A blood-soaked figure stepped into the cabin with a friendly smile.
Qing looked around the cabin and chuckled.
"Oh. I know this one. It's like a serial killer's collection of souvenirs, isn't it? This guy was a real motherfucker."
The walls were covered in silk, and women's items such as hair ornaments and clothes were nailed to them.
Or maybe he just had a hobby of collecting women's items.
Either way, it wasn't a healthy hobby.
"Hey, l-lady. Listen to me!" said the man.
"Lady? Still haven't come to your senses?"
In Murim, "lady"[^ (nangja, Korean word that means 'miss' or 'maiden' as in 'young lady' – it's an honorific form of address.] was a term used to address a woman who was at least a friend, but not yet a lover.
"Miss"[^Sojeo] was a more respectful form of address, akin to calling someone Miss or Madam.
Calling a woman nangja upon first meeting her was practically the same as announcing, Hey, I’m a sleazy playboy who chases women.
"No, miss. Listen to me. Although we met through bad circumstances..."
"Wait a minute," Qing interrupted the man. “I’m thinking. Wait.”
"...?"
"Never mind, let me just ask."
Her eyes, now completely rolled back, turned to the man.
"How do you want to die? I've tried this and that, but nothing really satisfies me."
"Well, is it possible not to die..."
"No," Qing cut him off firmly.
"Wouldn't the owners of those mementos over there be too upset if you were the only one who lived? And you have the highest cultivation level. Is there anyone who only eats side dishes and leaves the main course?"
I don't know what she's talking about, but at least I understand she's not going to let me live.
The man squeezed out his last bit of courage.
"If you touch me, my father won't stand still! My father is the Buchae Regional Military Officer!"
Qing tilted her head.
"Well, of course? It's weirder to have a father who stays still after his kid gets killed. So, why? Tell your dad to move a bit too. Middle-aged health is all about exercise. Kyaa, a filial son is born."
"Crazy! You're completely crazy! Guards, what are you doing! Quickly..."
The man's voice trailed off.
At some point, they were the only two left in the cabin.
"Ah, he sneaked out earlier. There's nowhere to run anyway on the ship."
"That motherfucker..."
"It's alright. The order is just a little different, that's all."
That's when it happened.
The man prostrated himself on the floor and shouted.
"Please spare me! I'll really live a good life with a heart of atonement!"
"Oh..."
It was a perfect kowtow, his head completely exposed.
Qing couldn't help but admire his upright posture.
But that's that, and this is this.
Qing dragged the man by his hair to the deck, where she met the men who were anxiously avoiding eye contact.
They were the ones with double-digit karma.
Qing threw Cha Nam-Jeong to them.
The man, who had been roughly thrown, fell at their feet and twitched.
Because when a person's bones in their arms and legs are shattered, there's nothing else they can do but twitch.
Qing, leaning against the railing with a bottle of alcohol and a glass, threw out another word.
"Cut it."
It was a sudden sound.
The men exchanged busy glances, and the smallest of them opened his mouth.
"If you tell us to cut it..."
"What's there to cut on a man? His dick, his dick. I'm not really into cutting it myself. You guys aren't into watching a dude's dick, are you?"
At those words, Cha Nam-Jeong who had been twitching started having a seizure again.
"Ah! Ahhhh!"
The effort of a man with his tongue cut off and jawbone dislocated trying desperately to speak was impressive.
Even after becoming a mute with crippled limbs, it seemed that was still precious to him.
If it was so precious, he should have treated it more preciously.
Despite Qing's polite request, the men only looked at each other, at a loss for what to do.
Cha Nam-Jeong was the only son of the Buchae Regional Military Officer.
Castrating him was the same as ending the Buchae Military Officer's family line.
How could they bear the consequences?
Qing laughed and urged them on.
"Becoming a eunuch versus making someone a eunuch. Ah, this is a no-brainer. Anyway, it's one or the other, so decide quickly. Come to think of it, if you just stab him with a knife, you don't have to see it."
The men flinched.
No matter how afraid they were of the consequences, someone else's dick wasn't more precious than their own.
"I'll count to ten. Start. One, two, three..."
The men quickly rushed at Cha Nam-Jeong.
For a while, the awkward screams of a man without a tongue or a jaw echoed.
However, even the awkward screams were genuinely desperate.
Qing drank with the sound as her accompaniment.
It was still bland, but the taste of alcohol enjoyed while watching the beautiful scenery of the Gudang Gorge under the moonlight with good sounds in the background was special.
"Ah, good..."
Life at the Divine Maiden Sect was fun, but she still needed to be covered in blood once in a while to feel alive.
It would be nice if everyone could live together laughing and having fun, but well.
