Reincarnation of the Cloud Dragon - Chapter 108

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This chapter is translated by Falnar Novels Team.
Support us by reading on our official site: https://falnarnovels.com
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Chapter 108.
A morning breeze swept across the Main Gate of the Guang Feng Yalü Family.
Though the martial tournament had concluded, preparations for the banquet were underway, and the warriors moved with hurried purpose.
Yet Yun Cheon could not linger.
So Ryong would have resolved most disturbances.
Saengsa Jjon even more so.
And yet the urgent summons had come.
Yun Cheon’s gaze darkened.
This was no mere commotion.
‘…If the elder himself demanded my immediate return, then a serious crisis has surely erupted.’
Not because it was beyond handling.
It meant a matter that required the patriarch’s personal intervention.
Yun Cheon stood before the Main Gate, gripping his horse’s bridle.
Yalü Cheok had come to greet him.
The young patriarch of the Guang Feng Yalü Family.
A man more than capable of conveying the patriarch’s will.
Yalü Cheok clasped his fist first.
“Master of the Black Dragon Gang.”
Yun Cheon returned the courtesy.
“Young Patriarch.”
A brief silence fell between them.
Having shared profound conversation in the Secret Library, the silence felt natural.
Yet their eyes alone conveyed considerable weight between them.
Yun Cheon spoke first.
“I regret departing without offering proper respects to the patriarch. I beg your understanding.”
Yalü Cheok shook his head.
“Think nothing of it. The patriarch has heard the circumstances.”
“I am grateful.”
“Rather, the patriarch wished me to convey this.”
Yalü Cheok’s gaze deepened slightly.
“If urgent winds blow toward the Black Dragon Gang, then it is the master’s duty to tend to those winds first.”
Yun Cheon received those words in silence.
A faint smile crossed Yalü Cheok’s lips.
“Furthermore, the patriarch said the Guang Feng Yalü Family will remember the bond with the Master of the Black Dragon Gang.”
Yun Cheon offered a brief salute.
“The Black Dragon Gang will not forget the Guang Feng Yalü Family’s kindness.”
“Let us call it fellowship then.”
Yalü Cheok spoke calmly.
“Bonds between a clan and a faction are not forged lightly. Yet once forged, they are not scattered by mere words either.”
Those words were no light courtesy.
The words conveyed by the young master of the Guang Feng Yalü Family on behalf of the family head.
It was the seal of a new bond formed between the Black Dragon Gang and the Guang Feng Yalü Family.
Yun Cheon nodded.
“I will remember those words.”
“Good.”
Yalü Cheok’s gaze shifted briefly to the space behind Yun Cheon.
There stood the members of the Black Dragon Gang preparing for departure.
Kang Hui was already mounted, while Yalü Hee held the reins loosely, leaning against a pillar of the Main Gate.
Her expression remained as composed as always, yet something flickered differently in her eyes.
The Guang Feng Yalü Family.
The house she had left.
And the house she now faced again.
Yalü Cheok called to Yalü Hee quietly.
“Hee.”
Yalü Hee turned her head.
“What is it?”
“Let us meet again. Travel safely.”
“How bland. That doesn’t sound like you at all.”
“If I said more, you wouldn’t listen anyway.”
Yalü Hee let out a soft laugh.
The laughter did not linger.
Yalü Cheok stepped closer.
“The family head asked me to convey something.”
Yalü Hee’s brow twitched ever so slightly.
“What?”
“That the family’s laws were too narrow for you.”
….
“But now, the main house will no longer turn a blind eye to the path you have chosen.”
Yalü Hee fell silent for a moment.
Surely he was speaking of failing to pass down the Feng Hun Bo, and of the coldness she had endured within the family.
Wind swept between the two of them.
She turned her gaze away.
“Then let him say it himself.”
“If he were that sort of man, he would have done so long ago.”
Yalü Hee laughed softly.
It was a bitter laugh.
“I understand. Tell him I heard.”
That answer was enough.
Yalü Cheok did not press further.
Then Yalü Hyeon stepped forward.
His expression was somewhat more composed than before.
Since his defeat at Pal Gang to Yalü Hee, a subtle transformation had taken root in his countenance.
The shadow of defeat lingered, yet there was no sign of a broken spirit.
Rather, it was the gaze of one who had touched the bottom and now rose again.
Yalü Hyeon bowed first to Yun Cheon.
“Lord of the Manor.”
Yun Cheon regarded him quietly.
“I see. Your expression tells me you’ve decided to stay longer?”
“Yes… There are matters I must settle at the main family. And… I must reclaim what I lost in this martial tournament. I am grateful for accepting me as a guest. Thanks to your kindness, I was able to grow.”
“It shows. Though the distance between the Guang Feng Yalü Family and the Black Dragon Gang is considerable, the distance of the heart is not. That is your doing as well. You are welcome to stay at the Black Dragon Gang anytime.”
