Tales Of The Nine Dragons [EN]: Chapter 82

Nine Dragons Chronicle (82)

After the investigation at the Shaanxi branch of the Justice Sky Alliance, Hwa-Rin departed with his friends.

“Contact me if you encounter any trouble in the future.”

“That’s unlikely. The Jongnam and Hwasan sects will stand as the Nine Dragons Unit’s shield.”

“But Brother, you seemed to be on good terms with Elder Song Cheol. What’s your connection with him?”

A smile touched Hwa-Rin’s face at Namgung Yeon-ah’s question.

“We served in the same military unit. Namgung Su-yeon is also in the same unit, so we’re senior and junior comrades.”

“Ah, I’ve heard that Jongnam sect members often enlist in the military to gain real combat experience instead of immediately entering the martial arts world. So, Elder Song Cheol also completed his military service.”

“I know that many Jongnam sect disciples enlist. However, they choose their units, and I heard from Senior Song Cheol that most apply to units with frequent combat.”

“So, the Jongnam sect’s martial artists are quite fierce.”

“Are they fierce?”

“Yes. Incredibly so, especially those who have just reached the Late Stage.”

Namgung Yeon-ah shuddered slightly, exaggerating as if she had encountered Jongnam sect martial artists on several occasions.

“Then just try to avoid them.”

“Is that something one can always control?”

“That’s why you need to train harder. Physical strength strengthens the mind, so you need to become stronger through training.”

“Yes. I’ll train diligently when I return to the main family. I learned a great deal from the people I met at the Hwasan branch.”

“Then we’re heading back to the main family now.”

“I also suddenly have urgent matters to attend to, so I’ll have to take my leave here.”

As everyone announced their departures, Hwa-Rin nodded.

“Do so. If you ever come to Shaanxi, stop by the main base and rest. Extend the invitation to your families as well. I’m one to repay favors tenfold.”

“Can we really do that?”

“Of course. You can rest not only at the main base but also at the inns and brothels operating there. I won’t charge my friends.”

“It was a brief encounter, but I feel like I’ve made good friends. Hwa-Rin, if you need help, don’t hesitate to come to our family.”

“I will.”

—Hwa-Rin!

Sa Do-joon sent a telepathic message to Hwa-Rin.

—Speak.

—I might cause you trouble because of me.

—If that’s the case, there’s nothing I can do. That doesn’t change the fact that you’re my friend.

Sa Do-joon nodded in response to Hwa-Rin’s telepathic message.

—The Sword Demon of Massacre might come looking for you if he hears about you. You really need to be careful of him.

—The Sword Demon of Massacre? Are you talking about *that* Sword Demon of Massacre, one of your martial siblings?

—Yes. He’s currently supported by assassins. But if rumors spread that you’ve appeared in the Central Plains, the assassins’ motives will intensify.

—I understand. I’ll deal with that problem when it arises, so don’t worry.

—Still, be careful. The Sword Demon of Massacre is on a different level from us.

“I have a long way to go, so I’ll leave first. Yeon-ah, let’s meet again next time.”

“Yes, Brother Joon, please be careful on your way.”

Sa Do-joon greeted everyone and departed.

“We should go too.”

“Do so. Those who are busy should leave first.”

Hwa-Rin watched Namgung Jin and Namgung Yeon-ah leave for Anhui Province, and when they were out of sight, he turned around.

“Sichuan, Yunnan, Guizhou, Guangxi, you said.”

Hwa-Rin briefly considered the order in which to collect the grains from the Hwa-Myung Merchant Group before heading to Sichuan.

* * *

“Are you saying that all the martial artists sent to the Nine Dragons Unit were defeated?”

“Yes. Besides us, another group attacked the Nine Dragons Unit at that time: the Stone Heaven Sect.”

“The Stone Heaven Sect?”

“It’s a righteous sect in Shaanxi Province, and it’s the largest righteous sect besides Jongnam and Hwasan.”

“Why would they do that?”

“That’s unknown. However, they were annihilated as a price for attacking the Nine Dragons Unit.”

The eyes of Madam Lee-ran, the mistress of the Blood Evil Sect, narrowed slightly at the word ‘annihilated.’

“How does the Stone Heaven Sect compare to us?”

“They are similar in strength, both being first-rate sects.”

