Light Novel: Volume 22 Episode 16
Manhwa: N/A
Hwang Cheol had been working on boats for thirty years.
Starting from doing menial jobs on a horse-ferry boat and working his way up from being a lowly crew member, it took him twenty years to own his own boat.
Under the support of a reliable boat owner, he became the captain of a large horse-ferry boat and for ten years, he safely navigated the boat without a single major accident.
Working under the scorching sun, his skin became pockmarked and tanned. This made him look much older than his peers.
But Hwang Cheol didn’t mind. It was because his hard work had ensured the well-being and independence of his children.
“Soon, this job will also come to an end.”
Hwang Cheol muttered to himself as he looked out over the vast Yangtze River.
He was now over fifty years old.
And being over fifty, he found the demanding work of sailing too strenuous.
Of course, if he was greedy, he could push himself for a few more years. But Hwang Cheol decided it was time to step back and retire from the front lines.
Navigating the horse-ferry boat up and down the Yangtze River meant leaving home at least a month or two after each trip. When he was raising his children, he didn’t realize how hard it was to be away from home, but now that he has grandchildren around, he finds himself missing them more and more.
Now that he had saved up a lot of money, he wanted to spend his remaining years comfortably at home, taking care of his grandchildren. So he had spoken to the boat owner about his retirement and received permission.
Once he reached Poyang Lake, his thirty-year life as a sailor would come to an end.
He found it both relieving and regretful.
At that moment, a robust man who looked to be in his mid-forties came to his side.
It was Jang Du-son, the man who would take over as the captain of the horse-ferry boat after Hwang Cheol. Jang Du-son was a skilled sailor who had worked hand in hand with Hwang Cheol for nearly twenty years.
Having learned from Hwang Cheol, Jang Du-son had an exceptional talent for reading waterways and leading the crew. Therefore, without hesitation, Hwang Cheol had designated Jang Du-son as his successor.
Jang Du-son, with a smile, said,
“Why so gloomy? Someone might think you’ve been dumped, haha!”
“I’ve been dumped indeed. By that river…”
“Damn it!”
“Hehe! Isn’t it true? The thought of leaving the river to live only on land… it makes me feel complicated.”
“It’s understandable. Having lived your entire life on the water, adapting to an unfamiliar environment must be tough. But, brother, I’m sure you’ll do fine.”
“Having you here is reassuring. Thanks to you, I can retire with peace of mind.”
“Brother, soon…”
“Now that you’re about to become captain, would you like to try taking the helm?”
“Would that be alright?”
Holding the helm was a privilege exclusively reserved for the captain.
It was unthinkable for anyone to take the helm without the captain’s permission.
Throughout the years, whenever Hwang Cheol had the chance, he allowed Jang Du-son to take the helm. It was his way of preparing him to become the captain.
Therefore, although taking the helm was familiar, holding it now, with his promotion to captain imminent, felt different.
Hwang Cheol looked around the horse-ferry boat and said,
“This is your boat now. Please take good care of it.”
“Don’t worry, brother!”
“Then I’ll leave the navigation to Poyang Lake in your hands.”
“You won’t do the final leg yourself?”
“What difference does a few more days of sailing make? It’s time to let go now.”
Hwang Cheol chuckled as he went down to the deck.
Jang Du-son watched Hwang Cheol’s departing back with a bittersweet expression.
The fact that his mentor, who was like the sky to him, was retiring filled his heart with pain, and the responsibility of taking over this large boat made him feel overwhelmed.
Being born a man and being able to fully take charge of such a large boat was an incredible thing.
“From now on, I’m in charge of this boat.”
Jang Du-son murmured to himself, looking ahead.
Fortunately, it hadn’t rained recently, so the currents of the Yangtze River were not strong. This made navigating upstream not too difficult.
Still, Jang Du-son remained vigilant.
Hwang Cheol had always reminded him that complacency always leads to disaster, and Jang Du-son, having learned from him, did not neglect his caution and kept his guard up.
It was then.
“Huh?”
His eyes caught a strange sight.
A large ship appeared in the distance.
“What’s that? Why would an ocean-navigating ship be here?”
