Reincarnation of the Cloud Dragon - Chapter 69

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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 69.
Dawn, before the darkness had fully lifted.
A chill night breeze seeped into the Faction Leader’s Office of the Black Dragon Gang.
“At last, it has arrived.”
A soft rustle.
A shadow cut through the darkness and respectfully placed a crimson envelope upon the table.
It was Sa Do Myeong of the Inspection Bureau.
“Huff… huff….”
He had rushed here so urgently that his breathing remained ragged and uneven.
“This is the Ledger of Slaughter sent by the Deputy Faction Leader.”
“You have traveled far and labored greatly, Inspector Sa Do Myeong.”
Yun Cheon opened the crimson envelope and withdrew its contents.
The first name inscribed at the top.
[URGENT] Jinguan Pavilion Qinghai Division Chief, Jeon Man Ho.
“The financial lifeline supporting Maeng Ung.”
“Far more than merely a financial lifeline.”
Sa Do Myeong answered in a grave tone.
“On the surface, merchants. But in truth, they are the sort who transport people like cargo. Orphans, refugees, commoners drowning in debt—they dragged them all in and sold them off. No small number of children have flowed into the Sura Blood Sect’s underground operations.”
My gaze halted upon the Ledger of Slaughter.
“…What becomes of those who are taken?”
Sa Do Myeong swallowed hard.
“They were either used as sacrifices in the Sura Blood Sect’s forbidden arts, or if they possessed talent, raised as hunting dogs. Even if they survived, they were likely soaked in poison and enslaved.”
A flash of Dan Hong’s eyes cut through my mind.
The eyes of a beast consumed by blood-red demonic energy.
Then came the voice I had heard when I awakened in the Demonic Sect—cold and indifferent.
[These new arrivals are pathetically weak.]
[They collapse after merely swallowing loneliness.]
A corpse pit.
Nameless boys discarded without trace.
Fragments of memory from the day I first opened my eyes in this foreign body pierced through me.
‘It was not Dan Hong alone. All those children from back then—they flowed through Jinguan Pavilion into the Demonic Sect?’
Of course, it may not have been Jinguan Pavilion alone.
But now that I knew this truth, I could not leave Jinguan Pavilion untouched.
A sharp crackle.
My grip tightened upon the Ledger of Slaughter.
A chilling killing intent spread through the room as if to freeze it solid.
“So they were trafficking in people, not merely money. But why was this classified as urgent? Is there a particular reason?”
Sa Do Myeong answered at once.
“Blood Axe Stronghold has fallen, and Dan Hong has failed.
Jinguan Pavilion already knows they are next.
That’s why they’re abandoning their lower strongholds in Qinghai and attempting to slip behind Tianshan with only their core assets.”
Yun Cheon’s eyes narrowed to slits.
“Core assets.”
“Hidden funds, secret ledgers, records of the routes through their front inns and money houses… and rare sacrifices separately marked in those ledgers.”
“Rare sacrifices?”
“Children with unusual constitutions, it seems.
The Sura Blood Sect apparently attached special transfer markers to them.”
A brief silence fell.
Yun Cheon tapped the table with his fingertips—tap, tap—a measured rhythm.
Even that soft sound felt like pressure to Sa Do Myeong.
“Your intelligence seems sufficient already. Why not simply have the Inspection Bureau move directly?”
Sa Do Myeong’s eyes flickered with uncertainty.
“If the Inspection Bureau takes the lead, those hiding behind Jinguan Pavilion will move as well. We risk giving them justification for retaliation.”
“…So in the end, you’re asking to borrow my blade.”
“In Qinghai right now, the Black Dragon Gang is the only force capable of moving swiftly enough and seizing the territories Jinguan Pavilion vacates. If the Inspection Bureau takes the ledgers and the Faction Leader secures the territory, both sides gain advantage.”
Sa Do Myeong answered without the slightest hesitation.
A thin smile curved the corner of Yun Cheon’s mouth.
