Chapter 218
Chapter 218
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Translator: Ryuma
Chapter: 218
Chapter Title: Find the Tyrant Dragon Blade (1)
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As I clasped my hands in a fist salute and revealed my name.
Baek Gwang-ho released his grip on the sword he had been about to draw.
However, the bald man at his side swung a lightning-fast strike in his place.
Sssaaaek!!
'A burn scar running from his head to the back of his neck.'
The charging bald man appeared to be Sun Woo-uk, Baek Gwang-ho's trusted subordinate and the Alliance's Righteous Army Chief.
'Since Baek Gwang-ho himself let go of his cherished blade, it seems like he's testing me, just as he did when he flung that wine cup earlier...'
At that moment, two options flashed through my mind.
One was to stay still.
'...If I do nothing, that sword stops just short of my nape, and then comes the praise about my courage and composure, like in all those wuxia tales I've read.'
However, Baek Gwang-ho was not someone to trust completely.
Dongting Tomb Tiger.
His nickname as the tiger lurking by Dongting Lake, biding its time, wasn't given lightly.
'Eun So-jeo and Cheon Jang-ho both warned me repeatedly.'
I chose the second option without hesitation.
The second was to draw Regret as well.
To confirm if that choice was right, Sun Woo-uk's sword halted right before my nape, blocked by Regret and sparking flames.
Chaaang!!!!!
At the ear-piercing clash of blades.
The sliding doors on three sides slid open with a rumble, and the Sa Dominion's guards waiting outside the cabin rushed in.
"Alliance Leader! What happened?!"
Only then did Baek Gwang-ho speak.
"It's nothing. Everyone, withdraw. Righteous Army Chief, sheath your sword."
After sending away the guards, Baek Gwang-ho looked at me and smirked.
"Do the young masters of the Baekdo Murim truly believe in that saying about not spitting on a smiling face? They think that if they show courtesy, we'll reciprocate, so they usually just stand there passively in situations like this... You're no pushover, are you?"
"Why wouldn't you spit on a smiling face? You can stab it with a sword instead of spit."
"True. If you'd stayed still, your head would have rolled."
Baek Gwang-ho chuckled to himself for a moment.
"Interesting. Very interesting."
Then, suppressing his killing intent, he stared at Chun Aeng.
"Looks like I got outplayed. Is the Gate Leader sending this roundabout warning to instill some tension in the lax Sa Dominion leadership?"
If the person Chun Aeng had brought wasn't me but an elite assassin, Baek Gwang-ho's life could have been in danger.
He was mocking her for that, pressuring Chun Aeng.
'I trusted you enough to let you into my private quarters, yet you brought an outsider without permission.'
From the Sa Dominion's perspective, it was enough grounds to deem it an act against a public enemy.
"If the Hao Gate fully cooperates with my will from now on, I could let it slide as if it never happened."
However, Chun Aeng was a woman who had weathered every storm to become the Hao Gate's acting leader.
And from the moment she committed to this matter, she was prepared to stake her life.
To Baek Gwang-ho's veiled threat, Chun Aeng politely gathered her sleeves and replied.
"This matter was conceived and executed solely by the Heavenly Maiden. The Madam bears no relation."
"Is that so? Will the other Sa Dominion members see it that way?"
"That depends on how the discussion between the Heavenly Maiden's guest, Great Hero Eon, and the Alliance Leader concludes."
At Chun Aeng's words, Baek Gwang-ho tilted his head.
"I thought you were showing me this fellow's mettle so you could argue that if Eon Yong-un dies at our hands, it would spark a righteous-evil war, and thus restrain the Left Army... Is there more to it?"
To Baek Gwang-ho's question, Chun Aeng gathered her sleeves once more.
And then silently stepped aside.
It was a gesture saying the discussion was for me to have.
Baek Gwang-ho smirked and turned to me.
"Very well. What story does the prodigy of the Baekdo Murim have for a man like me?"
"I'll get straight to the point. I want to make a deal with you, Alliance Leader."
"A deal? When my Righteous Army Chief swung at you earlier, you didn't trust us and drew your sword—now you speak of deals?"
"Didn't you just say that if I'd stayed still, my head would have rolled?"
At my words, Baek Gwang-ho sneered.
"Exactly. I don't trust you either."
I tilted my head at him and spoke.
"Does a deal require trust? As a black path man, you swallow the sweet and spit out the bitter, right?"
"...What?"
"I'll do the same, as a wastrel should."
At my words, Baek Gwang-ho burst into laughter.
"Hahaha! Eon Yong-un. I'd heard the name often, but it seems the reputation is well-earned."
