Chapter 226
Chapter 226
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Translator: Ryuma
Chapter: 226
Chapter Title: Upheaval in Nine Dragons (5)
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The Red Dragon Hall Master's request was simple. No, perhaps it's more accurate to say his political views were firm.
"No matter what, the Green Dragon Hall Master must become the next Lord."
Truly a conservative.
He didn't want the current Green Dragon Hall system to change one bit.
"Is there something I don't know?"
"I can't tell you because nothing is certain, but the Green Dragon Hall Master must become the Lord."
"...I understand. I will pass on the message."
He didn't give me the specific reasons, but I nodded.
After all, I was just the messenger. My master was the one who would decide.
I just had to scoop up the crumbs that fell my way.
*Clatter, clatter.*
For example, things like two hundred bottles of Red Blossom Wine, with a recommended retail price of ten silver taels each.
'I'll give Master twenty bottles and sell the rest.'
Excessive drinking is bad for your health, after all.
Anyway, starting with the Red Dragon Hall Master, I met the other Hall Masters one by one.
"Hmm? You ask if I have a message for the Outer Hall Master? The strongest one will become the Lord anyway, so I have no thoughts on the matter. Then why did you call me? Because I heard of your exploits, of course. Come! Let's have a match."
The Gray Dragon Hall Master, who showed up empty-handed and immediately drew his saber.
"Isn't now the time to end the era of the Green Dragon Hall? I trust that Gate Master Jin will make the right choice."
The Silver Dragon Hall Master, who pulled all sorts of tricks behind the scenes during the Hanzhong competition, now acting friendly because he was in a desperate situation.
"I believe the current system is the most suitable. However, even if Hall Master Bukgung thinks differently, I will not resent him."
The Blue Dragon Hall Master, as upright as a hundred-year-old bamboo, just as one would expect from that brat Dan Un's master.
"My master left for the Hermit's Forest two days ago."
"Already?"
"Yes, he asked me to thank you. Thank you for taking such good care of him."
"Oh, no. It's not even a tenth of the grace I received."
"Do you still harbor such feelings? I'm grateful, but please, let it go. Your Grandmaster in the heavens wouldn't want you to be trapped in the past."
"...Then please, at least take this."
"What is this... Gasp! How can we possibly accept such a large sum of money!"
"Well... Ah! It's money my grand-uncle entrusted to me. He told me to return it to the Black Dragon Hall."
"Don't lie. My master... Gasp! Phantom Shift?!"
Far from collecting money, I ended up spending a fortune, but in return, the Black Dragon Hall Master deposited warmth into my heart.
Now, only two people remained.
The Green Dragon Hall Master, Dang Hyeon, and the White Dragon Hall Master, Baek Jung-cheon.
Actually, the collection... no, the interviews were supposed to be only with the Green Dragon Hall Master.
The Green Dragon Hall Master was in the most desperate position, and since the Red and Blue Dragon Halls supported him, I thought it wouldn't be a bad idea to meet him.
As for Baek Jung-cheon, honestly, meeting him was quite awkward.
However, my plan went awry.
"It's been a while."
Because a wild Baek Jung-cheon was waiting for me in front of my house.
What's more, he wore a deep scowl, as if he hated being here himself.
'I hate it more...'
The situation was absurd, but I didn't panic.
In times like these, only one thing was needed.
"..."
To completely ignore him.
Why bother facing each other when the mere sight of one another made us scowl?
*Clank.*
Just as I was about to leave him and go inside.
*Grab.*
A warrior from the White Dragon Hall grabbed my shoulder.
"Wai—!"
*Crack! Crunch.*
I was kind enough to knock his teeth out.
Every last one.
"Ughhh..."
I left the warrior clutching his jaw and went inside.
I figured that would be enough to get my point across.
But the real problem started then.
*Creeak.*
When I went out for dinner, Baek Jung-cheon was still standing in the same spot.
"..."
Even the positions of the scattered teeth on the ground were unchanged. He had been waiting for me without moving a single step.
