Yellow Dragon Lord, Genius Swordsman
Episode 5
Jeonse (專貰), or Jeondang (典當).
It was a time-honored institution.
Since the ancient Zhou Dynasty, two thousand years ago, private land has been used as capital for high-interest loans, and as an extension of this, leasing buildings also boasts a long history.
In short, putting taxes on a building is not a strange concept at all.
Therefore, the suffocating silence that hovered over the palace was not because they did not understand Dan Sa-hyeok’s words.
In fact, it’s quite the opposite.
“Go, how dare you take the headquarters of the Murim Alliance, Hwangryongseong… … .”
“Are you saying you want to do business for money?”
“What do you think of this Hwangryongseong and the Murim Alliance!”
Indignant voices could be heard here and there, but that was all.
The old monk simply nodded with a look of understanding.
“I see.”
“Monk Head!”
This time, Samajin couldn’t hold it in anymore and shouted.
“Are you just going to let it go after hearing those words?”
“There’s no need to go over and over again, soldier. The owner of the building wants to use the building as he pleases, so who can interfere?”
“Isn’t this Huanglongseong Fortress just a building?”
“If it’s not just a building, then what is it?”
“That, that’s… … !”
Sima Jin was speechless.
The old monk continued speaking indifferently.
“It is quite wide, large, and magnificent. But in the end, it is just a building, a rather large castle, isn’t it?”
“… … .”
“If I think about it, it could have endless uses. If it was also used as the headquarters of the Murim Alliance, then countless wealthy people and officials in Seoan would open their purses without hesitation.”
“Monk!”
“Sir, as I said before, there is no problem with this young poet’s logic. The Murim Alliance promised to give anything for the death of the Blood Heavenly Demon, and this poet carried out that promise. Isn’t that right?”
“Ha, but… … .”
“There are only two ways in which the promise can be broken. Either Cheon Mu-yeol is actually alive, or the Murim Alliance breaks the promise.”
The old monk’s eyes became serious for a moment.
“The first one is something we can’t do anything about, but the second one is not. If we’re willing to risk the stigma that will be passed down through generations, then it’s not something we wouldn’t do.”
“… … .”
“What are you going to do, everyone?”
The old monk looked around the crowd and asked, but there was not a single person who could answer his question right away.
* * *
“So, what was the result?”
“For now, I guess I should say that it has been hushed up… …”
A place to the southeast of Hwangryongseong.
A man and a woman who appeared to be father and daughter were sitting across from each other, having a conversation, with a tea table emitting a subtle fragrance between them.
One side is a middle-aged man with a respectable appearance wearing a school uniform.
The other woman was a girl who had not yet completely lost her girlish charm, but was clearly beautiful to anyone who saw her.
“First, a fact-finding mission was formed. In order to ensure fairness, one person from each of the nine factions was sent to Gansu Province, along with five representatives from the five great factions.”
“There are fourteen of them.”
“Yes. I have also sent a messenger to the Gansu Province branch, so they will also act appropriately.”
“In the meantime?”
“For now, I guess we should leave it up to the discretion of each sect and family. The conversation flowed as if they were going to figure it out themselves during the last days of the fifteenth night.”
“Then what do you think Father will do?”
“Honestly, I don’t know.”
The middle-aged man with the academic look sighed.
“It’s not normal for a young man to suddenly barge in and demand that you hand over the Hwangryongseong.”
“There are rumors going around that Master Gomok and Shaolin Temple are behind him.”
“Rumors spread quickly. Well, there were over a hundred people in the Muwangjeon, so it must have been quick for the word to spread.”
“What was the reaction of the independents?”
“Huh? Why are you suddenly asking about the nonpartisan faction?”
“I heard that Namgung Se-ga was the one who was leading the conversation before the old monk intervened.”
The expressions “North Respect Shaolin” and “South Respect Martial Arts” are so famous that they need no explanation.
As with such public perception, it was nothing new that there had been an invisible power struggle between the Shaolin Temple and the Wudang sect for a long time.
Among them, the one suspected of having close ties with the shamans was Nanggong Se-ga, the loser of Anhui Province.
“A person of Namgung Woon’s stature would not have acted like that out of simple pride. Perhaps he had some kind of talk with the non-partisan faction.”
“Well, I don’t know about that. Namgung Woon is the type of person who likes to stand out.”
“Then let’s put this part on hold.”
“Let’s do that.”
The woman pauses for a moment to take a sip of tea.
It was Jegal Yunseong, the head of the Jegal family, and his daughter Jegal Seoyeon.
The Jegal family has been known as the greatest intellectual family since ancient times.
It was a family that had held real power in the Murim Alliance’s staff for generations along with the Sima Family.
Although he lost his military position to Sima Zhen, who was considered the Seven Treasures God, Zhuge Yuncheng did not feel defeated.
Because he was too polite to be jealous of others for such a reason.
As the daughter, Jegal Seoyeon felt a bit sorry for her father’s behavior, but there was nothing she could do about his innate nature.
“By the way, what kind of person is that guy named Dan Sa-hyeok?”
“Well, I guess I can’t say for now.”
“Personality is all that matters. What matters is whether or not someone has the ability to stake the fate of our family on it.”
“hmm…….”
“Hubei Province is already completely controlled by the non-partisan faction, so we have no room to do anything. But we can’t target Shaanxi Province or Henan Province, which are geographically close.”
In Shaanxi Province, there is the Huashan Sect, and in Henan Province, there is the Shaolin Temple.
They were all breakwaters that could be counted among the first in the old file room.
In addition, Mount Wudang stands right next to Longzhong where the Sega clan is located, so the Zhuge Sega clan cannot avoid being caught between three whales.
