Chapter 183
Chapter 183
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Translator: Vine
Chapter: 183
Chapter Title: Like an Arrow
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"Something… feels off."
The manager of the Golden Moon Trading Company, standing at the bow and looking ahead, muttered to himself.
At that, the escort captain standing beside him slowly scanned the surroundings.
The waterway itself was quite wide, easily broad enough for ten ships to pass side by side.
But the riverbanks, and even the areas further into the river, were densely packed with tall reeds.
It was certainly ideal terrain for river pirates to launch a surprise attack.
"Don't worry too much. Who would dare attack the Golden Moon Trading Company's fleet?"
A long time ago, there were quite a few river pirates who would attack the Golden Moon Trading Company's fleet.
But their end was never good.
After crushing all who dared to attack, they would torture them to find their base, then destroy and burn everything to the ground.
Everyone in the stronghold, regardless of age or gender, was slaughtered.
The Golden Moon Trading Company acted so excessively that anyone who heard the story would frown in disapproval.
After a few such incidents, word began to spread among the river pirates that one should not mess with the Golden Moon Trading Company.
And at some point, the mere sight of the Golden Moon Trading Company's flag was enough to make river pirates avoid them altogether.
It wasn't that no pirates ever blocked their path, but a reasonable amount of "pocket money" would make them back off on their own.
Sometimes, those pirates even helped with escorting.
Though it wasn't necessary, of course.
Despite this situation, the Golden Moon Trading Company never let its guard down.
If they had, they wouldn't have stationed fifteen martial artists from the Cheongmu Faction, Sangcheon Sect, and Nine Dragons Gate on each ship.
Moreover, the two escort agencies had also brought considerable forces.
To start, each agency had assigned two escort captains.
And each captain had thirty escorts under their command.
Normally, an escort mission would consist of one captain and about twenty guards.
This showed just how much effort they were pouring into this job.
And for good reason; the cargo they were transporting this time was extremely valuable.
For both escort agencies.
That's why they had even mobilized the power of the Golden Moon Trading Company.
Two escort captains stood on either side of the manager.
"Can't we check ahead?"
The manager's expression was still laced with worry.
The escort captains could fully understand the manager's attitude.
Managers in charge of such large fleets always lived with worry.
It was worse because the atmosphere within the Golden Moon Trading Company had been poor lately.
Someone in a position like a manager couldn't help but be sensitive to the company's mood.
That atmosphere was carrying over to this trade journey, which was a great concern.
"I'll send scouts ahead. A few small boats with about five escorts each should be enough. If things go wrong, they can just abandon the boats and escape."
Though he said that, he was confident it wouldn't come to that.
The escort captain gave a hand signal to another ship.
At that, a ship on the edge of the fleet began to lower small boats.
And six boats set off, fanning out to the left and right ahead of them.
As the boats pushed into the reeds, the reeds were so tall they swallowed them whole.
Still, everyone kept their eyes on that area, as they could track their movements by the swaying reeds.
But just then, the movement of the reeds suddenly became violent.
And then it fell silent.
A chilling tension enveloped the entire fleet.
At that moment, old, large ships began to emerge abruptly from the reed beds.
There were fifteen ships in total, and they were clearly river pirates.
They stopped, blocking the river.
One of the escort captains observed them with sharp eyes.
"They don't seem to be an ordinary band of pirates. I'll talk to them first."
With that, the captain infused his voice with internal energy and shouted loudly.
"Who are you! Surely you've heard the rumors about our Golden Moon Trading Company!"
One of the pirates stepped forward and shouted.
"We're from the Flood Dragon Fortress!"
"Which Flood Dragon Fortress! As far as I know, there's no Flood Dragon Fortress near Changsha."
The captain knew of twenty-two Flood Dragon Fortresses in total.
Following the river, one would encounter river pirates calling themselves the Flood Dragon Fortress in various places.
And most pirate groups with that name were large in scale.
Although there were many, it wasn't a name just anyone could use.
"We just opened for business recently. You can consider all the bastards around here to be under us now!"
At the pirate's words, the captain's expression stiffened slightly.
It was a problem that such a major event had occurred and the Golden Moon Trading Company hadn't caught wind of it yet.
