Chapter 79
Chapter 79
-----------------------------------------------------------------
Translator: Vine
Chapter: 79
Chapter Title: Save the Alliance Lord! (4)
-----------------------------------------------------------------
‘Good! In that case?’
Sang Gang-jo looked at my dirt-covered form with a strange expression, but I paid him no mind.
‘I’ll create a dangerous situation on purpose!’
I surveyed the surrounding landscape, picturing a perilous scenario in my mind as I dashed forward.
“Grand Branch Master!”
Sang Gang-jo cried out in surprise at my sudden action, but his voice didn't register.
*Tap, tap, tap, tap!*
My running speed was ridiculously slow, and Sang Gang-jo, keeping pace beside me, watched me with a puzzled look.
Just then, a shallow slope about five feet deep appeared ahead.
Even at just five feet, throwing my whole body down it would result in serious injury.
What's more, I leaped forcefully into the air. The fall would be greater, putting me in an even more dangerous position.
*Fwoosh!*
In the brief moment my ascent stopped and my descent began, I felt my martial arts activate and immediately deployed the Heavenly Pillar Movement Art.
My body, which had been plummeting downward, shot forward like a swift bird.
*Shiiik!*
“Hahahaha! It’s a success!”
I was so pleased that I laughed until my chest felt like it would burst.
“Please slow down.”
Sang Gang-jo called out softly from behind.
When I looked back, he was more than a hundred feet behind me, struggling to keep up.
As I slowed my pace, Sang Gang-jo caught up, panting heavily.
“What was a success?”
“Uh… I was trying out a new movement technique!”
“What kind of movement technique?”
“The Heavenly Pillar Movement Art.”
Sang Gang-jo was greatly surprised.
“Ah! You mean the Heavenly Pillar Movement Art, the supreme movement technique of the Shaolin Temple?”
“That’s right.”
“As far as I know, only the Grand Elder of our Alliance is capable of using the Heavenly Pillar Movement Art.”
“Is that so?”
After running a little further through the wild mountains, Sang Gang-jo called to me seriously.
“Grand Branch Master, why do you switch between speaking formally and informally to me?”
“What’s wrong with that?”
“It’s confusing, so please stick to one or the other.”
“What would you have me do?”
“Just speak informally. I'm more comfortable with that.”
“Alright. I’ll do that.”
“Thank you.”
“Why are you thanking me for speaking informally?”
Sang Gang-jo smiled faintly.
“Because it’s proof of how close we are, Grand Branch Master.”
“A peculiar kind of proof.”
* * *
We arrived at the port of Seonjuk Island, only to be struck with dismay.
“When did they leave?”
Seonjuk Island had quite a few Han people who had crossed over from the Central Plains and settled there, so communication was not an issue.
“They left early in the morning, four days ago.”
A villager replied politely to Sang Gang-jo’s bewildered question, then continued.
“As they were leaving, they warned us that a typhoon was coming soon and that we should be careful.”
“Did a typhoon come?”
“Yes, it did. A typhoon raged here starting the afternoon of the day they left. If they hadn't warned us beforehand, it would have been a disaster.”
The villager pointed towards the port as he spoke. About twenty small fishing boats were moored there.
“Their ship was too large to enter the port, so it was anchored out there at sea. In that situation, a typhoon could cause severe damage or even sink the ship, so it seems they left in a hurry.”
“Which way did their ship go?”
“It went west.”
Sang Gang-jo looked at me, his face anxious.
“Hangzhou.”
If the Alliance Lord's party was heading towards Hangzhou, their destination was likely the Dong-ro Branch.
Dozens of villagers, having heard the news, had gathered at the port.
* * *
Once again, we mounted the White Cloud and flew west.
“Can you fly low and slow?”
“Of course.”
Mi-hyang replied to Sang Gang-jo's words and instructed the White Cloud, which descended and began to fly slowly about three hundred feet above the sea's surface.
“The White Cloud is flying as slowly as it can.”
Even at its slowest, it was still more than ten times faster than a sturdy steed at a full gallop.
Sang Gang-jo and I gripped the railing and stared intently down below.
Mi-hyang instructed the White Cloud.
