The Legend of Red Cloud - Chapter 75

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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 75. The Dragon of the Yellow River
Ryu’s expression was grim as he set out on the operation.
The members of Jeok Sa Jo, by contrast, looked at ease.
It was not a dangerous front-line deployment, but rather rear-echelon support from Hwangsan Dae unfolding behind the lines.
Of course, Jwa Ryang had voiced his usual conspiracy theories, but no one took them seriously.
At least they all knew what operation Hwangsan Dae was launching this time.
This task, commonly called “Narak Transport,” was in fact something every Jeok Myeol Dae member except Jeok Sa Jo had experienced at least once.
They were transporting alcohol being distributed as a reward to members of Maeng Ui Dan.
Prolonged chaos and unrest had depleted the nation’s grain stores, and in response, an Alcohol Prohibition Edict had been issued across the realm.
Brewing spirits was illegal, and drinking was a crime.
Of course, Kangho—where the nation’s laws held no sway—was another matter entirely.
In truth, the bureaucrats who drafted and enforced these laws had no qualms brewing and drinking alcohol themselves.
They held Official Gatherings almost daily, events absurd enough to merit their own name, which permitted drinking on a regular basis.
In short, it was a world where the powerful drank freely while the common folk, far from power’s reach, could not drink even as they pleased.
Because of this, illegal alcohol flooded the market.
And the government’s crackdowns on it grew fierce.
Thus alcohol became profitable.
So much so that even Kangho’s organizations took an interest.
The reason Jeok Myeol Dae had been mobilized for this Narak Transport was precisely this.
Maeng Ui Dan had deployed Jeok Myeol Dae because it would have been unseemly to commit a large number of Hwangsan Dae’s martial artists merely to haul alcohol.
By deploying Jeok Myeol Dae—a small force with tremendous combat capability—they could ensure the convoy’s safety while appearing to mobilize only a modest number of warriors.
As mentioned before, Jeok Sa Jo had always been excluded from such operations because they were simply too powerful for routine assignments.
But this time, for reasons known only to those above, Jeok Sa Jo had been given orders to support the Narak Transport.
Not Jeok Myeol Dae, but Jeok Sa Jo—and they’d been assigned to Heuk Ya Dae.
Everyone whispered.
Ryu’s true strength was already common knowledge. So everyone understood that this was no ordinary operation.
The same was true for Jeok Sa Jo. Yet the other members remained calm precisely because—
They had decided to respect Ryu’s decision.
Though the three members of the Five Outstanding, each under considerable pressure from their own families, were another matter.
Lost in their separate thoughts, Jeok Sa Jo withdrew to the rear of the garrison.
There they set out alongside thirty carts and the martial artists of Hwangsan Dae who had been waiting.
As they walked, each member of Jeok Sa Jo draped a Yellow Sash over their shoulder—the same color as Hwangsan Dae’s uniforms.
With “Maeng Ui” embroidered in the center, this sash served as the insignia of a Maeng Ui Dan escort detail.
Because Jeok Sa Jo, like Jeok Myeol Dae deployed on escort operations, wore civilian clothes and were difficult to identify, this was a kind of Friend-Foe Identification device implemented for that very reason.
Unlike Jeok Sa Jo, who walked wearing the sash, most of Hwangsan Dae’s martial artists rode in carriages.
This was not meant as a slight to Jeok Sa Jo; rather, Hwangsan Dae’s people were driving the carriages themselves.
Because of the nature of the cargo being transported, no regular laborers had been brought—only martial artists drove the carts.
For this reason, the squad leader and three sub-leaders of Hwangsan Dae who commanded the rest walked alongside Jeok Sa Jo.
Dong Pil, observing Hwangsan Dae carefully, muttered with a disappointed expression.
“Not a single woman among thirty-three people? How is that even possible?”
No one from Jeok Sa Jo sympathized with Dong Pil’s complaint. If anything, some looked relieved or even amused.
And so, the Narak Transport convoy departed the garrison with Dong Pil’s grumbling, heading toward Muwang—where one of the Imperial Palace’s distilleries was located.
Muwang, which bordered Dong Ho, the largest lake in Hubei where Saja Plain lay, was a city of commerce and the birthplace of Hwagangju, one of Joong Won’s most celebrated wines.
The fact that one of the Imperial Palace’s distilleries stood here was precisely to produce this Hwagangju.
Yet it was not Hwagangju that Maeng Ui Dan would be receiving.
As the term “Tribute Wine” itself suggested, Hwagangju was a high-grade spirit with limited production.
Because of this, the Imperial Palace’s distillery at Muwang produced several other spirits as well.
