Chapter 645
Translator: Ace
Chapter: 645
Chapter Title: It Worked Perfectly
Deep into the night.
The hour when everyone was asleep.
Ha Mu-baek slipped out of the inn and moved stealthily.
The place he arrived at was the Thunder Prison where Un Hak-ja was confined.
Un Hak-ja opened his eyes at the presence Ha Mu-baek had deliberately let slip.
He flinched at the shadow of Ha Mu-baek looming in the darkness.
"I've made up my mind."
Un Hak-ja was startled once more by Ha Mu-baek's low voice.
"W-what are you talking about?"
"What to do with you."
"Y-you... How dare a wretch like you think you can do anything to me, a disciple of the great Kunlun Sect..."
Having failed with his rank in the Righteous Heaven Alliance, Un Hak-ja now dragged in his sect's name.
He was the epitome of pettiness.
"That Kunlun Sect of yours... what's so great about it?"
Ha Mu-baek muttered dismissively.
"Y-you dare...!!!"
Un Hak-ja's face flushed red as he spat out his rage.
It was fury at the insult to his sect.
"You should worry more about yourself than Kunlun."
With effortless grace, Ha Mu-baek vaulted over the iron bars into the prison cell.
Step.
Step.
Ha Mu-baek walked right up to Un Hak-ja and reached out with his right hand, grabbing the man's face.
"Ugh... urk... ugh..."
No matter how tough Un Hak-ja was, he couldn't help but feel fear in the face of Ha Mu-baek's brazen actions.
"I'm not going to kill you, so no need to freak out like that. Okay? It might hurt just a tiny bit, though."
With those words, Ha Mu-baek tightened his grip.
Crack.
Un Hak-ja shuddered at the gruesome sound echoing right by his ear.
But strangely, there was hardly any pain compared to the noise.
He knew it couldn't be that minor, even if Ha Mu-baek had said it would only hurt a little.
Yet with no pain forthcoming, he tilted his head in confusion.
Ha Mu-baek grinned and said,
"Open your mouth and show me."
Un Hak-ja unwittingly obeyed, parting his lips.
"Ugh... uuuugh!"
A stabbing pain like a knife thrust shot through him, drawing a groan.
The moment his mouth opened, agony pierced from right in front of his ear canal—at the jaw joint—like a blade prodding deep.
The excruciating pain made him snap his mouth shut reflexively.
Zing.
Even then, a jolt of pain rang through his head.
Only after several seconds of clenching and unclenching did the pain finally subside.
Confirming the reaction, the smile on Ha Mu-baek's face deepened.
"Perfect. Good."
A satisfied murmur.
"That'll probably happen every time from now until you die. Doesn't look like you've got much time left anyway. You've gorged yourself on so much of other people's food—may it torment you every meal from here on out."
After his courteous explanation, Ha Mu-baek reached out again.
This time, he seized Un Hak-ja's right wrist.
Snap.
He snapped it clean in two.
"If you lash out at those around you every time it hurts to eat, that'll just make trouble for them, won't it? From now on, that right hand of yours will barely manage to hold chopsticks."
Stunned by the relentless actions, Un Hak-ja sat there dumbfounded.
"The rest of your punishment can come from the Righteous Heaven Alliance."
Ha Mu-baek waved casually and turned toward the exit.
"Y-you bast... ugh, urk, agh!"
Un Hak-ja tried to roar at his back, but the moment he opened his mouth wide, the jaw pain clamped it shut.
He clutched both cheeks in agony.
Dawn broke.
Ha Mu-baek's group sold the cart they'd ridden in for a fair price, then boarded a large ship.
It was a vessel heading up the Yangtze River via Poyang Lake to Wuchang.
They'd missed the ship reserved two days earlier.
The deposit was lost in vain.
All because of that Un Hak-ja business.
Luckily, they found a sizable merchant ship matching their route.
Two cabins were available—perfect.
Gong Hae-jun and Gong Hae-bin, the siblings, gawked in awe at their first time on such a big ship, peering all around.
Just as they were excitedly exploring,
the crew bustled about, and the ship cast off from the dock, unfurling sails to begin its voyage.
Gliding slowly along the Gan River, it soon entered Poyang Lake.
"Whoa!!"
The children gasped at the vast lake stretching before them.
Yeon Ha-min and Ha Seol-ran were no different.
"It's a different scenery from Dongting Lake,"
Ha Seol-ran nodded at Ha Mu-baek's words.
Memories of the Dongting Lake views she'd seen every day flooded back.
Back then, how desperately she'd prayed to see that sight again tomorrow.
Recalling those days, she wondered if this reality was a dream.
Was this healthy self, who had even learned martial arts, the real her—or was she Ha Seol-ran from a dream?
As if reading her thoughts,
Ha Mu-baek silently stroked his little sister's head.
The familiar touch of her big brother's hand on her hair confirmed that this was no dream—it was reality.
"It's so vast,"
Ha Seol-ran murmured in admiration.
Dongting and Poyang Lakes shared similarities in their landscapes, but differed in subtle ways—save for their immense size, which was equally staggering.
"Indeed. A worthy rival to Dongting Lake for the title of the world's finest."
Ha Mu-baek nodded in agreement.
"Master. Even Poyang Lake seems endless—how much water must the ocean hold?"
Gong Hae-jun, who had been staring agape beside them, suddenly piped up.
"The boundless vast sea."
"Pardon?"
