The Legend of Red Cloud - Chapter 59

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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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Episode 59. The Difference Between What Is Mine and What Belongs to Others
“Water.”
Jwa Ryang had shouted the word out of habit, then scrambled to his feet in alarm as Tae Geuk Geom Wang rushed past carrying a water bucket, hurrying out of the barracks.
“Ah, damn it.”
Yi Song spoke to Jwa Ryang, who was running his hands through his hair in frustration.
“That’s why you should keep your mouth shut. Don’t say anything, just like me.”
Yi Song’s words offered no comfort; Jwa Ryang, his hair now disheveled, glared at the five newcomers—or rather, senior junior members as they’d become.
“You should have been the one to run!”
“That is… well….”
Cheol Ja Ryong, who had run with the water bucket the last time something like this happened, had come perilously close to being thrown out of Jeok Sa Jo.
Jeok Sa—or Ryu as he was sometimes called—had barked an order: if they had no intention of following the laws of Jeok Sa Jo, they could leave.
Since Jwa Ryang had heard the same warning, he wasn’t speaking out of ignorance.
That’s why the five senior junior members could only keep their mouths shut.
As Dong Pil had once said, they’d agreed with the sentiment: “If you don’t like it, you should have come yesterday.”
‘That’s right. If I’d known it would be like this, I would’ve come ages ago. Then I could’ve seen Dong Pil and Jwa Ryang looking like fools as junior members instead….’
Cheol Ja Ryong was grinning to himself at the thought when Jwa Ryang suddenly barked at him.
“What’s so funny about watching your senior get the short end of the stick!”
“No, that’s not it.”
Cheol Ja Ryong quickly lowered his head.
But the smile still lingered at the corners of his mouth.
Jwa Ryang, who had been snapping at everyone, suddenly fell silent.
Jeok Sa, who usually lay quietly in the corner, had suddenly sat up.
“Could you… keep it down?”
Jwa Ryang, aware he’d stepped out of line, spoke meekly. Jeok Sa, without answering, brushed himself off and stepped outside the barracks.
Outside, Tae Geuk Geom Wang stood tensed, facing off against someone.
As Jeok Sa appeared behind Tae Geuk Geom Wang, a smile crossed Ga Ji Hoon’s lips.
“So this isn’t a wolf’s den after all—it’s a tiger’s lair.”
Tae Geuk Geom Wang noticed that as Ga Ji Hoon muttered, his gaze had passed over him and settled on Jeok Sa, and he spoke.
“I asked who you are.”
“By the look of you, you’re the Tae Geuk Sword user from Muddang, obviously. And you there—rough and wild as you are—you must be the one they call Jeok Sa.”
Rather than answer Tae Geuk Geom Wang’s question, Ga Ji Hoon spoke only what was on his mind. Jeok Sa’s hand moved toward the Youmyeong sword sheathed at his back and waist.
When Jeok Sa reached for his weapon without hesitation, it meant the opponent was formidable enough to require it.
Ga Ji Hoon smiled as he watched him.
“Let’s do it here. No, we should settle this between us. If we tear up the place, a lot of these kids will die.”
At Ga Ji Hoon’s words—barely concealing a threat—Jeok Sa stopped his hand before it reached the Youmyeong.
“Then let’s go somewhere suitable.”
“I don’t feel like it. I just got here. I’ll toy with you a bit, take your head, and then leave.”
Despite his savage words, Ga Ji Hoon’s laughing tone seemed utterly at odds with them as Tae Geuk Geom Wang watched others filing out of the barracks.
In that moment, his expression shifted—a far cry from the bored, unrestrained savagery of just moments before.
“Who…?”
Jwa Ryang, spotting a stranger at the door, asked the question. Ga Ji Hoon answered with a bright smile.
“A new recruit!”
“Hmm.”
“Hmm….”
Almost simultaneously with Ga Ji Hoon’s answer, a short sound of acknowledgment escaped from Jeok Sa and Tae Geuk Geom Wang.
Jeok Sa watched Ga Ji Hoon intently—the way he answered his comrades’ questions readily and without hesitation.
By all appearances, he was just a nicely mannered new recruit.
He was the typical wanderer, rolling around here and there before settling into a new nest.
The other members seemed to take quite a liking to how affably Ga Ji Hoon conducted himself.
Even Jwa Ryang, the conspiracy theorist, regarded him with friendliness rather than suspicion.
-Should we just leave it be?