It was Baekju, one of these alternatives, that Maeng Ui Dan received.
Baekju was manufactured ostensibly for use in imperial rites, but in reality, it was supplied mainly to Kangho—and specifically to Cheol Hyeol Maeng, much like the alcohol given to Maeng Ui Dan.
One might call it one of the Imperial Palace’s alcohol warehouses, used to appease discontent among Kangho.
Yet the spirits distributed this way were far from free.
Compared to before the Alcohol Prohibition Edict, the price paid in silver was absurdly high.
Most of that money flowed into the hands of the Imperial Dowager, eventually reaching the families of her relatives and several powerful noble houses.
It was, in essence, a bribe mediated through alcohol.
A bribe saying: let the nation fall into ruin if it must, just continue to leave Kangho free as it is now.
Complex as its true nature was, to the warriors of Maeng Ui Dan this spirit was merely a small comfort encountered in the everyday traversal between life and death.
The same was true for Hwangsan Dae, who transported it, and for Jeok Sa Jo, who had come to aid them.
On average, a Narak Transport operation spent four days in Muwang, excluding travel time.
During that time, the Alcohol Barrels loaded onto the carts would be filled at the Imperial Palace’s distillery.
Though the quantity was substantial, it should not have required such a long wait, yet the delay was necessary to maintain the proper order of operations.
The Cheol Hyeol Maeng received its alcohol from only two imperial distilleries—one in Muwang and one in Haenam—yet there were countless places waiting to receive it.
That was why they had to set down the alcohol barrels and wait.
During that time, permission had come down allowing the members of the Maeng Ui Dan to roam Muwang freely, so there were no complaints among those waiting.
In fact, some had even wished the wait could be longer.
The Hwangsan Dae scattered, and the Jeok Sa Jo ventured out into Muwang’s brilliant streets.
Though not comparable to Hangzhou or Suzhou, Muwang, nestled against Dong Ho, was a city that had made a name for itself across Joong Won as a place of wine and song.
There was even a saying: people from Hangzhou and Suzhou should not boast of their wine and women once they’ve visited Muwang.
Though the sun still hung high and there were no lanterns or women’s laughter yet, quite a few flower boats floated upon Dong Ho.
“This! This is how people ought to live. Beautiful women, fine wine. Ah! It’s paradise!”
As Dong Pil gazed at Dong Ho and continued to shower praise without end, the other Jeok Sa Jo members shook their heads at him and entered a nearby inn.
Unaware of this, Dong Pil chattered on for a while longer before noticing that his companions were gone, his face turning to alarm as he looked about frantically.
From outside the inn’s window, Hui Jun called down to him, leaning out from the sill.
Only then did Dong Pil spot his companions, and he came running with a broad grin.
Thud.
Dong Pil, running hurriedly, collided with a man of savage countenance. Though Dong Pil had been rushing, the man’s carelessness had also played a part.
So it should have been a simple matter—just a light bow and apology, as Dong Pil had offered, and they could have gone their separate ways.
But.
“Do you carry those eyes of yours as pure decoration?”
The man spat out his words with venom, turning to face Dong Pil directly.
So tall and broad-shouldered was he that his massive frame blocked Dong Pil from view of those inside the inn.
“Should we leave it alone?” Hui Jun asked, his voice tight with worry.
Hwangbo Jang Seong grinned wickedly in response.
“Surely nothing would befall Dong Pil, would it?”
“No, not Dong Pil—that man.”
At those words, Hwangbo Jang Seong’s smile faded. Given what they’d seen of Dong Pil’s skill on the battlefield.
In that moment, all eyes at the window turned outward.
Crack!
The sound of a melon splitting rang out, and the giant man flew backward.
Thump.
Dong Pil, his fist still extended, dusted off his hand.
His face wore the expression of someone for whom it had been nothing at all.
Had it ended there, they would have gained one more tale of Dong Pil’s prowess to regale the women with in future days. But fortune did not smile so kindly.
“Hwanggu’s been hit! Grab that bastard!”
A shout erupted, and from all sides, men with savage faces came pouring out.
The aura these newcomers gave off caused the eyes of the Jeok Sa Jo members, who had taken them for mere street thugs or adherents of the Black Path, to widen in alarm.
The speed with which they closed the distance and the skill of their Lightweight movements were anything but ordinary.
As Jwa Ryang watched them intently, a gasp of shock escaped his lips.
“The Hwangha Suli Maeng!”
They had once been part of the Sasu, but had since transformed into a faction of the White Path. There was a reason their mannerisms and appearances had seemed anything but common.
