Tales Of The Nine Dragons [EN]: Chapter 200

Nine Dragons Chronicle (200)

Hwa-rin met with Dae Ri-myung-han, the head of the Dae Ri family, introduced him to Baek Goon-seong and the young masters of the Twelve Families, and Dan Ri-hyeok-jin. Dae Ri-myung-han provided them with a separate villa.

They were tired from the long journey and fell asleep early. Hwa-rin spoke with Dae Ri-myung-han, learning about the Dae Ri family’s situation.

“Are you saying they are openly after the Dae Ri family’s treasures?”

“Yes. They’ve threatened the lives of people in Dae Ri-hyeon, including those at our businesses and quarries, demanding the Vajra of Yoma unless we hand it over.”

Hwa-rin looked at the Vajra placed on the table.

“It seems they call it the Vajra of Yoma because it possesses a sinister power.”

“I cannot be certain. According to legend, in ancient times, when Indra [king of the gods in Hinduism and Buddhism] fought against the Asura [a class of supernatural beings] hordes, he subdued the Su-ma, Yo-ma, Mong-ma, Hwan-ma, Tu-ma, and Dok-ma, who were Asura’s subordinates, and sealed them in different mediums.”

“So, the power of Yo-ma is sealed in this Vajra, and that’s why it’s called the Vajra of Yo-ma.”

“That’s right.”

Hwa-rin tilted his head.

“I heard before that the treasures of Soeum Temple were seven in total, weren’t they?”

“Yes, that’s correct. Then, what is the remaining one, excluding the Six Demons [Su-ma, Yo-ma, Mong-ma, Hwan-ma, Tu-ma, and Dok-ma]?”

“The leader, Asura.”

“Are you saying Indra subdued Asura and sealed his power in such a medium?”

“Yes. It is passed down as a legend, so I don’t know if it’s true or not, but since the Vajra of Yo-ma exists, there must also be an object that seals Asura’s power.”

“Then, Soeum Temple’s goal is to obtain the sealed power.”

“I think so. However, I don’t know if they are trying to obtain the sealed power or revive Asura and his subordinates.”

Hwa-rin stared intently at the Vajra of Yo-ma.

The sinister energy sealed within was too strong to handle with brute force.

It was clear that if someone inherited this energy, it would bring great chaos.

“Do you happen to know what the sealed relics are?”

“I heard they are the sword, helmet, armor, sutra [Buddhist scripture], Vajra, and orb that Indra used. And I don’t know what object sealed Asura. Some say it’s the ‘Heavenly Net,’ a tool Indra used to capture Asura alive, and others say it’s the gourd Indra used.”

“Sword, helmet, armor, sutra, Vajra, orb… orb?”

“Do you know something?”

“Recently, there was an incident where the ‘Heavenly Jade Orb’ kept by the Tang family was stolen.”

“Is that so?”

“Yes. I wonder if the Heavenly Jade Orb might also be an object in which Asura’s subordinates are sealed.”

“From the Tang family? Who would dare cross the Tang family’s walls?”

“They dare to threaten even the Dae Ri family, so would the Tang family be any different?”

“The main family is far from the Central Plains and is a merchant family, so they make such threats. But the Tang family is a martial family, so if they attract the attention of the martial world, Soeum Temple won’t be able to achieve its goals.”

“There are those who can steal without directly crossing the walls. They probably spent a fortune to hire such a person.”

Dae Ri-myung-han nodded.

“The orb that the Tang family lost is likely the orb in which the power of Dok-ma is sealed.”

“Dok-ma?”

“The current Tang family is famous for poison and hidden weapons. But before the Tang family gained its current prominence, it was just a family of doctors.”

Hwa-rin became interested upon hearing new facts about the Tang family.

“The Tang family were doctors who treated martial artists. Many died while treating martial artists. They secretly learned and developed the martial arts of those martial artists.”

“If you said that to the current Tang family, you would be poisoned to death.”

Dae Ri-myung-han nodded at Hwa-rin’s jest.

