Tales Of The Nine Dragons [EN]: Chapter 150

As Hwa-Rin left the Nine Dragons Inn, the man dispatched by the Blood Oath Alliance to monitor Gu-Ryong Jang followed him.

“Where are you going?”

He looked to be around Hwa-Rin’s age, possessing the appearance of a handsome young master rather than a rugged warrior. He had set many women’s hearts aflutter during his stay at the Nine Dragons Inn.

“I have business in Shanxi Province. Why?”

Hwa-Rin wasn’t particularly pleased about being monitored, so he responded curtly.

“What kind of business?”

“I have more than one or two matters to attend to. I haven’t been able to take care of them while I’ve been fighting the Blood Oath Alliance, so I need to check them out now. What if someone tries to steal what’s mine again?”

“Haha. Of course, you should. Then, may I accompany you?”

“Do as you please. Just don’t interfere with my work. If you do, I’ll just kill you.”

Hwa-Rin snapped back, and the man chuckled slyly.

“Lord Ju, your words are a bit harsh. Shouldn’t we be getting a little closer by now?”

“That’s your opinion. In my opinion, you’re not charming enough to be a friend.”

“Haha. Still, I’m quite popular with the ladies.”

“Go complain to the ladies.”

“Haha. I understand. I’ll try to win you over, Lord Ju.”

As Hwa-Rin left the Nine Dragons Inn, Baek Gun-Seong, the supervisor dispatched by the Blood Oath Alliance, joined him.

Hwa-Rin first visited the businesses operating in Shaanxi Province, listened to their grievances, and took measures to address any needs they had.

Thus, they headed towards Shanxi Province at a pace that was neither too fast nor too slow.

They chose the official road that passed through Heyang County in Shaanxi Province and crossed into Shanxi Province. This route was lined with small and large mountains, and occasionally, wild animals appeared along the mountain path, posing a potential threat.

Each time, Baek Gun-Seong subtly revealed his energy, causing the beasts to growl and then tuck their tails and run away.

—My lord.

—What?

—I’ve identified the person beside you.

—Who is it?

—He is Baek Mu-Gi’s son, Baek Gun-Seong, known as the Fourth Dragon among the Ten Dragons [a group of highly skilled martial artists].

Hwa-Rin had thought Baek Gun-Seong was no ordinary person, but he hadn’t imagined he was Baek Mu-Gi’s son.

—Really? Should I just kill him?

—I’m afraid the Blood Emperor might come to kill you if you do.

—I suppose so. But how can I deceive this guy?

—It’s possible.

—Alright. Let’s move according to the plan. Protector Yi, go ahead and wait.

—Understood.

Feeling Yi Do-Mun’s presence disappear, Hwa-Rin looked at Baek Gun-Seong, who was walking beside him.

He didn’t seem to have noticed Yi Do-Mun’s presence.

‘I don’t think he’s faking this. Then, Namgung Jin, Sa Do-Jun, and this guy’s martial arts level are similar to Dong-Chun’s.’

Dong-Chun often received scolding from Hwa-Rin, but his martial arts were surprisingly formidable. Although he hadn’t reached the level of the Hundred Great Masters [a prestigious ranking of martial artists], considering his age, he possessed martial skills strong enough to be listed among them in ten years.

‘I need to torment Dong-Chun a bit more.’

Hwa-Rin’s torment of Dong-Chun was a type of training method.

If gaining inner enlightenment through mental cultivation was difficult, he needed to gain enlightenment through practical experience. Based on that, he should achieve inner maturity and then strive to gain inner enlightenment.

Hwa-Rin knew the problems Dong-Chun had, so he was consistently training him using this method.

Dong-Chun also knew that Hwa-Rin was teaching him many things for his sake, so he stayed by his side even when scolded.

“If I stick by Team Leader and endure, will you make me one of the Hundred Great Masters?”

Dong-Chun had said to him, crying, during their days in the Ferocious Tiger Four Death Blood Squad [an elite military unit].

Because of those tears, he couldn’t push Dong-Chun away and embraced him, and that’s how their current relationship was formed.

During his days in the Ferocious Tiger Four Death Blood Squad, Namgung Su-Yeon and Dong-Chun were the people Hwa-Rin couldn’t push away after Danri Hyuk-Gwang’s death, and now that connection had become a great help to him.

“Lord Ju! Let’s go to that inn over there and grab a bite.”

Hwa-Rin tilted his head, looking at the inn that stood alone on the mountainside.

“Will they even make a profit running a business in a place like this?”

“They provide simple meals for people like us who cross the mountains, so they probably make some profit. Come on, let’s go fill our hungry bellies.”

Baek Gun-Seong led Hwa-Rin into the inn.

The inside of the inn was simple.

There were six small tables, each with two chairs.

“Welcome.”

An elderly man greeted the two.

“Sit anywhere. Our inn only serves dumplings and noodles.”

“Dumplings and noodles, please.”

“Sit down and wait a moment.”

The two went to a table, sat down, and waited for a moment. First, the dumplings came out.

The dumplings were ordinary, made by kneading common flour and steaming them, with no filling inside.

“At least they’re seasoned.”

Baek Gun-Seong ate them deliciously, as if he enjoyed this kind of food. Meanwhile, men carrying bundles entered the inn.

“Just make room and sit down.”

The old man said to the customers while making food, and the merchants who came in pushed the tables together to make room and sat together.

“Old Heo, give us dumplings and noodles.”

They seemed to be frequent customers, ordering familiarly from the old man.

“You’re packing dumplings to go, right?”

“Of course. Pack two dumplings per person.”

