Chapter 79
“KYAAAAH!”
“The corpse came back to life!”
“Someone save us!”
The crowd went even more hysterical than before, screaming in unison.
“Why is a jiangshi out in the middle of the ocean…?”
Even Dang Jin-ak looked shaken, his eyes darting nervously.
Eun Sowol gently lowered Dang Jin-ak’s hand and inspected the supposed jiangshi.
“No, Uncle Ak, that’s not a jiangshi. It’s a person.”
“Jiangshi look like people too! Sowol, don’t look! This isn’t something a child should—!”
“I’m telling you, it’s really a person! A woman, actually!”
“What?”
Startled, Dang Jin-ak finally stopped and looked again—at the soaking wet woman instead of a jiangshi.
The woman, her long hair hanging down like seaweed, tilted her head at the noisy surroundings and brushed her hair back.
“What corpse? Where is it?”
Though soaking wet and clearly cold, her cheeks were flushed and her eyes sparkled in the sunlight—she was unmistakably alive.
‘She looks like someone who works out regularly.’
Her bronze skin glistened in the sun, and her wet clothes outlined a firm, well-toned body. Thick eyebrows and large, sharp eyes—she was the epitome of healthy beauty.
“Was it a murder?”
The woman suddenly stood up, placing her hands on her hips as if ready to pounce. But only the cold sea breeze met her empty hands.
“Huh? AAAAAH! My Hae Nam Sword! Where is my sword?!”
She frantically searched her body.
‘There’s nothing on her.’
The only thing she held was a fish in her right hand.
Hae Nam Sword? That’s the symbol of the Hae Nam Sect—like the Plum Blossom Sword represents the Mount Hua Sect.
Looking closer, she was wearing a blue uniform, embroidered with wave patterns on the chest.
“…I’m dead. My master’s going to kill me.”
Thud.
She fell to her knees in despair. Losing her sword clearly devastated her.
It was such a pitiful sight that even sympathy crept in.
“You… what are you?”
At that moment, Dokgo Ryong approached her with a cocked hip.
“What kind of idiot gets caught on a fishing line?”
The woman blinked in confusion before noticing that the fish she held was attached to the fishing line in Dokgo Ryong’s hand.
Her face lit up as she grasped his hand with both of hers.
“You’re my savior! Thank you so much! I thought I was going to die, swept away by the currents… but thanks to the fishing line you threw, I survived! How can I ever repay you?”
Dokgo Ryong scowled and jerked his hand away.
“Savior, my foot. Because you yanked that line like a brute, my niece nearly fell into the sea.”
“Huh? Your niece?”
Dokgo Ryong pointed to Eun Sowol.
Suddenly the attention turned to her, and she flinched reflexively.
“Oh no! I’m so sorry, little one! Are you hurt anywhere?”
The woman leaned in close, grabbing Sowol’s hand with her wet one.
Startled, Sowol stammered out her response.
“I-I’m f-fine. A-are you okay, unnie?”
With her round moon-like face and dainty features, Sowol looked like a doll.
The woman’s mouth opened in awe. Her cheeks twitched and then flushed bright red.
“Oh my gosh! You’re so cute! How old are you? Are you the same age as my Huiyeon?”
Surprised, worried, delighted, adoring—
‘Why is her mood swinging like crazy?’
This woman was clearly… unusual. Though, being fished out of the ocean wasn’t exactly normal either.
“No one told you to come closer.”
“She’s just too cute, savior! And now I see where she got her looks—it’s from you! You’re so dignified!”
Dokgo Ryong roughly grabbed the woman by the scruff of her neck, but she paid it no mind.
“Also, savior, you must be incredibly strong. The current was rough and the ship’s deck is at least ten jang above the water. Yet you pulled me up in one go! Do you have some kind of special power—?”
“Where do you think you’re touching?!”
“Wow! Your arm is rock solid! You’re not even that big, but the muscle density—!”
As she casually poked his arm and rambled, confusion spread across his face.
‘This unnie… is my uncle’s natural enemy.’
Eun Sowol had never seen Dokgo Ryong so flustered.
“A Hae Nam assistant master adrift at sea… this is a first. Did you run into pirates or something?”
Yang Hwichun approached, hands clasped behind his back.
The woman immediately recognized him, her eyes widening as she sprang up and saluted with a martial arts bow.
“I, Dam Suyeon of the Hae Nam Sect, pay my respects to the illustrious Fire King!”