Jeok Sa responded to Tae Geuk Geom Wang’s Telepathic Communication.
-Who do you suspect him to be?
-If we’ve encountered someone with such formidable Ki here, it can only be one person.
-Is it… him?
-Yes. The blood—…
-Hey, if you’re curious about my identity, ask me directly. What’s with all the whispering?
Jeok Sa and Tae Geuk Geom Wang’s eyes widened in surprise at the sudden intrusion of an outside voice into their Telepathic Communication. Ga Ji Hoon’s eyes, which had been answering Dong Pil and Yi Song’s questions with hints of laughter, briefly brushed past them with amusement.
-Looks like you two still have a ways to go.
-What…?
—A bit longer and you’ll hear telepathic communication too.
At Ga Ji Hoon’s answer, both Tae Geuk Geom Wang, who had posed the question, and Ryu, who had heard the response simultaneously, widened their eyes further.
To these two, a telepathic message arrived from the youth who claimed to be Ga Ji Hoon—or rather, who was still making that claim to the members of Jeok Sa Jo.
—I’m Fa Geuk Ryeom. You call me the Blood Phantom Demon Master. That’s right. I am the Sect Leader of Gunma Rim and the Patriarch of the Demon Sect. Khahahaha!
The laughter woven from the telepathic message and conversation, overlapped by Ga Ji Hoon’s laughter bursting out in his actual voice, forced Ryu and Tae Geuk Geom Wang to feel a chill run through them.
They could sense, unmistakably, that all his abilities surpassed theirs by a considerable margin.
To them came a telepathic message from the seasoned Fa Geuk Ryeom—or rather, the youth claiming to be Ga Ji Hoon.
—If you let it slip, I won’t stop you. Then I’ll kill every last one of these dogs first, and after that, I’ll deal with you both.
At those words, Ga Ji Hoon, catching a glimpse of Ryu’s expression hardening as he reached for Youmyeong, sent a telepathic message.
—But if you entertain me properly, I promise you this: no matter what happens, I won’t lay a hand on these men.
Ryu’s hand, which had been reaching for Youmyeong, fell limp to his side.
Watching this, a faint smile played at the corners of Ga Ji Hoon’s mouth.
Unaware of what conversation was taking place between the three of them, the members of Jeok Sa Jo erupted in raucous laughter at Ga Ji Hoon’s tale, which bordered on ribald jest.
“Hahahaha.”
“Hahahaha.”
Ryu and Tae Geuk Geom Wang could only regard these members with worried looks.
***
“Water.”
At Jwa Ryang’s word, Ga Ji Hoon quickly grabbed the water bucket and dashed out.
Watching this, Jwa Ryang broke into a grin.
“A useful fellow has arrived.”
At Jwa Ryang’s satisfied remark, not only the five senior junior members, but also Dong Pil, Jang Min Su, and even Yi Song nodded in agreement.
His attentiveness rivaled that of an inn’s top servant.
The eyes of Ryu and Tae Geuk Geom Wang, watching these men, were dark.
They were concerned for the members, who had no way of knowing they were now poking their heads into the mouth of a tiger.
Shortly after, Jwa Ryang reached out and gently patted the head of Ga Ji Hoon, who returned with a water bucket filled with cold water, as if to praise him.
Though Ryu and Tae Geuk Geom Wang flinched at the sight, Ga Ji Hoon himself, receiving the gesture, was beaming with laughter.
Jwa Ryang spoke to Ga Ji Hoon.
“I like you a lot. In a few days we’re having a special outing—come with us. This senior will treat you to some drinks, proper style.”
It was Dong Pil who sidled up at Jwa Ryang’s words.
“May I look forward to it, senior?”
At Dong Pil’s coy expression, complete with blinking eyes, Jwa Ryang burst into laughter.
“Khaha! You devil, always the one for a drink. All right, you come too.”
“I as well…….”
It was Hwangbo Jang Seong who tentatively raised his hand.
Jwa Ryang nodded, noticing how Hwangbo Jang Seong, unlike before, was clearly making an effort to draw closer to the others.
“Of course. I’m bringing all of you.”
At Jwa Ryang’s words, not only Hwangbo Jang Seong but also Paeng Gyeong, Cheol Ja Ryong, and even Yun and Gwak Ki Ryang had smiles plastered across their faces.
Thus Jeok Sa Jo continued to bind itself together, bit by bit.
