Survival Guide for the Reincarnated - Chapter 162

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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 162

“Whatever it is, it will surely be an extraordinary gift, so I will accept it, but I won’t place great meaning on it.”

“Is there a reason?”

“Because I think a proper game with Elder Cheon would be a more genuine gift than anything material.”

“Heh… hehehehe. I like that. I really do.”

After laughing for a while like that, Cheon Do-ja moved along with Yang Ui-ji, and soon disappeared from sight.

I quietly gazed at the spot where he had vanished for some time.

The thoughts I had during our conversation became certainty.

Cheon Do-ja knows Yu Cheong’s true nature.

He also knows what Yu Cheong is trying to do.

In my previous life.

I had two fathers.

One was Seol Jung-ja with Cheon Character, and the other was Cheon Do-ja.

He was the goal and guiding point of my life.

Even though he abandoned me in the end, I understood.

Just as I cherished him, he too cherished me.

There must have been a reason for abandoning me, and I didn’t try to find out that reason.

Because I had no particular desire to continue living either.

But.

What was holding me back.

What I was pursuing.

Why didn’t he give me even a hint when he knew all of that.

He knew Father’s death was related to Yu Cheong, and he must have known that the terrible end of the Polar Descendants was all related to Yu Cheong, so why didn’t he tell me.

Instead, he hid Yu Cheong’s true nature from me.

Why did he do that.

Because I wasn’t Yu Cheong’s match?

Because Yu Cheong was that dangerous an existence?

That can’t be it.

Even though I belatedly realized Yu Cheong’s hidden side, I don’t rank him higher than Cheon Do-ja.

Yu Cheong is extraordinary, but Cheon Do-ja is a genius among geniuses for whom the word extraordinary doesn’t even fit.

I clenched my fist tightly.

Cheon Do-ja.

The Original Blood Sect.

And Yu Cheong.

The ‘Cheon Oe Cheon’ that Cheon Do-ja speaks of with reverence.

What that is.

In this life, I intend to find out.

* * *

With each step, the distance of dozens of zhang, no, several dozen zhang closes.

Cheon Do-ja and Yang Ui-ji walked silently like that for half a hour.

Cheon Do-ja and Yang Ui-ji’s steps only slowed after entering the forest path of Eumbaek Mountain.

Yang Ui-ji carefully opened her mouth.

“…Master, if it’s not presumptuous, may I ask one question?”

“Hehe… What you want to say is written all over your face.”

Yang Ui-ji hesitated for a moment but eventually couldn’t hold back and asked.

“That man just now… he’s only seventeen years old, yet how does he face you so boldly? Moreover, rather than being angry at his rudeness, you actually…”

“You were going to say I reflected, weren’t you.”

“…Yes… In the twenty years I’ve served you, Master, this is the first time I’ve heard you personally say you would reflect.”

Cheon Do-ja smiled. His white hair swayed slightly in the wind.

“You can tell by watching trees grow. Young saplings bend easily in the wind, but old trees don’t move even in a slight breeze. But one day, a small sapling said to an old tree that had endured for ages: ‘You are too rigid. You could become stronger if you yielded to the wind.’ What do you think of these words?”

“…I think it’s foolish. What could a young sapling know to say such things to a tree that has endured for hundreds of years…”

“Hehehe… But you see, sometimes special saplings are born into this world. Though still young, they possess the wisdom of hundreds of years.”

Yang Ui-ji looked puzzled at Cheon Do-ja’s words.

“Could such saplings… really exist?”

“Wouldn’t it be arrogant to say they don’t exist?”

“…”

“The world is vast. You must keep all possibilities open to broaden your perspective.”

Yang Ui-ji still seemed unable to understand.

Both the man called Seol Woon-hwi and Cheon Do-ja.

To such Yang Ui-ji, Cheon Do-ja asked.

“Seol Woon-hwi, did you see his eyes?”

“His eyes… you mean?”

“In his eyes was not simple youth, but the depth of one who has weathered the years.”

Cheon Do-ja looked up at the sky for a moment.

“Do you think there are absolute truths in this world?”

“I have always thought your words, Master, are the truth.”

“Hehehe… That’s why you still remain at the level of Limitless Divine Manifestation. True enlightenment is not found in someone else’s words, but must be discovered by oneself.”

Yang Ui-ji’s eyes widened.

“That ‘man’ did not seek enlightenment from me. Rather, he tried to show me his own path. When I said I would reflect, it wasn’t mere humility but sincere admiration for the ‘way’ he showed me.”

“But he dared to rebuke the supreme master of Murim and the leader of the Original Blood Sect…”

“Hehehe… That is precisely what makes him special. Not blinded by status or power, following only the principles he believes in. An indomitable will that won’t break even when his own life is in danger. At that moment, he truly believed he was right. And…”

Cheon Do-ja trailed off.

In that brief moment, Cheon Do-ja felt many things from Woon-hwi.

Two of them were particularly striking.

Disappointment and worry.

Why was he disappointed, and why was he worried.

When he was a man he’d never seen before.

“…Are you alright?”

“Of course I am.”

The expression of Cheon Do-ja who said that changed subtly.

“Yang Ho-beop.”

“Yes, Master.”

“It seems that man didn’t lie to me after all.”

Where Cheon Do-ja was looking, there was the Dried Spring.

