The Legend of Red Cloud - Chapter 31

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This chapter was translated by Lunox Novels. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
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Chapter 31. An Unexpected Encounter
Dong Pil, who had been fretting over the matter, quietly slid into the seat beside Yi Song and asked in a low voice.
“Are you really going to let him growl at you like that?”
It was a reasonable anxiety.
The realm of Gwi Geom, known throughout the martial world, was that of a Supreme Master.
Even though years had passed since he ceased his activities in the Jianghu, he still confidently held his place in the Top 100 Ranking.
Yet Yi Song, upon hearing Dong Pil’s question, remained as unhurried as ever.
“It’s fine. We’re exchanging greetings.”
“Huh? Greetings? That?”
Dong Pil’s baffled question was answered swiftly enough.
“Damn you, you bastard!”
Though Jwa Ryang spewed curses, it was he—the one who had started the quarrel in the first place—who backed away first.
“Hmph, who are you to talk!”
Gwi Geom snorted in return, and accepted it as it was.
Neither the Jwa Ryang that Dong Pil knew nor the Gwi Geom that rumor described were men who would retreat so easily, yet the confrontation ended as tamely as that.
What was laughable was the security guards who stood gripping their Sword and Spear in readiness for any crisis.
In particular, the face of the guard who had been bullying the martial artists of the Hwangsan Unit, who had been under the Ceremonial Commission Order, had turned ashen.
Yet Gwi Geom beckoned to that very man with a wave of his hand.
“Sang Gu, come over here.”
“Yes? Me, sir?”
“That’s right. Come now and pay your respects.”
At Gwi Geom’s call, Sang Gu approached, shambling forward with a death-pale expression.
Turning him toward Ryu, Gwi Geom continued.
“This is my disciple. Pay your respects. This is the great swordmaster who saved my life.”
Gwi Geom’s Life-Saving Benefactor—a name that had rung constantly in his ears.
According to what his master had said, this man parted darkness with the First Sword and severed the moon with the Second Sword—a master of Mysterious and Elusive technique.
Yet in Sang Gu’s eyes, he looked like nothing more than a delicate Fair-Faced Scholar.
Still, he did not utter such foolish words as “You’re the one?”
He knew better than anyone that his master was not a man to speak nonsense.
“I, I pay my respects. I am Sang Gu. People call me the Violent Ghost.”
The Violent Ghost—a savage phantom, as the name went.
Yet that was merely Sang Gu’s assertion; the people actually called him the Young Ghost.
The Young Ghost.
A young phantom, or perhaps a juvenile demon.
An epithet given because he trailed after Gwi Geom like a mother, bound to his heels.
Yet it seemed Ryu’s interest lay elsewhere than in his epithet.
“A disciple?”
It was a simple question, but Gwi Geom grasped the doubt hidden within it perfectly.
Indeed, when Ryu had saved him, he had been alone.
“A few months ago he left the Demonic Path, sought me out through long inquiry, and when he refused to part from me, I appealed earnestly to the commander of the Alliance Vanguard Unit, and so we came to be together.”
Whether satisfied by Gwi Geom’s answer, Ryu gave Sang Gu a quick once-over and then turned his gaze away.
Sang Gu felt awkward, having expected at least a simple acknowledgment, but for some reason Gwi Geom looked quite pleased.
“He still has much to learn, but he picks things up quickly. I shall teach him well.”
At his master’s repeated words, Ryu gave only a reluctant nod, which displeased Sang Gu, though he did not let it show.
For his master’s consistently deferential demeanor troubled him greatly.
Whether Gwi Geom knew Sang Gu’s mind or not, he took a step further.
“From now on, this one will attend to the great swordmaster. Should you need anything, you need only call upon this one——”
“There’s no need.”
“Great swordmaster……”
“A man who has done wrong shouldn’t be pampered.”
At Ryu’s terse but resolute words, Gwi Geom turned to Yi Song with a troubled expression.
He seemed to hope Yi Song would intervene and break the deadlock, but Yi Song merely smiled faintly and shrugged.
