Survival Guide for the Reincarnated - Chapter 127

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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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Chapter 127

Tremendous flames erupted from a building in Jeok An.

“It seems Hwaryeong Sword Gate is burning.”

What kind of place was Hwaryeong Sword Gate?

It was the sect of Lee Ja-gyeom, who had been the master of Jeok An.

It could be considered the heart of Jeok An.

Woon-hwi, who still had his eyes closed, finished his last cup of tea and set down the cup.

“Branch Master.”

He opened his eyes at the voice that reached him.

It was Ju So-ah.

Her party had returned. Before them, the magistrate of Jeok An was kneeling with his hands bound.

“We have captured the magistrate alive.”

“Well done.”

At Woon-hwi’s brief response, Ju So-ah, Cheon Pung, and Han Mu-rin stepped back and stood behind Woon-hwi.

The magistrate’s face was contorted with terror.

“Magistrate Cheol Hyeok-sin, correct?”

“Cor… correct… Are you Seol Woon-hwi?”

Woon-hwi did not answer. He merely looked at him.

“Why… why are you doing this…?”

For Cheol Hyeok-sin, it would have been incomprehensible.

At least among all the situations that had unfolded so far, he had seen what others had not.

What Cheol Hyeok-sin had seen was the position of the Ten Thousand Year Snow Palace.

The Ten Thousand Year Snow Palace was a nation, yet not a nation.

And Jeok An was clearly territory of the Yang-je Kingdom, yet it was now being invaded.

This was distinctly different from the case of Yang-ryeong.

There was justification that Yang-ryeong’s magistrate had tried to kill Woon-hwi, but Cheol Hyeok-sin had not.

And Woon-hwi kindly resolved that doubt for him.

“At the moment I took Yang-ryeong, I made a deal with Song Hak.”

“…Does that… have anything to do with what’s happening now?”

“It does indeed. Song Hak, as Seong Tae-su, is a person who governs three nearby provinces, ten counties, and over twenty prefectures. Like all court officials, he too had his concerns.”

“…Surely not…”

“Tax problems. I understand that quite a bit of tax money was embezzled under the protection of the Sichuan Sect. Cheol Hyeok-sin.”

“…Speak… speak plainly…”

“I have no intention of killing you. However, you have a high probability of dying. Not by my hand, but by Seong Tae-su’s.”

“Ah…”

“It would be good to think about it from now on. What exactly is the way you can survive, what exactly you must give to Seong Tae-su Song Hak to survive.”

The color completely drained from Cheol Hyeok-sin’s face.

“Cheon Pung.”

“Hehehe… Did you call for me, Branch Master?”

“Bind him and put him somewhere quiet.”

“May I knock him unconscious?”

“Just don’t kill him.”

“Hehe… Yes, sir.”

Cheon Pung immediately grabbed Cheol Hyeok-sin’s head and entered Ju Ru’s warehouse nearby.

Time passed like that.

When about one Han Da-gyeong had passed, footsteps could be heard.

It was Song Ui-gyeong and Shin Jang-hu, along with Yang So and Won Yang.

They had returned after completing the missions assigned to them.

The warriors following behind them were each carrying ten heads.

Song Ui-gyeong, whose daopo hem was stained with blood, arrived before Woon-hwi first.

“Branch Master, we have dealt with all members of the Sam-ga. We left not a single seed. And we brought the ten heads of key figures as you instructed.”

Next, Shin Jang-hu arrived. He too was covered in blood.

“We completely destroyed the Lee Manor as well. All buildings were burned, and all people are dead. We brought ten heads including the manor lord, those closely associated with him, the deputy manor lord, and the three remaining elders.”

Finally, Won Yang and Yang So returned.

Yang So spoke.

“We dealt with all members of Hwaryeong Sword Gate as you instructed, sir. These are the heads of their elders.”

Perhaps feeling awkward just standing there, Won Yang also reported.

“As you commanded, my lord, we burned all the buildings, and found ten drops of Gongcheong Seokyoo and one hundred Fire Heart Pills in Lee Ja-gyeom’s residence.”

Woon-hwi nodded with satisfaction.

“Any casualties?”

“None.”

“Any seriously wounded?”

“There’s one, but it’s closer to a light wound than a serious one.”

They hadn’t massacred the core members, but merely ransacked empty houses.

If there had been casualties, it would have been rather troublesome.

Woon-hwi rummaged through his storage bag and pulled out two large pouches.

“Three hundred Divine Ginseng Pills made from supreme-grade Divine Ginseng Flower, and two hundred Divine Ginseng Pills made by mixing Woon-hae grass with intermediate-grade Divine Ginseng Flower. Won Yang.”

“Yes, my lord.”

“Distribute them equally to everyone.”

The effects of Divine Ginseng Flower were simple.

Blood vessel expansion, qi circulation enhancement, temporary awakening and concentration improvement, and increased training speed.

Supreme-grade Divine Ginseng Flower would naturally have tremendous effects, and if made into elixir pills, one could see incredible levels of efficacy in a short period.

And Woon-hae grass was a training resource that helped expand the meridians within the body, and when mixed with intermediate-grade Divine Ginseng Flower, the effects were doubled.

Won Yang silently began distributing the Divine Ginseng Pills to the warriors, and Woon-hwi, sitting in his place, quietly spoke.

“Everyone worked hard. But don’t let your guard down.”

Everyone looked at Woon-hwi.

“Now the last one remains.”

“Lee Ja-gyeom?”

Woon-hwi nodded at Song Ui-gyeong’s question.

“He is now rushing toward this place, so quickly consume the spirit pills and prepare to receive him.”

