TSBIRBV Ch 46

Chapter 46 An Ill-fated Relationship (3)

“This way.”

The pirate’s tone was curt as he led Yegyeol along. Rough though he was, he did not strike him as he had Namgung Un.

Pity. I wanted to give him a taste of static at least.

A guide had been kicked while bound—about as low as a man could go.

“And why would the Jiaolong King call for a frail thing like you…?”

As if anticipating his curiosity, the pirate supplied their destination.

The Jiaolong King… summoned me?

Perhaps she had learned he was the master of Qinghai Trading and wanted to confront him directly.

Before the guard could speak, a chill voice carried from within her cabin:

“Enter.”

It was the Jiaolong King herself, who had already sensed his approach.

The pirate rolled his eyes and shoved the door open wide.

“You may withdraw.”

“Yes.”

Well-trained, he didn’t hesitate a breath before retreating.

Yegyeol paused on the threshold. Running now would only see his ankles tangled by that monstrous chain of hers, dragging him back. But stepping willingly into the den of an absolute grandmaster? That too was unpleasant.

I really should see how fast a martial master reacts if struck by lightning, someday…

Surprisingly, the Jiaolong King did not snap for him to move faster. She simply waited in silence. Her calm gaze held no malice, no aggression — not even desire.

So Yegyeol entered.

Contrary to the bloody aura he expected, the cabin was rather cozy. The only striking feature was a white tiger pelt mounted on the wall.

The Jiaolong King spoke as his eyes fell on it.

“A trophy sent from the Green Forest outpost as a token of goodwill.”

“…Pardon?”

“I recall the Green Forest King squealing miserably when I requisitioned it, set aside so carefully to keep from spoiling.”

This was hardly an exhibition hall — why act the curator? Yegyeol blinked, bemused.

From behind a piece of furniture at the corner, someone stepped forth.

His eyes went wide.

“Samrang?”

“Really, Yeol-gongja. If you call someone suddenly without explanation, most people would be terrified.”

She came forward and untied him. The ropes had been loosely set anyway, and only faint abrasions marred his wrist. Seeing the reddened skin dark, Samrang’s face tightened.

“Damn it. I should’ve stuffed silk under the ties or something.”

She muttered miserably, but the Jiaolong King only shrugged.

“Ah. I had simply never expected anyone hauled down there to be seen again.”

The smell of blood steeped her words.

“My wrist will heal by the time we’re back. Could someone please explain what’s going on?”

At that, the Jiaolong King stepped forward and, to his shock, dropped to one knee.

“Jiaolong King, Yeon Sosho, greets my lord’s benefactor.”

“My lord…?”

Yegyeol turned toward Samrang, shaken.

She just exposed that the Jiaolong King is tied to my Senior Brother?

He could only glare desperately. Without sound transmission, it was the best he could do. Samrang turned away, unmoved.

“…My Senior Brother—lord over the Jiaolong King? Samrang, isn’t he just a merchant?”

He let confusion fill his tone. After all, even pretending to be stunned was easy — because he simply could not piece this together.

“Yeol-gongja, don’t look so shaken. Hadn’t I told you he was once of Kunlun?”

“I’ll explain.”

Smiling, Samrang gestured for the Jiaolong King to continue.

Yeon Sosho bowed her head again.

“When first we met, my lord was a righteous hero of the orthodox path.”

At those words, Yegyeol felt a strange nostalgia.

“I was a mere bandit-chief’s heir, and slaying a fledgling orthodox youth would have been simple. But his ideals, even so young, rang so high that I left him alive, curious how far he’d go.”

“…The Yanggang Stockade incident, on his way back from the Martial Alliance?”

The Jiaolong King’s sharp eyes widened, then softened.

“You even know of that. Yes.”

“He was grievously injured then.”

At that time, Je Haryang always seemed on the edge of breaking himself for strangers.

“The sparrow’s life meant nothing to me. Later, hearing Kunlun had fallen into tragedy, I assumed the young hero I once spared had met his end. But not long after, I met him again.”

Her gaze traced old memory.

“And by then, the one I found was no longer that lofty youth, but shadowed, brimming with murderous aura. So I crossed blades with him once more. And this time, we were equals.”

Yegyeol looked down.

For bandits, losing one hideout meant another could be built elsewhere. But a sect uprooted? It was like felling a great tree to replant its stump — it would wither without roots.

“Our fight was timeless, but in the end pointless, so we parted ways. The Central Plains was vast. I thought our uncanny fate ended. And then… there was a third meeting.”

Her voice dimmed.

“When I had been betrayed by one I gave my heart to, left half-dead. One arm severed, blood pouring, hunters on my heels — despair itself. And there, again, I met him. He saved me. He gave me this prosthetic, this hand to replace what was lost.”

She raised the dull-glinting limb.

“From that day, I served him.”

“…Astounding fate indeed. But that he would make the Jiaolong King his vassal?”

Yegyeol shook his head slowly.

“Amazing.”

It was amazing. He had realized long before that Je Haryang was no longer the Senior Brother of his youth. But that he commanded even the Jiaolong King…

She was nothing like the Green Forest bandit-chief Yegyeol had forced into his service. This was the ruler of all pirates along the Yangtze, choking the arteries of Jianghu’s commerce.

And in Jianghu, strength was everything. A ruler like her pledging loyalty to a mere “merchant”? Impossible.

Perhaps as collaborator, yes. But not servant. Unless…

He had once theorized that Je Haryang was the master of the Black Spot. Then, piecing together only scraps — Qinghai, Black Ghost, a scattering of hints. That had been far too small a puzzle.

Now, the truth looming before him was incomparably broader.

At this point, he wished he could sit down with his “petite Senior Brother”—his inner image of Je Haryang—and demand an inquiry.

What have you lived through? What pain did those years contain?

“This is then our fourth meeting with one of my Senior Brother’s people. A pleasure. I am Mun Yegyeol.”

He smiled, unable to extend a handshake, but offering greeting anyway.

The Jiaolong King tilted her head, intrigued.

“You do not find me frightening? Or loathsome?”

“We have only just met. How could I judge you at a glance?”

Back in Korea, he had never even heard her name. Clearly, she rose to rule the Yangtze only after his death.

“I simply place my trust in Senior Brother’s judgment. If he chose you, he must have seen reason.”

To confess so frankly that his judgment was “outsourced” — and with such pride — made her frown faintly. And yet, she didn’t seem displeased.

Yegyeol, watching closely, pressed further.

“Then… are we being released?”

He longed to reach Sichuan and see his Senior Brother.

“…Not yet. There is still something to be done.”

The Jiaolong King’s smile curved like a blade.

Footnotes:

• Jiaolong King (교룡왕 / Yeon Sosho) — female ruler of Yangtze pirates, wielder of the Dragon Chain with a prosthetic arm. 
• Yanggang Stockade incident (양강채 사건) — early episode in Je Haryang’s career where he barely survived a bandit stronghold.