On one side were traces of something that had been gathered and burned, and beyond the bushes were also traces of mechanical formations.

“I’ll go check and return.”

Saying that, Yang Ui-ji kicked off and headed toward the underground lair created inside the bushes, and when she returned after some time had passed, her expression was not good.

Cheon Do-ja asks.

“How is it?”

“…You’re right. That man’s words.”

“He gave them a proper burial too?”

“Yes.”

Cheon Do-ja looked toward the direction of Yang-ryeong with a strange expression.

“What would Yang Ho-beop have done?”

“…I would have taken the body of the child who became Dok-hon-che.”

“The reason?”

“Because without it, it would only be half complete.”

Woon-hwi had already killed the sect leader and three blood members of the Blood Spirit Five Sects, as well as the poisoners of Poison Snake Valley, and even one of Cheon Sa-eum’s disciples.

This was clearly something that could lead to war between the Original Blood Sect and the Ten Thousand Year Snow Palace.

To smooth this over, he should have held onto his cards.

Instead, Woon-hwi had thrown away his cards.

“Could Yang Ho-beop have done such a thing?”

“…It wouldn’t have been easy.”

“Not easy… Well, if ten thousand martial artists in this world were given that situation, all but one would make the same choice.”

“…You mean that one person is that man?”

“Something like that.”

Cheon Do-ja had seen a man with the true soul of a martial artist today.

“Just as rivers flow to the sea, the world is always changing, but inevitably there must be a center to that current.”

“…”

“In my view, Young Master Seol seems to be that center.”

Yang Ui-ji was confident she would never forget everything that happened today, even until the moment she died.

It had been such a series of shocks.

Had there ever been a time when Cheon Do-ja evaluated someone this highly?

Not even once.

She suddenly became curious.

“But… what are you thinking of preparing as a gift? You said he doesn’t place meaning on material things…”

Cheon Do-ja’s eyes gleamed like a deep lake.

“What everyone in the world pursues ultimately comes down to just three things. Power, wealth, and knowledge. Since Young Master Seol has no greed for the first two…”

“You’re going to give him knowledge?”

“Heh heh heh… No, I intend to give him something even more precious.”

“Something more precious than that…”

“An opportunity.”

“…An opportunity?”

“An opportunity to prove his own way.”

Yang Ui-ji asked no more questions. She wouldn’t be able to fathom Cheon Do-ja’s deep intentions, nor did she intend to try.

To Yang Ui-ji, Cheon Do-ja was heaven itself. How could she doubt heaven?

“And Yang Ho-beop.”

“Yes, Master.”

“No matter how much you like Young Master Seol, leave him be for now.”

Yang Ui-ji smiled awkwardly.

“…You noticed?”

“I noticed, but it seems you failed to notice one thing.”

“Me?”

“Even seeing everything with the sword pointed at his throat, he didn’t move a muscle.”

“…Master, no matter how highly you regard him, he’s just a martial artist from Three Flowers Gathering at the Crown. And very young too. How could he possibly… react?”

Cheon Do-ja burst into laughter.

“I thought the same as you, but I was wrong.”

“…”

“He did react. Though no one else there saw your hand, he looked at your hand, if only for a brief moment.”

“…Then… you’re saying he could have dodged if he wanted to?”

When Cheon Do-ja nodded, Yang Ui-ji was shocked.

“That’s… impossible…”

“You think it doesn’t make sense?”

“…Yes…”

Cheon Do-ja patted Yang Ui-ji’s shoulder.

“I thought so too.”

Cheon Do-ja’s expression was very similar to Woon-hwi’s.

No, rather than similar, it was almost exactly the same.

A smile spread across Cheon Do-ja’s lips.

“This is the first time I’ve seen such an interesting martial artist since Yu Cheong, but his uniqueness surpasses even Yu Cheong’s.”

“…”

“My heart, which seemed unshakeable, created ripples for the first time today… Isn’t that proof that I’m not old yet?”

Yang Ui-ji bowed her head at Cheon Do-ja’s words.

Questions still stirred within her, but one thing was certain. The young man named Seol Woon-hwi was a new existence never seen before in Murim.

And even Cheon Do-ja was paying attention to that existence.

She didn’t know how that man would think about this, but Yang Ui-ji could dare to say this.

Being noticed by Cheon Do-ja was a very frightening thing.

“Let’s go.”

“Yes, Master.”

* * *

That night.

I sat in the great hall, quietly looking down at the empty Go board.

“…My lord, are you alright?”

I turned my head at Won Yang’s voice that suddenly reached me.

“Do I not look alright?”

“…It’s not that, but there have been various incidents recently. The martial supreme Cheon Do-ja came… and the leader of the Sichuan Alliance came too…”

How could I not know Won Yang’s thoughts.

“Are you afraid?”

Won Yang shook his head.

“I’m not afraid. With you, my lord, there’s nothing to fear in this world. But I am worried.”

Right.

“There’s something you need to do from now on. Can you guess what it is?”

“…It would be raising my level, wouldn’t it?”

I shook my head.

“It’s not the right answer, but it was close to the right answer.”

“…It’s not… the right answer?”

“A martial artist’s level is used as an absolute measure, but even that is relative.”

“…Then…”

“I’m saying that the principles of heaven and earth aren’t determined by the high or low of one’s level.”

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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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