Tales Of The Nine Dragons [EN]: Chapter 170

“Hah… hah… hah…”

A group of men, breathing heavily, looked up, their eyes fixed on a point ahead.

Some were bleeding and collapsed nearby, clearly fresh from a brutal fight.

“Where is it?” one of them gasped.

They were surrounded by men dressed uniformly in black, the word ‘Darkness’ emblazoned on their chests.

“Why are you asking us to hand over something we don’t even know about?” demanded a man.

He was Seo Yu-do, the head of the Gungsang Clan, a small to medium-sized clan based in Sichuan Province.

Seo Yu-do’s eyes narrowed when the men in black mentioned the portrait of a beauty. The portrait they spoke of had left his possession three years prior.

“The Seonhwa Yujeong Beauty Portrait belongs to our Tower,” one of the black-clad figures stated.

“I gave it to His Highness, Grand Prince Heung, of the Heungchin Royal Family as a birthday gift. That was three years ago,” Seo Yu-do replied, feigning innocence. Those who heard his answer exchanged uneasy glances.

“Are you talking about the Heungchin Royal Family, the head of the Heungchin Royal Guards?” one of the men in black asked, a hint of apprehension in his voice.

“That’s right.”

The men surrounding the Gungsang Clan looked visibly uncomfortable at the mention of the Heungchin Royal Family. They knew who they were dealing with.

“Shouldn’t we approach the Heungchin Royal Family with extreme caution?” one muttered.

Ju Yeong-guk, the head of the Heungchin Royal Guards and de facto head of the Heungchin Royal Family, was arguably the most powerful person in the Central Plains after the Emperor himself.

To treat him like a common martial artist would not only result in their annihilation but potentially the extermination of everyone involved in Heilongjiang Province.

As their apparent leader pondered the implications, the surrounded Gungsang Clan warriors watched them with wary eyes.

“It’s not just that we should approach them with caution, but that we shouldn’t approach them at all,” another whispered.

—Shouldn’t we attack and try to escape while they’re distracted?

—They’re not people we can deal with. Even if they seem off guard, they’ll sense our slightest movement and cut us down.

—So, you’re saying we should just die here?

—No, perhaps there’s a way to survive. Just wait.

“Since Grand Prince Heung’s birthday is coming up soon, I will go and purchase the beauty portrait back,” Seo Yu-do announced, a desperate gamble in his voice.

The leader of the men in black uniforms looked at Seo Yu-do with a flicker of amusement.

“You will purchase the beauty portrait?”

“That’s right. So, release us.”

The leader nodded slowly.

“Indeed. Retrieving it through a legitimate transaction is also an option. When exactly is Grand Prince Heung’s birthday?”

“In eleven days, so there are seven days left until then.”

“Eleven days… If we move quickly, we can make it in time.”

The leader gestured to his subordinates, who immediately surged forward, attacking the Gungsang Clan warriors.

Clang!

“Didn’t you say you would buy the painting?” Seo Yu-do shouted, parrying a blow.

“That might work on a merchant, but it’s a bit strange for a martial artist to buy a painting, don’t you think?” the leader retorted.

Seo Yu-do’s expression twisted in anger and frustration.

“And we’ll get tired if you guys get curious about the Seonhwa Yujeongdo,” the leader added with a cruel smile.

“Kuaaaak!”

Gungsang Clan warriors fell, spitting blood, as Seo Yu-do, their leader, swung his sword with desperate strength, forcing the men in black uniforms to momentarily retreat.

“I’ll buy you time, run without looking back!” Seo Yu-do roared.

As Seo Yu-do gave the order, the remaining warriors scattered and fled, the men in black uniforms hot on their heels.

“Where do you think you’re going!” Seo Yu-do yelled, trying to stem the tide, but it was impossible to stop so many alone.

As their leader blocked Seo Yu-do, his subordinates pursued the fleeing Gungsang Clan warriors.

Seo Yu-do wielded his sword with increasing desperation.

A faint light emanated from the blade as it sliced through the air, but the leader of the men in black uniforms chose to evade it rather than block it directly.

Seeing the sword pass him by, Seo Yu-do quickly adjusted his grip, changing the sword’s trajectory.

The blade, which had been moving horizontally, plunged vertically downwards and then immediately arced upwards diagonally, aiming for his opponent’s chest.

