Tales Of The Nine Dragons [EN]: Chapter 55

Nine Dragons Chronicle (55)

“What? Is that true?”

“Yes, sir. Last night, Blood Hand Ruthless Na Seong-gi and his two sons, along with the elders of the Blood Demon Sect, were killed, and Jeongju is in chaos.”

Dongseo Dok of the Yeongcheon Merchant Guild felt fear creeping in, surpassing mere surprise at the news of the Blood Demon Sect’s situation.

“It seems an assassin was hired to kill them, and the assassin’s skills are extraordinary. What kind of person *was* Blood Hand Ruthless Na Seong-gi?”

As his martial art taught him, he felt no emotion when killing people, enjoying tearing them apart.

Not only that, but his martial prowess was also formidable, surpassing the level of a first-rate master and entering the ranks of the supreme. Although he didn’t reach the level of the Hundred Great Warriors of the Murim [martial arts world], he was one of the most renowned masters in Henan Province.

The news of his assassination made Dongseo Dok’s heart beat a little faster.

“If Na Seong-gi, the sect leader, is dead, this news must have reached the Four Blood Alliance, right?”

He hid his emotions and asked.

“Not only the Four Blood Alliance, but also the Jeongcheon Alliance, as well as Shaolin and Gaebong [Beggar’s Sect, often involved in intelligence gathering], the Namgung family of Anhui Province, and the Jongnam and Hwasan sects of Shanxi Province are probably sending messengers to deliver the news.”

“I understand. When is the funeral scheduled to take place?”

“Since it wasn’t a natural death but a murder, wouldn’t they try to find the culprit and take revenge first before holding the funeral?”

“I suppose so. You may go back to your work. I need some time to think.”

Left alone in his office, Dongseo Dok wore a displeased expression.

“Could it be… no, it can’t be.”

Recently, no major incidents had occurred in the Murim of Henan Province.

Whenever incidents or accidents happened in the Henan Murim, Shaolin and Gaebang always stepped in to mediate, resolving the issues before they escalated into fights.

Therefore, it was safe to say that there was no one in the current Blood Demon Sect who held a grudge, or anyone who had a personal vendetta against Na Seong-gi.

Recently, he had met with Na Seong-gi and commissioned him to kill the head of the Nine Dragons Hall in Shanxi Province. He wondered if the failure of that mission had led the head of the Nine Dragons Hall to come to Henan Province to take revenge on Na Seong-gi.

If the head of the Nine Dragons Hall had killed Na Seong-gi, he himself could be in danger, so he hoped his assumption was wrong.

“It can’t be. When I looked into the Nine Dragons Hall, the Hao Clan said that the head of the Nine Dragons Hall had only learned enough martial arts to deal with local bullies, so there’s no way he could have killed Na Seong-gi.”

But suddenly, his conversation with Sa Do-hyung, the leader of the Eumsa Clan, came to mind.

“Are you talking about the head of the Nine Dragons Hall?”

“If you could intimidate the head of the Nine Dragons Hall into selling the Nine Dragons Hall to me…”

“I’m sorry. Jongnam is behind the head of the Nine Dragons Hall. If we intimidate him and Jongnam steps in, we’ll be in trouble too.”

“Even if Jongnam is behind him, if the Eumsa Clan properly intimidates him, wouldn’t he be afraid and not inform Jongnam?”

“However, it is presumed that he has also learned some martial arts, so intimidating him won’t be easy.”

“At that time, Sa Do-hyung said that the head of the Nine Dragons Hall had learned martial arts. What if the head of the Nine Dragons Hall possesses such high-level martial arts that even the Hao Clan couldn’t recognize it…?”

Even though his son had died, he had no proof that the head of the Nine Dragons Hall had killed him. He had been furious about his son’s death and tried to kill the head of the Nine Dragons Hall and seize the Nine Dragons Hall, so in the end, the fault lay with him.

If he had solid evidence that the head of the Nine Dragons Hall had killed his son, he would have had a justification, but since it was an act driven by speculation and greed, he had no reason to stop the head of the Nine Dragons Hall if he knew that he was behind it and tried to kill him.

“No. I’m just speculating, not saying it’s definitely true.”

Dongseo Dok was anxious, wondering whether the head of the Nine Dragons Hall had mastered high-level martial arts or not.

“That’s right. They said it was an assassin. If the person who hired the assassin to kill Na Seong-gi was the head of the Nine Dragons Hall, what should I do?”

As he pondered this and that, Dongseo Dok became deeply thoughtful.

“What if I go to the Four Blood Alliance and tell them about this?”

Based on his past experiences, he could guess that he would lose a lot if he did that.

If he had to choose between living and losing his wealth, he would choose to live, but he knew that life after handing over much of what he had to the Four Blood Alliance would not be good.

