Reincarnation of the Cloud Dragon - Chapter 89

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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 89.
The guide led Yun Cheon and his party inside.
“Your guest rooms are this way. We have separate accommodations for men and women.”
Yun Cheon nodded lightly.
The moment the group stepped inside, every gaze in the courtyard snapped toward them.
The Outer Hall courtyard was already filled with a considerable number of young martial artists. Some leaned against the corridors, others draped their arms over railings, and still others conversed near the pavilion. All wore silk martial robes with weapons at their waists—the next generation of prestigious families, those who had arrived early before the main family’s martial tournament.
“…The stares are rather intense, aren’t they, Lord?”
Kang Hui muttered quietly.
The guide spoke respectfully.
“This way, please. The east Guest House is for the gentlemen, and the west is for the ladies.”
His words redirected the group’s steps from the courtyard toward the Guest House.
As the party moved, the courtyard’s stares remained fixed upon them.
The door to the east Guest House closed.
With the door shut, the outside noise dimmed by one layer.
Before Kang Hui even set down his luggage, he began surveying the room.
“Wow, truly a prestigious family! The facilities are excellent!”
Even as he said this, the moment he crossed the threshold, he went to the window before the bed.
He opened the shutters halfway and scanned outside. I could sense him measuring with his eyes—the distance to the opposite Guest House, the height of the walls, the angles suitable for scaling across roofs. Then he crouched down and peered beneath the bed. Finally, he gently shook the door and listened for creaking sounds.
Yun Cheon let out a soft laugh.
“Old habits die hard.”
Kang Hui shrugged.
“It’s ingrained from my wanderer days… This way, I feel at ease. Still, those stares are rather sharp.”
He showed no sign of tension whatsoever.
“Don’t go running wild recklessly.”
Yun Cheon added quietly.
“…I’ll take that as permission to be somewhat flexible.”
Kang Hui nodded.
Inside the west Guest House.
“Wow, even in the Outer Hall, the rooms are spacious and the facilities are amazing! Truly the Guangfeng Yalü Family!”
Yeon Ha Ran rushed into the room first. She immediately dashed to the window. From there, the outer courtyard and Training Ground were visible at a glance.
“I can see the entire courtyard from this window!”
Yeon So Ran slightly furrowed her brow at her younger sister’s excited voice, then relaxed it.
The first to catch her eye were No Ja Gyeom and Bong Chu Un, whom they had parted from at the Daepung Inn. They were glancing at Yun Cheon’s party from a distance and whispering to each other.
“Brother No, Brother Bong…?”
Yeon Ha Ran, thinking their eyes had met, acknowledged them, but No Ja Gyeom and Bong Chu Un quickly turned their heads away.
“…Hmph, what do I care. Such narrow-minded brothers…”
Yeon Ha Ran soon lost interest in them and observed the others.
Surprisingly, Yeop Cheong A also approached Ha Ran’s side and briefly looked out at the courtyard.
Those in the Outer Hall all bore the emblems of prestigious martial families. Without exception, they were all accomplished martial artists of some renown. Among them, several stood out particularly.
A man wearing armor emblazoned with a pattern like descending lightning.
A giant wielding a heavy iron staff.
A swordsman carrying a blade in a scabbard marked with a crescent moon, as if cleaved in two.
Even a woman in silk who moved without a sound.
Yeop Cheong A’s eyes caught these individuals of striking character.
“….”
Meanwhile, Yalü Hee paid little attention to the Outer Hall’s occupants, leaning her back against the wall of one corner.
Beyond the window, the sounds of the courtyard drifted in faintly.
The short shouts of those sparring. The whistle of spears cutting through air. Someone’s low laughter. Fragments of conversation echoing from the corridor in the distance.
With so many young martial artists gathered, the vibrant energy transmitted itself directly.
“…This is a sight I never would have witnessed had I entered the Inner Hall.”
A faint smile played at Yalü Hee’s lips. She found this atmosphere far more appealing than the stifling hierarchy of the Inner Hall.
Yeon Ha Ran, hearing that voice, asked a question.
“Sister Yalü, what is the Inner Hall like? Is it very different from here?”
“It’s different. That place is tedious.”
“So… you’re saying this place is more fun?”
Yeon Ha Ran pressed further, as if disappointed at not being assigned to the Inner Hall.
Yeop Cheong A added quietly.
“From what I hear, the Inner Hall hosts mostly elders and senior guests. The Outer Hall is where most of the younger generation of martial artists are assigned. So it makes sense the atmosphere would differ.”
“Ah, so that’s why you suggested we come to the Outer Hall.”
