Chapter 151
Chapter 151
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Translator: Ryuma
Chapter: 151
Chapter Title: The River Bandits
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“Are you insane!”
“…”
Everyone’s eyes widened at Wang Cheon’s sudden outburst.
“I-I’m sorry, Young Master. I just… spoke without thinking…”
“You make a habit of that.”
“Forgive me. But you surprised me by suddenly talking about river bandits…”
“What about it?”
“Are you planning to go find them and negotiate?”
“Of course.”
“Why?”
“It’s the only way to restore our severed trade routes.”
“…Sigh, Young Master.”
“…”
“Fine, just fine. Let’s say you meet with the river bandits. Assuring them of their safety is indeed the best method. But I ask you, will our trade routes be restored just by negotiating with a single bandit den?”
Neung Un-bi stared at Wang Cheon as if he were pathetic.
“Sigh, and I call this man my Guard Captain… When will you ever understand me perfectly?”
“Pardon?”
“The Great Protector could read the Cult Leader’s mind with just a glance.”
“Well, that’s…”
Wang Cheon, about to reply, pouted.
How could he possibly be compared to the Great Protector, Yang Seon?
At the very least, the Cult Leader was sane.
He thought in a way befitting the Demonic Cult more than anyone, but Neung Un-bi was a different story.
There was no telling where he would jump next or what trouble he would cause.
“I’m not trying to meet with some lowly bandit den.”
“Then what?”
“Unlike the Green Forest, the river bandit organization is largely divided into two factions under the Grand Chieftain.”
“?”
As Neung Un-bi began his kind explanation, everyone except Jeong Hyo-sang looked bewildered.
“That is correct. As expected of the Third Young Master. It seems you have already learned a great deal about the Central Plains.”
Jeong Hyo-sang’s praise lent credibility to Neung Un-bi’s words.
“Huh, really? How on earth did you know that? Come to think of it, you also knew that bandits lived in the Evil Dragon Marsh before… Have you really been studying the Central Plains in secret?”
“Enough with the nonsense.”
Neung Un-bi silenced the impressed Wang Cheon and continued.
“The Yellow River and the Yangtze River.”
“…”
“The river bandits are divided between those two places. People think the main fortress is on the Yangtze because they’re called the Yangtze River Bandits, but that’s a misconception. The real main fortress is on the Yellow River. The one who governs the Yangtze is the Junior Chieftain.”
“Pardon? I-Is that so? That’s something even I didn't know…”
This time, even Jeong Hyo-sang seemed half in disbelief, as if hearing it for the first time.
It wasn’t as if he had ever met the Grand Chieftain or the Junior Chieftain.
At most, he would have met one or two lower-level bandit leaders.
But Neung Un-bi was well aware of this fact. He had once investigated the river bandits for a mission.
“This is for the better. What would be the point of meeting the Junior Chieftain? After all, it’s always the leader who makes the decisions. Right?”
“…”
As Neung Un-bi spoke with a grin, Wang Cheon sighed and asked.
“Yes, let’s say that’s how the river bandits are organized. But how do you plan to meet the Grand Chieftain? Are you going to send a carrier pigeon?”
Neung Un-bi’s eyes narrowed at his clearly sarcastic tone.
*This little…*
*If I were really planning to become the Cult Leader, the first thing I’d do is fix that attitude of yours.*
“We’ve already done it before.”
“Done what?”
“Don’t you remember why the King of the Green Forest came to find us?”
Recalling the past at Neung Un-bi’s words, Wang Cheon and Ju Seung suddenly looked at each other and shouted in unison.
“Absolutely not!”
“I’ve already decided.”
“We were just lucky that time!”
“Luck is a part of skill.”
“Still, you absolutely cannot do it.”
“It’s an order. I’m not changing my mind, so get that through your heads.”
After making his point to the two of them, Neung Un-bi immediately looked at Jeong Hyo-sang and said.
“What are you doing? Get a boat ready.”
“Pardon?”
“You wouldn’t know the location of their main fortress, but you know where the nearest bandits usually appear, don’t you?”
