Chapter 44

“Taking a boat from here will be advantageous in saving time.”

Daoshi Go pointed to the dock visible ahead.

After leaving the Guan Yu Temple, Pyo Wol moved with Daoshi Go’s group.

Daoshi Go was extremely knowledgeable about geography.

It seemed there was no place he didn’t know. Thanks to him, Pyo Wol didn’t need to bother finding his way; he just had to follow.

“My handsome Orabeoni, why are you going to Chengdu?”

Heo Ranju walked closely beside Pyo Wol.

Each time she took a step, her large chest would brush against Pyo Wol’s elbow. Whether she was aware of it or not, Heo Ranju looked at Pyo Wol with innocent eyes.

“To meet some people I know.”

“People you know? Who?”

“Quite a few.”

“Who on earth are they?”

“Debtors.”

“Debtors? You’re in debt?”

“No, they are in debt to me.”

“So you’re going to collect your debts?”

“Yes!”

“Those bastards of All Under Heaven! How dare they not repay their debt to my handsome Orabeoni? Who are they? Just say the word. I’ll collect it all for you.”

Heo Ranju got angry as if it were her own debt to be collected. Daoshi Go and Hyeolseung looked at her with pathetic expressions.

‘At this rate, she’s about to untie her skirt strings right here.’

‘Honey is practically dripping from her eyes.’

Heo Ranju naturally linked her arm with Pyo Wol’s. Pyo Wol was aware of it but said nothing. At that, Heo Ranju pressed even closer and chattered on.

“We met by chance at the Guan Yu Temple, and now we have the same destination. This is truly fate. What do you think? It must be that heaven brought us two together.”

“Why are you people going to Chengdu?”

“Us?”

“Yes!”

“We’re going to do business…”

“Without any goods?”

“We don’t just sell things that are visible to the eye. Want me to tell you what we sell?”

“No, thanks!”

“Ah, why?”

“I feel like I’ll be roped in if I hear the answer.”

“Tch!”

At Pyo Wol’s reply, Heo Ranju pouted her lips.

Her expressions were so rich it was hard to believe she was in her mid-twenties.

Any other man would surely have been captivated by her appearance.

A woman who was both sensual and evoked a protective instinct was not so common.

But Pyo Wol was different.

No matter what expression she made, no matter how she flirted, he didn’t feel much of anything.

He had already held his fill of women at the Red Sky Tower. It wasn’t that his desires had completely vanished, but he wasn’t foolish enough to lose his mind over the charms of a woman whose identity he didn’t even know.

This, in turn, made Heo Ranju cling to Pyo Wol even more.

“Wow! Orabeoni, your push and pull is no joke. You’re playing with my heart. It’s making me tremble.”

“Shit! Should I lay out a mat for you here? Just set up your wedding chamber already.”

Unable to watch any longer, Daoshi Go chimed in, but Heo Ranju paid him no mind.

Hyeolseung comforted Daoshi Go in a low voice.

“Is the Vice Unit Leader the type to listen to anyone else? Please don’t be too upset.”

“Upset? Is this the first or second year I’ve had to see that wench’s nasty temper?”

Daoshi Go also lowered his voice so Pyo Wol couldn’t hear.

“We won’t be late for the appointment, will we?”

“If we take a boat, we should be able to make it around the same time.”

“That’s a relief.”

“What’s there to worry about when I’m guiding the way? Hyeolseung, you just need to follow me without a single thought.”

“Isn’t that what I’m doing? More importantly, is it alright to leave those two be like that?”

Hyeolseung’s gaze turned to Pyo Wol and Heo Ranju.

For a moment, Daoshi Go let out a smirk.

“Why, she’s doing well, isn’t she? To think she can act so charming despite having a heart as wicked as a spider’s. It scares me every time I see that wench like this. To think it’s all a calculated act.”

“Is it really a calculated act?”

“What do you mean?”

“It seems like she’s genuinely fallen for that guy…”

“Don’t be absurd! Do you think the Blood Spider of All Under Heaven would fall for a mere man? You have to say things that make sense.”

“I… suppose so?”

“Of course. He’s a suspicious fellow. Since he seems quite taciturn, she has to put in that much effort to get information.”

Daoshi Go’s eyes were cold as he looked at Pyo Wol.

This was a very important time.