At Yun Cheon’s words, color returned to Yalü Hyeon’s face.
Yalü Hee looked at him.
“Hyeon.”
“Sister.”
Their gazes met.
In times past, Yalü Hyeon would have spoken more.
But this time was different.
Yalü Hyeon spoke calmly.
“Next time, I shall present myself in a different light.”
Yalü Hee regarded him for a moment, then nodded.
“Yes. That’s how it should be.”
At those brief words, a faint smile played at the corners of Yalü Hyeon’s mouth.
Yun Cheon observed the scene in quiet stillness.
Yalü Hyeon bowed once more toward Yun Cheon.
“After I settle the family matters, I shall return to pay my respects.”
“Listen here, young master.”
Kang Hui tossed the words down from his horse.
“Don’t let your blade grow rusty in the meantime.”
Yalü Hyeon chuckled softly.
“And you, sir—do not neglect your training while exchanging letters with Miss Ha Ran and Seo Han.”
Kang Hui’s expression hardened.
“…Tch, spare me the nonsense. It’s a shame we didn’t face each other at Pal Gang.”
Brief laughter rippled across the front gate.
But that was all.
The Black Dragon Gang’s carriage awaited.
Yalü Cheok gazed at his younger brother once more, then turned his attention back to Yun Cheon.
“When you reach Qinghai, visit the gate first.”
Yun Cheon looked at him.
“The gate?”
“By observing those gathered before it, you will understand how far the name Black Dragon has spread.”
Yalü Cheok’s voice was low.
“Rumors travel faster than blades, and names arrive before the person.”
Yun Cheon’s gaze grew quiet and still.
“I shall take your words to heart.”
“Return safely, I pray.”
“I am in your debt.”
The exchange was brief.
Yet no further words were needed.
I mounted the horse.
Kang Hui adjusted the reins, and Yalü Hee slowly settled into her saddle.
The warriors of the Guang Feng Yalü Family stepped aside to either flank.
The Main Gate swung wide open.
I looked back one final time at Yalü Cheok and Yalü Hyeon.
Yalü Cheok stood with fists clasped in salute, while Yalü Hyeon bowed his head a step behind.
Yalü Hee gazed at them briefly from atop her horse.
Then, without a word, she turned forward.
I turned the horse’s head.
The Main Gate of the Guang Feng Yalü Family receded slowly into the distance.
What I had gained from this martial tournament was no small matter.
The name of the Black Dragon.
The Windswept Jade Dew Pill.
The Guang Feng Secret Records.
None of these were trivial.
And above all, the bond with the Guang Feng Yalü Family.
I had certainly secured one stepping stone toward Jammajejon.
Now, all that remained was to live up to that name.
In this martial tournament, I had achieved far more than my original goal.
So now, the place I must return to was Qinghai.
My party and I departed the Guang Feng Yalü Family on the morning wind, heading toward Qinghai.
* * *
While my party still remained at the Guang Feng Yalü Family with the martial tournament in full swing.
The front of the Black Dragon Gang was already in turmoil.
“I wish to join the Black Dragon Gang!”
“I have come to petition the Gang Lord directly!”
“I am a merchant from the west of Qinghai. I wish to establish trade with the Black Dragon Gang!”
“I have merely come to see how formidable the name of the Black Dragon truly is.”
Various voices tangled together in chaos.
The broad thoroughfare before the Main Gate was filled with several times more people than usual.
Wanderers.
Merchants.
Information brokers.
Spectators.
And those whose eyes burned with different intent.
Those who came to test themselves.
Those who came to stir the waters.
All of them stood before the gates of the Black Dragon Gang.
So Ryong stood within the Main Gate, gazing down upon the sight below.
His frame was that of a bear.
Shoulders broad and imposing.
Arms thick as tree trunks.
The kind of physique that could crush a man’s skull with a single clenched fist.
Yet his eyes held no leisure.
They moved sharp and quick.
Discerning who among them sought genuine entry.
Who came merely to trade on the Black Dragon Gang’s name.
Who deliberately sought to sow discord.
So Ryong catalogued each one in his gaze.
‘All manner of riffraff come flocking in the Master’s absence.’
Though to be precise, it was not his absence that drew them.
It was his name that arrived first.
The Black Dragon.
A new epithet for the dragon, earned at the Guang Feng Yalü Family’s martial tournament.
When So Ryong first heard the news, his heart burned with pride.
The Master of the Black Dragon Gang called the Black Dragon.
Could any title suit him more perfectly?
Yet the joy did not endure.
A name brings fortune, but it also brings unwanted spirits.
And before the Black Dragon Gang’s Main Gate now, the unwanted spirits far outnumbered the blessings.
“Chief Administrator.”
A young member of the gang approached.
“Those seeking entry have already exceeded forty. Shall we turn them away?”
So Ryong shook his head.
“Have them write down their names.”
“All of them, sir?”
