The Legend of Red Cloud - Chapter 71

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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 71. Different Methods
After considerable deliberation, Tae Geuk Geom Wang’s head finally nodded.
“Proceed with it. I’ll send separate letters to the main lodge and Muddang.”
“Yes, Lord of the Sect.”
Gong Chan bowed and hurried out.
They had to act quickly, before the investigative team from the main lodge arrived.
Because of all these developments, the matter of the prisoners brought back by Jeok Sa Jo had been pushed to the wayside.
Jeok Sa Jo’s accomplishment in securing the secret weapons of Hyeol Gwi Dae—something Maeng Ui Dan did not possess—had its luster dimmed in the process.
This was always how it went: once politics crept in, the essence became muddied, and the fighting never ceased.
***
While Maeng Ui Dan was in turmoil over the unexpected defection rumors surrounding Jeok Sa Jo, Hyeol Gwi Dae was in upheaval over the shock of Sal Rang’s power.
No matter how strict the order to keep silent, there had been thirty witnesses.
It was impossible to seal the lips of all of them perfectly.
The stories they had shared with their blood relations, their masters, their brothers and sisters, or their parents—told in confidence—had spread throughout the entire Hyeol Gwi Dae encampment within half a day of the black demons’ return from Saja Gwan.
Ja Ha Geom Wang, sitting before him with a forbidding expression, glared at the middle-aged man in his forties with savage eyes.
“Your mouth has always been loose as a drum, hasn’t it?”
This was a rebuke for the rumor spreading.
Of course, the man—Dae Heuk—had done no such thing.
He had never disclosed this matter to anyone.
Yet Dae Heuk bowed his head nonetheless.
“Forgive me, Master.”
Master.
That was right. The man who had come out to Hyeol Gwi Dae under the name Dae Heuk was indeed a martial artist of Hua Shan, just as Jeok Sa Jo had anticipated.
More than that, he was the first disciple of the current sect leader, Ja Ha, and the junior disciple of Ja Ha Geom Wang—Do Jin.
In other words, he was the most promising candidate among the next generation of sect leaders for Hua Shan.
And it was Ja Ha Geom Wang himself who had drawn him into Hyeol Gwi Dae.
Though Ja Ha was his master, Ja Ha Geom Wang—who had lost all his own disciples long ago—had nurtured Do Jin as tenderly as one of his own.
It was the first time Hua Shan, where lay disciples and ordained disciples were intermingled, had produced a first disciple from the lay tradition.
It was the first time that first disciple possessed the greatest martial prowess among all the direct disciples.
And it was the first time a direct disciple who had not yet ascended to elder rank had reached the stage of Ip Sin Gyeong.
This spoke to the excellence of Do Jin’s martial talent.
Ja Ha Geom Wang had summoned him from the comfort of the sect into the battlefield itself because he believed that through real combat, he could become an even greater master.
“Ah, tsk. Since disciplining the subordinates is also your responsibility, it makes no difference whether those words came from your mouth or not.”
In other words, he was saying that he knew Do Jin had been keeping silent.
It made sense—Ja Ha Geom Wang, who had spent no small amount of time with him, knew his character and bearing well.
Ja Ha Geom Wang’s rebuke came swift, spotting the smile blooming at Do Jin’s lips at the mere knowledge that his master did not misunderstand him.
“What are you pleased about, you wretch? Is this something to be pleased about?”
“Forgive me.”
Do Jin bowed his head and apologized, but the smile remained at the corners of his mouth.
Ja Ha Geom Wang’s reproach continued.
“Ah, tsk! I taught you to hide such feelings.”
Do Jin said nothing, merely bowing lower. Ja Ha Geom Wang posed a question.
“So then. What are your impressions of having met him?”
“You mean Sal Rang.”
“Yes. What did you make of meeting him?”
“He is strong. To wield Gangi at that age is remarkable.”
Gangi was like proof of Hwa Gyeong—stronger than anything in this world, cutting what cannot be cut, blocking what cannot be blocked.
It was qualitatively different from the enhanced sword energy that Ip Sin Gyeong could deploy, and it bore no comparison to the sword energy wielded by the supreme masters.
Geom Gi itself was said to be the product of the divine, so incomparably sharp that it cut through almost anything.
