The Fortunate Sword God of the Zhuge Clan - Chapter 24

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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 24.
Mu Heun held the stone that had failed to become a Yeongseok and turned to look at Jang Seung Hu.
“Master, might I take this stone with me?”
Jang Seung Hu replied as if surprised.
“So you’ve taken a fancy to viewing stones? A rather refined hobby, I must say. Very well. For me, it’s nothing but a keepsake anyway.”
Though Mu Heun had been mistaken for someone with a hobby of collecting stones, he made no effort to correct the misunderstanding.
After all, it was true enough that without knowing how to work with Jinsik, a stone was merely a stone.
“Thank you. I shall treasure it.”
“It’s not unpleasant to hear such gratitude from one whose life I’ve saved.”
Jang Seung Hu smiled broadly at Mu Heun’s thanks.
He then settled into a seat, his expression growing weary.
“Blast it, to feel this exhausted from so little exertion. I’ve begun to feel like some eighty-year-old codger.”
At Jang Seung Hu’s words, Mu Heun allowed himself a light laugh.
“That is not the case. It has been scarcely any time since you detoxified the extreme poison. The very fact that you can move about at all speaks to remarkable vitality.”
“Hah, spare me the flattery.”
Seated as he was, Jang Seung Hu smiled with confidence.
The expression seemed natural enough that a stranger might have taken him for perfectly sound, yet Mu Heun knew better than anyone that Jang Seung Hu’s condition was far from normal.
Still, no matter how great a benefactor to one’s life he might be, it was not easy for one in Jang Seung Hu’s position to show weakness.
It was less stubbornness than habit—the practiced facade of strength.
Understanding this, Mu Heun offered a brief farewell.
“Well then, I find my body rather fatigued and should rest. As for Song Chil’s body….”
“There’s no need for you to trouble yourself. Rest for a while, and I shall attend to it myself.”
A fleeting shadow of melancholy crossed Jang Seung Hu’s expression.
“After all, ten years is no small bond. It’s only fitting that I do that much.”
Mu Heun studied Jang Seung Hu’s face for a moment, then nodded with a slight upturn of his lips.
“Then I shall withdraw.”
“Will you depart at first light?”
“Yes, that would be best. I’ve already delayed longer than I should wish to.”
“There’s no need to apologize for that. Stay a few more days—take some meals with us before you go.”
Mu Heun declined Jang Seung Hu’s offer with measured courtesy.
“I am grateful for the invitation, but we have a schedule that demands our attention. The truth is, we have already fallen somewhat behind. I trust you understand the necessity of moving swiftly.”
At Mu Heun’s words, Jang Seung Hu’s expression fell with disappointment.
“Then so be it. I cannot detain busy men. It’s a shame, truly.”
“Should the opportunity arise in the future, I shall certainly visit again.”
“Hmm, do that. By then, I imagine things will be quite different from now.”
To Jang Seung Hu’s words, Mu Heun nodded emphatically in agreement.
“I look forward to that day.”
A brief laugh and a light greeting—it was enough.
Both Jang Seung Hu and the weary Mu Heun, whose body remained fragile, saw no need for further words, and so the night’s events came to their close.
“Ah.”
Stepping out into the corridor, Mu Heun came upon Dok Go Hyeon and Ryeong, who had been waiting for him.
“It seems everything has gone precisely as planned. Remarkable, no matter how many times I witness it.”
Mu Heun nodded at Dok Go Hyeon’s words.
“I trust you two encountered no difficulties?”
“Hah, of course not. We dealt with it cleanly. Isn’t that right, old friend?”
“Indeed. As you specified, there were three remaining. All have been dealt with.”
“Excellent. My thanks to you both.”
Mu Heun bowed his head in gratitude to the two men.
Come morning, when he shared this news with Jang Seung Hu, the master would surely be even more pleased.
It was with this thought that Mu Heun smiled, until he caught sight of Dok Go Hyeon’s expression and spoke with a note of curiosity.
“Dok Go, has something fortuitous befallen you?”
“Eh? What? Does it show so plainly?”
“Your lips are curled up so wide they nearly reach your ears. How could I not notice?”
