The Great Heavenly Sword Emperor - Chapter 26

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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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#026. The Path Jeogeum Mountain Points To (Part 2)

Having passed through one critical crisis, Beigong Danya cooled his rising excitement with ruthless discipline.
The Internal Force that had flowed unbridled with his excitement found stability, and the solidity of his Hyeon Jeong Sword Technique grew even more unshakeable.
[His eyes are opening.]
Heaven Divine Sword’s voice reached him, and Cheon Mugyeol gave an almost imperceptible nod of agreement.
There was reason for Heaven Divine Sword to say such a thing, and for Cheon Mugyeol to concur.
Beigong Danya was not deploying the Hyeon Jeong Sword Technique indiscriminately, but rather selecting only those moves perfectly suited to the present moment, achieving maximum efficiency.
Instead of employing every technique in the Hyeon Jeong Sword arsenal, Beigong Danya drew only on a select few—the Hoengwun Danro, the Banwol Hoebong, the Yeonhwan Swaekse.
This narrowed the gap between thought and action, quickened his judgment, and created the conditions for deeper concentration.
As a result, Cheon Mugyeol stood defenseless behind Beigong Danya, yet none of their attackers could rush him.
Beigong Danya had blocked them all.
This was no mere consequence of mending Meridians and unblocking the Qi and Blood—something that went far deeper.
It was proof that Beigong Danya had grown substantially.
Soon, the twenty-odd enemies had all fallen.
Though weariness showed on Beigong Danya’s face, satisfaction glimmered behind it.
At this turn of events, the Medicine Dealer’s complexion drained to ash.
“How… how is this possible…!”
The Medicine Dealer’s reaction was one of disbelief.
And it was Cheon Mugyeol who answered his unspoken question.
“If you expected us to fall to poison, you have gravely underestimated us.”
At Cheon Mugyeol’s words, Beigong Danya turned sharply to regard him.
“Poison Qi has permeated this chamber from the start. Their confidence rested on the assumption that you would succumb to it.”
At that revelation, Beigong Danya’s expression darkened as he fixed the Medicine Dealer with a fierce stare.
For one as averse to poison as Beigong Danya, the reaction came naturally.
Cheon Mugyeol had not been idle in the background.
He had known from the beginning, and with his own Internal Force, he had pushed back the Poison Qi, creating an environment in which Beigong Danya could fight entirely unimpeded.
“I am grateful.”
Beigong Danya bowed to Cheon Mugyeol, even as he glared at the Medicine Dealer.
“I merely removed the unnecessary to observe your progress.”
Cheon Mugyeol spoke as though it were no favor to him at all, but Beigong Danya let a faint smile cross his lips before his expression hardened again.
Then he strode toward the Medicine Dealer.
“Eek!”
The startled Medicine Dealer trembled and stumbled backward, but could not escape from Beigong Danya’s grip.
Beigong Danya seized the collar of the Medicine Dealer’s robe.
The Poison Antidote Pendant that hung beneath came into view.
“No, don’t!”
Snap!
Beigong Danya tore the Poison Antidote Pendant from the Medicine Dealer’s body.
The Medicine Dealer, drained of color, tried to object, but could not wrest back the Poison Antidote Pendant now in Beigong Danya’s possession.
“Start by telling me your reason. Why attack us? We came only to buy aged medicinals.”
Beigong Danya’s speech had lost its courteous edge.
Unlike Cheon Mugyeol, who addressed everyone with respect, he could not bring himself to speak formally to one who had just tried to kill him.
“The secret code you use has been obsolete for years! It’s been ages since anyone used it!”
At the Medicine Dealer’s words, Beigong Danya’s brow furrowed as he glanced at Cheon Mugyeol.
If what the Medicine Dealer said was true, then Bohyeon Temple’s investigation had been mistaken.
Beigong Danya turned back to the Medicine Dealer.
“Tell me plainly, without hiding anything. Ten-odd years ago—did you ever excavate Jeogeum Mountain?”
“How could you possibly remember that! It was so long ago, and dozens of people have come seeking those materials!”
“There must be records. Transaction ledgers or the like.”
Beigong Danya pressed him harder.
The Medicine Dealer then trembled even more severely and barely managed to open his mouth.
“We… we don’t keep records of that! If the records ever came to light later, it would be our blood spilled!”
“No ledger when there were transactions?”
Beigong Danya’s stare was merciless as he continued his interrogation, as if the Medicine Dealer’s words made no sense.
“I’m telling you the truth! Our very lives hang on it! Would we do something so reckless?”
The Medicine Dealer protested to the end that there was no ledger to speak of.
Then it happened.
Bang! Crack-crack-crunch!
Cheon Mugyeol swung the Heaven Divine Sword toward the ceiling with detached precision.
A section of the smoothly wooden-planked ceiling shattered, opening a jagged hole through which a small box tumbled down amid the debris.
The Medicine Dealer’s pupils dilated sharply at the sight.
“Your hiding place was rather clumsy,” Cheon Mugyeol said, picking up the box.
Inside, when opened, lay a single palm-sized ledger.
Cheon Mugyeol unfolded it briefly and confirmed it was the Transaction Record.
Beigong Danya fixed the Medicine Dealer with a hard stare.
For him to have continued denying its existence even with his life hanging by a thread—this ledger was far more important than they’d suspected.
Beigong Danya stepped back from the Medicine Dealer.
“You tried to kill us and lied until the very end. There is no mercy for that.”
“Hngh!”
As Beigong Danya withdrew, Cheon Mugyeol’s Internal Force retreated with him.
The Poison Qi that had been suppressed by his power surged back to fill the space, and the Medicine Dealer was left fully exposed to the toxin without the Poison Antidote Pendant’s protection.
“This ledger and the pendant should provide sufficient clues.”
“Let us depart.”
At Cheon Mugyeol’s words, the two men exited through the door they had entered.
“Aaaugh!”
Beyond the threshold, the Medicine Dealer’s agonized cries echoed in the darkness.

