Reincarnation of the Cloud Dragon - Chapter 43

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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 43.
Boom—! Crash—!
Before dawn could break, a deafening explosion tore through the pitch-black darkness.
Near the Demonic Way Hall, a building disguised on the surface as an ordinary merchant warehouse.
But its true nature was a secret stronghold of the Dok A Faction, the private military force of the Snake and Scorpion Ink Family.
The massive gate shattered into splinters, scattering wooden debris in all directions.
“We’re under attack!”
“Who are these bastards!”
The Dok A Faction’s warriors, jolted from sleep, scrambled to grab their weapons and rush outside.
But their momentum froze the instant they caught sight of the uniforms worn by those who had burst through the gate.
Black martial robes, and emblazoned clearly upon their chests—the character ‘監’—revealing their identity.
“Could it be…?”
“The Inspection Bureau?!”
“Why would the Inspection Bureau…?”
In that moment, the Enforcement Squad captain at the vanguard spoke with a voice sharp as a blade.
“By order of the Inspection Bureau! Traitors, lay down your weapons! Any who resist will be executed on the spot!”
The Dok A Faction’s assassins moved to draw their blades in panic, but upon confirming their opponent was the Inspection Bureau’s Enforcement Squad, they froze in place.
The absolute sword that upholds discipline within the sect and executes traitors.
Before that authority, the Dok A Faction’s warriors could not draw their blades.
No Demonic Cult member, however bold, would dare raise a sword against the Inspection Bureau.
To do so would mean treason against the sect itself.
“This… this is absurd! We serve the Twelve Orthodox Families…!”
Just as a panicked Dok A Faction officer began to protest.
A sharp, heavy crack split the air.
Slap—!
A man who had pushed through the ranks of the Inspection Bureau warriors had backhanded the officer across the face.
It was Sa Do Myeong who had burst forward first through the crowd.
In his eyes burned the cold venom of humiliation and injustice he had endured.
“Are you the one in charge here?”
The officer clutched his stinging cheek, his eyes blazing with fury.
The one who had struck him was none other than Sa Do Myeong.
Until mere moments ago, he had been an inspector standing alongside Elder Muk Wi Gyou—seeing him emerge like this left them utterly bewildered.
“Sa… Sa Do Myeong…?”
But now Sa Do Myeong’s eyes burned with injustice and venom.
“Yes, it’s me. The Sa Do Myeong you failed to poison to death.”
“Poison…? What are you talking about…?”
Sa Do Myeong ground his teeth and raised his hand once more.
The officer’s head snapped to the side, blood spraying from his lips.
“How dare you dogs raised by the Snake and Scorpion Ink Family show contempt for the Inspection Bureau of our sect!”
Sa Do Myeong vented his fury, kicking the officer down.
“You wretches attempted to poison the Sect’s inspector and infiltrate the Demonic Way Hall—grave crimes! Kneel at once!”
“…!”
The members of Dok A Faction could not dare resist against Sa Do Myeong’s blazing fury.
Sa Do Myeong, shaking off the humiliation he had endured, led the charge himself, trampling the Dok A Faction beneath his feet.
“Search every inch! Tear up the floorboards, smash the pillars—leave no stone unturned until you’ve uncovered every filthy piece of evidence they’ve hidden!”
“Yes, sir!”
The Enforcement Squad members descended like wolves, beginning to dismantle the warehouse.
Floorboards were ripped away, walls crumbled.
What spilled forth was the ugly true face of the Snake and Scorpion Ink Family.
Ledgers filled with bribes, contracts for hired murder, and the vast illicit funds the Dok A Faction had accumulated.
“Heh, so these fools dared mock our Sect all this time.”
With each piece of evidence that emerged, a bloodstained smile spread across Sa Do Myeong’s lips.
This was no mere indiscretion of Muk Young Ki—it was a massive scandal capable of shaking the entire family.
“No… no…!”
Muk Young Ki, dragged to the scene in chains, let out a wail of despair.
The Dok A Faction he had built with a lifetime of effort was being mercilessly crushed before his eyes.
As he watched his secret ledgers seized one after another, Muk Young Ki’s eyes grew hollow and vacant.
“The Dok A Faction… my position…!”
* * *
There were those watching this spectacle from a distant hilltop.
“Sa Do Myeong is performing better than expected.”
Yun Cheon sipped his tea leisurely, gazing down at the crumbling Dok A Faction.
