Tales Of The Nine Dragons [EN]: Chapter 106

Nine Dragons Chronicle (106)

Nine Dragons Association

“They were all taken down?”

“It is said that no one who climbed Mount Otai has ever come down alive.”

Jegal Tak, the chief manager of the Righteous Heaven Alliance, frowned as he heard the news about Mount Otai from Mi Hyang, the head of the intelligence department.

“What about the Blood Evil Alliance and the Demonic Cult? Surely they would have sent people to find out about the successor of the Kill Emperor, wouldn’t they?”

“It’s the same for them. There’s a rumor that the Blood Demon Blade escaped, but it’s not credible, so I’ve dismissed it.”

“What about their bodies?”

“They were transferred to the government office under the jurisdiction of the Taoist Prefect of Shanxi Province.”

“Contact Shanxi Province and have our people take over and cremate them at the crematorium.”

“I will take care of it.”

“The successor of the Kill Emperor… But the Killer Sword Emperor wouldn’t have lost, would he?”

“We can’t know for sure. I tried to find out through the assassin clans, but they were reluctant to talk about the successor of the Kill Emperor.”

“I suppose so. It’s the successor of the sect leader who has appeared in a hundred years. He could be a major variable in determining the future power of the Murim [martial arts world]. Just in case, contact the Hao Mun and find out more details.”

“Understood.”

“What about Young Master Yonghyuk?”

“He will soon complete his closed-door training at the Cheonmu Library. When the young master comes out, he will probably take over the vacant Black Tortoise Unit.”

“If it’s Young Master Yonghyuk, I can trust him with it. Has the alliance leader approved it?”

“Not yet, but the alliance leader will likely approve it.”

Since the head of the Black Tortoise Unit was still vacant, Yonghyuk, called the Heavenly Dragon among the Ten Dragons and Eight Peaks, was likely to take over the Black Tortoise Unit.

He was the son and disciple of Yong Gun-sung, the current leader of the Righteous Heaven Alliance. He had mastered Yong Gun-sung’s martial arts, as well as the martial arts stored in the Cheonmu Library, the Righteous Heaven Alliance’s martial arts library, and was showing a remarkable figure among the later generations called the Ten Dragons.

Jegal Tak thought that he would be able to gain a lot of experience while serving as the head of the Black Tortoise Unit, and based on that experience, he would be able to lead countless righteous people as the next leader of the Righteous Heaven Alliance.

The only thing he regretted was that there was no one from the Jegal family among the Ten Dragons and Eight Peaks.

“Ah, there’s a rumor that they saw a Demonic Cult member in the Central Plains?”

“Similar information has been reported from each province, so we are checking it. It’s not just one or two places, but several places, so we are thinking that the Demonic Cult has started to operate in earnest. We have told them to monitor the trends of the Cheonsan [Thousand Mountains] where the Demonic Cult is located, and the sects in the border areas and outside the country that have succumbed to the Demonic Cult.”

“We need to find out more details. We may have to fight the Demonic Cult first, so you should take care of this yourself.”

“If that happens, wouldn’t the Blood Evil Alliance lend a hand? Even if the Blood Evil Alliance’s power is great, it would be as difficult for them to deal with the Demonic Cult as it is for us.”

“They’ll try to deal with us together when we’re injured from fighting.”

“Wouldn’t they be counterattacked then?”

“They have brains too, so they’ll think about that.”

“Understood.”

“Then, please.”

After Mi Hyang bowed her head and left, Jegal Tak was lost in thought alone.

“Sixteen Swords of 잔살 [untranslatable], Heavenly Flower Dance, Small Number Divine Art, Solar Demon Art, Record of the Devil, and even the successor of the Kill Emperor. The reason they’re showing up now is probably because they think it’s a chaotic time.”

He thought that they might be trying to become the masters of the chaotic times and rule the world.

