Light Novel: Volume 24 Episode 11
Manhwa: N/A

Pyo-wol stood silently, staring at the sea.

The boats carrying the sailors of the Phantom Fleet were already far from the dock.

No matter how exceptional his qinggong was, he couldn’t cross such a distance in a single bound.

Pyo-wol watched the small boats recede into the distance.

The sea was continuously whipped by high waves. Despite waves that could overturn even large ships, the small boats navigated them effortlessly.

The sailors of the Phantom Fleet were all exceptional martial artists and sailors.

In the entire history of Jianghu, such a group had never existed.

The Phantom Fleet was a truly unprecedented martial force.

The problem was that only a very few people knew of the existence of such a group.

Pyo-wol watched the small boats disappear between the crashing waves.

“Huff! Huff!”

“Is it… is it over?”

Geomyeon and Tae Musang, who had arrived at the dock late, panted heavily.

They were so out of breath that they could barely speak properly. Meanwhile, Pyo-wol and Soma had fought the Phantom Fleet’s martial artists without even a change in expression.

The difference in their levels was stark.

Pyo-wol turned around.

“Let’s go.”

“Huh?”

“Where to?”

Geomyeon and Tae Musang looked at him with puzzled expressions.

“The leader of the Phantom Fleet wasn’t here.”

“What do you mean?”

“He’s not the type to just send his subordinates and watch from afar.”

It was only on two occasions that Pyo-wol had come face to face with Go Il-won.

Even then, they had seen each other from hundreds of feet away.

Although it was difficult to recognize each other’s faces from such a distance, Pyo-wol could still gauge what kind of person Go Il-won was.

He was a man who would take matters into his own hands and see them through to the end.

That was the impression Pyo-wol had of Go Il-won.

“We’re returning to Hae-won Manor. There’s a high chance he’ll attack.”

“What?”

“Damn it!”

Finally, Geomyeon and Tae Musang understood what Pyo-wol meant.

It wouldn’t be surprising if those who destroyed the Red Bandana Association were now targeting Hae-won Manor. If they could bring down Hae-won Manor, they would be able to hold and control the power in Haimen.

The four of them used their qinggong and headed towards Hae-won Manor.

After crossing the streets of Haimen and arriving at Hae-won Manor, they breathed a sigh of relief.

On the surface, there seemed to be no problems.

Tae Musang and Geomyeon hurriedly opened the door and entered Hae-won Manor.

“What’s going on with you two?”

Yul Ayeon, who was drinking tea in the garden, was startled by the sight of the sweat-soaked Geomyeon and Tae Musang.

“Is everything alright?”

“What?”

“Hah! Thank goodness.”

Geomyeon let out a sigh of relief at Yul Ayeon’s clueless demeanor.

Yul Ayeon blinked and looked at Pyo-wol. 

She was subtly seeking for an explanation.

“The Red Bandana Association has been annihilated.”

“What? Why the Red Bandana Association?”

“The Phantom Fleet attacked.”

“Oh my God!”

Yul Ayeon clapped her hands over her mouth as she finally realized the full extent of what had happened.

“Are you saying the Red Bandana Association has been completely wiped out?”

“We just confirmed it ourselves.”

“That is—”

“Where’s Tarha?”

“He’s inside.”

“I’ll meet with him. Ensure the defenses are tight.”

“Understood.”

Yul Ayeon responded and quickly moved into action.

Geomyeon and Tae Musang followed behind her.

Pyo-wol and Soma headed to Tarha’s quarters.

“Oh, you’re here?”

Tarha greeted Pyo-wol with a serious expression.

He had also just heard about the massacre of the Red Bandana Association. However, due to the urgency of the situation, he hadn’t yet informed Yul Ayeon.

In front of Tarha sat several martial artists sent by the Mara Sect.

“Is it because of the Red Bandana Association?”

“Have you been preparing?”