Almost at the same moment as Jwa Ryang’s cry, it was Jang Min Su who burst forward into action.
He knew well how much difference even one additional person could make when facing an organized group like this.
Gwak Ki Ryang also tensed to move, for he too, like Jang Min Su, was a military man.
Yet he held his ground. There was one whose life depended on him standing firm.
It was Jwa Ryang who threw himself forward next.
But his reasons for doing so were altogether different from Jang Min Su’s.
No matter what, he had to stop the fight before it truly began.
Because he came from the Sasu, just like the Hwangha Suli Maeng, he understood better than anyone.
Once a fight with the Hwangha Suli Maeng began, there would be no end until one side lay dead.
If they were still the Sasu as they had been before, it might be different.
But the Hwangha Suli Maeng had shed their old skin like a discarded robe and become the White Path, rising to become one of the Nine Major Schools within the Cheol Hyeol Maeng itself. The Jeok Sa Jo, even with Ryu included, could not hope to escape unscathed from such enmity.
Jwa Ryang knew well the peculiar brand of vengeance harbored by the Sasu—as deep and treacherous as the darkest alleyways.
The masters of the Hwangha Suli Maeng were just about to descend upon Dong Pil and Jang Min Su, who had reached his side.
“Water and River reign supreme beneath heaven!”
At the shout that burst from Jwa Ryang’s lips as he came rushing forward, the attacking masters of the Hwangha Suli Maeng froze in their tracks.
It was such a narrow margin that the blade of the nearest Hwangha Suli Maeng master and Dong Pil’s Twin Blades came to rest mere finger-widths apart.
All eyes of the Hwangha Suli Maeng masters turned toward Jwa Ryang as he descended into the space.
As their gaze fell upon him, Jwa Ryang performed the Clasped Fist Salute.
“Water and River reign supreme beneath heaven. I am Jwa Ryang, who have made my home upon the waters of Dongting Lake.”
To the Sasu greeting offered, one of the Hwangha Suli Maeng masters answered with a reluctant expression.
“Water and River reign supreme beneath heaven. I am Ji Chu, who make my home upon the waters of the Yellow River.”
Jwa Ryang’s eyes widened at the name Ji Chu.
“The Fierce Dragon of Hwangha Suli Maeng! Are you the Alliance Leader?”
Fierce Dragon of the Hwangha.
It was the epithet the Kangho masters had given to Ji Chu, leader of Hwangha Suli Maeng. His original epithet was Water Ghost.
Though his martial prowess had reached Peak Transcendence and was remarkable, none were said to match him in Underwater Combat.
How could he not be called the Master of Underwater Combat?
The merchant fleet he commanded and the terror of his Underwater Combat unit were what kept Hwangha Suli Maeng, which did not even possess the Ipsin Gyeong, still bound to a seat among the Nine Major Schools of Cheol Hyeol Maeng.
Though Ji Chu still remained at Peak Transcendence, he was one who had already set one foot into the Ipsin Gyeong.
It meant he was a martial master so formidable that even Jwa Ryang, who stood at the apex of Peak Transcendence, would have to yield ground.
Jang Min Su stepped forward quickly to Jwa Ryang’s side upon meeting him. None knew better than he how to conduct himself in such moments.
Indeed, that was precisely why he had been placed as captain of his insufficient self.
A crisp sound.
Jang Min Su, whose hands were now bare—when had he removed his Water Combat gear?—took the Clasped Fist Salute.
“Captain Jang Min Su of Jeok Sa Jo, Heuk Ya Dae, Maeng Ui Dan, pays his respects to the Alliance Leader of Hwangha Suli Maeng. It is an honor.”
“Jeok Sa Jo!”
Ji Chu’s gaze swept hastily across the Jeok Sa Jo members before stopping at Ryu, seated by the window of the tavern in the distance.
He too had heard the recent loud rumors about Jeok Sa among the Nine Major Schools.
In fact, the reason he himself had left the Hwangha and come all the way to Muwang in Dong Ho was precisely because of that.
Ji Chu, meeting Jang Min Su’s respectful Clasped Fist Salute with a light one of his own in return greeting, approached Ryu in the tavern.
“Pleased to meet you. I’m Ji Chu.”
“Likewise.”
To Ryu’s simple greeting, Ji Chu spoke.
“It seems there was some minor misunderstanding. Shall we clear it up and share a drink?”
The gleam in Jwa Ryang’s eyes as he heard Ji Chu’s words spoke volumes.
‘This won’t do!’
Despite Jwa Ryang’s urgent look—he who knew the sinister intentions of Sasu better than anyone—Ryu nodded his head.
“Of course.”

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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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