Clang!

Seeing his opponent retreat after deflecting the blow, Seo Yu-do believed he had gained the upper hand. He raised his sword high above his head, preparing to deliver a final, decisive strike. But the moment he lunged forward, a triumphant sneer spread across his opponent’s face.

Seo Yu-do felt a sudden, chilling premonition.

“Ugh!”

Seo Yu-do gasped, a burning sensation erupting in his side as if he had been branded with hot iron.

Blood welled from the torn fabric of his clothes, and searing pain followed.

Seo Yu-do gritted his teeth, enduring the agony, his eyes locked on his opponent. A wave of dizziness washed over him, and he frowned.

“Poi… son… cough!”

Seo Yu-do spat out blood, collapsing to his knees, his gaze filled with bitter resentment.

“Your subordinates will soon join you. You won’t be lonely on your journey to the afterlife,” the leader said mockingly.

Seo Yu-do couldn’t even register the words properly before he pitched forward, meeting his end.

The leader of the men in black uniforms looked down at the lifeless body of Seo Yu-do and muttered to himself.

“Who is invited to Grand Prince Heung’s birthday celebration?”

A merchant would be ideal, but anyone who could meet Grand Prince Heung, discuss the painting, and arrange a trade would suffice.

“If we take their family hostage and threaten them, even officials would be suitable.”

* * *

Hwa-rin was traveling towards Daechuk County along the main road from Chungking to Sichuan Province when he suddenly leaped into the air.

“Young Master!” Seo Dae-yeong, who had been walking beside him, was startled and instinctively followed Hwa-rin, using his lightness skill [Qinggong, a technique to make the body lighter] to give chase.

Despite Seo Dae-yeong’s best efforts, the distance between them steadily increased.

‘How does that man’s martial arts keep improving? He seems to have become even stronger after fighting the Four Emperors,’ Seo Dae-yeong thought, gritting his teeth. He worried he would lose sight of Hwa-rin entirely when he began to hear the sounds of fighting.

‘The head of the Dongchun Escort Agency called Young Master a monster, and he really is like a monster. How far away is he that I can hear fighting from this distance?’

He could clearly hear Hwa-rin engaged in combat with men in black clothes. Four bodies already lay scattered around him.

Seo Dae-yeong approached the fallen figures and checked their condition.

Three were already dead, and one was clinging to life.

As a temporary measure, Seo Dae-yeong channeled his internal energy [Qi or vital energy] into the dying man’s body.

“Cough!”

The man coughed up blood, a foul odor accompanying it.

“Poison?”

Seo Dae-yeong examined the man’s wound. The flesh around the sword cut had turned a sickly blue.

“Young Master, their swords are coated with poison! Be careful!” Seo Dae-yeong shouted urgently to Hwa-rin, but seeing him effortlessly dispatch the remaining men in black uniforms, he realized his warning was likely unnecessary.

‘Well, I doubt poison will have much effect on that tough guy.’

Seo Dae-yeong checked on the man who had coughed up blood and regained consciousness, but he knew the man’s chances were slim.

“Judging by the uniforms, you seem to be warriors from a clan. Why did they attack you?”

“We don’t know… They suddenly stormed our clan and started killing people.”

“Clan?”

“We are warriors of the Gungsang Clan.”

“Hmm…”

The man coughed up more blood.

“They were talking about a beauty portrait.”

Seo Dae-yeong’s eyes narrowed.

“A beauty portrait?”

“Yes. Our clan leader possessed a beauty portrait he bought from Sohwa Merchant Group a long time ago. They were looking for that portrait.”

“What about the beauty portrait now?”

“The clan leader said he gave it to His Highness, Grand Prince Heung, as a birthday gift three years ago.”

Seo Dae-yeong frowned at the mention of Grand Prince Heung and instinctively glanced at Hwa-rin, who had finished off the last of the men in black uniforms.

Hwa-rin, now sitting on a corpse, listened intently to the conversation between him and the dying Gungsang Clan warrior.

Hwa-rin nodded, signaling him to ask more questions, and Seo Dae-yeong complied.

“What is so special about that beauty portrait that they are killing people for it?”

“I don’t know. They called it the Seonhwa Yujeongdo. And they said it was ‘from our Tower.’”

