Chapter 72: Like the Waves of the Yangtze, We Meet and Part (1)

Boom!

With a heavy thud, the Cloud-Running Yangtze Ferry docked at the pier. The ferry had arrived at the pier of Jingzhou.

Due to the excessive rainfall, the Yangtze's waters had risen, forming rapids and whirlpools throughout.

The ferry's captain judged that continuing under such conditions would be far too dangerous, and decided to remain in Jingzhou until the rain subsided.

"We will anchor here until the rain stops. It will be at least two days, so everyone should go ashore and rest. If the ship were to be swept away by the current, it would be a disaster."

At the captain's words, the passengers hurried ashore.

Rain was pouring from the sky as though a hole had been opened in the heavens. In this state, it was impossible to know when the rain would cease. Even the escorts and merchants unloaded their cargo from the ship.

If the anchored vessel were swept away by the current, they would lose everything.

Dam Ho and Bang Jin-bo also led their horses off the ship.

"We should find an inn first," Bang Jin-bo said.

"Mm!"

Dam Ho nodded at Bang Jin-bo's words.

The pier was a sea of people, packed with those who had disembarked. Everyone was bustling about, searching for inns.

The sudden influx of people had filled every inn near the pier to the point where there was no room to stand. They visited several, but all had no vacancies.

"What do we do?"

Bang Jin-bo stomped his feet in frustration, having failed to secure a room.

At that moment, Dam Ho placed a hand on his shoulder.

"Let's go there."

Dam Ho pointed toward an abandoned warehouse near the pier. It was barely holding its shape, but the roof was still intact and should provide enough shelter from the rain and wind.

Bang Jin-bo understood Dam Ho's intention and nodded.

"There's no choice."

Bang Jin-bo had experienced sleeping in the open so many times he was weary of it. He had no desire to do so again here, but there was nothing to be done.

The two entered the abandoned warehouse. Inside, broken timbers lay scattered across the floor, but it was relatively clean.

Bang Jin-bo smiled.

"This should be enough to stay for a day or two."

"Mm!"

"I'll prepare the meal."

Bang Jin-bo first gathered the broken wood and started a fire.

Dam Ho was not idle either. He collected usable timbers and quickly assembled a raised platform. This would be sufficient to keep the chill rising from the floor at bay.

Once the fire was burning, Bang Jin-bo unpacked his bundle and laid out his cooking implements. He had grumbled upon first entering the warehouse, but now a smile played across his face.

A significant portion of the items in his bundle were ingredients for cooking—things he had gathered along the way during their journey.

While Bang Jin-bo was happily pondering what to cook—

"Oh my, my clothes are all wet."

"I apologize, my lady. Please rest here a moment."

A familiar voice accompanied someone entering the warehouse.

"Huh? Jin-bo?"

"So-cheong?"

The girl who looked at Bang Jin-bo with wide eyes was none other than Eun So-cheong. By her side stood Jong Ri-su.

Bang Jin-bo wore a stunned expression.

"How are you here?"

"Finding an empty room is harder than plucking stars from the sky. You too?"

"Mm!"

Bang Jin-bo nodded.

Eun So-cheong's eyes lit up at the cooking implements arrayed before him.

"You're going to cook here?"

"Yes!"

"How wonderful. Can I eat some too?"

At Eun So-cheong's words, Jong Ri-su was alarmed.

"My lady, I've sent people to find a room. Please be patient a little longer."

"What's the difference? There's no guarantee they'll find one."

"My lady, even so…"

"If they find an empty room, it won't be too late to go then."

Eun So-cheong crouched down right in front of Bang Jin-bo. At this, Jong Ri-su let out a soft sigh.

Eun So-cheong gazed at Bang Jin-bo with her bright, sparkling eyes. The moment he saw her shimmering pupils, Bang Jin-bo felt his heart drop with a thud.

"A-are you really going to eat what I make?"

"Yes! I'm hungry. Is that not allowed?"

"No, it's not that…"

"Hehe! Make it delicious."

"Mm!"

Bang Jin-bo nodded vigorously and took up his knife.

He placed various ingredients on a portable cutting board and began to chop.

Thud thud thud thud!

The knife danced across the board.

"Wow!"

Eun So-cheong exclaimed in admiration at Bang Jin-bo's nimble handwork.

The rectangular knife moved at a speed that was nearly invisible to the eye. The sight of it was reminiscent of a great martial master wielding a sword.

Bang Jin-bo was so absorbed in cooking that he forgot Eun So-cheong was even beside him. A faint smile hovered at the corners of his lips.

