Reincarnation of the Cloud Dragon - Chapter 87

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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 87.
After the commotion at the inn had settled, night descended far more swiftly than expected.
The innkeeper of the Daepung Inn rushed about personally, tidying the rooms, while the stable hands busied themselves retying the reins of horses they’d herded into the back courtyard. As the last crimson glow of sunset faded beyond the second-floor railing, Yalü Hee spoke first.
“Let’s stay here tonight and depart at dawn tomorrow.”
“Oh my, then we can sleep peacefully tonight?”
Only Yeon Ha Ran’s eyes sparkled with delight.
Yun Cheon said nothing. He merely set down his cup and glanced once at Yalü Hee.
“We’ve gained more women in our party. If we all ride at once, we’ll lose speed.”
Yalü Hee continued calmly.
“Besides, we’re drawing closer to my family home. I’d rather not arrive looking like this.”
Her fingertips brushed the sand from her own shoulder.
“The same goes for Hyeon.”
Yalü Hyeon blinked as though feeling wronged.
“I’m fine.”
“Fine? You want to arrive covered in sand and have people say, ‘Is this really how a young master of the Guangfeng Yalü Family presents himself?'”
Yalü Hyeon fell silent, unable to find a rebuttal. Yalü Hee turned her gaze toward the Yeon sisters and Yeop Cheong A.
“Find us a carriage. The women will ride in it. Kang Hui, you’ll be the driver.”
Kang Hui looked up mid-chew.
“Why must I be the driver?”
“Because you’re a wolf, Crimson Blood Wolf—you seem like you’d handle horses well.”
“…I can’t tell if that’s praise or if you’re just putting me to work.”
He grumbled, but ultimately did not refuse.
Only then did Yun Cheon speak.
“Very well.”
It was a brief reply.
The corners of Yalü Hee’s mouth lifted ever so slightly.
Without needing lengthy explanations, Yun Cheon would read her true intentions. That was his way—to understand without pressing further.
That night, the four women shared one room.
Yalü Hee closed the door first. A single oil lamp sat within the room, and the cloth layered outside the paper window to block the sand wind swayed gently in the breeze.
The moment Yeon Ha Ran entered, she began removing her ornaments as though casting off a burden.
“Goodness, I’m alive. I thought I’d perish today.”
“On the contrary, you seemed to be having the time of your life.”
Yeon So Ran countered matter-of-factly.
Yeon Ha Ran laughed with amusement.
“Still, I never thought I’d see the Young Master Yalü up so close.”
Yeon So Ran sighed as she arranged her hairpiece, then asked casually, as though the thought had just occurred to her.
“By the way… does Sister Yalü Hee have a betrothed?”
Yeon Ha Ran’s eyes brightened as she lifted her head.
Yeon So Ran had started to scold her sister, but curiosity about Yalü Hee’s answer made her pause.
Yalü Hee folded a towel and set it down, then turned the question back.
“A romantic interest? No. Why would you ask such a thing?”
Yeon Ha Ran shrugged innocently.
“I saw you during the day—you seemed quite intimate with Yun Cheon.”
Yeon So Ran exhaled shortly.
“Ha Ran.”
“What? I’m just curious.”
Yalü Hee neither smiled nor grew angry. She simply pushed away from the wall and rose slowly to her feet.
“Yun Cheon and I are not in that kind of relationship. We are merely companions walking the path of the martial artist together.”
Yeon Ha Ran’s expression only grew more curious, but this time her sister’s hand reached out first, tugging at her forearm.
“Stop it.”
Yeon So Ran said it quietly. Yeon Ha Ran’s face fell, but she opened her mouth again almost immediately.
“…What kind of people will attend the Martial Arts Tournament? Will I be able to meet someone wonderful there too?”
It was a thought more befitting a girl than a martial artist.
Yeop Cheong A hesitated for a moment before speaking.
“I heard that from the Twelve Orthodox Families, representatives from Pae Roeul, Chamwol Dokgo, and Paggun Sama families have sent their successors.”
Yalü Hee swallowed what she had been about to say and instead studied Yeop Cheong A once more through the mirror.
‘…She knows more than I expected.’
Yeon So Ran added briefly.
“Many rising successors cultivated by each family and sect will be attending. After this tournament, the Feng Yun Ranking will likely shift considerably.”
Each of them had different goals for the tournament.
But none of them seemed to possess the same resolve as Yalü Hee—to prove her martial way through her own strength.
‘…This is what ordinary martial families’ daughters are like. But I… at this tournament, I will stand not as a daughter of a martial family, but as a true martial artist.’
* * *
The next morning.
Before boarding the carriage, Yalü Hee grabbed Yalü Hyeon by the collar.
“Wait.”
“What now?”
“It’s not ‘what now’—look at yourself.”
She brushed the sand and dust from him, straightening his collar. Yalü Hyeon reluctantly stood still, only bowing his head slightly.
“You’re going to enter the main house looking like that?”
“Everyone who needs to recognize me will anyway.”
“Still, you should look presentable.”
Yalü Hee adjusted her brother’s collar one final time. Then, a beat later, she tidied her own martial robes. She didn’t look in a mirror, but her fingers moved with practiced ease as she straightened the knots.
