Tales Of The Nine Dragons [EN]: Chapter 112

Nine Dragons Chronicle (112)

“There were those who prevented us from entering the manor from the outside.”

After repelling the Yin Demon Sect warriors who had invaded the Nine Dragons Manor, Hyuk Ji-seok arrived with his squad while the cleanup was underway.

They, too, bore the marks of a fierce battle: torn clothes, wounds, and blood flowing freely. Yet, their worry for the manor had driven them to rush here, disregarding their injuries.

Hwa-rin, assuming their path had been blocked by warriors from the Blood Demon Sect, stated, “Since the Yin Demon Sect and the Blood Demon Sect both targeted this manor, those who stopped you must have been from the Blood Demon Sect.”

“Are you referring to the Blood Demon Sect of Henan Province?” Hyuk Ji-seok asked, surprised.

“That’s what I heard.”

Hyuk Ji-seok’s expression turned serious upon learning that even the Blood Demon Sect had become involved.

“Why the long face? It’s just a matter of going and crushing them,” Hwa-rin said nonchalantly.

“This is not something to be taken lightly.”

Hwa-rin and Nangong Su-yeon exchanged glances with Hyuk Ji-seok.

“The Blood Demon Sect is a branch of the Four Blood Alliance. After the death of Blood Hand Ruthless Na Seong-gi, Madam Yi-ran seized power. Her father is Yi Cheon-guk, the master of the White Horse Temple, who wields considerable influence in Shandong Province.”

“If it’s the White Horse Temple, is that the sect that leads the heretical [unorthodox or deviant] sects of Shandong Province?” Nangong Su-yeon inquired.

Hyuk Ji-seok nodded. “Indeed.”

“So, are we just supposed to sit back and take it? Our people are hurt because of them,” Hwa-rin pressed, her voice laced with impatience. Hyuk Ji-seok hesitated, his mind acknowledging the injustice, but his heart pounded with a sense of foreboding.

“Isn’t the Murim [martial arts world] a world of survival of the fittest?”

“That’s true, but you can’t dismiss it lightly just because you’re strong. The White Horse Temple is a sect too powerful for us to handle alone.”

“Then, is Yi Cheon-guk of the White Horse Temple stronger than the Sword Demon of Massacre?”

“No, but they have the backing of the Four Blood Alliance. If the Four Blood Alliance intervenes, we won’t be able to withstand them for long.”

“If they have the Four Blood Alliance behind them, we have assassins behind us. If we wanted, we could make sure those guys couldn’t even pee straight at night,” Hwa-rin retorted.

“Hehe!” Nangong Su-yeon chuckled at her words, but Hyuk Ji-seok remained troubled.

“I understand your worries, Unit Leader Hyuk, but once our Lord makes a decision, he doesn’t change it. He’s stubborn like that. Just relax and accept it,” Seo Dae-young said, sensing Hyuk Ji-seok’s unease. Seo Dae-young knew that inaction would only invite further attacks, leaving them no choice but to follow Hwa-rin’s lead.

“Unit Leader Hyuk, take the members of our Nine Dragons Squad and wipe out the Yin Demon Sect. Kill everyone, regardless of whether they are women, old people, or children.”

“Pardon?” Hyuk Ji-seok asked, taken aback.

“They don’t have many people left anyway. They’ll be off guard, thinking they’re safe, so you’ll be able to handle things easily.”

Hyuk Ji-seok lowered his head, acknowledging the order.

“Chief Seo, follow them and transfer all the Yin Demon Sect’s manors, businesses, and assets to our control.”

“Understood.”

Hwa-rin turned her gaze to Hyuk Ji-seok. “The worst-case scenarios you’re imagining, Unit Leader Hyuk, are unlikely to happen. At most, the Four Blood Alliance will lodge a complaint through the Righteous Heaven Alliance [a coalition of orthodox martial arts sects], but we don’t belong to the Righteous Heaven Alliance, so we have no reason to heed their nagging.”

