Tales Of The Nine Dragons [EN]: Chapter 91

Nine Dragons Chronicle (91)

Transaction

‘Where on earth did a guy like that come from?’

Ho Joong-san unleashed his unique swordsmanship, the Twelve Swords of True Destiny, to kill Hwa-rin, pressuring him, but it didn’t work.

Clang!

The sound emanating from the sword grew louder with each of Ho Joong-san’s attacks.

Hwa-rin blocked or dodged Ho Joong-san’s sword, but the ringing sound from the sword made it difficult to hear other sounds, forcing him to concentrate even more in preparation for a possible surprise attack.

Moreover, since the two were fighting on the river, the waves of energy created by the collision of swords caused the river to swirl and become rough, making the boats docked nearby rock violently.

“Oh, oh, the boat is being pulled away! Tie the ropes tightly!”

As the sailor shouted urgently from the ship, the sailors on the pier re-secured the loosely tied ropes to prevent the boat from being dragged into the whirlpool created by the two.

“They say masters of the Murim [martial arts world] aren’t human, and it seems that’s true. What is going on!”

The sky was clear, but around the two fighting, the weather seemed to be fluctuating wildly, with the river swirling, strong winds blowing, and the sky appearing to crack as if tearing apart, causing those watching to tremble with fear.

“Is the sky going to collapse?”

“They say masters of the Murim are gods, but will the sky collapse?”

Ordinary people voiced their fears, but the Murim people watching the masters fight on the river felt differently.

Just watching a fight between masters, something they might only see once in their lifetime, could be of great help to their own training, so they focused intently on the battle.

From Ho Joong-san’s sword, beyond the clear and pure sword cry, now a sharp, tearing sound like a demon’s wail flowed out.

“Now you’re showing your true colors.”

Hwa-rin mocked Ho Joong-san and lightly tapped his foot on the water.

With just a slight kick against the surface, he gained tremendous recoil and shot forward in an instant, like a swallow skimming over the water.

“Heot!”

Ho Joong-san saw Hwa-rin’s figure, gasped, and hurriedly raised his sword.

Clang!

Unlike before, Hwa-rin unleashed a fierce barrage of attacks against Ho Joong-san.

Numerous changes occurred in Hwa-rin’s sword techniques, confusing Ho Joong-san, who couldn’t completely block the onslaught.

‘Ugh!’

He managed to avoid fatal wounds but suffered minor cuts across his body.

“You tricked me.”

“What did I trick? I’ve never fought you properly.”

“Then why this charade?”

“I merely acted a little to release the vengeful spirits trapped within your sword.”

As the swords clashed, a fine crack appeared in Ho Joong-san’s blade.

Clang. Clang… Clang…!

Hwa-rin continued to inflict minor wounds while focusing on breaking the sword itself, filling his own blade with immense power and striking heavily against Ho Joong-san’s.

The more the swords collided, the clearer the cracks became, and the louder the strange sound emanating from Ho Joong-san’s sword grew.

The ordinary people watching from the pier felt pain in their ears and a throbbing headache from the sound, instinctively retreating to minimize its impact.

The Murim people were the same!

Those with strong inner strength could resist the sound and continue watching, but those who couldn’t had no choice but to retreat.

‘Something is wrong. I need to escape this place.’

As Ho Joong-san contemplated fleeing, Hwa-rin spoke.

“The end of those who have mastered the Soul-Snatching Sword has always been miserable.”

“What?”

“What do you think will happen when a sword containing the souls of the dead is broken?”

Ho Joong-san frowned at Hwa-rin’s words. Even in the heat of battle, Hwa-rin was aiming to destroy his sword.

“The vengeful spirits will escape and devour you.”

“Don’t talk nonsense!”

“You’ll soon discover whether it’s nonsense or not. My knowledge of the Soul-Snatching Sword comes from the techniques implanted in my head.”

Koo-oong!

A blue aura swirled around Hwa-rin’s sword, spreading along the blade and forming a thin protective film.

When Hwa-rin’s sword collided with Ho Joong-san’s, the latter’s blade shattered into pieces, scattering fragments in all directions.

“Ugh!”

Ho Joong-san felt a considerable shock as his sword broke.

As Hwa-rin had predicted, numerous vengeful spirits escaped from the broken sword with a blinding light and made strange, sharp cries, like those of a cat.

The hazy, smoke-like vengeful spirits swarmed Ho Joong-san, though they were invisible to others.

As they passed through his body, Ho Joong-san screamed in agony.

“Kuaaaack!”

Simultaneously, a powerful energy erupted, engulfing Hwa-rin.

Hwa-rin raised his sword to block the energy and quickly retreated, using the force of the impact to propel himself backward.

Seeing Ho Joong-san defeated, Jeok Yeom-cheon intervened to save him.

Hwa-rin saw this as an opportunity and immediately turned, throwing his sword forward with all his might before leaping away.

The moment the sword landed on the river, Hwa-rin stepped onto the blade and used his inner strength to propel it swiftly across the water, escaping the scene.

Bi Cheon-do [Flying Sky Saber] Jeok Yeom-cheon saw this and tried to give chase, but Ho Joong-san’s condition was critical. He abandoned the pursuit and carried Ho Joong-san back to the pier.

“Go away! I said go away!”

