Chapter 299
“Chase them! Don’t let them get away!”

For a moment, Guai Hanggi had been disheartened watching Seolpoong and his group sail away by boat. But then he realized the river wasn’t all that wide. It would take more time, but the pursuit wasn’t over yet.

Moreover, Seolpoong’s group wasn’t crossing to the opposite bank—they were heading upstream, against the current.

Guai Hanggi and his warriors followed along the riverbank, keeping pace with them.

Suddenly, Guai Hanggi asked his lieutenant, “Where does this direction lead?”

“Probably near Gosun,” the lieutenant replied.

“Hmph, just as I thought.”

It made sense, considering Gosun was their original destination.

Guai Hanggi spoke again, “Send word to Gosun! Tell them this matter is something Brother Jeonggi is already concerned about, so they must not interfere!”

“Yes, sir!” The lieutenant immediately dispatched the message.

Guai Hanggi turned his gaze back to the river. Though all he could do was watch the boats drifting upstream, a bitter smile crept across his face. Without help from Gosun, those bastards were merely heading toward the outskirts of Jiangsu Province.

Even if they killed Seolpoong, it wouldn’t matter—they’d just be outside Jiangsu’s jurisdiction.

In fact, Guai Hanggi found this quite fortunate.

Chuckling darkly, he muttered, “Fine, go ahead. Go as far as you want… far, far away. Heh heh heh!”

Jiangsu was a city where two massive rivers, the Yangtze and the Huai, met. But even beyond that, the region was crisscrossed with countless lakes and smaller rivers, including the great Taihu Lake.

Sun Woojin’s group was now paddling upstream along one of these smaller rivers.

No matter how slow the current, moving against the flow meant their speed was painfully slow.

As they continued the pursuit, Guai Hanggi asked his lieutenant again, “At this rate, could we get upstream ahead of them?”

“Possibly,” the lieutenant answered. “But if we get there first and they disembark to escape on foot, it might be even harder to catch them.”

Guai Hanggi pondered for a moment, then said, “Then find some men to block the path ahead—whether soldiers or ronin. Also, secure a boat for us.”

“Yes, understood!”

With the chase so leisurely, Guai Hanggi had time to consider various strategies.

Soon, the soldiers his lieutenant had recruited appeared upstream.

Three large boats, each carrying about thirty men—ninety soldiers in total.

Watching the three boats rapidly close in on Seolpoong’s vessel, Guai Hanggi laughed with excitement.

“Hahaha! Seolpoong, you thought you’d be safe on that boat? You’re mistaken…!”

But his words froze mid-sentence.

Suddenly, Sun Woojin leapt from his boat, suspended in midair, and slashed his sword toward the approaching boats.

Swish!

His blade cut through the air as if tearing the very fabric of space, revealing a void beyond.

Everything caught in that space—the air, the water, the boats, and the soldiers—split apart.

Guai Hanggi stared dumbfounded, muttering, “W-what is that?”

In the next instant, soldiers tumbled into the river from the shattered boats, their faces pale with terror.

“Ahhh! Save me!”

“Monster!”

But it didn’t end there.

Sun Woojin lightly stepped on the broken remains of the first boat, then soared again, repeating the same devastating strike on the other two vessels.

The sailors tried desperately to steer their boats away, but there was no time.

Swish! Swish!

“Lord Dragon King!”

“Help us!”

“Great warrior, please!”

Watching this, Guai Hanggi swallowed hard, realizing his mistake.

Trying to mask his fear, he forced a scoffing laugh.

“Hmph! Just some fancy tricks. Breaking a few boats like that is something even Gan Nosa or Baek Nosa could do easily, right?”

He glanced arrogantly at Gam Jak-hyung and Baek Gi-ryang.

But neither answered. They simply watched silently as Sun Woojin returned to his boat, their expressions grim.

Feeling awkward, Guai Hanggi cleared his throat and looked away.

“Ahem, ahem!”

From then on, Guai Hanggi knew he had to rethink his plan to stop them on the water. Facing them there was too risky.

While he was pondering, his lieutenant brought good news.

“Master! Just ahead, the river narrows sharply—only about three jang wide. There, we can stand on land and strike them!”

Guai Hanggi’s face brightened.

If the river was only three jang wide, the distance to the boat in the middle would be about one jang—close enough that being on a boat wouldn’t help them.

This would be the perfect chance to attack again.

“Is that so? Heh heh heh, their end is near.”

Soon, they reached the narrow stretch where the current quickened.

It looked impossible for Seolpoong’s boat to pass upstream through here.

Guai Hanggi’s eyes gleamed as he stared upriver.

They’d have no choice but to disembark.

Just then, as expected, Seolpoong and his group leapt across to the opposite bank and resumed their escape.

Guai Hanggi shouted to his men, “Catch them! This time, don’t let them slip away!”

Using the narrow river as an advantage, Guai Hanggi’s warriors crossed the river in pursuit.

Few could leap the full three jang, but all were experts—none would be stopped by a little water.

Though crossing delayed them slightly, Guai Hanggi smiled again.

As expected, Seolpoong’s group wasn’t moving very fast—likely because of the newly joined Dong So-woon.

As time passed, the distance between the two sides steadily closed.

They passed through flat plains and entered rolling hills, with Seolpoong’s group heading toward a path winding between the hills.

Then, suddenly, they had to stop.

A group of what looked like warriors—at least a hundred strong—stood waiting between the hills.

Guai Hanggi frowned and asked, “Hmm? Who are those?”

“I don’t know,” the lieutenant replied. “But judging by Seolpoong’s halt, they’re probably not allies.”

“Hmm, I see.”

As they drew closer, Guai Hanggi finally recognized them.

A familiar man stood before the group.

Spotting him, Guai Hanggi gasped, “Brother Jeonggi?! How did you get here?!”

