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“Is it right to call it a collusion?”

“If this isn’t a collusion, then what on earth is!?”

“That’s true, but….”

The most upsetting news for those who heard the rumor was that they had abandoned the Yangtze River.

The pirates of the Yangtze River suffered severe damage from this war. If Ten Great Sect and Five Great Family were prevented from stepping on the Yangtze, wouldn’t it be all too clear that they would go berserk?

This is as good as the Ten Great Sect and Five Great Family abandoning the commoners of Gangnam. (Gangnam here refers to all land south of Yangtze River. Gang: River, Nam: South)

The public was outraged by the fact, but the subsequent news was even more shocking.

– It was Wudang Heo Dojin who led the pact.

– Shaolin’s elder Bop Kye, Namgung Hwang, Gaju of the Namgung Family, and Baek Hyeonja, Sect Leader of Qingcheng, sided with Heo Dojin.

– Sects of Ten Great Sect and Five Great Family, who did not go to the Yangtze River, will also abide by the pact.

At first, it was just shock, but the second time it built up into anger, and the third time it eventually turned into hatred. Those who exploded at the news they heard one after another climbed Mt. Wudang themselves.

Those who reached the main gate of Wudang beyond the sunset were stunned by the tightly closed gate.

“You set things up like this and then go into Bongmun?”

“There’s a limit to being shameless!”

“Come out! Come out right now!”

In fact, the situation would have been a little different if Wudang greeted those who came and didn’t shut its gate. No matter how wronged they felt, not many would openly swear in front of Wudang.

But the firmly closed gate fueled the already inflamed hearts of those who had come with some restraint.

“These damn bastards! And you call yourselves Righteous Sect!?”

“You’ve been talking about Taoist Sect and all that, and now you’re abandoning innocent commoners?”

“All the years of trust in you were a waste!”

Those who flocked to the mountain gate began throwing the items they were holding at the gate and over the wall.

The first time is always difficult. As the front liners began swearing and throwing objects, those following suit raised their voices against Wudang.

The insults grew more and more intense, and some even kicked the shut gate with force and spat on it.

“….”

On the other side, Jin Hyun, who was still listening to curses on the other side of the gate, closed his eyes tightly.

“Jin Hyun-ah.”

Mu Jin carefully put his hand on his shoulder.

“Let’s go inside. Staying here will only upset you.”

“…No, Sasuk.”

But Jin Hyun shook his head and endured.

“I have to witness properly. Would ignoring them change the reality?”

“That may be true but…”

Jin Hyun sighed deeply, casting his gaze back to the gate. The pounding on the gate and the debris flying over the wall hurt his heart.

‘To this extent…’

He murmured in a despondent voice.

“I didn’t know they would be this cold. Still, there must have been quite a bit done in the name of Wudang.”

“It’s not that they’re angry because we did nothing. It’s because we did so much. If there are no expectations, there’s no disappointment, right?”

“…That’s true.”

But the words didn’t comfort Jin Hyun. In other words, their disappointment was this great.

“Sasuk.”

“Tell me.”

“I know that Sect Leader’s choice was not wrong. And the fact that all those choices were meant for us.”

“….”

“However… seeing this now, I sometimes wonder if it would’ve been better to die there.. I’m not saying it’s disgraceful…. If I had known that Wudang’s name would fall to the ground like this….”

Mu Jin let out a deep sigh, feeling frustrated.

Why won’t he understand Jin Hyun’s concern?

Being Wudang’s disciple was an absolute honor for them.

How could they forget the envious glances that poured over them when they paraded the main streets in their Wudang’s uniform?

But now, they would no longer receive such looks.

To them, Wudang had become a mere opportunist who collaborated with the Evil Sects just to survive.

Mu Jin sighed and tapped Jin Hyun on the shoulder.

“Everyone cling to their lives.”

“….”

“What’s wrong is wrong. But if there’s a mistake, we can make amends. If the day comes when we establish Wudang’s Chivalrousness again, then even those who are angry will look at us again.”

“…Yes, Sasuk.”

“Let’s go.”

“Yes.”

Mu Jin nodded and turned to leave, and Jin Hyun followed him. But he hesitated to move his feet.

Jin Hyun looked at the back of Mu Jin, who was going ahead, with a bitter expression.

‘But Sasuk. There were those who didn’t cling to their lives there.”

Are they fearless? No, that can’t be true.

There was only one difference between them and Wudang.

Could they stand firm in their beliefs even in the face of fear?

Could they step forward even when scared?

That small difference, which was not that big, led to such a drastic difference in results.

‘It’s difficult.’

What Chivalrousness is. What Righteousness is.

Things he thought he knew became ambiguous.

Still, the harsh swear words from the commoners were heard over the door.

The fact that there was nothing wrong with each of the swear words they uttered made him even more sad.

‘I’m sorry.’

He said it from the bottom of his heart. It was an apology that he didn’t know to whom.

* * *

Although rumor was inherently fast, this time, Hao Sect actively promoted it, so it spread throughout the world faster than its original speed.

Everyone who heard it was angry, but among them, there were some who didn’t even have time to be angry.

They were the ones who lived by using the Yangtze River as their lifeline.

Kwaaaaang!

The fast ship hit the ship that was crossing the Jang River mercilessly. As the ship tilted, chains shot out from the fast ship, connecting the two. As they stepped on the chain, the pirates quickly crossed onto the ship.

“Sa- Save me!”

Seeing the pirates, people’s faces went pale and they lay flat on the spot.

The pirates, now on board the ship, shone their eyes hideously.

“If anyone hides even a penny, I’ll skin you alive right here! Hand over everything you have! You others, go and open the cabins, take everything of value!”

“Yes!”

