Tales Of The Nine Dragons [EN]: Chapter 50

Ninth Dragon Chronicles (50)

“I lived because of Hyuk-kwang, but I couldn’t do anything. I’m sorry.”

Hwa-rin was drinking alone, looking at the rain falling outside the window.

Old memories weren’t exactly welcome. Unless Danri Hyuk-kwang were alive and sitting across from him, he didn’t particularly want to think about them.

“I don’t like it.”

Hwa-rin didn’t like how people became sentimental when it rained like this.

At that moment, people entered the inn—three men and one woman, young people around his age.

Judging by the swords at their waists, backs, and hands, they seemed to belong to a martial arts family.

“Brother, will many people come to the Hwasan Assembly held in Hwasan [a gathering of martial artists, specifically swordsmen, associated with the Hwasan Sect]?”

Hwa-rin became interested in the words ‘Hwasan Assembly.’

“It’s a gathering of swordsmen held every four years, so anyone who has learned swordsmanship would be interested and come.”

‘A gathering of swordsmen?’

In the Central Plains martial arts world, there are five sects that have gained fame for their swordsmanship, known as the Five Great Sword Sects.

The mountains where these sects are located are all famous mountains, called the Five Peaks in the Central Plains.

The Central Mount Song’s Shaolin Sect, the West Mount Hua’s Hwasan Sect, the East Mount Tai’s Taishan Sect, the South Mount Heng’s Hengshan Sect, and the North Mount Heng’s Hengshan Sect—when discussing these five sects, swordsmanship is always mentioned.

However, in the current martial world, there are sects and families with swordsmanship superior to these five sects, and some of the five sects have become known for studies other than swordsmanship.

However, Hwasan’s martial arts were a sect truly dedicated to swordsmanship, to the extent that there was a saying that it started with the sword and ended with the sword.

In this Hwasan Sect, the Hwasan Assembly is held every four years for many young people learning swordsmanship, that is, promising talents. Many people visit Hoaeum, where Hwasan is located, in the year the competition is held.

Sanyang County is a place to stop by briefly to get to Hoaeum, and it is also a county where you can see many martial artists as the day of the Hwasan Assembly approaches.

“It would be perfect if it didn’t rain.”

When the female martial artist spoke, the men laughed and said,

“Hamae doesn’t like rain.”

“Yes. It’s not just that my clothes get wet, but it’s also uncomfortable when I’m in the rain.”

The woman’s dislike was evident on her face.

“But it wouldn’t be bad for a martial artist to have this kind of experience at least once.”

“Why?”

“Because when the environment changes, the way we hold our swords also changes. You need to be prepared for your hands to be slippery due to the rain, and you need to experience your vision being blurred by the rain at least once so that you can accurately recognize your opponent later.”

“Ah, but I still don’t like it.”

“Haha, think that way. But experience is important, so I hope you learn a lot at this Hwasan Assembly.”

“Yes. But brother, will the Ten Dragons and Eight Phoenixes [the most outstanding young martial artists] also come to this Hwasan Assembly?”

The most outstanding of the promising talents are called the Ten Dragons and Eight Phoenixes, and they include figures from the orthodox, unorthodox, and neutral factions, gaining fame.

“I don’t know. The Hwasan Assembly opens its doors to those who practice swordsmanship regardless of whether they are orthodox or unorthodox, so they may come too. But I don’t think they will participate in the martial arts competition.”

“Why?”

“Because their level is different from ours. They are already masters of the highest level or have reached the transcendent level, so there will be a clear difference from the first-rate or even top-tier promising talents.”

The woman pouted her lips as if she didn’t like it.

“They say they’ve been practicing martial arts since they were in their mother’s womb. Why are they so good? I also train hard……”

The men who heard the woman’s words had slightly bitter smiles on their faces.

“That’s because the starting point is different.”

“The starting point is different?”

“Yes. Of course, their talents are also outstanding, but learning martial arts at a rural dojang [martial arts school] is different from learning martial arts with all kinds of support from a large sect from the start.”

