Return of the Mount Hua Sect [EN]: Chapter 757

“They, they outnumber us! It’s a river pirate ship!”

“Oh no! Why now of all times!”

Despair flickered in the eyes of Eunuch Moon, Deung-gyeom, as he watched the terrified passengers and the approaching river pirate speedboat.

“…They’re really coming.”

It was, in a way, inevitable.

Not long ago, the order came down: the river pirates were after special shipments, so when traveling the Jang River, hide your identity and be as careful as possible.

Knowing this, he made a point of announcing that a special shipment was aboard. It would have been stranger if the pirates hadn’t come.

So, it had gone according to plan. Clearly, but…

‘Why do I feel so wronged?’

Thinking about it, this could have been something that only endangered Deung-gyeom.

‘This is driving me mad. Really.’

Even though the Mount Hua disciples were with him, the thought that all the pirates on that massive ship were targeting him alone made his heart pound and cold sweat trickle down his back.

Deung-gyeom licked his dry lips as the speedboat sped closer and closer.

Terrified passengers rushed to the captain, asking,

“Shouldn’t we try to escape?”

“It’s impossible. That ship is twice as fast as ours.”

“But still…”

“As long as we don’t resist, there shouldn’t be any major problems. Everyone, gather in one place. Tell everyone in the cabins to come out as well. If you’re caught hiding, you’ll be in serious trouble!”

“Alright.”

The passengers huddled together on one side of the ship.

Yoon-jong, watching the crowd, asked Baek-cheon,

“What should we do, Martial Uncle?”

“Hmm.”

After thinking for a moment, Baek-cheon calmly said,

“For now, let’s stand with them. We need to see how they approach this. Hide your swords behind your backs.”

“Yes.”

The Mount Hua disciples joined the passengers on one side of the ship. Because of their disguises, they didn’t stand out too much.

And soon after…

Swoooosh!

Hooked iron chains flew from the speedboat, slicing through the water as it rapidly approached.

Clang! Clang!

The sound of the hooks catching on the railing was chilling.

Creak! Creak!

The ship tilted as the chains were pulled tight.

‘This is…’

Yoon-jong swallowed hard.

He hadn’t realized it from afar, but up close, the pirate ship was larger than he’d imagined. It seemed to be at least twice the size of the ship they were on.

‘Are all those people on there pirates?’

As if to answer Yoon-jong’s question, a group of men in blue uniforms, pulling themselves along the tight chains, began to board.

Thud! Tap!

Landing nimbly on the deck, they quickly surrounded the passengers and crew huddled in one corner.

Boom!

Soon after, a burly man who looked more like a bandit than a pirate jumped lightly onto the deck, despite his size.

“Kheh!”

The burly man roared like a bull, glaring left and right.

Seeing this, Jo-geol whispered,

“Looks like the boss, Senior Brother?”

“Shhh.”

Yoon-jong silenced him with a look, then calmly looked at the pirates.

‘Each one seems more skilled than the bandits from the mountain fortress.’

The bandits might have greater numbers, but the pirates were clearly more capable.

“You scoundreeeels!”

At that moment, the burly man roared at the top of his lungs. His voice was so thunderous that people reflexively raised their hands to cover their ears.

“Who gave you permission to travel the Jang River!”

At the shout, the captain at the front trembled and knelt down quickly.

“I was ignorant and didn’t ask for permission from the heroes of the Jang River. I beg for your forgiveness.”

“Hmph!”

The burly man seemed pleased with the captain’s attitude, a smile spreading across his face.

“Traveling the Jang River without our permission is a crime! You could die for this!”

The captain lowered his head even further, as if trying to bury it in the deck.

“But don’t worry. Our Great Whale Stronghold is known for being the most generous of all the Jang River’s masters!”

“Grateful! So very grateful!”

At that moment, Jo-geol, who had been quiet, tilted his head again and whispered to Yoon-jong.

“…Senior Brother.”

“Yes?”

“Do whales live in the Jang River?”

“Of course not. Whales live in the sea.”

“Then why is it called the Great Whale Stronghold? There aren’t any whales in freshwater.”

“…I wonder?”

Then, Baek-cheon, keeping his eyes forward, moved only his lips as he spoke.

“They say dolphins do.”

“…Dolphins? Still, it’s strange. Why the Great Whale Stronghold if dolphins live there? It should be the Small Whale Stronghold.”

“Small Whale Stronghold sounds a bit off.”

“Ah.”

The constant whispering eventually made the burly man glare.

“Who is making noise!”

Jo-geol and Baek-cheon flinched and shut their mouths.

At that moment, the captain quickly said,

“I will prepare the tribute to be paid to the master of the Jang River right away. So please, just wait a moment…”

“Enough!”

“…Yes?”

“Heh heh. We don’t need small money today!”

The burly man scanned left and right with his piercing eyes.

“I heard that the special shipment from the Eunha Escort Agency is on board?”

……

“Which one of you is it! Step forward now!”

The loud voice echoed roughly once more. A faint-hearted person would have collapsed at the mere sound of it.

And Deung-gyeom, already terrified, could only glance at Baek-cheon and his companions with a pale face.

‘Please, do something!’

But Baek-cheon, whether he knew his feelings or not, didn’t even spare him a glance.

Deung-gyeom’s face twisted even more. If he had known it would become this dangerous, he wouldn’t have cooperated even if a knife was held to his throat.

“Hmm?”

Since no one stepped forward, the burly man’s thick cheeks twitched.

“You won’t come out?”

He grinned, showing his yellowed teeth.

“I’ve heard that the special shipments from the Eunha Escort Agency are all light on their feet and as fast as the wind, but it seems their livers are just as light and flutter about. Scared, are we?”

