Tales Of The Nine Dragons [EN]: Chapter 102

Ninth Dragon Chronicles (102)

A secret missive delivered to the assassin world stirred up strange movements within its ranks.

The emergence of the Killer Emperor’s successor, and his audacious challenge to the Murderous Sword Emperor, became widely known among the assassins, sparking divided opinions.

Those who sensed the unrest within the assassin world quickly sought to uncover its cause. They were shocked to learn it stemmed from the existence of the Killer Emperor’s successor.

Killer Emperor, Seo Mun!

Legend had it that he could assassinate even King Yama [the judge of the dead in Chinese mythology] and the Jade Emperor [the supreme deity of Taoism] if he so desired. The Demonic Sect’s Heavenly Demon, the Blood Demon of the Blood Oath Alliance, and the Heavenly Sovereign of the Righteous Heaven Alliance, the leading figures of the martial world at the time, were said to have feared and avoided him.

That such a successor would boldly challenge the Murderous Sword Emperor, one of the Ten Great Masters, was enough to send ripples of tension through the martial world.

However, the individual responsible for this minor upheaval in the otherwise tranquil martial world was living a comfortable life, completely unaware of the commotion he had caused.

The night was dark, but the area surrounding the Nine Dragons Inn was as bright as day, illuminated by the lanterns lining the streets.

“Hey, mister, where are you headed? There are no rooms available at the Nine Dragons Inn right now. Why don’t you relax at my place and try again in the morning?”

Around the Nine Dragons Inn, competing inns and brothels actively solicited customers heading towards the popular establishment, but the Nine Dragons Inn itself remained indifferent to these entreaties.

“See? So many people coming and going, they must be making a fortune.”

“So, you’re suggesting we rob the place?”

“Yeah. Go inside, check out the layout, find out where they keep the money, then quickly snatch it and run.”

Since the Nine Dragons Inn opened, numerous petty thieves had attempted to steal its riches, but none had ever succeeded in escaping with their ill-gotten gains.

Inside the Nine Dragons Inn, patrons continued to gamble, eat, drink, and enjoy the company of courtesans, secure in the knowledge that no major incident had ever marred its reputation.

As the Nine Dragons Inn flourished, illegal gambling dens began to spring up in imitation, causing minor disturbances. Hwa-rin, not one to tolerate such competition, took the initiative to crack down on these illicit operations.

“I don’t care about anything else, but those who illegally open gambling dens should be beaten to a pulp. So, report them to the authorities as soon as you find out. No, just kill them.”

Hwa-rin was generally lenient, but he was ruthless towards anyone who threatened his livelihood.

Hwa-rin diligently reported any news of illegal gambling dens operating not only in Shanxi Province but also in neighboring regions, effectively preventing their proliferation.

“Why are you so enthusiastic?” Seo Dae-yeong asked, observing Hwa-rin’s passionate efforts to shut down the gambling dens.

“Of course. If gambling dens pop up in other provinces, would customers choose the Nine Dragons Inn, which has nothing special to offer, or would they prefer a place with a clear view of Dongting Lake [a famous scenic lake in Hunan]?”

“Of course, they would go to Dongting Lake…”

“Exactly! So, if those guys set up gambling dens in Dongting Lake, Taihu Lake [another famous lake near Suzhou], or Xiaohao Lake, famous rivers, lakes, and mountains in the Central Plains, and do business, we’ll go bankrupt.”

“I see.”

“If you get caught running a gambling den, your entire clan should be exterminated. That way, they won’t even think about opening one.”

“Is that even possible?”

“Probably not. They’ll probably collude with the officials and do it anyway. That’s why I’m gritting my teeth and reporting them.”

“Understood. And what about the horses and carts you asked me to look into last time?”

“Right.”

“I found a place that was selling them surprisingly cheap, so I bought them all.”

“Good job. How many are there in total?”

“One hundred horses and two hundred carts.”

“Even if you bought them cheap, you must have spent quite a bit of money.”

“But I didn’t touch the money earned from the Nine Dragons Inn.”

The profits from the Nine Dragons Inn were earmarked for specific purposes.

“Good job. Then, let’s start with the road maintenance project in those three counties: Shangzhou, Shangnan, and Shanyang.”

“Understood.”

“We’ll find the technicians and laborers ourselves. So, we’ll also recruit technicians who can do civil engineering and construction.”

“Even civil engineering and construction? Aren’t we expanding the business too much?”

“We have to do at least that much. Since we’re using our money for the development of Shanxi Province anyway, if we do a lot of construction and accumulate experience, we can win civil engineering and construction projects in other provinces and generate another source of income.”

“Who will manage it?”