“Tch, there’s no such thing.”

It may seem like there isn’t, but it actually exists, and it is also true that martial artists belonging to large sects are superior to martial artists from ordinary sects.

One or two people may be able to narrow the gap to some extent with talents that surpass them, but that doesn’t mean they can surpass the disciples of large sects.

Of course, they might get a lucky encounter in the middle, but it has long been an accepted theory that they cannot catch up with them through ordinary training alone.

Hwa-rin nodded as he listened to their conversation.

‘A dragon cannot emerge from a stream [meaning someone from a humble background cannot achieve great success].’

It was a martial world where it had become a structure where one could never grow into a dragon in a stream, let alone a river or the sea.

‘Hwasan Assembly… Should I go and take a look?’

He had acquaintances with Elder Hwayoung and some martial artists from the Hwasan Sect, so it wouldn’t be bad to visit Hwasan and watch the martial arts of the promising talents.

“Will Young Master Namgung Jin of the Namgung Family also come?”

“Sword Dragon Namgung Jin will also come. I heard that the Hwasan Sect sent him a special invitation.”

Sword Dragon Namgung Jin, who is said to be the best at swordsmanship among the promising talents, is the young master of the Namgung Family, one of the Ten Great Families, and is being evaluated as a talent who will become the next Sword Emperor, following in the footsteps of his grandfather, Sword Emperor Namgung So-goon.

When Hwa-rin heard the name Namgung Jin, one person came to mind.

She was also talented and had quite a bit of mettle. If she survived and was discharged from the Mengho Death Squad [a particularly brutal and deadly military unit], he thought that many incidents and accidents might occur in the martial world because of her.

Hwa-rin had a faint smile on his face as he recalled his encounter with her.

‘Namgung Soo-yeon, I wonder if she’s still alive.’

* * *

As night fell, the rain became heavier. The moonlight and starlight were hidden by the rain clouds and could not be seen.

Darkness came early, and there was no one on the streets.

Only the sound of the falling rain was breaking the silence when suddenly other sounds intervened.

Dada Dada!

It was the sound of rushing.

Not just one or two, but dozens of people were running through the darkness towards somewhere.

Their destination was a manor—the Guryong Manor. Their rush was unstoppable.

As if they were all masters of martial arts, they leaped towards the walls of the Guryong Manor, stepped on the wall once with their feet, leaped again, and jumped over the wall.

As if they had promised in advance, they jumped over the wall and scattered in all directions.

Because it was a dark night, the figures of these people in black martial robes and black masks were not noticeable, and even the swords they held in their hands did not appear to have any light.

The moment one masked man opened the door of the servants’ quarters where the manor’s servants were staying, he felt a burning sensation in his neck.

When he touched his neck with his hand, he could feel a sticky liquid to the touch, and he realized that it was his own blood.

“When……”

He wanted to know who had attacked him and when, but he could not hear the answer.

Before he fell and lay on the floor, a figure appeared, picked him up, and took him outside.

The masked men who had crossed the Guryong Manor had to feel a strange sense of unease as time passed.

After this amount of time, it should usually be noisy with screams, but it was too quiet.

“It’s dangerous.”

The leader who brought the masked men instinctively sensed danger in this atmosphere, and the moment he tried to escape, he lost consciousness with a strong impact on the back of his neck.

How much time had passed? When the masked man regained consciousness, the mask he was wearing had been removed, and he was sitting in a chair with his hands and feet tied.

Looking around, it was like a warehouse, probably a place used as a warehouse in the Guryong Manor.

“You’re awake.”

A young voice was heard, and he could tell that he was the lord of the Guryong Manor.

“Who are you……?”

“I’ll ask the questions. Who ordered you to kill us?”

“What…… Ugh!”

A man wearing a mask appeared next to him, and he inserted a large needle into the place where his heart was.

Every time his heart beat, he was stabbed by the large needle embedded in his chest, causing him pain. At first, it didn’t seem like much, but as time passed, it bothered him.