As if to say there was nothing he could do.
At last, Gwi Geom stepped back.
Given Ryu’s nature, he knew that further persuasion would not sway him to accept the offer.
“Aah…… You haven’t changed. Very well. Should you find yourself in need of anything, however unlikely, please call upon me or this one at any time, great swordmaster.”
Though Ryu did not even spare him a glance, Gwi Geom bowed deeply at the waist and performed the greeting with utmost courtesy.
It was a sight that no one who knew the epithet of Gwi Geom would have believed.
Even Sang Gu, who had observed Gwi Geom for a long time as his disciple, was astonished, his eyes widening.
Leaving Sang Gu behind, Gwi Geom bowed once more.
“Then please enjoy your meal in peace, sir. I shall take my leave.”
The restaurant’s atmosphere, which had seemed on the verge of chaos because of the unremarkable guards, deflated helplessly the moment Ryu and the members of the Red Assassin Unit arrived.
Among all present, it was the warriors of the Hwangsan Unit who were most thrown into confusion.
They had already been intimidated simply by the knowledge that the legendary Gwi Geom served in the Ceremonial Guard Unit—and now they found themselves facing someone before whom that very Gwi Geom bowed his head.
And worse still, that someone was a member of the Alliance Vanguard Unit, bearing the same Ceremonial Commission Order they themselves carried.
It was shock beyond measure—they nearly lost consciousness.
Because of this, the Hwangsan Unit members who had been preparing to leave found their feet rooted to the restaurant floor.
To simply walk out now felt as though they would be showing disrespect to their counterparts.
Thus suspended between two impossible choices, all their eyes turned toward Yi Myeong.
One of their company, Hui Jun, had spoken with him—and with some warmth at that.
Quite familiarly, in fact.
Finally, compelled by the weight of his companions’ stares, Yi Myeong forced his reluctant feet forward.
“Um, er… Hui Jun.”
Hui Jun, who was about to take his seat, did not catch Yi Myeong’s whisper—it was scarcely louder than a mosquito’s hum.
Hearing Yi Myeong’s voice, Yi Song called out to Hui Jun instead.
“Hui Jun.”
“Yes?”
“It seems someone over there is calling for you.”
“What? Ah! Yi Myeong! What are you doing? Come over here.”
Hui Jun rose from his seat again and, grasping Yi Myeong’s hand as he approached hesitantly, pulled him close. Yi Song asked of him, “Who is this?”
“Who is that?”
Before Hui Jun could answer, Dong Pil—who had taken the seat across from Yi Song at some point—spoke up first.
“A friend of his.”
“A friend?”
To Yi Song’s question, Hui Jun answered with a bright, radiant smile.
“Yes. We studied together at the same academy when we were young.”
Yi Song, who had not seen Hui Jun smile so warmly in some time, found Yi Myeong’s appearance itself a welcome thing.
“Pleased to meet you. I am Yi Song.”
Startled by Yi Song’s sudden greeting, Yi Myeong performed a deep bow.
“I am Yi Myeong, of the Poyang Merchant House.”
“The Poyang Merchant House?”
At Yi Song’s question, Hui Jun stepped in to explain.
“This is the second young master of the Poyang Merchant House.”
“Poyang… that would be in Gangseong, wouldn’t it?”
Hui Jun answered once more.
“That’s right. It’s located by Poyang Lakeside, which is famous throughout Gangseong.”
At Hui Jun’s response, Yi Song tilted his head thoughtfully.
“Gangseong, then…”
Sensing the unspoken question behind Yi Song’s trailing words, Yi Myeong answered with a somewhat awkward expression.
“It’s a troubled region.”
Geographically, Gangseong lay wedged between Hunan, the stronghold of the Long River Water Faction, and Zhejiang, where the Hangzhou Imperial Family held dominion.
Since both the Long River Water Faction and the Hangzhou Imperial Family were core sects of the White-Clothed Alliance, Gangseong was effectively under that alliance’s sphere of influence.
Yet no one spoke of Gangseong as wholly belonging to the White-Clothed Alliance’s domain.
