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“H- How….”

Even though he could clearly see the approaching fleet, he just wanted to deny the whole sight.

How could this happen?

How could it be that just as Shaolin arrived here, Myriad Man Manor had also arrived?

‘Coincidence?’

Is it a coincidence?

If so, there is no way to explain it other than that it is a trick of the heavens. The only way to say that heaven created this situation was because it wanted to see how much more desperate he was.

But Bop Jeong thought all this was by no means a coincidence.

The reason was simple. The man who had appeared at the prow was none other than Paegun, Jang Ilso.

Paegun Jang Ilso.

A man who had shown his chilling strategies since the disaster on the Yangtze River. Isn’t the shudder he felt upon hearing the news from far away Southern Sea still vivid?

Coincidence? There can be no such thing as coincidence for Jang Ilso. Absolutely not!

“Ba- Bangjang!”

“…….”

While Bop Jeong looked at the ships as if possessed, the ship was approaching Plum Blossom Island more and more.

“Bangjang!”

Bop Kye urgently called Bop Jeong one more time. His anxious voice pricked Bop Jeong’s ear.

“If we wait any longer, there really is no turning back! If that ship arrives at Plum Blossom Island…!”

It’s not Bop Jeong that doesn’t know what this means.

Namgung had already surpassed their limit. Even the phrase ‘like a candle in the wind’ would seem peaceful compared to the current state of Namgung. In such a situation, if Myriad Man Manor, rather than Shaolin, arrived at Plum Blossom Island first, wouldn’t the outcome be obvious?

They must head to Plum Blossom Island right now. Before those ships get in the way of Shaolin.

“We must arrive first! Before Myriad Man Manor!”

Those ships are undoubtedly fast. But there is still a distance. If they plunge into the water now, they can reach Plum Blossom Island before the ships. Aren’t the pirates that would hinder them both on and under the water tied up on Plum Blossom Island right now? So it’s not too late. At least, that’s what Bop Kye thought.

But….

“…And when we arrive?”

“Yes?”

At the moment, Bop Kye was taken aback by Bop Jeong’s words, as if unsure what he meant.

Bop Jeong alternately looked at the ships and Plum Blossom Island with a face cold as ice.

“When we…”

He paused for a moment. That brief silence felt excruciatingly long to Bop Kye.

“…When we reach that island first, what will happen then?”

“That….”

Bop Kye could not easily continue speaking.

Was it because he had no answer?

No, this is because he sensed that there was something in Bop Jeong’s voice that he had never felt before.

“…Why has Namgung ended up like this? Isn’t it because they couldn’t escape from that island?”

“But Bangjang! If we leave them as they are, Namgung will be annihilated!”

Annihilation.

That remark clearly caused conflict in Bop Jeong. The trembling shoulders of Bop Jeong were proving it.

But….

Eudeududuk.

Bop Jeong bit his lips tightly. As his teeth dug in, red blood flowed down his chin. His toes, which tensed, were digging into the ground. He said,

“Retreat.”

“Ba- Bangjang!”

“Can’t you hear me? I said retreat! All Shaolin disciples, get away from the river! We will wait here!”

“Bangjang! What do you mean by…!”

“Can’t you just shut that mouth!”

Bop Kye screamed, but Bop Jeong only scolded him more sternly.

“Uh….”

Since it was impossible to resist, a helpless groan of sorrow flowed from Bop Kye’s mouth.

To him, Namgung is not simply a sect of the Five Great Families. They were comrades who endured humiliation together in the disgraceful Yangtze Disaster. But now, Bangjang was telling him to just watch the annihilation of such comrades.

The fingertips of Bop Jeong were shaking.

It seemed even for him, making this decision was not easy.

“…If we go to Plum Blossom Island like this, we will only fall into the trap of that Paegun. Perhaps this entire situation was meant to lure Shaolin, orchestrated by Paegun.”

Bop Kye really wanted to ask.

If Paegun had plotted such a scheme, why didn’t he attack after Shaolin arrived at Plum Blossom Island, instead revealing himself beforehand!

However, Bop Kye couldn’t bring himself to voice this question out loud. Because he was afraid the disciples around him would hear him.

And perhaps, deep down, he feared that this question might expose Bop Jeong’s true intentions under this bright sky.

He didn’t want to know. He didn’t want to confirm.

“We are… Shaolin.”

Bop Jeong made a decision with blood-stained lips.

“We will… observe the situation from here.”

His last voice was barely audible. However, there was no one who didn’t know what Bop Jeong had decided without having to listen clearly.

“…Amitabha.”

Contrasting with his voice, the clear sound of the Buddhist chant painfully pierced the ears of Shaolin disciples who couldn’t bear to look straight at the island.

“…….”

Namgung Hwang looked across the river with bewildered eyes.

He could clearly see Shaolin, who seemed to be about to jump into the water and come to save them, hesitated and stood back in line.

“What are they…”

What are they doing?

Why are they stopping there? What could they possibly be doing there?

“Why…?”

Someone’s murmur was clearly heard.