“As soon as I heard the news, I discreetly increased the number of guards.”

“Seems like we rushed here for nothing.”

“Not at all! Your presence is reassuring. Thank you!”

“So, what’s the plan?”

“First, the martial artists from the Mara Sect will stand guard. In the meantime, we need to come up with a strategy.”

“In other words, we don’t have a concrete plan yet.”

“We don’t know where they’re hiding, so we should focus on fortifying our defenses first.”

“Understood.”

Pyo-wol stood up from his seat.

Now that he knew Tarha was working on a plan, there was no reason for him to stay there any longer.

His presence might only confuse the chain of command. Thus, Pyo-wol left without hesitation.

“Brother!”

Soma greeted Pyo-wol.

“Let’s go.”

“Where?”

“Let’s head to the Red Bandana Association. There might be some clues left behind that we can use to track them.”

“Got it.”

Soma nodded.

They had been in such a hurry earlier that they hadn’t gotten a thorough inspection at the Red Bandana Association.

There were over a hundred people moving about.

Even if they had moved swiftly like lightning to erase their tracks, there were bound to be clues left behind.

The two exited Hae-won Manor and headed toward the Red Bandana Association.

The area around the Red Bandana Association was teeming with people.

These were people who had rushed over after hearing about the massacre.

“The Red Bandana Association was wiped out.”

“There were hundreds of people inside, and they’re all dead.”

“Oh no! What are we going to do now?”

“Hic!”

Voices of murmuring and weeping mingled, making the streets extremely noisy.

Many of those who died in the Red Bandana Association were either the family heads or sons.

The cries of families who had rushed over upon hearing the news of the Red Bandana Association’s devastation echoed through the streets.

Pyo-wol and Soma jumped over the wall of the Red Bandana Association.

Even inside, there were many people.

Most of them were family members of the workers who had been at the Red Bandana Association.

They clung to the bodies of their children or husbands and wept bitterly.

The already chaotic interior of the Red Bandana Association became even more disorderly.

Even if there had been any clues left to track the Phantom Fleet, they were likely all erased now.

Pyo-wol sighed deeply.

“Hoo!”

“Finding any clues in this mess seems impossible.”

Soma shook his head in agreement.

While understanding the grief of the bereaved families, it was frustrating that all potential clues to track the Phantom Fleet had disappeared.

Finding anything useful to chase the Phantom Fleet in this mess was impossible.

Pyo-wol spoke,

“Let’s go.”

“Just like that?”

“I don’t think there’s any point in staying.”

“Yeah!”

Soma nodded helplessly.

The two quietly left the same way they had come in. Pyo-wol looked up at the sky and muttered,

“We’ve taken a serious hit.”

It was an unexpected blow.

Even Pyo-wol hadn’t anticipated that they would move so quickly.

The loss of the Red Bandana Association was a significant blow.

It was like losing eighty percent of the eyes and ears in Haimen. Go Il-won knew this, which was why he had raided the Red Bandana Association first.

It was a terrifyingly swift and decisive move.

Whether it was Go Il-won’s nature or the influence of a brilliant strategist, either way, the threat remained the same.

* * *

Creak! Creak!

The sound of oars slicing through the waves echoed powerfully.

With each stroke of the oars, the boat carrying Cho Pyeong-rak cut through the waves with frightening speed.

The other boats following suit moved in the same way.

As they broke through the rough waves and reached the open sea, several massive ships came into view.

It was the Phantom Fleet.

As the small boats arrived, a ladder made of rope was lowered from the largest ship.

Cho Pyeong-rak was the first to climb aboard, followed by his subordinates.

On the deck of the large ship stood a man exuding an extraordinary presence. It was none other than Go Il-won, the leader of the Phantom Fleet.

Cho Pyeong-rak and his subordinates knelt down on one knee in front of Go Il-won.

“My lord, we have returned from our mission.”

“We have returned.”

Their voices echoed in a thunderous roar.

