The Legend of Red Cloud - Chapter 43

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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 43. The Fateful Encounter Assembly
The martial artists sent by the Baek Ui Ryeon were carefully selected from the Ui Geom Dae.
In the Baek Ui Ryeon’s official hierarchy, the Ui Geom Dae was a military force under the Baek Geom Dang.
Like all divisions of the Baek Geom Dang, the martial artists under its command were exclusively swordsmen, and their origins were largely from small-to-medium sects affiliated with the Baek Ui Ryeon.
Occasionally there were those hired from outside or cultivated by the Baek Ui Ryeon itself, but their numbers were not substantial.
The problem was that their commander happened to be Yong Hyeon, who had already been dispatched as part of an envoy delegation.
In other words, these men had been unexpectedly thrust into an unfavorable position by being designated as the commander of the Baek Ui Ryeon martial artists sent to the Maeng Ui Dan under their own commander.
Perhaps because of this, the Baek Ui Ryeon swordsmen dispatched to the Maeng Ui Dan could not shake the thought that they would never have been brought here if not for Yong Hyeon.
Naturally, their feelings could not have been pleasant.
Moreover, the pre-existing poor sentiment among the Ui Geom Dae members toward Yong Hyeon only deepened the problem.
Indeed, unlike the other Ui Geom Dae swordsmen, Yong Hyeon hailed from the Hangju Jega, a major sect.
What was more, the Je Geom Dae—composed entirely of swordsmen from the Hangju Jega—existed openly within the Baek Geom Dang, yet he had been appointed as commander of the Ui Geom Dae.
This had planted in the hearts of the Ui Geom Dae members a fury that far exceeded the simple theft of a senior position that those from small-to-medium sects might otherwise have claimed.
And now, on top of that, they harbored the belief that they had been dragged to the Maeng Ui Dan because of Yong Hyeon himself…….
Standing before the martial artists formally designated as the Ui Geom Dae Maeng Ui Dan Dispatch Unit, Yong Hyeon had to bear their naked stares of discontent and anger.
“I understand that you have grievances.”
Before his words even finished, the sound of spitting echoed from all sides.
“Hack, ptui!”
Though he understood what it meant, Yong Hyeon continued as though he had heard nothing.
He knew that if he took issue with it now, the situation could escalate into something far more serious.
Whether they liked it or not, orders had come down.
Moreover, directly from the Alliance Leader of the Baek Ui Ryeon.
Yong Hyeon knew better than anyone that it was the Hangju Jega who had orchestrated matters behind the scenes.
A branch member’s return—one who could now claim justification for a seat among the family’s highest offices—could hardly have pleased them.
The problem was that the Alliance Leader of the Baek Ui Ryeon had fallen in step with the Hangju Jega’s scheme.
At first, he hadn’t understood how profound the shock truly was.
But as time passed, Yong Hyeon began to sense something amiss.
The Alliance Leader of the Baek Ui Ryeon, whose origin lay in the Haennam Geomun, despised careless handling of merit and demerit.
More than despise—he abhorred and detested it.
The Haennam Geomun was the one sect in all the martial realm that executed by beheading those who stole others’ merit and concealed their own faults.
And the Supreme Sect Leader of that very school was the Alliance Leader of the Baek Ui Ryeon.
Yet he had fallen in step with the Hangju Jega’s game.
After much deliberation, Yong Hyeon arrived at a single conclusion.
The Alliance Leader did not know.
But he was not so incompetent an Alliance Leader as to remain ignorant forever.
And when he learned of it, Yong Hyeon could envision his reaction.
He would feel not merely resentment but outright fury at the Hangju Jega for deploying him in such a game.
Yet he could not openly sanction the Hangju Jega for it.
Though beheading those who stole others’ merit and concealed their own faults was a doctrine of the Haennam Geomun, it was not a rule of the Baek Ui Ryeon.
Nor was the Alliance Leader the type to let it pass unaddressed. His proud dignity would never permit such a thing.
Then how would the Alliance Leader act?
After deep contemplation, Yong Hyeon arrived at a single answer.
He would give the Alliance Leader justification.
