Emperor Namgung Mu of the Thousand Years - Chapter 19

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This chapter was translated by Lunox Team. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
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#019

“…!”

My mind stops.

All the rapid calculations that had been clicking like abacus beads come to a halt.

‘What.’

I look at Namgung Cheonhyeok.

Why is he bringing that up here and now?

“You currently possess something that doesn’t belong in this place.”

Namgung Cheonhyeok’s gaze is subtly disturbed. As if something is strange, very fine wrinkles form in his eyes as he looks at me.

He was not one to make such expressions.

“A scent different from our family’s ways… Something familiar yet foreign, but I don’t know what it is either.”

“…”

“That’s why I’m asking. Have you recently had your vision tinged with red?”

What is this.

How is this happening.

If my thoughts are correct.

That definitely refers to that thing.

But Namgung Cheonhyeok at this point in time shouldn’t have experienced such things, should he?

In my past life, the decisive triggers of bitter fate that led to my life becoming completely twisted, eventually being cast out from the Namgung Family and walking the path of a bottom-tier assassin, come to mind in sequence.

Namgung Cheon.

The Wi Family Quartet.

And.

The incident with the Jegal Family.

-…! …!

The humiliation that made me want to bash my head against the wall.

Hatred.

Rage.

Shame.

Everyone who looked into my eyes definitely said so.

‘Beast… those are the eyes of a beast.’

After that incident, my two eyes permanently became red eyes, blood-red eyes.

With an ugly appearance and weak physique that didn’t suit the Namgung bloodline, plus hideous beast-like eyes and causing trouble, I completely fell out of everyone’s favor.

And because of the incident I caused, I received direct meal restrictions and a ban on martial arts transmission from the family head Namgung Cheonhyeok, with whom I had never properly conversed even once in my past life, completely putting an end to my life here, sealing my bitter fate and completing the framework of my life.

‘But that should happen three months from now. There’s no way he would know at this point.’

And my coming here today was, in a way, also for a solution to that problem.

During my assassin days, I remember what my master Amje said when teaching me the mental cultivation method of Taihumuji Cultivation.

‘The more you experience killing tribulations, the stronger the nature of your blood-red eyes will become, so you must continuously undergo the process of cleansing your body with pure natural energy.’

My master emphasized this two or three times while teaching that mental cultivation method.

‘This mental cultivation method may be slow for accumulating internal energy, but it’s most optimal for purifying all turbid energy into purity, so it will help you. Be sure to perform breathing meditation once immediately after carrying out assassinations.’

And indeed, as I mastered that mental cultivation method to the extreme, my red eyes gradually returned to black.

‘If my thoughts are correct-.’

This life will surely be more turbulent than my past life.

I don’t know the exact causal relationship, but that mental cultivation method might not be enough.

I had to prevent the blood-red eyes from manifesting before even encountering the third bitter fate, and what I currently needed was the purest natural energy.

Moreover, no matter how good Taihumuji Cultivation and Bukmyeong Singong were, if accumulated turbid residue built up, unknown side effects might appear.

‘…That absolutely cannot happen.’

Therefore, I needed a place where I could stably receive nature’s true energy that could balance me better than anyone else, for the growth of Bukmyeong Singong and my ultimate harmony.

Additionally, a place where I could freely practice cultivation with others’ gazes completely blocked due to the characteristics of Bukmyeong Singong.

That place was precisely this Cheonwangbido.

And for the more perfect completion of this goal, I just needed to know one more thing.

For that, I first had to get past Namgung Cheonhyeok’s question.

“…No. Red vision? That’s completely news to me.”

“….”

Gray eyes stare at me piercingly.

What on earth is he thinking.

The incomprehensible questions didn’t end there.

Namgung Cheonhyeok immediately asks pressingly.

“Then one more thing. Have you recently held a sword?”

“…A sword?”

“Yes. Something with a blade. No, any weapon would do.”

