The Great Heavenly Sword Emperor - Chapter 49

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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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#049 Chapter. The Crossing of Truth and Falsehood (1)

At the very moment Cheon Mu Gyeol and Buk Goong Dan Ya were meeting Cheol No on Gyeong Seok Mountain.
Gwang An of Bohyeon Temple sat in the prayer hall amid a grave silence, chanting sutras.
Though he was a man devoted to cultivation, his face was full of anguish—it seemed he was suffering considerable spiritual and mental torment.
‘I knew the Dong Bang Family had sharp fangs, but their tongue cuts just as keenly.’
Even as Gwang An chanted, his mind churned through the rumors spreading through the murim.
According to the intelligence filtering in, the malicious whispers about Cheon Mu Gyeol were spreading with alarming speed.
Rumors always travel fast, but this pace was impossible unless someone was deliberately fanning the flames.
‘What can be done? How can we stand against the Propaganda War waged by the Dong Bang Family, wielding their overwhelming power and prestige?’
Bohyeon Temple was merely an intelligence organization, and the Dong Bang Family’s authority loomed before them like an insurmountable wall.
If they called a bird a dog, it would become a dog in everyone’s minds.
To resist the rumors deliberately spread by such a family was beyond their strength.
Whatever they said would be drowned out by the Dong Bang Family’s voice, rendered powerless.
And so Gwang An’s anguish ran deep.
As he sat in prayer, lost in such troubled thoughts—
“A guest has arrived.”
At those words, Gwang An slowly opened his eyes.
“Show them to Sansin Hall.”
“Understood.”
Without asking, he somehow knew who it was.

