episode_0153

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The only light illuminating the dark Yangtze Riverside without street lights was the moon in the sky.

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Since it was not a day with a bright full moon, an ordinary person would have had a hard time distinguishing objects even if the distance was even a little distant, but for martial people like Baek Geon and me, this level of darkness was nothing anymore.

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“Then, let’s split up and search and then gather back here.”

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“Good.”

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There was no need to go crazy and search the entire Yangtze River because I had already heard from Hongran about the area where the Sugyochae guys were mainly active.

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I split up with Baek Geon and started searching.

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We decided to search upriver for Baekgeon and for me to search downstream.

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This was because, based on Dongdong Lake, the upper part of the river had many winding and curved parts, while the lower part was relatively straight. So, there was a part where I felt a little more comfortable.

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I ran along the river and searched for a while, but I couldn’t find any suspicious place where the Sugyochae guys could be hiding.

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‘Still, are they just thieves hiding somewhere? I didn’t think it would be as advertised… ‘

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Eventually, realizing that a considerable amount of time had passed, I returned to the place where I had dispersed with Baek Geon without any significant harvest.

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As I waited there for a while, looking at the Yangtze River, I saw a vague figure running from afar.

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It was Baek Geon with a stern expression.

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“How about it? Did you find something? Mine was a waste.”

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“I found a place where there is a water bridge.”

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“You found it? Really?”

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If I couldn’t find it today, I planned to spend several days searching, but it was an unexpected result.

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I quickly followed Baek Geon’s footsteps and arrived at a place where the Yangtze River had turned unusually sharply, forming an almost snare-like terrain. Several ships that looked like merchant ships were anchored nearby.

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The land there was higher than the river, and the trees and grass grew so thickly that it seemed difficult to guess that there was something inside just by looking at it from the outside.

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As I was looking at the place from across the river, I saw Baek Geon and asked him.

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“I can’t see very well. Are you saying those ships next to you are Sugyochae’s ships? where… ”

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“Look over there.”

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Baek Geon then interrupted me and pointed straight ahead. As I followed the finger, I saw something sticking out of the grass.

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“… … !”

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What came out of the grass was a man with his hands and feet tied and his mouth gagged with a cloth. And behind him stood a rough-looking figure holding the man tightly.

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“Eup-eup-eup… … !”

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“Ha, why is it that I am on duty on the day of the banquet? Tsk, I have to deal with it quickly and leave. Just try drinking all the alcohol… ”

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Phew!

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with a plop!

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As if this were a regular occurrence, Sujeok plunged the knife into the man’s side and pushed him toward the Yangtze River.

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Sujeok treated the man lightly as if he had thrown away trash outside the house, then turned around and disappeared into the grass.

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“… … .”

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Baek Geon’s face seemed particularly stiff. It seemed like they found something like this while searching.

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It appeared that the man who had just been killed by Sugyochae’s bandits was a merchant.

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‘They probably didn’t pay the ransom, or even if they did, they killed him for fear that the location of Sugyochae would be discovered.’

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It was an obvious story.

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“I really want to make those bad guys pay… !”

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When Baek Geon saw Su Kyochae’s atrocities, he was as angry as when he first received information about the situation from me.

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Unless I was directly involved in what happened at the travel destination, it was a different reaction from me, who watched from a distance.

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‘Well, since he has such a sense of justice, he must be the main character even if he steals.’

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“Calm down. Since it seems like a party is being held, this is the perfect opportunity to steal all the Buddhist instruments and warehouses.”

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‘If I get the chance, I’ll cut off Wang Jin-bong’s head.’

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If you were to rob him of all the money he had earned through hunting and stealing, he would not be able to be as active as before.

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Still, in case Sugyochae, who had turned his attention, could end up in a different situation, he planned to deal with Wang Jin-bung, the creditor, if any loopholes were found.

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Because it is better not to leave any regrets behind.

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“… … Minho is right. Now is the time to judge calmly.”

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If I was interested in Wang Jin-bong’s legal tools, Baek Geon was interested in the money and valuables they had plundered.

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There is no way to do anything about the victims who have already been murdered, but their share should be returned to the merchants whose lives were spared.

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Anyway, in the end, it is theft, and considering the historical background of martial arts, it would be difficult for all victims to receive compensation, but wouldn’t it be a form of justice?

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In general, the actions of the main character usually end up in a good direction.

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I looked back at Baek Geon and said.

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“Let’s go in. You take the lead.”

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“Me? Since Minho is stronger than me, wouldn’t it be better for Minho to take the lead… ? Oh, is it because of the Renewal Act?”

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Baek Geon said that with a reluctant face, but I firmly shook my head.

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“Why are they trying to put the heavenly death penalty first? You should go first and make sure there are no traps or enemies on guard.”

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“No… For some reason, it seems like I’m the one doing all the difficult work, including the search… ”

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This is all part of the process of gaining experience to become a fighter. It was never something I did because I was bothered by being alert to my surroundings or watching for traps.

