Return of the Mount Hua Sect [EN]: Chapter 761

Arrows rained down like a storm.

It wasn’t just talk. Arrows rained down. It was not just like rain, it *was* rain made of arrows.

“Jo Gul!”

“You crazy bastard!”

“Heeeeeek!”

Jo Gul flinched, ready to raise his sword.

He didn’t think he could block all those arrows with his sword.

“Jump, you idiot! Into the water!”

“Ah!”

Jo Gul jumped into the river.

Splash!

He made a big splash and swam down as fast as he could.

He turned his head and saw arrows hitting the water and going down.

The arrows slowed down underwater. But seeing them bubble and move towards him was even scarier than before.

‘Heeek!’

Jo Gul kicked and pulled, going deeper.

‘Aaargh! Save me!’

Jo Gul paddled like a frog, going faster.

He wasn’t too late. The arrows that almost hit him lost power and floated up.

‘Wow… I thought I was a goner.’

Jo Gul’s mouth opened, and bubbles came out.

He sighed, then turned his head quickly.

The Jang River was thick and dark, like muddy soup. Unlike the clear streams of Mount Hua, you couldn’t see your hand in front of your face. Something moved in the gloom, unseen, unknown.

‘Fish?’

No. It was too big and fast to be a fish.

Jo Gul swung his sword, seeing a dark shape coming straight at him.

“Grrrk.”

A pirate with a long Amiza sword shook as Jo Gul’s plum blossom sword hit him.

Red blood flowed from the pirate’s chest, spreading like smoke in the dark water.

‘Haha!’

Jo Gul pulled his sword back quickly, feeling proud.

‘Thank you! Elder!’

Hyun Young might not have known this would happen, but he trained Jo Gul to fight underwater in Mount Hua.

Jo Gul looked and saw a bluish figure far away.

It was a pirate in a blue uniform.

‘Even if those pirates are strong! I won’t lose anymore! Come at me!’

Jo Gul held his sword, feeling brave, but then…

‘Huh?’

Another pirate appeared behind the bluish one.

‘Two!’

That’s all?

‘Three?’

It’s a bit much, but I can handle this…

‘Four? Five? Six? Ten? Twenty…’

Mommy!

Glug glug glug!

Bubbles came from Jo Gul’s mouth and nose as he panicked.

‘Why are there so many?’

Even if he was good with a sword underwater, fighting that many pirates was hard, even above water.

And these guys were trained to fight in the water, making them stronger than on land.

Jo Gul knew something was wrong and tried to swim up, but the pirates were too fast.

They left bubbles and flew at him, pointing harpoons at his body.

Whoosh!

The harpoons had blue energy and were very strong.

“Kuk!”

Jo Gul swung his sword.

Clang! Thud!

The sword blocked the harpoons. He used the same moves as always. But underwater, everything was slower.

Slice!

One harpoon he missed cut his shoulder.

It only grazed him, but the harpoon had energy that left a long cut.

‘Aargh! Damn it!’

If Hyun Young hadn’t trained him, he would have been killed instead of grazed.

But even with the training, fighting pirates underwater was not easy.

‘Alright, you bastards! I am Jo Gul of Mount Hua!’

Jo Gul’s eyes burned as he held his sword tighter.

“Eu-hat!”

But his bravery disappeared when a harpoon went past his face.

‘I’m going to die.’

These guys are too good.

They move much faster than me.

They moved like creatures of the water, like merfolk from stories. Their bodies flowed through the current, while Jo Gul felt clumsy and slow.

Jo Gul’s sword was the fastest in Mount Hua.

Slowing down hurt his sword skills the most.

He was at a disadvantage fighting underwater.

Usually, his sword moved so fast it looked like many swords at once, like a striking snake. Now, it was much slower, only showing a few.

‘Damn it!’

If I knew this would happen, I would have trained harder!

A pirate swung a big hook at Jo Gul’s face.

Jo Gul leaned back, and another pirate behind him tried to stab him with a harpoon.

‘I can’t dodge this…’

Jo Gul gritted his teeth and twisted his body.

He would get hurt to avoid being killed.

But then!

“Grrrk!”

Bubbles came from the pirate’s mouth, and blood spread in the water.

‘Huh?’

Behind the pirate was a welcome face.

“Sa-hyung… Glug!”

Jo Gul forgot he was underwater, shouted, swallowed water, and grabbed his throat.

Baek Cheon shook his head.