'Wow, this is insane.'
A good eight hours had passed.
No matter how much I disliked the guy, I couldn't just leave him like this.
After all, he was one of the major shareholders of the client company, and I was the CEO of the subcontractor.
Even setting aside our business relationship, treating him so poorly for any longer could start strange rumors.
"...Follow me."
"I will."
In the end, I had no choice but to talk to him.
* * *
The place was a cheap tavern nearby.
It was the only place open.
Baek Jung-cheon, the equivalent of a modern-day conglomerate chairman, made his displeasure obvious, but what could I do?
He was the one in need.
"...Want a drink?"
"No, thank you."
"Suit yourself."
*Pour. Gulp.*
"Kyah... That hits the spot."
The cheap liquor warmed me from the inside.
"Even after rising to such a high position, your vulgarity remains unchanged. I can see why Mu-ha keeps his distance from you."
"High position, my ass... What a load of crap. That's why your son ended up half-crippled at my hands. How can a martial artist who obsesses over this and that ever become strong? You know that too, don't you?"
*Twitch.*
"Go ahead and try something. But let me tell you."
I unleashed my own aura toward him as he radiated killing intent.
*Whoosh! Flutter.*
The banner that served as the tavern's sign fluttered.
"Shouldn't you first consider whether you can even beat the opponent in front of you?"
In fact, I knew it the moment I saw Baek Jung-cheon this afternoon.
Right now, this guy was more than a step below me.
A fight's outcome can change depending on one's condition and various factors at the time, but... well?
If he's my opponent, I'd find strength I didn't even know I had, so I don't think I'd lose.
"This is getting tedious. If you have something to say, say it quickly and leave."
Baek Jung-cheon opened his mouth, his eyes filled with killing intent.
"Leave Nine Dragons Fortress."
What kind of nonsense is this, out of the blue?
"I already left, didn't I?"
I already handed in my resignation and went to Hanzhong.
"I mean leave the territory of Nine Dragons Fortress. Along with your master."
"Bullshit..."
As I was about to retort, he showed me a palm-sized piece of paper.
"It's a promissory note from the Shanxi Merchant Guild. For two million silver taels. Isn't that enough money to live like a king?"
"Ha!"
I was dumbfounded by the amount, which would be equivalent to two trillion won in modern currency.
With that much money, you could buy an entire castle on the outskirts of the Central Plains.
For reference, the entire value of Gansu Province before the war was only one and a half million taels. Qinghai Province was worth even less.
"It's the entire fortune of the White Dragon Hall."
I was stunned once again to hear it was their entire fortune.
It was practically everything they had amassed over their nearly five-hundred-year history.
A colossal sum I might never touch in my entire life. It would be a lie to say I wasn't tempted.
No matter how rich I become, as long as I'm in the martial world, I could die at any time, anywhere.
However.
'Even so, it's a fortune built by stealing the Bukgung family's business.'
As my master said, that money was originally mine.
It's something to be reclaimed, not received.
"I don't need it."
"...I was under the impression you were quite greedy for money."
"Even so, isn't it just money made by stealing the Bukgung family's cotton business?"
"What nonsense is this? The cotton business was first started by the founder of the Baek family..."
"Don't lie. I want to kill you right now."
"...Hearing you spout such nonsense, it seems you had no intention of negotiating from the start."
"You're the one who showed up unannounced."
"Try not to regret this."
"You should treasure that one remaining arm of yours, Hall Master. You never know when it might be cut off."
"Hmph."
He shot up from his seat.
Watching his retreating back, I shouted.
"Auntie, one order of stir-fried pork over here!"
Because delicious food is best eaten alone.
The auntie here is a pretty good cook.
* * *
A deep alley within Black Serpent Road.
There stood a black house that no one ever visited.
But it wasn't an abandoned house. Five servants and one master lived there.
When the master of the house, Bukgung Baek, stepped out, the ruffians of the underworld were startled and cleared the way.
"I-It's the Demon King!"
