Return of the Mount Hua Sect [EN]: Chapter 772

Swoooosh!

A group of ships moved through the Yangtze River, leaving white trails in the water.

The sky was a bright, clear blue, like polished glass. A sharp, cold breeze blew across the river, making everyone shiver. It seemed like a wonderful sight, but the reality was different.

“Row faster, I said!”

“Row faster, you lazy pirates! Or do you want to be thrown in the river?”

Bandits, who usually robbed people on land, were now yelling at the captured pirates, forcing them to row.

“Faster! If we’re too slow, we’ll all be in trouble!”

“Beat the drums! Increase the speed!”

“Keeeugh!”

The pirates groaned and pulled at the oars. Their muscles screamed with each movement.

Thanks to them, the ship sped forward through the rough currents of the Yangtze River.

“Aha. Refreshing.”

Chung Myung smiled as he felt the wind. He preferred mountains to rivers, but today, the river breeze wasn’t so bad.

Of course, this wind was mostly created by the rowers.

“Hmm. Refreshing… um… refreshing…”

At first, Chung Myung looked relaxed. But then his face changed. He frowned.

“Seriously! Did you not even get gruel to eat? Why are you all so slow!”

“…I think we’re going fast enough?”

“When I row, it’s five times faster.”

“…This is the best we can do as ordinary people.”

“Anyway, these days, you youngsters have no grit, no grit! Can’t you row faster?”

Then, one of the Green Forest Bandits carefully spoke with a subdued face.

“Well… we’re squeezing the pirates dry, but there are many injured, so we’re short on people because many are hurt from the fight.”

“What are you talking about? Short on people?”

“So, during the battle…”

“No, not that!”

“Yes?”

Chung Myung stared intently at the bandit.

The bandit tilted his head, puzzled.

“Are you perhaps talking about us?”

“Who else would I be talking about?”

“…We’re bandits, though?”

“Do bandits not have hands? Can’t even hold an oar, I suppose?”

“Ah, of course, we have hands, so we can row.”

“Huh?”

Chung Myung blinked. Why were these bandits being so cooperative…

“If it weren’t for this condition, that is.”

“Uwaaaaaaaah!”

“Kuweeeeh!”

“Keeuh… my stomach… even my stomach is coming up…”

“S, save me…”

“…”

The bandits were clinging to the ship’s side, faces pale, emptying their stomachs into the river.

“Ah, no, what kind of martial artists are…”

“…Seasickness is different from that.”

“Tsk tsk tsk. So weak! Where’s the Green Forest King?”

“Isn’t he over there?”

“Where?”

“There. Among the ones throwing up.”

“…”

Indeed, among the burly backs holding onto the railing, there was one back that looked relatively small.

“Uwaaaaaaaah! Cough! Cough! Keeuk… My stomach… Cough! Uwaaaaaaaah!”

Chung Myung sighed and looked away, feeling tired just watching them.

“This guy or that guy…”

There isn’t a single normal person.

“Hehe. We’re originally people who climb mountains, so we don’t have any business being on a ship. And even people who have been on ships to some extent would be helpless if it shook this much.”

“Isn’t it just that you guys are weak?”

“Hey, look over there.”

“At what?”

“The opposite side.”

Chung Myung’s gaze turned to the opposite side of the railing, where Lim Sobyeong and the Mount Hua disciples were clinging.

“Uwaaaaaaaah!”

“Kweaaaaaah!”

“I, I’m going to die! I’m going to die like this!”

The Mount Hua disciples were each holding onto the railing, throwing up their insides for dear life. Chung Myung covered his face with both hands.

No. Let’s just say those guys are like that.

Why is that bald head throwing up again! So frustrating!

“Uwaaaaaaaah!”

At that moment, Jo Gul, who was heaving as if he would spit out his intestines, hit his head on the railing and muttered as if he had lost his mind.

“Ugh… my head. I’m dizzy… Senior Brother… I think I’m going to die before we even fight.”

“I, I don’t think it was this bad before.”

“Tell them to slow down, slow down!”

“Soso, do you perhaps have any seasickness medicine?”

“…Would I have any?”

“Keeugh.”

You usually get used to ships with time, but these people were from places with no rivers or sea. They were mountain people, not sailors.

As martial artists, they could overcome minor seasickness, but on a ship that was shaking so violently that even sailors would struggle, there was nothing they could do.

“Island! Where is that damn island!”

“Please… please let us fight.”

“I think I can do anything if I can just put my feet on the ground! Please!”

People only realize the importance of something after they’ve lost it. The Mount Hua disciples were endlessly longing for the ground.

“Keeeugh…”

At that moment, Lim Sobyeong, who had turned blue, staggered towards Chung Myung.

“You…”

“Yes?”

Jo Seung, afraid of being caught in the crossfire, jumped up from his seat. Lim Sobyeong asked in a fading voice.

“The island… where is the island? Is it far?”

“The exact location… I’m not sure either…”

“You don’t know?”

“Ah, no. I know, but…”

Lim Sobyeong’s eyes turned bloodshot.

“Tell me now, or you’ll regret it!”

“S, save me!”

Jo Seung, remembering that this man was the Green Forest King, shook his head in horror.

“No, it’s just that it should be visible around here… Th, there it is! There! Waaah! I can see it!”

“Keeugh. Where?”

“There!”

Jo Seung urgently pointed forward.

Indeed, something small was floating in the middle of the river beyond.