It meant there was a hole in the company's intelligence network.
‘No matter how bad things have been lately, this is too much.’
The captain glared at the pirates.
If they had unified the surrounding pirates, they would probably want to show off their strength.
But choosing the Golden Moon Trading Company as their opponent was insane. No matter what, pirates were just pirates.
"How about we give you a fair share and you open the way? There's no need for us to shed blood."
"Well, it'd be nice for us not to shed blood either. Still, you're the famous Golden Moon Trading Company. You wouldn't just toss us some loose change, would you? Let's see your sincerity."
The escort captains' expressions hardened at the pirate's words.
And a hint of anger appeared on the faces of the escorts and martial artists on each ship.
The captain looked at the manager beside him. The manager's expression wasn't good either.
But he had no intention of shedding blood right now. The manager gestured behind him, and the bodyguards on standby went inside and brought out a large, pre-prepared pouch.
Inside were gold coins, silver coins, and several bank notes.
The reason they had specifically included the bank notes was that the moment the pirates used them, there would be a way to trace them.
Each note had a special mark, and the moment a note with that mark was used, the user would be put under surveillance.
That way, they could reverse-track the location of their stronghold.
They had discovered quite a few strongholds that way.
The captain took the pouch and threw it toward the pirate who had stepped forward.
He had imbued it with considerable internal energy, so it flew with great force and speed.
But the pirate caught it with surprising ease.
The captain's complexion darkened.
"He's no ordinary man."
It was obvious without him having to say it.
The pirate checked inside the pouch and smirked.
"This… it seems the Golden Moon Trading Company looks down on our Flood Dragon Fortress."
Hearing that, the captain shouted.
"Too much greed brings disaster!"
"Trying to get away with a steal like a thief also brings disaster. Hand over two more pouches just like this one, and we'll back off!"
The captain flared up.
"That crazy bastard?"
But the manager waved his hand to stop him.
"Let's give them more."
"What? But, Manager!"
"I have a really bad feeling about this. I feel like something is about to happen."
The captains looked at the manager with slight displeasure, no, with pity.
Of course, they quickly erased the emotion from their eyes. There was nothing to be gained by showing such feelings.
In any case, their opponent was the manager of the Golden Moon Trading Company. The authority of a manager in charge of such a large fleet was truly immense.
He wasn't someone that mere escort captains like them could treat carelessly.
Just then, an urgent shout came from the rear of the fleet.
"A suspicious boat is approaching!"
Everyone's gaze reflexively turned in that direction. The shouting continued.
"It's approaching too fast!"
They could see a single boat in the distance, practically flying toward them at a ferocious speed.
***
"Shit, this is scary as hell."
One-Needle Eccentric muttered unconsciously.
The boat carrying them was literally flying like an arrow.
It was gliding across the river, occasionally lifting slightly into the air and continuing forward. Each time, they felt their bodies float, as if they were truly flying.
"What's so scary? It's fun."
It felt incredibly good to rush forward, feeling the cool wind.
If they were riding a horse or running using lightness techniques, they wouldn't have been able to feel this way.
It was a feeling that could only be fully enjoyed by standing at the bow of the gliding, flying boat.
"Must be nice being so simple-minded."
"What are you talking about? You're far simpler than me, old man. I'd say my brain is way above yours."
"Where is this crazy bastard trying to spread false rumors? My brain is obviously superior."
As One-Needle Eccentric said this, he subtly shifted his eyes to glance at Byeok Taesan, who was sitting on the flatbed at the back.
"You're only thinking about how fast the boat is going, not about the Young Master's power that's making it happen? Isn't that scary?"
The Divine Doctor of the Ages cackled.
"At that point, aren't you just making up things to worry about? The Young Master is on our side, so what's there to be afraid of? It's reassuring, if anything. I'm looking forward to seeing what happens to those ships over there."
One-Needle Eccentric turned his gaze to the Golden Moon Trading Company's fleet, which had just appeared in the distance.
"Well… to be honest, I am looking forward to it."
Meanwhile, the boat continued to fly at an incredible speed.
