Return of the Mount Hua Sect [EN]: Chapter 759

Baek Cheon’s sword struck the deck with a loud crack.

The sword pierced the thick wood as if it were tofu. It bent sharply, as if about to break, then sprang back. Splinters of wood shot into the air.

“Eep!”

The pirate wielding a long, thin spear also shot up into the air as the wooden plank beneath his feet was launched upwards. His footing was unsteady, and the spear thrust lost its power.

Clang! Clang!

Baek Cheon swiftly deflected the spear and sliced through the pirate’s chest in one motion.

Thwack!

The pirate’s eyes widened in disbelief as he collapsed, blood pouring from his wound. Baek Cheon finally sighed in relief.

‘That was close.’

Normally, he wouldn’t have considered such an opponent a threat.

But he had never fought in such wildly swaying conditions. If he hadn’t reacted quickly, he might have been in serious trouble. Baek Cheon’s heart pounded. He had to protect his disciples. This fight was more dangerous than he thought.

“Heads down, everyone! Lower your center of gravity! We can overcome this!”

“Yes, Senior Uncle!”

The disciples of Mount Hua responded to Baek Cheon’s shout with a loud cheer.

Thump!

Bang Chung kicked the railing again. Whether it was his strong inner energy or skill, the large ship rocked wildly from side to side, as if it was about to flip over. The ship groaned and swayed, the smell of salty river water filling the air.

“It’s a bluff! They don’t know how to fight like this! Don’t believe their lies, and strike them down!”

“Yes!”

Just as the pirates were about to attack again…

Tap!

With a small sound, like a cat jumping, Yu Yiseol shot forward like a bird.

“That…!”

The pirates who were wary of Yu Yiseol swung their weapons at her as she flew towards them.

With a cold and focused gaze, like a hawk ready to strike, she thrust her sword forward, lightly hitting the top of a trident.

Clang!

With a clear sound, Yu Yiseol flew even higher into the air. She used the force from hitting the weapon to push herself upwards.

“Huh?”

“What…?”

The pirates couldn’t hide their surprise at her incredible agility and stared in amazement.

Flash!

Bright red plum blossoms exploded from Yu Yiseol’s sword, a sudden burst of color against the grey wood. The deck, already stained with blood, was instantly covered in a rain of crimson petals. It looked as if a small island of plum blossoms had magically appeared on the wide, muddy Jang River.

The pirates froze, their eyes wide with terror, mouths gaping open at the unbelievable sight. They had never seen anything like it.

A soft hissing sound filled the air as the plum blossom petals scattered, each one a tiny, deadly blade, flying towards them.

Thwack! Thwack! Thwack! Thwack!

The plum blossom sword energy cut through the pirates’ bodies.

“Aaaargh!”

“My arm! My arm! Ack!”

The pirates grabbed their wounds and fell to the floor. Yu Yiseol, having taken down almost a dozen pirates, floated to the floor as slowly as a butterfly.

She murmured softly, for her fellow disciples to hear.

“Just fight without touching your feet to the ground. Think of the cliffs! Stay off the deck!”

Jo Gul smiled and said,

“If we could all do that, we wouldn’t be in this mess…”

“…True.”

“Anyway, we should avoid touching the ground, right?”

“Then we can do it like when we spar on the cliffs. I get it! Huzzah!”

Yoon Jong and Jo Gul exchanged words and dashed forward like lightning. They began to cut down the pirates. Jo Gul grinned fiercely, ready for a fight, and Yoon Jong’s eyes burned with determination.

With Jo Gul and Yoon Jong charging like angry tigers from the front, and Yu Yiseol attacking from behind like a leopard, the pirates couldn’t hold on, no matter how many of them there were.

Seeing the pirates being pushed back, Bang Chung shouted,

“Wh-what are you doing! Shoot arrows…!”

Thud!

“Gurgle.”

The man on the railing grabbed his neck and fell backward.

It happened so fast that he didn’t even understand what was happening. Bang Chung recoiled in horror and snapped his head back.

Whoosh!

A throwing knife whizzed past where his head had been a moment before.

Dang So-so looked at Bang Chung with a bright smile, but her eyes were cold.

“Oh, what a shame.”

“Your head looked a bit stuffy. I thought it would be nice and cool if I just made a little air vent.”

“You… you villainous…”

Cold sweat ran down Bang Chung’s face. He had almost died.

