Light Novel: Volume 24 Episode 7
Manhwa: N/A
Tarha treated Pyo-wol and his companions with great hospitality.
Tae Musang and Geomyeon quickly bonded with Soma.
They were surprised to learn that Soma was older than he appeared.
In the past, they would not have believed Soma’s words, but their knowledge had grown by leaps and bounds since they’d practiced martial arts. They understood that nothing was impossible in Jianghu.
Instead of rejecting Soma, they actually liked him even more.
Thanks to the brothers’ company, Soma was able to shake off some of his gloom.
Tae Musang and Geomyeon took Soma outside the manor.
Tarha shared drinks with Elder Assassin.
Pyo-wol remained alone in his quarters, looking out the window.
From the window, he could see the dock attached to Hae-won Manor.
A huge ship that looked like it came from the Western Region was docked there.
The number of sails and the design of the ship were quite different from those of the Central Plains.
It was then.
“May I come in for a moment?”
Yul Ayeon’s voice came from outside the door.
“Come in.”
The door opened cautiously, and Yul Ayeon entered.
Yul Ayeon looked at the back of Pyo-wol’s head with her blue eyes, then walked over softly.
Standing beside Pyo-wol, she looked in the direction he was gazing.
Yul Ayeon spoke.
“It’s called the Heavenly Dragon Boat. It’s a treasure of the Mara Sect.”
“It certainly looks big and sturdy.”
“There isn’t a ship that can match its strength. If it rams into an average ship, most ships won’t be able to withstand it and will break.”
“Why did the treasure of the Mara Sect come here?”
“The sect leader of the Mara Sect knew that we had settled here, so sent that to support us for a while. It was also to reward us for recovering the Demonic Soul Blade.”
The Mara Sect has three elders under the sect leader.
Among them, the Third Elder sold the Demonic Soul Blade, a treasured artifact of the Mara Sect, to the Phantom Fleet.
This incident severely damaged the Mara Sect.
Fortunately, thanks to Pyo-wol, they were able to retrieve the Demonic Soul Blade safely, but the Mara Sect became more vigilant.
The sect leader sent the Heavenly Dragon Boat to support Tarha and Yul Ayeon, who had settled in Haimen.
Although it was intended to be temporary, the ship and elite forces were dispatched to support them until they were fully established.
Thanks to this, Hae-won Manor was able to easily become the dominant force in Haimen.
Pyo-wol asked,
“Then, are the martial artists from the Mara Sect also here?”
“Yes! Thirty of them are currently staying at Hae-won Manor.”
“But I don’t see them.”
“They don’t like to show themselves publicly.”
“Is that so?”
“Yes! They prefer to operate covertly. That’s why only a few people, even among the servants of Hae-won Manor, have seen their faces.”
“I see.”
“But what brings Master Pyo here?”
Yul Ayeon turned her head to look at Pyo-wol.
Pyo-wol’s face was reflected in her blue eyes.
“The Phantom Fleet has infiltrated this place.”
“The Phantom Fleet? Is that true?”
“It’s still just a conjecture.”
“Why do you think the Phantom Fleet is here?”
In response to Yul Ayeon’s question, Pyo-wol recounted the events so far.
He told her about what happened at the New Moon Manor, how the leader of the Phantom Fleet, Go Il-won, harbored a grudge against him, and how he had instigated the conflict between the Golden Heaven Society and the Silver Lotus Society by killing Yong Hasang.
“Indeed, there isn’t enough space along the Yangtze River to hide such a large ship.”
“The forest is the best place to hide trees, and to hide a huge ship—”
“Haimen, where so many huge ships are gathered, is the perfect place.”
“Exactly!”
“But I’ve yet to see any ships that might belong to the Phantom Fleet.”
“They must be disguised as ordinary merchant ships.”
“Alright. I’ll deploy the Red Bandana Association to see if they can spot any suspicious ships.”
“Thank you!”
“You have nothing to thank me for. Master Pyo is a benefactor to us.”
Yul Ayeon smiled faintly.
She already had an enchanting appearance, but with the light streaming through the window, she looked even more beautiful.
