Tales Of The Nine Dragons [EN]: Chapter 161

The Fall of Hwa-myeong Merchant Group

Hwa-rin arrived in Nanjing, the capital of Jiangsu Province, using the Yellow River waterway and land routes, as the sun was setting.

So-woon was asleep on Hwa-rin’s back, seemingly exhausted, and So-cheon also looked tired from walking for so long.

“Let’s find an inn and get a room. We need to get the kids settled for the night,” Baek Gun-seong said, looking at So-cheon and So-woon. Hwa-rin nodded.

“I know a place. Let’s go there.”

Hwa-rin led them to an inn called Un-wol Inn.

Un-wol Inn was quite famous in Nanjing, known for serving some of Jiangsu Province’s best cuisine, particularly *Eoyukgajihyang-guchae* [a complex and flavorful dish featuring fish and meat].

“Welcome,” a server greeted them.

“We need two rooms, or one large room if you have one available.”

“We don’t have any rooms available in the main building right now. However…”

“However?”

“The detached building is empty.”

Hwa-rin looked at Baek Gun-seong, who nodded.

“Then we’ll rent the entire detached building. We’ll be here for a few days, so don’t let anyone else stay there,” Hwa-rin said.

“You’re going to use all of it? There are many rooms…”

“We’ll take care of that. And tell the innkeeper the Nine Dragon Lord from the Nine Dragon Stronghold in Seoseo Province has arrived. They’ll know who I am.”

“Are you the Nine Dragon Lord?”

The server seemed to recognize the name.

“Just tell the innkeeper to come see me.”

“Understood. Please follow me. I’ll guide you to the detached building and then inform the innkeeper of your arrival.”

They followed the server.

The path to the detached building led through a middle gate in the walls behind the inn. The detached building consisted of two low structures, both filled with guest rooms.

“If we rent all of this, you won’t take any other guests there, right?” Baek Gun-seong asked.

“If you pay for it all, we don’t need to take other guests.”

“Don’t worry about the money. Just focus on your martial arts training while we’re here,” Hwa-rin said, causing Baek Gun-seong to pout.

“Lord, how would you like dinner? Should we bring it here, or would you prefer to dine in the inn’s restaurant?”

“We’ll eat in the restaurant. We’ll come around the beginning of *Sul* time (7-9 PM), so prepare the food accordingly and let us know when it’s ready.”

“Understood. Please rest comfortably. I’ll inform the innkeeper that you’ve arrived.”

“Do that.”

After the server left, Hwa-rin went into the room, spread out the bedding, and laid So-woon down.

“You’ve worked hard traveling so far. You should rest next to So-woon, too,” he told So-cheon.

“Yes.”

Hwa-rin let So-cheon and So-woon rest, then came out and stood in the middle of the detached building’s courtyard, addressing Baek Gun-seong.

“For the next hour, use everything you’ve learned to attack me.”

“Now?”

“Yes.”

Baek Gun-seong paused, then asked, “The sword?”

“I said, use any means and methods to attack me.”

As soon as Hwa-rin finished speaking, Baek Gun-seong drew his sword and attacked.

Among the martial arts Baek Gun-seong had learned, the Demonic Arts of the Four Spirits was the most powerful, but he had also mastered many others.

The foundation of these martial arts lay in the Four Spirits Cave, and Baek Gun-seong, as a candidate to become the next leader of the Blood Fours [an elite group within the Demonic Sect], had access to many martial arts within the cave. He chose a few that suited him and focused on mastering them.

If it weren’t for Hwa-rin’s situation, Baek Gun-seong would have had to take the test to become the next leader in the Four Spirits Cave. However, Baek Mu-gi judged that being with Hwa-rin was more beneficial for Baek Gun-seong’s growth than learning martial arts and taking tests in the Four Spirits Cave, so he gave him the title of Inspector and sent him to Hwa-rin.

Hwa-rin didn’t know this, but in order to understand the Demonic Arts of the Four Spirits through Baek Gun-seong, he thought it was necessary to raise Baek Gun-seong’s martial arts level to some extent. He intended to help him improve while they were together.

Baek Gun-seong’s sword flashed towards Hwa-rin, emitting a fierce aura.

Hwa-rin scolded him, saying, “The aura is so strong I can avoid it without even looking. Suppress it!”

Baek Gun-seong questioned Hwa-rin’s rebuke but didn’t stop his attack.

*Swoosh!*

“Why? Isn’t it advantageous to raise your aura when suppressing the opponent?”

“That’s only necessary when fighting a large number of weaklings. If you’re facing someone stronger than you, do you think they’ll be afraid of such a blatant display?”

Thinking about it, Hwa-rin’s words made sense.

*Thud!*

Instantly, Baek Gun-seong was struck by Hwa-rin’s palm and fell to the ground.

Baek Gun-seong looked at Hwa-rin, his expression questioning what had just happened.

“How was it? Were you able to read or feel my energy or aura when I attacked?”

“No. How did you do that?”

“This is why a novice can’t beat a master.”

Hwa-rin explained the difference between them.

“What do you think the difference in martial arts is? I mean, what are the criteria for dividing martial artists into third-rate, second-rate, and first-rate?”

Baek Gun-seong confidently answered, “Of course, it’s reaction speed. As far as I know, the higher the level, the greater the difference in reaction speed.”

“Okay. But what about when a novice sometimes beats a master?”

“When the master is careless, or when the novice doesn’t know that he is a master?”

“No, a novice can beat a master when he meets someone who is *mistaken* for being a master.”

Baek Gun-seong thought Hwa-rin’s words were sophistry and started to argue.

