Reincarnation of the Cloud Dragon - Chapter 82

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This chapter is translated by Falnar Novels Team.
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Chapter 82.
The chill of dawn had not yet fully dissipated from the Administrative Office of the Black Dragon Gang.
A single lamp flickered, casting the room into quiet stillness. Yun Cheon sat at the head position, while Sa Do Myeong occupied the seat across from him.
Jeon Man Ho lay sprawled on the floor, bound and half-conscious, dried blood crusted at the corners of his mouth, and the distinct black marks of a poison seal vivid upon his tongue.
Sa Do Myeong’s gaze, which had been studying Jeon Man Ho, shifted toward Yun Cheon.
“Pavilion Master. To be frank, I am impressed.”
Sa Do Myeong’s tone carried more deference than usual.
“Recovering Jeon Man Ho alive exceeds even our expectations. The Inspection Bureau has moved for a long time to capture him. The dismantling of Jinguan Pavilion’s hidden inn network and the assassination of escort commander Gwak Tu are remarkable, but… capturing him alive surpasses even that.”
Yun Cheon set down his teacup.
“We struck at Jinguan Pavilion because of the Inspection Bureau’s commission in the first place. So then—how does the Inspection Bureau intend to pay a price commensurate with these results?”
Sa Do Myeong drew a measured breath.
“…Perhaps you should tell me first what it is you desire, Pavilion Master.”
“Three things.”
Yun Cheon raised one finger.
“First. All interrogation records and intelligence extracted from Jeon Man Ho. Ciphers, victim rosters, transport routes, and the remnants of Jinguan Pavilion’s forces.”
Sa Do Myeong nodded.
“…Of course. Since the Black Dragon Gang captured Jeon Man Ho, it is only fair.”
Yun Cheon raised another finger.
“Second. The Inspection Bureau’s tacit approval of the Black Dragon Gang’s absorption of Blood Axe Stronghold and the Iron Shark Gang.”
Sa Do Myeong’s teacup paused briefly.
“…Those two organizations are officially indigenous local forces. Yet in truth, they operated under the Demonic Cult’s covert patronage. It would be a lie to claim our Bureau was unaware.”
“Then let it be. Given what Jinguan Pavilion has done, no faction will dare openly challenge this. If necessary, we can expose Jeon Man Ho’s atrocities.”
“…Indeed. I shall report it to the Deputy Director in that manner. Once it falls into your hands, there is no reason for our Bureau to overturn it. For the sake of maintaining amicable relations with the Black Dragon Gang as well…”
In other words, so long as the current relationship between the Inspection Bureau and the Black Dragon Gang remained stable, there would be no grounds for objection.
Though conditions were attached, it was essentially an acceptance.
Yun Cheon raised his third finger. This time, he looked directly into Sa Do Myeong’s eyes.
“Third. Information regarding the Sura Blood Sect and the Blood Sovereigns.”
“…”
“You will periodically leak to me information about their movements.”
Sa Do Myeong slowly tapped the rim of his teacup with his fingertip.
Once.
Twice.
Even that measured sound seemed to settle the air in the room.
“Pavilion Master. That is… a line that even within the Inspection Bureau is difficult to speak of carelessly.”
Yun Cheon’s gaze did not waver.
“That is precisely why it holds value.”
A brief silence.
Sa Do Myeong drew a low breath.
“Information concerning the Sovereigns is not something even the Inspection Bureau can hold directly and move with freely. Especially not regarding the Blood Sovereign and the Sura Blood Sect.”
Yun Cheon set down the teacup he had been holding.
“I struck the Jinguan Pavilion’s hidden inn, killed Gwak Tu, and captured Jeon Man Ho alive. I’ve seized the Iron Shark Gang and Blood Axe Stronghold as well. The Inspection Bureau gains the ledgers and Jeon Man Ho without lifting a finger.”
The air inside the Administrative Office turned glacial.
“If you cannot produce even a few scraps of information in return… why would I continue this arrangement?”
“That is….”
After a moment of silence, Sa Do Myeong spoke in a low voice.
“…Very well. However, there is one condition.”
“Speak.”
“The Inspection Bureau already has a line of investigation leading toward Tianshan. Before you move independently in the future, we would appreciate it if you coordinated with us at least once.”
The corner of Yun Cheon’s mouth twisted faintly.
“Is this an attempt to check the Black Dragon Gang’s growing influence?”
“Surely not. The enemies we face are formidable and cunning. We merely wish to avoid a situation where the Inspection Bureau and Black Dragon Gang accidentally tear each other apart.”