Seeing this, Hwa-Rin wore an expression that showed he found it amazing that a business could survive in a place like this.

“Why are you making that face?”

“I was just thinking that running a small business like this as a pastime in old age wouldn’t be so bad.”

“Lord Ju, you mean?”

“Can’t I?”

“Come on, don’t make such boring jokes.”

Hwa-Rin asked why he thought it was a boring joke.

“Of course. If Lord Ju, who defeated a master of the Hundred Great Masters, ran this inn, would people really believe it?”

“If they don’t believe it?”

“They’d probably come and try to scout you.”

“Then it would be a bustling place.”

“So you wouldn’t be able to run such a quiet business. You’d probably be so overwhelmed by people that you’d desperately want to quit.”

“It would be like that for a while, but it would quiet down over time.”

“Maybe. But I don’t think Lord Ju would be able to stay still.”

“Why not?”

“I just feel like you’re the type to run around, not someone who can stay in one place.”

Hwa-Rin scoffed at Baek Gun-Seong’s words.

“What do you take me for? Do you think I can perfect my martial arts by running around? I can be persistent and stay in one place when I need to.”

Hwa-Rin grumbled, taking a bite of a dumpling.

“Hahaha. Is that so? I was wondering about that, but I see.”

“You’re a person who laughs easily. It’s not even something to laugh about.”

“It depends on the person, doesn’t it? My father told me to come and watch and learn, and I came thinking it wouldn’t be anything special, but I like you more and more.”

“Father?”

“There’s only one person who would know me a little.”

Hwa-Rin said casually, trying to confirm that he was Baek Mu-Gi’s son.

“Haha. That’s right. That person is my father. My father boasted so much about Lord Ju when he came back. My ears were ringing.”

“That can’t be. I got beaten up so much.”

“I heard you beat him up.”

“You can’t say I got beaten up by brushing against his clothes. It’s nothing compared to what I went through.”

Baek Gun-Seong chuckled at Hwa-Rin’s appearance, which looked like a complaining child.

“Did you want to beat an old man? That old man isn’t just any old man, is he?”

“Then I have to win. Why would I distinguish between men, women, young, and old when fighting for my life? I’ll lose everything if I don’t win.”

“Hmm.”

People said that Gu-Ryong Jang was close to the orthodox faction [a traditional and established martial arts sect], but when you talked to him, he was closer to the unorthodox faction [a less conventional or rogue martial arts group].

Perhaps people misunderstood because he treated those around him well and didn’t ignore their difficulties, stepping up to solve them. But clearly, when you talked to him, he felt more like someone from the unorthodox faction than the unorthodox faction themselves.

“Lord Ju is a member of the orthodox faction, isn’t he? Shouldn’t you show generosity and consideration?”

“Generosity and consideration are nonsense. I’ve lost a lot of what’s mine because of such petty favors.”

“Is that so?”

“Isn’t it obvious? People who try to take what’s mine will try to take it again if they get the chance, even if I show them favors.”

“I see. I need to learn that from Lord Ju.”

“Learn? You’ve been taking more than me while living.”

“Me, you mean?”

“Then who else? If you guys hadn’t been after what’s mine in the first place, I wouldn’t have had to step into the martial world. You guys are the ones who plucked the whiskers of a person who was minding his own business.”

Baek Gun-Seong had nothing to say about this.

“Then, after getting beaten up and realizing you couldn’t win, you blew the incident up and had your father step in. I could have destroyed a few more if it weren’t for your father.”

“I have nothing to say about that.”

“You’d be shameless if you had something to say.”

At that moment, the old man came out with two bowls of noodles.

“Customers, will you be packing dumplings to go when you leave?”

“Yes, pack four for us, two each.”

“Alright. Then enjoy your meal.”

As the old man placed the food down and left, Baek Gun-Seong said to Hwa-Rin.

“Now that it’s come to this, let’s spend time together and resolve your anger. It’s only frustrating for Lord Ju if you keep it inside.”

“I’ll think about it.”

A faint smile appeared on Baek Gun-Seong’s lips.

‘We suffered the damage, but why do I feel guilty? It’s amazing how he makes us plead like this.’

They had suffered more damage, but he thought it was an amazing skill to make them beg. Just then, he heard the merchants talking.

“Did you hear that story?”

“What story?”

“The rumor that martial artists from the borderlands and the new territories have entered the Central Plains [the heartland of the martial arts world].”

“Ah, I heard that too. But I heard that they didn’t bring a large number of martial artists into the Central Plains.”

‘Did he hear it from the Miyoek branch leader?’

As Hwa-Rin thought to himself, Baek Gun-Seong said,

“They probably came to see the situation in the Central Plains. There’s a rumor that the orthodox and unorthodox factions are in great conflict right now.”

“The orthodox and unorthodox factions?”

“I heard that it was exaggerated and spread to the borderlands and new territories as Lord Ju and our alliance fought.”

“It’s all my fault.”

“Haha. What can you do about the situation?”

“I know, why did you bother someone who was minding his own business and make things so tiring?”

“I said I was sorry. Let’s stop talking about that now.”

As Hwa-Rin didn’t stop grumbling, Baek Gun-Seong wore a confused expression.

“Follow him around and watch and learn. Help him if you can. Turn a blind eye to most things.”

“Is he a man worth it?”

“If you try to assess his worth in the current martial world, he’s a man of higher value than you.”

Baek Gun-Seong agreed with his father’s words and tried to watch and learn something from Hwa-Rin, but he hadn’t found anything worth learning yet.

‘Well… I’ll probably find out if I spend a little more time with him.’