Chapter 39
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Translator: penny
Chapter: 39
Chapter Title: Grand Bandit Sect (3)
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Huh!
Hwangbo Jangseong, Hwangbo Jinun, and the Crimson Dragon Squad had to swallow deep sighs. It felt like they were being backed into a corner bit by bit. They didn't want to follow, but turning back now would mean losing all their prestige and being branded as hypocrites.
"If the surprise attack works, it won't be that hard."
They had to fight hundreds of water bandits with just ten people. Even with Mujin and Hwangbo Jangseong there, underestimating the bandits' forces could lead to disaster.
Whoosh, splash splash!
Even as they traveled, Mujin leisurely fished. His nonchalance, not expending any inner energy on the bandit rabble, made Hwangbo Jangseong and his group uncomfortable.
"If we subjugate the Soho Bandit Stronghold, our fame will pierce the heavens. Isn't that right, son!"
"Reputation comes after practical gains. And I don't care for fame that's not practical anyway."
"You're smart just like your mom, my boy."
Hwangbo Jangseong, the Crimson Dragon Squad, and Hwangbo Jinun, who had harbored small hopes of some strategy, shook their heads.
There was no plan at all.
How could someone charging into the tiger's den look so carefree!
Shouldn't they turn back now?
They had to grapple seriously with that question.
Pride wouldn't fill their stomachs. Without spare lives, they could all be wiped out if things went wrong.
"Don't worry. The great Hwangbo family, pinnacle of the Five Great Families and a renowned orthodox sect, is behind us. They wouldn't abandon us and run, would they?"
"They might abandon us, but the pinnacle of the Five Great Families, the Hwangbo family, wouldn't. Why state the obvious?"
Like father, like son.
Sly as a fox.
Taejin wasn't someone he wanted to emulate, but he'd inherited his father's pragmatism down to the bone. That was the inescapable influence of parents. You see the parents in the child, and the child in the parents—a sad reality.
Bubbling with frustration!
Hwangbo Jangseong swallowed his hollow anger. How could he turn back after hearing that? Pride wasn't more important than life, but now retreat was impossible. Especially since that sharp-tongued mouth couldn't be trusted to stay quiet.
"We're almost at the entrance to their main stronghold."
The boatman announced they were nearing the Soho Bandit Stronghold's base. As they approached the main lair, the reason they hadn't been subjugated became clear.
The area was shrouded in thick fog. According to the boatman, the mist never cleared year-round.
'The currents are fierce.'
The boat's rocking made it obvious. And that wasn't all. The water depth varied unpredictably. Hidden reefs lurked everywhere beneath the surface; one wrong move and the boat could run aground.
Even experts on waterways struggled to cross. The Soho bandits had their own secret markers—astonishingly, the flow of the currents. In this area, there were regular channels through the water.
'Hard to spot even knowing that.'
Without constant experience, even waterway experts couldn't find them easily. It made sense how the Soho Bandits evaded pursuit by the Nangong family, hegemons of Anhui Province, and continued their piracy.
Without knowing the channels, no amount of numbers made pursuit easy. The Soho Bandits had cleverly exploited that. Moreover, their boats were swift speedsters.
As they plunged deeper into the thickening fog toward the center, the mist began to thin.
"What is this, a basin on the river?"
"A natural fortress."
Mujin had honestly been skeptical.
Unlike the rumors comparing Soho Bandit Stronghold to the Yangtze Eighteen Waterway Bandits, they weren't that impressive without the terrain. Numbers alone didn't make them formidable.
The Yangtze Eighteen's infamy stemmed not just from numbers, but from their abundance of experts. Their chieftain, the Water Dragon, was said to rival the King of Wu in prowess.
"They're just bandit trash exploiting geography. No need to fear."
Mujin decided to boost their morale. He hoped it'd fill them with vigor. But his words only tightened the noose around Hwangbo Jangseong and the group. Every time the urge to flee surged, he cunningly reeled them back in. It was like a muddy swamp closing in from all sides.
'If you want to bolt, go ahead.'
Mujin knew better than anyone that their face would keep them from fleeing. A prestigious sect's pride was like a tiger's hide—unyielding.
The fog cleared.
Two boats lay ahead. Likely sentries at the base entrance or ready for sorties. The boatman thought the former.
Mujin ordered the boatman to sound the horn.
'How am I supposed to blow the horn that bastard used.'
-Quit acting sensitive.
'Dirty is dirty.'
-You're the dirtiest. Says the guy who went around covered in blood for a month straight!
When signaled by horn, the other side would respond and maintain distance. They'd planned quick escapes within a certain range. Unlike prestigious sects or families, bandits valued life over honor. They didn't stake their lives on pride.
Bwoooong!
They had to close in.
Mujin gauged the distance and gave Hwangbo Jangseong a simple plan.
"I'll take one boat. For the surprise attack, make sure they can't sound the horn."
"You don't mean that's the strategy... Hngh!"
Flash!
Before he finished, Mujin leaped from the deck. The distance was over thirty feet.
Ignoring it, Mujin landed in one fluid motion on the facing boat.
"...Hurry and pick up speed."
Things were getting headache-inducing. Regret flooded him. But having come this far, Hwangbo Jangseong couldn't back out either.
Nam Utab, chieftain of the Swift Dragon Stronghold in the Soho Eighteen, was standing watch in rotation. It wasn't fitting for a chieftain, but lives were at stake. Still, he didn't expect enemies to attack.
'The Grand Chieftain's acting suspicious.'
He wondered why Makgi, the Grand Chieftain, had taken only his own men and vanished. A lazy guy like that only moved for a good reason. He knew the Grand Chieftain's greed better than anyone—he planned to hog it all.