Eun So-cheong watched him with a look of wonder, seeing how he was so lost in joy.

Though young in years, Eun So-cheong had met many people. None of them had ever smiled with such vitality as Bang Jin-bo.

"Hmm."

Eun So-cheong propped her chin in her hands and watched Bang Jin-bo.

Sizzle!

He poured oil over the heated pot and placed the prepared ingredients in one by one.

Finally, he added dried sea cucumber and stir-fried everything vigorously once more.

It was a dish called Golden Silk Black Dragon.

"Wow!"

At the sight of the dish completed in an instant, Eun So-cheong gasped. Jong Ri-su was no less impressed.

But Bang Jin-bo's cooking did not end there. He set a large cauldron over the fire and dumped in dried grain flour and the remaining ingredients from the Golden Silk Black Dragon.

Bang Jin-bo rummaged through his bundle and produced dried mutton and various spices. He shredded the dried meat into the cauldron and seasoned it with salt. Then he began adding spices to build flavor.

"There!"

What emerged from this process was mutton congee. Though it lacked the rich flavor of fresh meat, the taste was still quite substantial.

"Hehe! Did you wait long? It's all done."

Bang Jin-bo ladled the mutton congee into wooden bowls and handed one to Eun So-cheong.

"It looks delicious."

Eun So-cheong took the bowl with a blissful expression.

Bang Jin-bo also offered a bowl to Jong Ri-su.

"Please have some as well, sir."

"I…"

Jong Ri-su began to demur when—

"Oh my! It's so delicious. How can it be so…"

Eun So-cheong's exclamation echoed through the warehouse. Seeing her genuine delight, Jong Ri-su accepted the bowl.

Bang Jin-bo smiled and offered a bowl to Dam Ho as well.

Jong Ri-su carefully spooned the congee into his mouth. In that instant, his eyelids trembled.

Eun So-cheong's praise was no lie. It was more delicious than any congee he had ever tasted.

"Try this too. It's really delicious."

Eun So-cheong was already diligently eating the Golden Silk Black Dragon. With her mouth full, she chewed contentedly, and the sight was impossibly endearing.

Jong Ri-su followed her lead and tasted the Golden Silk Black Dragon.

"Hah!"

The moment the food touched his tongue, an involuntary exclamation escaped.

Though Jong Ri-su had tasted many dishes while escorting Eun So-cheong, he had never encountered food so clean yet so flavorful.

"This would be far superior to the head chef at our manor."

"…"

Though he said nothing, Jong Ri-su silently agreed.

'Truly delicious. To think the skills of a young boy could be so outstanding.'

He looked at Bang Jin-bo with newfound eyes.

Bang Jin-bo wore a blissful expression as he watched the others enjoy his food.

Jong Ri-su's gaze shifted to Dam Ho, who sat quietly on the platform, eating in silence. Even after Eun So-cheong and he had entered, Dam Ho had not spoken a single word.

He himself was considered a man of few words, but he could not compare to Dam Ho.

Jong Ri-su studied Dam Ho with a probing gaze.

'It is certain he has trained in martial arts.'

For Jong Ri-su, he had to account for every possible contingency.

Dam Ho clearly harbored no hostility, but that did not mean he could lower his guard.

He attempted repeatedly to probe Dam Ho, but everything was hazy and indistinct, as though shrouded in fog.

Unlike the vigilant Jong Ri-su, Eun So-cheong ate with great relish. When she finally emptied her bowl, her expression was one of the purest happiness.

"It was truly delicious. You really are remarkable."

"Hehe!"

"Of all the food I've ever tasted, what you make is the best."

At Eun So-cheong's lavish praise, Bang Jin-bo's face flushed red.

Seeing those around him made happy by his cooking alone—Bang Jin-bo drew his life's vitality from their happiness.

Bang Jin-bo's gaze turned to Dam Ho.

"How was it, brother?"

"Delicious."

"Hehe!"

"Well fed."

Dam Ho handed his empty bowl back to Bang Jin-bo.

"Rest, brother. I'll wash up right away."

Bang Jin-bo gathered all the bowls into the cauldron and carried them outside.

He intended to wash them with the rainwater dripping from the warehouse eaves.

Eun So-cheong watched Bang Jin-bo's back as he washed with a smile on her face.

"He seems so happy. I've never seen anyone so joyful while cooking."

"I feel the same."

Jong Ri-su nodded.

Eun So-cheong's gaze turned to Dam Ho.

"Sir, will you be staying here long?"

"…"

"May I come here to eat when I'm hungry?"

