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Translated By Arcane Translations
Translator: Bobt
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To the east was Hubei, to the west was Sichuan, to the south was Guizhou, and to the north was Shaanxi. The place surrounded by orthodox sect territories in all four directions was none other than Chongqing.
The secret treasury of the Three-Eyed Divine Thief was located here, in Chongqing.
Goo Poong’s group had come straight down from Shaanxi, arrived in Chongqing, and headed directly south toward Guizhou.
Joo Seo-cheon couldn’t even go near the area where the secret treasury was located. Not only was there the group he was traveling with, but even if he went, it would be difficult to enter.
It wasn’t for nothing that it was called the secret treasury of the Divine Thief. All sorts of mechanisms and traps were lurking there. Joo Seo-cheon couldn’t break through them yet.
Even if he could break through, as one would know, moving such a large amount of treasure was also a problem.
Chongqing, Yangtze River
The Yangtze River, which flowed from Hubei, followed Chongqing and ended in Sichuan. The Chongqing region was also divided by the Yangtze River.
There was a way to go around, but it would really take more than a dozen days. Although there was no time limit for this journey to the murim, there was no need to go that far.
They headed to the port to board a boat. By the way, to get here, they had alternated between using lightness skills and footwork.
Especially in the case of lightness skills, the most efficient way to train was to travel long distances for an extended period of time.
Usually, when training at the Mount Hua Sect, there was no place to run freely, and one had to keep circling a certain section.
In contrast, in the Central Plains, wherever one could see was a place to run, so it was good. They traveled using only lightness skills without riding horses.
“Huh, as I heard, your internal energy is tremendous.”
During the journey, Goo Poong was surprised to see Joo Seo-cheon.
Even when Jang Hong and Jang Seo-eun were exhausted and collapsed, Joo Seo-cheon showed no signs of sweating and looked fine.
He had already known about the spiritual medicine as it was famous, but still, witnessing its power with his own eyes was amazing.
Internal energy that was unimaginable for a twelve-year-old.
The terrifying part was that he was still in the midst of growing.
“It’s nothing special. I was just lucky. Senior Brother and Junior Sister are more amazing than someone like me.”
Joo Seo-cheon handed water bottles to the exhausted Jang Hong and Jang Seo-eun. He lowered himself and praised the two of them.
He didn’t want to start unnecessary fights with the members of the Lotus Hall.
Anyway, since he had already been evaluated poorly, there was no place to go lower, so there was no significant impact on his non-existent pride.
In fact, that action was a wise choice.
If they were struggling and tired like this, and their junior martial brother, who was known to be incompetent, was unaffected, it would hurt their self-esteem.
Jang Hong and Jang Seo-eun were not that bad-natured and not narrow-minded, but they were still children.
No matter how outstanding their aptitude was compared to ordinary disciples, they were not at the level of fully understanding and embracing it.
It wasn’t for nothing that he had lived a life of over seventy years. Even if he was a bit lacking, he had the experience of being above others.
When they arrived at the port, they saw numerous small boats lined up. As it was the time when the sun was high in the sky, it was crowded with people who had come to enjoy the scenery of the Yangtze River.
As the group lingered near the port, the boatmen held up their straw hats and showed their faces, starting to solicit customers.
“I will provide a comfortable ride for you, heroes.”
“What’s the point of comfort? It’s boring. Even though I look like this, I was famous for my eloquence in my youth.”
“Who are you to speak so rudely at our first meeting? Anyway, it’s just a fleeting relationship, so just provide a comfortable ride!”
“To think I can see the Yangtze River like this…”
Joo Seo-cheon looked around as if feeling a new sense of appreciation. The emotion reflected in his eyes was longing.
Two years from now, after the discovery of the secret treasury, the Yangtze River in Chongqing would become a place that could no longer be enjoyed.
It was because of the age of war that would occur soon after.
