The Legend of Red Cloud - Chapter 34

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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 34. So Un’s Regret
Yong Hyeon stood watching the Jeok Sajo grow distant, wearing the expression of someone tasting something they’d rather not lose, when Yeo Jeong approached alongside So Un.
“What came of it?”
At Yeo Jeong’s eager question, Yong Hyeon tore his gaze from the Jeok Sajo, now vanished entirely, and shook his head.
“It won’t be as easy as I’d hoped.”
“Why? Or rather, why is that?”
Yeo Jeong, still unaccustomed to the new way of speaking, hurried to correct herself and ask again—at which Yong Hyeon smiled wryly and answered.
“They don’t give away openings easily. I suspect it will take time.”
“The problem is, we don’t have that kind of time.”
Even as she spoke, Yeo Jeong’s brow furrowed—the endings “-da” and “-kka” still felt unnaturally on her tongue—and Yong Hyeon regarded her with the hint of a smile before continuing.
“I approached them through the one angle we thought most promising—the matter of tobacco addiction—but they showed no interest. Instead, I merely received advice to give up the habit altogether.”
A flicker of surprise crossed Yeo Jeong’s face at Yong Hyeon’s words.
Among the martial artists of the world, those who speak of tobacco’s dangers are almost exclusively masters of the highest rank.
And those who heed such warnings are themselves profoundly influenced by the opinions of these supreme masters.
For tobacco had become so wildly fashionable—not merely among ordinary people, but throughout the martial world itself—that breaking its grip required such influence.
Which meant that if one reversed this logic, there existed somewhere near those men a supreme master exerting significant influence over them.
Cho Jeol Jeong.
The words came easily enough to the tongue, yet the realm itself was anything but simple.
Why else would those who attained such heights be elevated as Baek Dae Go Su and titled among the Yeong Ha Baek Wi?
Though not all who reached Cho Jeol Jeong earned a place in the Yeong Ha Baek Wi.
Throughout all of Gangho, the number of Cho Jeol Jeong masters far exceeded a hundred—nearly two hundred in total.
Yet even those supreme masters who failed to achieve a place in the Yeong Ha Baek Wi commanded profound reverence.
Because people understood the power that came with such a realm.
Thus, when people encountered a Cho Jeol Jeong master, whether he held a place in the Yeong Ha Baek Wi or not, they unhesitatingly elevated him as a Baek Dae Go Su.
That people from the Jeok Sajo maintained relations with such a master—and in no other place but there—was…….
Nearly impossible.
Because the only known Cho Jeol Jeong master in the Maeng Ui Dan was its leader, the Black-Sword Master, Yi Hwan.
The members of Jeok Sajo maintaining strong bonds of mutual influence with the leader of Maeng Ui Dan?
By the logic of Gangho’s power dynamics, such a thing was absurd.
So then…….
“Either someone of great power stands behind them, or they themselves are sleeper agents like us—Gan Ja infiltrating under false identities.”
Yong Hyeon’s expression hardened at Yeo Jeong’s words.
If they were Gan Ja unknown even to Baekui-ryeon…….
“Then this is damned serious!”
Yeo Jeong shook her head at Yong Hyeon’s shock.
“We cannot make assumptions yet. Instead, we must identify them as quickly as possible.”
“I will attempt another approach, but since the first contact failed, we should perhaps allow some time before…….”
Yong Hyeon’s words trailed off.
One of the Jeok Sajo members who had disappeared was sauntering back toward them.
“Excuse me… do you have a moment?”
The one being addressed was neither Yeo Jeong nor Yong Hyeon, but So Un—or rather, So Yeo Un.
Caught off guard, she struggled to open her mouth at Yeo Jeong’s meaningful glance.
“Eh? Ah… yes. Why… why do you ask?”
“I was just wondering… when did you become so beautiful?”
Yeo Jeong, listening from nearby, felt every hair on her skin rise at the childishness of the question—and the one grinning widely at his own cleverness was none other than Dong Pil.
As Yeo Jeong watched him with disbelief, she caught a flash of calculation in Yong Hyeon’s eyes.
When she looked at him questioningly, Yong Hyeon’s telepathy reached her.
-It seems he’s found the most appropriate pretext for drawing close to them.
