Tales Of The Nine Dragons [EN]: Chapter 66

Nine Dragons Chronicle (66)

The Mount Hua Assembly

On the first day of the Mount Hua Assembly, the young disciples of Mount Hua gathered to get acquainted and mingle. Hwa-rin attended to get a general sense of the younger disciples’ martial arts prowess.

“If the younger disciples are at this level, the current established generation must be truly formidable.”

About a hundred younger disciples gathered for the Mount Hua Assembly. Excluding those from the Nine Great Sects and the Ten Great Families, about thirty were from other places.

Hwa-rin could sense their energies to some extent, distinguishing figures from the Orthodox, Unorthodox, and Demonic sects. Among them, ten had mastered Unorthodox martial arts and four had mastered Demonic martial arts.

“Let’s introduce ourselves. I am Sa Do-jun. What’s your name, brother?”

A man approached Hwa-rin, introducing himself as Sa Do-jun. He had smooth skin for a man and a lean physique rather than bulky muscles.

The energy he possessed leaned more towards Unorthodox martial arts than Orthodox.

“I am Hwa-rin.”

“So, you are Brother Hwa. It’s a pleasure to meet you like this.”

Contrary to his appearance, he had a hearty personality, which Hwa-rin found likeable.

“How old are you this year, Brother Sa?”

“I am twenty-four, born in the year of Sinmi [one of the sixty years of the sexagenary cycle in the Chinese calendar].”

“I am twenty-five, born in the year of Gyeong-o [another year in the sexagenary cycle], so I think we can be friends.”

Hwa-rin suggested becoming friends with Sa Do-jun, who was a year younger, and Sa Do-jun asked if that was alright.

“What does one year matter?”

“Haha, then shall we?”

Sa Do-jun spoke comfortably to Hwa-rin.

“Let’s do that.”

The two decided to become friends at their first meeting.

“I like your straightforward personality. Those guys over there are too scheming.”

Sa Do-jun pointed to a group gathered and talking, which included Namgung Jin.

“Judging by Namgung Jin’s presence, they must be people from the Ten Great Families.”

“Do you know Namgung Jin?”

“I met him once before. We decided to be friends then.”

“Then I can be friends too.”

“A friend of a friend is a friend. By the way, do you know anyone among them? I’m not a martial artist, so I don’t know much. If you know anyone, can you tell me who’s who?”

At Hwa-rin’s question, Sa Do-jun nodded and pointed to people, speaking.

“That burly guy is Hwangbo Ji-seung of the Hwangbo Family, known as Kwon-ryong [meaning ‘Fist Dragon’].”

“He has a massive build. He looks strong.”

“It’s not just that he looks strong, he actually is incredibly strong. He’s a strongman with brute force that’s on a different level from us.”

Hwa-rin nodded.

“The one to the left is Do-ryong Peng Cheon-ho. But honestly, I don’t understand why he’s called Do-ryong [meaning ‘Knife Dragon’].”

“Why?”

“There’s a guy among the younger disciples who’s rumored to be really good with the Dao [a type of single-edged Chinese sword].”

Sa Do-jun’s gaze turned to a person mixed in with another group.

“Bang Geuk-cheon of the Iron Sword Clan. He’s also called the illegitimate child of the Iron Sword Clan, but he’s incredibly skilled with the Dao.”

“Iron Sword Clan? Isn’t that a clan that focuses on swords?”

“That’s why they call him an illegitimate child. Someone from a sword clan mastering the Dao, and with such great skill.”

Hwa-rin nodded.

Afterward, Sa Do-jun told Hwa-rin about the people he knew, and Hwa-rin memorized their appearances and personal information, which amounted to about thirty people.

At that moment, a woman approached Hwa-rin. It was Namgung Yeon-ah, whom he had seen with Namgung Jin the other day.

“Hwa-rin, older brother.”

She cheerfully called Hwa-rin “older brother” and smiled brightly, which made Sa Do-jun stare blankly.

“You really attended the Mount Hua Assembly.”

“Of course. I made a promise with Yeon-ah, so I had to keep it. Ah, let me introduce you. This friend is Sa Do-jun, whom I met at Mount Hua and is my third friend.”

“Third?”

