The Flame Dragon's Gratitude
Yeom Baek and Yoo Seol-ah bowed deeply, their hands clasped in a respectful martial salute.
"The Iron Soul Unit greets the Vermilion Bird Banner Master."
Behind them, the drawn-up ranks of the Iron Soul Unit followed suit, clasping their fists in unison.
"Greetings, Banner Master!"
The woman commanding their awe-struck gazes was breathtakingly glamorous, an apparition that seemed entirely out of place amidst the grim carnage of battle. Draped in silk robes as radiant as blazing fire, her mature beauty was arresting. Beneath thick tresses swept up with an ornate phoenix hairpin, her alabaster skin contrasted sharply with crimson lips, projecting an aura at once alluring and chillingly regal.
Most striking of all were her adornments. In one slender hand she held a long bamboo pipe, while across her back was slung a uniquely fashioned weapon known as the Small Tip Bow. Unlike ordinary bows, its tips were exceptionally short and sleek—the hallmark of a masterwork bow. Crafted from water buffalo horn coated in precious vermilion lacquer, it glowed with a dark, smoldering crimson, as though carved from solidified flame. While petite enough to appear like an ornate trinket at first glance, the explosive tension coiled within its compact limbs was truly astonishing.
This woman in red was one of the Five Pillars of Northern Heaven: the foremost female master of the Northern Heavens Alliance and an unrivaled archer, Vermilion Bird Banner Master Ju Bi-yeon.
Ju Bi-yeon placed the long pipe to her lips, blew out a slow plume of smoke, and waved a dismissive hand.
"Enough. Looking at the state of you, this is hardly the time for pleasantries."
Her gaze swept over the warriors of the Iron Soul Unit, who were forcing themselves to stand on trembling legs. Wracked by grievous wounds and sheer exhaustion, they looked ready to collapse the moment they let down their guard to observe propriety.
"Drop the formalities and see to your wounded."
"Understood!"
Only with her permission did the warriors finally release the tension holding them upright, slumping to the earth or rushing to tend to their fallen comrades' injuries.
Ju Bi-yeon turned her eyes toward Yong Chae-rin, who stood closely sheltered in their midst.
"Is Grand Elder Yong's granddaughter unharmed?"
Yoo Seol-ah answered without hesitation.
"Yes, Banner Master. Though most of her escorts were lost, Young Lady Yong is safe."
"Mmm. Fortunate."
Ju Bi-yeon gave a languid nod, her gaze drifting toward the shadowed recesses of the forest. The presence of the Corpse Blood Demon and the Blood Fog Brigade had already evaporated into thin air. The instant they confirmed her arrival, they had fled without sparing a backward glance. Yeom Baek longed to pursue and cut them down, but he could not leave his battered men and the girl he was sworn to protect.
"May I ask what brought you all the way out here, Banner Master?" Yeom Baek inquired.
"Ah, Grand Elder Yong sent a letter asking a personal favor," Ju Bi-yeon replied casually. "It seems he could not quite rest easy leaving matters solely in the hands of your Iron Soul Unit."
It was fortunate that she had already been deployed outside the fortress on another mission. Had she been stationed at the Northern Heavens Fortress, moving in secret would have been nearly impossible.
A bitter twinge pulled at Yeom Baek's chest.
It seems the Grand Elder could not fully place his faith in me.
Yet on another level, he understood completely. With his granddaughter's very life at stake, the old man's anxiety was only natural. And in truth, had Ju Bi-yeon not arrived when she did, there was no telling how catastrophe might have unfolded.
Yeom Baek bowed his head once more.
"You have my deepest gratitude, Banner Master. Thanks to you, we were able to see our mission through to completion."
"I merely honored Grand Elder Yong's request. More importantly, how is that wound of yours?"
Yeom Baek flinched slightly at her question, his hand instinctively brushing his flank.
"A scratch like this is nothing."
"Of course. Commander Yeom is hardly the sort of man to whine over an ordinary flesh wound. But the Corpse Blood Demon's corpse poison is another matter entirely, is it not?"
"That is..."
Ju Bi-yeon stepped closer. "Hold still."
Before Yeom Baek could offer a word of protest, her palm pressed firmly against his flank.
"This will sting a bit."
"...!"
Tssss!
A sharp sizzling sound arose, accompanied by a plume of acrid, pungent smoke.
Ngh!
Even as an excruciating agony tore through him like burning flesh, Yeom Baek did not so much as furrow his brow.
"That should suffice. You will be able to expel what little remains through meditative cultivation."
Ju Bi-yeon pulled her hand away. Feeling that over ninety percent of the virulent poison had vanished, Yeom Baek could not help but offer another solemn bow.