‘What is going on?’

He wasn’t a fool. Whether it was banditry or piracy, it was still robbery. To stay alive while robbing, you needed to be smart.

The battle had turned against them.

‘How can these young ones…?’

He knew they were strong. The disciples of the Nine Great Sects were all monsters. And Mount Hua had become a sect like the Nine Great Sects. Their young disciples would be strong.

But being young meant they didn’t have much experience. The warriors of the Nine Great Sects often had problems because of that lack of experience.

They shouldn’t know how to fight against pirates on a rocking ship.

But instead of panicking, they were finding ways to win. Like veterans who had spent years wandering the Jianghu.

“Aaaaargh!”

Another pirate screamed and fell.

“Where do you think you’re going, you pirate bastards!”

“Don’t get so worked up, you brat!”

The disciples of Mount Hua were winning. It seemed like the pirates would be wiped out quickly.

Bang Chung shouted, his face pale with fear. Bang Chung’s voice cracked with fear. He knew they were losing.

“Re-retreat! Retreat!”

He thought quickly.

“Captain?”

“Blast it! Can’t you hear me! Retreat quickly! Fall back! Return to the ship!”

The pirates retreated. They moved fast, as if they had practiced this. Like rats fleeing an earthquake, they jumped off the ship and returned to the fast ship using the chains.

“Don’t let them get away!”

Baek Cheon roared and charged forward, swinging his sword.

It was normal not to chase a running enemy, but Mount Hua didn’t care about that. If they ran, Mount Hua would chase them.

“Aaaargh!”

“Y-you cruel bastards!”

The pirates screamed as they were attacked and fell.

But they jumped off the ship, not wanting to die.

Splash! Splash!

Those who jumped into the river swam and climbed back onto the fast ship.

Some screamed and fell, unable to avoid the swords, but most of the pirates escaped the deck and crawled back onto the fast ship.

“Cut the ropes!”

Bang Chung, who had moved to the fast ship, shouted, and the chains were cut, falling into the river.

The ship lurched, and the distance between the two ships grew.

“What kind of pirates are so scared!”

Jo Gul gnashed his teeth and leaned against the railing.

“Senior Uncle! What do we do? Do we chase them?”

“Hmm.”

Baek Cheon narrowed his eyes.

‘I could chase them.’

He could jump to that ship now. But it would be risky.

While Baek Cheon thought, the fast ship slowed down.

“Huh?”

Creak! Creak!

One side of the fast ship’s railing opened, and something strange appeared.

A large, long cylinder, like…

“A, a cannon?”

Baek Cheon’s eyes opened wide.

“Bandits with cannons? This is crazy! What if the government hears about this?”

“N-No, it’s not a cannon!”

Suddenly, a voice next to him made Baek Cheon turn quickly. The captain was there, looking very scared, and shouted.

“T-That’s why you don’t mess with river pirates! We’re all dead! What are we going to do?”

“What is it?”

Baek Cheon asked, calmly.

“Th-That is…”

Just then, Bangchung yelled, “Fire!” His loud command echoed across the river, and fire burst from the cylinder. A huge harpoon shot out and hit the ship hard, low down near the water.

Kawaaaang!

With a deafening roar, the ship’s sturdy wooden hull was pierced. Water began to flood into the ship.

“You damned bastards! I’ll sink you all in the middle of the Yangtze! Fire! Fire all the harpoons you have until that ship is completely wrecked!”

“Yes, sir!”

Clunk! Clunk!

Several more hatches on the railing opened, and massive harpoons flew out quickly. The pirates were skilled. Each harpoon hit the ship low down, making holes near the water.

Ggrrrr!

With a loud groan, the ship lurched violently, and the captain, his face pale, cried out.

“Q-Quickly, get below! Bail out the water now! Or we’ll sink in an instant! Quickly, you fools, quickly!”

At his words, the crew, terrified, scrambled into the cabins. The air smelled of river water and fish. The wooden deck vibrated under their feet with each harpoon hit. The screams of the crew filled the air.

“M-Martial Uncle! Please do something! If we keep getting hit like this, the ship will break apart. If the ship breaks apart in the middle of the Yangtze, we’ll just become fish food!”

“Hmm.”

Baek Cheon thought for a moment.

“It’s too far to swim, and I can’t exactly run on water, and it’s not a distance I can cross in one leap…”

Jo Gul, standing beside him, nodded as if he understood.

