Tales Of The Nine Dragons [EN]: Chapter 87

Guryong Chronicles (87)

Huzhou in Sichuan Province, the final stop of the Yangtze River that begins in Jiangsu Province, teems with people.

As the last port on the Yangtze, it bustled with merchants, soldiers, government officials, Confucian scholars, and traders, leaving barely any room to move.

With so many people gathered, economic activity naturally flourished, and with such a large transient population, inns and brothels were even more common than in other regions.

Inns and brothels with views of the Yangtze River and the pier were especially popular, but incidents and accidents also occurred frequently.

Thud!

A young man went sprawling across the floor of the inn, colliding with a table and sending food flying.

The guests quickly scrambled away from the table, while others watched with amusement.

Their expressions were fierce, clearly marking them as troublemakers, and judging by the swords and sabers they carried, they were all martial artists.

One of them strode over to the fallen man, grabbed him by the collar, and shoved him roughly towards another table.

The man stumbled helplessly, but a young man eating at the other table managed to stop him from crashing into it.

“I was trying to enjoy a peaceful meal,” the young man said.

The young man was Hwa-rin. After delivering the Hwa-myung Merchant Guild’s grain in Yunnan Province, he had come to Sichuan to await the arrival of more grain from Guizhou and Guangxi Provinces.

Hwa-rin spoke with a disgruntled tone, then rose from his seat and addressed the man who had been pushed.

“How can a man as sturdy as you just take that kind of treatment?”

“They’re martial artists. I’m just a Confucian scholar preparing for the civil service exam. How can I possibly stand up to them?”

“So you’re just accepting it? Letting them make a fool of you?”

Hwa-rin sounded frustrated, but he understood the man’s position.

“Hey, mind your own business. Just eat your meal and leave,” one of the thugs said.

Hwa-rin turned to face the speaker. “How can I eat quietly with all this going on? Maybe *you* could be quiet until I finish eating.”

Hwa-rin’s retort left the men dumbfounded.

“Looks like you’ve got a death wish.”

A man stepped forward, his presence radiating menace.

His fierce demeanor alone suggested he was a master martial artist, and his approach was intimidating.

“Where did *you* crawl out from?”

“Why do you need to know? I’ve heard rumors that many righteous martial artists in Sichuan Province have recently died due to the Blood Oath Alliance’s provocations. Is your behavior related to that?”

Speaking fearlessly, Hwa-rin made the man narrow his eyes.

‘Could he be someone important?’

He was suspicious, but saw no weapons on Hwa-rin, and his clothes were unlike those worn by martial artists.

‘Is he bluffing?’

“Judging by your appearance and actions, you don’t seem righteous. You must be a member of some Demonic Sect… but your attire doesn’t match any sect I know.”

As Hwa-rin spoke as if knowledgeable about the martial world [Jianghu], the thugs exchanged glances.

Despite facing armed opponents, he seemed too relaxed. They wondered if he might be someone significant.

“Do you want to die?” the man threatened.

Hwa-rin’s hand flashed out.

Slap!

The man’s head snapped to the side, and several teeth flew from his mouth.

Thud!

The man, stunned, collapsed to the inn floor.

“Just a fierce look, not much else,” Hwa-rin said, glancing at his palm. He went to the fallen man, helped him up, then slapped him again on the other cheek.

This time, the man staggered and crashed into another table, sending it flying.

“Is it fun to act like this?” Hwa-rin asked, looking at the man’s companions.

“What the hell is this bastard!”

The thugs rushed forward, glaring at Hwa-rin murderously, and drew their weapons.

Clap… Clap… Clap… Clap…

The onlookers only heard the sound of slaps, but didn’t see Hwa-rin move.

Thud!

The thugs, swords still in hand, stumbled and fell beside their companion.

They lay piled like sacks of grain, while Hwa-rin, unconcerned, examined his palm.

“Normally, seven teeth should have fallen out, but only five… I’ve gotten weaker. I should try again.”

He approached the fallen men, who groveled, begging for mercy.

“Please forgive us! We didn’t recognize you, Great Warrior! We deserve to die! Please spare us!”

“If you deserve to die, why are you asking to be saved? Where did your confidence go?”

Hwa-rin grabbed one of the men, stood him facing the entrance, and slapped him hard.

“Ugh!”

With a scream, teeth flew from his mouth, and the force of the blow sent him flying out of the inn.

After repeating the process with another man, Hwa-rin collected their weapons and called for the innkeeper.

“I didn’t do anything wrong…”

“It’s not that. I want you to sell these swords and sabers to the blacksmith.”

“Ah, I understand.”

Startled by Hwa-rin’s earlier display, the innkeeper took the weapons and hurried away.

“What are you all doing outside? Your food is getting cold!” Hwa-rin called to the onlookers, who quickly dispersed, fearing him.