Sa Do Myeong shook his head as he answered.
He withdrew a thin black iron token from his robes and placed it on the table.
A small contact token with a red line encircling its edges.
“If someone from our side shows this token first on the Tianshan line, spare them before killing—give them a chance to speak.”
“I see… so you have informants planted there. Understood.”
Sa Do Myeong rose from his seat and continued.
“Jeon Man Ho will be transferred to the Inspection Bureau immediately. The formal compensation for this matter will be delivered before dawn.”
“Good. Take him away.”
The two Inspection Bureau escorts Sa Do Myeong had brought hoisted Jeon Man Ho onto their shoulders and departed. The sound of rough footsteps and dragging fabric faded down the corridor.
Inside the Administrative Office remained only two cups of cold tea and a small iron token resting at the corner of the table.
‘…Sa Do Myeong has changed considerably.’
The man who once accepted bribes from Muk Wi Gyou and attempted to frame me as a spy now departed having revealed the Inspection Bureau’s deepest card. The debt from that moment when he saved my life from being discarded—it still lingered at his fingertips.
I rose from my seat and approached the window. As I brushed aside the heavy curtain with my fingertips, the pale blue light of dawn spilled into the room.
Far in the distance, to the northwest. Still shrouded in clouds and mist, yet the ridgeline of snow-covered mountains emerged faintly—where the Demonic Cult’s grand headquarters, including the Sura Blood Sect, stood.
‘…The day to ascend Tianshan draws near.’
The Blood Sovereign. One of the Five Great Sovereigns whose face I had yet to know.
That transcendent being was certainly scheming something, using children as sacrificial offerings.
My fingertips, resting against the window frame, tightened with subtle force.
I narrowed my eyes.
I would harbor resentment, yet not be consumed by it. I would ascend upon that resentment. Though Kunlun’s name now remained only as a pile of stones in the foothills of Qinghai, I would use those stones as stepping stones to climb to the very pinnacle of this Demonic Cult.
The path was already taking shape.
‘To separate the Demonic from the Martial.’
Within this Demonic Cult, there were certainly those who pursued pure martial prowess. Chuk Mu Gwang, Gal Mu Heun, Saengsa Jjon, Chui Geom Yi Mok. Even Yalü Hee. They did not use the doctrine of the Strong as justification for slaughter. For them, the Strong was a whip to refine themselves, not an excuse to devour others.
And on the other side, there were those who wrapped the doctrine of the Strong in the packaging of their own greed.
Snake and Scorpion Ink Family. Jinguan Pavilion. Sura Blood Sect. The Blood Sovereign.
The Demonic.
Beings who pursued power and crossed the line.
The Black Dragon Gang must become a banner for those who pursue martial prowess—embracing people, embracing land, embracing names. And those who crossed the line, I would cut down one by one.
The Inspection Bureau’s intelligence, the Ilwol Trading Company’s wealth, the authority of Saengsa Jjon and the Demonic Path Pavilion Master. I would use everything at my disposal.
At the end of that path lay the seat of the Heavenly Demon.
A faint smile played at Yun Cheon’s lips.
“So the pinnacle of the strong is merely the Heavenly Demon…”
To sit upon the seat of the Heavenly Demon, yet that seat would no longer be the seat of the Demonic Physician.
“It should be something like the Martial Absolute.”
The ultimate of martial arts, the zenith itself.
That was the name befitting the seat I envisioned.
I lowered the curtain again. The blue light folded away, and the room darkened once more.
Returning to the table, I picked up the black communication token wrapped with a crimson cord and tucked it into my robes.
Just then, a familiar voice came from beyond the door.
“Master. I’ve come to report. May I enter?”
It was So Ryong.
“Come in.”
The door opened and So Ryong stepped inside.
I asked without taking my seat.
“Start with the Blood Axe Fortress.”
“Yes.”
So Ryong’s lips curled upward subtly. His expression was that of one who had been waiting for this moment.
“I combed through the remnants as you instructed. Since these weren’t the type to reveal themselves under direct questioning, I… played a little trick.”
“I spread a rumor that you had obtained the ledgers from the Iron Shark Gang, Master. That those ledgers contained the names of those in collusion with the Jinguan Pavilion. And that they would be made public within three days.”
So Ryong paused for a beat.
“The rats couldn’t hold out for two days.”
“How many?”
“Three. One tried to send a letter outside. One attempted to scale the wall at night. And one… tried to bite through his own tongue.”
