Tales Of The Nine Dragons [EN]: Chapter 129

Nine Dragons Chronicle (129)

Wang Pal, who ran the largest butcher shop in Jinan, the capital of Shandong Province, was preparing meat for a customer in the middle of the day, chatting as he worked.

“So, you suspect a connection between the Nine Dragons Guild and the Namgung Clan because you know the Namgung Clan’s daughter is involved in the Nine Dragons Guild’s affairs?”

“That’s right. Namgung Jin and Namgung Yeon-ah in Shanxi Province have reportedly become hostages willingly.”

The customer ordering the meat was Hwa-rin, and Wang Pal, the butcher shop owner, was secretly the branch leader of the Shandong Province Hao Clan branch.

Hwa-rin was using Soul-Seizing Sorcery [a mind-control technique] to extract detailed information about the situation in Shanxi Province.

“Hmm, really… I wonder why those two became hostages.”

“It seems the Blood Oath Alliance tried to destroy the Nine Dragons Inn, but the Lord [referring to the leader of the Nine Dragons Guild] intervened. It looked like the Blood Oath Alliance and government troops were about to fight, so Namgung Jin and Namgung Yeon-ah volunteered as hostages. The news was then conveyed to the Namgung Clan.”

“The Namgung Clan won’t stand still, will they?”

“Rumor has it that the Sword Saint has stepped forward to resolve this matter.”

“The Sword Saint? Are you talking about Namgung Cheong-ya, Namgung Jin’s uncle?”

“Yes. With him stepping in, Namgung Jin and Namgung Yeon-ah’s situation will likely be resolved favorably. However…”

“However?”

“If the relationship between the Namgung Clan and the Nine Dragons Guild is revealed and confirmed, it’s hard to predict how the Blood Oath Alliance will react. That’s the worrying part.”

“What’s so difficult about it? The Great Spirit Extermination Squad was annihilated by the Nine Dragons Special Unit, so the Blood Oath Alliance must be in deep contemplation.”

“Pardon? What are you saying? The Great Spirit Extermination Squad was annihilated?”

Wang Pal, unaware he was under Soul-Seizing Sorcery, was startled by Hwa-rin’s words and asked for clarification.

“They were massacred recently.”

Hwa-rin told him in detail about the location of the massacre and then pressed him for more information about the current situation in the Murim world [the martial arts world].

“Even though the Namgung Clan siblings are held hostage in Shanxi Province, the Jongnam Sect and the Hwasan Sect will send martial artists down from the mountains because the Blood Oath Alliance and the government troops might clash due to the Nine Dragons Inn.”

“That’s a wise decision.”

“Anyway, this incident has turned Shanxi Province into a powder keg.”

“What do you think, Branch Leader?”

“What are you referring to?”

“Do you think the Nine Dragons Guild can force the Blood Oath Alliance to surrender in this fight?”

Wang Pal hesitated before answering.

“If the Blood Oath Alliance rushes in desperately, even the Nine Dragons Guild Leader, who is skilled at evasion, won’t be able to do anything. But from the Blood Oath Alliance’s perspective, they have to consider the potential gains and losses. If time passes, the Nine Dragons Guild will be at an advantage. However…”

“However?”

“The Nine Dragons Guild won’t be able to settle down in Shanxi Province. No, unless the Blood Oath Alliance disappears, the Nine Dragons Guild won’t have a peaceful day no matter where they settle in the Central Plains.”

“Are you saying the Blood Oath Alliance will resort to underhanded tactics?”

“That’s right. If word spreads that a large Murim alliance couldn’t handle a single manor, the prestige of that alliance will be diminished, and many sects belonging to it will face criticism from righteous martial artists.”

“Hmm.”

“The Blood Oath Alliance won’t let the situation unfold like that, so they will secretly send experts or assassins to eliminate the Nine Dragons Guild Leader.”

He figured many people would share Wang Pal’s assessment.

“Then we can just eliminate them as they come.”

“Pardon? What do you mean…”

“No, it’s nothing. Today’s conversation was enjoyable. I’ll return if I have more questions.”

“Ah, I’m glad your curiosity was satisfied. Feel free to come at your convenience.”

“Then I’ll see you next time.”

Hwa-rin, having obtained the information from Wang Pal, vanished like smoke. After a while, Wang Pal snapped out of the Soul-Seizing Sorcery.

He sat blankly for a moment, then tilted his head.

“Why am I sitting like this? What was I doing?”

No matter how hard Wang Pal tried, he couldn’t recall what he had been doing.