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‘If it weren’t for you, all the money and valuables over there would have gone into my stomach, man.’

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While thinking this to himself, he followed Baek Geon, who moved first.

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Baek Geon grumbled that I was the only one taking on an easy role, but when asked if he was confident in robbing Sugyochae’s warehouse without my ability to store the goods, he kept his mouth shut like a honeyed mute.

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There were Buddhist instruments with similar functions in this world. However, it took a long time for Baek Geon to obtain it, and due to the nature of the Buddhist instrument, it was clearly backwards compatible with the inventory in that it increased the burden on the body.

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Snap…

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The sound of people dipping their bodies into the water to cross the river echoed softly.

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As it moved, round waves arose, but they were not noticeable as they were caught in the slowly flowing river.

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We completely submerged in the waters of the Yangtze River to reduce noise as much as possible.

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Grrr…

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‘You probably won’t be able to swim in the Yangtze River like this in real life.’

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I think I’ve heard that it’s one of the most polluted rivers in the world, and if this river were in that state right now, I would have just chosen to give up on Dharma Gu.

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Fortunately, the Yangtze River at Tuseonhyeophaengrok was a little dark because it was night, but the water was not dirty.

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We reached the spot where the merchant on the other side had crashed, all at once, and carefully put our heads out of the water.

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“Poo… ”

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“Shhh… ”

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I quieted Baek Geon, who was spouting water around his mouth while breathing, and looked around.

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“… … .”

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Except for the small sound of insects in the grass, I couldn’t hear any other sounds or feel anything.

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“Let’s go up.”

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chuck.

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Baek Geon grabbed hold of a rock rising next to the river and pulled himself out.

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Sigh…

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The sound of water dripping from the soaked uniform was very loud.

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Likewise, I pulled myself up and handed Baek Qian the piece of cloth that I had taken from Zhuge Zongdae, Bang Wu Qian, from my inventory.

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Although Baekgeon was not yet at a level where he could pour internal energy into objects, there was no problem in using the Buddhist tools even to the extent of concentrating internal energy in his hands.

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Phew~

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Without bothering to move my arms, I drew my power to my whole body and evaporated the water.

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Baek Geon, who was next to me and was suddenly hit by a blast of hot and humid air, frowned.

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“Let’s go.”

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“Ha… okay. Am I going first this time too?”

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“It goes without saying.”

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Baek Geon, now completely resigned, took the lead and entered the forest.

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How far did he travel without making any sound of footsteps?

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I hadn’t walked very long before I heard a faint human voice coming from beyond the grass.

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“… … !”

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Considering what Sujeok said earlier about holding a banquet, there was a high probability that Sugyochae would be located where that sound was heard.

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We looked at each other once, nodded, and increased our moving speed. As if I had taken the right direction, the voice I heard got louder.

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And when we reached the border where the grass ended, we finally found a wooden fence lit with many torches.

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“Hahahaha!”

“The liquor jar here is empty! Bring more!”

“Come here! I will send the dragon palace today!”

“Wow!”

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Beyond the fence, the noise of the bandits having a banquet could be heard noisily.

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You can eat and drink with peace of mind, trusting in the forest, which is a natural soundproof barrier.

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‘There are only two security guards… ‘

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All that was left to see was two bandits standing outside the entrance to the fence with bored expressions on their faces.

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Even though it was set up like that, the border was quite lax, perhaps because no force came forward to subdue it.

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Even though it was a wooden fence, there seemed to be no technology to build it sturdy, so it was just thick logs driven into the ground.

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‘This makes it much easier to sneak in.’

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Since they had discovered the location of the water bridge and were even holding a banquet, tonight was a good opportunity to end everything.

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I decided to kill the guards standing guard and enter, so I gestured towards Baek Geon.

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As I prepared to jump forward, Baek Geon nodded and took a stance as well.

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“… … Now!”

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grasp!

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As soon as I gave a signal to Baek Geon, I rushed out of the grass and rushed towards the enemy on the right.

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“Oh… !”

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The bandit, who had a flute on his belt that appeared to be used to signal, stuttered as if he was debating whether to stop me, who had suddenly appeared, or to play the flute.

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That hesitation became the last worry of Sujeok’s life.

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Suddenly

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The blade of the sword, drawn from his waist, split the enemy’s neck as the moonlight spattered eerily.

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For something like this, it was better to just use the Cheonggang sword I received from the Namgung family rather than wielding a superweapon.

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Tukㅡ

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“What is this…? ! Hehe… !”

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The enemy, who was shocked to see his fellow enemy’s head falling at his feet, was pierced through the throat by Baek Gun’s late-arriving stab.

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dump…

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We grabbed their bodies and slowly lowered them to the ground. We clung closely to the wooden fence and peeked inside the bridge.

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“… … !”

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It was vividly conveyed that Baek Geon, who was looking inside together, stopped breathing in shock.