“Should I meet the head of the Nine Dragons Hall and talk to him?”

Realistically, meeting the head of the Nine Dragons Hall was the best way, but he had no reason to meet him.

“He probably knows that I tried to kill him, so he wouldn’t readily agree to meet me if I asked. Then, the safest thing to do would be to go and meet the head of the Nine Dragons Hall without making an appointment.”

After agonizing alone, Dongseo Dok made a decision and left his office.

Leaving his office, he looked for the chief manager. After meeting the chief manager, he told him that he had somewhere to go for a while, and then left the estate with Heo Chung, the best martial artist of the merchant guild.

* * *

After finishing his business at the Four Blood Alliance, Hwa-rin left Jeongju and moved to Luoyang.

There were many attractions in Luoyang, and the Luoyang Tower, known as one of the Three Great Towers of the Central Plains, was the most famous landmark of Luoyang.

The Luoyang Tower was located near the Longmen Grottoes, a tourist attraction. In the past, people stayed at the Luoyang Tower to see the Longmen Grottoes, but now it had become such a landmark that people visited the Longmen Grottoes to stay at the Luoyang Tower. It attracted many people to Luoyang every year and became a special place that allowed the people of Luoyang to engage in their livelihoods.

Staying at the Luoyang Tower, Hwa-rin could understand why so many people said that the Luoyang Tower was the best.

The building was just an octagonal five-story pavilion, but the surrounding landscaping was excellent, and the scenery viewed through the windows on each floor looked different.

Moreover, everyone working at the Luoyang Tower seemed to have received proper training, as they were all kind and always had a smile on their faces, making those who saw them feel comfortable.

“Well, there’s always a reason why a place is successful.”

Hwa-rin stayed on the second floor, sitting at a table and eating while looking out the window. Then, watching the people working at the Luoyang Tower, he said to himself.

“We need to train not only the courtesans but also the servers.”

Hwa-rin’s head ached as he thought about the money he would have to spend in the future, but he chuckled as he thought of Danri Hyeok-gwang’s face.

“It’s so hard to feed that guy. Danri, did you know that and entrust him to me?”

He tore off a piece of Dongpo pork with his chopsticks and ate it, talking to himself.

“I’m not worried about Soso, but Hyeok-jin is a boy, so it’s hard. Should I send him to the army? Then, wouldn’t he become a better person like me after being discharged?”

If other people had seen him talking to himself and laughing alone, they would have thought he was crazy, but the people eating on the second floor were focused on their own business, so no one paid attention to Hwa-rin’s behavior.

“Excuse me, sir!”

A server approached Hwa-rin, bowed, and spoke.

“I’m sorry, but would it be possible for you to share a table with others?”

“Share a table?”

“Yes. There are no seats in the restaurant. I will ask for understanding not only from you but also from others, but first, I’m asking those who are eating alone…”

The server explained the reason in detail and asked for understanding. Hwa-rin liked him, so he allowed the table to be shared.

“Go ahead. But how many people are there?”

“Two people.”

“Okay. I don’t mind, so do as you please.”

“Ah, thank you.”

After the server left, he brought the guests, a man and a woman wearing swords at their waists, who were presumed to be martial artists.

They looked to be about the same age as Hwa-rin, and their faces looked familiar.

‘Do I remember seeing them?’

“Thank you for giving up your seat. I am Namgung Jin. And this is my sister, Namgung Yeon-ah.”

“Ah, Namgung Su-yeon!”

When Namgung Jin introduced himself, Hwa-rin realized that they resembled Namgung Su-yeon a lot, which was why he had the illusion that he remembered seeing them.

“Namgung Su-yeon? Do you know my sister?”

Namgung Jin asked.

“I’m Joo Hwa-rin. I served with Namgung Su-yeon in the military. For about three years. Then I was discharged first.”

“Ah, I see. Could you tell me about Su-yeon? She left home without a word and we haven’t heard from her yet.”

Unexpectedly, he met a member of the Namgung family and started talking.

‘Wait, Namgung Jin is the Sword Dragon among the Ten Dragons and Eight Phoenixes [a ranking of the most promising young martial artists]?’

Hwa-rin recalled that the man was one of the Ten Dragons and Eight Phoenixes, known as the strongest among the younger generation, and tried to gauge his martial arts.

“She was doing well until I was in the military. She had a grand goal of completing her family’s martial arts through practical experience, and she was one of the most diligent juniors in training and practice.”

Hwa-rin spoke about Namgung Su-yeon while trying to gauge Namgung Jin’s martial arts.

He certainly looked strong, but he knew that he didn’t reach his level, and he was a little disappointed.

‘Namgung Su-yeon seems stronger now.’

Since the Fierce Tiger Death Squad was attacked and scattered, he didn’t know if she was alive or dead, but he thought that Namgung Su-yeon would be alive.