When he was placed on the pier, Ho Joong-san shouted at the onlookers, radiating a strong murderous intent.

In his eyes, the people around him appeared as vengeful ghosts.

“Hey, get a hold of yourself!”

Jeok Yeom-cheon tried to restrain Ho Joong-san, but the latter, consumed by the vengeful spirits, continued to scream at the crowd.

“Get back! I said go away! If you don’t leave, I’ll kill you all right now!”

Jeok Yeom-cheon found Ho Joong-san’s behavior strange. His reaction suggested something more was at play, but Jeok Yeom-cheon decided it wasn’t his place to get involved and left the aftermath to the Hwa Myeong Merchant Group.

“He seems to be in shock. Take him and ensure he rests well.”

“Understood. The head of the Merchant Group is looking for Great Warrior Jeok.”

“I understand. I’ll leave him in your care.”

After handing over Ho Joong-san, Jeok Yeom-cheon addressed the surrounding Murim people.

“Clean up this place and board the ship. We still have work to do, so do your best!”

Only after entrusting the cleanup to the others did he return to the ship to meet Hwa Jeong-soo.

* * *

Hwa-rin, having safely escaped, emerged from the riverbank onto land.

Hwa-rin’s disguised appearance reverted to normal, and his clothes changed color as well.

Once on land, he retrieved his sword and tossed it into the air, where it vanished as if it were a figment of the imagination. He then took out the Salhwangmukhyulso [Blood-Soaked Ink Bamboo Flute] from his chest as if nothing had happened, held it in one hand, and began to walk.

The atmosphere around him shifted with each step, and after seven steps, he resembled a leisurely loafer.

His demeanor and temperament had changed so drastically that no one would have guessed he was the same person who had fought fiercely moments before.

Hwa-rin slowly continued on his way.

After walking for half an hour, he arrived at the pier of Mu Han [Limitless/Infinity], which had been cleaned up to some extent but still looked somewhat chaotic.

“Hasn’t it set sail yet?”

Two ships of the Hwa Myeong Merchant Group were docked there. People who looked like carpenters were repairing the stern of the damaged ship, temporarily patching it with wood.

Hwa-rin observed the scene and then focused on the one ship that hadn’t been searched yet.

‘Should I search it now?’

Doing so would save a lot of time, but it wouldn’t be easy with all the Murim people from both ships gathered on one.

“Let’s fill my stomach first and then think about it leisurely.”

Hwa-rin went to an open-air inn overlooking the pier and ordered a light meal.

“Two dumplings, a bowl of somyeon [thin wheat noodles], and three boiled eggs, please.”

As the server went to the kitchen, Hwa-rin’s gaze naturally drifted back to the docked ship.

“It was truly terrifying. They say masters of the Murim can destroy mountains and cleave the sky. I never really believed it, but today, I saw two such people.”

The ordinary people who had witnessed the fight between Hwa-rin and Ho Joong-san boasted to those who hadn’t, exaggerating the events as if they themselves had been involved. Hwa-rin, listening without truly paying attention due to the extreme embellishments, chuckled.

‘It’s only passed through one person’s mouth, and already the exaggeration is this severe. By the time it passes through ten people’s mouths, I’ll be a three-headed, six-armed monster.’

“I’m telling you, it’s true! I saw it clearly with my own eyes!”

“Hey, come on! How can the sky be split and then reattached? Do you think the sky is paper like changhoji [traditional Korean paper] that you put on doors?”

“Other people must have seen it too! Hey, did anyone else see that fight? If so, please raise your hand and confirm that my words are not false!”

“I saw it too. It wasn’t that the sky was splitting, but it looked like it had fine cracks.”

“I saw it! Over there, that person agrees!”

“He said it had cracks, but he didn’t say it was torn.”

“Hey, that’s the same thing! Whether it’s cracked, torn, 찍힌 [dented], or broken, it’s all the same!”

The man deliberately raised his voice to emphasize that he wasn’t lying.

“I understand, I understand! I get it, so lower your voice.”

“You definitely said you understood!”

“Yes.”

“Then you’re buying the drinks today.”

At the mention of buying drinks, the man looked at his friend.

“Where else can you hear stories like this? You can’t hear them without me! Why, 설표 [Seolpyo – possibly a storyteller] also tell stories and get drinks, right?”

“Haa… I understand. I’ve gotten quite a few drinks from you, so I’ll buy them today. So, tell me the story after that.”

The man wanted to hear more and urged his friend to continue, who then embellished the story with even more details, captivating everyone in the inn.

“I heard from the Murim people guarding the scene that the person whose sword was broken was Jin Myeong-geom [True Name Sword] Ho Joong-san, one of the Hundred Great Masters of Murim, and the person who intervened was Bi Cheon-do [Flying Sky Saber] Jeok Yeom-cheon. He was also said to be one of the Hundred Great Masters of Murim, but anyway, it was truly amazing to see him walking on the water as if he were walking on land.”

“Then who was the person who fought Jin Myeong-geom Ho Joong-san?”

“That person? I don’t know either. Even the Murim people don’t know. I heard that he stole the Hwa Myeong Merchant Group’s grain and ran away, and was discovered by Jin Myeong-geom Ho Joong-san, leading to the fight.”

Hwa-rin, listening to the story at the inn, smiled.

‘Before long, a three-headed, six-armed monster will appear in the Murim.’