"If Jin-bo is fine with it."

"So I only need Jin-bo's permission?"

When Dam Ho nodded, Eun So-cheong smiled radiantly.

Though young, Eun So-cheong was already strikingly beautiful. Her smile was dazzling. Dam Ho thought that in a few more years, she would become a beauty who could shake the martial world.

Eun So-cheong suddenly ran over to Bang Jin-bo, who was washing dishes.

"My lady!"

Jong Ri-su called after her from behind, but it was no use.

Eun So-cheong said something to Bang Jin-bo. He scratched his head with an embarrassed smile.

At that moment, Jong Ri-su's subordinates entered the warehouse. They were the ones who had gone to find a room.

"We've finally secured the last room, sir."

"Well done."

Jong Ri-su nodded, then looked at Dam Ho.

He clasped his fists in a salute.

"Thank you for the fine meal. I was well fed thanks to you. I hope we meet again."

Dam Ho did not respond, and Jong Ri-su did not seem to expect one, for he turned immediately.

Jong Ri-su and his men approached Eun So-cheong.

"We've found a room. Let us go now, my lady."

"Mm!"

Eun So-cheong answered with a bright smile.

She waved to Bang Jin-bo.

"I'll come again."

"Mm!"

"You must cook something delicious for me then."

"Mm!"

Bang Jin-bo answered enthusiastically.

Eun So-cheong, Jong Ri-su, and the others ran off into the rain.

Bang Jin-bo stared blankly at her retreating figure.

The next day, Bang Jin-bo cooked in anticipation of Eun So-cheong's visit. But she never came.

After the rain stopped and they boarded the ship, he happened to overhear from merchants who had stayed at the same inn that her party had departed in a hurry the very next day.

“Urgh…”

Yang Gong slowly succumbed to death.

Jin Ja-gang searched his body and obtained three small curved blades known as Sogokdo. Though he couldn’t wield them freely on his fingers as Yang Gong had, he could use them as hidden weapons, just as he had seen.

He also found a small vial, about the length of two finger joints, and took that as well.

After confirming that Yang Gong was completely dead, Jin Ja-gang dragged his body and threw it into the stream.

Splash!

In about an hour, his body would likely be discovered downstream.

Now, he had to hurry.

Jin Ja-gang began walking in the opposite direction of the stream’s flow. He intended to infiltrate the heart of the Shadow Bureau from the side opposite the stream.

Crunch, crunch.

Even as he moved, Jin Ja-gang did not stop chewing on morning glory seeds.

***

Read only at nineheavens.org

Translated by Nine Heavens!

https://discord.gg/XC9DTsTQ9Z

***

“Yang Gong, why hasn’t this guy come back after going to wash the buckwheat?”

The warriors of the Shadow Bureau, who were threshing in the fields, found it strange.

“Could he be napping in the shade somewhere? Heh heh heh.”

“Hey, youngest. Go check on him. He’s probably somewhere upstream.”

The worker, referred to as the youngest-a man in his twenties-stood up. Though called the youngest, he was actually a regular warrior of the Shadow Bureau.

“Yes, I’ll go check.”

However, the regular warrior didn’t need to go all the way to the uppermost stream to find Yang Gong.

While heading upstream along the stream, he discovered Yang Gong’s body caught on a rock midway.

As soon as the regular warrior confirmed Yang Gong’s identity, his face turned pale.

He immediately pulled out a whistle from his waist and blew it.

Piiiiiiiii-!

It was a whistle sound that rarely rang out.

In less than a quarter of an hour, the experts of the Shadow Bureau rushed to the spot where the whistle had sounded, moving like lightning.

They quickly determined the cause of Yang Gong’s death.

“He was poisoned.”

They also found traces of a struggle further upstream.

“Not much time has passed. The culprit is nearby.”

“Search the surroundings!”

Upon learning that Yang Gong had been poisoned, the Shadow Bureau immediately entered a state of emergency.

Guai Song, who had been preparing to make Shaobing (flatbread) at the village hall, also received the news.

Guai Song’s facial expression changed dramatically.

Not an accidental fall or a personal mishap, but poisoned?

And right at the doorstep of the Shadow Bureau’s stronghold?

“Huh, could it be…?”

A phrase came to mind at that moment.

The annihilation of the Stone Forest Gang!

The limping one!

“Could it be that he came to us instead of Iron Umbrella Sect?”

Mang Ryo’s prediction might have been wrong.

Or perhaps it was intentional.

Guai Song furrowed his brow.

