Better Dead Than Alive! (4)
The black-painted ship was so imposing that merely looking at it felt like being crushed beneath its weight. That feeling grew stronger still when they made out the savage whale carved at the very front of the vessel, at the dragon’s head.
Dragon ship.
A ship said to be permitted only to the leaders of the Eighteen Water Forts of the Yangtze, the symbol of the Water Bandit Sect.
In other words, the man aboard that ship was the leader of a fort.
“......And that’s not just one or two ships.”
“Looks like the entire fort’s bandits have come out.”
Tension began to creep across the faces of the Mount Hua disciples as well.
Were there always this many bandits in one fort?
Of course, those ships would not be packed shoulder to shoulder with bandits the way that speedboat had been a moment ago.
But even if they were only half full, the number would still climb well into the hundreds.
“Captain!”
Baek Cheon snapped his head around and looked at the captain.
“Can we make it to the shore?”
“N-no, impossible.”
The captain shook his head, pale-faced.
“Water bandit ships are faster than ordinary boats to begin with. Even two boats of the same type can differ in speed depending on whether they’re carrying cargo or not, and this one is loaded down with goods... There’s no way we can push it that fast.”
“Hmm.”
“And the attack we just took punched holes in the hull. Everyone’s bailing as hard as they can, but if we force the ship to move too fast, water will pour in faster than we can clear it. Then the ship will sink for real. We’ll all die.”
Baek Cheon’s gaze instinctively drifted toward the shore.
The land was so far away it was almost absurd.
At least five li to the shore.
The Yangtze was, by nature, an enormous river with a width that could reach five li. But this was where one of its tributaries flowed into Dongting Lake. The current was gentler here, and because it met the lake, the river widened to nearly three times the usual breadth of the Yangtze.
The water stretched fifteen li across. From the center, they would have to swim at least five li just to reach the bank. If this had been only the Mount Hua disciples, it might not have been so difficult, but for the common people aboard this ship, covering that distance by swimming was all but impossible.
And even if they could, if those bandits who know water combat came at us from below...
There would be no way to stop them.
They might have a chance if they abandoned the civilians and fled—but that was not a path any Mount Hua disciple would even consider.
Baek Cheon bit down hard on his lip.
Did I rush this?
He had taken the matter of fighting water bandits on the river too lightly. He had thought they would be dealing with, at most, a single ship, but who could have imagined that the entire fort’s forces would come sailing out together?
“Sasuk.”
It was a call asking what to do. Baek Cheon worried his lip for a moment and turned the gears in his head. Oddly enough, his expression grew calmer.
What would that bastard have done?
There was no need to think.
- Who cares whether there are more of them or fewer? If they’re bastards, then bash in their heads and they won’t be able to do a damn thing. Stop worrying about the others and go straight for the boss!
Right. Got it.
Baek Cheon spoke decisively.
“Listen carefully.”
“Yes, Sasuk.”
“Once the dragon ship comes close, we’ll cross over. Baek Sang and So-so stay here to protect the civilians. The rest of us will strike the dragon ship all at once and take down the fort leader.”
“Yes, understood.”
The faces of the Mount Hua disciples, which had been unable to shake their unease until now, filled with grim resolve as if the tension had never been there at all.
The dragon ship was huge, which meant it would be packed with bandits. They were not fools; they could all imagine how difficult it would be to leap onto that ship and go after the leader.
But once the order had been given, there was no hesitation.
“Then let’s get ready—huh?”
At that moment, Jo Gul tilted his head.
“Sasuk.”
“What?”
“Those bastards are suddenly slowing down.”
“......”
“They’re about to stop, aren’t they?”
The Mount Hua disciples stared blankly at the ships that had stopped at a distance.
“Pwoosh!”
A man erupted from the water and seized the rope ladder hanging down from the dragon ship.
“Grrr. What kind of mess is this?”
Grinding his teeth, he climbed the rope ladder, and his men, who had dived after him, followed in a line behind him.
“Hmph.”
Once he had stepped onto the deck, Bang Chung wiped the water from his face and took a deep breath. He saw water bandits lined up on either side and a massive wooden chair placed in the center of the deck. With no time to waste, he ran straight to it and flung himself prostrate before it.
