The Red Dragon Martial Emperor - Chapter 50

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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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The Red Dragon Undefeated — Episode 50

Chapter 50 — Wang Jijing’s Bodyguard

Wang Jijing’s Residence was grand enough to rival a modest palace.
In its deepest recesses lay his private quarters, ringed by warriors maintaining a security so absolute it seemed carved from iron.
It was a sight one rarely witnessed.
The warriors’ mood was grave—some had even adopted expressions of deep sorrow.
Word of Heukbaek Yi Geom’s death had reached them through Wang Jijing, who had abandoned his schedule and returned.
Even now, Wang Jijing sat in his chambers nursing a cup of wine, trying to settle the shock still thundering in his chest.
A close attendant poured more wine into the empty cup, his voice heavy.
“Who in all the heavens would dare attempt such a thing? In any case, we are blessed beyond measure that the Dae-in remains unharmed.”
“Have you sent the warriors out?”
“Yes. They will retrieve the body shortly.”
Wang Jijing drained his cup and shuddered. His mind remained flooded with the image of Yi Hwan charging toward him, those bloodshot eyes burning with fury.
‘Could there be a more terrifying demon than that?’
Those two eyes, rippling with the color of blood, had been the most frightening sight of his entire life.
“Until we can strengthen the security, I would recommend canceling all appointments. With your permission, I will send word to explain the situation and request their understanding.”
“Do so.”
The wine poured in a thin stream.
Bang!
“Curse it! I thought with Heukbaek Yi Geom at our side, no one under heaven could threaten us.”
“We must bring stronger masters, even if it takes time. I shall go to the Sangchun Inn and make the arrangements firmly.”
“Pay whatever price they demand. Bring me warriors stronger than Heukbaek Yi Geom—no compromise.”
“Understood.”
Just as the attendant rose to leave—
“Dae-in, someone has arrived from the Sangchun Inn.”
“Show them in!”
Moments later, the door opened to reveal none other than the Sangchun Inn Master.
His face was rigid, strained from the news of Heukbaek Yi Geom’s death that he’d learned only moments before through his contacts.
“How has this come to pass? Heukbaek Yi Geom, dead?”
“Demons more terrifying than nightmares themselves. Neither Heukbaek Yi Geom nor my guards could stand against them. Had they not exhausted themselves and fled, I would have fallen there as well.”
“How many attacked you?”
“Two.”
“…What?”
The Sangchun Inn Master’s eyes widened in shock. He could not believe his own ears.
Two men had slain Heukbaek Yi Geom—and that with additional guards present.
“We need stronger masters. Spare no expense—find them as quickly as possible.”
At Wang Jijing’s words, the Sangchun Inn Master steadied himself and spoke.
“That is precisely why I have come. Extraordinary individuals have appeared. I tested them, and they seemed not merely equal to Heukbaek Yi Geom, but quite possibly his superior.”
Spark!
Fire flashed in Wang Jijing’s eyes.
“Such masters have arrived?”
“Yes. They wait at the inn now.”
“Bring them at once!”
At that moment, the attendant stepped forward.
“Dae-in, we cannot be hasty. We know nothing of these men. First, we must verify their identities properly, should we not?”
“A fair caution. Yet these men appear to have already received offers elsewhere. They mentioned being offered eight thousand silver coins per month, but will go wherever offers ten thousand.”
“Ten thousand per month!”
Wang Jijing’s attendant gasped.
Ten thousand monthly was precisely twice what Heukbaek Yi Geom had demanded.
Wang Jijing asked a question.
“Which place offered them eight thousand?”
“The Crown Prince’s Palace, they said.”
“…!”
This time even Wang Jijing’s expression shifted in surprise.
The attendant spoke as if utterly disbelieving.
“Could they be fabricating this to inflate their value? Surely men already retained by the Crown Prince’s Palace would have no reason to seek employment elsewhere?”
“It does seem to be the case. I was suspicious myself, so I asked all sorts of questions, and they knew the precise details of what patterns were carved into the gates of the Crown Prince’s Palace. Doesn’t that suggest they’ve actually been there?”
“Hmm.”
“Their skill alone is worthy of trust. And the fact that the Crown Prince’s Palace tried to recruit them—doesn’t that speak to the certainty of their identity?”
“There’s merit to that.”
These days, even the Royal House paid substantial sums to recruit martial artists of exceptional skill. Whatever decline the Martial World had suffered, truly gifted masters still commanded proper respect.
So much so that society had even coined that absurd phrase—the Golden Martial World.
“Bring them here.”
“Understood.”
“Are you certain, Dae-in?”
“No need to worry. Would the Crown Prince’s Palace carelessly take on just anyone?”
“…….”

