Chapter 45

Light Novel: Volume 2 Episode 20
Manhwa: Chapter 28

The captain looked at Daoshi Goh with a puzzled expression.

“No, what do you mean? Your life is at stake, but you’re here negotiating? Do you think they’ll just take the rice?”

“Exactly. If you want to protect your rice and your life, you have to pay a certain price.”

Daoshi Goh laughed slyly.

“Price? If the enemies come in and attack, you will also die, so what do you mean by price? You’re really crazy.”

“Huh! Me, crazy? Can a crazy person do this?”

Pouck!

When the Daoshi Goh pointed with his finger, the anchor line thicker than an adult’s forearm exploded because of the intense shot. 

“Eueum!”

Only then did the captain realize that the man in front of him was a warrior who had mastered martial arts. If it was at a level enough to materialize internal energy without the help of a weapon, his level was worthy of being considered high.

“Can you deal with them all alone?”

“I guess it’s too much now that I’m older and my bones aren’t as strong as before.”

“Then it’s no use.”

“Uh-huh! Why are people so quick-tempered? When did I ever say I was alone?”

Daoshi Goh pointed to Heo Ranju and Hyulseung behind him.

The captain frowned heavily. He didn’t feel good about it. But he had no choice.

“Okay! If you keep both the rice and the people safe, I’ll pay you a hundred nyang.”

“No. Who’s going to meddle with someone’s problem with just a hundred nyang?”

“One hundred silver is enough money for your family to spend five years in abundance.”

“But compared to the price of rice on this ship, it’s only a small amount.”

“How about two hundred nyang—”

“Five hundred nyang!”

“That’s too expensive! That’s enough to buy three percent of the rice on board.”

“Heh! It’s cheaper if we can save all your life and rice at a price of only three percent.”

“Ugh! This is daylight robbery—”

The captain shivered. A conflicted expression was evident on his face. If acquiesce to the five hundred nyang to the Daoshi Goh as it is, there will be no gain for them in this voyage.

But even at that moment, the pirates’ ship was getting closer and closer. The distance between the two ships is now about a dozen meters. 

The captain had to make a decision.

“O–Okay, fine! If you can really defeat them, I’ll give you five hundred nyang.”

“Heh, you made a good decision.”

As Daoshi Goh smiled and turned around, he saw Heo Ranju and Hyulseung.

Heo Ranju asked,

“How much is it?”

“Five hundred nyang!”

“Hey! That’s all you can do?”

“For now, let’s be satisfied with this, because we can already hit two birds with one stone.”

“Two birds with one stone?”

“If we want to sell our armed forces, don’t we have to promote it? It’s a perfect opportunity to get into the radar of the Emei and the Qingcheng sect.”

“I can’t wait to see their reactions!”

Heo Ranju burst into laughter.

Daoshi Goh smiled and said to Hyulseung,

“Come on, I’ve laid out the stage, so run wild.”

“Why do you have to make me do this?”

“You really don’t know?”

“Amitabha!”

“Go wild and do what you do best.”

Daoshi Goh waved his hand as if to hurry. After a moment’s sigh, Hyulseung turned his head to look at the ship where the pirates were on.

The pirates who approached the rice carrier were preparing to climb with their weapons.

“Amitabha Buddha! Blessed One who has prepared for greatness, please forgive this sinful disciple.”

Pheut!

Hyulseung spurned the deck with a fire pit and flew into the air.

The body of Hyulseung, who had reached the highest point, turned over and crashed into the ship the pirates were on.

Kwaang!

With his landing, the boat with the pirates on board shook violently as if it would sink at any moment.

“Uwa–!”

“What, what?”

The pirates could not balance themselves and fell over. They tried to regain their balance.

“What? Is that a monk?!”

“Careful! He looks strong!”

The pirates cautiously approached the Hyulseung. 

“Hyaap!”

Thud!

At that moment, Hyulseung hit the bottom of the boat with his weapon. Then the ship shook violently again, as if there had been an earthquake. However, the pirates were prepared this time, so they did not fall unnaturally.

That was then.

Puhwahak!

The floor that had been hit by the weapon burst and the water spurted out. Hyulseung made a hole in the bottom of the boat. 

The pirates furiously rushed towards Hyulseung. 

“Die!”

At that moment, Hyulseung spread out his palms towards the pirates who rushed at him.

Poeing!

“Keuk!”

“Hiic!”