He looked at the ceiling with an empty gaze and sighed.

“Is it already dementia? I’m still young…”

* * *

“So, you’re saying the main family is being misunderstood because of me.”

“That’s right. Among the guys who were watching us, there must have been someone from the Fierce Tiger Four Blood Battle Squad. He said he recognized you and me.”

“If they were watching us, they must be from the Demonic Path.”

“Probably.”

“Weren’t most of the martial artists from the Demonic Path? After Team Leader was discharged, Senior Suyeon tormented those guys so much. Suyeon must be grinding her teeth.”

Dongchun said, and Suyeon glared at him.

“No, it’s not me grinding my teeth, but the people who were tormented by Senior.”

Namgung Suyeon glared at Dongchun and then spoke as if a thought had occurred to her.

“That guy, Lee Seung-cheon.”

“Lee Seung-cheon?”
Hwa-rin tilted her head, the name unfamiliar.

“There’s a guy like that. Senior would recognize him if she saw his face.”

“Me?”

“Senior, you never tried to give anyone your heart, so you didn’t pay attention to the latecomers.”

“Okay, why do you think it’s that guy?”

“The leader of the White Horse Temple is Lee Cheon-guk, right? Lee Seung-cheon has the same surname.”

Hwa-rin looked at Namgung Suyeon with a dumbfounded expression.

“Is Lee the only surname Lee Cheon-guk has?”

“That’s not it, but since they have the same surname, they might be father and son. And that guy reportedly raped and killed a civilian in Shandong Province and was chased by government troops before joining the army.”

“How do you know that? We’re not supposed to be told who our fellow recruits are.”

“Our Team Leader told me. He told me to be careful because I’m a woman.”

“Seung-cheon should be careful, it’s ridiculous. No, how can anyone think of Senior as a woman?”

At Dongchun’s words, Namgung Suyeon flared up and pretended to lift her chest slightly with her hand, saying to Dongchun.

“Then what is this?”

Dongchun smiled at Namgung Suyeon’s antics and also lifted his chest slightly with both hands, saying.

“Doesn’t everyone have that if they are a man?”

Hwa-rin looked at the two of them alternately and then quipped.

“Dongchun’s is a little bigger.”

“Hey, take off your clothes.”

As Namgung Suyeon tried to tear off Dongchun’s clothes, Dongchun hurriedly hid behind Hwa-rin.

“Senior, come out. I’m going to cut that guy’s chest in half today.”

Namgung Suyeon reached for Hwa-rin without hesitation, but as Hwa-rin’s figure scattered like smoke, Dongchun, who was hiding behind, was caught by Namgung Suyeon’s hand.

“Let’s see. Let’s see how big your chest is.”

“Team Leader, Team Leader…”

Dongchun frantically called for Hwa-rin, who responded that the two of them should resolve it themselves and briefly left the area.

“Senior, I was wrong. I misspoke. So please, just once, just save me once. I’m serious. I’ll never again… Aaaagh!”

Dongchun’s mournful scream erupted, but Hwa-rin didn’t seem to care.

Hyuk Ji-seok was with the members of the Nine Dragons Special Unit, and they were training non-stop even after winning the battle against the Great Spirit Extermination Squad.

Hwa-rin watched their training until the situation between Namgung Suyeon and Dongchun calmed down, then began to consider the aftermath of the Blood Oath Alliance’s retreat.

“Should I destroy one family belonging to the Twelve Families, which are essentially the foundation of the Blood Oath Alliance, each time I face an ambush?”

In fact, that was the most effective approach. Doing so would narrow the Blood Oath Alliance’s options to two.

One: to cease targeting the Nine Dragons Guild. Two: to dispatch an expert capable of killing him without fail.

“The Blood Oath Alliance’s leader, Sahwang Baek Mu-gi [likely a title, meaning ‘Evil King’], won’t step forward himself, so one of the Hundred Great Masters will be sent.”

They would only leave him alone after three or four families belonging to the Twelve Families were destroyed.

“Or maybe Sahwang Baek Mu-gi will step forward himself to restore his honor.”

People often assume the martial arts of the One Demon, Two Emperors, Three Kings, and Four Emperors are comparable, but in reality, the martial arts of the Heavenly Demon, Sword Emperor, and Sahwang were a level above the Three Kings and Four Emperors.

The difference wasn’t enormous, but the Three Kings and Four Emperors were aware that they couldn’t defeat the Heavenly Demon, Sword Emperor, and Sahwang without some unforeseen advantage.

What if the Sahwang stepped forward himself, though it was unlikely? He couldn’t accurately gauge his power, but he suspected he would be half a step behind.

