Tales Of The Nine Dragons [EN]: Chapter 27

Nine Dragons Chronicle (27)

Hwa-Rin was climbing Mount Jongnam.

He hadn’t considered seeking out the Jongnam Sect because of its deep ties with the military, fearing someone might recognize him. However, he realized he couldn’t face so many enemies alone in the martial world. He needed at least one ally to support him.

The Jongnam Sect had strong connections to the military, and Hwa-Rin knew a senior member of the Myeongho Special Assault Bloodshed Unit, from his own military service, was there. He hoped to get help from him, which was why he was climbing Mount Jongnam.

The Jongnam Sect, located on the mid-slopes of Mount Jongnam, wasn’t as rugged as Mount Hwasan, but Mount Jongnam was still a challenging climb.

Hwa-Rin started climbing Mount Jongnam in the morning, and it took him two hours to reach the gates of the Jongnam Sect.

The Jongnam Sect had deliberately created a winding path with gentle slopes, rather than steep inclines, to make it easier for ordinary people to reach the sect. However, this consideration for ordinary people was actually a way to monitor those coming and going.

Hwa-Rin had seen Jongnam Sect warriors hiding and watching people pass by at least ten times on his way up. He figured that even if someone moved stealthily, they would be caught at least once out of ten attempts.

“Jongnam must have a lot of sins to hide, watching so carefully.”

Hwa-Rin stood before the gates of the Jongnam Sect, greeted the warrior on guard lightly, and said,

“I’ve come to see Elder Song Cheol.”

“Elder Song Cheol, you say?”

“Yes, that’s right. We didn’t serve together in the military, but we’re from the same unit. I was told by the military to pay my respects after being discharged, so I came here.”

“Elder Song Cheol is…”

“I heard he served in the military twenty years ago. The unit he served in had a very low survival rate, so it’s a tradition for discharged juniors to visit their seniors. Please tell Elder Song Cheol that a junior soldier from the Myeongho Special Assault Bloodshed Unit has come to see him.”

The guard was dubious at Hwa-Rin’s polite words, but since he mentioned Song Cheol, one of the key figures leading the Jongnam Sect, he had to report it, even if it might be a lie.

“Please wait a moment.”

One of the Jongnam Sect warriors went inside to inform Song Cheol that he had a visitor.

Hwa-Rin waited briefly at the gate until he received a response and was allowed to enter.

“This way, please.”

Hwa-Rin was led by a Jongnam Sect warrior to the guest room.

“Please wait here, and Elder Song Cheol will be with you shortly. I’ll bring some refreshments while you wait.”

“Thank you for your hospitality.”

Hwa-Rin received exceptional treatment from the Jongnam Sect simply because he had served in the same military unit as Song Cheol.

As Hwa-Rin was enjoying tea and fruit in the guest room, a middle-aged man entered.

He had a sturdy build, a square face, thick eyebrows, and piercing eyes, giving him a strong presence.

“Are you the one who said you were discharged from the Myeongho Special Assault Bloodshed Unit?”

He was Elder Song Cheol, one of the key figures in the Jongnam Sect.

“My name is Hwa-Rin. I’m from the 657th class of the Myeongho Special Assault Bloodshed Unit.”

“The 657th class… I was in the 352nd. So many have died in the last twenty years.”

“Fifty-three classes of juniors came in during my five years.”

“Hmm… To survive five years in such a place is truly remarkable. How many missions did you go on?”

“I went on 103 missions.”

Song Cheol’s eyes widened in surprise at the mention of 103 missions. As a former member of the Myeongho Special Assault Bloodshed Unit himself, he knew what 103 missions meant.

“The last mission I went on was against the Iron Lion Castle.”

“Iron Lion Castle? There were rumors that the Demonic Sect was joining forces with the Iron Lion Castle, but suddenly the Iron Lion Castle was destroyed. I was wondering why the Demonic Sect was directly subjugating the frontier martial sects, but it seems our juniors destroyed the Iron Lion Castle.”

Going on 103 missions was astonishing, but the Iron Lion Castle was not an easy opponent to deal with.

As a single force, it was a dominant power among the frontier martial sects, with greater power than even the Nine Great Sects or the Ten Great Families.

In particular, the martial arts of Hae Ri-son, the lord of the Iron Lion Castle, were said to be beyond human comprehension, making him a figure of caution even in the Central Plains martial world.

“Truly amazing.”

“You flatter me.”

“No, I’m not. Even now, I can’t gauge your martial skill, so I can only assume you are a greater master than I am. Were you the leader of those guys?”

“Yes, that’s right. In the last eighty or so of those hundred-odd missions, I was responsible for beheading the enemy commander.”

“Eighty-odd times, and yet you survived and were discharged… I can’t believe it even seeing you here. Well.”

“I heard there are five more discharged members besides me. I haven’t heard about the others. Do you happen to know who they are, Elder?”

“I don’t know either. They’re from classes so far apart from mine that even the commander at the time didn’t know who they were.”

“Is that so?”

“I think they’re all old and dead by now.”

“Ah, I suppose so.”

“I don’t know how many more members of the Myeongho Special Assault Bloodshed Unit will be discharged in the future, but let’s keep in touch from now on.”

Song Cheol made the offer, thinking that Hwa-Rin’s martial prowess would be helpful to Jongnam, and he wanted to create a good connection.

“I will, Elder.”

“Just call me Senior.”

“Then I’ll call you that, Senior.”

“By the way, Junior, what do you do after being discharged?”

Hwa-Rin smiled and said,

“Well, I bought a manor in Sanyang County, down the mountain, and I’ve just started a business.”

“A manor in Sanyang County? Could that manor be called Gu Ryong Manor?”