Then, he moved fast, passing Jo Gul.

‘Dashing?’

Jo Gul stared at Baek Cheon.

How could he move so well in the water?

Baek Cheon swung his sword hard.

The water twisted and spun, becoming a powerful whirlpool. Pirates were caught in the swirling current, tossed around like leaves in a storm.

“Kuk!”

“Ugh!”

The pirates were pushed back by the whirlpool. Baek Cheon grabbed Jo Gul and shot up.

“Puaaaah!”

Baek Cheon reached the surface, kicked off the water, and jumped onto the ship.

Thud!

Jo Gul landed on the deck and threw up.

“Waaak! Uwaaaak! Augh… I thought I was going to die.”

The Mount Hua disciples shook their heads.

“He saved that guy.”

“Our martial uncle is too kind. He deserves to be killed.”

“Wouldn’t it be better for Mount Hua if he did die?”

Jo Gul looked up.

“Sahyung! Underwater fight! Impossible!”

“Yes… You had to risk your life to confirm something even a three-year-old would know. How typical of you.”

“…”

Yoon Jong sighed and looked ahead. The dragon boat was pulling them fast.

“Sasook, what do we do?”

“Hmm…”

Baek Cheon looked down.

He could see the harpoon in the bottom of the ship.

‘Pulling it out would be impossible.’

He knew nothing about ships, but he knew that.

If they pulled it out, water would come in, and the ship would sink.

If they sank with the pirates around, they would die.

“For now, we watch. We need to get to land before we do anything.”

“But, Sahyung.”

Baek Sang looked worried.

“If we sink this ship, they win. They are dragging us somewhere that helps them, right?”

“That’s probably right.”

“In that case, we should…”

Baek Sang stopped.

He had no idea what to do.

If they fought here, the ship would sink, and they would have to save the people and fight the pirates in the water.

‘That’s just as bad.’

Baek Cheon looked at his disciples with a grim face.

“We need a plan. Baek Sang! So So!”

“Yes!”

“We’ll cover you. Get off the ship and go to the riverbank. Tell the Beggars’ Sect and get help…”

“I refuse!”

Dang So-so shouted.

“So So-ya.”

“I’d rather die! I can’t do that!”

Baek Cheon frowned.

“Help won’t come fast enough! You’re sending us away because you’re worried, aren’t you?”

“So So-ya. Help…”

“I won’t do it! I was afraid of this. That’s why I was scared when only the Sahyungs learned the Ja Ha Shin Gong. It’s easy to do it once! But if we run away now, Sasook will always think I am weak and send me away from danger! I don’t want that!”

“…”

“I don’t want to. I won’t! Help will never come! Then I might be the only one alive to see my Sahyungs die!”

“So So-ya…”

“I’d rather die! You can lock me up when we get back to Mount Hua! I won’t listen to you now.”

Baek Cheon sighed.

“I…”

“I won’t be a hindrance.”

Baek Sang looked determined.

“Mount Hua disciples don’t leave their friends. It’s foolish, but being smart is only for money.”

“…”

Baek Cheon sighed.

“You bunch of idiots.”

“We’ve always been idiots.”

“There aren’t any smart people in Mount Hua anyway. If they were smart, they would have run away.”

“…”

That’s true.

“Alright. I understand.”

Baek Cheon nodded and turned.

He saw the dragon boat.

‘I don’t know what’s right.’

It was hard to know what to do.

It was easy to say what was wrong when someone else was in charge, but now he had to think about everything.

‘Has that bastard been doing this every day?’

Maybe he needed to learn more than just fighting from Chung Myung.

If Chung Myung was here, the disciples would feel better.

‘That bastard isn’t here. I have to do it.’

Baek Cheon bit his lip.

He had to save them and go back to Mount Hua.

Baek Cheon made up his mind.

“Sasook! Over there!”

“Hmm?”

“I think that’s it!”

Yoon Jong pointed, and Baek Cheon saw steep cliffs by the river.

It was like a fortress.

The center was set back.

“In a place like this.”

Baek Cheon gritted his teeth.

It was a perfect fortress.

Cliffs were behind them, and the river was in front.

They could not go left or right. They had to cross the river or climb down the cliffs.

In the space, they saw buildings and a pier.

“A pirates’ nest.”

He knew why the pirates brought them here.

It was a trap.

They were like rats in a trap.

Baek Cheon clenched his fist.

This might be the worst time of his life.