* * *

Yi Hwan sipped his tea at leisure.
Cheol Muok spoke with an expression tinged by concern.
“I wonder if the Crown Prince’s Palace might be a burden—whether something could go wrong because of it.”
“No one without enough nerve to stomach this would ever earn the title Emperor of Darkness. Wait and see.”
Yi Hwan drank his tea and cast a sidelong glance. There, Cheong Porin and Heuk Porin knelt on the floor, their heads bowed in silence.
Both their faces were a wreck—the result of picking a quarrel and being soundly beaten by Cheol Muok. Yi Hwan, for his part, had not intervened.
People stole glances at Yi Hwan and Cheol Muok with wide eyes. They had seen it clearly enough.
Cheol Muok alone, trouncing those two like a man breaking in a dog.
“Shall we let them go?”
Yi Hwan fixed his gaze on the two who knelt in held breath, reading the air.
“You two.”
“Yes!”
“Does it hurt?”
“We’re fine!”
“They say they’re fine.”
“…….”
That was when it happened.
The innkeeper entered. Yi Hwan regarded him without expression.
“The Dae-in wishes to see you.”
“Did you mention the terms?”
“Yes. I stated it precisely—ten thousand silver coins per month.”
“You didn’t leave out the word ‘minimum’?”
“……No. I conveyed it exactly that way.”
“Let him wait. I must finish my tea first.”
Yi Hwan drained the cup with deliberate slowness, then rose from his seat.
“Off with you now.”
“Thank you!”
Cheong Porin and Heuk Porin bolted from the inn like rats with their tails on fire.
As Yi Hwan headed downstairs, he asked casually.
“Is Wang Jijing a man worthy of trust?”
“If you cannot trust him, whom can you trust in this world? Have no worry. Once he gives his word, he honors it without fail.”
“You’re certain of that?”
“Of course. I have dealt with him for some time now, and he has never once broken a promise.”
“Then that’s fortunate. By the way, I heard there are fellows called Heukbaek Yi Geom there—if we enter, they had better be beneath us.”
“That is…… Heukbaek Yi Geom apparently lost his life yesterday while fighting the assassins who were targeting the Dae-in.”
Yi Hwan feigned surprise.
“Is that so?”
“Yes. I find it hard to believe myself, but it is true.”
“It seems many seek the Dae-in’s life. But if someone was skilled enough to kill Heukbaek Yi Geom, then we ought to demand more compensation for this, shouldn’t we?”
Cheol Muok chimed in.
“Indeed. At minimum, shouldn’t we extract a Danger Allowance?”
The innkeeper listened to their exchange and inwardly clicked his tongue.
“Money demons, the lot of them. Tsk tsk.”

* * *

Yi Hwan couldn’t hide his astonishment standing before Wang Jijing’s Residence.
‘Extraordinary. This rivals the grandeur of the Royal House itself.’
Just then, the Sangchun Inn Master’s voice reached him.
“Please, step inside.”
“Let’s go then.”
Yi Hwan crossed the main gate and entered. The courtyard stretching toward the main house was vast enough to rival a Martial Training Ground, and swordsmen trained in every corner.
[At this scale, calling it a martial family estate wouldn’t be an exaggeration.]
Cheol Muok let out a low whistle.
Yi Hwan smiled faintly.
‘Now this is what a proper estate should look like.’
Shortly after, Yi Hwan and Cheol Muok entered Wang Jijing’s quarters, located in the innermost recesses of the residence.
From invisible posts to the corridors themselves, armed guards stood watch like a wall of iron.
“Is security always this tight?”
“No, sir. It seems the Dae-in was greatly frightened by yesterday’s incident.”
Moments later, Yi Hwan and Cheol Muok stopped before an ornately decorated door.
“You cannot enter bearing steel.”
Yi Hwan handed over his sword without a word.
Clang.
“Dae-in, the martial masters have arrived.”
“Send them in.”

