Book 22 Chapter 16

Uninvited guests

-Raid on the Bridge

The last thing Yunbi and Na Yerin did before leaving the cylindrical arena was to sign a "mutual non-defense agreement" for the authorities, stating that if they were injured or even killed in a duel, they would not be held liable because it was mutually agreed upon. Without this document, even a master could be hauled before the authorities for murder-assuming, of course, that the master made a quick getaway and didn't put up a fierce fight-and eat beans. In severe cases, he could be decapitated on the firing squad.

"Do you want to make a will?"

Unlike the agreement, this was optional. And it was free.

"Shipping is free. It's an added benefit."

As a substitute for condolences, it was a bargain. Only in the case of a player's death would the will be sent to a designated location.

"I don't think I need to, I'm going to win anyway."

Yeonbi was an emphatic no.

"I'm not going to use it either, I haven't even found my sister Ling yet and I can't die in a place like this."

Na Yerin said no.

"Don't worry, that will never happen."

The Yeonbi's tone was emphatic. At times like this, Yeonbi was reliable. Just like him.

"What now, Yeonbi?"

The schedule had unintentionally stretched, and new measures were needed.

"Well, since you've been granted permission to stay out anyway, you might as well get a place to stay, I've already told the palace captain that."

"Palace Chief? Oh, you mean the South Palace Chief."

That subtle word was spoken so casually by Yeonbi that I almost didn't recognize it for a moment.

"You're not going back to the skyscraper, are you, Yeonbi?"

"I think it's too early to go back, and besides, I don't know the nature of the invitation, and I need to find someone to join me in the speculative festival, and besides……."

As he contemplated what to do next, he was suddenly interrupted.

"Why, are you worried about something?"

Yeonbi seemed to be in deep thought.

"No, I just need to meet someone."

"Is there someone I should see, someone you know here?"

"No, of course not, but it's a tired old connection that follows me everywhere I go in this world."

If that was the case, Na Yerin had plenty of experience, and some very bad experience. Worried that she might be in a similar situation, Na Yerin asked in a worried voice,

"Who is that?"

But Yunbi's answer was a little different than she had imagined.

"Trial!"

It wasn't a person's name, Yeonbi replied.

"Trial?"

As he nodded, the corners of Yunbi's mouth twitched with bitterness.

"I can't think of anything else to say right now other than that, I wouldn't want to see you for the rest of my life if I could, but I guess I can't, because there are limits to running away after all. I'd rather be here than ambushed!"

As he spoke, Yanbian's amber eyes shone with a gentle but firm determination.

"Do you want me to come with you?"

Na Yerin's gesture was deeply appreciated, but the Yeonbi shook its head.

"No. This is something I need to take on alone, and while I appreciate Rin's heart, this is not a burden to be shared."

No matter how painful, no matter how overwhelming, there are some roads you must travel alone. Yunbi was standing in front of that road right now.

The North District, with its collection of decent and wholesome lodging establishments, was a long way to the northeast from the Arena. The area centered around the arena in the West District was a deserted island, with no shops, because it was all the domain of the Money King, who was a gold hoarder. So no one tried to build a new building on top of it and start a business, which was a wise move, because if they did, they would have been able to take a tour of what the bottom of Dongjing Lake looked like before the cornerstone of the new building was even laid. So Yunbi and Na Yerin, who had no hobby for homelessness, had to walk west.

But there were others who were watching them from a distance, far beyond the reach of normal human eyes. They were dressed in dark blue robes, and the only thing they had in common was that they all had a special crest stamped on their cheeks. The crest was like a palm.

They followed Yunbi and Na Yerin relentlessly and watched them intently, holding a celestial scroll, a precious object from the west, to their right eyes. It was so full-blown that it could be called a crime.

A pair of specially cut glasses sandwiched together in a long barrel to see far into the distance, these wonders were rare and hard to come by. However, because they were sailors, they were able to trade with other countries, so they were able to obtain these precious items more easily than others. The celestial scroll was very useful for sailing far away.

"Ouch, what do you think, the woman with the black umbrella on the right, are you sure?"

Yi Gang, the leader of the Zhang Gang's ten warriors, asked as he stretched his eyes. If he used his inner gong to enhance his eyesight, he could clearly see objects that were more than twice as far away as normal. Besides, sailors were naturally bright-eyed. They were often looking out over an unobstructed horizon. Add to that the fact that they had a spyglass as an aid, and they had no trouble seeing. No matter how dark it is now.

