Tales Of The Nine Dragons [EN]: Chapter 56

After a pleasant conversation with the Namgung siblings, Hwa-rin promised to meet them at the Mount Hua Sect and bid them farewell. He then spent another day at Nakyang House, gathering news about the Blood Demon Clan, before crossing Anhui Province into Jiangsu Province.

He had many tasks to accomplish, so he moved as quickly as possible, maximizing his abilities to perform a lightness skill that resembled Shukuchi [a technique that allows one to move very quickly over short distances, seemingly teleporting], as if folding space to move.

In the martial world, Shukuchi is classified as a type of lightness skill, but in Taoism, it is considered a Taoist technique, a type of divine art rather than a martial art. Opinions on Shukuchi vary, but it is undoubtedly an ability beyond human limits, achievable only by surpassing certain realms of practice.

Hwa-rin’s technique was more of a lightness skill achieved through the fusion of the Beggars’ Sect’s secret arts and martial arts. From his perspective, it felt closer to a magical art than a martial art.

Hwa-rin arrived at Hongze Lake in Jiangsu Province and obtained a room in a brothel rather than an inn. After ordering wine, he dismissed the courtesans and went to sleep. He awoke early the next morning, feeling refreshed.

“I must have slept soundly.”

Hwa-rin got up, stretched, and lightly moved his body.

“Sustaining techniques that consume too much internal energy and strain the body for extended periods isn’t a good idea.”

Hwa-rin looked at the table of food and drink before him and ate some snacks with the wine to fill his stomach.

“I heard that the owner of this place, Chae Hwa, is General Na Jin-hwa’s concubine.”

Hwa-rin didn’t know what Chae Hwa looked like, but he intended to find her, so he stealthily left his room.

After leaving his room, Hwa-rin moved discreetly until he found a woman working at the brothel and approached her.

“Where is the room of the owner, Chae Hwa?”

“The owner uses a detached house in the annex.”

“Are you talking about the annex down there?”

“Yes, I am.”

“So, the owner doesn’t come to the main brothel?”

“Unless there’s a major event, she receives guests in the annex.”

Hwa-rin acknowledged her words and disappeared.

The woman stood there for a moment, shaking her head.

“What am I doing here?”

She seemed unaware that she had met and spoken with Hwa-rin, and after a moment of confusion, she went on her way.

Hwa-rin, having heard the working woman’s words, approached the detached house in the annex and heard faint moans from within.

“Did General Na Jin-hwa come? Does he come alone without his lieutenants? The annex is empty. Is he hiding his concubine?”

Hwa-rin paused to consider his next move and decided to wait for their lovemaking to end.

Whether the man’s stamina was strong or the woman’s desire was intense, their affair continued for quite some time, and Hwa-rin grew impatient as he waited.

“This is excessive… Even the people of Saekmok [a fictional tribe known for their stamina] don’t go on this long.”

Listening to the occasional voices, it seemed the woman’s desire was stronger than the man’s stamina.

More than anything, it seemed that the owner, Chae Hwa, was not spending the night with General Na Jin-hwa but with another young man.

“There are many days when he doesn’t come because of training and other things. I understand the position of a young woman who has discovered men. Well, it’s good for me because it gives me more to negotiate with. Judging by how much Chae Hwa is pushing, it seems she has more than one or two hidden away.”

It seemed it might take longer than Hwa-rin had thought.

‘Well, it would be good if the deal goes through in one go.’

* * *

Despite it being night, the Jiangxi military camp of the Eighth Route Army was brightly lit by fires and torches carried by patrolling soldiers.

Hwa-rin used the darkness to infiltrate the Jiangxi military camp, seeking out General Na Jin-hwa of the Azure Dragon Army.

“The barracks of the Azure Dragon Army are located on the east side of the military camp, and General Na Jin-hwa’s barracks are the sixth to the right of the barracks of General Chae Mu-song, the commander of the Azure Dragon Army.”

Based on the information he had gathered beforehand, Hwa-rin avoided the gaze of the guarding soldiers and sneaked into General Na Jin-hwa’s barracks.

“Snore… Snore…”

Hwa-rin chuckled as he saw General Na Jin-hwa snoring in his sleep. He brought a chair, placed it in front of his bedding, and sat down.

Then, he woke up General Na Jin-hwa, and his method was a bit violent.

Thwack! Crash!

“What!”

Startled as if struck by lightning, Na Jin-hwa shouted and jumped up from the floor, his eyes widening as he saw a young man before him.

“Who are you?”

“The sound doesn’t leak outside, so why don’t we sit down and talk? We might find it very helpful to talk to each other.”

“Are you an assassin? Who sent you?”

“Ah, that person… Let’s just sit down and talk.”

General Na Jin-hwa narrowed his eyes at Hwa-rin’s tone.

“It would be good to read this first, so take a look.”

Hwa-rin threw a book onto the bedding, and Na Jin-hwa narrowed his eyes, looking back and forth between the book and Hwa-rin.

“What trickery is this? Hey, is anyone out there!”

Hwa-rin said in an annoyed voice as he watched Na Jin-hwa shout.

“I clearly said the sound doesn’t leak outside. If you keep annoying me, I’ll cut your head off.”

He unleashed a strong killing intent, intimidating Na Jin-hwa, who flinched and closed his mouth.

“Just read it.”

Na Jin-hwa, startled by the killing intent that choked his neck, picked up the book on the bedding and began to flip through the pages.

Na Jin-hwa’s hands moved faster and faster as he read, and he looked at Hwa-rin with a shocked expression.

“You did this, didn’t you?”