“So, we can’t do anything?”

“No. Not helpless.”

“Yes?”

Baek Cheon grinned.

“If they’re going to shoot harpoons at us, we can just shoot a real cannon at them.”

“A cannon? We have a cannon on this ship?”

“We do. A custom-made one, at that.”

“Oh… Ah!”

Jo Gul turned around quickly, understanding now.

There was one! A custom-made one, indeed!

“Heh heh heh. Those miserable bastards.”

Bingchung laughed.

River pirates often met strong fighters on the Yangtze. But if pirates always lost, they wouldn’t be feared, would they?

‘No matter how great a warrior is, they can’t use even half their strength in the water.’

Also, he thought, if these fighters were good people, they would try to save anyone who fell in. Then, his pirates, who were very fast swimmers, would attack from underwater. Even strong fighters could be beaten like that.

“The fish of the Yangtze will feast today! What are you waiting for? Fire more…”

Just then…

“Huh?”

Someone climbed onto the railing of the opposite ship.

“What?”

Why would anyone climb onto the railing of a ship that was about to sink? Unless they were surrendering.

Of course, he had no intention of accepting a surrender…

“A monk?”

Bangchung frowned.

The one who climbed onto the railing was a monk wearing a kasaya. The monk, with a youthful face, stood on the railing, made a half-bow, and slowly brought his right fist to his side.

“What’s he doing…”

And at that moment…

Kooooooh!

The hem of the kasaya fluttered wildly, and golden light exploded from him, brighter than the sun.

Bangchung’s eyes popped out at the unbelievable sight.

“Wh-What… What on earth is that…”

“Taaaaah!”

As if not giving him time to think, the monk unleashed his fist. Golden energy erupted from the end of his fist like a waterfall, cutting through the wide Yangtze and slamming into the speedboat.

Kwaaaaaaaaaaang!

An earth-shattering roar echoed.

Bangchung had closed his eyes and turned away. He carefully opened them, surprised there was no crash. He looked around, confused.

“What, it’s nothing much… Holy crap! What is this?!”

His mouth gaped open.

The front of the boat was gone. It was like it had been sliced off by a giant sword, just… disappeared.

Only the debris floating on the Yangtze showed that the ship had not been without a prow from the beginning.

“What is…”

“Aaaargh! Boss! Water! Water’s coming in!”

“It’s sinking, damn it! The ship is sinking!”

“Jump! We’ll be buried with the ship at this rate!”

Rumble.

The water of the Yangtze poured into the ship. The ship quickly tilted forward and began to sink.

“…Crazy.”

Bangchung couldn’t believe it.

“…That’s a cheat.”

“I should have joined Shaolin. Why did I come to Mount Hua?”

“I agree for once.”

The disciples of Mount Hua shook their heads as they watched the speedboat sink. They were so used to him these days that they sometimes forgot…

‘This guy wasn’t human either.’

If even Chung Myung acknowledged him as a monster, how much more could be said?

“Anyway… it seems like we’ve taken care of it.”

Yoon Jong asked, looking at Baek Cheon.

“What should we do, Martial Uncle? Should we pick up a few of them and ask them questions?”

“Hmm. That would be good.”

Baek Cheon nodded and sighed softly.

‘It’s not as difficult as I thought.’

He wasn’t sure if the river pirates weren’t as strong as he thought, or if Mount Hua had become stronger than he thought, but either way, it wasn’t bad…

“Senior Brother.”

Yoo Iseol called out.

Baek Cheon turned around.

“What is it, Junior Sister?”

“Over there.”

“Yes?”

“…They’re coming. Over there.”

Baek Cheon looked where she was pointing.

“Oh dear…”

On the far side of the river, ships were appearing. There were so many, it was like a fleet.

At the same time…

Whirr!

The biggest ship had a huge black sail. It showed a black dragon and a giant whale swimming in the sea. It looked scary.

A voice filled with despair escaped from the captain’s lips.

“The Dragon Ship…”

“Yes?”

“T-That’s the ship the leader of the Great River Stronghold is on! The Dragon Ship, known as the Grim Reaper of the Yangtze, the Dragon Ship!”

He collapsed on the spot.

“We’re all dead now… Oh, Dragon King of the Yangtze. Have mercy on us.”

Watching the approaching, gigantic, black Dragon Ship, Baek Cheon’s eyes became serious.