Chapter 91 - Time to Hunt (5)

"I've confirmed it. It is indeed a ship rented entirely by the Cangqiong Merchant Group."

At the words of the man in his mid-thirties, a young man who looked to have just passed twenty nodded.

"Then please deploy the warriors around this area. They said it was a day's journey, so it's about time they arrived."

At the young man's words, the man nodded and led the warriors to take up positions at one of the docks around Zhenjiang.

"Huu..."

"Are you feeling stifled, Senior Brother Gipung?"

At the words of Jang Unje, who had set out for the standard exam with him, Lee Gipung nodded.

"Of course I am, since our eyes and ears are completely blocked."

"That's what I'm saying. Why must our sect struggle at a time like this?"

Lee Gipung was not naive like Jang Unje. Did it make sense that donations coming into their sect suddenly decreased and the businesses they operated nationwide were facing difficulties? And for the world-renowned Mount Cangshan Sect at that?

"Hearing from Mount Hua, it seems we aren't the only ones. They say they are receiving less support compared to their seniors as well."

"Hmph! They must have backed the wrong side too."

Mount Hua and Mount Cangshan.

Who in the world would be fearless enough to dare choke the necks of these two?

This was merely the price of being pushed out in the sect's power struggle.

It was already sorrowful enough to take the standard exam with warriors from lay sects instead of seniors from their own sect, but not receiving proper financial support made it feel as though they had been abandoned by their sect.

On top of that, he hadn't expected their allies, bound together as the Nine Sects and One Gang, to act so heartlessly in the face of money.

"Those damn beggar bastards."

It had been a long time since they stopped receiving carrier pigeons from the Beggars' Sect.

Because of that, they couldn't properly undergo the First Gate and Second Gate. At this rate, they might not be able to enter the Murim Academy.

"..."

His head momentarily spun dizzily at the thought that they might not be able to enter the Murim Academy. If that happened, a massive gap would form between him and the junior disciples of his sect.

"How fortunate it is that Daoist Myeonghyeon is at least helping us."

"You are right!"

Thank the heavens, thanks to Daoist Myeonghyeon at the Murim Alliance directly sending them information, they were able to narrowly overcome their crises.

"Daoist Myeonghyeon has favored you since the past, Senior Brother, so how anxious must he be?"

At Jang Unje's words, Lee Gipung nodded.

Although it was something so long ago his memory of it was hazy, he recalled exchanging a few words with Daoist Myeonghyeon before the latter was appointed as an elder of the Murim Alliance.

"But you know, Senior Brother..."

At Jang Unje's hesitant words, Lee Gipung tilted his head.

"It feels a bit wrong to say this, but is Daoist Myeonghyeon's information really trustworthy?"

"..."

After hesitating for a moment, Lee Gipung shook his head.

"Are you saying Daoist Myeonghyeon is someone who would spout nonsense?"

"That's true, but isn't it a bit unreasonable to believe it exactly as is?"

"..."

According to Daoist Myeonghyeon, a disciple of the Taiyi Sect was taking the exam with only three junior brothers, yet they had secured nine admission tokens in the First Gate and six in the Second Gate. Therefore, they were told to cooperate with Mount Hua and Wudang to strike them down.

It was unbelievable information even after seeing the report, but since the source of the information was Daoist Myeonghyeon, they couldn't just not believe it either.

He had even connected them with Song Baek of the Hwayang Escort Agency, who had the most money among the lay disciples, to fill in the missing parts of the information, so they ultimately had no choice but to believe and follow it.

Of course, they did not listen to the instruction to cooperate with Mount Hua and Wudang.

What would the people of Jianghu think of Mount Cangshan if they joined hands with Mount Hua and Wudang just to catch a disciple of the Taiyi Sect?

There was also the matter of dividing the spoils obtained from catching the Taiyi Sect's disciples. Right now, Lee Gipung was moving with two junior brothers.

If Mount Hua and Wudang joined them and they had to divide the spoils, there was a high chance his junior brothers would be excluded.

"Did you prepare the ship?"

"Yes, I did prepare it, but... is there a need to go that far?"

According to Song Baek, the ones tracking them had repeatedly ambushed them over the past ten days without being able to eat or sleep.

They had to be completely exhausted by now.

Against the Taiyi Sect, this could be considered fully prepared.

"Did you not hear Junior Brother Song Baek's words? The warriors of the Namgung Clan and the Iron Sword Sect are moving with them. In the worst-case scenario, they might try to only put those taking the exam on the ship."

"Then after the Third Gate... no, they would be eliminated before even reaching the Third Gate."

"That is why we must make full preparations. We can't let all our hard work go to the dogs, can we?"

He neatly ignored the missive from the Mount Hua Sect, who were moving toward Henan Province, asking 'why are you going to Jiangsu Province?'

If they were waiting in Henan Province, the moment they sent them off on a ship, they would ultimately just fall right into the maws of Mount Hua and Wudang.

"We can't let that happen."

In Zhenjiang, not only the Mount Cangshan Sect but also people who seemed to be taking the standard exam were scattered here and there.