“What if the Righteous Heaven Alliance intervenes directly?”

“Hwasan [a prestigious sword sect] and Jongnam [another prominent martial arts sect] will prevent the Righteous Heaven Alliance from interfering.”

“Then, are we prepared to fight the Four Blood Alliance?”

“They’ll probably send a few lackeys to intimidate us. We’ll just pack them into coffins and send them back to the Four Blood Alliance. That will change their tune.”

“Change it how?” Nangong Su-yeon asked, curious.

“They’ll calculate whether it’s profitable to fight us or not. If it is, they’ll attack us relentlessly. If not, they’ll tire of it and back down.”

“What if they attack?”

“We’ll capture them all, beat them senseless, pack them into coffins, and send them back. And we’ll definitely charge them for the coffin, too.”

Hyuk Ji-seok felt that Hwa-rin was oversimplifying the situation. “Lord, this is not something to be taken so lightly. I know how capable you are, but you can’t handle such a large force as the Four Blood Alliance alone.”

“Why do you think we’re alone?”

“Then…? Are you perhaps referring to the assassins?”

“No. Although they are not directly on our side, we also have the Righteous Heaven Alliance and the Demonic Sect [a collective term for unorthodox martial arts sects] to consider, don’t we? If the Four Blood Alliance suffers losses fighting us, do you think the Righteous Heaven Alliance and the Demonic Sect will stand idly by? They’ll be looking for an opportunity to exploit the Four Blood Alliance’s weakness.”

Hyuk Ji-seok was silenced by Hwa-rin’s reasoning.

“I expect the Righteous Heaven Alliance to order its affiliated sects to test the waters by attacking sects within their respective provinces. If the Four Blood Alliance doesn’t retaliate, they’ll likely attempt to eradicate the heretical sects in each province.”

“We might be attacked before that happens.”

“Why do you think we’ll be attacked?”

“Because an individual cannot defeat a group.”

“It seems you don’t know Senior well enough to say such things, Unit Leader Hyuk. Senior can easily defeat a group. I’ve been by his side long enough to know that,” Nangong Su-yeon countered.

Hyuk Ji-seok’s mind grew even more troubled by Nangong Su-yeon’s unwavering confidence.

“As Unit Leader Hyuk said, it’s disadvantageous for us to fight here. Therefore, from the moment we engage the Four Blood Alliance, our families will evacuate the Nine Dragons Manor and seek temporary refuge elsewhere.”

“Where to?”

“They can go to Hwasan or Jongnam and entrust themselves to their protection.”

“They might not accept them.”

“They have to accept them. Jongnam has a deep connection with Gun, and Hwasan owes me a debt. They will take responsibility for the safety of our families.”

Hyuk Ji-seok struggled to grasp Hwa-rin’s strategy.

“They only need to take refuge for about a month. Then I’ll eliminate all their leaders and key figures.”

“Their leaders?”

“Do they think they can escape the assassins of the Slaughtering Monarch [a legendary assassin]?”

“Ah…”

Only then did Hyuk Ji-seok begin to understand the full scope of Hwa-rin’s plan.

“After a few key figures die, they’ll be the first to surrender. Especially if we eliminate the heads of the Twelve Families and their descendants, it’ll be quite a spectacle.”

“As expected, Senior knows how to fight. That’s the same method you used when dealing with the bandits of the Great Plains.”

Nangong Su-yeon inquired, recalling a past event.

“That was piecemeal destruction. This is assassination, so it’s different.”

Hwa-rin turned to Hyuk Ji-seok. “Time is on our side. Unit Leader Hyuk, if you protect our families until I’ve eliminated their leadership, which I expect to take about a month to a month and a half, then eventually the Slaughtering Monarch Baek Mu-gi will come to us and bow his head.”

* * *

“Chief Seo!”

Hyuk Ji-seok was en route to the Yin Demon Sect with Seo Dae-young and the members of the Nine Dragons Squad.

