Reincarnation of the Cloud Dragon - Chapter 65

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

Chapter 65.
The Demonic Cult’s foremost Divine Physician.
A crystallization of arrogance—one who bows to none save the Heavenly Demon himself.
He, who had refrained from all martial affairs save for his granddaughter’s treatment, now graced the inauguration of a minor gang faction.
“Gasp…! Master Jjon, Master Jjon!”
“The… the Cult’s Master Jjon has…!”
Absolute authority.
Without hesitation, every soul in the banquet hall prostrated themselves, foreheads pressed to the ground.
“Hehehehe!”
Yet Saengsa Jjon paid no mind to the hundreds of figures sprawled before him.
His gaze fixed solely upon Yun Cheon, seated at the center of the elevated platform.
“This old man has arrived somewhat late!”
“…?!!”
The Demonic Cult’s absolute sovereign, greeting a faction leader who scarcely appeared to have reached his twenties with such warmth and familiarity.
Yalü Hyeon, kneeling in the corner, felt his rationality flicker white with shock.
Sa Hae Ryong and Seong Mu Do, prostrate upon the ground, trembled like aspen leaves, doubting their own eyes and ears.
Whoosh.
Amidst that overwhelming presence, only Yun Cheon rose from his seat with ease.
“I have been awaiting you, Master.”
Seol Young bowed toward Yun Cheon, offering her gratitude.
“…The procedure’s outcome is, as you see, a success. Thanks to you, Young Ah has shed her severed meridian affliction. Now it falls to me to repay this debt.”
Saengsa Jjon’s cold gaze swept across the assembled masses prostrate before him.
“Hmm… you’ve gathered quite the crowd in this remote corner. So your intention is to build power here?”
“Indeed. Will you lend me your strength?”
“Hmph… bold fellow. I was already inclined to do so!”
Saengsa Jjon drew upon his inner force.
His voice transformed into thunder, reverberating across the heavens of Qinghai Province.
“Hear me, all martial artists of the realm! From this day forth, I shall remain at the Black Dragon Gang as patron and advisor to its faction leader!”
The Demonic Cult’s supreme physician, master of life and death itself.
His declaration to break decades of seclusion and establish his residence at the Black Dragon Gang.
The implication was unmistakable.
The Black Dragon Gang had transcended mere faction status, now wielding one of the Five Master Jjons as its backing force.
“Furthermore…!”
Saengsa Jjon’s final proclamation drove the wedge home into the Training Ground.
“I hereby declare that the medical arts I have set aside by oath shall be practiced anew within the Black Dragon Gang!”
A perfect reversal of the board.
Saengsa Jjon’s thunderous declaration struck the Training Ground like lightning.
“…!”
In that moment, most of the martial artists failed to grasp the true meaning of his words.
They could only gasp for breath, crushed beneath the weight of Saengsa Jjon’s aura and overwhelming renown.
Only a handful of sharp minds reacted with urgency.
One of them was Geum Bu Dong of the Ilwol Trading Company.
Crack!
In the guest seating area of the banquet hall, a bizarre shattering sound erupted from the grip of Geum Bu Dong, the Qinghai branch director of the Ilwol Trading Company.
Without realizing his own strength, the expensive jade beads of his abacus crumbled and fell.
‘This… this cannot be…!’
Unlike the martial artists, Geum Bu Dong’s instinct as a merchant screamed warnings with frenzied urgency.
‘Saengsa Jjon practices medicine once more! This is an emergency!’
The ripple effect contained in that single sentence.
Eccentric talents of the realm, reclusive masters indifferent to righteous or demonic paths, those who grasped both wealth and power in their hands.
Yet all of them would eventually face death.
Human life was finite by nature, and neither plague nor the ravages of age could be escaped by anyone.
Then where would they turn to preserve their lives?
‘The powerful of the realm would come flooding to this remote corner, their carriages laden with mountains of gold, seeking salvation!’
Goosebumps erupted across Geum Bu Dong’s entire body.
