The Fortunate Sword God of the Zhuge Clan - Chapter 21

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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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Episode 21.
“…Hah.”
Song Chil’s expression eased, and he exhaled with a look of utter disbelief.
He seemed taken aback by how absurd the accusation was.
“Stop spouting nonsense. I’m the vice-leader of Suryeop Chaek. I’ve stood alongside the leader for nearly ten years. And you’re telling me I committed betrayal against him?”
Song Chil threw the question back at Moo Hyun as if asking whether it made any sense.
Certainly, for someone who had built up a Mountain Stronghold together with another for ten years to betray that superior was not something that could be explained with a single word.
But Moo Hyun’s response was different.
“That very statement makes it all the clearer, sir.”
“What?”
“When you’re accused of betraying the leader you’ve served loyally for ten years—a span long enough for mountains to change—your first response isn’t anger. It’s denial about the logic itself.”
At Moo Hyun’s words, Song Chil’s brow twitched.
“You’re twisting things. If anything, that long history is precisely why this is absurd. But what would you know?”
Song Chil was not a man easily shaken.
Moo Hyun smiled thinly at the sight.
“Your composure seems excessive, sir.”
“What?”
“As a disciple of the Orthodox Sect, one of the Five Great Houses, I dare to question the integrity of Song, the great master. Yet you respond calmly without even drawing your blade. That is not typical.”
“I already told you—this whole premise is absurd. That’s all.”
“But even as I continue to speak this way, you do not lose your temper.”
“I simply missed the moment for it.”
“Emotional anger is fleeting, but insult—that is repaid on its own schedule. Whether in the Nok Rim or in an Orthodox Sect—any martial artist living in this age knows this.”
Song Chil did not grow angry even at Moo Hyun’s words.
Instead, he asked with a suspicious look.
“…Have you lost your mind? You’re provoking me in this situation? I could kill you before you even notice. There’s no guard here to protect you.”
Moo Hyun did not deny it and nodded.
“But you won’t.”
Song Chil’s expression twisted with irritation.
“If you want it so badly, shall I cut you down right now?”
Moo Hyun shook his head.
“You cannot.”
“What? Ah, hah-hah-hah, I see. You’re banking on the Jegal Clan.”
Song Chil bared his teeth with amusement.
“The Jegal Clan? Frightening, certainly. But know what’s more frightening? Law moves faster than the sword. Do you understand?”
“The Jegal Clan’s revenge that would follow Suryeop Chaek—you weren’t thinking of that at all, were you, sir?”
“You were the first to spit out insults. If I simply let you leave, even your father wouldn’t fault me.”
“If what I’m about to tell you is a lie, that much would be true.”
Despite the cold threat, Moo Hyun did not flinch.
“However, the reason I’m speaking this way isn’t solely because I trust my main house.
“What, then?”
“Isn’t it because I can draw the Poison Neutralization Jinseok that you’ll need to take me with you?”
At those words, Song Chil’s expression turned cold as never before.
“…What are you saying? Take you where?”
Moo Hyun seemed satisfied by the reaction and nodded.
“Now your expression shows something, and we can have a real conversation.”
“Answer me. What are you talking about?”
“What am I saying… well, if I give you only the conclusion, you won’t understand. So I’ll explain from the beginning.”
Moo Hyun began his explanation with a confident voice.
“From the moment I met Han Cho, something was wrong. It’s not unusual to send the youngest on toll collection, but sending him when you ask the leader about the poison he’s been poisoned by—that is strange.”
“Don’t drag this out.”
“If I’m to convince Song, the great master, of what I’m about to say, I must explain. If you keep cutting me off, the story will only grow longer.”
Song Chil made no effort to hide his displeasure.
However, he made no move to interrupt further, so Moo Hyun continued.
“Moreover, Han Cho showed himself to be ignorant of the Nok Rim Way. If he came under orders, he should know the basic posture a member of Nok Rim must maintain. I mean the way one conducts oneself assertively.”
“…What does that matter? Han Cho might have gone of his own accord.”
Moo Hyun shook his head.
“No. Han Cho definitely came under orders.”
“What?”
“The Nok Rim fundamentally does not empty a Mountain Stronghold it claims. That is something taught from the moment one enters a Stronghold, regardless of rank. Han Cho would never be ignorant of this.”
It was a matter of course.
Nok Rim are fundamentally bandits, and bandits plunder.
And because what they seize belongs to others, they believe anyone might seize it from them in turn.
This is why Nok Rim never leaves their stronghold undefended.
“If that’s so, then there was someone capable of issuing orders to the stronghold—yet you deliberately sent Han Cho on this intelligence gathering, without even explaining the method properly.”
Moo Hyun nodded slowly.
“Why would you do such a thing? It’s simple if we say the Stronghold Master wanted to buy time—to delay until he died. But if that’s the case, wouldn’t that person be guilty of betrayal?”
