Tales Of The Nine Dragons [EN]: Chapter 92

After confirming the ship’s departure from the pier, Hwa-rin set off directly for Shanxi Province.

Knowing he needed to move quickly, he bought a horse, which significantly reduced his travel time to Shanxi.

Upon arriving at the Nine Dragons Stronghold, Hwa-rin was greeted by an unexpected figure: Nangong Suyeon.

“Senior Hwa-rin.”

“You’re alive? Dongchun said you must be dead.”

He asked, more surprised than pleased.

“Senior, it’s me, Nangong Suyeon. Did you think I’d die from a few measly guys with knives? Those bastards—I ripped open their bellies, scattered their guts, and they ran away scared.”

Her language was as colorful and unrestrained as ever.

Hwa-rin shook his head, thinking she seemed to be in even rougher shape than when he last saw her.

“Then you should have gone to the Nangong family. How did you even find this place?”

“Yeon-ah [likely a family member or close friend] told me you were at the Nine Dragons Stronghold. How else would I know?”

“Have you arrived?”

Seo Daeyeong belatedly welcomed Hwa-rin.

“Suyeon, you…”

Hwa-rin suddenly had an idea and turned to Nangong Suyeon.

“Suyeon, you don’t have any bad blood with the Travia Kingdom, do you?”

Nangong Suyeon hadn’t joined the Fierce Tiger Death Squad yet when he caused a ruckus in the Travia Kingdom.

“I need a reason to go to the Travia Kingdom to make enemies.”

“Then let’s make a deal.”

“A deal? What kind of deal?”

“I need grains produced in the Travia Kingdom—grains to supply the Palo Suro Army.”

“The Palo Suro Army?”

“So it seems. I’ve secured enough grains for about two years, but after that is the problem. So, I need you to go to the Travia Kingdom and negotiate grain contracts with the merchants in the name of the Nine Dragons Stronghold.”

Nangong Suyeon pondered for a moment, then nodded.

“What’s the compensation?”

“What you wanted.”

“What I wanted? I only need Senior Hwa-rin.”

“Not that. The martial arts you wanted to learn from me in the military!”

Suddenly, Nangong Suyeon’s eyes widened.

“Really? You’ll teach me the Harmony Thirteen Divine Arts?”

“If you succeed in the contract and come back, the contract period is ten years, and if there are no losses to each other during the contract period, we’ll extend it for another ten years. If you make a deal with the Travia grain merchants under those conditions, I’ll teach you.”

“For Senior to offer the Harmony Thirteen Divine Arts, it must be a pretty difficult task.”

“That depends on you. What’s clear is that there should be no losses to each other.”

“Okay. How much grain do you need?”

“One hundred thousand to one hundred fifty thousand sacks.”

“Hmm, that’s not enough for one grain merchant.”

“It doesn’t matter if you contract with one, two, or three. I’ll leave it entirely up to you. Just make sure you get the contract done.”

“But Senior, what if they break the contract on their end after we sign it?”

At Nangong Suyeon’s words, a faint smile appeared on Hwa-rin’s lips, and the moment she saw that smile, Nangong Suyeon felt a chill and cold sweat ran down her spine.

“I’ll take care of that.”

“Okay… then when should I leave?”

“Leave when you’re ready. Chief Manager Seo will take care of the expenses. You can take people with you if you need them.”

“Too much trouble. It’s better to move alone. You promised, you’ll teach me the Harmony Thirteen Divine Arts!”

When Hwa-rin nodded, Nangong Suyeon also nodded.

“I have some things to take care of, so wait a moment. I’ll talk to Chief Manager Seo for a bit.”

“Alright.”

As Hwa-rin moved away with Seo Daeyeong, Nangong Suyeon let out a long breath.

“I still can’t get used to that guy’s smile. He seems even stronger than when he was in the military? Is he still fighting after being discharged? How can he get even stronger?”

Nangong Suyeon wore an expression of both understanding and confusion.

“Well, if I learn the Harmony Thirteen Divine Arts from Senior and master the Emperor Sword Style, I might be able to walk alongside him. Before leaving, I need to go back to the family and beg for the Emperor Sword Style one more time.”

* * *

Hwa-rin listened to Seo Daeyeong about the overall situation of the Nine Dragons Stronghold’s business operations. As the Nine Dragons Pavilion was nearing completion, they agreed that martial artists should be hired and stationed within the Nine Dragons Pavilion to ensure the safety of the staff and protect the facilities in case of disturbances. They decided to recruit martial artists through a public announcement and have Hwa-rin personally select and hire them.

