Tales Of The Nine Dragons [EN]: Chapter 217

The world of martial arts was in shock.

The Tang family, once a powerhouse as one of the Ten Great Families of the Central Plains, had fallen overnight.

The Poison King, who had backed the Tang family, was dead. The Dark Heaven Squad and Dark Shadow Squad, the Tang family’s most trusted enforcers, were annihilated.

The surviving elders and warriors of the Tang family not only had their *dantian* [energy center] destroyed, losing their martial arts, but also became unable to cultivate internal energy. Tang Chun-gi, the heir of the Tang family, suffered lasting damage from the Poison King’s poison, rendering him unable to perform his duties as a man.

The Tang family’s inner garden was burned down, and rumors spread that Tang Mun-soo, the head of the Tang family, knelt before Joo Hwa-rin, the head of the Nine Dragons Hall, to beg for forgiveness, narrowly avoiding complete annihilation. It seemed highly unlikely that the Tang family would ever regain its former power.

Witnesses to the battle between the Nine Dragons Hall Master and the Tang family warriors unanimously said that the Nine Dragons Hall Master resembled the King of the Underworld. A new martial title, “Underworld King,” was created before the name of Nine Dragons Hall Master Joo Hwa-rin.

Furthermore, there was a change in the existing Ten Great Masters of the Central Plains, known as “One Devil, Two Emperors, Three Kings, Four Gods, and Two Immortals.” Poison King Tang Sa-ok, who died at the hands of the Nine Dragons Hall Master, was removed from his position, and the new Underworld King Joo Hwa-rin took his place.

Despite the change, people still referred to the Ten Great Masters of the Central Plains as “One Devil, Two Emperors, Three Kings, Four Gods, and Two Immortals” when speaking of them, and this rumor was spreading rapidly from Sichuan to the Central Plains.

“That’s right. When the Underworld King moved his hand, the countless hidden weapons flying in the air vanished instantly.”

“Exactly! I saw it too. And the hidden weapons that disappeared suddenly reappeared and flew towards the Tang family warriors, *paaah!* piercing them.”

“Then he also knows sorcery?”

“I don’t know about that.”

“If it’s not sorcery, how else could he do that? Could the Underworld King be a descendant of the Fallen Paragon?”

A descendant of the Fallen Paragon!

This word silenced the tavern.

“That’s right. His martial arts are incredibly strong, and he also uses sorcery. And he’s not even thirty years old yet, right?”

“That’s what they say.”

“It’s been thirty-one years since the Fallen Paragon fell. If those who escaped back then raised disciples, they would be about the age of the Nine Dragons Hall Master.”

“Hey, he wouldn’t even have been born back then. And they say the Nine Dragons Hall Master is a rising star, so he must be at most twenty-five or six years old.”

“That’s true. If those who escaped raised disciples, they would have to be over thirty years old.”

“Well, the young mistress of the Fallen Paragon could have married, had a baby, and taught her the sorcery of the Fallen Paragon.”

“That could be true. But what about martial arts? The Fallen Paragon was strong in sorcery but weak in martial arts, right?”

“Not necessarily. That’s why the Demonic Sect, the Blood Evil Alliance, and the Righteous Heaven Alliance joined forces to attack the Fallen Paragon.”

“Hmm….”

Two people listening to the story on one side had slightly embarrassed expressions.

“How can people in Guizhou know what happened in Sichuan?”

“That’s how rumors are. But those people are sharp. You might be mistaken for the young master of the Fallen Paragon.”

The two were none other than Baek Gun-sung and Hwa-rin. They were on their way to Guangxi Province, where the Blood Evil Alliance’s headquarters was located, following the Tang family incident, and stopped by an inn in Guizhou Province to eat.

“Why?”

“Like they said, you’re skilled in sorcery too.”

“Then let them think that way.”

“What if you’re declared an enemy of the martial arts world?”

Hwa-rin smirked.

“Am I the only one who learned it? The Blood Evil Alliance also learned it, and so did the Demonic Sect and the Righteous Heaven Alliance, all stealing and learning the sorcery of the Fallen Paragon.”

“What?”