Yeop Cheong A happened to witness the scene as she passed through the corridor.
Yalü Hee adjusting her brother’s collar.
Yalü Hyeon accepting her touch with the ease of long familiarity.
Yeop Cheong A’s gaze lingered for only the briefest moment before falling away. She had an older brother too, but the distance between them was not like this.
By the time preparations were complete, Yun Cheon had already changed into black martial robes.
Black garments cleansed of sand, blood, and dust. A face as silent as ever. Yet dressed with such care, his presence drew eyes no less than Yalü Hyeon’s did.
Yeon Ha Ran’s eyes sparkled, and even Yeon So Ran found herself glancing at him more than once. Only Kang Hui stood alone, smacking his lips.
“Everyone here is frustratingly handsome.”
The carriage rolled onto the road.
Kang Hui eventually settled onto the driver’s seat. Though he grumbled, his hands moved with practiced ease as he handled the reins.
“I think it would have been better if I’d ridden ahead on horseback alone. My ears are killing me from all the chatter of the women in the back.”
“Just keep your eyes on the road.”
Yalü Hyeon replied from beside the carriage. Yeon Ha Ran’s voice rang out again from within.
“Young Master, what food is your family home famous for?”
“Well… I’m not particular about food, so….”
“When did you start carrying that sword? Doesn’t your back hurt from carrying something so heavy?”
“You get used to it.”
After that, Yeon Ha Ran continued speaking to Yalü Hyeon without pause.
“…You certainly have many questions, young lady.”
“I do.”
Yeon Ha Ran laughed.
“This is my first time attending such a grand family gathering!”
Yeon So Ran peeked at Yun Cheon through a small gap near the window. Yun Cheon rode quietly alongside the carriage on horseback.
“Young Master Yun Cheon came from Qinghai, didn’t you?”
Yun Cheon turned his head.
“I did.”
“You’ve traveled far. Qinghai—that name rings a bell. The Black Dragon Gang Master Yun Cheon. There’s been quite a bit of talk about you in the martial world lately. They say you’re rising quickly from the bottom ranks of the Feng Yun Ranking.”
“News of the Black Dragon Gang has reached even the northern territories. At this martial arts tournament, there will be no shortage of those curious about your name.”
Yeop Cheong A added quietly as well.
Both women seemed subtly curious about why the Black Dragon Gang Master, whose current standing in the Feng Yun Ranking hardly compared to the Yalü Family’s prestige, was leading this group.
Yet Yun Cheon, reading their expressions, answered without concern, his tone indifferent.
“I’ve simply been fortunate.”
At his characteristic response, a faint smile played at the corners of Yalü Hee’s lips.
* * *
As the sun began to dim.
The group decided to rest briefly at a marketplace that had naturally formed beside the road. They needed to water the horses, check the carriage wheels, and satisfy their hunger.
While Yun Cheon and Yalü Hyeon filled water and fodder, Yeon Ha Ran’s eyes were already busy darting in all directions.
“It’ll only take a moment!”
Her eyes sparkled in front of a small shop displaying glass beads.
“I’ll just look at that and come right back. Really, just a moment!”
“Ha Ran.”
Yeon So Ran reached out to grab her sleeve with an annoyed expression, but Yeon Ha Ran had already slipped away half a step faster.
Before Yeop Cheong A could even call out “Young Lady Ha Ran—”, she had already disappeared between the vendor stalls.
Kang Hui clicked his tongue while checking the hooves.
“Does that young lady always run off like that?”
“Ha Ran!”
Yeon So Ran called out once more, but there was no answer.
In that very instant.
Yeop Cheong A’s eyes shifted.
“…Wait.”
Her gaze turned toward the narrow alley at the edge of the marketplace.
Men stood there who had not been present moments before. Their faces were concealed, their clothes shabby. Yet their eyes betrayed them as anything but ordinary marketplace patrons.
Kang Hui noticed simultaneously.
“Tch—”
Before he could finish speaking, he leaped down from the driver’s seat.
The masked ronin moved as one.
Their number was roughly ten. Not many. Yet their targets were unmistakable. Two advanced toward the women by the carriage, three toward Kang Hui, while the rest spread to block the path.
“Not so fast!”
Yalü Hyeon threw himself almost reflexively in the direction Yeon Ha Ran had vanished. He did not draw the reference sword strapped to his back. Instead, he swung the sheath itself.
Whoosh—.
A heavy gust of wind accompanied a scream.
“Ugh—!”
One of the masked men blocking the alley shrieked as he crashed against the wall.
Yeop Cheong A seized Yeon So Ran’s arm first.
“Back!”
Yeon So Ran stumbled but quickly gritted her teeth and retreated. Her usual pride proved useless in such moments, but at least she did not cry out.
Yalü Hee’s black blade flashed.
Short and slender, dark as obsidian.
As it grazed one masked man’s neck, the fabric tore halfway open. His lower jaw was exposed, and the man turned with eyes wide in terror.
Kang Hui had already felled one with his fist.
“Wretches.”
He bared his teeth.
“…How troublesome.”
