Reincarnation of the Cloud Dragon - Chapter 63

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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 63.
The grand Training Ground of the Black Dragon Gang could truly be called a recreation of heaven and earth.
Massive black iron gates erected with the full financial backing of the Ilwol Trading Company, and canopies woven from brilliantly colored silk stretched across the sky.
Beneath the awnings, the prominent powers surrounding Qinghai Province arrived one by one, filling the banquet seats.
The sizzle of greasy meat and the pungent aroma of strong wine saturated the Training Ground.
The banquet was magnificent, and the gang members moved with perfect coordination.
An orderliness befitting a major faction.
Witnessing the current state, one could hardly recall the Black Dragon Gang’s past as a mere bandit collective.
“….”
In the corner of the banquet hall, Yalü Hyeon, his bamboo hat pulled low, swept his piercing gaze across the venue.
‘This is no bandit den as the rumors suggested.’
His eyes lingered on the Black Dragon Gang members in jet-black martial robes controlling the outer perimeter of the banquet hall.
Their shoulders were squared, their gazes sharp—the flawless discipline of well-trained elite soldiers.
Yet Yalü Hyeon’s eyes soon filled with displeasure.
‘For a provincial gang, they’re impressive enough… but why would my sister abandon the pride of our family to remain here as a guest?’
As Yalü Hyeon clicked his tongue inwardly.
The banquet hall entrance grew turbulent, and the powers that controlled Qinghai Province began appearing in succession.
“The Sect Leader of the Seven Star Sect, Seong Mu Do, has arrived!”
With the gatekeeper’s clear announcement, a group entered.
The Seven Star Sect, which prided itself as a prestigious faction in Qinghai Province where bandit gangs ran rampant.
They flaunted their superiority over the other groups, their neat robes fluttering with an air of arrogance.
Seong Mu Do, the Sect Leader of the Seven Star Sect, presented a crimson invitation tablet to the Black Dragon Gang member guarding the reception desk.
“You’ve gone to much trouble. The Black Dragon Gang has quite the appearance now.”
The words were polite, but Seong Mu Do’s eyes carried a subtle pressure.
An attempt to suppress the other party’s momentum through internal force.
The Black Dragon Gang of old would have cowered beneath such pressure.
But.
“Your invitation has been verified. We shall escort you to the White Tiger Seat on the right Elevated Platform.”
So Ryong, who was handling the guidance, didn’t even flinch.
Instead, his unwavering gaze met Seong Mu Do’s pressure head-on as he led the way with composed precision.
‘Trying to intimidate with such meager force? Compared to the frost-like chill the gang leader exudes every morning, this is nothing but a spring breeze.’
Seong Mu Do’s pupils trembled subtly, unaware of So Ryong’s inner thoughts.
‘A mere guide didn’t even change his expression when facing my pressure? Was the rumor not exaggerated after all?’
Seong Mu Do swallowed his shock and began reassessing the Black Dragon Gang.
He soon closed his mouth and decided to observe the situation quietly.
‘Hmph, these bandits who crawled about like common thieves now play at being a proper faction with a bit of money. Let’s see how long this lasts. But a monkey in official robes is still a monkey.’
Though startled by the Black Dragon Gang’s atmosphere and momentum, he still believed the Seven Star Sect was the center of power in Qinghai Province.
The Seven Star Sect was guided to their assigned seats, and Seong Mu Do proceeded to the guest of honor’s section.
Then a sticky, metallic stench covered the banquet hall entrance.
“The Iron Shark Gang’s gang leader, Sa Hae Ryong, has arrived!”
Sa Hae Ryong, leader of the Iron Shark Gang, carried a serrated blade across his shoulder—a saw-toothed weapon with edges like shark teeth.
His serpentine eyes swept not across the martial artists gathered in the banquet hall, but rather across the supplies stacked throughout the newly constructed warehouse.
