon gave a calm order. “For now, let’s stand with them. We need to see what they’re after. Keep your sword behind your back.”
“Understood.”
The disciples of Mount Hua also stood with the passengers on one side of the ship. Since they were in disguise, they didn’t stand out much at all even when grouped together.
And before long—
Whoooooooooosh!
Cutting through the water, the fast boat came surging up close, and hooked iron chains flew out in a flurry.
Clank! Clank!
The sound of the hooks biting into the railing was chilling beyond words.
Creaaak! Creaaak!
As the chains went taut, the ship lurched sharply to one side.
This is...
Yoon Jong swallowed dryly.
It had been hard to tell from a distance, but up close, the bandits’ ship was far larger than he had expected. It seemed to be about twice the size of the vessel they were currently on.
Are all the men on that boat river bandits?
As though answering Yoon Jong’s question, a group of men in blue martial uniforms came crossing over the taut chains.
Tap! Tap-tap!
They landed nimbly on deck and swiftly surrounded the passengers and crew clustered in one corner.
Thud!
Then, with a light leap utterly out of keeping with his massive frame, a burly man who looked more like a mountain bandit than a river bandit landed on the deck.
“Hrrmph!”
The man snorted loudly, then swept his gaze left and right with fierce, glaring eyes.
Seeing that, Jo Gul muttered under his breath, “Looks like he’s the boss, Sasuk.”
“Quiet.”
Yoon Jong shot him a warning glance to shut up, then calmly studied the bandits’ faces.
Their individual martial skill seems better than the bandits from the mountain stronghold.
There were fewer of them than mountain bandits, but it looked as though their level was higher.
“Youuuuuu bastaaards!”
At that moment, the burly man bellowed at the top of his lungs.
His voice was so thunderous that one could hardly help clapping hands over one’s ears.
“Who gave you permission to sail the Yangtze?”
At the rebuke, the captain at the front trembled all over and dropped flat to the deck.
“This one was foolish and failed to seek the permission of the heroes of the Yangtze in advance. I beg you, with all sincerity, to forgive our ignorance.”
“Hoooooom!”
Apparently pleased by that attitude, the burly man’s face split into a satisfied smile.
“To cross the Yangtze without asking permission of its rightful master is to ask for your own head to be severed!”
The captain bowed even lower, as though he meant to bury his head in the deck itself.
“But there is no need to worry. Our Daegyeong Fort is famous even among the masters of the Yangtze for being broad-minded!”
“We’re touched! Truly touched!”
Just then, Jo Gul, who had been holding himself back, tilted his head again and whispered to Yoon Jong, “...Sasuk.”
“Yes?”
“Do whales live in the Yangtze?”
“Of course not. Whales live in the sea.”
“Then why is it called Daegyeong Fort? There aren’t whales in freshwater.”
“...How should I know?”
At that moment, Baek Cheon, keeping his eyes fixed forward, spoke with only his lips moving. “Dolphins do.”
“...Dolphins? Still, that’s strange. If dolphins live there, why call it Daegyeong Fort? It’d make more sense to call it So-gyeong Fort.”
“So-gyeong Fort sounds a little off. It makes me think of stir-fried vegetables.”
“Ah.”
The whispering didn’t stop, and in the end the burly man glared at them.
“Who’s the bastard flapping his mouth?”
Jo Gul and Baek Cheon flinched and shut up.
Then the captain hastily said, “We will prepare the taxes due to be offered to the master of the Yangtze at once. So please, if you would just wait a little longer...”
“Enough!”
“...Pardon?”
“Hah! We don’t need pennies like that today!”
The burly man swept his eyes to and fro with those fierce, bulging eyes.
“I’ve heard there’s a special courier from Eunha Express on this ship.”
“...”
“Which one of you is it! Step forward this instant!”
That huge voice boomed out once more, rough and savage. A weak-hearted man would have wet himself and collapsed just from hearing it.
And Deng-gyeom, who had already been terrified from the start, could only glance nervously toward Baek Cheon’s group with a face gone ashen.
Please, do something!
But whether Baek Cheon knew what he was thinking or not, he didn’t even look his way.
Deng-gyeom’s expression twisted further. If he had known things would become this dangerous, he would never have cooperated, even with a knife at his throat.
“Hm?”
With no one stepping forward, the burly man’s thick cheek twitched.
“Not coming out?”
He bared his yellow teeth and laughed loudly.
“They say the special couriers of Eunha Express are all light on their feet and fast as the wind. Looks like their guts are light too, fluttering around in the breeze. Scared, are you?”
Grrrrrk.
He drew a blade from the scabbard hanging at his waist. The poorly maintained sword scraped against the sheath with a dull, ugly sound, but that only made the listeners shudder harder.
“Fine. If you won’t come out, I’ll just find you. I’ll kill you one by one until you do! What are you standing around for? Drag them out, one at a time!”
“Yes!”
One of the river bandits surrounding the passengers reached for the person standing in front.
“H-hiiiiiik! I-I’m not the one!”
Cries of terror burst out from here and there. In the end, just as Deng-gyeom, unable to bear it any longer, clenched his eyes shut and was about to step forward—
Thunk!
“Aaaagh!”
The bandit who had tried to drag out the middle-aged man in front was sent flying backward with a scream.