“…I’ve held one for training. However…”

“Did you stain it with blood?”

There was nothing to ponder about that question.

“Yes. To revive my senses, I cut beasts at the slaughterhouse.”

“…Seeing that blood, were you ever shaken?”

Nothing stirred within me.

I was wary of trivial emotions.

It was nothing more or less than an assassin’s duty.

“No.”

That was my master’s teaching.

One person, one kill.

Only one target per contract. No other blood was permitted.

I had lived following only those words.

I even upheld this principle when I was betrayed and driven like prey in a hunt, ultimately killed,

in that elaborate trap disguised as a contract, killing only one person before escaping.

Of course, as the price for exhausting all my strength, I burned to death in the end.

“…Hmph. How truly dull.”

Namgung Cheonhyeok wore a cynical smile.

“This is the first time I’ve seen someone waste a private audience with the family head so futilely. Your sixty-year cycle of internal energy is still meager. Do you think you’re special? No. This martial arts world is vast. From childhood, children of other noble families have achieved explosive growth with full support and various elixirs, and there are many who have achieved growth similar to yours.”

“In that sense, let me ask one thing.”

I immediately pressed forward.

“I understand that this Mount Cheonju is a sacred mountain where all energies converge, ranking among the top ten in the martial arts world.”

This was the real reason I came here.

This was absolutely necessary to complete Bukmyeong Singong.

“-Then, as the family head, as someone who has long frequented this place, you should be able to pinpoint where the energy flows are most concentrated in this Cheonwangbido. Where would that be?”

Namgung Cheonhyeok’s eyes filled with puzzlement upon hearing that question.

“Why do you ask that?”

If this was a place where heavenly energy was so greatly concentrated, there would surely be a point where the intersecting meridians of that center flowed.

And Namgung Cheonhyeok, who had frequented this place for a long time, would know that place thoroughly.

And-.

‘I wonder if that rumor I heard in the Beggar’s Sect was true.’

I was uncertain about this too.

But if it could certainly provide a sanctuary where I could take my own rest, and if this piece fit-.

Namgung Cheonhyeok speaks again with a questioning voice.

“As you probably know, practicing breathing meditation in such places is merely refreshing. In the end, humans can only carry extremely small amounts of true energy scattered throughout heaven and earth to their danjeon through inhalation and exhalation. It’s nothing more or less than making one feel refreshed. Concentrated training in a quiet, dark place would be better for faster internal energy advancement.”

“I want to train here, away from others’ gazes, in this place that Mother loved.”

“….”

Namgung Cheonhyeok’s gray eyes trembled for a moment.

But it was only for an instant.

His eyes returned to their empty gaze once more.

“If you don’t want to tell me, that’s fine too. Even if it takes a long time, I can search around and find it myself-.”

“Hmph, a little walk should be fine.”

Namgung Cheonhyeok turned around.

“Follow me.”

“…!”

In truth, this proposal was close to a gamble even as I spoke it.

He was called the Crazy Dragon of Anhui.

So even though I possessed the jade of Cheonwangbido that included the right to a private audience with the clan head, and even though I was currently the fourth young master, I thought it would be natural for him to ignore my question like a snort.

To be precise, while asking the question, I was simultaneously getting a headache thinking about where to start searching in this vast territory of Cheonwangbido.

My reason for choosing Cheonwangbido was based only on oral traditions passed down from my master and information I belatedly obtained from branch families when I walked the world of Sal-gye.

While I could trust the reliability of that information, it lacked detail.

“You don’t need to be grateful or moved.”

Namgung Cheonhyeok, walking ahead along the lakeside path, said.

“You’re such an incredibly foolish young master for not requesting even a fragment of advanced martial arts from your right to a private audience with the clan head, so I’m telling you this trivial thing out of pity.”

“Would you have told me if I had requested it?”

“Of course not. Do that only after you’re officially registered as the heir to the clan.”

“….”

I thought, ‘This guy is just as I expected.’