“P-please kill me, Fort Leader!”
“You want me to kill you?”
A middle-aged man wrapped head to toe in a blue cloak gave a thin, contemptuous smile as he looked down at Bang Chung, who lay with his forehead pressed to the deck.
“Well, of course. If a man called a hero of the Yangtze lost his ship and came crawling back with no pride left at all, then he deserves to die.”
“F-Fort Leader...”
“Cho Seung.”
“Yes! Fort Leader!”
“Cut him into pieces and throw him to the fish.”
The color drained from Bang Chung’s face.
“F-Fort Leader!”
“Say one more word, and I’ll tear your mouth apart myself.”
At that murderous tone, Bang Chung did not dare make a single excuse. He could only break out in cold sweat, his face ashen.
“Fort Leader.”
Then the man called Cho Seung spoke in a low voice.
“It is true that Captain Bang made a disgraceful showing. But looking at the situation, I don’t think this is something we can pin on him alone.”
“Why not?”
“There’s someone who can sink a speedboat like that in a single blow. No matter what he did, it would have been hard to avoid the same outcome.”
“Hmm.”
Yeo Gwang-gye, the leader of Daegyeong Fort and the Cruel Black Fish, nodded as if that made sense.
“So it was unavoidable.”
But the Cruel Black Fish soon clicked his tongue, displeased.
“Even so, losing the ship and returning is still a grave offense. Demote him to a foot soldier, bind him up, and lock him away for half a month. Don’t give him so much as a sip of water.”
“Yes!”
“T-thank you, Fort Leader!”
Bang Chung bowed his head over and over, as though grateful simply to have survived.
“......Power enough to sink a speedboat in one strike, you say... What in the world would bring those people all the way to the Yangtze?”
“They said they were from Mount Hua.”
At Bang Chung’s answer, the Cruel Black Fish’s eyes flashed.
“Mount Hua?”
“Yes! The blow was struck by some monk, but he said with his own mouth that they came from Mount Hua.”
“Mount Hua...”
The Cruel Black Fish slowly turned his head and looked at Cho Seung.
“It seems it’s because of the special escort service. It’s well known that Mount Hua stands behind Eunha Merchant Guild’s escort line.”
“Hmm. Is that so?”
Cho Seung asked, glancing at Bang Chung.
“Were they young?”
“Yes! They were still young. There were seven of them.”
The absurd answer made the Cruel Black Fish’s expression twist violently.
“You lost your ship and fled from only seven people? You worthless little minnow!”
“Hiiiiiik!”
Once again, Cho Seung hurriedly stepped in and calmed him down.
“If they were young disciples from Mount Hua, then they were probably the Mount Hua Five Swords.”
“......The Mount Hua Five Swords?”
“Yes. If they are the Mount Hua Five Swords, the ones said to have defeated Wudang’s first-generation disciples in a duel, then they are not opponents one can take lightly. And if the Mount Hua Divine Dragon, the man who defeated Wudang’s elder, was aboard that ship, then Captain Bang never stood a chance.”
“Grrr.”
The Cruel Black Fish glared at Bang Chung in annoyance before turning his gaze to the merchant ship floating across from them.
“The Mount Hua Five Swords... So those are the bastards people have been talking about until my ears are nearly numb?”
“Yes, Fort Leader.”
“Hmm.”
The Cruel Black Fish’s eyes rippled.
“They must be fairly famous. And if they’re famous, they must have the skills to earn that fame. Looking at the fact that they boarded a ship and tried to face us, they must be brimming with confidence as well.”
A cruel smile formed at the corners of his mouth.
“But life doesn’t always go the way you want. We’ll make them pay for daring to challenge us on the river. Haul them in.”
“Yes! As you command!”
The water bandits on the deck began to move in perfect unison.
The Cruel Black Fish quietly gripped the armrest of his chair and muttered,
“Mount Hua...”
A vile smile spread over his entire face.
“They aren’t coming?”
“What are they doing?”
The Mount Hua disciples looked at the dragon ship with faces that had gone a little flat from confusion.
