Chapter 113
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Translator: 8uhl
Chapter: 113
Chapter Title: A Strange Night
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Yu Hyun finished his errands and returned to the Latent Dragon Squad's quarters just as evening was falling.
"Hap!"
"Cha-haap!"
Different shouts of exertion drifted over from beyond the wall—it looked like all three of them were training.
Good kids.
He wasn't sure about Dang Sa-dog, but Nangong Seong and Gae Du-shin must have felt a lot from the recent Haenam Island incident.
It was highly encouraging. The more they developed, the more solid their preparations against the coming chaos would be.
Yu Hyun nodded with a pleased smile and slowly opened the door to the Latent Dragon Pavilion.
"Hyun-ah! You rascal!"
"......?"
He hadn't even stepped inside yet when Gu Ja-sin came charging over like a madman.
Damn it, he forgot to mention he'd be back in the evening.
There was no way his feelings about the Acheon Jade had settled by now—what if this damned old man decided to beat him again?
With arms spread wide like a great peng bird swooping in, it was exactly that vibe......
As Gu Ja-sin rapidly closed the distance, the startled Yu Hyun backed away and urgently opened his mouth.
"M-Master! It's a misunderstanding, a misunderstanding! I had some business to......"
Before his excuse could even finish, Gu Ja-sin reached the doorway and suddenly grabbed Yu Hyun's hand.
"......"
Huh? What's up with this old man all of a sudden?
Dumbfounded by the unexpected reaction, Yu Hyun started to say something, but Gu Ja-sin released his hand and pulled him into a tight hug, beginning to babble.
"You rascal, that wasn't my intention at all. There was absolutely no malice. I just lost my temper."
"......"
Why...... why is he acting like this?
Was this old man trying to torment him in some new way?
As Yu Hyun racked his brain trying to figure out Gu Ja-sin's intentions, his gaze landed on Jung San, who was watching them from beyond the door.
What's his deal?
He looked utterly miserable—like something bad had happened.
"Um, Master?"
"Yeah! Go ahead, say whatever it is."
"Well, about being late for training today......"
"What? Training?"
"......"
"Never mind, you rascal! What training? You need to rest on a day like today! Of course! After all that you've been through...... Oh, you rascal!"
"......"
After fumbling through his shout, his expression turned profoundly sorrowful in an instant, as if tears might start dropping any second, and he hugged Yu Hyun tightly once more.
"Uncle! You're back? Huff huff, I've been practicing the Seven Purities Sword Method without even a moment's rest!"
"I've repeated the Drunken Eight Immortals Steps two hundred times already! I plan to hit three hundred by tonight!"
"Captain! Please give me some guidance too! I'll learn anything diligently!"
"......"
As if they'd just heard Yu Hyun return, the three dragons came rushing over en masse, competitively reporting their training progress.
He'd never seen these guys so enthusiastic about training before......
And why was Dang Sa-dog wedged in there with them?
Well, if they were training hard, there was no reason to complain.
"Um, Master?"
"Yeah?"
"Could you let go first....... You're squeezing too tight; I can't breathe."
"Whoops! Sorry about that."
"......"
Yu Hyun stared at him in bewilderment as he jumped back like he'd committed some heinous crime over nothing.
He had no idea what was going on, but at any rate, he needed to apologize properly.
Yesterday, he'd been too busy getting beaten to even say he was sorry, hadn't he?
"About the Acheon Jade—I absolutely will......"
"......!"
Gu Ja-sin flinched noticeably at Yu Hyun's polite apology. And for some reason, everyone glared at him fiercely.
No, these crazy bastards saw me get pummeled yesterday and still dare to give that old man the evil eye.
They must have forgotten from the shock, but watch your peepers, you idiots. Staring like that could get you killed.
Then who'd stop the chaos? Where would he find the Righteous Six Saints?
Fearing Gu Ja-sin might explode again, Yu Hyun hurriedly tried to calm them down......
"N-No, it's fine. Acheon Jade? I don't even remember it! Hell, who cares if that bead shatters! Don't worry about it anymore!"
"......"