"Yes, large. Definitely matches the description. How could I mistake such beauties? I mean, they're all pretty, but geez, an umbrella in the middle of the night……."

He checked the scroll in his hand again. There couldn't be more than a few crazy women walking around with umbrellas on such a sunny day.

"But that's a bummer, bam!"

"Why again?"

"They're both slender beauties, which is why it would have been so nice to have a shorter, younger-looking… but adorable… girl next to them."

"Were you a child, you beast!"

With a tone of disappointment that you didn't see it that way, Yi Gang accused.

"Gee, beast, let's not have a difference of taste, same beast!"

The outspoken Lee Kang fired back. Regardless of the age difference between the targets, the two had one thing in common: they wanted to reveal it.

"Why am I a brute like you?"

Yi Kang couldn't accept what he was saying. He demanded an explanation, vowing to leave no stone unturned.

"Be honest with me. Black or white, which is it?"

"Well, I'm black! I'm a bit of a grumpy kind of guy! I've got a taste for conquest."

It never occurred to them that they would be lucky if they didn't get beaten to a pulp, like a dog on a rainy day, until they were dusty, or if not, until their bones and flesh thickened, and then forced to sign a memorandum of relinquishment of their body, a memorandum of relinquishment of their personality, and a lifetime of unpaid, unlimited labor. In this case, ignorance can be bliss. Even if it is fleeting and short-lived, like a midsummer night's dream.

"There you go. All men are the same. We're all the same beast. So let's put aside our differences and just go with our instincts."

"Well, is that……."

Without the knowledge or justification to correct the error of Yi Kang's hasty generalization, Ilgang could only nod in disbelief.

"Well, at least I finally found it, and now I won't have to get in trouble with the lady."

Ilkang rubbed his cheek and let out a long sigh. He wasn't the only one rubbing his cheeks; ten of them had naked handprints on their cheeks. All of them were the work of their maiden, Haerhua.

There was only one reason: tardiness.

Boom!

Ilkang's head snapped around at the stinging slap. He was the last. The other nine of the Ten Warriors pressed their palms to their still-stinging cheeks.

"Why are you so late, Ang?! What if she comes now, she's already left this island!"

When she realized the minutes hadn't passed, Hae-hwa huffed and puffed under her breath.

"Miss, I mean, we're……."

Ilgang felt the need to make an excuse. They were so unjust. If they didn't make an excuse, the past three days, when they had traveled at full speed to Dongjing Lake, day and night, would be wasted. All the rowers had pushed themselves until they were too weak to stand up… and all they got in return was a slap that made them feel like they were about to drop a balloon. But this long-haired lady didn't seem to want to be bothered with such trivialities.

"Shut up, you guys were late and missed the bitch!"

Haerhua's face flashed red as the mere thought of Yunfei's appearance sent him into an unpleasant mood. It was impossible not to notice her current mood, as her emotions kindly colored her face.

"……."

Even if they were the daughters of vegetarians, they had a certain status in the Jianggang Surochae, and it was a very bad and unconventional behavior for them to be verbally abused like this. But even if they wanted to protest, there was no place for them to protest. This was because she was backed by a fearsome father who would say yes or no to anything his daughter did.

"Run to Ganghorando right now! Get rid of that bitch! If I ever see her get off this pier, I'll tell my dad about it, do you hear me?"

In a venomous voice, Haerhua shouted at the top of his lungs. He looked like an angry cat, his fur standing on end and purring.

"Yes, ma'am. Yes, ma'am."

They had to sweat their asses off to be called the Yangtze River Warriors.

"Then leave, right now!"

The soldiers were not the only ones who didn't want to be near danger; though they were more villains than soldiers, they shared the same desire to avoid high risk. They didn't want to experience the rampage anymore, so they hurried away.

"Oh, and don't forget to bring your costumes, you assholes!"

I still can't get over the image of Haehaehwa shouting at their backs as they hurriedly prepared to set sail, and it makes me shudder.

"And you know what, Large?"

"Why?"

In a gruff voice, Ilkang replied.

"The more I look at them, the more I realize that they're both really, really good looking, hehehehehe!"

He didn't bother to wipe the drool from the corner of his mouth as he admired them. His eyes were so intently scanning the backs of the two women that one might have wondered if a kaleidoscope was poking inside his right eyeball.

"I know something like that!"

Even their boastful young lady was a firefly in front of the moon compared to those two. There was no comparison.

"Tsk, tsk, no wonder you're so rambunctious."

