Tales Of The Nine Dragons [EN]: Chapter 159

As they left Myunghwa Village, Baek Gun-sung’s nagging started up like a storm. Hwa-rin felt his ears ringing, but he endured it, listening silently to the grumbling.

“I’m going crazy because of you.”

“But we confirmed the rumors, didn’t we?”

“What rumors?”

“That the Demonic Sect has started making moves in the *Murim* [martial arts world]. You’re nagging me, but if it weren’t for me, would you even have grasped the reality?”

“The Blood Oath Alliance was already tracking traces of the Demonic Sect.”

“Just tracking. There were no results, right?”

“Well, that’s true…”

“Then that’s that. You inform the Blood Oath Alliance branch about this. And find out more about what the Demonic Sect is plotting.”

“Still, we almost died.”

“Why would *we* die? They were the ones who almost died. Anyway, you report to the Blood Oath Alliance and take the credit.”

“Credit?”

“If you’ve confirmed the Demonic Sect’s activities, shouldn’t you have some idea of what they’re planning?”

Baek Gun-sung blinked.

“You don’t know? You don’t feel anything?”

Hwa-rin, seeing Baek Gun-sung’s lack of response, sighed in frustration and shook his head.

“Homework. Think about it before reporting to the Blood Oath Alliance branch.”

“Hey, why don’t you just tell me outright and make it easier?”

“Are you just carrying your head around for decoration? You need to be able to figure things out to improve your martial arts and gain enlightenment.”

“What does that have to do with martial arts?”

“Smart guys improve their martial arts faster. And hey, are you stronger than me?”

“No.”

“Then just do as I say. I’m saying all this for your own good. Listening to your older brother is good for you.”

“We agreed to be friends, right? Why are you acting like my older brother?”

“It’s just a figure of speech. So-cheon, don’t be like that old man.”

“Yes.”

Baek Gun-sung glared at So-cheon, who gently grabbed Hwa-rin’s sleeve.

“Think carefully from now on. Why is the Demonic Sect, who has nothing to fear in the world, hiding and being so quiet?”

“Hmm…”

“If you think about this properly, it will greatly help the Blood Oath Alliance in the future. Then your position within the Blood Oath Alliance will become more secure.”

“What does that mean?”

“Even though you’re the son of Baek Mu-gi, the leader of the Blood Oath Alliance, it doesn’t mean you’re guaranteed to be the next leader.”

Baek Gun-sung was silent.

“There must be disciples of the leader among the Twelve Savages.”

“That’s true.”

“Then you’re competing with them, and to gain even a slight advantage in that competition, you need to provide a lot of help to the Alliance. That’s how others will acknowledge you.”

Baek Gun-sung couldn’t argue with Hwa-rin’s words.

“So, think carefully for your future. After spending a few days with you, I finally understand why Baek Mu-gi sent you to me.”

Baek Gun-sung looked at Hwa-rin.

“There’s that. Sigh… When will I ever make something of you?”

Hwa-rin shook his head and picked up So-cheon.

“Let’s go. We came to see Nakyang Tower, and now this.”

As Hwa-rin walked forward, Baek Gun-sung looked at Hwa-rin’s back with a gloomy expression.

“I’m not that stupid, so why do I become an idiot when I talk to that guy?”

Hwa-rin and Baek Gun-sung were overwhelmed by the size of Nakyang Tower as they explored it.

An eight-story octagonal pavilion stood tall in the center, with five-story pavilions on each side.

Unlike the Kowloon Tower, Nakyang Tower didn’t have bridges connecting the main pavilion to the sub-pavilions, but the landscaping was beautifully decorated, providing plenty of enjoyment.

Three-story pavilions were built on three sides of the five-story pavilions, which was also an enormous scale.

After walking around every corner of Nakyang Tower, Hwa-rin and Baek Gun-sung understood why so many people gathered there.

“It must have cost a fortune to build this. Who on earth is the owner of Nakyang Tower?”

“You don’t know either?”

“I don’t. I heard that no one knows. It’s shrouded in secrecy.”

“Then who manages it?”

“I heard there’s a separate general manager who runs it.”