“I won’t tell you to do it, so just proceed with it for now.”

Seo Dae-yeong pouted.

‘He says that, but he’ll end up entrusting it all to me later.’

It wasn’t the first time he had been through this, so he just accepted it.

“Understood.”

“How’s Dan Ri-hyeokjin doing in Huayin County? Is he doing a good job?”

“He seems to be doing quite well. The sales are decent, and there haven’t been any problems so far, so he seems to be working hard.”

“Really? Can I entrust him with another job?”

“What kind of job are you talking about?”

“A security bureau [a private security company].”

“I think you should think about the security bureau a little more. He’s working diligently, but running an inn and a security bureau are completely different.”

This time, for some reason, he heeded Seo Dae-yeong’s advice.

“Well, if Chief Seo says so, then that’s that. I’ll have to bring in someone else then.”

“Someone else?”

“Yeah. There’s a guy named Dong-chun who used to be under me.”

“Senior!”

Just then, Hwa-rin narrowed his eyes slightly at the sound of a woman’s voice calling for him from outside.

“Did she already come back?”

“It seems to be So-yeon.”

“If it’s not Namgung So-yeon, there’s no one who would call me ‘Senior.’ Prepare what I told you first. There’s no need to rush. But make sure to take care of it thoroughly.”

“Understood.”

Seo Dae-yeong left, and Namgung So-yeon entered.

“Did you already come back?”

“Of course. It’s not that far. I went to the main family and got what I needed.”

“What were the results from the Traville Kingdom?”

“We agreed to trade grain. Two hundred thousand bags a year, fifty thousand bags per quarter. Here are the documents related to the transaction.”

Hwa-rin examined the transaction documents Namgung So-yeon handed him and was inwardly impressed by her abilities.

“It’s amazing that you secured this much business in such a short time.”

“It wasn’t a big deal.”

Hwa-rin looked at Namgung So-yeon.

“They signed the contract without a word when I used your name. And as a special clause, it’s stipulated that you will go and help them if they ask for help.”

“Hey, you…”

Hwa-rin was about to get angry but suppressed it.

“If I was going to use my name to make a deal, I would have gone myself.”

“Then everyone would have run away.”

“How am I supposed to help the Traville Kingdom?”

“Then the grain will fly away too.”

“Hey!”

When Hwa-rin shouted, Namgung So-yeon shrugged slightly and then put her hands out towards Hwa-rin.

“What?”

“The Thirteen Styles of Harmony.”

“Oh, my head…”

He had promised to teach her if she succeeded in the deal, so Hwa-rin kept his promise.

He opened the drawer of the table he was sitting at and took out a book, handing it to Namgung So-yeon.

“Memorize it in three days.”

“Why?”

“I said I would teach you, not give you this martial arts manual. So, memorize it in three days. After that, I’ll take it back.”

“You’re doing this because I used your name… Okay. I got it.”

Namgung So-yeon was about to retort that there was no such thing, but she closed her mouth.

“Ask me if you don’t understand anything while you’re learning it.”

“Where are you going?”

“I have some business in Shanxi Province.”

“Then I’ll go with you.”

“You memorize that.”

“I can memorize it while we go together. It’s not like memorizing this is a big deal.”

Seeing Namgung So-yeon’s determined expression, he nodded, thinking she wouldn’t give up easily.

“But promise me one thing.”

“What?”

“That you won’t tell anyone what you see, hear, and feel. Not even your family.”

“Looks like there’s something big. Okay. I’ll do that. I’ve already gotten everything I can from my family, so there’s no reason to go back.”

Hwa-rin looked at Namgung So-yeon.

“What does that mean?”

“It means I’m not going back to the clan.”

“Then?”

“Then what? I’ll learn martial arts by your side and establish my own path.”

“And then?”

“I don’t know. I haven’t thought about what will happen after that, but when the time comes, I’ll probably go around challenging the strong in the martial world to prove myself.”

Hwa-rin was worried that she might be planning to settle down in the Nine Dragons Plaza, but he was relieved that it wasn’t the case.

“Okay. Then do that.”

* * *

Hwa-rin left the affairs of the manor to Seo Dae-yeong and headed to Shanxi Province with Hyeok Ji-seok and Namgung So-yeon.

The destination was Mount Wutai in Shanxi Province, where there was a mine he had received from the Yeongcheon Merchant Guild.

“I need to go and check it out. I heard that the mineral deposits are quite substantial, enough to mine for at least fifty years.”

“I didn’t know there was such a mine.”

“The Yeongcheon Merchant Guild developed it, and the manor acquired it. The minerals mined there are currently being collected, but I need to find a quarry, a smelter, and a blacksmith. Storing them doesn’t make money.”