But the laughter on his face faded quickly.
He put on a cold expression and spoke.
"But I can't think of any sweet gains you could offer me."
"Is that so?"
"Yes. Let me say this upfront: the threat of a righteous-evil war doesn't really hit home for me. So what sweet deal can you offer? Is the Pearl Eon Family planning to join the Sa Dominion?"
I smirked at him and replied.
"What if I find the Sa Dominion Leader's seal of authority, the Tyrant Dragon Blade?"
◇◇◇◆◇◇◇ The moment the words about the Sa Dominion Leader's seal, the Tyrant Dragon Blade, left my mouth.
Baek Gwang-ho's ever-relaxed expression hardened instantly.
"......"
And Sun Woo-uk drew his sword again.
Aiming at Chun Aeng, he ground his teeth.
"Did you spill every internal detail of the Sa Dominion to this Baekdo Murim gigolo? You talked about some fateful connection when entering the private quarters earlier—today, I'll end that fate with death!"
However, Baek Gwang-ho raised a hand to stop Sun Woo-uk.
"Righteous Army Chief."
"Yes, Alliance Leader! Just give the order!"
"What great secret is it? How long has the Dongting Tomb Tiger, who should be at Dongting Lake, been holed up in Poyang Lake? We've been covering it by saying we're absorbing the remnants of the Poyang Black Dao Conference, but rumors that we've lost our seal have been trickling out."
"But..."
Sun Woo-uk tried to say more at Baek Gwang-ho's words.
"I know what you're going to say."
But Baek Gwang-ho waved him off, silencing him.
He stared at Chun Aeng and let out a hollow laugh.
"I had no idea the Hao Gate Leader's daughter was so concerned about my position."
Then he turned to me.
"The Tyrant Dragon Blade does pique my interest. But we pride ourselves on knowing Poyang Lake's waterways better than anyone."
Baek Gwang-ho continued.
He seemed to be organizing his thoughts as he spoke.
"Even with all our available manpower mobilized, and me personally coming to Poyang Lake to oversee it, we haven't found it. You claim you can? If you're mocking me..."
Before Baek Gwang-ho could finish sorting his thoughts, I pointed out a fact he had overlooked.
"If you're familiar with the waterways, Alliance Leader, I'm familiar with wandering spirits. I hear that during the succession to the Alliance Leader position, some people met their end in Poyang Lake—is that not so?"
"Come to think of it, this guy single-handedly suppressed the seven Upper Purity Swordsmen of Mount Mo. He'll ask the vengeful spirits sunk in Poyang Lake with the Tyrant Dragon Blade directly..."
As Baek Gwang-ho muttered to himself at the realization.
The silent Chun Aeng chimed in.
"Yes. He single-handedly suppressed the seven Upper Purity Swordsmen of Mount Mo and earned the moniker Ghost Dragon."
Then, constructive words finally came from Baek Gwang-ho's mouth.
"...What do you want from me? Just stopping the Left Army's actions doesn't seem worth the Tyrant Dragon Blade."
"Once. Lend me your strength exactly once, when I request it."
"You mean the power of the Sa Dominion Leader, not Baek Gwang-ho personally. Did I understand right?"
"Yes."
At my answer, Baek Gwang-ho shook his head.
"You want the Baekdo Murim's dog to play lapdog? I'm searching for the Tyrant Dragon Blade to bolster my authority and position—I can't make such a promise, even in empty words."
"Demonic Cult."
"......?"
"With eyes and ears, Alliance Leader, you must know what kind of scum the Demonic Cult are. Their harm might be even more fatal to the Sa Dominion."
But as I brought up the Demonic Cult, Baek Gwang-ho's tone shifted.
"You're asking me to lend strength against them."
He seemed aware that as the Demonic Cult grew, black path forces were suffering losses.
"Yes. Just for that time. Not a bad proposal, is it?"
As I clarified the terms.
Words tantamount to acceptance emerged.
"Is that the end of your requests?"
That covered the official request.
But there was still something to squeeze out privately.
"That's the end of the requests, but to hold a rite of appeasement, I'll need some silver."
I grinned at Baek Gwang-ho.
"Especially if the vengeful spirits harbor deep grudges—it'll cost quite a bit more."
◇◇◇◆◇◇◇ Instead of handing over the silver I demanded without question, Baek Gwang-ho assigned me his subordinates, including Sun Woo-uk.
It seemed less about verifying the use of the silver and more about ensuring secure possession when the Tyrant Dragon Blade was found.
'As expected.'
However, to find the Tyrant Dragon Blade, I needed to shake off Baek Gwang-ho's men.
Of course, since I had anticipated them being assigned.