“Even when I fought Sword Saint, I essentially used tricks to achieve a tie. If Senior had approached me as an assassin, there’s a high possibility I wouldn’t have survived. So, I’m still not at the level of the Ten Great Masters.”

Hwa-rin recognized that he was at the level of the Hundred Great Masters of Murim.

“I have achieved the union of martial arts and sorcery, but unless I simplify the martial arts I’m learning and unite them seamlessly, I can’t surpass them.”

The reason Hwa-rin had reached such a high level at a young age was because he had combined martial arts and the sorcery of the Baegyo [likely a religious sect] to create a new form of martial arts.

From this point, he needed to integrate all the martial arts he was learning into a single, unified art, without any separation.

He knew that a higher level of enlightenment was required to reach this stage, but achieving that enlightenment felt distant.

“I have to avoid direct confrontations as much as possible before that, but if the situation escalates, that might become unavoidable.”

This was Hwa-rin’s primary concern. He couldn’t resolve it with his current strength, so he could only hope it wouldn’t come to that.

Hwa-rin looked up at the sky.

“Hyukgwang, can I do well?”

It was a question directed to the deceased Danri Hyukgwang, but also a pledge to himself.

“Don’t worry. I’ll make sure Soso and Hyukjin can live without worries.”

For a while, the noisy voices of Dongchun and Namgung Suyeon subsided.

“If I ask Suyeon, she can protect the Nine Dragons Guild’s family even if I am defeated.”

* * *

“So, are you saying that the Namgung Clan and the Nine Dragons Guild have no relationship at all, Sword Saint?”

“That’s right. My family’s daughter left home a long time ago, and it seems she joined the army at that time. She apparently met someone named the Nine Dragons Guild Leader there and is helping him out of personal friendship, but she has no connection to my family. So, I hope you release my nephews.”

Elder Bae Dong-seong of the Cheollyangsa family knew that Namgung Cheong-ya wasn’t lying because his statement aligned with what Lee Seung-cheon, the third of the White Horse Temple, had said, but he couldn’t simply let them go.

“How can I believe that? Several subordinate sects of our alliance have been destroyed by the Namgung family’s daughter. This is not something the Namgung family’s daughter can do alone.”

“Why alone? Isn’t it something she did with the Nine Dragons Guild Leader and the Nine Dragons Guild’s martial artists?”

“Do you think that’s possible? You’re saying that fifteen people destroyed the Demonic Path sects in Shanxi, Shaanxi, Henan, and Shandong Provinces!”

Bae Dong-seong exclaimed.

“Why do you think they can’t do it? Let’s say I step in and destroy them. Do you think I can do it, or can’t I?”

“Sword Saint, are you saying the Namgung family’s daughter is comparable to you?”

“Why do you assume we’re different? Have you never considered that Suyeon is stronger than me?”

“What?”

“Team Leader Hwa-rin and Senior Namgung Suyeon are strong enough to be compared to the Hundred Great Masters of Murim. I’m saying this because I saw it with my own two eyes.”

Bae Dong-seong recalled what Lee Seung-cheon had said.

“Especially Team Leader Hwa-rin is a monster. He’s so monstrous that you won’t find anyone who has reached that level at such a young age even if you search the entire world.”

“Elder Bae, I’m saying this with my family’s honor, my father’s honor, and my own honor on the line, so please release my nephews.”

“Then bring the Namgung family’s daughter here.”

At Bae Dong-seong’s words, Namgung Cheong-ya’s cheeks twitched.

“Are you telling me to capture my niece and offer her to you now?”

Bae Dong-seong realized he had touched Namgung Cheong-ya’s sore spot and hurriedly said.

“I don’t mean that, but I want to hear the words that the Sword Saint said directly from the Namgung Clan’s daughter.”

“Don’t respond foolishly from now on. I can kill everyone here, hostage or not.”

Bae Dong-seong, intimidated by Namgung Cheong-ya’s imposing presence, looked annoyed.

‘Why did this guy have to come… It would have been easier to negotiate if someone else had come.’

“I won’t repeat myself. Either release my nephews or everyone here dies. Decide. I’m hungry now, so I’ll give you exactly one shichen [approximately two hours]. If you don’t make a decision or say anything else after that, don’t even think about leaving this inn alive.”

Bae Dong-seong had to make a decision within one shichen due to Namgung Cheong-ya’s coercive words, which made it unclear whether he had come to negotiate or threaten.

“Hey, waiter, bring me the best-selling dish in this place.”