However, none of them looked like they could be a match for Mount Cangshan.

"It's about time for them to arrive..."

Jang Unje said while looking at the sun in the sky.

And at the same time, a sound rang out.

SHWIIIIISH... BANG!

"... What is that?"

It was definitely a signal flare.

"What is that signal for?"

Lee Gipung looked around, but no one was taking any special action because of the signal flare.

"Senior Brother! The ship! The ship is leaving!"

"What!"

The ship of the Cangqiong Merchant Group raised its anchor and unfurled its sails as the sailors began to row.

"We were definitely blocking anyone from passing..."

Just then, next to the moving ship, he saw two soaking wet women grabbing ropes and climbing aboard.

Seeing the people on the ship treating them with such respect, they were of no ordinary status.

"Damn it...! They abandoned their warriors and moved!"

"What do you mean!"

"This is no time for this! Divide the warriors in two! Seize their ship and launch our ship as well!"

"Yes, sir!"

It was a foolish choice.

To leave their warriors behind.

They might be able to escape this place immediately, but how could they possibly survive the great journey after the Third Gate like that?

"That's only if they manage to get out of here, of course."

But the Cangqiong Merchant Group's ship started doing something strange.

Led by the two women, the sailors began throwing wooden planks and buckets into the river.

"Are they trying to reduce the ship's weight?"

Lee Gipung's thoughts could only go that far.

RUMBLE, RUMBLE, RUMBLE, RUMBLE.

A group of cavalry was charging forward like crazy, kicking up clouds of white dust.

"S-Senior Brother!"

Jang Unje, who had been preparing to board the ship, called out to Lee Gipung in fright.

"What is this..."

"I-It's the Namgung Clan!"

"What? Didn't they abandon their warriors!"

* * *

When the Demonic Cult began their conquest of Jianghu, there was one particularly troublesome group.

The Iron Horse Black Wind Squad.

They waged a form of combat that was unfamiliar not only to the people of Jianghu but also to the government troops.

If one had to find something similar, they were those who engaged in horseback combat like the tribes of the far north.

From the Murim Alliance's perspective, the reason dealing with them was so exceedingly difficult was that they couldn't get a grasp on how to stop them at all.

The swords and sabers mostly used by martial artists couldn't pierce the armor-clad horses, while the long spears wielded by the demonic practitioners on horseback deeply impaled the chests of the warriors.

Above all, the horses possessed overwhelming breakthrough power.

This powerful breakthrough force from such massive weight, which humans couldn't produce, was not something that warriors, flustered by the unimaginable strategy of a cavalry charge, could handle.

"I mean, this strategy is ten years ahead of its time."

The warriors following me were galloping according to my words, but all of them had expressions as if they had no idea what was going on.

"Young Master! Are we going to keep riding like this?"

"Keep riding! Don't think about stopping; just ride with the mindset that you're going to gallop over the river!"

"..."

In times like this, it was better to show the sweetness of the result rather than the rationality of the process.

"Then you'll be able to make it to the Murim Academy with the ladies."

"""Yes, sir!"""

The warriors of the Namgung Clan and the Iron Sword Sect shouted robustly.

* * *

"S-Senior Brother, they aren't slowing down?"

"What?"

Are they planning to cross the river on horseback?

SHING, SHING, SHING, SHING, SHING!

Led by a young man of their own age wearing a black martial arts uniform at the very front, over a hundred mounted warriors drew their swords all at once.

"Everyone, charge!"

"""WAAAAAAAH!"""

The warriors of the lay sects, whose formation had already fallen apart, were unable to either group up or spread out properly, and began scattering in all directions in shock at the cavalry's momentum.

"D-Don't scatter! B-Block them!"

Lee Gipung instinctively shouted that they had to block that cavalry group, but there was no one listening to his words.

In the end, Lee Gipung kicked off the ground.

One move.

He just needed to disrupt their formation with a single move.

The Sun-Shooting Sword Technique, which had earned him praise from Daoist Myeonghyeon in the past, was unleashed.

It aimed for the vital points of the one at the very front, who was wearing a black martial arts uniform and wielding a black sword.

"Your accomplishment is even worse than Jong Byeokgi's."

"What?"

When the name of an incredible senior he couldn't have even imagined popped out of that mouth, Lee Gipung's sword form wavered for a moment.

And the warrior in the black martial arts uniform precisely wedged his sword into that disrupted spot.

THWACK!

"Keheuk!"

"Senior Brother!"

Lee Gipung's body flew backward at an even faster speed than he had flown in.

CLANG, CLANG, CLANG, CLANG, CLANG.

Then, the cavalry group pushed away the warriors hovering around them with a single strike and charged straight into the river.

The question of 'what are they trying to do?' was quickly answered.

Using the young man in the black outfit at the very front as the standard, all the riders in the cavalry group leaped up from their horses.

SPLASH! SPLASH! SPLASH!

They immediately stepped on the wooden planks and buckets scattered from the ship in all directions and began boarding the vessel.

Everyone in Zhenjiang who had been targeting the Namgung Clan, the Iron Sword Sect, and the Taiyi Sect just stared blankly at that sight.

