Survival Guide for the Reincarnated - Chapter 23
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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 23
“Different?”
“Father told me that sitting in the position of Palace Lord means being in a position to manage, and that I must pay attention to the relationships of those below and such things.”
“That’s right.”
“I don’t deny it, but I think the priorities are wrong.”
“Wrong?”
“Before worrying about such things, the problem lies with those who make you worry about them in the first place.”
“…Hmm….”
“If they were truly proper subordinates, they would have cleared away such problems before the one in the Palace Lord position had to worry about them. If they can’t clear them away, then I should go and clear them away myself.”
“By spilling blood?”
“The most important thing in leading and operating an organization is power. Power is the method and power is the means. The Thunder Lightning Demon Sect, Origin Blood Sect, Martial Alliance, Heavenly Righteousness Alliance, Four Heaven Alliance, and countless other organizations in distant places are all operated through power.”
“Is that the path you walk?”
“Yes.”
Seol Jung-cheon smiled gently.
“Then, shall we make a wager to see which is better – your path or my path?”
“A wager, you say?”
“You can stake whatever you want as the bet.”
“What will you stake, Father?”
Seol Jung-cheon, who had been holding Seol Woon-hwi’s hand, lowered his hand and spoke boldly.
“I will stake everything.”
A smile also appeared on Seol Woon-hwi’s lips as he looked at Seol Jung-cheon.
“It’s the same for me. I will also stake everything.”
Whether walking a blood-stained path of carnage, the path of tyranny, or the righteous path.
The paths walked may be different like this. But they can also meet at the end.
These two men were confident in their respective paths.
So confident that they would stake everything they had.
This was a conversation between father and son, and a conversation between men.
“Please prepare the Complete Records of Ten Thousand Snows and the Ten Thousand Year Carp’s Inner Core.”
“You seem confident.”
“I have no intention of proceeding with anything without confidence.”
“…Hmm…. Is that all you need?”
“Originally there wasn’t, but one more thing just came to mind.”
Seol Jung-cheon thought it might be ‘support.’ However, at the answer that came, his heart sank without him realizing it.
“I would like there to be no intervention from Snow Palace.”
“…What?”
“I would like there to be no backing from your power and influence, Father.”
“…You’re going to devour Yang-ryeong with only the Seol-ap Branch’s forces?”
“Yes. In the process, I think I’ll make use of Manager Seong to some degree, but I have no intention of using him for combat.”
“…Son.”
“Yes, Father.”
“Don’t you know that confidence and arrogance are separated by a hair’s breadth?”
“I know it very well.”
“…Your current level is Yang Gwang I Hyeon. In Yang-ryeong, there are more than five warriors of Three Flowers Gathering at the Crown, and one warrior of Five Energy Harmonizing Origin exists. Even if you killed one Three Flowers Gathering at the Crown warrior, there are still four remaining.”
“I know from what I’ve heard.”
“My mind simply cannot understand this. Have you heard that story?”
“What story do you mean?”
“If a snake tries to swallow an elephant….”
“Its belly would burst and it would die.”
“…You have heard it.”
“Yes. I have heard that one. But you’re mistaken about something, Father.”
“Me?”
“Yes. Seol-ap is not a snake, and Yang-ryeong is not an elephant.”
“….”
“Seol-ap is a white tiger, and Yang-ryeong is a fox.”
“…A white tiger and a fox….”
“How could a white tiger be afraid of a mere fox?”
“Do you at least have a plan in mind?”
“Many. But whichever one I use, there will probably be talk from here and there.”
“…It seems like an unpleasant method.”
“Are you worried?”
“I am worried.”
“I will succeed, so don’t worry….”
“The task can fail. It’s you I’m worried about.”
At those words, Woon-hwi was momentarily speechless. Being moved so many times today is quite unusual.
That’s when it happened.
Seol Jung-cheon asked.
“Do you know why I haven’t asked about your ‘secret’?”
“I’m not sure.”
“Because there’s no reason to ask.”
“….”
“Whether you walk the path of demonic arts or the path of blood, you are my son.”
“….”
“I don’t ask because I firmly believe you will make the right choice.”
Woon-hwi smiled slightly.
“But aren’t you a little curious about that?”
“What are you talking about?”
“Blood Demon Soaring Heaven Art.”
At those words, the corner of Seol Jung-cheon’s mouth twitched.
“…You know about that too?”
“Didn’t Manager Seong report it?”
“…He said you used an ‘unidentified martial art’ to kill Bing Seol Geom Heun. That martial art was certainly not a righteous martial art, but it wasn’t formed from evil energy either. So I thought it must be a martial art very close to demonic arts… Blood Demon Soaring Heaven Art…. Something I never thought of comes out.”
Woon-hwi was speechless for once.
Manager Seong had certainly made a report. But he hadn’t said much.
This also meant that Manager Seong cared more for Seol Woon-hwi than for the Palace Lord or others. He hadn’t known it was to that extent.
Just as Woon-hwi was flustered, Seol Jung-cheon was also flustered.
He knew well enough that Manager Seong cared for Woon-hwi, but he hadn’t known he would write reports that concealed the truth.
There was no way Manager Seong wouldn’t know about Blood Demon Soaring Heaven Art or the martial arts of Origin Blood Sect.
He had thoroughly educated him, after all.
