Chapter 664
The dungeons of Murim are nothing like modern prisons that mix the concept of “human rights” with confinement. These places fulfill their purpose perfectly.
In here, the very concept of human rights does not exist.
Even the Sichuan Tang Clan’s dungeon was closer to a torture chamber than a holding cell. The old warden who died during Dark Heaven’s assault, for example, had been a torture specialist with decades of experience. He often smiled fondly when reminiscing about his glory days.
‘Ah, the days right after the Great War of Justice and Evil were wonderful. Every day, three or four infamous demonic masters would be brought in.’
‘…Did you just say ‘three or four’ “masters”?’
‘Yes, sir. We’d line up a dozen or so of them and start our work—oh, the responses were amazing. They screamed with such passion you could almost call it music!’
He measured people in “headcount” like livestock.
I didn’t bother asking for details. It wasn’t hard to imagine what kind of scene it was when that bastard pulled out his favorite knife and “engraved a pretty little tattoo.”
‘Tattoo, my ass.’
We both knew what he meant—bone cracking, flesh splitting, and rivers of blood.
Anyway, the point was: most dungeons in Murim were all the same—cold, dark, damp, and almost always buried deep underground.
Just like the one I was in now—deep below the Beast Miao Palace. And…
“Taesan. Hungry. Ate too much. Locked in dungeon.”
“Ah…”
That idiot. The only difference between him and me was a single floor—maybe the third and fourth underground levels.
‘You’ve got to be kidding me.’
Call it poor construction or old architecture, but a single crack caused by Baek Sang’s earlier outburst had somehow linked our cells.
Staring blankly at the hole in the ceiling, I looked up and met Taesan’s big, blinking eyes—and couldn’t help but grin.
“Captain, why are you smiling?”
“I’m happy to see you.”
“Happy? Captain is happy to see Taesan?”
“Yeah, man. So happy I could cry.”
“Oooh. Then Taesan is happy too.”
It was a ridiculous conversation, but for some reason, seeing his big, dumb eyes through that hole made me laugh.
Not only was it nice to see a familiar face, but it also meant I might be able to get out of here faster than expected.
Still, beyond escape, he was the only one who could tell me what I really needed to know.
“How about the others? Are they all right?”
At my question, Taesan’s huge eyes started to glisten.
“…Are you crying?”
“Hic. Captain.”
No way.
A bad feeling hit me instantly.
“Stop sniffling and tell me what happened. What’s wrong?”
“Taesan… hic… had no choice. So unfair…”
Damn it. My stomach dropped. I could already picture the fallen bodies of my Fire Dragon Pavillion members lying cold on the ground.
‘No, it can’t be… they promised—’
It had barely been half a day since I surrendered under the condition that the Fire Dragon Pavillion’s safety would be guaranteed. Even if Baek Sang’s power had grown, there was no way the Beast Miao King himself would break his word.
‘If they’ve been harmed… then what the hell did I surrender for—’
And then, as I was cursing inwardly, Taesan spoke again in a damp, pitiful voice.
“I still can’t believe it… that everyone’s eating right now without Taesan…”
“…What?”
“Master’s mean. Nam Ho’s mean too. So unfair.”
“…”
“Captain, do you have food?”
What the hell am I listening to?
After a long silence, I answered from the heart.
“No, you stupid bastard.”
“Aw. Taesan hungry.”
“…Get down here. Right now.”
The urge to kill him was overwhelming.
My blood pressure surged, and fury burned through my veins. I struggled against my chains like a madman.
Clank! Clatter!
If not for this damn iron ball shackled to me, I’d have smashed his face in already.
Taesan watched my outburst with fascination.
“Nam Ho and Master are fine. They’re being held elsewhere. Not sure where, but White Tiger Lord told me.”
“White Tiger Lord? Yal Mok?”
“Oh, Taesan remembers! Yes, Yal Mok!”
Thank god. It seemed the Beast Miao King had done something to keep them safe. I stopped struggling and sighed in relief.
“You should’ve said that first, you idiot. You almost gave me a heart attack.”
“Taesan hasn’t eaten for two hours. Going faint.”
“Most people don’t call that starvation. How the hell did you end up locked in there anyway? Yal Mok should’ve covered for you. Don’t tell me you really got jailed for eating too much.”
“Taesan was wronged. A Southern Barbarian man gave Taesan a tiny bit of rice, so Taesan grabbed his wrist for more—and it broke.”
“…You broke his wrist?”
“He screamed, so Taesan grabbed the other hand to calm him down. That one broke too. Definitely a trap.”
Clank! Clank!
“Captain, calm down. Taesan angry too, but Taesan surrendered like Captain told him.”
“…You better get down here. I’m serious this time.”
He’d broken both arms of the guy bringing food. I was going to die of stress before the execution even came.
‘I can’t believe I risked my neck to save this idiot…’
Barely restraining my rage, I asked, “What about Nam Ho and Sama Pyo? Anyone else?”
“Uhh…”
He rolled his big eyes for a moment before answering.
“They got captured.”
“Captured?”
