The Fortunate Sword God of the Zhuge Clan - Chapter 3

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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 3.
Mu Hun had always believed he’d built up a respectable body of knowledge over the years.
Yet nowhere in any of his learning had he heard of a scent one could see with one’s own eyes.
Much less one shimmering gold.
And it wasn’t merely the musty smell of earth—this was a scent that made his mouth water.
The golden mist rising from that patch of ground filled him with the illusion that he need only dig there to unearth culinary treasures beyond measure.
‘Indeed, there is no end to learning.’
Today alone, he had witnessed two instances of mysterious phenomena.
This visible scent, and his own regression.
‘If I’m being honest, the regression makes far less sense….’
The regression, at least, had some logic to it—a process he could follow. But this? This defied all reason.
Mu Hun paused, weighing his options.
Part of him burned to dig at once, yet caution demanded he consider the risks.
If this scent was merely a side effect of his regression, a trick of perception—well, he could simply ignore it and move on.
No harm in that.
But what if it portended something dangerous?
Carnivorous plants lured insects with sweet fragrance, after all.
Unlikely as it seemed, something hazardous might well be buried there.
Cough—
Mu Hun coughed lightly and felt the corners of his mouth lift.
‘It seems I haven’t deteriorated to the point of spitting blood yet.’
Not long ago, a single cough had sent torrents of it pouring from his lips.
That was when he truly grasped that his regression was real.
In that moment, he reached his decision.
‘What good is caution when there is so much I must yet accomplish?’
In his first life, everything had been new and terrifying in equal measure.
The judgments cast upon Mu Hun—a man who could not master martial arts—had been harsher than those leveled at other warriors.
A man with nothing but his wits, yet he made errors in judgment?
A single mistake had brought storms of criticism upon his head.
So he had moved through life with deliberate caution, testing every step before crossing.
He intended to do the same in this life.
Yet if he was to achieve different results, he could not simply repeat his old patterns.
Mu Hun approached the Cypress Tree with newfound lightness of spirit.
‘From the strength of the scent, it can’t be buried very deep.’
Besides, he was no dog—if it were deep, he’d never have caught the smell at all.
It seemed shallow enough to excavate without tools.
Mu Hun began clawing at the earth beneath the Cypress Tree with his hands and feet.
‘Yet I’ve never heard of a scent like this before.’
As he drew nearer to the source, the fragrant, mouth-watering aroma and golden mist grew more intense.
Though Mu Hun was not a man of great appetite, he found himself growing hungry.
‘Tomorrow the whole family dines together for the first time in ages. I hope I don’t bolt my food and upset my digestion.’
Already frail as he was, indigestion would leave him bedridden for nearly three weeks.
The thought drew an involuntary, hollow laugh from his lips.
Tap—
His fingertips brushed against something solid.
Hm.
As he brushed away the loose soil, a scent of overwhelming intensity flooded his nostrils.
‘It rivals the stench of week-old compost.’
And the golden mist had grown so thick he could scarcely see beyond it.
Mu Hun narrowed his brow.
‘What on earth produces a fragrance this potent? Let me have a proper look.’
He brushed away more soil, and at last the source revealed itself.
It resembled a sweet potato, yet its color was pale—almost white, like ginseng.
Mu Hun recognized it at once.
“He Shou Wu?”
Even the lower grades of it boasted remarkable effects against graying hair and diminished vitality, and specimens aged ten years or more could dramatically elevate one’s Internal Energy.
In short, it was Spiritual Medicine.
“…This is no ordinary specimen.”
Mu Hun, who had spent his entire life within the Murim League collecting information on every conceivable Spiritual Medicine, knew better than most.
Though he could not fix an exact age, its color and size made one thing certain: this He Shou Wu was at least a hundred years old.
At this level, it would surely have significant effects even on masters of the Peak Realm and beyond—those undeniably transcending human limits.
The moment Mu Hun lifted the He Shou Wu, the fragrance and golden mist that seemed to fill the entire world vanished in an instant.
“Hm.”
Mu Hun let out a soft exclamation at this mysterious phenomenon.
‘If there’s Spiritual Medicine nearby, can I now see and smell its presence?’
It was something that needed verification.
Yet it couldn’t be mere coincidence.
If a hundred-year-old He Shou Wu hadn’t suddenly sprouted in this life, then it must have existed here in the previous life as well.
And yet he had no memory of smelling such a fragrance back then.