“Hah, is it so? Truth be told, I’ve agreed to receive instruction from Ryeong here.”
“Oh!”
At Dok Go Hyeon’s words, Mu Heun turned to regard Ryeong with evident interest.
“Master Ryeong, is this true?”
Ryeong simply nodded quietly.
“It is.”
“Ah, my congratulations, Dok Go! To receive not mere sparring but genuine instruction from a martial master of Ryeong’s caliber—the perfection of the Dok Go Gugeom draws near indeed!”
“Heh, come on, why the theatrics? We haven’t even started yet.”
Even as he spoke, the anticipation blazing in Dok Go Hyeon’s eyes was impossible to conceal.
Mu Heun deliberately avoided extinguishing that fire, turning his gaze quietly toward Ryeong.
Ryeong, meeting Mu Heun’s eyes, gave a subtle nod of acknowledgment.
‘Ryeong’s training.’
From Dok Go Hyeon’s reaction, it appeared Ryeong hadn’t disclosed the details, but Mu Heun understood well enough.
Many had received instruction from Ryeong over the years, yet only two had ever endured it to the end.
The rest were left so shattered they could no longer live as martial artists.
‘Whether Dok Go can survive that crucible.’
He felt the weight of concern, yet once both men had decided, there was no point in Mu Heun interfering.
Not that he wished for Dok Go Hyeon to break and become useless.
But if Dok Go Hyeon himself had resolved to take his revenge against Heuksawi, then the training to perfect the Dok Go Gugeom was inevitable.
Without it, he would surely fall before Heuksawi’s blades.
That was the nature of men like them.
‘Perhaps this is a trial Dok Go must face eventually, one way or another.’
Mu Heun himself understood Pagi-shik well.
Even without Ryeong’s training, Dok Go would ultimately have to overcome some other ordeal of comparable danger to master that technique.
In that sense, this choice was not wrong for him.
Better to release what must be released sooner rather than later.
‘Besides…’
Ryeong’s training was merciless enough to leave one broken and useless, yet the reward for surviving it was equally profound.
The two who had endured Ryeong’s ordeal now served as protectors for other branches of the Five Great Houses.
Not guardians of a household head as Ryeong was, but they had nonetheless become figures of renown in Kangho.
Mu Heun harbored hope that Dok Go Hyeon would rise to that station, and added nothing more about the two men’s training.
“Ah, and there is one more important matter.”
“Hmm? Something important?”
“I’ve learned the name of the group entangled with us—the one Dok Go pursues.”
!!
Dok Go Hyeon’s eyes flashed with savage intensity.
“The name of these cursed bastards? What is it?”
“Heuksawi.”
Mu Heun’s reply came in an equally grave tone.
“Heuksawi… the Black Snake. How perfectly fitting for scum like them.”
Mu Heun regarded Dok Go Hyeon in silence as a bitter smile twisted his face.
“But there is something more crucial still.”
“What?”
“These are no common men. They are assassins of the Imperial Palace.”
At Mu Heun’s words, Dok Go Hyeon stiffened in shock.
Even Ryeong seemed startled, his eyebrows twitching slightly—a rare tell.
“W-what? The Imperial Palace?”
“Indeed. And your goal is to annihilate them. Do you understand what that means?”
Mu Heun’s voice grew heavier as he continued.
“To destroy Heuksawi is to stand against the will of the Throne itself.”
At this, Dok Go Hyeon fell silent, his expression clouding with bewilderment.
The Imperial Palace?
In truth, having lived in the mountains, Dok Go Hyeon knew little of the Imperial Palace.
Yet conversely, even from within those mountains, he had been aware of its existence.
It was different from knowing of martial families.
An entity utterly separate from the martial world, yet one whose will must never be defied.
The ruler of all under Heaven—that was all Dok Go Hyeon knew of the Imperial Palace.
“…So what?”
Yet such things held no weight for Dok Go Hyeon anymore.
“Whether it’s the ruler of Heaven or earth, my entire world was living with my master in the mountains. He died because of me, so why should I care about the Throne or anything else?”
“Mm.”
