Chapter 154
Chapter 154
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Translator: Ryuma
Chapter: 154
Chapter Title: The Floating Fortress and a Craving for Fish
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It was after he had been dunked and pulled from the water about three times that Ung-pyo finally climbed back onto the boat.
Thanks to the pirates’ passionate life-saving efforts, born from a desperate will to live, a conscious Ung-pyo spoke, grinding his teeth.
“I don’t know the location of the main fortress! But I can send a message. If you command it, I will contact the Grand Chief at once!”
Kindly and in great detail.
“You should have just done that from the start. Where is the Seoha Fortress?”
“It’s about an hour’s boat ride from here! I will guide you!”
As Ung-pyo answered, glaring with wide, intense eyes, Neung Un-bi nodded in satisfaction.
“Good. I like the quick response. But I don’t like your attitude or the look in your eyes.”
“Pardon?”
“You’ve still got a long way to go before you’re properly submissive, right?”
“……!”
As the muddy water’s surface reflected in Neung Un-bi’s rolling eyes, Ung-pyo shrieked in terror.
“No! I am submissive! I am prepared to tell you anything!”
“I know, of course you are. But why the informal tone?”
As Neung Un-bi nodded and grabbed the rope binding him, Ung-pyo screamed with all his might.
“No! I’ve just swallowed too much water, it was merely a poor choice of words!”
“Exactly.”
“……Pardon?”
“In our Demonic Cult, we don’t tolerate such mistakes.”
It was unclear when he had developed such love for the Demonic Cult, but with a sly grin, Neung Un-bi hurled Ung-pyo into the muddy water.
“Wai-wait—aaaaah!”
Ung-pyo’s voice, flying in a parabolic arc, echoed faintly over the river.
*Splash!*
“Our destination is the Seoha Fortress. Full speed ahead.”
“Sir?”
The pirates stared at each other in bewilderment as Neung Un-bi pointed straight ahead with his finger.
“What are you doing, Vice Chief?”
“……”
“Are you not going to steer the boat?”
As Neung Un-bi narrowed one eye, the Vice Chief, Bae Seong-ryeom, tilted his head.
*That’s not the issue. Someone fell overboard.*
*And he’s telling us to just go?*
Even if the man was tied to a rope, it was absurd. They might be outlaws who lived by piracy, but this was treating someone as less than human.
Moreover, wasn’t the one who fell into the water their own leader?
“Do you… want a taste of the water too?”
“……!”
At the sight of that faint smile, Bae Seong-ryeom shouted forcefully.
“Unfurl the sails! Row with all your might! Destination, Seoha Fortress! Full speed ahead!”
Bae Seong-ryeom led the pirates with more enthusiasm than ever before.
*So what if it’s Ung-pyo? So what if he’s the chief?*
*Loyalty among pirates? What’s that? I have to save myself first.*
*Fwoooosh!*
The boat cut powerfully through the water, and Ung-pyo, tied to the end, was dragged vigorously along with it.
“Glglgrk, hack, khuhuk!”
He drank water the entire way to the Seoha Fortress.
“Hmm, doesn’t the master seem unusually full of enthusiasm, unlike before?”
“I think so too. He’s being far more proactive than usual.”
“It’s a desirable development, but… that’s why I’m somehow more anxious.”
“Me too.”
Wang Cheon and Ju Seung watched the strangely excited Neung Un-bi with uneasy eyes.
But Neung Un-bi had every reason to be.
Until now, he had thought of his journey to the Central Plains as nothing more than a way to soothe his longing for ‘him.’ After all, that person had been everything in his past life.
Thus, he had prioritized returning to the Orthodox Faction over revenge.
He wanted to do everything under the banner of the Orthodox Faction.
Some might call him foolish for it. Why take the long way around when he had the powerful backing of the Demonic Cult?
Of course, Neung Un-bi had considered that path.
But if he did, would the Central Plains remain unscathed?
Countless people would suffer from the calamities of war.
Only those who deserved to die should die, and only the families that deserved to fall should fall. How could he let others be harmed?
However, while his head thought one way, his heart felt another.