By executing his duties in the Maeng Ui Dan with flawless success, he would provide the Alliance Leader with grounds to elevate him, Yong Hyeon, to a position of importance within the Baek Ui Ryeon.
Thus the Alliance Leader could settle his grievance with the Hangju Jega, and Yong Hyeon could achieve his ambition.
For that, the most essential thing Yong Hyeon needed was the trust of his subordinates assigned to his command.
Of course, obtaining it would not be easy, but he had to secure it by any means.
Clenching his fist with renewed resolve, Yong Hyeon’s voice flowed forth.
“I understand your anger. You must all believe you’ve been dragged here because of me.”
He heard a muttered remark—’And here this bastard has the nerve to face us’—but again Yong Hyeon let it pass unheeded as he continued.
“That’s right. You’ve come here because of me. But answer me this: if it hadn’t been for me, are you truly certain that all of you would not have come here anyway?”
A voice rose—’What nonsense is this?’—but Yong Hyeon clenched his fists tight once more and let it wash over him as he spoke.
“You know it. They never would have sent disciples from the major sects here.”
The atmosphere abruptly grew tense and heavy.
Regarding the dispatched Ui Geom Dae members, who stared at him as though they might tear him apart, Yong Hyeon continued.
“Then at least one-third of you would still have had to come here. You know that much.”
It would have been so.
With all disciples of the major sects excluded, only the Ui Geom Dae of the Baek Geom Dang—composed of small-to-medium sect members—the Cheol Gwon Dae of the Gwon Ui Dang, and the Man Ui Dae of the Man Baek Dang could supply personnel from among the Baek Ui Ryeon’s three martial divisions.
Had that been the case, as Yong Hyeon said, at least one-third of the Ui Geom Dae members now standing here would still be present.
Unable to refute that bitter truth, someone let slip the words: ‘Then why the hell is that fancy major sect disciple even here?’
Yong Hyeon, who had let all other remarks pass unheeded, answered to that one.
“Because I’m a Branch Member.”
At Yong Hyeon’s answer, all the Ui Geom Dae members in the assembly felt a flinch run through them.
Everyone knew that Yong Hyeon was a Branch Member.
After all, the man who hailed from Hangju Jega didn’t bear the surname Je, so there was no way they couldn’t know it.
Yet no one had ever spoken it aloud.
Because to do so was mockery and insult in their purest form.
A man can endure being called a dog, or bearing rumors of being insufferably unlucky.
But to question one’s lineage was traditionally equated with cursing one’s parents themselves.
There was not a soul across all of Zhong Yuan who could bear that.
Yet by speaking that answer aloud, Yong Hyeon had made the Ui Geom Dae members those who had cursed his parents.
In short, it meant Yong Hyeon had the moral ground to draw his blade and rampage freely if he chose.
If, against all odds, it came to that…
They could not stop him. Absolutely not.
Not for lack of will, but for lack of strength.
Hand-picked though they were, the majority ranked First Class, and only a few reached Peak Level.
But Yong Hyeon was a Supreme Peak Level master, acknowledged by all.
These Ui Geom Dae members were not opponents he could be stopped from facing.
While they all grew tense with the weight of this realization, Yong Hyeon’s voice emerged.
“Branch Member and Small-to-Medium Sect origin—not so different, are they? Since you’ve all gathered here as peers, stop clawing and tearing at each other and do well by it, I’m saying.”
Taken aback by words they hadn’t anticipated, the Ui Geom Dae members heard Yong Hyeon continue.
“My aims are two. Never will I be called a coward. And I will cling to life and return alive.”
As the Ui Geom Dae members stirred at his words, Yong Hyeon spoke with steel in his voice.
“I hope your aims are the same. If they are, then I will do whatever it takes to help you achieve them.”
Feeling the anger of the Ui Geom Dae members toward him slowly subside, wavering now between favor and suspicion, Yong Hyeon drove the wedge deeper.
“Remember just one thing. That in this place, you have no one to help you but each other. And that there is no one to help you but me. Don’t forget that.”
In that moment, Yong Hyeon could feel it clearly.
The wavering eyes of the Ui Geom Dae members steadied.
And in eyes that had held anger, there now lay—not yet firm, but unmistakably—favor.
