Fine, Let’s See The End (3)

Yang Chong, General of the Heavenly Dragon Merchant Chamber.

His eyes snapped open as if he couldn’t believe what he was seeing. He watched, astonished, as a child who appeared to be two or three years old ran with incredible speed.

It didn’t seem like simple footwork, yet she moved as though she was utilizing a light step technique.

Her target was the old man on the other side. Yang Chong didn’t fully grasp the situation, but he recognized a golden opportunity.

He lowered his stance and extended his left hand toward the sprinting child.

Wheeik!

His left arm swept forward, tracing a half-moon arc. That was the moment his hands closed in on the child’s body.

But suddenly, Yu Seol’s feet kicked off the ground, propelling her upward like a coiled spring.

Jump!

Yang Chong’s mouth fell open in disbelief as he watched the child bounce effortlessly off his left arm.

‘…She avoided my hand?’

She didn’t simply dodge him; before he could process it, the child was perched on the old man’s shoulder.

He was bewildered.

It defied common sense, and Yang Chong couldn’t hide his embarrassment.

He wrapped his right arm, which held the sword, around the child.

Perhaps feeling trapped by a stranger, the child let out a cry as if she had been waiting to do so.

“Euang!”

Despite her remarkable abilities, she was still a child, and she couldn’t possibly match the skills of an experienced adult.

Yang Chong, coming to his senses, drew his sword and shouted.

“Do not move! Come any closer, and I will kill this child!”

His threat seemed to have an effect.

Yu Jinsan faltered, his body sagging as if drained of hope.

“N-no, you bastard!”

Just then, Yang Chong’s face, which had been displaying a flicker of triumph, suddenly went rigid.

This was because the child in his arms had begun to thrash wildly.

The force of her struggles, like a fish out of water, was immense.

“Kuak. Stay still!”

Even after infusing his internal qi, he was astounded that his own arm could not withstand the force.

Then, something more shocking occurred.

“No!!!”

The child’s hand, which was so tiny, struck down on his wrist.

Yang Chong had ignored it, expecting no impact, but he soon realized his grave mistake.

Chung!

A shock erupted from the area where the palm had struck.

“Kuak!!!”

A mind-boggling shock. Simultaneously, the strength in his wrist vanished, and the sword he was holding fell down with a ‘snap’.

The bones in his right arm had shattered.

‘What an absurd thing…’

If he had known this would happen, he would have at least used self-defense qi. He had many regrets, but he couldn’t undo what had happened. The child had slipped from his grasp.

And the moment he looked in the direction where the child had disappeared, his eyes shook.

“You!!”

Before he knew it, Yu Jinsan was in front of him, enraged, with a short spear rushing fiercely toward his chest.

Unable to deflect the red aura at the tip of the spear due to dropping his sword, Yang Chong was helpless.

And soon, this red beam of light passed through his chest.

Puak!

“Kuaak!”

When Yu Jinsan pulled out the spear again, all the strength left Yang Chong’s body.

Thud!

Yang Chong knelt down, his eyes full of resentment, as if he couldn’t comprehend why he was dying.

“Wh-what the hell… how can this happen…?”

Yu Jinsan mumbled as he carefully hugged his granddaughter.

“Don’t be too upset. It happened because of a child who will become the greatest.”

“…”

How could he have known that the child before him possessed the best body? Yang Chong couldn’t solve the mystery until his dying breath.

His mouth opened as if to ask something, but no sound emerged. After a short while, Yang Chong’s head, which had fallen, hit the ground.

Kung!

There was no longer any resistance within the manor.

As he looked around, he saw the members of the merchant group staring at him from a distance with shocked expressions.

They all seemed to be wearing expensive silk clothes and precious jewelry.

He felt no sympathy at all because he knew whose money they were enjoying all this from.

Yu Jinsan aimed the tip of the spear he was holding in his right hand at them.

“You have enjoyed luxury through the suffering of others, so please pay the price for your sins in the future.”

Yu Jinsan, who left those meaningful words behind, turned his back and ran.

They had no time left to stay there any longer.

Tat!

He jumped over the fence in just one leap and moved on without another thought. At that time, Yu Seol, held close to his chest, was crying.

“Why is my child crying?”

“Scared. Ehh…”

“Do not worry. Grandpa will always protect you.”

He comforted his granddaughter with a pat on the back.

As he escaped the crisis, a smile of happiness remained on his face.

Just a little while ago, he had clearly witnessed this child hitting the man on his wrist. It was clearly the first form of the Yu family palm technique.

He couldn’t believe that she was already applying their family’s martial arts. He couldn’t help but feel proud.

And after a while, he arrived at the ferry port. A large ship was anchored there, ready to sail.

Although it was an asset of the merchant union, the deck was full of bandits from the Black Mountain Blade.

“Elder, here!”

“Hurry up!”

Yu Jinsan nodded and ran as fast as he could.

Soon, his feet skimmed the water, moving swiftly across the shallow surface.

Tatatata!

It was the advanced martial art of Threading on Water.

The sight of him stepping on the water and running like lightning was like a scene out of a book. The bandits on deck all cheered at this sight.

“Woahhhh!”

“Elder, so cool!”

Soon, his body leaped like a hawk and landed on the deck in one swift movement.

Tat!

Upon reaching the deck, Yu Jinsan started yelling at the bandits.

“You fools, are you trying to invite them to come kill us by yelling like that?”

The warriors they had been fighting in the guesthouse might have noticed the situation and were coming to catch them.

By the time the bandits realized their mistake, the central sail was unfurled.