In the end, she was an outsider.
Rather, there was a growing frustration because of the harmony.
Ah, shit. What kind of melancholy is this at a good time?
Qing tried to shake off the bitter emotions and clapped her hands.
"Now, let's go to the nearest port and go our separate ways. Where's the nearest port?"
"Uichang, but..."
"Then let's go there. Come on, let's move."
But the men hesitated and didn't move.
"Everyone?"
"..."
"..."
No way. It can't be.
Qing tried to speak cheerfully.
"Anyone here who knows how to sail this ship, raise your hand!"
"..."
"..."
"You don't have to be shy, you can be confident."
"..."
"..."
Ah. This is...
I guess I killed them too mindlessly.
This was the start of Qing being stranded.
Diary
Stranded, day 2.
These motherfuckers tricked me. They said there were thousands of ships on the Yangtze River, so I could ask for help. Thousands my ass, there's not a single one. The guys on the ship don't even know how to sail it. It was truly unforgivable. I didn't like seeing them lazing around when they couldn't do anything, so I made them clean the ship and dispose of the bodies. The idiots kept vomiting at the sight of the corpses, which only made more of a mess. But as I kept making them do it, they seemed to get used to it and started throwing them into the sea, no, the river, with a plop plop. I could now understand the profound meaning behind the supply officer who made us do everything from cleaning the floor to drying it in the sun when we were on weekend duty. Supply officer, I miss you.
Stranded, day 3.
I found the bodyguard who ran away and hid back then. It was quite fun.
Stranded, day 4.
There are no ships today either. The banquet food started to rot. I remember the days when I first opened my eyes in Murim. Those were the days when I survived by eating food waste. But there was romance back then. When I defeated the beggars and proudly claimed the victor's rights, I felt like I owned the world. Thinking about it like that, I guess it doesn't matter if it's a little rotten. People shouldn't lose their beginner's spirit, right? I'm not the type to get sick from eating anyway. Speaking of which, those motherfuckers from Banwol Inn. I swore I'd burn it down when I became a gosu. On the day I return to Geonpyeong, Banwol Inn will finally meet its destined destruction. No, I still get pissed off thinking about it. People just want to live. Those who stole food to feed a pig deserve to die. Death penalty.
Stranded, day 5.
I think we've entered the sea. There's only water everywhere, and the fog is so thick that I can't see anything. They said it's a lake, not a sea. Weren't these the same guys who lied before, saying that there were thousands of ships passing by every day so I didn't have to worry? How can I trust them at all? Anyway, I found maggots in the banquet food, so I bent a knife to make a needle and tried fishing. It works really well. I made several fishhooks and gave them to the liars, and they were so happy they went crazy. The banquet food was just a little rotten, but they were so happy with the parasite-filled freshwater fish. I fail to comprehend their enthusiasm.
Stranded, day 6.
Today...
-A ship! A ship!
-Over here! Help us!
Qing's fingers paused at the distant commotion.
It was a diary she had been writing for fun since there was ink and a brush in the cabin.
When she went out on deck, the men were running wild.
They looked like they were about to die, but suddenly they were full of life again.
And a large ship appeared through the thick sea fog.
Qing was surprised.
Is that a ship, or a mothership?
No, how could there be such technology in ancient China?
A huge ship of unimaginable size revealed its majesty.
At the same time, there was a loud voice.
It was the voice of a high-level expert, filled with internal energy.
"How dare you violate the Golden Ferry Law of the Water Transport Office! You guys really have your guts sticking out!"
The Yangtze River Water Transport Office was a group that managed the Yangtze River.
In other words, they were water bandits.
The Water Transport Office insisted that they were the owners of the Yangtze River.
The Golden Ferry Law was a good example of that.
It meant that they wouldn't let any ships pass through the Yangtze River, so it was something you couldn't say without a sense of ownership.
Of course, government ships were an exception.
If you touched a government ship, a fleet armed with the latest cannons would come swarming in, and the Water Transport Office or whatever would be completely destroyed.
For the same reason, the Golden Ferry Law only lasted for about two days at most.
If they caused trouble for any longer than that, they would also get a taste of the latest cannons from the government's arsenal.
But even if it was only two days, considering that no ships would sail after the announcement, the period when ships disappeared from the Yangtze River would inevitably be longer than that.
That was the reason why Qing had to drift.
"You guys! Stop the ship immediately and kneel!"
However, the drifting was still ongoing.
Because there was no one who could handle the ship.
"Stop, stop! What are you thinking! Damn it! Everyone, brace for impact!"
The expert's voice became urgent.
Qing looked at the rapidly approaching Water Transport Office ship and thought.
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