“Besides, it was they who first violated that Prohibition on Interference, wasn’t it? Then it’s only natural I repay them in kind. I have every right to do so.”
Dok Go Hyeon nodded sharply, his voice rough with conviction.
“Even if I didn’t—it doesn’t matter. They took my world from me, so I’ll take it back from them. That’s all there is to it.”
Hearing this, Mu Heun gave a slow, measured nod.
“I understand.”
“Yes. And even if you’ve grown tired of being entangled with me because of this, I don’t care. You had no reason to begin with, so you can leave right now if you…”
“If we part ways now, wouldn’t that mean you’d lose the chance to receive my training?”
At Mu Heun’s playful tone, Dok Go Hyeon flinched.
“That’s… well, it would be a shame, but it simply wasn’t meant to be. If you got tangled up with someone like me, who’s scheming to turn the Imperial Palace against… I mean, who’s plotting rebellion or something, you’d have nothing to gain.”
Dok Go Hyeon expressed his regret while setting aside his own desires out of consideration for Mu Heun.
At the sight of this, Mu Heun smiled faintly.
“Don’t worry yourself, sir. The training I promised—please pass it on to Dok Go Hyeon here as planned.”
“Huh? That’s… all right?”
At Mu Heun’s directive, Yeong did not answer at once, but paused for a moment.
“…Acting against the Imperial Palace is a separate matter from resolving the Nok Rim situation.”
Mu Heun smiled at Yeong’s words as though it were nothing of consequence.
“When we resolve the Nok Rim matter, will there be any evidence that we knew they were Heuksawi?”
“…There won’t be.”
“And even if Dok Go Hyeon accompanies us, there will be even less evidence that we knew his intentions.”
“…”
Mu Heun’s words were flawless.
Even if the connection to Dok Go Hyeon came to light later, they could simply claim ignorance.
How could a young master of the JeGal Clan, with no prior connection to Dok Go Hyeon, possibly have had such a deep conversation with him?
By the standards of Kangho, it would be difficult to believe.
“Moreover, I have a personal feeling that this connection of ours will not end here.”
“…! What do you mean by that?”
“We’ve endured two attacks within seven days—night and day. Of course, they weren’t aimed at us, but the fact that both were the work of Heuksawi is the problem.”
Mu Heun deliberately paused between his words to heighten the weight of what he was saying.
“The Imperial Palace may be harboring thoughts of extending its reach into Kangho.”
“…Isn’t that quite a leap?”
Dok Go Hyeon spoke as though the idea were absurd, but Yeong’s reaction was different.
Yeong’s eyes widened, and a flicker of something crossed his features.
It was the largest expression of surprise that an otherwise expressionless face like Yeong’s could show.
Mu Heun, catching this, became certain.
‘So Father also considered the possibility that the Imperial Palace might target Kangho.’
Most likely, Yeong had heard this possibility from his father and received some different orders in turn.
‘But he can’t be certain, so he won’t reveal it to everyone. Then… those most in need of preparation first. He’ll be sending something to the Tang household.’
Mu Heun, who had seen through all of JeGal Cheon Seong’s secrets, spoke to Yeong quietly without letting this show.
“So then, aiding Dok Go Hyeon is ultimately work for the martial realm itself, is it not?”
“I… I suppose so?”
Dok Go Hyeon found Mu Heun’s logic too much of a stretch and looked to Yeong.
Yeong looked back and forth between Mu Heun, who was grinning without a care, and Dok Go Hyeon, whose expression was anxious, then closed his eyes briefly before opening them again.
He did not sigh, but he might well have been feeling something close to it.
“…I will follow your orders.”
“…Wait, is that really all right? I’m…”
“If you wish to refuse, you may. But there’s no reason you should, is there?”
At Mu Heun’s words, Dok Go Hyeon fell silent.
He felt a pang of guilt, but he was keenly aware that he himself needed training.
“…Thank you. I’ll do my best.”
“That’s the spirit.”
Dok Go Hyeon bowed in turn to both of them.
Yeong nodded back, and Mu Heun smiled warmly in return.
As it turned out, this was good for Mu Heun as well.
To reveal his intentions to Yeong was, in effect, to reveal them to his father as well.