“I heard that the Kowloon Tower earns all the money in Shanxi Province, but after coming to Nakyang Tower, that’s not true.”

Hwa-rin said enviously.

“Then who’s earning it?”

“Nakyang Tower is earning all the money in the Central Plains. The number of customers who visit Kowloon Tower isn’t even a tenth of the number who visit Nakyang Tower.”

Looking at Hwa-rin grumbling, it was impossible to get a grasp of what he was thinking.

‘He seems careless, but then again, he isn’t.’

While grumbling and looking around Nakyang Tower, Hwa-rin said to So-cheon.

“Do you want to look down from above?”

“Is that possible?”

“Of course. It’s possible if you’re not scared.”

“Yes. I want to see.”

Hwa-rin held So-cheon and soared into the air, kicking off the ground.

At first, he rose above the roofs of the three-story pavilions, then the five-story pavilions, and finally the roof of the eight-story main pavilion.

“Wow!”

He could tell it was a grand scale just by walking below, but seeing it from above was a completely different experience.

“It’s like a flower.”

So-cheon said, looking down at the entire Nakyang Tower, and Hwa-rin nodded.

As So-cheon said, it was like a flower blooming from a bud.

“Look closely. In the future, when you build a pavilion, you have to build one that’s many times greater than this.”

“Me?”

“Of course. If you’re born as a man and have a goal to achieve something, shouldn’t you aim to be the best?”

So-cheon thought for a moment, nodded, and asked Hwa-rin.

“Then what’s your goal, mister?”

“Mister is living with the goal of becoming the king of the *Murim* world. I’m still lacking, but I think it might be possible if I work hard while living.”

“King of the *Murim*…”

So-cheon muttered to himself and asked again.

“Then if So-cheon learns martial arts and studies from you, does he have to become the king of the *Murim* too?”

“No, you do what you want to do.”

“Then I’m going to make a lot of money.”

“Money?”

“Yes. I’m going to make all the money in the world. So I can take care of kids like me whose parents have died, or who are sold off and suffer.”

Hwa-rin stroked So-cheon’s head.

“Okay. Then So-cheon can become the Merchant King.”

“Merchant King?”

“Yes. The king of merchants. Right now, Jeon O-rak, the Man-geum Merchant of the Great Continent, is called the Merchant King by some, and Dae-ri Myung-han, the head of the Dae-ri Family, is called the Merchant King by others.”

“Then there are two Merchant Kings?”

“The continent isn’t just the Central Plains, is it? There are other kingdoms, and the people who rule those kingdoms are all kings.”

So-cheon nodded as if he understood Hwa-rin’s words.

“Even though they belong to the same merchant alliance, their territories are different, so they respect each other.”

“Ah, I see. Then So-cheon will become the Merchant King too.”

“Yes. You have to have that kind of ambition if you’re born as a man.”

While talking to So-cheon, Hwa-rin recalled when his father had told him to become the king of the *Murim* world.

‘Was my father looking at me with this kind of heart back then?’

* * *

“What brings you to such a humble place?”

Hwa-rin, along with Baek Gun-sung, visited Dong Seo-dok of the Yeongcheon Trading Company, which had its main branch in Nakyang.

“This friend wanted to see Nakyang Tower, so I came and thought of you and wanted to introduce you.”

Dong Seo-dok’s gaze turned to Baek Gun-sung.

“He’s Baek Gun-sung of the Blood Oath Alliance. You’ve heard a lot about him, right? They call him one of the Four Dragons, but he doesn’t seem up to par to me.”

—Hey, do you have to embarrass someone like that in front of them?

Baek Gun-sung sent a telepathic message, and Hwa-rin made a blunt expression.

However, contrary to Baek Gun-sung’s expectations, Dong Seo-dok’s eyes widened.

Among Baek Mu-gi’s disciples, he had mastered outstanding martial arts and was supported by the Blood Oath Alliance members, making him the most likely candidate to become the next leader.

He was supporting a heretical sect, but that was only a sect belonging to the Blood Oath Alliance, not directly supporting the Blood Oath Alliance itself.

“I’m Baek Gun-sung. I’ve heard a lot about the head trader from this friend.”

