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Those who were tired went to the officials and appealed, but all they received in return were perfunctory responses about requesting intervention from the imperial palace.

To begin with, the administrative power of the officials did not extend effectively to the Yangtze River area. If they had the ability to find and deal with the pirates hiding throughout the vast river, they would have done so long ago.

Moreover, while bandits could devastate villages and reduce tax revenues, thereby necessitating their capture, the pirates did not interfere with the grain supplies. So there was no urgent need to handle them like the bandits.

The pirates, having some forethought, also refrained from touching goods transported by officials.

Therefore, even the officials weren’t in any hurry to take action.

Those who hit the ground out of frustration soon visited mid-sized and smaller martial arts sects located near the Yangtze River for help rather than the Ten Great Sects and the Five Great Family.

However, these sects were also reluctant.

– We don’t have experience in naval battles. We might end up causing more harm than good if we stepped forward.

– We might try to protect the nearby villages, but…

– If even the Ten Great Sects can’t do anything, what can we possibly do?

In the end, the commoners had no choice but to turn their feet weakly.

The most despairing sentiment was: how could they possibly handle a situation that even the Ten Great Sects and the Five Great Family had given up on?

It is said that the merchants along the Yangtze River were taking measures, but it was unlikely that they had any effective strategies.

At best, it would be to hire an escort and place an escort ship around a merchant ship… But it made no sense to expect that an escort who could be purchased for a few pennies would be able to fight water fortresses, which was one of the Five Great Evil Sects.

In the meantime, the damage was gradually increasing, and while everyone was speaking out against the Ten Great Sects and the Five Great Family out of frustration, strange rumors began to spread.

– Pirates don’t approach the area around Kugang.

– The Heavenly Comrade Alliance, centered around Mount Hua Sect, has established itself in Kugang. Pirates from water fortresses were plundering near Kugang but were caught and annihilated by Mount Hua Sect.

– The Heavenly Comrade Alliance, led by Mount Hua Sect, declared Kugang as their territory and stated that they would protect merchant ships traveling to and from Kugang.

The merchants were in a great stir when they heard the news.

Groups of them gathered at the docks, discussing the situation excitedly.

“No, the Righteous Faction couldn’t come to the Yangtze River, could they? You said they signed such a pact, right?”

“No, no! It’s not the Righteous Faction that can’t come; it’s the Ten Great Sects and Five Great Family! Heavenly Comrade Alliance and Mount Hua Sect aren’t part of either, right?”

“Tha- That’s right? Why didn’t I think of that?”

Those who were so shocked by the choices of the Ten Great Sects and Five Great Family that they had forgotten the existence of Heavenly Comrade Alliance began to engrave its name in their minds once again.

“But will it really be okay? Heavenly Comrade Alliance isn’t a greater place than the Ten Great Sects and Five Great Family, right? They might not be able to handle the Evil Tyrant Alliance.”

“That’s not necessarily the case. Isn’t Mount Hua Sect the place where who started to subdue those pirate bastards in the first place?”

“R- Right!”

One of the merchants nodded vigorously.

While subsequent events overshadowed it, all these issues started when Mount Hua struck against the Great Whale Water Fortress.

“Mount Hua Sect wouldn’t have done it in the first place if they were afraid of the water fortresses. Isn’t it said that all the pirates who had approached Kugang were all smashed? They’re even patrolling the area with their own ships.”

“What about the wa- water fortresses? How are the water fortresses not responding?

“Seems that way.”

“Does that make sense?”

“Come to think of it, it doesn’t make any sense. Didn’t the water fortress suffer the most damage in this war?”

“That’s right. Because countless water fortresses collapsed.”

“Perhaps right now, water fortresses don’t even have the strength to face Mount Hua. And Mount Hua wasn’t afraid of water fortresses in the first place. What is there to be afraid of when the place you were originally confident in dealing with has become weak?”

