Chapter 77
Chapter 77
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Translator: Vine
Chapter: 77
Chapter Title: Save the Alliance Lord! (2)
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Heuk-wol asked Soyang-gun.
“How many people are on Seonjuk Island?”
“Seventeen.”
Heuk-wol turned to me.
“A medium-sized ship should suffice.”
I had been on a medium-sized ship before.
“How long will it take?”
“Ten days, to be safe.”
The Demonic Emperor’s Grand Union’s large ship had departed two days ago and was expected to take fifteen days. Ten days on a medium-sized ship sounded acceptable.
“That will do.”
“Ah! What a relief!”
Soyang-gun and Sang Gang-jo were greatly relieved.
Sang Gang-jo spoke cautiously.
“However, there are always variables.”
“Right. We can’t forget that.”
I always account for variables. Whenever a situation arises, I never fail to consider the potential complications.
The Demonic Emperor’s Grand Union’s ship was said to take fifteen days to reach Seonjuk Island, but it had already left two days ago. If it caught a good wind, it could arrive a few days earlier than expected.
Furthermore, Heuk-wol’s ten-day estimate for his fast boat was just that—an estimate. It could be delayed by a day or two.
So, if the variable of the Demonic Emperor’s Grand Union arriving a little early and Heuk-wol’s fast boat arriving a little late were to occur, the worst imaginable situation would unfold.
No one can predict the ways of the world, so one must be prepared.
With that in mind, Soyang-gun and Sang Gang-jo looked at me.
As one of the Three Wonders of the Martial Alliance, Soyang-gun was a man of great knowledge and wisdom, but in a dead-end situation like this, there was nothing he could do, no matter how hard he racked his brain.
Once they boarded the fast boat Heuk-wol had prepared, they would be helpless against any unforeseen variables. Therefore, if they were to devise a countermeasure, it had to be now.
I didn’t have a particularly clever solution either, but I furrowed my brow and sank into deep thought.
Just then, Cho-seon, who was sitting beside me, stood up and gently tugged at my sleeve.
“Master Ak, a word with you.”
“What is it?”
“It’s important.”
Cho-seon led me outside and spoke in a whisper.
“There’s a way to inform the Alliance Lord that the Demonic Emperor’s Grand Union is coming, or to get him out alone in a crisis.”
My ears perked up.
“Speak.”
“I’ll tell you if you let me call you ‘big brother’.”
Cho-seon was at it again.
“…Do you want to die?”
“Ah, alright. I’ll tell you.”
As I scowled, Cho-seon quickly grabbed my arm.
When I glanced down at her hand on my arm without a word, she quickly let go.
“You’re not going to kill me for grabbing your arm, are you?”
Jang Ung had told her that I kill people who grab my arm.
“Tell me the method, and I won’t kill you.”
“That’s so mean!”
Cho-seon shot me a beautiful glare, one that would melt most men.
But when I narrowed my eyes, she flinched.
“The Branch Palace has a Divine Peng.”
“What’s that?”
“A legendary bird that can fly ten thousand leagues in a single day. Haven’t you ever heard of it?”
“You’re saying it can find the Alliance Lord’s location?”
“Of course.”
I found it hard to understand.
“How can this ‘Divine Peng’ find its way there?”
“It will find its way just fine if it’s shown the direction.”
“Can this Divine Peng deliver a letter or rescue the Alliance Lord?”
“Of course.”
“Where is this Divine Peng?”
“I’ll show you.”
Cho-seon sent a messenger hawk somewhere. People usually use pigeons, hence the term messenger pigeon, but Cho-seon sent a hawk. Hence, messenger hawk.
Four hours after sending the hawk, Cho-seon led us to the banks of the Qiantang River behind the Dong-ro Branch.
I asked Soyang-gun.
“Mae-dang, do you know what a Divine Peng is?”
“I have read about it in ancient texts. It is said to be a legendary divine bird, more than ten times larger than a great eagle, that can understand human speech and fly ten thousand leagues in a day.”
“Does such a thing exist?”
“I only know of it as a legendary spirit creature. I have never heard of it actually existing.”
‘A legendary spirit creature?’
