Why was someone who should be in Wuhan here? How did he find us?
For one instant, my confusion made me lose control of my strength. The throwing knife I had put too much force into flew out and pierced a river bandit’s thigh.
“Kraaagh!”
The screaming river bandit fell backward with a thud. At the same time, the Pine-Pattern Ancient Sword cut through the air and severed the sinews and meridians in his limbs.
Was it because of the cold gleam of the blade? The memory of wandering through the mountains with Yeon Ryang on my back surfaced, and my mood sank.
I asked frostily,
“I appreciate the help, but why are you here?”
“Are you hurt anywhere?”
“I asked why you’re here.”
“Master Beopgong sent a letter saying he was traveling to Wuhan with you, Young Lady. He told me to join you at Jiujiang, so I was waiting nearby.”
“...Master Beopgong did?”
At the unexpected name, I frowned.
That man—I thought all he did was drink, but he was actually doing work?
Jinseong nodded, pulled the throwing knife out of the river bandit’s body, set it down at my feet, and stepped back.
Over him, I found myself seeing the Jinseong who had once carefully handed me wound medicine.
...Looks like he didn’t come to drag me away by force.
When my expression softened as I retrieved the throwing knife, Jinseong asked politely,
“Where is Master Beopgong?”
“Somewhere in that sea of fire over there.”
When I pointed at the blazing Yangtze, Jinseong let out an awkward groan.
“Ah...”
“Master Beopgong broke all that himself, so he should be fine. More importantly, we should move.”
When I jerked my chin at the river bandits closing in as if to surround us, Jinseong nodded and adjusted his grip on his sword.
One river bandit crept closer and threw a tightly woven iron net toward us.
“Got them! Get them!”
At that moment, Jinseong leaped toward the flying net and extended his arm as if dancing.
The blade engraved with pine patterns turned pure white. A graceful trail of white light cut through the net.
In the blink of an eye, the net had been shredded into rags.
Frozen by that overwhelming martial ability, the river bandits tucked their tails like beaten dogs and edged backward.
Jinseong glanced at me and spoke calmly.
“What happened that day was an accident.”
“What?”
“I had no intention of harming you or your companion, Young Lady. I have wanted to apologize ever since. I am sorry.”
As he apologized with a serious face, he seemed a little nervous.
I felt slightly awkward.
The situation had become tangled and my feelings had been hurt, but honestly, Jinseong had not done much wrong.
The one who swung a saber at Yeon Ryang was Peng Jiyun, and I was the one who caused the situation by setting off poison fumes and running away while pretending to follow him.
Still, it seemed the events of that day had weighed on Jinseong this entire time. I nodded.
“Yes. I accept that apolo—”
“Ghh! Die!”
At the same time, my left fist and Jinseong’s right foot struck up into the abdomen of the charging river bandit.
“Kraaagh!”
SPLASH!
We exchanged awkward glances as the river bandit flew thirty feet into the air and vanished into the river.
“...gy.”
“Thank you.”
With a faint smile, Jinseong leveled his sword toward the river bandits.
“Don’t be scared! Take down that young Taoist first! We have to deal with the swordsman first! Overwhelm him with numbers!”
When a river bandit holding a bamboo spear shouted, everyone began rushing at Jinseong in a swarm. The boat shook with their coordinated movement.
Even under that pressure, Jinseong did not waver.
With eyes as deep as a lake, he took in the enemies approaching him.
While the river bandits’ attention was fixed on Jinseong, the captain was doing everything he could to pull the boat toward shore. But the sail that had caught fire could no longer take the wind at all.
The melting canvas tangled around the mast, and fire spread to the wooden pole.
The mast, thicker than a man’s torso, began to burn.
“Pull the ropes! Cut down the sail!”
“It’s too late! We have to abandon ship!”
“I said pull!”
When no one moved, the captain let go of the helm, gritted his teeth, and ran toward the center of the boat.
Sparks flew, blistering his face and the backs of his hands, but he did not give up and struggled to cut the ropes.
“Taoist, may I leave the rest to you? I’ll go over there.”
“Yes. Understood.”
The moment I heard his answer, I leaped over, snatched the captain, and dragged him back.
The captain, his whole body reddened and raw from burns, shouted and struggled.
“Let me go! I have to cut the sail! I said I have to cut it!”
“The mast is burning too! You’ll die like that!”
“Whether I die this way or that, dead is dead! If you don’t want to drown, let me go! Even if I die, I’ll cut that sail down first!”
The captain’s eyes as he shouted fiercely held a will that would not shrink from death.
“Can I just break it?”
“What did you say?”
“I asked if I can break that sail! It just has to come off the boat, right?”
“Wh-what are you—!”
The flustered captain opened and closed his mouth. I let him go, narrowed my eyes, and judged where I needed to break it.
The blazing heat choked off my breath on its own. One mistake and I felt as if the fire would catch on my body too.
I took off my long robe and set it down, then drew in a deep breath. Then I squeezed my eyes shut and jumped into the Yangtze. I had braced myself for a chill that would sink into my bones, but perhaps because the heat all around had affected it, the river water was lukewarm.
“Pwah!”
