Tales Of The Nine Dragons [EN]: Chapter 190

Inside the cave, where a chilling cold had once permeated, a change had taken place; the previous cold was now completely absent.

Instead of being cold, the temperature within the cave had risen noticeably, creating a warm breeze.

Hwa-rin, who was assisting Yeo Seoun, kept a watchful eye on her from a short distance as Yeo Seoun sat in a lotus position with her eyes closed.

Hwa-rin observed her with a worried expression.

Then, a soft light began to emanate from Yeo Seoun’s body, and Hwa-rin’s anxiety transformed into relief.

Her faintly glowing body soon generated a round sphere of light, like a protective shield, enveloping her.

The sphere of light shone brightly, like the sun, obscuring Yeo Seoun’s figure, and then her transformation began.

“Rattle, crackle!”

With the sounds of bones grinding and her entire body contorting, her physique underwent a dramatic change, repeatedly contracting and expanding.

The intense energy transforming her body caused her clothes to tear and disintegrate into dust, leaving her exposed. Instantly, Hwa-rin’s figure vanished from the spot, replaced by a piece of cloth to cover Yeo Seoun.

“If the trade with the Northern Ice Palace continues smoothly, we won’t have any trouble making a living.”

Although a few issues remained, it seemed the Danri Sega siblings would no longer have to worry about their future.

Hwa-rin had already exited the cave and was gazing up at the sky.

“Hyuk-kwang, is this enough? Now that the two are working diligently, they will soon be able to restore the old glory of the Danri Sega.”

Hwa-rin spoke to himself, thinking of Danri Hyuk-kwang.

“Then what am I supposed to do?”

Anyone who saw Hwa-rin talking to himself might have chuckled.

“Now I have to get to work. I’m going to walk the path to becoming the king of the Murim [martial arts world]. Actually, I don’t know how to become a king. But I’m going to try to figure it out. If I keep at it, I’ll find a way, and a path will open up.”

The clouds shifted into the shape of Danri Hyuk-kwang, appearing to cheer him on, and Hwa-rin smiled brightly.

“Okay. I’ll take care of my siblings, so you secure a good position up there. That way, I can go there later and have a comfortable time.”

The way the clouds drifted away in the wind resembled Danri Hyuk-kwang getting angry.

“Who said I’m going now? I’m going to slowly, very slowly, enjoy everything in this world before I go, so don’t worry.”

Hwa-rin said, turning his gaze from the sky back to the cave.

“Having the support of a strong force like the Ice Palace is also a kind of achievement.”

* * *

Yeo Seoun, having absorbed the energy of the ice essence, had undergone a complete transformation, resulting in immense inner energy.

If she were to gain enlightenment while learning martial arts in the future, she would be able to surpass the level of a master in an instant and become a master of Hwagyeong and Hyeonkyeong [advanced martial arts stages], able to put her name on the list of the Hundred Great Masters of Murim.

“Thank you for your help, Head Hwa-rin.”

Yeo Seoun now addressed him as the head of the Nine Dragons Clan instead of the Underworld King.

At Hwa-rin’s request, and because she was now a civilian and not a soldier, she felt it was appropriate to call him that.

Perhaps due to the transformation, she seemed more mature than when they had first met.

“After mastering the formulas and stances of the Ice White Hand Divine Art for a month, return to the Ice Palace. In the meantime, I will oversee your martial arts training.”

“I will do so.”

“And as you know, I cannot interfere in the affairs of the Murim, so while you are here, you must remain as a guest who has come to trade with this manor.”

“I’m good at that. But can you teach me martial arts while avoiding the eyes of the Blood Demon Alliance?”

“I helped you absorb the ice essence, so that’s nothing. And that friend Gun-seong is a bit slow, so it’s easy to fool him. You don’t have to worry about that.”

Yeo Seoun nodded.

“And as I said, keep the formulas of the Ice White Hand Divine Art in your head until you have completely mastered it.”

“Is it really necessary to do that?”

“Excessive treasures can sometimes bring disaster. That disaster may befall the young palace lord, or the palace lord, or even someone else, and that may create other conflicts.”

Yeo Seoun understood Hwa-rin’s meaning.

“A ruler must have power. A ruler without power only brings division. You should remember what happened six years ago.”

“Yes. I will keep that in mind.”

“If you train here, fully absorb the power of the ice essence, and master the Ice White Hand Divine Art to some extent, you will probably be able to return to the Ice Palace and soon master the Ice White Hand Divine Art.”

