Tales Of The Nine Dragons [EN]: Chapter 114

Nine Dragons Chronicle (114)

While Hyuk Ji-seok and the Nine Dragons Special Unit were attacking the Eunseo Gate, Hwa-rin and Namgung Su-yeon moved to Henan Province to raid the Blood Demon Clan.

Hwa-rin brought assassins from the Shadow Clan, a group of assassins from Shanxi Province. The clan leader, Mun-so, and his younger sister, Salmiho, were particularly effective.

In the martial world, there was a common belief that assassins were weak in direct combat, but the Shadow Clan’s assassins faced the Blood Demon Clan’s warriors and didn’t back down at all.

When the Shadow Clan recognized Hwa-rin as the successor of the Killing Emperor and swore allegiance to him, Hwa-rin taught them a footwork technique combined with the Illusionary Dream Steps and a single-strike martial art called One Point Trace.

Hwa-rin’s thinking was simple.

Dodge and stab.

He believed that if an assassination failed, a footwork technique to evade the opponent’s attacks and a martial art to subdue the opponent with a single blow would be more crucial than a variety of miscellaneous martial arts techniques. So, these martial arts he taught became invaluable assets for the Shadow Clan’s assassins.

The Illusionary Dream Steps was a footwork technique that could confuse the opponent’s perception, and One Point Trace was an extremely quick sword technique that targeted a single, vital point.

As assassins always do, they quickly and accurately handled their tasks, rapidly reducing the number of Blood Demon Clan warriors.

“Senior, when did you train them like this?”

“I didn’t train them; they trained themselves. How can you train a grown adult?”

Namgung Su-yeon thought Hwa-rin looked even more impressive.

“They’re coming. Take on Madam Lee. I’ll handle the rest.”

“Why? Madam Lee is the leader here.”

“She’s a woman.”

“Since when have you cared about men and women?”

“Still, there’s such a thing as courtesy. So, stop talking and go protect our people from getting hurt.”

Even though Namgung Su-yeon grumbled, she never refused Hwa-rin’s orders.

As Namgung Su-yeon tried to face Madam Lee, the elders blocked her path.

“You guys play with me.”

When Hwa-rin swung his sword at the elders blocking Namgung Su-yeon, a sword wind containing powerful energy burst out, pushing the elders back.

Using that gap, Namgung Su-yeon approached Madam Lee, and Hwa-rin pressured the elders who had retreated behind her.

The elders had to be on their guard because of the single move Hwa-rin had shown.

Techniques that utilize internal energy are broadly divided into Qi [internal energy], Wind, and Force.

Qi is a technique that covers a weapon with internal energy, such as sword qi, saber qi, or fist qi, or extends the effective killing radius of the sword with energy, greatly increasing the cutting power of the sword.

Wind is a technique that creates a powerful wind of energy by wielding a weapon, such as sword wind, saber wind, or fist wind, to push back the opponent or take their life. It is known that only masters of the highest level can use the energy of Wind.

Force is a technique that infuses a weapon with internal energy and releases a powerful energy along with its properties, such as sword force, saber force, or fist force. It is a technique that can destroy almost any obstacle in an instant.

“Be careful. That guy is a master who can use sword wind.”

“If you were going to be careful, you shouldn’t have attacked my manor in the first place.”

Hwa-rin’s sword reached out towards the neck of one of the elders.

“Where do you think you’re going!”

The elder tried to block Hwa-rin’s sword with his weapon, but the sword disappeared from sight in an instant.

“Heo-eot!”

In the moment he tried to find Hwa-rin’s sword, creating a gust of empty wind, a red mark was left on his neck.

Hwa-rin twisted his body in an instant and moved towards the elder standing on the opposite side as if teleporting. The elder, surprised to see Hwa-rin appear like a ghost in front of him, instinctively swung his sword.

The elder thought he had cut Hwa-rin when he saw his sword passing through Hwa-rin’s neck.

“Keo-eok!”

The elder frowned as he saw Hwa-rin’s sword piercing through his back, penetrating his lungs and coming out the front.

“You should have said ‘thank you’ and restrained yourself when I spared you.”

“What does that mean…….”

“Why do you think I only killed Blood Demon Unfeeling Na Seong-gi, his children, and a few elders?”

“Then you…….”

“The price for Na Seong-gi coveting what was mine was just that much. So, I spared the others, but you should have stopped Madam Lee with that sense. If the apostle Hyeong of the Dark Yin Sect tickles your side and you bite, I’ll feel sorry. Isn’t that right? Well, I guessed this would happen, but the problem is that it was a little faster than I thought.”

However, the elder with his lungs pierced could not hear Hwa-rin’s words to the end.

Hwa-rin lightly subdued the two elders and looked at Namgung Su-yeon.

