Chapter 448

A Supreme Peak master could perform feats straight out of an old folktale—erasing several zhang¹ of distance in a single step, leaping upward by stepping on empty air, and bringing down a cliff with one punch.

But…

“Hold on ti—aaaaah!”

KRA-KOOOOM!

We were not on solid ground, but in the middle of the Yangtze, a river as vast as the open sea.

Before a massive whirlpool hundreds of zhang¹ across, the swift ship carrying me was no more than a tiny leaf.

BOOM!

“Whoa, whoa, whoaaaa!”

“Aaaaargh!”

The tremendous pressure of the water slammed into the swift ship’s side. The racing vessel was hurled into the air and began to tilt.

As the world slowly turned upside down, Jin Wikyung clung to my torso as though I were a life jacket and screamed.

“Mother! I’m coming!”

“Where do you think you’re going? Let go!”

“Father! If you’re watching, tell me the answer!”

What fucking answer? There isn’t one.

But the bigger problem was that Jin Wikyung was not alone. Gung Gibang, Hyuk Mujin, and even the disciples of the Zhuge Clan and Wudang had all been driven half out of their minds.

The only ones who had managed to keep their composure were the Supreme Peak masters, myself included.

“Uhh! Uhhhhh! Water! Wateeer!”

“…”

Correction. There was one exception.

I grabbed Jeok Cheongang, who was screaming at the top of his lungs with his eyes squeezed shut, and thrust my free hand into the air with all my strength.

Flame Divine Palm!

BOOM!

Compressed air exploded outward on a wave of powerful internal energy.

Part of the blade-like whirlpool scattered, and the vessel, which had been plunging upside down toward the river, barely managed to right itself.

But it was far too soon to feel relieved.

A second and then a third whirlpool were bearing down on the falling swift ship.

I can’t do this alone. At a time like this…

A thought flashed through my mind like lightning, and I shouted a single name.

“Cheongpung!”

“Yes!”

Cheongpung nodded as though he understood perfectly and flung both arms into the air.

“Kiya-hoo!”

“Not ‘kiya-hoo,’ you lunatic! Do what I did!”

“Ah. Yes, Benefactor!”

Cheongpung had been enjoying the Wolmido Disco Pang Pang² all by himself, but now he snapped both sleeves.

The Taeeul Miri Palm, one of Huashan’s proudest techniques, transformed into dozens of flower petals that lashed through the air.

BOOM-BOOM-BOOM!

It could not match the destructive power of the Flame Divine Palm, but in a situation like this, the Taeeul Miri Palm’s far wider range made it ideal.

When the blade-like currents of Tianling Falls faltered, the disciples of the Zhuge Clan and Wudang seemed to recover the senses that had briefly abandoned them.

“Ha-ha-ha! The tiger is running wild! Disciples of our family, unleash the Great Heavenly Star Divine Palm!”

Crouching Dragon Guest Zhuge Feng issued the order as he swept the feather fan in his hand.

Though he had yet to cross the wall into the Supreme Peak realm, his mastery of fan techniques alone was said to rival that of a Supreme Peak master.

WHOOOOSH!

A breeze stirred along the fan’s ribs, then swelled into a mighty wind that held back the whirlpool.

A towering surge rose like a triangular wave, threatening to swallow the swift ship, only to be stopped by the wind.

At that moment—

SWISH!

A streak of light shot from Perfected Being Hyeongong’s waist and swept through the air.

Taiji Wisdom Sword.

The streak of light flashed through everything in its path, cleaving space and slicing through the wind. The wall of water raised by Tianling Falls seemed to split apart for an instant, then shattered completely.

SPLAAASH!

Spray burst in every direction.

Drenched in an enormous volume of cold water, Jeok Cheongang’s eyes flew open like a man waking from sleep.

Then he glared at the whirlpool, flames streaming from his eyes, and roared.

“You wet, smelly, filthy things!”

“…”

He wasn’t exactly wrong, but why did he sound so pathetic?

Contrary to what I thought, however, the internal energy erupting from Jeok Cheongang’s sleeves was overwhelmingly powerful.

“Get the hell out of here!”