He could not tolerate even the smallest variable. Any existence that could become an obstacle had to be identified and eliminated in advance to prevent future trouble.

That was how they had lived until now, and it was by acting that way that they had been able to survive.

Daoshi Go quickly changed his expression.

With a jovial face, he approached a sailor and asked about the boat schedule.

He chatted with the sailor for a while before returning to his group and saying,

“We’re in luck. They said it departs in half an hour, so we can board right away.”

“We’re taking that boat? It looks like it’s carrying a lot of cargo.”

“It’s a rice transport ship, so it can’t be helped. To catch another boat, we’d have to wait another day. We can’t waste time, so taking that boat is the best option.”

“Tch! If it’s a rice transport ship, I guess we can forget about a comfortable bed. I’m longing for a soft mattress.”

“Good grief! You talk so much. Hey, you wench! If you miss a soft bed so much, then don’t follow us, why don’t you?”

“How can I do that? The Unit Leader wouldn’t let me get away with it.”

“Then stop complaining and follow. Aigoo, my head! I don’t know what the ghosts are doing, not taking this wretch away.”

As Heo Ranju talked back, Daoshi Go pressed his temples with both hands as if his head hurt.

“Amitabha! Let’s just get on the boat.”

Hyeolseung, also with a fed-up expression, boarded the boat first.

Pyo Wol also purchased a ticket.

It was the first time in his life he had used money, so he felt a natural sense of wonder.

As Pyo Wol stared at the banknote he had received in exchange for money, Heo Ranju approached.

“You’ll stare a hole through that banknote. Let’s get on the boat.”

She took Pyo Wol’s hand and pulled him along.

Pyo Wol obediently followed her.

As expected of a rice transport ship, the deck and hold were piled high with mountains of grain.

Pyo Wol had never seen such a large amount of grain before. As he stared blankly at the grain, Daoshi Go spoke.

“Quite a lot, isn’t it? It’s rice harvested last year, said to be heading to Chengdu.”

“To Chengdu?”

“All goods in Sichuan Province gather in Chengdu. Rice is no exception. An amount like this could feed a few hundred people for a year.”

Although it was nominally a rice transport ship, there were quite a few passengers on board. The sailors were letting passengers on in the spare spaces to earn some pocket money.

The passengers were gathered in small groups, conversing.

Some had their faces scrunched up in serious conversation, while others were beaming with broad smiles.

It seemed there were as many different expressions as there were people.

Pyo Wol watched them in silence.

Most of the people on the boat were ordinary people, unrelated to the Jianghu. Pyo Wol thought they were lucky.

Pyo Wol was the one who knew best how difficult it was to live an ordinary life in the Jianghu.

As Pyo Wol couldn’t take his eyes off the people, Heo Ranju asked.

“What are you looking at so intently?”

“Just because.”

“Hmph! When I watch you, you have a sentimental side.”

“First time I’m hearing that.”

“Really? You look sentimental in my eyes.”

“If you’re going to keep spouting nonsense, you can get lost now. My ears hurt.”

“So mean!”

At Pyo Wol’s cold words, Heo Ranju made a hurt expression. But soon, as if it were nothing, she smiled bashfully and linked her arm with Pyo Wol’s.

“That’s what makes you more attractive. I can’t stand it. Shall we go somewhere else for a bit?”

“Where?”

“A place where people’s eyes can’t reach.”

Heo Ranju pressed her chest tightly against Pyo Wol’s elbow. At the soft sensation, Pyo Wol stared at Heo Ranju in silence for a moment. At that, Heo Ranju smiled even more seductively.

Heo Ranju was beautiful enough to make any man’s heart flutter. But Pyo Wol did not fall for her smile.

Because while her lips were curved in a bewitching smile, her eyes were as cold as ice.

If it had been any man other than Pyo Wol, he would have been completely taken in by her smile. She was that skilled at hiding her own emotions. But she could not deceive Pyo Wol’s eyes.

Pyo Wol was accustomed to discerning the psychology and emotions of others.

No matter how brightly she smiled to hide her inner thoughts, he could read the atmosphere and emotions flowing beneath the surface.

Heo Ranju was a rose with poisoned thorns.

If one were to be deceived by her splendid appearance and grab her rashly, they would surely be gravely injured.

Pyo Wol slightly shook his head.