We walked along the lakeside for quite a while.

Then we passed through a massive coniferous forest.

And the place that was revealed was a water source connected to Cheonwangbido’s enormous lake.

-Kwakwakwa…!

Under the huge moonlight, the sound of a silver waterfall pouring down was shaking heaven and earth.

“I’ve been to all places, but when the full moon begins to wane and half remains, nowhere compares to this place.”

Namgung Cheonhyeok raised his finger to point at a sharply protruding rock in the middle of the waterfall.

“Centered on that spot, this is where the pinnacle of all Mount Cheonju’s vital energy flows out like a spring.”

Then he muttered briefly.

“I don’t know why you’re looking for a place full of vital energy that Taoist immortals would love, but at least its refreshing quality is perfect for driving away mental demons, so I used it often in my youth.”

I looked at the place his finger pointed to.

“…!”

The very edge of Cheonwangbido.

At the end where the lake’s energy spread like a blade,

The cliff was shaped like a beast crouching in silence.

-Kugugugu….

It seemed like a massive dragon growling with low breath.

The wind that surged up along the thunderously falling waterfall brushed past my cheek.

‘This is it…!’

My clothes fluttered.

My whole body vibrated.

My heart trembled slightly, and my danjeon tried to naturally regulate the flow of vital energy.

Even though I hadn’t yet deployed Bukmyeong Singong to absorb nature’s vital energy, my palms were twitching and tingling with sweat, and my body was already recognizing that pulse.

The abyss of Buk Hai was throbbing and surging with pulsation.

‘If it’s here…!’

I looked at Namgung Cheonhyeok.

Looking into his murky gray eyes, I expressed deep gratitude.

“Truly, thank you. Clan Head. I really like it.”

“…Why do you like it?”

Namgung Cheonhyeok’s eyes asking that question seemed to say, ‘Are you satisfied with just this?’

But that was just my speculation, and since I couldn’t know his clear intention, I spoke whatever came to mind first.

“I prefer places where no one else is around. No one to point fingers at me, no one to mock my pathetic physique and impure blood.”

“….”

“Mother has passed away, and there’s no one in this family I can call family anyway.”

“….”

Namgung Cheonhyeok just stared at me silently.

I couldn’t tell how he received my words.

But what was certain was that I was desperately trying to calm my pounding heart right now.

Namgung Cheonhyeok’s expectation that this place would be useless was certainly not wrong.

I think it’s reasonable for him to treat me like a fool.

For those who cultivate ordinary internal energy methods, it would only have the effect of driving away mental demons.

But for me alone, it has a different meaning.

Moreover, there’s still one thing left.

‘Could it really be true…?’

Even I half-doubt it.

A piece of information about Cheonwangbido that I heard when I joined the Beggar’s Sect while advancing through Sal-gye in my previous life.

If there’s even a slim chance that’s correct.

‘…Let me test it.’

The clan head is right next to me.

I’m extremely careful until the very end.

While looking at the scenery before me, I crouch down in front as people commonly do when they see clear water.

While extending my hand to dip it in the water,

-Pit!

I scraped my index finger as hard as I could with my thumbnail that I had sharpened in advance.

The time it takes for a water drop to fall from a span-high floor. Or the instant a single exhale passes.

In that instant moment that doesn’t even amount to a single ryo, I confirmed my index finger was cut deep enough to expose flesh, and before the blood drop that formed at its tip could fall-.

-Splash.

I dipped it into the silver water reflecting moonlight below the waterfall where Cheonwangbido’s vital energy was concentrated.

And I looked at my fingertip.

-…. ….

A thrill.

What penetrated my entire body in that moment was the emotion of being startled.

With the clan head who possessed tremendous insight right beside me, hiding my rigid face with all my might was truly one of the most difficult moments among all the missions of my previous life.

I lowered my head to avoid showing my widened pupils.

I artificially moved my hand, continuously splashing in the water.

“Playing in the water, and you’re not even a child.”