‘Heh heh… if I strip that warehouse bare, gold will come pouring out. The Black Dragon Gang’s location is truly prime real estate. Once I gut this upstart of a gang leader, everything becomes mine.’
With each step, a viscous greed for profit dripped from his very being.
And finally.
Crash—! Boom-bang!
“Get out of the way!”
Roughly shoving aside the Black Dragon Gang member who had been guiding them, a group reeking of blood and potent liquor burst through the entrance.
“The hero of Blood Axe Stronghold, Maeng Ung, has arrived!”
A massive man, Maeng Ung, strode in draped in beast fur, emanating a ferocious killing intent.
Chomp, chomp.
Before even being shown to his seat, he seized meat from the banquet table and tore into it whole as he spoke.
“Smack smack. Seems you’ve made some coin and grown arrogant, but today this feast will be devoured whole by the heroes of our stronghold!”
The savage killing intent and laughter of the Blood Axe Stronghold bandits threw the banquet hall into chaos.
With this, all the factions competing against the Black Dragon Gang had gathered in one place.
The Seven Star Sect, the Iron Shark Gang, and Blood Axe Stronghold.
Three ravenous beasts had set foot in the Black Dragon Gang’s territory.
‘The Black Dragon Gang was always tempting…’
‘If not for the mission, we would have swallowed them whole already!’
Everyone knew that the Black Dragon Gang occupied prime territory.
Yet due to each faction’s own circumstances, the Black Dragon Gang had fallen into no one’s hands, merely declining gradually over time.
And now, with the new gang leader confidently holding an inauguration ceremony, the pretext was perfect.
‘Just give us one excuse to seize!’
‘Of course, Maeng Ung wouldn’t miss an opportunity like this.’
‘That Seong Mu Do bastard, still sitting there with that dignified air.’
They engaged in an invisible psychological battle, conscious of each other rather than the Black Dragon Gang ‘rabble’.
Yet there was a gaze watching from the Elevated Platform above, utterly unmoved.
“….”
Softly.
Yun Cheon took a sip of tea while his fingertips brushed across the paper.
It was a death registry sent by the Surveillance Bureau.
“Asura Blood Sect and Golden Coin Faction backing… fearless because their patrons are strong, it seems.”
Yun Cheon’s brush drew a crimson line across Maeng Ung’s name.
“Bark all you wish. You may enter as you please, but your exit will be far different.”
A faint, bloody smile formed at the corner of Yun Cheon’s lips.
* * *
As the banquet deepened.
In stark contrast to the delicacies arranged at the head table, the spread before the Blood Axe Stronghold members was conspicuously sparse.
“Tch, ptui!”
Tough meat and cheap liquor gone cold.
It was a trap of deliberate disrespect orchestrated by Yun Cheon himself.
“These bastards. Why does it feel like only our meat is cheap?”
Maeng Ung, the master of Blood Axe Fortress, spat out a tough chunk of meat onto the floor.
His ferocious eyes gleamed like a beast’s, and he cast a covert glance toward the lieutenant standing beside him.
It would be beneath his station to soil his own hands with blood.
It was a signal to have his subordinates break the spirit of Black Dragon Gang and shake the table.
The lieutenant who received that glance kicked over the table as if he’d been waiting for it.
Crash!
Dishes shattered and cold liquor sprayed in all directions.
At the cacophony, every sound in the banquet hall ceased in an instant.
“We came to honor the gathering of a mere stripling who just climbed into the lower ranks of the Feng Yun Ranking!”
“Yet the meat tastes wretched, and the hospitality is utterly vulgar!”
The bandits of Blood Axe Fortress unleashed their menacing aura without restraint.
“Listen here, Black Dragon Gang master! If you’re hosting distinguished guests, shouldn’t you treat them accordingly?”
“The liquor has gone cold—bring fresh at once! No, bring new cups!”
The bandits began tripping the Black Dragon Gang members as they passed and forcing them into servile tasks, deliberately needling them.
