The Fortunate Sword God of the Zhuge Clan - Chapter 19

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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 19.
“I… Master?”
“Yes?”
Han Cho’s question pulled Mu Hun back from his thoughts.
“My apologies. You asked whether I know a way to treat the poison, did you not?”
“Yes, yes! Do you have knowledge of this poison?”
Mu Hun paused briefly before answering.
“I believe it may be a poison I’m familiar with. If I’m right, then I also know the antidote.”
Han Cho’s face lit up and he bowed again with fervent gratitude.
“Please, I beg you, teach me this method! I will pay any price! I will serve you as my benefactor for life!”
Mu Hun smiled softly at Han Cho’s response.
“Don’t speak so rashly. How would you know what I might demand?”
“I… I don’t understand?”
“From the start, you didn’t even know who we are when you asked this of us. So if I suddenly say I can treat this poison, shouldn’t you first suspect my motives?”
Mu Hun’s expression grew serious as he continued.
“What if we were the ones who poisoned Chae Ju in the first place?”
Han Cho’s face went rigid.
“That… surely that couldn’t be….”
Mu Hun chuckled and cut him off.
“Of course not. I only mean to warn you. The Murim is a place where anything can happen.”
“Ah, I see… yes, of course.”
“And I will teach you the antidote.”
Han Cho’s expression brightened considerably.
He looked like a child who had just received a gift.
“Thank you! Thank you so much!”
Tears glistened in Han Cho’s eyes as he bowed repeatedly.
The four boys prostrate behind him likewise bowed to Mu Hun.
“Thank you!”
Mu Hun nodded slowly.
“However, there is one condition.”
“W-what condition?”
Han Cho raised his head, his expression tinged with unease.
“We must visit your mountain base, Sureophae, directly and treat Chae Ju ourselves. This poison can only be treated if we see it firsthand.”
Relief washed over Han Cho’s face as he heard Mu Hun’s words.
“Ah, yes. Yes, of course that would be….”
“Young Master!”
Before Han Cho could respond, Ryeong cut him off.
Mu Hun turned to face Ryeong, leaving the flustered Han Cho behind.
“What is it, Ryeong?”
At Mu Hun’s expression of feigned ignorance, Ryeong’s impassive mask slipped ever so slightly.
It was barely perceptible, but the emotion that flashed across his face was unmistakably exhaustion.
More precisely, something akin to ‘Don’t you understand what’s happening?’
“There is no guarantee that everything they say is true.”
“If it weren’t true, why would they bother asking us merely for an antidote?”
“We cannot be certain based on that alone. Furthermore, how you possess an antidote in the first place is….”
Ryeong began to press the matter but stopped mid-sentence and lowered his head.
It was an apology for daring to question this young master of the Jegeol Family.
“Forgive me. But if what they say is true, we have no way of knowing when conflict with another stronghold might erupt. As your guard, I cannot allow you to walk into such a place.”
Mu Hun regarded Ryeong’s resolute concern for a moment, then turned toward Han Cho.
“I would like to speak with my companions for a moment. Could you step away briefly?”
Han Cho nodded immediately at Mu Hun’s request.
“Of course! We’ll withdraw far enough that you won’t be heard!”
“Thank you.”
Han Cho was no fool.
Otherwise, he never would have been chosen to lead the youngest members of Sureophae.
The five boys withdrew to a considerable distance at Mu Hun’s word.
Yet because his aid was so desperately needed, they watched the group with eyes so eager it was palpable even from afar.
Once Mu Hun confirmed this, he turned back to Ryeong and spoke.
“Ryeong. Dokgo Hyun. Both of you, listen to what I have to say.”
“…Yes.”
“Me? Well, I’m for going, actually. It might not be a bad thing at all.”
Lyung glanced at him, his answer sounding so unthinking.
It was only a brief look, and because no emotion showed through, Dokgo Hyun failed to notice—but Mu Hun read the feeling in that glance with perfect clarity.
“Your opinion matters, of course, but first allow me to explain why we must go there.”
At Mu Hun’s words, Dokgo Hyun shrugged and began listening intently.
“In my judgment, the place called Sureophae has….”
***
Han Cho possessed exceptional eyesight.
He was born with it, and thanks to Chae Ju’s recommendation upon discovering this talent, he had learned to use tools like bows since childhood.
Thus, Han Cho had established himself as the youngest among Sureophae’s ranks, yet the boy who led them—all based on that vision and keenness.
He had been entrusted with confirming what threats lay ahead of the boys’ group and devising contingency plans for all of it, so it was only natural.
“Cho, do you see something? What does it look like?”
“Shh. Stay quiet for a moment.”
But this situation was one even Han Cho found difficult to prepare for.