The moment he saw the Peng and Jegal families, he couldn’t contain the surging rage. Just watching the actions of their kin told him everything. They hadn’t changed.
*…In the end, he was unable to realize the great cause he had embraced.*
Well, it was understandable. After his own death, their surveillance must have intensified.
What could he have done alone, having lost all his limbs?
The Murim was a place where even the truest words were worth less than a mutter if one lacked the power to make them reality.
Because no one would listen.
He didn’t know why, five years ago as Jeong Chi-su had said, he had been with those bastards.
But there must have been a reason.
Of course, pondering it alone would not yield an answer. He would find out when he met him in Zhengzhou.
Until then, he would carry out a small act of revenge.
Yes, this was preliminary preparation.
It wasn’t as if the entire Demonic Cult was descending, nor was he trying to destroy the Peng and Jegal families right away.
He would just provoke them a little, to focus the attention of his enemies on the Demonic Cult.
Intensely, so that they would fail to recognize that their enemy was within, just like in the past.
And in the meantime, he would return to the Orthodox Faction and start over from the beginning.
*Just you wait, you filthy hypocrites.*
*The day I meet him and stand once more under the name of the Orthodox Faction, I will expose to the world every sin you have committed while hiding behind the facade of righteousness.*
And I’ll collect the old debt for my death while I’m at it.
He wasn’t calling for an open war; he was going to legally screw them over according to the Orthodox-Demonic Pact.
There were still ten days until the Tournament of the Nine Dragons, weren’t there?
*I will use that time, long if you think it long, short if you think it short, to the best of my ability to make you suffer.*
The thought of the Peng and Jegal families at the Orthodox Murim Alliance headquarters, looking at him with faces like they’d chewed on shit, made him feel better already.
“Kuhuhuhuhu! Let’s go! Move the boat faster!”
“Yes!”
Watching Neung Un-bi command from the gunwale, urging the pirates on, Wang Cheon and Ju Seung grew even more anxious.
“G-Guard Captain, the master’s laughter seems even more dangerous than before.”
“Dammit… What kind of trouble is he planning to cause now? I should have stopped him by any means necessary when he said he wanted to meet the river pirates.”
But it was too late to turn back now. The water had not just been spilled; it had soaked in without ever pooling, making it impossible to gather again.
Since the decision was made, all they could do was help to the best of their ability.
* * *
The Seoha Fortress floated on the river like an island.
It was as if a pavilion had been built on a giant raft.
With the exception of Neung Un-bi, who had seen various types of river fortresses in the past, everyone else couldn’t hide their looks of wonder.
“To think something so large could float on water.”
“It’s truly incredible.”
As the admiration continued, a pirate from the Seoha Fortress peeked his head out, observed the boat carefully, and then shouted urgently.
A jarring bell began to toll.
It made sense. The boat was surely theirs, but the sight of those on board was an obvious cause for alarm.
Not only their chief, Ung-pyo, but all the other pirates were kneeling before figures cloaked in black.
Given its size, it seemed there were quite a few pirates remaining. They swarmed out, filling the outer perimeter with a black mass, each brandishing their weapon as if to show it off.
But in the end, they were nothing more than common river pirates. It was unlikely any of them were as strong as the chief or vice chief.
In other words, they were many in number but lacking in quality.
“Well, this won’t take long.”
After a quick scan of the fortress, Neung Un-bi gave a casual command.
“Wang Cheon.”
“Yes, Master.”
“We’re about a hundred feet away.”
“Understood. I will tell everyone to prepare.”
“Don’t be too rough.”
“I know. I won’t kill them.”
Just as Wang Cheon nodded and was about to relay the order to the Crescent Moon Unit.
*Thump!*
“……?”
Someone suddenly stomped their foot forcefully.
They were still much farther than a hundred feet away.
It was too great a distance for even Wang Cheon and Ju Seung to leap in a single bound, let alone the warriors of the Crescent Moon Unit.
But there was one person who was more than capable of making the jump.
Hyang-i suddenly launched herself toward the fortress.
She flew gracefully across that great distance, even pushing off the water’s surface to gain more momentum.
*Why are you stepping up now?*
*You barely listen when I give you an order, so why are you being so proactive all of a sudden?*
As Neung Un-bi watched Hyang-i’s puzzling behavior, he saw the pirates fall without putting up any real resistance.
