Chapter 35
Chapter 35
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Translator: Ryuma
Chapter: 35
Chapter Title: The Heavenly Dragon Society
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#035 The Heavenly Dragon Society
“The toad… no, the Third Young Master is being welcomed with a banquet hosted by the Heavenly Dragon Society, and you want me to attend? But why are you the one delivering this message, Dan Un?”
“I was asked a favor.”
“By whom?”
“The Third Young Master.”
‘What a freaking stalker.’
It seems he hasn't given up on Cheong So-so.
‘To be so clingy even after losing a fair fight.’
If this were the modern world, I would have filed for a restraining order.
I asked with a firm expression.
“And I can refuse?”
“That is your choice. However, it's been a while since we've had a gathering like this, so I think it would be best if you came.”
“I'll just pass. I don't have any close friends there anyway.”
“...I seem to recall you having friends?”
“I did. Back then.”
I just cut ties with all the bastards who turned their backs on me when I needed them most, so now there's no one left.
“Anyway, I'm not going, so let him know.”
“A pity.”
“Have fun. I think I'll just go take a nap.”
“Isn't it time for you to be at work?”
“Hey now, I'm a Squad Leader. Third in rank in the Outer Hall. For a high-ranking official like me, clocking in isn't what's important. It's how I work that matters.”
For the record, my work routine consists of showing up, collecting the pocket money my squad members have gathered for me, and then heading right back home.
“My master reports to his office at the exact hour every day.”
“That's because the Blue Dragon Hall Master is exceptionally diligent and sincere. The Outer Hall Master often shows up only once every three days.”
That Bukgung fellow is definitely a cancerous presence in the Nine Dragons Fortress.
He should be added to my mental list of people who need to be fired, the sooner the better.
Compared to him, I'm a model employee. Yes, indeed.
“...Understood. I'll tell them you can't make it. And.”
“...”
“You haven't forgotten your promise, have you?”
Annoying bastard.
As I nodded as if it were a matter of course, Dan Un left me with some meaningful words.
“You'd better be prepared. He's been enduring harsh training every single day with only you in mind.”
Hearing that, I took a fresh look at Dan Un's physique.
Even through his clothes, his combat-compressed muscles were visible, and beneath his sleeves, I could see forearms with veins bulging all over.
He had clearly lowered his body fat to the limit through hellish training and packed on muscle.
‘Seriously, to go this far...’
He's just going to be eliminated in the preliminaries anyway.
But a gentleman's words must be as heavy as a great mountain.
I decided to reassure Dan Un for the time being.
“Hah! You should be the one to watch out, Dan Un. The me of today is not the same man I was yesterday.”
“...I'll look forward to it.”
Yeah, you're gonna fail in the prelims.
As Dan Un left with a satisfied expression, Yong Ma-san sidled up to me and said.
“I can say with certainty that if we're talking about lying skills, Squad Leader Jin is the strongest in the Nine Dragons Fortress.”
* * *
“Anything unusual?”
“Things are so quiet that some of the squad members are getting bored from lack of work.”
“Good.”
“It's all thanks to you, Squad Leader.”
The First Squad's office, which I visited in the afternoon, was much different from when I first took over.
The complainants who once crowded the front yard due to backlogged work were nowhere to be seen, and only a few troublemakers were brought in sporadically.
The most noticeable change, of course, was that the hooligans who used to cause trouble were no longer around.
This was thanks to the influence of the Two Immortals Gang, which had a tight grip on the dregs of the outer fortress.
‘Excellent.’
With results like these, I felt I could even afford to gift Yong Ma-san a high-quality wig soon.
But do they even have wigs in this era?
“You're doing well. It doesn't look good if you guys are just lazing around, so have them train in their spare time. And if other squads request support, help them out as much as possible.”
“I'll keep that in mind.”
“Alright. I'm leaving now, so keep up the good work.”
After leaving the First Squad's office, I didn't head home but went towards Taeryong Street.
‘Today's the day.’
I was going to ask Manager Yuk out on a date.