“Um, Head, I have a question. May I ask?”

“Please speak.”

“Have you also mastered the Ice White Hand Divine Art?”

Hwa-rin nodded.

“But I only imitate the stances. I think you know the reason better than I do.”

“Do you know all the formulas and stances?”

“Yes. But don’t worry. I have no intention of teaching the Ice White Hand Divine Art to anyone except the people of the Ice Palace….”

Hwa-rin paused and narrowed his eyes slightly.

“What’s wrong?”

“I taught it to one person.”

“Who?”

“Namgung Suyeon of the Namgung Clan. I taught her the Second Stance of the Ice White Hand Divine Art, the Ice White Light Palm.”

Yeo Seoun had heard quite a bit about Namgung Suyeon, so when Hwa-rin mentioned her, she felt a sense of familiarity.

“But she won’t be able to unleash its true power.”

“She doesn’t know the energy of the ice essence or the inner energy cultivation method of the Ice White Hand Divine Art, so she can’t unleash its true power. However, Namgung Suyeon is also a genius, so she can still imitate it to some extent.”

“It can’t be helped. It’s already been taught. Has she taught it to anyone else?”

“No.”

“Yes. Thank you for letting me know. I look forward to working with you in the future, Head Hwa-rin!”

At that moment, a voice was heard from outside.

“Head, Baek Gun-seong has arrived.”

“I was wondering why it was so quiet. Tell him I’ll see him later since I have a guest.”

No sooner had he finished speaking than the door burst open and Baek Gun-seong entered Hwa-rin’s office.

“What’s going on?”

Hwa-rin asked Baek Gun-seong.

“You remember when we went to Gangseo Province last time and met the Demonic Cultists?”

“I do. So the Blood Demon Alliance searched every place where the Demonic Cultists were hiding and chased them away so they couldn’t operate there.”

“Yeah. But those guys were found dead.”

“The Demonic Cultists are dead?”

“Yeah. Geoman Magun, one of the Twelve Demon Generals, and four demon soldiers were found dead by the lord of Hoju in Sichuan Province.”

“Why are those guys dead?”

“I don’t know. It happened while you were in Sichuan Province.”

After hearing Baek Gun-seong’s words, Hwa-rin said to Yeo Seoun.

“It would be better to talk about the deal next time. As you can see, that bastard isn’t helping me do my job comfortably.”

Only then did Baek Gun-seong notice Yeo Seoun sitting in front of Hwa-rin.

“I understand. I’ll stay at the Nine Dragons Inn, so please take care of your work. And I hope we can talk about the deal later.”

“I will.”

As Yeo Seoun got up from her seat, bowed slightly to Hwa-rin, and left the office, Baek Gun-seong asked Hwa-rin.

“Who is she?”

“Why do you need to know?”

“No, I’m just curious. Friends can tell each other that much, right?”

Hwa-rin felt that Baek Gun-seong’s eyes were similar to those of Sa Do-jun when he first saw Namgung Yeon-ah, and he sighed involuntarily.

“I don’t think that’s important right now.”

Hwa-rin said, and Baek Gun-seong frowned and began to speak.

“Five bodies were found at the Janggang Port in Hyeon, Hoju, Sichuan Province, and after checking, they turned out to be Demonic Cultists. In particular, Geoman Mayoung is one of the Twenty-Four Demon Warriors of the Demonic Cult and is under Ilcheon Gungma.”

“Ilcheon Gungma?”

“You know what they call the force representing the Demonic Cult, right?”

“I know. They call it the Pungma Squad [Wind Demon Squad]. I know that the five main combat units are Black Wind, Red Wind, Evil Wind, Blood Wind, and Demonic Wind!”

“Yeah. And above that, there are the Twelve Demon Generals and the Twenty-Four Demon Warriors.”

“I know that too. I also know that there are demon soldiers under them.”

“Yeah. And above them, there are five demon kings.”

“Demon kings? Are you talking about the Heavenly Demon?”

“The Heavenly Demon is the leader, and the ones right below the Heavenly Demon are those with absolute power and authority within the Demonic Cult.”

“What kind of group is the Demonic Cult that strong people keep appearing whenever they’re needed?”

“It’s because it’s such a mysterious group. One of the five absolute powerhouses under the Heavenly Demon is Ilcheon Gungma, and Geoman Mayoung is Ilcheon Gungma’s direct subordinate.”

Hwa-rin organized what Baek Gun-seong had told him in his head and asked.

