Chapter 387

A fairly large fishing boat was heading toward the other side of Poyang Lake.

Among the fishing boats operating on Poyang Lake, there were many quite large vessels. However, it was rare for a fishing boat to cross the entire lake. Poyang Lake was so vast and fish so abundant that there was no reason to go all the way to the other side to fish.

The fact that they were going to the other side, when fishing near the shore was more than sufficient, was proof that there was another reason.

“Who the hell are they telling me to bring? Dammit!”

A man with a gloomy impression grumbled from the bow.

The man, who looked like a mix of a rat and a wildcat, was named Lee Gu-yeol.

Lee Gu-yeol was a trusted subordinate of Deung Cheolung, the Boss of the Blood Phantom Organization.

His face was full of dissatisfaction as he headed toward his destination on the fishing boat.

He was a man who would go through fire and water for Deung Cheolung’s orders, but this was one mission he did not want to take.

It was because he had almost lost his life just a short while ago during the raid on the Jewon Merchant Group’s ship.

He had trusted the martial artists of the Righteous Sword Manor, but due to Pyo Wol’s sudden intrusion, he had barely saved his life by jumping into the water.

Still, he and his subordinates were on the lucky side.

The martial artists of the Righteous Sword Manor were all killed, without a single exception. Even now, the memory of that time made his body tremble like an aspen tree.

All the subordinates who had participated in the raid with him had suffered severe mental trauma. They were intimidated and cowed by Pyo Wol’s inhuman martial prowess.

They were lowlifes who prided themselves on having lost all fear by living rough lives, but the sight Pyo Wol had shown them was enough to plant the emotion of fear deep in their hearts.

Having had such a harsh experience on a boat, Lee Gu-yeol and his subordinates were reluctant to get on one again. But they could not defy Deung Cheolung’s orders, so they had no choice but to board the boat again and head to their destination.

The place they arrived at was a small dock on the other side of the lake.

At the nameless dock, more than a dozen people were waiting for them.

Every one of them wore a bamboo hat pulled down low, hiding their faces.

An eerie Qi flowed from their entire bodies.

‘Dammit!’

Lee Gu-yeol’s expression contorted with a sense of foreboding.

It was a natural reaction, as something bad always happened when he had this feeling.

But Lee Gu-yeol forced a smile and spoke the prearranged Code Language.

“Are you the ones who came to pick the red flowers?”

“Are you the ones sent from the ant hill to greet us?”

“That’s right.”

As the set code was spoken, Lee Gu-yeol let out a sigh of relief.

He gave an order to his subordinates.

“Lower the gangplank.”

“Yes!”

His subordinates hurriedly tried to lower the gangplank to the dock. But before the gangplank was even down, the men in bamboo hats leaped and boarded the boat.

The moment he saw their movements, Lee Gu-yeol knew instinctively.

‘They are all Experts.’

It wasn’t just because they had lightly jumped onto the high deck.

It was because even though more than ten people had boarded the deck at once, the boat hadn’t swayed in the slightest.

There was no way people with this level of Lightness Art could be ordinary martial artists.

The one who appeared to be the leader spoke to Lee Gu-yeol.

“Let’s depart.”

“Yes!”

Lee Gu-yeol replied and gestured for his subordinates to set off.

The subordinates quickly pulled up the gangplank and fully unfurled the sail.

The sail, filled with wind, moved the boat toward the opposite side.

Once the dock was no longer visible, the martial artists on the boat took off the bamboo hats they had been wearing.

“Phew! Now I feel alive.”

“I know, right?”

The ones who took off their hats were one old man and nine young martial artists.

The old man had a handsomely grown beard and exuded an aura more akin to a scholar than a martial artist.

The old man’s name was No Gang-hyeon.

His alias was the Seven Sages Scholar.

In his youth, he was more famous as a man of letters than for his martial arts, and after he grew older, the two harmonized, earning him the respect of many.

The nine young martial artists following him were all his disciples.

They had received his teachings early on and had achieved outstanding accomplishments in both martial and literary arts.

One disciple cautiously asked the Seven Sages Scholar.

“But do we really have to go there? I don’t understand why you, Master, accepted Young Master Jang’s invitation.”

“Didn’t he say he had an important favor to ask?”

“Then shouldn’t he be the one to come and find you, Master?”