“That sounds like a rehearsed answer. Did the Vice Leader instruct you to speak thus?”
“….”
“So the blood stains someone else’s blade, while you pluck the fruit with your own hands.”
Sa Do Myeong remained silent.
Yun Cheon asked nothing further.
He had already discerned the Inspection Bureau’s true intentions long ago.
What mattered was that their interests aligned with his own at this moment.
Severing Jinguan Pavilion was equivalent to cutting one of the Demonic Cult’s blood vessels that flowed into Qinghai.
‘To the eyes of the Demonic Cult’s followers… it will appear merely as a power struggle. All the better.’
Yun Cheon asked quietly.
“…How much time remains?”
“Before dawn.”
Sa Do Myeong’s voice grew urgent.
“According to our scouts’ reports, Jinguan Pavilion has already begun abandoning several strongholds. If we don’t move before dawn, they’ll gather only their core assets—the ledgers, the sacrifices—and vanish into Tianshan.”
It was a brief answer, but sufficient.
Yun Cheon pointed at the map with his fingertip.
“With intelligence of that caliber, you must have already mapped their movements. What are the predicted routes?”
Swish—.
Sa Do Myeong immediately unfolded the map.
Two red lines were drawn across it, both leading toward Tianshan.
“The shortest route and an alternate path. They’ll likely split their forces to deceive us. However, the Inspection Bureau cannot yet determine with certainty which is the true main force.”
“A simple matter then.”
Yun Cheon’s cold gaze swept across the map.
“These people don’t just move money. They transport people as well.”
Silver can be packed into chests and divided along narrow routes. But living cargo that breathes, eats, and cries cannot be handled that way. They cannot be killed, nor can they be damaged.
A path wide enough for large carts. One where cries and human presence are easy to conceal.
Surely, way stations capable of sustaining long journeys would be established at various points along the route.
“To transport children, they wouldn’t take a narrow, fast route. They’d choose one that can carry more cargo and be traveled for longer distances.”
Sa Do Myeong’s pupils trembled for a moment.
“…They must have moved through detour routes.”
“Exactly.”
Yun Cheon picked up the silver token.
“Tonight, I will strike the Jinguan Pavilion’s detour stronghold.”
* * *
As dawn broke.
Having left Sa Do Myeong behind, Yun Cheon immediately summoned the leadership of the Black Dragon Gang.
Shortly after.
The Faction Leader’s Office was now filled with the core members of the Black Dragon Gang.
So Ryong, the Chief Administrator, arrived first. Jin So Wol entered next, while Yalü Hee stood leaning against the wall with her arms crossed. In the corner, Chui Geom Yi Mok clinked his wine bottle, and the guest-status Yalü Hyeon and Kang Hui stood apart on one side.
Yun Cheon tightened the dark steel belt around his waist lightly and opened his mouth.
“From now on, I intend to be away for some time.”
A brief, dry declaration.
The air in the room froze for an instant.
Yalü Hee was the first to move.
She uncrossed her arms and stepped forward half a pace.
“What for? Where are you going?”
Yun Cheon slid the Killing Register across the table with his fingertips.
“I intend to strike the Jinguan Pavilion.”
Yalü Hee’s eyes narrowed.
“I’m coming with you.”
So Ryong immediately straightened his posture.
“Faction Leader. I as well—”
Yun Cheon raised his hand lightly, stopping So Ryong.
“No. The more people involved, the longer the tail. This operation is best handled swiftly with minimal numbers. Only Yalü Hee comes with me.”
So Ryong’s shoulders sagged, while Yalü Hee’s lips curved upward.
Yun Cheon’s gaze turned directly to So Ryong.
“Do not be disappointed, So Ryong. Your battlefield is here.”
So Ryong’s pupils wavered.
“The remnants of the Blood Axe Stronghold have not yet fully integrated into the Black Dragon Gang. Among them, there will be those with connections to the Jinguan Pavilion.”