FWOOOSH—KRA-KOOOOM!

Several jiazi³ of Scorching Yang Qi burst forth at once.

The moisture filling the air evaporated, and the tremendous recoil sent the swift ship shooting forward like an arrow.

“Kiya-hoo!”

“Cheongpung, you lunatic!”

“Oh. Sorry, Benefactor!”

BOOM-BOOM-BOOM!

Palm forces erupted without pause as we fought to protect the vessel, while Tianling Falls sought to sink the uninvited guests who had trespassed upon its domain.

Mu Song gritted his teeth hard enough to draw blood, the veins bulging in his neck.

“Hard to port! Turn together!”

“Aaaaargh!”

BANG!

Amid the chaos, the young medical apprentice blended in by screaming with everyone else while secretly firing off a palm force. Only Jeok Cheongang, Cheongpung, and I knew what he had done.

“One, two!”

“Now! Row with every last bit of strength you have!”

SPLAAASH!

Their efforts paid off.

The four swift ships carrying hundreds of passengers drove onward through the whirlpools, farther and farther ahead.

The moment we cleared Tianling Falls, the exhausted passengers sprawled across the decks without the slightest concern for appearances.

But there was an exception to everything.

His eyes red around the edges, Jeok Cheongang stared at the waters of the Yangtze, now calm as though nothing had happened. Then he abruptly spoke.

“As the current Sect Leader of the Fire Gate Clan, I hereby declare that, as of this time tomorrow, the Zhuge Clan shall be our sect’s public enemy.”

“…”

“Every bastard bearing the Zhuge name should be seized and thrown into that godforsaken Tianling Falls. Any objections?”

“What if I have one?”

“I’ll throw you in with them.”

“Then I have no objections.”

“Good. Seize that goddamn bastard at once and bring him before me.”

At the end of Jeok Cheongang’s blazing gaze was a swift ship following several dozen zhang¹ behind us. Zhuge Feng sat at its bow, waving his feather fan.

“Ha-ha, Senior! Please set aside your anger!”

“…Are you laughing?”

Even I wanted to kill him.

Bringing down a cliff would have been easier. Just imagine being sucked into a whirlpool in the middle of the vast Yangtze, with nowhere to flee.

People tossed around names like Stepping on Empty Air and Rising on Duckweed, Crossing Water as though they were simple tricks, but both techniques consumed tremendous amounts of internal energy. Rescuing several hundred people would have been unthinkable.

What the hell is something like that doing in a river? It isn’t even the sea.

There was a reason it was called Tianling Falls.

Then again, if it had merely been a rough stretch of water, the Zhuge Clan and Wudang would have stormed Donghu Stronghold long ago.

Even as I thought this, Jeok Cheongang’s fury continued racing toward its peak.

“Turn the ship around at once! Zhuge Feng, Crouching Dragon Guest—whatever that bastard calls himself, this old man will break both his legs today and leave him bedridden for the rest of his life!”

“Calm down. Please calm down.”

“Do I look like I can calm down right now? I already hate water, and now I’ve suffered through this because we came to some godforsaken place! The man who claims to have crossed it several times can’t even find the right channel and just stands there groaning! At this point, are you a river bandit or a ferryman to the afterlife?”

At the sight of Jeok Cheongang raging like a madman, Mu Song, who had been lying spread-eagled on the deck, flinched and pushed himself upright.

“P-please calm yourself, Great Hero. I never dreamed Tianling Falls would be this bad, either.”

“You’ve been here several times and didn’t know? If you don’t know, does your life as a river bandit end here? Should I end your life here, too?”

“T-that’s not it. The currents of Tianling Falls have grown abnormally strong compared to before…”

“Grown stronger? What kind of bullshit is that? It has barely rained this year, and you dare try to deceive this old man with sweet talk that will be exposed at once?”

“I-I’m telling the truth! How could I dare lie to the Fire King?”

Hmm.

Mu Song had a point. Who would dare lie to Fire King Jeok Cheongang?

If he caught you lying, losing a hand would be the least of your worries. Your whole body would end up roasted medium-rare.

