Tales Of The Nine Dragons [EN]: Chapter 63

Nine Dragons Chronicle (63)

When Seo Daeyeong finished his training and opened his eyes, Hwa-rin was there, watching over him.

“Have you already finished your training?”

“How can I focus on my training when the person I told to guard me is doing meditative breathing exercises? It makes me anxious.”

Seo Daeyeong pouted at Hwa-rin’s gentle chiding.

“How much time has…”

“Two hours have passed. You’ve been training alone for half a day, and I’ve been guarding you.”

“Two hours, you say?”

“Congratulations.”

Seo Daeyeong looked at Hwa-rin, puzzled by the sudden remark.

“I’m talking about entering the state of losing yourself.”

Mora, which means losing oneself, is referred to as the state of Mora or the realm of Mora in martial arts. It signifies a state where one loses oneself and focuses solely on training.

“Are you saying I’ve entered the state of Mora?”

“Yes. If you work a little harder, you might be able to break through the wall. Keep training diligently.”

“Ah… Thank you, Clan Lord!”

“There’s no need to thank me. It’s an achievement you earned through your own efforts. However, until you break through the wall, be mindful of where you train in public places.”

“Understood. I will.”

“Then let’s go eat. What kind of food does Mount Hua offer? I hope they don’t just serve vegetables.”

“Although Mount Hua is a Taoist sect, it has deep ties with the secular world, so they eat meat as well.”

“Really? Then let’s tear into a chicken.”

“I can’t say for sure. We’ll have to go and see. I’ll guide you.”

Seo Daeyeong left the room first, and Hwa-rin followed him.

“By the way, do you know where the dining hall is?”

“I don’t. But people must be heading to the dining hall now, so if we follow them, we should get there.”

“Oh, that’s a good idea.”

Seo Daeyeong gave a slightly exasperated look and went to the dining hall in Yeongjeon Hall with Hwa-rin.

The dining hall was in the basement of the building, and judging by the few people there, it seemed each building had its own dining hall.

“I’ll grab a seat, so go get the food.”

“Understood.”

Hwa-rin sat down in the center of the dining hall. The reason for choosing the center was simple.

It was to hear what others were saying. If he were off to the side, he would have to use his inner energy [internal energy or ‘qi’, used for heightened senses], but in the center, he could hear even the smallest sounds with just his hearing.

“I heard that Cheongyeon, the Taoist priest selected as the youngest of the Wudang Seven Swords, has come to Mount Hua.”

Hwa-rin became interested in the term “Wudang Seven Swords.”

Wudang Seven Swords!

They are martial artists representing the Wudang Sect. Their individual martial skills are exceptional, and their Seven Stars Sword Formation is said to be inescapable even for the Demonic Cult Leader of the time. They play a significant role in the current martial world.

The existing Wudang Seven Swords were made up of established martial artists in their mid-thirties to early forties. The inclusion of Cheongyeon, a promising junior in his early twenties, meant that he had tremendous talent in martial arts and was one of the talents who would lead the Wudang Sect in the future.

‘Cheongyeon, the Taoist priest? I need to remember that name. But I don’t think Cheongyeon’s name was on the Ten Dragons and Eight Phoenixes list.’

If he was skilled enough to be selected as one of the Wudang Seven Swords, he should be skilled enough to be included in the Ten Dragons and Eight Phoenixes [a list of the most promising young martial artists], but the fact that he wasn’t was a bit puzzling.

At that moment, Seo Daeyeong brought the food.

“As you said, Clan Lord, chicken is served. It looks delicious, well-boiled.”

“Chief Seo, what are the selection criteria for the Ten Dragons and Eight Phoenixes?”

“Well, wouldn’t it mostly be martial arts, reputation, and recognition? But why are you asking?”

“I heard that Cheongyeon, the Taoist priest of the Wudang Sect, was selected as the youngest of the Wudang Seven Swords. The Wudang Seven Swords are the face of the Wudang Sect.”

“That’s true, but the Wudang Seven Swords aren’t the entirety of the Wudang Sect, are they? The real terror of Wudang lies in the Enforcing Monks.”

Hwa-rin had also heard of the Enforcing Monks.

Among the Nine Great Sects [the most powerful martial arts sects], the Buddhist and Taoist sects prohibited killing unless there was a special reason, and even then, permission from the sect leader or elders was required. This was mostly in response to martial arts criminals who appeared in the martial world or martial artists who massacred ordinary people. They were generally cautious about killing.

