Tales Of The Nine Dragons [EN]: Chapter 36

Ninth Dragon Chronicles (36)

“So, they took the written oath I gave you.”

“That is correct, Clan Lord.”

“Call me ‘Hyung-nim’ [older brother or respected elder].”

Danri Hyukjin, injured and lying down, having just regained consciousness, asked again, wondering if he had misheard.

“Pardon?”

“I said, call me ‘Hyung-nim.’”

Danri Hyukjin hesitated, unable to answer, when Hwa-rin asked,

“Do you know who they are?”

“I’m not sure. But I overheard them saying they were planning to establish a sect in Sanyang County.”

“A sect? Then they must be from the Eumsa Sect [a fictional martial arts clan]. How did they know about the written oath I gave you?”

“I’m not sure about that either…”

“You didn’t go around blabbing to people that I gave you a written oath, did you?”

He couldn’t answer Hwa-rin’s question.

“Why would you go around saying such unnecessary things?”

“I apologize, Clan Lord.”

“Hyung-nim.”

“Hyung…nim.”

“Even if you fill ten fathoms of water, you can’t fill one fathom of human greed. Because you went around blabbing like that, people are now targeting you.”

“I’m sorry.”

“You don’t need to be sorry. Now that the written oath is gone, you won’t be able to inherit the inn.”

“That’s…”

His face, already swollen, contorted even more, making him look ridiculous.

“It’s all your fault, so what can you do?”

“Hyung-nim, still…”

“The doctor said you can’t do anything with that hand anymore.”

Danri Hyukjin looked at his hand.

“Now that you can’t work in the kitchen as a cook, think carefully about what you can do.”

“I can do it. I’ll do anything.”

Danri Hyukjin sat up, despite his aching body. Pain swept through his entire body, but he prostrated himself before Hwa-rin and said,

“I’m good with numbers. I can handle money well. Although I can’t work as a cook in the kitchen, I can take money from customers at the counter and give them change.”

“Anyone can do that.”

“I can do it better than anyone else. If you tell me to, I’ll study again. So please, give me the inn as you initially promised. Then I’ll grow it several times larger.”

Hwa-rin chuckled as he looked at Danri Hyukjin, who was prostrated with his head almost touching the floor.

‘Money is indeed a scary thing in this world.’

“That’s something we’ll have to see. For now, just take care of your health.”

“Hyung-nim, I can really do well.”

“Alright. I believe you can do well. Take care of yourself. I need to go meet the guys who took the written oath from you.”

Hwa-rin told Danri Hyukjin to take care of himself and left the room.

“Clan Lord.”

As he came out of the room, a servant came and whispered to him.

“There are guests who have come with a written oath, saying that Danri Hyukjin transferred this inn to them to repay his debts.”

“I was going to look for them anyway, but it’s good that they came. Tell them to meet me in the open space behind the kitchen.”

“Understood.”

Hwa-rin went to the kitchen and said to the head cook,

“Danri Hyukjin injured his hand and can no longer work as a cook. I’ll send someone else to you, so please teach him how to cook.”

“That guy was good to see, working so hard.”

“Please put in a little more effort. I’ll make sure you get compensated for your hard work.”

At those words, the head cook waved his hand.

“No. I’m already receiving more than enough, and you’ve guaranteed me the position of head cook at Nine Dragons Inn, haven’t you? So just send me someone to work with.”

“Understood.”

After Hwa-rin spoke with the head cook, he went out to the yard through the back door, where Hyun Tak-jung, an elder of the Eumsa Sect, and other martial artists were all present.

“Hyukjin borrowed money from you?”

“That’s right. And he agreed to replace that money with this written oath.”

“I see. So you’ve read the written oath.”

“Yes. So I’d like to change some of the contents of the written oath.”

“That’s ridiculous. You’re changing the contents of the written oath as you please? And that written oath is a deal between me and Hyukjin. It doesn’t seem to have anything to do with you.”

“Danri Hyukjin owes us money…”

Hyun Tak-jung was about to speak but hesitated. The smile on Hwa-rin’s lips looked too cold.