Having been a sailor for a long time, Jang Du-son realized that the incoming ship in the distance didn’t match the Yangtze River’s conditions.
The ship had high masts and streamlined hulls, perfect for cutting through high waves easily. The incoming ship was overly efficient for a freshwater river like the Yangtze, with its gentle current and few waves.
Although ships occasionally navigate up the Yangtze, seeing one like this was indeed rare.
The problem was that the large ship was heading straight for the horse-ferry boat.
If this continued, a collision could occur.
Jang Du-son quickly turned the helm and shouted,
“A large ship is approaching us from ahead! All crew, prepare for a collision!”
His shout startled the crew into action.
“Collision?”
Hwang Cheol, who had been enjoying a leisurely time among the passengers, looked forward in surprise.
He too could see a large ship approaching at a frightening speed.
It seemed clear that the horse-ferry boat was its target.
“Pirates? At this time…”
He wore a puzzled expression.
The martial world was in turmoil at the moment.
The Golden Heaven Society and the Silver Lotus Society, along with their affiliated sects, were clashing. Among them were also numerous large strongholds of the Nokrim faction. There was simply no room for mere pirates to intervene.
When the horse-ferry boat changed its direction, the large ship also altered its course and chased after it.
This made it clear.
The horse-ferry boat was indeed the target of the oncoming ship.
Ding, ding, ding!
A bell rang out to announce the emergency.
Still, there were those who remained calm.
“How dare pirates—”
“They’re out of luck. For them to target the boat we’re on.”
These were martial artists heading to Poyang Lake to participate in the turmoil in Jianghu.
They were individuals ready to jump into the battlefield to make a name for themselves.
So they rather welcomed this situation as an opportunity to distinguish themselves.
Meanwhile, there were those who looked at such martial artists with worried expressions.
“Hmm!”
“Were there pirates near Poyang Lake?”
At first glance, they seemed like ordinary martial artists, but in fact, they were Taoist priests from the Wudang Sect.
The Wudang Sect had secretly sent out Taoist priests to assess the situation of the martial world’s turmoil triggered by the clash between the Golden Heaven Society and the Silver Lotus Society.
They were the second-generation disciple Tae-won and third-generation disciples Yun-kwang and Han-kwang.
The Wudang Sect was currently keeping its doors shut and isolating itself from the outside world. However, that didn’t mean they were completely disengaged.
With the pride of being considered the Mount Tai and North Star of Jianghu1 alongside the Shaolin Temple, they always kept a close watch on Jianghu’s movements and dynamics.
As far as the Wudang Sect were concerned, the situation in the martial world seemed far from normal.
The damage was much greater than they had anticipated, and it was having a widespread negative impact on the entire martial world.
There were limits to the information they could obtain indirectly. Therefore, the Wudang Sect decided to send one second-generation disciple and two third-generation disciples directly to Poyang Lake to assess the situation.
Tae-won looked at the approaching ship with sharp eyes.
“It doesn’t seem like an ordinary ship.”
“What should we do, Junior Uncle?”2
“Let’s keep a close eye on the situation for now, and if it gets worse, we’ll intervene.”
“Intervene? That might give away our identity.”
“Saving people’s lives is more important than keeping our identities hidden. Most of the passengers on this boat are ordinary people. How can we ignore them?”
“My thoughts were too shallow.”
Yun-kwang immediately apologized.
Tae-won nodded and looked ahead.
In the meantime, the large ship had gotten much closer.
The crew shouted,
“Turn around!”
“We’re going to collide!”
Despite their shouts, the large ship paid no heed and it came at them at full speed.
Boom!
With a loud noise, the bow of the horse-ferry boat shattered.
“AHH!”
“Help, save us!”
The deck of the horse-ferry boat instantly turned into a scene of chaos.
Passengers screamed as they were thrown in all directions.
With just one collision, most of the passengers were either severely injured or thrown into the water due to the impact.
“These bastards!”
“What are they doing?!”
The martial artists on the horse-ferry boat drew their swords in anger.
At that moment, crew members armed with hooks, harpoons, knives, and swords jumped out from the large ship that had rammed into them.
They immediately began slaughtering the passengers on the horse-ferry boat.