“Speak.”

“Do you think what the Lord said will come true?”

“There will be difficulties, but in the end, the Lord’s will shall be done.”

“Difficulties like?”

“Things in the world always have variables. I’m referring to the unexpected differences that arise from those variables.”

“Have you ever experienced such a case while working with the Lord?”

“No. However, the environments that the Lord and I have experienced so far have been far more terrible than this.”

“There is such a place?”

“I can tell you everything else, but I can’t tell you that. If you really want to know, you have to hear it directly from the Lord.”

Hyuk Ji-seok nodded. Hwa-rin and Seo Dae-young answered all his questions honestly and openly.

If he said he couldn’t reveal something, there must be a valid reason, and he trusted that he would eventually share it in due time.

“I’m worried.”

“Actually, I’m always worried before we start. I wonder if that guy is going to start another absurd thing, and sometimes I’m even scared. But as time goes by and I reflect on those times, I realize that my worries were often unfounded.”

“You have great faith in the Lord.”

He chuckled at the word faith. In the place where he came from, many people had lost their heads because of blind faith.

“Well, it’s not really faith. It’s just that I’m always happy when I’m with him.”

“Happy?”

“Yes. It’s a talent to keep people on edge every day, and it’s also a talent to make people anxious about what kind of trouble he’s going to cause next.”

“Hmm.”

“When I’m with the Lord, I feel truly alive.”

“Then, did you serve in the same army as the Lord?”

“No. I met the Lord after he was discharged from the army. The person who knows the most about the Lord in our manor is Grand Dowager So Yong-in.”

Hyuk Ji-seok thought of So Yong-in, who meticulously attended to Hwa-rin’s meals and every other need.

“I heard that she is the Lord’s nanny. I know that he grew up in the care of Grand Dowager So Yong-in since he was a baby.”

“I see. I think I was a little presumptuous.”

“No. Please ask me anything you’re curious about. I’ll tell you everything I can.”

“But do you answer other people’s questions this openly and in such detail?”

“Not really. I think Unit Leader Hyuk should know a lot about it because he is the one who has to protect all of us, so I’m telling you this.”

A faint smile appeared on Hyuk Ji-seok’s lips at those words.

“Thank you for placing such trust in me.”

“We think it’s only natural. I think it’s better to focus on the upcoming battle right now.”

“Understood.”

“When the battle starts, I’ll go straight to the inner quarters and look for anything valuable they have, so just pretend I’m not there.”

“Are you really not going to help?”

“I’ll take care of the inner quarters.”

Before long, a large and imposing manor came into view.

“It’ll be quite profitable. Then, good luck.”

Seo Dae-young left Hyuk Ji-seok with those words and stepped aside.

“Hoo.”

Hyuk Ji-seok took a deep breath and addressed his squad. “We are no longer the Black Tortoise Unit of the Righteous Heaven Alliance. We are the Nine Dragons Squad of the Nine Dragons Manor, and we have come to complete the first mission given by the Lord.”

Everyone listened in silence.

“I believe that everyone will perform admirably. And let us not show the fearful appearance of being surrounded by enemies as we did before. Instead, let us have the courage to fight, win, and utterly destroy them.”

“Don’t worry. We will never show such weakness again,” one member declared, and the others echoed his sentiment with determined eyes.

“Yes. Let’s go. We are being reborn as the Nine Dragons Squad today.”

They charged towards the manor and scaled the wall in an instant.

“The Lord said that in order to protect my family, I must be more cruel than the Rakshasa [a demon] of hell. Don’t leave a single one alive. Kill them all!”

As Hyuk Ji-seok’s order rang out, the members of the Nine Dragons Squad unleashed their killing intent upon the unsuspecting members of the Yin Demon Sect.

“Kuaaaak!”

The Yin Demon Sect was plunged into a scene of carnage due to the sudden invasion and slaughter.