Survival Guide for the Reincarnated - Chapter 297

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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 297
“Haha… That’s right. A crude scheme like that could never harm our Heavenly Righteousness Alliance’s Central Administrator.”
As the situation unfolded, my mind was spinning furiously.
Connect the pieces together, and eventually a picture emerges.
A single image had formed in my mind.
Not certain, but.
I had grasped the intuition.
I rose slowly from my seat.
“Then I shall take my leave.”
“Ah… Why not rest a moment? You’ll exhaust yourself this way.”
I smiled gently.
“Rest is for the dead. Since I have duties to attend to, and I bear the title of Heavenly Righteousness Alliance’s Central Administrator, I cannot afford to rest.”
“I feel somewhat sorry now.”
“No matter. Soon there will be a matter requiring the Alliance Leader to take action, so please be ready to move at that time.”
“Must I be the one to move?”
“Yes. Are we not in the same boat?”
“….”
“Are we not?”
My smile remained unchanged, yet Mae Wi-dong found that laughter oddly unsettling.
“Please rest.”
I turned my back and left the Bangju Hall.
* * *
The moment I stepped out of the Bangju Hall, a man came rushing toward me.
As I looked at him, I glanced to the side.
There stood another man.
Two in total—one rushing forward, the other approaching slowly.
“Great One Seol!! There’s an urgent report——”
The man whose words trailed off was Jang Seok of the Gaebang Seongjakju Branch, and he seemed to notice the presence of the man walking beside him only belatedly, his eyes widening in shock as he stumbled backward.
A sturdy man in his early fifties with a heavy, imposing aura.
“Greetings, Heavenly Righteousness Alliance’s Central Administrator. I am Wi Cheon-ho, Unit Leader of the Wu Yi Squad.”
Yes. This man was Wi Cheon-ho.
The man who had guarded the Wu Yi Squad, the Heavenly Righteousness Alliance’s most formidable military force, from Ye Won-je’s time until now.
This was not our first meeting.
We had exchanged greetings in passing before, but his presence here waiting meant he had been expecting me.
I raised my hand and patted Jang Seok’s shoulder briefly.
The quick-witted Jang Seok immediately performed the Embracing Fist salute and disappeared beyond my field of vision.
Wi Cheon-ho spoke.
“If I may be so bold, might I ask the Heavenly Righteousness Alliance’s Central Administrator a question?”
“Go ahead.”
“Is there some problem with me?”
I furrowed my brow at the sudden remark.
What did it mean, and what was the intention behind it?
After a moment of thought, I reached a quick conclusion.
“There is no problem.”
“Then why don’t you use me?”
“Because there was no need to.”
“…I don’t understand. No need to? Since Cheon In-gyeong took office, incidents related to the Heavenly Righteousness Alliance have erupted more than once or twice.”
I watched Wi Cheon-ho’s confused expression and asked quietly.
“Do you need an explanation?”
“Yes. I do.”
“Very well. I’ll explain concisely. First, regarding all matters, including those that occurred in the Woon-guk Imperial Court, the Wu Yi Squad had no role to play.”
“….”
“Seo Hyo is a martial artist of the Heaven-Human Realm, and my Dharma Protector Seong Yang-ho is a martial artist of the Divine Transformation Stage. And Han Mu-rin, whom I brought from Yang-ryeong, is a martial artist of the Three Flowers Gathering at the Crown. You may not understand if you only look at their martial cultivation levels, but each of them had their role, and Seo Hyo and Seong Yang-ho were individuals, not commanders of units. Do you understand what I’m saying?”
Wi Cheon-ho sighed and nodded.
“A Unit Leader who manages an entire unit cannot move alone. If the Wu Yi Squad steps forward, it would look strange, and if the mission fails, more lives would need to be sacrificed. How could I gamble with the lives of the Wu Yi Squad in my hands?”
This was consideration.
“And if I were to include you in what I’m trying to accomplish, there would be more things I’d need to worry about.”
“…I understand. What’s the second reason?”
“Second, I am not distancing myself from you.”
Wi Cheon-ho blinked at those words.
“…It seemed like you were distancing yourself, so I came. Cheon In-gyeong.”
There was no point in saying the same thing twice.
To be clear, the reason I didn’t use Wi Cheon-ho was not to distance myself from him as an individual.
There were precisely two reasons.
The first was because of his superiors.
The fact that the Wu Yi Squad had been protected from Ye Won-je’s time until now could be viewed in two ways.
First, if he were loyal to someone other than Ye Won-je.
Second, if he were simply a martial artist belonging to the Heavenly Righteousness Alliance and nowhere else.
It had never been clearly determined which of these two it was.
And the second reason was, as I had kindly explained, that there was no reason to use him.
In the former case, it would be awkward, but if there were a reason to use him, I would use him without hesitation. However, the latter reason was far too significant.
Recently, I hadn’t even used the martial artists of Cheon Rak-bu and instead only brought Pung Mu-hwi from Cheonsu Temple, so there was nothing more to say.
I could understand Wi Cheon-ho’s disappointment.
“Then I’ll ask just one thing.”
“Go ahead.”
“Before that, understand this. If the answer to this question is revealed to be a lie later, I will stake everything and kill you.”
“….”
“I will not listen to any excuses or pretexts, and I will immediately sever your neck without question. Do you understand?”
Wi Cheon-ho straightened his posture. His eyes became resolute.
“I understand.”
“Very well, Unit Leader Wi. To whom do you pledge your loyalty?”
Wi Cheon-ho answered without a moment’s hesitation.
