Chapter 116

Chapter 116
Chapter: 116

Chapter Title: The Waves Before the Yangtze (1)

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“Cough! Cough!”

Hahu Gok, folded over and gasping through a violent fit, looked down at the fabric pressed against his mouth.

It was drenched in thick, crimson fluid.

“Are you alright, Great-Grandfather?”

Hahu Yeon, who had been attending to him, quickly held out a cup of water.

After clearing his throat and dabbing the stains from his mouth, Hahu Gok spoke with a heavy, sorrowful gaze.

“Now that the blood is coming up… it seems my clock has truly run out.”

“What are you saying? The healers are giving their all. You will be back on your feet before you know it.”

“Don’t fill my head with fantasies. Open the door—actually, open the windows too. The air in here is stifling.”

Hahu Yeon jumped up and threw wide the doors and the windows.

The thunderous sound of the storm surged inside, bringing with it the sharp, metallic scent of rising floods.

Hahu Gok stood up from his mattress, walked across the floor, and lowered himself into the seat by the window.

“It is a savage storm, isn’t it? How many days has it been now?”

“Five days without pause.”

Hahu Yeon placed a cup of steaming tea on the small table as she answered.

“It is concerning. A deluge like this will surely cause the rivers to overflow everywhere.”

“There have been some minor setbacks, but nothing of great consequence yet.”

Hahu Gok gave a thankful nod and took hold of the tea.

However, she was withholding the truth.

The downpour had been brutal over the last few days, causing havoc throughout the territory.

Mudslides had collapsed the mountain paths, harvests were drowned in sludge, riverbanks had collapsed—and people had perished in the chaos. They simply lacked the heart to tell him the grim reality, not while his vitality was fading so fast.

“Those young men are making good progress, I trust?”

“Yes. A message from the Beggar’s Sect arrived—they have already moved past Gukou.”

“So soon? Even so, it is a worry. This tempest cannot be localized only to us.”

“Do not lose sleep over it. Even if the sky rained down embers instead of water, they wouldn’t hesitate for a second.”

“Hahaha! That is true. Very true.”

The mental images of Sima Geon and Cheol Woo appeared in Hahu Gok’s mind, prompting a hearty laugh.

“They are truly remarkable individuals. I recognized their talents and placed my faith in them… yet against that particular crowd, I must confess I felt a deep dread.”

“The Yangtze Waterways Alliance?”

“Yes.”

“They are nothing but hollow threats. Gunsan Guanglong and a few of their commanders possess genuine skill—but that is the extent of it.”

“Be that as it may, do they not have us outnumbered ten to one?”

“Would the king of the mountain, the tiger, tremble before a pack of yapping wolves? And we don’t just have one tiger—we have two. Their mere presence would send the entire pack scattering in fright.”

“Hm. Though, Brother Cheol Woo reminds me more of a great bear than a tiger.”

“Heh heh heh! You have a point there. In terms of sheer bulk, you are quite right.”

Hahu Gok laughed for a long time, his spirits clearly lifted. But in a heartbeat, his mirth collapsed into a hacking cough.

“Great-Grandfather!”

“I… I am fine. There is no need for such alarm.”

His reassurance was thin as the coughing spell persisted without mercy.

‘The attacks are becoming more frequent. And once they begin, they are relentless.’

Hahu Yeon’s expression darkened with grief as she looked on.

“Keep your chin up, girl. I am holding my ground for the moment. I will stay until those boys arrive. And it isn’t just them—the Sword Maiden herself is traveling this way, is she not? I must endure. Even if I have to grab the Reaper by the throat.”

Hahu Yeon folded her hands in a quiet plea, watching him gather his strength not for her sake, but for his own grim determination.

‘We are running out of time. Brothers… please make haste.’

◇◇◇◆◇◇◇
“Ugh, this is foul—absolutely revolting!”

Cheol Woo shouted toward the rain that was slamming down as if it intended to puncture the earth.

“If we hadn’t come across this campsite, we would have been drenched to the bone under a tree all night. Whatever woodsman built this grass hut… he is a saint in my eyes.”

Cheol Woo even joined his palms in a gesture of prayer toward the missing creator of the shack.

“How much longer is this sky going to leak, anyway?”

Noe Jeon shook his head, looking as though even the sound of the thunder made him sick.

“Until we reach the Hahu Clan, at this rate.”

“Don’t put a curse on us.”

“Do you want to go back out and get hammered like a dusty rug in a rainstorm?”

“This isn’t weather for dust—not for bandits or anyone else. Actually, with a storm this fierce… that tale the herb gatherer mentioned yesterday might be true.”

“A tale? Let’s hear it.”

Cheol Woo, with his hand half-clenched, lowered his arm and nudged him.

“They claim the Dragon King of the Yangtze went into a frenzy after we demolished the Waterways Alliance. That is why the heavens are…”

Noe Jeon stopped mid-sentence—Cheol Woo had smacked the top of his head.

“You moron! Did the lack of sunlight rot your brain? What kind of drivel is that?”

“It’s not my story—it’s the rumor!”

“Rumors be damned. We beat up a few river thugs, and the Dragon King gets offended? Nonsense! Besides, this is a river, not the vast sea—what Dragon King?”

“I am just telling you what they said!”

Noe Jeon massaged his aching scalp, looking like the victim of a great injustice.

“Keep talking garbage and you can join them outside. Are you feeling sorry for Manchu training alone?”

“Not a chance.”

Noe Jeon shook his head frantically and tossed more wood into the blazing fire for no particular reason.

