Survival Guide for the Reincarnated - Chapter 118

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

Chapter 118

In fact, it was obvious.

Why had Woon-hwi carried out a purge in Yang-ryeong?

He clearly intended to unite Yang-ryeong as one to respond.

But did he know?

That Lee Ja-gyeom had planted spies in Yang-ryeong with the intention of being caught from the beginning.

He had hoped they would cause internal strife.

Though all those pawns had disappeared, it was fine.

Yang-ryeong had to be pressured again and again.

How trivial the protection of the Ten Thousand Year Snow Palace was.

Trust had to be shattered and faith broken.

Devouring a city meant exactly that.

“Information about Yang-ryeong’s trading companies is needed. Bring everything.”

An eye for an eye, a tooth for a tooth.

Yang-ryeong’s bastard had failed to ‘annihilate’ everyone and left survivors, but Lee Ja-gyeom was different.

He was confident he wouldn’t leave any survivors.

* * *

The group that had rested at Iron Gate Mountain between Jeok An and Yang-ryeong entered Yang-ryeong late at night.

Heading straight to the branch office, they could see there.

Seol Woon-hwi smiling brightly.

No, Yang So disguised as Seol Woon-hwi.

Upon seeing him, Ju So-ah and Won Yang’s expressions changed strangely.

When they thought about it, Woon-hwi’s expressions were limited to three types.

When he let out a chuckle, when he was expressionless, when he was angry.

They had never seen any expression other than these three, so seeing such a bright smile on Seol Woon-hwi’s face was, well, difficult to describe.

“Hahaha…! You’ve arrived, my lord!”

“Were there any problems?”

“Problems, well… there were a few, but I handled them well, and there were some unusual matters.”

“Unusual matters?”

“The sects of Yang-ryeong came again to pledge their loyalty… and Shin Jang-hu of the Shin Family Clan absorbed all the forces and said he’d come to pay his respects again at the morning hall tomorrow. Other than that, there was nothing.”

“What about Manager Seong?”

“He’s sleeping soundly. He’s been keeping watch continuously but hasn’t woken up even once. Still, his breathing is regular and his qi circulation is smooth… so he’ll probably wake up soon.”

Woon-hwi nodded and sat down heavily at the edge of the eaves.

“You’ve worked hard.”

“Hard work? I just did what I was supposed to do. But…”

Yang So, who had been trailing off, grinned.

“You must be quite knowledgeable about Disguise Arts too. This was so perfect, wasn’t it? No one wasn’t fooled.”

“At least one person would have noticed.”

At Woon-hwi’s words, Yang So looked at Woon-hwi with slightly surprised eyes.

“How did you know? That, what was it, the general manager of Cheonha Trading Company? His name was…”

“Han Seok-hyeon.”

“Yes. That Han Seok-hyeon noticed, didn’t he? He seems like no ordinary person, shouldn’t you keep him close and use him?”

“I’m already doing that.”

Having said that, Woon-hwi gestured for him to come closer, and Yang So approached him with a regretful expression.

After that, when Woon-hwi’s hand tapped several places on Yang So’s face and chest, Yang So, who had been wearing Woon-hwi’s face, returned to his original appearance.

“It’s really regrettable. Everyone was treating me with such respect everywhere, it was incredible.”

Having said that, Yang So slowly stepped back.

Woon-hwi’s atmosphere had become much more subdued.

Everyone looked at Woon-hwi in proper posture. They were waiting for what he had to say.

Slowly organizing his thoughts, Woon-hwi opened his mouth.

“Since you’re all not fools, you’ll know what I intend to do.”

What was happening between Jeok An and Yang-ryeong right now was more than just a powder keg.

And at least these four people here had experienced similar situations once before.

What had happened between Seol-ap and Yang-ryeong back then was very similar in many ways.

What had changed was the size of the forces and the level of people involved.

“Lee Ja-gyeom of Jeok An will soon take action. Cheon Pung.”

