Survival Guide for the Reincarnated - Chapter 254

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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 254
“Manager Seong.”
“…Yes, Young Master.”
“Do you think I will fail?”
I shook my head.
“…I believe you will succeed. It’s what comes after that concerns me more.”
“Don’t worry.”
Seol Woon-hwi rose from his seat and spoke.
“The path of a martial artist has always been treacherous. Had I wanted to walk a smooth road, I would never have drawn a sword in the first place.”
There was still no wavering in Seol Woon-hwi’s voice.
Though my body had been battered and would only grow worse, my will remained as steel.
Manager Seong could find no words to say to such resolve.
* * *
Pung Mu-hwi stood upon a towering cliff, his expression stern as he gazed down at the expanse below.
Spread beneath his feet was the Cheon Hae.
A boundless azure sea stretched to the horizon, its waves glittering in the sunlight like stars fallen from the heavens.
Distant islands of varying sizes drifted like clouds upon the water, composing a scene of breathtaking beauty—yet this beauty failed to reach Pung Mu-hwi’s eyes.
Down there, uninvited figures were transporting cargo, and in the corners, taxes were being collected.
Where the blue banners of Seongchakju should have fluttered, unfamiliar emblems now danced in the wind.
Yeom Cheol, the deputy commander of Cheon Rak Bu, approached Pung Mu-hwi and spoke.
“The situation is grave. While Cheonsu-sa has remained secluded of late, they seized the opportunity and occupied these waters.”
Pung Mu-hwi did not respond, continuing to gaze downward.
He could see encampments rising one by one on Yong Rin Do, Wol Yeong Ban Do, and Cheol Pa Gun Do.
Cunningly, they had not set foot on Seongchakju’s mainland, yet they had constructed a perfect blockade sealing all maritime routes leading to the Cheon Hae.
There was but one reason why Seongchakju was called the golden land.
The vast maritime trade route of the Cheon Hae, located within Seongchakju.
It was precisely this.
This Cheon Hae was a colossal sea route that connected not only Jeok An of Yang Ling-ju where Seol Woon-hwi had been, but also the Central Plains and the Central Plains Outskirts.
From the east came merchant vessels of foreign nations; from the west, trading companies from deep inland; from the south, rare treasures of Namman; and from the north, the specialty goods of the Northern Region’s nomadic peoples—all passed through here.
Among these northern nomadic goods were included the products of Snow Palace.
Hundreds of merchant ships passed through daily, and the transit and mooring fees they paid alone comprised more than half of Seongchakju’s total revenue.
Cheong Pa Dae Hang, the heart of Seongchakju, had prospered precisely because of this Cheon Hae.
This sea was Seongchakju’s true golden land, and whoever controlled this sea controlled Seongchakju itself.
Previously, Gang Cheon Wave Gate had managed these waters and divided the profits with the Seong Jak Alliance.
Gang Cheon Wave Gate, a formidable maritime power, had maintained order in the Cheon Hae through cooperation with the Government Office and had repelled pirate incursions, but after Gang Cheon Wave Gate’s annihilation not long ago, a vacuum had emerged.
There were those who moved to exploit that void.
They were a coalition of forces centered on Ihwageomseonchong.
“What manner of alliance is this? I cannot even fathom it.”
Such words would have been fitting.
The martial artists encamped there were undoubtedly from Ihwageomseonchong.
And the martial artists flirting with them were the Heavenly Sound Sword Sect and Azure Cloud Sword Sect, both belonging to the same Odaegeomsong. It wasn’t over.
The Mixed Path Demon Flame Palace was also part of this alliance.
The forces of Odaegeomsong and the Four Demonic Outer Sects had united as one.
“…I’m going to lose my mind.”
Seol Woon-hwi’s words were not wrong.
The fact that the Heavenly Righteousness Alliance had requested aid from the Central Plains’ powers meant their reputation and influence were crushing the surrounding cities.
Pung Mu-hwi, a master of the Divine Transformation Realm, was certainly a formidable figure, but he could not touch the martial artists of the Ihwageomseonchong, Heavenly Sound Sword Sect, and Mixed Path Demon Flame Palace gathered here.
That would be suicide.
No matter how bold Pung Mu-hwi was, he possessed at least basic judgment. In this Seongchakju, only Seol Woon-hwi had the audacity to touch the Odaegeomsong and Four Demonic Outer Sects from the Central Plains.
“Ja-sa must be terrified out of his mind.”
At Yeom Cheol’s words, Pung Mu-hwi nodded. There was only one reason they had come all this way to witness this. Ja-sa had come directly and informed them of the current situation.
The government troops of Seongchakju had currently withdrawn. They hadn’t left of their own volition—these forces had made them withdraw.
Yeom Cheol asked cautiously.
“What will you do?”
Pung Mu-hwi’s fists clenched tightly.
If possible, he didn’t want to go to Seol Woon-hwi.
This wasn’t about distancing himself from him. As Pavilion Master of Cheon Rak Bu, he wanted to resolve this directly without Seol Woon-hwi’s help.
But no matter how he looked at it, there was no way forward.
Even if he pretended to be mad and attacked, Cheon Rak Bu’s military force could not face an alliance of four sects.
Moreover, setting aside the retaliation that would follow, they were scattered across different strongholds, so if he attacked one, the rest would immediately strike back.
No matter how much he thought about it, the only outcome was total annihilation.
This was a problem that Pung Mu-hwi could not solve on his own.
Pung Mu-hwi turned his body quietly.
“Where are you going?”
“I will go to Cheonsu-sa.”
This was not shameful. It was the limit of his ability. Pung Mu-hwi acknowledged that.
Just as Pung Mu-hwi was about to leave, he flinched.