‘Damn it, except for that farmer-looking fellow I can see from here, I can’t read anyone’s expression at all.’
Han Cho wanted to read the expressions of Mu Hun’s party and discern their intentions for two reasons.
First, naturally, to confirm whether they were positively inclined toward helping Chae Ju.
Second, since he didn’t know exactly who they were—as Mu Hun had said—if anything seemed off about the atmosphere, he could take his friends and flee.
But from where Han Cho stood, there was only one person whose expression he could see clearly: Lyung.
Had it been the expressive Dokgo Hyun standing there, he might have been able to guess the mood well enough.
But reading the expression of Lyung, who maintained an unwavering blankness, was impossible for a boy of fifteen.
This was all by Mu Hun’s design, though Han Cho had no way of knowing that.
Just as Han Cho was growing frustrated, watching them in silence, good news arrived.
Mu Hun turned back toward Han Cho and smiled, waving his hand.
It was a signal that the party’s destination had been confirmed as Sureophae.
***
The road toward Sureophae was rather arduous.
That the Daepasan Mountain Range was treacherous was not the issue.
After all, even the greatest mountain ranges have accessible entrances that anyone might visit.
The real problem was that Han Cho’s group hadn’t properly learned the carriage routes and wandered off course more than once.
Han Cho approached the carriage Mu Hun rode in and bowed his head in apology.
“I’m terribly sorry. We’ve only traveled the smaller paths before….”
“Not at all. If you’re all right, then I’m all right. It’s Chae Ju who’s suffering… Cough!”
At Mu Hun’s cough, Han Cho started in alarm.
“Sir—are you unwell as well?”
“Ah, this isn’t your fault in the least, so don’t trouble yourself.”
“Still, I….”
“It’s fine. Better to turn your concern toward Chae Ju. Some say such gestures are meaningless, but those who have received another’s heart do not fall so easily.”
At Mu Hun’s words, Han Cho nodded, his expression touched.
“Yes! I’ll do just that! Thank you so much!”
As apologies and thanks continued to flow, Han Cho suddenly remembered something and asked Mu Hun.
“If I may be so bold, might I ask your names? You’re to be our benefactors, and I feel I should know them, lest I shame myself through ignorance.”
Faced with the sudden question, Mu Hun gazed at Han Cho’s face for a moment.
Dokgo Hyun, riding alongside him, watched this and spoke first.
“What, names are fine to share, aren’t they? I’m…”
“This gentleman goes by Hyun,” Mu Hun said, cutting off Dokgo Hyun’s words.
At this, Dokgo Hyun narrowed his brows slightly, his mouth opening as if to say something, but after a moment’s deliberation, he folded his arms and settled back against the carriage.
He realized well enough that even at the very least, giving a family name to a mountain stronghold of an evil sect like Nokrim was careless.
“The man you’re speaking with now goes by Lyung. And I am called Mu Hun.”
“I see, then! Master Mu Hun and Master Hyun! And Master Lyung! Should I address you so?”
“Yes, we’d be grateful if you would,” Mu Hun said.
Han Cho repeated their names in his mouth, then stepped forward once more to guide the way.
And as the moon hung bright and round in the late evening sky—
the party finally arrived at Sureophae, which took the form of a small village.
Descending from the carriage, Mu Hun beheld the hunting base and let out a small exclamation.
“Oh.”
Most ordinary mountain strongholds had only roughly built wooden houses and what amounted to armories that seemed untended, scattered sparsely about.
But Sureophae truly resembled an ordinary village—with charming thatched cottages and fields that bore the care of farmers throughout.
And with the verdant green peculiar to mountain villages hanging like a canopy overhead, it was quite picturesque indeed.

It felt quite distant from the name Nokrim.
“Indeed… though it bears the name of a mountain stronghold, it’s no different from an ordinary village.”
Dokgo Hyun nodded as well, agreeing with Mu Hun’s assessment.
“Right, I’ve lived near places like this before. It’s been ages since I’ve seen anything like it.”
Han Cho, seeming satisfied with their reaction, nodded with a proud expression.
“Exactly. I dare say Sureophae is the most peaceful mountain stronghold in the realm!”
Han Cho’s face, radiant with pride as he introduced Sureophae, soon clouded over.
“If things continue as they are, that peace may not last much longer… but it’s all right! Because you’ve come to help us!”
Han Cho clenched his fists tightly and nodded, then hesitated and turned back to Mu Hun.
“But sir… I know it would be proper to show you lodgings first given the late hour, and yet… might I ask….”
“Yes.”
Mu Hun nodded, meeting Han Cho’s hopeful gaze.