Not expecting to be called upon, Cheon Pung was startled.

“…Yes! Tower Lord.”

“Why did Lee Ja-gyeom approach Yang-ryeong’s sects to make them into spies?”

Cheon Pung smiled brightly.

“Ah, Tower Lord. I know at least that much. He did it to stab Yang-ryeong in the back, didn’t he? If they betrayed us at the most crucial moment, it would cause a great disaster.”

“Wrong.”

The answer was so firm that Cheon Pung wondered if he had heard incorrectly.

“Lee Ja-gyeom is more cunning than you think.”

“…”

“The reason he approached Yang-ryeong’s sects wasn’t to stab us in the back, but to cause Yang-ryeong’s division.”

“When you say division…”

“It was a strategy devised with the assumption of being caught.”

Everyone blinked.

“Five days ago, no, it’s six days ago now. At that time, Lee Ja-gyeom came leading Jeok An’s sects. Timing-wise, Lee Ja-gyeom at that time had not yet negotiated with the Sichuan Sect, yet he moved leading Jeok An alone. Lee Ja-gyeom’s negotiations with the Sichuan Sect happened after that. He made a deal with the pavilion master of Cheolmyeong Hall and properly aligned their words. That’s how Cheolmyeong Hall’s third squad members came to be stationed in Yang-ryeong, but this is a fundamental question. Why did Lee Ja-gyeom move? The purpose was one. To plant ‘fear’ in the city of Yang-ryeong.”

“…”

“Lee Ja-gyeom’s methods were always the same. He intends to reduce Yang-ryeong’s forces as much as possible. Ju So-ah, this time you answer. Why does Lee Ja-gyeom bother to handle things in such a troublesome way?”

Ju So-ah seemed to think for a moment, then said to Woon-hwi.

“The reason Lee Ja-gyeom chose such a method is… to destroy trust… I think.”

“Trust?”

“Yes. True occupation isn’t just taking land, but seizing people’s hearts.”

She leaned forward slightly and spoke with a more confident voice.

“Lee Ja-gyeom attacked the internal trust of Yang-ryeong’s people before directly attacking Yang-ryeong. When we found and purged the spies, seeds of suspicion about who the next traitor would be would spread throughout Yang-ryeong. Suspecting neighbors, suspecting colleagues, even suspecting family.”

As if gaining more confidence the more she spoke, Ju So-ah’s voice was gaining strength.

“When Yang-ryeong weakened from internal division, Lee Ja-gyeom would have attacked then. If that happened, some people in Yang-ryeong would come to accept him like a savior.”

“For example?”

“Lee Ja-gyeom would at least bring stability, the Sichuan Sect’s protection would be more beneficial to the city of Yang-ryeong, things like that.”

A smile appeared on Woon-hwi’s lips.

“Continue.”

Ju So-ah took a breath and continued speaking.

“He’s continuously sending signals that the Snow Palace’s protection cannot be trusted. He’s attacking people’s ‘ideology’. Since it hasn’t been very long since Yang-ryeong fell under the Ten Thousand Year Snow Palace’s control, he judged that breaking it wouldn’t take long either.”

Woon-hwi smiled.

“Not bad.”

“…Thank you.”

“As Ju So-ah said, what Lee Ja-gyeom is targeting is trust. Then predicting what actions he’ll take next is easy.”

Even if it wasn’t for others, that much was enough for Woon-hwi.

“Yang So.”

“Yes, Tower Lord.”

“You stay in Yang-ryeong until this matter is finished.”

“Ah, would that be alright?”

“There are many empty rooms, so assign them to those you brought as you see fit.”

“Yes, I will do so.”

“And Cheon Pung.”

“Yes, Tower Lord.”

“You bring a brush and paper, and Han Mu-rin, go call Jang Seok from the Beggar Sect.”

“Understood.”

Then Ju So-ah and Won Yang made strange expressions. Why aren’t we being asked to do anything, that kind of expression.