My eyes dimmed for a moment.
One who would bite his own tongue—no mere lackey. There was a possibility that a higher chain was involved.
“Keep that one alive and send him to the Inspection Bureau.”
“Already handled that way.”
So Ryong shrugged slightly, looking like a large dog awaiting praise.
“And another thing, Master. As for the Blood Axe Fortress men after removing the compromised ones, I put them to use.”
“Put them to use?”
“Yes, we couldn’t just leave them banditry near the Black Dragon Gang territory.”
I took my seat. This was worth hearing.
“I cut the toll in half. In exchange, I raised a flag. ‘The Road Protected by the Black Dragon Gang.'”
“If you cut the toll in half, there should be fewer targets.”
“That’s the thing.”
So Ryong laughed with shameless cunning.
“The numbers increased. With the toll halved, even those who never used that road before turned around and came through. And I asked a favor from Geum Bu Dong, the gold branch chief of the Ilwol Trading Company—to set up an inn at each waypoint. Travelers can sleep, eat, rest their horses.”
“Geum Bu Dong agreed readily.”
“Once he heard the Black Dragon Gang flag would be raised there, that man became even more enthusiastic. Muttering about how ‘silver follows wherever the Master plants his flag.'”
So Ryong clasped both hands together.
“With the tolls cut in half, plus the lodging fees and drink sales coming through the Inn, we’re bringing in twice as much in ten days as Blood Axe Stronghold was extorting before. And beyond that….”
A pause.
“The common people are welcoming the Black Dragon Gang.”
Yun Cheon regarded So Ryong in silence.
“They’re squeezed less, they’re safer, and now they have a place to rest their heads—how could they not welcome it? Among merchants, the northern route through Qinghai is being called the ‘Black Dragon Gang Road.'”
So Ryong bowed his head with a subtle smile.
“When the common people welcome you, the land transforms. And land that welcomes its people becomes the leader’s land.”
Yun Cheon laughed silently to himself.
‘…Bear-faced on the outside, but a fox through and through.’
So Ryong understood instinctively what force alone could never accomplish—that land could not be shaken by strength alone. He had kept the extortionists in place, but transformed their grasping hands into protective ones. In doing so, he had drawn in the wealth of the Ilwol Trading Company itself, extracting far more than the effort invested warranted.
Yun Cheon spoke quietly.
“Well done.”
So Ryong’s bow deepened, yet his face bore a satisfied grin.
“Ah, of course, none of this merit is ours to claim. It is all the karma—no, the majesty—that you have cultivated, my lord. That the common people now welcome the Black Dragon Gang’s banner of their own accord is not some new achievement of our retainers, but rather….”
“Enough. I understand.”
Yun Cheon raised his hand to cut off So Ryong’s flattery.
“Next.”
“Yes.”
So Ryong moved to the next report.
“Chui Geom is overseeing Yalü Hyeon and Kang Hui. He’s been working them from the ground up.”
“How are they progressing?”
“Kang Hui crawled at first, but now he’s gritting his teeth and pushing forward. He knows the retainer’s seat is no bed of roses. After being beaten down by me once, he learned exactly where he stands.”
“And Yalü Hyeon?”
So Ryong paused before answering.
“…The young master arrives at the Training Ground before Kang Hui every day. Yesterday, he was already there before dawn, still wearing his practice weights.”
Yun Cheon’s eyes dimmed for a moment.
It was a struggle to escape his sister’s shadow. The pride of one laid flat in a single exchange was clawing its way back to its feet on its own strength.
It was not a bad direction.
“Tell Yi Mok to have Yalü Hyeon deepen his fundamentals further. Speed built without foundation will not endure.”
“Yes.”
So Ryong hesitated before moving to the next matter. His tone softened slightly.
“Regarding the Medical Chamber… it would be better if you saw it yourself rather than heard it from me.”
“…Myself?”
“Yes. It would be good for you to see how Miss Seol cares for the children. It would be a shame for men like us to convey it in mere words.”
So Ryong bowed his head.
Yun Cheon rose from his seat. The blue light streaming through the window had already begun to tint with pale gold.
“…Let us go.”
The sun was rising.
Children pulled from the Underground Chamber of the Jinguan Pavilion. Children who had been called only by numbers, never by names.
On the day Kunlun fell to annihilation, he could not descend the mountain on his own feet. The faces of the young disciples left behind in those ashes flickered before him for a moment, then scattered like ash themselves.

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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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