Unrivaled Spear Demon
72 The Intertwined Branches (1)
Sichuan Province.
It was a province established through the Yuan Dynasty, situated within the administrative district of the Chuan-Shaan Four Circuits of the Song Dynasty.
As the birthplace of the Yangtze, Min, Tuo, and Jialing Rivers, it was a commercial hub where countless merchants gathered.
However, the abundance of rivers and the prosperity of trade also meant an abundance of river pirates.
Because of this, many farmers and fishermen lived in the high, rugged mountain peaks, clearing land for slash-and-burn agriculture to escape the pirates.
Son Gang and his daughter, Son Hwa, were among those people.
“I hope there’s plenty of good iron today.”
“We’re running out of firewood for the furnace, Father.”
Son Gang was a blacksmith, and Son Hwa was his only daughter.
The father and daughter had set up a forge halfway up a remote mountain, making a living by selling farming tools to the farmers at the foot of the mountain.
Having lived on this mountain for a long time, Son Gang knew exactly where to find high-quality iron, and he had been mining and storing it in preparation for the upcoming farming season next year.
But that was what brought disaster upon them.
River pirates from the Yangtze had come to plunder Son Gang’s forge.
…Crash!
A pirate smashed through the door, kicked Son Gang squarely in the chest, and immediately grabbed Son Hwa by the hair.
“Aaaah!?”
At his daughter’s scream, Son Gang coughed and shouted.
“What are you doing!”
At Son Gang’s angry shout, the pirates cackled with laughter.
“We’re requisitioning all the iron in this shack. Bring it all out and load it onto this cart. Then drag it down to the riverbank at the foot of the mountain.”
“…….”
There were five sturdy men armed with swords.
They were undoubtedly demons well-versed in murder, so resistance was meaningless.
With no other choice, Son Gang had to grit his teeth and nod.
With his only daughter held captive by the pirates, there was nothing he could do.
“Father…….”
Son Hwa sobbed while held by the pirates.
The pirates dragged Son Hwa over and sat her on a wooden bench.
Then, they spoke to Son Gang with an arrogant air.
“We’ll give you half a day. Load all the iron onto the boat by then. If you don’t, your daughter will be hacked to pieces today and fed to the fish.”
“……I understand. I will do as you say, so please, just don’t touch my daughter.”
Sweating profusely, Son Gang hauled the iron ore and loaded it onto the cart.
Meanwhile, the pirates began taking tea, rice cakes, and dried fish from inside the shack, eating them as they pleased.
Just then, one of the pirates said.
“Come to think of it, this girl is actually quite pretty, isn’t she?”
“What? Ha! What’s pretty about a girl covered in this much filth?”
“No. It’s just because her face is covered in soot; if she cleaned it off, she’d be quite a sight.”
The pirate grabbed Son Hwa by the hair and yanked her head up.
Son Hwa’s face was caked in black soot, making it impossible to discern her features at a glance.
The pirate said.
“You, go wash your face at the well over there.”
“…….”
Son Hwa squeezed her eyes shut.
She scooped a little water from the basin by the well and rubbed her face.
Then, the pirate slapped her across the cheek.
“Can’t you wash properly? If there’s even a speck of soot left on your face, I’ll pull out your father’s intestines and use them to wipe it off! Do you hear me!?”
Terrified by the threats of the armed men, Son Hwa washed her face with trembling hands and feet.
The pirates cackled in front of her, brandishing their swords.
“If you’re ugly after washing the soot off, we’ll kill you right away.”
“Ah, I can’t stand ugly ones. I’ll kill her father right along with her.”
“You heard us, girl? You’d better be pretty. Otherwise, you and your father die together.”
“Wash quickly, don’t just stand there shaking. Huh?”
“Let’s see. Oh? Her skin is actually quite fair. Here, wash some more.”
Before long, Son Hwa finished washing her face.
The pirates marveled.
“Whoa. She’s actually really pretty.”
“If she looks this good without makeup, she’s better than Chun-wol from Tae-ae County, isn’t she?”
“Didn’t I tell you? My eye for women is precise.”
