Tales Of The Nine Dragons [EN]: Chapter 208

Nine Dragons Chronicles (208)

As the commotion erupted near the cave entrance, the monks inside seized torches, their light cutting through the darkness as they hurried toward the source of the disturbance.

Hwa-rin, concealed in the shadows, watched the monks rush past, a flicker of concern for Baek Gun-seong and Lee Seo-won crossing his mind.

“Seo-won should manage, even if it’s a close call. And Gun-seong, if he uses his full strength from the start, should overcome them easily.”

With that thought, Hwa-rin ventured deeper into the cave. Moving with the practiced ease of one familiar with the dark, he soon spotted a faint light emanating from the depths.

“There it is.”

He surmised that Natal Psha, the leader of the Soryeongeumsa monks, the host of Hwanmae, and the Cheonokbo [a mystical artifact] stolen from the Tang family were likely gathered there.

Hwa-rin masked his presence and approached the light.

The light spilled from a large cavern within the cave, a common feature that didn’t seem out of place.

Hwa-rin stealthily surveyed the cavern, spotting five Soryeongeumsa monks and two children tied up and unconscious.

One was a girl, Natal Psha, as Hwa-rin had anticipated, and the other was a boy who appeared younger.

‘They must have been planning to summon Dokma [a powerful demon] and Hwanma [another powerful demon] using those two kids’ bodies once they obtained the Cheonokbo of Dokma and the Vajra [a ritual implement] of Hwanma.’

Hwa-rin scanned the cavern.

Knowing the secret arts of the Baegyo [a religious sect], especially their esoteric techniques, Hwa-rin understood the necessary components for a summoning ritual.

‘They’ve drawn a summoning circle on the floor, and there are formations on the ceiling and walls to control the summoned Dokma and Yoma [evil spirits].’

Since the Cheonokbo wasn’t immediately visible, he deduced that one of the Soryeongeumsa monks must be carrying it.

‘There are many things I want to ask them, but they won’t answer easily.’

Having dealt with Soryeongeumsa monks before, he knew extracting information was futile. He decided to eliminate them all and began to move.

As Hwa-rin materialized before them, his hands moved before the startled monks could utter a word.

“Wh…, cough!”

The instant Hwa-rin’s hand connected with the chest of the monk in front, a burst of power erupted, sending the massive monk hurtling through the air. He slammed against the wall and crumpled to the ground.

He died instantly, his head twisted at an unnatural angle.

Hwa-rin immediately struck the chest of the monk next to him with his elbow, then raised his arm and slammed the back of his hand against the monk’s face.

Seeing the monk’s head snap back as blood gushed from his nose, Hwa-rin spun around and extended his leg, striking the monk’s abdomen.

The monk, utterly defenseless, collapsed to his knees, clutching his stomach in agony, gasping for air as he doubled over.

Hwa-rin forcefully stomped on the back of his neck.

After swiftly dispatching two, Hwa-rin approached another monk standing nearby, feigning a strike with his bare hand, slicing through the air.

“Ugh!”

The monk’s clothes tore, revealing a crimson stain blooming beneath. As the wound widened, blood spurted out like a fountain.

“I…”

He couldn’t finish his sentence before collapsing forward. Hwa-rin didn’t pause, approaching another monk and pretending to throw something with his empty hand. Suddenly, a dagger materialized in the air, piercing deeply into the monk’s crown.

Having taken down four monks, Hwa-rin didn’t allow himself a moment to breathe, approaching the last one.

Having witnessed four comrades fall in an instant, the survivor was about to speak when Hwa-rin’s sword pierced his chest.

“When…”

He clearly saw Hwa-rin approaching empty-handed, yet now a sword was in his grasp. Instead of an answer, he saw only Hwa-rin’s smile.

The smile evoked a long-forgotten name.

“M… Myungwang [a title implying great power and skill].”

Then his head drooped, and he fell limp.

Hwa-rin quickly eliminated all five monks and turned his attention to the two young children, bound and asleep on one side.

“Good thing I’m not too late.”

Hwa-rin decided to complete his task before waking the children, searching the bodies of the dead monks.

He searched all five bodies but couldn’t locate the Cheonokbo he sought.

“Has Amheunsinyeong [a shadowy figure] not arrived yet?”

Hwa-rin scooped up the two sleeping children in his arms and hurried out of the cavern towards the entrance.

As he neared the entrance, he heard the clash of weapons.

Hwa-rin quickened his pace, leaping over the heads of those engaged in combat, and then created a barrier of internal energy, sealing the cave entrance.

This was to prevent Amheunsinyeong from escaping amidst the sounds of fighting.

“He shouldn’t be here yet.”

Hwa-rin completely muffled the sounds from within the cave and concealed his own presence, watching for anyone approaching.

Then he narrowed his eyes slightly.

