Chapter 297. A Clue to Finding the Evil Path
“If you’re doing this because you fear the Number One of the Evil Path.”
I drew my sword.
“Then shouldn’t you show similar courtesy and fear before me, who came here to kill the Number One of the Evil Path? Just because I’m mocking him doesn’t mean you get to do the same to me. Especially not when I was standing right here watching.”
The water bandits, resigned to death, charged at me all at once.
The moment the Alliance Leader’s Six-Battle Greatsword came to mind, I rushed forward.
As I cut off a water bandit’s arm, struck down, slashed, knocked aside, severed, and dodged blades, I found myself thinking that the Plum Blossom Sword Art and the Six-Battle Greatsword were much the same.
Only the years between them differed. Their destination was the same.
With movements that I could not tell were the Plum Blossom Sword Art or an imitation of the Six-Battle Greatsword, I cut off the water bandits’ arms first.
Because that was the most effective way when facing many opponents.
Since I was cutting down moving arms, my body gradually became soaked in blood as well.
The reek of blood and the stench coming from the water bandits’ bodies tormented me, but neither the dying men nor I, the one killing them, could stop.
No matter how much weaker than me they were, no matter how hard they were to spare, killing men like this still brought its aftermath crashing in.
When you kill foul-smelling bastards, inevitably.
You end up wrapped in the stench yourself.
Even while suffering under that dreadful stink, it did not take long to slaughter every water bandit on deck. Rather, the most cowardly bastards took advantage of their comrades dying in the middle of the fight, jumped into the water, and started swimming.
Of all places, they were heading toward the dock.
There was no other land, so they had no choice.
I picked up a bow that had been used to set the boats ablaze and shot down the water bandits swimming toward the dock.
It wasn’t that I had been good with a bow from the beginning. Rather, because I had already trained enough to shoot well, my accuracy was high. With external arts and internal energy, focus and killing intent, I drove arrows into the backs of the water bandits swimming as if their lives depended on it.
Thud! Thud! Thud! Thud!
“……What the hell am I doing from morning onward?”
I waited to the very end for a bastard who had sunk beneath the water and was stubbornly holding out, then shot him dead when he came up to breathe.
Thud!
Since the boats lined up at the dock had already been swallowed by flames, the boatmen and nearby people who had rushed out were all watching this way. The water bandits had even burned the ferryboats people used for their livelihoods, so the ferrymen were sitting collapsed on the ground, cursing or making gestures of anguish.
“The Evil Path sure torments all sorts of people.”
Perhaps many of them resented me as well.
But I was not the kind of man to stop a fight I had begun over resentment of that level.
I gazed at the indifferent rippling waters of Donghu, then at the people who had come out to watch from the dock, before squatting down and peering into the deck. Through the gaps between the planks, I could see the eyes of people looking up.
“…….”
When I found the stairs and went down, the people holding the oars stared at me with their mouths shut.
They all stared at me with wide eyes, and I could not tell whether they were looking at a man or an evil god.
They were not bound by things like iron chains, but their exhausted eyes made it seem as though they had never even thought of escaping to begin with.
They must have known that all the water bandits on deck had died. However, their numbers were far too few to operate a large ship. They were probably made to move the ship while mixed in with the water bandits.
Because of that, I could not tell whether they were merely laborers who rowed oars or water bandits themselves.
“……What are you lot?”
“We were rowing.”
“Only rowing?”
“Yes.”
They had no weapons, and perhaps because the food they ate was poor as well, their complexions were not good compared to the water bandits. Above all, their clothing was different, and traces of grueling labor remained in their expressions, eyes, and forearms.
They seemed like men who only worked, so my desire to kill them had vanished.
Without much expectation, I asked.
“Gaogong (篙工, craftsmen who handle punting poles), can you guide me back to the place you came from? I am the Hao Clan Master.”
The gaogong looked at one another, then said to me.
“Yes, we can guide you.”
“Is that so?”
I observed the gaogong’s complexions, then asked.
“Have you eaten?”
“We have not eaten yet.”
“Then let’s go to the dock first. You should eat.”
Was my appearance too frightening? The gaogong still watched me with frightened faces, then whispered.
“To the dock.”
The rest of the gaogong chorused in low voices.
“To the dock.”