Seo Dae-yeong asked a few more questions, but he couldn’t get any more useful information.

Seo Dae-yeong closed the eyes of the Gungsang Clan warrior, who had finally succumbed to his wounds, and turned to Hwa-rin.

“They are bastards from the Dark Devil Tower.”

“Are you talking about the Dark Devil Tower that recently crossed over to the Central Plains?”

“Yes. A long time ago, when I destroyed the Asura Devil Tower in Heilongjiang Province, those guys came to help them.”

Hwa-rin explained his past conflict with the Dark Devil Tower.

“Then do you know about the Seonhwa Yujeongdo they are talking about?”

“It’s a treasure of the Asura Devil Tower.”

“If it’s a treasure of the Asura Devil Tower… then there must be a great secret hidden within that beauty portrait.”

“Beautiful things are inherently the most dangerous,” Hwa-rin said cryptically.

Seo Dae-yeong knew that it wasn’t the beauty itself that was dangerous, but the desire it inspired in others. He understood Hwa-rin’s point.

“I heard that there are five in total, and each one contains a different martial art of the Asura Devil Tower. If you collect all five, you can learn the Asura Devil Tower’s unique martial art, the Asura Blood Art. It seems that one of those dangerous things has fallen into my uncle’s hands.”

“Then it’s possible that the survivors of the Dark Devil Tower and the Asura Devil Tower have regrouped and are operating under the name of the Dark Devil Tower.”

Hwa-rin nodded in agreement.

“I have to recover the Seonhwa Yujeongdo that my uncle has.”

“Will Grand Prince Heung even give you the painting?”

“Of course. How could he refuse his beloved nephew? And how much hardship have I endured for the Heungchin Royal Guards? Considering that, I’m more than qualified to receive it as compensation.”

Since the Fierce Tiger Death Squad belonged to the Heungchin Royal Guards, Hwa-rin’s claim wasn’t entirely unfounded.

“This martial world never has a peaceful day,” Seo Dae-yeong sighed.

Seo Dae-yeong felt a sense of unease as he saw the faint smile on Hwa-rin’s lips.

‘I don’t know why I can’t get used to that,’ he thought.

The first world Hwa-rin encountered after leaving the Imperial Palace was a place where people either died or killed.

Even though it was under orders, he had taken the lives of many people in countless battles, and he had also spent five years watching countless comrades die.

The challenge of Hwa-rin, who had lived in such a world, adapting to a completely different world after being discharged from the military, had been one of Seo Dae-yeong’s biggest concerns.

But when he was discharged and came out into the world, he realized that such concerns were just his worries.

The world of martial arts was not much different from the military where he had served for five years.

Just like he had lived undercover in the military as a waiter and owner of an inn, he was now living as the owner of the Nine Dragons Clan in the martial world, and there were daily fights, so it was so familiar that he sometimes wondered if he had been transferred to another unit instead of being discharged.

“On the way, stop by the government office and tell them that there are corpses lying around here.”

“I understand.”

“I’m going to look around this area a bit and then go to Chengdu, so you go and find out a few things.”

“What do you mean?”

“Doesn’t Sichuan also have a secret base that Dongchang [Eastern Depot, a Ming Dynasty secret police organization] created to collect information?”

“Yes, we do.”

“Meet them and find out what the military’s movements are like right now.”

“The military’s movements?”

“Yes. The Palosu Army, the Heungchin Royal Guards, the Yongchin Royal Guards, the Border Guards, the Imperial Palace Guards, etc…”

Seo Dae-yeong couldn’t understand Hwa-rin’s reasoning behind these orders, but he decided to follow them nonetheless.

“After that, do we go straight to the Heungchin Royal Family?”

“No, there’s a brothel called Hwaryeonhwaru in Chengdu.”

“Hwaryeonhwaru?”

“It’s the main branch of the Ginyeo Room [a network of female spies], a gathering of courtesans among the five forces of Hao Mun.”

Hwa-rin knew this because he had learned about Hao Mun in detail from Mi-ok.

“I understand. But should we go as quickly as possible? Or should we go at a leisurely pace?”

“Figure it out and come. But I’m going to enter the Heungchin Royal Family two days before my uncle’s birthday, so keep that in mind and arrive on time.”

Hwa-rin’s figure blurred and disappeared from the spot like fog scattering in the wind.