“E- Everything, isn’t that too harsh? We will duly pay the toll, so please…”

When an old man approached and begged, the pirate’s eyes narrowed.

“Who are you?”

“I’m the captain of this ship, sir. If you take all of this, we’ll go bankrupt. If we go bankrupt, then good sirs too would….”

Sogok!

At that moment, the pirate’s sword cut the captain’s chest at once.

“Aaaaargh!”

The old captain, with a split chest, fell on the spot and screamed.

“Hiiik!”

The people who saw a person being cut by a sword and falling down in an instant began to tremble in fear.

“You arrogant bastard, how dare you try to teach me?”

The pirate licked the blood from his sword with his tongue, twisted the corners of his mouth, and smiled wickedly.

“There are plenty of others willing to pay even if you don’t. If you complain one more time, I will kill you all and feed you to the fishes.”

“If anyone gets caught hiding, they’ll be killed on the spot!”

“Move quickly!”

One by one, the people started to open their purses. Their pale faces were filled with resignation. Being robbed of all their money meant starvation, but it was better than death.

‘How did things come to this…’

The pirates were more venomous than ever before. In the past, they used to manage the Yangtze River by taking only moderate tolls, but recently, their paths were marked only by cries of terror and misery.

Thanks to the destruction of the water fortress by the Ten Great Sect and the Five Great Family, these damaged water fortresses are now ruthlessly killing and plundering without discretion.

‘At this rate, all the merchants using the Yangtze will be ruined.’

‘What’s going to happen now…’

‘If they hadn’t come to the Yangtze River, none of this would’ve happened!’

Each of them gritted their teeth inside. It was amusing in a way. Isn’t the anger towards the Ten Great Sect and the Five Great Family, who had led to this situation, far greater than the anger towards the bandits right in front of them, who were committing these crimes?

“We’ve collected everything. What should we do with these people?”

“Let them go.”

The person who appeared to be the leader said with a grin.

“The officials do not come forward unless people die en masse. Money is a good thing. Those officials are not people who won’t collect taxes just because we robbed them anyway.”

Hearing this, the faces of the commoners darkened, realizing the truth in the pirate’s words.

“There’s no need to unnecessarily make things worse. Plus, if we let them live, they’ll come back with more money, won’t they? See you next time. If you want to keep your head above water next time, carry some money with you. Hahahahaha!”

After completely plundering the ship, the pirates gleefully moved to their ship and quickly disappeared into the distance.

The people on board, who were in shock, finally broke down in tears.

“…I’m screwed. I’ve spent all my fortune on this business trip…. If this happens, even if I return, I will have no choice but to starve to death!”

“Starve to death? I even owed a debt! Now I can’t do anything but wait to get sold off!”

“Damn it! Just a while ago, things weren’t like this!”

“It’s all because of those damned Ten Great Sect guys! This!”

They did not ride the ship comfortably even though their intestines were dangerous. They know it’s dangerous, but they have no choice but to board the ship to make a living.

Those who rely on the Yangtze River as their lifeline have no choice but to make a living from the Yangtze River. Even though we know it is dangerous, it is very difficult to find another way to live now.

“…How are we supposed to survive?”

“Sobb.”

This ship wasn’t the only one that suffered such a fate. A similar situation was happening throughout the Yangtze.

The water fortress that suffered massive damage was greedily plundering ships and filling their stomachs with the permission of the Black Dragon King.

Normally, when they thought their atrocities were getting worse, the commoners would run to the sect belonging to the Righteous Faction and ask for help, but now they had no choice but to endure their tyranny.

“Captain, are you all right?”

“Bring a clean cloth here! Now!”

Sailors were busy tending to the captain’s condition who had fallen to the floor. Seeing the captain’s pale face after losing so much blood, some of the crew were engulfed in despair, cursing out loud.

“That bloody Heo Dojin bastard!”

“Is it just Wudang? There were Namgung and Shaolin too! Ten Great Sect or Five Great Family, they’re all the same!”

“When have those high and mighty bastards ever paid attention to us? What about the Chivalrousness they keep talking about? They should just drown in shit! Those bastards aren’t any different from pirates!”

“Ptoo, disgusting!”

The ship listlessly changed direction.

Having all their goods taken, there was no point in heading to their destination; it would just cost them more for the return journey.

“…We should hope not to encounter more pirates on the way back.”

“We’ve already been robbed. What does it matter?”

“Don’t talk nonsense… What if they get angry because there’s nothing to loot and attack us?”

“….”

One of the merchants sighed deeply as if the weight of the world was on his shoulders.

“It’s so hard to live. It’s really, really tough…”

Everyone became somber at his lament. As they were each lost in their own sorrow, someone pointed outside the ship and spoke.

“Look over there… That ship seems to be caught, too.”

“Aigo….”

Sure enough, they saw another ship approaching from a distance. The fast ship that discovered this turned its bow and began heading towards the approaching ship.

Everyone looked there with sad expressions. There was no choice but to watch with pity the misfortune that was destined to happen.

“Look over there, over there.”

“What?”

“There’s another pirate ship coming. And it’s not just one or two, but a whole swarm of them.”

“What on earth is happening to the Yangtze River?”

Everyone was speechless at the terrible sight.

Then, someone mumbled in confusion.

“…But why is that ship heading there?”

“Huh?”

“Aren’t the pirates the ones who first attacked the ship the rightful ‘owners’? That fast ship has already occupied, so why is the other one also heading there?”

“…Huh?”

The crew looked at the place again, blinking their eyes.

“It’s going fast… Huh? Huuh? Huuuuuuh?”

The ship that appeared late rushed forward without even slowing down. Then, it rammed into the fast ship that was attached to the merchant ship.

Kwaaaaang!

“…What?”

The crew’s eyes widened in shock.