“You two have separate tasks to do, so wait for now.”

As soon as they nodded, Cheon Pung, who had entered the residence, came out carrying a brush and paper.

Woon-hwi took them and scribbled something down, then handed it to Ju So-ah.

“Give this to Thunder Lightning Sword Song Ui-gyeong of Bong Rae, and tell him to come ‘together’.”

I thought I had misheard.

“…Who?”

“Thunder Lightning Sword Song Ui-gyeong, didn’t you see him back then?”

“…I did see him, but he’s a person from the Martial Alliance.”

Woon-hwi smiled mysteriously.

“Do you really think so?”

“…”

“Hurry up. Unless Song Ui-gyeong is a fool, he’ll be waiting for my letter.”

Ju So-ah scratched her head, nodded, and turned around, and Won Yang, who was about to follow and turn around, spoke to Woon-hwi.

“I’ll be back.”

“Come back safely.”

Everyone moved.

In this short time.

Woon-hwi exhaled and took out another spirit pill from his storage bag to consume.

He needed to recover his body quickly.

Really, faster than he could imagine.

* * *

Thunder Lightning Sword Song Ui-gyeong was looking at the letter in his hand with a very complicated expression.

It was written like this.

–

There is a saying that rivers find their own path but flow toward the sea.

The sword that the sect leader could not swing that day is still vivid in my memory. Those who cannot make decisions will ultimately become mere baduk stones for others, and the sky over Bong Rae is cloudier than ever.

Will you remain on the sinking ship and go down together, or will you choose a new route?

The decision is yours, sect leader, but the result will belong to all of Bong Rae.

I have a good sword sheath, but I couldn’t find a sword to put in it.

Will you become the owner of this sword sheath?

–

He carefully folded the letter.

Song Ui-gyeong seemed to have aged almost ten years in this brief moment.

“…You said your name was Ju So-ah?”

“Yes.”

“The sect leader of Salgeom-mun, a single-successor sect… and a branch member of Yang-ryeong?”

“That’s also correct.”

Song Ui-gyeong’s gaze now turned to the woman next to Ju So-ah.

“Your surname is Namgung… is that right?”

Namgung Won Yang didn’t answer with words but only nodded.

Song Ui-gyeong was truly curious.

The previous sect leader of Salgeom-mun was a martial artist named Ju Cheong-pung, famous for his alias Salgeom Maje.

How was his only daughter working as a branch member in Yang-ryeong?

The realm of Five Energy Harmonizing Origin was definitely not a common realm.

There might be one or two people in a city at most, and even in regions like Jeok An or Bong Rae, there were at most less than ten people.

Even if there were hundreds or thousands in the Central Plains Murim, they weren’t all gathered in one place.

And even a descendant of the Namgung clan.

“Why do you two follow that man?”

Ju So-ah chuckled.

“Do I have to answer?”

“You don’t have to, but I was just curious.”

Ju So-ah shrugged her shoulders.

Why do they follow Seol Woon-hwi?

The answer to that question was really simple.

“Because he’s worth following.”

“…Worth following… Is it the same for Miss Namgung beside you?”

“Yes.”

Song Ui-gyeong let out a hollow laugh.

“…When I first saw him, I thought he wasn’t an ordinary person… but seeing this letter, he really doesn’t seem ordinary. It’s as if he can see right through me.”

Song Ui-gyeong wasn’t a fool.

The situation at hand?

It was sufficiently predictable.

He had officially requested protection from the Martial Alliance but was ignored.

Song Ui-gyeong was already a discarded card.

That was all his loyalty was worth.

Whether it was the decision of that human vermin Zhuge Yeong-hyeon or Gun Mu-gyeol above him, he didn’t know, but he had definitely been abandoned.

He needed to see Seol Woon-hwi.

Song Ui-gyeong stood up from his seat.

“Let’s go for now.”

He planned to see and then decide.

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