Chapter 31

Qing abandoned the ship just before the crash.

After all, it wasn’t even her ship to begin with.

She lightly hopped onto the deck of the large vessel and saw people sprawled on the floor, lying flat.

And then—

Boom…!

The heavy shock transmitted from her soles caused the deck to tilt significantly.

Creaaaak…!

The sound of wood twisting and the ship’s agonizing screams filled the surroundings.

But a master doesn’t waver.

There were quite a few people firmly standing in place, suddenly scrutinizing the enigmatic woman who had just appeared.

The looks directed at her were anything but kind.

Feeling the animosity, Qing hastily scanned her surroundings.

She needed to know if this was a rescue ship or if she’d inadvertently stumbled into another villain’s den right after escaping.

There were those who had hit rock bottom, and others who had managed to maintain some semblance of dignity.

Excluding a few extreme cases, the average crowd could be likened to that of a tavern.

Just then, Jang Han, who stood at the ship’s bow, aimed a spear at Qing and growled.

“How dare you touch the vessel of the Long River, especially this Dragon King ship. That one girl is indeed praiseworthy…”

Qing had a sense that this was a situation ripe for misunderstandings.

However, she firmly believed it wasn’t her fault.

After all, the ship had simply drifted on its own and crashed!

Instead of charging in bravely as a man might, Qing, nonetheless, wanted to shout, “Proceed bravely!”

She didn’t charge in, of course—she didn’t want to.

Still, that collision hadn’t been her intention.

Qing was an optimist who believed most misunderstandings could be resolved through honest conversation or through incitement and distortion.

And she had learned the art of sincere dialogue from Seomun Sulin.

Given that Qing had mostly been around lowly rogues from the back alleys, she had endured a plethora of nuclear bombings, gaining the refined cultivation of a proper warrior.

“I…”

The word ‘I’ felt rather off.

“I am Seomun Qing. Thank you for your grace of rescue.”

Qing struck a pose, somewhat formally.

Jang Han’s irritation eased a bit.

That made Qing feel a smidge better.

“Rescue, you say? What does that even mean?”

“Well, you see. They said they would treat me to a meal, so I boarded the ship, but those guys—well, those scoundrels, I mean…”

The forced composure drained away as she casually fell back into her rogue days.

The experience of battling with beggars over discarded food was too vivid to forget.

Above all, Qing’s way of facing the world wasn’t particularly serious.

She finished her story.

Basically, those guys were scoundrels, and she was just a bystander, so she wasn’t guilty.

Jang Han, the leader Pabonmu, was deep in thought.

After hearing her story, it was hard to pin any blame on her.

Luring someone onto a boat with the promise of some fun and then pulling something dastardly is an age-old tactic.

It’s also why legends of water spirits are said to abound around famous rivers and lakes.

Moreover, Qing’s nonsense and handsome features certainly shone through.

A pretty girl was protesting with a feeble attempt at manners.

Clearly, she was a sheltered girl from a well-to-do family, ironically lost in the world.

The unique glimmer in her eyes, attuned to the martial arts inner strength, only added to the misperception.

Besides, Pabonmu himself was a father with a daughter.

He couldn’t bring himself to be too harsh on a naive girl from the martial world.

“Ahem, well. Boys tend to be that way, so you should be cautious. If you recklessly follow anyone, this is the result.”

By now all animosity had vanished.

Qing asked more comfortably, “So, could you take me down to the nearest city? But where exactly is this place?”

“This is Dongjeong Lake.”

“Huh? Dongjeong Lake? How…”

Qing swallowed her words.

How was a lake named Dongjeong Lake?

Unbeknownst to Pabonmu, the surprise was shrugged off as having come too far downstream.

More importantly, there was something crucial about what she’d heard.

“By the way, that damned scoundrel was said to be the son of an official. Didn’t he mention whose son?”

“Buchal? Something like Planning Official? That kind of name…”

Pabonmu’s heart sank.

“Buchal Army Officer.”

“Yeah, that’s right! That’s what it was.”

“Damn it, what the….”

Pabonmu swore.

—-

The Long River’s control channel was a group of bandits.

It had been like that during the era of the former Great Chief.

The current channel leader, Great Chief Somyeong Bokhaun, understood that this operation could end at any moment.

It was due to the government office.

