Heaven-Defying Hero - Chapter 17
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This chapter was translated by Lunox Team. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
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#017
-He’s built not only warships but also tower ships and trading vessels in Hangzhou, Zhejiang Province. His hometown is Hwangdo, north of Jiao-nan, and he recently retired and returned there.
Coincidentally, there was a shipbuilding technician in Hwangdo who was treated as a master craftsman—the same Hwangdo where they had dealt with the Black Immortal Sect.
After hearing detailed explanations from Jo Pilseong, the Donghai Merchant Guild Leader, Ja-gang-cheon immediately rushed to Hwangdo with Cheon-gu.
Though they hurried with urgent hearts, it was already late evening when they arrived.
They visited the manor the craftsman had built, left word that they would return tomorrow, and had no choice but to spend the night at an inn.
The next morning.
As they came down to the first floor for an early meal, they felt uncomfortable gazes.
“Did you notice it too?”
Ja-gang-cheon naturally felt the awkward presence, but he hadn’t expected Cheon-gu to notice as well.
“This isn’t about martial arts, it’s about intuition. That’s what I’m best at.”
“Can you tell me about it?”
Cheon-gu proudly boasted about his intuition without hesitation.
“That street vendor uncle peeking at us through the crack in the door. Even though he has customers, he keeps glancing at us. And those two uncles sitting in the corner eating leisurely at this hour are strange too.”
“Why are those uncles strange?”
“They’re not talking and have no alcohol, but they’re eating too leisurely. If they were busy laborers, they’d hurry through their meal, and their faces don’t look tired for people who drank all night.”
“Maybe they’re just awkward with each other.”
“People like that don’t meet for meals at this hour.”
Ja-gang-cheon was genuinely impressed.
“Are there any others?”
“The waitstaff uncle is suspicious too.”
“Really? I didn’t notice the waitstaff uncle.”
Ja-gang-cheon called over the waitstaff who appeared to be around thirty.
“Excuse me!”
The waitstaff who made eye contact hurried over.
“Yes, customer. Do you need anything?”
“I don’t know much about Hwangdo.”
“Yes. Please ask me anything.”
“Who sent you here, uncle?”
“Pardon? I don’t understand what you mean.”
Those words came after a moment of silence. There was no way Ja-gang-cheon would miss that.
Moreover, when his inner thoughts were exposed, the hair on his forearms stood up, which Ja-gang-cheon saw clearly.
“Your body already answered.”
Ja-gang-cheon gave Cheon-gu a thumbs up.
“How did you know?”
“He couldn’t find a proper waiting position. Anyone who’s worked somewhere for a long time naturally develops familiar behaviors. Waiting positions, angles for placing teacups, postures for running when customers call—these all become established. But he kept moving around nervously. Besides that, he was constantly watching us in a tense state.”
“How did you know he was nervous?”
“He kept shifting his weight between his feet. And he consciously stared blankly at other places. He doesn’t seem like someone who’s done this kind of work often.”
Ja-gang-cheon realized once again.
“Indeed, in the martial world, experience matters more than martial arts.”
“You say that because you have martial arts. What you lack always seems bigger.”
“My parents said it was experience.”
“Don’t both of them have strong martial arts?”
“Yes.”
“That’s why they say that.”
When he thought about it, it wasn’t wrong, so Ja-gang-cheon nodded in agreement. However, the waitstaff who had been listening to their conversation was anxious and didn’t know what to do.
“Which organization are you from? I didn’t hear your answer.”
“Th-that’s…”
“If I have to find out myself, it could become a bigger problem.”
“Bangjinhoe!”
He finally revealed his affiliation.
“What about the person pretending to eat over there?”
“Yes.”
“What about the person pretending to be a street vendor outside?”
“That person isn’t one of ours!”
“Which organization is he from then?”
“For me to say that would be…”
Tattling on other organizations was a different matter.
“Then…”
They had already confirmed everyone Cheon-gu had mentioned.
“What about the lady on the second floor?”
“Pardon?”
As soon as those words ended, a black shadow rushed out of the inn.
Crash!
Just before the black figure that had broken through the second-floor window hit the ground, Ja-gang-cheon suddenly moved.
Thud.
Ja-gang-cheon grabbed the shoulder of the figure that had just touched the ground. The moment the opponent flinched and tried to twist their center and kick off the ground to escape, Ja-gang-cheon’s foot was faster.