* * *

She thought it was a nonsensical plan.

"You're going to abandon the horses?"

"Yes."

"Wouldn't it be better to just detour around Lake Hongze?"

Namgung Seonhwa thought of the detour plan that had first come to her mind when she heard that Mount Cangshan and many others were waiting for them in Zhenjiang.

However, Jin Sowoon shook his head.

"If we do that, we won't be able to fulfill the Third Gate on time."

"... But even so, what's the point of abandoning the horses?"

"That's why we'll use a decoy tactic."

Namgung Seonhwa and Seong Moran would arrive at Zhenjiang first and head for the ship through the water.

The moment the two arrived, they would launch the ship to disrupt the Mount Cangshan Sect's camp.

And the trailing group would board the departed ship.

It sounded plausible at a glance, but there was a vast gap between something sounding plausible and actually executing the operation.

However.

"This actually works."

And seeing the scene where that plausible plan actually came to fruition, it felt like all the common sense she knew was being blown away.

"... Tell me about it."

Seong Moran also blankly watched Jin Sowoon stepping on the wooden planks on the river and leaping down as if he were flying.

Upon landing safely on the ship, Jin Sowoon immediately grabbed the prepared wooden planks and started throwing them.

Then, they arrived perfectly under the feet of the warriors who were about to fall into the river because they couldn't step on a plank in time.

"I really can't believe it even seeing it with my own eyes."

The warriors of the Namgung Clan and the Iron Sword Sect were the elite among the elites. In terms of accomplishment, they were people who had passed the First-Rate level and were sitting at the threshold of the Peak Realm.

With just Jin Sowoon's simple help, the majority of the personnel landed safely on the ship.

"Young Master Jin! Your junior brothers!"

The problem was the Geum-eun-dong Brothers of the Taiyi Sect.

For some reason, Jin Sowoon had placed the Geum-eun-dong Brothers at the very back.

Geumpyo and Eunho diligently executed their footwork and stepped on the planks, but every time they did, they sank up to their ankles in the water.

Furthermore, Dongryong had already fallen into the water and was swimming.

"I'll go get them!"

Namgung Seonhwa stepped forward immediately.

"No need."

With those words, Jin Sowoon threw a rope to Geumpyo and Eunho while simultaneously extending his left hand toward Dongryong.

Something like the claw of a small silver bird shot out from his hand and snatched Dongryong.

"Heup!"

And at the same time, he pulled.

Geumpyo, Eunho, and Dongryong boarded the ship, soaking wet.

"Didn't I tell you to practice your footwork ahead of time?"

"Senior Brother! Even so, isn't expecting Grass-Skimming Steps from someone with 15 years of internal energy daylight robbery?"

"Tsk."

Although they were frowning, smiles lingered on the lips of the Geum-eun-dong Brothers.

It wasn't just them. Both the warriors of the Namgung Clan and the Iron Sword Sect were letting out silly laughs, as if they couldn't believe everyone had boarded the ship without a single injury.

SWOOSH! SWOOSH! SWOOSH!

Just then, arrows poured down toward the Cangqiong Merchant Group's ship.

"They've launched ships as well."

Mount Cangshan, along with Song Baek and those who had kept them from sleeping the whole way, launched ships from the port all at once and followed them.

Some were boarding small rowboats and rowing them.

The ships that had been anchored all over the port came out onto the river as if competing with one another.

"At this rate, we'll be caught."

The moment she thought that taking a detour might have been the right answer after all.

"... Huh?"

The surrounding air vibrated tautly.

FWOOSH!

Jin Sowoon's martial arts uniform swelled as if it were about to burst.

A mighty wave of energy, the likes of which they had never felt before, spread out with him at the center.

"Y-Young Master... Jin."

RUMBLE, RUMBLE, RUMBLE.

It felt exactly as if the sky were collapsing. A mighty destructive power capable of tearing down a great mountain and covering the earth writhed within his hands.

The moment they felt stifled, unable to breathe due to the overwhelming wave of energy, a massive barrage of palm strikes poured out from Jin Sowoon's hands.

BOOOOOOM!

The ship, now as light as a small rowboat, used this mighty storm as propulsion to send its body flying straight forward.

And the massive ships that had not yet escaped the port were struck directly by the storm and smashed to pieces.

CRAAAAAAASH!

Through the ships that were clustered like ants around the port, a sudden waterspout seemed to surge up as ships and people tangled together and were blown flying in all directions.

CRASH, CRASH, CRASH!

In the wake of the mighty storm, only a gruesome disaster scene remained.

"Young Master Jin..."

"They won't be able to chase us after this, right?"

"That's true, but... if you had this kind of power, you should have used it earlier..."

Somehow, it felt as if all the suffering they had gone through until now was rendered useless.

"That is the drawback of this martial art. After using it, I collapse."

"Pardon?"

"Please catch..."

With those words, Jin Sowoon slumped down as if his sleeping acupoints had been struck.

Namgung Seonhwa unconsciously caught him snugly in her arms.

"S-Someone help..."