Hwa-rin was slightly disappointed, but understood that this was how ordinary people viewed martial artists.

To them, the distinction between righteous and demonic sects was less important than the fact that all martial artists were trouble.

The only difference was the degree of trouble they caused.

Hwa-rin approached the scholar, who was staring blankly. “Don’t just take it in the future. Have the courage to fight back when things are unfair. That’s the mark of a true scholar.”

“You are…”

“I’m not saying this because I’m a martial artist. If you want a government position, you can’t stand by when you see injustice because you’re afraid of getting hurt. A true scholar risks his life to expose injustice.”

Hwa-rin then called for the waiter.

The waiter, cleaning up the mess, rushed over, bowing. “Yes, sir?”

“Tell the kitchen to remake my order.”

“Ah, I understand.”

The waiter ran to the kitchen, and the cook relit the stove.

The waiter cleaned the inn, grumbling under his breath as he looked at the broken table. “It breaks every other day. The innkeeper must be tired of it.”

He muttered, but Hwa-rin clearly heard him.

‘But I guess he puts up with it because he’s making money. I wonder if we have any troublemakers at our inns?’

Since he hadn’t heard any reports, the staff at his inns and brothels must be doing a good job.

“The Nine Dragons Inn will be opening soon, so I need to find someone to handle security… I wonder if there’s anyone capable?”

As Hwa-rin pondered, the innkeeper returned with the money from the blacksmith.

“Sir, here it is.”

“No, use that to pay for the damage and those guys’ food.”

The innkeeper’s face lit up. “Th-thank you.”

“I also run an inn in Shanxi Province, so I know the difficulties.”

“You run an inn?”

“An inn and a brothel.”

“Ah, I see. Well, you know martial arts, so you probably suffer less damage.”

“That’s right. I’ve hired martial artists to persuade troublemakers to leave.”

“Would it help if I hired martial artists too?” the innkeeper asked cautiously.

“If you know martial arts and can control them, it might work. Otherwise, they’ll only cause more trouble. It might be cheaper to just repair the furniture.”

“Ah, I see. Thank you.”

The waiter brought the food, and Hwa-rin smiled as he ate.

As if nothing had happened, guests returned, ordered food, and chatted.

Hwa-rin thought he couldn’t give up this job, not with so many customers.

Suddenly, a group of people rushed into the inn.

“That guy! That’s him!”

At the shout, everyone turned to the speaker, then to the person he was pointing at: Hwa-rin.

Hwa-rin turned around, annoyed. “What now?”

A man with a heavy gait stepped forward. Hwa-rin recognized him as a master.

“You…?”

The man stopped, hiccuped, and spoke in a trembling voice. “C-Commander Hwa-rin…”

Hwa-rin studied the man’s face.

“You, you bastard!”

The man flinched, and the other martial artists sensed something was wrong.

“You’re really asking for it.”

At Hwa-rin’s gesture, the man rushed forward and bowed. He wanted to flee, but his body wouldn’t obey.

“Did you get discharged? You still had months left, right?”

“The unit was attacked and disbanded. I left right away.”

“So you’re a deserter.”

The man’s face twisted. He wasn’t weak, but Hwa-rin was a monster he couldn’t resist.

“I’m not a deserter, Commander. The unit disappeared. Everyone, including me, was probably listed as dead. It’s a miracle I survived.”

“Then who are these guys?”

“I’m the eldest disciple of the Sae-myung Sect. These are my junior brothers.”

“Is the Sae-myung Sect a Demonic Sect?”

“It’s between righteous and demonic, but closer to demonic.”

“Really? So you’re not helping the world.”

A terrifying energy emanated from Hwa-rin, and the man flinched. “I’m the eldest disciple!”

“So? Are you going to fight me?”

“No! I’m going to persuade them to convert to the righteous sect and do good deeds!”

The Sae-myung Sect disciples were dismayed by their leader’s obsequious behavior.

They had high hopes for him. He had returned strong enough to make Song-il, the Wall-Breaking Palm, kneel in three moves. They had looked up to him.

But now, he was trembling like a dog in the rain.

“Dong-chun, it seems these guys were acting up because they believed in you, but this is a place where someone I know does business.” Hwa-rin winked at the innkeeper.

Dong-chun scrambled up and bowed to the innkeeper. “Ah, is that so? I didn’t recognize you, Innkeeper!”

“Please take care of this place. If my uncle suffers any losses because of you, I’ll visit the Sae-myung Sect.”

“Don’t worry. I’ll make sure there’s no trouble. If the Commander’s uncle is my uncle, I’ll treat him with the utmost respect.”

“Then please.”

“Don’t worry, Commander!”

When Hwa-rin gestured for him to sit, Dong-chun obeyed.

“By the way, how did you survive?”

“Well, that’s…”