“I heard the situation at Poyang Lake is chaotic. He must have called for us because he couldn’t get away. We should understand that much.”

“But…”

“Jin-beom!”

“Yes! Master.”

“I am not unaware of your feelings. But the world does not always go as we wish. If it is for the greater good, it is right for us to make the move, even if it means some loss. So do not mention this matter again.”

“I understand, Master!”

The disciple who had voiced his complaint bowed his head and closed his mouth.

He thought it was not the way of a disciple to bring up the issue any further when his master had spoken so firmly.

‘Surely, nothing will happen, right?’

He knew that Poyang Lake was in turmoil.

And that the situation was on the verge of exploding. That was why he was worried, but knowing the fame of the Seven Sages Scholar gave him some reassurance.

The Seven Sages Scholar was a man respected by all, regardless of whether they were orthodox or unorthodox.

His fair character and his nature of giving everything he had to those in need were widely known in the Jianghu.

His martial arts were also formidable, and he had dealt with countless villains. Because of this, many people admired him.

The Seven Sages Scholar had once received a great favor from the Righteous Sword Manor in his youth. That was why he had willingly responded to Jang Ho-yeon’s call and was on his way to the chaotic shores of Poyang Lake.

“How could I not go when he asked me to mediate with the Silver Lotus Society, of all things?”

“It’s strange that he would specifically ask you to mediate, Master.”

“What’s so strange about it? Didn’t he think I could easily mediate since I have connections with both Dragon Sky Valley and the Thousand Water Society?”

“Well, that’s true, but…”

The Seven Sages Scholar had spent his life wandering All Under Heaven and carrying out justice.

Thanks to that, he had formed many connections with influential sects in the Jianghu.

Among them were Dragon Sky Valley and the Thousand Water Society.

The Dragon Sky Valley Leader, Yong Geom-san, and the Thousand Water Society Leader, Namgung Yugeom, treated him with the utmost respect as a close friend.

No matter how fiercely the Golden Sky Society and the Silver Lotus Society were confronting each other at Poyang Lake, they would not be able to simply ignore it if the Seven Sages Scholar stepped in to mediate.

That was how significant the Seven Sages Scholar’s presence was in the Jianghu.

The Seven Sages Scholar looked at the vast Poyang Lake and said.

“Come to think of it, Young Master Jang of the Righteous Sword Manor is quite a remarkable person. To ask me for mediation. Isn’t it because he has no intention of escalating this problem any further?”

“It’s true that Young Master Jang is a dragon among men, but I don’t think he’s an entirely righteous person.”

“On what grounds do you say that?”

“It is just my thought, based on the rumors I’ve heard.”

“Hah! That’s a dangerous way of thinking. To judge a person so harshly based on mere rumors.”

“But…”

“Silence that mouth of yours.”

“Yes!”

In the end, the disciple fell silent.

His eyes, looking at his master, were filled with pity.

It was clear that the Seven Sages Scholar was a great pillar of the Jianghu and a man worthy of respect, but he was too pure and easily taken advantage of.

‘There’s no way that Jang Ho-yeon put our master forward with pure intentions.’

He suspected Jang Ho-yeon’s motives for summoning his master and them here. But with his master reacting so stubbornly, he could say no more.

Oblivious to the conflict between master and disciple, the boat moved forward. The sail, filled with wind, made the boat move at a fast speed.

The boat was soon passing through the middle of Poyang Lake.

No matter where one looked, all that could be seen was the horizon. It was a moment that made one realize the saying that Poyang Lake was as big as a sea was true.

Nearby, a few boats were fishing with their nets cast.

On one of them, a person was lying down, having done nothing but float the boat.

All of these things came together to create a scene like a painting.

It was a surprisingly peaceful moment.

“How wonderful!”

The Seven Sages Scholar exclaimed in admiration as he looked at the picturesque scenery.

What moved him most of all was the massive cloud rising above the water’s surface. The blue water, the sky, and the writhing cloud in between reminded him of a dragon.

Although he had spent his life roaming the Jianghu and performing countless acts of chivalry, this was the first time he had seen a landscape that moved his heart so.

The Seven Sages Scholar stared, mesmerized, at the scene unfolding before his eyes.

It was the same for his disciples.

“They say Poyang Lake is a small sea, and it truly lives up to its name.”

“Just looking at it seems to make great ambitions sprout in my heart.”

