Light Novel: Volume 21 Episode 6
Manhwa: N/A
The horse-ferry boat glided smoothly through the river.
The recent heavy rain caused the river to become swollen and the current to become very fast. Yet, the horse-ferry boat moved forward effortlessly without any signs of being in danger. This was because it was too big to be affected by this kind of current.
However, its speed was quite slow.
The greatest virtue of the horse-ferry boat was its safety.
Because it was so large, it was loaded and filled with horses, carriages, and cargo. Safely delivering these goods to their destination was the reason for the horse-ferry boat’s existence. Therefore, it couldn’t speed up, especially to protect the cargo.
Pyo-wol sat on the deck, looking up at the sky.
Night had fallen, and darkness enveloped the surroundings.
The boat, adorned with numerous lanterns at the bow, continued to sail.
Both the captain and the crew had traveled to and from this place so many times that they were familiar with the terrain. That’s why they were able to steer the large boat safely, avoiding any underwater hazards, even in the dark.
As darkness descended, other passengers retreated into the cabins, leaving Pyo-wol alone on deck.
Pyo-wol lifted his head to gaze at the night sky.
A sea of stars spread out before him.
Each star radiated brilliant light, showing off its presence.
Starlight filled Pyo-wol’s eyes.
‘Even in the darkest night, light exists.’
He already knew this fact, but witnessing it firsthand brought a different level of emotion.
Since ancient times, people often likened human fate to the stars.
Some people are said to be born with the fate of a Purple Star,1 destined to save the world, while others are said to be born with the fate of a Heavenly Killer Star,2 destined to bring harm to the world.
Such was their fame that the most widely known absolute masters in the current Jianghu were revered and called as the Eight Constellations.
The brilliant stars that illuminate the darkness.
The eight stars that shine the brightest of them all.
However, several of them had lost their lives at the hands of Pyo-wol. Yet, his epithet did not include ‘constellation.’
He was a deep darkness located in the deepest part of the sea of stars.
Darkness that devours other stars, growing in size, but people remain oblivious to it.
The terror of a darkness that devours stars lies in its invisibility.
The more invisible the threat, the more people fear it.
And of all people, it had to be Pyo-wol.
Up until now, he had operated openly with his face and identity visible, but from now on, he would hide himself completely. That’s why he didn’t intervene when Cho Han-pyeong and Eunyo clashed.
Those who were with him should be able to handle a threat of that magnitude on their own.
It was then.
“Big brother!”
He suddenly heard a familiar voice.
Turning his head, he saw Eunyo.
Eunyo walked over to Pyo-wol with only a few steps.
“What are you thinking about so deeply?”
“Just this and that…”
“You seem troubled.”
“And why are you up, instead of sleeping?”
“I’ve got a few things on my mind, too.”
“Is it because of what happened today?”
“Yes!”
“Don’t doubt your choice. You did well.”
“Do you mean it?”
“Yes.”
“That’s a relief.”
Eunyo let out a small sigh of relief.
Although she had made the decision on her own, she was worried that it might not sit well with Pyo-wol. This was why she hadn’t been able to sleep and had gone outside to find him.
Eunyo stood next to Pyo-wol, gazing at the river engulfed in darkness.
A cool breeze blew, gently sweeping her hair.
As Eunyo fixed her disheveled hair, her eyes suddenly lit up.
She stopped her movements and continued to stare at the river shrouded in darkness.
Creak! Creak!
A faint noise came from the other side of the river.
It was so subtle that no one would be able to hear it unless they strained their ears.
“What is it?”
“It seems like your guess was right.”
“Hoo!”
Eunyo sighed.
How predictable human psychology can be, never straying an inch from expectations.
The sound they heard now was the sound of rowing.
Pyo-wol could see about a dozen small boats approaching the horse-ferry boat.
Each boat had more than a dozen people on board.
They were rowing towards the horse-ferry boat.
Leading the group was Cho Han-pyeong.
With his teeth clenched and eyes wide open, his appearance resembled a fiercely venomous wildcat.
Cho Han-pyeong had returned with the elite members of the Hundred Martial Valley.
“I gave them one last chance…”
She had known this would happen, but still, she felt foolish for having thought they might act differently.
