As soon as he entered the water he turned into a shark, and set out after the well-dressed man with the waves rippling out behind him.
Fat Jack was thinking, why is this man trying so hard for him? Before the thought could finish, the young patriarch came closer.
The young patriarch said casually that his uncle was amazing. He had probably learned water arts while he was losing weight.
The pirate asked who this was, which reminded the patriarch that he had work to do. He came closer.
The pirate asked whether he knew who he was dealing with. The patriarch said, cracking his fist, that it was enough to know that he had to be put down. End of discussion.
With that settled, the fat man's head went up, and the pirates started trembling. It landed with a desperate scream.
Back in the water, the pirates were closing on the well-dressed man. Han had caught up. But a pirate tried to stop him going any further, and attacked. Han dodged it easily.
Suddenly the pirate in the bandana lost him. He had disappeared. By the time the man looked up it was over. The last thing he saw was the sole of Han's foot coming straight at his face.
Using that pirate as a springboard, Han said this was actually great fun. The man went on drowning.
Then, looking further ahead, he saw something useful. The pirates were lined up almost perfectly, so he used them as bridges across the water and started stepping from one head to the next. He thought to himself that Dharma had crossed the Yellow River his own way, but that he would cross the Yangtze on the heads of pirates.
After some time, Captain Fat Jack said that now he understood. That was the main ship of the Black Whale Fortress, which meant he was a dead man. He could not even get it out before Han punched him in the face.
The pirate landed hard on the deck. Han told his disciple that a problem had come up. The patriarch said that he had already given the warning. Han simply said, enjoy it. Then they both went on towards the approaching ship.
A few hours later the sun was setting. The ship was devastated. Pirates were swimming all across the water.
A scar-faced man was looking out at the water from a distance. He spotted that boat, the one Han was on. The fat pirate was moving towards it. Watching that, the scar-faced man wondered what the idiot thought he was doing.
Then another pirate swam up, shouting for the chief. The scar-faced man asked about the flares. The other pirate said hesitantly that if the chief of the Black Whale Fortress made this request himself, and it was accepted, it could be dangerous.
The leader told him to stop talking nonsense and to fire. The pride of the Black Whale Fortress had been stepped on. The chief's slight doubt did not matter.
As the flare rose, the pirate thought that once it was fired, he would come. The one they were all afraid of. The Water Dragon King. A monster of the kind that both orthodox and unorthodox fighters keep away from.
Somewhere else, an old man was sitting at his desk and writing. Suddenly someone came running in and shouted that red flares had been fired near the Yangtze.
The old man jumped up out of his seat. This was Jegal Sebang, Great Strategist of the Murim Orthodox Alliance.
The reports said that the flare had gone up two hours ago, and that now a great many pirates were demanding that the river gates be opened.
He knew that red flares are only used by pirates, so he wondered who had forced them into it. He asked his subordinate why the flare had been fired. The messenger had no answer.
The commander became furious. Two hours had passed and they still did not know. Anyone strong enough to make an enemy out of the pirates should be recruited.
He ordered the Celestial Alliance squadrons to mobilise immediately, to go to the western canal entrance and handle the protest. The pirates could not be allowed to take the canal. That was the route that runs to the Murim Orthodox Alliance.
When he asked where the flare had been fired, he was told Anhui Province. He was shocked to hear it, because that was where the Black Whale Fortress is.
He immediately asked where the Water Dragon King was. He was told that according to the latest reports he was near Jagal Prefecture. That area was close to the flare site, which meant he might well have noticed it.
Hearing this, the elder quickly asked where the Little Beggar Dragon was.
Somewhere else, someone was muttering into the night about being disturbed at this hour. He had already been told about the red flare, and he still wanted to know what need there was to get up for it. This was the Little Beggar Dragon of the Beggar Sect.
He immediately tried to wake his sleeping friend. The friend only grunted and waved a hand at him. The Little Beggar Dragon complained that the hairy cow stank of alcohol and told him to stop drinking so much.
Still he did not wake, so he yelled at him. Pretty Boy finally opened his eyes. He asked, cursing, who had dragged him out of the night.
The Beggar Dragon explained that his elder uncle had called, and that the hairy one would be going somewhere else tomorrow. The drunk only asked what any of it had to do with him, which irritated the Beggar Dragon, since things were going to be different for a while now.
But the other one just told him to go away. Dizzy with drink, he fell back and started snoring.
The Beggar Dragon thought that he had really chosen his friends badly, but there was no time for it. So he took the rope from his waist, gave it to the messenger, and told him to find the beggars near the well, bring them together, and have them search the northern water.
After the messenger had gone, the Hairy Cow stayed down for a moment. Then he slowly muttered that he felt fit enough to get up now, and that the Water Dragon King might mix himself into this. If he was there, then it actually mattered. He did not want that beggar boy hurt.
Somewhere else on the river, a man dressed in white was being carried along in a small boat.
Back at the fight Han had left, the crew of the cargo ship were huddled together in a panic. The young patriarch was finishing off the last of the pirates. After taking down another one, he looked ahead and wondered what his uncle was doing.
His uncle was beating a pirate's heavy face in with his fists. Without moving a step he made him flat.
Then, from a shout, he understood that the situation was getting out of hand. More and more pirates kept coming.
Han yelled at Fat Jack to keep going. There was no time to stay here. He pressed down on the pirate, and the pirate gave in instantly. He asked whether the whale could be anchored somewhere nearby. He got a reluctant yes.
Only then, suddenly, someone flew over Han's boat. He sensed it and looked up at the sky. A man was falling out of it. He wondered what good this was going to be.
The man crashed onto the boat like a meteor and announced in a loud voice, for all of them to hear, that the Yangtze route belonged to him. He introduced himself as the Little Beggar Dragon of the Beggar Sect and warned them that the Murim Alliance would protect everyone here, so they should step back.
Watching him lecture the whole river, Han wondered who this was. Then a memory of the past came to him, a memory of his master, and he realised that it was the same person. Just the younger version.
Suddenly all the boats stopped. A strong order had come in.
Han wondered whether that drunk had actually done the job. One man gave the order for all the Yangtze disciples to salute the Commander in Chief, and tremendous respect rose in voices from every boat.
Now Han understood who they were talking about, and he looked quickly.
A white-headed man was coming along comfortably on a small boat, resting in the lap of a burly servant. Han was stunned. So was the Little Beggar Dragon.
It was the Water Dragon King.
Han realised immediately how close they were. He told Fat Jack to turn now, because this was one of the great names of the unorthodox sects, and they were going to clash.