Regression had awakened a new ability within him.
‘If it wasn’t simply Regression, but also an awakening of the ability to find Spiritual Medicine…’
Most of his earlier worries might be resolved.
‘…But it’s only speculation for now. Best to set this thought aside.’
Mu Hun shook his head lightly and examined the He Shou Wu before him carefully.
It was certainly a hundred-year-old He Shou Wu, but peculiarly, all its roots had been severed.
It meant someone had deliberately transplanted it from its original growing place to beneath the Cypress Tree of the Jeggal Clan Estate.
At that conclusion, Mu Hun’s expression darkened.
“I suspected as much, but so it really is that He Shou Wu from back then.”
Thanks to the He Shou Wu, it became clearer which point in time he had regressed to.
More than forty years before the Regression.
The time when Mu Hun was eighteen years old.
And this He Shou Wu was the very creature that had brought great trouble upon the Jeggal Clan back then.
‘The Hubei Mok Clan… They really did hide the He Shou Wu away beforehand.’
A noble house located in Hubei like the Jeggal Clan—the Hubei Mok Clan.
Though their martial prowess was considerable, they fell behind the Jeggal Clan in scale and influence, failing to rank among the Five Great Clans.
This hundred-year He Shou Wu was one of the family treasures the Mok Clan had cultivated over a long period.
At a regular gathering between the Mok Clan and the Jeggal Clan, the Mok Clan claimed the hundred-year He Shou Wu had vanished and sought the Jeggal Clan’s aid.
Yet somehow, that hundred-year He Shou Wu was discovered inside the Jeggal Clan.
‘It was an absurd affair.’
Naturally, the Jeggal Clan denied the accusation.
They hadn’t done it, so denial was only proper.
But due to circumstances that made the Jeggal Clan appear guilty beyond doubt, no one believed their words.
The clan’s prestige suffered greatly, and they nearly lost their place among the Five Great Clans to the Mok Clan.
It was only because the then-Patriarch of the Jeggal Clan—his father—personally slew three masters of the Sapha that disaster was averted.
Even after that remarkable display, the world’s gaze upon the Jeggal Clan remained cold for some time.
The resentment he felt back then, lying in his room reading only books, remained vivid.
‘But now it rests in my hands.’
The Mu Hun of those days had possessed far less knowledge, experience, and confidence than he did now.
But the Mu Hun of today was different.
From the age of twenty-three when he entered the Murim League to fifty-eight when he chose to dedicate his existence to it.
Over thirty-five years, he had witnessed every manner of human nature and factional strife.
Compared to that time when he could only panic, he was now a different person in all but form.
‘If I were to dispose of this on my own, the matter might never come to light…’
But Mu Hun had no intention of doing so.
From the moment the Mok Clan buried the He Shou Wu beneath the Jeggal Clan’s Cypress Tree, this had been a matter between families.
The Mok Clan was the first to strike.
And if they had struck first, they deserved an answer in kind.
An eye for an eye, a tooth for a tooth.
Childish though it may seem, it was the natural law, the very mechanism that turned the Martial World.
‘Moreover… if I handle this matter properly, I might gain freedom to traverse the Martial World far sooner than expected.’
The hundred-year He Shou Wu was useless to him now anyway, having no Dantian.
But if he resolved this well, his father would surely consider granting him a fitting reward.
‘There’s no reason to hesitate.’
Mu Hun took up the He Shou Wu and sat on the threshold, beginning to scheme how to counter the Mok Clan’s treachery.
A simple counter-strike would not suffice.
It had to be a brilliant riposte—one that would completely overturn how both the Mok Clan and the Jeggal Clan perceived Mu Hun.
‘The one who discovered it back then was an elder of the Mok Clan.’
That bewildered expression he had feigned remained clear in his mind’s eye.
‘I’m curious. This time, it won’t be an act.’
Would his true expression be the same?
Imagining that expression, his lips curved upward of their own accord.
***
“…Mu Hun, has your condition worsened?”
“Pardon?”
Mu Hun, who had been sitting absently at the table, startled at his father Jeggal Cheon Sung’s words and let out a foolish sound.
“I asked whether your condition has grown worse.”
At the worry in his father’s eyes, Mu Hun managed an awkward smile.
“Ah… no, Father. I’m quite well. If anything, I’ve improved. Ha.”
“That’s fortunate. You were eating so slowly that I wondered if you might be suffering from indigestion.”