Of course, the thoughts of Ryu and Tae Geuk Geom Wang, who watched Ga Ji Hoon giggling along with them, ran somewhat differently.
Jeok Sa Jo’s daily routine was consistent, unless something special arose.
They woke in the morning, ate, lounged about leisurely during free time, then had lunch.
Afterward, they gathered and trained under Ryu as their instructor.
That said, Ryu neither taught them new martial arts nor offered any special instruction.
According to what Tae Geuk Geom Wang had observed over the past few days, Ryu was extraordinarily sensitive to posture.
He would not tolerate even the slightest deviation.
Because of this, the members returned to the basics of their own respective martial arts.
In other words, through learning and practice, each had found convenient modifications suited to their needs, and now Ryu was restoring those altered techniques to their original form.
It seemed simple enough, but it was impossible without a precise understanding of the martial art in question.
Yet Ryu was executing it as naturally as breathing.
He had even, despite only recently joining the group training, pinpointed flaws in Hwangbo Jang Seong’s Hwangbo Family Fist Art with such accuracy as to leave Hwangbo Jang Seong startled.
After inspecting the posture of all the members, Ryu came to stand before Ga Ji Hoon.
Those unaware of the situation were too focused on their own training to notice, but Tae Geuk Geom Wang was curious to see what Ryu would say.
And then.
“Your stance is too narrow. Your blade is broad, but narrow feet mean you’re using internal power rather than true muscle—a bad habit. Suppress your internal power and rely only on physical strength when you swing. That’ll fix it.”
After throwing out those words and stepping away, Ga Ji Hoon sketched a twisted smile and assumed the appearance of faithfully complying.
It wasn’t sincere.
He was only pretending, because there were eyes watching.
Ga Ji Hoon, who had been standing dazed in place with wide eyes, began to move with genuine intention.
After practicing the corrected movement a few times, Ga Ji Hoon’s gaze sought out Ryu, who had moved off to begin his own training.
‘I’m losing my mind. I’ve found something perfectly that even I had forgotten.’
Ga Ji Hoon’s eyes regarding Jeok Sa were brimming with admiration.
Tae Geuk Geom Wang, observing both Ga Ji Hoon and Jeok Sa—who was driving himself harder in his training at a distance—felt a new anxiety settle into his gaze.
He feared that Jeok Sa would abandon the Iron Blood Alliance, which had given him little of substance, and simply slip away to Gunma Rim to follow Ga Ji Hoon—or rather, the Patriarch.
He could not allow that to happen.
A reliable ally while on his side, but a catastrophic enemy the moment he defected—the matter was crystal clear.
In the end, Tae Geuk Geom Wang steeled his resolve.
No one spoke a word about Tae Geuk Geom Wang vanishing the moment his training ended.
He was spoken of as the youngest of the sect, yet in truth no one in Jeok Sa Jo stood in a position to interfere with his actions or stand against him.
Enjoying that freedom of action, Tae Geuk Geom Wang now revealed himself in an unexpected place.
Ja Jeon Geom Wang, who had been shuffling through documents for some time, turned his gaze toward the shadows in the corner of the room.
“Who goes there?”
At the cold question from Ja Jeon Geom Wang, an answer erupted from the shadows.
A bold one at that.
“Who? It’s me, you fool!”
Stepping from the shadows into the lamplight was Tae Geuk Geom Wang, who had vanished immediately after his training.
“You’re quite something yourself. What business brings you through such tight security?”
“Tight security? The place is riddled with holes.”
Those were his words, but it was not true.
The security was so dense that he had only been able to slip into Ja Jeon Geom Wang’s quarters by nightfall after fighting his way through.
Knowing this full well, Ja Jeon Geom Wang merely laughed and did not press the matter further.
“So why have you come?”
“To tell your head to watch himself.”
“Watch himself? What do you—did you perhaps sever the head of one of our warriors?”
At the sudden chill that descended upon the room, Tae Geuk Geom Wang gestured as if cleaning his ears and spoke.
“Me? I came to tell you to take the severed head and keep it.”
“Then what are you talking about?”
Finding Ja Jeon Geom Wang’s reaction unexpected, Tae Geuk Geom Wang tilted his head.
“You… don’t know?”
“Know what?”
Tae Geuk Geom Wang’s eyes widened as he studied Ja Jeon Geom Wang’s gaze intently.
“You really don’t know!”
Whatever thought crossed his mind, Tae Geuk Geom Wang’s eyes began to glimmer.

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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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