Yu Hyun wore a blank expression for a moment at the rapid dismissal, complete with a wave of the hand.
"......Pardon?"
"I was wrong, okay? I'm sorry for everything."
"......"
Not content with repeated apologies, his face was even streaked with tears....... Could guilt have finally hit him for beating his disciple too harshly?
Well, that made sense.
He'd been too furious yesterday to think straight, but anyone who saw this bruised face and didn't feel pity couldn't call themselves human.
Good enough.
Getting beaten like this by his master wasn't anything new anyway—if this settled the Acheon Jade issue, that was fine.
Whew, he'd been so tense wondering if he'd have to pawn his life or something.
"If Master says so, then I won't worry about it anymore, haha!"
"......"
As Yu Hyun grinned brightly and scratched his head, everyone stared at him with strangely sorrowful, pitying faces.
"H-Haha......"
Did he laugh too hard?
R-Right. It wasn't polite to burst out laughing right after getting forgiveness for breaking a precious treasure.
As the mood grew awkward, Yu Hyun awkwardly changed the subject.
"By the way, Master."
"Yeah?"
"Um, could I ask a favor......?"
"A f-favor?"
"Yes. Would it be okay?"
"Of course! Tell me! What is it? What? If it's your request, I'll grant anything!"
"......"
Why was his response so aggressive? Like not asking would cause some huge disaster......
Was that the exact same vibe as his father Yu Seong-hwan just now an illusion?
"Spit it out! If you want, I'll cut off the Northern Branch Leader's head in your place and seal the alliance!"
"Pardon?"
"That kind of thing! If I lead all the Yangtze guys in a surprise attack, it's totally doable!"
"......Ha, haha."
Gu Ja-sin was burning with zeal like he might charge the Northern Branch any second, while Jung San gripped his sword and glared furiously.
Too much! Way over the top!
No matter how he looked at it, there had to be something else going on. The three dragons' reactions too...... Could it be?
"......Did you have drinks with the kids?"
"Yeah?"
"No, your reactions are just...... No alcohol smell though......"
"......!"
Gu Ja-sin flinched again, and the three dragons glared once more.
"It's probably that the Water Dragon King treasures Uncle so much that he'll grant anything for his beloved disciple! Something like that, right?"
"That's right."
"Exactly."
"Uh, yeah. That's what I meant. Of course."
"......"
At Nangong Seong's quiet words, Gae Du-shin and Dang Sa-dog nodded quickly, and the Water Dragon King swiftly agreed.
What was this incoherent but tight-knit solidarity?
"Ahem, so go ahead and tell me. What do you need from me?"
"Oh, it's nothing much—could you tell Jung San to escort someone to the Three Gates Alliance for me?"
"Someone?"
"Yes. If it's too much trouble, I can ask elsewhere......"
"Trouble? What trouble! Jung San, what are you waiting for? Get going right now!"
"......"
As Gu Ja-sin spat while shouting, Jung San bulged his eyes and whirled around like he might dash off immediately.
Hey, I haven't even said who yet?
The situation had been utterly baffling from the start, but at least everything was resolving smoothly. The shattered Acheon Jade, safely escorting Hwang Deok-sam to the Three Gates Alliance.
It would have been a perfect wrap-up, if not for those pitiful gazes.
Yu Hyun kept tilting his head.
What a bizarre night.
It wasn't even a full moon, but everyone seemed strangely altered somehow?
......Well, as long as it worked out.
* * *
It had been ten days since staying at the Righteous Martial Alliance.
After the Water Dragon King and Jung San departed earlier than planned, Zhuge Subum visited the Latent Dragon Pavilion.
"You're here."
"Oh, thank you."
The thin booklet he handed over with a reluctant expression was none other than the standard employment contract for Latent Dragon Squad members.
Snatching up the contract, Yu Hyun scanned it thoroughly and inwardly marveled.
Wow, the Zhuge family really is something else.
That neat handwriting, every clause meticulously detailed......
As he whistled a tune while staring blankly at him, Zhuge Subum slowly spoke.
