Chapter 116
Chapter 116
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Translator: Ryuma
Chapter: 116
Chapter Title: The Waves Before the Yangtze (1)
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“Cough! Cough!”
Hahu Gok, doubled over and hacking violently, glanced at the cloth clutched over his mouth.
It was soaked through with thick, sticky blood.
“Are you alright, Great-Grandfather?”
Hahu Yeon, who had been tending to him, hurriedly offered a cup of water.
After rinsing his mouth and wiping the blood from his lips, Hahu Gok spoke with a mournful expression.
“Now that I'm coughing up blood... there's truly no time left.”
“What are you saying? The physicians are doing everything they can. You'll be back on your feet in no time.”
“Spare me the pipe dreams and open the door—or better yet, the windows. It's suffocating in here.”
Hahu Yeon sprang up and flung open the doors and windows.
A roar of rain poured in, carrying the sharp, briny tang of floodwaters on its heels.
Hahu Gok rose from the bed, crossed the room, and settled into the chair by the window.
“It's a ferocious one, isn't it? How many days now?”
“Five days straight.”
Hahu Yeon set a cup of steaming tea on the table as she replied.
“I'm worried. Rain like this will trigger floods everywhere.”
“There've been a few minor issues, but nothing major so far.”
Hahu Gok nodded gratefully and lifted the teacup.
But it was a lie.
The deluge had been relentless over just a few days, sparking chaos across the region.
Landslides had buried paths, crops drowned in the mud, rivers burst their banks—and lives were lost in the turmoil. They simply couldn't bring themselves to tell him the full truth, not with his health hanging by a thread.
“Those boys making good time, I hope?”
“Yes. Word from the Beggar's Sect—they passed Gukou.”
“Already? Still, it's worrisome. This storm can't be just over us.”
“Don't fret. Even if fire rained from the heavens instead, they wouldn't so much as blink.”
“Hahaha! True enough. True.”
Images of Sima Geon and Cheol Woo flashed in Hahu Gok's mind, drawing a booming laugh from him.
“They really are something else. I knew their skills, trusted them implicitly... but against that lot, I have to admit I was deeply concerned.”
“The Yangtze Waterways Alliance?”
“Yes.”
“Paper tigers, the lot of them. Gunsan Guanglong and a handful of their top brass have some real power, sure—but that's where it ends.”
“Even so, don't they outnumber us by a mile?”
“Would a mountain lord tiger cower before a howling wolf pack? And not just one tiger—two. Their roars alone would send the pack fleeing in terror.”
“Hm. Brother Cheol Woo strikes me more as a bear than a tiger, though.”
“Heh heh heh! Fair point. Size-wise, you're spot on.”
Hahu Gok chuckled endlessly, clearly in high spirits. But in an instant, the laughter twisted into coughs.
“Great-Grandfather!”
“F-fine... I'm fine. No need for the fuss.”
His words rang hollow as the coughing fit dragged on mercilessly.
'The fits are coming more often now. And once they start, they just won't stop.'
Hahu Yeon's face darkened with heartache as she watched.
“Chin up, lad. I'm holding steady for now. I'll last until those boys get here. And it's not just them—the Sword Maiden herself is on her way, isn't she? I've got to hang on. Even if I have to throttle the Grim Reaper himself.”
Hahu Yeon clasped her hands in silent prayer, watching him steel himself not for her, but for his own resolve.
'We're out of time. Brothers... hurry. Please.' ◇◇◇◆◇◇◇ “Ugh, this is nasty—straight-up disgusting!”
Cheol Woo bellowed at the rain lashing down like it was boring holes through the sky.
“If we hadn't stumbled on this shelter, we'd have been soaked to the bone under some tree all night. Whoever the hunter was who threw this grass hut together... he's a living Buddha as far as I'm concerned.”
Cheol Woo even pressed his palms together in gratitude toward the absent builder.
“How long is this downpour gonna last, anyway?”
Noe Jeon shook his head, as if even the thunder found it repulsive.
“Till we hit the Hahu Clan, at this rate.”
“Quit jinxing us.”
“Wanna go get pelted like dust on a rainy day?”
“This ain't weather for dust—bandit or otherwise. Speaking of, with rain this bad... that rumor the herb guy mentioned yesterday might hold water.”
“Rumor? Spill it.”
Cheol Woo, fist half-raised, eased his arm down and prodded.
“They say the Dragon King of the Yangtze flew into a rage after we smashed the Waterways Alliance. That's why the rain's...”
Noe Jeon trailed off—Cheol Woo had smacked his skull.
“Idiot! Days without sun fried your brain? What kinda nonsense is that?”
“Ain't my words—the rumor!”
“Rumors, my ass. We crush some river rats, and the Dragon King gets pissy? Bullshit! And this is a river, not the damn ocean—what Dragon King?”
“I said it's the rumor!”
Noe Jeon rubbed his throbbing head, the picture of injustice.
“Keep yapping crap, join 'em outside. You're pitying Manchu training solo, huh?”
“No way in hell.”
Noe Jeon shook his head vigorously and chucked extra firewood into the roaring blaze for no reason.