Even among these Buddhist and Taoist sects of the Nine Great Sects, there were groups that were granted permission to kill. These groups were mostly tasked with capturing those who committed murder within the sect and fled, or with tracking down and killing those who assassinated key figures of the sect.

The Secret Shaolin of the Shaolin, the Enforcing Monks of Wudang, the Blood Plum Sword Masters of Mount Hua, the Subduing Demon Sword Flowers of Emei, the True Blood Azure Sword Masters of Qingcheng, and the True Star Cloud Dragons of Kunlun were the groups that carried out these missions.

These groups were kept secret within the sect, and only a few people besides the sect leader knew of their existence.

The number of members, their level of martial arts, and their activities were all kept secret, and the Beggars’ Sect was in charge of erasing, concealing, and hiding their tracks.

But the funny thing was that even the Beggars’ Sect, which specialized in cleaning up messes, couldn’t figure them out.

That’s why it was said that the true power of the Nine Great Sects was not the visible power but the invisible power.

“That’s not what I’m asking. I’m asking why there are so few experts from the Nine Great Sects among the Ten Dragons and Eight Phoenixes.”

“Well, it’s because they’re well-known in the martial world. Wouldn’t it be easier for the secular Ten Great Families and the experts from the unorthodox sects and the Demonic Cult to be talked about?”

“Hmm…”

“Why are you worrying about such trivial things?”

“If I want to gain popularity in the martial world, I need to know this now.”

Seo Daeyeong shook his head, wondering why Hwa-rin had become such a frivolous person since coming to the Mount Hua Sect.

“Haa… You’re already quite well-known in Shanxi Province, Clan Lord, so you don’t have to worry about that.”

“Really?”

“Yes. If you just show off your martial arts, you’ll become known as a master of the province in an instant.”

Hwa-rin smiled brightly at Seo Daeyeong’s words.

“That’s right. I’m quite famous.”

“Clan Lord.”

“What?”

“I’m really curious, what’s your real intention? I need to know something to clap along [support you].”

“What intention? I’m just training.”

“Training?”

“There’s this ridiculous training called pre-recognition training.”

“Pre-recognition training? What’s that?”

“So, pre-recognition training is about matching my environment with the environment of another place and acting accordingly, or acting as if I were someone else. I learned it in the military.”

“Hmm… But is that training necessary now?”

“If I show a weakness, they’ll be less wary.”

“How many people want to know about you, Clan Lord?”

“That’s true. Starting with the Mount Hua Branch, I’ll gradually become talked about.”

“Well, if you do something in Mount Hua, that’ll happen…”

“They’re coming.”

Seo Daeyeong turned his head towards the entrance at Hwa-rin’s words.

Hwayoung, an elder of the Mount Hua Sect, a Taoist priest who appeared to be in his mid-forties, and a man who appeared to be a promising junior were looking around at the entrance. They saw Hwa-rin and immediately walked towards them.

“Isn’t that Maesan, the youngest sect leader of the Mount Hua Sect? And next to him is the Plum Blossom Sword Master, Okhae.”

Hwa-rin heard the people’s words and knew who was coming towards him.

Hwa-rin stood up and performed the martial arts greeting, Poquan [a respectful greeting], towards the approaching Sect Leader Maesan.

Poquan is a gesture of bringing both hands together to chest height and slightly bowing the head, originating from the meaning of not having the intention to fight and respecting the opponent. It has been passed down in the martial world until now.

Poquan was slightly modified and passed down differently depending on the nature of the sect or family, but most Poquan gestures were performed politely, as Hwa-rin did to Sect Leader Maesan.

“I greet Sect Leader Maesan.”

As Hwa-rin greeted him, Sect Leader Maesan smiled brightly and said,

“I don’t know if I’m disturbing your meal, Clan Lord of the Nine Dragons!”

When Sect Leader Maesan revealed Hwa-rin’s identity, there was a buzz all around.

‘That person is the Clan Lord of the Nine Dragons.’, ‘He looks younger than I thought.’, ‘Who is the Clan Lord of the Nine Dragons?’ These were the kinds of things being said, and those who knew about the Clan Lord of the Nine Dragons whispered explanations, which Hwa-rin could hear clearly.

“I heard about you from Elder Hwayoung. I heard that your clan helped our disciples when they went down the mountain this time. Thank you so much. They only talk about the delicious food they ate at the Nine Dragons Clan even after they came back.”

“Of course, they are people who are working for the sake of the martial world, so we have to treat them that well. Otherwise, merchants like us can’t do business with peace of mind.”