“My goodness… Was Mount Hua that powerful of a sect? Powerful enough to not be afraid of water fortresses?”

“Lately, we’ve heard the name Mount Hua more often than Shaolin or Wudang. We might’ve underestimated Mount Hua Sect.”

Someone else nodded furiously.

Whether this news is true or not isn’t important.

The most important thing right now is that a trading route has opened in Kugang. The merchants of the Yangtze River currently cannot set sail and are suffering massive losses daily.

“So, we can use the trade route in Kugang as long as Mount Hua holds out, right?”

“I suppose so.”

“Ho- Hold on… This… Does this even matter? The pirates control the Yangtze, so we can’t set sail from here. Even if we transport goods to Kugang, there won’t be any ships to carry them, right?”

“I heard that’s not the case. It is said that Mount Hua has built a bridge across the Yangtze in Kugang.”

“Bri- Bridge? Across the Yangtze? That doesn’t make sense!”

Building a bridge across the vast Yangtze is impossible.

“No, no. Listen, it is said that long piers were built on the left and right around the island in the middle of the Yangtze River. They say that if you bring the goods, they will put them on a ship there and move them.”

“Is, is that true?”

“That’s what they said. But they do charge a toll on the island. Defending the trade route costs a lot.”

“Hey, man! Is the toll an issue right now? The goods are rotting in the warehouse, and if I can’t get a ship, I’ll have to throw it away anyway! Kugang… Did you say Kugang? This isn’t the time for this! We need to notify the headquarters quickly!”

Rumors spread at an alarming rate among the merchants.

To those who couldn’t set sail due to the pirates, this news was like a ray of light. Those who heard the news all rushed to Kugang.

“I- It’s true!”

What those who arrived at Kugang saw were dozens of merchant ships anchored at the mouth of the river, where the terrain itself had changed.

“E- Excuse me. May I ask you something?”

The bandit of Nokrim, who was maintaining the ship, turned his head and looked at the merchants who had rushed in.

“What the… No, I mean… Uh, what can I do for you?”

The person who was about to give a harsh answer suddenly put both hands together and answered politely, causing the merchants to be slightly taken aback. Then, one of the merchants quickly asked,

“Is it true that… Mount Hua carry goods from here across the river?”

“It’s not Mount Hua but Heavenly Comrade Alliance, Heavenly Comrade Alliance!”

“Yes! Yes! Heavenly Comrade Alliance. Is that true?”

“Of course it is. Then what do you think all these ships are doing here? However, you have to transport the goods to the other side, on the island. We’ll lend carts, but for a fee.”

The merchants’ eyes sparkled.

“He, he said it’s true?”

“Wait, doesn’t that mean I have to pay twice for the ferry fare and also pay to use the cart?”

“What of it? Would you rather meet pirates and be completely robbed?”

“Who said it’s a bad deal? E- Excuse me! What should I do to use this ship?”

The bandits of Nokrim said with a smirk.

“We will move things or people, so come over. I’ll lend you a ship, and if you want, I’ll lend you a porter. You can bargain for the price in detail over there.”

“Over there?”

Merchants’ gazes swiveled like rays of light.

Sure enough, there was a small house built conspicuously in front of the dock where ships anchored in rows.

A madness flashed in the eyes of the merchants at that moment.

“O- Out of the way!”

“Move away, you punk!”

“I’m first!”

Merchants began to rush towards the reservation office at the dock. The bandit of Nokrim burst into laughter as he saw merchants running away tangled with each other.

“…I never imagined this would happen.”

You can’t really tell what’s happening in the world.

* * *

Chwaaaaak!

The ship cut through the water, approaching the island.

“There, there he comes!”

“Move! Hurry!”

The pirates, seeing this, panicked and rushed to the shore.

Tong!

As the ship docked and a person jumped off, the pirates lined up and immediately bent their backs at right angles.

“You’ve arrived, Big Brother!”

“Big Brotheeer?”