“Prepare to receive him, you mean…”

Woon-hwi’s calm voice reached Song Ui-gyeong’s questioning ears.

“Display the thirty heads in front of the main gate, and prepare three hundred longbows.”

Just as Lee Ja-gyeom had needed to make an example, Woon-hwi too needed to make an example.

All power foundations of Jeok An would completely crumble today.

He would also smash the main pillar.

This place, Jeok An, would become Lee Ja-gyeom’s tomb.

* * *

At dawn when moonlight was obscured by clouds and darkness lay thick, a group of shadows came rushing toward the main gate of Jeok An County.

The man at the front did not stop for even a step despite being breathless.

His long hair fluttered and sweat beaded on his forehead scattered into the air.

It was Lee Ja-gyeom.

Two and a half shi-jin.

He had arrived in just two and a half shi-jin from Yang-ryeong.

At first they rode horses, and when they reached mountain paths impassable by horse, they boldly abandoned the horses and leaped over barefoot.

Blood flowed from their feet, and their clothes were soaked with sweat and mud. That was how they had arrived at Jeok An.

Lee Ja-gyeom stopped about twenty zhang away from the main gate.

A drop of sweat flowing down his forehead fell to the ground with a dripping sound.

It was not simple sweat. It was sweat mixed with tears of blood.

In Lee Ja-gyeom’s vision, the stakes planted in front of the main gate were visible all too clearly.

The number was thirty.

And thirty heads stuck in that place.

“Ah… Ahhh…”

There was no way he couldn’t recognize them.

They were the heads of the elders of the One Sect, Three Families, Two Manors and their family members. His father who died with his eyes open, his mother who died with her mouth half-open, and his younger sibling, his wife.

He was too late. Everything had already ended before he arrived.

“You… you… fucking bastard!!”

Lee Ja-gyeom’s roar tore through the quiet dawn of Jeok An.

He could see clearly with his eyes.

Seol Woon-hwi sitting peacefully at the main gate entrance, drinking tea.

Beside him was Seong Yang-ho with his hair braided long behind his back.

Looking at such Lee Ja-gyeom, Woon-hwi opened his mouth.

“You’re late. Senior.”

“…Damn… bastard…!”

“Have you perhaps heard such words? They say arrogance is like a person standing on a high cliff. You can look down below, but there’s no space to step back. Senior, you danced on that cliff, and now you’re in the middle of falling.”

Sparks flew from Lee Ja-gyeom’s eyes.

“You demon-like bastard! How dare you… how dare you touch my family… my world that I built…!!”

From his mouth burst profanity that couldn’t be called human language. Lee Ja-gyeom, his eyes bloodshot with rage, drew his sword.

Woon-hwi quietly set down the tea he was drinking on a small makeshift table prepared beside him.

“I truly regret that things have come to this.”

“…What…? Regret…?”

Confusion layered upon anger.

What bullshit is this bastard spouting now…

“Do you think I would enjoy killing people? But I had no choice, you made me move that way.”

Lee Ja-gyeom’s hand gripping the sword trembled violently.

Woon-hwi continued speaking.

“Senior. If someone who believed he held the world in his hands becomes a child overnight, what do you think he would see?”

“…What are you… talking about!”

“I once had a similar conversation with someone else. I told him this. The eyes of one who had the world beneath his feet still contain the sky even when fallen to the ground.”

“…”

“I know what I can do, how far I can reach. But you don’t know, Senior. Because you don’t know, you acted independently without knowing who set up the board.”

“…”

“Gun Mu-gyeol and Kang Cheon-u tried to remain silent. I also tried to remain silent. Those who can read the board must inevitably do so. Because they know who intruded into the great game, and if they get played by that rhythm, blood must be spilled. But thanks to Senior’s greed-blinded movements, so much blood has flowed.”

Woon-hwi lifted his tea again and took a sip.

“Unfortunately, I don’t have the skill to counsel foolish ones like Senior. They even think they’re smart, so honestly speaking, I’m reluctant to even converse with them.”

The blood vessels in Lee Ja-gyeom’s eyes began to burst.

The three hundred or so warriors standing behind him couldn’t say anything.

They too were erupting with anger.

Quietly.

Woon-hwi’s voice echoed.

“But tell me, what does the world reflected in Senior’s eyes look like right now?”

Silence flowed.

Tears streamed down from Lee Ja-gyeom’s eyes.

Those were tears of regret.

Should he not have touched it?

Had he been too hasty?

If only he had committed a massacre there when he first entered Yang-ryeong… things wouldn’t have turned out this way.

When he first noticed that bastard had schemed, he should have rushed over immediately and suppressed him with force.

“It seems you still haven’t come to your senses.”

“…What…?”

“Senior, you coveted what you shouldn’t have coveted. Someone of Senior’s mere caliber cannot take even a single thing I possess. Know your place and understand your station. Because you don’t know this, even at this final moment you’re shedding tears of regret, not tears of repentance.”

Woon-hwi shook his head.

Pathetic and pathetic again.

“Manager Seong.”

“Yes. Young Master.”

“The stage has been prepared.”

Woon-hwi’s eyes were clear.

“Manager or warrior, I’ve asked these two questions many times, but there will be no stage like this one where I can hear that answer.”

Manager Seong’s eyes became resolute.

He knelt on one knee just like that.

“Thank you for giving me this opportunity. Young Master.”

Woon-hwi, who had been looking down at Seong Yang-ho, turned his head and spoke.

“Before this tea runs out, drag Lee Ja-gyeom before me.”

“I’ll cut off his limbs and bring him to you.”

Seong Yang-ho with a murderous expression glared at Lee Ja-gyeom.

Soon.

The two men kicked off toward each other.

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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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