The Legend of Red Cloud - Chapter 41

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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 41. Sincerity Must Be Honored
Yi Hwan studied the figures lined up before him, each insisting they be sent to the Uigi-dae.
To be honest, he wanted to give them what they asked for.
Let them go experience some hardship, he thought.
But he couldn’t.
The pressure he’d received from Hwangbosega, Habet Penggga, and Sozhou Cheol-bang immediately after the matter at the Saja Temple had concluded was greater than anticipated.
The displeasure of the Bumaengju, who had even visited in person to request their placement in the Iron Blood Alliance, was almost unbearable.
If he sent them to the Uigi-dae in such circumstances, even Yi Hwan would struggle to preserve his position.
Because he couldn’t refute their claim that he had knowingly insulted them.
It wasn’t that he clung to the title of Alliance Lord.
He would be leaving soon anyway.
Yet he remained sensitive about the position because he feared that if he were suddenly removed, whoever replaced him would have to negotiate with the Baekuiryeon without properly understanding the Iron Blood Alliance’s situation.
If such negotiations were to prove catastrophic for the Alliance and beneficial only to the Baekuiryeon—
Then all the reason he’d waited so long for the Baekuiryeon’s intervention would vanish.
So there was only one answer Yi Hwan could give.
“It cannot be done.”
“Grand Master Yi!”
The one who called him Grand Master Yi, not Alliance Lord, was Hwangbo Jangseong.
In truth, by the standards of standing in Gangho, Yi Hwan and Hwangbo Jangseong were of equal rank.
Yi Hwan was more than ten years older, but the world of Gangho was not one where age alone determined hierarchy.
In that sense, Yi Hwan and Hwangbo Jangseong were both masters of the Yeongha Baekwi.
Naturally, they shared the same Gyeongji of Chojoljeong.
Of course, Yi Hwan belonged to the Jungowui, one rank above the Hasipwi that Hwangbo Jangseong occupied.
There was an unbridgeable gap between them in real combat, but not like this—in peacetime, each backed by their own faction.
That was why Yi Hwan’s voice remained gentle.
“I hope you’ll understand my position, Grand Master Hwangbo. You know how many tales are reaching your headquarters now?”
At Yi Hwan’s words, Hwangbo Jangseong had no choice but to fall silent.
Without hearing or seeing, it was obvious.
Hwangbosega would be furious, calling what Hwangbo Jangseong had been put in danger by a slight and insult to their house.
To such a Hwangbo Jangseong, Yi Hwan continued.
“I consider it my fault for not seeing through it all from the beginning, and I’m bearing it, but I cannot endure more. Please, show restraint.”
“But—”
“If this loyalty stems from a sense of belonging, I can disregard it. As of yesterday, you were reassigned to Hwangsan-dae. By now, I imagine you’ve received your reassignment orders.”
That was true.
Indeed, it was only after receiving those reassignment orders that Hwangbo Jangseong and the others had descended on Haengsagak, having decided they could wait no longer.
“I refuse.”
“Grand Master Hwangbo, I call you Grand Master and treat you with respect not because I lack the power to do otherwise, but because I respect you—and who you are. Do not place my esteem in further trial.”
That was the truth.
If Hwangbo Jangseong and his companions counted among the nine pillars that upheld the Iron Blood Alliance, then Yi Hwan likewise stood in that same position as a disciple of Wudang.
More than that—he was the Sokga Jangmun, the foremost representative of Wudang’s inner disciples.
In the worst case, he might lose the title of Alliance Lord, but it meant he was someone who could not be harmed beyond that.
Though Wudang had diminished in power compared to the past, it was still Wudang.
That Wudang—the Southern Respected among the Buksungnamjon.
There was still no force in Gangho that could afford to slight Wudang.
Hearing Yi Hwan’s intent, Hwangbo Jangseong’s expression darkened as he spoke.
“I am not trying to pressure you. It is simply that I cannot bear for my comrades to suffer alone—those who have protected our backs countless times.”
Hwangbo Jangseong’s tone had shifted.
His pride—as great as his strength—had bent.
Yi Hwan, observing such a Hwangbo Jangseong, spoke.
“I told the Bumaengju that he would not forget my actions that put you in danger. If I were to send you to the Uigi-dae in such circumstances, he might well come charging with a blade.”