Yeon Ha Ran added without tact, but only Yeon So Ran’s delicate brow furrowed slightly. No one pointed it out.
Not long after unpacking their belongings, the group emerged into the courtyard once more.
Only then did the structure of the Outer Hall courtyard come into proper focus. A pavilion and pond at the center. Guest houses to the east and west. A tea house and dining hall at the end of the northern corridor. And a small Training Ground with tamped earth at the southern end.
Before the sun had fully descended, the Outer Hall courtyard was already bustling. There were even quite a few warming up already near the Training Ground.
A man extending his spear. Thrusts infused with power. Seeing the women emerge, he drove his spear forward one beat harder. A long-sword wielder leaning against the railing drew his blade once, then sheathed it with flourish. The sound was sharp and clean. It too was a gesture meant to draw attention.
The young men of the Outer Hall were all conscious of the new group. With four beauties of distinctly different temperaments gathered together, it was hardly surprising.
Yeon Ha Ran’s eyes sparkled.
“Sister Yeop, which of those people is famous?”
Yeop Cheong A paused for a moment. Her gaze swept across the courtyard once.
“…Well, first… that pattern engraved on that halberd looks like the Pae Roe Ul Ji Family.”
“Wow, they’re one of the Twelve Orthodox Families!”
“And that crescent-decorated scabbard over there appears to be from the Cham Wol Dok Go Family.”
“Just as I thought! You recognized the current young master’s identity earlier, and now you know all the martial family insignias!”
“…I can’t say for certain yet.”
Yeop Cheong A added after a brief pause.
Yeon Ha Ran nodded. Her sister beside her was catching every word Yeop Cheong A spoke. Yeon So Ran’s gaze drifted slowly across the men’s hierarchy display. Her expression was one of carefully measuring who looked at whom, who moved before whom, calculating each nuance.
Yalü Hee stood to one side of the courtyard, arms crossed.
‘…As expected, these posturing fools are nothing special. At this rate, how many will even survive the preliminaries?’
Then Kang Hui and Yun Cheon emerged from the men’s guest house. Kang Hui leaned against the railing of the corridor with a yawn, as if drowsy. In that instant, several gazes fixed upon him more distinctly.
The look that said: that wanderer first, then.
And there were those who directed that gaze more blatantly in one direction.
In the shadows beneath the railing stood No Ja Gyeom and Bong Chu Un, having stepped aside.
The two, who had entered the Outer Hall first after their humiliation at the Inn, exchanged subtle smiles as if they had merely been waiting for the Black Dragon Gang to reveal themselves.
Bong Chu Un deliberately clicked his tongue loud enough for those nearby to hear.
“So that’s Kang Hui of the Blood Claw, I hear.”
No Ja Gyeom responded with a thin smile.
“They say he ranks around ninetieth on the Feng Yun Ranking. He doesn’t look like much at first glance, but his reputation seems to carry some weight.”
Bong Chu Un shrugged his shoulders.
“In Qinghai’s underworld, even someone like that would have a rank. Still, wouldn’t he be tempting prey for those just beginning to make their mark in the martial world?”
No Ja Gyeom added as if it were of little consequence.
“Well, that’s true enough. You need to crush someone with a rank to your name if you want to make a reputation in the martial world.”
Those words struck exactly the ears that wanted to hear them. A man who had been searching for an opportunity to make his name as a newcomer to the martial world openly assessed Kang Hui.
“Ninetieth on the Feng Yun Ranking, they say, but he looks utterly unremarkable. I could step over someone like that and climb higher.”
“The Black Dragon Gang… the name is unfamiliar, but if he has a rank on the Feng Yun Ranking, we can verify whether that value is genuine right here.”
Those in the Outer Hall, sensing the ominous atmosphere, exchanged words among themselves.
“Things are getting interesting.”
“Heh heh… when you gather hot-blooded youth in one place, conflict is inevitable.”
“Jin Mu Ryang of the Cheongha Jin Family and Han Seo Baek of the Cheolryeong Han Family? Both are newcomers to the martial world, but they come from renowned martial families.”
The atmosphere had already treated a confrontation as inevitable.
The only question was whether Kang Hui would accept the challenge.
Even as the two men openly assessed Kang Hui, he did not turn his head in their direction.
In the past, he would have already rushed at them, but now he first sought permission from Yun Cheon.
“…Sect Leader. Would it be acceptable if I played with them a bit?”
“It’s too early to see blood. Keep it moderate.”
Kang Hui’s lips curved upward.
“Of course. I have at least that much sense.”