Especially her blue eyes, which shone mysteriously.
Her eyes, which glowed like blue jade, had a mesmerizing charm that captivated anyone who looked into them.
Yul Ayeon stared intently at Pyo-wol with her blue eyes.
Pyo-wol was not so dull as to not understand what that meant.
He reached out and wrapped his arm around Yul Ayeon’s slender waist.
Although Yul Ayeon gasped in surprised, she didn’t pull away.
Pyo-wol tightened his grip and pulled her closer. Then, he pressed his lips to her red lips.
“Hah!”
Yul Ayeon took a deep breath as she welcomed Pyo-wol.
* * *
The clan head of the Sea Dragon Sect, Jang Hamun, was drinking alone.
The moonlight pouring through the window made him feel even more lonely.
“Damn it!”
He gulped down his drink and looked out the window.
The Sea Dragon Sect was not just tranquil. It was downright desolate.
It was partly because it was late at night, but the greater cause of this silence was the decline in their power compared to the past.
Ever since Hae-won Manor had established itself, the Sea Dragon Sect could no longer be called the foremost power in Haimen.
Hae-won Manor had the peerless master Tarha.
Jang Hamun’s martial prowess was certainly great, but it was nothing compared to Tarha.
Moreover, the Red Bandana Association, an organization of Haimen’s workers, had sided with Hae-won Manor.
As a result, the Sea Dragon Sect had been pushed around and their influence had waned. Many disciples had left, leaving the Sea Dragon Sect deserted.
“If things continue like this, the Sea Dragon Sect will disappear altogether. I need to come up with something.”
Crash!
Jang Hamun threw the cup he was holding against the wall.
Luckily, it didn’t break, but the remaining drops of liquor splattered everywhere. Still, Jang Hamun didn’t blink an eye.
It was then.
“Clan Head!”
It was the voice of his attendant, Woo Gunchang, that rang out.
He had rushed over, alarmed by the commotion inside the room.
He quickly opened the door and entered.
Woo Gunchang immediately realized what had happened the moment he saw Jang Hamun’s disheveled appearance and the cup lying on the floor.
“Are you alright?”
“I’m fine!”
“Hoo!”
“Do you want a drink too?”
“Clan head!”
“Join me. I have no one to drink with.”
“Understood.”
Woo Gunchang reluctantly sat down in front of Jang Hamun.
Jang Hamun filled his cup to the brim with liquor.
“You’ve been working hard.”
“It’s nothing.”
“How are things these days?”
“We’ve completely lost the upper dock. I apologize.”
Woo Gunchang bowed his head.
In Haimen, there are the upper dock, middle dock, and lower dock.
The upper dock is the largest, with the largest number of ships. It has deep waters, so most large ships dock at the upper dock.
Because of this, the stakes involved are the highest.
Even with the profits from the middle dock and lower dock combined, it would not be half of those from the upper dock.
That’s why the Sea Dragon Sect paid the most attention to the upper dock. Hearing that they had completely lost the upper dock made Jang Hamun’s stomach churn.
“It must have been taken by Hae-won Manor, right?”
“With the Red Bandana Association not cooperating with us, there was no way to hold it.”
“How pathetic.”
Jang Hamun set his cup down.
Woo Gunchang couldn’t bring himself to drink either.
As the two of them just stared at each other without speaking—
“It seems you’re in a difficult situation.”
A voice suddenly interrupted.
“Who is it?”
“Who dares…!”
Jang Hamun and Woo Gunchang sprang up in alarm.
Their faces were filled with caution.
This was the Sea Dragon Sect.
Hearing a stranger’s voice inside meant that their security had been breached.
There was only one martial artist in Haimen who could break through the Sea Dragon Sect’s defenses and enter its interior.
It was Tarha, the master of Hae-won Manor.
Shing!
They assumed Tarha had come and drew their weapons. But contrary to their expectations, the man standing before them was not Tarha.
It was a huge man wearing a long coat made of animal skin.
Seeing him, Jang Hamun and Woo Gunchang began to break out in a cold sweat.