The Heuk Ryong Bang was no longer merely a marginal military force.
It would become a medical center where countless individuals gathered to receive treatment from the Demonic Cult’s greatest physician.
And was that all?
Treating illness typically required not merely one or two months, but often one or two years.
During that time, countless high-class inns and taverns would spring up along the shores of Qingyue Lake to accommodate their stay.
‘Ah… Master Yu Ha! So you foresaw all of this!’
Only then did Geum Bu Dong understand why Yu Ha had systematically purchased all the barren lands surrounding the Heuk Ryong Bang.
And why he had so readily surrendered thirty percent of the company’s substantial rental profits to Yun Cheon.
It was not short-sighted favoritism born of personal connection, but rather a far-reaching wisdom.
Geum Bu Dong seized his deputy with trembling hands and issued urgent orders.
“Send word to headquarters immediately! Increase investments in the Heuk Ryong Bang without conditions! Furthermore, procure medicinal herbs and spiritual medicines with full force!”
“Understood, Director!”
While the Ilwol Trading Company moved busily behind the scenes, I turned my steps toward the local powers prostrated on the ground.
“Elder… a moment.”
Seong Mu Do, the sect master of the Seven Star Sect, and Sa Hae Ryong, the leader of the Iron Shark Gang, trembled like aspen leaves as I stood before them—I who had conversed with Saengsa Jjon as an equal.
‘The… the Venerable One himself has acted? And he speaks of repaying debts?!’
‘Insane! What were we about to do! Is this not some hidden young sect master of the Demonic Cult?!’
I opened my mouth softly before the Iron Shark Gang leader.
“Iron Shark Gang leader Sa Hae Ryong. I know what scheme brought you to this banquet with your forces.”
“…!”
“You witnessed what became of Maeng Ung, the Blood Axe Fortress master, moments ago. Will you enter under the Heuk Ryong Bang’s command?”
“I… I shall enter, willingly!”
Sa Hae Ryong pleaded, striking his forehead against the ground.
A cold smile spread across my lips.
“Good. Yet loyalty requires proof.”
Whoosh.
I withdrew a single sheet of paper from my robes and cast it before them.
It was a death roster sent by the Inspection Bureau.
“A list of the spies from Sura Blood Sect and Golden Coin Pavilion among your subordinates.”
“…H-how did you…!”
“Did you truly believe I summoned you here without contingencies? If you wish to prove your loyalty, return to your gang and root out every last rat without exception. Bring them before me. I shall cross-reference them against this roster afterward.”
A venom of desperation crystallized in Sa Hae Ryong’s eyes.
“…I… I shall do as you command!”
The stratagem of borrowing a knife to commit murder—perfected.
Given the Iron Shark Gang Master’s temperament, he would not hesitate to sacrifice his subordinates to ensure his own survival.
Even if he failed to uncover every single spy, it mattered little.
My true objective was to shatter both the Blood Axe Stronghold and the Iron Shark Gang into fragments.
The Blood Axe Stronghold had pathetically lost its master and been absorbed into the Black Dragon Gang, while the Iron Shark Gang now purged its ranks under my command.
Subduing both factions required less than half a day.
After guiding Saengsa Jjon and Seol Young to the seats of honor, I ascended the elevated platform once more.
The guest section was now full—the time had come to commence the formal ceremony.
“I extend my gratitude to all distinguished guests for attending this inauguration. Now that you have arrived, I shall proceed with the formal ceremony in earnest.”
At my declaration, Jin So Wol unfurled the massive banner of the Black Dragon Gang.
It was the moment the Black Dragon officially spread its enormous wings across the Demonic Cult’s sky.
Backed by the Five Great Sages, graced by the personal attendance of the Demonic Path Pavilion Master, supported by the Twelve Orthodox Families and the Ten Demon Sects, and honored by the obeisance of the Central Plains’ foremost trading company.
A prestige that defied belief for a nascent faction.
Hundreds of martial artists and wanderers filling the banquet hall erupted in spontaneous cheers.