Yet even such sword energy could not cut through Gangi.
Conversely, Gangi could sever sword energy as easily as slicing through wheat.
That was the nature of Gangi.
“Yes. He has reached the same stage as this master here. But was all you felt merely that he was strong?”
Do Jin’s eyes gleamed at Ja Ha Geom Wang’s question.
“It was unexpected. That Sal Rang, called the bloodstained blade of Maeng Ui Dan, possesses Sunjung.”
“Sunjung, you say.”
“Did you not recognize this and present Mo Yong Ji Eun precisely for that reason?”
Ja Ha Geom Wang chuckled at Do Jin’s question.
“I merely wanted to see the possibilities.”
It was because of the brief reaction Sal Rang had shown when he’d suggested that if he came to Gun Ma Rim, he could arrange for the woman he desired.
Truthfully, at that time Tae Geuk Geom Wang had been thinking of the Two Demon Flowers—Gun Ma Rim’s most beautiful women.
It was common knowledge that no man disliked beauties.
But the reaction Jeok Sa had shown suggested his heart had already been stirred by someone he’d met.
Pressing into that, Tae Geuk Geom Wang had discerned Mo Yong Ji Eun’s existence through his discussion with Rim Ju.
So he’d taken the gamble, and if Do Jin was right, he’d struck the mark cleanly.
Do Jin acknowledged it as well.
“Then it seems you’ve struck the mark properly. He was extremely wary of her becoming injured.”
“By all accounts, he was the one who extracted Mo Yong Chang Un as well. Though both the Mo Yong family and the Maeng Ui Dan denied it, of course.”
Few in Gun Ma Rim believed that Mo Yong Chang Un—whose entire side had been crushed and was still receiving treatment—had escaped the Maeng Ui Dan’s prison of his own accord.
“If he’s willing to commit defection of that degree, then even a little kindling should set him ablaze… and yet.”
At Do Jin’s tilted-head remark, Tae Geuk Geom Wang asked.
“But you suspect it’s not quite that, is it?”
“Yes. At that degree of closeness, he should find it hard to care about consequences when she’s before his eyes. Yet he remained remarkably composed throughout.”
“Whether he was composed or merely feigned it, at the very least it means he retains enough cold reason to hold himself back.”
“Yes. From what I observed, that was clearly the case.”
“That shouldn’t be the case, though.”
Dissatisfied with such a situation, Tae Geuk Geom Wang drummed his fingers on the table, and Do Jin asked him.
“Do you wish for him to throw caution to the wind and throw himself at her?”
“Then that wretch would come to Gun Ma Rim of his own accord.”
Understanding the implications of those words, Do Jin’s eyes widened.
“A… recruitment!”
“Less recruitment than defection. A passionate man who follows the one he ardently admires and changes his allegiance. I was hoping for that, but it seems he’s not quite there.”
Do Jin nodded, noting the disappointment that tinged Tae Geuk Geom Wang’s words.
“Yes. From what I observed, he wasn’t quite at that point.”
“Then we have a problem.”
Again drumming his fingers on the table, Tae Geuk Geom Wang murmured.
“What is it? What’s missing? The boy clearly has some affection for Mo Yong Ji Eun, yet something decisive is lacking. I can’t for the life of me figure out what.”
Seeing Tae Geuk Geom Wang deep in thought, Do Jin ventured carefully.
“I understand his abilities are outstanding. Yet I confess I don’t see why you would go to such lengths and exhaust yourself trying to draw him in. We have the White faction, and we have Rim Ju.”
“I understand. But wouldn’t two becoming three be all the better?”
“Well…”
Unable to answer, Do Jin received Tae Geuk Geom Wang’s next words.
“What appeals to me isn’t his present ability, but his potential future. By all accounts, he reached where he is entirely on his own. With no proper master to guide him.”
Seeing Do Jin’s eyes widen in shock, Tae Geuk Geom Wang continued.
“Imagine it. If a proper master took him in—myself, for instance, or Rim Ju—and taught him, what result would that produce?”
Fear was already filling the depths of Do Jin’s widened eyes.
“Yes. It’s terrifying. What if someone from the Cheol Hyeol Maeng realizes this and attempts it? This White faction fears it so deeply I can barely sleep at night.”