“…But that’s an island?”

“It looks small because it’s too far away now, but it’s definitely not small. It’s even bigger than where our water fortress was.”

“What did you say?”

“I said it’s even bigger…”

“No, before that. What? Too far away?”

“…”

“Ugh! Uuuugh!”

“Ah! Don’t throw up here! It’s dirty!”

Chung Myung grabbed Lim Sobyeong and threw him towards the railing. Then, he dusted off his hands and looked at the island far away.

“Hmm.”

The island was covered in tall, thick reeds, hiding what was inside. But Chung Myung could see it was large enough to hide a fortress.

“How strange. An island in the middle of the river.”

Chung Myung muttered and fiddled with his chin, then suddenly stopped.

“Hmm?”

A smile slowly formed on his lips.

“Hey, water ghost.”

“…Yes!”

“It seems like they’re coming out to greet us over there?”

“Yes?”

Jo Seung looked towards the island.

“Oh?”

Small dots began to appear around the island in the distance. It wasn’t hard to guess what those dots floating on the water were.

As the dots got closer, they began to take the shape of ships.

“Enemy ships! Get ready!”

“B, battle?”

“In this situation?”

The bandits’ eyes widened.

Having their stomachs turned inside out… yes, they could fight while throwing up, even if it was a bit unsightly. But what about the headache and dizziness? It was hard to even stand properly.

“Keeugh. I’m going to die.”

Only then did the bandits realize how advantageous the previous battle had been. Being able to fight the pirates on land was no different from fighting a shark that had been dragged onto land.

Even a cat, let alone a tiger, could leisurely tear apart a struggling shark.

But if the place was the river, the situation was reversed. Even if it was a tiger, not a cat, it would only be a meal for the shark in the water.

‘That’s why they can’t carelessly touch the water fortress.’

“Keeugh. I don’t understand. That place is like a completely natural fortress.”

Lim Sobyeong said with a pale face.

“Why were the water fortresses neglecting such a place?”

“That’s not a place where a water fortress can be.”

“Why?”

“First of all, it’s too conspicuous, isn’t it?”

“…That’s true.”

“Besides, the waterways around there are a mess because of the island. The current is twice as fast, and the waterways are mixed, creating whirlpools in an instant. Even a ship with a skilled helmsman will capsize in an instant if they’re not careful. So how can you build a water fortress in such a place?”

“They did it, though?”

“…I’m not sure about that either…”

Jo Seung scratched his head with a blank face.

“Anyway, it’s those bastards, right?”

Chung Myung’s eyes flashed.

“Let’s turn them all into fish food first and then think about it! Everyone, prepare for…”

Suddenly, BOOM! The ship right next to them exploded.

“C, cannons?”

Chung Myung widened his eyes and quickly looked at the ships. He could see the black and white smoke mixing.

“They’re using cannons? Are those bastards crazy?”

Gunpowder was a weapon prohibited by the government. From the moment they used gunpowder, they would be hunted. Salt and gunpowder were the things the government hated the most.

That’s why even the pirates mixed a small amount of gunpowder with mechanical devices to launch harpoons, but that was definitely a real cannon.

“That… it looks like a Hundred Thunder Cannon?”

Chung Myung turned his head sharply at Lim Sobyeong’s words.

“Hundred Thunder Cannon? What’s that?”

“It’s a cannon made by the Thunderclap Sect. They were famous a long time ago.”

“…Thunderclap Sect is a sect?”

“Yes. A sect that mainly used gunpowder.”

“Are they crazy? The government is just watching when there are guys like that?”

“Do you think they were just watching? That’s why they went bankrupt.”

“…”

“But the cannons and bombs that those guys made are still being traded secretly. It seems like those pirates got their hands on them…”

Boom!

Another cannonball hit, and the front of another ship exploded, wood flying everywhere.

“Aaaah! I’m falling!”

“Help! Help! I can’t swim!”

“B, be careful in the water! The pirates might be aiming for you! Grab onto a plank and climb up! Or climb onto the next ship, you bastards!”

In an instant, all hell broke loose.

“H, harpoons! We have harpoons too, right?”

“…Nah. They won’t even reach that far.”

Jo Seung blinked.

“Oh? They’re slowing down?”

“Huh?”

“It seems like they’re planning to keep their distance and destroy us one by one.”

“No! These bastards are being cowardly! If you’re a martial artist, you should fight fair and square!”

“…They’re pirates.”

Fairness only came out when needed, but even that was meaningless in front of the pirates.

Boom!

“Aaaaargh!”

The moment another ship was shattered, Chung Myung rolled his eyes back.

“But these bastards are really pushing it, aren’t they?!”

“Oh?”

Lim Sobyeong turned to look at Chung Myung with slightly moved eyes.

The Mount Hua disciples were only on this ship. The broken ships only had bandits on them. But seeing how angry he was, wasn’t it a sign that Chung Myung really thought of the Green Forest Bandits as his comrades?

“We’re okay…”

“How much do you think those ships cost, you bastards!”

“…”

Ah… he’s already added them to his list of assets.

Impressive. I’m ashamed as a bandit.

“Oh yeah! You’re going to shoot cannons, huh?”

At that moment, Chung Myung jumped onto the railing.

And!

“Let’s give them a taste of their own medicine! Euracha!”

Boom!

Kicking the railing and shattering it, he began to fly like a cannonball that had been fired.