“White Cloud, find their ship. Got it?”
*Kuruuu!*
Sang Gang-jo spoke with a dark expression.
“Even if the Alliance Lord’s ship is headed for Hangzhou, having left Seonjuk Island only four days ago means it’s likely still on a westward course.”
“What do you mean?”
“A moment ago, the Seonjuk Island resident said it takes about seventeen days to get from here to Hangzhou.”
“Why does it take two days longer than to Lianyungang Port in Jiangsu Province?”
“Lianyungang Port juts out, while Hangzhou is recessed and tucked away, so the distance is greater.”
I began to understand what Sang Gang-jo was saying.
“Are you saying it's dangerous because the Demonic Emperor’s Grand Union ship is heading east, so it might run into the Alliance Lord's ship heading west?”
“That is correct.”
I could roughly grasp his meaning.
“The Demonic Emperor’s Grand Union ship will initially sail southeast, then at some point, it will turn east. That is, if its destination is Seonjuk Island.”
“But the Alliance Lord’s ship left Seonjuk Island and has been sailing west, and at some point, it will turn southwest towards Hangzhou. So you’re saying the two ships will meet on a direct course?”
“It’s the open sea, so it’s unlikely they’ll meet head-on, but we must find the Alliance Lord before such a situation arises.”
* * *
“I see land!”
Sang Gang-jo pointed ahead.
“It’s Zhejiang!”
I looked in the direction he was pointing and saw a massive mountain in the far distance. It was probably Mount Kuaiji on the eastern coast of Zhejiang.
“Mi-hyang! Let's change course slightly and head east again!”
“Yes!”
The White Cloud made a wide turn.
As the White Cloud flew at the same speed about three hundred feet up, Sang Gang-jo and I looked down below.
‘Three hundred feet is too narrow a field of view.’
If we went higher, we could see farther.
“Mi-hyang! Let's go up to a thousand feet.”
“Okay!”
*Shwoooosh!*
As the White Cloud soared to a thousand feet, our view expanded to several times its previous range.
I activated the Skynet Divine Eyes.
I could see the interiors of the ships scattered across the sea as clearly as if I were looking at the palm of my hand.
“Let’s go up to two thousand feet.”
“Okay!”
“No. Let's just ascend to three thousand feet.”
“What?”
Mi-hyang turned around in surprise.
“Can you still identify things from that height?”
“I can, so don’t worry.”
Sang Gang-jo said.
“I’m not confident I can.”
“Then you can rest.”
“Hah!”
With the Skynet Divine Eyes, I could manage it even from three thousand feet.
* * *
We had gone all the way to Seonjuk Island only to come up empty, and were now heading west back to the Central Plains. This was our third day aboard the White Cloud.
Now, the White Cloud was flying five thousand feet above the sea, and I was still scanning the ocean with my Skynet Divine Eyes.
We had staved off hunger with the food Ja-un gave us before we left, but we had been starving for two days now.
Sang Gang-jo was staring down so hard his eyes were about to pop out, but the height made his vision blur.
When I tested it, I found the Skynet Divine Eyes could identify objects from ten thousand feet, not just five, but five thousand feet was optimal.
Sang Gang-jo, seated, looked at me, his patience and anxiety reaching their limits.
“Can you really find them from this height?”
His voice was thick with disbelief, but I pretended not to hear and pointed down below.
“There it is.”
“What is?”
Sang Gang-jo asked brusquely.
“From what I can see, that seems to be the ship of the Demonic Emperor's Grand Union, but why is it heading west?”
“Are you serious?”
Sang Gang-jo, instantly alert, leaned next to me and peered down.
“Is that their ship? Where is it?”
I pointed to a spot below.
“Over there.”
But all Sang Gang-jo could see was a faint, nail-sized ship.
“How do you know it’s their ship?”
“If you find a ship in the middle of the vast ocean teeming with over a hundred armed experts, isn’t it the ship of the Demonic Emperor's Grand Union?”
“You’re right! It’s them!”
I gave Mi-hyang an instruction.
“Let’s descend to a thousand feet.”
*Shuuuush!*
The White Cloud dropped sharply.
Sang Gang-jo spotted the martial experts swarming the ship’s deck.