I repeated the gaogong’s words as well.
“To the dock. Let’s go eat.”
When the gaogong moved the oars, the bow changed direction. I climbed back onto the deck, looked at the corpses, then either kicked them or grabbed them by the nape and threw them, giving them a water burial.
The sound of splash— took the place of a funeral.
I do not know how long the Number One of the Evil Path intends to stay hidden.
But as I said, I intend to beat every last one of his subordinates to death, one by one.
In any case, if I end up beating them all to death.
It will be the waiter’s victory.
* * *
When I arrived at the dock with the gaogong, the Sword Demon, the Lust Demon, and the Ghost Demon were already outside, and the special operations members were also assessing the situation.
Instead of jumping from the large ship onto land, I first threw myself into the river to wash my body.
After washing the blood off in the waters of Donghu, I climbed onto land and beckoned a special operations member over. A special operations member whose face I knew but whose name I did not approached and asked me.
“Clan Master, what happened?”
“The water bandits were burning every boat near the dock with fire arrows, so I killed them all. Seems the gaogong haven’t eaten, so I’m going to have them fill their bellies first. They seem to know the stronghold.”
The special operations member nodded.
“Mm. Then we will keep watch here for now.”
He meant they would guard the ship.
“The gaogong may be attacked, so I’d like them to eat where the special operations members are staying. Where are you lodging?”
Another special operations member said.
“I will guide you.”
The Ghost Demon, who had come nearby at some point, asked me.
“Did the boatmen say they could guide us to the island?”
I nodded.
“It seems so. Though I don’t know what kind of island it is. Let’s go ask.”
I was slightly drowsy, but I took the gaogong and headed off to eat. Now that I thought about it, even the Number One of the Evil Path’s subordinates were divided by rank, and at the very bottom were the men who rowed the oars.
If they were laborers whom those water bandit bastards had usually treated carelessly, they would not care much about whether those idiotic bastards lived or died either.
This was why one should not mistreat those who work, but the most noble Number One of the Evil Path in all of Donghu probably would not know even that much.
Because if they had known, they would not have driven their subordinates to their deaths like this.
Absurdly enough, the clue to finding the Evil Path lay with those the water bandits treated so carelessly.
On the way to the inn, the Sword Demon spoke to the Lust Demon.
“Third, go buy some clothes. It’s hard to look at you.”
“Understood, Master.”
My sleeve had been flapping in tatters anyway, so I tore the rest of it off. One arm felt pleasantly cool.
The Sword Demon asked me.
“You were up all night. Will you be all right?”
“I should eat and get some sleep.”
Escorted by the Four Great Villains, I headed to the inn the Special Operations member guided us to.
* * *
After changing into the new clothes the Lust Demon brought, I watched the boatmen eat, then dozed briefly in my chair.
Sleep came surging over me like swelling water and soaked through my body.
At times like this, one was bound to sink into sleep as if descending beneath the water.
Even so, part of my mind remained awake, and I fell into thoughts I could not tell were dreams or idle reflections.
Unconsciously, I thought we might be attacked on the way to the island the boatmen were guiding us to.
Water on every side.
If we were surrounded by boats commanded by the foremost man of the Evil Path.
Unless one was an exceptionally outstanding expert, it would be difficult to survive.
I opened my eyes and asked the boatmen who were eating.
“What did you say the island you’re taking us to is called?”
“Baeksa Island (白巳島).”
“Is the foremost man of the Evil Path there, by any chance?”
“I know he stops by from time to time, but I do not know about now.”
“In any case, it’s one of their bases?”
“That’s right.”
“Who is in charge there?”
“The Lord of Baeksa Island. I do not know his name, but he is an executive of the Evil Path Alliance.”
The Special Operations unit heard our conversation, and so did the Four Great Villains.
“Since the boat hasn’t returned, they’ll be standing strict guard by now, won’t they?”
“Yes. They even have catapults capable of hurling jars filled with oil.”
Without expecting much this time either, I asked.
“Even catapults… Instead of taking the usual route, can you make a slight detour, or dock the boat somewhere like a cliff instead of the pier?”
The boatmen who had been eating looked at one man. The oldest boatman thought for a moment, then answered me.