Something suddenly came to mind, and I asked.
“Have you ever heard of the Immortal Yin-Yang Snake?”
“Isn’t that a legendary spirit creature, a snake?”
“Have you ever seen or heard of one?”
“No. As far as I know, legendary spirit creatures exist only in legends, as the name suggests.”
“Is that so?”
The Immortal Yin-Yang Snake, which Soyang-gun believed to exist only in legends, was something I had personally captured and killed to fix Go Un-hyo’s face, allowing him to undergo a complete metamorphosis, cleanse his marrow, and open his Conception and Governor Vessels.
If that was the case, then this Divine Peng could also exist.
Just then, Cho-seon pointed to the sky.
“It’s coming!”
Everyone looked up to see a single white dot in the sky, hundreds of yards away.
I immediately activated my Skynet Divine Eyes, and the white dot appeared large and clear, as if it were right in front of me.
‘What is that?’
It looked like a large, white cloud. But through my Skynet Divine Eyes, I could see a massive, translucent white bird gliding toward us.
To everyone else, it probably just looked like a hazy white cloud approaching.
It was a mystery how Cho-seon, who was not a strong martial artist, could have spotted a white cloud from hundreds of yards away.
Cho-seon waved at the white cloud, then pursed her lips and let out a long whistle.
*Piiiiiik!*
*Swoooosh!*
In an instant, the white cloud was above our heads, its enormous wings beating as it descended vertically.
I had first seen it from about three hundred yards away, and it seemed to be gliding slowly, but in the blink of an eye, it had arrived above us.
The claim that it could fly ten thousand leagues in a day didn't seem to be an exaggeration.
“Ah!”
“Oh! My goodness!”
Everyone, including myself, was astonished by the sight of the Divine Peng. Soyang-gun, Sang Gang-jo, Jang Ung, and Heuk-wol, in particular, let out gasps of wonder.
I was just as surprised to see the Divine Peng, but I didn’t voice it.
It was a divine bird, a massive creature the size of a decent pavilion. Its entire body was a mystical, auspicious white, glowing with a faint luminescence.
Its two feet, planted on the sandy beach, were as thick and sturdy as pillars, and it stood two and a half yards tall from the ground to its back.
Its neck, held erect, was three feet long. Surprisingly, on its back, atop a white tiger skin, rested a large, open-roofed palanquin, in which a woman sat. It seemed she was the one who controlled the Divine Peng.
The woman in the palanquin stood and bowed respectfully to Cho-seon.
“Greetings, Branch Palace Lord.”
“Indeed.”
Cho-seon gave an arrogant nod and then said to me.
“That palanquin can hold up to four people. Since the Peng Rider has to pilot the Divine Peng, three more can ride.”
Soyang-gun, his face a mask of unconcealed amazement, pointed at the Divine Peng.
“Is that the legendary spirit creature, the Divine Peng?”
“It is.”
“Incredible!”
Soyang-gun couldn’t tear his eyes away from the Divine Peng.
“Are you perhaps suggesting we fly to the Alliance Lord on Seonjuk Island aboard the Divine Peng?”
“Of course.”
“Ooh!”
Soyang-gun looked at the Divine Peng once more before speaking.
“Can it find Seonjuk Island?”
“Someone who knows the location of Seonjuk Island just needs to give the direction to the Peng Rider.”
It seemed the woman who piloted the Divine Peng was called a Peng Rider.
“You can’t possibly mean it can find its way with just that?”
“Of course it can.”
“What if, by some chance, it makes a mistake?”
Cho-seon pointed at Soyang-gun and asked me.
“Is this man always so talkative?”
“Now do you see why I dislike talkative people?”
“I understand completely.”
Soyang-gun gave an awkward laugh.
“My words have always been stronger than my martial arts.”
“You’d be invincible in a battle of words.”
“Thank you.”
I called Heuk-wol over.
“You, give the Peng Rider the detailed location of Seonjuk Island.”
“Understood.”
Heuk-wol ran over to the Divine Peng and began speaking with the Peng Rider.
Cho-seon summarized the plan.
“Master Ak and I will be the ones to go to Seonjuk Island.”