Moo Hyun raised his hand with deliberate courtesy, pointing toward Song Chil.
“By curious coincidence, when we arrived, the one we encountered was Song the Great Martial Artist, coming from the direction of the Stronghold Master’s residence.”
Song Chil’s brow furrowed slightly in frustration.
“Nonsense. Three others remained besides me. And besides, that doesn’t answer my question.”
Moo Hyun burst into open laughter.
“If the four of you were in league, wouldn’t that make it possible?”
……
Song Chil’s expression hardened.
“Nok Rim does use poison, though mainly derived from natural substances found in the mountains. Poison of such virulence is difficult to obtain—especially near Sichuan, where the Dang Clan controls the poison trade.”
Moo Hyun continued his explanation without hesitation.
“Then we might consider it this way: a large organization capable of procuring or manufacturing such deadly poison has infiltrated Suryeop Chaek. Why? There are several possibilities—to check Nok Rim from below, because Stronghold Master Jang is a formidable figure, to test the poison, and so forth.”
Moo Hyun offered these examples as mere speculation, yet he was certain every word was true.
Indeed, a flicker of alarm crossed Song Chil’s eyes.
“And if such a vast organization exists, they would have no reason to spare manpower—they wouldn’t send only one. By your account, there would be four.”
Moo Hyun smiled thinly and continued.
“This is mere conjecture, but in my hometown of Hubei Wuhan, I once encountered a team of four assassins in black masks. Could there be a connection, perhaps?”
Moo Hyun extended his hand to Song Chil once more and posed the question.
“What say you, Song the Great Martial Artist? Do you have any connection to this organization?”
At Moo Hyun’s words, Song Chil stared at him intently for a moment, then slowly closed his eyes and nodded.
“Jegal… Moo Hyun, you said? Very well. I’ll deny it no longer. You’re right.”
Song Chil opened his eyes slowly, studying Moo Hyun with renewed intensity.
The anger and irritation had vanished, yet this made his gaze all the sharper.
“For one so young in appearance—no, younger than most—you show remarkable wisdom. And the skill to craft Jinseok at that. I’d intended to watch you fail and cast you out, but I’ve misjudged you entirely.”
“You honor me too much—I scarcely know what to do with such praise.”
“But for that very reason, I cannot simply let you go.”
Moo Hyun regarded Song Chil with an impassive expression.
“You never intended to, did you?”
“Right. As you’ve guessed, that poison is a new toxin we’re still developing. But you neutralized it before it was even complete—something we never anticipated. And yet….”
Song Chil paused, as if even now the absurdity of it left him speechless.
“Given the circumstances, I’ll have to take you with me and find a way to counter that Jinseok of yours. All the more so if you’ve had contact with our organization.”
At Song Chil’s blunt declaration that he would abduct him, Moo Hyun quietly glanced toward where Jang Seung Hou lay.
“Didn’t you say he’d wake after a quarter hour had passed? Unfortunately, less than that has elapsed.”
Song Chil continued with a calm tone, intent on crushing Moo Hyun’s hope.
“And do you truly believe a man who’s been bedridden for half a month will be in his right mind when he wakes?”
Moo Hyun answered with an even voice.
“What manner of person was Stronghold Master Jang to you?”
At this sudden question, Song Chil tilted his head slightly.
“…Why do you ask such a thing out of nowhere?”
“You spent ten years together, and yet I wonder if you felt nothing when you betrayed him.”
At Moo Hyun’s words, Song Chil let out a bitter laugh.
“You’re truly a righteous one, aren’t you?”
Though the mockery in that laugh was unmistakable, Moo Hyun showed no sign of displeasure.
He had never expected otherwise, after all.
“Fine. I’ll answer that much, at least.”
Unaware of this, Song Chil looked down at Jang Seung Hou and answered Moo Hyun’s question.
“Jang Seung Hou—this wretch poured every gain he made into Suryeop Chaek, a village with a ridiculous name. For all his decent skill, he was a coward who never even attempted to challenge his way into the Nok Rim Seventy-Two Chaeks.”
“Yet with that very skill, he sustains an entire village.”
“Wouldn’t it be more efficient to use that skill to elevate Suryeop Chaek’s standing?”
This was a matter of seeing only one side while missing the other.
The Nok Rim Seventy-Two Chaeks—the title given to the seventy-two strongest strongholds in Nok Rim.
How much blood would flow along the path to that rank?
‘These are not men who concern themselves with bloodshed, that much is certain.’
Moo Hyun nodded quietly to himself.
“Ten years ago, when this fool became a candidate for betrayal, I endured no small hardship flattering him until the poison was complete. But that ordeal ends now.”
“The end? But the Sanch’ae Master’s poison has been neutralized. What do you mean by that?”
“I’ve gathered all the information I need about the poison. With you in tow as well, the gain far outweighs any loss.”
Song Chil looked down at Jang Seung Hou with an expressionless face.
“I’ll kill this fool where he lies and be on my way.”