“Name, origin, martial skills, and reason for joining the Black Dragon Gang. Have them record all four.”
“What if they write falsehoods?”
So Ryong let out a soft chuckle.
“A liar reveals himself first in his writing. If not there, then in his words. If not in his words, then in his eyes.”
Bang Do bowed at once.
“Yes, sir.”
“And place all applicants for entry on the left side of the Main Gate. The merchant association representatives on the right. Onlookers are to be kept behind.”
“What about those who intend to draw their blades?”
So Ryong’s eyes narrowed to slits.
“Put them in front.”
“In front, sir?”
“That’s right.”
So Ryong glanced briefly at the elderly man seated in the center of the courtyard inside the Main Gate.
Saengsa Jjon.
He sat in perfect stillness.
A single chair.
One low table.
A single teacup.
That was all.
Yet no one dared cross that line.
The old man carried no sword.
He had drawn no hidden blade.
But among those gathered before the Black Dragon Gang’s Main Gate, those with keen perception already understood.
That elderly man was the most terrifying guardian of this gate.
So Ryong spoke in a low voice.
“Tell them if they’re willing to stake their lives, they can speak before him.”
Bang Do’s expression hardened slightly.
“Understood.”
As he withdrew, another Bang Do came rushing over.
“Director. Another letter has arrived.”
So Ryong’s brow furrowed.
“From where this time?”
“The Inspection Bureau.”
“This early?”
“Yes.”
So Ryong extended his hand.
Bang Do passed him the letter.
So Ryong examined the seal.
The Inspection Bureau’s insignia.
There was no doubt.
He placed the letter atop the wooden tray beside him.
Already several letters lay upon that tray.
The Demonic Sect.
The Pae Roe Ul Ji Family.
The Cham Wol Dok Go Family.
Just seeing the names made it difficult to breathe.
Until just a day ago, the Black Dragon Gang was an emerging faction within Qinghai.
Growing stronger by the day.
Expanding its influence.
Drawing attention from all quarters.
Yet it remained a matter confined within Qinghai itself.
But today was different.
The heavy threads woven through the Demonic Cult’s inner workings had all converged at the Black Dragon Gang’s doorstep.
So Ryong gazed down at the letters and muttered softly to himself.
“We’ve become a waystation, not a faction. Every hoof in creation has left its mark here.”
Jin So Wol approached quietly from beside him.
So Ryong unconsciously straightened his posture slightly.
Though he served as the Black Dragon Gang’s overseer, matters stood differently in Jin So Wol’s presence.
A spear instructor.
A master of the Black Dragon Heavenly Hundred Techniques.
One of the precious few people before whom So Ryong could not speak carelessly.
“Sister So Wol.”
Jin So Wol’s gaze remained fixed beyond the Main Gate.
“There are many martial artists out there.”
“Yes. Half seeking to pledge their allegiance, half testing our strength.”
“If necessary, I will step forward.”
So Ryong shook his head immediately.
“No, Sister. It is not yet time to draw the spear.”
“…Why not?”
“If we sweep them away now, we cannot distinguish who seeks entry of their own will from who was sent by powers behind the scenes.”
Jin So Wol regarded So Ryong.
“You have grown quite skilled at this overseer’s role.”
So Ryong shrugged his shoulders.
“When the faction leader steps away, even a bear must learn to mimic the fox.”
The murmur outside the Black Dragon Gang’s Main Gate suddenly quieted.
The crowd parted to either side.
A woman in white walked through the gap.
So Ryong’s eyes widened.
“Sister.”
“What is it?”
“There… am I mistaken?”
“About what?”
“It appears Seol Young is standing outside the gate.”
“Seol Young?”
Jin So Wol’s eyes narrowed sharply in that instant.
The resemblance was too striking.
The eyes.
The contours of the face.
The skin, pale as frost itself.
And yet it was not.
It was not Seol Young.
A woman colder and harder than Seol Young, her gaze harboring ancient resentment in its depths.
Saengsa Jjon’s withered eyelids trembled ever so slightly.
Like one whose old wounds had been touched.
“…Su Ryeon?”
Upon discovering her, Saengsa Jjon rose slowly from his seat.
“I never thought you would come this far.”
Yet frost descended upon the woman’s face before fury could take hold.
“The Demonic Physician.”
Two words alone.
Within them lay ancient distrust.
Seol Young stood in the shadows of the corridor behind Saengsa Jjon.
Her eyes, which had been quietly observing the commotion beyond the Main Gate, wavered the moment she beheld that woman.
Seol Young stepped forward.
“Mother….”
Seol Su Ryeon’s cold gaze fell upon Seol Young.
“Young Ah.”
Seol Su Ryeon’s voice descended like ice.
“Was it your will that the clan’s ice techniques flowed into the hands of the Black Dragon Gang’s master?”

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This chapter is translated by Falnar Novels Team.
Support us by reading on our official site: https://falnarnovels.com
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