Whistle!
Eunyo lightly whistled. At that signal, as if waiting, Do Yeonsan and Nam Shin-woo came out.
They were not startled by the imposing sight of the boats approaching the horse-ferry boat.
“They’ve returned, as expected.”
“What Great Tiger of the Mountains? Even cowards wouldn’t act like this.”
The two men shook their heads in disbelief.
Like Eunyo, they had not let their guard down.
They were already prepared, so they weren’t surprised when Cho Han-pyeong returned with the elite of the Hundred Martial Valley.
The only thing that they found concerning were the passengers on the horse-ferry boat.
If they do not handle the situation properly, these innocent bystanders could be caught in their fight and suffer greatly. Such a scenario had to be avoided.
Even if the world was in chaos where it was hard to even take care of oneself, certain things still had to be protected.
At the very least, innocent people had to be protected from being swept up in the conflicts of those in Jianghu.
Eunyo said,
“We absolutely can’t let them board the horse-ferry boat.”
“We’ll have to settle it on the water.”
“And as quietly as possible…”
The three of them looked at each other’s faces and nodded.
Do Yeonsan, speaking for the group, said to Pyo-wol,
“We’ll be back soon, brother!”
“Alright.”
At Pyo-wol’s reply, Do Yeonsan smiled. Then he swiftly leaped off the horse-ferry boat.
He was quickly followed by Eunyo and Nam Shin-woo.
Chae Mu-ok, who came out late, hesitated for a moment upon seeing them. But he soon too leaped forward, following their lead.
Left behind, Pyo-wol watched their retreating figures.
He could see the small boat rocking violently as the four of them climbed aboard, and that’s when the fierce battle began.
The fight was too far away to be heard by normal human ears, so the passengers on the horse-ferry boat were completely unaware of the intense battle unfolding nearby.
Only Pyo-wol, with his exceptional hearing, could discern the shouts and screams.
The four were like wolves plunging into a flock of sheep.
Every time they executed a martial move, someone screamed and fell into the river.
In the cramped space of the boat, the four were invincible.
All those on the boat were elites of the Hundred Martial Valley. However, paradoxically, they were not accustomed to fighting on a boat.
They hadn’t adjusted to the violent rocking of the boat, which would toss and turn with the slightest movement.
Originally, their goal was to board the horse-ferry boat and launch a surprise attack. Once on the horse-ferry boat, they wouldn’t need to worry about the rocking movements of the river. However, Eunyo and the others boarded and attacked the small boats first, wiping out any advantage they might have had.
Pyo-wol stood motionless, watching this scene.
Then, Hong Ye-seol and the Elder Assassin approached him.
The Elder Assassin, watching the intense battle involving Eunyo, exclaimed in admiration.
“Heh, it’s just like the leader said, she had let Cho Han-pyeong go to completely eliminate any future trouble.”
The expression on the Elder Assassin’s face was one of genuine admiration.
It was simply astonishing that a young lady who had just emerged in Jianghu, not a seasoned martial artist like Pyo-wol or Hong Ye-seol, could possess such meticulous strategy.
Not only was she strong-willed, but she also possessed the power to carry out the plans she had formulated in her mind into reality.
Such a combination of intellect and martial prowess was rare to see.
And there were three such individuals.
The more he looked at them, the more he admired them.
Even if he excluded Chae Mu-ok who temporarily joined their group, there were still three such talented individuals capable of reviving a whole sect, and they were all centered around Pyo-wol.
‘If they are this formidable now, how much more will they grow in a few years?’
The mere thought of it sent shivers down his spine.
He could already see in his mind the martial prowess of the three as grown adults.
The most terrifying thing about them was their genuine loyalty to Pyo-wol. Their bond was unbreakably strong, beyond imagination.
“Hoo! How scary! Truly terrifying!”
For the first time in his life, the Elder Assassin felt fear towards someone else.
It was then.
Whoosh!
With a light footstep, Pyo-wol’s figure vanished.
“Ah!”
The Elder Assassin was stunned.
Even with his heightened senses, he hadn’t detected Pyo-wol’s departure. He only realized it after Pyo-wol had disappeared.
