Survival Guide for the Reincarnated - Chapter 275

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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 275
“Seol Cheonsu-sa….”
Mae Wi-dong’s eyes trembled violently.
But was that truly sincere?
Even in this moment, Seol Woon-hwi’s gaze pierced through Mae Wi-dong’s eyes with unwavering intensity.
He sought to sense something hidden within them, yet found nothing.
“…The sincerity of Seol Cheonsu-sa stirs my heart. Very well. For the prosperity of the Heavenly Righteousness Alliance, I shall fill the position of Alliance Leader that has long remained vacant. And….”
Mae Wi-dong fell silent for a considerable time.
The position of Cheonui Jung-jeong effectively represented the second most powerful authority within the Heavenly Righteousness Alliance. In some respects, it could even wield more practical influence than the Alliance Leader himself.
Mae Wi-dong’s gaze swept across Seol Woon-hwi’s face.
An ordinary person would have dismissed this proposal outright.
Frankly, offering the position of Vice Alliance Leader would have been preferable.
Yet this new title of Cheonui Jung-jeong effectively meant shouldering the entire fate of the Heavenly Righteousness Alliance, which would diminish the very meaning of the Alliance Leader’s position.
Thus, no sane person would accept such terms—but Mae Wi-dong belonged to a different breed of human.
Mae Wi-dong nodded.
“For the Heavenly Righteousness Alliance to truly seize hegemony, we shall require an equally powerful internal foundation. I shall establish the position of Cheonui Jung-jeong.”
A glimmer of light crossed Seol Woon-hwi’s eyes.
It was a light mingling doubt with conviction.
Seol Woon-hwi rose to his feet.
“Then let us return and make the announcement.”
“An announcement of what?”
“Of the Heavenly Righteousness Alliance’s new beginning.”
Seol Woon-hwi extended his hand, and Mae Wi-dong, rising from his seat in kind, grasped it.
The gazes of the two men met.
The atmosphere between them was remarkably peculiar.
One appeared genuine.
The other questioned the sincerity of that intent.
* * *
The Origin Blood Sect has established multiple hermitages throughout the Central Plains.
Among them, in a village called Bong Hyeon-gun located near the Martial Alliance, there stands an inn named Moo Myeong Roo—this very place serves as the exclusive hermitage of the Origin Blood Sect’s Grand Elder Yeong Woon-seong.
Yeong Woon-seong, his head shaved and dressed in crimson robes, sat before a table. Before him lay a cup of bamboo leaf tea and a scatter of crimson powder beside it—the very poison Seol Woon-hwi had once consumed, the Mansa Yuhon-san.
A deadly toxin among deadly toxins.
A single drop would kill an ordinary person instantly, and even martial artists of the Murim could not withstand it. The powder rose slowly, then began to be drawn into the bamboo leaf tea.
Yeong Woon-seong drained the cup.
“Kkhhhh….”
The satisfied expression on Yeong Woon-seong’s face was absolutely abnormal.
“The taste remains exquisite. The numbness at my tongue’s tip is truly delightful.”
The words from his mouth were equally abnormal.
Across from Yeong Woon-seong sat a man of shabby appearance.
Jin Mu-hyeok.
The man who had once been Vice Leader of the Beggar Sect had become a fallen martial artist who had lost everything.
“Great One Yeong…”
Jin Mu-hyeok’s voice trembled.
“What… what did I do wrong?”
Yeong Woon-seong chuckled softly.
“Wrong? You did nothing wrong at all.”
“Then why…”
“You simply had bad luck.”
Yeong Woon-seong took another sip of his tea.
“That genius who’s been stirring up the Murim lately has changed everything on the board.”
“…Seol Woon-hwi… that bastard deserves to be torn to shreds?”
The words were harsh, but Yeong Woon-seong merely laughed. There was truth in them, after all.
Why was Jin Mu-hyeok here?
Hye Jung-san, the Sect Leader of the Beggar Sect, and Jin Mu-hyeok were in conflict over factions.
But this needed to be made clear.
It wasn’t Jin Mu-hyeok who opposed Hye Jung-san—it was Yeong Woon-seong, who had recruited Jin Mu-hyeok, who opposed him.