“The Tang family became exceptionally skilled in poison, and the poisons they created gradually gained fame in the martial world, leading to the creation of the current Tang family.”

“What a funny bunch.”

“Haha, but the only person who can say that to the Tang family is the Underworld Lord. No one else would dare to utter such words.”

That meant the current Tang family had become a very powerful family.

“Anyway, if you keep this, the same thing will happen again.”

“I know, but there’s no good solution.”

Hwa-rin looked down at the Vajra of Yo-ma and said,

“What if the head of the family absorbs this energy?”

Dae Ri-myung-han looked at the Vajra of Yo-ma and smiled bitterly.

“I was going to do that. The ancestors of the main family tried to absorb this energy, but it was too difficult to handle, so they gave up.”

Perhaps it was only natural. For a human to absorb the energy of a non-human Yo-ma was a dangerous thing. Even if they did absorb it, they didn’t know what side effects would occur. From the perspective of the heads of the Dae Ri family, who had much to lose, it was better to store the power of Yo-ma than to force its absorption for the sake of the family.

“I will help you.”

“Pardon?”

“I will use a technique to remove the Yo-ma’s energy from the Vajra of Yo-ma and help you accept only the pure energy.”

“Are you saying you can remove the Yo-ma’s energy?”

“To be precise, after I absorb the Yo-ma’s energy, I will purify it through my body, and then you can absorb it using the ‘Power Transfer Absorption Technique.’ It is entirely possible.”

“Power Transfer Absorption Technique?”

“It is a technique to absorb the opponent’s power and transfer it to another opponent.”

“Is there such a technique?”

“Just as many things we don’t know happen in the world, the numerous kingdoms that exist on this continent use various studies as a means to protect themselves or their countries.”

Hwa-rin did not say that the Power Transfer Absorption Technique was a secret art of the Heretic Church. In fact, similar methods of transferring one’s power existed in martial arts and in the magic of foreign countries.

However, the difference was that the secret art of the Heretic Church was safer than other techniques and could purify evil energy more cleanly than other techniques.

“Are there any side effects?”

Hwa-rin nodded.

“If the head of the family combines his current internal energy and energy and makes it his own, Soeum Temple will no longer be able to threaten the Dae Ri family.”

* * *

“So, you’re saying the Soeum Temple guys said they’re going to attack here?”

“Yeah. And it’s definitely related to the Tang family too.”

He didn’t tell them about the Vajra of Yo-ma or the Heavenly Jade Orb of Dok-ma.

“Since you guys said you’d take care of this, handle the Soeum Temple guys first. I’ll be protecting Lord Dae Ri-myung-han in case of an emergency.”

“Okay. Leave the Soeum Temple guys to us.”

“Those guys use sorcery.”

“We have some countermeasures for that.”

Baek Goon-seong said, and Hwa-rin chuckled.

“If you’re trusting the sorcery you stole from the Heretic Church, think again. You can block sorcery with sorcery to some extent, but if the opponent’s sorcery is superior, you can’t block it.”

Baek Goon-seong looked at Hwa-rin, his expression asking how he knew that fact.

“When I fought against the Eumsa Sect and the Blood Demon Clan, I beat up the sorcerers dispatched by the Blood Oath Alliance. I heard it from those guys.”

“He deserves to die. Spilling the secrets of the main alliance.”

“If you’re tortured by me, you’ll have no choice but to open your mouth. I have some torture techniques I learned in the military.”

“They teach you that too?”

“Did you think they only teach you how to kill people? The military is a place where you can learn everything you need.”

The military was a place where people from various fields of society gathered, so there were all kinds of people. If you wanted to learn and master something, you could learn and master many skills.

“Listening to you, I want to go to the military too.”

“Easy for you to say.”

“Seriously, listening to you, there’s nothing you didn’t learn in the military.”

“The problem is how much you can endure. In my opinion, if you were assigned to the special forces I was in, you wouldn’t last a year and would die.”

“Don’t curse me. You and Namgoong Soo-yeon were discharged alive.”

