Tales Of The Nine Dragons [EN]: Chapter 86

The Grain Seizure

The road from Sotong City to Yeonseo County was a gentle one, a flat expanse of fields and houses stretching as far as the eye could see.

It was a somewhat monotonous journey, but Bae Yun-geol led the warriors toward Yeonseo County with the confidence of an experienced guide.

Unbeknownst to them, they were being watched by Hwa-rin and the warriors of the Honse tribe.

“The others don’t matter, but the one in front… he’s a bit dangerous,” Hwa-rin commented.

Despite acknowledging the danger, Hwa-rin didn’t seem overly concerned, not bothering to further assess or pay particular attention to Bae Yun-geol.

“I thought they might be disguising themselves to lure me out, but that’s not the case.”

Earlier, when the grain had left the collection point, Hwa-rin had secretly sneaked into the warehouse to verify its authenticity.

The grain being transported now was indeed real, and the merchants would undoubtedly fight tooth and nail to protect it.

“But the one in front will be off guard.”

Hwa-rin believed that the more skilled a martial artist, the more likely they were to become complacent before a confrontation, a carelessness that could prove fatal.

Such habits were particularly ingrained in those listed among the Murim Hundred Great Masters [a ranking of the top martial artists in the Jianghu, or martial world].

Hwa-rin didn’t know the man’s identity, but judging by his lack of weapons, he deduced that he was a master of unarmed combat.

“If I kill him in one swift strike, their morale will plummet.”

Hwa-rin calculated that this would significantly increase their chances of seizing the grain.

“Wear your masks.”

At Hwa-rin’s command, the warriors of the Honse tribe donned their masks.

“I’ll say it again: if any of you die, I will destroy your tribe. So, even if you’re struck by a sword, cling to life. Do you understand?”

“Yes, we will do our best!”

“Good. When I give the signal, attack. I’ll take care of the leader; you guys pick off the weak ones and hunt them down.”

Hwa-rin issued his orders and took a deep breath.

“They’ll be most off guard when Yeonseo County is in sight.”

That was where Hwa-rin and the Honse tribe lay in wait, concealed from view.

“They are relaxed now, but they must maintain their tension when they engage in battle.”

The warriors rested, preparing for the upcoming fight, but the atmosphere was far from restful.

The tension mounted as the grain carts drew closer. After about an hour, Hwa-rin sprinted forward, shouting, “Kill them all!”

“Uwaaaaaaa!” The warriors of the Honse tribe roared in response, surging forward.

“Enemies!” The Hwamyeong Merchant Guild guards reacted instantly, preparing for battle.

Hwa-rin rapidly closed the distance and leaped toward Bae Yun-geol, extending a hand.

Bae Yun-geol met Hwa-rin’s gaze with a faint, almost pitying smile.

He jumped off his horse, intending to end Hwa-rin’s life with a single, decisive blow, and unleashed his signature palm technique, the Tongcheon Palm [a powerful martial art technique that translates to ‘Heaven-Piercing Palm’].

When their palms collided in mid-air, a tremendous wave of energy erupted, radiating outwards.

The force of the impact momentarily distorted the space around them, and those who witnessed it felt as if the very fabric of reality could be torn apart.

The distortion quickly resolved itself, but the onlookers were left in shock.

Had the impact occurred closer to the grain carts, the grain and carts could have been obliterated, resulting in catastrophic damage.

Bae Yun-geol had taken the fight into the air, mindful of protecting the carts and their precious cargo.

However, Bae Yun-geol had underestimated Hwa-rin’s strength. While his Tongcheon Palm was renowned as one of the best techniques in Murim, Hwa-rin’s Bingbaek Sosu Divine Art [an ice-based martial art] was an equally formidable, invincible hand-to-hand combat style.

“Ugh!” Bae Yun-geol felt a strange sensation as their palms connected.

A powerful, overbearing, and intensely cold yin energy surged through his arm.

“You are…”

Bae Yun-geol had heard rumors of the Sosu Divine Art’s reappearance in Shanxi Province, causing a stir. The Jongnam and Hwasan sects had dispatched warriors to investigate, but they had failed to find its master.

After that, the master had vanished without a trace, only to now appear before him.