A short distance from the fire, where Jin Lim was eyeing Neung Sohwa's damp clothes, she whispered with utter disdain.
“The more I think about it, the more they look like complete fools.”
“That again?”
Neung Sohwa stifled a laugh behind her hand.
“Come on. How do they manage to be so pathetic in every little thing they say and do?”
“They do seem to get along, though.”
“Fools always do.”
Before Jin Lim could finish, Cheol Woo's gravelly voice cut through.
“Oi, wench! Quit the backtalk and rustle up some grub. Training's wrapping soon.”
Flames erupted in Jin Lim's eyes.
“Bear cub calls me 'wench' again? I said one more time and you're done.”
Cheol Woo gaped at her snarling fury, shook his head in disbelief, then without a word turned on Noe Jeon.
“What now?”
“Deaf? Food. Now. Mess with it like last time, and you're toast.”
“My fault? Deputy Leader treats Miss Jin like dirt, so she snaps back. Leader warned you too— we're heading to Hahu Clan together, so show some respect.”
Cheol Woo flinched at the mention of Sima Geon.
“Argh, gonna lose my mind. Now you're both full of it.”
He glared back and forth between Noe Jeon and Jin Lim before heaving himself up and stomping off toward Manchu—who was drilling with Sima Geon just beyond the shelter.
“Useless bulk.”
Jin Lim shot daggers at his retreating back while rummaging cooking gear from her massive pack.
“See that, miss? Lucky I dug my heels in. Imagine if you'd come alone amid these louts—resting easy would be a joke, let alone eating decently.”
Before Neung Sohwa could respond, Noe Jeon sidled up, snagging tools with a wounded tone.
“Heh heh, not fair. Gotta exclude me from 'these louts,' right?”
“...”
Jin Lim ignored him flat-out. Noe Jeon cleared his throat awkwardly and pivoted.
“Anyway, hope the others are holding up. Still stuck at the port, you think?”
Jin Lim's face clouded faintly at the mention of their comrades parted at Gukou.
Sima Geon's group had planned to snag a ship south to Nanking from Wunan the moment they arrived, then sail straight for Hahu Clan.
But things didn't go smoothly.
No direct vessels to Nanking for one—and the brawl with the Waterways Alliance had left wounds graver than expected, Manchu's especially. Priorities being what they were, they hunkered down in Wunan for a full day of patching up and rest before shoving off.
In the interim, Jin Lim returned from visiting her sister at Bi Ma Escort Agency. She'd meant to stay longer, but with Neung Sohwa set to join Sima Geon's crew for Hahu Clan, Jin Lim tagged along.
Neung Sohwa objected fiercely, but Jin Lim wouldn't hear of sending her alone into a pack of strange men.
The other women clamored to follow Neung Sohwa too, but she and Jin Lim shot it down flat—their wishes went unheeded.
Then the rain hit right after leaving Wunan, throwing everything into disarray.
Days of pounding sheets on an already swollen river, capped by a storm-lashed torrent—the waters overflowed in a heartbeat. Ships reaching Gukou halted dead; no sailing anywhere.
Time ticking mercilessly, Sima Geon’s crew scrapped the Nanking River plan. Instead, they backtracked their route through Hongik Ward toward the Hahu Clan.
From there, it was hell every step.
The rain never relented, and mountain shelters were scarce.
A beast's cave was a godsend if they found one; otherwise, it was huddling under boulders or trees for scraps of sleep. Without Jin Lim's foresight—packing cookware and rations—the group's state would've been far worse.
Everything sucked, but one silver lining: bonds between Sima Geon's crew, Neung Sohwa, and Jin Lim had thawed considerably.
Like wartime camaraderie blooming amid hell, shared mountain miseries had warmed their initial awkwardness into something real. Cheol Woo alone stayed his prickly self toward them.
“Nanking Merchant Guild promised a berth—no issues there.”
Jin Lim spoke the words, but worry etched her face for their stranded comrades.
“Enough chit-chat. Food first. Can't have them grinding through injuries on empty stomachs.”
The rain drummed the world deaf, yet Manchu's sharp kiais pierced through—Jin Lim's hands flew faster.
“Grinding? It's for their own good. Feels like suffering now, but someday it'll shine as priceless training. Under the Leader, no less.”
Noe Jeon all but worshipped Sima Geon; Jin Lim's lips pursed sourly. She didn't deny his prowess—couldn't, after years at the Sword Maiden's side—but it irked her all the same.
“Can't argue that. He's stronger every day. Worlds apart from that boat scrap with the river rats—and it's only been days.”
Neung Sohwa eyed Manchu, who was dodging Sima Geon's blade with every ounce of desperation he had.
“All down to young hero Manchu's gifts.”
“Gifted, sure—but the one drawing it out? That's Sima young master.”
“Naturally. Our Leader's a master at unlocking potential. Oh—and there's one other with that knack.”
Noe Jeon nodded toward Cheol Woo lumbering over to Manchu.
“Shame he squeezes it out like wringing a rat.”
Neung Sohwa and Jin Lim burst out laughing in unison.
Noe Jeon's griping carried the weight of hard-earned scars.