Destination: the Red Blossom Pavilion. Target: Manager Yuk.
Actually, I had intended to visit her sooner.
We still had a promise to have tea, and more importantly, the look in her eyes when I visited last time was anything but ordinary.
The timing for a confession was definitely approaching.
But there was one problem.
‘It took too long to get over the PTSD those Red Dragon Hall bastards gave me.’
The existence of the Red Dragon Hall's killing fiends.
I hadn't even been able to set foot in the Red Blossom Pavilion, afraid I might get tangled up with those guys.
That's why I hadn't been able to convey my feelings until now, but not anymore.
‘Alpha male trait: overcome any ordeal.’
I am the one who brought Lee Jeok-ha, one of the top young martial artists in the northeast, to his knees.
The likes of the Red Dragon Hall are no longer a match for me.
Vowing to win Manager Yuk's heart today, I walked briskly for about two hours.
The Red Blossom Pavilion, with its red-tiled roof, came into view.
It was originally in a more secluded location, but it moved after acquiring the Golden Flower Pavilion.
Since I played the most crucial role in that acquisition, you could say I was responsible for building at least one of the four floors of the new building.
“Ahem. Have you been well?”
I made my presence known to the doorman, who recognized me and quickly bowed his head.
“My goodness! If it isn't Squad Leader Jin. Oh, where is my mind? You've been promoted, so I should be calling you Sir Jin.”
As expected of someone working under Manager Yuk, his thinking was impeccable.
“'Sir' is too much. Just call me Great Hero. It feels rather awkward for someone as young as me to be called 'Sir'.”
“Ah... yes, Great Hero Jin.”
“By the way, is Manager Yuk inside? I have something urgent to tell her.”
“She is, but I'm afraid you won't be able to enter today.”
“What do you mean? A pleasure house not accepting customers?”
“Well... the Heavenly Dragon Society has booked the entire Red Blossom Pavilion for a banquet.”
‘Damn it, of course this would happen.’
To think the Third Young Master's welcoming party was being held here.
Just as the doorman finished his explanation, an irritating voice came from behind me.
“You said you weren't coming, yet here you are.”
It was Baek Ha-jin, the youngest son of the White Dragon Hall Master.
For the record, this is the bastard who tried to take Myo Hyang as his concubine.
I ignored the punk and spoke to the doorman.
“It seems today is not the day. I'll come back another time.”
“Understood, Great Hero Jin.”
As I turned to leave, disappointed, Baek Ha-jin sneered and said.
“Don't be like that. Let's go inside. It's been two years since we graduated, and you haven't seen any of our classmates, have you?”
“Bullshit.”
At the blatant dismissal, Baek Ha-jin's expression immediately turned vicious.
“Ha, you must still see me as the little kid who used to get beat up by you. If I wanted to, someone like you would be... Eek!”
Tired of his talk, I shot my fist right in front of his nose.
As the powerful fist, imbued with the principles of the Dragon-Slaying Thirteen Strikes, flew forward, Baek Ha-jin yelped in shock and fell backward.
“You're even worse than when you were a kid.”
“Y-you!”
His face turned beet red as rage boiled up inside him.
Then, he suddenly placed his hand on the hilt of his sword.
“What is this behavior on such a fine day?”
Just then, a solemn voice spoke, and a sharp-featured man appeared.
It was the White Dragon Sword, Baek Mu-ha—president of the Heavenly Dragon Society, the alumni association of the Heaven-Ascending Pavilion, and the eldest legitimate son of the White Dragon Hall Master.
He stepped between me and Baek Ha-jin.
Then he looked at Baek Ha-jin and clicked his tongue. It seemed he had been watching from inside.
“Pathetic fool.”
“...Stay out of this, brother.”
“What did you say?”
After a brief glare from him, Baek Ha-jin immediately backed down.
“I-I'm sorry. I got carried away...”
Only after hearing his brother's apology did Baek Mu-ha turn to me.
“It's been a long time.”
“Yeah. I guess it has.”