“You guys are allowed, but I’m not? And I’m one of the Ten Great Masters. If I act up, destroying a decent sect is nothing. You saw what happened to the Tang family, right?”

Baek Gun-sung laughed in disbelief.

“Even when you’re threatening, why do you do it so innocently? It’s like a joke.”

“It’s not a joke.”

“That’s why even I, who’s been with you, get confused, so how much more would other people be?”

Hwa-rin pouted, expressing her annoyance.

“Let’s eat quickly and go.”

“What’s the rush? Let’s eat slowly and digest….”

Hwa-rin stopped talking and looked at the entrance of the inn. People were entering.

They were wearing hats that covered half of their faces, and judging by the swords at their waists, they seemed to be martial artists.

“Those guys, have we seen them before?”

Hwa-rin asked Baek Gun-sung.

The outfits of those who took their seats were different, but the number one was engraved on their chests, so they could immediately tell where they came from.

“They’re martial artists from Hainan Island in the South Sea.”

“Hainan Island, you mean the Hainan Sword Sect?”

“Yes. But judging by the different outfits, it seems like sects from Hainan Island are mixed in.”

Hwa-rin nodded at Baek Gun-sung’s words.

“Hainan Island is the biggest island, and there are that many martial arts sects on it.”

“Could be.”

They sat down, took off their hats, and placed their swords on the table.

There were three women, all of whom were young.

“They look about our age, maybe a year or two older.”

As Hwa-rin became interested, Baek Gun-sung seemed uneasy and urged her to eat quickly and leave the inn.

“Wait a minute. This is also fate. Should I talk to them?”

“Don’t cause trouble, let’s just go.”

“Do you think I *only* cause trouble? I had a reason for causing such trouble. And I was always still. The other party arbitrarily judged and tried to kill me, or tried to take what was mine, so I just reacted.”

“That’s because the degree is too severe. Let’s move slowly for now.”

Hwa-rin made a displeased expression and got up from her seat.

“I’m too good for this… I’ll definitely take revenge after five years.”

As Hwa-rin grumbled and left the inn, Baek Gun-sung shook his head and followed her out.

“But those guys we met before said they were looking for the successor of the Fiery Demon Blood Fist and delivering a letter from the Hainan Sword Sect.”

Hwa-rin asked as soon as Baek Gun-sung came out.

“They did.”

“They said they were inviting him, and if he refused, the head of the Hainan Sword Sect would come to the martial arts world, but the head of the Hainan Sword Sect isn’t among them, right?”

“They all look young. I think they came out for other business. For example, to have an exchange?”

“Exchange?”

“Martial artists have exchanges with each other. Like the Mount Hua Assembly [a martial arts competition].”

Hwa-rin understood what he meant and nodded.

“If my guess is correct, they will go to the Righteous Heaven Alliance in Hubei Province to meet the rising stars of the orthodox faction.”

“Really? The Blood Evil Alliance isn’t coming?”

“Even if the Hainan Sword Sect is between righteous and evil, it’s closer to the orthodox faction. Like the Tang family.”

When the Tang family story came up, Hwa-rin frowned.

“Why is the Tang family being brought up here?”

“It’s not that they’re being brought up, but like the Tang family, they’re also between righteous and evil. And they’re closer to the orthodox faction than the evil faction. So they’ll go to the Righteous Heaven Alliance, not the Blood Evil Alliance.”

“I got it. So stop it.”

“Are you saying that to make it fun?”

“What am I saying?”

“Putting ‘go’ at the end of every word.”

“No. That never happened. Mind your own business.”

“Ugh, childish. How did such a childish kid get the martial title of Underworld King?”

“People called me that, so I got it. It’s not like I asked them to call me that.”

“Let’s go for now. Please, I beg you, let’s go quietly until we arrive at the Blood Evil Alliance without causing any trouble.”

“I’m not causing trouble.”

* * *

“Brother, the martial arts world is in chaos right now.”

“What’s with the fuss?”

“You won’t believe it. The Tang family has fallen.”

Hwa Jung-soo of the Hwa Myung Merchant Group narrowed his eyes at the news brought by his younger brother, Hwa Saeng-bang.

“The Tang family? Are you talking about the Tang family of Sichuan, one of the Ten Great Families of the martial arts world?”