Thwack!
When he hooked and pulled the ankle, the fugitive’s body flipped and tumbled to the ground.
“Ahhh!”
“If you run, I have no choice but to chase you. If you had stayed still, I would have just greeted you and let you go.”
Ja-gang-cheon went in front of the fallen opponent and checked their face.
The person glaring fiercely at him was, as expected, a woman.
“It doesn’t seem like we have any grudges. Are you making that expression because you’re upset about being caught?”
Though her fierce face was covered with dirt, her beautiful features weren’t hidden at all.
Looking at the outstanding beauty that would make any man’s heart waver, Ja-gang-cheon spoke again.
“You’ve been watching since last night. Why did you do that?”
Even though it was revealed when she had been there, the woman didn’t speak.
“Just tell me. I really don’t want to do this.”
The woman kept her mouth shut despite the clear warning. At this, Ja-gang-cheon grabbed the woman’s shoulder.
“Ahhh!”
The woman screamed at the grip strength that seemed like it would crush her shoulder.
Surprisingly, there was no emotion on Ja-gang-cheon’s face. It seemed like his fingers would crush and dig into her shoulder at this rate.
‘He’s really going to do it.’
Even with that thought, the woman kept her mouth shut.
That’s when it happened.
“Young hero. Would you forgive her for my sake?”
Ja-gang-cheon turned his gaze.
There stood a woman with skin white as drawing paper, lips red like plum blossoms painted by a master craftsman, and refreshing eyebrows.
Beyond simple beauty, she had an untouchable elegance, yet strangely, her smile felt sensual. She clearly possessed mature charm that couldn’t be seen in young women, but her outstanding beauty made it impossible to guess her age.
“So who are you people?”
Ja-gang-cheon’s tone changed.
Seeing the newly appeared woman, he actually showed wariness.
Ja-gang-cheon’s instincts warned him that the woman who had just appeared was dangerous.
Then, a voice that seemed to whisper and penetrate his ears was heard.
-We are from Hao-mun. We came to confirm after hearing that the person who disbanded the Black Immortal Sect had arrived.
It was telepathic transmission.
When Ja-gang-cheon didn’t respond, the woman continued her explanation.
-We had no intentions other than gathering information.
“Should I believe what you’re saying?”
Ja-gang-cheon said while looking at the woman dressed in black.
“You covered your face, so it’s not a honey trap. Did you send her to tell me to die? As bait, I mean.”
The black-clad woman who had suddenly become human bait gritted her teeth and glared at Ja-gang-cheon.
“Don’t follow me anymore. Next time, I’ll kill you.”
Ja-gang-cheon turned around and returned to the inn.
As he sat back down at the table, the people who had been watching left the inn. Confirming this, Ja-gang-cheon asked Cheon-gu.
“They say Hao-mun is everywhere, do you know about them too?”
“I don’t know the high-ranking people, but meeting someone connected to Hao-mun isn’t difficult. There are so many of them. But why are you asking about that?”
“The woman I just caught says she’s from Hao-mun.”
“If it’s Hao-mun, that’s dangerous.”
“She said it was just for information gathering, but it seemed like it would become troublesome, so I let her live. Mother told me not to get involved with them if possible.”
Mother had said this.
-It’s shit. Avoid it.
When Ja-gang-cheon asked back, ‘Then is shit spread throughout the entire Martial Arts World?’, Mother said firmly, ‘That’s right. If you get close, you’ll smell the stench.’
Surprisingly, Father also agreed with those words. It was one of the few moments when their opinions matched.
“I don’t want to fight with shit.”
Imagining himself falling into a latrine, Ja-gang-cheon got goosebumps. Wouldn’t it be better to be covered in blood instead? He even had such thoughts.
“For now, let’s focus on the boat-making business today.”
After finishing their meal, they moved to the craftsman’s manor.
The manor at the edge of the market, not far from the port, was located on the boundary between residential and commercial areas.
Ja-gang-cheon stood in front of the manor that was even more conspicuous because it was positioned at the corner of the district.
“Will we be able to meet him today?”
Although they had visited yesterday evening, they hadn’t set an exact appointment time.
He wasn’t someone that two teenage boys could meet just by showing up.