As Sa Do-jun asked, Hwa-rin looked at Ok-hae, who was with the martial artists of the Nine Great Sects.

“Since I came to Mount Hua, I had to make at least one friend from the Mount Hua Sect.”

“Is Ok-hae Daoist your friend, older brother?”

“We decided to be. Isn’t Ok-hae a pretty good friend to have?”

Ok-hae, the most skilled among the disciples of Mount Hua, was selected as the Plum Blossom Sword Master at the age of twenty-three, a point of pride for Mount Hua. He was now considered an outstanding individual who would lead the next generation of Mount Hua.

Namgung Yeon-ah nodded.

“But who is this person?”

Sa Do-jun asked.

“Ah, this is Namgung Yeon-ah, young lady of the Namgung Family.”

Sa Do-jun repeated her name to himself a few times, as if trying not to forget it, and then smiled brightly, saying.

“I am Sa Do-jun. I decided to become friends with this guy today. I look forward to getting to know you, Young Lady Yeon-ah.”

“Then I will call you Older Brother Sa Do-jun. I am Namgung Yeon-ah. Nice to meet you.”

At the word “older brother,” Sa Do-jun smiled so broadly that his mouth almost reached his ears.

“I heard that Cheong-yeon Daoist of the Wudang Sect is attending this time.”

“He’s over there, Cheong-yeon.”

Namgung Yeon-ah pointed to one of the people with the martial artists of the Nine Great Sects, who looked a bit young.

“Is he the same age as you?”

“No. He’s two years younger than me. Cheong-yeon is now twenty.”

“He’s only twenty, and he was chosen for the Wudang Seven Swords?”

The Wudang Seven Swords were people in their mid to late thirties, from the established generation, holding key positions in the Wudang Sect and of the same seniority.

To be chosen for the Wudang Seven Swords at the age of twenty was truly remarkable.

“They say Cheong-yeon is a martial arts prodigy. If he inherits the supreme martial arts of the Wudang Sect, he will become unmatched in swordsmanship within a few years, according to my older brother.”

Hwa-rin looked at Cheong-yeon Daoist. He certainly seemed outstanding but not yet on par with Namgung Jin, he judged.

—My lord!

The telepathic message from Yi Do-mun reached Hwa-rin’s ears.

—Do you know who is beside you?

—Sa Do-jun? I don’t know. We met today and decided to be friends.

—He is an assassin from the Thousand Murder Valley, known as the Murderous Dragon among the Ten Dragons and Eight Peaks, and a rising star in the assassin world.

Yi Do-mun seemed to know Sa Do-jun well, providing detailed information about him.

Hwa-rin looked again at Sa Do-jun, who was smiling at Namgung Yeon-ah.

—Murderous Dragon, huh… He’s an interesting fellow. What about the task I assigned?

—The leader of the Sa Dang [private army or mercenary group], Mun-so, has come to Mount Hua to see you, my lord.

—Is that so? Where is he now?

—I cannot know that. It seems he intends to test you in his own way.

—A test? That might be good. I understand, so Protector Yi can rest comfortably. I will take care of the rest.

—Please be careful.

—Thank you for your concern. But you don’t have to worry too much.

“By the way, Hwa-rin, older brother.”

“What is it?”

“When will Su-yeon unnie [older sister] be discharged from the military?”

“Her scheduled discharge is in two years, but I don’t know when she will actually be discharged.”

“What does that mean?”

“It means she might be discharged sooner, or it might be delayed a bit due to training.”

“Ah, but it means she will be back home in two years.”

“Yes.”

He couldn’t bring himself to say, “If she is still alive by then.”

Perhaps because it was the first day, the younger disciples who gathered seemed more interested in strengthening ties with those they already knew and being wary of new people or those they considered rivals, rather than getting to know each other better.

“Hwa-rin!”

Ok-hae called out to Hwa-rin, who was with Sa Do-jun, and gestured for him to come over. Hwa-rin went to where the younger disciples of the Nine Great Sects were gathered, along with Sa Do-jun and Namgung Yeon-ah.

“This is Hwa-rin, the head of the Nine Dragons Stronghold in Sanyang County, and this is from the Shaolin…”

Ok-hae introduced Hwa-rin to the younger disciples of the Nine Great Sects.