“Why am I going?”
I felt like I had just been punched in the side, and I glared at Cho-seon.
Soyang-gun interjected.
“You must go, my lord.”
“Why?”
“Are you asking me that?”
Soyang-gun’s voice was agitated as he retorted.
“If something happens to the Alliance Lord, you must be there to protect him, must you not? Is that not so?”
“Why should I…”
Soyang-gun’s implication was that since I was the Alliance Lord’s subordinate, I had to go.
“What do the rest of you think?”
“You must go!”
“Master Ak has to go!”
Sang Gang-jo and Cho-seon shouted as if it were obvious.
Jang Ung nodded. Even he, who knew everything, believed I should go.
If the worst-case variable were to occur, and the Alliance Lord’s party were to run into the Demonic Emperor’s Grand Union, his safety could not be guaranteed. So, I absolutely had to go.
The situation was too grave to vaguely trust the seventeen people on Seonjuk Island.
I understood and accepted this fact, but in my heart, I didn’t want to go. I hated being entangled with the Alliance Lord in this way.
Sang Gang-jo delivered the final blow.
“What if, my lord.”
“What is it?”
My words were hardly gentle.
“If a variable occurs and you encounter the Demonic Emperor’s Grand Union, isn’t that what you desire, Grand Branch Master?”
‘Hmm?’
“The Demonic Emperor’s Grand Union has sent their finest masters! To become the strongest in actual combat, shouldn’t you fight and defeat them?”
Sang Gang-jo was fanning the flames of my ambition and competitive spirit. But he wasn’t wrong.
This task wasn’t just about protecting the Alliance Lord. It was a golden opportunity to fight the powerful experts sent by the Demonic Emperor’s Grand Union, should the situation arise.
“Am I wrong?”
This was not the usual submissive Sang Gang-jo. He was staring me straight in the eye, challenging me.
Moreover, I am not the type to be unreasonably stubborn or obstinate.
And when someone makes a valid point, I tend to concede, no matter how disadvantageous it is for me.
In the end, I reluctantly nodded.
“Fine. I’ll go.”
Sang Gang-jo smiled. He liked this decisive side of my personality.
The powerful forces sent by the Demonic Emperor’s Grand Union had piqued my interest. If not for that, I would have resisted to the end.
“Thank you!”
Soyang-gun and Sang Gang-jo said in unison.
Cho-seon spoke.
“Then the people riding the Divine Peng will be the Peng Rider, myself, Master Ak, and one more person. Who will it be?”
Soyang-gun shook his head.
“We must leave one seat empty, just in case the Alliance Lord needs to ride.”
“In that case, it’s settled that Master Ak and I will be the ones to go.”
“Wait!”
Soyang-gun stepped forward.
“Young lady, why are you going?”
“Isn’t it obvious that I should go?”
“What will you be doing on the Divine Peng?”
“I’m the manager.”
“Are you the one piloting the Divine Peng?”
“The Peng Rider pilots it.”
“In that case, there’s no need for you to go, is there?”
“I…”
No one could win against Soyang-gun’s brilliant rhetoric.
Cho-seon looked at me as if pleading for help, so I drove the point home.
“What will you be doing?”
“…”
Soyang-gun made the final arrangements.
“The Peng Rider, the Lord, and I will ride the Divine Peng. It is only right that I go.”
“That’s so unfair!”
At this point, I felt the need to console Cho-seon a little, so I gently stroked her head.
“Seon-a, let’s do that. Alright?”
I act as I please, depending on the situation.
“Master Ak…”
Calling her name and stroking her head made Cho-seon flinch, but her expression soon softened.
And so, I learned that this was how one could placate a woman.
This time, I patted her on the back.
“Let’s have a drink when I get back.”
“Okay.”
Cho-seon replied with a shy face.
I gave an order to Heuk-wol.
“You, take the fast boat and depart for Seonjuk Island immediately.”
“Understood.”
I asked Soyang-gun.
“Will the Alliance Lord trust this man?”
“I will write a letter for you!”
Theoretically, the Divine Peng would arrive at Seonjuk Island first, but one never knows how things will turn out in the world.