“But the Stone Heaven Sect was annihilated? Does that mean we can’t win even if we mobilize all our martial artists against the Nine Dragons Unit?”

“The strength of martial arts is not an absolute comparison but a relative one, and since there is mutual generation and mutual restraint [the concept of Wuxing or Five Elements], I cannot give you a definite answer. However…”

“However?”

“It is clear that we will face significant difficulties if we fight the Nine Dragons Unit.”

“Why do you think so?”

“In the martial arts world, a single master can influence the outcome of a battle to the extent that they can determine victory or defeat. Even though the Stone Heaven Sect had their sect leader, Seok Dae-young, they were annihilated. In our Blood Evil Sect’s current situation, we don’t have a martial artist who can face the master of the Nine Dragons Unit who fought Seok Dae-young.”

Madam Lee-ran nodded. She was also a martial artist who had learned martial arts, so she understood the role of a master very well.

“What if I contact my father and ask him to send a master?”

“It might improve our chances, but even then, we cannot be sure of victory.”

Madam Lee-ran agreed with the words of the chief manager, Na Joong-gi.

“And there is no evidence that the Nine Dragons Unit’s leader killed your husband, elders, and nephews. If they demand an explanation just because we crossed the Nine Dragons Unit’s walls, we have no justification to offer.”

“So?”

“I think it would be more advantageous for us to investigate further, create a plausible justification, and enter through the main gate rather than crossing the walls to inquire about the truth of the incident.”

Madam Lee-ran thought alone without answering. Na Joong-gi’s words made sense, but the fact that only her husband and sons had died felt unsettling.

‘Could this guy have killed my husband and children and framed the Nine Dragons Unit?’

“Sister-in-law, I hesitate to say this, but I think it is more important to stabilize the sect with the help of the White Horse Temple [one of the oldest Buddhist temples in China] than to attack the Nine Dragons Unit.”

“With my father’s help?”

“Yes. Currently, there are no proper masters in the sect other than you, sister-in-law. The surrounding sects are watching the situation and are working behind the scenes to take away the vested interests we have.”

“How dare they! Which bastards!”

As her anger surfaced, the entire office seemed to shake lightly.

“It’s the Onsu Sect and the Jeokji Gate.”

The two sects mentioned by Na Joong-gi were heretical sects that were in the position of second-in-command due to the power of the Blood Evil Sect.

“Since your husband and the sect’s masters died, they have been continuously requesting the Blood Evil Alliance to revoke our sect’s qualification for the Henan Province branch.”

“How dare those rootless bastards.”

In times of crisis, those who threaten the most are often allies, not enemies.

Especially in the world of the law of the jungle, when the opportunity to step on others and rise comes, you must seize it, or you will live your whole life being trampled on by others.

The Jeokji Gate and the Onsu Sect also knew this principle well, so they were trying to trample on the weakened Blood Evil Sect before it could reorganize and regain strength.

“Sister-in-law, you must not ignore them. In the past, they have hidden their claws, and now they are revealing those claws to us who are wounded. You must not think of this issue simply emotionally.”

“So?”

“We need the help of the White Horse Temple. I don’t know what you think, sister-in-law, but now we must suppress the Jeokji Gate and the Onsu Sect with the power of the White Horse Temple. And we must request support from the Blood Evil Alliance.”

Madam Lee-ran listened to Na Joong-gi’s words and pondered for a long time before nodding.

“I will send a letter to my father. Send an envoy to the Blood Evil Alliance to receive support.”

“I will do so.”

“Ah, and what about investigating the Yeongcheon Merchant Group?”

“We are investigating. We are investigating the movements of the Eastern and Western Poisons of the Yeongcheon Merchant Group. A report will be submitted soon.”

Madam Lee-ran nodded and gestured for him to leave.

As Na Joong-gi bowed and left the office, she sank deeply into her chair.

“Why are you telling me to get help from my father?”

Since the person who killed her husband and children was not clearly revealed, Madam Lee-ran was suspicious of everything.

‘Could it be that my father is aiming for this place and inciting the chief manager?’

* * *

“Did not a single person return to the Alliance?”

At the heart of the Blood Evil Alliance, which holds considerable influence in the Central Plains martial arts world, the Blood Evil Alliance’s leader, Sa Hwang Baek Mu-gi, and the chief manager, Sa Ma-maeng, were having a private meeting, both with serious expressions.