Cheon-gu was preparing his own method to negotiate when the gatekeeper said.
“If you wait about half a hour, you’ll be able to meet him. We’ve prepared refreshments, so please come inside.”
Unlike yesterday when he showed signs of annoyance, the servant in charge of reception politely guided them.
Though it was a puzzling situation, once they entered, the servant led them to guest quarters where refreshments were prepared.
“This means they know who we are. But is there a reason to treat us this well?”
Cheon-gu had a very wary expression, but Ja-gang-cheon wasn’t particularly nervous.
“We’ll find out soon enough.”
“Just in case, it would be better not to mention Gwigokdo directly.”
“Got it. I’ll do that.”
As promised, after half an hour passed, Jangju entered with greetings.
“Sorry for being late. I’m Manpilwoong.”
He was skilled enough to receive an honorary position called Bong-ui-rang from the Royal Court.
He had such a solid build that he could be called a general if he wore armor, and he was so healthy that it was hard to believe he was sixty years old.
Just looking at how half of his hair tied back was deep black showed his good health.
“I heard you’re doing big business at Gyeonam Port. The Donghai Merchant Guild Leader even sent a personal letter.”
They could finally understand the reason they were being treated well.
It probably didn’t end with just a letter.
He must have received gifts substantial enough to treat the people he had ignored yesterday.
“But what brings you to see me?”
“We have something to ask about boats.”
“Please, ask anything.”
“Is there a boat that can cross seas with raging typhoons?”
“What level of typhoon?”
“The most powerful typhoon you can think of.”
At the absurd question, Manpilwoong answered without a moment’s hesitation.
“Even if such a boat existed, you shouldn’t try to pass through a typhoon.”
“What if we absolutely must pass through?”
Manpilwoong thought ‘that’s nonsense,’ but looking into Ja-gang-cheon’s eyes, he couldn’t give such an answer. It was because of his frighteningly intense gaze.
“Do you really need such a boat?”
“Yes. Size or speed doesn’t matter. As long as it can pass through hellish seas.”
Manpilwoong was puzzled.
‘It’s as if he’s experienced that hell himself.’
Manpilwoong pulled up a chair and sat down properly. It meant he was ready to have a serious conversation.
“With good luck, you can cross any sea. However, if it’s the worst typhoon, the Dragon King would have to answer your prayers.”
It was a euphemistic way of saying a miracle was needed. Even so, Ja-gang-cheon couldn’t give up.
“Isn’t there a way to increase that possibility?”
“There is. The bigger and heavier a boat is, the sturdier it becomes. So the larger the boat, the greater the possibility.”
“Then we’d need the biggest boat in the world.”
“Unfortunately, building such a boat is impossible. Even with manpower, there are no tools, and even if we built the boat, we couldn’t find sailors to operate it.”
What sailor would want to join a voyage that meant certain death?
“The larger the boat, the more sailors needed to operate it.”
Manpilwoong didn’t say a single hopeful thing, but Ja-gang-cheon was the opposite.
“If all the conditions you just mentioned were met, what would the possibility be?”
“Under the condition of unlimited financial support and available sailors?”
“Yes. That’s right.”
“Then you could expect a fifty percent possibility.”
Unlike Manpilwoong, Ja-gang-cheon spoke of hope and finally got the answer he wanted.
***
On the way back to Gyeonam.
“Gangcheon. What was it like when you escaped from Gwigokdo? You experienced those seas directly.”
“If hell exists, I thought it might look like that.”
“Escaping couldn’t have been easy.”
“Honestly, if I had to do it again, I don’t think I could.”
This was why Ja-gang-cheon couldn’t wait for his parents with peace of mind.
“Unlimited money and sailors willing to challenge death…”
Manpilwoong had said there was a fifty percent possibility. After that conversation, there were no specific proposals or negotiations.
“We need to have some preparations ready before we can make a proposal, right?”
“Do you have a plan?”
“Not yet. But we learned it’s not impossible.”
Some see despair, others see hope.
Those who see despair are always careful, avoiding the worst but unable to surpass limits.
Conversely, those who see hope take great risks and challenge limits.
It’s impossible to know what’s right, but Ja-gang-cheon had no choice.
“It was never a problem we could give up on anyway.”
The two reached that conclusion and returned to Gyeonam.
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This chapter was translated by Lunox Team. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
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