Gwang An, who had been waiting, greeted them.
“You’ve returned? What news?”
At Gwang An’s question, Cheon Mugyeol entered the hall in silence, and Beigong Danya followed suit.
Sensing something amiss, Gwang An spoke again.
“It wasn’t the Mungrim Bang, then? Or did you find nothing at all?”
Gwang An pressed forward, trailing after Beigong Danya, his questions tumbling out.
“The secret code you provided was incorrect.”
“What?!”
Gwang An started visibly.
He looked at Beigong Danya with eyes that refused to believe it.
“It was apparently discarded long ago. Because of it, they grew suspicious and tried to kill us.”
“But—how could such a thing happen? It shouldn’t be possible!”
Gwang An’s voice trembled as he continued to protest, disbelief etched across his features.
“We did, however, find crucial leads. Here.”
Beigong Danya handed Gwang An the ledger and the Poison Antidote Pendant he had obtained.
Yet even as Gwang An accepted them, he could not hide his sense of injustice.
Noticing his reaction, Beigong Danya continued gently.
“Even so, we’ve uncovered an important clue. That is something. And I am unharmed.”
Though Beigong Danya offered these words of comfort, Gwang An’s expression did not lighten.
For an information broker whose life depends on accuracy, providing false intelligence was not something that could be overlooked simply because the outcome had proved fortunate.
“This is not something we can simply overlook because the result turned out well.”
Cheon Mugyeol spoke up, countering Beigong Danya’s reassurance.
At that, even Beigong Danya had nothing more to say.
Cheon Mugyeol turned his gaze to Gwang An.
Gwang An found himself unable to meet Cheon Mugyeol’s eyes directly.
“I am deeply sorry. Truly sorry. It seems that with time pressing and the urgency of the matter, I grew careless in my work.”
Gwang An chose swift apology over excuse.
Observing him, Cheon Mugyeol continued.
“This time, no one was killed or injured. But had this been a more critical and dangerous task…”
“I am utterly ashamed.”
“How then can we trust you with anything of importance in the future?”
At Cheon Mugyeol’s rebuke, Gwang An bowed his head still lower.
“As the abbot of Bohyeon Temple and as the leader of this intelligence network, I apologize once more with utmost sincerity. And I swear to you that such a thing shall never occur again. Should, by even the smallest chance, such a failure happen a second time, I will offer my life in recompense.”
Gwang An reiterated his apology with genuine contrition.

Cheon Mugyeol, having accepted the apple, turned his head as though the matter were concluded.
“Very well. That will do. Going forward, I trust you’ll exercise greater caution.”
“Of course. Please convey my sincerest apologies to the Young Master Beigong.”
“Understood.”
Once the situation had been settled, Gwang An examined the book and Poison Antidote Pendant that Beigong Danya had provided.
Before inspecting the book, Gwang An scrutinized the Poison Antidote Pendant with particular care.
“This Poison Antidote Pendant wasn’t made by Dang Mun.”
“It wasn’t?”
“No, that’s correct. Fundamentally, Dang Mun does not allow their Poison Antidote Pendants to leak outside their organization. Only Dang Mun members can use them. Moreover, the patterns carved into this pendant aren’t theirs either.”
“Then someone else must have made this.”
Beigong Danya nodded at Gwang An’s words.
“We’ve determined that Mungrim Bang lacks the capability to manufacture Poison Antidote Pendants, but I’ll verify once more to be certain.”
Given what had transpired, Gwang An refrained from absolute certainty.
“However, if our intelligence is reliable, then someone else created this pendant. We should trace the patterns.”
Gwang An then unfolded the book and examined its contents meticulously.
“We’ll trace both the patterns on the Poison Antidote Pendant and the trading partners listed here. Since we know when the poison was introduced into the Young Master, we can narrow the scope considerably.”
“I understand. There’s no need to rush. Please investigate thoroughly.”
“Yes, I will.”
Gwang An replied with composed and deliberate demeanor, then quietly departed the hall.
Once only the two remained in the hall, Beigong Danya ventured a remark to Cheon Mugyeol.
“It was a single mistake. Was there truly a need to speak so harshly?”
Cheon Mugyeol regarded him in response.
“In Gangho, a single mistake can destroy everything and claim lives. I imagine you know that as well as anyone.”
“Of course. But we didn’t fail, and the outcome wasn’t poor, was it?”
“I was simply driving home that such lapses must never occur again.”
“But——”
“There is no ‘but.’ The tasks ahead of us are far greater, far more perilous, and far more crucial than what we faced today. What if we allowed the one who brought the Beigong Clan to ruin to slip through our fingers on faulty intelligence? What if we were pushed into crisis instead?”
Beigong Danya found himself at a loss for words.
The argument was sound.
“When awakening vigilance, it must be done decisively. Remember that. I will tolerate no weakness going forward.”
“Understood.”
Beigong Danya replied curtly.
“Your application of the Hyeon Jeong Sword Technique was commendable.”
After a brief silence, Cheon Mugyeol’s words reached him, and Beigong Danya’s eyes widened.
This was the first time Beigong Danya had known that Cheon Mugyeol was capable of praise.
“But you must not become swept up. When swept up, you lose awareness, and when awareness is lost, crisis follows.”
Beigong Danya recalled the moment he had faced danger while fighting at the Medicine Dealer’s.
“I will remember.”
“Your recovery is not yet complete. Restore your strength promptly.”
“I will.”
Beigong Danya replied with solemn resolve.

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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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