The Legend of Red Cloud - Chapter 55

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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 55. Foolish Question, Wise Answer
“Since you’ve come at this particular moment, you didn’t come merely to ask after my health.”
Ja Jeon Geom Wang, seeing that Tae Geuk Geom Wang had already inferred the gist of the situation, answered with a bitter smile.
“You told me to come—how could I not?”
“If you come when I tell you to, what then! I actually want our blades to clash so that blood sprays between us!”
From the exchange between the two men, the members of Jeok Sa Jo felt anew the danger and cruelty that this meeting carried, and their expressions hardened once more.
They had belatedly realized this was not a situation in which to harbor nostalgia for their past.
To the ears of those Jeok Sa Jo members, Tae Geuk Geom Wang’s words continued.
“You know who told you to go, so just go. Your neck reeks—I’d rather not bother cutting it.”
Tae Geuk Geom Wang’s intention was clear: send him away before others noticed and the situation grew more complicated.
The problem was Ja Jeon Geom Wang.
Now that he’d confirmed the existence of another master in the Hwa Realm, the prudent thing would be to withdraw quietly from this place. And yet…
Ja Jeon Geom Wang, turning his gaze from Tae Geuk Geom Wang, regarded Ryu quietly and asked.
“What is your name?”
“You madman. Here you are calmly prying into this man’s background when we could have anyone else descending on us at any moment! There’ll be no way out of it then!”
Despite Tae Geuk Geom Wang’s rebuke, Ja Jeon Geom Wang’s gaze did not waver from Ryu.
Ryu, with evident reluctance, answered his interrogator.
“Ryu. On your side, they call me Salvang.”
“Salvang!”
A name he had heard before.
It was a name spoken of those who had dissolved even the finest masters the Hyeol Gwi Dae and the main force at Gunmarim had thrown at him, leaving no trace.
“Ah, so they sent me to my death, then.”
All this time, Gunmarim had merely dispatched masters at the Jeol Jeong or Cho Jeol Jeong level against someone in the Sinhwa Realm.
Ja Jeon Geom Wang’s lament was something Ryu understood well enough.
Of course, until not long ago he had not been in the Hwa Realm, but he saw no reason to explain that now.
And so, neither Ryu nor Tae Geuk Geom Wang had anything to say on the matter.
Ja Jeon Geom Wang, regarding each of them in turn, asked again.
“When will it be?”
At this question stripped of all context, Tae Geuk Geom Wang asked with displeasure.
“When will what be?”
“The general offensive.”
With Tae Geuk Geom Wang, Ryu, and the sect leader Chang Cheon Geom Je added to the count, that made three masters in the Sinhwa Realm.
He reasoned that Cheol Hyeol Maeng, with such a clear advantage, would not let it pass and would soon move to full-scale assault.
At Ja Jeon Geom Wang’s question, Tae Geuk Geom Wang glanced toward Ryu.
“When did we decide to launch our general offensive?”
“I’ve heard nothing of it.”
Tae Geuk Geom Wang’s indifferent expression, and Ryu’s answer to match.
Realizing they were not mocking him, Ja Jeon Geom Wang’s face took on an expression of bewilderment.
“You’re just throwing away this golden opportunity? What madness—”
If the command structure of Cheol Hyeol Maeng, or at minimum the leadership of Maeng Ui Dan, had known that Ryu was a master of the Sinhwa Realm, Ja Jeon Geom Wang’s assessment would have been right—utter madness.
They were not the sort to let slip an advantage held by the greatest masters.
But save for Muddang, who had reason to conceal it, and Yi Hwan, who carried his own guilt, no one in Cheol Hyeol Maeng’s leadership knew that Ryu dwelt in the Hwa Realm.
Neither they nor Ryu himself had any stake in broadcasting what they themselves were neither proud of nor obliged to reveal.
And Ryu was particular in this way: his vital force leaked outward so little that it would not be noticed.
Tae Geuk Geom Wang explained the situation in simple terms.
“They don’t know. The higher-ups don’t know what kind of man he is.”
“What?”
At Ja Jeon Geom Wang’s question, unable to parse his meaning fully, Tae Geuk Geom Wang answered again.
“The higher-ups don’t know. His true nature.”
Now understanding, Ja Jeon Geom Wang asked in astonishment.
“But why?”
“How should I know? He’s the one hiding his depths.”
From Tae Geuk Geom Wang’s grumbling, Ja Jeon Geom Wang could discern one thing clearly.
Tae Geuk Geom Wang himself had only learned of Ryu’s realm recently.
And that this man Salvang was concealing his own standing.
The moment he grasped this, countless suppositions flooded Ja Jeon Geom Wang’s mind.
From among all these swirling thoughts, Ja Jeon Geom Wang subtly drew forth one.