A reunion after three years.
The past was filled with anything but good memories, so my tone became cynical without me realizing it.
“Forgive my younger brother's mistake.”
“There's nothing to forgive. We were just messing around.”
“I've heard of your recent deeds. You saved our family members at Mount Diancang, I hear?”
The predecessor of the White Dragon Hall was a prestigious clan called the Baek Family.
Unlike other factions united by master-disciple relationships, they were bound by blood.
Even so, to say ‘our family members’...
It was a ridiculous phrase to use now, over a hundred years after they had been merged under the name of the Nine Dragons Fortress.
“It was nothing. As ‘fellow members of the Nine Dragons Fortress,’ I only did what was natural.”
“Members of the Nine Dragons Fortress... A fair point.”
Fair point, my ass.
“So, you were looking for someone?”
“No. I can just come back tomorrow.”
I was so disgusted I didn't want to exchange another word with him. But just as I was about to turn away, I saw the interior of the Red Blossom Pavilion through the open door behind Baek Mu-ha.
On the first floor, courtesans were playing zithers in front of tables packed with young martial artists.
And I could see Manager Yuk bustling about, overseeing the entire banquet.
“Don't be like that, come on in. There is someone who wants to see you. And...”
Baek Mu-ha paused. I followed his gaze and turned my head. The people inside were looking at me.
“Everyone knows you're here now, don't they?”
A completely unwelcome situation.
I considered just ignoring them and leaving, but I quickly changed my mind.
I didn't want to look like I was running away.
“Alright. Let's go in.”
“Good. A wise decision.”
In the end, I followed Baek Mu-ha into the Red Blossom Pavilion.
As befitting the largest pleasure house in the Nine Dragons Fortress, the interior was vast.
Even with three hundred people inside, there were still empty seats here and there.
And.
Uahahahaha.
On the second floor, which overlooked the first, sat Lee Jeok-ha along with several others.
They were the children and disciples of the Hall Masters from the fortress's eight main halls.
It wasn't enough that they gathered the elites of the Nine Dragons Fortress under the name of the Heavenly Dragon Society; they had to divide themselves into ranks even within the group.
This was it.
The reason I came to despise the Heavenly Dragon Society.
“Let's go up.”
I was already disgusted enough. The thought of going to the second floor made me feel like I might puke, so I shook my head.
“No, thanks. I'll drink with my friends on the first floor.”
“...It's been three years, but you haven't changed a bit.”
“They say the only time a person changes is when they die, don't they?”
“Understood. I won't insist.”
Baek Mu-ha didn't press the matter and went upstairs.
I immediately found an empty spot nearby, and Manager Yuk approached.
The sight of her heart, as vast as the Pacific, came into view, and my foul mood instantly melted away.
“You've come.”
“It's been a while. Have you been well?”
“I've been busy assisting the young lady.”
“I see. Actually, the reason I came here today wasn't for the banquet, but...”
I was about to get straight to the point for her, since she was so busy, when...
*Clatter.*
“Well, look who it is! Isn't it the Fighting Dragon, Jin Mujeon, the rising star whose name echoes throughout the Nine Dragons Fortress!”
The three "friends" I had cut ties with approached the table.
Seeing them, Yuk Jin-hwa smiled quietly and stepped back.
“I'll have a table set for you. Please catch up with your friends.”
“Ah, no...”
I reached out toward her retreating back as she scurried away, but that ship had already sailed.
‘Useless bastards!’
I wanted to beat them to a pulp right then and there, but I couldn't cause a scene in a place like this.
With superhuman patience, I barely managed to hold back and greeted them.
“When did you ever act so friendly? Not when I was asking you to save a life, that's for sure.”
The drinking session that followed was awkward at first. The memory of how coldly they had rejected my plea to help rescue Cheong So-so was still fresh.
“Hey, what was I supposed to do when my sect forbade it? You saw me. I even went and asked the Vice Hall Master myself.”
“I had another mission. How could I help you? I don't have two bodies.”