If we just stay where we are, that’s not a bad thing.
But Zhuge Liang did not want to stop there.
“If he really has the power and ability to defeat the Blood Heavenly Demon… … he could be the wedge that breaks the current situation.”
“Yeon-ah.”
“Father, all of this is for the sake of the Zhuge family.”
Zhuge Liang said with a serious expression.
“You can’t live forever under the sway of shamans and volcanoes, right?”
“Hmm.”
“I’m not doing this out of personal motives, so I hope you’ll understand.”
“i get it.”
In the end, it was Zhuge Yunseong who ended up answering like that.
* * *
Similar conversations were taking place all over Huanglongseong.
Those who keep a close eye on the situation and flow within the Murim Alliance and seek to improve their own position.
Almost everyone was intent on uncovering the identity of the uninvited guest called Dan Sa-hyeok and the person behind it.
“So, what exactly is that guy?”
“I don’t know. Is he really strong enough to catch the Blood Heavenly Horse, or is he just a fraud brought in from somewhere?”
“Isn’t there anyone from Gansu Province here? Hasn’t there been anyone here who has heard anything about him?”
“The third leader of the White Tiger Corps is from the Gansu Province branch… … .”
A noisy room.
It was one of the restaurants in Hwangryongseong.
It’s only natural that it gets noisy when the space, which can accommodate over a hundred people, is half full.
Since there were many first-class or higher warriors in the group, it was even more noisy.
If you are a first-class warrior from the headquarters of the Murim Alliance, you can walk around any neighborhood without any problems.
Due to the nature of Hwangryongseong, key figures from each faction were gathered there, so even a single warrior was often a disciple of a famous faction.
“So in the end, which side is he on?”
“I don’t know. If even you brilliant minds can’t figure it out, how could we know?”
“In short, it is said that it is enough to fool the eyes of many elders and heads of households… … .”
“Well, if the Shaolin Temple is behind it, he must be no ordinary guy.”
“Huh! In my opinion, he’s definitely nothing special. He only looks good on the outside, but he’s got no substance.”
“If you really think so, why don’t you give it a try? If you can uncover the truth about the conman who shook up the Martial Arts Alliance, your path to success is guaranteed.”
“I want to do that, but I don’t know where that kid is. He’s right in front of me, but… … .”
Squeak.
As if by magic, the room became quiet with the sound of the door opening.
Inyoung Hana enters the restaurant where silence has finally descended.
It was a single-shot.
Every warrior present could immediately sense this fact.
He was already drawing attention with his two swords slung in the shape of the Chinese character for ominous, but one of them stood out in particular.
A blood-red dragon head on the tip of the sword handle.
It was a decoration that the swordsman of the Murim Alliance would never make even as a joke.
“Could that be… … ?”
“The Blood Dragon?”
The warriors were muttering in noticeably smaller voices.
Dan Sa-hyeok, who had entered, walked to the place where meals were distributed.
Soon, the group of warriors who had been talking quietly looked back at their comrade who had been showing off.
The man, whose heart was stabbed by that gaze, stood up in tears.
“Just go. Just go!”
“Oh, no. That’s not what I meant… … .”
“Be quiet. Jang Woo-cheol, you’re not the type of person to say two things with one mouth!”
Jang Woo-cheol stood up in anger and his head almost touched the ceiling.
At first glance, it looks like it’s over eight feet tall.
He walked with brisk strides, dragging his heavy body, and stood behind Dan Sa-hyeok.
“Is that the Blood Dragon Sword?”
“okay.”
“Is that really the Bloodthirsty Demon’s favorite disease?”
“That’s what he said himself.”
“It’s you?”
“I’m talking about the Blood Heavenly Horse.”
Dan Sa-hyeok answers without looking back.
Jang Woo-cheol, who was speechless for a moment, looked slightly to the side.
“Is the sword you are carrying yours?”
“okay.”
“They say he fought the Blood Dragon Sword with that sword. Then it must have been an incredible sword, right?”
“well.”
“then.”
Jang Woo-cheol suddenly reached out and grabbed the handle of Dan Sa-hyeok’s sword.
Blood Dragon Sword couldn’t bring himself to hold on to it, so he grabbed the other sword, but since Dan Sa Hyeok was still, he pulled it out.
“Huh!”
“What is that?”
Sounds bursting out from everywhere.
The most embarrassed person was Jang Woo-cheol himself, who had drawn his sword.
“This is… … a sword with a broken blade?”
If I had to say, I would say it is a sword without a blade.
The thick blade had fallen off, leaving only the root behind, but for some reason it didn’t look like it had broken off recently.
In the meantime, Dan Sa-hyeok, who had been receiving his meal rations, quietly turned his head.
“Put it in. Or put it out.”
A dull voice.
Jang Woo-cheol, who had been thinking for a while, made up his mind.
“What if you can’t do that?”
“He must be dead.”
“……what?”
“If it was sensitivity.”
Dan Sa-hyeok said calmly.
“But this is not Gansu Province and it is not an exhibition right now. You were lucky, Tteokdae.”
“So you’re saying that you’ll let Jang Woo-cheol go? If you really have the skills… … .”
Whew!
In an instant, a gust of wind passed by and blew across Jang Woo-cheol’s nose.
Literally, only the wind blew.
But the sword that had been in his hand just a moment ago was now hanging on Dan Sa-hyeok’s back.
And then, a stream of coffee flowed down.
Jang Woo-cheol, who realized belatedly that he was bleeding, shuddered as he felt the chills of death.
“… … .”
“… … .”
The warriors who were watching were also speechless.
Regardless, Dan Sa-hyeok passed by Jang Woo-cheol leisurely and found an empty seat to start eating.
“… … This is so fucking tasteless.”