“Among them, the most dangerous ones will be the Small Number Divine Art, the Record of the Devil, and the successor of the Kill Emperor. Compared to the existing Ten Dragons and Eight Peaks, the young masters of the Murim families and martial families, even the Heavenly Dragon Yonghyuk, the weight of the name is different, so he went in with one move below.”

That’s how big and deep the footprints that the Small Number Divine Art and the Kill Emperor left in the Murim were.

“If I want to get information about the successor of the Kill Emperor from the Killer Sword Emperor, I have to pay a corresponding price, but what does he like?”

* * *

After finishing his work in Shanxi Province, Hwa-rin returned to Shaanxi Province and helped Namgung Su-yeon with her martial arts training at the Nine Dragons Plaza. At the same time, he was focusing on selecting martial artists for the manor and gradually increasing the power of the Nine Dragons Plaza.

When the Nine Dragons Inn first opened, big and small things happened frequently, but after some time, those things decreased, and the surrounding commercial district also entered a stable period due to the Nine Dragons Inn.

Hwa-rin used the profits from the Nine Dragons Inn to widen and repair the roads from Sanyang-hyeon, Sangnam-hyeon, and Sangju-hyeon.

At first, people experienced inconvenience due to the construction, but they tolerated a little inconvenience thinking that they would be able to travel comfortably and safely once it was completed.

Nine Dragons Plaza, or rather, Hwa-rin, showed a lot of effort for regional development, so many people praised the Nine Dragons Plaza Lord and voluntarily participated in his work, helping each other.

“How many jobs have been created in Sanyang-hyeon since the Nine Dragons Plaza came in? People work, earn money, and spend it, so everyone feels like they’re getting rich.”

People prefer stable jobs where they can earn money steadily, and no one disliked the fact that the Nine Dragons Plaza provided quality jobs and high salaries.

In addition, they were able to spend as much money as they needed through high salaries and save the remaining money, so they were gradually feeling that their lives were improving.

In addition, the items needed for the various businesses operated by the Nine Dragons Plaza were not purchased from other regions, but were prepared within Shaanxi Province, which also greatly helped the economy of Shaanxi Province.

As the situation became like this, the people living in Sanyang-hyeon naturally relied on the Nine Dragons Plaza a lot, and the Nine Dragons Plaza was growing little by little together while repaying their trust.

Hwa-rin went to a fabric store to meet Danri Soso, who was running a store and doing business in Hwaeum-hyeon with Namgung Su-yeon.

She was still active, maintaining friendships with people and doing her best in her work.

“Plaza Lord!”

Danri Soso called him happily when she saw Hwa-rin entering the fabric store, but when she saw Namgung Su-yeon next to Hwa-rin, her expression changed subtly before returning to normal.

“How have you been? Is there anything uncomfortable?”

“No. Everyone here treats me well, so I’m having fun working.”

“That’s a relief. How is Hyukjin doing?”

“He’s working hard without causing any major accidents. It’s all thanks to the Plaza Lord’s grace.”

A faint smile appeared on Hwa-rin’s lips.

“I’d like to talk to you for a moment. Can you spare some time?”

Danri Soso thought for a moment and nodded her head.

“I can.”

“Then I’ll be at Dahyang [tea house] in front of you, so leave it to the clerk for a while and come there.”

“I will.”

Hwa-rin and Namgung Su-yeon went to Dahyang and took a seat first.

“Is she really Chief Hyukgwang’s younger sister? They don’t look alike at all.”

Hwa-rin gave Namgung Su-yeon a look to be careful.

“Why are you following me out here to make me tired when you’re just learning martial arts at the manor?”

“I don’t think senior has become strong just by practicing martial arts.”

“Then?”

“Senior has something other than martial arts. I don’t know exactly how to express it, but it’s different.”

“There’s no such thing.”

“I’m serious. When I look at senior, I get the same feeling I get from my grandfather.”

Hwa-rin dismissed Namgung Su-yeon’s nonsense and warned her not to talk nonsense and to be careful of what she said to Danri Soso.