“And as the completion of the Nine Dragons Pavilion approaches, the innkeepers and courtesan house owners in Sangnam County who want to sell their establishments wish to meet with the Stronghold Lord.”

“They wouldn’t sell when I asked them to.”

“They must have been testing the waters, as you said they would before the opening.”

“Then I’ll deal with that after I return from Jiangnan Province.”

“Understood.”

“What else do I need to know?”

“We’ve received contact from the Mount Hua Sect and the Jongnam Sect.”

“Why?”

“I cannot say. The leader of the Mount Hua Sect has contacted us to meet, and Elder Song Cheol from the Jongnam Sect has requested a meeting.”

Hwa-rin had no idea why the two of them wanted to meet him.

“I don’t think there’s any reason to meet. I’ll deal with them after I return from Jiangnan Province. By the way, how are the Danri siblings who went to Hwaeum County?”

“Danri Soso is very diligent and has a good head for business, so she is running the fabric store well, and Danri Hyeokjin seems to need to experience some trial and error. However, Danri Hyeokjin is also adapting quickly, as if he has a merchant’s spirit hidden in his blood.”

“That’s a relief. And Nangong Suyeon—don’t upset her while she’s at her family home.”

Seo Daeyeong looked at Hwa-rin as if asking why he should do that.

“Her personality is terrible. You know the characteristics of people who have had it easy in life, right?”

“Ah… I understand. I will pay special attention and inform the staff as well.”

“Chief Manager Seo, train hard in martial arts. If you can’t beat Nangong Suyeon, you’ll have to keep being dragged around by her.”

“Isn’t the Stronghold Lord here?”

“Well… I’m worried I might kill her if I intervene. I don’t want to be on bad terms with the Nangong family.”

“I understand perfectly.”

“Then let’s handle things that way while I’m gone.”

After finishing his conversation with Seo Daeyeong, Hwa-rin looked for Nangong Suyeon, who was staying in the detached residence.

“What happened? Dongchun said you were ambushed and you bought time for them.”

The two of them placed a light drinking table between them and talked about the past.

“Honestly, I don’t even understand how I got out of there. I was so out of it. So, that is…”

Nangong Suyeon told him everything about the situation at the time.

“So, you think the person who joined hands with the Yongchin Royal Palace and handed over the information about the Fierce Tiger Death Squad is likely the captain.”

“Yes. The captain was out on duty when we were ambushed, and all the members were in their respective quarters. And they accurately ambushed only the place where we were staying among those many lodging facilities. Senior knows better than anyone that this is not something you can find out by watching for a year or two.”

“Hmm…”

“When I think about how I couldn’t even put on my underwear properly because of those bastards and danced with a sword in the street with my chest exposed, I want to rush into the Yongchin Royal Palace and cause a ruckus right now.”

Hwa-rin shook his head.

“Senior, what were you thinking just now?”

“Huh? What thought? I’m not someone who thinks.”

“No, you seemed to have thought of something just now.”

“You must be mistaken. My squad members know better than anyone that I’m a thoughtless guy.”

Nangong Suyeon pressed Hwa-rin, but Hwa-rin denied it to the end.

‘Mansik is right. If you just deny it unconditionally, it works.’

Hwa-rin asked Nangong Suyeon with relief.

“Is the scar on your face from then?”

Even if she was a tomboyish woman, a woman is still a woman, and a scar on her face could make her feel self-conscious.

Until now, Nangong Suyeon has been living in the special environment of the military, so she may not have felt it, but as she lives among people in the future, she may be hurt a lot by the scar on her face.

“No, I got bitten by wild dogs while on a mission.”

“Wild dogs?”

“There were guys called the White Wolf Squad who were powerful in Jilin Province. It’s a scar I got from fighting the leader of the White Wolf Squad.”

“You? Fighting the leader? What were the other guys doing?”

“They knew their lives were precious, so they all ran away. And after Senior was discharged, there were more people who saw me as a thorn in their side than those who welcomed me.”

“Because you’re the daughter of the Nangong family?”

Nangong Suyeon didn’t answer.

Through her silence, Hwa-rin could tell how much she had suffered even within the unit.

Perhaps there were many martial artists belonging to the Demonic Sect in the Fierce Tiger Death Squad, so how much of a thorn in their side would it be to have a person from the Righteous Sect, especially one from the Nangong family, one of the Ten Great Families, come in? It would be fortunate if they didn’t try to assassinate her in her sleep.

“But you managed to survive.”