As he slowly turned his head, a woman descended to the ground.
Pung Mu-hwi’s expression hardened.
Her garments bore the character for flame, the flame of the Mixed Path Demon Flame Palace.
The Unit Leader of the Hwasung Division of the Mixed Path Demon Flame Palace.
Crimson Flame Lord, Hwa Mu-ryeong.
Her realm was the Divine Transformation Stage.
“Why are you just watching and leaving? Come have a drink with me.”
“…I don’t think we’re the sort to share a drink face to face.”
“How stingy. Who knows? We might become quite close.”
Her words carried a peculiar weight.
“What do you mean?”
“You already know what I mean.”
Hwa Mu-ryeong smiled wickedly.
“I heard that Cheonsu-sa over there got beaten by the Beggar Sect Leader and can’t even move.”
“….”
“Why don’t you join our side this time? I mean, even if that Cheonsu-sa is called a genius, he’s still just a kid, right?”
“A kid… If you’re serious, I think I’d be disappointed.”
“I’m just stating facts. Does that bother you?”
Pung Mu-hwi’s eyes grew cold.
“Show some courtesy. Just as I don’t insult you or the Mixed Path Demon Flame Palace you belong to.”
“You’re not refraining from it—you can’t, can you? Even if you ruled like a king in Seongchakju, the Mixed Path Demon Flame Palace isn’t some common sect. Right?”
I calculated silently.
How long would it take to kill this woman here? How long until those behind her arrived?
“You have a dangerous look about you. Let’s stop, shall we? I don’t want to fight either.”
“The courtesy in the words of a woman who says she doesn’t want to fight is truly remarkable.”
“And your tone has changed now too, hasn’t it?”
Behind Hwa Mu-ryeong, who was smiling faintly, martial artists from the Mixed Path Demon Flame Palace began to take their positions, and martial artists from the Heavenly Sound Sword Sect and Azure Cloud Sword Sect also began to gather. Their numbers exceeded a hundred.
“You know well that the principle is to kill spying rats, right?”
Pung Mu-hwi drew his sword, and Yeom Cheol beside him also drew his. Then he quietly sent a transmission to Pung Mu-hwi.
-Jin Mu-seong will arrive shortly with ten members of the Cheon Rak Bu. Hold on until then.
The Cheon Rak Bu had its own hierarchy. Yeom Cheol was a sub-pavilion master, and under him were three squad leaders in total. Jin Mu-seong was one of those squad leaders and also a person dispatched from Pung Geom Hall, where Pung Mu-hwi served as pavilion master.
Perhaps noticing the transmission between the two, Hwa Mu-ryeong shrugged her shoulders.
“You’re too tense. Unless you beg for your lives, of course.”
“….”
“I already made the proposal to join our side, but shall I make it once more for courtesy’s sake? Will you join? If you do, I’ll maintain that Seong Jak Alliance or whatever as is. I’ll even preserve your profits.”
“You’re overstepping.”
Pung Mu-hwi’s voice turned frigid.
“No matter how much you borrow the name of the Heavenly Righteousness Alliance, seizing and monopolizing a port is the same as touching the Imperial Court. According to the original agreement between Woon-guk and the Heavenly Righteousness Alliance, only the Cheonsu-sa responsible for each region is supposed to handle all matters of that region in consultation with the government. You’ve not only forcibly invaded Seongchakju but directly violated that agreement. Do you truly think such actions will be tolerated without proper justification?”
Hwa Mu-ryeong burst into laughter.
The words weren’t wrong, but there was plenty to say in response.
“I didn’t know this either, but it turns out the Ihwageomseonchong has very close ties with the Unguk Jojung? We’ll create justification on our own… Look. Your words have some exaggeration in them.”
“Exaggeration?”
“When did we ever seize the port? We’re simply establishing order for the reconstruction of the Heavenly Righteousness Alliance in the ‘vicinity’ of the port, or stabilizing an area left vacant. Seize? That’s dangerous talk. And the Cheonsu-sa of Seongchakju is in very poor health, so shouldn’t you be grateful to those managing it on his behalf instead? What’s this about justification? Invasion? This person is dangerous.”
Hwa Mu-ryeong’s words, spoken with a smirk, were also not wrong.
That’s how justification is made. In a place where scheming runs rampant.
That is the Murim.
“So what will you do? Die here? Or join our ‘alliance’?”
The moment Hwa Mu-ryeong finished speaking, two men fell from the sky.
Jin So-cheon, the Pure Sound Sword Master of the Heavenly Sound Sword Sect.
And Hang Ryeo, the Azure Feather Sword Expert of the Azure Cloud Sword Sect.
It wasn’t strange for the Ihwageomseonchong to join hands with those two. But joining hands with the Mixed Path Demon Flame Palace was truly strange.
And for good reason—the Heavenly Sound Sword Sect and Azure Cloud Sword Sect belonged to the Five Great Sword Sects, so why were the Four Demonic Outer Sects involved?
Pung Mu-hwi steadied his breathing.
Jin So-cheon and Hang Ryeo—both were martial artists of the Divine Transformation Realm.
Though neither of them spoke a word, their realm conveyed a message far too loud to ignore.
Submit, or you will die.
I gave no thought to notions of choice or moments of decision.
I had already resolved to follow Seol Woon-hwi.
He was a man worthy of that allegiance.
And beyond such considerations, my pride as a martial artist would not permit betrayal.
Better to fall in combat than to perish as a coward.
It was the moment Pung Mu-hwi raised his sword.
Footsteps echoed from behind.
Two people approaching with measured, deliberate steps.
Hwa Mu-ryeong and every martial artist present turned their heads in unison. In that instant, over a hundred martial artists held their breath.

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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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