“So Cheol Hyeol Maeng never sat well with you after all. What say you? A few more steps and a new world awaits.”
To Ja Jeon Geom Wang, who was coaxing Ryu toward defection, Tae Geuk Geom Wang at once spat curses.
“You lunatic! If he harbored such thoughts, would he have cut through the disciples of your Gunmarim like wheat at harvest?”
“Dwelling on the past is unmanly. If you’re willing to move forward, I’ll take responsibility and bury it all.”
“Preposterous!”
Yet even as he spoke, anxiety flickered in Tae Geuk Geom Wang’s eyes as he glanced sideways at Ryu.
The thought crossed his mind that it would hardly be strange if Ryu—so often inscrutable—suddenly agreed to something like that.
Especially considering that Ryu’s master hailed from Ma Gyo.
If he left now, Ryu could settle his master’s grievances and return in triumph—a golden opportunity.
As this realization deepened, so did Tae Geuk Geom Wang’s unease.
And then Ryu’s answer reached his ears.
“This place suits me well.”
“Ah…….”
Tae Geuk Geom Wang exhaled a sigh of relief without thinking, then startled at the sound of his own breath, his eyes widening.
Watching him, Ja Jeon Geom Wang smiled faintly and spoke.
“What’s so good about a place where such a dull-witted fool resides? Think again. If you wish it, I’ll lay everything at your feet—power, wealth, women…….”
For an instant, Ja Jeon Geom Wang caught the bright spark that flickered in Ryu’s eyes.
“Women, yes. Rather than the drab women of Cheol Hyeol Maeng, the spirited women of Gunmarim are…….”
“You mad bastard! What are you saying, you charlatan!”
Tae Geuk Geom Wang snapped out in irritation, yet his eyes now held anxiety far thicker than before.
He too had seen Ryu’s eyes light up at the word “women.”
Despite Tae Geuk Geom Wang’s interference, Ja Jeon Geom Wang pressed on.
“Speak freely. Is there perhaps a woman you harbor in your heart?”
At that question, the members of Jeok Sa Jo turned their gazes upon Ryu in unison.
Their reaction alone made it clear something was amiss.
Though admittedly, the newcomers like Hwangbo Jang Seong seemed oblivious.
In any case, from that reaction both Ja Jeon Geom Wang and Tae Geuk Geom Wang were certain.
‘There is a woman in his heart. And she is from Gunmarim.’
While Ja Jeon Geom Wang’s face brightened, Tae Geuk Geom Wang’s anxiety spread from his eyes to his entire expression.
“Tell me who she is. I will find her myself and deliver her to you.”
The two men saw clearly as Ryu’s eyes wavered at Ja Jeon Geom Wang’s words.
Just as Ja Jeon Geom Wang judged he had seized his opportunity and took another step forward, Tae Geuk Geom Wang blocked his path.
“Enough! I will tolerate no more. If you persist here with such nonsense, I will scream.”
The mighty Tae Geuk Geom Wang, the supreme warrior who had reached the Sinhwa Realm, threatened merely to scream.
In itself, that revealed how panicked he had become.
Disregarding Tae Geuk Geom Wang, Ja Jeon Geom Wang moved to step closer, but Ryu shook his head.
“It is unnecessary.”
As Ja Jeon Geom Wang hesitated, his lifted foot frozen mid-step, Ryu’s voice came again, barely more than a murmur.
“Women are trivial.”
Sensing there was more to Ryu’s response than met the ear, Ja Jeon Geom Wang slowly withdrew his suspended foot and stepped back.
“I see.”
He nodded as though disappointed, yet the fierce flame still burning in his eyes made it clear to everyone that he had not truly given up.
And Tae Geuk Geom Wang, who understood all too well what that meant, bit his lip hard.
He sensed that if left unchecked, something terrible would happen.
To prevent it, he would have to draw his blade against his oldest friend…….
Just as Tae Geuk Geom Wang was steeling himself, Ryu caught his arm.
When he turned to look back, he saw Ryu shaking his head.
Looking at Tae Geuk Geom Wang, whose eyes were clouded with anxiety, Ryu offered a faint smile.
“Do not do something you will regret.”
“But…….”
“It is better not to begin what cannot be undone.”
It was true.
If he drew his blade here, his friendship with Ja Jeon Geom Wang would be completely severed.
It would mark the moment they became true adversaries.
Even if the other came as a friend, still an enemy, to exchange courtesies—to cross blades with him would be a betrayal.
They would inevitably face each other as enemies someday, and perhaps blades would be drawn between them, but not like this.
Hearing Ryu’s words, Tae Geuk Geom Wang set aside his conflict and retreated, and Ja Jeon Geom Wang too fell silent.
Only now did he grasp what it would mean to go further.
As Ja Jeon Geom Wang stepped back, Tae Geuk Geom Wang looked at him.