“Long live the Black Dragon Gang Master! We celebrate the ascendance of the Black Dragon Gang!”
* * *
Though the formal proceedings of the inauguration concluded, the festivities continued for some time.
Unlike the clamorous outer banquet hall, the distinguished guests exchanged pleasantries within the Black Dragon Gang’s inner hall.
A gathering of true titans—a place no unworthy soul could even approach.
“Krahaha! Brother, your discipline is quite extraordinary!”
Gong Ya Pae, a disciple of Yeom Hwa Jjon, laughed heartily while downing spirits straight from the bottle, a massive black-iron hammer the size of a house resting beside him.
At his side, Demonic Path Pavilion Master Gal Mu Heun set down his teacup quietly and spoke with deliberate slowness.
“This scheme is your own design, yet it exceeds even my expectations. To transform a frontier bandit’s den into a force of this magnitude in mere months—remarkable.”
At Gal Mu Heun’s praise, I bowed respectfully with clasped fists.
Officially, I was a warrior under Gal Mu Heun’s command.
His words were not merely compliment, but recognition of the position of Black Dragon Gang Master that I had seized through my own efforts.
“All of this owes to your benevolence in opening the Inner Library’s doors and your consideration, Pavilion Master.”
“There is no need for modesty. You have claimed it all yourself.”
Gal Mu Heun’s gaze grew sharp and piercing.
“The Pavilion Master could hardly arrive at your inauguration empty-handed. Thus, I wish to propose something to you.”
“Please speak.”
“An alliance between the Demonic Path Pavilion and the Black Dragon Gang.”
The air in the Inner Hall grew taut in an instant.
“The disciples of the Demonic Way Hall possess exceptional talent, yet their lack of real combat experience stems from being sheltered within those walls. The Black Dragon Gang, conversely, draws rough wanderers whose savage instincts overflow—but they lack the foundational martial knowledge.”
The Demonic Way Hall, the official educational institution of the Demonic Cult, was entering into an alliance with an upstart gang?
It was an unprecedented departure from convention.
“I shall periodically dispatch the Demonic Way Hall’s finest disciples to the Black Dragon Gang to cultivate their combat instincts. In return, the Black Dragon Gang will receive a steady supply of elite graduates—instructors of Kyoto’s caliber. Should you require it, I can dispatch Kyoto immediately. Would this suffice as an inauguration gift?”
It was far more than a simple alliance.
A relationship where each benefited the other.
‘Truly worthy of the Pavilion Master. There is mutual profit in this for both of us.’
Yet the magnitude of benefit tilted heavily toward the Black Dragon Gang.
It was indeed a gift worthy of the name.
“I shall gladly accept the Pavilion Master’s profound intentions.”
Yun Cheon nodded without hesitation.
Gal Mu Heun’s gaze upon Yun Cheon was warm, as one might regard a favored disciple.
‘Though I have not directly taught him much, his path aligns with my own vision more than anyone else’s. Perhaps this one might transform our stagnant sect, breaking free from those who cling to their entrenched privileges.’
The night’s gathering stretched on for hours.
Those who had become acquainted with Yun Cheon through Zamadong, the Demonic Way Hall, and the Inner Library came in succession, clinking their cups.
“Listen, Yun Cheon! I, this chief instructor, am considering a dispatch to the Black Dragon Gang—what are your thoughts?”
“Should Chief Instructor Ma Chung join us, it would be a tremendous asset.”
“Hmph, you were pleading with the Chief Instructor earlier….”
“Who said anything about pleading! You, Senior Chief Instructor Ya Jin, also wish to be dispatched to the Black Dragon Gang!”
“I still have secret techniques to impart to this Yun Cheon fellow. But you—what remaining assets do you have left to squeeze?”
“Why, you…!”
Senior Chief Instructor Ya Jin and Chief Instructor Ma Chung continued their bickering, yet both had clearly volunteered for dispatch to the Black Dragon Gang.