“…A frightening man.”
Ma Chung clicked his tongue in disbelief.
Beside him, Ya Jin, the senior instructor, nodded with arms crossed.
Ya Jin murmured softly.
“Not a drop of blood on his hands, yet he’s severed one of the Twelve Orthodox Families from the Sect.”
And he had done so using the Sect’s own authority, securing perfect justification so that not a whisper of criticism could arise.
Both instructors’ gazes converged on Yun Cheon.
Yun Cheon stood with hands clasped behind his back, watching the burning Dok A Faction with perfect indifference.
Ya Jin stole a glance at Yun Cheon’s profile.
‘Those eyes of his… there is no joy of victory, no hatred for enemies. Only the detachment of one who has merely completed a task.’
That was what made it truly chilling.
Yun Cheon set down his teacup, his thoughts turning inward.
‘This is merely the beginning.’
I mused silently to myself.
The Snake and Scorpion Ink Family was nothing more than a pebble swept aside along the path.
My true objective was to topple this vast Demonic Cult from within.
I could not afford to be ensnared by something as trivial as the Snake and Scorpion Ink Family.
‘It burns well.’
Crimson flames danced within Yun Cheon’s dark eyes.
* * *
The main residence of the Snake and Scorpion Ink Family.
The opulent reception hall carried an atmosphere more somber than a funeral home.
“Kraaaagh!”
Crash—
A fine porcelain teacup shattered against the wall into countless fragments.
Clang—!
The teacup hurled by the family head struck the wall and exploded into pieces.
“How dare they strike the Poison Fang Hall? Have those Inspection Bureau dogs gone mad? How much money have I paid those bastards every year!”
The family head’s roar shook the reception hall.
His retainers trembled with their heads bowed, unable to meet his gaze.
“Family Head, please calm yourself. We cannot act rashly now.”
Yet the family’s strategist spoke with cold pragmatism.
“Calm myself? One entire faction has been severed, and you tell me to remain calm? I should unleash our private forces on the Inspection Bureau right now—!”
“Absolutely not! Their justification is far too perfect!”
The strategist cried out urgently.
“The Inspection Bureau has secured both evidence and witnesses that Muk Young Ki attempted to poison an inspector. Moreover, the ledgers that have poured out from the Poison Fang Hall….”
The strategist bowed deeply, urging a merciless decision.
“If we intervene now, the main family will be accused of treason. We could face complete annihilation… We must sever this here and now.”
The family head’s eyes flooded with crimson rage.
Muk Young Ki—his direct blood relative.
Yet there was no choice if the family was to survive.
Now that the Inspection Bureau had committed to this assault, any clumsy intervention would be nothing short of suicide.
His trembling fists clenched with terrible force.
After a long silence, the family head issued his command as if spitting blood.
“…Let it be said that Muk Young Ki acted on his own reckless authority.”
“Family Head….”
“The main family knows nothing. We end this with Muk Young Ki.”
The retainers bowed their heads in grim resignation.
The family head turned away, his eyes cold as winter frost, and summoned the shadow hidden in darkness.
“Snake Shadow.”
Silently, a shadow materialized and knelt before him.
“If Muk Young Ki speaks while in the Inspection Bureau’s custody, it will be problematic. Go to the prison… and see that he is put at ease.”
An order to silence him.
An assassination command.
“Understood.”
As the shadow vanished, Muk Cheon Gwang stared into the empty void and muttered.
“How did matters come to this… Those Inspection Bureau dogs… I will surely…!”
* * *
The situation resolved swiftly.
The Inspection Bureau dismantled the Poison Fang Hall and confiscated its vast hidden assets.
The Snake and Scorpion Ink Family issued an official apology and severed ties with Muk Young Ki.
A perfect amputation of the tail.
Yet the internal wounds inflicted upon the Snake and Scorpion Ink Family ran deep.
“With this, we’ve excised one of the Snake and Scorpion Ink Family’s outer branches. They’ll have no choice but to lie low for some time.”
Gal Mu Heun poured tea for me directly, a smile gracing his lips.
“It is only thanks to the Pavilion Master’s masterful setup.”
“There’s no need for modesty. Wasn’t this board of yours to design?”
Gal Mu Heun regarded me anew.
I had thought myself merely exceptional in martial prowess, yet my ability to read the currents of power and exploit them proved equally formidable.
‘…A frightening child. Even I, Gal Mu Heun, find myself inadequate to contain him.’