Grrr.

He then drew a sword from the scabbard at his waist. The poorly maintained sword made a dull sound as it rubbed against the scabbard, and the sound sent shivers down the spines of those who heard it.

“Alright. If you don’t come out, I’ll just have to find you. I’ll grab each and every one of you and kill you until you come out! What are you waiting for! Drag them out one by one!”

“Yes!”

One of the pirates surrounding the passengers tried to drag out the person at the very front.

“Hiiiik! I, I’m not the one!”

Terrified cries erupted from here and there. Just as Deung-gyeom, unable to watch any longer, was about to step forward with his eyes tightly shut…

Wham!

“Aaaaargh!”

The pirate who had tried to drag out the middle-aged man at the front screamed and tumbled backward.

“What’s going on!”

“Who is it!”

The pirates raised their weapons, aiming them at the passengers.

“Excuse me, just passing through.”

A moment later, Baek-cheon walked calmly through the crowd of passengers. The Mount Hua disciples followed behind him with confident strides.

“…What is this?”

The burly man’s face twisted unhappily.

“(Scoffs, looking Baek-cheon up and down) Well, well, what pretty thing have we caught? Lost your way, little flower?”

“……”

“Are you trying to mess with me right now!”

It was the same thing people said every time they met him, so he wasn’t even angry anymore. At the insult that had no originality whatsoever, Baek-cheon sighed and opened his mouth.

“I am…”

“You look like a young master who doesn’t know the ways of the world, kid. This is the water. No matter what your status is, or what kind of background you have, this isn’t a place you can solve things with your mouth.”

“That’s not it, I am…”

“Or maybe you’re relying on that pretty face of yours, but sadly, I’m not interested in that sort of thing. No, wait. But looking at your face, it seems like you could be sold for a high price?”

“Oh, Boss! It’s not just a high price. We could sell him off and make a fortune.”

“Ehehehe. He looks better than most women!”

Crack!

Baek-cheon’s jaw clenched, and the sound of his teeth grinding leaked out. The Mount Hua disciples who heard the sound closed their eyes tightly.

‘There’s no way to resolve this peacefully.’

‘Why did he have to bring up that kind of thing.’

‘Did he drown all his common sense?’

One of the clueless pirates approached Baek-cheon, holding a knife up and threatening him.

“Alright, alright. No need for long words, come here, pretty boy.”

“…Ara.”

“What? I can’t hear you very well?”

“…Shut your trap. Unless you want to die.”

“What?”

Wham!

The pirate’s head snapped back violently, as if it would break.

And slowly, very slowly, he began to fall backward.

“Huh?”

“…Huh?”

Plop.

Foam was bubbling from the fallen pirate’s mouth. He had been caught off guard and struck in the jaw, instantly losing consciousness.

The passengers and pirates stared in disbelief at the absurd scene, their mouths agape.

“Sigh.”

Baek-cheon, calming his anger with a deep breath, looked at the burly man and said,

“We are from the Mount Hua Sect in Shaanxi Province.”

“M-Mount Hua Sect?”

The pirates’ eyes widened at the mention of the Mount Hua Sect.

“There is something I wish to ask.”

Baek-cheon’s sharp gaze was fixed on the burly man.

“Were you the ones who attacked the special shipment from the Eunha Escort Agency before?”

The burly man’s face turned red and then purple at the rude tone, as if he were being questioned.

“You kids dare to… So what if we were!”

At the rough shout, Baek-cheon sheathed his sword and lightly gripped the hilt. A cold, dangerous feeling came from him as he straightened his shoulders. It was hard to believe that he was the same gentle young master from just a moment ago.

The pirates flinched and stepped back.

“In that case…”

Swoooosh.

Baek-cheon slowly drew his plum blossom sword.

“I will have to receive the price for harming a friend of Mount Hua.”

At the same time, the Mount Hua disciples guarding his rear also drew their swords.

“Huh…”

The burly man chuckled at the sight.

“Mount Hua Sect?”

“……”

“All I see are a bunch of cowards, merchants, and a monk. You’re telling me you’re those Mount Hua people?”

“If we weren’t, you wouldn’t have come.”

The pirates’ faces hardened.

They had heard of the Mount Hua Sect’s reputation. A few years ago, they wouldn’t have cared, but now the name of Mount Hua was so high that even they, as members of the Jang River pirate gang, couldn’t ignore it.

“Boss…”

At the call asking what to do, the burly man twisted his face.

“…Kill them all!”

“Boss! There are only a few of them here, but if the Mount Hua Sect finds out, things will get out of hand.”

“Mount Hua Sect? So what! We are the kings on this Jang River! Cut those arrogant people into pieces and throw them to the fish! Today is the day their empty reputation falls to the ground!”

“Yes!”

With the order given, there was no turning back.

The pirates gripped their sharp weapons and surrounded the Mount Hua disciples. The Mount Hua disciples, in turn, spread out around Baek-cheon, standing as if to protect the passengers behind them.

Baek-cheon said in a calm voice,

“Subdue them first.”

“Yes, Martial Uncle!”

The two groups faced each other tensely.

And!

“Kill them all!”

With a great shout, even the pirates who had remained on the speedboat rushed over all at once. And at the same time, the pirates who had been surrounding the Mount Hua disciples also shouted and began to charge.

“Crush them all at once!”

“Yes, Senior Brother!”

“Yes, Martial Uncle!”

“Let’s go!”

The Mount Hua disciples took a step forward and swung their swords.

Baek-cheon’s robe fluttered wildly in the strong river wind.

His sword, rushing forward in one swift motion, pierced the chest of a pirate in blue uniform.