“It’s so nice.”

The feelings of the disciples were no different from the Seven Sages Scholar’s.

Lee Gu-yeol sneered at them inwardly.

‘Idiots! What are they talking about? What’s so great about a scene like this?’

It might be a once-in-a-lifetime spectacle for the Seven Sages Scholar, but for him, who had lived his entire life around Poyang Lake, it was just a tiresome repetition of the same scenery.

The Seven Sages Scholar’s group, who were making a fuss about a scene that was an everyday occurrence for them, looked pathetic.

The Seven Sages Scholar, drawn by the scenery, walked toward the bow.

Lee Gu-yeol shouted to the Seven Sages Scholar.

“Be careful. One wrong step and you’ll fall into the water.”

“Haha! Don’t you worry.”

The Seven Sages Scholar smiled and walked forward.

He stood at the bow and felt the blowing wind with his whole body.

It had been a long time since he had felt so refreshed.

“I wonder how that friend, Mu-su, is doing. When I meet him this time, I must spend three days and nights drinking and catching up.”

His friend lived on Mount Baiyun, hundreds of li away from Poyang Lake. The Seven Sages Scholar had sent him a letter, asking to meet at Poyang Lake. That was why he was in an even better mood.

“I feel like things will go well…”

Suddenly, the Seven Sages Scholar’s words stopped.

He had seen something clinging to the underside of the boat’s bow like a spider.

It didn’t take long to realize that the object, which at first glance looked like seaweed, was in fact a person.

It was a person dressed in a black martial arts uniform.

He had been hiding, his body fixed under the gently curving bow.

At that moment, he raised his head and looked at the Seven Sages Scholar.

“What the?”

The moment he saw those eyes, devoid of any emotion, the Seven Sages Scholar felt a sense of foreboding.

Fwack!

At that moment, the black figure hanging from the bow threw something into the air.

It was a bead the size of a child’s fist.

Pow!

The bead exploded in the air, and black smoke spewed out madly.

The black smoke instantly obscured the vision of those on the boat.

“What?”

“A-a raid.”

The Seven Sages Scholar’s disciples shouted in surprise.

They hurriedly ran toward the bow where the Seven Sages Scholar was. But their steps were inevitably slowed as the black smoke blocked their view.

“Dammit!”

“Master!”

The Seven Sages Scholar’s disciples swung their swords, creating a wind of blades.

Whoosh!

A strong wind arose, but it was not enough to push back the black smoke.

“How dare you! A mere assassin…”

Shhhhk!

From within the black smoke, the sound of the Seven Sages Scholar’s roar and the clash of a sword could be heard.

“Master! Are you alright?”

“This smoke… Cough!”

The Seven Sages Scholar’s disciples coughed continuously.

The black smoke was no mere mist.

It was a mixture of saltpeter and various other substances that hindered breathing.

Even after inhaling just a few mouthfuls, their breath caught in their throats, and their chests felt tight.

Kagagang!

Even at that moment, the sound of clashing weapons echoed continuously from within the black smoke.

The disciples found some comfort in the fact that the Seven Sages Scholar was still holding on. They did not think their master would be assassinated and killed by a mere assassin.

Their master’s martial prowess was too great to lose his life to a mere assassin.

They believed without a doubt that the Seven Sages Scholar would quickly subdue the assassin.

It was then.

“Keuk!”

Suddenly, a sharp scream was heard.

The disciples recognized it as the Seven Sages Scholar’s scream.

“Master!”

“Dammit!”

This was no time to worry about the black smoke.

They pushed through the smoke and went forward. Then they could see the Seven Sages Scholar kneeling on the bow.

In front of the Seven Sages Scholar, an assassin wearing a black martial arts uniform and a mask stood blankly.

From the sword held in the assassin’s hand, blood, which seemed to be the Seven Sages Scholar’s, dripped down.

The Seven Sages Scholar’s head slowly drooped.

He was dead.

“Master!”

“Uwaaah!”

The disciples attacked like mad. But the assassin exquisitely dodged their attacks and tried to jump into the water.

It was at that very moment that something unexpected happened.

“Look at this. An assassin?”

With a low voice, an intense Blade Energy flew from a small boat floating nearby toward the assassin.

Kwaang!

“Keok!”

The assassin was struck by the Blade Energy and fell into the water.