Tales Of The Nine Dragons [EN]: Chapter 64

Nine Dragons Chronicle (64)

“Don’t wait up for me. I’ll be back after I meet True Man Maesan.”

Hwa-rin informed Seo Daeyeong of his destination before leaving the lodgings.

True Man Maesan had suggested meeting at the end of the Sul hour [7-9 PM], but Hwa-rin left the lodgings at the end of the Sul hour.

He spent time familiarizing himself with the layout of the Mount Hua Sect and assessing its overall strength.

The Mount Hua Sect consisted of Sangcheong Palace, Yeongjeon Hall, Baekun Pavilion, Samcheong Hall, Cheonsa Cave, and Josa Cave, with buildings stretching from the mountainside to the peak of Hwaryeom Peak.

In particular, Cheonsa Cave and Josa Cave were located on Hwaryeom Peak and were heavily guarded. It was said that various traps and mechanisms were installed, making it difficult to return alive if one entered unknowingly.

In addition to these, there were training caves, meditation caves, and Mount Hua Stone Caves for secluded training.

Hwa-rin spent an hour exploring various parts of Mount Hua, and no one noticed him.

“Their reputation is great, but is it all just for show?”

Hwa-rin was slightly disappointed, not because Mount Hua was weak, but because Hwa-rin’s martial prowess was exceptional.

Hwa-rin had joined the military immediately after mastering martial arts and had only fought against forces dangerous enough to threaten the Central Plains. Therefore, he was unaware of his own strength.

Moreover, he had reached a new level by combining martial arts with the esoteric arts of the Baegyo [White Cult], allowing him to evade people’s eyes at will. In particular, he had perfectly mastered the martial arts of the legendary assassin clan, the Killers of Seohwang, making it difficult for even the guards to detect him.

Hwa-rin thoroughly examined not only the grounds of the Mount Hua Sect but also Cheonsa Cave and Josa Cave, as well as the training and meditation caves.

“The level of Mount Hua is…”

He felt a powerful energy emanating from one of the many caves in the meditation area he had arrived at last and stood in front of it.

‘Dangerous.’

He felt a strong energy, comparable to the leaders of forces that had dominated the borderlands, Saeoe [Outer Regions], and even further in the Saekmok Kingdom, binding him.

Hwa-rin stared at the source of the intense energy and soon saw a person emerging from it—a gaunt old man who looked as if he could pass away at any moment.

The old man, with white hair and beard that made it impossible to guess his age, came out of the meditation cave and stood facing Hwa-rin.

“Seeing you rushing around every corner of Mount Hua at this late hour, it doesn’t seem like you’ve come to Mount Hua with good intentions. And judging from the energy you possess, although not tainted by evil, it’s full of audacity, so I doubt you’re a good fellow.”

Hwa-rin clasped his hands in respect.

“Junior Hwa-rin from the Malhak greets the great senior of Mount Hua.”

Hwa-rin greeted him politely.

The old man was intrigued by Hwa-rin’s reaction, which was different from others.

“Hwa-rin? I haven’t heard that name before.”

“I lead the Nine Dragons Stronghold in Sanyang County.”

“Nine Dragons Stronghold?”

“It’s a newly established stronghold, so I doubt you would know of it.”

The old man nodded and asked Hwa-rin.

“Usually, when people are caught like this, they either run away or try to fight, but you’re not doing either. And you seem more relaxed than flustered.”

“My only wrongdoing is wandering around at night, so I believe it’s best to resolve misunderstandings through words if possible.”

“Wise. Rather than disturbing others’ meditation by talking here, why don’t you come with me and talk inside?”

“I will. However, I don’t have much time, so I can’t talk for too long.”

“No time?”

“I’m supposed to meet with the Sect Leader at the end of the Hae hour [9-11 PM].”

He seemed more intrigued than surprised by the mention of meeting with the Sect Leader.

“With the Sect Leader?”

“I don’t know why either. However, the Sect Leader wanted to meet me quietly in his room after I had penetrated Mount Hua’s defenses.”

“Alright, let’s go inside and talk.”

Hwa-rin was caught by an unexpected old master of Mount Hua and entered the cave where he trained.