“Yeah. But not brought here. White Tiger Lord said it’s safer that way.”
Ju Hwaran, Song Ilseom, and Hyuk Mu-jin—the scouts. Hearing they were captured weighed heavy on me, but I agreed with Yal Mok’s logic.
‘Baek Sang’s influence won’t reach that far yet.’
The two scout captains were loyal to the Beast Miao King, and among the Southern Barbarians I’d saved from the Poison-Blooded Land, several were their relatives. They wouldn’t turn coat like the others who’d joined Baek Sang.
‘The only time they’ll be in danger is if they run into the Blood Monk.’
The Blood Monk—a mysterious old monster who single-handedly drowned Guizhou in blood with his transcendent martial arts.
Little was known about him.
But if my suspicion was correct—if he was under the Southern Demon Empress—then things would reach their worst.
He would descend south under her command. And if the scouts encountered him, those three would fall right into his hands.
“…Damn it.”
But right now, there was nothing I could do.
They were on the move.
And I was chained underground, unable to even twitch.
‘Let’s hope I’m wrong about the Blood Monk.’
That left me with only two options.
First—pray.
Second—escape.
Ding!
– A new quest has been created!
– Linked Quest: [Turtle Escape]. Would you like to view it?
I nodded to myself. Whoever designed this system… seriously needed a punch in the face for naming things like this.
“And Captain, you sure you don’t have food?”
Correction: the idiot above me deserved it more.
—
Pirates—water bandits of the rivers—were among the wildest and freest men in all of Murim.
They despised laws, avoided officials, and had no interest in living righteously.
Soodal, vice chief of the Water Dragon Stronghold, was no different.
Unlike his late father, who had died a humble fisherman, Soodal dreamed of living—and dying—as a daring rogue.
He’d been living that life successfully for years… until recently, when an uncomfortable thought began to haunt him.
‘What the hell am I doing with my life?’
He did nothing all day. Sat on his boat’s prow watching the river. Swam when it was hot. That was it.
His superior, the mighty leader of the Waterway Alliance, had been summoned to headquarters by the Alliance Leader himself. Meanwhile, Soodal and his men were stuck wasting time in the remote streams of Yunnan.
‘By now, the main river in Sichuan must be full of merchant ships loaded with treasure…’
The Yangtze was a goldmine.
With war brewing, trade was booming.
Knowing that, Soodal itched to return north—but every time, one particular face flashed in his mind.
‘I’ll be right here if you ever need me!’
He had said that a week ago with zero sincerity.
But the young man he said it to had smiled warmly and replied:
– ‘Oh, perfect! Then stay close by.’
– ‘Wait, what?’
– ‘Did I stutter? Stay. Close. By. You can help when we head back.’
– ‘Sir Jin, with all respect, we have our livelihoods—’
– ‘Livelihoods are great. But you kind of need to ‘be alive’ to have one, don’t you?’
– ‘Ah, sir, please—’
– ‘Please? Hah! I’ll rip your sails and sink your whole damn ship! You wanna swim back to Sichuan?!’
It was a “request” in name only. In truth, it was a threat.
But what could he do? In Murim, strength ruled all—and that monster of a young man had a master who was literally called the ‘King.’
‘Jin Taekyung, you bastard…’
With tears in his eyes, Soodal had agreed—and spent the next seven days doing nothing but fishing in the backwaters of Yunnan.
At least, until a certain thought struck him yesterday.
‘Wait a second… why am I even still here?’
After all, Jin Taekyung wouldn’t be back for a while.
Soodal was a pirate who had spent his life on the Yangtze—he knew well how cursed and dangerous the Southern Barbarian lands were. Whatever Jin Taekyung was doing down there, it wasn’t anything simple.
But why should ‘he’ sit here rotting, waiting like some constipated dog?
Reflecting on his adventurous life, Soodal made up his mind and shouted to his crew:
“Boys! Let’s go stretch our legs!”
“Uh… where to?”
“Guizhou’s right next door, isn’t it? Close enough. We’ll swing by and do some collecting.”
The plan was bold. His men weren’t thrilled.
“Boss, are you insane?”
“Shit, if you wanna die, die alone! I’m not getting burned with you.”
But Soodal had a plan.
“Relax. We’ll dip our toes—just a taste of the Yangtze, like that Jin guy always says.”
“Yangtze dipping, boss?”
“Yeah. That thing he does.”
After he drowned two of them for backtalk, complaints disappeared, and under Soodal’s spirited lead, three fast boats sailed west down the tributary toward Guizhou.
And before long, they found their first target.
Just like now.
“Two hundred zhang ahead! Ship spotted!”
“Seize it! Don’t let it escape!”
It had been ages since their last raid. Standing tall at the stern like a general, Soodal grinned as the target drew near.
But within moments, he realized something was wrong.
“What the—?!”
The ship was already close—and there were no sailors. No captain. Only one man awaited them.
“The Waterway Alliance’s boats, huh? Perfect timing.”
The bald middle-aged man smiled brightly, his monk’s staff dripping with blood.
“So tell me—does this ship go to the Southern Barbarians?”