The clan head muttered while looking at me with dead gray eyes.

“As a young master of a noble family, pay attention to your conduct even when no one is watching, as befits your status.”

“Yes. By the way, the water is surprisingly cold. I was startled.”

“It’s the very top of Mount Cheonju after all.”

I stood up while wiping my hands on my clothes.

I naturally looked at my fingertip once more.

‘…The information was true.’

There’s no trace.

I definitely scraped my index finger deep enough to see the cross-section of flesh.

However, after soaking it in, just a few moments passed and the wound healed.

The only ones who can enter this place are the family head and those chosen by the key of Cheonwangbido.

And even that family head only comes up during the full moon.

That said, there would be no reason for the family head of the Namgung Family, the absolute being and sole visitor, to come here wounded and lay his body down. In the end, there would be no way to know that this place concentrated with energy had healing properties.

The fact that this place had such properties became known much later, even after I left for Sal-gye, when rumors about something happening to the Namgung Family spread through the beggars of the Beggar’s Sect and gradually became known.

In the end, at this point in time,

I am the only one in this martial arts world who has grasped that Cheonwangbido has such earth-shaking value.

‘Now this place is my stronghold.’

That’s when it happened.

“-Your punishment.”

The family head looked at me with hollow eyes and spoke.

“Sword Master Hwirong will be in charge of it. A messenger will come later. Under him, you must handle the requests assigned to the family as a fourth young master and pay the price for receiving the additional Imperial One-Thousand-Cycle Pill.”

“Sword Master Hwirong…?”

“That’s right. And regarding your mother’s death.”

“…!”

I thought that question had been ignored.

“It probably has nothing to do with the family members. Of course, we might need to look into the detailed circumstances more carefully, but if there’s any connection that’s currently revealed.”

Namgung Cheonhyeok trailed off.

“Qingyan to the north of Anhui… it would be Qingyan Tortoiseshell.”

“…Qingyan Tortoiseshell?”

Before I could react, Namgung Cheonhyeok muttered in a voice soaked with terrible skepticism.

“But that’s completely meaningless to you at this point either. So forget about that matter and focus on building your skills as the fourth young master of the Namgung Family. As I mentioned earlier, there are mountains of things you lack, but the biggest concern among them is your internal energy.”

Namgung Cheonhyeok looked down at me with hollow eyes.

“While being assigned as fourth young master will somehow give you access to books on advanced martial arts and secret manuals, when it comes to internal energy alone, the Imperial One-Thousand-Cycle Pill given to you is the first and last support. Even if you absorb it with all your might, you’ll be fortunate to salvage thirty percent without any backing to assist you. You’ll be similar to or lacking compared not only to the other three young masters, but even to the children of other noble families, so you should be worried.”

I spoke decisively without the slightest hesitation.

“I have an idea.”

“You have an idea?”

“Yes.”

I looked up at the sky.

The moon was setting.

The night was ending.

After a brief silence, I said.

“…I believe that if one wishes to live, heaven will somehow bestow a gift.”

“…Hmph, a gift.”

Namgung Cheonhyeok said.

“Right. Though it wasn’t intended, the unique disposition of Sword Master Hwirong among the Five Great Patriarchs, whom you’ll be assigned to this time, could be poison to you in one way, but could also become your strongest power in another way. But whichever direction it goes, it’s all your fortune.”

“Wait a moment-.”

Namgung Cheonhyeok brushed himself off and stood up.

“And your first question from earlier was wrong from the start. She’s not your mother, but my wife. The answer to that is …”

After a small whisper, he passed by me and slowly descended the mountain.

I said in confusion.

“What… did you just say?”

“Didn’t you ask if I remember her?”

The family head’s footsteps stopped.

His steps paused briefly, and before disappearing into the darkness, his final words.

“Always.”

He disappeared into the darkness with those last words.

“That’s my answer, fourth young master.”

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This chapter was translated by Lunox Team. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
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