The cave was empty.

Only after entering the meditation cave did Hwa-rin realize that the cave had been artificially created in the rock face, and that it was named meditation cave.

“Disappointed?”

“Not at all. It’s just my first time in someone else’s training space.”

“Stop with the meaningless words and sit down.”

Hwa-rin sat on the floor, following the old man who was already seated.

“In my time in Mount Hua, you’re the boldest one I’ve ever seen.”

“I have a personality that can’t stand not knowing when I’m curious, so I committed a discourtesy because I was curious about how Mount Hua became the leading sect in Seohae Province.”

“I told you not to say things you don’t mean.”

“It’s true. As the leader of a stronghold, I’m always interested in the revival of Mount Hua, Jongnam [another prominent sect], and the Se-ga [esteemed martial arts families].”

“Is that so? But you have a countenance that can’t settle in one place. What will you do about that?”

“Even if my countenance is like that, if the stronghold prospers, the people of the stronghold will live well, so wouldn’t that be more beneficial?”

“Haha, what you say is also true. Even if you wander around and die on the road, the remaining people will live well.”

“Excuse me, but I still don’t know your name or martial title. If you could tell me…”

“Why bother knowing the name of an old man who is about to die?”

Hwa-rin made an awkward expression at those words.

“It’s Myeongyul.”

‘Myeongyul? The Mount Hua ranks are Ok, Myeong, Un, Jeok, Hwa, Mae in that order, and the current Sect Leader is Mae, the elders are Hwa, so above that would be Jeok, Un, Myeong…’

“Heot!”

“Why are you so surprised?”

“No, it’s nothing.”

‘Then how old is he?’

“Are you surprised by my age?”

Hwa-rin was taken aback but waved his hands and strongly denied it.

“I know. I should have died already, but I’m still alive and causing trouble.”

Hwa-rin let out an awkward laugh, and Myeongyul laughed along.

“You said you weren’t, but it seems you were cursing me as an old man who should have died.”

“No, I didn’t curse you as an old man who should have died. I was just a little surprised by your age.”

“That’s the same thing.”

Hwa-rin thought that Myeongyul was a little different from the other Taoists of Mount Hua.

“But where did your martial arts originate from?”

“I learned a little bit of everything. And I spent five years traveling through the borderlands, Saeoe, and the Saekmok Kingdom, gaining practical experience and stealing the martial arts they were practicing.”

“No, there’s a different energy mixed in.”

Myeongyul could feel the energy of the Baegyo’s esoteric arts in Hwa-rin’s body, but he didn’t know that this was the energy needed to learn the Baegyo’s arts.

He just felt it was a slightly different, foreign energy.

“Perhaps it’s because of the magic energy of the Saekmok Kingdom.”

“Magic? Are you talking about that strange sorcery?”

“Yes.”

In a way, the magic of the Saekmok Kingdom and the arts of the Baegyo had similar energies, but the arts of the Baegyo were a bit more advanced.

“You’ve learned all sorts of things.”

“I had to learn and master them to survive.”

“Let’s see.”

Myeongyul reached out his hand to grab Hwa-rin’s wrist, but Hwa-rin subconsciously pulled his hand away. Then, he used Plum Blossom Hand, one of Mount Hua’s martial arts, to try to grab Hwa-rin’s wrist.

In response, Hwa-rin used Butterfly Heavenly Flower Hand to evade Myeongyul’s hand.

Shuuk… Shyuk… Shuk.

It was a sudden grappling match, but Hwa-rin did not panic and blocked or evaded Myeongyul’s hand.

‘He’s superior to those I’ve encountered.’

As Hwa-rin was thinking this, Myeongyul judged that he could not grab Hwa-rin’s wrist with Plum Blossom Hand, and his hand changed.

“Block this as well.”

He immediately tried to snatch Hwa-rin’s wrist with Scattering Flower Shadow Hand, one of Mount Hua’s martial arts. Hwa-rin, thinking that he could not just stand by and be caught, created afterimages of his hand in the air and defended against Myeongyul’s Scattering Flower Shadow Hand.

“This is…”

Myeongyul immediately recognized the martial art Hwa-rin was using.