Not many people are broad-minded enough to recognize a human being who is so much better than them. Moreover, their lady was particularly jealous and cruel in temper. She must have thought she was the best in the world, coming and going from home, but she couldn't tolerate the pressure of the real world.

"Watch your mouth, brother, if you want to keep your limbs."

Yi Gang advised with a good heart. He didn't want Zhang Gang's ten warriors to become warriors because of their shady business. Replacing the missing men was a big job in itself.

"Hehe, let's catch it for a while and have some fun……."

Samgang, who hadn't been able to eat and didn't have a clairvoyant, squinted his eyes to the point where his eyeballs were bloodshot, and unabashedly expressed his desire.

If that were to happen, it would be the least, nay, the greatest, reward for all this shoveling. Then the hawk flew.

Voila!

"Ugh, sucks, thinking about it!"

Ilgang said as he squeezed Samgang's head with his hands.

"Awww, you just agreed to a formation!"

Samgang protested.

"What? When did I do that? And now you've got the nerve to accuse me!"

Liu Kang was furious. At such a time as this, he must quickly show his true colors and preserve the dignity and majesty of the formation.

"Well, what's that saliva at the corner of your mouth, rainwater or tears?"

Qin Gang's sleeve quickly wiped the corners of his mouth.

"Boom! Uh-oh!

Something had unwittingly slipped out of his mouth. He hastily wiped it away with his cuff, but it was too late: the majesty and dignity of his formation had been shattered.

"Hey, this is just……."

He waved his arms in a desperate attempt to find an excuse.

"Bam, what is it?"

"Uh-oh, what is it?"

It was dangerous not to say something. He couldn't afford to get his ass kicked, but getting his arms wet didn't seem to increase his stamina.

"Hey, it's just snot!"

"……."

A moment of deathly silence!

Of course, there's no way to quantify its persuasive power.

There was a brief internal debate, but I don't like brain work enough to spend a lot of time coming to a consensus, so the decision came surprisingly quickly. In fact, it was very rushed. It was rushed. Desire always seems to be the fastest and reason the slowest.

For the time being, they chose to honor their desires rather than their orders; their stern lady seemed to want them completely exterminated, but they valued life and decided to end it only as long as it served them.

Although they wore the title of warrior, they did not possess the virtues of courage, love, and zeal. They were black, and as such, they had always maintained the proper attitude of a black man, which is to build walls and live without a sense of morality or justice. Such hesitation would only hinder their business. Even if their blood was hot, the uncontrolled temperature of their blood would only cause bloodshed.

"So what do you want to do, hit them in the face?"

At Samgang's words, Ilgang shook his head.

"No, let's go with the 'ten sided ambush'!"

They were stunned.

"You have to use a ten-sided ambush to get two bitches, how?"

Wielding a long spear that looked like a giant iron pole with a single blade and shaft, Oha was not pleased.

"Awww, the thoughtless complain!"

Ilgang gave him a pinzan.

"Do you think she's going to call us to clean up after you without doing anything?"

"That's… not……."

O'Hara immediately replied that, judging by his temper, he had already tried a trick or two, but the results must have been disastrous. In fact, he was hardly wrong.

"Ahhh! He was chosen as an emissary of the Heavenly Martial Academy to come all the way to the Heavenly Pavilion, so he must be good. There's no harm in being cautious. We just need to fulfill our purpose."

It was none of their business anyway; their purpose had been corrupted, but they hadn't always lived purposeful lives. If they'd had a purpose in the first place, they wouldn't have rolled into this mess.

"Yup, that's right. You're right about the big horse."

O'Hara seemed convinced.

"Do you get it now?"

Ilgang said with a cheerful face.

"I assume you all know where you're going to trigger the ten-sided ambush and your respective positions?"

With the plan in place, Ilgang double-checked.

"Sure."

Clack, clack, clack, clack!

Ilgang and Yigang folded the Heavenly Scriptures and tucked them into their belts, then raised their weapons. The weapon of the Three Kingdoms was the same, a "noh" (弩: crossbow). It was a crossbow of sorts, but it was shaped differently than a conventional crossbow. It had a long, high nock where the arrow exited, and next to the nock was a handle designed to be grasped and turned by hand. By quickly turning the handle, they could quickly shoot the crossbow without having to reload. The weapon they were holding was a kite, a specially modified version of the kite that more than doubled the range of the original kite.

"Okay, let's start the hunt, shall we?"

A cruel smile tugged at the corners of Ilkang's mouth in excitement.