“A person’s life is naturally more important than our rest. Please take us to Chae Ju first. I need to verify that this is the poison I think it is.”
“Yes, yes! Thank you so much! I’ll take you there at once!”
Han Cho, his face flushed with excitement, sent his friends back to their homes and then led Mu Hun’s party to Chae Ju’s house.
As they walked, Han Cho never ceased singing Chae Ju’s praises.
While this certainly reflected his own deep respect for Chae Ju, it was also meant to plant a favorable impression of him in the minds of those who had come to help.
And it was working.
After all, even if Han Cho had known Chae Ju since childhood, such earnest praise would be unthinkable if the man weren’t genuinely good-hearted.
Especially coming from a fifteen-year-old boy whose words were more often guided by emotion than reason.
As Mu Hun was forming his impression of Sureophae’s leader, a man suddenly emerged from an alley near Chae Ju’s house.
“Huh?”
“Oh? Cho, is that you?”
The man had a clean-shaven jaw that, together with his thick brows and tightly bound hair, gave him a rugged yet neat appearance.
When their eyes met, Han Cho’s expression brightened with recognition.
“Brother Song! You’re still awake at this hour?”
“Don’t call me that! What does it sound like, treating me like a packhorse! You’re one of Sureophae now—call me big brother!”
“Heh, it’s hard for it to stick on my tongue, I’m afraid.”
“Ah, you cheeky little….”
The man called Brother Song spoke irritably, yet his expression held the same warmth as Han Cho’s greeting.
“But what brings you here at this hour? And who are these people?”
The man, having exchanged pleasantries with Han Cho, regarded Mu Hun’s party with an odd expression.
Mu Hun could detect a clear wariness in that gaze.
Whether Han Cho noticed or not, he answered cheerfully.
“Oh, these are the people I’ve brought!”
“Brought them?”
“Yes!”
Han Cho made no attempt to hide his excitement.
“They think they might be able to detoxify the poison affecting Master Chae Ju! They said they needed to see it directly to be certain, so I brought them.”
“Wait, what?”
The man’s eyes widened in shock at Han Cho’s words.
Then his gaze turned toward Mu Hun.
This time, his look was unmistakably hostile.
“Hoo….”
The man let out a deep sigh and turned back to Han Cho.
“Cho, you go home now.”
“Huh? But…?”
“Didn’t you hear me? Go on home.”
“But… but I need to guide these people to Master Chae Ju….”
“You fool! How do you know what these bastards mean to do to our master?”
Han Cho started at the man’s sharp rebuke.
“W-what do you mean?”
The man furrowed his brow at Han Cho’s question.
“You must have described the poison’s symptoms to them and asked about the cure, right?”
“Yes, yes, I did.”
“Then once they’ve told you how to treat it, that’s the end of it. Why would they need to come all the way here?”
“Because… they said they needed to see it directly to be certain it’s the poison they know….”
“How can you trust that? Are they physicians? Judging by their Internal Power, that tall one looks like someone of importance, and the others seem like guards. You really think that young fellow is a physician of such caliber?”
The man turned his head to regard Mu Hun’s party once more.
“There might be guards attending a physician, but two of this level? That makes no sense.”
It wasn’t an unreasonable conclusion.
Mu Hun’s bodyguard, Dokgo Hyun, was first-rate, approaching Peak Realm mastery, and Ryeong, as the Jegeol Family head’s protector, was a martial master well beyond Peak Realm.
Unless one were a figure of considerable status, it would be impossible for a physician’s profession and income to afford bodyguards of this caliber.
“Even if they were physicians, there’s no way they could neutralize that poison.”
“Yes, yes? Why not?”
“Why? Obviously because—they don’t even look like they’ve brought any decent medicinal herbs. How could they possibly detoxify anything with only what’s here?”
The man twisted his expression into one of contempt.
“It’s likely the Jeongpa dogs. They heard that Chae Ju had been poisoned and came to finish the job properly.”
Han Cho’s eyes flickered at the venom in the man’s voice.
In contrast, Dokgo Hyun’s expression betrayed irritation.
“What, we come all this way to help and now you’re—”
Mu Hun cut off Dokgo Hyun’s mounting frustration with a quiet word.
“Wait. Hold on. He’s not entirely wrong.”
“What?”
“His logic is sound. And as I listen, there’s something odd about this whole situation.”
What could possibly be odd?
Dokgo Hyun didn’t understand, but he held his tongue.
Mu Hun was, after all, his lifesaver, and he trusted the man’s perceptiveness.
As Dokgo Hyun settled into silence, Han Cho spoke up in a measured tone.
“But still… you kept telling me not to trust people easily, and now you’re saying you aren’t like that…”
“You brought them here just on that word? Unbelievable.”