Yeon Ha Ran, watching the scene from the veranda of the women’s guest house, tugged at her sister’s sleeve.
“Sister! What about Elder Brother Kang? They started the quarrel first!”
Yeon So Ran did not answer. Her gaze was not on Kang Hui, but on Yun Cheon standing behind him. Yun Cheon leaned lightly against the corridor railing, holding a teacup in his hand.
‘…If the Sect Leader is so composed, there’s no need to worry.’
Yalü Hee, beside her, took a sip of tea and responded with calm composure.
“Leave it be. He’ll handle it on his own.”
“What? I heard earlier that he’s quite famous! What if Elder Brother Kang gets hurt?”
Yeon Ha Ran’s voice rose slightly. Fragments of information she had heard from Yeop Cheong A swirled uncertainly in her mind.
“Well, we’ll see who gets hurt when the time comes.”
Yalü Hee let out a soft laugh.
Yeon So Ran heard that brief exchange. The fact that the Sect Leader and Yalü Hee had reached the same judgment. The fact that between the two of them, words were scarcely necessary.
The atmosphere in the courtyard had already shifted to the next phase.
Jin Mu Ryang, watching Kang Hui walk toward the center, twisted his lips into a smile.
“I am Jin Mu Ryang of the Cheongha Jin Family. Your courage is commendable, at least. Coming forward without tucking your tail between your legs.”
“Kang Hui.”
Kang Hui answered curtly and glanced down at the Training Ground floor, loosening his ankles.
The ground was thinly covered with sand—not slippery enough to cause a misstep.
“Quite the discourteous fellow.”
“I don’t have some illustrious family name to flaunt like you. But in the end, whether it’s a noble house or the streets, men are all the same. So, which of you wants to go first?”
“Indeed, he’s hardly suited for this place. His manner of speech is far too frivolous….”
“Your tongue wags freely. Having second thoughts now?”
At those words, Jin Mu Ryang’s eyebrows shot upward. The eyes of the young women from various families, as well as the men around them, converged upon him. To let such a provocation pass would be unmanly.
Jin Mu Ryang stepped forward and reached to seize Kang Hui’s shoulder. A minor rudeness, nothing more—not a formal duel, yet too blatant to ignore.
Whoosh.
As Kang Hui tilted his shoulder back, he extended his arm. Jin Mu Ryang’s eyes wavered as he belatedly sensed the opening, but it was already too late.
Crack.
Kang Hui’s fingers drove into the inside of Jin Mu Ryang’s wrist, between tendon and bone, striking the pressure point with perfect precision. Jin Mu Ryang’s hand went limp, bent helplessly.
“Ugh…!”
Jin Mu Ryang gritted his teeth and endured.
Kang Hui held only the pressure point with one hand, his expression utterly composed as he looked him in the face.
“Care to try again?”
“Ugh… you coward!”
“You were the one who tried to strike first, weren’t you?”
When Kang Hui released his grip with a flick, Jin Mu Ryang belatedly clenched his fist and staggered backward, his face flushed crimson. It was humiliating—he hadn’t even drawn his sword, his specialty, before being subdued.
Short gasps erupted from beyond the Training Ground.
“What… just happened?”
“Did Jin Mu Ryang actually lose?”
Kang Hui paid them no mind.
He dusted off his fingertips and turned his gaze toward the other man who had been appraising him earlier.
“Will you just stand there with your hands clasped behind your back?”
The man’s face hardened. Once singled out, he could not retreat. To step back now would make him a coward before all who watched in the Outer Hall courtyard. He spoke in a low voice.
“I am Han Seo Baek of the Cheolryeong Han Family. I formally request a match.”
Kang Hui laughed.
“A moment ago you spoke of merely testing my skill, and now it’s formal?”
“If you’re afraid, you may decline.”
Kang Hui smirked and clicked his tongue.
“Fine. Formal or otherwise, come at me.”
“Draw your weapon!”
The young masters at the edge of the courtyard naturally stepped back one pace. A circular space opened around the Training Ground.
The Outer Hall steward, watching from the shade, spoke in a low voice to the servant beside him.
“The Black Dragon Gang member is already drawing attention.”
“Should we report to Fengling Pavilion?”
The steward shook his head.
“…Not yet. The master hasn’t intervened.”
Han Seo Baek drew his longsword completely. The blade caught the sunlight and flashed briefly.
Kang Hui slowly withdrew the Blood Claw from his sleeve. Five metal talons caught the crimson light of the setting sun, gleaming with a sanguine sheen.
The two stood facing each other. The air of the Training Ground grew taut with tension.

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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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