“What was that?”
“Who’s there?”
The bandits instantly raised their weapons and aimed them at the passengers, their killing intent surging.
“Excuse us for a moment.”
And a moment later, Baek Cheon walked out from among the passengers with proper decorum. The Mount Hua disciples followed after him with firm, confident steps.
“...What’s this?”
The burly man’s face twisted in disgust.
“What’s with this pretty-boy bastard?”
“...”
“You think I’m playing games with you?”
It was the sort of insult he’d heard so often by now that it barely even angered him anymore. At that unimaginative abuse, Baek Cheon let out a sigh and spoke.
“We are...”
“You look like some spoiled young master who doesn’t know the first thing about the world, boy. This is the water. No matter what your status is, no matter what kind of backing you’ve got, this isn’t a place where you can solve anything with that mouth of yours.”
“That’s not what I...”
“Or maybe you’re relying on that pretty face of yours. Unfortunately, I’m not interested in that sort of thing. No, wait... looking at your face, I suppose you might fetch a pretty price.”
“Boss! Not just a pretty price. He could be sold for a king’s ransom.”
“Heh-heh-heh. He looks better than most women!”
Crack-crack-crack!
At last, the calm line of Baek Cheon’s jaw clenched, and the sound of his teeth grinding together leaked between his lips. The Mount Hua disciples hearing it squeezed their eyes shut.
There’s no way this can end well now.
Why would he say something like that?
He’s sunk the whole ship with that one.
One particularly clueless bandit stepped up to Baek Cheon and thrust a dagger in his face, threatening him.
“Now, now. No need for any more talk. Come here, pretty boy.”
“...Ara.”
“What was that? I couldn’t hear you.”
“...Shut your mouth. If you don’t want to die.”
“What?”
Thwack!
The bandit’s head snapped up toward the sky with such violent force it seemed it might break off at the neck.
Then, slowly, very slowly, he began to topple backward.
“Huh?”
“...Huh?”
Thud.
The fallen bandit had foam spilling from his mouth. Caught off guard, he had taken a blow to the jaw, and his consciousness had flown out in an instant.
Passengers and bandits alike stood there with their mouths hanging open at the absurd sight.
“Haaah.”
After drawing a deep breath to settle his anger, Baek Cheon looked at the burly man who seemed to be their leader and said, “We’re the people from Mount Hua in Shaanxi.”
“M-Mount Hua?”
At the words “Mount Hua Sect,” the bandits’ eyes went wide.
“I have something to ask.”
Baek Cheon’s blade-like gaze pinned the burly man in place.
“Were you the ones who attacked the special courier from Eunha Express earlier?”
His tone sounded like an interrogation from above, and the burly man’s face flushed red and blue in turn.
“You little pups dare to...” He snarled, “And if we were?”
At that rough shout, Baek Cheon slid his sword into place at his waist and rested his hand lightly on the hilt. With his shoulders squared, a cold aura began to radiate from him. It was hard to believe this was the same man who had seemed like nothing more than a refined young master a moment ago.
One by one, the bandits instinctively twitched and stepped back.
“Then...”
Shrrrring.
Baek Cheon slowly drew his Plum Blossom Sword.
“You’ll have to pay the price for laying a hand on a friend of Mount Hua.”
At the same time, the Mount Hua disciples protecting his rear all drew their swords in unison.
“Heh...”
Watching that scene, the burly man let out a dry laugh.
“Mount Hua Sect?”
“...”
“All I see are a bunch of dandies, merchants, and one monk. You’re telling me you’re from Mount Hua?”
“If we weren’t, you wouldn’t have come.”
The bandits’ faces stiffened all at once.
They had heard of the fame of Mount Hua Sect as well. A few years ago, they would not have cared in the slightest, but now Mount Hua’s name was so lofty that even they, as members of the Yangtze River Water Bandit Sect, could no longer ignore it.
“Boss...”
At the cautious call asking what they should do, the burly man’s face twisted.
“...Kill them all!”
“Boss! There may not be many of them here, but if Mount Hua Sect finds out, things will spiral out of control.”
“Mount Hua Sect? So what if it is! On this river, we’re the kings! Hack those arrogant bastards to pieces and throw them to the fish! Today is the day those frauds of theirs are dragged into the dirt!”
“Yes!”
Once the order was given, there was no turning back.
The river bandits tightened their grip on their sharp weapons and encircled the Mount Hua disciples. In response, the disciples of Mount Hua spread out around Baek Cheon and took up positions as if to shield the passengers behind them.
Baek Cheon spoke in a steady voice. “Subdue them first.”
“Yes, Sasuk!”
The two groups faced each other in a taut, murderous standoff.
And then—
“Kill them allllll!”
With a great roar, the bandits remaining on the fast boat charged over as well. At the same time, the bandits who had already surrounded the Mount Hua disciples shouted in kind and rushed in.
“Crush them in one breath!”
“Yes, Sahyung!”
“Yes, Sasuk!”
“Let’s go!”
The disciples of Mount Hua stepped forward and swung their swords.
The fierce river wind lashed at the hems of Baek Cheon’s long robe.
His sword, stabbing forward without hesitation, drove straight into the chest of the bandit in blue martial uniform.