“Move at full speed!”

As the ship began to move, Yu Seol, who was in his arms, fidgeted, asking to be put down.

“Don’t fall over, and play carefully.”

“Hehehe~”

The child, on a boat for the first time in her life, excitedly ran around the deck.

He finally relaxed when he saw the bandits playfully chasing after the child.

With his hands clasped behind his back, he surveyed the deck. The injured, including Hyun Hee, seemed to be lying in the cabin.

Soon after, moving towards the bow, Yu Jinsan found Pungho and the captain examining their course.

“You are here, Elder. You worked well.”

“Hmm. I think it’s all over now. You did well, too.”

Pungho bowed his head once and then pointed somewhere.

Dozens of boxes were neatly placed on one side of the deck. These were the loot stolen from the main base of the Merchant Chamber.

“I still cannot believe it. Let’s take a look at all the loot now, shall we?”

Pungho took the lead and began to open the boxes one by one. As each box was opened, the bandits watching from the side let out exclamations.

They were filled with precious jewels and all kinds of goods. The value of all these items was immeasurable.

“And… it’s truly incredible.”

But Yu Jinsan’s face wasn’t happy. Because what he was looking for wasn’t gold, silver, or other valuables.

“I cannot imagine the extent of evil he has committed so far, considering he has amassed this much wealth by sucking the blood of common people. Step back for a moment.”

Yu Jinsan, who exchanged positions with Pungho, rummaged through the boxes one by one, as if searching for something.

It was when he reached the most unsightly box among them. After a while, they removed the contents and fumbled inside.

Clack!

The box separated, revealing another compartment. As expected, it was a box made of two layers.

Inside, books decorated with gold lining rested.

“What is that?”

“That is what I’ve been looking for. Perhaps a secret ledger?”

When he opened it, he found detailed records of bribes paid by the merchants. The list of involved officials and the amounts of money were meticulously noted.

“There’s not a single person from the bottom to the top who hasn’t taken a bribe.”

“A bunch of really dirty bastards have been joining hands. But of what use is it now?”

Yu Jinsan answered as he cradled the book in his arms.

“Once you start a job, you must see it through at all costs. I will convey this to the officials at the Censorate.”

The Censorate was the central office in the capital responsible for inspecting the officials.

It was feared among many officials to the extent that there was a saying: if they were caught cheating, they would lose their heads.

“Are you saying you’re going to the capital?”

“How can I get there while being chased? I know a righteous man, so I plan to pass it on through him.”

Pungho laughed, finding the notion refreshing.

“Haha. Those bad guys will band together and end up caught in a coffin.”

Yu Jinsan nodded, grabbed a handful of silver coins, and placed them in his pouch.

“It will definitely happen. And this is mine.”

“You asked for half the loot, right? Why are you taking just that?”

“What does this old man need with money? It’s enough if I have money to buy snacks for my granddaughter.”

“Then why…”

Yu Jinsan, standing tall on the deck, gazed intently at the brightly rising moon.

After a while, he sighed, his expression turning sad.

“I planned to distribute it to the affected villagers. But I thought it might actually do more harm than good.”

“Then what will you do…?”

“When time passes and everything settles down, I’ll come and give it to them. If there’s any left.”

Yu Jinsan trusted Pungho’s nature.

If he didn’t do that, then he must have had a good reason for it. He decided to leave it all to the will of heaven.

“Thank you for trusting me. I certainly will do it.”

“Hmm. Anyway, how far do you plan to go?”

“We are thinking of going to this island called Ehongdo. They said it would take about a day at the current pace.”

It was an island in the Han River and in the upper reaches of the Yangtze River. It seemed like they thought they could escape from the Murim Alliance’s pursuit there.

“A day’s journey…”

“Is there a problem?”

“I guess it’s because it doesn’t feel safe. If you have no problems with supplies, how about moving to a more distant location?”

“Well, it doesn’t matter, but what’s the reason…?”

“Considering today’s incident, Mount Hua and Wudang will not stop at anything to find you. Moreover, a martial artist’s tracking skills cannot be ignored at all. Won’t it be dangerous if it was just one day’s worth of journey?”

Pungho nodded as if he had nothing to think about.

“I have never regretted listening to Elder’s words, so I will do that. How far should we go?”

“If the rumor from here doesn’t spread, it would be better to at least move to Henan Province. You can feel safe there.”

From here, it was a distance of 10 days’ travel on the Yangtze River, and then to walk again by land for more than 5 days.

“It’s Henan Province… then it wouldn’t be a bad place.”

“Make sure you do that. And what are your plans after settling down?”

“Nothing has been decided yet. I plan to find something that our group can do together.”

“Now that you have wealth, things can work out for all of you. If it is meant to be, we will meet again.”

“Yes. If you come to Henan in the future, we will definitely repay you for helping us.”

A meaningful smile appeared on Yu Jinsan’s face.

“Since when did the world get so small? To find each other, either you or I must become famous.”

“Anyway, I have a feeling I will definitely see you again. But where are you going, Elder?”

Yu Jinsan stared at his granddaughter running around on the deck in silence.

Seeing the child’s bright smile was his only happiness.

“Grapa!”

“You may fall, so walk carefully!”

He lifted the running child, letting her feel the wind.

Deep concern flashed in his eyes as he looked at the waves of the Yangtze River.

It was dangerous to travel to the bandit-infested places with a child, so they had to pick their own path. But where could he go?

‘Wherever that place is, I will have to find sanctuary… to a place where I can pass on the family’s secret technique, Slaying Wind Spear.’