“It’s not just one or two people.”

At least ten individuals were approaching the cave.

“If Amheunsinyeong isn’t among them, should I wait for the next opportunity?”

Locating Amheunsinyeong through the Hao Mun [an information guild] branch wasn’t difficult, but he found the travel troublesome. He preferred to deal with it all at once if the chance arose.

After a short time, the source of the energy Hwa-rin had detected approached the cave. All nine were Soryeongeumsa monks.

Hwa-rin’s eyes gleamed as he observed them entering the cave.

Although there were clearly nine people wearing red robes, there was one more. To be precise, Hwa-rin had detected the energy of Amheunsinyeong, who was secretly trailing them.

“Of course. There’s no way Hao Mun, which values information, would simply turn back.”

Hwa-rin waited for Amheunsinyeong to step into his trap.

Hwa-rin retreated further into the cave and began to chide Baek Gun-seong and Lee Seo-won, who were still fighting.

“Hey, how long have you been fighting? Why haven’t you finished yet? Is it that difficult?”

“Is that something I can control?”

“If you can’t, you should have trained harder. There are nine more coming outside. What are you going to do?”

“What? More are coming?”

“That’s right. So kill these guys quickly and go inside the cave where there’s a lit cavern. Go there, block the entrance, and fight.”

“Why?”

“The entrance is narrow, so not many can enter at once. If you block the entrance and fight, you’ll have a chance.”

“What about you?”

“I have some other business to take care of. I’ll help you after I finish it. First… No, that won’t work.”

Hwa-rin moved and instantly killed the Soryeongeumsa monks fighting the two, then threw their bodies into the darkness.

Then, he waved his hand in the air, causing the talisman [a magical charm] that was lighting the area to burn out.

Instantly, darkness enveloped the cave, making it impossible to see.

“This level of darkness isn’t an obstacle.”

“Huff, huff… Of course.”

“Then go to the place I told you quickly. Oh, and protect these kids well.”

Hwa-rin handed one child to each of Baek Gun-seong and Lee Seo-won.

“Who are they?”

“It doesn’t matter. I’ll tell you later, so go quickly. The enemies are near the cave now.”

As Hwa-rin spoke urgently, they took the children and hurried into the cave.

Going further inside, they found a place where light was faintly leaking out, just as Hwa-rin had said, and there was a cavern there.

They entered the cavern and saw five Soryeongeumsa monks lying dead.

“When did he kill five people, not just one?”

“Right. He’s really on a different level than us.”

“So he fought Maeng.”

The two laid the children they were holding on one side.

“He told us to block the entrance, right?”

The two stood at the entrance, which seemed a bit narrow.

“We’ll bump into each other if we fight together.”

-Who said you should fight together? Take turns fighting. Rest and recover your strength while one person fights, then switch and fight while enduring as much as possible.

As Hwa-rin’s telepathic message reached them, they exchanged glances.

“We’re not going to die, are we?”

“I guess not. Maybe we shouldn’t have followed him.”

Even as they spoke, they chuckled.

“I’ll block it first, so you rest.”

“Are you sure you’ll be okay?”

“There’s no way Hwa-rin would let us die. We just have to grit our teeth and endure.”

Baek Gun-seong stood at the entrance of the cavern, took a deep breath, and exhaled.

“We’ll see if we’re lucky to have him as a friend or not as we endure.”

Baek Gun-seong finished preparing to fight and stared straight ahead.

Meanwhile, Hwa-rin hid in the darkness of the cave, watching the Soryeongeumsa monks enter.

And after they entered the cave, a man descended in front of the cave.

He was a middle-aged man with a slender build. It was Amheunsinyeong, the leader of Hao Mun.

“He’s plotting something in here.”

Amheunsinyeong cautiously entered the cave.

As Amheunsinyeong entered the cave, Hwa-rin reached into the air and took something out.

It was a blue piece of paper, another talisman. Hwa-rin threw this talisman towards the ceiling, floor, and left and right walls, and the talisman stuck to the solid stone wall and disappeared as if absorbed into it.

After a moment, a transparent barrier shimmered into existence at the cave entrance, like a blocking screen.

The talismans Hwa-rin carried were of three types: yellow talismans for offensive purposes, red talismans for aiding allies, and blue talismans for defensive purposes, like the one he was using now to seal the cave entrance from the outside, preventing anyone from leaving.

However, someone with power exceeding Hwa-rin’s could tear down the barrier, but there was no one in the cave with that level of skill, so no one could leave unless Hwa-rin allowed it.

Having taken all the necessary precautions, Hwa-rin entered the cave.

Hwa-rin located Amheunsinyeong’s hidden presence and approached him.

“What are you doing here?”

“Huh!”

Startled by the sudden voice, Amheunsinyeong instinctively reacted.