"Thank you, Banner Master."
"Think nothing of it; it was a simple matter. More importantly, you truly live up to your renown as our strongest commander, holding your ground so well against that Corpse Blood Demon."
Yeom Baek gave a wry, self-deprecating smile.
"I still fall far short. Had you not appeared when you did, I would have fallen."
"Is that so? It did not look that way to me."
"Furthermore, before I even arrived on the scene, there was a squad member who held off the Corpse Blood Demon entirely alone."
A glint of genuine intrigue flashed in Ju Bi-yeon's eyes.
"Oh? Truly?"
Her expression turned one of clear surprise. Yeom Baek is not a man to speak empty falsehoods... Yet not an officer, but an ordinary squad member held his ground against the Corpse Blood Demon?
She could not resist asking.
"And who would that be?"
"His name is Dokgo Jin... He is a new recruit who recently joined our ranks, as well as the holder of the Dragon Tiger Plaque."
"Ah, that newly minted Dragon Tiger Plaque Master I have heard about?"
"Yes."
Ju Bi-yeon's gaze naturally drifted toward the gathered members of the Iron Soul Unit. Finding Dokgo Jin proved effortless.
It was not that she sensed an overwhelming aura. Rather, in the aftermath of that brutal, blood-soaked slaughter, he alone looked completely untouched. Amidst the carnage, his pristine condition caught her eye instantly.
So it is that fellow.
While wrapping clean linen around an injured comrade's arm, Dokgo Jin sensed her penetrating gaze and raised his head.
"..."
Meeting her eyes, Dokgo Jin dipped his head in a courteous nod. Seeing this, an enigmatic smile curved Ju Bi-yeon's lips.
He is extraordinary indeed. Then again, the Master of the Dragon Tiger Pavilion would never bestow the Dragon Tiger Plaque upon a common warrior.
Ju Bi-yeon lingered, studying Dokgo Jin in silence for a long time.
Having gathered their wounded, the Iron Soul Unit began their slow descent down Mt. Kongtong, accompanied by Yong Chae-rin and Han Seo-ryeong. Because the severely injured Han Seo-ryeong could no longer carry the girl on her back, Yong Chae-rin walked on her own two feet. Curiously, with Yoo Seol-ah gently holding her hand and guiding the way, the blind girl did not stumble once, navigating the rugged terrain as deftly as someone blessed with sight.
Is that also due to her unique perception?
Ju Bi-yeon, who had accompanied them down the slopes, slipped away the moment they cleared the perilous boundaries of the Kunlun Demon Palace's territory. Since she had acted in secret out of a personal favor, returning alongside them in broad daylight would have courted needless political scrutiny.
Ju Bi-yeon had left a deep impression on Dokgo Jin as well.
A woman, yet harboring an internal energy that easily rivals that of the White Tiger Banner Master.
In fact, in terms of sheer depth and volume of accumulated inner qi, she might well surpass him. It was clear she had not been named one of the Five Pillars of Northern Heaven on mere reputation alone.
Still, her departure brought him a measure of relief. The entire way down the mountain, she had kept stealing glances at him with an unreadable, intrigued smile.
Did she recognize my Nine Nether Dark Sky Scripture?
She had observed him far longer than the White Tiger Banner Master ever had, so she might well have caught a glimpse of something unusual.
Yet if she had discerned the truth, she surely would have said something. Since she only watched in silence, there is no telling what she knows.
She was unquestionably a woman whose inner thoughts were impossible to decipher.
Regardless, once they crossed into Shaanxi Province, their progress went unimpeded. Though they could not travel swiftly on account of the wounded, they reached the Northern Heavens Fortress safely without further incident.
Upon their return, the Iron Soul Unit was granted three days of sweet, well-earned rest. With nearly every man wounded—including their commander, Yeom Baek—everyone focused entirely on recuperating and nursing their injuries.
Save for one man.
On the second day of their reprieve, Dokgo Jin received an unexpected visitor.
"Are you Dokgo Jin of the Iron Soul Unit?"
"I am."
"Grand Elder Yong wishes to see you."
Guided by the envoy, Dokgo Jin arrived at the deepest sanctuary of the Northern Heavens Alliance: the domain of the Elders Council. Among the courtyards stood the hall radiating the most formidable and imposing presence of them all—the personal residence of Grand Elder Yong.
Staggering power.
Dokgo Jin marveled inwardly as he felt the searing wave of heat radiating from the pavilion's entrance. The supreme, pure yang energy that its master had cultivated over a lifetime thoroughly dominated the very atmosphere of the estate.