“That’s your claim, and our Hyukjin says he doesn’t owe you any money? He said you beat him up and took the written oath.”

“Are you saying we’re lying, Clan Lord!”

“That’s none of my business. I’ve heard that the Eumsa Sect’s power is great in Seoseong, but to think you could take what’s mine by force, you’re truly foolish.”

The moment Hyun Tak-jung was about to get angry, Hwa-rin disappeared from his sight and appeared right in front of him.

“Heuh!”

As he inhaled in surprise, a pure white hand touched his forehead.

As a cold energy entered through his forehead, he felt like his entire face was freezing and his brain was shrinking.

“Kuaaaak!”

At that moment, immense pain struck.

At Hyun Tak-jung’s scream, the martial artists all drew their swords and lunged at Hwa-rin.

Hwa-rin’s feet moved strangely, and he escaped the Eumsa Sect martial artists’ offensive.

It was like an illusion.

As soon as Hwa-rin escaped the offensive, he moved his feet again and jumped into the midst of the martial artists, his movements as natural as flowing water.

Hwa-rin’s hands left afterimages in the air as they rushed towards the Eumsa Sect martial artists, who seemed very flustered as they moved their swords to block Hwa-rin’s small hands, as if they were seeing such martial arts for the first time.

As Hwa-rin’s small hands, changing in the air, touched their foreheads, avoiding the martial artists’ swords, they experienced the same pain that Hyun Tak-jung had felt earlier.

“Kuaaaak!”

Screams echoed in the backyard.

Hwa-rin didn’t stop there and used his hands on the remaining people.

Hyun Tak-jung’s eyes turned red as he watched his subordinates die with painful expressions.

‘He’s not someone we can handle.’

Hyun Tak-jung made that judgment after seeing Hwa-rin’s current state.

‘He only made us believe that the Jongnam Sect [another fictional martial arts clan] was behind him, but in reality, he’s been doing everything himself.’

When the last remaining person’s knees buckled, Hyun Tak-jung felt his eyelids growing heavy. He knew that his death was imminent.

Hwa-rin picked up the written oath that had fallen on the floor.

“You should be greedy for what you can be greedy for. I’ll devour the Eumsa Sect too, so don’t be too upset.”

He spoke after looking at Hyun Tak-jung, who was already dead, and then looked at the corpses lying around.

“They said those guys came to establish a sect in Sangnam County as well. Since I have to stop by there anyway to find a smart guy to send to the inn, I might as well take care of those guys while I’m there.”

* * *

In the Eumsa Sect’s yard, there were as many as twenty-two coffins. The two elders who had gone to Sanyang County and Sangnam County, and the Eumsa Sect martial artists, were delivered to the Eumsa Sect as cold corpses in coffins.

“Traces of Small Hand Divine Art.”

Small Hand Divine Art!

In the martial world, it is known as the White Terror and is said to be a martial art created by the devil.

Usually, such martial arts should be classified as demonic arts rather than divine arts, but nevertheless, its stability is excellent, and one does not fall into demonic nature while learning the martial arts, so it is called divine art rather than demonic art.

A representative martial art is the Demonic Art of the Heavenly Demon, the supreme martial art of the Demonic Cult.

“Check again. Is it really Small Hand Divine Art?”

“I doubted my eyes and checked several times. It is definitely Small Hand Divine Art, which freezes the inside to death.”

The characteristic of Small Hand Divine Art is that the small hand freezes the inside of the touched area, that is, the body, making it unable to function and slowly killing it. This vicious martial art had not appeared in the martial world since the Small Hand Witch disappeared a hundred years ago.

But now, a hundred years later, it has revealed its power in the Central Plains [a fictional region] martial world in its complete form.

“Sixteen Swords of 잔살 [likely a fictional sword technique], Heavenly Flower Dance, and even Small Hand Divine Art… The martial arts of the spirits are appearing as if they have been waiting for their time. This is not a good phenomenon…”

“Perhaps it is related to the expansion of the Demonic Cult and the Blood Oath Alliance.”

“The Demonic Cult?”