“Well…”
“That’s where we’ll start. Everyone, get ready.”
“…”
Neung Un-bi stood up without even waiting for a reply, leaving Ju Seung and Wang Cheon with dumbfounded expressions.
Only Hyang-i followed him.
And Jeong Hyo-sang had no idea.
Why Wang Cheon and Ju Seung had opposed the plan in one voice.
And why they looked so pale.
“Ah, just enough people to sail the boat will be enough. There’s no need for a large crowd.”
“Yes.”
Having received a stern command, Jeong Hyo-sang could only reply immediately.
“Ah… so in the end, it’s come to this…”
“We can’t help it. How can we possibly sway the Young Master from his stubbornness? I will tell the Lunar Eclipse Squad to prepare thoroughly.”
“…”
Jeong Hyo-sang could only find Wang Cheon and Ju Seung’s reactions puzzling.
“What are you doing? Not getting a boat ready? Are you just going to sit there and watch the agency go bankrupt?”
“Yes? Y-Yes, sir!”
***
The Sea Dragon Escort Agency bustled as they hurried to prepare a boat.
Was it not an order from the Third Young Master himself?
Since he was the highest-ranking person they had ever taken aboard, their preparations were naturally faster than usual.
Of course, not everyone was pleased with their enthusiastic efforts.
“Haaa…”
“Hooo…”
Wang Cheon and Ju Seung couldn’t stop sighing, even as they boarded the boat.
They acknowledged Neung Un-bi’s skills, of course. Despite having been in the Central Plains for only a short time, his progress was unbelievably fast.
But their opponent was the Grand Chieftain.
Hadn’t they nearly died when they met the King of the Green Forest?
If he hadn’t spared them…
“Dammit, there’s no other way. Ju Seung!”
“Yes, Guard Captain.”
“If, and I mean if.”
“Yes.”
“If the Young Master is in danger, I’ll hold them off somehow.”
“Pardon?”
“In that time, you escape with the Young Master and the Lunar Eclipse Squad.”
“Guard Captain! I would rather do it myself.”
“No. The Lunar Eclipse Squad needs you.”
“Don’t say such things!”
“You saw what kind of man the King of the Green Forest was.”
“That’s…”
“Listen to me. If the moment comes when I have to throw myself on the line, promise me you will ensure the Young Master’s escape.”
“Kugh, I understand. Even if it costs me my life, I will protect the Young Master.”
“Dammit, the Young Master promised me a position second only to one and above all others when he becomes the Cult Leader… I dreamed of rising to fame and fortune…”
“Guard Captain…”
“I have no choice. Since it has come to this, I can only entrust my dream to you.”
“!”
“In my place, you must rise to that position.”
“I will do so without fail.”
“Tell my mother… that I’m sorry.”
“Yes.”
Wang Cheon and Ju Seung hardened their resolve, making promises about events that had not yet occurred.
“But still… I wish a hole would just open up in this boat.”
“Me too…”
Though they went so far as to imagine sinking the ship, the vessel was unfortunately very fast.
*Fwoosh!*
As the sail unfurled, the boat cut through the murky yellow waves, shattering Wang Cheon and Ju Seung’s wishes to pieces.
And Neung Un-bi, without a care for the two men’s despair, simply sat at the bow, admiring the scenery of the Yellow River.
Sitting next to him, Hyang-i was already drinking.
“This wine tastes good. It’s got a bitter note, unlike the others.”
“Wine on a boat is always like that. You get drunk faster than on land.”
“…”
At Neung Un-bi’s words, Hyang-i looked at the wine bottle with curiosity and asked.
“Where on earth did you learn something like that?”
“Hm?”
“I’ve been curious for a while… You usually act so childish, but every now and then, you speak like a seasoned old master.”
“Ah… well…”
Flustered by Hyang-i’s words, Neung Un-bi suddenly retorted.
“What about you?”
“Pardon?”
“What is the relationship between your grandmother and that elder, Dokgo Seong?”