Still, can the current really get that much stronger when there hasn’t been much rain?

Forget it. I wasn’t a meteorologist or an ecosystem researcher. Thinking about it would get me nowhere.

I clicked my tongue softly and addressed Jeok Cheongang, who had not stopped berating Mu Song.

“Old Master.”

“When we return, do your job properly. If you make this old man suffer through something like that again, I’ll storm the headquarters of the Yangtze River Channel League, burn every ship to ashes, and throw that Seafaring King bastard into Tianling Falls along with the Zhuge Clan bastards… What is it? Tell me later.”

“That’s not it. I think we’ve arrived.”

“What!”

Tap-tap-tap-tap!

He moved at Quick Attack speed.

Jeok Cheongang flung Mu Song aside, crossed the swift ship in a single step, and stared straight ahead with his eyes wide open.

Soon, an emotional exclamation spilled from his lips.

“Oh. Ohhh!”

Anyone watching him might have thought he had discovered a treasure island, but what appeared beyond the thick fog was simply an island.

It was neither small like the islands scattered along Korea’s Han River nor deserted, without any sign of human habitation.

“That over there… Could it be…?”

At Hyuk Mujin’s murmur, Gung Gibang nodded beside him.

“It’s a ferry landing. Looks like we came to the right place.”

The existence of a ferry landing where ships could dock meant, in other words, that people lived there—or that the island was frequently used as a stopover.

And everyone present already knew who had established their home in a place that could only be reached by crossing that insane Tianling Falls.

“Wow, Donghu Stronghold!”

Cheongpung’s shout broke the silence of the Yangtze and rang out across the water.

Jin Wikyung spoke, his expression stiff.

“By now, Donghu Stronghold must know we have arrived. It would be wise to prepare for any unforeseen developments.”

“…”

No one needed to ask what he meant.

If Donghu Stronghold really was responsible for the two incidents that had occurred over the past fifteen days, just as the circumstances revealed so far suggested… then a clash of martial force might take place, in accordance with the laws of Murim.

“Stronghold Lord. We did not come here to spill blood. I trust you understand what I mean.”

Mu Song had remained silent until now. He met Jin Wikyung’s gaze and answered.

“My subordinates and I took the lead in coming here to prove our League brothers’ innocence. If you persecute us without even hearing the full circumstances…”

“I can promise you that will not happen. Wudang and the Zhuge Clan have already guaranteed as much, and everyone present, myself included, will serve as a witness.”

After a brief hesitation, Mu Song gave a small nod.

“…I will trust you.”

Perhaps Mu Song was the person here most desperate to prevent bloodshed.

No matter how skilled the river bandits of Donghu Stronghold might be, and no matter how powerful their leader, Yangtze One Saber Hwang Chung, was as a Supreme Peak master, they could not withstand our current force.

Even if some utterly incomprehensible disaster—a genuine one-in-ten-thousand chance—sent everyone here to the bottom of the Yangtze, the Yangtze River Channel League would then have to face the whole of Murim. If the Nine Sects and One Gang joined forces with the Five Great Families, the League would vanish without a trace.

“Raise the flag high and let them know we are here.”

The river bandits of Water Dragon Stronghold immediately carried out their lord’s order.

Soon, the flag of the Yangtze River Channel League fluttered above the four swift ships, and seven low drumbeats echoed beyond the fog.

And then…

Nothing happened.

The Yangtze, the fog, and the quietly flowing water remained unchanged.

The only things that changed were the question on Jin Wikyung’s face and the wavering in Mu Song’s eyes.

“Stronghold Lord. What is happening?”

“I’m not sure, either. We definitely sent the signal, so a reply should have come…”

At that very moment—

“I’m afraid that will be difficult.”

Everyone turned toward the sudden voice.

Countless gazes fell upon the young medical apprentice whom no one had paid any attention to until now.

He continued in a clear, composed voice.

“It seems something has happened.”

“What do you mean…!”

Mu Song’s shout died unfinished.

The young medical apprentice, Mungyeong, raised a finger and pointed.

Something previously concealed by the fog and aquatic plants had floated into view.

It was someone’s corpse.