“Yes, Senior. I’m working hard at it, but it’s not as easy as I thought, so I’ve been tied up there for a while and haven’t been able to visit sooner.”

“Hahaha, to think that you were the master of Gu Ryong Manor, which I’ve been hearing about lately… What a strange coincidence.”

“Why do you say that?”

“The rumors that a manor called Gu Ryong Manor suddenly appeared and captivated the people of Sanyang County have even reached Jongnam.”

“I still can’t shake off the habits of a soldier who has to protect the lives and safety of the people, so I couldn’t stand injustice and ended up dealing with some thugs. The merchants in the market and the vendors are just exaggerating.”

“Haha, that’s right. I used to have that mindset a long time ago. But after being discharged for two or three years, that feeling gradually faded.”

“Then I guess it will take me about that long too.”

“As a merchant, you’ll get rid of your soldier habits even faster.”

Hwa-Rin nodded.

“There’s a lot of talk about the building you’re constructing.”

“Ah, are you talking about Gu Ryong Pavilion?”

“Is that the name of the building?”

“Yes, it is. I named it that because it’s supposed to have nine kinds of entertainment.”

“Nine kinds of entertainment? Does that include gambling?”

“Yes, it does. It’s one of the conditions I got when I was discharged.”

Hwa-Rin lied, but there was no way for Song Cheol to know.

“A condition you got when you were discharged?”

“Yes, that’s right. Since so many people die in that place, they said they would grant me a wish if I served for five years and then got discharged. So I asked them to let me legally open a gambling den wherever I wanted.”

“A gambling den as a wish?”

“I heard that gambling dens make a lot of money, so I thought I’d had a hard time for five years, so I’d like to live a little more comfortably for the rest of my life, so I asked them to let me legally run a gambling den.”

“Hmm… That’s a good idea. But you’ll attract a lot of flies.”

“I’m not worried about the flies. If they come, I’ll just swat them. So far, the thing I’m best at is beating people up. I’ve never lost to anyone. It may take a little time, but I’ve always accomplished everything I’ve set out to do.”

Song Cheol felt a chill at Hwa-Rin’s smiling face.

He didn’t know how much the military life had changed since he was in the military, but what was clear was that the man in front of him was trained enough to kill someone with a smile, and he had no qualms about killing people.

Those who try to profit through Gu Ryong Pavilion will likely be martial artists from the Demonic Sect, or merchants who are competitors. Of course, some orthodox sects may approach to make deals for protection.

Song Cheol suddenly felt sorry for them.

“That’s probably true. There aren’t many people in the current martial world who can compete with you, so they could end up ruined if they make a mistake.”

Considering that the opponent was a member of the Myeongho Special Assault Bloodshed Unit who had successfully completed over a hundred missions in five years, one could only imagine how great his strength was.

‘I don’t know if all the missions he was assigned to were successful, but what’s clear is that he’s a very dangerous person.’

Song Cheol felt that the young man in front of him had inherited the characteristics of the Myeongho Special Assault Bloodshed Unit, which had a strong, combative aggressiveness that would attack and destroy anyone they recognized as an enemy, regardless of the means or methods, rather than just strong martial arts.

As Song Cheol suspected, Hwa-Rin’s terror lay in his aggressiveness. The lifestyle and combat methods of the Myeongho Special Assault Bloodshed Unit had a significant impact on his personality and ego, which had been formed over the past five years.

“Still, society is different from the military. If you need my help, come to Jongnam and find me anytime.”

“Thank you for your kind words.”

“It’s nothing. It’s fate that we served in the same unit, even if there was a time difference. And not only that, it’s hard to meet people from the same unit because it’s such a difficult unit to survive and be discharged from. Since we’ve met like this, we should help each other out.”

“I’ll help Jongnam if I can.”

“To have an absolute master like you offer help feels like gaining a thousand troops and horses. Hahaha!”

Even as he laughed heartily, Song Cheol’s gaze did not leave Hwa-Rin.

‘The fact that I can’t recognize this man’s martial arts at my level means that he has already mastered martial arts that can stand shoulder to shoulder with the top 100 martial artists, and has reached a state of enlightenment. He has achieved truly great things at such a young age.’

No matter how much he looked at him, he seemed to be only about twenty, or maybe a year or two older. He wondered if there were even one or two people who had achieved so much at such a young age, even if he searched the entire martial world.

Comparing Lee Chil-yeon, the rising star whom the Jongnam Sect was praising as its best talent, to the man in front of him, he realized that he was making the foolish mistake of saying that a firefly was bright while standing in the sun.

“Forgive me for asking, but how old are you this year?”

“Twenty-five.”

“Twenty-five… Truly amazing. To have established yourself at that age is an achievement that no one has ever accomplished.”

From Song Cheol’s perspective, he was a truly coveted man.

“You flatter me. I’ve only just become able to make a living. I’ll face many difficulties in the future, and I’ll have to keep falling and getting back up.”

“Modesty… Although I’m seeing you for the first time today, I think you can afford to be a little arrogant.”

“Thank you for seeing it that way.”

Hwa-Rin had made a connection with Jongnam as he intended, so he thought he could evacuate his family to Jongnam if anything dangerous happened.

‘If I receive protection from Jongnam and use the Hao Mun [a specific martial art or technique], I can endure until I gain strength. There’s no need to go the hard way when there’s an easy way.’

Hwa-Rin was planning to receive protection from Jongnam until the children, who would become his real strength, grew up.

He was confident that if the children grew up and did their part, he could expect the reincarnation of the Myeongho Special Assault Bloodshed Unit in the Central Plains martial world.

‘It won’t go as I want, but if I minimize the variables, it’s definitely possible.’