Hwa-rin placed his other hand on Bae Yun-geol’s abdomen, a sly smile playing on his lips.

“Kuh-heok!” This time, an opposing energy, searing and destructive, entered his body through Hwa-rin’s palm, as if burning his internal organs from the inside out.

“This is the Tae, Taeyang Demonic Art [a fire-based martial art]!”

Bae Yun-geol stared at Hwa-rin, his eyes wide with disbelief.

“How can you master the Sosu Divine Art and the Taeyang Demonic Art at the same time…”

It was a fundamental taboo in Murim to learn internal energy cultivation methods and martial arts with opposing properties. The inherent conflict between the energies could lead to inner demons and ultimately drive the practitioner mad.

“Have you heard of the Muguk Physique [a unique body constitution]? My mother borrowed the power of magic to create this unique constitution, consuming half of her life force.”

As the two fighters descended from the air after their clash, Hwa-rin landed gracefully, while Bae Yun-geol tumbled roughly across the ground.

It was a surprisingly anticlimactic end for a master of the Murim Hundred Great Masters.

Hwa-rin glanced at him and then turned his attention to the warriors engaged in combat with the Honse tribe.

No one present had imagined that Bae Yun-geol, a member of the Murim Hundred Great Masters, would be defeated so easily.

Hwa-rin, having swiftly dealt with Bae Yun-geol, now set his sights on Lee Cheon-soo of the Hwamyeong Merchant Guild, rather than the warriors fighting the Honse tribe.

Lee Cheon-soo was a skilled martial artist in his own right and was holding his own against the Honse tribe’s warriors, but when Hwa-rin entered the fray, the tide turned decisively.

“Why are you attacking us?” Lee Cheon-soo demanded.

“You attacked me first when I was minding my own business. I have to return what I receive tenfold to feel satisfied. I’ve returned three times now. There are seven more to go. Of course, you won’t be around to experience what happens after today.”

Lee Cheon-soo swung his sword at Hwa-rin’s head. Hwa-rin ducked under the blade and lunged into Lee Cheon-soo’s arms, striking his heart with a palm strike. Lee Cheon-soo was thrown backward by the force of the blow, rolled on the ground, and died instantly.

Although the merchant guild employed many warriors, they quickly realized that the situation was rapidly deteriorating and began to panic.

They recognized that they stood no chance against the one who had killed Tongcheon Palm Bae Yun-geol, one of the Murim Hundred Great Masters, with a single move, and that Lee Cheon-soo, the person in charge of the transport, was dead.

They reasoned that no one would blame them for fleeing the scene, and they immediately took action.

As the warriors fled, the hired vagrants followed suit. The escorts and leaders, not wanting to die in vain, abandoned the battlefield, leaving the grain carts and horses behind. The battle was easily won by Hwa-rin and the Honse tribe’s warriors.

As Hwa-rin had predicted, none of the Honse tribe’s warriors were seriously injured or killed.

They were overwhelmingly superior to the escorts and leaders, but the terrifying Underworld Lord Hwa-rin, who was more frightening than a grim reaper, had threatened their tribe’s very existence, so they fought with desperate caution.

“Well done, everyone.”

Hwa-rin pointed a finger at the sky, and a space pocket [a magical storage space] appeared.

Hwa-rin reached into the space pocket and withdrew several small silk pouches, one for each Honse tribe warrior.

Hwa-rin handed them out, saying, “This is for you guys personally, so do whatever you want with it, whether it’s going to a brothel for drinks or whoring. But!”

Hwa-rin paused, and the warriors swallowed nervously.

“If today’s events are leaked, I will lead the Mengho Sasahyeol Battle Squad [Hwa-rin’s elite fighting force] to visit your tribe.”

“We will keep that in mind!”

“Leave now. As soon as you enter the city, change your clothes and hide your weapons so that you don’t get caught by the eyes of those who ran away.”

When they had departed, only the grain carts and the horses pulling them remained.

“This is a bit of a shame.”

The space pocket reappeared in the sky and absorbed the grain loaded on the carts, leaving only the empty carts and horses.

Hwa-rin regretted having to leave them behind, as he thought he could have made a considerable profit by selling them. However, he couldn’t risk being tracked.