It was Guai Jeonggi, the eldest son of the Four Kings.

He had led the warriors to ambush Seolpoong’s escape route.

This was completely unexpected.

But unexpected didn’t necessarily mean bad.

Guai Hanggi quickly caught up to the halted Seolpoong and surrounded them from behind.

Seolpoong’s group was now trapped between Guai Jeonggi and his hundred warriors ahead, and Guai Hanggi with over three hundred soldiers behind.

Guai Jeonggi spoke to Seolpoong with a blank expression.

“Thank you for your trouble coming all the way to Anhui Province. Now I can personally take your life.”

Guai Hanggi glanced around.

No wonder they’d reached Anhui Province—it was a hilly area rarely seen in Jiangsu.

Then Guai Jeonggi turned to Guai Hanggi.

“Thank you for driving them here, Hanggi. I won’t forget your efforts.”

Guai Hanggi gritted his teeth.

It was a clear message: from here on, he was to step aside.

Still, he forced a smile and bowed.

“You flatter me, brother.”

He had no choice. He couldn’t confront his feared older brother, and except for Gam Jak-hyung, all his strongest warriors were already under Guai Jeonggi’s command.

Guai Jeonggi, as if expecting this, averted his gaze and addressed his men.

“All warriors above the absolute peak, step forward.”

At that moment, several warriors from both Guai Jeonggi’s and Guai Hanggi’s sides stepped forward, smiling leisurely.

There were about forty or fifty of them.

Guai Jeonggi glanced over them, then turned back to Guai Hanggi’s side, politely requesting, “Gan Nosa and Baek Nosa, would you lend a hand as well?”

Baek Gi-ryang frowned slightly and stepped forward.

Gam Jak-hyung hesitated, displeased, but finally stepped up and said, “If I can settle this duel with that swordsman alone, I will assist.”

His gaze was fixed on Sun Woojin.

It seemed he wanted to settle the match now—one he had thought unresolved earlier.

But deep down, even he knew the truth.

A fight fought while completely surrounded like this could never be fair.

Facing enemies pressing in from all sides, any victory he claimed was already a foregone conclusion.

Hearing his request, Gwe Jeong-gi was about to respond immediately but paused, lost in thought.

Then, with a polite tone, he made a counteroffer.

“Would you wait just a moment?”

He glanced around at Seol Poong’s companions and asked,

“Won’t you join me? If you come over to my side, I promise you the highest honors. Far beyond standing beside someone like Seol Poong—you’ll soar much higher. I’m talking about a position beneath the Four Kings, a place above all others.”

It was a recruitment offer.

Gwe Jeong-gi was essentially saying he would rise to the position of one of the Four Kings and take them under his wing.

Though Gwe Hang-gi’s expression twisted in displeasure at the proposal, Gwe Jeong-gi paid it no mind.

After all, it was practically certain he would become the next Great King.

From the moment he first saw Seol Poong’s group, Gwe Jeong-gi had coveted them.

There was the young prosecutor Sun Woo-jin, whose presence alone had unsettled Baek Gi-ryang; the stunningly beautiful Ha Won-dalgi Yeon Tae-jin; Jin So-eun, with her natural grace; and the already renowned Hong Hae-ah Jeung Chil.

Each one was someone he wanted under his command.

And Gwe Jeong-gi had no doubt they would waver at his offer.

No one with their talents would want to die in a place like this.

Especially with the promise of a high-ranking position among the Four Kings—it was an offer impossible to refuse.

But just as he waited for their answer, Jeung Chil frowned deeply and spoke first.

“What did you say? Are you crazy? You dare want to take me, Hong Hae-ah, and offer me a position beneath the Four Kings? Are you talking about me? If so, I might consider it… maybe as a lowly servant?”

Gwe Jeong-gi’s eyes twitched at the absurdity of her words.

To think she would “consider” serving under him was beyond ridiculous.

Then Yeon Tae-jin smiled alluringly and said,

“Hmm, I’m sorry, but I just can’t. I understand you desire me, but leaving Poong behind? You’re too weak and, frankly, too ugly. Oh dear, I spoke my mind again. Sorry if that hurts.”

This time, Gwe Jeong-gi gritted his teeth.

Jeung Chil’s words were simply ridiculous, but Yeon Tae-jin’s cut deep into his pride.

To be called weaker and uglier than Seol Poong—and to hear it from such a beautiful woman—stirred a hot surge of anger in his chest.

But their reactions weren’t over yet.

Jin So-eun averted her eyes and bowed her head slightly.

“Ah, um… I’m sorry.”

Her expression was filled with genuine regret at having to refuse his offer.

Her sincerity only wounded his pride further.

As each member of the group responded in turn, Gwe Jeong-gi felt his composure slipping.

Then, finally, Sun Woo-jin let out a short laugh.

“You really have no idea where you stand, do you? Tell me—have you ever thought about joining me instead?”

What?

He, the man destined to become the next Great King, was being told to come under someone else’s command?

It was an utterly ridiculous question.

Even Gwe Jeong-gi, who rarely showed any change in expression, was left speechless.

But Sun Woo-jin wasn’t finished.

He added immediately,

“Ah, sorry. On second thought, that won’t work. I just can’t bring myself to accept a man of your caliber. Let’s just pretend I never said anything.”

That was the last straw.

Gwe Jeong-gi finally exploded, his face flushed as he glared at Seol Poong’s group.

“You’re all nothing but fools like you! Fine, if that’s what you want, I’ll send you all straight to the afterlife!”

At that moment, Seol Poong chuckled softly and asked,

“Have you ever stopped to wonder why I came here?”

The sudden question caught Gwe Jeong-gi off guard.

He paused mid-sentence, unable to do anything but glare back at Seol Poong.