“…”
“Chungsan? It seemed like the man you called grandfather knew about it too.”
Hyang-i, who had been staring at Neung Un-bi, sharply turned her head away.
“Let’s just say we each have our secrets.”
“…”
It was truly puzzling. What kind of story was there that made the usually so uninhibited Hyang-i clam up like that?
Come to think of it, he knew nothing about her.
Other than the fact that she was stronger than he could imagine…
But what was the point in prying into something she didn’t want to talk about?
However, was it because he thought of Dokgo Seong?
Suddenly, the illusion of the plum blossoms that he had shown, calling it an insight, came to mind.
Both Cheong Jin and Jin San had said that Dokgo Seong’s insight was contained within it.
What on earth could it be?
According to Cheong Jin, it would surely be of great help when he tried to comprehend the sword’s will…
Perhaps it held a clue to reaching a new realm. He was still at a level where he couldn't even learn the so-called ‘tricks’ Hyang-i spoke of, and he hadn't yet transcended his five senses to grasp the realm of blade energy…
As Neung Un-bi’s thoughts deepened, the posture Dokgo Seong had taken was drawn in his mind.
But on second thought, he hadn't only seen the plum blossoms bloom and fall.
At that moment, as he struggled to break free from the illusion, the tip of the branch Dokgo Seong held diagonally had been piercing the ground.
And from there… a sprout had bloomed.
“A sprout…”
In that instant, Neung Un-bi’s vision went dark, and the memory of that day began to surface anew.
Once again, the plum blossoms bloomed. But the image replaying in his mind was quite different from before.
Amidst the plum blossoms, the trajectory of a sword could be faintly seen.
And at that moment, his vision cleared again.
The instant he perceived the trajectory, the plum blossoms shattered and scattered, and the movement of the sword became much clearer.
The gentle, flowing curves merged as if they were a single movement, then promptly split into pieces.
But Neung Un-bi’s training was insufficient to realize what it was.
Before he knew it, the trajectories had overlapped so many times that it became difficult to find the true one.
He tried to focus his mind to see the details, but it remained just out of his grasp.
Enlightenment.
It had come upon him suddenly, and knowing he might never get another chance if he missed this moment, Neung Un-bi tried with all his might to grasp the flow of the trajectory.
But… that was as far as he could go.
The moment the plum blossoms fell and the purple sky collapsed, nothing more came to his mind.
It was frustrating. It was a craving he had never felt before in his life.
“Ah…”
Letting out an unconscious sigh, Neung Un-bi winced.
The illusion vanished, and reality came into view.
“…What were you suddenly thinking about?”
“Hm?”
“Well, you were just quiet.”
Hyang-i was tilting her head, looking at Neung Un-bi.
But for some reason…
“Why has the boat stopped?”
“What do you mean, stopped?”
“Huh?”
“It’s been moving just fine this whole time.”
“…”
Looking around, Neung Un-bi couldn’t help but be bewildered.
He was sure a long time had passed, so why was the scenery unchanged?
Just as Hyang-i said, the boat was still moving at its usual speed.
Did that mean, in that brief moment…
“Hyang-i.”
“Yes?”
“Have you ever experienced a state of no-self?”
“…Unfortunately, no.”
“You haven’t?”
“I’ve heard that some people go through that process when they attain enlightenment.”
“So you haven’t gone through it?”
“My training methods were different.”
“?”
Her expression was that of someone chewing on a memory she’d rather not recall.
Hyang-i, who had been frowning, soon spoke in a calm voice.
“Anyway, that’s how it is. From what I’ve heard, the moment one falls into a state of no-self can last an instant, or it could last for years.”
“Hmm…”
It seemed what he had experienced was a fleeting moment.
But had he attained enlightenment?
It was ambiguous.
Just as Neung Un-bi was about to sink into thought with a serious expression, Hyang-i’s face suddenly turned cold as she whipped her head around.
“Looks like they’re here.”
“?”
The waterway curved along a cliff face.
No sooner had Hyang-i spoken than a single black boat came into view.