Nangong Suyeon smiled brightly at Hwa-rin.

“Whenever I was about to die, Senior’s face would come to mind, and whenever I thought I was dead, Senior’s face would come to mind, so I gritted my teeth and endured. Then I was ambushed by the Yongchin Royal Palace special forces.”

“Why did I come to mind in that situation?”

“To learn the Harmony Thirteen Divine Arts. If I just learned that, I thought I could get recognition from my grandfather and father when I returned to the family.”

Hwa-rin picked up the glass in front of him and drank it in one gulp. Then, after putting down the glass, he reached out and messed up Nangong Suyeon’s hair.

“Still pretending to be strong.”

Nangong Suyeon smiled brightly as if she was in a good mood.

“Hey, how can you smile when you’re in that state?”

“Because Senior is in front of me. And Senior said he would teach me the Harmony Thirteen Divine Arts. So, I have no choice but to smile.”

“You idiot.”

“Oh, it’s been a while since I heard that. Idiot.”

“Let’s take a closer look at your face.”

Hwa-rin cleared the drinking table and sat facing Nangong Suyeon.

“Why? Did you have a strange thought just now?”

“I didn’t. Bring your face over here.”

At Hwa-rin’s words, Nangong Suyeon brought her face close to Hwa-rin’s.

“Do you want to say goodbye to this world here?”

“You told me to bring it closer.”

When Nangong Suyeon retorted, Hwa-rin shouted.

“I said I wanted to see the scar!”

“Ah, was that it? Oh, geez, I was having good thoughts all by myself.”

“You’re really trying to die.”

Hwa-rin examined the scar on Nangong Suyeon’s face.

“Maybe it’s possible.”

“What?”

“It doesn’t look good to have a scar on a pretty face.”

A subtle light flowed from Hwa-rin’s hand as he touched the scar on Nangong Suyeon’s face, and it was transmitted to Nangong Suyeon’s face through his fingertips.

“Senior, what is this? It’s ticklish and a bit strange.”

“Bear with it a little. If it’s any later, you’ll have to live with the scar forever.”

Nangong Suyeon waited patiently at Hwa-rin’s words.

The foreign energy transmitted from Hwa-rin’s fingertips began to heal the scar on Nangong Suyeon’s face.

It was a healing technique belonging to the high-level techniques of the Baegyo’s arts [likely a martial arts school or style].

It may seem like Hwa-rin is lightly healing Nangong Suyeon’s scar with his hand, but from Hwa-rin’s point of view, it was a technique that required enormous internal energy and concentration.

It was a technique that maximized the regenerative ability of a living being to restore it to its original state, and it was also a technique that could only be performed if there was even a little regenerative ability left.

Nangong Suyeon, who was also a master of martial arts, had better physical abilities than ordinary people and could use internal energy, so her body reacted when she was injured, and she had an excellent ability to heal or prevent it from worsening, so it was possible now.

By Hwa-rin’s treatment, the scar completely disappeared, and new flesh grew, restoring it to its original appearance.

Still, it would take some time for the new flesh and the original skin color to be slightly different to become perfect, but if she put on a little makeup, it would be healed so perfectly that it would not be easily found unless viewed closely.

As Hwa-rin’s hand fell from Nangong Suyeon’s face, the itching on her face gradually disappeared.

“Senior, are you okay?”

Nangong Suyeon spoke, seeing the beads of sweat on his forehead as if he had consumed a lot of energy.

“I gave you an advance payment, so you must go to the Travia Kingdom and complete the grain trade contract and return.”

At Hwa-rin’s words, Nangong Suyeon touched her scarred face with her hand. Smooth flesh was felt where the rough scar had been.

“Se… Senior…”

“If you come back with a failed contract, you’ll be dead. Got it?”

Nangong Suyeon smiled brightly and tried to hug Hwa-rin with both arms.

“Oh, geez.”

However, she couldn’t achieve her goal, and rough words suddenly popped out of her mouth.

“Can’t you hug me once at a time like this? Why are you so heartless?”

“It’s my heart.”

Hwa-rin put the drinking table that had been pushed aside back between Nangong Suyeon and himself and picked up the bottle and filled her glass.

“Anyway, congratulations on your discharge.”

Nangong Suyeon, receiving the drink poured by Hwa-rin, smiled brightly.

“Thank you, Senior!”

“Ah, right. According to Dongchun, it’s not a discharge, but a desertion.”

“Oh, geez, I said it’s a discharge. Senior also didn’t fill his full term and was discharged!”