“Yes. The martial arts world is in chaos because of that. But the one who destroyed the Tang family is said to be the head of the Nine Dragons Hall.”

“What!”

Hwa Jung-soo was surprised and got up from his seat.

“Tang Chun-gi, the young lord of the Tang family, stole the treasure of the Nine Dragons Hall, and in the process of retrieving the treasure, the head of the Nine Dragons Hall killed the Poison King.”

“The Poison King….”

“Yes. Not only the Poison King but also the elders and the Tang family’s military force were annihilated, and the head of the Tang family knelt before the head of the Nine Dragons Hall and begged for his life.”

Hwa Jung-soo listened to Hwa Saeng-bang’s words and looked incredulous.

“How could that guy kill the Poison King? The Poison King is one of the Ten Great Masters of the martial arts world.”

“It’s true. People are calling the head of the Nine Dragons Hall the Underworld King, the king of the underworld, and saying that he will take the place of the Poison King and become one of the Ten Great Masters of the martial arts world.”

“Hmm….”

“Brother, what should we do? If all of this is true, what will happen to us?”

“Don’t make a fuss.”

Hwa Jung-soo was also inwardly surprised.

‘If that guy really killed the Poison King, even the Sword Demon of Massacre can’t beat him.’

The Sword Demon of Massacre said he would kill him, but he had already failed once, and he said he was making various preparations, but there was no guarantee that it would succeed.

However, since it was an assassination rather than a head-on match, he only thought that there was still a glimmer of hope.

“Shouldn’t we go and beg for forgiveness now?”

“What are you talking about begging for?”

“We….”

Hwa Saeng-bang looked at Hwa Jung-soo’s face and closed his mouth.

“Don’t you know that that guy has taken away all of our clients? The landlords of Sichuan, Guizhou, and Yunnan provinces have decided to do business with him. They said they would no longer provide us with grain.”

“They said that?”

“Yes. The head of the Nine Dragons Hall used his reputation to take away everything from us. We are the victims, so what did we do wrong? What are we begging forgiveness for?”

No matter what the process was, the result was that he became the victim, so he had the logic that the Nine Dragons Hall was at fault.

“So don’t ever say to me again that we should go to the Nine Dragons Hall and beg.”

“I understand, brother.”

“By the way, what about the people you met before? Do you think there will be progress?”

“I need to meet them more, but they showed me a favorable attitude. But they were not people who produced grain.”

“Then?”

“They are people who produce timber. They lease land to those who cut down trees, burn the remaining land to create slash-and-burn fields, and cultivate mountain crops there.”

“They lease slash-and-burn fields?”

“That’s what they say. They lease it at a price lower than ordinary rice paddies, but due to the nature of slash-and-burn fields, they receive five to seven years of rent at once.”

Slash-and-burn fields always lack water, so they build farms by storing rainwater, so they are greatly affected by the power of the land, that is, the soil fertility. Therefore, it was known that slash-and-burn fields usually lose their fertility after five years, or seven years at the longest, and can no longer be farmed.

It is known that the Trabille Kingdom, which has excellent farming technology, can farm for longer than this, but in the Central Plains, they build slash-and-burn fields with a view to about five to seven years.

“Five to seven years… We can lower the price a little more depending on the negotiation.”

“I think so too. So I’m thinking of going to see the slash-and-burn fields they made.”

“You?”

“I can’t proceed with the work just by believing their words, so I’ll take a look with my own eyes and check the soil, and then tell you, brother.”

“I see. Go ahead and promote it yourself. Tell me if you need anything.”

“I understand, brother.”

“Saeng-bang.”

“Yes, brother.”

“Always look people in the eye when you talk to them. And those who consciously avoid your eyes while talking mean that they are hiding something from you.”

“Ah, I understand.”

“And you should also be careful of those who only look at your eyes and talk.”

“Why is that?”

“People can’t instinctively look at one place for a long time. That’s because their eyes are tired, so even if they focus on you, they turn their gaze elsewhere to relieve eye fatigue for a while and then look again.”

“Hmm….”

“If they consciously keep looking at your eyes and talking, then be wary of that person too.”

“I will keep that in mind, brother. I will handle this matter well and give you good news.”