Even as he spoke, Yun Cheon moved faster than anyone, launching himself toward the rooftop.
The end of the alley.
Yeon Ha Ran was backing away, her face frozen in shock.
The moment one masked man reached toward her, Yun Cheon’s sheath fell from above, striking the man’s crown.
Crack—.
The sound of a watermelon splitting.
The man with the shattered skull shrieked and collapsed.
“Ahhhhh!”
Yalü Hyeon and Kang Hui followed, subduing the remaining masked men.
“What are these fools? Worthless rabble!”
Tears welled in Yeon Ha Ran’s terrified eyes. She drew one deep breath.
Only at the end of that short breath did her trembling hand carefully grasp Kang Hui’s sleeve.
“O-older brother….”
Kang Hui went rigid in that instant.
“…Eh, why would I be your older brother?”
Yalü Hee, arriving late, caught sight of the scene and chuckled, speaking with amusement.
“Really? It suits you well.”
Kang Hui turned around with a bewildered expression.
“Why are you doing this too, miss?”
Yun Cheon seized the surviving gang leader by the collar and hauled him upright.
“Whose orders?”
The man clamped his mouth shut.
Yalü Hee’s black blade moved.
Slash.
The edge of the mask was sliced away, revealing the man’s cheek.
“Whose orders?”
This time it was Yalü Hee who asked, not Yun Cheon.
The gang leader swallowed hard.
“…I don’t know. Truly…! Two men gave us silver and said to deal with one vagrant from their group… that frightening the women would suffice….”
“Two young masters?”
Yeop Cheong A asked quietly.
The man nodded.
Kang Hui ground his teeth.
“…Ha. Master, it’s obvious who they are, isn’t it? Should I go find them myself and beat them senseless?”
Yun Cheon released the gang leader’s collar.
“Leave it. If it’s them, we’ll meet again at the main house of the Guang Feng Yalü Family.”
As the commotion in the marketplace subsided and the stall owners dragged away the injured, Yeon Ha Ran continued to hover excitedly around Kang Hui and Yalü Hyeon.
Once they resumed their journey, she climbed up beside the coachman’s seat.
“…Um, I really wanted to thank you for earlier.”
Kang Hui held the reins with an awkward smile.
“Calling me ‘older brother’ is uncomfortable—just call me Kang Hui.”
“Why?”
Yeon Ha Ran’s eyes widened.
“Older brother is much more comfortable.”
“Oh my, this young lady….”
Yalü Hee chuckled softly from behind.
“Yes, keep calling him older brother. He hates it.”
“Really? Truly?”
Yeon Ha Ran’s face brightened.
Kang Hui turned around with an exasperated expression.
“Sigh….”
There was a brief commotion, but soon the journey continued.
And some time later, as they crested a ridge in the mountains.
In the distance, at last, it came into view.
The grand estate of the Guang Feng Yalü Family.
An enormous manor sprawled across the mountainside, with layer upon layer of roofs stretching behind it. Flags fluttered among the glazed tiles that gleamed in the sunlight.
Carriages from various regions had already lined the plaza before the estate, their roofs bearing the distinct colors and emblems of different families, swaying in the wind.
Kang Hui let out a low whistle.
“Wow—. Yalü Hyeon, your family’s place is incredible?”
Yeon Ha Ran held her breath as well.
“…It really is massive.”
Before the castle gate.
The guards at the Castle Gate immediately grew wary upon seeing the group.
“Halt! Show your invitation!”
The carriage stopped.
A moment of silence.
It was Yalü Hyeon who broke that silence first, stepping down.
The instant his feet touched the ground, the massive True Demon Blade strapped across his back, the guards’ faces froze.
One of them opened his eyes wide.
“…Young Master?”
The next moment, all three dropped to their knees nearly in unison.
“Young Master! We failed to recognize you!”
Yalü Hyeon simply raised his hand briefly.
Then the carriage door opened.
Yalü Hee descended.
Her martial robes were impeccably neat. The adornments were understated. Yet despite the long journey, not a thread was out of place, and the strength ingrained in her body was evident at a glance. She appeared not as the troublesome daughter of rumor, but unmistakably as someone raised within this great family.
One of the kneeling guards lifted his head, then froze.
“…Ah, Miss?”
His voice trembled.
“Is it truly… you, Miss?”
Yalü Hee looked down at him.
Her expression was serene.
“Have you been well all this time?”
A brief greeting.
Yet the guard’s back trembled faintly. It was no mere pleasantry. It was the voice of a master addressing her family’s own warrior.
Murmurs arose from various points in the plaza.
“That woman…?”
“The daughter who left the Yalü Family on her own feet?”
“…I hadn’t heard she’d returned.”
“But the way she’s dressed now is quite refined. It’s different from the rumors.”
Yalü Hee paid no mind to the murmurs.
The gazes of others were irrelevant to her.
In that moment, Yalü Hee’s gaze fixed on one place.
Inside the castle gate, beneath the eaves of the Ceremonial Office erected beside the checkpoint.
He must have come out early for the ceremony. Yet he did not move now. He stood rooted in that spot, his gaze fixed upon me.
“…Hee.”
His voice reached my ears.

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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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