Tales Of The Nine Dragons [EN]: Chapter 132

The Great War (1)

“So, the governor of Shanxi Province asked you to meet Bae Dong-seong and talk things out because innocent citizens could get hurt?”

Bae Dong-seong, unable to withstand Sword Saint Namgung Cheong-ya’s forceful coercion, eventually released Namgung Jin and Namgung Yeon-ah, but stipulated that they must not leave Shanxi Province until the misunderstanding was resolved.

Namgung Cheong-ya tried to fight them over this, but thanks to Namgung Jin’s intervention, they were able to return to Gurong-ru [a prominent restaurant or inn] in Xi’an.

Namgung Cheong-ya was listening to Namgung Jin recount the events that had transpired.

“That’s right. This Gurong-ru is practically a key business in Shanxi Province.”

“Not Gurongjang’s [Gurong Company’s]?”

“Gurongjang owns it, but the money earned here is used to develop Shanxi Province. Didn’t you notice the changes when you came here, Uncle?”

“I’m not sure.”

“We are working on road construction and drainage from Sanyang County to Sangnam County, Sangju County, and even the capital, Xi’an.”

“Does Gurong-ru make that much money?”

“I estimate that about 10,000 gold taels [a unit of currency] circulate within this place. About half of that, 5,000 gold taels, is Gurong-ru’s income. If half of that goes to labor costs, material costs, and facility maintenance, the remaining money is between 1,700 and 2,000 gold taels. Of this, Gurong-ru takes about 200 gold taels, and the rest is used for the development of Shanxi Province.”

“So, the saying about a goose that lays golden eggs refers to something like this.”

“So, from the perspective of Yi Do-baek, the governor of Shanxi Province, he cannot tolerate development projects being harmed by martial artists, so he told me that.”

“So, you became a hostage?”

“Rather than a hostage, I just became a… well, I agreed to stay to avoid complications and resolve things a little easier.”

“What if they had tried to kill you?”

“I was confident that they wouldn’t try to fight against Grandfather and Uncle.”

He chuckled at those words.

“Your liver must be hanging outside your stomach [meaning you’re fearless or reckless].”

“And I was also confident that I could escape this place with the help of a friend, so I willingly got caught.”

“Friend?”

“Sa Do-jun. I met him at the Hwasan Branch. He’s a friend who has mastered martial arts that are no less impressive than mine.”

“Really? There are no suspicious circumstances?”

“What do you mean?”

“I mean, isn’t it possible that he approached you on purpose?”

“No. I met him while befriending Hwa-rin, the head of Gurongjang.”

“You were friends with the head of Gurongjang too?”

“Yes. Hwa-rin is apparently Su-yeon’s senior in the military. I learned that Su-yeon was in the military through him, and that’s how I told my father.”

“The head of Gurongjang is an interesting fellow.”

“He’s not just an interesting friend, he’s an amazing friend. There are few, if any, who have achieved so much at our age.”

Namgung Cheong-ya looked at Namgung Jin with a look that asked if he couldn’t beat him either, and he nodded.

“Unfortunately, I’m already behind Su-yeon. Su-yeon seems to have become incredibly strong after meeting Hwa-rin.”

“That troublemaker Su-yeon?”

Namgung Cheong-ya frowned as he thought of Namgung Su-yeon.

“If that troublemaker has become stronger, isn’t that a big problem?”

“Why is it a big problem?”

“Because he’ll threaten his older brother to learn the Emperor Sword Art.”

“Father has already told Su-yeon to learn the Emperor Sword Art. He’s probably learning it by now.”

“You mean your older brother taught Su-yeon the Emperor Sword Art?”

“Yes. Father decided that it would be better for two people to know it than just me, for the sake of the future.”

“If your older brother thought so, Su-yeon must have had a lucky break.”

“He came back so strong that I couldn’t beat him, so Father must have decided that way.”

“Oh… the Murim [martial arts world] will never be quiet again. A troublemaker with wings.”

“That’s not likely. He must have had many experiences in the military, so he’s probably more thoughtful and has become an adult who takes responsibility for his actions.”

“Is that why he caused such a big accident? The scale is different from when he was a child, isn’t it? The family could be attacked by the Evil Sects.”