‘If Namgung Su-yeon finishes her military service at Anga and returns to the Namgung family after being discharged, the Namgung family will gain a thousand troops.’

“Is that so? The family was very worried that something might have gone wrong, but I’m glad to hear that she’s alive. She hasn’t contacted us even once…”

“Su-yeon only thinks about herself.”

Namgung Yeon-ah spoke sharply as if she didn’t like Namgung Su-yeon, but he could read a look of relief on her face.

‘This is what a family is.’

Hwa-rin thought of his brothers and sisters as he looked at Namgung Jin and Namgung Yeon-ah.

‘They’re just people who make me lose affection. Well, even my father is like that.’

“Excuse me… Hwa-rin, is my sister healthy? Was she sick or anything?”

A faint smile appeared on his face at Namgung Yeon-ah’s words, calling him ‘brother’ and asking about Namgung Su-yeon’s well-being.

“She was living well and bravely until I was discharged.”

“That’s a relief. Brother, please tell me about my sister.”

“We should order food first. The staff member has been standing silently behind us.”

“Ah, please give us Dongpo pork, spicy chives salad, and two egg yolk marinades. No, three, please.”

The two people quickly ordered as if they had been here several times, and the server thanked them and left.

“How old are you, Hwa-rin? I’m twenty-five years old, born in the Gyeong-o year [year in the Chinese sexagenary cycle].”

“Ah, I’m also twenty-five years old, born in the Gyeong-o year… We’re the same age.”

“It’s such a coincidence. Nice to meet you.”

“Nice to meet you too. I’m meeting you because of the unpredictable Namgung Su-yeon.”

“I’m so envious of men when I see things like this. They become friends quickly and call each other ‘hyung’ [older brother or respected male] and ‘dongsaeng’ [younger sibling or friend].”

“Is that so? It’s all about the person’s mindset. Su-yeon used to come to me all the time and say ‘hyung, hyung’.”

“My sister did?”

“Yes. There were about five women in the military where I was, and they all lived with men, so their personalities were all like men, and they bothered me so much, calling me ‘hyung, hyung’.”

“Well, my sister might have done that. My sister had nothing she liked except martial arts. If such a person tries to live in the military… you must have had a hard time, brother.”

“Yeon-ah.”

“That’s the truth. She said she would teach me the Daeyeon Nineteen Forms, but she didn’t.”

Hwa-rin, listening to the conversation between the two, recalled what Namgung Su-yeon had said in the past.

‘That lucky guy was misunderstanding.’

“Hwa-rin, where are you staying?”

“I’m in Sanyang County, Shanxi Province. There’s a place called Nine Dragons Hall, and I’m the owner of the Nine Dragons Hall.”

“Nine Dragons Hall? Are you the Nine Dragons Hall that’s building the Nine Dragons Tower?”

“Has the rumor of the Nine Dragons Tower reached Anhui Province?”

“I’ve met an unexpected big shot.”
Hwa-rin tilted his head at Namgung Jin’s words.

“The Nine Dragons Tower is attracting a lot of attention not only from the business world but also from the Murim.”

“Why?”

“It’s the only place in the Nine Provinces and Eight Seas of the Central Plains that has legally obtained a gambling license.”

“But there are many conditions attached. In particular, 30% of the profits must be paid to the development fund of Shanxi Province, 10% to the development fund of Sanyang County, and 10% to…”

Hwa-rin talked about how he was able to obtain a gambling license, saying that he was building the Nine Dragons Tower not to make money but to gather people.

“Is that so?”

“Besides the Nine Dragons Tower, I also run two inns, two brothels, a silk shop, a loan business, a pawnshop, and a courier company. Ah, I’ll start the courier company when the Nine Dragons Tower is completed.”

“Wow, then are you a big merchant, brother?”

“Compared to them, I’m just a person who opens a stall in the market and does business. Just someone who makes a living to make ends meet.”

“This person, he’s at least a middle-class merchant. He has more businesses than our family.”

“Hey, it just happened like this as I added one by one. It wasn’t something I planned and started from the beginning.”

“Still, it’s good that your business is thriving.”

“That’s true. But where are you going?”

“To Shanxi Province.”

“Shanxi Province? Are you attending the Hwasan Assembly held by the Hwasan Sect?”

“Did you know?”

“I heard it here and there.”

“It’s an event held every four years, and there are no restrictions on the righteous or evil sects, so many young martial artists attend. Just by watching it, you can predict how the Murim will change over the next ten years.”

After ten years, the current younger generation will become the established generation leading the Murim, so it was an event that many people were interested in.

“Then I should go and see it too.”

“Then let’s go together.”

“I have something to do right now. I have to go to Jiangsu Province urgently.”

“Jiangsu Province?”

“Because of business. You shouldn’t try to know the deep story. This is a trade secret.”