Bwoooong!
A horn sounded, and a boat appeared.
'That's odd.'
Three had gone out, but only one returned. No accidents, hopefully? Suspicious, but it was the Grand Chieftain's boat. Jumping to conclusions could earn the vengeful Grand Chieftain's wrath. He didn't trust that man's pea-sized patience.
Hm?
What?
He sensed something off.
Nam Utab instinctively turned. And saw a man right in front of him, smirking.
"Who... Guk!"
Instead of words, Mujin grabbed his collar and smashed his head into the deck. The seven-foot brute didn't resist, dangling limply before being driven headfirst.
Kwaaang!
His head punched through the deck, blood spraying everywhere.
The area he'd turned to was a bloodbath.
Mujin had vaulted over in one bound, landing lightly. He immediately activated Predictive Eye, reading the bandits' movements. Linked with Whole Army View, his War King Battle Method was divine.
Shudder, thud!
He gave them no time to react. In an instant, the bandits bid farewell to the world.
He'd read every move and advanced as predicted. And they all fell.
"Let's go."
"Pardon?"
"To their base."
"...Understood."
Mujin didn't stop.
He ordered the boatmen who'd rowed to head straight for the Soho Bandit Stronghold's base on Wuying Island.
On the blood-soaked deck, the boatmen dared not argue. Secretly, they felt a thrill. They'd endured endless torment after capture.
"How many bandits are there?"
"Around four hundred total. A hundred are out. They'll return in about four hours."
"They'll all be freed soon. Don't worry."
"Thank you. But are you alone?"
"No, I'm married."
"...?"
The boatman regretted asking, rowing glumly with resignation.
Fated to row forever.
Hwangbo Jangseong, having subdued the Swift Dragon deputy chieftain, exhaled roughly. The rush had drained his qi and stamina.
Subduing the bandits hadn't taken long.
They'd closed in and leaped before the bandits could prepare. His nephew and the Crimson Dragon Squad had done their parts. But unease lingered.
'No spectators.'
Taejin and Cheolho's talents dwarfed his nephew's. Even when those two ganged up and beat him, he hadn't realized their level.
Since the first clash with the Soho Bandits, they'd awakened, shining brilliantly. Purely by talent, his nephew was merely gifted, while those two were geniuses.
'Talent isn't everything.'
Hwangbo Jinun seemed to grasp it too; his gaze on them brimmed with fighting spirit.
They'd grown under the Hwangbo family's full support. Naturally superior to peers.
But the martial world was where flyers topped jumpers. Trapped in well-frog arrogance, you'd never break through.
This harsh reality might be the stimulus his nephew needed. Life was long. Who knew what lay ahead? With gritted teeth, no complacency, and effort, he could surpass them. Young age meant endless potential for awakening to higher realms.
His nephew approached.
"Uncle!"
"No need for self-pity."
"Not that—look there!"
"There...?"
Mujin was charging into the boat his nephew pointed at. A master or not, with numerical disadvantage, he should still be fighting.
"He's going."
"Yeah, he is."
The boat was moving.
Why?
"He didn't get ambushed, did he?"
"What the hell's taking so long!"
Mujin's booming roar echoed.
Thinking they'd been countered, they panicked again. If the boat was moving away, he'd conquered it—and faster than them.
"This fast!"
"...Fewer numbers there!"
The Crimson Dragon Squad's reply rang hollow to Hwangbo Jangseong. He'd given his all, fearing to lag behind Mujin.
Predictive Eye activated.
With Whole Army View, it formed an artistic chain assault. Mujin's body, every inch a weapon, merged with expanded super-sensory domain, pulverizing the bandits.
Thud, pow pow!
Argh, aaaagh!
Mujin's first assault ended the fight. No variables, like a painted scene.
Unilateral slaughter.
Beaten, broken, snapped, shattered bandits flew off, greeting their ancestors.
Gasp!
Unbelievable.
Jang Deok, chieftain of Mighty Dragon Stronghold and wielder of Flesh-Tearing Sword, couldn't close his eyes from the massacre. His gaping mouth spilled shocked cries. Until the madman leaped aboard, it hadn't been like this. But his eyes couldn't follow the movement.
"...Impossible!"
Not even "bolt of light" captured it. The foe was a league beyond any he'd faced. His men were second-rate but battle-hardened. Yet they scattered like leaves in wind, no resistance.
"The horn... Hngh!"
Signaling intrusion, Jang Deok felt his body harden like stone. Meeting the eyes nearly ejected his soul.
"...My body!"
Qi rose, but powerlessly. Despair filled his gaze. They said peak killing intent merged with formless aura for control.
But such experts were famed in the martial world.
And though a bandit, he'd touched first-rate's edge. Crushed by formless aura? Absurd.
"Mercy... Keuk!"
A deflating wail escaped as agony canceled his energy, soul crumbling. His chest was pierced.
"Why..."
Crack!
Jang Deok's head snapped around.
Just in case, a confirming kill.
Mujin ignored their pleas. Petty bandits' sob stories meant nothing. Time was gold; he focused on swift dispatch.
"Useful."
-Soul-Piercing Demonic Eye with formless aura can control foes.
"Pair it with Predictive Eye for chain attacks, and power doubles."
-Don't get cocky. Won't work on those who've experienced it or reached that level.
"Worrywart. No seconds anyway."
Soul-Piercing Demonic Eye controlled not just impressions but spirits. Linked with Predictive Eye, no time wasted on trash. Perfect for mass slaughter in one go. Pouring qi worked too, but consumption-wise, unwise.