“Surely not. With Grandfather and Uncle here, would the Evil Sects try to attack the main family?”

“Don’t trust your grandfather and me too much. We’re old now, and it’s hard to face even one expert from the Evil Sects.”

“I’d believe it if someone else said that, but I don’t believe it when Uncle says it.”

“It’s only your loss if you don’t believe it. Anyway, are you going to stay here as they say?”

Namgung Jin nodded.

“It might not be bad to watch from here. Isn’t this the first major incident I’ve ever experienced?”

“That curiosity could hasten your death.”

“If that happens, I guess that’s my fate.”

“You idiot, you’re the young lord of the family. How can you think so lightly of your life?”

Namgung Jin shook his head at Namgung Cheong-ya’s scolding.

“Uncle, I have never taken my life lightly. The reason I’m saying this is because I’m confident that I can return to the family safely even if they try to kill me.”

“Do you really think so?”

Namgung Jin looked at him, sensing a different kind of concern in Namgung Cheong-ya’s question than before.

“I’ll ask again. Do you really think you can escape this place with your martial arts? Taking Yeon-ah with you?”

“Of course.”

Namgung Jin answered confidently, but Namgung Cheong-ya shook his head.

“Foolish.”

“Pardon?”

“It’s good to be confident, but you mustn’t be arrogant.”

“It’s not arrogance, it’s…”

“I can’t guarantee that I can get out of here safely, so you think you can get out of here with Yeon-ah?”

As Namgung Cheong-ya raised his energy, Namgung Jin’s breath caught in his throat.

“In the Murim world, you must not make reckless guarantees or affirmations.”

Namgung Cheong-ya told Namgung Jin about the ruthless Murim world.

“In a world where people are considered less valuable than flies, do you think the only way to kill someone is with martial arts?”

Namgung Jin couldn’t answer.

“If Bae Dong-seong had decided to kill you, you would have died without anyone knowing, and your corpse would have melted into a handful of blood, leaving no trace.”

Namgung Cheong-ya decided to correct Namgung Jin’s mindset on this occasion and spoke harshly.

“To have confidence, you must know yourself, and you must know your enemy even better than yourself. If you know yourself but not your enemy, that’s arrogance and conceit. Moreover, not knowing yourself or your enemy is ignorance and foolishness, and it’s no different from handing over your life to the enemy.”

“I’m sorry.”

“Yeon-ah could suffer terrible things because of your clumsy self-confidence.”

Namgung Jin lowered his head.

“You are the one who will lead the main family after your older brother. Therefore, you must be more cold-hearted and critical of yourself than others, and you must constantly strive to improve. That is your job.”

Namgung Jin couldn’t raise his head at Namgung Cheong-ya’s advice.

“When you return to the family, you will have to work harder than you do now. So that you can escape from the hands of Bae Dong-seong and the experts of the Evil Sects, as well as the Hongryeong Myeolsadae [Crimson Dragon Extermination Squad], as you said, devote yourself to training.”

“Thank you for correcting my short-sighted thinking, Uncle.”

“Be especially careful in your words and actions in the future, and you don’t always have to be good to those who trust you, but try to minimize disappointing them and show them that you are improving little by little.”

“I will keep that in mind.”

As Namgung Jin bowed his head to show his gratitude for the advice, Namgung Cheong-ya laughed heartily and handed him a bottle of alcohol.

“Haha, I said that to give you a sense of alertness, so don’t worry too much about it. You’re doing well now, and you’ll continue to do well in the future. Have a drink.”

Namgung Jin held out his glass and received the alcohol that Namgung Cheong-ya poured.

“Tell me a little about that guy.”

“……!”

“The guy that Su-yeon is so into.”

* * *

While resting at the Namgung family for a few days, Hwa-rin was able to become quite close to the famous hermits of the Murim world who were staying as guests in the detached residence.

There were four people staying as guests of the Namgung family: Geo-ryeok Shingun Ao-ji, Wolmyeong Seonja Naeng Seol-yeo, Byeokryeokchang Yi Tae-ryeong, and Cheolpaegeom Seo Ja-myeong. They were former masters who had been active in the Murim world thirty years ago and had made remarkable contributions in the battle against the Baegyo [White Lotus Sect].