“Hmm!”
But then he asked with a puzzled expression.
“But why are they heading west?”
I scanned the area ahead of the Demonic Emperor’s Grand Union ship and spotted another vessel, also heading west, about ten li away.
Focusing my vision, I saw about fifteen or sixteen martial artists on the ship ahead, including several women.
I sharpened my sight further, focusing on the women. One wore white martial attire, another red martial attire and a purple kasaya, and the last one wore black martial attire.
I focused my vision, staring intently at the woman in white.
Thick eyebrows, a high nose, small red lips, a pale face, and large, clear eyes like the autumn sky. She possessed a refined grace, as if an auspicious energy flowed from her body.
‘Byeok-gyo!’
More than ten years had passed, but I recognized the Alliance Lord, Hyukryeon Byeok-gyo, at a glance.
The memory of hiding in the well at the grass-thatched pavilion with the ten-year-old Hyukryeon Byeok-gyo, barely surviving the surprise attack from the Ten Heavens of the Unorthodox Path, came back as vividly as if it were yesterday.
Back then, the young girl had told me her name was ‘Byeok-gyo,’ and insisted I use it, while she called me Brother Yong.
During our forty-five-day journey from the foot of Mount Heng in Hubei to Luoyang, the two of us had become as close as real siblings.
But I never dreamed she was the daughter of the Alliance Lord, Hyukryeon Jeong-mu.
If I had known her identity back then, I wouldn't have been so casual with her, nor would we have grown so close.
Just then, I recalled the misty haze and the young girl’s voice that had drifted through my mind like a dream when Cho-seon of the Mysterious Jade Palace said she wanted to call me brother.
[Brother Yong! Where are you?]
‘Was that Byeok-gyo?’
But I quickly shook my head. Byeok-gyo had called me brother, but she had always spoken to me with respect.
Besides, the voice I heard in my dream-like state was that of a very young child, maybe two or three years old. It couldn't have been Byeok-gyo.
“Grand Branch Master!”
Sang Gang-jo’s shout broke me out of my reverie.
“What are you thinking about so deeply?”
I pointed ahead.
“The Demonic Emperor’s Grand Union is chasing the Alliance Lord’s ship.”
“Is that true?”
Sang Gang-jo’s eyes widened as he stared down, spotting the ship in the far distance ahead of the large vessel of the Demonic Emperor’s Grand Union.
“Is the Alliance Lord on that ship?”
“I’ve confirmed she is.”
“Ugh! The Demonic Emperor’s Grand Union finally found the Alliance Lord’s ship!”
Sang Gang-jo said with a grim face.
“If they are in pursuit, doesn’t that mean their ship is faster than the Alliance Lord’s?”
“Watching them, the Demonic Emperor’s Grand Union’s ship is much larger, yet it’s faster.”
Sang Gang-jo grew anxious.
“They’ll be caught soon. What should we do?”
“We have to save them.”
“Are we only saving the Alliance Lord?”
“We have no other choice.”
“Then what about the others?”
I immediately gave Mi-hyang an instruction.
“Mi-hyang, fly over the ship in front, drop me off, and then ascend.”
“Okay!”
“After that, when I whistle, descend back to five hundred feet and pick us up.”
“I will.”
Sang Gang-jo asked anxiously.
“What are you going to do?”
“You stay here.”
“What are you talking about? I’ll go down with you and lend a hand!”
“Fine.”
*Shuuuush!*
The White Cloud descended in an instant.
I kept my eyes fixed below, then wrapped an arm around Sang Gang-jo’s waist and opened the palanquin door.
The color drained from Sang Gang-jo’s face.
“Surely you’re not going to jump from this height?”
“If the White Cloud goes any lower, we’ll be spotted by the Demonic Emperor’s Grand Union. Nothing good will come of that.”
Mi-hyang smiled brightly.
“Safe travels, Master Ak.”
“See you again.”
*Whoosh!*
“Heuk!”
As I leaped out, Sang Gang-jo squeezed his eyes shut.
My martial arts hadn't activated even as I jumped from the White Cloud, but the moment I began to fall, they returned.
The White Cloud, having dropped us off, immediately ascended and vanished from sight.