The man fixed Han Cho with an exasperated look.
“Anyway, go on. Head back for now. I’ll handle these two.”
“Yes? But—”
“No buts!”
The man turned his ire back on Han Cho.
“Go. Now. We’ll talk about this later.”
Faced with the man’s firm tone, Han Cho hesitated briefly before nodding slowly.
“Understood… You be careful too.”
“Fine.”
Following the man’s words, Han Cho turned to leave for home but found himself meeting Mu Hun’s gaze.
Fresh from hearing the man’s accusations, he couldn’t quite bring himself to speak to Mu Hun, yet his eyes betrayed both apology and lingering doubt.
Mu Hun smiled gently and nodded.
“Go on, Han Cho. Best you head back as he says.”
“I… that is…”
“It’s all right. Obeying a superior’s command is hardly unreasonable.”
Mu Hun turned his attention back to the man.
“And his logic isn’t flawed. We simply need to prove that it doesn’t match the facts.”
Reassured by Mu Hun’s words, Han Cho nodded lightly and hurried off.
The man watched silently as Han Cho grew distant, then turned his gaze back to Mu Hun’s party.
“So you’re willing to wait for this nonsense? You must be Jeongpa dogs after all. Aren’t you?”
Mu Hun made no denial and simply nodded.
“That is so. I am Mu Hun. This is Hyun, and that is Ryeong. We would be grateful if you addressed us by these names.”
“I didn’t ask your names. I’m not interested.”
The man eyed Mu Hun’s group with an aggressive air.
Mu Hun took no offense and continued.
“Ha. I offered my name out of curiosity regarding yours. Might I have the honor of yours?”
“I don’t have one.”
The man’s guard remained raised as he placed a hand on the sword at his back.
“And I don’t intend to let any of you go further.”
The man drew his blade and channeled his True Qi.
At this, both Dokgo Hyun and Ryeong stepped forward, their hands moving to their sword hilts.
Yet Mu Hun raised a hand to stop them and addressed the man instead.
“We have not come to harm the master of Sureophae. We came to cure him of his poison.”
“You lot always talk prettily. The problem is, that’s all you ever do.”
There seemed no room for dialogue with this man.
It was hardly surprising.
In this day and age, the idea of Jeongpa and heterodox sects working together was unimaginable.
Yet this wasn’t born from some deep mutual resentment—rather, it was a perception that had grown from so long a period of mutual indifference.
And Mu Hun had experience resolving such gaps in understanding, having done so alongside Seo Ryong after he became leader of the sect.
The martial artists of the heterodox sects, if not all of them, shared remarkably similar philosophies.
Because of this, the methods to win their trust were largely the same as well.
“How might I prove this to you?”
“Hm?”
“I mean to ask: what would it take for the great hero to believe my words?”
The way to open the hearts of the heterodox sects.
Quite simply, it was showing them through action, not words.
At Mu Hun’s question, something flickered across the man’s eyes.
“…That is….”
The man was caught off guard by this unexpected turn.
The two guards standing beside Mu Hun were clearly stronger than he was.
And yet the man had summoned his True Qi—not to fight, but to cry out loudly and alert everyone remaining in Sureophae of the current situation.
If he did that, even if he fell here, the other bandits in Nokrim who heard the call would come to stop them.
To attempt negotiation in this manner—that was something he hadn’t anticipated.
And to ask how he could be made to believe? That was unprecedented.
The man, silent for a moment in thought, let out a low chuckle.
“I could make you kneel… no, that’s no fun.”
The man looked Mu Hun over with his eyes, then continued.
“You haven’t learned martial arts, have you?”
“That is correct.”
“Then here’s what we’ll do. If you’ve truly come to cure Chae Ju’s poison, I’ll guide you there myself.”
“Ah, if you would do that….”
“But.”
The man raised his saber, pointing it at Dokgo Hyun and his companion.
“Without them. Just you and me. The two of us will go to Chae Ju alone. If we do that, well, I suppose I could believe what you say.”
“Ha!”
Dokgo Hyun, hearing this, burst out with an incredulous laugh.
Mu Hun, who hadn’t even learned martial arts, was going to enter the place where their Chae Ju was kept—alone with a bandit?
It was nothing short of madness, a act of suicide that couldn’t be accepted.
It was clear the man had asked precisely because he expected refusal.
“Listen, enough of this nonsense. Let’s just….”
“I accept.”
But Mu Hun’s answer was something no one present had foreseen.
“What?”
The man asked Mu Hun to repeat himself, as though he hadn’t heard correctly.
“Let us go together. You and I. Just the two of us.”
Yet Mu Hun gave the same answer again, without the slightest tremor of doubt.

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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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