Thus the Black Dragon Gang now stood backed not only by Saengsa Jjon, the finest physician under heaven, and the Ilwol Trading Company, a golden vein of wealth, but also by the Demonic Way Hall—the very seat of power within the Demonic Cult.
* * *
Late into the night, the banquet dispersed.
In the rear courtyard of the Black Dragon Gang, moonlight filtered through the clouds and settled coldly.
There, Yalü Hee polished her beloved spear in silence.
“Sister.”
Yalü Hyeon emerged from the darkness and spoke with a heavy voice.
Yalü Hee’s gaze upon her brother remained composed.
Gone was the anxious unease she had displayed in the main family, the trembling uncertainty of one denied recognition.
“Sister, why do you remain in such a place? Now that I have come, let us wash away this shame and return to the family.”
Yalü Hyeon approached and extended his hand.
Yet Yalü Hee did not even glance at him, answering with calm indifference.
“Hyeon. I am not returning.”
“Sister! This is enough. I have witnessed the Black Dragon Gang’s prestige with my own eyes today. Yet you remain of the Twelve Protectors’ bloodline, no matter what anyone says! Abandon this provincial guest role and return to the family.”
“I said I am not returning.”
“Do not bring further disgrace upon the family. Father will not pursue this matter further and will let it rest.”
“Disgrace? Pursue? Let it rest?”
Yalü Hee rose slowly from her seat.
“Ha…”
A chill of self-mockery played at the corners of her lips.
“The elders of the family treated me as an outsider destined for marriage anyway. So I simply acted accordingly. I am no longer a daughter of the Guang Feng Yalü Family. I am Yalü Hee, the martial arts instructor of the Black Dragon Gang.”
At that resolute declaration, Yalü Hyeon’s eyes trembled.
He was both proud of his sister’s confidence in shedding the family’s constraints, yet somehow felt a pang of regret.
‘Does she truly intend to sever all ties with the family!’
Yalü Hyeon was engulfed in conflicting emotions.
He knew all too well how his sister had been treated within the family home.
On one hand, he wanted to support her more than anyone else, yet on the other, he found it difficult to accept that she was turning her back on the family.
‘No… it is not merely that. I too am a martial artist. I wish to test my sister’s martial prowess.’
Above all, there was Father’s strict command to bring his sister back safely.
Having come under the family head’s orders, he could not return empty-handed.
Yalü Hyeon’s gaze hardened.
“If that is truly your resolve, then I shall bring you back by force!”
Whoosh—!
Yalü Hyeon charged forward, treading the family’s secret technique, the Wind Soul Step.
The long horse-slaying saber strapped to his back cut through the air with a piercing shriek, blocking her escape route.
The family’s swift blade technique that cleaves the wind itself.
Shwaaak!
Yalü Hee’s form flowed with an uncanny grace, like a willow leaf dancing in the breeze.
The Wind God’s Dance, awakened within the Inner Library.
Not resisting the wind, but becoming the wind itself—a movement transcendent.
“…?!”
In the instant Yalü Hyeon gasped in shock and twisted the trajectory of his saber.
Clang—!
The tip of Yalü Hee’s black scabbard gently deflected the side of the horse-slaying saber, dissipating its force.
Yet before Yalü Hyeon could react, the scabbard slid along the blade’s edge and came to rest against his throat.
The weighty pressure of the scabbard pressed down upon his neck.
“Ugh…!”
A single exchange.
Yalü Hee’s blade had not even been drawn.
“This… this is…!”
Yalü Hyeon stood frozen in utter bewilderment.
Having escaped the family’s constraints, she had only grown more perfect.
Without the family’s secret Wind Soul Step, his sister far surpassed him.
Had the Black Dragon Gang cultivated his sister to such heights?
“I have been defeated.”
Yalü Hee withdrew her scabbard and declared coldly.
“I shall forge my own martial path beyond the family’s walls. Tell Father this. It was good to see your face after so long.”
Yalü Hyeon called out to Yalü Hee, who had turned and was heading toward the Inner Hall.
“Sister! But… I cannot return to the family in this state either!”

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