Yeo Jeong’s gaze hardened as she grasped the meaning.
She understood that Yong Hyeon was suggesting the Mi In Gye—the honey trap.
As a woman, she should have objected. Yet Yeo Jeong found herself unable to shake her head in refusal.
Information was paramount now. Personal scruples were secondary.
While Yeo Jeong remained silent and passive, Dong Pil’s behavior grew increasingly brazen, and So Yeo Un’s bewilderment deepened.
It was another Jeok Sajo member, unexpectedly, who came to her rescue.
“You bastard! I knew the moment you slipped away saying you were getting water that you’d be up to something like this!”
Jwa Ryang approached, bristling with indignation.
As he seized one of Dong Pil’s ears and pulled, a complaint burst from Dong Pil’s lips.
“Ow! It hurts!”
“Then maybe you should feel tickled instead?”
“Ah, come on! Things were going so well!”
“If you keep improving, the other side ends up in a real bind, doesn’t it, you bastard.”
Dong Pil’s voice drifted back, grumbling incessantly at Jwa Ryang as he dragged him along.
Yong Hyeon spoke to Yeo Jeong, who stood dazed, watching the two men suddenly appear and then noisily recede into the distance.
“I think we might be able to connect them.”
“That is… well…”
Though her flustered expression was plain to see, Yeo Jeong still could not bring herself to say it was impossible.
Because So Un recognized what their reactions meant, her expression had already colored with discomfort.
Jwa Ryang released his grip on Dong Pil’s ear and let him go.
Yeo Jeong and the others were no longer in sight.
Jwa Ryang, having released his hold, turned to Dong Pil.
“You’re certain?”
“I am. So Un—the woman with the scarred face blade. She doesn’t seem to remember me at all, but I saw her several times when I was working as a wanderer in Jeol Gang back then.”
Jeol Gang was Baekui-ryeon’s territory. Understanding what that implied, Jwa Ryang asked.
“Which organization?”
“Rumor has it she came from Geom Gak, but given that Geom Gak disappeared over two hundred years ago, it’s quite possible she’s not genuine.”
Yi Song, who appeared from somewhere and drew near, asked in response to Dong Pil’s answer.
“What’s her skill level?”
“Back when she was wandering, she was at the Jeol Jeong level, so she’s either improved since or stayed the same—she certainly hasn’t declined.”
At Dong Pil’s reply, Yi Song’s head turned.
There, Yu and all the Jeok Sajo members had gathered once again—though when they’d reassembled, no one could say.
“It seems we’ll have more questions to ask Cham Myeong Gak.”
At Yi Song’s words, Yu shook his head.
“Leave it.”
“But…?”
“Word is spreading that this time Baekui-ryeon and we will finally be in the same boat. It looks like they’re doing preliminary reconnaissance beforehand, and if we stumble into Maeng Ui Dan’s affairs and something goes wrong, that’s the last thing we need.”
“That’s possible, but…”
Though Yi Song seemed to have more to say, Yu’s firm shake of his head silenced him.
Getting tangled up in the bosses’ business never ended well.
Still, he couldn’t shake the unease.
Seeing a spy was never comfortable, no matter the purpose.
Dong Pil, glancing back and forth between Yi Song and Yu, asked.
“So I’m not supposed to sniff around…?”
He trailed off mid-sentence, caught the heavy, sunken look in Yu’s eyes, and awkwardly laughed before quickly changing his tune.
“…Right, I can’t. I was already thinking I couldn’t anyway. Yeah, definitely not.”
Yu spoke to Dong Pil.
“If you keep crossing paths, eventually you’ll remember. So…”
“I know. I’ll do as you say, don’t worry.”
Dong Pil nodded obediently—unusually so for him—and Yu smiled faintly at him.
Dong Pil smiled back at him.
After all, Yu had never once complained, no matter who Dong Pil came across.
And if Yu was now asking him to stop… well, even if she were beautiful, he wouldn’t.
At least the bond between Yu and Dong Pil had grown that strong.
Watching Dong Pil beam with that easy grace, the other members of the unit smiled and quietly followed Yu as he turned their cart back toward the lodgings.
***
Uigi-ryeong is, in a word, the infliction of physical pain.