“These guys are right. Besides, I'm no expert, so why come to me? To be cannon fodder?”
“I don't listen to the excuses of traitors.”
Their cowardly excuses made my anger flare up again, but.
‘Sigh, I'll endure it.’
As a representative great man of virtue from the Outer Hall, I couldn't hold my friends' mistakes against them forever.
I decided it was time to forgive the bastards.
“However, I'll make a special exception and forgive you this one time. So, tell me what you've all been up to.”
For the next two hours, we poured drinks for each other and opened our hearts.
A few people on the first floor were whispering amongst themselves, looking at me with discomfort.
The reason was obvious.
Their pride was probably wounded by the fact that I, a street orphan, was stronger than them.
‘Time to go home.’
I felt like shit, and the taste of the alcohol soured in my mouth.
“It was good seeing you all. Let's get together again sometime.”
“You're leaving already?”
“It's uncomfortable.”
As I glanced around, my old classmates nodded in understanding.
“I get it.”
“Let's grab a drink soon. It'll be on me.”
“Jin Mujeon really has made it big. To think we'd hear him offer to buy drinks.”
‘To think they'd believe my lip service. Still a bunch of rookies.’
Just as I got up from my seat and was about to head for the door, I made eye contact with Baek Mu-ha on the second floor.
*Pfft.*
A clear sneer.
And then.
“Everyone, your attention, please!”
He drew everyone's gaze.
“We've gathered after such a long time; must we only drink without any entertainment? So, I was thinking of holding a martial contest. What do you all think?”
At Baek Mu-ha's suggestion, everyone in the Heavenly Dragon Society nodded with expressions of interest.
Having had a few drinks, their competitive spirits were rising.
I tried to ignore it and leave, but Baek Mu-ha's voice reached me.
“Over there is a friend named Jin Mujeon, who works in the Outer Hall. He is a talented individual who graduated at the top of the 99th class. He also recently achieved great merit at Mount Diancang.”
Baek Mu-ha took a silk pouch from his robes and tossed it in front of me.
*Clank.*
It was so heavy that the impact of it hitting the ground was enough to slightly open its mouth. The pouch was filled with silver coins.
“To anyone who challenges and defeats that friend, I will give all the silver in this pouch and a precious garment made by the White Dragon Hall.”
A martial contest arranged without my consent.
‘Fucking bastard.’
The malice was so palpable, I couldn't even manage a curse.
If I lose, I'll be disgraced.
And if I win, I'll just make more enemies.
And Baek Mu-ha's intention hit its mark perfectly.
A couple of guys who had always looked down on me got up from their seats.
I could have just taken a few hits and let it end, but I didn't want to do that in front of them.
I also refused to move according to Baek Mu-ha's script.
*Thump.*
Having made up my mind, I used the War King Step and shot toward the men who had stood up.
And.
*CRACK! CRUNCH.*
I slammed my fist into one man's chest, sending him flying, and grabbed the other's shoulder, breaking it.
It was a successful surprise attack, thanks to the alcohol and their carelessness.
“.......”
Everyone in the Red Blossom Pavilion stared at me with horrified eyes.
They probably never imagined I would act so viciously and so quickly.
The reason I did this was to share the responsibility.
I was the one who threw the punch, but Baek Mu-ha was the one who arranged the whole affair.
I picked up the fallen pouch and looked up at Baek Mu-ha.
“I'll come to collect the precious garment in the near future.”
“...Understood.”
He gave a small nod, his eyes cold.
I looked around at everyone on the first floor, clasped my fist in a martial salute, and said.
“I apologize for unintentionally ruining the mood. Since I've inconvenienced my seniors and juniors, I'll use this money to buy drinks.”
I tossed the pouch to Manager Yuk, who was standing at a distance.
“If you please.”
With those words, I left the Red Blossom Pavilion.
I was walking down the street, reflecting on what a shitty day it had been in so many ways, when a large man approached me.
“...Excuse me, but my young master wishes to see you for a moment.”
It was the toad's personal guard.