“I can’t help it.”

He decided to abandon the carts and horses, as dealing with them could potentially lead to complications.

Hwa-rin took a few steps and then stopped.

“Ah, I can’t shake this feeling of regret.”

* * *

“Did you find out anything?”

“I’m sorry. I’ve tried every possible avenue, but I couldn’t find out anything. It seems that we won’t be able to learn their identity unless Head Maesan of the Hwasan sect [a prominent martial arts sect] opens his mouth himself.”

Jegal-tak, the chief of the Jeongcheon Alliance [a coalition of righteous martial arts sects], was meeting with Mi-hyang, the head of the alliance’s intelligence department.

“Will Head Maesan speak?”

“He won’t. They are the ones who annihilated three units that could be considered the main force of the Saheol Alliance [a rival alliance]. That means their strength is by no means inferior to that of the Hwasan sect. No, it may even be stronger.”

“So he won’t speak because he’s afraid of their retaliation?”

“That’s right. Even if the Hwasan sect is stronger than them, they will suffer damage if they fight, and if they do, they may lose the position that the current Hwasan sect holds, so the Hwasan sect will not take risks.”

“Hmm…”

Mi-hyang’s assessment was likely accurate. The Hwasan sect was probably stronger overall, but as she pointed out, the potential damage from a direct confrontation would be enormous, and they were unwilling to risk their current standing.

No matter how much the Jeongcheon Alliance was an assembly of righteous sects, they couldn’t force the Hwasan sect to take actions that could jeopardize its survival.

“If we knew who they were, we might be able to take the lead in the fight against the Saheol Alliance.”

“I will meet with Head Maesan and try to persuade him.”

“If he could be persuaded, he wouldn’t have hidden it in the first place. When he held the Hwasan branch meeting, Head Maesan didn’t meet anyone else in particular, did he?”

“As far as I know, no.”

Jegal-tak recalled that time. He had claimed to know someone who could buy time at the Hwasan sect, and he had devised a plan to divert the Saheol Alliance’s attention away from the Jeongcheon Alliance.

The plan had seemed somewhat successful, but in the end, the Saheol Alliance had discovered the Jeongcheon Alliance’s involvement, resulting in a regretful warning.

He could dismiss the warning and move on, but he was concerned that the unknown force that had annihilated the Saheol Alliance’s military force could become another unpredictable variable.

“Is there any unusual activity within the Saheol Alliance?”

“No, they seem to be more concerned with the Demonic Cult [a group often portrayed as antagonists in martial arts stories] than with us.”

He nodded at the mention of the Demonic Cult.

“They have grown significantly in both quality and quantity after consolidating the forces of the borderlands and the outer regions, so we must be wary.”

Jegal-tak spoke with a hint of unease.

“Why is that?”

“I’m wondering if I’m missing something. I don’t think there’s anything in particular, but I don’t feel at ease. I’m trying to figure out the reason.”

“There are no special events happening other than the events in Sichuan and the Eulji family. Not only the intelligence department but also our unofficial contacts are all monitoring the movements of the Saheol Alliance.”

“What about the Demonic Cult?”

“They are consistent. The Demonic Cult, which rushed in with only its power at the time of attacking the Baegyo [likely a rival sect or organization], suffered the greatest damage, so it seems to be cautious this time.”

Jegal-tak tilted his head. This uneasy feeling didn’t seem to stem solely from the Demonic Cult.

‘What am I missing?’

Jegal-tak was lost in thought, pondering the situation. Mi-hyang stepped back slightly to allow him space to organize his thoughts.

After a moment of contemplation, Jegal-tak spoke.

“How is the situation in Sangrim [a region or city known for trade]? Is there any change in the merchants who support the Saheol Alliance, the merchants who support us, and the merchants who support the Demonic Cult?”

“I haven’t looked into that yet. But there won’t be any significant changes. If there were any, we would have noticed it first.”

“Take a closer look. The outcome of a war can depend on the supply of materials. The merchants who are currently supporting us may change their allegiance in an instant.”

“I understand.”

“Investigate discreetly, without revealing our intentions. If you uncover any vulnerabilities, identify them.”