A dead silence prevailed.

A terrible silence fell on the island, making it hard to believe that just moments ago, crazed beasts were running rampant, biting each other.

“Why… Why aren’t they coming?”

“What on earth…”

Even then, the sword warriors of Namgung Family didn’t let go of that faint light of hope. There must be a reason. Even if it’s slightly delayed now, soon Shaolin will cross that river and come to their aid.

They believed so.

No, there was no other way but to believe so.

Even Namgung Huang, at this moment, had no doubt that Shaolin would cross the river to save them.’

But….

“Wha- What is that ship?”

A word that came out of someone’s mouth spread like ripples.

The gaze that had been taken away by Shaolin, who suddenly appeared, turned to the side. Only then did it become visible to everyone. A fleet of ships approaching this island.

At that moment, everyone here understood what was happening here. This was a judgment based on instinct, not reason.

The eyes of Namgung Family shook violently. Filled with distrust and fear, their gaze slowly turned to the other side of the river again. Trembling pathetically as if they lacked the courage to confront the reality before them.

But sooner or later, the moment to face the truth always comes.

When their uneasy gazes finally settled back on Shaolin again, they saw it. Shaolin had taken a distance, seemingly taking a firm stance on the riverbank.

What plunged those who used the name Namgung into despair was not Shaolin, who took a step back as if they had no intention of coming to their aid anymore.

What truly drove them into the depths of despair was the absence of a certain look.

The eyes of the Shaolin monks who were supposed to be gazing at this place with their brilliant eyes were not visible.

Because they’re not watching.

They are called the Shaolin of the world and the Northern Star of Kangho. The monks of Shaolin, who are said to never bow their heads to any sect in the world, are now bowing their heads like sinners.

As if they couldn’t bear to face each other.

Even with this distance between them, they are turning a blind eye to Namgung’s gaze as if their guilt is so great that they cannot bear to face them.

How could they not understand this!

It was clear to even a fool what was happening right now.

They were… abandoned.

“Ugh…”

“Ah…”

It is always hope that pushes people into the greatest despair.

Humans do not despair where there is no hope at all. Because they accept it as a given.

But humans who find even the slightest glimmer of hope will cling to it desperately.

And when humans realize that that hope is nothing more than a mirage, they finally fall apart.

“U….Ugh…”

An indescribable great despair began to engulf Namgung Family.

The fact that their trusted allies abandoned them, that Shaolin had turned a blind eye to their death, plunged them into an abyss of despair they had never experienced before in their lives.

“Ugh….”

The groaning, like a fatally wounded beast, seeped out from their lips.

Maybe it wasn’t much different. Indeed, they were now wounded beasts and all that remained for them was death. As long as the rope called Shaolin has been cut off, all that was left was an endless fall.

No longer did they have the will or the strength to swing their swords. Their limbs felt heavy as if they belonged to someone else. They just wanted to let go of everything.

Frustration is frightening because it brings people down. Everyone was being sucked into a dark abyss so deep that they couldn’t even bear to look inside.

However, even at that moment, only one person exuded anger instead of despair.

“Bop Jeooooooooooong!”

A desperate scream burst out from the mouth of the wounded tiger, Namgung Hwang.

“Bop Jeong! Bop Jeoooooong! Euaaaaaaaa!”

His voice, boiling with blood, burst from his throat.

The blood vessels in his eyes burst, and his hoarse throat emitted a sound like twisted metal.

That was when everyone was groaning under such crushing frustration.

Finally, he arrived. The one who considers all this mud-like despair a mere amusement.

Kuuuung!

A large battleship rammed into the sandbar.

Namgung Family, water fortresses, and even Namgung Hwang and Black Dragon King watched the scene unfold

“Hmmmm.”

A low voice mixed with nasal sounds lightly drifted. Although it was a very faint sound, it resonated clearly across the entire island.

Soon, one person casually revealed himself.

“…….”

Namgung Hwang stared at the figure with blood-filled, red eyes.

This is the very person who ridiculed them and left them right here on the Yangtze River three years ago.

He hasn’t changed a bit.

Strange embroidery engraved with gold thread on a gorgeous red long robe. The pale skin, the meticulously tied-up hair, the ornate headdress, and the overly lavish accessories.

Paeaeaeng.

Jang Ilso, who jumped lightly onto the land from the boat, slowly straightened his bent body.

Jjalrang.

The clashing of his ornaments forcibly evoked memories from three years ago. The sound they made awakened nightmares and summoned fear.

Namgung Hwang’s gaze landed on Jang Ilso’s lips.

“It’s quite strange.”

Jang Ilso spoke softly with a friendly face.

“It’s been quite a while, but it seems you’re not welcoming.”

His blood-red lips drew an arc like the moon. The words pouring out of that truly ominous and bizarre mouth felt terrible.

Namgung Hwang tightly shut his eyes.

“I am very… pleased to meet you. Hahaha!”

And he thought to himself.

Perhaps it would have been better to die at the hands of Black Dragon King.

Rather than be toyed with by this demon’s hand…