“Thank you for saying that. The reason I came to see you is to introduce this child.”

Maesan introduced Okhae, who was next to him.

—He is the sect leader’s disciple. He is the most outstanding of the disciples. He is also the most likely to become the next sect leader.—

Elder Hwayoung’s telepathic message reached Hwa-rin’s ears.

“Okhae, greet him. He is Clan Lord Hwa-rin, the Clan Lord of the Nine Dragons.”

“Okhae greets the Clan Lord.”

As he greeted, Hwa-rin also greeted him.

“How old are you this year, Taoist Okhae? I am twenty-five, born in the year of Gyeong-o [a year in the Chinese sexagenary cycle].”

“Ah, I am also twenty-five, born in the year of Gyeong-o.”

“Then we are the same age. I heard that Namgung Jin is also twenty-five, born in the year of Gyeong-o.”

“Have you met Namgung Jin?”

Okhae asked.

“I met him by chance at an inn. One of my army juniors was from the Namgung family, so I was able to exchange a few words with him, and we decided to be friends because we were the same age.”

“Ah, I see.”

“Are you well acquainted with Namgung Jin?”

“Not really. I don’t visit him, so I only know his name.”

“Ah, that’s good. Then, Taoist Okhae, let’s be friends too.”

“Pardon?”

Okhae was momentarily surprised by Hwa-rin’s sudden words and looked at Sect Leader Maesan next to him. Seeing the smile on Sect Leader Maesan’s face, Okhae nodded and said,

“Let’s do that. I’m also happy to be friends with Clan Lord Hwa-rin.”

“Then let’s speak comfortably after counting one, two, three [let’s drop the honorifics and speak casually].”

“Understood.”

“One, two, three!”

Thus, Hwa-rin decided to be friends with Okhae and said that he would introduce him if he met Namgung Jin.

“Haha, I came to express my gratitude, and our Okhae has gained a good friend.”

“I’m more grateful.”

—Clan Lord Hwa-rin.—

At that moment, Sect Leader Maesan’s telepathic message reached him.

—Could you possibly come to see me at the end of Haesi (11 PM to 11:31 PM) [an ancient Chinese unit of time]?—

Hwa-rin narrowed his eyes slightly.

—The security will be tight. I would appreciate it if you could avoid the security and come to see me. I have something important to tell you.—

—What is it?—

—I’ll tell you when you come. Elder Hwayoung strongly recommended you, so I’m asking you this favor.—

—Understood. Then I will see you at the end of Haesi.”

“Okhae has decided to be friends with Clan Lord Hwa-rin, so have a meal together and then take care of your business.”

“I will.”

“He’s been inside the sect all his life, so he doesn’t know much about the world. Clan Lord Hwa-rin, please teach him a lot.”

“I’m the same way. I have nothing to teach anyone. I think we can learn about the world together from now on.”

“Hahaha, that’s a very wise answer. Then have a good time.”

Sect Leader Maesan and Elder Hwayoung left, leaving Okhae alone. A bit of awkwardness washed over them, but Seo Daeyeong quickly got up, brought food for Okhae, and placed it in front of him.

“Please eat.”

“Ah, this friend is Seo Daeyeong, and he is the chief manager of our Nine Dragons Clan. He is a whopping five years older than us.”

Promising juniors are said to be between the ages of eighteen and twenty-five or twenty-six, but thirty years old is beyond the promising junior stage and can be considered an established generation.

“I am Seo Daeyeong. It is an honor to meet you, Taoist Okhae.”

“Just call me Okhae.”

“No, if you are a friend of the Clan Lord, you are on the same level as the Clan Lord. So, of course, I have to use honorifics.”

Hwa-rin listened to Seo Daeyeong’s words and gave a look that said, ‘Not bad.’

“Ah, thank you for thinking that way.”

“Is it awkward?”

Okhae nodded at Hwa-rin’s question.

“I was like that too when I first met Namgung Jin, that friend. But the awkwardness disappeared as we talked.”

“Really?”

“Yeah. Maybe it’s because we’re the same age and we have similar interests, so we became friends quickly.”

“Interests? Hwa-rin, what are you interested in?”

“I’m interested in manors, business, the martial world, martial arts, things like that.”

In reality, he was more interested in people themselves, but these things are always abstract, so he mentioned a few words to make it easier for the other person to talk.

‘He definitely has something up his sleeve.’

Seo Daeyeong looked at Hwa-rin and thought to himself.

‘He’s not planning to advance into Hwayeom County, which is Mount Hua’s territory, is he?’