Mu Heun ultimately needed to prevent war with the Imperial Palace.
War itself would bring too great a cost in suffering.
To prevent that, he had to show, gradually, that Kangho was no easy opponent.
He would chip away at the Imperial Palace’s power, shatter its plans.
In the end, he had to make them think twice before daring to move against Kangho at all.
‘But only little by little, very little by little.’
So that it would not be discovered that Mu Heun knew the future.
So that people would believe this was the will of Kangho itself, not his alone.
To achieve that, he ultimately needed to persuade the hearts of martial masters like JeGal Cheon Seong who bore up the martial realm as it stood now.
Today’s declaration could serve as the beginning of that work.
Mu Heun smiled faintly and allowed himself to feel satisfied.
‘Though that aside…’
Mu Heun fingered the stone he kept tucked in his pack.
‘Why does this Yeongseok emit neither Qi nor fragrance?’
Mu Heun’s ability, Gigyeonbi, was something he’d gained through Regression.
Until now, Yeongyak had guided him with its golden light and sweet scent, while Gwimul revealed itself through crimson radiance and cool fragrance, letting him locate sources of Gigyeonbi.
Yet this stone showed no response whatsoever.
‘It must be one of two things. Either this stone lacks the quality to be classified as Gwimul.’
But Mu Heun had already examined the treasures from Market Street.
Of course, being heirlooms, they carried emotional weight—but viewed objectively, many of them fell short of this stone’s potency.
So the first possibility seemed unlikely.
‘Then perhaps… Gigyeonbi only responds to things capable of bringing genuine strength.’
Mu Heun gave this possibility more credence.
Most of the Gwimul he’d found among heirlooms took weapon-like forms, and Yeongyak—needless to say—was something that enhanced inner cultivation.
If that was the case, then this stone, not yet fully ripened into Yeongseok and thus unable to boost inner cultivation, wouldn’t qualify as Gwimul in Gigyeonbi’s judgment.
‘But then something feels wrong.’
In the end, Gigyeonbi was an ability Mu Heun had gained through Regression.
And the most vital skills he possessed now were two: intellect and Jinsik.
Until he consumed Gongcheong Sukyu, Yeongyak and weapons were essentially useless to him.
Yet the fact that Gigyeonbi ignored things that would help his actual abilities and responded only to these—that struck him as decidedly odd.
‘The Regression itself was accomplished through Chilseong-won’s power, but how did I ever obtain Gigyeonbi?’
He’d assumed it was merely a bonus from Regression, but truthfully, that made no sense.
An ability of this magnitude was just a bonus?
If people learned of Gigyeonbi right now, there’d be no shortage of those willing to commit any atrocity to obtain it.
‘How am I only thinking of this now? Have I been avoiding the question because the ability is so useful?’
Mu Heun pressed on with his thoughts, chiding himself.
Finding an immediate answer would be difficult, but perhaps if he examined the past, he might uncover even some small thread of connection.
Crack—
In that instant, an indescribable headache crashed over Mu Heun.
“Ugh?!”
“What? What’s wrong?”
“Young master?”
Dok Go Hyeon and Ryeong hurried toward him.
Mu Heun raised his hand, gesturing for them to stay calm.
“Ah, it’s nothing. I extended my use of Cheonsan Yeongong a bit too long today—seems I’ve overtaxed myself physically.”
The two of them relaxed slightly at his words, though concern lingered in their eyes.
“You did push yourself pretty hard today. Let’s head back to the carriage soon.”
“Yes, you appear to need rest, young master.”
“I see… yes, quite so.”
Mu Heun nodded and offered a smile, but inside, his mind twisted into knots.
The pain itself hadn’t persisted beyond that moment.
‘I was definitely thinking about Gigyeonbi.’
Right after the sudden headache struck, his interest in Gigyeonbi had vanished entirely.
Had he lacked his Perfect Memory Ability, he would have forgotten what he’d been contemplating altogether.
‘Something… I recalled something. But….’
And when Mu Heun tried to revisit that moment, he found himself in a situation he’d never experienced before.
‘The memory… won’t come.’

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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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