“Does that mean Ilcheon Gungma has come to the Murim? Otherwise, there’s no way someone under him would come out with demon soldiers.”

“I don’t know. Maybe Geoman Mayoung came out with demon soldiers under the orders of Ilcheon Gungma.”

That seemed like the most likely possibility.

“But what does their death have to do with me? I was at the Heungchin Prince’s residence. You must have heard all the reports about my movements through someone else.”

“That’s right. I heard all the reports, but there are a few days missing.”

“A few days?”

“So, after you left for Sichuan, you stopped by Junggyeong first, right?”

“I did.”

From then on, Baek Gun-seong’s interrogation began, and Hwa-rin answered honestly. After listening to all of Hwa-rin’s answers, Baek Gun-seong asked.

“Are you really not the one who did it?”

“No. Could it be those guys?”

“Those guys?”

Hwa-rin told him about the Busan Palace in Heukryonggang Province and the story of the Small Thunder Sound Temple that he had heard from Daeri Myeong, the head of the Daeri Sega.

“I met the head of the Daeri Sega this time. But he was saying strange things.”

“Strange things?”

“He said that the monks of the Small Thunder Sound Temple came out to find the treasures of their sect.”

“The treasures of the Small Thunder Sound Temple?”

“Yeah. But he said that the monks of the Small Thunder Sound Temple seemed to be using magic.”

“Magic?”

“Originally, the Small Thunder Sound Temple is known for evil and wicked curses and magic, not to mention martial arts.”

“That’s what they’re known for.”

“He said that not only the warriors of the Daeri Sega but also the warriors of Yunnan Province were defeated by ordinary sword wounds.”

He glanced at Baek Gun-seong while speaking, and Baek Gun-seong seemed to understand to some extent.

“Warriors can’t be defeated by ordinary sword wounds. Right. That means they were attacked in an unprepared state, but what could make a warrior unprepared? Curses, magic, formations. There’s nothing else.”

“That’s true.”

“So, I decided to buy the fields and paddies that the Daeri Sega has this time.”

“Fields and paddies?”

“I have to make money by distributing grain. The amount of grain we receive from the landlords is not constant, so we have to solve it to some extent.”

“So?”

“The Daeri Sega asked me to take care of the Small Thunder Sound Temple guys. But I’m not supposed to interfere in the Murim.”

Baek Gun-seong nodded.

“If you think about it, this isn’t a matter of the Murim, but a matter of the Daeri Sega, and I’m helping the Daeri Sega for the sake of a deal, so it’s not like I’m interfering in the Murim. Right.”

“It’s an earring if you hang it on your ear, and a nose ring if you hang it on your nose. It’s a matter of where the intention lies.”

“So, I’m going to go to Yunnan Province this time and help out, so just know that.”

“That’s not right. The atmosphere in the Murim is not good right now because of the death of the Demonic Cultist in Sichuan.”

“It has nothing to do with me.”

Hwa-rin exclaimed.

“That’s what you say, but from my point of view, it’s reasonable to suspect that such a thing happened when you went to Sichuan.”

“That reasonable suspicion… Hey, it has to make sense. How far is Chengdu, Sichuan, where I was, from Hoju?”

“You can go back and forth that far in a day.”

“Damn it, then what do you want me to do? Will the Blood Demon Alliance compensate me for my losses?”

Hwa-rin used his specialty, unreasonable demands.

“If you give me the supply of grain consumed by the Blood Demon Alliance, I can bear the loss, but if not, I can’t bear the loss. I flattered them for three days to buy those fields and paddies.”

Baek Gun-seong nodded, recalling his father’s words: ‘It is also important to get along with him and introduce him to some of the polite younger generation of the Demonic Path so that he does not unilaterally side with the Jeongcheon Alliance [Righteous Alliance].’

‘Grain consumption… I’ll have to report it to the Blood Demon Alliance.’

“Did I tell you not to go?”

Hwa-rin’s eyes twinkled at Baek Gun-seong’s words.

“You can go, but I and my colleagues will go with you. And you will take care of the Daeri Sega’s affairs, and I and my colleagues will move to solve the affairs of Sichuan.”

Hwa-rin thought it was a proposal that would not harm him in any way and accepted Baek Gun-seong’s proposal without even thinking about it.

“Okay. Let’s do that. But why are you guys solving it? Shouldn’t the Demonic Cult be doing it?”

“Hey, are you thinking of turning Sichuan into a sea of blood?”

“Ah… I guess so if the Demonic Cult gets involved.”