‘We accept challenge, but we do not bear insult.’
It was the renowned family precept of Habet Penggga.
Yi Hwan, Hwangbo Jangseong, and Peng Gyeong, who stood with them, understood far too well what it would mean to throw a direct descendant of such a house into the Uigi-dae merely for having lost a captured enemy during an operation.
And so Hwangbo Jangseong’s gaze turned toward Peng Gyeong.
He was the direct descendant of Habet Penggga, the second son of the house lord and grandson of the Maengho Dogun who served as Bumaengju of the Iron Blood Alliance.
It was why the Bumaengju had no choice but to call it an insult.
Sensing that his words were taking effect, Yi Hwan’s voice continued.
“Furthermore, the Commander’s injuries have yet to fully heal.”
At that, all eyes turned to Cheol Jayong, whose entire body was wrapped in bandages.
At their gaze, Cheol Jayong hastily began unwrapping the cloth wound around his body.
“It’s all healed now.”
“That’s enough, that’s enough.”
Hwangbo Jangseong stepped forward again, halting Cheol Jayong’s actions toward Yi Hwan.
“Our resolve is as follows: we wish to stand together, no matter what may come.”
“Sigh……. This is quite something.”
Peng Gyeong spoke to Yi Hwan, whose expression had grown troubled.
“I will ensure my grandfather says nothing more about this matter. Will that suffice?”
“And I will see that the Hwangbosega raises no further objections on this account.”
Before Hwangbo Jangseong’s words had even finished, Cheol Jayong stepped forward as well.
“The Sozhou Cheol-bang will surely do the same.”
Yi Hwan’s expression darkened as he regarded these three men.
It was because a part of him wanted to grant their request.
Yet he could not.
They were still young enough to believe their words would carry weight in the main house, but reality would prove otherwise.
He knew from experience that to permit this would only invite graver troubles in turn.
So Yi Hwan’s answer remained what it had always been.
“Impossible. My decision will not change. Now leave. This is an order from your lord.”
In that instant, Hwangbo Jangseong’s eyes flashed.
And then.
“We refuse.”
Yi Hwan understood at once what Hwangbo Jangseong meant by his immediate refusal.
He was asking to be stripped of his Uigi-ryeong as punishment for disobeying the lord’s command.
Cheol Jayong and Peng Gyeong, realizing this only belatedly, also cried out their refusal.
Yi Hwan shook his head as he looked upon them.
“I have no intention of granting that.”
Yoon, who had remained silent until now, stepped forward to address the resolute Yi Hwan.
“We are not descended from famous martial clans like them. Please let us go.”
The tone grated on Yi Hwan, but he said nothing.
In truth, Yi Hwan was far more curious about the identities of this youth called Yoon and Gwak Giryang, who appeared to be guarding him.
At first, he had believed Gong Chan’s assessment that they were emissaries of the Baekuiryeon.
But after Gae Bang reported that suspicious figures had entered the Uigi-dae, it was Yeo Jeong’s party who came under suspicion as Baekuiryeon emissaries.
With that shift, the true identities of Yoon and Gwak Giryang had become shrouded in mystery.
What remained clear was that Hwangbo Jangseong, Peng Gyeong, and Cheol Jayong had apparently been dispatched to protect those two.
So regardless of whether Yoon and Gwak Giryang’s identities were obscure, Yi Hwan could not treat them carelessly.
Therefore.
“You two as well — impossible. I suspect you know your own reasons better than I.”
At Yi Hwan’s words, Yoon stiffened slightly, but when Gwak Giryang whispered something in his ear, the tension in Yoon’s face eased, and he asked no further for release.
Surveying all of them, Yi Hwan spoke with unshakeable firmness.
“Though the heavens themselves split in two, I have no intention of sending any of you from the Uigi-dae. So abandon this futile effort and depart.”
Faced with Yi Hwan’s pronouncement, they held out for a moment, but ultimately they withdrew.
They had come to realize there was nothing to be gained by resisting further.
As Yi Hwan watched them depart, a smile touched the corner of his mouth.
“Sincere, after all…….”
Yes. He had felt that their coming was not mere concern for propriety, but that genuine feeling lay beneath it.
Yi Hwan found himself drawn to that sincerity.