When passing by the Yangtze River, one couldn’t even enjoy the scenery and had to be on guard against enemies crossing the river nearby.
When all the wars ended, he had become one of the Five Elders of Mount Hua and was too busy strengthening the internal affairs to even go near Shaanxi.
The only time he had properly appreciated the scenery of the Yangtze River was during a ceasefire. That moment was so short that he couldn’t even remember it well.
“Is there any room?”
The contemplation that had continued for a while ended with Goo Poong’s voice.
“Of course.”
The boatman with a bamboo stick in his mouth nodded his head.
He was an old man with grayish hair, but his arm muscles were well-trained. It was proof that he had been doing this job for a long time.
Goo Poong handed a few coins to the boatman.
“I think this will satisfy the old man. What do you think?”
“They say martial artists have a heart as wide as the Yangtze River, and it seems to be true. I’m sufficiently satisfied, so please board.”
The boatman pointed to the top of the boat with his chin.
Goo Poong smiled with satisfaction and got on the boat.
Jang Hong and Jang Seo-eun hurriedly followed. It was their first time on a boat, so they felt awkward but also amazed.
Joo Seo-cheon also got on the boat, acting a bit amazed like other children.
The boatman rowed hard and left the port. The boat moved toward the other side of the Yangtze River.
“When you don’t know which boat to take, check the arm muscles of the boatmen like this old man. You can tell how long they have been rowing.”
Since the Yangtze River was so large, it took a considerable amount of time to cross. Naturally, a long conversation ensued.
Mainly, Goo Poong taught information that would be helpful for the journey to the murim. Jang Hong and Jang Seo-eun listened attentively.
Joo Seo-cheon also listened carefully as he had no experience with small boats or boatmen and didn’t know about them.
After about half an hour, while crossing the river, they encountered other boats. However, they were not ordinary boats.
“Uncle Goo Poong, what are those boats?”
Jang Hong asked curiously.
They were not sculling boats like small boats, but proper boats. They looked like warships that would be active at sea.
Although not exact, if one were to estimate the size, it seemed to be about forty feet in length and ten feet in width.
“Senior Brother, look at the sail.”
Jang Seo-eun’s hand moved to the sword hilt. At the end of her gaze were characters engraved on the sail.
“They are called guard ships, a type of warship. And calm down, suppress your killing intent.”
Goo Poong answered and tapped Jang Seo-eun’s wrist.
“But…”
Jang Hong trailed off with a stiff face. His face was filled with lingering dissatisfaction.
“For now, obediently follow my words. It’s an order.”
When Goo Poong spoke in a stern tone, Jang Hong and Jang Seo-eun had no choice but to suppress their rising energy.
The boatman who was rowing beside them let out a sigh of relief.
The boatman rowed in the opposite direction and momentarily stopped the boat that had been moving forward.
Then the guard ship in the distance approached. On the guard ship were several men with fierce-looking faces.
They had unkempt beards, tall and sturdy physiques, and their faces were covered in scars. And they were all holding weapons in their hands.
Another common feature was that they were all dressed in blue clothes.
“I apologize for briefly stopping you while you were enjoying a trip on this sunny day.”
The man with the messiest beard stepped forward and greeted with a fist salute. His fierce eyes were directed at the sleeves of the group.
The man confirmed the plum blossom embroidered on the sleeves and continued speaking in the calmest and most subdued tone possible.
“We are the martial artists of the Water Forest Nine Strongholds who guard the Yangtze River. Originally, we were guarding this Yangtze River with compensation… no, without compensation, but recently, we are in a difficult situation due to financial difficulties. If it’s alright, could you give us a few coins as a protection fee?”
The man’s words had a strange awkwardness to them. It felt like wearing clothes that didn’t fit.
“I can pay as much as needed to guard the Yangtze River. However, I don’t have a lot of money, so please consider this amount.”
Goo Poong placed a silver coin on his thumb and flicked it. The silver coin spun in the air and flew.