“If it’s a place where good minerals are produced, there will be many places willing to trade, so you don’t have to worry about that.”

“Since I want to trade with a trading partner that can give us a lot of profit, it’s just difficult.”

“Shall I take a look? When I was in the Righteous Heaven Alliance, I became quite friendly with the blacksmiths, so if I ask them, they will know the quarry and the smelter well.”

“I would appreciate it if you could do that, but I also have a place in mind separately, so I will first sound them out and then tell Chief Dan.”

“Understood.”

“But Senior.”

“Why?”

“If it’s Mount Wutai, isn’t that where the Wutai Mountain Stronghold is located among the Thirty-Two Green Forest Strongholds [groups of bandits]? Will those guys just leave the mine alone?”

“I don’t know about that. This is the first time I’m going since acquiring the mine. I need to go and check out the problems.”

“Then we have to hope there are no problems. Otherwise, the Green Forest Stronghold of Mount Wutai will disappear in an instant.”

“I told you not to say useless things. Namgung Yeon-ah speaks beautifully and acts kindly, but how can you be worse than your younger sister?”

“Oh my, Senior, you know how I survived in the military. Do you think I could have spoken kindly and acted nicely in that situation?”

Hwa-rin shook his head, as if he couldn’t win with words.

Hyeok Ji-seok chuckled at the two people bickering.

The relationship between the two seemed strange yet well-suited, and he wondered if Hwa-rin might become the son-in-law of the Namgung family.

“She doesn’t have feminine charm.”

“That kind of charm doesn’t help in life. So, don’t look for feminine charm in me in the future.”

“How nice it would be if she had a pretty face and spoke beautifully.”

At that moment, Namgung So-yeon’s head turned to Hwa-rin.

“Did you say I was pretty?”

She blinked her eyes with a sparkling look, asking him to say it one more time.

“Why are you like this? Get your face away from me.”

To be honest, Namgung So-yeon’s beauty was not lacking. It was just that she didn’t wear makeup and went around with a bare face, but if she put on makeup like other women and took care of herself a little, she had the potential to be called a beauty.

“And when did I say you were pretty?”

“You just said it. ‘If she had a pretty face and spoke beautifully.'”

“Didn’t you hear what I said before?”

“What did you say before? We’re not riding a horse.”

“I said like Namgung Yeon-ah.”

“Like Yeon-ah?”

“Yes, if she had a pretty face and spoke beautifully like Namgung Yeon-ah.”

“Did Ji-seok hear it that way too?”

Suddenly, she asked Hyeok Ji-seok a question, who seemed flustered and said,

“That… I was thinking about other things, so I didn’t hear your conversation well.”

“No, you definitely said I was pretty.”

“I didn’t.”

“Never mind.”

Seeing Namgung So-yeon turning her head away as if she was a little sulky, Hwa-rin shook his head from side to side.

“By the way, what exactly is the relationship between the two of you?”

“We’re senior and junior in the military.”

“We’re in a relationship where we trust and can entrust each other’s lives. We’ve done that on countless battlefields. I think we’ll probably continue to do so in the future.”

Hwa-rin defined it as a senior-junior relationship in the military, but Namgung So-yeon gave a slightly ambiguous answer.

“I see. I understand. And Clan Lord.”

“Yes?”

“It looks cool to say you like it if you like it. Isn’t it stranger to say it as if you’re drawing a line like that?”

“No, really. It’s nothing more or less than a senior-junior relationship. Hey, say something.”

“We’re in a relationship where we can trust each other, Chief Hyeok. I look forward to working with you in the future. And it’s a secret from my family. If my grandfather and father find out, it’ll be a disaster.”

“Understood. But shouldn’t they know someday?”

Hwa-rin opened his eyes wide at the two people’s conversation and said no, but it didn’t work for Hyeok Ji-seok.

“Later, slowly over time. If my grandfather and father find out and say something, and Senior gets angry and turns our house into a mess, it’ll be tiring.”

“Surely not.”

“Really. You shouldn’t be fooled by Senior’s gentle face like this. He’s a more terrifying existence than the Rakshasa [a demon] of hell. That’s why people far away call Senior the Underworld King and fear him.”

“The Underworld King?”

“Yes. Anyway, if Senior really gets angry, you’ll have to be prepared, even if it’s the main family.”

Namgung So-yeon, talking about Hwa-rin, had a happy expression on her face, as if she was introducing her boyfriend to someone else.

“Anyway, that’s the kind of person he is.”

“Hey!”

When Hwa-rin shouted, a smile spread across Namgung So-yeon’s lips.

“That’s what I mean.”