In any case, if it was indeed the limping one, the mere fact that he had broken through numerous surveillance networks meant he was not someone to be underestimated.

“Hmm? Wait a minute?”

Guai Song noticed an unexpected contradiction in the recent events.

If this person was meticulous enough to bypass all surveillance networks without being caught, why would they fail to dispose of the body properly and just throw it into the stream?

Knowing full well it would be discovered soon.

“This guy…?”

The wrinkles on Guai Song’s brow deepened.

* * *

While the experts of the Shadow Bureau searched along the stream, Jin Ja-gang circled around to the opposite side and infiltrated the village.

Entering the Shadow Bureau through the proper path would mean passing through the terraced fields on the mountain, but by circling around the mountain and entering from the opposite side, one would descend facing the houses positioned directly on the ridge.

In a way, this made him more visible.

However, precisely because it was more exposed, there would likely be gaps in their defenses. With attention focused on the stream, this was the perfect opportunity.

Jin Ja-gang hid his body as much as possible in the shadows of trees and grass, heading toward the large village hall in the center of the village.

From a distance, he had confirmed there was a well there.

Jin Ja-gang cautiously entered the village. He pressed himself against the wall of the first house and peered inside. The houses were spaced reasonably apart, which was actually helpful in this situation.

Inside the village, only one or two people were moving about, and there were no signs of others. Most likely, they were out searching for Jin Ja-gang.

Jin Ja-gang entered the empty first house and stole some clothes.

After putting on the clothes, he took a deep breath and stepped outside, walking confidently through the village as if nothing was amiss.

Not too slow, not too fast-just at a moderate pace.

Limping slightly.

Surprisingly, because he walked so boldly, no one paid much attention to Jin Ja-gang!

He passed four houses, covering a distance of about twenty jang (approximately 60 meters).

As Jin Ja-gang casually walked through the village, he stopped by a storage shed. It was a warehouse for storing grains and other supplies. Numerous sacks of grain were stacked inside. One side was cleared out, likely to make space for the buckwheat they would soon bring in.

Jin Ja-gang scanned the inside of the shed, touching various items before picking up a sack of grain.

He placed it on a carrying frame near the entrance.

Then, he hoisted the frame onto his back and left the shed.

To anyone watching, he looked exactly like someone working.

Limping slightly.

If someone looked at Jin Ja-gang from a distance where they couldn’t make out his face, he even lightly bowed his head in greeting!

Jin Ja-gang did not rush.

Instead of hurrying to his target, he meandered, looking around here and there, walking leisurely. To anyone observing, he appeared to be a resident of this village.

However, because he was carrying a heavy sack, he limped even more than before.

Was it because he was too tense and unaware of it? Jin Ja-gang made no effort to correct his gait.

Suddenly, Jin Ja-gang’s expression changed.

From a distance, a middle-aged farmer, holding a farming tool, was running toward him as if being chased by something. Jin Ja-gang naturally turned onto a side path.

It didn’t seem like the farmer was running toward him, as the man glanced at Jin Ja-gang but passed by without stopping.

Jin Ja-gang emerged from the side path and entered the nearby village hall.

Inside the village hall, there were clear signs of preparations for a feast with today’s harvested buckwheat. There was oil for frying Shaobing, dishes, and freshly gathered firewood next to the hearth.

Jin Ja-gang set down the carrying frame in one corner and casually walked toward the entrance.

From there, he looked outside, and seeing no one, he exited the village hall and circled to the backyard.

In the backyard, there was a well.

There were also traces of someone having been interrupted while cleaning a pot lid, as if they had rushed out.

Jin Ja-gang didn’t head straight to the well. Instead, he hid in the shadow of a building next to it and pulled out a small vial from his chest.

This small vial was the one he had taken from Yang Gong. He slightly opened the cap and sniffed it; it had a sour smell. It was definitely a potent poison. Likely, it was a poison Yang Gong carried to coat his Sogokdo blades.

However, Jin Ja-gang couldn’t use this poison. If it was a poison commonly used by the Shadow Bureau, they would likely have an antidote for it.

Jin Ja-gang poured the contents of the vial onto the ground and raised his little finger.

Focusing his mind, the toxic energy stored in his dantian rose up. At the tip of his already torn and bloodied little finger, a transparent liquid began to form.

Drip, drip.

He collected all the remaining cinnabar poison, which he had used at the Stone Forest Gang, into the small vial. Though the amount was small, it was enough to poison dozens of people.

“Phew, phew.”

Jin Ja-gang took long, deep breaths.

As he had done up until now, Jin Ja-gang openly walked to the well. Upon reaching it, he naturally drew water with the bucket as if he had intended to drink.