Madam Lee was also fighting well against Namgung Su-yeon, as her martial arts were not ordinary.

“Unlike when I saw you three years ago, you’ve become much stronger.”

Hwa-rin could see that the unnecessary movements in Namgung Su-yeon’s movements had disappeared compared to before.

“You must have suffered while I was away. I wouldn’t have fixed it easily, but you fixed it.”

Hwa-rin guessed from Namgung Su-yeon’s movements that she had gone through more than a dozen life-threatening situations while performing missions in the military.

Since it was a matter of life and death, she had no choice but to fix the problems she had, and that was what made Namgung Su-yeon who she is now, he thought.

“Su-yeon doesn’t have any major problems, and the Shadow Clan’s assassins are earning their keep, so I should go inside and see if there’s anything to take.”

Hwa-rin still had the habit of taking spoils whenever he won a fight.

Judging from the atmosphere, he didn’t think he would lose, so he tried to enter the inner quarters and take documents related to the Blood Demon Clan.

Hwa-rin headed to the Blood Demon Clan’s inner quarters while Namgung Su-yeon and the Shadow Clan’s assassins were fighting.

As if it were his own home, Hwa-rin walked familiarly and went to the office that Blood Demon Unfeeling Na Seong-gi used to use.

“It was somewhere around here.”

Hwa-rin searched under the desk on one side of the office, found a ring, and pulled it.

With a click, the bookshelf behind the desk split in half, creating a small gap.

Hwa-rin smiled brightly and pulled one bookshelf, revealing a small door. He opened the door and found a space large enough for one person to enter.

He went into the space, checked the documents there, and smiled brightly.

“Madam Lee didn’t even know about this? Or did she just leave it there because she thought it was safe?”

Hwa-rin opened his space pouch and took all the Blood Demon Clan’s house deeds, land deeds, and documents related to the businesses the Blood Demon Clan was running. He also took all the gold bars, money, and vouchers there before leaving.

“I’m full.”

He had obtained so much loot that he couldn’t even compare it to the Black Path Clan or the Red Fox Gate, so he felt like he was about to burst, as he said.

“Madam Lee must have stashed something away too.”

Hwa-rin returned the study to its original state and moved towards Madam Lee’s bedroom.

* * *

A powerful fist wind rushed towards Namgung Su-yeon, who was fighting Madam Lee.

Namgung Su-yeon stopped attacking Madam Lee and soared into the air to avoid the fist wind, then looked at the person who had attacked her.

It was a man well past middle age. His strong features, thick beard, and abundant hair made him look like he was wearing a lion’s mask.

“Father!”

Madam Lee called him father, and Namgung Su-yeon frowned.

She knew who Madam Lee’s father was.

“This has become troublesome.”

However, it wasn’t that she was afraid of Lee Cheon-guk, the owner of the White Horse Temple.

“Who are you guys?”

Lee Cheon-guk asked Namgung Su-yeon.

“Who are we? We’ve come to collect a debt.”

“Collect a debt?”

He looked at Madam Lee as he spoke, but she shook her head with a look of not knowing.

In the meantime, Lee Cheon-guk went to Madam Lee’s side and protected her.

The escort warriors who came with him also entered the Blood Demon Clan and fought with the Shadow Clan’s assassins. The Shadow Clan’s assassins were momentarily flustered by the sudden intrusion, but soon maintained their composure and fought with them before slightly retreating to assess the situation.

As the situation turned out like this, the fierce battle stopped for a moment, and the Shadow Clan’s assassins naturally lined up behind Namgung Su-yeon.

“What debt are you talking about?”

“If you invade someone else’s manor, you should pay the price. Isn’t that right?”

Madam Lee narrowed her eyes at Namgung Su-yeon’s words.

“Someone else’s manor? Are you talking about the Nine Dragons Manor?”

“Didn’t you join hands with the Dark Yin Sect and invade? Ah, you didn’t invade. You blocked the warriors of the Nine Dragons Manor from coming to the manor from the middle.”

“What are you talking about?”

Lee Cheon-guk asked Madam Lee.

“The apostle Hyeong of the Dark Yin Sect said he had a grudge against the Nine Dragons Manor and asked for help.”

“So?”

“I also couldn’t shake the suspicion that the Nine Dragons Manor was involved in my husband’s death, so I decided to help the apostle Hyeong. When they attacked the Nine Dragons Manor, I decided to block the warriors of the Nine Dragons Manor who were outside from returning to the Nine Dragons Manor. But…….”

“The fact that they came means that the plan failed. And they are trying to destroy the sect by using that justification.”

Madam Lee did not answer and lowered her head. Lee Cheon-guk turned his gaze to the Shadow Clan’s assassins standing behind Namgung Su-yeon.