Rumors had already spread throughout the sect.
‘Touch Yun Cheon of the Demonic Way Hall, and an entire family crumbles.’
‘A monster backed by Saengsa Jjon, the Demonic Path Pavilion Master, and the Inspection Bureau itself.’
I had transcended the status of a mere martial artist, becoming instead the true power broker of the Demonic Way Hall.
“I hear Sa Do Myeong has returned. He wished to offer his personal respects.”
“I shall meet with him.”
Upon exiting the administrative office, Sa Do Myeong stood waiting, resplendent in his ornate robes of office.
The moment he saw me, he bowed deeply.
“I shall never forget this debt of gratitude.”
Sa Do Myeong’s gaze burned with sincerity.
I had not only pulled him back from death’s threshold but orchestrated his triumphant return—surely I was his benefactor beyond measure.
“And this as well….”
Sa Do Myeong presented two boxes, obtained with the Deputy Pavilion Master’s permission.
They contained a portion of the spoils discovered in the Poison Fang Hall’s secret vault.
One box brimmed with silver; the other overflowed with medicinal herbs releasing fragrant aromas and countless pills.
“Should you ever require the Inspection Bureau’s blade in the future, speak freely. I shall aid you to the fullest extent of my power.”
Sa Do Myeong spoke with absolute sincerity.
I grasped the hand he extended, my thoughts crystallizing.
‘I’ve secured a reliable connection within the Inspection Bureau.’
In striking the Snake and Scorpion Ink Family through indirect means, I had simultaneously woven a dependable thread through the Inspection Bureau’s inner workings.
Truly, I had achieved two victories with a single stone.
After Sa Do Myeong departed.
I collected a portion of the spoils he had given me and sought out Ma Chung and Ya Jin.
Ma Chung lay upon his sickbed, still wrapped in bandages, his eyes widening at the sight of the silver and medicinal materials I offered.
“W-what is all this?”
“Consider it a dividend on your investment.”
“Ha! My instincts never fail me! Thank you, Yun Cheon!”
The new Kyoto possessed no shortage of foolish charm, yet he had stood by my side from the beginning—his contribution was substantial.
Afterward, Yun Cheon offered Ma Chung medicine and spoils of war, but unlike him, Ya Jin refused.
“I have no need for such things. What I require is neither wealth nor medicine.”
Ya Jin’s gaze deepened with profound intent.
“I have no doubt you will ascend to greater heights… I ask only that you do not forget my contribution today.”
Ya Jin had chosen the future over immediate reward.
Truly, it was a display of dignity and ambition befitting him.
“I understand.”
“Heh… For now, the Pavilion Master shelters you, but when that vessel overflows… consider the Shadowless Assassination Sect. Until we meet again.”
He offered a brief farewell and vanished like a shadow.
Yun Cheon’s final destination was the Inner Library.
It was Baek Ri Hyeon’s turn.
As I presented the remaining medicinal herbs seized from the Poison Fang Hall, Baek Ri Hyeon’s eyes widened in astonishment.
“These herbs…!”
Baek Ri Hyeon was nearly dancing with joy upon seeing the rare medicinal materials confiscated from the Poison Fang Hall.
“Yun Cheon! No, Yun Cheon!”
The light in Baek Ri Hyeon’s eyes when looking at Yun Cheon had transformed.
Beyond mere respect, there was a hint of fear mingled within.
Baek Ri Hyeon had witnessed my schemes and martial prowess more closely than anyone.
“If you need anything in the future, just say the word! I’ll tear apart the Inner Library itself to find it for you. You focus solely on your cultivation! Understood?”
Yun Cheon had unintentionally acquired a subordinate within the Inner Library.
* * *
That night.
After everything had been settled.
‘This is merely the beginning.’
I gazed up at the night sky above the Demonic Way Hall.
Countless stars glittered as though pouring down upon the world.
‘To topple not merely the Snake and Scorpion Ink Family, but the great evil that is the Demonic Cult itself, I must grow far stronger.’
I stepped over the smoldering banner of the Poison Fang Hall.
My gaze pierced through the night sky toward the higher peaks of Tianshan, where the Demonic Cult’s grand headquarters stood.
Time flowed without pause.
The seasons changed.
The crimson autumn leaves of the Demonic Way Hall fell away, cold winds swept through, and soon white snow blanketed Kunlun Mountain.
And then, the day promised to Saengsa Jjon arrived.

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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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