At some point, Seol Woon-hwi had slaughtered the masters of the Beggar Sect, and Hye Jung-san had gone to meet him personally for an intimate conversation.
From that moment on, Hye Jung-san began purging Jin Mu-hyeok’s faction as if he had made a decision.
There was only one person caught in the middle of all this.
“Yes. That one called the Snow Mountain Demon Lord. He mentioned something to Hye Jung-san, and the old man made his resolve. That’s why you’re here now, in this state.”
Yeong Woon-seong’s eyes sharpened.
“He’s certainly remarkable. Have you heard? He created a new realm called the Three Mysteries Realm. Even I was impressed.”
“…”
“But because of him, both your plans and mine have fallen apart. There’s no denying that.”
Yeong Woon-seong tapped the table rhythmically.
“It was a twenty-year grand scheme. That entire twenty-year plan to swallow the Beggar Sect whole has completely collapsed.”
Jin Mu-hyeok’s face turned pale.
“Then… what becomes of me now…”
“You’ve become useless.”
It was a cold declaration.
“But that doesn’t mean I intend to simply discard you.”
Yeong Woon-seong smiled meaningfully.
“Because, you see, that old man Hye Jung-san has created quite an interesting situation.”
“…Yes? What do you mean…”
“Think about it. How could you have survived?”
Jin Mu-hyeok’s expression grew confused.
“That’s… I managed to escape…”
Yeong Woon-seong chuckled softly.
“He purged the entire Beggar Sect. Two beggars at the Five Realms of Martial God level died, over thirty at the Four Stages of Heaven and Earth level, yet you, the most important figure, survived. How was that possible?”
Yeong Woon-seong swirled his tea as he spoke.
“Hye Jung-san’s heart weakened? No. That old man would never possess such a character.”
“Then….”
“It is a message. Sent to me.”
Yeong Woon-seong’s eyes gleamed with sudden understanding.
“I return your chess piece to you, so use it one final time. And let us settle all gratitude and grudges between us—something along those lines.”
Jin Mu-hyeok wore an expression of incomprehension, but Yeong Woon-seong paid it no mind.
From the start, this fool was not the sort of opponent an old man of that caliber would engage.
That is what “Nine Knot Beggar” truly means.
Until now, Jin Mu-hyeok had merely stood in that position as Yeong Woon-seong’s proxy—it was Yeong Woon-seong himself who had truly faced Hye Jung-san.
“Certainly no easy old man to deal with. To propose a transaction in such a manner. Truly worthy of the Beggar Sect’s Sect Leader.”
“A transaction, you say….”
“He grants you one final opportunity as a martial artist.”
Yeong Woon-seong rose to his feet.
“And if you aid him in this alone, he will overlook the Origin Blood Sect’s meddling with the Beggar Sect.”
“Such….”
“Those of us at this level can converse in such a manner.”
Yeong Woon-seong gazed out the window.
“Without words, we need only observe the circumstances presented to understand each other’s thoughts.”
Jin Mu-hyeok asked in a trembling voice.
“Then… what must I do?”
“I grant you an opportunity.”
Yeong Woon-seong turned to face Jin Mu-hyeok.
“A chance to restore your fallen reputation.”
“What….”
“In ten days.”
Yeong Woon-seong’s voice lowered.
“The Heavenly Righteousness Alliance will hold a grand ceremony.”
“A ceremony… you say?”
“Mae Wi-dong becomes Alliance Leader, and Seol Woon-hwi receives appointment to a new position called Cheon Ui Jung-jeong, or so I hear.”
“…Cheon Ui… Jung-jeong, you say?”
“The shield that protects the Heavenly Righteousness Alliance and the blade that cuts down enemies, I’m told. The one who corrects righteousness—a title most grandiose. In essence, Seol Woon-hwi has become the very sky of the Heavenly Righteousness Alliance.”
Yeong Woon-seong’s pupils gleamed with intensity.
“On that day, all the renowned masters of the Murim will gather in that place.”
Jin Mu-hyeok’s eyes widened.
“Surely….”