Or put another way, it’s what one might call military discipline or punishment drills.
It’s simply torment.
Maeng Ui Dan concluded that confining Oe Ga Go Su for days or months was little different from closed-door cultivation, so they devised a punishment method modeled on the military discipline training of the armed forces.
Since one must inflict physical suffering on Oe Ga Go Su, naturally the sealing of Nae Ryeok is essential.
Initially, a master-class instructor from Uigi-dae would block the acupoints of those subjected to Uigi-ryeong, closing off the flow of Nae Ryeok through pressure-point sealing.
But as it became common for those undergoing training or sneaking out at night to secretly undo the blocked meridians and render the seal ineffective, other methods were brought in.
A doctor belonging to Uigi-dae would seal the acupoints with acupuncture instead.
Since this works through medicine, it’s difficult to undo properly.
Of course, it’s nearly useless against masters of Jeol Jeong level and above…
Because at that level, one can break an acupuncture seal in a few breaths.
And once you reach Cho Jeol Jeong, it doesn’t work at all.
An acupoint sealed by external force like that can be released whenever one chooses to.
So the only way to seal acupoints in masters of Jeol Jeong level and above is for a master one stage higher or more to invest their own Nae Ryeok and block the meridians that way.
Of course, since the sealing was done that way, the unsealing followed much the same principle.
Those of equal or superior cultivation to the one who performed the Jeom Hyeol could undo the blocked meridians without difficulty.
It was because they possessed the Nae Ryeok necessary to pierce through it using a force similar to the one that had sealed their blood meridians.
In that sense, Jeom Hyeol held no meaning against Jeok Sajo.
Setting Hee Jun aside, everyone present was a master of Jeol Jeong rank or higher—beyond the reach of external Jeom Hyeol.
Frankly, Gwi Geom, the leader of the Uigi-dae, could step in, but even then it would prove useless against Jwa Ryang or Dong Pil, who occupied the same realm.
And as one rose higher in rank, there was simply no method at all.
“I shall forego Jeom Hyeol.”
At Gwi Geom’s words, Liu nodded.
This did not mean he intended to clear the Uigi-ryeong easily through Nae Ryeok.
From Jeok Sajo’s perspective, there was no thought of squandering this rare opportunity for pure physical conditioning.
And so the Uigi-ryeong of Jeok Sajo began.
Bearing Sand Pouches up mountains, waddling with heavy iron weights, crawling across riverbeds no better than rocky ground, running swiftly for dozens of miles.
The entire day’s regimen drove the members of Jeok Sajo to the very limits of their strength.
Even those from Jeok Sajo, whose physical conditioning surpassed most Oe Ga Go Su, found themselves unable to straighten their spines and gasping with ragged breaths—so brutal was the Uigi-ryeong.
Whether because the instructors assigned were inherently harsh in their dealings, or for some other reason, not once did Gwi Geom, despite bending at the waist as Liu approached, offer any mercy.
Then again, Liu had specifically requested that Gwi Geom assign only the harshest instructors for precisely this reason.
For Liu and Jeok Sajo alike, there was sound reasoning behind it; but from where Yeo Jeong and Yong Hyeon watched from a distance, it appeared to be nothing more than torment.
“No matter how much they are criminals, they’re being treated far too severely.”
At Yong Hyeon’s words, accompanied by a shake of his head, Yeo Jeong nodded in agreement.
“Indeed. Yet thanks to that harshness, our approach will be all the easier.”
For harsh treatment meant resentment would accumulate all the more.
And those who harbored resentment were bound to see their emotions explode at the slightest provocation, and from that explosion would come an abundance of information.
The problem lay in who would be the one to apply that provocation.
So Un’s expression had grown rigid under the gaze of Yeo Jeong and Yong Hyeon.
Through their mutual consultation, it had been agreed that So Un would be the one to approach them and extract information.
They called it an indirect approach, but So Un understood perfectly well what method Yeo Jeong and Yong Hyeon had in mind.
The Mi In Gye.
For a woman versed in martial arts, it was the most shameful method of all.
Yet if it could not be avoided…….
So Un rose to her feet the moment she confirmed that Jeok Sajo had finished that day’s Uigi-ryeong and were returning to their quarters.

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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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