Go Il-won looked them over with deeply sunken eyes.

“I don’t see a few of you.”

“I apologize, sir. We encountered an unexpected opponent.”

“Unexpected opponent?”

“Pyo-wol, that man, is already in Haimen.”

“Is that so?”

“Yes, he arrived just as we were about to escape from the lower dock, so we lost some men.”

“It can’t be helped. You all did well. Go and rest.”

“No, sir. We will inspect the ship.”

Cho Pyeong-rak was the captain of the large ship.

Though he had been away for only a day, he couldn’t rest until he personally confirmed that there was no damage or malfunction on the ship.

Go Il-won did not stop Cho Pyeong-rak.

Any sailor would have habits like Cho Pyeong-rak. Especially a captain, who bore a different level of responsibility.

Moreover, Cho Pyeong-rak took immense pride in being the captain of the flagship.

In any fleet, being part of the flagship crew instilled a very special sentiment.

This was true for Cho Pyeong-rak and his sailors.

As they returned to their respective posts, only Go Il-won and a few close confidants remained on the deck.

Go Il-won gazed in the direction of Haimen.

“Pyo-wol!”

His lifelong adversary was beyond that sea.

If he set sail now, it would take less than an hour to reach the short distance.

“Impressive. For you to sense our presence here and pursue us.”

Even as an enemy, he couldn’t help but be impressed.

The Yangtze River might be wide, but compared to the sea, it was just a small stream.

Just having the flagship alone would make it stand out. Naturally, there were hardly any places to hide the flagship.

For that reason, Go Il-won had planned to hide the Phantom Fleet and operate from Haimen, where the Yangtze River meets the sea. However, Pyo-wol had seen through Go Il-won’s intentions and followed him here.

Pyo-wol was truly a formidable strategist.

If he only had a strong mind, it wouldn’t be a big deal. He could be eliminated.

The problem was that Pyo-wol also possessed formidable martial skills.

He was the most troublesome type to deal with.

Go Il-won’s mouth curled into a smile.

“Yes, it should be like this. If the man who killed my father and grandmother was a mere weakling, it would have been even more disappointing.”

Pyo-wol alone caused the destruction of the New Moon Manor, the main base of the Kowloon Assassin Guild.

Of course, internal enemies like So Yeowol and Song Cheonwoo had sided with him, but that didn’t change the fact that Pyo-wol was the biggest culprit.

“After I kill Pyo-wol, next will be you, Yeowol.”

A murderous intent rose in Go Il-won’s eyes.

He had long known that So Yeowol harbored a grudge against the New Moon Manor. Sold into an assassin group by her mother and miraculously returning, So Yeowol had changed to a completely different person.

Go Il-won had known this but had let it be.

He thought he owed his half-sister a debt.

The fact that he couldn’t prevent his mother from selling So Yeowol had filled him with guilt. 

So, even though he knew that So Yeowol harbored great ambitions against the New Moon Manor, he didn’t do much about it.

Of course, spending most of his time at sea also played a part.

Trouble arose while he was out at sea.

Pyo-wol ambushed the New Moon Manor, and So Yeowol aided him, leading to the swift collapse of the once impregnable fortress.

If it weren’t for So Yeowol and Song Cheonwoo, the New Moon Manor would not have fallen so easily.

After the fall of the New Moon Manor, So Yeowol and Song Cheonwoo led the remaining forces and hid in a secret location.

“By now, they are probably subjugating the remnants of the Kowloon Assassin Guild. But as long as I’m alive,  there’s no way they’ll truly submit to you.”

His ambitious half-sister knew too little about him.

She didn’t understand the extent of his power or the enormous influence he wielded.

It was his own ability that managed to grow the Phantom Fleet from a single ship to what it is today.

It couldn’t even be compared to So Yeowol, who stole from others.

“I will bring you despair, Pyo-wol! Yeowol!”


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