“Do you have the will to ruin the celebration?”
Yeong Woon-seong smiled wickedly.
“What must I do, sir?”
Yeong Woon-seong spoke with blunt directness.
“On that day, in that place, kill Seol Woon-hwi.”
Jin Mu-hyeok’s eyes gleamed with sudden interest.
“If you succeed in that, your reputation will be restored.”
It sounded simple, but there was no way it could be that easy. The problem wasn’t whether he could kill or not. It was what came after.
“But there’s no justification… How can I restore my reputation without justification….”
“Hahahaha!”
Yeong Woon-seong laughed loudly.
“You fool, you really don’t understand, do you?”
“…Me… What do you mean…? What…?”
“In the Murim, the victor becomes the justification itself.”
Yeong Woon-seong spoke with absolute certainty.
“Kill him first, and the justification will follow on its own.”
“That’s….”
“Hmph… For someone who’s built his own faction as Vice Leader of the Beggar Sect, you’re remarkably ignorant of this basic principle of the Murim.”
It might have been possible in the past, but Jin Mu-hyeok had no power now.
To create justification and sway public opinion, he would need to control the information organizations, but how could he possibly do that?
It was a serious question, yet there was an answer to it.
“How many people has Seol Woon-hwi antagonized so far?”
“…Ah… Ah!”
“That’s right, you’ve figured it out. The Martial Alliance, the Odaegeomsong, and the Four Demonic Outer Sects are all condemning Seol Woon-hwi. The Heavenly Righteousness Alliance hasn’t sent any letters to them and merely keeps silent, but think about it carefully. If you kill Seol Woon-hwi now, how many people would stand by your side?”
“Y… Your Excellency….”
“Your reputation for killing that rising genius of the Murim will spread far and wide, and the renowned martial artists of the Murim will support you. Of course, there will be those who oppose it. But what would happen if I stepped forward?”
Jin Mu-hyeok’s eyes widened greatly.
“I haven’t said it before, but I also have a debt to settle with that bastard.”
Yeon Su-on, who had been the Vice Leader of the Baekseol Wiryeong Dan, was connected to the Thunder Lightning Demon Sect.
As Seol Woon-hwi had predicted, that was certainly true. Though Yeong Woon-seong hadn’t directly involved himself in that matter, the position of Grand Elder of the Origin Blood Sect came with many responsibilities.
It was a position that managed not only the main sect but also the branch sects—a position of great importance.
When Seol Woon-hwi destroyed the Thunder Lightning Demon Sect’s scheme, it was an action contrary to the Origin Blood Sect’s interests, and Yeong Woon-seong, holding the position of Grand Elder, had to act in some way.
Honestly.
He was a bit curious. Why was that brat so different from other martial artists?
Yeong Woon-seong sat back down.
In any case.
“The dead have no voice, and the living write history.”
“But Seol Woon-hwi is strong. He even killed Jang I-cheong….”
“So?”
“….”
“Are you afraid?”
“….”
“What pathetic nonsense. Whether he killed Manhwa Geom-je or some supreme master of the Five Realms of Martial God, he’s the one who destroyed your life. And you won’t even draw your sword against him? You’ll just tuck tail and run? Is that truly your heart right now, you fool!”
At Yeong Woon-seong’s sudden outburst, Jin Mu-hyeok swallowed hard.
Thinking about it again, Yeong Woon-seong was right.
I cannot hide my tail. I am already in a dire predicament with no way out.
I cannot retreat, so I must collide with them no matter what.
As Jin Mu-hyeok’s gaze shifted, Yeong Woon-seong began to smile with satisfaction.
The rapid emotional fluctuations that came and went in an instant were not strange to Jin Mu-hyeok. After all, this was the kind of person he was.
“If you kill Seol Woon-hwi, the one who slew Manhwa Geom-je, your reputation will pierce the heavens.”
“Then….”
Yeong Woon-seong finished drinking his tea and continued speaking.
“You will become a hero who killed the Snow Mountain Demon Lord, not a fallen martial artist cast out from the Beggar Sect. At least in the Central Plains, there will be many who will take your side.”

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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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