The pirates who were hit by the strong pressure, bounced back and fell into the water. Those who fell into the water were swaying in the waves without moving as if they had lost their breath.

“You crazy bastard.”

“Everyone attack together!”

When the pirates saw their comrades dipping in the water, they became even more furious and rushed altogether. But what greeted them was the fire of Hyulseung. 

Kwasiiik!

“Kekkeuk!”

“Coheuk!”

With the sound of breaking bones, the two pirates that had been hit by his weapon were thrown out.

Hyulseung’s hands were cruel. 

Every technique he used was intense and powerful. Among the pirates, there were those who had mastered the martial arts, but none of them could stop the weapon of Hyulseung.

If they block the attack with their hand, their hands will break, and if they block with a sword, both their sword and bones will be broken.

It was truly a destructive force. 

Heo Ranju leaned her upper body against the railing and watched Hyulseung running wild.

“Huh! There is no human being who speaks and acts like that.”

“Isn’t that why his name is Hyulseung? His name literally means blood monk because he’s crazy about blood.”

Daoshi Goh smirked as he wiped the sweat from his forehead with a fan. There was no sign of anxiety anywhere on their faces. That’s because they believe in Hyulseung. 

Hyulseung might get caught in between the two of them everyday and gets picked on, but his skills were real.

If anyone gets hit by the hands of Hyulseung, no doubt it would be a serious injury.

The condition of the surviving pirates was miserable enough that it was better for them to lose their lives. Their arms and legs were either deformed or broken. A hollow bone is also piercing and portruding through their skin. 

The crew and passengers on the rice carrier had their eyes closed at the terrible sight.

Not too long ago, they were trembling in fear of losing their lives, but now they are looking at the pirates with a sympathetic gaze.

In particular, the captain looked at Daoshi Goh and Heo Ranju, who were casually chatting with each other.

Heo Ranju, who had been chatting with the Daoshi Goh for a long time, clapped her hand as if she had suddenly been reminded of something. 

“Ah! How’s our handsome oraboni? You’re not scared, are you? Ugh! If I knew it would end up like this, I would have told Hyulseung to take it easy.”

When she looked at Pyo-wol, Daoshi Goh smirked.

“Do you think that’s a scared face?”

Heo Ranju’s gaze moved along the fingers of the Daoshi Goh. Her gaze was soon directed towards Pyo-wol.

Pyo-wol was sitting on the railing, watching the spectacle of Hyeol Seong running wildly with an indifferent expression. 

It was a face that a frightened person would never be able to make.

“That guy, he’s not an ordinary person. You can’t have eyes like that without being a guy who’s been through a lot of turmoil.”

“Where did that oraboni come from? We already know most of the famous masters in Sichuan.”

“Not everyone. So what did you find out?”

“Nothing.”

“What? You didn’t find out anything while you were stuck with him together like that? It seems that everything is over now. We can’t figure out the identity of that guy.”

“I feel the same way as you, Daoshi Goh. He’s not an ordinary person. I can’t read him. I was so sure he’ll give in to me, but I can’t seem to dig deep inside his heart.”

Heo Ranju bit her nails.

Daoshi Goh clicked his tongue at her, whose self-esteem had been already severely damaged.

“Tsk! Anyway, if you don’t want to create a variable, find out about him, or our captain will be disappointed.”

“Heh! That’s never going to happen. I bought mine too, so I can’t stand it until I get it. Sooner or later, I will know about everything. Just wait and see see.”

“Yeah, if you say so.”

That was then.

Kwang!

There was a huge explosion that could not be compared to anything before. 

Silence came.

In the ship where the pirates were boarded, only Hyulseung stood alone. All the pirates were submerged in the water.

Among them was the head of the pirates.

Although they were quite strong in martial arts, they could not be an opponent of Hyulseung. In just three seconds, they were bloodied and were thrown into the water. They did not come up again. 

Hyulseung jumped off the pirates’ boat and climbed onto the rice carrier. Shortly after he landed, the pirates’ ships disappeared completely below the surface of the water.

Passengers and sailors looked at the Hyulseung with fearful eyes. But Hyulseung was quite familiar with this kind of gaze, so he had a casual expression on his face.

“Good job, Hyulseung!”

“Amitabha, please order Ranju instead of me next time.”

“You seriously expect that vice-captain would listen to what I say? It’s already good if I don’t get insulted or sworn at. Heh heh!”