Only then did Do Jin fully grasp Tae Geuk Geom Wang’s worry and intention, and after deliberating, he spoke carefully.
“What if we called upon Lee Hwa?”
Lee Hwa.
A female disciple of Hua Shan.
Because Hua Shan was not without the influence of Taoist tradition, the number of female disciples had never been large, though there were always a dozen or so.
Currently, Hua Shan had eight female disciples, and among them, one’s skill was exceptional.
Lee Hwa, whom Do Jin had just mentioned, was that very disciple.
Of course, her mention wasn’t solely on account of her skill.
Do Jin immediately gave voice to the reason he’d brought her up.
“Lee Hwa is outstanding in appearance as much as in ability.”
Among the younger Hua Shan disciples, scarcely one had not harbored admiration for her at some point, such was the beauty she possessed.
Having briefly called her to mind at Do Jin’s words, Tae Geuk Geom Wang asked.
“Mo Yong Ji Eun and Lee Hwa—what’s your assessment?”
“Mo Yong’s liveliness comes first, but Lee Hwa’s purity stands unrivaled.”
Some even said the Two Demon Flowers should be renamed the Three Demon Flowers because of her.
She possessed beauty of such exceptional quality.
“Will her master permit it?”
She was the only daughter, cherished by Ja Ha and Han Sang In, who were intimate friends.
One might gauge how much Han Sang In treasured his only child when learning that she had fasted regularly, as if it were nothing, for a full five years before he finally relented and allowed her to study martial arts at Hua Shan.
He had been so reluctant to let his only daughter leave his side.
Even though his intimate friend was the sect master of Hua Shan.
If Han Sang In learned that his precious jewel had been sent to Saja Plain, where blood sprayed and death was scattered, he would certainly go mad enough to slay Ja Ha.
Ja Ha could not possibly be unaware of this.
Of course, there was no chance of approval through legitimate channels.
Those ignorant of the facts might claim the merchant suffered no loss by drawing a master of Hwa Gyeong to his establishment.
But as far as Tae Geuk Geom Wang knew, that merchant was precisely the sort who would never be swayed by such inducements.
Why?
Because the merchant was one of the five richest magnates in all of Zhong Yuan.
Because the proprietor of the Seo Cheon Trading Company—the patriarch of the mercantile world in Western Zhong Yuan—was that woman’s father.
There was nothing he lacked.
Already, his word alone was enough to set Gun Ma Rim in motion.
Even Gun Ma Rim, which regarded merchants as pebbles on a riverbank, could not ignore his influence.
There was a reason even Rim Ju, notorious for his abrasive temperament, did not treat him with disrespect.
He was the only daughter of such a man.
“If your Master learned of this, he would never permit it. But.”
“But?”
“If we could only provoke Lee Hwa’s curiosity.”
“That wretch can’t resist curiosity to save her life.”
“Precisely. She won’t rest until she’s confirmed it herself.”
At Do Jin’s answer, Tae Geuk Geom Wang’s low murmur emerged as his fingers drummed against the desk.
“If he’s truly the type to fall for appearances, then that one might just have a chance…….”
After a long silence, Tae Geuk Geom Wang’s decision came down.
That night, a Jeon Seo departed the Hyeol Gwi Dae, bound for Hua Shan.
It was a message sent by Dae Heuk under the name of Do Jin the Ja Ha Swordsman to a fellow disciple in the sect.
***
On the afternoon of the second day after the Jeok Sa Jo returned with their prisoners, an operational order descended upon the unit during collective training.

Despite the order’s stark simplicity—no explanation of its rationale or objectives—the Jeok Sa Jo complied readily, solely because of who had brought the orders.
“Go on. I’ll handle the Meng Gyul Dan business from the main branch before you return.”
At Gong Chan’s words, the Jeok Sa Jo exchanged glances before packing without hesitation.
They too had heard the rumors that had spread thick as morning frost through the Maeng Ui Dan encampment overnight.
And with Bong Jin, the leader of the Jeok Young Squad, adding his voice in aggrieved frustration, the rumors only continued to expand.
In those circumstances, the Jeok Sa Jo departed the encampment once more.

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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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