The moment the Golden Moon Trading Company's fleet came into view, it was already rapidly approaching, now close enough for even someone who hadn't learned martial arts to see it clearly.
The Golden Moon fleet could be seen falling into disarray.
And they could see ships positioned even farther away than the fleet.
"Huh? Aren't those river pirates?"
"Right? Didn't you say the Golden Moon Trading Company was pretty famous among river pirates?"
"That's what I heard. They're the type to track them to the ends of the earth and retaliate viciously whenever they have a run-in, so pirates usually wouldn't dare mess with them."
The fact that the Underworld Sect and the Secret Heaven Group were disguised as river pirates to block the way was known only to Hwaok and Byeok Taesan.
There was no need to tell the others, and not telling them wouldn't cause any problems.
"Anyway, at this rate, we're going to crash."
The Divine Doctor of the Ages muttered with a slightly anxious expression, looking at Byeok Taesan.
He wished he would start slowing down, but for some reason, it felt like the speed was increasing.
No, it really was getting faster. It sped up little by little, then gained tremendous acceleration.
"Aaargh! Young Master! We're going to crash! We're all going to die!"
The Divine Doctor of the Ages screamed, terrified.
Of course, they wouldn't die from a crash. How could people as strong as those on this boat die from a mere collision between ships?
They were just a little scared from experiencing such high speed in an unfamiliar way.
But at this point, he should have been slowing down, yet the speed was increasing instead.
Among the five people standing at the bow, Hwaok moved quickly.
She moved to a position behind Byeok Taesan.
Because the boat was moving at an incredible speed, it was tricky to control the wind and maintain balance while moving, but Hwaok did it skillfully.
Seeing Hwaok move behind Byeok Taesan, the others' eyes widened.
They turned their heads back and forth, looking between Hwaok and the rapidly approaching Golden Moon fleet.
Then they dashed to where Hwaok was.
At that exact moment, the boat carrying Byeok Taesan's group crashed into the Golden Moon Trading Company's fleet.
A deafening series of crashes echoed across the water.
Any ship that was even grazed by Byeok Taesan's boat was violently shattered.
It literally broke into smithereens.
Naturally, the impact on those aboard the ships was immense.
The strange thing was that those who had learned martial arts—that is, those with internal energy—suffered a greater shock.
An ordinary person without internal energy only felt an impact equivalent to slamming their whole body against a wall.
Though that alone was enough to make them momentarily lose consciousness.
Byeok Taesan's boat didn't cut through the center of the fleet.
It plowed straight through the right side of the fleet.
The dozen or so ships positioned on the right were smashed to pieces.
After plowing through, the boat made a wide turn.
It was just before reaching the spot where the river pirates were gathered.
*SWOOOOOSH!*
A huge wave rose and crashed down on the pirates.
The pirates' boats staggered, were pushed back, and scattered.
Byeok Taesan's boat made another wide turn and passed through the left side of the fleet.
Another wave of destruction followed.
The same thing happened.
The ships were shattered, and everyone on board suffered internal injuries and fell into the water.
After passing through, Byeok Taesan's boat once again made a wide turn.
Now, it began to fly toward the last part, the center of the fleet—the remaining ships.
The manager of the Golden Moon Trading Company, who had survived until the end, watched the boat flying toward him at an incredible speed with a bleak expression.
A final, powerful impact followed.
And with a powerful impact, his consciousness faded.
Having thus destroyed all the ships of the Golden Moon Trading Company, Byeok Taesan's boat leisurely passed through the gap that had opened up between the river pirates.
The remaining river pirates—that is, the members of the Underworld Sect and the Secret Heaven Group—could only stand there dumbfounded for a while.
They couldn't believe what they had just seen.
In truth, the scene they had expected was nothing like this.
They had anticipated a more intense battle, and the original plan—the picture they had painted in their minds—was for Byeok Taesan's group to quietly infiltrate the chaos and achieve their goal.
But what actually happened rendered that plan completely useless.
"Alright, let's hurry!"
At someone's shout, everyone snapped to their senses and began to move.
Now they had to pull everyone out of the water.
Everyone was flailing around with internal injuries, so they could be easily subdued.
In addition, they would be able to secure all the goods floating in the river.