It was because of the immense, intimidating presence the man exuded.
It felt as if they were facing a giant whale, such was the overwhelming sense of pressure.
They had never encountered anyone with such an aura before.
“Wh-who are you?”
“I’m asking you again, are you in trouble?”
“Th-that is…”
“You’d better answer me honestly, for my behavior will depend on your answer.”
“Hng!”
Jang Hamun let out a grunt.
In his heart, he wanted to draw his sword and attack at once, but right now, he couldn’t move a single finger.
It felt as if a massive boulder was crushing him, making it hard to even breathe.
He had never experienced anything like this before.
It was the same for the attendant, Woo Gunchang.
Cold sweat broke out on his forehead.
‘He’s not someone we can handle. Why is such a master here?’
Woo Gunchang quickly looked at Jang Hamun.
At that moment, Jang Hamun also glanced at Woo Gunchang.
With his eyes, Jang Hamun was asking how he should respond. But Woo Gunchang had no brilliant ideas either.
To them, the man before them was nothing short of a calamity.
The moment they defied him, every living being in the Sea Dragon Sect would be wiped out.
They had a strong sense of foreboding.
At that moment, Jang Hamun seemed to have gathered his thoughts and spoke up.
“That’s right. We are in trouble.”
“What’s the cause?”
“It’s because of Hae-won Manor.”
“So, if Hae-won Manor is eliminated, you can get out of trouble?”
“Th-that is correct.”
Jang Hamun answered honestly.
There was no point in hiding anything anymore.
“If I remove the Hae-won Manor, can you firmly take control of Haimen?”
“Yes!”
“Then I shall remove Hae-won Manor for you.”
“What?”
Jang Hamun raised his head in shock.
Anyone with even a little knowledge of Hae-won Manor would never say such a thing. Tarha’s martial prowess was so formidable that there wasn’t a single martial artist in the area, let alone Haimen, who could match and defeat him.
Yet, the man confidently declared he would eliminate Hae-won Manor. To someone unaware, it might have sounded like the ramblings of a madman. But the momentum emanating from the man’s body made it hard not to believe him.
“Who are you to say you’ll eliminate Hae-won Manor?”
“I’m a ghost roaming the sea.”
“The sea? A ghost?”
In an instant, the two words combined in Jang Hamun’s mind.
“Then, the Phantom Fleet?”
“That’s right. I am the master of the Phantom Fleet.”
“Hiiic!”
Jang Hamun involuntarily collapsed to the floor.
It was the same for Woo Gunchang as well.
It was only recently that they had learned about the Phantom Fleet.
Recently, a ship traveling between Haimen and a foreign country was completely annihilated by an unknown fleet near the coast.
There was only one survivor.
He was a sailor working on the deck.
When the Phantom Fleet attacked, the sailor lost his footing and fell into the sea.
His comrades did not notice him falling into the water, so they couldn’t rescue him.
That saved his life.
From the sea, he watched as the ship he was on was annihilated in an instant.
The rapidly approaching ships surrounded the vessel he had been on, like a pack of hunting dogs. Then in no time, the martial artists from the surrounding ships crossed over and boarded the vessel.
They mercilessly slaughtered the sailors on board and threw their bodies into the sea.
The sailor witnessed the entire scene, his hands covering his mouth shut.
The sea quickly turned red with blood, and sharks, attracted by the smell, swarmed in to tear at the corpses.
In such a chaos, it was nothing short of a miracle that the sailor survived.
In the meantime, the fleet that had plundered the ship vanished as quickly as it had appeared. The largest ship in the fleet had a flag with the word “Phantom” on it.
Clinging to a wooden barrel that had fallen from the ship, the sailor drifted away until he was rescued by a passing ship.
Through the sailor’s account, the existence of the Phantom Fleet became known to other sailors.
There had been rumors of a fleet plundering ships before, but this incident confirmed their existence for the first time.
“My God! The leader of the Phantom Fleet!”
Go Il-won, the master of the Phantom Fleet, continued.
“In return, there is something the Sea Dragon Sect must do for me.”
LUNA-CAVE
You cannot copy content of this page