The ship had charged toward them with ferocious momentum as though it meant to ram them at any moment, only to stop at a distance and now refuse to move. It was only natural they would be puzzled.
“Could they be scared?”
“Scared?”
“Yes. We’ve got some reputation now, don’t we? No matter how much they strut around, they’re still just water bandits. How dare they stand up to the Mount Hua Five Swords! Hahaha!”
“Jo Gul.”
“Yes?”
“Would you close your mouth?”
“......”
Yoon Jong gave Jo Gul a calm, irritated glare, then turned his gaze back to the dragon ship.
That was when it happened.
“It’s moving!”
“......But it doesn’t look like it’s coming this way.”
The dragon ship slowly began to rotate in place.
“Can it even do that?”
“It has oars. If the oars on both sides row in opposite directions, it’s possible.”
The dragon ship, after slowly turning, eventually faced in the complete opposite direction. The Mount Hua disciples tilted their heads in unison.
“Is it just going to leave?”
“Seems like it. Why turn around...?”
Then it happened.
Rattle-rattle!
A door installed at the rear of the dragon ship opened, and something dark shot out from inside.
“Was that what they fired before?”
“No!”
The Mount Hua disciples, thinking the same attack was about to repeat itself, suddenly widened their eyes.
It was indeed a harpoon again, but this one was enormous.
It had to be at least twice the size of the harpoon fired by the speedboat, and it was frighteningly fast as well.
“A chain?”
What’s more, a long chain was attached directly to the harpoon.
Ka-gagagag!
Kwaaaang!
The two fired harpoons buried themselves into the ship. The impact made the vessel lurch as though it had been hit by a massive wave.
Rattle-rattle-rattle!
The chains attached to the harpoons drew taut.
“Those bastards!”
“What are they doing?”
“No way...”
And in that instant, the dragon ship that had been standing still began to move.
Giiiiing!
The sound of metal scraping against metal rang out like the howl of some enormous whale. As the dragon ship gained speed, the merchant ship they were on was dragged along, forced to tilt and lurch in the same direction.
“W-what the hell!”
“Damn it, we’re being dragged!”
Shock flashed in the eyes of the Mount Hua Five Swords.
They had never even imagined such a thing.
To make matters worse, the speedboats around the dragon ship began edging closer and closer, surrounding the merchant ship as if they were escorting it. It was like they were determined not to let even an ant slip away.
Even in this situation, seeing those speedboats keep a distance that made leaping across with lightness skill impossible, the word “cunning” came to mind on its own.
“Where are they dragging us?”
“Where else? To their damn nest, of course!”
Jo Gul clenched his teeth.
Fighting them on the ship was difficult. But if you looked at it the other way around, there was an advantage too: only so many people could board one vessel at once.
But if they were dragged ashore like this, the seven of them would have to bear the full weight of all those bandits alone.
If we could do that, we wouldn’t have gone through all this trouble!
“If we get dragged over there, we’re done for!”
“What do we do?”
“What do you mean, what do we do?”
Jo Gul roared at the top of his lungs.
“Nothing’s changed from the original plan! They’re even nice enough to lay out a path and tell us to come on over, so we should just take their heads! I’m going first!”
“Jo Gul!”
“Hey, you bastard! Stop!”
Jo Gul vaulted over the railing as if he had no intention of waiting for anyone.
Tap!
Then he planted a foot on the chain linking the two ships and shot forward at terrifying speed.
“I was already getting sick of standing around, and now they’ve even gone and put down a bridge for us! How thoughtful!”
Sword in one hand, Jo Gul’s eyes gleamed as he sprinted like lightning—just as he did so, someone leaned out from the dragon ship and gave a light signal with a hand.
At once, archers with drawn bows appeared in unison on the dragon ship and the surrounding speedboats.
Jo Gul’s mouth fell open in a daze.
“Huh?”
...Didn’t see that coming.
“Fire!”
Fwoooosh! Fwoo! Fwoooosh!
The arrows released from the strings rose in a single mass, blackening the sky.
“Wow... that’s quite the sight.”
And then they began to rain down on Jo Gul like black rain.
I shouldn’t have acted like a fool.
Regret is always late, no matter how quickly it comes.