Hwa-rin anticipated his movement and gave chase, but Amheunsinyeong bolted towards the cave entrance.

“You shouldn’t go that way.”

Hwa-rin deliberately startled Amheunsinyeong to make him run towards the cave entrance.

He was mindful that if Baek Gun-seong or Lee Seo-won, who were fighting the Soryeongeumsa monks, witnessed him killing Amheunsinyeong, it would become troublesome, so he lured Amheunsinyeong towards the entrance.

Amheunsinyeong tried to escape the cave, but he was thrown back with a jarring impact, as if colliding with a solid wall.

“What is this…”

Amheunsinyeong, confirming the presence of a barrier with his hand, turned around.

Seeing a blurry figure slowly approaching, he channeled the energy in his dantian [energy center].

Pajijijik!

Flames erupted from Amheunsinyeong’s hand, crackling like lightning. He swung both hands with the force to shatter the transparent barrier.

Paaaaaang!

Flames engulfed the transparent barrier and scattered in all directions, but it remained intact, not even scratched.

“This is…”

Seeing the barrier withstand his energy, Amheunsinyeong struck it again, but only flames erupted, and the barrier remained unyielding.

“It won’t work no matter how many times you try.”

Hwa-rin stood before Amheunsinyeong and spoke.

“Who are you?”

“Me? The Nine Dragons Chief.”

Amheunsinyeong’s expression twisted.

“Why are you here when you should be at the Daeri family?”

“The Daeri family and Soryeongeumsa had some business, so I came all the way here. But this time, Hao Mun was too greedy.”

“What does that mean?”

“You stole the Tang family’s Cheonokbo, didn’t you? And seeing that the Cheonokbo is in your possession, you must have created a fake one for the Soryeongeumsa monks.”

Amheunsinyeong flinched at Hwa-rin’s words.

“Well, if the Soryeongeumsa monks chase after you, I was thinking of informing the Tang family that they stole the Cheonokbo.”

“What are you talking about? I don’t know what Cheonokbo is.”

“Everyone says that. And most importantly, you tried to take what’s mine.”

“That’s…”

“That’s life. If you gain one thing, you have to lose one thing, and if you want to gain someone else’s, you have to know that you can lose yours. Don’t you think?”

Amheunsinyeong glared at Hwa-rin.

“What do you want?”

“I don’t need anything from you directly. I can get what I want when the next leader becomes the leader of Hao Mun and the branch leader of Seoseong changes.”

“Are you talking about information?”

“That’s right. What else can I get from Hao Mun?”

“I’ll provide the information. And I’ll relinquish the Nine Dragons Inn. So please, spare me.”

Amheunsinyeong, realizing he couldn’t defeat Hwa-rin by force, begged for his life.

“I’ve already executed the plan. By now, the guys who infiltrated the Nine Dragons Inn under disguise are all dead, and Lady Miok will be replacing Nam Seon-yeong as the branch leader.”

“The branch leader betrayed us.”

“Betrayal… I don’t know if you have the right to say that. Lady Miok must have opposed the plan for the Nine Dragons Inn. Isn’t it because Nam Seon-yeong and you pushed it through without caring about the lives of other disciples?”

“That’s because Nam Seon-yeong said he could do it…”

“You must have been scheming too. You must have let Nam Seon-yeong do as he said, since disciples can be recruited anyway. Isn’t that right?”

Amheunsinyeong couldn’t answer.

“So don’t feel too wronged about dying here.”

“Wait!”

Amheunsinyeong shouted urgently, but it was too late. Hwa-rin’s sword was already aimed at his neck.

He tried to evade the blade with his quick footwork, but Hwa-rin’s sword was faster than he anticipated.

Swish….

Amheunsinyeong’s body twisted to avoid the blow, but his head remained stationary and tumbled to the ground, rolling to one side.

His body continued to move for a moment before collapsing.

“Is this the end of Hao Mun? Seo Chong-gwan will take care of the rest.”

Hwa-rin approached Amheunsinyeong’s headless body and searched his chest. He found a martial arts manual, a leather pouch, and a money bag. Hwa-rin’s eyes lit up with childlike curiosity as he examined the martial arts manual.

“He was learning something interesting.”

Hwa-rin’s lips curved into a smile. He then turned his attention to the leather pouch.

“Is this the Cheonokbo?”

Hwa-rin opened the pouch and examined its contents.

“Hmm…”

Contrary to his expectations, the Cheonokbo resembled a poison bead.

“If the Dokma’s poison is sealed, shouldn’t it be emitting poison? Or does it absorb poison?”

Hwa-rin placed the Cheonokbo back into the pouch and tossed it into the air. The air seemed to swallow it whole.

“Then all that’s left is to eliminate the guys inside?”

Hwa-rin headed towards the cavern where Baek Gun-seong and Lee Seo-won were engaged in combat.