His eyes widened for a moment before he clutched his chest in relief.
Thankfully, she was using her fists and feet. As the saying goes, even a dog at a village school learns to recite poetry after three years. Perhaps from traveling with him, who refrained from killing carelessly, she had learned to hold back.
And those movements.
They were truly remarkable, no matter how many times he saw them. Now that he could faintly perceive her storm-like attacks, unlike before, he was even more impressed.
At the same time, he felt a sense of pride.
*When did I grow this strong?*
While Neung Un-bi was busy admiring himself, Hyang-i, having swept through the fortress once, returned to the boat and glared at Ung-pyo as if she would eat him alive.
“Hey! Why is there nothing?”
“Pardon?”
“Why is there nothing to eat in the fortress!”
“……”
As she lifted him by the collar, her eyes blazing with killing intent, Ung-pyo gasped for breath and spoke.
“Th-That can’t be? The food pantry is full of provisions……”
“Right, it was. Meat! Rice! Beans! Potatoes!”
“……”
“But the fish!”
“Pardon?”
“Where are the fish! The fish!”
“……”
Even as he was terrified by Hyang-i’s fiery rage, Ung-pyo couldn’t hide his bewildered expression.
Fish? What in the world was she talking about?
“Dammit all! If you’re river pirates, you should have fish! Is this place not on the water? Do you know how much I was looking forward to this when I heard we were coming to a river fortress? Do you?!”
It seemed that was the reason for her anger.
No wonder she jumped in first without being told…
“Hyang-i. That’s enough. You’re going to suffocate him.”
“Does it look like I can stop? Do you know how hungry I am! I’ve been drinking nothing but that tasteless liquor! Dammit, if I’d known, I would have packed plenty of Taibai Wine.”
Seeing her grinding her teeth, Neung Un-bi let out a sigh.
*Ah, what am I going to do with this glutton?*
*Is this some kind of food tour? We’re here on a job!*
But it seemed he had to throw her a bone to calm her down.
After finally prying Hyang-i off Ung-pyo, Neung Un-bi asked in a low voice.
“Chief.”
“Yes, sir!”
Perhaps it was because he had made the river pirate more familiar with water, but his response was immediate.
People really do learn.
“Why are there no fish?”
“Pardon?”
The tone was calm, but it was ultimately the same question.
As Neung Un-bi also inquired about the whereabouts of the fish, Ung-pyo’s face fell into a grimace.
*One after another, it’s like they’re possessed by the ghost of someone who died from not eating fish…*
“Third Young Master, keeping fish in the food pantry? That is an utterly preposterous notion.”
“……”
*Why is he getting so worked up over fish…*
“For us who live on the river, fish is an exceedingly common food.”
“I suppose it would be. So?”
“Why would we bother storing something as mundane and common as fish in the pantry?”
“Hmm.”
That made sense.
The question itself was rather foolish.
The Seoha Fortress, no different from a boat floating on the water, was surrounded by the river. If they wanted to eat fish, they could just catch them whenever they pleased. Why would they need to store them?
“If you desire! We will catch some for you right away.”
“……”
At Ung-pyo’s words, Neung Un-bi nodded.
Looking at Hyang-i, it seemed that was what he had to do.
“Alright, then first, let’s dock the Seoha Fortress at the nearest riverbank.”
“Pardon? On land?”
“Yes.”
“……Why?”
“Land is more comfortable for land dwellers.”
“Ah!”
At Neung Un-bi’s words, Ung-pyo let out a cry of exclamation, as if he had gained some great enlightenment.
It was such an obvious statement; there was no need to be that impressed.
Besides, since he had sent a message, the Grand Chief would be coming soon.
This was the water. While it was a familiar home to the river pirates who had always lived there, it was a disadvantageous location for him.
They could neutralize a place like the Seoha Fortress with their own power, but the Grand Chief would be difficult.
In that case, he needed external help.
First, he had to consider the geographical advantage.
A location where it was easier to fight.
A location familiar to them.
So, naturally, they had to wait on land. It would also be easier to escape if things went south.