“How did you…”

He was so surprised that he admitted to embezzling military supplies and inflating the cost of military supplies to embezzle money.

“You know what will happen if the Grand Prince Yeongchin finds out about this, right?”

“Who are you to know these facts…”

Hwa-rin took out a golden plaque from his pocket, showing his identity to Na Jin-hwa.

The golden plaque, intricately engraved with nine dragons, proved that Hwa-rin was the ninth son of the current emperor.

Hwa-rin had wasted time trying to find out a few things about Na Jin-hwa’s concubines, so he didn’t have time to have a conversation with Na Jin-hwa, so he revealed that he was the emperor’s son.

“You’ve probably heard the rumors about the Shadow Lord, the ninth son of His Majesty.”

“So, you are…”

“Yes.”

“Rumor has it that he can’t see, hear, or speak.”

“That was cured cleanly when I treated the illness.”

“I can’t believe it…”

“Then I guess I have to die.”

At the cold words, Na Jin-hwa hurriedly said.

“No, it’s not that, but why is the Ninth Prince here instead of in the Imperial Palace…”

“My brothers and sisters pushed me around so much that His Majesty allowed me to leave home.”

Na Jin-hwa was dubious, but the plaque Hwa-rin showed him was the real Golden Dragon Plaque, which announced that he was the emperor’s son.

“I came here because I have a favor to ask of General Na Jin-hwa. If you grant me one favor, I’ll pretend I don’t know about it.”

“A favor? What kind of favor are you talking about?”

He lowered his head for now, deciding to be obedient until morning when he could investigate further.

“I heard that the grain that Hwamyeong Merchant Group was supposed to bring in hasn’t arrived. Is that true?”

Hwa-rin began to speak comfortably and disrespectfully.

“That’s right.”

“I can provide that grain. How about changing suppliers this time?”

“Are you saying that the prince has grain?”

“I left the Imperial Palace and am trying to make a living by dabbling in various things. I happened to have an opportunity to import and sell grain, so I came to ask you for this favor.”

‘What kind of bastard asks for a favor like this…’

“But Hwamyeong Merchant Group promised to deliver the grain after the rainy season ends…”

“What if they can’t? And aren’t you secretly releasing the grain you’ve stockpiled in preparation for the war?”

“That’s…”

“That’s why you’re getting money from Hwamyeong Merchant Group and embezzling some of the grain, right?”

“Your Highness, that’s…”

“Then how about this?”

“How?”

“If Hwamyeong Merchant Group can’t deliver the grain after the rainy season ends, then you trade with me.”

“With you, Your Highness?”

“Yes. I think I’ve conceded as much as I can by yielding this much.”

“What happens if Hwamyeong Merchant Group delivers the grain?”

“Then you can live as you do now. You can continue to trade with Hwamyeong Merchant Group, embezzle military supplies, and embezzle money.”

As he said that, Hwa-rin gestured as if slitting his throat.

‘Should I just kill this bastard?’

Na Jin-hwa considered how he could kill Hwa-rin.

‘I’ll jump over the bedding and pretend to kick him. If he dodges, I’ll grab the sword on the sword stand and cut his neck in one go…’

“Don’t try to be clever. Didn’t I tell you a little while ago? I said I blocked the sound.”

Na Jin-hwa flinched.

“If I can block the sound, you can guess how much martial arts I’ve learned. And if I’ve broken through the strict security of the military camp to get here, you should know that I’m at least a better master than you.”

Na Jin-hwa couldn’t say anything at Hwa-rin’s words.

“Then let’s see each other after the rainy season ends. At that time, you, not me, will have to come to me.”

“Me? Where…”

“To the Nine Dragons Manor in Sanyang County, Shanxi Province.”

The reason Hwa-rin revealed his residence like this was because he guessed that there would be a few people in the Imperial Palace who knew his residence, so he was informing General Na Jin-hwa.

“It’s a secret to everyone else. Especially to my brothers and sisters.”

‘Could it be fake?’

Hwa-rin chuckled as he saw the look in General Na Jin-hwa’s eyes.

“You can return the plaque to Nine Dragons Manor after the rainy season ends if Hwamyeong Merchant Group doesn’t bring the grain. Do you understand what I mean?”

He meant to use the plaque to check whether he was real or fake.

“It would be fastest to go ask Uncle Grand Prince Yeongchin. Or you can go ask Commander Chae Mu-song to check.”

“I understand what you mean.”

“You won’t lose out if you trade with me. At least you’ll be able to find the leaky buckets.”

“Leaky buckets?”

“I’ll tell you this since we had a good conversation today.”

Hwa-rin took out another book from his pocket and gave it to Na Jin-hwa.

Na Jin-hwa looked puzzled and flipped through the pages of the book, narrowing his eyes.

He read one page after another, his hands trembling, which well represented his feelings.

“I’ll do these things right away…”

“Still, Madam So-hwa prays every day for General Na’s health and peace. Don’t be too fond of young women, leaving your wife behind.”

“Ninth Prince…”

“I can also read faces a little, and General Na’s wealth comes from Madam So-hwa. The moment you abandon Madam So-hwa, General Na will fall into hell, so treat Madam So-hwa well.”

Na Jin-hwa, who had his head down, his face red, and was breathing roughly, looked up as he felt the wind blowing in the barracks, and Hwa-rin, who should have been in front of him, was gone.

“Prince…”

—Keep in mind that I am telling you this because I know we will have a good deal in the future.

Hwa-rin’s telepathic message echoing in his head and the Golden Dragon Plaque in his hand told him that what had just happened was not a dream.

“Ah, shit! I think I’ve been properly snared.”