“Because I’m stronger than you. You’re much weaker than me now—no, even weaker than Soo-yeon. You’re even weaker than Dong-chun, so how can you endure it?”

“You speak really harshly. Listening to you, I don’t even have any lingering feelings.”

“It’s a matter of life and death. I have to tell you properly…”

“Okay. What more can I say to you?”

“Okay, then don’t think uselessly and block the Soeum Temple guys well when they come. Don’t make me move.”

“Okay. Don’t worry.”

* * *

“Are you saying you want to buy our rice mill?”

“That’s right. This time, the main family is thinking of expanding its stores. We’ve concluded that it would be better to acquire existing stores and continue doing business, even if we pay a premium, rather than opening new stores and doing business.”

Hwa Jeong-soo of the Hwamyeong Merchant Group was talking to a person who had appeared to buy a rice mill operating in Xi’an, Shaanxi Province.

“Why our rice mill of all places?”

“I looked into it a bit. The rice mill’s operating profit is decent, but I heard that the Hwamyeong Merchant Group urgently needs money right now.”

Hwa Jeong-soo’s expression changed slightly and then returned to normal at the words of Lee Do-moon, who introduced himself as the head of Deoksu Trading Company.

“I don’t know where you heard such rumors.”

“I heard it here and there. So, I wanted to meet you and make an offer, thinking you might sell if I offered a reasonable price.”

“I have no intention of selling the rice mill. But if you want other stores, I’m willing to sell.”

Hwa Jeong-soo needed money to solve his immediate difficulties.

He had repaid all the money he had borrowed from the Continental Battlefield, but he had not yet repaid a single penny of the money he had borrowed from the Dae Ri family with his fields as collateral.

At this rate, he would not be able to repay the borrowed money, let alone know when he would be able to get back the entrusted fields.

If he couldn’t get back the fields, he wouldn’t be able to get the grain produced there. Then, his main business, grain distribution, could be greatly disrupted.

‘I’ve already lost a lot of customers. I need money to secure grain in order to maintain the customers I’m currently holding on to.’

“What kind of other stores are you talking about?”

“There are inns and warehouses.”

“Warehouse?”

“That’s right. There are warehouses in Seokchwisan and warehouses in Hoju. Both warehouses used to store grain.”

Lee Do-moon asked nonchalantly, knowing all of Hwa Jeong-soo’s situation.

“What are you going to use the warehouse for?”

“Warehouses are good for the rental business. We are distributing grain, so we used them to store grain, but we can also store other things and rent them out, so we can earn rental income.”

“I see. Is the warehouse rental business definitely profitable?”

“Don’t worry about that. If the rental business doesn’t work out, our Hwamyeong Merchant Group can compensate you to some extent.”

“What do you mean by compensate?”

“I mean that if we buy grain, we will rent the warehouse and compensate you to some extent for the profit.”

Hwa Jeong-soo’s intentions were obvious, but he pretended not to know and asked.

“I see. Then, it seems a bit much to just have a warehouse, so can you introduce me to someone who runs an inn or a brothel near the warehouse?”

“An inn or a brothel?”

“Wouldn’t people who rent the warehouse need a place to stay?”

At Lee Do-moon’s words, Hwa Jeong-soo cheered inwardly.

“Then, how about buying the inn that we operate?”

“You operate an inn there?”

“Just as you said, we also operate an inn so that those who transport grain can rest in the middle.”

“Ah, then that’s good. If I go to the site and see the warehouse and the inn and like them, I’ll buy them all. If you have time, would you like to come with me?”

When Lee Do-moon said that, Hwa Jeong-soo stepped back.

“I’m busy right now, so go with my brother instead. He’s the one who managed the place, so he’ll know it better than I do.”

“Anyone is fine. I’m going to look at the goods on the site and consider the market demand. If the profit is guaranteed to some extent as you said, I’ll buy it.”

“Then, you can go with my brother. We’ll pay all the expenses, so feel free to go. Take a closer look and then proceed with the contract.”

“Okay. Let’s do that.”