The air in the room turned cold at once.
“I entrust you with purging the Blood Axe remnants. Weed them out, and if you find any traces of collusion with the Jinguan Pavilion, sever all connections.”
“…!”
So Ryong swallowed hard for a moment.
The Faction Leader departed, yet strangely, I felt no fear. If anything, my chest burned with anticipation. It was time to prove that Blood Axe Stronghold could be commanded without him.
So Ryong bowed deeply.
“I shall remember this, Faction Leader! By the time you return, I will have set everything in order with my own hands!”
Yun Cheon nodded curtly.
Then I turned my gaze toward Jin So Wol.
“Jin So Wol. I entrust you with external affairs. Go to Sa Hae Ryong of the Iron Shark Gang.”
Jin So Wol straightened her posture.
“What message shall I convey?”
“The board is already set. Jinguan Pavilion has surely extended its reach into the Iron Shark Gang as well. Go and verify directly whether Sa Hae Ryong properly identifies those strings.”
Yun Cheon tore a page from the Killing Register and handed it to her.
“This is the list the Inspection Bureau provided. Cross-reference it with the names Sa Hae Ryong holds and dispose of them accordingly.”
Jin So Wol accepted the document and swiftly scanned the list with a cold expression.
“I will eliminate every last one.”
Chui Geom Yi Mok chuckled, tilting his wine bottle.
“Faction Leader, is there no task for me? Surely you don’t mean for me to simply drink wine.”
“Master Yi Mok, I ask that you oversee the instruction of both Kang Hui and Yalü Hyeon. Should So Ryong find himself unable to manage, please lend your strength.”
Yi Mok set down his wine bottle.
“So it shall be.”
Yun Cheon said nothing more.
“When I return, show that the Black Dragon Gang is not a faction that depends solely on my name.”
“As you command!”
Even Yalü Hyeon and Kang Hui, swept up in the atmosphere without realizing it, answered in unison.
Yun Cheon surveyed them all once more, then departed the Administrative Office with Yalü Hee.
“Then, let us depart at once.”
* * *
The outskirts of Qinghai Province.
After half a day of following the detour, as the sun caught upon the ridge of the mountains, an Inn appeared before us.
It was an ordinary-looking establishment, complete with hitching posts for horses and a clearing for carts.
Lanterns burned before the door, announcing the evening trade, and faint light seeped through the half-open window.
Yet before we even reached the Inn, I sensed something amiss.
“…Strange.”
Yalü Hee glanced back at me.
“What is it? It looks no different from the other Inns we’ve passed.”
Instead of answering, I gestured toward the courtyard ahead.
At this hour, an Inn should have at least one cart parked and several horses tied to posts. Yet the courtyard clearing stood empty.
Moreover, the deep tracks of a heavy cart led only inward into the Inn, with no trace of it returning.
Only then did Yalü Hee’s eyes narrow.
“…I see.”
My gaze descended further, below the threshold.
The marks of a freshly wrung mop.
Thin, blood-dark stains lingered in the crevices of the damp wood grain.
Only then did Yalü Hee murmur softly.
“…Is this a stronghold of Jinguan Pavilion?”
Creak—
Just then, the door opened and Jeom So Yi poked his head out cautiously.
His face wore a smile, his waist half-bent in a bow.
“Are you a traveler? At this hour….”
In that moment, Yun Cheon’s gaze sharpened with sudden clarity.
Jeom So Yi’s eyes had not lingered on Yun Cheon’s face, but had first swept across the sword and saber strapped to his back, and then Yalü Hee’s waist.
It was not the gaze of one welcoming a mere traveler.
“We were simply hoping for a quick meal.”
Jeom So Yi quickly flashed an amiable smile.
“Ah yes, we have no guests tonight and were about to close, but….”
Yun Cheon swept his gaze across the inn’s interior.
The lanterns were lit.
Several wine cups sat upon the tables, and from the kitchen came the faint sound of dishes clinking.