“That will be all for today. Rest comfortably in your assigned quarters.”
Having spoken only that, Yong Hyeon departed, and the Ui Geom Dae members watched him go in silence.
***
Yeo Jeong stared at the Assignment Decree before him, his brow furrowed.
Gong Chan, glancing sidelong at Yeo Jeong, swept his eyes across the other judges seated at the table and opened his mouth.
“As you’ve already seen, with the martial artists of Baek Ui Ryeon joining our ranks, certain changes have arisen in the Maeng Ui Dan organization.”
In the Assignment Decree before him lay clear orders: the Jeok Sa Jo, formerly of the Jeok Myeol Dae, were being transferred to the Heuk Ya Dae, and along with them, the martial artists dispatched from Baek Ui Ryeon would form a separate armed force to be called the Baek Ui Dae.
By the Assignment Decree alone, no fault could be found.
Indeed, one should have been grateful that the Baek Ui Ryeon warriors were consolidated into a single unit.
It was plainly preferable to scattering them about for hazardous operations.
Yet Yeo Jeong found the presence of the Jeok Sa Jo, transferred to the Heuk Ya Dae, oddly unsettling.
He had a strong feeling that some hidden scheme of the Maeng Ui Dan lurked beneath their reassignment.
All the more so because the Heuk Ya Dae, where the Jeok Sa Jo were being moved, was precisely the unit designated by the accord between the Cheol Hyeol Maeng and Baek Ui Ryeon to conduct joint operations.
Whether aware of Yeo Jeong’s unease or not, the Assignment Decree passed through without objection.
Yeo Jeong had no grounds to oppose it, and the other judges had no desire to refuse their superior Gong Chan’s command.
The revision, thus decided, was immediately ratified by Lee Hwan and proceeded forthwith.
At the very moment Yong Hyeon dismissed the dispatched Ui Geom Dae, the order reached the Jeok Sa Jo, who had been shaking the accumulated dust from their quarters.
Jang Min Soo, staring blankly at the Order Document that had originated from Cham Myeong Gak, received ratification from Ui Ju Cheo, and been transmitted through Haeng Sa Gak, tilted his head in puzzlement.
“Is this a demotion? Or a promotion?”
The missions of the Heuk Ya Dae are more manageable than those of the Jeok Myeol Dae.
The casualty rate in operations proves it directly.
The casualty rate of the Heuk Ya Dae doesn’t even reach half of that of the Jeok Myeol Dae.
Of course, by that metric alone, the Heuk Ya Dae still maintained the second-highest casualty rate in the Maeng Ui Dan.
By casualty rate alone, it was clearly a move to somewhere safer, nearly equivalent to a promotion.
But to a martial artist, being told to refrain from fighting and go somewhere safer was no different from a demotion.
Confused by this paradox, Jang Min Soo received a rebuke from Jwa Ryang.
“Worrying about every little thing. When have you ever seen the brass do something good for us? There’s bound to be some scheme hidden in this.”
It was the sort of remark typical of Jwa Ryang, who suspected everything, but this time Lee Song offered no real objection.
Which meant Lee Song harbored a similar suspicion.
Peng Gyeong, having come to understand the Jeok Sa Jo’s temperament to some degree, asked cautiously.
“Then could it be they’re planning some dangerous night operation?”
Lee Song shrugged at the question.
“Don’t worry beforehand. We’ve been on comfortable operations before—why fret over that? Use the time to train instead. It’ll serve you better when it comes to survival.”
The other members of the Jeok Sa Jo seemed to accept Lee Song’s words, but Peng Gyeong and the new recruits could not hide their unease.
They had all suffered badly on their first operation after being assigned to the Jeok Sa Jo.
If they were deployed to an operation more difficult than that one…
They understood well enough that their chances of returning alive would be slim.
Watching them with fixed attention, Ryu spoke to Lee Song.
“Starting tomorrow, we conduct collective training until the operation begins.”
The faces of the veteran Jeok Sa Jo members brightened at once, knowing what collective training meant.
But seeing the confusion etched on the new recruits’ faces, Dong Pil let out a quiet laugh and spoke.
“Welcome to your Fateful Encounter gathering.”
The new recruits still did not understand.

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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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