“I am Hwa-rin. I came here because I heard the Mount Hua Assembly was being held. Thanks to that, I made a good friend and met all of you.”

“It’s a pleasure to meet you. I heard about you from Elder Song-cheol. I am Yi Chil-yeon from Jongnam.”

Yi Chil-yeon introduced himself again and greeted Hwa-rin warmly.

“I am worried about what Elder Song-cheol said.”

“Haha, he told us to always watch and learn from the head of the Nine Dragons Stronghold. He said you are a self-made man who runs a large stronghold and that we disciples should not just dwell on thoughts but take action to realize our ambitions.”

“Elder Song-cheol seems to have embellished my reputation. It’s not that great of an accomplishment.”

While Hwa-rin was talking with Yi Chil-yeon, Sa Do-jun nudged Hwa-rin’s side.

It was a signal that he wanted to be introduced to them as well.

“Ah, this is Young Lady Namgung Yeon-ah. Everyone probably knows her. And this is Sa Do-jun. I met him today, and we hit it off and decided to become friends.”

“I am Sa Do-jun. It’s a pleasure to meet you.”

“Older brothers, sisters, hello.”

Namgung Yeon-ah greeted them with her unique vivacity, as if she knew them all.

“Young Lady Yeon-ah’s beauty seems to shine more and more. Combined with her bright personality, it’s truly a pleasure to see.”

“Oh, Older Brother Gwang-so! You actually washed up today. You look so clean that I almost didn’t recognize you. Older brother, please keep doing that. Don’t go around looking gloomy.”

“Haha, if a beggar from the Beggars’ Sect goes around looking clean, he’ll starve to death. I have to make a living, you know?”

“That’s true, but…”

The conversation between the two lightened the atmosphere a bit more.

Namgung Yeon-ah’s mouth never stopped moving, and the younger disciples of the Nine Great Sects were both flustered and amused by her questions and answers.

‘The atmosphere of the Nine Great Sects and the Ten Great Families is definitely different.’

Hwa-rin could tell just from the atmosphere that the Nine Great Sects gathered for friendship, while the Ten Great Families gathered for checks and balances and competition.

After a while, the Mount Hua Sect Leader, Headmaster Mae-san, and the Mount Hua elders came to the place where the younger disciples were gathered.

As they arrived, the chaotic atmosphere settled down, and everyone focused.

“How was it? Did you have a good time?”

Headmaster Mae-san asked as the representative, and the younger disciples immediately answered.

“Since the beginning of the martial world, many have developed martial arts with various weapons.”

Headmaster Mae-san explained the reason for holding the Mount Hua Assembly.

“Perhaps this year’s Mount Hua Assembly will be the last one you can participate in. Next time, your juniors will participate in the Mount Hua Assembly, worrying and talking about the same issues as you.”

Hwa-rin nodded as he listened to Headmaster Mae-san’s speech.

There is a saying: a hundred days for the Dao, a thousand days for the spear, and ten thousand days for the sword.

This saying refers to the period of proficiency, not strength. It suggests that one can become skilled with the Dao in a hundred days, the spear in a thousand days, and the sword in ten thousand days.

If we are talking about strength, the spear is definitely superior, and ancient generals mainly used the spear, with the sword and Dao as secondary weapons. The excellence of the spear in battlefields and duels was already well known.

However, this refers to those who have not mastered internal energy. For martial artists who have mastered internal energy, the story is different.

Even so, martial artists acknowledged that the destructive power from the length of the spear could not be matched by the sword and Dao.

As time passed, methods to counter spear masters or techniques and martial arts to block spear techniques appeared in the martial world. As a result, the utility of the spear in the martial world slightly decreased. However, the utility of the spear in the military was still overwhelmingly stronger than any other weapon.

“Therefore, on the first day of the Mount Hua Assembly, we would like to engage in a theoretical sword discussion with everyone.”

A theoretical sword discussion!

This is a method of determining victory or defeat by verbally competing with the martial arts and techniques that each person knows and can use, without drawing swords.

However, the theoretical sword discussion that Headmaster Mae-san mentioned was not about determining victory or defeat but simply about discussing swords. It meant having time to talk about the shortcomings, questions, or doubts each person had about swords and finding answers.

‘A theoretical sword discussion… That sounds interesting.’