“How do you know Ghostly Orchid Chaotic Hand?”

“I told you earlier. I learned and mastered everything to survive.”

“I know that this martial art was discontinued one hundred and fifty years ago. How did it get into your hands?”

“Do you know a place called the Ministry of Foreign Affairs in the borderlands?”

“The Ministry of Foreign Affairs? I know it well. I heard it was destroyed three years ago. But why the Ministry of Foreign Affairs… Don’t tell me?”

Myeongyul made a surprised expression, but his hands did not rest for a moment.

Paat, Pat, Paaaat!

Due to the countless afterimages created by the two people in the air, all sorts of palm prints were imprinted on the cave walls, causing a slight vibration.

“I learned it there. To be exact, I killed a martial artist and mastered the martial arts manual he had.”

“That was Ghostly Orchid Chaotic Hand?”

“Yes.”

In an instant, a hand reached out towards Hwa-rin’s neck instead of his hand. Hwa-rin was about to be surprised by the sudden attack, but he calmly knocked away Myeongyul’s hand.

‘Just what kind of guy is he?’

Myeongyul was more surprised by Hwa-rin’s calm reaction and response than by his ability to engage in grappling on par with him.

“It seems like you have hundreds of sly snakes inside you.”

“I’ll take that as a compliment.”

‘If I reveal my hand, I might be able to grab him, but I don’t know what means he’ll use to respond, so I can’t reveal it.’

Myeongyul stopped his hand.

“Tch, no fun.”

He said it was no fun, but a satisfied smile was on his face.

“Thank you for the compliment.”

“What compliment… I’ve called the kid who wanted to see you, so meet him here and go.”

Hwa-rin flinched.

‘It’s quite a distance from here to the Sect Leader’s residence. Is he capable of Thousand Mile Telepathy?’

Thousand Mile Telepathy is a level of martial arts that allows one to convey their intentions to someone far away. The term ‘thousand miles’ is an exaggeration, and it is known to be able to convey one’s intentions at a distance of about four or five miles.

“Let me ask you one thing.”

“Please speak.”

“You’re not a bad guy, are you?”

Hwa-rin made an absurd expression at the question, but he answered sincerely.

“I don’t know where the standard for a bad guy lies, but by my standards, I’m not a bad guy.”

“Your standards?”

“I believe that good and bad are determined by the thoughts and judgments of the other party.”

Hwa-rin stated his thoughts.

“I don’t think you can only do good and fair things to achieve your goals. I think Mount Hua also wouldn’t have only done good things to achieve this kind of prosperity.”

Myeongyul nodded.

Everyone has unspeakable reasons and pains, and Mount Hua had done such things many times while growing and coming this far, so he did not refute Hwa-rin’s words.

“Are you saying that you will do bad things to achieve your goals?”

“It may be bad in the eyes of others, but I can clearly say that I will not do anything that goes against the natural order.”

“Actions that do not go against the natural order… I really like those words.”

Myeongyul seemed to really like Hwa-rin and pointed to the wall of the cave.

“Do you see those?”

Hwa-rin looked at the wall Myeongyul was pointing at, which had marks from his grappling match with him earlier.

“I do.”

“The Mount Hua Assembly will take quite some time, so come up here every Hae hour and study the things engraved on that wall.”

Hwa-rin looked at Myeongyul with a look that asked why he was saying that.

“Didn’t I tell you when I met you? That you’re full of audacity.”

“That’s…”

“You’ve had a lot of experience, but the Murim [martial arts world] is a different world from what you’ve experienced. I don’t know what kind of world you think the Murim is, but the world I’ve experienced is one where strength breaks. Also, softness is blocked.”

“Hmm…”

“You must hide softness within strength and hide strength within softness to survive in this world called Murim.”

“Why are you giving me this advice?”

“Who knows? The reason I haven’t entered the realm of immortals yet may be to meet you today, so I’m taking an interest.”

Hwa-rin tilted his head at the incomprehensible words.

“The young one who wanted to see you is coming.”

A person entered the cave, and it was True Man Maesan, the Sect Leader of Mount Hua.

He bowed to Myeongyul.

“Greetings, Great Grandfather.”