The Yangtze River, which runs lengthwise across the Central Plain from east to west, flows through Hubei where Mount Wudang stands before entering Gangseong.
For this reason, Gangseong had traditionally remained under strong influence from Mount Wudang.
Perhaps because of this, Gangseong was remarkably home to numerous small sects founded by Mount Wudang’s lay disciples.
And this very fact was the reason no major sect had ever truly flourished there.
Through all these various circumstances, though Gangseong lay near the White-Clothed Alliance’s sphere of power, it remained one step removed from it.
The influence of the Iron Blood Alliance still operated through the numerous Mount Wudang lay disciples established throughout Gangseong.
Because of such complex circumstances in the martial world, Gangseong was a tangle of factions and individuals divided between allegiances to both the White-Clothed Alliance and the Iron Blood Alliance.
Among them, the Poyang Merchant House appeared to be aligned with the Iron Blood Alliance side.
Yi Myeong had condensed all this intricate web of relationships into that single word: “troubled.”
Yi Song regarded Yi Myeong with a sympathetic gaze.
“You must carry many worries, then.”
Because the situation was as tangled as knotted thread, disturbances arose frequently.
Clashes between the factions aligned with the Iron Blood Alliance and those allied with the White-Clothed Alliance erupted roughly once every three or four months.
“The main house manages well enough, thanks to the Iron Blood Alliance’s support,” Yi Myeong said.
“Well, it’s a merchant family, not a martial clan, after all.”
Unlike martial families that try to solve everything through force, merchant families at least possess greater resources.
And as it is said, those who possess much tend to think much as well.
Hui Jun asked Yi Myeong, who could only manage an awkward laugh at Yi Song’s words.
“So your being here is the price for the Iron Blood Alliance’s support?”
To call it a price seemed almost laughable—it was more of an obligation.
To lend strength to Iron Blood Alliance operations, dangerous affairs where blood might well be spilled.
It was a transaction conducted under what people called a “complementary relationship based on reciprocity”—a somewhat difficult phrase.
To speak plainly: we might spill blood for you, so you must also take on tasks where you might spill blood for us.
That was roughly what it meant.
Of course, in the case of merchant houses like the Poyang Merchant House, their principals not only participated on the front lines but also had to provide substantial material support.
While it seemed odd to call that a price, in exchange the Iron Blood Alliance conventionally assigned the principals sent by merchant houses to somewhat safer posts.
This was the reason Yi Myeong was stationed in the Hwangsan Unit, which was considered the safest position within the Alliance Vanguard Unit.
Yi Myeong answered by condensing the matter appropriately.
“It’s awkward to call it a price… I’d say it’s more of a mutual support arrangement? Well, something like that.”
From Yi Myeong’s answer, Hui Jun could infer the underlying meaning well enough.
Indeed, what in this world was truly free?
“I see. No wonder you, who used to do nothing but bury yourself in books, ended up here.”
“Books? Then you mean a scholar?”
Yi Myeong answered Yi Song’s question with a troubled expression.
“I have devoted myself to my studies with dedication, though I have also learned some swordsmanship.”
A merchant house.
Much to possess, much to protect.
Naturally, he would have learned sword work for self-defense.
But such skill was merely self-defense technique, nothing more.
It was not enough to preserve one’s life on a frontline like the Alliance Vanguard Unit, where life and death crossed in an instant.
Yi Song, though he understood this, spoke no differently.
The other man would know it too, after all.
“I see. I’ve always taken a particular interest in those devoted to their studies, so if I’ve offended you, I apologize.”
“No, it’s fine.”
Hui Jun asked Yi Myeong, who waved his hand dismissively with an awkward expression.
“By the way, you seem to be in the Hwangsan Unit—why are you in the Ceremonial Guard Unit?”
Rear units like the Hwangsan Unit rarely received Ceremonial Commission Orders.
There were few circumstances that would warrant it.
So Hui Jun found it strange that Yi Myeong, despite being with the Hwangsan Unit, was here in the Ceremonial Guard Unit.

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This chapter was translated by Lunox Novels. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
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