“Oh? If you recognize me, then I suppose you were with the Hae Nam Sect five years ago.”
“Yes! I’m one of the third-generation disciples, bearing the character Yeon (蓮)!”
“Still, even as a third-generation disciple… how did you end up adrift in Hae Nam’s own coastal waters?”
“I’ll explain everything in detail.”
Dam Suyeon knelt before the Fire King and solemnly recounted everything.
To summarize: it was her first time joining a pirate extermination mission. Eager to prove herself, she boarded a pirate ship mid-battle, but a sudden wave broke the connecting bridge between the ships, leaving her stranded.
Outnumbered and cornered, she had no choice but to jump into the sea.
“They warned me never to leave the Hae Nam ship, but I totally forgot in the moment.”
She laughed awkwardly and scratched her head, dimples forming on her cheeks.
“But I’m a good swimmer, so I thought I could easily catch up! …Though I did get swept away by the current.”
“Hmph… it was fate you got caught on the fishing line.”
“Exactly! I was starting to sink when I saw a fish swim upward. Then I spotted the ship’s shadow nearby. I used every last bit of strength and—ta-da! My savior pulled me up!”
“Stop calling me that…!”
Dokgo Ryong grumbled and shoved her off.
“By the way, where is this ship headed?”
“We’re on our way to Hae Nam Island. We’ll arrive around dawn. For now, rest and change your clothes before you catch a cold. You there, do we have any spare clothes?”
“Yes, sir! I’ll bring something right away!”
The captain, observing the situation, ordered a crew member to bring her something suitable.
“Thank you! I’ll never forget this kindness.”
“It’s nothing. Hae Nam has always protected us. This is the least we can do. I’ll arrange a room where you can rest.”
Perhaps because the ship often sailed to Hae Nam, the captain treated her warmly.
She quickly struck up a conversation with him and others as if they were longtime acquaintances, charming everyone with her unique energy.
“She’s an unusual unnie.”
“Don’t grow up like her. Cause just the right amount of trouble.”
“Who’s more trouble-free than me? And I didn’t want to cause trouble this time!”
“Let’s just say that. You’re banned from fishing from now on. My heart can’t take another scare.”
Eun Sowol naturally shifted from Dang Jin-ak’s arms into Dokgo Ryong’s embrace.
Leaning against him, she could feel his heart beating faster than usual—thump, thump.
Cold sweat still clung to his neck. Sowol realized just how much he had been shaken.
Meanwhile…
“UWAAAH! SA-JEOOOO!”
“W-what do we do? What if Suyeon really…!”
“Shh! Don’t jinx it! We’re doing everything we can! Even the villagers of Hae Nam have joined the search! We’ll find her!”
At Haegu, the largest harbor in Hae Nam Island and a hub of countless ships, blue-clad martial artists stood out more than usual.
Everyone recognized them as Hae Nam Sect disciples, but the atmosphere felt different.
Higher-ranked disciples spoke seriously, while the younger ones cried or sniffled.
“What’s going on with Hae Nam?”
“I heard they lost a third-generation disciple during a pirate operation yesterday.”
“Oh no! At sea?”
“Yeah. She was left behind on a pirate ship, apparently…”
“In times like this? No wonder Hae Nam is pulling in every ship they can.”
“Honestly, there’s not much hope. It’s been over 24 hours, and today’s fog is especially thick. Even reefs are hard to see in this weather.”
“They know that. But they’re just grasping at straws.”
Yoon Taeshin, the eldest of the third-generation disciples, clenched his fist as he overheard people gossiping.
‘I need to hold it together. Even the elders and sect leader are devoting everything to finding Suyeon.’
Right now, he was the only one who could comfort and support the younger disciples.
‘Suyeon… I miss your voice.’
He used to complain she talked too much, but now, he missed her chatter painfully.
“WAAAH! THERE SHE IS! MY SA-JE AND THE OTHERS!”
‘That voice again… Am I imagining it?’
…No. It was too clear to be a hallucination.
“B-big brother! That voice—!”
“It’s Suyeon!”
Yoon Taeshin wasn’t the only one who heard it. The other third-gen disciples heard it too.
“HEYYYY! OVER HERE! I’M HERE!”
Through the thick fog, a large ship emerged.
And standing at the bow, waving both arms with all her might, was none other than the long-lost Dam Suyeon, grinning brightly.