“I’m Dong Seo-dok. It’s an honor to meet the young leader like this.”

Hwa-rin looked at Baek Gun-sung at the mention of “young leader.”

“Nothing has been decided yet. Other successors are also excellent, and I’m competing with them, so if you say that elsewhere, others will be very angry.”

“Ah… I misspoke.”

“It’s not a mistake because it’s going to happen anyway. And don’t try to grab unnecessary lines, just grab this friend’s line firmly.”

When Hwa-rin spoke to Dong Seo-dok, he immediately understood Hwa-rin’s intention and bowed his head.

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

Hwa-rin made a “that’s right” expression, took So-cheon’s hand, and said.

“We’ve been walking around for a long time, and my legs hurt and I’m hungry, so give us a separate room where we can eat and rest.”

“I understand. Please follow me.”

Hwa-rin naturally spoke down to Dong Seo-dok, and Baek Gun-sung, who was listening to this, felt a bit out of place.

‘I knew he spoke informally usually, but to think he would treat the head trader of a large trading company like this. And it’s strange that Dong Seo-dok accepts it so naturally.’

Baek Gun-sung could tell that the relationship between the two was not a normal one.

‘I saw a document before that the Yeongcheon Trading Company instigated the Blood Demon Sect to attack the Kowloon Tower, is that true?’

He thought that Hwa-rin must have caught something, so even if Hwa-rin acted like he was treating a subordinate, he wouldn’t say anything.

“If you rest here, I will prepare a meal and bring it to you.”

“Thank you. And prepare warm water and clothes for our So-cheon to wash up cleanly.”

“I understand. I will also prepare clothes for the young master.”

After Dong Seo-dok guided them to a separate room and left, Baek Gun-sung asked.

“What’s your relationship with Dong Seo-dok?”

“What relationship? We’re just merchants who know each other.”

“It doesn’t seem like *just* that kind of relationship. Dong Seo-dok tried to kill you by using the Blood Demon Sect, is that why he’s being so submissive?”

“If that were the case, would the head trader of Dong Seo-dok still be alive? Don’t you know after seeing the Yin Corpse Sect and the Blood Demon Sect?”

“Hmm…”

“We just met as fellow merchants, introduced each other to various people, and became friends.”

“It doesn’t seem like that since you speak so comfortably to Dong Seo-dok.”

“I speak comfortably to anyone.”

Hwa-rin said to Baek Gun-sung as if it were nothing and looked at So-cheon.

“Let’s see, it’ll take some time to clean this guy up. I’ll have to get some people to do it.”

So-cheon looked at Hwa-rin and said.

“But mister.”

“Why?”

“If I follow you and learn martial arts and academics, will I live in a nice house like this too?”

“Yes.”

“Then can I eat good food every day too?”

“I don’t know. I don’t know what good food is, but you’ll probably be able to eat three meals a day.”

“Then if I disappoint you while living with you, can I be kicked out?”

Baek Gun-sung, looking at So-cheon asking Hwa-rin questions, thought that he was no ordinary precocious kid.

“Rather than the concept of being kicked out, it would be better to think of it as leaving home early.”

“Leaving home?”

“It means leaving the house. There are kids of similar age to So-cheon in mister’s manor who are learning martial arts and academics.”

“Kids of similar age to me?”

“Yes. There are older brothers and sisters, and younger siblings too.”

So-cheon had a look of anticipation on his face after hearing Hwa-rin’s words.

“Among those kids who are learning, there are also kids who go to the inns or brothels that mister runs early to learn business, and there are also kids who have talent in martial arts and enter the Jongnam or Hwasan Sect as lay disciples. And if they excel in academics, they can go to Seorim to study more and rise to official positions.”

“Is that really all possible?”

“Of course. However, there’s a condition.”

“What condition?”

“You have to get along well with the kids while living together, and you shouldn’t do bad things either. Like stealing from other people’s pockets, or fighting with kids, like you’re doing now.”

“I can get along well. So mister, I have a favor to ask. Can you grant it?”

“What favor?”

“I have a younger sibling. Please take my sibling with me too.”