“The Baegyo must have done a lot of bad things, right?”

“Well, that depends on where you stand. From the Baegyo’s point of view, it’s something they had to do, and from the point of view of those who defined them as heretics, it’s a bad thing.”

Hwa-rin didn’t tell them about his relationship with the Baegyo.

“So, it’s similar to the Demonic Sect.”

“Yes, but the Demonic Sect and the Baegyo are a little different. In the Demonic Sect, some people’s personalities become twisted in the process of learning demonic arts, whereas the Baegyo’s techniques are not like that. It was only abused due to the person’s character that it became a problem.”

“So, not everyone who learns the Baegyo’s techniques is bad.”

“There are only bad techniques. There are also martial arts in the Orthodox Sect that change one’s personality. Nothing can be perfect.”

“But I heard that the Orthodox Sect abandons or seals them so that others cannot learn them.”

“Yes. That’s the difference between the Demonic Sect, the Saheolmeng [Four Great Evil Alliances], and the Baegyo. Even so, it can’t be completely prevented, so there are occasional problems. That’s when the Murim world becomes noisy.”

They told him about the events of thirty years ago as kindly as if they were telling a story to their grandson.

“I see. So, what happened to the remnants of the Baegyo? Did they all die?”

“No. Most of the important people escaped.”

“So, even though the Baegyo was destroyed, it could reappear. Thirty years is enough time to master the techniques.”

The four nodded.

As Hwa-rin said, thirty years may be short, but it is by no means a short time to learn the Baegyo’s techniques.

“So, we’re always worried. In particular, we couldn’t stop the escape of the Baegyo’s young mistress, and now we don’t know where she is or what she’s doing…”

Hwa-rin didn’t feel anything special even when he heard his mother’s name.

“The young mistress must have been strong.”

“Well, the young mistress’s martial arts weren’t that strong. But she was well-versed in the Baegyo’s Jinsan techniques, that is, magic, so it was not easy to deal with.”

Naeng Seol-yeo said, recalling the time.

“If the young mistress’s martial arts had been strong, our sacrifice would have been inevitable, but we could have caught her.”

“Why? She’s also good at techniques, right? Then isn’t it more difficult to deal with?”

When Hwa-rin asked, Geo-ryeok Shingun answered.

“The Baegyo’s martial arts are great, but something was lacking. It was less overbearing than the Demonic Sect’s martial arts, and it was shallower than the Orthodox Sect’s martial arts. Compared to the Evil Sect’s martial arts, it was as pure as the martial arts that children learn? But that doesn’t mean you can underestimate the Baegyo’s martial arts.”

“So, you could have suppressed them if they tried to fight with martial arts.”

“That’s right. But the young mistress focused on running away and used magic and martial arts appropriately. Her magic was like a divine skill that we had never experienced before.”

Hwa-rin recalled the Baegyo’s techniques that he was learning as he listened to their stories.

“But why do you call the Baegyo’s techniques magic, Naeng Seol-yeo?”

“Well, most of the folk techniques, Taoist arts, and Buddhist arts are manifested through some medium. But the Baegyo’s techniques can cause changes in the world without a medium.”

Commonly used magical tools, sacred objects, and amulets are used to perform techniques, Taoist arts, and Buddhist arts, but the Baegyo’s techniques were different from these.

Byeokryeokchang Yi Tae-ryeong chimed in with Naeng Seol-yeo’s words.

“We suffered a lot at first. Just when we thought we were getting used to the Baegyo’s techniques, the young mistress’s techniques were different from the techniques used by the Baegyo. As this person said, it was magic. We chased after her, but we ended up missing her.”

Hwa-rin nodded with a bright face as if he were listening to an interesting story.

“But among those who participated in the attack on the Baegyo, were there any who stole the Baegyo’s techniques? If it were me, I would have stolen a few and learned them.”

The four nodded as if it were natural.

“Officially, the Demonic Sect, the Saheolmeng, and the Jeongcheonmeng [Righteous Alliance] gathered the Baegyo’s techniques in one place and burned them, but who knows? Someone might have stolen and learned the Baegyo’s magic.”