His brother Jeggal Mu Young echoed their father’s concern.
“Yes, you’ve never been a hearty eater, but today was especially slow. You seemed lost in thought too. Tell us at once if anything pains you.”
“I’m grateful for your worry, brother. But I truly am fine.”
Mu Hun smiled at Mu Young and began reaching for side dishes at a quicker pace.
His claim of improvement was no lie.
Just a few hours ago, he would cough up blood with every breath.
Certainly the pain from the Severed Meridian Illness lingered, yet by his reckoning, he felt as though he might float away.
‘It’s simply been so long since I’ve seen them.’
The three of them shared a meal at the table together.
For his father and brother, this was like yesterday; for Mu Hun, it was not.
It was his first meal with them in thirty-nine years.
When he took his seat at his appointed place, he had struggled to hold back tears.
Though Mu Hun was not ordinarily a sentimental man.
Unaware of the youngest son’s heart, the father and brother watched his slow chopstick movements with concerned eyes.
“Mu Young is right. Don’t think yourself a burden—if you feel unwell, tell us without fail.”
Mu Hun nodded with a broad smile.
“I shall certainly do so.”
“Good. That settles it.”
Only after seeing that expression did Jeggal Cheon Sung feel some ease, and he resumed his meal.
Mu Young too seemed relieved, and he picked up his chopsticks once more.
He was already a quick eater by nature, but the brief pause had only quickened his pace further.
Jeggal Cheon Sung, observing this quietly, gave a small cough.
“Mu Young, you’ll give yourself indigestion at that rate.”
Mu Young, his mouth stuffed full, flinched.
“Mm-mmph, ah-mm-um er-ah uh-mm-eek.”
“Chew and then speak. Chew.”
Gulp—
“Father startled me so I nearly choked.”
At Mu Young’s playful expression, Jeggal Cheon Sung let out a small sigh.
“Mu Young, I’m glad you’re in good health. I won’t demand ceremony among family at meals.”
Jeggal Cheon Sung picked up the greens he favored, speaking at a measured pace.
“But as the Young Master of the Jeggal Clan, you ought to maintain some dignity. Will you behave the same way when the Mok Clan visits in two days?”
At his father’s words, Mu Young scratched his head with an embarrassed look.
Mu Hun simply watched the exchange between father and brother with contentment.
‘How long has it been since I’ve seen such a sight?’
His spirited brother and his father, who demanded the proper dignity.
This was a scene he saw every day before Father passed.
Back then, he hadn’t known how precious such moments were.
It was foolish to only cherish this scene after losing it.
‘So… I will not lose it again in this life.’
Mu Hun moved his chopsticks with quiet resolve.
He couldn’t afford to lose himself in sentiment and worry his family.
‘But then, the Mok Clan visits in two days.’
It was precisely the right amount of time.
He would have liked to indulge in sentiment a while longer, but it was time to attend to what needed doing.
“Father, might I say something?”
Mu Hun moved immediately to put his plan into action.
“Asking permission to speak? Ha, very well. I’m listening. Go on.”
Jeggal Cheon Sung replied with a hint of humor.
Hearing his taciturn youngest son speak was, if anything, a joy.
“Brother, would you listen as well?”
At Mu Hun’s words, Jeggal Mu Young swallowed the mouthful of food he’d crammed into his mouth and opened his lips again.
“Cough-cough! Well, my throat feels a bit blocked, but my ears work just fine.”
At his brother’s response, Mu Hun smiled with satisfaction.
“Thank you. Please take a look at this.”
Mu Hun set down his chopsticks and withdrew a hundred-year-old He Shou Wu from his sleeve.
“Hmm? What’s that? A sweet potato?”
Seeing the hundred-year-old He Shou Wu for the first time, Jeggal Mu Young tilted his head in confusion.
But Jeggal Cheon Sung fell silent.
“…Why is that in your hands?!”
Jeggal Cheon Sung asked, his voice sharp with urgency.
True to form for the head of the Jeggal Clan, he had recognized the nature of the hundred-year-old He Shou Wu at a glance.
“Father, we found this last night beneath the Cypress Tree in our estate.”
“…Beneath the Cypress Tree at the estate? How could….”
“Yes. So I considered why it might have been placed there, and I’ve reached a conclusion.”
Mu Hun spoke with quiet certainty.
“The Hubei Mok Clan planted it in our estate.”
At Mu Hun’s words, Jeggal Mu Young furrowed his brow.