The grumpiest voice in the world came out. Everyone who heard that voice tightened their necks.

“Ha… Hahaha…”

One of the pirates broke the tension, nervously dripping with cold sweat.

“No- Now that we’ve become family…….”

“Familyyyyyyyy?”

“….”

Chung Myung glared and said sarcastically.

“The world has gone crazy, huh? Pirate bastards becoming family with Taoist? Huh?”

‘That son of a beast.’

‘Even if we treat him well, he’s still a damned bastard.’

But they dare not utter those words.

They knew right away that that person was extremely strong and had a terrible personality, but who would have imagined he’d be this ruthless and indiscriminate?

‘You never would’ve thought he’s the man who fought neck to neck against Paegun.’

‘It’s fortunate that we get to keep at least our lives.’

‘It gives me goosebumps, really.’

Chung Myung looked through the pirates with his crazed eyes.

“You lot.”

“Yes!”

Seemingly satisfied with their vigorous response, he nodded and spoke in a softer tone.

“Humans have their worth.”

“Yes!”

“But you lots aren’t humans. How dare pirate bastards like you expect to be treated like humans? Do you think that’s acceptable?”

“N- No, it’s not!”

“Yes, you know very well. So work till you break your arms. If I catch anyone slacking, I’ll tie them up and throw them in the water. If you’re a good swimmer, you’ll survive even with your legs and arms tied up, right?”

“….”

“Why no answer?”

“We- We’ll do our very best!”

“I will do my best!”

“Please spare me!”

“All right.”

Chung Myung nodded with a satisfied expression. At that moment, Jo-Gol, who was getting off the ship, saw him and let out a sarcastic laugh.

“…It suits you so well.”

“It’s a calling, a calling.”

“I noticed you were all excited while boarding the ship. Maybe it’s time to make this your full-time job.”

“Rascal.”

Five Swords shook their heads.

And they looked over the island once and caught a glimpse of what was going on.

“Over there! Make sure that pillar is straight!”

“We’re short on materials! How far is the transport ship?”

“We- We’re doing our best to bring them over now. But since we have to bring them by ship…”

“Hurry up then!”

“Yes!”

In the middle of the island, a large pavilion was being built. Naturally, the ones leading the construction were the members of the Tang Family.

“Ei. If I had known this would happen, we should have brought the elders.”

“We thought we were coming to fight, so we couldn’t bring them. And it’s not like we’re building something that grand.”

Still, it’s a shame. Over there! No, you shouldn’t do it like that! Move and let me see!”

Looking at the members of the Tang Family running around, Baek Cheon muttered with a slightly fed-up expression.

“Was all this really necessary?”

The situation changed. Didn’t Chung Myung say that not only Kugang but also the nearby merchants will flock in? Naturally, we need to expand. We also need to build more roads.”

At Jo-Gol’s words, Baek Cheon nodded apprehensively.

‘It seems like things are getting bigger and bigger.’

Ironically, the whole mess in the Yangtze was helping Mount Hua even more. The more violent the pirates are, the more merchants looking for a safe trade route will flock to Kugang.

Chung Myung asked, gesturing towards the pirates.

“So, how many of the customers come?”

“The- There’s an endless rush across here right now. Nokrim King will start trading soon.”

“Where is he?”

“He’s attending to customers. He says it’s his true calling.”

“….”

Well… bandits are naturally in the business of attending to “customers.”

But that seems to have a different meaning…

‘I don’t know. As long as he does his job well, it’ll be fine.’

Pushing aside complicated thoughts, Chung Myung looked at the merchant ships anchored across the river and grinned.

“Money is still money. Let’s gather all of it! Kikikikik!”

Screwing the Ten Great Sects, makes money, and subdues pirates along the way. This is like digging a ditch and catching a crayfish…

‘Ah… I don’t like crayfish because there’s nothing to eat.’

Can’t we catch carp?

Ugh.