* * *

In the prayer hall behind Sansin Hall.
As Gwang An entered, Han Jung Myeong, who had been waiting, rose from his seat with a stern expression.
“It has been too long.”
“Indeed. In truth, ours is a relationship that profits from infrequent meetings.”
Han Jung Myeong responded to Gwang An’s greeting.
“You don’t look well.”
Han Jung Myeong observed Gwang An’s face as he spoke.
“How could I? The situation unfolding before us is dire, and I see no way through. It’s maddening.”
“Our side faces the same predicament. That’s why I’ve come. Surely two heads bent together can devise a solution better than either alone?”
Gwang An nodded in agreement.
“Has the Jan Deung Hoe produced any promising ideas?”
“A few proposals have surfaced, but I lack confidence in any of them.”
“How many things in this world can one be truly certain of? Especially a Propaganda War against the Dong Bang Family—doubt is almost guaranteed.”
Han Jung Myeong nodded at Gwang An’s words.
“Then, would you share what the Jan Deung Hoe has proposed? I’ll add my thoughts as well.”
“Very well. There are several ideas, but broadly speaking, two stand out. The first is to make Buk Goong Dan Ya’s existence known.”
“Buk Goong Dan Ya.”
“Precisely. Cheon Mu Gyeol has no public presence yet. That’s how the Dong Bang Family was able to paint him as a Murim Criminal and heap false accusations upon him. Yet the Dong Bang Family hasn’t breathed a word about Buk Goong Dan Ya.”
“But the Buk Goong Family has already collapsed. While Buk Goong Dan Ya exists, the Buk Goong Family is all but gone. Could Buk Goong Dan Ya’s existence truly dent the Dong Bang Family’s narrative campaign?”
“The Buk Goong Family exists.”
At Han Jung Myeong’s words, Gwang An studied him carefully.
“True, in reality the Buk Goong Family is a fallen house. Yet the history and meaning they’ve accumulated still remain, don’t they? A guardian clan, a house remembered for its righteousness.”
“So you’d leverage the Buk Goong Family’s reputation.”
“Exactly. Merely by spreading rumors that Cheon Mu Gyeol has Buk Goong Dan Ya, the last heir of the Buk Goong Family, at his side—we could shake, even if only slightly, the false charges the Dong Bang Family has laid upon him.”
Yet even to this proposal, Gwang An remained cautious.
In fact, he was more pessimistic than that.
The false accusations the Dong Bang Family had recently orchestrated were a meticulous conspiracy, complete with fabricated evidence.
The massacre of three sects in Dan Ae Valley was real, and they had pinned it all on Cheon Mu Gyeol.
“And what is the other method?”
At Gwang An’s question, Han Jung Myeong presented an alternative.
“A direct approach. Though I should warn you—this one carries considerable risk.”
“I’m listening.”
“It’s exposing what we’ve discovered so far. All the places where the Young Master of the Cheon Clan was reported to have attacked—they’re all external organizations of the Dong Bang Family, specifically the Heuk Oe Dang. And we have evidence of it.”
Han Jung Myeong’s warning about the danger began to make sense.
Possessing evidence was as good as giving the Dong Bang Family justification.
They wouldn’t move openly, but the Bohyeon Temple and Jan Deung Hoe could both face serious danger if they decided to destroy the evidence.
To be precise, the Jan Deung Hoe would be in greater danger than the temple itself.
After mulling it over briefly, Gwang An spoke.
“The second method seems preferable.”
Han Jung Myeong nodded at Gwang An’s words, though he couldn’t hide the complexity of his feelings.
“Still, we need to minimize the harm to the Bohyeon Temple and the Jan Deung Hoe.”
“Is there a way?”
Han Jung Myeong asked, and Gwang An nodded.
“I’m sorry to say it, but I believe the Young Master of the Cheon Clan and the Young Master of the Buk Goong Family can overcome any crisis.”
“What method could possibly…”
“We just need to add one thing to the rumor—that the Young Master of the Cheon Clan is heading to the Dong Bang Family with evidence in hand.”
Han Jung Myeong’s eyes flickered at Gwang An’s words.
Cheon Mu Gyeol was already branded a Murim Criminal and had become a villain of the worst order for annihilating an entire righteous faction—he was in grave peril.
Gwang An’s method would only push him further over the cliff.
“Can we do that? All aggression will be focused on the Young Master of the Cheon Clan and the Young Master of the Buk Goong Family. Not just the righteous factions, but even the hidden machinations of the Dong Bang Family.”
“That’s right. It will happen that way. But you do know whose descendant the Young Master of the Cheon Clan is, don’t you?”
The descendant of Cheon Geom Dae Je.
The name Cheon Geom Dae Je carries considerable weight.
But he was a figure from so long ago that it was hard to truly grasp that weight.
Since he had never witnessed Cheon Geom Dae Je’s martial skill directly, only heard it spoken of, the image remained vague.
But Gwang An was different.
He too had never seen Cheon Geom Dae Je, but he had seen Cheon Mu Gyeol.
During Cheon Mu Gyeol’s stay at the Bohyeon Temple, it was Gwang An who observed his martial skill most closely.
Gwang An didn’t understand Cheon Mu Gyeol’s martial skill precisely either.
But what Han Jung Myeong felt and what Gwang An felt were starkly different.
Han Jung Myeong’s emotion, having never witnessed the reality, was as vague as grasping at clouds, whereas Gwang An possessed a conviction grounded in what he had actually seen.
“The Young Master of the Cheon Clan and the Young Master of the Buk Goong Family will be more than equal to the challenge. The Young Master losing or dying? As someone who watched closely from his side, I simply cannot imagine such a thing.”
Despite Gwang An’s conviction, Han Jung Myeong still hesitated.
The question of whether they could thrust Cheon Mu Gyeol and Buk Goong Dan Ya into certain danger for their own safety kept circling in his mind.
“Sigh…”
After long deliberation, Han Jung Myeong exhaled deeply.
“Very well. Let’s do it that way.”
In the end, Han Jung Myeong accepted Gwang An’s proposal.
Because aside from the danger that would concentrate on Cheon Mu Gyeol and Buk Goong Dan Ya, it was the most effective method available.
“However, let’s also add a buffer.”
“A buffer? Do you mean the rumor about the Buk Goong Family that you mentioned earlier?”
At Gwang An’s question, Han Jung Myeong nodded.
“Yes. After all, there are still many in the Murim who remember the Buk Goong Family. And the Buk Goong Family has never left a negative impression in the minds of Murim folk. That distinction can create confusion and create openings for us.”
Han Jung Myeong’s explanation, and Gwang An nodded in agreement.
He thought the method might be ineffective, but he didn’t think it unreasonable.
“Understood. Let’s proceed that way.”
Gwang An accepted Han Jung Myeong’s proposal as well.
“Since the Bohyeon Temple is the one holding the evidence, please handle the exposure of the Dong Bang Family’s misdeeds from your side. We’ll spread rumors concerning the Buk Goong Family.”
At Han Jung Myeong’s words, Gwang An nodded.
“Once we’ve started the rumor on our end, please wait a beat before spreading the rumor from the Bohyeon Temple side. It mustn’t be too late.”
“Understood. We’ll watch the timing carefully and proceed.”
Han Jung Myeong nodded at Gwang An’s response.
“And this is something for later, but…”
After their discussion of the propaganda war concluded, Gwang An broached another topic.
“If the Jan Deung Hoe has any additional materials or evidence, please share them with me.”
“Why is that?”
“Once the Young Master of the Cheon Clan arrives at the Dong Bang Family, I plan to detonate it. Since we’ve decided to spread rumors, we should prepare thoroughly so that the rumor becomes fact, the Young Master gains justification, and his false charges are cleared.”
Han Jung Myeong nodded at Gwang An’s words.
“I see. Without the exposure, it’s moot, but since we’re going through with it, we should prepare properly. Understood. I’ll organize everything as quickly as possible and send it to you upon my return.”
Gwang An nodded at Han Jung Myeong’s words.
Gwang An’s expression looked considerably lighter.
Much of the anguish that had clouded his mind and heart before meeting and discussing with Han Jung Myeong seemed to have dissipated.
‘Hold on, Cheon. Please. I believe in you.’
Gwang An thought of the two of them even now, cutting through treacherous roads toward the Dong Bang Family estate, and silently wished them well.