A short distance from the warmth, where Jin Lim was observing Neung Sohwa’s soggy attire, she muttered with clear irritation.

“The more I dwell on it, the more they appear to be total idiots.”

“Are we back to that?”

Neung Sohwa hid a small smile behind her hand.

“Think about it. How do they manage to be so clumsy in everything they say and every move they make?”

“They do seem to be close friends, at least.”

“Birds of a feather.”

Before Jin Lim could finish her thought, Cheol Woo’s deep voice boomed out.

“Hey, woman! Stop the gossiping and get the food ready. The training is almost over.”

Sparks practically flew from Jin Lim’s eyes.

“That bear cub called me ‘woman’ again? I warned him that one more time and he’s finished.”

Cheol Woo stared at her snarling anger, shook his head in annoyance, then turned his attention to Noe Jeon without another word.

“What now?”

“Are you deaf? Meal. Now. If you ruin it like last time, you’re dead meat.”

“Is it my fault? The Deputy Leader treats Miss Jin like garbage, so she bites back. The Leader told you too—we are traveling to the Hahu Clan as a team, so show some courtesy.”

Cheol Woo winced slightly at the mention of Sima Geon.

“Ugh, I’m going to lose my mind. Now both of you are full of yourselves.”

He glared between Noe Jeon and Jin Lim before pulling himself up and stomping toward Manchu—who was practicing with Sima Geon just outside the shack.

“Pointless mountain of muscle.”

Jin Lim shot a look of pure loathing at his back while pulling cooking supplies from her oversized rucksack.

“See that, miss? It’s a good thing I stood my ground. Imagine if you had traveled alone with these brutes—forget eating well, you wouldn’t have had a moment of peace.”

Before Neung Sohwa could give an answer, Noe Jeon crept over, picking up some utensils with a hurt expression.

“Heh heh, that’s cold. You have to leave me out of the ‘brutes’ category, right?”

“…”

Jin Lim gave him the silent treatment. Noe Jeon cleared his throat uncomfortably and shifted the subject.

“Regardless, I hope the rest of our group is doing okay. Do you think they are still stranded at the docks?”

Jin Lim’s face darkened slightly at the mention of their allies who had stayed behind at Gukou.

Sima Geon’s party had originally planned to take a boat south to Nanking from Wunan as soon as they arrived, then sail directly toward the Hahu Clan.

But the plan fell apart.

There were no direct ships to Nanking for starters—and the clash with the Waterways Alliance had left them with injuries worse than anticipated, particularly Manchu. Considering the circumstances, they stayed in Wunan for a whole day to recover and treat their wounds before moving out.

During that time, Jin Lim had gone to visit her sister at the Bi Ma Escort Agency. She had intended to stay longer, but when Neung Sohwa decided to join Sima Geon’s group for the trip to the Hahu Clan, Jin Lim came along.

Neung Sohwa had fought the idea, but Jin Lim refused to let her go off alone with a bunch of strange men.

The other women had begged to follow Neung Sohwa as well, but she and Jin Lim shut that down immediately—their requests were ignored.

Then the storm struck right after they left Wunan, throwing everything into a mess.

Days of heavy rain hitting an already swollen river, combined with a mountain-shaking storm—the water levels surged instantly. All ships at Gukou were grounded; travel by water was impossible.

With time running out, Sima Geon’s team abandoned the Nanking river route. Instead, they reversed their path through Hongik방 to head toward the Hahu Clan.

From that point on, it was a nightmare.

The rain never stopped, and places to stay in the mountains were few and far between.

Finding a cave was a stroke of luck; otherwise, they were sleeping under rocks or trees. If Jin Lim hadn’t had the foresight to pack a stove and food, the group would be in a much more desperate state.

It was a miserable journey, but there was a bright side: the tension between Sima Geon’s men, Neung Sohwa, and Jin Lim had faded significantly.

Like a bond forged in a war zone, the shared hardships of the mountain had melted their initial friction into something genuine. Only Cheol Woo remained his usual stubborn self.

“The Nanking Merchant Guild promised us a spot—there shouldn’t be an issue there.”

Jin Lim spoke the words, but her eyes betrayed her worry for their stranded friends.

“Enough talk. We need food. We can’t have them pushing through their injuries on an empty stomach.”

The rain was loud enough to drown out the world, but Manchu’s sharp yells of effort cut through the noise—Jin Lim’s hands began to move even faster.

“Pushing through? It’s for his benefit. It feels like torture now, but one day it will be a priceless foundation. Especially training under the Leader.”

Noe Jeon practically idolized Sima Geon; Jin Lim’s mouth twisted in a sour pout. She couldn’t deny his skill—not after years serving the Sword Maiden—but it still bothered her.

“I can’t argue with that. He gets more formidable every day. He’s in a different league than he was during that ship fight with the river rats—and it’s only been a few days.”

Neung Sohwa watched Manchu, who was dodging Sima Geon’s sword with every bit of desperation he possessed.

“It is all thanks to young hero Manchu’s natural talent.”

“He’s talented, sure—but the one pulling that talent out? That is Sima young master.”

“Of course. Our Leader has a gift for bringing out potential. Oh—and there is one other person with that same ability.”

Noe Jeon gestured toward Cheol Woo, who was lumbering over to join Manchu.

“Too bad he extracts it like he’s wringing the life out of a rat.”

Neung Sohwa and Jin Lim laughed together at the same time.

Noe Jeon’s complaining was backed by the weight of many hard-earned bruises.