Daoshi Goh smirked and approached the captain. The captain was surprised and stepped back. Daoshi Goh reached out to the captain.

“Okay, now that we’ve done all the work, you’ll have to pay the bill.”

“Oh, here you go!”

The captain handed over five hundred silver coins without saying a word.

He obviously hired three people. But he couldn’t dare ask why they fought alone instead of the three of them. But despite the inaction of the two, what Hyulseung showed was too great.

Even the Hyulseung already had this level of indifference, so he couldn’t even guess how strong the Daoshi Goh or Heo Ranju would be.

“That was a good deal.”

Daoshi Goh came towards Hyulseung with a pouch containing the silver coins. But Heo Ranju was nowhere to be seen.

“Where’s that girl anyway?”

Hyulseung silently pointed to Pyo-wol.

Heo Ranju was already close to Pyo-wol. Pyo-wol wasn’t paying her any attention, but Heo Ranju continued to talk and smile towards him. 

Daoshi Goh frowned.

“You told her to seduce the guy, didn’t you?”

The sight of her twisting her body and smiling at him made him feel a bit uneasy. Whether or not Heo Ranju knew the worries of the Daoshi Goh, she whispered to Pyo-wol who had his arms crossed.

“Do you already have a place to stay in Chengdu? If not, how about going with us?”

“No.”

“Why? Is it because of Hyulseung? As you can see, he’s usually gentle. Don’t worry.”

“I’m more comfortable being alone.”

“You’re too much! I can’t believe you’re refusing a girl who’s showing you such interest!”

“I’m not into poisonous roses no matter how beautiful they are.” 

Heo Ranju’s forehead twitched slightly at Pyo-wol’s nonchalant words. But even then, she smiled brightly with an innocent expression.

“So you admit that I’m pretty?”

“Only your appearance is pretty.”

“Wow! How could you say that to a woman? I’m hurt now.”

Heo Ranju grabbed her chest and look like she was about to faint. But Pyo-wol’s eyes looking at her were still cold.

The brute force shown by Hyulseung just before was very impressive.

Although the pirates’s prowess was not great, it was clear that they were still powerful even if they had no striking aspect.

Although he couldn’t confirm it with his own eyes, Daoshi Goh and Heo Ranju must be similar to Hyulseung in terms of their martial arts skill. 

Those three people were heading to Chengdu at the same time as Pyo-wol. There were many things that were ingenious to dismiss it as a mere coincidence.

‘The biggest problem is their objective for them to go to Chengdu…”

Pyo-wol looked at Hyulseung. 

When the three of them were together, he was the most insignificant. However, after the incident happened, Heo Ranju and Daoshi Goh put Hyulseung at the frontfront.

It felt as if they deliberately placed Hyulseung to the frontlines, when it was something Heo Ranju or the Daoshi Goh could have handled quietly. 

The reason is unknown, but it was clear that the armed demonstration they showed just now was meant to be shown to someone.

‘Who do they want to show it to? What do they gain from this?’

Pyo-wol once again looked closely at Heo Ranju.

Heo Ranju was wearing revealing clothes. In particular, her chest area was clearly visible.

Pyo-wol looked at Heo Ranju’s chest. To be precise, he saw the wounds passing over her chest.

The wound was so deep that an ordinary person would have stopped breathing immediately. Deep wounds were seen not only on the chest but also on the forearm. It wasn’t just an injury suffered during training. 

It was a testament to the battle between life and death. She probably has more wounds in the other areas covered by her clothes.

No matter how tough Jianghu is, the fights were not always so fierce that martial artists suffered such deep wounds. Unless they were participating in a war, it was rare for someone to suffer so much damage.

‘They are mercenaries who sell their skills and strength for money. They are now demonstrating their force for  their client to see so they can be hired.’

The pirates that came were nothing more than pitiful sacrifices to increase their payment.

‘Is there a conflict happening in Chengdu that there’s a need for independent mercenaries?’

Pyo-wol thought things were going to be fun.

Chengdu is the center of Sichuan.

Under normal circumstances, the sects of Sichuan, such as the Emei and Qingcheng, would have not tolerated such conflict in Chengdu.

But since a conflict was allowed to happen in Sichuan, that meant that the Emei and Qingcheng sect were not in a good position to intervene and fix it. 

Maybe seven years ago, the seeds of destruction he had sown had sprouted.

Pyo-wol smiled, and Heo Ranju looked at him.

His smile was so eerily beautiful that she even felt the chills.

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