“This won’t do. We should blow off some steam right here before we go.”
“Let’s decide the order. How about drawing lots?”
Son Hwa began to tremble.
Her ordeal was far from over.
At that moment, Son Gang, who had been hauling iron ore, came running over.
“Wh-what are you doing! I said I’d give you the iron, so why are you doing this!”
“Who said we’re killing her? We’re just going to play with her a little.”
“Please! Please don’t do this! I’ll give you everything, even what I’ve hidden in the mine, so please, just leave my daughter alone……!”
One pirate furrowed his brow, looking annoyed.
He reached out a large hand and grabbed Son Gang by the collar.
He dragged Son Gang toward the forge.
Inside, there was molten iron bubbling in a large cauldron.
The pirate grinned, revealing yellow teeth.
“They say molten iron that’s consumed a person hardens even more firmly, so shall we check if that’s true?”
He grabbed Son Gang by the hair, intending to shove him into the molten iron.
Then, Son Hwa, who was behind him, shouted urgently.
“Don’t hurt my father! I’ll, I’ll do whatever you say, so……!”
At those words, the pirates burst into laughter.
“They’re a fun bunch. Should we stay here for about a week? Making this girl do this and that.”
“Forget it. We have a long way to go. We have to set sail by dawn tomorrow at the latest.”
“Long way, my foot. We’re on our way to join the Yangtze River Pirate Fleets anyway. I heard there’s a pirate camp nearby run by a guy called the Butcher of the Liquor, Gyeon Sul. Wouldn’t it be quick to go there?”
“You fool! If you’re going to defect, you have to attach yourself to someone with real power. A little further from here, there’s a camp run by a guy called the Butcher of the Tiger, Ga Jeong-maeng.”
“The Butcher of the Tiger. Is his influence greater?”
“Need you ask? Rumor has it he’s the one who will become the next Fleet Master of the Yangtze River Pirate Fleets. And they say he doesn’t care about status, background, or character when taking in subordinates. He treats people solely based on their skill, they say?”
“Heh heh heh—that’s perfect for talented people like us.”
“Oh, and just as a word of caution, don’t go calling him the Butcher of the Tiger when you get there. Don’t forget to call him Master In Cheon-du respectfully.”
“This guy. Do you think I’m crazy? Why would I call him a butcher to his face? I’ll handle it well, so don’t you worry.”
The pirates laughed heartily, bantering back and forth.
Just then.
“Who did you say was the next Fleet Master?”
A voice came from behind the pirates.
Where they turned their heads, they saw a woman with a pale complexion standing there.
The pirates laughed.
“Oh, there was another girl?”
“This one is even prettier.”
“Hey, but she’s got a scar on her face.”
“I don’t mind. I’ll just carve another one for her.”
“Hey—you come over here and sit down too…….”
The last pirate’s words were cut short.
Because his head had been cut in half.
Splat!
A hand axe, usually used for chopping firewood, flew in and severed the pirate’s face.
…Thump!
Blood sprayed, and the area around the well grew damp.
“!?”
The pirates hurriedly drew their swords.
“You dog-like bitch!”
One pirate swung his sword.
The woman with the scar seemed to lack the strength to even dodge the blade, merely standing there, swaying.
At that moment.
Clang!
A black staff, having sprung from behind her, struck the pirate’s sword away.
“……Ugh!?”
The broken blade pierced the pirate’s neck, protruding from the back of his throat.
At the same time, a boy with a youthful appearance retrieved his staff.
Thwack! Thwack!
A rapid succession of thrusts shattered the skulls of the other two pirates one after another.
Chui and the Butcher of the Yangtze.
They had killed the four pirates in the blink of an eye and stepped into the courtyard.
Thud— Thud— Thud—
The last surviving pirate crawled away on his hands and knees, having fallen backward.
Chui walked in front of him.
“They say molten iron that’s consumed a person hardens even more firmly.”
“……?”
“Shall we check if that’s true?”
“……!”
The pirate, having just had his own words thrown back at him, saw his expression turn deathly pale.
Chui grabbed the red-hot handle of the cauldron with his bare hand.