Yet the Black Dragon Gang members, as if bound by oath, ignored their outrages with cold eyes and held their ground.
When provocation failed to work, the Blood Axe lieutenant’s gaze turned toward the elevated platform below.
‘Heh… the food is mediocre… but those women there are quite pleasing.’
Two women standing with composed bearing.
It was Yalü Hee and Jin So Wol, beautiful yet emanating a chilling presence.
A vile and viscous sneer twisted the lieutenant’s lips.
“Tell me, Black Dragon Gang master—isn’t this gathering rather dull?”
At the lieutenant’s words, the Blood Axe bandits responded with bestial laughter.
“You there, stiff-standing wenches! Come over and pour a cup for these heroes!”
Someone hurled an empty cup at Yalü Hee.
“Go on, pour us a drink! Hehehehe!”
An insult that crossed the line—base and vulgar.
Crack!
In the corner, the teacup in Yalü Hyeon’s hand shattered into powder.
The spilled tea soaked his hand, but he felt no heat.
How dare the Twelve Orthodox Families treat the bloodline of the Guang Feng Yalü Family—his own sister—like a courtesan!
Yalü Hyeon, burning with fury, was about to seize the hilt of his sword and rush forward when—
“Heh.”
A cool and light laugh echoed across the Training Ground.
It was Yalü Hee, standing beneath the elevated platform.
Rather than rage at the Blood Axe insult, she shrugged her shoulders and turned to glance at Jin So Wol and So Ryong beside her.
“You heard that? Looks like I’m going first. The morning run exemption tomorrow is mine.”
Not shame befitting a woman, but only the composure and leisure of a true martial artist.
Yalü Hee regarded the Blood Axe bandits merely as ‘prey for today’s hunt’—nothing more.
“Who said anything about yielding? I have every right to step forward….”
“Now, now, Instructor Jin So Wol. The cup came flying toward me, didn’t it?”
As Jin So Wol reached for her spear, Yalü Hee let out a soft laugh and stepped forward with graceful ease.
Her cold gaze swept across the Blood Axe Stronghold thugs.
“This feast isn’t for insects like you. If you’re going to complain about the food, then leave. Otherwise, bare your neck and come at me.”
Three bandits from the Blood Axe Stronghold spat vulgar curses and drew their weapons.
“You bitch!”
“How dare you!”
Whoosh—
Yet Yalü Hee never drew her blade.
Her body glided through the air like a dancer in flight.
The footwork technique she had mastered in the Inner Library—the Wind God’s Dance.
Movements as graceful as a beautiful dancer at a banquet.
But the force that erupted from those movements was a merciless, howling gale.
Crack! Snap! Crunch!
“Aaaahhhhh!”
Her black scabbard, still sheathed, whirled like a tempest, instantly shattering the knee joints and jawbones of the charging bandits.
In a single breath, three massive men collapsed, spewing blood.
Their jaws lay twisted at grotesque angles against the floor.
“…!”
The overwhelming display of martial prowess froze the atmosphere in the banquet hall. Cold sweat beaded on the Seven Star Sect master’s forehead.
‘Without even drawing her blade, such destructive power…? A swordsmanship so fluid yet so tyrannical!’
But no one was more shocked than Yalü Hyeon, hiding in the corner.
‘The trajectory of the wind… it’s different!’
Yalü Hyeon’s eyes trembled violently.
The footwork of the Guang Feng Yalü Family was sharp and swift as a blade, but never flowed with such softness.
‘But… to blend the way of the howling wind so perfectly! Could it be… that Sister has shattered the family’s framework and forged her own path…?’
Unaware of her brother’s shock, Yalü Hee casually dusted off her scabbard and flicked her fingers toward the fortress master.
“Next dog. Come out.”
As his subordinates were swept away in an instant, the fortress master’s face flushed with wounded pride as he rose.
But having witnessed Yalü Hee’s martial prowess, he did not dare rush forward recklessly.
