Chapter 114
Chapter 114
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Translator: MadScientist
Chapter: 114
Chapter Title: Nine Dragons Hall Leader
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Standing beneath the brilliantly shining full moon in the sky, Cheonhwi gazed at the Nine Dragons Hall.
"It's small."
Unlike its grandiose name, the Nine Dragons Hall was a smaller faction than expected.
'No, maybe it's not that small.'
Cheonhwi scratched his head.
Thinking about it, it was a grand hall.
It could accommodate over two hundred people, and there were multiple halls.
'Tch, my standards have gotten high.'
What had he been seeing lately?
The Murim Alliance, the Nangong family, the Jongnam Sect.
All of them were among the largest sects in the world.
'This is about on par with the Tyrant King Sect.'
He recalled a faction of similar size.
While observing the halls for a moment.
Whoosh—
Cheonhwi immediately vaulted over the wall.
The Dark Fragrance Mark he deployed in the darkness moved stealthily, unnoticed by anyone, slowly blending into the shadows.
'Now, where does the Hall Leader stay?'
Recalling the information he had memorized, Cheonhwi moved quickly.
Soon, he arrived at one of the halls.
'Hm? There's light?'
A hazy light leaked through the window cracks, as if a lantern was lit inside.
Suppressing his presence, Cheonhwi moved closer.
At that moment.
"...Failed?"
A sharp voice rang out.
Hm?
Cheonhwi peered into the hall through the slightly open window.
"Does that even make sense? Not only did we give you martial arts from the Imperial Martial Repository, but also money that's hard to touch in a lifetime, and yet you say it failed!"
A frail-looking middle-aged man began hurling insults and pointing at a burly middle-aged man.
'Looks like I found the right place.'
Cheonhwi immediately perked up his ears.
"That's why idiots like you...! Do you know what will happen if He finds out about this? Your life..."
The burly man listened silently, then his eyes gleamed coldly.
"The information was wrong."
The middle-aged man flinched slightly.
"Th-the information was wrong?"
"Contrary to what you told us, there were other experts besides them."
"O-other experts?"
The burly man's aura intensified.
"This is suspicious. He said He would support our faction, but you bring us false information. How can we trust you?"
The middle-aged man felt the alcohol clear from his system instantly, his face flushing red.
"Nine Dragons Hall Leader!"
Ah, so that's the Nine Dragons Hall Leader.
Cheonhwi nodded as he sized up the burly man.
'He's the one from Cheonghae Province.'
As he watched, the Nine Dragons Hall Leader looked at the middle-aged man with cold eyes.
"Why do you call me?"
The Hall Leader's voice was icy.
Sensing something ominous, the middle-aged man asked with a pale face.
"Is it true there are more experts?"
"You couldn't even confirm that?"
"......"
The middle-aged man's face twisted at the mocking tone in the Hall Leader's words.
"I'll check right away."
Having been treated like a subordinate all this time, the Nine Dragons Hall Leader felt a thrill of satisfaction as his lips curled slightly before dropping.
"Now?"
The Hall Leader said, looking at the middle-aged man.
It was a rebuke.
The moment Princess Sohee's group left Shaanxi for Gansu, the opportunity was lost.
The middle-aged man bit his lip.
"...Is there anything you need right now? If you kill her, I'll support you with everything I have, material and otherwise."
The Nine Dragons Hall Leader grinned.
He had been waiting for those words.
"Money, poison, and spiritual medicines."
The middle-aged man's brow furrowed.
"Money and poison I understand, but spiritual medicines...?"
"To recruit experts."
"For that, money should..."
"My lord. Experts in the jianghu move more easily for spiritual medicines than money."
It was exaggerated, but true.
For true experts—not madmen or public enemies of murim—there were many ways to earn money.
Taking commissions like ronin, or joining a sect as a guest elder.
But spiritual medicines were different.
Rare elixirs that money couldn't easily buy drew experts into arduous commissions to obtain them.
"Moreover, to take them down, we need at least Peak Realm or Transcendent Realm experts. Spiritual medicines are absolutely essential for that."
The middle-aged man stared at the Hall Leader.
But seeing the unwavering eyes, he sighed.
"Fine. I'll hurry and procure what you mentioned."
"Thank you. This time, I'll repay with success."
"I'll trust only you, Hall Leader."
As the middle-aged man turned to leave.
"Oh, right. My lord."
The Hall Leader called as if remembering something.
"Due to the wrong information you provided, one of our precious sect members died..."
"......"
The middle-aged man bit his lip.
Then he rummaged in his sleeve and handed over a dazzling jewel at a glance.
"Let this settle it."
"Very well."
The Nine Dragons Hall Leader sneered inwardly.
'Sleazy rat.'
Pulling a jewel from his sleeve meant he intended to give it from the start.
But handing it over only now meant he planned to pocket some in between.
'I want to squeeze more out of him.'
The Hall Leader held back.
'We've already joined hands; making relations worse would be trouble.'
Then, as the middle-aged man left, he said.
"I'll take my leave for today."
"Safe travels."
The Hall Leader gave a slight nod to the departing man, then looked at the jewel with greedy eyes.
'The operation I poured my heart into failed, but the gains are plenty, so it's fortunate.'
A chilling smile appeared on his lips, then vanished quickly.
'But next time, no failure.'
There were no second failures.
If it failed again.
'The Nine Dragons Hall could vanish.'
His throat bobbed heavily.
That person was more than capable of exterminating the Nine Dragons Hall.
The Hall Leader pocketed the jewel, then walked to the bed.
The moment he touched and shook the bed's corner.
Creak—
The bed shifted left, revealing an underground passage below.