“The Mok Clan? Suddenly?”
“Yes, elder brother, because this is a family heirloom of the Hubei Mok Clan—a hundred-year-old He Shou Wu.”
“What?”
Jeggal Mu Young’s face went blank for a moment, then shock settled over his features.
“A hundred years old? A He Shou Wu that old?!”
“Yes. Cultivated personally by the Hubei Mok Clan, whose abundance of Yang Energy is legendary—a truly extraordinary Spiritual Medicine.”
Jeggal Mu Young swallowed hard, his eyes fixed on the herb.
It was not his place to covet the heirloom of another family.
Yet unlike Mu Hun, Jeggal Mu Young had shown talent in the martial arts, and the sight of such a Spiritual Medicine set his heart racing.
“Mu Young.”
Noticing this, Jeggal Cheon Sung called his name in a stern voice.
“Ah, ahem. I see. But why would the Mok Clan plant it there?”
Jeggal Mu Young, nearly drooling, awkwardly cleared his throat.
“How else would such a thing end up buried in our estate?”
Jeggal Mu Young deliberated for a moment, then spoke carefully.
“I don’t think it’s true, but couldn’t someone from the main branch have stolen it and buried it here without anyone knowing?”
Mu Hun shook his head.
“Would it be possible for someone to steal a family heirloom from a clan as great as the Hubei Mok Clan and bury it in our estate without leaving any trace?”
Jeggal Mu Young hummed thoughtfully, lost in contemplation once more.
“…You’re right. It would be impossible without a martial master of Peak Realm strength.”
“Yes, and most of the Peak Realm masters in our main branch are currently stationed elsewhere—save yourself and Father.”
“Besides, I had no idea about any of this.”
“Moreover, had a Peak Realm master from another region come to Hubei, the main branch could not have failed to detect it.”
Jeggal Mu Young nodded in agreement.
“That’s true. Within Hubei, the main branch’s information network rivals any other.”
Following this boast, Jeggal Mu Young spewed curses at the Mok Clan.
“Damned bastards! You dare try to make fools of us? Let a dog loose with bad manners and it’ll bare its teeth at its own master.”
Jeggal Cheon Sung raised a hand to restrain his son.
“Mu Young, compose yourself. And Mu Hun.”
Jeggal Cheon Sung turned to Mu Hun with a serious expression.
“I understand your reasoning. By all appearances, it’s the most sound judgment.”
“Thank you.”
“You’ve shown wisdom by not acting rashly and confiding in us three alone. However….”
Jeggal Cheon Sung paused, as if weighing his words.
“Do you not think the current Young Master of the Hubei Mok Clan incapable of such a thing?”
“The current Young Master of the Hubei Mok Clan is not such a man.”
Having had his words anticipated, Jeggal Cheon Sung’s eyes sharpened with interest.
“Forgive me for interrupting.”
“No. To so precisely divine my meaning—quite admirable.”
Jeggal Cheon Sung smiled, clearly pleased.
“Then, if you believe him incapable, what makes you certain it was still the act of the Hubei Mok Clan?”
Mu Hun nodded, as if he had been waiting for this very question.
“This was done independently by one of the Hubei Mok Clan members, without the Young Master’s knowledge.”
Cough—
Mu Hun cleared his throat lightly, his expression turning grave as he continued.
“The audacity of it—a spy planted right in the main house.”
Jeggal Cheon Sung’s brows drew together at the words.
“A spy? In the main house?”
Jeggal Cheon Sung let out a laugh of disbelief.
“Ha—so you’re saying a spy infiltrated the main house, and no one noticed except you?”
To Jeggal Cheon Sung, it sounded like mere recklessness on Mu Hun’s part.
It could scarcely be otherwise.
In his eyes, Mu Hun was nothing but a sickly youngest son—not a military strategist of the Murim League who had weathered every trial.
“I don’t doubt your cleverness, but such talk shows a troubling disrespect for the main house.”
Mu Hun shook his head slightly.
“That isn’t it at all. There was never time to discover it. The spy themselves likely has no idea they’re a spy.”
Something shifted in Jeggal Cheon Sung’s eyes—a flicker of curiosity.
“The spy doesn’t know they’re a spy? Yet you’ve identified them as one?”
In the face of Jeggal Cheon Sung’s bewildered reaction, Mu Hun spoke with only greater certainty.
“Yes. Only I can find this spy.”

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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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