“Keep moving and attacking. Think about it later,” Hwa-rin ordered.

At Hwa-rin’s shout, Baek Gun-seong moved his sword again, displaying all the martial arts he knew.

“Listen while you do it,” Hwa-rin said, dodging Baek Gun-seong’s attacks.

“In other words, a novice can *never* beat a master. Why? Because you can’t call the one who loses a master.”

It was sophistry, but strangely, it wasn’t wrong.

“Then why can’t a novice beat a master?”

“It’s not that they *can’t* beat them, but if a novice beats a master, then that guy isn’t a master, right? With that logic, how can a novice beat a master?”

“That’s right. But who decides who is a novice and who is a master? Simply because they are third-rate or second-rate? Or do I become a novice because others say I am a novice?”

Baek Gun-seong felt like he was being drawn into Hwa-rin’s rhetoric.

“All wrong. The difference between a novice and a master comes from whether they give their all against anyone or not.”

“Hmm…”

“The reason why tigers are called predators is because they don’t let their guard down and do their best even when catching a rabbit that is no match for them.”

Baek Gun-seong asked, “Is what you’re talking about now related to me attacking you?”

“Of course, it is. That’s why I’m explaining it so grandly.”

Baek Gun-seong swung his sword, aiming for Hwa-rin’s neck, and asked, “Do I look very lacking?”

“Actually, you look very lacking. But that might be natural considering your age.”

“Then what is it?”

“Your mindset is wrong.”

“My mindset?”

“Yes. I told you to attack me using any means and methods.”

“Yes.”

“If I had said this to Soo-yeon, she would have attacked me with all the means and methods she knew, with the determination to really kill me.”

“Then? What’s different about me? I’m attacking you, too.”

“I told you, the mindset is different. You already think you can’t beat me. So, to hide that feeling, you emit a fierce aura and exaggerate your movements.”

Baek Gun-seong wanted to argue, but he wondered if he really didn’t have that mindset.

“Aura is only effective against novices. When you meet a master, the first thing you should do is reduce your aura and presence.”

Baek Gun-seong listened to Hwa-rin’s words, stopped attacking, and looked at him.

“One body without a body, one energy without energy. Only when you can forget yourself can you enter a state of complete immersion and selflessness.”

Baek Gun-seong was persuaded by Hwa-rin’s sophistry.

“In the future, when you spar with me, start by trying to kill me and hiding your presence and energy.”

“How do I do that?”

“Homework! Get rid of that thief’s mentality of trying to get something for nothing.”

Baek Gun-seong made a displeased expression.

“Even scammers investigate countless data and meet people to learn and master their scams. Even those bad guys work that hard, so if you don’t put in that much effort, you don’t deserve to learn, and I have no reason to teach you.”

Baek Gun-seong lowered his head at Hwa-rin’s words.

“Then start researching from now on. I’m going to meet the innkeeper and have a chat.”

The innkeeper was seen coming to the detached building through the middle gate.

“It’s been a while,” Hwa-rin said, turning around and greeting the innkeeper of Un-wol Inn with a bright smile, his eyes shining blue.

Hwa-rin and the innkeeper were sitting face to face in a room, talking.

“Are you saying that the Demonic Cult’s purpose is to create an organization to obtain information?”

“Yes. In addition, they also aim to secure a transportation network to quickly enter the mainland of the Central Plains using mountain paths and waterways.”

Un-wol Inn was the Jiangsu branch of the Hao-mun [a secret intelligence organization], and Seong Dong-myeong, the innkeeper, was the head of the Jiangsu branch. All the workers at Un-wol Inn were members of the Hao-mun. That’s why the server was surprised when Hwa-rin mentioned the Nine Dragon Stronghold.

Hwa-rin knew that the Demonic Cult was pursuing similar goals, which worried him.

For the alliance of assassins, a non-linear system must be established to obtain and exchange information, and a road network must be built so that these systems can operate smoothly.

Hwa-rin was going to create all of this based on what he had seen, heard, and learned while living in the Mengho Deathblood Squad [a notorious group of assassins], but he was worried about clashing with the Demonic Cult as they established a similar system.

“That’s a tiring task. How are they handling the funding?”

“The Demonic Cult is in contact with merchants. It seems that the Samryong Merchant Group and the Hoejung Merchant Group, two of the Ten Great Merchant Groups, have been bribed, but nothing has been confirmed yet.”

Hwa-rin thought that even if he didn’t get involved in the *Murim* [martial arts world], he needed to stay informed, so he listened to the trends in detail through the Hao-mun.

“I see. Warriors from the frontier and beyond have entered the Central Plains, but it seems that no measures have been taken against them.”

“Since their purpose for entering the Murim hasn’t been discovered, the Blood Fours and the Righteous Sky Alliance aren’t taking any separate measures.”

“They’re more foolish than I thought.”

Hwa-rin thought the Murim would be quiet for the time being, allowing him to focus on his preparations.

“Ah, I heard that the Hwa-myeong Merchant Group is smuggling and trafficking people on the sea. Do you know the approximate location?”

“It’s said they’re operating in the eastern sea of Jiangsu Province.”

“The eastern sea of Jiangsu Province?”

“Yes. They’re trading in the form of maritime trade, disguised as merchant ships.”

“Maritime trade means they report the trade to the Eight Route Naval Force and then do it.”

“That’s right.”

“Then what happens if the Eight Route Naval Force discovers smuggled goods and people?”

“If that happens, they’ll be severely punished, but they’ve already bribed the general who’s on patrol that day. Those who smuggle through maritime trade do so on the day the general they bribed is on duty.”