I had a way to ditch them.
I first took the subordinates they assigned without complaint and headed to a nearby waterway where the former Vice Alliance Leader and his confidants had gone missing.
"This is the place."
"It's thick with yin energy indeed."
It was a spot the boatmen called the Dragon King's Temple waters, corresponding to the waist of Poyang Lake's hourglass shape.
Here, the width narrowed drastically, making the currents swift.
As such, even without the Vice Alliance Leader, ships and people often vanished.
In other words, it was simply a place teeming with water ghosts.
"Rise!"
Kreaaah!!
I first raised a rotting corpse from the water and brought it to the surface.
"Let me ask you something. About the Poyang Black Dao..."
Pretending to converse, I subtly released the corpse control technique.
Then shot a sharp glance at Sun Woo-uk.
"Tch. This won't do at all."
"What do you mean?"
"Suppose you lot died. Would you spill about the seal with the very people who killed you staring you down?"
"......"
"Go back. Tell the Alliance Leader that despite our lack of trust, I won't pocket the seal."
"...Ugh. Fine."
"And."
"And?"
"Summoning vengeful spirits right under your watchful eyes has stirred their anger greatly. The grudges are too deep; it'll cost more. We're setting up an altar nearby, so hurry back with another thousand taels."
"......"
After sending off the Sa Dominion lackeys that way, I sent a prearranged signal and summoned my Eon brothers to the nearby shore.
The Eon brothers arrived carrying tents, mats, and other ritual items as instructed.
Among them, Eon Yong-myeong spoke first.
"Big brother, Acting Leader. Are you safe? Did the talk go well?"
"If it hadn't, I wouldn't have called you here."
"Yes. Even in a life-threatening situation, Great Hero Eon treated the new Alliance Leader as he pleased. The Heavenly Maiden is impressed once more."
Cheon Jang-ho, who had been listening to our conversation, offered his usual candid opinion.
"Seriously, following Yong-un hyung is gonna shorten my lifespan. Whew, is it okay to join hands with these evil path folks?"
Jeong Hyeon said to him.
"Is there any reason not to collaborate with those of the Sa or black paths? The Acting Leader Chun Aeng here is of the black paths herself. There's also the idiom of Wu and Yue sharing a boat. Back in the Spring and Autumn Period, the states of Wu and Yue..."
"Jeong Hyeon Dojang. I'm not some kid! I know about Wu and Yue sharing a boat!"
"Well."
"What I'm saying is, that promise boils down to borrowing strength later. Can we trust it?!"
My master chimed in as well.
- I agree with the kid here. Wasn't the whole mess with losing the seal because that Baek Gwang-ho guy promised to spare the Vice Leader and then killed him anyway?
To Cheon Jang-ho and my master's concerns, I smirked and replied.
"I've got something else in mind, so don't worry."
Then, handing Yin Xia Lian the chest of silver I'd squeezed from Baek Gwang-ho, I said.
"Turns out I could wring some money out of it too."
"Oh, really? Two... no, eight... not kidding?"
"Another thousand taels coming soon."
Yin Xia Lian swallowed hard at the news of another thousand taels.
I asked her.
"The tasks I requested?"
"I sent word separately to Military Advisor Zhuge. The rest, ask Young Hero Wu."
"I see. Then everyone, set up the altar here. Yong-myeong, you and Jeong Hyeon know how—take the lead."
I assigned roles to my Eon brothers and gazed at the shining shrine across from where we stood.
That shrine with gold paint on its walls was called the Dragon King Temple or Old Lord Temple.
'The Sa Dominion's seal, the Tyrant Dragon Blade, is there.'
The former Vice Alliance Leader, killed by Baek Gwang-ho.
In case of the unexpected, he had secretly entrusted the Tyrant Dragon Blade to that shrine in the form of an offering, as insurance.
'But he ended up dying himself, leaving it unresolved, as in the original story.'
One of Baek Gwang-ho's subordinates, the Wicked Lord Sword Punisher's Righteous Army, had seen the Vice Leader's boat sink right before their eyes.
Thus, they only searched underwater and never thought to check the shrine.
'The classic case of darkness under the lamp.'
Moreover, that Dragon King Temple was a place where black path folks couldn't rampage.
And for good reason.
Poyang Lake had deep ties to Emperor Hongwu Zhu Yuanzhang, and that Dragon King Temple had been rebuilt by imperial decree.
'Thus, it's guarded by imperial troops.'
Not a place to rummage freely.
But I had Little Necro.
For rummaging openly or covertly, no one in the Central Plains could match him.
"Let's go."
"Yes! Eon hyung!"
