Survival Guide for the Reincarnated - Chapter 329

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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 329
“Palace Lord.”
Shin Ju-eon, the Flame Sword Sovereign, turned his head from admiring the scenic splendor of Yeom-ma Mountain.
Though his years were evident, his appearance resembled that of a middle-aged man.
This was thanks to the refinement technique he had mastered.
Red hair, sharp eyes, and a cold, cynical smile perpetually gracing his lips.
He spoke.
“What is the matter, Elder Han?”
In response to his question, Han Cheol-su carefully conveyed what he had been considering.
The suspicion that Han Mu-rin, who had been at Seol Woon-hwi’s side, might actually be Dong Mu-rin, along with various circumstances that supported this theory.
Shin Ju-eon’s expression became peculiar.
“Is it true?”
“…It appears certain to me.”
Upon hearing the name Dong Yu-seong, several facts flashed through Shin Ju-eon’s mind.
First, Dong Yu-seong, a disciple of Yeom Wang Hwa Mu-nyeom.
And Hwa Mu-ryeong, Hwa Mu-nyeom’s only daughter, remained affiliated with the Hondo Maryeom Palace and was currently dispatched to Cheonsu Temple under the Heavenly Righteousness Alliance.
That Hwa Mu-ryeong had some manner of relationship with Dong Yu-seong—though others might not know, Shin Ju-eon could not be ignorant of it.
When the plan was executed in the past, Yeom Wang had already gone into seclusion.
Still, wishing to avoid drawing in that Yeom Wang if possible, I had kept Hwa Mu-ryeong out of it.
But then.
Han Mu-rin, who had been at Cheon Ui Jung-jeong’s side, was actually Dong Mu-rin, Dong Yu-seong’s son, and Hwa Mu-ryeong, who had been dispatched to the Heavenly Righteousness Alliance, remained pinned there like a nail?
“Cheon Ui Jung-jeong—I have never seen him directly, yet it is certain he is extraordinary.”
“…”
“Above all, he does not look merely one step ahead, but at minimum two steps ahead in his movements. It would be inappropriate to believe such a man has done nothing until now.”
In managing an organization, Shin Ju-eon was quite accomplished in his own right.
“Elder Han.”
“Yes, Palace Lord.”
“Why has he remained silent until now?”
Han Cheol-su bowed his head deeply.
“…I apologize. I cannot fathom his reasoning.”
He did not mind.
“It is likely born of necessity.”
“Necessity, you say…”
“There was reason to maintain silence.”
“…”
“But he made a mistake.”
“A mistake, you mean?”
“Hwa Mu-ryeong of the Enemy Flame Army is not remaining silent.”
“…Ah…”
“Whether she was cooked or not—such things are unimportant. That Hwa Mu-ryeong, who cannot help but know this fact, remains silent, and that the old grudge of the Hondo Maryeom Palace sleeps at Seol Woon-hwi’s side—this means they are after something.”
Everything was clearly connecting.
These wretches had been scheming from the start.
Yet it was strange.
What exactly were they after?
The O-dae Geom-jong and Sa-ma Oe-jong forming an alliance with the Heavenly Righteousness Alliance made sense, but they hadn’t subordinated themselves.
More importantly, the circumstances had changed significantly since then.
Back then, Mae Wi-dong, the Alliance Leader of the Heavenly Righteousness Alliance, was alive and well, but that was no longer the case.
Currently, the position of Alliance Leader of the Heavenly Righteousness Alliance was vacant, and Cheon Ui Jung-jeong Seol Woon-hwi had to act in that role, yet he was not in a complete state.
This made things easier.
Whatever they were after, I intended to smash it to pieces.
Then something suddenly occurred to me.
Come to think of it, this current situation…
If handled well, couldn’t I swallow the Heavenly Righteousness Alliance whole?
I could even break Seol Woon-hwi’s pride.
He spoke slowly.
“Send word to have Dong Mu-rin brought to the Hondo Maryeom Palace as quickly as possible.”
If the clever Seol Woon-hwi received this message, he would surely understand what it meant.
Han Cheol-su nodded with a complicated expression.
That day.
A messenger bird took flight from Yeom-ma Mountain, where the Main Palace of the Hondo Maryeom Palace was located.
* * *
In the garden of the Cheon-ui Alliance Annex, I sat alone.
In the quiet atmosphere, I repeatedly clenched and unclenched my left hand slowly.
The traces left by the brutal clash in the Cheon Ryong Palace had vanished so completely that they were no longer discernible.
The flow of my internal energy had mostly returned to normal, and the internal injuries I had sustained had recovered considerably.
But this was a different matter.
A dulling of sensation that began at my fingertips and extended through my wrist, elbow, and shoulder—a strange feeling as if I were touching the world while wearing thick gloves.
The numbed sensation showed no signs of returning.
This was purely a matter of nerve damage.
A deep sigh escaped me.
The clash with Mae Wi-dong had certainly been a life-or-death struggle.
It was a brutal fight where I was prepared not only to lose my life but also to sacrifice one or even two limbs.
In that final moment, we had waged a chaotic battle, pouring everything into it.
This wound was from that time.
After ascending to the Samhyeon Realm, the reason I fought as strategically as possible was not simply to show off my previous life’s experience.
It was an unavoidable choice to minimize side effects.
This was the result.
I had preserved my life.
My limbs remained intact.
And I had achieved results—killing a master of Heaven-Human Unity was an accomplishment beyond compare.
The problem is that I cannot return to the state I was in before.
A wound that refuses to heal has been carved into my soul from the deepest depths.
There is only one way to cure this.
Bone Transformation.
I am not speaking of the incomplete Bone Transformation I underwent after consuming the Ten Thousand Year Fire Pear.