They were all wearing masks, so he couldn’t tell who they were, but he could tell that they were well-trained.

Lee Cheon-guk didn’t think he would lose, but he felt that the woman in front of him was also not ordinary, so he thought he would have to endure some injuries.

In this case, he thought that solving it with words rather than fighting was the answer, so he tried to talk.

“Seeing that you came to attack the Blood Demon Clan, doesn’t that mean that you defeated all the warriors of the Dark Yin Sect and the Blood Demon Clan who attacked the Nine Dragons Manor?”

“That’s not enough to touch a hair on the Nine Dragons Manor. That’s why Senior and I came.”

“Senior?”

“Yes, there is. A terribly scary person. He’s probably rummaging through the inner quarters, the main quarters, and the outer quarters right now, looking for anything to take.”

“What!”

Madam Lee shouted at Namgung Su-yeon.

“Why are you pretending to be surprised when you hear something obvious? Isn’t it natural to take spoils when you win a war? You’re not just going to end it with a few words, are you?”

“War? Spoils? Judging from the words you use from the military, are you from the military?”

Lee Cheon-guk asked.

“Think about that yourself. But old man, is the White Horse Temple going to lend a hand? I absolutely won’t refuse.”

Lee Cheon-guk’s expression twisted strangely.

“You’re like a thunderbolt, not knowing the terrors of the world.”

“The terrors of the world? Old man, are you even part of that terror?”

Salmiho, the younger sister of Munso, the leader of the Shadow Clan, who was lined up behind Namgung Su-yeon, was fascinated by Namgung Su-yeon’s appearance of confidently mocking the opponent.

‘She’s a woman, but she’s really cool.’

“You should learn how to respect adults first.”

“Adults? Hey, old man. Where are the young and old when you’re fighting for your life? And are you an elder of our family? Or are you someone related to our family?”

Namgung Su-yeon’s words were unreserved.

“People who have no relationship are fighting for their lives, so manners……. You should be grateful that I didn’t swear at you.”

“You!”

When Lee Cheon-guk’s anger was directed at Namgung Su-yeon, a huge energy pressed down on Lee Cheon-guk.

“Ugh!”

Lee Cheon-guk frowned and barely endured the weight of a thousand, ten thousand pounds with internal energy. At that time, Hwa-rin appeared next to Namgung Su-yeon like a ghost.

“Who is this old man?”

“Chief Hyuk said so much about Lee Cheon-guk of the White Horse Temple, so this must be him.”

“Is that so?”

Hwa-rin looked at Lee Cheon-guk once, then turned his body and went to Munso and gave him a pouch containing jewels and precious metals.

“What is this?”

“You worked hard today. So, let’s just call it even with this.”

Munso opened the pouch and widened his eyes in surprise at the jewels and precious metals inside.

“You don’t have to thank me. Just put it away. And this.”

Hwa-rin took out a gold thousand-nyang voucher [a high-value currency note] issued by the Continental Merchant Guild from his pocket and handed it over.

“Divide this fairly among your subordinates. Your subordinates also worked hard today, so let them go somewhere and have some fun.”

“If you give me this much…….”

“It’s not much. It’s something you did risking your life. There’s nothing more precious than life in the world. So, you deserve to have enough to share, and you deserve to be treated that well.”

The eyes of the Shadow Clan’s assassins trembled as if they were moved by Hwa-rin’s words.

“However, don’t cause any trouble when you leave this place. It’ll be a pain if rumors spread.”

“I will keep that in mind, my lord.”

“Then take your subordinates and return.”

“Yes? Are you talking about returning? What about them…….”

Hwa-rin turned his head and looked at Lee Cheon-guk.

“Su-yeon can handle this place alone, so just go back. This is an order. Don’t cause any trouble for three days from today and have fun.”

At Hwa-rin’s words, Dangso lowered his head.

“Understood!”

Dangso took all the assassins and left as Hwa-rin ordered.

“Does that old man know who we are?”

After the Shadow Clan’s assassins left, Hwa-rin asked Su-yeon.

“He knows because I told him.”

Hwa-rin looked at Lee Cheon-guk and spoke quietly.

“Old man, think of it as bad luck that you’re going on the market day [encountering trouble]. Instead, I won’t touch the White Horse Temple anymore. Of course, if they attack us first, there’s nothing I can do, but we won’t attack the White Horse Temple first. So, don’t feel wronged and go comfortably with your daughter here.”

“You!”

Lee Cheon-guk, who finally burst into anger, leaped towards Hwa-rin, and a faint smile appeared on Hwa-rin’s lips as he saw that appearance.

Namgung Su-yeon’s expression distorted as she felt a strong killing intent from Hwa-rin’s body.

‘Should I just go back to the family?’