"You may enter," the attendant announced.
Following the maidservant's guidance, Dokgo Jin pushed open the heavy wooden doors and stepped inside. The hall's interior was austere, yet the antiquities scattered throughout carried the profound weight of decades past.
And at the center of the hall...
Seated upon a broad chair draped in a tiger pelt was an elder with a flowing white beard. It was the Flame Dragon God-Lord, Yong Mu-seong, once hailed throughout the Northern Heavens Alliance as the God of War and Incarnation of Fire.
Across from him sat Yong Chae-rin. Grandfather and granddaughter had been quietly sharing tea.
Dokgo Jin bowed with clasped hands in a courteous martial salute.
"Dokgo Jin of the Iron Soul Unit greets the Grand Elder."
"Ah."
Grand Elder Yong set down his teacup and slowly raised his head, while Yong Chae-rin turned toward Dokgo Jin with a slightly tense expression.
"..."
Dokgo Jin met Grand Elder Yong's eyes. The old man's gaze burned with a blazing, piercing luminescence that defied his advanced years. Rather than replying immediately, Grand Elder Yong fixed Dokgo Jin with a heavy, penetrating appraisal, as though seeking to scrutinize his very bones, sinew, and whatever latent energy slept within.
After a moment, Grand Elder Yong looked toward his granddaughter and broke the silence.
"Is this the young man?"
Yong Chae-rin nodded. "Yes, Grandfather."
A faintly grumbling expression crossed Grand Elder Yong's weathered face.
"You can tell from his voice alone?"
"Hehe, really, Grandfather. You know very well I perceive people by other means."
"I suppose so."
Grand Elder Yong turned his gaze back to Dokgo Jin.
"Come closer."
"Yes, Grand Elder."
As Dokgo Jin stepped forward, the elder gestured toward an empty seat.
"Sit."
"Thank you, Grand Elder."
Once Dokgo Jin took his seat, Grand Elder Yong personally poured him a cup of freshly steeped tea.
"Drink."
"Thank you."
"..."
Amidst the quiet, Yong Chae-rin merely toyed with her cup, stealing curious glances in Dokgo Jin's direction.
When I first sensed him, it felt rather unsettling...
Though she had no idea that Dokgo Jin practiced the Nine Nether Dark Sky Scripture, her innate sensory gift had briefly brushed against the fathomless abyss he kept locked within his core.
An extraordinarily deep darkness, a vivid, ink-black color.
It was something that could easily have terrified her, yet strangely, she had sensed no malice or threat radiating from it. It was simply something she had never encountered in all her life—a sensation akin to the natural apprehension one felt when standing before the unknown. But conversely, Dokgo Jin carried no prejudice regarding 'color.' In the end, she could judge him only by his deeds, and those deeds had naturally blossomed into profound goodwill.
When Dokgo Jin set down his emptied teacup, Grand Elder Yong spoke once more.
"I heard the tale from my granddaughter. Commander Yeom and the Vermilion Bird Banner Master both played vital roles in her rescue, but she insists that the greatest credit belongs to you."
"You flatter me, Grand Elder."
Yong Chae-rin chimed in with earnest emotion.
"It is not flattery, Hero Dokgo. Truly, had it not been for you, I would never have returned alive to see my grandfather. I am so deeply grateful."
She bowed her head toward him.
"There is no need for such thanks, Young Lady Yong. I merely carried out my duty with diligence."
A soft smile graced Yong Chae-rin's lips.
"You said the very same thing back then. Even so... thank you."
Grand Elder Yong nodded along.
"I see you are not a man to boast of your achievements, but there is no need to be overly humble."
Then, something astonishing happened.
The legendary Grand Elder Yong bowed his head deeply toward Dokgo Jin.
"...Thank you. If not for you, I would never have laid eyes upon this child again."
It was not a gesture from a Grand Elder of the Northern Heavens Alliance, but the heartfelt, humble gratitude of a grandfather.
"I owe you an immense debt."
For once, a look of rare awkwardness flickered across Dokgo Jin's composed countenance.
"As I have already stated..."
"There is not much this old man can do for you. Even so, tell me what you desire. If it lies within my power, I will grant whatever you ask."
He spoke with self-deprecating modesty, yet he was a Grand Elder of the Elders Council. Within the bounds of Grand Elder Yong's authority lay favors and rewards that an ordinary squad member could never even dare to dream of.
"..."
Before such an unprecedented offer, Dokgo Jin's eyes darkened with deep, quiet contemplation.
Dark Sky Martial Emperor
Author | Jeongcheon
Publisher | Samyang C&C Co., Ltd.
Managing Editor | Editorial Department
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