And yet, though the future troubles that might await them rose vividly before his eyes, he deliberately turned his gaze away from such thoughts.
***
Having witnessed the lord’s unwavering resolve, the three wore troubled expressions.
“It seems he has no intention of letting us go peacefully. Should we make a scene?”
At Peng Gyeong’s words, Cheol Jayong immediately drew forth his signature weapon, the Battle-Axe.
“Just say the word. I’ll handle it.”
Unexpectedly, it was Hwangbo Jangseong who stepped in to stop them.
“That won’t solve anything.”
“Then what do you suggest? Are we truly to accept this while they alone receive consideration?”
At Peng Gyeong’s retort, Hwangbo Jangseong fell silent.
He too had no adequate answer.
Truthfully, they had never anticipated finding themselves in such an awkward position.
When they first heard that the Jeoksajo had received an Uigi-ryeong, they had merely shrugged it off.
Yet as one day passed, then two, then three, their circumstances had grown increasingly uncomfortable.
And it was Peng Gyeong’s muttered words—”Well, yes. We’ve been saved from death a few times, but what does that even matter……”—that became the spark.
It didn’t take long before a chorus of “Damn it!” spilled from everyone else’s lips.
After that, they filed petitions repeatedly, asking to receive the Uigi-ryeong title alongside Jeoksajo, but they were always ignored.
Suspecting the reasons well enough, they hesitated—until finally receiving orders assigning them to Hwangsan-dae today, which spurred them into action without any real leverage in hand.
Gwak Giryang, watching the three of them, opened his mouth carefully.
“I’m not sure if this will work here either, but…….”
“What is it? Do you have a method?”
Peng Gyeong asked, and Gwak Giryang answered.
“It’s a method the military sometimes uses. When a request keeps getting shut down…….”
“Gets shut down?”
Peng Gyeong’s prompt drew forth Gwak Giryang’s reply.
“You just go ahead and do it. Once something’s been done, there’s no undoing it, after all.”
At Gwak Giryang’s words, eyes darted between them, and soon they began moving with purpose.
So the steps they took pointed unmistakably toward the district where the Uigi-dae was stationed.
Ryu and the Jeoksajo members, heading back to their quarters after finishing the day’s work, found their path blocked by an unexpected group.
Hwangbo Jangseong and four others stood waiting, barring the way to the lodgings of those holding the Uigi-ryeong rank.
Hwangbo Jangseong stepped forward as the group’s representative, regarding the Jeoksajo members’ confusion with a respectful bow.
“My apologies for the late hour.”
At that, Jwa Ryang grumbled at once.
“You lot coming too? Ah……. These bastards, they really are too much.”
“That’s not it—we’ve come of our own accord.”
“What in the world do you mean?”
Jwa Ryang, not immediately catching the meaning, asked again, and Hwangbo Jangseong answered.
“I mean we came because we wanted to.”
“Here? To the Uigi-dae?”
“Yes.”
At Hwangbo Jangseong’s repeated answer, Jwa Ryang’s gaze shifted to Yi Song.
As if asking him to explain if he could make sense of it.
Yi Song stepped forward under Jwa Ryang’s look and asked.
“Why?”
“Because we’re Jeoksajo members too.”
At Hwangbo Jangseong’s answer, Yi Song’s gaze moved to those standing behind him.
It was a look that asked whether they shared the same mind.
Those who understood its meaning all nodded their heads.
Confirming this, Yi Song’s gaze turned toward Ryu.
“So that’s how it is.”
“You’ll regret it.”
At Ryu’s words, thrown without preamble or explanation, Hwangbo Jangseong hardened his gaze in response.
“We’re prepared.”
As Ryu walked past Hwangbo Jangseong and the others who had come with him, he murmured absently.
“Things will get tight.”
Whether grasping what he meant or not, Yi Song, Jang Minsu, and Hee Jun smiled faintly, while Jwa Ryang grumbled.
“Ah……. Tight quarters are a pain…….”
“Are you out of your minds? Coming here of your own free will……. You’re not in your right minds.”
Dong Pil was there too, shaking his head at such foolishness.
In response to their reactions, Hwangbo Jangseong and his companions felt an unexpected sense of ease wash over them.
And so the Jeoksajo members, reunited once more, all made their way to the quarters together.

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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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