“We can. But as you said, it is cliff terrain, and there are many reefs, so it is dangerous.”
I said to the Special Operations member.
“Can you prepare some dry rations and drinking water so the boatmen can hold out on the water?”
“I will prepare them.”
I looked at the Four Great Villains.
“In any case, let’s occupy Baeksa Island.”
A little while later, I left the inn first and discussed something entirely different with Dan Hyeoksan and the Four Great Villains.
“If the boatmen are spies, I think we’ll either be attacked on the water or surrounded and assaulted on Baeksa Island.”
The Lust Demon replied.
“They looked ordinary enough.”
“We can’t trust them completely.”
I looked at Dan Hyeoksan.
“If we end up trapped on Baeksa Island, it would be better for Special Operations to come support us then. There’s only one boat, so I don’t think even the Alliance Leader should board it. I’ll leave some boatmen separately, so secure another boat and come after us.”
Dan Hyeoksan nodded.
“Yes.”
I looked at the Sword Demon, who had been silent all this while.
“Eldest Brother, what do you think?”
The Sword Demon answered in a flat tone.
“I do not think the boatmen are guiding us with malicious intent, but the whole of Baeksa Island itself is likely a trap anyway. We may be surrounded while taking a single boat there. We will also have to beware of rocks from the cliffs above, hidden weapons mixed into the sand, poisonous insects, and snakes.”
The Lust Demon replied.
“Then wouldn’t it be better not to go?”
The Sword Demon ignored his disciple’s opinion.
“We have to let ourselves fall into the trap for that Evil Path bastard to come out.”
I watched the expressions of the boatmen coming out after their meal. I considered threatening them a little, but since they were not martial artists, I gave up.
“Let’s go. You two over there stay behind. You can move with the Martial Alliance.”
The Special Operations member seized two boatmen as if arresting them.
“You two, come with us.”
“Ah, yes.”
A little while later, we boarded the boat again and cleared the deck. As soon as the Sword Demon saw a bow, he nocked an arrow and shot it into the sky.
Watching the arrow soar to an enormous height made me feel reassured as well.
For a while, we enjoyed our excursion by holding an archery contest. Practicing with the bow would make dealing with water bandits easier.
As we moved toward Baeksa Island, I spoke to the boatmen from atop the stairs.
“Boatmen, if water bandits appear, bring the boat in close. That way we can kill them quickly.”
“Understood.”
Perhaps my eyes were gradually turning red, because the Ghost Demon said.
“Get some sleep. You’re going to start crying blood from your eyes.”
I nodded, then went alone into the broken private cabin and closed my eyes for a while. The boat was not that fast, so I was able to take a short nap. After drifting in and out of sleep for one shichen, I heard the Lust Demon’s voice.
“It’s Baeksa Island.”
I came outside and looked at Baeksa Island. It was not called Baeksa because of the island’s shape; rather, the low-lying mist, like a white serpent, made it look like one. At that moment, the boat struck a reef and shook violently.
I could not help but laugh.
“…Dangerous, isn’t it.”
As the boat rocked, the Four Great Villains laughed as well. Strangely enough, whenever hardship and crisis came, laughter spread like a plague. Gradually, still enveloped in mist, we advanced and arrived near a sheer cliff, then looked around.
The flaming arrows or burning jars I had expected did not appear.
I went to the stairs and briefly bid farewell to the boatmen.
“You’ve all worked hard. If you feel uneasy, wait on the water a little way off.”
“Yes, Sect Leader.”
I was looking over the boatmen and about to go up when one of them said this.
“Sect Leader, may fortune be with you in battle.”
I only gave a slight nod, then went out and, together with the Four Great Villains, leaped down onto the rocks against which the river water was crashing.
When I looked back, the boat that had brought us was slowly moving away.
All of the Four Great Villains had bows and quivers slung over their backs.
We leaped across a dozen or so rocks and reached Baeksa Island. Though we had made no agreement, we stopped for a moment and looked at one another’s faces.
It felt as though we had become the Special Operations unit that had come to strike Baeksa Island.
Not only I, but the Lust Demon, the Ghost Demon, and even the Sword Demon were smiling.
The Sword Demon said to us,
“Unless something comes up, let’s kill them all.”
“Let’s do that.”
And so, we entered White Snake Island.