“I don’t have anything to say. I was different from Chief Hyukgwang, and I didn’t go to the restaurant when Chief Hyukgwang was there.”

“Anyway, I’ll kill you if you say anything else.”

Namgung Su-yeon pouted her lips.

After waiting for a while, Danri Soso came and sat across from them.

Hwa-rin ordered tea first, took a deep breath, and opened his mouth.

“Soso-nim [honorific], don’t you have an older brother?”

“Yes. Did you hear it from Hyukjin?”

“This friend and I used to live with Hyukgwang hyung [older brother].”

Danri Soso looked at Hwa-rin with surprised eyes.

“What do you mean? You lived with my brother?”

“That’s exactly what it means. I became acquainted with Hyukgwang hyung in the military.”

Hwa-rin told Danri Soso about his relationship with Danri Hyukgwang.

“What about my brother?”

“He died in battle.”

“Ah…”

Danri Soso had been thinking that Danri Hyukgwang, who had never contacted her, might be dead, but when she heard it directly like this, she felt dizzy for a moment.

“Are you okay?”

Namgung Su-yeon quickly moved her seat and sat next to her, supporting her.

“Ah, yes. I’m okay.”

“Hyukgwang hyung asked me to take care of Soso-nim and Hyukjin.”

“My brother did?”

“Yes. If it wasn’t for Hyukgwang hyung, I would have died in the military as well. I owe Hyukgwang hyung a great debt, and that’s why I came here to meet Soso-nim and Hyukjin.”

“Ah… I see.”

An emotion of regret arose on Danri Soso’s face. She had wondered if Hwa-rin, who was so kind to her, might have feelings for her, but she was disappointed to hear that he was so kind to her and Hyukjin because of her brother’s request.

‘I’m so cunning. Even though I heard that my brother had passed away, I’m more disappointed in Plaza Lord Hwa-rin.’

Then she looked at Namgung Su-yeon next to her.

“So, I’m thinking of entrusting Hyukjin with a merchant group.”

“A merchant group?”

“I heard that the Danri family is a family of merchants.”

“That’s true, but…”

“Since he’s working diligently, I think it wouldn’t be bad for him to gain experience by taking on a merchant group and then working under the name of the Danri family again.”

“No. He still lacks a lot. He’s just a kid who’s getting used to working. If I entrust him with a merchant group, it will fail.”

Danri Soso firmly refused, saying that it was not possible.

“No one is good at it from the beginning. You can learn through many failures, and you can succeed based on that learning.”

“But Hyukjin…”

“It’s not a large merchant group. First, he will start by finding and providing the items that our Nine Dragons Plaza’s businesses will use and the items that merchants in Sanyang, Sangnam, and Sangju hyeon need.”

“Items that merchants need?”

“I heard that merchants now go to Xi’an, the capital of the province, or Chang’an to buy the items they need, or they buy items from peddlers when they come.”

Danri Soso was just listening quietly.

“As a result, there are often cases where they can’t sell because they don’t have the items they need, so Hyukjin will form a merchant group and travel around Shaanxi Province to find the items. First, if he gradually expands his territory based on this experience, Hyukjin will be able to do well.”

“Will our Hyukjin really be able to do well?”

“From what I’ve seen so far, he’s a responsible kid, just like Hyukgwang hyung. He’ll be able to do it well enough.”

While listening to Hwa-rin’s words, Danri Soso shook her head.

“I’m sorry, but Hyukjin is now working stably. If Hyukjin forms a merchant group and travels outside, I think he might become restless.”

“Do you think so?”

“He’s still too young to control his impulses, and because of what happened before, I’m worried that he’ll become anxious again if he goes outside, so please watch him for a few more years and then make that suggestion again if Hyukjin shows that he’s doing his best in his work.”

Hwa-rin decided to respect Danri Soso’s opinion.

“Understood. I will.”