Bubble, bubble, bubble, bubble……
Then, he poured the molten iron from the cauldron over the pirate’s head.
Ssssssssssssss!
Along with the sound of burning flesh, a pungent, scorched smell spread.
“……! ……! ……!”
The pirate couldn’t even scream, only thrashing about.
Then, he died, trapped in the cooling iron.
“…….”
Son Gang and his daughter, Son Hwa, were trembling as they clung to each other.
They had been terrified of the pirates, but they felt even more terrified of the two men and women who had just appeared.
At that moment.
The Butcher of the Yangtze walked toward Son Gang and his daughter.
She spoke in a voice that trembled so violently she looked as if she might collapse at any moment.
“Bedding.”
“…….”
“And lend me your furnace.”
“…….”
How could they dare to defy such a presence?
* * *
The Butcher of the Yangtze lay on the warm floor, covered in a blanket, yet her body still shivered like an aspen tree.
“Cold…… so cold…….”
Being pierced by a sharp branch was the least of her worries.
She had been stabbed twice in the waist and thigh, and seven arrowheads were embedded in her back.
The bones that had collided with the reef were shattered to pieces, and in the midst of that, the areas where she had been struck several times by Chui’s staff were bruised blue and swollen.
…Clatter!
Sitting beside the Butcher of the Yangtze, Chui pulled out the blade fragments and arrowheads that had dug into various parts of her body.
“Tsk.”
Chui clicked his tongue lightly.
It was absurd enough that he was treating the wounds of an enemy he had intended to turn into a Changwi, rather than killing her.
“If you cannot forge weapons, you will die.”
“Cold…… so, so cold…….”
The Butcher of the Yangtze groaned in a high fever, having lost consciousness.
Even the fact that she had thrown the axe earlier was merely an unconscious reaction to the words ‘Butcher of the Tiger’ or ‘Fleet Master.’
Chui stripped off all of the Butcher of the Yangtze’s clothes, removed all the metal and wood fragments embedded in her body, and covered her with the blanket again.
Then, he opened the paper door and spoke to Son Hwa, who was waiting on the porch.
“Bring me hot water and clean cloths. And fetch a few medicinal herbs as well.”
“Yes, I shall. But….”
“?”
Son Hwa trailed off, glancing cautiously at Chui. Then, with her face flushing bright red, she asked, “Is the woman who came with you… Perhaps your wife?”
“No.”
“Then, is she your lover?”
“No.”
“If not, then what is your relationship to her…?”
A look of inexplicable anticipation clouded Son Hwa’s expression as she awaited Chui’s answer.
Meanwhile, Chui frowned, unable to fathom why she was asking such things.
“She is a prisoner.”
“?”
“Just hurry up and get what I asked for. If you don’t want to, I’ll go to another house.”
“No! No! Please, stay here! I’ll go get them right away!”
Son Hwa’s face lit up, and she ran toward the brushwood gate.
Chui placed his hand on the Butcher of the Yangtze’s forehead.
She was burning with such a high fever that one could practically melt iron against her skin.
Just then.
“Do you intend to use the furnace?”
Son Gang’s voice drifted over from the wooden floor.
Chui closed the door to the room where the Butcher of the Yangtze lay and stepped out onto the porch.
Son Gang stood in a respectful posture, bowing his head toward Chui.
“I have prepared it so that you may use it at any time.”
“Can you repair these here?”
Chui showed him the Ink Bamboo Staff and the Plum Blossom Sword, harboring a faint hope.
Son Gang examined the two weapons with a sharp gaze, then immediately shook his head.
“These extraordinary items cannot be handled by the skill of an ordinary blacksmith. With my meager abilities, even sharpening the blades would be difficult.”
“Do you know of a blacksmith who could?”
“As far as I know, there is no one in this vicinity. I wonder what it might be like if you were to go out to Chengdu….”
“…….”
Chui nodded.
In the end, he had no choice but to wait for the Butcher of the Yangtze to wake up.
If she had merely spewed cheap lies to escape her predicament… she would certainly pay the price for it.
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