"The custom uniforms for the Latent Dragon Squad warriors......"
"I already stopped by the fabric shop. The material's a bit cheap, which bothers me, but it'll do."
"......"
As Yu Hyun cut in mid-sentence, Zhuge Subum's eye twitched.
Worried about giving him any openings, he'd commissioned top-grade silk robes that most warriors never wore in a lifetime, and now this? Cheap?
After that unexpected expense—what a waste—and he calls it that......
"The weapons are just Hundred Refinements Pure Steel, which isn't ideal, but whatever, I'll concede that much."
"......"
As he eyed the sword at his own waist, a vein began crawling across Zhuge Subum's temple.
This rich kid was really starting to......
What was Hundred Refinements Pure Steel?
Premium iron forged over a hundred times, pure without a single impurity.
It might have cost the arms of two or three blacksmiths to make just the one sword at Yu Hyun's waist.
He should be kowtowing in gratitude......
"Y-Yeah. So, when do you plan to head to the Northern Branch?"
"Right away."
"Right away?"
Amid his rising ire, Zhuge Subum's face brightened subtly at the welcome news and he asked back.
"You've received everything due—why linger longer at the Righteous Martial Alliance?"
"Still, it's quite a distance to travel. Wouldn't it be wise to prepare properly?"
"......Are you serious?"
"Hm?"
"I'm surprised. Your face looks like you're dying to shove us out the door."
"W-What? Ahem! I'm just disappointed, that's all. Disappointed."
Yu Hyun eyed him slyly as he hurriedly glossed over it and averted his gaze.
Sure, act like it. I saw your lip twitching in delight the moment I said right away.
He wouldn't let it slide. Let's see......
"Hmm, you're disappointed, huh."
"......"
"What can we do?"
Yu Hyun glanced distastefully at the Latent Dragon Pavilion as he spoke.
"Honestly, I've been a bit uneasy lately. Worried some monster might crawl out from under the bed, or the whole annex might collapse while I'm sleeping."
"......"
"You can tell a lot from one thing—you know how reception goes just from the tea they serve. Giving us a place like this means you don't have high hopes for the Latent Dragon Squad, right? Well, doesn't matter. A little disappointing! Since it's brand new and all."
"......"
A little, my ass. That petty bastard......
"Haha, come on. As if we'd do that."
"Right? No way we would, but it sure feels that way. Ah well, probably just my imagination."
"......Ha, haha. Yeah, must be your imagination."
Zhuge Subum suppressed his surging irritation with effort.
As a grand strategist who always had to remain cool-headed, he was a master at maintaining composure—but for some reason, every conversation with Yu Hyun ended up like this.
It felt like he kept getting drawn in, and in the end, he was always the one who suffered......
Looking at Yu Hyun's smiling face made the back of his head throb again; if the talk dragged on, his blood pressure might spike and he'd collapse.
"Ahem! So, where to first?"
"Hmm, Wudang first, I suppose."
"......!"
At Yu Hyun's answer, the three dragons nearby suddenly widened their eyes like saucers and exchanged glances.
[Th-This is bad! Wudang?]
[No way—is he so despondent he's becoming a Daoist to renounce the world?]
[Possible! The situation's dire enough! We have to stop him!]
The three dragons quickly exchanged looks, and Nangong Seong stepped forward as representative to urgently dissuade him.
"Uncle! What are you saying? A Daoist? No, you can't."
"Hm?"
"I looked into it, and apparently one side is enough to function perfectly fine."
"......"
At the out-of-nowhere remark, Yu Hyun stared blankly at Nangong Seong.
Has he been hanging out with Shi Bul-i so much lately that he's chugging liquor in broad daylight and spouting this nonsense so seriously?
Smack!
"Kuk!"
"What nonsense is that?"
"Pardon?"
"Cut the crap and get ready to leave immediately."
"......"
"We have to go to Wudang and recruit first disciple Un Hyun into the Latent Dragon Squad."
"......"
The three dragons stared at him dazedly before finally sighing in relief and patting their chests.
Ah, he's going to recruit more members.
Thank goodness, thank goodness......