A question arose.
How do you know that?
He wanted to ask that, but he didn’t.
To such Seol Jung-cheon, Seol Woon-hwi said.
“I hope you won’t punish him.”
“I won’t.”
“….”
“You’ve already secured your own person.”
A smile appeared on Seol Jung-cheon’s lips. It was such a warm smile.
Soon, Woon-hwi also smiled gently.
“Murim is a place where one must constantly prove themselves.”
“….”
“Even if this place is called Sae-oe in Murim, the fact that it is Murim does not change.”
He was right.
This place was Murim.
Murim was not a place where battles were fought with words.
Seol Woon-hwi stepped back and took the Embracing Fist stance once more.
“Please rest comfortably. I will return with good results.”
Seol Jung-cheon, who had been quietly watching Seol Woon-hwi, did not grasp his son’s hand like before.
This was a moment where a man declared he would prove himself.
He needed to treat him not as son to father, but as man to man.
That’s when it happened.
Woon-hwi looked toward one side of the meeting hall. There was a Go board placed there.
A Go board made from Ten Thousand Year Ice Jade. It was crafted from only the purest ice jade that had absorbed the essence of Snow Mountain for over a thousand years. The surface was intricately carved with landscapes of Snow Mountain, and the board’s lines were drawn with pure gold.
Woon-hwi’s eyes lit up. This was not just any ordinary Go board.
“It’s the Ice Heaven Go Board.”
“You know of it?”
“Yes. Isn’t this the Go board used by the first Palace Lord of Snow Palace? Its value cannot even be estimated.”
Though Seol Jung-cheon found Woon-hwi’s interest in Go somewhat surprising, he was also deeply satisfied as he spoke in a quiet voice.
“Would you like to play a game?”
He thought for a moment.
Though he felt today might not be the right time, this was Go, after all.
Go contained all emotions of joy, anger, sorrow, and pleasure.
After thinking briefly, Woon-hwi nodded his head.
“Yes. Today I would like to sit across from Father and share our hearts through Go.”
“Share our hearts…”
Seol Jung-cheon smiled faintly.
“Good.”
He was sincere.
When Seol Jung-cheon waved his hand, the Ice Heaven Go Board placed in the corner began flying toward the space between the two men.
“Sit.”
Seol Jung-cheon handed the black stones to Woon-hwi as he took his seat.
“Now, let’s begin.”
Woon-hwi stared at the Go board for a moment.
He had always loved Go and had even gained fame through it.
However, he had never played Go on this Ice Heaven Go Board before.
He only had memories from childhood of his father gazing at this board while deep in thought about something.
What had he been thinking about?
What had he been envisioning while looking at the placed stones?
He knew none of it.
He still didn’t know even now.
But once he began placing stones, he would come to understand.
Woon-hwi placed his first stone at the center point of the board.
Seol Jung-cheon’s eyes wavered at this.
“Starting from the center…”
“Everything in the world begins from the center.”
Seol Jung-cheon smiled at Woon-hwi’s words.
“Yes, continue.”
The stones began to be exchanged.
Woon-hwi’s black stones naturally dominated the board as if they were alive. This was not simple Go, but movements that contained the principles of heaven and earth.
To be clear, this was not a playful match.
Seol Jung-cheon became serious as well.
His white stones began trying to claim the corners, but Woon-hwi’s stones were already positioned there.
“You leave no empty spaces.”
“Empty spaces always harbor danger.”
At Woon-hwi’s words, Seol Jung-cheon looked up. He discovered something different in his son’s eyes.
“Are you trying to control the board?”
“It’s not control. I’m simply filling spaces in advance because enemies could occupy the empty positions.”
Only the sound of placing stones continued for a while. Seol Jung-cheon fell deeper and deeper into thought. His son’s Go was like that of an aged master.
There were no gaps, and even deception didn’t work.
He read and controlled the entire board.
It was amazing.
He looked up.
He could see Woon-hwi with a serious expression.
“Father.”
“Speak.”
“When one’s heart wavers, stones end up being placed in the wrong positions.”
Seol Jung-cheon’s hand stopped abruptly in midair.
Had he said they would share hearts through Go?
While sharing hearts, Woon-hwi realized something.
That there was hesitation in his father’s stones.
It wasn’t the kind that came from Woon-hwi’s skill being better than expected or anything like that.
It was the kind of gap that could only be shown by someone whose heart was preoccupied with something.
He could see it.
“In Go, a stone once wrongly placed cannot be taken back. That’s why one must be even more careful. But when that carefulness becomes excessive, it becomes poison instead. Just like worldly affairs.”
“What do you mean by those worldly affairs?”
Woon-hwi placed a black stone as he spoke.
“You seem to be worrying about too many things to make a single move. Sometimes the simplest thing becomes the wisest choice.”
Seol Jung-cheon’s eyes wavered. It was an expression as if his inner thoughts had been discovered.
And that was exactly right.
Why had Seol Jung-cheon been so helplessly defeated in his previous life?
Why did Dae Seol-rin die after six months, then Bing Seol-ryeong die after another six months, then Cha Seol-rin, who had become the Small Palace Lord, die after yet another six months?
During that mere year and a half when three of the Polar Descendants died, what exactly had Seol Jung-cheon been doing?
There were two possibilities.
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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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