After soaking my entire body and returning to the deck, I ran quickly and kicked the mast with all my strength.
CRAAACK!
The mast, weakened after burning halfway through, could not withstand the impact and snapped, leaning to one side.
Snap! Sn-snap!
As the mast fell leftward, the ropes connected to it snapped one after another, and the boat lurched hard to port.
“Aaaah!”
“Help!”
Passengers and river bandits alike ran to the right, desperately trying not to fall into the water.
I also put strength into my legs to hold on, then grabbed the broken mast and tore it free. Even though I had wrapped it in internal energy, my palms burned.
Biting my lip, I threw the burning mast out of the boat, and the river churned violently with a roar.
SPLAAASH!
After rocking back and forth in the surging current, the boat gradually regained its balance.
The captain stared at me, dumbfounded, then soon came back to himself and began putting out the remaining flames.
“Stamp out the embers! We can live! Put out the fire first!”
But stopping the flames was only a temporary measure.
From somewhere, river bandits swarmed like a plague of rats and kept crawling endlessly onto the boat.
My mouth went dry at the ominous number of them.
I hurriedly put my long robe back on and swallowed, gripping the copper coins in my hand.
It looked as if this would be an unusually long night.
*****
Beopgong strolled leisurely across the deck wreathed in flames.
Even in heat reminiscent of hellfire, his body, hard as diamond, did not feel so much as a tickle.
“Amitabha.”
Rolling his prayer beads with a blank face, Beopgong took a rough look around the cabin whose roof had been torn off.
There were no valuables to be seen at all. Only weapons made from scrap iron and a few sacks of salt.
Tilting his head, Beopgong kicked one of the sacks of salt with the tip of his foot.
Salt melted by the heat seeped through cracks in the wooden floor.
“Hey, Yeon Ryang! Looks like this isn’t the flagship. There’s nothing here.”
“Yeah. That one looks like the real thing.”
Standing on a plank floating over the river as he avoided the flames, Yeon Ryang scratched his head.
Far away, a massive ambush boat topped with a two-story pavilion was entering the gorge that had become a sea of fire.
The lavishly decorated boat was so huge that calling it a fortress on the water would not be an exaggeration.
“What is that bastard, a pervert? What the hell did he do to his boat...”
As Yeon Ryang muttered sourly, his eyes went wide.
The flaming arrows fired from the ambush boat were raining down on the boat where his sister was.
“Sohae!”
With a sharp shout, Yeon Ryang shot toward the flagship like an arrow.
“Hey, wait...! He’s already gone? Hah.”
Beopgong snorted and brushed ash from his monastic robe.
“That hopeless sister-fool bastard. If he’s like this over his sister, he’ll be something to see if he ever has a child.”
Grumbling, he filled his foot with internal energy and stomped hard.
RUMBLE!
CRAAACK!
The hull burst apart, and the boat whose floor had flooded began sinking stern-first.
Beopgong lightly jumped down onto a floating mast and turned his gaze toward the passenger boat where the fire was spreading.
“We’re doomed.”
He sighed and rubbed his forehead.
It seemed they would have to find a new boat to reach Wuhan.
*****
It hurt my pride, but I had to admit it.
Jinseong was strong.
Whatever had happened over the three seasons that had passed, the tip of his sword was far sharper than the last time I had seen him.
Annoyed that I could not keep up with his speed, I clung stubbornly close, and Jinseong spoke as if he was surprised.
“Your martial learning has advanced.”
“Oh, was that a compliment?”
“...”
When I asked while driving a poison needle into the paralysis point of a river bandit Jinseong had cut down, he pressed his mouth shut.
Was it not?
Clicking my tongue, I knocked away a hidden weapon flying at Jinseong.
Matching movements with another martial artist was a new experience.
I wondered whether it was normal to feel enjoyment in a situation like this, but...
Honestly, it was fun.
Throwing hidden weapons to match Jinseong’s speed was fun. Taking down the river bandits who aimed for the openings he trusted me to cover was fun.
When our timing fit perfectly, I even felt an inexplicable thrill.
...Is this something like camaraderie between comrades-in-arms?
With Yeon Ryang, it felt less like matching movements and more like being protected by him.
But Jinseong was different. He regarded me as an equal martial artist and completely entrusted his back to me.
The corners of my mouth rose in a grin.
Somehow, just a little—just a very little—I felt like I could understand why martial artists went mad for blade work.
Just then, I saw someone running toward our boat, using the floating debris on the river as stepping-stones.
I could tell from the familiar build alone. It was Yeon Ryang.
“Brother! Are you all right? Are you hurt?”
When I waved and shouted, Yeon Ryang rushed over to me and began checking every part of my body.
“Who’s worrying about whom right now? You’re soaked through. Where’s your veiled hat... Sohae, what happened to your hands? Did you burn them? Did you fall? Why is your leg hurt? You’re cut!”
“Ah, that was Taoist Jinseong—”
Before I could finish, Yeon Ryang hid me behind his back, drew his sword, and aimed the point at Jinseong.
Showing his fangs, Yeon Ryang growled like a beast.
“We meet again, young Taoist. I’m not letting this pass so easily this time.”
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