“Here is a bit difficult. I’ll think about it after we get off the boat.”

“Tch! Playing hard to get. Well, is that also part of your charm? Hoho!”

Heo Ranju let out a coquettish laugh.

Everyone around them looked at Heo Ranju.

She was beautiful enough to draw the attention of others. Many people had already been stealing glances at her from the moment she boarded the boat.

Daoshi Go said to Heo Ranju.

“Stop your foolishness and come have a drink.”

“Who’s being foolish?”

“Everything you do is foolishness.”

“This damned daoshi…”

“So, are you not going to drink?”

“No, I’ll drink.”

Heo Ranju sat in front of Daoshi Go, grumbling. Then, Daoshi Go spread open his robe. Inside his robe hung four bottles of liquor.

Daoshi Go took out one of the bottles and said to Pyo Wol.

“Would you like a drink too? There’s nothing better than this for a long journey.”

“No, thanks.”

“Is that so? It’s unusual for a young man to refuse a drink.”

Daoshi Go didn’t bother to offer a second time.

He drank with Heo Ranju and Hyeolseung, exchanging cups.

In the meantime, the boat left the dock.

Pyo Wol sat on the railing and watched the passing scenery.

The very fact that he could sit so leisurely and appreciate the surrounding scenery gave Pyo Wol a strange feeling.

On one side, Heo Ranju’s group was drinking and chatting.

Normally, the two of them were at each other’s throats. But once they started drinking, they laughed and talked as if that had never been the case.

Hyeolseung was also drinking and appropriately matching the mood.

As if she knew Pyo Wol was watching, Heo Ranju slightly turned her head to look at him. When their eyes met, she gave her characteristic seductive smile.

“That wench! Flirting again.”

Only after earning a remark from Daoshi Go did Heo Ranju focus on the drinking party again.

Splash! Splash!

Just then, a strange noise reached Pyo Wol’s ears.

Pyo Wol looked in the direction the sound was coming from.

Nothing was visible yet. But since the sound was gradually getting louder, it seemed something would appear if he waited a little longer.

It seemed no one on the boat, including Heo Ranju’s group, had heard the sound.

Pyo Wol frowned and stared ahead.

A moment later, the identity of the strange noise was revealed.

A boat was approaching at high speed. On both sides of the boat, numerous oars were moving.

The sound Pyo Wol had heard was the sound of rowing.

“Huh, what’s that?”

“A boat is coming.”

The sailors, who had discovered the boat late, made a fuss.

At their shouts, the passengers and the captain looked at the approaching boat.

The captain’s face, after staring at the boat for a long time, crumpled.

“Damn it! It’s water bandits.”

“Water bandits?”

“Good heavens!”

The passengers grew agitated.

The water bandits were approaching, aiming for the rice loaded on the rice transport ship.

As the boat got closer, their forms became clearer. The water bandits were all holding weapons.

“If we just take the rice on that boat, we can eat our fill for a while.”

The eyes of the water bandits were full of greed.

The rice transport ship unfurled its sails and sped up at full power to shake off the water bandits. But it was impossible to shake off the oar-powered bandit ship.

As time passed, the gap between the two boats grew smaller and smaller.

In the end, the captain had to make a decision.

“Everyone, grab your weapons. We must protect the rice no matter what.”

“Yes!”

The sailors grabbed harpoons and sabers.

The tension on their faces was palpable.

Although they had grabbed weapons out of self-preservation, they couldn’t stop their bodies from trembling.

Recently, water bandits targeting rice transport ships had been appearing frequently.

The water bandits didn’t just steal rice; they also took people’s lives. Because of that, the trading companies that handled rice had been on high alert for a long time.

“This wasn’t an area where water bandits appeared. Have the water bandits advanced this far?”

The captain muttered with a dazed expression.

If it had been an area where water bandits frequently appeared, he would have been thoroughly prepared. Since water bandits had never appeared here, he hadn’t hired any martial artists separately.

Just then, someone approached the captain and spoke to him.

“Looks like you’re in quite a predicament.”

“Who are you?”

“Who I am isn’t important. What I can do is what’s important.”

The one shaking a liquor bottle with a reddened face in front of the captain was none other than Daoshi Go.

“What?”

“How much will you give me if I protect the rice? You tell me.”

He began to haggle with the captain.