“Just as the gods come out into the martial world to become the masters in times of chaos, I anticipate that if the Demonic Cult integrates the forces of the frontier, they will use that power to enter the Central Plains martial world, and those who have been hiding and learning martial arts will come out into the martial world.”

As always, in times of chaos, new people appear to gain fame, or they meet death in an unknown mountain.

It was said that ‘The back wave of the Yangtze River pushes the front wave, and new people replace old people.’

It also meant that the martial world had reached a time when new people would replace the old, just as the back wave of the Yangtze River pushes the front wave.

“It’s been thirty years since the martial world joined hands to strike down the heretical cult.”

“That’s right. Those who were active at that time are now exerting influence in the martial world.”

Sa Do-hyung nodded.

“I should be careful.”

“I think that would be a good idea too. The sacrifice of the sect would be great to face Small Hand Divine Art. So, depending on the situation, it might be good to receive support from the Blood Oath Alliance.”

“Support from the Blood Oath Alliance?”

“If we send these corpses to the Blood Oath Alliance, they will surely send masters.”

“Why do you think so?”

“It’s Small Hand Divine Art, not just any martial art. If the fact that someone who has mastered Small Hand Divine Art is known to the martial world, many martial artists will move to recover the martial art.”

It was a valid point.

“If the Alliance sends masters, we can incite them to solve the Nine Dragons Association’s problem as well.”

“The Nine Dragons Association’s problem too?”

“That’s right. Although I can’t be sure, I think the Nine Dragons Association may be involved in this incident.”

Sa Do-hyung looked at Sa Ma-woo with a look that asked why he thought so.

“The incidents that have happened so far have occurred since the Nine Dragons Association entered Sanyang County.”

Sa Ma-woo told Sa Do-hyung his thoughts, and he nodded as if he thought it made sense.

“Didn’t they say the Nine Dragons Association Leader doesn’t know martial arts?”

“It’s not that he doesn’t know, but he may be a master of a level we can’t grasp, that is, a transcendent who has entered 반박귀진 [likely a fictional martial arts stage], or a master of 화경 [another fictional martial arts stage].”

Sa Do-hyung looked at the chief manager, Sa Ma-woo, with a look of disbelief, but his eyes looked intense, as if he really thought so.

“Didn’t they say he’s young?”

“That’s right. But there are young people who have reached high levels. The Ten Dragons and Eight Phoenixes are representative examples.”

“Hmm…”

The Ten Dragons and Eight Phoenixes are words used to refer to the most outstanding of the younger generation in the Central Plains.

The ten men called Heavenly Dragon, Sword Dragon, Saber Dragon, Fist Dragon, Fire Dragon, Demon Dragon, Gold Dragon, Killing Dragon, Fallen Dragon, and Mysterious Dragon, and the eight women called Gold Phoenix, White Phoenix, Blood Phoenix, Black Phoenix, Red Phoenix, Floating Phoenix, Dark Phoenix, and Demon Phoenix were known to be strong among the younger generation.

Some martial artists did not acknowledge this and said that they gained fame because they were all people from large sects or large families, but in reality, they were strong and had mastered martial arts to the extent that they had earned their names.

“Are you saying that the Jongnam Sect is backing such a master?”

“Even if the Nine Dragons Association Leader is a master, he wouldn’t be able to protect many things alone, so I think he reached out to the Jongnam Sect.”

“Your thought is that he is a master so strong that we can’t figure it out?”

“For now, that’s what I’m thinking.”

“Then it would be meaningless to send people to tail him.”

“That’s right. I think it would be beneficial to obtain information about him through the Hao Moon [likely a fictional organization] until everything becomes clear.”

Sa Do-hyung frowned with a look that he didn’t like something.

“The Eastern and Western Poisons seem to be targeting the Nine Dragons Inn, but it would be difficult if he’s a transcendent master.”

“If it’s the Eastern and Western Poisons, they can hire assassins with money, so it will be easier for them to take action than for us.”

“Assassins? How many assassins are there who can assassinate a transcendent master?”

“Doesn’t the saying go that money can even move ghosts? It might be okay to tell the Eastern and Western Poisons that the Nine Dragons Association Leader is a transcendent master and then watch.”

“Assassins…”