The man who had spoken first skillfully caught the silver coin that had flown to the guard ship and bowed again with a fist salute.
“It was an honor to meet the martial artists of the great Mount Hwa. Please pass.”
“Thank you.”
Goo Poong gave a glance to the boatman.
The boatman bowed to the men in blue clothes and rowed the boat forward.
Jang Hong and Jang Seo-eun had faces of disbelief and were flushed with anger.
They looked like they wanted to jump up from their seats and say something right away, but Goo Poong stopped them.
The boatman also saw this and put more strength into the oar. The small boat gained speed and moved away from the guard ship.
“Uncle!”
When the guard ship was far enough away that it was no longer visible, Jang Hong finally couldn’t contain his anger and raised his voice.
“How can you obediently comply with the plundering of the water bandits! Moreover, aren’t they the Eighteen Strongholds of the Bandit Forest?”
“That’s right. They clearly said they were the Water Forest Nine Strongholds. As members of the orthodox sect, we can’t just let them go!”
Jang Seo-eun added to Jang Hong’s words. Both of them had flushed faces as if they were very excited.
This place, Chongqing, was a place where the influence of the orthodox sects did not reach despite being surrounded by orthodox sect territories in all directions.
Although the Nine Great Sects and the Five Great Families were stationed nearby, there was a force that could sufficiently block their power.
It was because of the Eighteen Strongholds of the Bandit Forest, a union of bandits formed by the Green Forest Nine Strongholds and the Water Forest Nine Strongholds.
For reference, the Green Forest Nine Strongholds referred to the union of mountain bandits, and the Water Forest Nine Strongholds referred to the union of water bandits.
Decades ago, the Green Forest bandits and the Water Forest bandits had come together to resist the pursuit and subjugation by the government and the orthodox martial arts world.
Their power and scale were quite significant, to the extent that even the orthodox martial arts world and the government couldn’t easily challenge them.
On the sail that Jang Seo-eun had spotted earlier, the two characters “Water Forest” were engraved.
“As members of the orthodox sect, how can we fear mere water bandits!”
“Even if we haven’t learned water techniques, the sword of Mount Hwa is nothing in front of mere bandits…”
“Quiet!”
Goo Poong raised his voice for the first time.
His voice and eyes were filled with force.
The boatman flinched at the pressure and stopped rowing.
“I apologize, old man. Both of them are just hotheaded. Don’t mind us and keep rowing.”
Goo Poong spoke to the boatman. The boatman nodded as if he understood, pulled down his straw hat, and focused on rowing again.
“Do you really think I’m afraid of water bandits?”
Goo Poong was a transcendent master. No matter if it was on water, water bandits who weren’t even first-rate were no match for him.
He was confident that if he launched himself onto the guard ship and exchanged a few sword strikes, he could kill them all.
“The reason I gave a few coins to the water bandits without fighting is that if I don’t, a very troublesome situation will arise.”
“A troublesome situation…?”
Jang Hong and Jang Seo-eun tilted their heads.
“First of all, even I can’t guarantee that I can subdue all the water bandits without letting any of them escape. Do you know why?”
Goo Poong asked Joo Seo-cheon, who had been quietly listening.
Joo Seo-cheon was slightly flustered when the question was directed at him but soon answered in a calm and clear tone.
“It’s because water bandits are skilled at swimming and have advantageous water techniques in the water.”
“That’s right.”
Water techniques not only had the power to move freely in the water but also had various advantageous powers.
They could hold their breath for a long time, and their speed of movement in the water was incomparable.
Unless one was a master of lightness skills who could perform the technique of walking on water, it was difficult to deal with them.
This was only the case if they didn’t dive. If they escaped by diving without coming to the surface, it was nearly impossible to catch them.
Goo Poong was also excellent in lightness skills and could pursue them, but he wasn’t sure if he could catch every single one of them.
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