“Go now. It seems that’s how it must be.”
Ja Jeon Geom Wang hesitated briefly, then nodded.
“I will repay today’s kindness in time.”
Before the echo of Ja Jeon Geom Wang’s voice directed at Ryu had even faded, his form vanished without trace from within the inner quarters of Jeok Sa Jo.
As the members of the Jeok Sa Jo widened their eyes at the astonishing display of Light Footwork, Tae Geuk Geom Wang could not hide his deeply furrowed brow.
Though Jeok Sa was aware of Tae Geuk Geom Wang’s unease, he remained silent.
He offered no reassurance, no promise that he would never venture to Gunmarim.
That silence only deepened Tae Geuk Geom Wang’s dread.
***
The night after Ja Jeon Geom Wang’s visit passed, and morning arrived.
As the others bustled about to head to breakfast as they did every day, Hwangbo Jang Seong, Peng Gyeong, and Chul Ja Yong remained behind in the barracks for reasons unclear.
On the way to the dining hall, leaving those three behind, Tae Geuk Geom Wang spoke up.
“Are you certain it’s wise to leave them like that?”
Some members seemed not to grasp the intent of his question, but the rest turned their eyes toward Jeok Sa, as Tae Geuk Geom Wang had done.
Walking calmly despite their scrutiny, Jeok Sa answered.
“It is their choice.”
At Jeok Sa’s reply, even those members who had reacted to Tae Geuk Geom Wang’s earlier concern nodded and looked away.
Tae Geuk Geom Wang, his expression showing he did not understand the group’s behavior, spoke again.
“That choice could lead to poor consequences.”
At Tae Geuk Geom Wang’s worried words, Jeok Sa gave a slight shrug.
“It does not concern me.”
There was no tremor in Jeok Sa’s voice as he answered thus.
Whether this stemmed from trust in those who remained, or from the thought that if matters deteriorated he could simply cross into Gunmarim, Tae Geuk Geom Wang could not determine.
Observing the members of the Jeok Sa Jo through this veil of worry, he found them… serene.
Only Gwak Ki Ryang and Yun showed any trace of concern; the rest displayed the bearing of those for whom nothing was amiss.
Frustrated by this composure, Tae Geuk Geom Wang turned to Yi Song, who walked beside Jeok Sa.
“I’ll grant that the others lack perception, but surely even you must feel some misgiving?”
At Tae Geuk Geom Wang’s question, Yi Song glanced back at his untroubled companions and smiled faintly.
“I have no such worries.”
“Why not?”
“If one grows anxious over a matter of this magnitude, one cannot be trusted to guard another’s back in battle.”
A wise answer to a foolish question, it seemed.
Tae Geuk Geom Wang, rendered speechless by Yi Song’s reply, said nothing further.
Watching Tae Geuk Geom Wang, the members of the Jeok Sa Jo gave a slight shrug and turned their attention to a spirited discussion of the day’s dishes.
Meanwhile, the three whom Tae Geuk Geom Wang had fretted over—Hwangbo Jang Seong, Peng Gyeong, and Chul Ja Yong—remained in the barracks, their expressions grave as they conversed.
“Do you think we ought to… report it?”
“By the matter alone, we certainly should report it, but…….”
“I see. You’re troubled by it too, Hwangbo.”
At Peng Gyeong’s question, Hwangbo Jang Seong’s expression grew heavy.
“Given the atmosphere of the Jeok Sa Jo, a report would be seen as betrayal. The fact that they know who we are, yet neither discriminated against us nor hid things from us—that is proof of trust.”
If that trust were shattered…….
Chul Ja Yong, contemplating the backlash, posed the question that weighed on all their minds.
“We’d be cast out, wouldn’t we?”
“Hm…….”
Hwangbo Jang Seong’s groan was deep.
Truthfully, that was what concerned him most.
In his clan, he had always stood apart; here, in a brief span of time, he had become one of them.
Of course, the beginning had been difficult.
But that was his own fault—his own foolishness.
Yet when he had drawn near, the members of the Jeok Sa Jo accepted him without reservation.
They did not discriminate by birth or by strength, nor did they divide by function.
He was simply one of the Jeok Sa Jo.
That had brought him peace.
He had begun to understand what it might mean to truly belong.
Indeed, he was now starting to comprehend the fierce bond between the members of the Jeok Sa Jo—a connection so profound that even calling it by the noble name of Comrades’ Bond seemed insufficient.
He had begun to harbor the hope that, with fortune, he too might one day share such a bond with them.
That he had entertained the thought of abandoning the mission his clan and grandfather had entrusted to him, content simply to live here among them as one of the Jeok Sa Jo.
Yet his trembling now arose not only from Ja Jeon Geom Wang’s visit.

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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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