His voice carried no emotion whatsoever—a death sentence pronounced.
“…Very well.”
“Good. So don’t waste any more time. I mean to dispatch this quickly before he wakes, then take you with me.”
Song Chil drew his blade and stepped forward, positioning himself over the recumbent Jang Seung Hou, beside Moo Hyun.
One downward strike would end it all.
“Song Dae-hyeop, are you not curious?”
In that instant, Moo Hyun posed another question to Song Chil.
“Mm?”
“From the beginning, I suspected you had connections to that organization. Yet I accepted your condition to come here alone with you. What do you suppose my reason was?”
Song Chil tried to dismiss the words, but something about them wouldn’t sit right.
True, he had no way of knowing the Huk Sa’s true nature, but if he’d sensed they were a considerable force, there was no benefit to Moo Hyun getting entangled with them—powerless as he was.
And yet Moo Hyun had walked into Jang Seung Hou’s quarters with him alone.
Despite knowing full well that such a choice could lead nowhere good.
The Moo Hyun that Song Chil knew was no fool.
‘…Is he hiding something? A move I haven’t anticipated?’
That thought alone made Song Chil’s eyes flicker toward Moo Hyun—almost against his will.
It was a killer’s habit, honed through a lifetime of wariness.
And it was precisely the opening Moo Hyun had been waiting for.
Whoosh—
“?!”
Something shot forth from the ground with a sound that split the silence.
“!!”
Song Chil’s instincts screamed that this was Moo Hyun’s hidden stratagem.
Yet nothing happened to him.
That’s why Song Chil’s voice carried a note of confusion. “What did you just do?”
“I’ve returned the debt for your sins, Song Dae-hyeop.”
“What?”
Moo Hyun’s voice turned cold. He pointed a finger toward the ground.
Following that gesture with widening eyes, Song Chil’s gaze fell upon what lay there: a Muk Rim An Tae leaf—the very one that had absorbed Jang Seung Hou’s poison, now drained and empty.
A Pangwan Brush was wedged into one of its veins.
And in that moment, Song Chil perceived the shift.
‘…! The color…!’
The leaf that had been dark crimson with absorbed poison was now hollow and drained.
Only after seeing his own name written faintly beneath it could Song Chil finally understand what that sound had been.
‘Cheonhyang Gorak!’
By some principle he couldn’t fathom, Moo Hyun had vaporized the Cheonhyang Gorak poison sealed within that Jinseok and fired it straight at him.
‘This bastard…!’
Song Chil’s grip on his blade tightened, fury coursing through him.
Or tried to.
Clang—
The blade slipped from his fingers. Song Chil realized then, with a shock that numbed his mind, what was happening.
‘The toxin’s speed… is this fast?’
He’d inhaled vapor—poisoning should have been slow, gradual. But Cheonhyang Gorak working this quickly?
“Wh… what… what’s…?!”
His voice broke with desperation as Moo Hyun tilted his head slightly.
“You inhaled all at once what had been condensed and concentrated within the Sanch’ae Master’s body. That’s half a month’s worth—taken in a single breath.”
“!!”
Moo Hyun’s speech had shifted to informal, but Song Chil was too consumed by shock and the poison’s inexorable spread to notice such things.
Moo Hyun examined the Muk Rim An Tae leaf with deliberate care as he continued.
“A tree, by nature, drinks in the earth’s nourishment in spring and sends forth shoots. In summer it wears its verdant crown. In autumn it displays leaves turned red. And in winter…”
Thump—
Song Chil’s legs gave way. He collapsed forward, unable to support his own weight.
“…in winter, those crimson leaves fall to the ground. But when a tree of Jinseok sheds its leaves, where do they fall to?”
Song Chil’s eyes rolled toward the leaf bearing his name, as if in answer.
Moo Hyun nodded slowly, meeting that gaze.

“You see how it works. The moment someone whose name is written on a leaf comes within a pace of me, the leaf—the poison—transfers to them automatically. Originally, the Dang Clan researchers who studied the Cheonhyang Gorak would distribute themselves to receive it and neutralize it. But….”
Moo Hyun looked down at Song Chil, now sprawled on the ground, his expression devoid of even pity.
“You didn’t know the antidote, and you received it without distributing yourself among multiple people. This is the result.”
“You… cough!”
Song Chil stared up at Moo Hyun, his eyes burning with resentment.
How Moo Hyun knew the name Cheonhyang Gorak—something he’d never been taught—no longer mattered.
All that filled Song Chil was injustice, nothing else.
“There’s no need to look at me that way. Everything in this world has a price, doesn’t it? I have nothing more to say to you.”
Moo Hyun, reading that expression, pronounced Song Chil’s sentence in an even voice.
“Shinbaek Ki Jeen, Thirty-Eight. Muk Rim An Tae, Winter. These are the names of the Jinseok that will take your life. I’ll grant you that much knowledge.”

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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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