The Elder Assassin was a seasoned assassin.
With the years he had spent as an assassin, he prided himself on having the sharpest senses in the world. Yet, even with such acute senses, he couldn’t determine where Pyo-wol had vanished to.
“What the hell…”
Goosebumps ran up his forearms.
* * *
A colossal ship, rivaling the horse-ferry boat, floated on the river.
For anyone who didn’t know better, they would have mistaken it for a small island.
The name of the ship was the Snake King Ship.3
It was the treasure of the Hundred Martial Valley.
It was large and spacious enough to carry all the warriors of Hundred Martial Valley and was maneuverable enough that it could be considered a fortress on the water.
It was extremely rare for the Snake King Ship to sail out of the Hundred Martial Valley.
This was because it was expensive to maintain due to its immense size. Therefore, even in the Hundred Martial Valley, it was seldom used except to show off the majesty and grandeur of the leader of the sect.
The leader of the Hundred Martial Valley was Cho Gu-soo.
Unlike his ambitious son, he had little greed.
Gu Seon-hak, the leader of Ziying Valley, which had split off from the Heavenly Heights Stronghold, had always eyed the opportunity to reunite the Nokrim faction that had been divided into Two Valleys and Four Fortresses. However, Cho Gu-soo was content just being the leader of the Hundred Martial Valley.
For this reason, he preferred not to engage in the affairs of Jianghu if possible. But his son, Cho Han-pyeong, was different.
From a young age, self-proclaimed as the Great Tiger of the Mountains, Cho Han-pyeong was very ambitious, looking for every opportunity to make a name for himself.
Cho Gu-soo was displeased with Cho Han-pyeong.
Cho Han-pyeong prided himself on being a complete martial artist, but in Cho Gu-soo’s eyes, he still seemed like a child. Thus, when Cho Han-pyeong declared that he was going to appear at Jianghu, Cho Gu-soo secretly followed behind his son, boarding the Snake King Ship.
If nothing were to happen to his son, he would just watch, but if his son were to be in danger, he would intervene.
In fact, he once intended to intervene. However, since his son managed to escape, he restrained himself. Instead, he provided his son with the elite forces of the Hundred Martial Valley.
Cho Gu-soo was aware.
He knew that his actions might be further spoiling his son. Yet, he couldn’t stop because Cho Han-pyeong was his only blood relative.
Cho Gu-soo’s brows were deeply furrowed.
He could see the boat carrying the elites he had assigned tossing and turning violently.
Their targets had launched a counterattack even before the boats could approach the horse-ferry boat.
On the small boats they had used to approach silently, the targets were fiercely fighting back. Each time, the elites of the Hundred Martial Valley fell into the river like leaves in a strong wind.
“Where did these people come from?”
Cho Gu-soo muttered with a perplexed expression.
He had intended to stay out and not intervene directly in his son’s affairs as much as possible, as he felt it was the last thing he could do to preserve his son’s pride and make him grow. But, seeing his son in such a precarious situation, he found it unbearable.
“This won’t do. Move the Snake King Ship. I will punish them myself.”
“But, sect leader Cho Gu-soo, that is–”
His loyal subordinate, Lee Ju-myeong, hesitated.
While he respected Cho Gu-soo as the sect leader, he thought Cho Gu-soo’s overprotectiveness in matters concerning his son hindered Cho Han-pyeong’s growth.
Cho Gu-soo gave the order once more.
“I’ll punish them myself. Steer the ship in that direction.”
“Understood…”
Lee Ju-myeong couldn’t defy the sect leader’s order any longer.
Eventually, he instructed his men to move the ship.
“Head towards the location where the young master is.”
“Yes!”
His men replied, quickly moving to navigate the Snake King Ship.
It was then.
“Ugh!”
Suddenly, a groan from Cho Gu-soo reached Lee Ju-myeong’s ears.
Startled, he looked around but couldn’t see Cho Gu-soo anyway. The sect leader, who had been standing right beside him, had vanished without a trace.
He instinctively raised his head and looked up. Then he saw Cho Gu-soo’s legs being pulled upwards into the air as if caught by a fishing line.
“Sect leader!”
Lee Ju-myeong shouted.
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