The moment the government office decided to crack down would signal the end for the channel.

Cannons were the exclusive property of the officials, and if only one side had artillery in a water battle, the fight wouldn’t even be feasible.

To Bokhaun, the channel seemed like it hung in the government’s clock of patience.

Thus, Bokhaun decided to alter the channel’s strategy.

They actively formed ties with officials to protect their routes and operated contact ships.

They conducted inspections and even helped capture criminals.

Smuggling was a practice they had been engaged in for so long. Smuggling was something only the channels could do.

To stay in the officials’ good graces, they drastically lowered transit fees.

Thanks to that, the shipping volume on the Long River skyrocketed, resulting in far greater income than before.

Their efforts bore fruit; the Long River Channel had transformed from merely a collection of bandits to an enterprise closely related to Long River management.

They had unofficially become the true owners of the Long River.

However, the army officer’s son had died.

The pressing issue was about culpability.

Qing claimed that Cha Namjeong was still alive before the collision incident.

Although there were some distortions, it was nevertheless a fact.

His arms and legs had rotted, and his tongue had been cut, but his life was still intact.

According to Qing’s plan, when they reached the city, survivors from under a hundred evildoers should have brought Cha Namjeong along to testify to his foul deeds.

However, they all met their end due to an unfortunate accident.

So, who should take responsibility for the official’s son’s death?

Channel Leader Bokhaun furrowed his brows tightly.

Trouble had arisen at an already complicated time.

“I knew that perverted psycho killer would cause trouble eventually. I just didn’t know it would escalate like this.”

Cha Namjeong was active around the Long River.

And the Long River’s affairs were known to the Channel.

In the first place, among the managers of the boats to the loading crew, there were very few who hadn’t been connected to the channel.

“So, what happened to that kid?”

“For now, we’ve locked him up in custody.”

Pabonmu hesitantly asked.

“Uh, are you handing that boy over to the officials?”

“What else can we do?”

“Isn’t that a bit cruel? To see him in that terrible state?”

“It is cruel, indeed. But…”

Bokhaun shook his head slowly.

“If he came out armed, he’s a mortal of the martial world. As you know, innocence in the martial world is a crime. There’s no choice.”

“Ugh….”

Bokhaun consoled Pabonmu in a heavy voice.

“Who doesn’t have a heart like a daughter? But do we really need to court disaster? That’s something only the Zhengpai guys should deal with.”

Then he suddenly seemed to remember and asked.

“Oh, by the way, have you seen that bastard? A few days ago, I gave him a good scare, and now that boy has been avoiding his father like the plague.”

—-

As Qing stepped into the cabin, the door slammed shut.

A sudden chill ran through her.

Trying the door, it wouldn’t budge; it was locked tight.

Was that Buchal or whatever that jerk’s father? Jang Han’s expression had turned pale.

After promising to show her a room for a day until they arrived at Akyang, she seemed to have tricked her instead.

“So that guy pretended to be friendly, and now he’s backstabbing me. Heh, heh. Should I clear everyone out? Maybe just slaughter them all…”

Qing imitated a famous quote from a great writer she admired.

Same old rubbish she always spewed.

However, when she actually voiced these thoughts, it was either in front of someone who wouldn’t understand or in front of an imminent villain.

Nobody would grasp her nonsense, but it felt oddly embarrassing to say it soberly.

“Is that really so?”

“Aah!”

So, upon hearing an unfamiliar voice, she genuinely jumped and jolted.

“Sorry if I startled you.”

It was a fragile-looking beauty.

Her gentle voice caressed Qing’s ears.

It sounded like a soothing lullaby to her tired soul.

When Qing looked up, the beauty offered her a warm smile. It was a smile that pierced directly through her heart.

Ah, I see.

I like delicate beauties.

But why is she smiling at me?

No way…?

“I’m Unyeonjeong. I’m from Jinju. What about you, young lady?”

“I’m Seomun Qing…”

As Qing concentrated on the girl’s face, numbers began to whirl around it.

This didn’t exclude Unyeonjeong.

How many kids would be nice, Qing wondered. Should I give Seomun’s? Or should we continue our legacy in this primitive China?

-1711. Suddenly, her mind went blank.

Four-digit number? No way!

Damn it.

I loved you, woman…

Qing felt a wave of melancholy wash over her.

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