The true Bone Transformation that occurs when one properly ascends the Five Realms of Martial God.
That is what I speak of.
Only when I completely metamorphose into the physical body of the Five Realms of Martial God that accepts the complete Heaven and Earth Spiritual Energy will my soul and everything else be healed.
This strange dulling of sensation can only be cured when that time comes.
Tsk.
The sound of my tongue clicking broke the silence.
I could not know when that would be.
At the very least, it was impossible in the short term. The realm of the Five Realms of Martial God was not something to be taken lightly.
Which meant that until then, I would have to avoid using my left arm as much as possible.
‘There is no helping it.’
A resigned thought passed through my mind.
I had overcome countless crises thus far, and the inability to use one arm properly would not change things greatly. I simply needed to be more cautious.
A woman approached me with an urgent expression.
“Cheon Ui Jung-jeong… sir!”
I turned my head.
It was Hwa Mu-ryeong, whose striking red hair was unmistakable.
The only daughter of Hwa Mu-nyeom, currently dispatched to the Heavenly Righteousness Alliance as Cheonsu Temple representative from the Hondo Maryeom Palace.
Unlike her usual composed and cold demeanor, her face now displayed a complex mixture of worry and anger.
“What is it?”
From Hwa Mu-ryeong’s expression alone, it was clear she brought troubling news.
“…I heard something.”
“What news?”
“They say an order has come down from the Hondo Maryeom Palace to bring Dong Mu-rin.”
I withdrew a letter from my robes.
“Are you speaking of this?”
It was precisely the letter that had arrived yesterday.
The contents were relatively simple—a demand to hand over Dong Yu-seong’s youngest son.
This was something I had anticipated.
News had spread that Mae Wi-dong was dead and that I had suffered serious injuries, and now the position of Alliance Leader of the Heavenly Righteousness Alliance lay vacant.
The Four Demonic Outer Sects had agreed to join hands with the Heavenly Righteousness Alliance, but in the Murim, situations changed rapidly as they did now.
“…That bastard Shin Ju-eon is more cunning than you might think. Do you know that?”
“I have a rough idea.”
“A rough idea won’t do. That man is different from Yeon Song-baek of the Ihwa Geom Cheon Jong…”
“You keep switching between formal and casual speech. Just pick one.”
At my pointed advice, Hwa Mu-ryeong let out a sigh.
“I apologize, but the situation is urgent. This shouldn’t be happening already.”
I turned my gaze toward the quiet garden.
“Already? Rather, I believed I was moving too slowly.”
“…Pardon?”
I asked the bewildered Hwa Mu-ryeong.
“What do you believe is necessary for a newly formed organization to endure?”
“…Isn’t it unity?”
“Unity… not quite satisfactory, but close.”
“…Then what is it?”
“An example.”
Hwa Mu-ryeong’s eyes widened.
“Governing an alliance differs from governing an ordinary organization. To bind sects of differing inclinations into one, one must inevitably imprint a single truth upon them.”
“An imprint, you mean…?”
“The certainty that remaining within the fence is more advantageous than destroying it.”
“…”
“When the fence trembles as it does now, someone will shake it—whether from within or without. Should we make an example of whoever dares to shake it, handling them decisively…”
I paused, then continued, meeting Hwa Mu-ryeong’s gaze once more.
“Who would dare lay a hand upon the fence?”
“…You have a plan, don’t you?”
“I do.”
Hwa Mu-ryeong’s fists clenched.
For her, the value of Han Mu-rin was not simple.
She had lamented Dong Yu-seong’s death more than anyone, and the regret from that moment bound her still.
Aiding Han Mu-rin was the only way she could atone.
“…I will trust you, since you have accomplished much.”
Hwa Mu-ryeong’s voice trembled—whether from anger or worry, it was impossible to discern.
I rose slowly. The numbness in my left hand was not a pressing concern at this moment.
“Shin Ju-eon’s movement signals that things have truly begun.”
My voice was calm, yet something sharp as a blade lay concealed within it.
Hwa Mu-ryeong gazed at me. In my eyes, she found the familiar coldness.
“I mentioned earlier that I had a plan.”
“…You did.”
“There are two plans. I intend to execute one of them first.”
There was only one reason I spoke of this now.
“Do you need me?”
“Need you, yes. I will send a message to Hondo Maryeom Palace today. Then, after roughly one time period has passed, you will send a message as well.”
“…What should I write?”
“Say something like this: the person called Han Mu-rin who stands beside Seol Woon-hwi does not appear to be Dong Yu-seong’s youngest son, Dong Mu-rin—come judge for yourself. Send it in those rough terms.”
Hwa Mu-ryeong blinked.
“Cheon Ui Jung-jeong will send something similar, won’t he?”
Seol Woon-hwi nodded.
“Then… in the end, it will appear as though I’m directly summoning only Shin Ju-eon… Ah.”
Hwa Mu-ryeong, mid-sentence, understood.
“…This isn’t about drawing out Shin Ju-eon at all. You’re expanding the board itself.”
“Now you’re finally offering an answer worth hearing.”
At Seol Woon-hwi’s response, Hwa Mu-ryeong’s jaw fell slack.
She couldn’t comprehend it.
Seol Woon-hwi clearly understood Shin Ju-eon as though he could see through the palm of his own hand.
How was such a thing possible?
“…Geniuses must be able to see everything before their eyes with just a few pieces of information.”
“As I have told others before, I am no genius.”
“Your modesty exceeds all bounds.”
“One trapped in a well sees only a fraction of the sky.”
“…”
“When one emerges from the well, they will understand—I am not a genius, merely a talented individual.”
Hwa Mu-ryeong scratched her head. This man was certainly no ordinary person.
And that brought her peace of mind.

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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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