"Ugh!"
*Gurgle.*
The underworld thugs fainted even though he was just walking down the street, not even emitting his aura.
Bukgung Baek passed them with an indifferent gaze and headed for a small distillery on Black Serpent Road.
It was where he usually bought his bamboo leaf liquor, and at a glance, it seemed like just an old distillery.
"Chuno."
"You've arrived."
In reality, it was a contact point for a faction connected to the Bukgung family.
"Did you find out?"
"Here it is."
The old man called Chuno handed him a piece of paper, and after checking it, Bukgung Baek nodded.
"As I thought. He's caught on."
"Before the war, Namgung So, the Blue-Faced Sword, who tried to kill the head of the Cheong family, died at the young master's hands. It seems he started digging from there."
Bukgung Baek frowned at the old man's words. It wasn't because of the information.
"'Young master'..."
"...My apologies. I misspoke."
"As long as you know."
Bukgung Baek tucked the paper into his robes and asked.
"Are they related to the current situation?"
"We are still investigating, so it's not certain, but... I believe there's a seventy percent chance or more."
"I see."
"No, sir. But..."
"Speak."
"The Lord wishes to see you."
*Twitch.*
Bukgung Baek's eyebrow twitched, as if he didn't like those words.
"Tell him to come find me himself if he wants to see me."
"However, as you know, the Lord is currently... Hup!"
*Fwoosh.*
At his excuse, Bukgung Baek's hand burst into flames. Recognizing the Black Flame Dragon, the old man recoiled in terror.
"To me, you are nothing but traitors. Is there any reason I should consider the circumstances of such people?"
The old man clenched his teeth and spoke.
"Dwelling on the past will do neither of us any good. It would be better to help each other as we are now..."
"Help...? All this time, I was receiving payment for letting you live, but you were under the delusion that you were helping me."
Bukgung Baek gave a cold sneer and left the distillery.
"Relay this to your Lord. Tell him I'll be visiting soon, so he should wash his neck and wait."
"...!"
* * *
After sending Baek Jung-cheon off, I drank heavily by myself and felt the alcohol getting to me.
I could purge the alcohol poisoning anytime, but it felt like a waste of money for the drink, so I just walked under the moonlight, drunk.
"The mooon I gaze upon tonight is so lonelyyy..."
The full moon looked just like Myo Hyang's face, making my heart ache.
In truth, I had planned to hold her tight as soon as the war was over.
We had already confirmed our feelings for each other, so what was there to hold us back?
But over two hundred disciples of the War King Gate had died.
In that situation, as the Gate Master, I couldn't be singing songs of love.
Thanks to that, I kept putting it off, and here we are today.
"Sob, Sister, I'm sorry..."
However, once this matter is resolved, I'll have some breathing room.
This time, I firmly resolved to end my over fifty-year-long history of being single, spanning both my past and present lives, and opened the gate to the War King Gate.
*Creeak.*
With all the disciples gone to Hanzhong, the inside was empty. Its vast size only amplified the sense of desolation.
If the Hao Gate hadn't sent people to manage it periodically, some parts would have already decayed and crumbled.
'Anyway, I need to restart the rotational duties...'
Partly so the disciples can attend the lectures of the star instructor, Master Bukgung.
As I was crossing the grand training ground with these thoughts in mind.
*Chill.*
The hair on my arms stood on end from a killing intent I felt from somewhere.
*Drip. Swaaa...*
As I expelled the alcohol from my system, I sent out my Seventh Sense Diagram in all directions—front, back, left, right, up, and down.
But.
'...I can't feel anything.'
There was nothing to be felt in the vicinity.
I always thought only ghosts could evade the radar of my Seventh Sense Diagram.
"Huh? Wha... Ack!"
But this time, the Seventh Sense Diagram was wrong.
*Clatter! Clatter!*
An ominous, rupturing sound came from somewhere, and then shards of steel filled the full moon's view.
And then.
*Clatter!*
They transformed into a giant serpent and lunged at me.