The Great Heavenly Sword Emperor - Chapter 31

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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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#031. The Koan of Jandeunghoe (3)

Gwang An had been running in all directions trying to make contact with Jandeunghoe.
He’d attempted to reach out through the porters who frequented Bohyun Temple, but they too said they had no way to initiate contact first.
It appeared to be a system of one-way orders handed down from above, not a relationship where both sides could communicate.
Moreover, he couldn’t help but be concerned about Tongungak—the organization they called Ammogak—and this had indeed narrowed the scope of his movements.
While Gwang An busied himself trying to establish contact with Jandeunghoe, Buk Goong Dan Ya set aside all other thoughts and devoted himself entirely to training.
‘The Gang In of Joong Jung’s Order. The Chuk Se of Gang In.’
Buk Goong Dan Ya wielded his sword ceaselessly, turning over the essential principles of the Hyunjung Swordplay and the Cheonag Sword Formation.
The insights he’d gained from his most recent combat were vivid and clear, and he was making constant efforts to make them entirely his own.
Shush-shush-shush-shwick!
Buk Goong Dan Ya’s blade cut through the empty air with weighty precision.
After swinging the sword for some time, Buk Goong Dan Ya steadied his breathing and paused.
His swordwork had changed markedly—even a stranger would have noticed it.
His understanding of the subtleties contained in the Hyunjung Swordplay and the Cheonag Sword Formation had clearly deepened.
Yet Buk Goong Dan Ya was not satisfied.
In particular, being excluded from the mission when Heo Seok was abducted had wounded his pride deeply.
What wounded it even more was having to accept it—hating his own powerlessness in that moment.
At the time, his anger had burned hot and his pride had stung terribly, but now he’d completely transformed it into fuel for advancement.
Buk Goong Dan Ya was steeling himself, lost in thought about that day, when he reached for his sword again.
“Excuse me, might I ask you something?”
At the unfamiliar voice, Buk Goong Dan Ya’s body pivoted sharply around.
An elderly man of unremarkable appearance was approaching.
“Who are you?”
Buk Goong Dan Ya asked, wariness evident in his tone.
In the martial world, watching another’s training was forbidden.
So showing caution toward an old man who’d appeared without warning was only natural.
But the old man himself seemed utterly unbothered.
“Ah, I was hoping to meet the abbot, but since this is my first time here, I’ve lost my way.”
Hearing the old man’s explanation about being lost, Buk Goong Dan Ya relaxed his guard slightly and spoke.
“I see. Go back the way you came, turn right at the fork, and continue straight up—you’ll find the Daewoong Hall. If the abbot isn’t there, it would be faster to ask one of the other monks.”
Buk Goong Dan Ya gave the old man directions to the Daewoong Hall.
Yet even as he did, he kept his suspicions alive beneath the surface.
Every temple has a central Daewoong Hall, and the path to it is hardly complicated.
Even a first-time visitor can find it easily, and it’s where most of the monks gather.
Moreover, his own quarters were in the deepest corner of the Yosa Building—for this old man to have reached this far was suspicious indeed.
As his time spent with Cheon Moo Gyeol and Gwang An had lengthened, Buk Goong Dan Ya had grown accustomed to thinking from multiple angles.
“I see. Thank you.”
The old man bowed graciously and turned to leave, taking a few steps before he stopped again.
Then, with a smile, he turned back to look at Buk Goong Dan Ya and spoke once more.
“Buk Goong is here as well, I believe. It would be good to talk together.”
At the old man’s words, Buk Goong Dan Ya’s eyes widened.
A stranger knowing his name exactly—it was impossible to dismiss.
Now he was certain: this encounter had been intentional.
The old man, having left his words, turned again and walked away slowly.
Buk Goong Dan Ya stood frozen for a moment in surprise, then quickly wiped away his sweat and followed the old man.