Gulp, gulp.

He didn’t just take a small sip; he drew water several times, drinking over a doe (a traditional Korean unit of measure, roughly 1.8 liters).

He drank so much that his stomach sloshed, almost to the point of making movement difficult.

Finally, he pulled out the small vial containing the cinnabar poison.

Just as Jin Ja-gang opened the cap of the vial and was about to pour it into the well-

Whoosh!

A sound of wind cut through the air, and a buckwheat stalk sprouted from Jin Ja-gang’s arm.

No, it wasn’t sprouting-a buckwheat stalk had flown and pierced into Jin Ja-gang’s arm!

“Ugh!”

Jin Ja-gang swallowed a groan.

Another one came flying.

A dried buckwheat stalk, about two hand-spans long, pierced through Jin Ja-gang’s wrist like an awl.

When Jin Ja-gang tried to forcibly pull out the buckwheat stalk, it simply tore and came out.

His arm trembled uncontrollably, and strength drained from it. He even dropped the small vial containing the Dansa poison.

Clatter.

Someone kicked the rolling small vial up with the tip of their foot.

Another person snatched the vial mid-air with their hand.

Jin Ja-gang, clutching his paralyzed arm, could only watch the scene unfold.

An old man, Guai Song, pulled out a silver rod that had been stuck in his hair and dipped it into the small vial.

In an instant, the silver rod turned black.

Poison, and a highly toxic one at that.

“Huh.”

Guai Song let out a sound of astonishment before looking at Jin Ja-gang.

“Truly, you’re a fearless brat, aren’t you? Daring to infiltrate the heart of the Shadow Bureau and attempt to poison the well?”

Jin Ja-gang, holding his wrist where blood was seeping out, gritted his teeth. The pain was excruciating, even though it was just a plant stalk that had pierced him.

Yet, he didn’t back down and glared at Guai Song.

Guai Song frowned and spoke.

“I was utterly amazed watching you stroll through here as if it were your own home. In my eighty years of covert operations, I’ve never seen someone with as much audacity as you.”

Guai Song had been watching Jin Ja-gang ever since he entered the village.

“Truly astounding.”

Guai Song repeated the same sentiment several times, clearly deeply impressed by Jin Ja-gang.

Then, he asked Jin Ja-gang.

“Are you the limping one?”

Jin Ja-gang, gritting his teeth, responded through clenched jaws.

“What do you mean by ‘the limping one’?”

“The one who committed mass slaughter at the Stone Forest Gang.”

Jin Ja-gang, with cold sweat dripping from his forehead, let out a smile filled with murderous intent.

“If you mean killing those who deserved to die, then yes, that was me.”

“How could someone so young…?”

“When I was even younger than now, the Extreme Poison Sect also fell by my hand.”

Guai Song was utterly dumbfounded.

“What? The Extreme Poison Sect?”

Given his age, it seemed impossible.

Guai Song started to speak but stopped, glancing down at the small vial in his hand.

“No, no. Nothing is impossible in the martial world. If it’s someone as brazen as you, it’s not entirely unthinkable that they could be caught off guard…”

At that moment, Jin Ja-gang, using his uninjured left hand, pulled the ring of a Sogokdo and thrust his hand toward Guai Song.

Snap!

The blade of the Sogokdo shot toward Guai Song.

“Hmm?”

The blade flew in the blink of an eye, but at some point, it was caught between the index and middle fingers of the hand Guai Song was holding up, right in front of his face.

“Huh.”

Guai Song’s expression darkened as he looked at the Sogokdo.

“So, you’re the one who killed Yang Gong as well.”

Guai Song looked up to see Jin Ja-gang already fleeing. Whether Guai Song was hit by the Sogokdo or not, Jin Ja-gang had used it as a diversion to escape.

However, Guai Song followed Jin Ja-gang slowly, as if he were in no hurry.

Jin Ja-gang, running, was suddenly startled.

The door of a nearby house opened, and a Shadow Bureau warrior burst out.

“Stop right there!”

Jin Ja-gang drew a wisp of energy through his Baihui acupoint and executed a movement technique. He kicked off a nearby wall and leaped over a rooftop.

That was the limit of the movement technique he could perform with a mere wisp of internal energy. Jin Ja-gang rolled on the ground using a landing technique, got back up, and continued to flee.

As Jin Ja-gang turned the corner of a house, another Shadow Bureau warrior, who appeared to be around forty, emerged from nowhere, blocking his path with a sickle in hand.

“Stop!”