For a place about to close, the signs of activity within were far too distinct.
Yet he nodded as if oblivious.
“I thought we’d cross the pass before sunset, but it took longer than expected.”
Yalü Hee clicked her tongue softly beside him.
“I told you we should rest.”
Yun Cheon withdrew a silver tael from his pouch and tossed it.
Jeom So Yi bowed even deeper.
“Ah, you’ve come from far away then. Staying the night should be no trouble at all. We still have embers in the hearth, so please, come inside.”
Yun Cheon and Yalü Hee exchanged a glance and stepped into the inn.
Several tables were arranged neatly, and embers still smoldered in the brazier at the corner.
On the surface, it appeared to be an ordinary inn where a few travelers had rested and departed.
But the air was different.
Beneath the scent of wet mop water lay a faint, clinging reek of blood.
Yun Cheon seated himself where the storage room, kitchen, and stairs all came into view at once.
Yalü Hee dropped into the seat across from him.
They deliberately did not remove their sword sheaths.
Jeom So Yi approached with obsequious movements.
“Let me bring you warm tea first to warm your bodies.”
“And something to eat.”
“Yes, of course.”
As Jeom So Yi withdrew, Yalü Hee lowered her voice slightly.
[They’re all positioned inside.]
Yun Cheon swept his fingertips across the table surface.
[Two in the kitchen. One toward the storage. Several in the guest area.]
Yalü Hee’s eyes narrowed to slits.
[The upper floor too?]
[One faint presence.]
Soon Jeom So Yi returned, carrying a teapot with steam rising from its spout.
“The weather’s turned cold. Warm yourself from within with some tea first.”
Glug, glug.
A pale greenish tea filled the cup.
Yun Cheon said nothing, simply lifting the cup and bringing it to his lips.
The steaming green tea shimmered beneath the lamplight.
At the sight, the corners of Jeom So Yi’s mouth curled upward ever so slightly.
‘Yes, drink it. No matter how skilled a master is, once it passes down the throat, they won’t last half an hour.’
The body would grow sluggish, the mind would cloud.
After that, it mattered not whether he drove a poison needle or a blade—the outcome was assured.
“…?”
Jeom So Yi’s pupils trembled.
The teacup moving toward Yun Cheon’s lips froze mid-air.
Was it merely his imagination?
The air inside the inn seemed to plummet suddenly.
Sssssss—.
Energy emanating from Yun Cheon’s fingertips.
The frigid essence of the Limitless Frozen Heart Scripture, dormant in his dantian, flowed silently through the teacup.
Crack. Crackle!
The steaming tea froze solid in an instant, turning white.
It was no longer tea.
The liquid had crystallized into a lethal hidden weapon within the cup.
Yun Cheon’s cold gaze pierced past Jeom So Yi, toward the darkness lurking in the kitchen’s corner.
There, his eyes met those of an assassin polishing a sickly-green poison needle.
“The tea…”
Yun Cheon’s lips parted.
“has gone cold.”
Crash—!
“Ugh, cough…!”
In that instant, Yun Cheon’s left hand seized Jeom So Yi by the nape of the neck and drove him straight into the wooden table.
An overwhelming speed that allowed no resistance.
Crack, splinter!
The table fractured, and blood sprayed.
Simultaneously, Yun Cheon’s right hand slashed through the void. At the same moment, something shot from the teacup in his grip like a flash of lightning.
The assassin’s pupils dilated in shock. There was no time to dodge, no chance to block.
Thwack!
An ice spike pierced directly through the assassin’s left eye, boring through the eyeball and into the brain.
“Aaaahhhhh!”
The assassin’s scream shattered the inn’s silence as he collapsed, clutching at his eyes.
Pinning Jeom So Yi against the table, Yun Cheon exhaled a chilling killing intent, his voice low and measured.
“You’ve found the right place. Every last rat from Jinguan Pavilion—come out now.”

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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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