* * *

Four people gathered in the Sansin Pavilion Hall.
Cheon Moo Gyeol and Buk Goong Dan Ya, Gwang An, and the mysterious old man who had come to Bohyun Temple.
The hall was thick with tension.
“I’m sure my sudden visit has surprised you. Allow me to introduce myself first. I am Han Joong Myung—an old man who runs a small, worn-out bookshop.”
The man who’d identified himself as Han Joong Myung looked directly at Cheon Moo Gyeol and continued.
“And I am also a member of Jandeunghoe.”
At the mention of Jandeunghoe, both Gwang An and Buk Goong Dan Ya showed surprise.
I never imagined that Jandeunghoe would make contact first.
Cheon Moo Gyeol was the only one who didn’t seem surprised.
“You’re not startled, Master Cheon?”
“There’s little here to startle me.”
“Ha. I see. I was hoping for a dramatic entrance, but it seems I’ve failed in that regard.”
Yet it was dramatic enough to give anyone a shock.
“Our Jandeunghoe is such a tightly sealed organization that it’s structurally difficult to meet anyone, even if they wish to. So I came in person, thinking you’d be curious.”
Han Joong Myung spoke with a smile, but Cheon Moo Gyeol’s expression remained unchanged.
“I’m curious about your real reason for coming.”
“I thought you might want to know something, so I came.”
“That’s not what I’m asking. I want the actual reason.”
Cheon Moo Gyeol stared directly into Han Joong Myung’s eyes as if he saw through everything.
“You have remarkably keen insight for someone so young. I’m beginning to worry my true intentions will be completely exposed.”
Han Joong Myung attempted to brush it off with humor.
But Cheon Moo Gyeol kept his gaze fixed on the man’s eyes without wavering.
“Yes. We too have our reasons. We came because we’re curious about what kind of person Master Cheon truly is.”
“It seems you already know enough about me from a distance.”
“Ha. But observing from afar and exchanging a few words in person are worlds apart.”
“Are you asking whether I’m the sort of blade Jandeunghoe could wield?”
Cheon Moo Gyeol asked bluntly.
For the first time, Han Joong Myung’s eyes flickered with uncertainty.
He clearly hadn’t anticipated such a sharp and precise probe.
“If you put it that way, it sounds as though we intend to use Master Cheon.”
Then Han Joong Myung paused to collect himself and continued.
“We simply wish to be certain that Master Cheon is the sort of person who can walk the same path as we do. You seem to need things that we have quite a lot of, and we need strength.”
Cheon Moo Gyeol regarded him silently after his response.
Neither could have missed the fierce battle of wills unfolding between them.
Both men were dancing around the periphery, each trying to glimpse the other’s true hand before revealing their own.
Gwang An and Buk Goong Dan Ya could only hold their breath and observe the exchange.
The conversation fell silent, and both men regarded each other.
Han Joong Myung’s eyes conveyed much, but Cheon Moo Gyeol’s absorbed it all and rendered it void.
A bead of sweat formed on Han Joong Myung’s forehead.
For all his years and experiences, all the people he’d met and the composure he’d gained, it was difficult to maintain that ease before Cheon Moo Gyeol.
‘A formidable opponent.’
Han Joong Myung could barely withstand the tremendous presence bearing down on him face to face.
“Sigh……”
It was Han Joong Myung’s breath that broke the silence.
“I yield. You are truly remarkable, Master Cheon. You live up to your heritage as a descendant of the Cheon Geom Dae Je.”
In the end, Han Joong Myung was the first to surrender.
Cheon Moo Gyeol’s expression remained unchanged from the beginning.
“Then I must lay my cards on the table. We have long been observing the organization you encountered—Ammogak, which is publicly known as Tongungak.”
“I see.”
“Yes. And those who fought you two—the Hyeolpung Dan—are the same. Ammogak, Maegol Dae, and Hyeolpung Dan are all branches of one organization.”
Cheon Moo Gyeol nodded at Han Joong Myung’s words.
But what Cheon Moo Gyeol wished to hear was more than that, and now Han Joong Myung had to bring out the truth.
“They are all bound together under one name. They are called Heukoe Tang.”
“Heukoe Tang.”
“Yes. We are convinced that they are the external arm of the Dongbang Sega.”
Cheon Moo Gyeol read between the lines of Han Joong Myung’s answer.
“You say convinced, but you don’t actually have certainty.”
Han Joong Myung let out a soft laugh at Cheon Moo Gyeol’s words.
“It seems no lie can pass undetected before you, Master Cheon. You’re right. We are convinced of this, but we haven’t found the definitive proof that connects them to the Dongbang Sega.”