Swoosh!
“AHHH!”
“Please, save me!”
Passengers screamed and ran, but the attackers from the large ship pursued and killed them relentlessly.
“You madmen!”
“Stop!”
The martial artists on the horse-ferry boat fought against those who had disembarked from the large ship.
Clang, clang, clang!
The sound of weapons clashing echoed loudly.
The enraged martial artists bravely fought against the invaders.
The levels of martial arts were similar.
The martial artists who had jumped off from the large ship were strong, but those on the horse-ferry boat were not to be underestimated either.
The problem was that they were outnumbered.
The martial artists who jumped from the large ship numbered over a hundred, wwhile there were only about twenty martial artists on the horse-ferry boat.
Being outnumbered, they could not help but be pushed back.
“Keugh!”
“Argh!”
One after another, martial artists and passengers were killed.
Among them was Captain Hwang Cheol, who was not far from retirement.
“Damn wife. She should have nagged me to retire earlier. Encouraging me to work more for nothing…”
The image of his plump and unattractive wife flickered before his eyes. That was the last memory he had while alive.
Swoosh!
A sword made of steel mercilessly cut off his breath.
Next to him lay Jang Du-son, who was about to be the next captain.
Unable to watch the tragedy unfold any longer, Tae-won ordered Yun-kwang and Han-kwang.
“We will join the battle.”
“Yes!”
“Understood.”
Yun-kwang and Han-kwang replied as they drew their swords.
“Let’s go!”
Tae-won led the charge, followed by Yun-kwang and Han-kwang.
As disciples of the prestigious Wudang Sect, their martial prowess was remarkable.
Their mere entry was enough to instantly change the atmosphere of the battlefield.
“Stop the killing.”
“Stand down!”
The three of them unleashed Wudang Sect’s techniques, pressing the attackers who had jumped from the large ship.
Their formidable martial skills momentarily halted those who had been mercilessly slaughtering passengers and martial artists.
Tae-won swung his sword and shouted,
“Who are you, and why are you committing such slaughter?!”
With one strike of his sword, his opponent was split in two and fell.
Just as Tae-won was about to look around in search of his next opponent—
“A Taoist priest from the Wudang Sect, huh.”
Suddenly, a deep voice called out.
Tae-won turned his head to find the source of the voice.
The owner of the voice was a large man standing at the bow of the large ship.
His hair hung down to his shoulders and he wore a robe made of animal skin.
He looked at Tae-won with his arms crossed.
Tae-won shouted,
“So, you’re the leader of these men. Why don’t you reveal your identity?!”
“A mere Taoist priest dares to speak so boldly.”
“What?”
Tae-won, provoked, leaped onto the bow of the large ship.
He pointed his sword and shouted,
“Tell me who you are, or I’ll cut you down.”
“By all means, if you think you can.”
“You—!”
Enraged, Tae-won unleashed the Wudang Sect’s ultimate techniques.
Shrrriiik!
His sword split into dozens of blades, attacking the man.
As a second-generation disciple of the Wudang Sect, Tae-won’s swordsmanship was at a very high level. It was not something that an ordinary martial artist could handle. Unfortunately for him, the man was not a common martial artist one might find in Jianghu.
Thump!
The man stepped lightly forward, and a harpoon rolling on the deck flew up into the man’s hand.
The man then threw the harpoon straight at Tae-won.
Swoosh!
“Hmph! This trivial thing—”
Tae-won attempted to cut down the flying harpoon as it flew by.
Clang!
But with a metallic sound, his sword was futilely knocked away.
“What?”
Thud!
The harpoon that had deflected Tae-won’s sword then pierced through his chest.
“Keughk!”
With a scream of agony, Tae-won fell.
Tae-won looked up at the man in disbelief and asked,
“You, who are you?”
“My name is Go Il-won.”
“Go… Il-won?”
“I am the leader and captain of the Phantom Fleet.”
Crack!
Go Il-won stomped on Tae-won’s head with his large foot.
Tae-won’s head burst open like a rotten pumpkin.
After swiftly killing Tae-won, Go Il-won turned to his subordinates and said,
“Don’t leave a single one of them alive.”
LUNACAVE
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