“You… insolent wench! What are you all doing!”
The Blood Axe Stronghold’s officers quietly spread to both sides, forming a coordinated assault formation.
“Bring her to her knees at once!”
At the fortress master’s signal, the officers surged toward Yalü Hee as one.
From the front, heavy axes and blunt weapons descended with piercing force, targeting the crown of her head.
Simultaneously, sharp blades from left and right cut off her escape routes.
Yet a faint smirk still played at the corners of Yalü Hee’s lips.
Whoooosh—!
This time too, she did not draw her blade.
Her silhouette, treading upon the Wind God’s Step, flickered like a phantom as she evaded the trajectory of the great blade.
Yalü Hee’s black saber, moving with the swirling grace of wind itself, struck down the wrists of the subordinates closing in from both sides.
Clang! Crash!
“Aaaagh!”
A heavy kick drove into the solar plexus of the subordinates whose weapons had been sent flying.
And finally, her black saber rose toward the jaw of the subordinate whose center of gravity had collapsed.
Splurt!
“Gaaaagh…!”
Blood and shattered teeth scattered through the air.
The massive bandit crumpled like a shrimp, flying backward several paces before crashing down.
Three movements.
The vaunted subordinates of Blood Axe Stronghold were annihilated without even properly wielding their weapons.
“….”
A deathly silence fell over the banquet hall.
The martial prowess of a mere guest instructor was this formidable….
As all eyes froze in shock, Yalü Hee alone tapped her saber casually against her shoulder, smiling with ease.
“You were complaining about the meal with only this level of skill? You don’t even deserve to be invited as guests to the Black Dragon Gang.”
“This wench…! How dare you insult the heroes of Blood Axe Stronghold!”
In unison, the bandits of Blood Axe Stronghold sprang to their feet and drew their weapons.
Yet having witnessed her martial prowess, the bandits did not rush forward so easily.
The atmosphere of the banquet hall cooled instantly.
A hair-trigger situation where the two forces seemed ready to clash.
‘Hmph… so they do have something to rely on. It seems they’ve hired a guest with considerable skill using substantial wealth. However….’
In Maeng Ung’s assessment, her skill was certainly not beneath his own.
A master worthy of being listed in the Feng Yun Ranking.
Why would such a person serve as a mere guest in a minor faction like this?
‘There’s no need to deal with the guest directly! If I draw out the faction leader, that’s all that matters!’
Maeng Ung spoke as though he had reluctantly stepped forward to end this standoff.
“Well, well. The hospitality leaves much to be desired. It seems… the Black Dragon Gang leader needs to relearn how to treat guests. Shall we proceed with the inauguration ceremony as is? Or perhaps… would it be better for the superiors to settle the subordinates’ disputes among themselves?”
Maeng Ung, the leader of Blood Axe Stronghold seated at the head position, stepped forward with his axe slung across his shoulder, making his proposal to Yun Cheon.
‘How’s that! You have your pride too, so you can’t refuse so easily!’
Yun Cheon rose from his seat and answered with a cold expression.
“Gladly.”
Boom—!
The moment Yun Cheon stepped down from the elevated platform.
The air of the banquet hall froze with a sharp crack.
“…?!”
Maeng Ung’s breath, which had been raging furiously just moments before, caught in his throat.
A chilling yin-cold aura emanating from Yun Cheon’s body was pressing down upon Maeng Ung.
The instincts of a beast raised every hair on end, screaming warnings like madness.
‘This… this bastard isn’t some mere fledgling!’
Before Maeng Ung could even open his mouth, Yun Cheon’s glacial voice descended upon the Training Ground like a suffocating weight.
“However, wouldn’t an ordinary duel be rather dull?”
Yun Cheon’s gaze swept past Maeng Ung, piercing through the bandits of Blood Axe Fortress who stood frozen in place.
“The loser becomes a hunting dog crawling beneath the victor’s feet. What say you?”

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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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