The atmosphere was so heavy that even ordinary people might have struggled to breathe.

“I am sorry. I never expected things to turn out this way.”

“I wonder if you are mocking me after hearing the report.”

Silence followed Baek Mu-gi’s words, making the atmosphere even heavier.

“Since we failed to destroy the Eulji family, it is no different from a complete defeat.”

“I am sorry. We inflicted some damage on the Justice Sky Alliance’s Black Tortoise Unit and the Sichuan martial arts world, but we did not achieve our objective.”

“I cannot understand how not a single person could return without the intervention of the Justice Sky Alliance’s military groups that can individually defeat the Four Spirits Blood Demon Squad, the Scarlet Spirit Blood Corpse Squad, and the Nine Provinces Death Blood Tear Squad. Was there the intervention of someone else that we are unaware of?”

He thought that this outcome was only possible if they had encountered the Demonic Cult’s Twelve Demonic Armies.

“We are investigating, but since there were no survivors, confirmation is expected to take some time. We are mobilizing informants to investigate the Justice Sky Alliance’s internal affairs, but it seems they also know nothing about this incident.”

“Is that so?”

“However, those who were present testified that it was the work of one person, not a group.”

“One person?”

“Yes. So…”

Sa Ma-maeng informed Baek Mu-gi based on the reports.

“I cannot believe it. One person annihilated three of our military units, which are considered our main force. Is that possible?”

“I also found it hard to believe, so I investigated in various ways, but it was definitely one person. He saved the Black Tortoise Unit, which was on the verge of annihilation, and fought alone on Jade Flower Mountain, so I believe the reports are accurate.”

“Hmm…”

Baek Mu-gi considered whether he could face the Four Spirits Blood Demon Squad, the Scarlet Spirit Blood Corpse Squad, and the Nine Provinces Death Blood Tear Squad simultaneously.

‘It is not impossible. Then someone with martial power at least similar to mine must have intervened…’

There were only ten people in the Central Plains with martial power comparable to Sa Hwang Baek Mu-gi.

They were known as the One Demon, Two Emperors, Three Kings, and Four Sages, symbolic figures of the martial arts world as the Ten Great Masters of the Central Plains.

‘Then is it the Sword Emperor?’

Baek Mu-gi fell silent, lost in thought, and time passed.

The heavier the air became, the more Sa Ma-maeng was overwhelmed, waiting for Baek Mu-gi to speak.

After about half an hour, Baek Mu-gi’s lips moved.

“Then are you preparing measures to fill their vacancies?”

“As it stands, we will have to utilize those who have been hidden. In addition, we will gather Late Stage experts, create a military unit, train them, and deploy them to the field.”

“Late Stage experts? Does that mean you are accelerating the plan?”

“Yes. We will divide and teach them three martial arts books stored in the Alliance, and after practical training with the Miao Jiang and Wolha tribesmen, we will organize them into the regular army.”

It was not a plan that Sa Hwang Baek Mu-gi favored, but he had no choice because the number of martial artists who could fight the righteous faction was insufficient.

With this incident, the slight advantage they held over the Justice Sky Alliance had diminished, so they needed to increase the number of martial artists both qualitatively and quantitatively.

After the destruction of the Betrayal Sect thirty years ago, the righteous faction chose qualitative growth to strengthen their internal affairs, while the heretical faction achieved quantitative growth and greatly expanded their power.

No matter how much qualitative growth the righteous faction achieved, they could not recklessly confront the heretical faction because they were overwhelmed in power, but now the balance had become more even.

Of course, if they mobilized the heretical sects that were self-sustaining throughout the Central Plains, the Blood Evil Alliance could gain an advantageous position in the fight against the Justice Sky Alliance, but the Blood Evil Alliance, lacking masters, could not easily provoke them because the fight would become unfavorable if it dragged on for too long.

“For now, proceed with that plan and find out about the person who appeared on Jade Flower Mountain as soon as possible and prepare countermeasures. The appearance of such a master is not something we welcome.”

“I will do my best.”

“Ah, and one more thing!”

Sa Ma-maeng looked at Baek Mu-gi.

“Find out the recent movements of the One Demon, Two Emperors, Three Kings, and Four Sages as soon as possible.”