* * *

Yi Hwan fixed his gaze on Wang Jijing, who sat upon a Tiger-Skin Chair.
The dark hollows beneath his eyes made him look ten years older than he had a day before.
“Welcome.”
Wang Jijing, celebrated throughout the land, raised his speech level. The rumor that he treated masters with respect appeared to be true.
‘He’s thoroughly frightened.’
Seeing Wang Jijing’s condition, Yi Hwan suppressed an inward smirk.
“Please, sit.”
Yi Hwan and Cheol Muok sat across from Wang Jijing, side by side.
“Wang Jijing.”
“Though it would be presumptuous, I cannot reveal our true names—I must substitute our Martial Names instead. I am the Crimson Sword, and my younger brother here is the Blood Sword.”
“Mind your manners! Regardless of the circumstances, before the Dae-in—”
“Stand down.”
Wang Jijing’s attendant, who had stepped forward bristling, fell silent.
Wang Jijing asked, “I hear the Crown Prince’s Palace extended a recruitment offer. Is this true?”
“It is.”
“Then why did you stop at the Sangchun Inn?”
“The salary was modest, and more importantly, I had no desire to work in the Imperial Palace. What else would I do there but grovel all day?”
Wang Jijing nodded in understanding. Having employed many martial artists, he knew better than most the pride that dwelt in their hearts—and how essential it was to them.

“Excellent! Then let us discuss terms at once. What figure would suffice?”
“Ten thousand silver coins monthly, each. Plus a Danger Allowance of two thousand coins, lodging, and sustenance—including liquor—provided free. These are our conditions.”
Wang Jijing’s attendant turned toward the Inn Master, his eyes widening.
“Are you certain of what you’re saying?”
“Well, that is…”
As the Inn Master hesitated, Yi Hwan spoke up.
“I’m told the Heukbaek Yi Geom are dead. If a master powerful enough to slay them has set sights on the Dae-in, surely a Danger Allowance is warranted, is it not?”
Wang Jijing stopped his attendant from interjecting and asked, “You claim to be stronger than the Heukbaek Yi Geom?”
“Naturally. Would I have come here knowing of their deaths if I lacked such confidence?”
Yi Hwan turned to glance at Cheol Muok.
Because they had arranged this beforehand, Cheol Muok placed his palm flat upon the table.
Smack!
What followed was an astonishing sight.
Smoke billowed up from where his hand touched the wood, and in an instant, a hole pierced clean through the table. The hole bore the precise imprint of a hand.
“Good heavens!”
Both the attendant and the Inn Master gasped in shock.
Wang Jijing, by contrast, wore an expression of satisfaction.

“Excellent! I’ll raise your silver to ten thousand taels, with danger allowance bumped to three thousand. In exchange, the minimum contract term is one year, and we’ll renew the terms annually thereafter.”
“One year?”
Yi Hwan tilted his head as if weighing the proposition.
Cheol Muok pushed further.
“Wasn’t six months what you had in mind, brother?”
The Sangchun Inn Master, already fevered at the prospect of such substantial commission, stepped in.
“Most other establishments do contract on an annual basis.”
“The Crown Prince’s Palace had us on six months.”
“……I see.”
Yi Hwan met Wang Jijing’s gaze directly and continued.
“Very well. I’ll take the annual contract. But if the Dae-in remains unharmed through year’s end, I’ll expect a bonus. Of course, if an assassin so much as scratches the Dae-in’s fingertip, I’ll take nothing.”
“Ha ha ha!”
Wang Jijing suddenly burst into laughter.
Bang!
“Splendid! Guard me well, and come year’s end, I’ll see you both rewarded so handsomely it’ll make everyone’s head spin! Steward—fetch brush, ink, and paper!”
“Yes, Dae-in.”
Wang Jijing continued laughing, unbowed.
Yi Hwan had won him over entirely.
But Yi Hwan wasn’t finished. He turned to the innkeeper with another request.
“Your wine and dishes are exceptional. Could you provide them free of charge whenever we visit?”
“How many times a month would that be……?”
“Five times.”
“……I understand. I’ll arrange that specially for you both.”
“Ha ha ha!”
Wang Jijing burst into fresh laughter.
In that moment, no trace of grief or dread from the death of Heukbaek Yi Geom lingered in his face.
Watching him, Cheol Muok smiled inwardly.
‘He has no idea he’s hired a reaper.’

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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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