“I pledge loyalty to no one.”
“Then why do you serve as Unit Leader of the Wu Yi Squad?”
“I was born a wandering warrior. I entered the Wu Yi Squad as an ordinary member and have been here for fifteen years.”
“Your cultivation has reached the Divine Transformation Stage. Did you never consider leaving to pursue your ambitions elsewhere?”
“I advanced my cultivation here and gained invaluable experience. I intend to fulfill my aspirations within this organization.”
“And what are those aspirations?”
“To elevate a single organization above all its rivals.”
“Rivals?”
“Yes. The Martial Alliance has Sangcheol Pavilion, and the Four Heaven Alliance has Cheol-myeong Pavilion. My goal is to develop the Wu Yi Squad into a force that can stand equal to those organizations.”
I stepped forward.
“Unit Leader Wi.”
“…Yes.”
“What you’ve just said must come from your heart.”
“…”
“In a few days, envoys from the O-dae Geom-jong and Sa-ma Oe-jong will visit. Are you aware?”
“Of course.”
I shared several matters with Unit Leader Wi, and he nodded as if to assure me he would not disappoint.
He performed the Embracing Fist salute.
“I will not fail to meet your expectations.”
I nodded.
As I watched him turn and walk away, I spoke casually.
“Unit Leader Wi.”
“Yes?”
“Though it comes late, I believe we have ample time to build trust between us.”
Wi Cheon-ho smiled warmly.
“Indeed, Cheon In-gyeong.”
“And from now on, let us speak more freely with each other.”
Wi Cheon-ho appeared genuinely pleased.
* * *
Jang Seok, who had been watching Wi Cheon-ho’s retreating figure, hurried over to me.
“…As expected of one who shakes the Murim itself, you certainly seem to keep busy, Great One Seol.”
I regarded Jang Seok calmly and asked.
“You mentioned an urgent matter. What is it?”
“Um, don’t you notice anything different about me?”
My gaze swept over the eager Jang Seok from head to toe, then stopped at one particular spot—his waist, where exactly five belts hung.
“You’ve become a Five Knot Beggar.”
Jang Seok nodded.
Jang Seok, who had been transferred to the Gaebang Seongjakju Branch, had already been temporarily promoted to Four Knot Beggar status, and now he had been elevated directly to Five Knot Beggar?
This was an extraordinarily rare occurrence even in the history of the Beggar Sect.
“Not formally becoming a Four Knot Beggar, but a Five Knot Beggar… it’s certainly good news, but is this the main point?”
At my question, Jang Seok scratched his head. In that instant, his expression grew serious.
“Actually, this isn’t the main matter.”
I nodded and waited for Jang Seok’s next words. I had already anticipated this much.
Jang Seok paused for a moment before speaking carefully.
His expression still bore the unmistakable mark of disbelief.
“A major upheaval has occurred within the Beggar Sect.”
“A major upheaval?”
“Yes. Among the Eight Grand Elders….”
Jang Seok swallowed hard.
“Three of them passed away in a single night. Each in different locations, each in different ways.”
My eyes sharpened. Three of the Eight Grand Elders died simultaneously in one night? No one would dismiss this as mere coincidence.
Jang Seok continued speaking.
“Immediately after, an urgent dispatch arrived from the Seongjakju, promoting me to Five Knot Beggar.”
Jang Seok’s voice carried complex emotions.
Joy and anxiety intertwined within it.
When dispatched to the Seongjakju, Kang Gyeol-jin, a Seven Knot Beggar and one of the Eight Grand Elders, had sent me a letter.
-Remember this well. You are temporary. The Sect Leader holds Seol Woon-hwi in high regard, but verification of ability is another matter entirely. Your promotion to Four Knot Beggar was already being discussed beforehand, so the promotion will proceed. However, if you commit any act that would bring great shame to the Beggar Sect’s honor while at the Seongjakju, I will immediately reassign you back to Yang Ling-ju. Do you understand?
That Kang Gyeol-jin was one of the three who died this time.
I asked.
“Was there nothing unusual in the promotion edict?”
Jang Seok shook his head at my question.
“It merely acknowledged the merits of the Seongjakju Branch. However.”
Jang Seok hesitated briefly before continuing.
“The person who brought the edict said something else. That Sect Leader Hye Jung-san had harbored misunderstandings about you, and wishes to maintain amicable relations going forward.”
My expression shifted subtly.
My eyes grew cold and sharp, while a bitter smile played at my lips. I saw through the entire situation perfectly.
Yeong Woon-seong’s wrath had descended upon the Beggar Sect, and Hye Jung-san had made his choice.
To remain silent.
Perhaps that was the right decision.
Yeong Woon-seong had spoken clearly to me.
He would sever Hye Jung-san’s limbs.
This was the perfect fulfillment of that promise.
Yet after that, rather than seeking revenge against the Original Blood Sect, he promotes Jang Seok, who stands in close relation to me?
Hye Jung-san is shrewd.
He recognized his lack of strength and understood his lack of justification.
One step forward requires one step back.
Jang Seok did not miss the change in my expression.
“From the look on your face, Great Hero, it seems you believe this to be a poison pill.”
Sweet words with a hidden blade.
Hye Jung-san spoke pleasantly enough, but it was clear his mind harbored different thoughts.
“What about you?”
Jang Seok’s expression grew complicated.
“I had hoped it wouldn’t be so. But then… what should I do?”
“Accept it for now.”
Jang Seok’s eyes widened at this unexpected answer.
“As long as I account for the possibility that you might betray me later, this deal is worth accepting.”

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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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