‘There was no one like this in the information.’

“I’m going to ask you a few questions, and you just have to answer them. So, I hope you give me the answer I want to hear.”

Hwa-rin said kindly and then asked again.

“Who sent you?”

“What are you talking about…… Aagh!”

When he said something different, the man standing next to him mercilessly cut off one of his fingers.

He screamed in pain, and as his breathing became rapid and blood flowed from his severed finger, his heart rate quickened.

“Keueok.”

Then, the pain felt in his heart gradually increased due to the large needle embedded in his heart. As the pain increased, his breathing became rapid, and as his breathing became rapid, his heart rate quickened.

“Who sent you?”

“The Hwamyeong Merchant Group sent us.”

“Hwamyeong Merchant Group? Why from the Hwamyeong Merchant Group?”

“I don’t know about that. We just moved after receiving a request.”

“A request? So you’re assassins?”

“That’s right.”

Hwa-rin looked at the man wearing the mask. It was a question of whether he knew who he was.

“He is Natangchun, a first-class assassin from the Hoicheon Gate.”

Startled by the opponent who knew him, he looked up at him, but he could not tell who he was because his face was covered with a mask.

“Hoicheon Gate? Is it a sect that has caught some people?”

“It is a sect that has gained some fame in Seoseong Province, but it has not been able to belong to the first class and remains in the second class. However, Najin, the leader of Hoicheon Gate, is a special assassin and is skilled enough to be called a top-class assassin.”

“A top-class assassin…… He’s a dangerous man. How does he compare to a protector?”

“If you wish, I will go and take his head right now.”

Natangchun’s thoughts became complicated inside at the unwavering answer.

‘Is this guy also from an assassin background? How many assassin sects are there in Seoseong Province…….’

There was no one like this among the assassins of the assassin sects he knew.

“There’s no need to take his head, I can just go and ask him what I’m curious about. Do you know where it is?”

“Yes.”

“If we want to finish it today and come back, we have to go diligently, so let’s hurry up and go.”

Hwa-rin thought there was nothing more to ask Natangchun, so he got up from his seat, and Natangchun instinctively looked at the man next to him.

The man’s hand touched the large needle on his heart and pressed it into his heart.

“Heot!”

Natangchun, who took a breath, felt a strong shock transmitted to his heart for a moment.

With that, Natangchun died, and Yidomun, who killed him, said to Hwa-rin.

“I will guide you.”

Hwa-rin followed Yidomun out of the warehouse.

It was still raining heavily outside, and the darkness was thick.

Yidomun gave Cho-ui [a type of raincoat] to Hwa-rin.

“I’m okay. Let Yi Gok-ju wear this.”

“Thank you.”

Yidomun, who was wearing Cho-ui, said that he would guide Hwa-rin and took a step, but his speed was very fast.

Hwa-rin chased after such Yidomun. Just before the heavy rain soaked Hwa-rin’s body, it was repelled by an invisible energy.

Yidomun ran through the darkness with all his might, and Hwa-rin leisurely followed Yidomun as if he were taking a walk. If you look closely, Hwa-rin’s feet were not touching the ground, but were slightly floating in the air, gliding forward.

It is known that you can travel a thousand miles with just a handful of true energy with the Buunhaengsul [a martial arts technique for traveling long distances], but in reality, it was a Gyeongsin technique [a lightness skill] that consumed quite a bit of internal energy.

“Is it revenge for what happened in Seokchwisan?”

He had minor problems with the Hwamyeong Merchant Group, but he didn’t think it was a problem to the point where he would cross the walls of the manor and kill people.

He was caught stealing the Hwamyeong Merchant Group’s grain, or the Hwamyeong Merchant Group knew who he was due to the argument that occurred in Seokchwisan, and they may have hired assassins in a fit of anger to kill him.

“Guryong Pavilion is a bonus, right? If the facts are confirmed, I have to give them a corresponding gift.”