Survival Guide for the Reincarnated - Chapter 248

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This chapter was translated by Lunox Novels. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
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Chapter 248
Hye Jung-san spoke with gravity.
“To begin with, it is inappropriate to view him as having been driven out. His schemes run so deep that he toys with Zhuge Yeong-hyeon, the Vice Alliance Leader of the Martial Alliance, and his martial prowess is in no way inferior to the greatest masters of the Murim. That such a man killed 120 Beggar Sect disciples not through his own strength but by borrowing the power of the government office suggests his cunning is equally….”
“Master!”
Jin Mu-hyeok raised his voice.
“Do you still not understand? Whether those Beggar Sect disciples of Seongchakju die or not is irrelevant. Whether a hundred or a thousand perish, what does it matter? What matters is that through this incident, we can pressure the Ten Thousand Year Snow Palace and extort vast quantities of gold and treasures. This is an opportunity for our Beggar Sect as well. One day is all I need. I will go there myself, settle the matter, and return….”
Hye Jung-san cut off Jin Mu-hyeok’s words with a face turned cold and rigid.
“Is this how you regard the disciples of the Beggar Sect?”
“Is it not the truth? You know it well yourself, Master. All the truly skilled ones are at headquarters, and the disciples at the branches are….”
“Enough.”
A warning lay in Hye Jung-san’s voice.
“Have you forgotten the foundation of the Beggar Sect? We are a sect that embraces all beggars under heaven. Each and every one of them is our brother and comrade, are they not?”
“Brothers?”
Jin Mu-hyeok let out a derisive laugh.
“Master, one cannot survive in this world with such idealism. In the Murim, those without strength die like dogs.”
Hye Jung-san found himself at a loss for words.
When had Jin Mu-hyeok’s thinking changed so drastically?
That boy who cherished the Beggar Sect and delighted in being able to roam most freely under heaven—how had he become this?
“In any case, that Seol Woon-hwi must be dealt with decisively.”
Jin Mu-hyeok clenched his fist.
“The prestige of the Beggar Sect has fallen to the ground. If we leave things as they are, others will begin to look down upon us.”
“And what do you intend to do about it?”
“I will go myself.”
Killing intent flickered in Jin Mu-hyeok’s eyes.
“I will sever that boy’s head and cast it before the Ten Thousand Year Snow Palace. If this leads to war with the Ten Thousand Year Snow Palace….”
“You mean to drag in the Original Blood Sect again?”
Jin Mu-hyeok flinched.
“Yeong Woon-seong, the Grand Elder of the Original Blood Sect, is a dangerous man. I have told you countless times to sever ties with him. Why do you still not come to your senses?”
“This is precisely why.”
“…What?”
“This is why it cannot work. The Beggar Sect as it is now.”
At Jin Mu-hyeok’s words, Hye Jung-san’s eyes widened.
“How much longer do you intend to live by selling information? The Beggar Sect is said to flourish in the Central Plains, but in truth, it amounts to no more than that. No one in this world regards the Beggar Sect as standing above the Five Great Sword Sects. Not above them—they do not even see us as equals. The same goes for the Four Demonic Outer Sects. Our Beggar Sect disciples number in the tens of thousands, even hundreds of thousands. And what of our martial artists? Now we too must step out into the world. We must become those who seize, not those who beg.”
Many in the Beggar Sect follow Jin Mu-hyeok.
Setting aside his talent for a moment, he possesses drive and momentum.
Those who follow Jin Mu-hyeok are extremists.
Just as Jin Mu-hyeok spoke now—becoming those who seize rather than those who beg—these followers are called the Reformist Faction.
In opposition to them, Hye Jung-san is called the Traditionalist Faction.
Those who preserve the traditional values of the Beggar Sect and uphold the principle of buying and selling information without taking sides.
The conflict between these two had long festered, and now it was beginning to show signs of reaching its end.
“This is an opportunity, Master.”
Hye Jung-san exhaled deeply.
“Mu-hyeok.”
“Yes.”
“You are far too hasty. You don’t even properly assess your opponent….”
“What is there to assess?”
Jin Mu-hyeok shot to his feet with fierce intensity.
“I cannot fathom why you agonize so over a mere straggler from the Snow Palace. That man has already laid the board for us. This is an opportunity we must seize without hesitation.”
At that moment, the door opened and Chang Il-jin, the Dharma Protector of the Beggar Sect, entered.
“Sect Leader, I have gathered intelligence on Seongchakju and Seol Woon-hwi.”
“Speak.”
“First, Seongchakju currently falls under the jurisdiction of the Heavenly Righteousness Alliance. After Ye Won-je’s death, Vice Alliance Leader Mae Wi-dong requested assistance from various sects….”
Hye Jung-san cut off Chang Il-jin’s words.
“Spare me what I already know. Tell me of recent developments.”
“Understood.”
Chang Il-jin began by recounting how Seol Woon-hwi had dealt with the Green Forest Sect.
He detailed the entanglements that arose, how the traitors from the Seong Jak Alliance were eliminated, the schemes orchestrated by Jang I-cheong of the Ihwageomseonchong, and how Seol Woon-hwi had countered them.
He explained why one hundred twenty disciples of the Beggar Sect had perished, and why Ham Jang-sik—the branch chief of the Seong Jak branch and the likely candidate for promotion to Chief Leader in the near future—had died so brutally in that place.
With each detail, the value of Seol Woon-hwi rose precipitously in their minds.
This man.
Was absolutely not the type one should make an enemy of.
Vice Sect Leader Jin Mu-hyeok felt the same.
Was this even human?
But there was more.