"That's how the ocean is described, but even 'boundless vast sea' falls short. It's that enormous."
The siblings' eyes sparkled at Ha Mu-baek's succinct explanation.
Pure curiosity—they wanted to see it.
"Someday, when the chance comes, let's go see the ocean together."
"Yes!"
"Sure thing!"
The children answered vigorously.
Ha Seol-ran just gave a slight nod.
They lingered at the ship's railing for a good while, soaking in the scenery.
How much time passed?
"Alright, time for training? Practicing on a ship should feel pretty novel."
Ha Mu-baek grinned at the kids and led them to the stern.
No one passed through here—ideal for practice.
And not just that.
The farther from the center, the more the ship rocked.
"Smaller boats are usually better for this, but considering your levels, this might actually be preferable. Plant your feet firm and hold steady."
The rocking waves made the deck sway, throwing off the children's balance each time.
Always training on solid ground, they struggled to adapt to this sudden change.
And on top of that.
They hadn't noticed from the calmer central railing while admiring the views.
But after coming aft, how long had it been?
A wave of nausea and dizziness hit all at once.
"Ugh... ugh..."
Gong Hae-bin groaned.
"Urk... blegh!"
Gong Hae-jun grabbed the stern railing and vomited toward the lake.
Motion sickness had set in.
Ha Seol-ran and Yeon Ha-min fared little better.
The only difference was they could suppress it with internal energy.
Even so, it didn't vanish completely, leaving both feeling wretched.
They retreated to their cabins to rest.
Among them, only Ha Mu-baek remained unfazed.
"Can't help motion sickness. You just have to endure it with your whole body until you're used to it. A day or two of suffering, and it'll pass."
At their master's nonchalant demeanor, the Gong siblings picked up their wooden swords again.
The pitching ship on choppy waves, the churning guts from seasickness.
In those grueling conditions, the two kids diligently practiced the Three Talents Sword Method.
They staggered repeatedly, their feet landing awry, vomiting over the rail every other stance.
Yet neither complained of hardship, nor begged for a break—they followed their master's teachings to the end.
After about an hour, Ha Mu-baek placed his hands on their Mingmen acupoints, channeling internal energy.
The warm flow entering through their backs swept through their bodies, settling their roiling stomachs and throbbing heads.
"Go rest. You won't feel like lunch today."
At his words, the two bowed and staggered off to their cabins.
His energy had restored them somewhat, but they were far from normal.
Ha Mu-baek silently watched them go.
First time on a ship—motion sickness was like a rite of passage.
No one escaped it unless they were innately immune.
Regrettably, this was the extent of what he could do.
Better to suffer intensely but briefly and adapt quickly—which was why he'd insisted on stern training despite their poor state.
"Brings back memories."
Ha Mu-baek murmured softly.
After finishing training on Cheongran Island and venturing into the jianghu,
Ha Mu-baek had sailed Dongting Lake up the Yangtze to Wuchang.
That journey had tormented him with brutal seasickness.
He hadn't fully recovered even upon arrival.
Couldn't even eat properly.
The ship captain's advice—not to suppress it with internal energy—had kept him from using it.
Thanks to that ordeal, he'd never gotten seasick since.
Having been through it himself, Ha Mu-baek could only watch his disciples with sympathy.
The same went for Ha Seol-ran and Yeon Ha-min.
They knew the two were forcibly suppressing it with internal energy but didn't interfere.
Intervening would only prolong adaptation.
They'd chosen short, sharp pain over long, mild suffering.
And so the ship pressed on along the mighty waterway.
Crossing Poyang Lake, it entered Hubei Province, riding the Yangtze's currents.
Then, battling the long river's flow upstream.
When wind alone couldn't overcome the current, oars propelled it slowly upward.
Days later, the ship reached Wuchang.
Wuchang was too major a city to pass by.
As a merchant vessel, it docked at the harbor, frantic with unloading and loading cargo.
The two kids, now fully acclimated to the motion, watched curiously from the railing.
Returning to Wuchang after so long, Ha Seol-ran and Yeon Ha-min joined them, though their faces were still pale.
They were still battling seasickness.
Adapted somewhat, but still needing internal energy to cope.
"Same as ever."
Ha Mu-baek scanned the surroundings calmly—not just visually, but with his senses covering all of Wuchang.
It was peaceful.
As Dan Mok Un-roe had said after his vacation, his home seemed serene.
The Dragon Training Pavilion was business as usual too.
"What will you do?"
Ha Seol-ran asked.
The ship would dock in Wuchang for a day.
They could stay aboard or disembark, spend the night at an inn, and return before departure.
Half the distance covered.
A bit less than half in time.
With the upstream battle slowing them further, the remaining leg would take longer.
"We've got plenty of time left, so let's get off for a bit and reboard later."
The kids' faces lit up at Ha Mu-baek's decision.
A ship was novel at first, but soon an utterly boring means of travel.
Limited space meant limited activities—inevitable.
The kids at least had training with their master to make time fly, but the confinement still chafed.
Ha Mu-baek held back the eager pair from rushing ashore.
"Be careful when you step on land."
"Huh?"
They blinked in surprise.
"There's something called land-sickness. After adapting to a rocking ship, solid ground feels like it's swaying instead."
The Gong siblings paled anew at the mention of sickness.
Just mastered seasickness, now land-sickness too?
Ha Mu-baek chuckled at their expressions.
"Unlike seasickness, it's just a fleeting thing—no need to worry."
With that, he disembarked first.