The Hall Leader glanced at the passage, looked around cautiously, then carefully turned toward it and disappeared.
'Oh ho.'
Meanwhile, Cheonhwi, who had watched everything from outside the window, smirked.
'A secret passage.'
He wanted to follow immediately, but Cheonhwi turned away for now.
'That can wait.'
* * *
"Damn it!"
The middle-aged man, heading to the annex prepared by the Nine Dragons Hall Leader, kicked a stone on the ground in frustration, grinding his teeth.
"To think I have to hear such words from that brute."
It wounded his pride.
"Useless fools! Tarnishing my name and His!"
"Who is He?"
"Eh? How dare you mention Him..."
The middle-aged man flinched mid-sentence.
A young man with a smiling face had appeared in the empty space where no one had been moments ago, looking at him.
"Eek! Ghost!"
"Not quite."
"A, a person?"
"Yes."
Confirming he was human, the middle-aged man's pale face slowly regained color.
"Ahem."
Embarrassed, he cleared his throat repeatedly, straightened his back, and said.
"Who are you? One of the Nine Dragons Hall Leader's subordinates?"
"No."
"Then..."
"Well, simply put, an enemy?"
"Right, an enemy... What, what did you say?"
Cheonhwi struck the middle-aged man's mute acupoint and lifted him by the nape like a sack.
"Mmph!"
The startled man tried to shout, but.
Thud!
Cheonhwi moved first.
"We're going now, so shut your mouth."
As Cheonhwi advised, his figure stretched long.
They arrived at the Hall Leader's room.
"...!"
The middle-aged man gaped at Cheonhwi's astonishing movement.
'Wh-what kind of freakish...'
In the blink of an eye.
He had been outside, yet now he was back in the Nine Dragons Hall Leader's room.
"The Nine Dragons Hall Leader hasn't come out yet."
Cheonhwi set the man down.
"First, release the mute acupoint."
Cheonhwi released it.
"Wh-what?"
Confirming his voice worked, the man immediately shouted.
"You bastard! Do you know who I am?"
"Who are you?"
"I am the Provincial Inspector of Cheonghae Province!"
"Ah, the Inspector?"
Cheonhwi stroked his chin.
The Provincial Inspector was a third-rank official with near-absolute power in Cheonghae Province, second only to the Provincial Governor.
'This is even better.'
The Inspector, seeing Cheonhwi deep in thought, grew bolder and yelled.
"Do you know what you've done? This will be handled by imperial law."
"And what happens then?"
"Execution!"
"Oh, really?"
Cheonhwi's lips twisted.
"Then what happens to the Inspector trying to kill the imperial Princess Sohee?"
"...!"
The Inspector's eyes shook.
"What nonsense..."
Cheonhwi's eyes darkened.
"Is it?"
"You scum! Even spouting nonsense, how dare you... Gah!"
Seeing the flustered Inspector, Cheonhwi lightly grabbed his throat.
"Kek!"
Lifted into the air, the Inspector flailed his legs.
As his breath grew short and his face turned red.
Thud.
Cheonhwi released his grip.
"Hahk, hahk."
Kneeling and clutching his throat, drool dripping, a cold voice came from above.
"From now on, answer properly."
The thorn-like voice made him look up, and he froze.
Eyes that reflected nothing.
Like transparent bronze mirrors, they reflected him perfectly.
"Who is He?"
"He is..."
As the Inspector hesitated, Cheonhwi slowly raised his hand.
The Inspector panicked and blurted out.
"Th-the Eastern Depot of the Imperial Guard!"
"Eastern Depot?"
Surprise flickered in Cheonhwi's eyes.
Bigger than expected.
'That's odd.'
Doubt arose simultaneously.
The Imperial Guard's Eastern Depot, protectors of the imperial family, trying to kill Princess Sohee and the Cheonghae Governor?
It didn't add up.
"Why is the Eastern Depot trying to kill the Cheonghae Governor and Princess Sohee?"
"I-I don't know that either."
Cheonhwi's eyes darkened.
"You've got guts."
He struck the Inspector's acupoints.
At that instant.
Crack—
Bones breaking, the Inspector's body twisted unnaturally.
Using Bone Shattering Sinew Severing along with acupoints, Cheonhwi watched him roll silently on the floor for a moment.
Seeing tears, snot, and even urine, he released the technique.
Then the acupoints.
"Uh, ugh, sob, I r-really don't know."
The sobbing Inspector didn't seem to be lying.
"Then you followed the order to kill Princess Sohee without knowing?"
"H-He promised me a position in the palace if I did!"
Cheonhwi's eyes narrowed like threads at the indignant outburst.
'Doesn't seem like a lie.'
Cheonhwi nodded.
"Anyone else involved besides you?"
"N-No one besides me."
"Sure?"
"Well... Honestly, I don't know. There might be others..."
His vague answer made it believable.
"Nothing more to ask then."
"R-really?!"
The Inspector's face brightened.
"Then release me now?"
Cheonhwi grinned.
"Can't do that."
"Wh-why..."
"I still need you."
Cheonhwi struck his meridian and mute acupoints, then tossed him to the floor.
Not time to kill yet.
'Until I know the Nine Dragons Hall Leader's martial arts.'
Cheonhwi's plan was simple.
Kill the Inspector with the Hall Leader's martial arts, leaving traces—simple, but a method only he could use.
"Wonder when he'll come out."
Cheonhwi sat in a chair and waited.
About an incense stick later.
Creak—
The bed moved, revealing the passage.
The Nine Dragons Hall Leader emerged.
"......"
His face stiffened.
"Who are you?"
"Me?"
Cheonhwi smirked at him asking his name above all else.
"Cheonhwi."