“…So his conflict with Jang I-cheong… In the end, Ham Jang-sik chose the wrong side in the territorial dispute between the Ihwageomseonchong and the Ten Thousand Year Snow Palace, and died as a warning.”
“If he had merely chosen a side, perhaps. But Seol Woon-hwi was betrayed—struck in the back.”
“…He deserved death for such treachery.”
Hye Jung-san fell silent for a long moment. Then he slowly spoke.
“I will go myself.”
“Master?”
Jin Mu-hyeok’s expression shifted to shock.
“There is no need. Allow me to go….”
“No. This matter requires careful handling. Rash action could invite far greater calamity.”
“But regardless of whether that fool Ham Jang-sik betrayed or did whatever, we clearly possess leverage to pressure the Ten Thousand Year Snow Palace….”
“Say no more.”
With those words, Hye Jung-san rose from his seat and spoke.
“Dharma Protector Chang.”
“Yes, Sect Leader.”
“Prepare for our departure to Seongchakju.”
“It shall be done.”
Jin Mu-hyeok’s eyes clearly showed defiance, but he said nothing more.
‘The Beggar Sect Leader personally intervenes for a mere seventeen-year-old brat? No matter how I think about it, this makes no sense for his honor.’
He swallowed his anger.
My master is far too cautious.
No, he’s a coward. That’s why the Beggar Sect has declined.
And he’s foolish.
For the Sect Leader to personally intervene in such a trivial matter is enough to invite criticism from the entire Central Plains.
‘My master’s brilliance has fallen to the ground. It’s clear he can no longer fulfill his role as Sect Leader.’
The time seemed to be approaching.
I would kill him.
Whether by poison or some other means.
After decades of hardship, shouldn’t I finally grant him rest?
After decades of hardship, shouldn’t I finally grant him rest?
Sect Leader Hye Jung-san observed Jin Mu-hyeok and sighed inwardly.
‘This child grows more dangerous by the day.’
But I don’t know what to do.
How could I abandon my only disciple, the one I’ve raised like a son?
Hye Jung-san began preparing to depart for Seongchakju with a heavy heart.
* * *
Five days had passed since the beggars vanished from Seongchakju.
Though some initially resisted, the government troops’ merciless blades cut through them, and the beggars eventually fled to nearby cities.
Since I had limited the beggar purge strictly to Seongchakju, the government troops didn’t pursue and slaughter them beyond its borders. As a result, not a single beggar wearing a belt around their waist remained in Seongchakju.
As time passed, my infamy only grew, yet I paid it no mind and continued my martial arts cultivation as always.
In the small courtyard behind the Cheon Ryong Palace, I wielded the Jinwha Cheonryeong Geom.
Thwack.
Manager Seong caught the blade barehanded and immediately extended his leg to strike my abdomen, but as if I had anticipated it, my body rotated while gripping the sword.
I evaded.
In that instant, Manager Seong’s foot changed direction in mid-air and extended again. As I landed, I channeled all my strength into my opposite wrist and stepped forward instead.
Boom—!
A thunderous sound erupted, yet unexpectedly, I wasn’t pushed back. Rather, Manager Seong was taken aback.
I released the sword and rose, sweeping my leg.
Manager Seong raised his forearm to block and immediately extended his left arm. He aimed to seize my collar, but as I twisted my body, he only grazed my side.
I lowered my body and drove my fist forward.
Thud.
It connected with Manager Seong’s abdomen. He stepped back and regained his stance.
Yet unexpectedly, I didn’t advance further.
He was bewildered.
“…What exactly are you doing?”
“What do you mean?”
“Can you even see my movements?”
I let out a soft chuckle.
“To be honest, I can’t see them.”
“But how do you evade them? And just now, when my feet changed direction in mid-air, I hate to say this, but I was trying to send Young Master flying over there toward the collapsed hall. Yet you moved one step ahead and altered the impact point… I don’t understand.”
Not understanding was the right reaction.
In that brief moment, Manager Seong had embedded no fewer than fifteen false strikes.
And in that short instant when he reached out to grab my collar, he had woven in over ten false strikes as well.
I had simply seen through all of them.
My response was straightforward.
“Train harder.”
“…Yes…”
Perhaps feeling a bit apologetic after answering, I continued, tossing the words out casually.
“More false strikes don’t necessarily mean more utility.”
“…Pardon?”
“Keep it short and concise—think briefly, judge even more briefly. From what I can see, Manager Seong’s greatest strength is reaction speed. Among martial artists who have reached the Divine Transformation Realm, there’s no one besides Manager Seong with the ability to instantly perceive everything happening around them. So why are you using that ability in such a strange way?”
“Strange, you say…?”
“Whenever you think your opponent is slightly stronger, you instinctively embed false strikes into every attack. Excessively so.”
“…”
“From my perspective, it was highly inefficient. Once you’ve identified an opening in your opponent, strike it immediately. Your opponent will be caught off guard by the attack coming faster than expected, and after this happens two or three times, that’s when you layer in the false strikes. If you can execute this decisively and possess the judgment to do so, the current Manager Seong could sever one arm of a Heaven-Human Realm martial artist.”
Taking this as praise, Manager Seong scratched his chin, seeming somewhat embarrassed.
That was when it happened.
A flinch.
Something caught in both men’s senses.
No.
Someone had caught their attention.
A master.
Unmistakably a master.
Manager Seong immediately drew his hidden dagger as if ready to fight, while I simply turned my head in silence.
An old man with a majestic, mountain-like bearing was walking toward us from the entrance of the Cheon Ryong Palace.
Every step he took radiated an extraordinary aura, and his frame stood at nearly seven feet tall.
Almost the same build as Seol Jung-cheon.

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