Without decisive evidence, the numerous circumstances nonetheless pointed to Dongbang Sega’s connection with them.
“In the process of expanding their power, the Dongbang Sega actively used Heukoe Tang. They manipulated information, wielded force when needed, and concealed their tracks. To the world, the Dongbang Sega appears as a flawless clan, but the reality is far different.”
Gwang An, who had been listening carefully, ventured a cautious question.
“I was already aware of Jandeunghoe’s existence. So I knew the Dongbang Sega isn’t simply a virtuous clan. But I’m curious—why haven’t you revealed these facts to the world?”
Han Joong Myung opened his mouth with a smile.
“Because we lack the strength.”
Han Joong Myung’s gaze returned to Cheon Moo Gyeol.
“No matter what claims we make, the Dongbang Sega has the power to bury them effortlessly. If they say stone is water, then it becomes water. No matter what we say, once the Dongbang Sega declares it false, it is false. At that moment, our fate is sealed.”
Self-mockery threaded through Han Joong Myung’s voice.
“The Heukoe Tang faces the same constraint. We haven’t uncovered definitive proof that it’s an external arm of the Dongbang Sega, so we cannot move against it. The Dongbang Sega can sever its tail whenever it wishes. Right now, the Dongbang Sega is an iron fortress.”
Han Joong Myung’s words had gradually shifted into confession.
“That’s why we were grateful when we learned of your existence. Earlier, you asked whether we were checking if you could be a blade for the Jandeunghoe, didn’t you? No. We’ve never entertained such a thought. We lack the strength even to wield a blade like Cheon Moo Gyeol. We simply harbored the hope that only you could tear down the thick walls of the Dongbang Sega.”
“Then what is it that Jandeunghoe desires?”
“We hope that you will ease our resentment.”
Cheon Moo Gyeol regarded him quietly for a moment, then posed a fundamental question.
“Then why show yourselves to me only now? You could have come sooner.”
“Everything has its time. The moment when you would listen to our words and believe them to be true. Besides, until now we lacked certainty about what kind of man you truly are.”
Cheon Moo Gyeol looked at Han Joong Myung as if to ask what he meant.
“Whether you seek merely to avenge your clan, or whether you aspire to become the new Cheon Geom Dae Je.”
Cheon Moo Gyeol opened his mouth.
“I don’t believe those are separate paths.”
“They are.”
Han Joong Myung answered with quiet conviction.
“To become the Cheon Geom Dae Je means to become an existence that restores Order itself. That is not the same as one who merely takes vengeance for his house and calls it finished.”
Han Joong Myung was speaking of something grander—a greater calling and purpose.
“Punishing the Dongbang Sega alone will not ease our resentment. Well, it may ease it somewhat. But what we truly desire is to restore the Order that has been disrupted and crumbled by the Dongbang Sega. We do not seek gain for ourselves—we hope only that others like us will never arise again.”
Now Han Joong Myung’s voice carried an almost desperate earnestness.
Gwang An and Buk Goong Dan Ya watched Cheon Moo Gyeol’s reaction.
Cheon Moo Gyeol said nothing.
Yet it seemed his thoughts had grown heavier from Han Joong Myung’s words.
The Cheon Geom Dae Je—that great figure of legend.
Not merely as a descendant of the Cheon Geom Dae Je, but whether he harbored the ambition to become a new Cheon Geom Dae Je for a new age.
It was not a question, really—it was closer to a plea.
Cheon Moo Gyeol had never contemplated such a thing before now.
Distant futures, grand ambitions, sweeping visions—these had always been foreign to him.
But now he was being compelled to entertain a thought he had never once imagined.
“I need time.”
After careful deliberation, Cheon Moo Gyeol gave his answer.
Han Joong Myung smiled.
He had not expected Cheon Moo Gyeol’s decision to crystallize in this very moment.
The fact that his answer was not an outright refusal was satisfaction enough.
“I cannot know what path you will walk forward, nor what form you will take when you stand at the end of that journey. But I will be a humble stepping stone on that path.”
Though Han Joong Myung had not received the decisive answer he might have hoped for, he had pledged his aid to Cheon Moo Gyeol nonetheless.
For he sensed in the Cheon Moo Gyeol he saw today a being not yet hatched from its shell, but one fully capable of becoming something far greater.
Cheon Moo Gyeol gave a small nod.

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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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