* * *

‘The Murim Criminal now proclaimed across the land, Cheon Mu Gyeol, has a companion. That companion is none other than Buk Goong Dan Ya—the last descendant of the Buk Goong Family, once a guardian house.’

Jan Deung Hoe spread the rumor swiftly.
And as Han Jung Myeong had anticipated, it proved remarkably effective.
It did not strike with the immediate force of the rumors the Dong Bang Family had released, yet clear reactions surfaced in various quarters.
Though fallen, those who still remembered the Buk Goong Family became the architects of this confusion.
Why was a descendant of the once-illustrious Buk Goong Family traveling alongside a Murim Criminal?
The perception of the Buk Goong Family as a prestigious Righteous Faction and the perception of Cheon Mu Gyeol as a Murim Criminal collided head-on in people’s minds.
Cheon Mu Gyeol and Buk Goong Dan Ya heard the rumor that Jan Deung Hoe had spread.
Yet neither of them displayed any particular reaction.
Regardless of why the rumor had been released, they deemed it meaningless.
They had not directly felt the quiet chaos unfolding across the Murim.
In the midst of this, the two who had left Gyeong Seok Mountain proceeded steadily along the highway toward the Dong Bang Family estate.
Walking abreast with Cheon Mu Gyeol, Buk Goong Dan Ya stole glances at his companion’s face.
“What is it?”
Cheon Mu Gyeol felt the gaze and asked.
“Your expression seems different. Somehow more at ease.”
To others he would have seemed expressionless, but Buk Goong Dan Ya, who had kept close watch over him all this time, had caught the subtle shift.
Cheon Mu Gyeol started to answer, then closed his mouth again and fixed his gaze ahead.
A bundle carrier approaching from the opposite direction.
Cheon Mu Gyeol was watching him.
“What is it?”
As Cheon Mu Gyeol slowed his pace, Buk Goong Dan Ya asked in bewilderment.
But Cheon Mu Gyeol did not answer, and soon the distance between them and the figure approaching from ahead narrowed.
“Jan Deung Hoe. I came to inform you beforehand.”
At the mention of Jan Deung Hoe, Buk Goong Dan Ya’s expression hardened.
“Soon, a revelation will break. Concerning the Dong Bang Family’s misdeeds up to now.”
At the Jan Deung Hoe member’s words, Buk Goong Dan Ya swallowed dryly.
“And it will include the claim that you possess the evidence.”
“What do you—”
Buk Goong Dan Ya bristled.
He had grasped what it meant for that claim to be included.
But Cheon Mu Gyeol restrained the bristling Buk Goong Dan Ya.
“I understand.”
As expected, Cheon Mu Gyeol answered calmly, and the bundle carrier gave a slight bow before withdrawing.
“Cheon, this is—”
“Bohyeon Temple and Jan Deung Hoe seem to be preparing something.”
“No matter what, isn’t this too much? Greater trials will come upon us now!”
Even at Buk Goong Dan Ya’s words, Cheon Mu Gyeol showed little reaction.
He simply resumed his pace, which had paused only briefly.

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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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