Reincarnation Sword God

---

00515 암천향(暗天鄕) ————————————————————————

As I returned to Jangryeong Valley, I released Zhuge Sa from his wooden armor. Zhuge Sa had sustained injuries from a hard blow, so I quickly tried to heal him using my powers, but he stopped me.

“Let it be. Don’t waste the Apostle’s ability unnecessarily.”

Zhuge Sa’s will was firm, so I reluctantly used my medical skills for the minor wounds. After that, I checked the condition of Miho and Musashi, and since Musashi had significant internal injuries, I had no choice but to use internal power for Qi techniques healing.

Then, I brought Miho to a secluded spot and asked her.

“Miho, what exactly did you do to get banished from the Celestial Realm?”

The ‘crime’ that the Celestial Sage had mentioned about Miho. I had a gut feeling that if I didn’t learn about it, I wouldn’t be able to move forward.

“……”

Miho hesitated for a long time before finally speaking.

“Baek Woong. I can tell you, but if I do, then in the next lifetime, your companions will all come to know my sin, won’t they?”

“Hmm…”

“It’s hard for you to say, isn’t it?”

Indeed, it was. She’d be afraid to speak since her crime would be exposed in the next life. Who would want their original sin revealed? Yet, it was also true that it was something I had to find out.

As Miho hesitated, I pondered deeply and said.

“Miho, trust me.”

“……”

“I will help you solve the worries you’re facing in the next life. No matter what it takes, I will turn the Celestial Realm upside down so that you can return to the Celestial Realm.”

“Baek Woong…”

She gripped the hem of my clothes with her delicate hand. I held her wrist and met her gaze. I felt her astonishment as she stared at me intently. After a moment of inner turmoil, she let out a deep sigh.

“Really… You keep messing with my heart.”

“Is that a compliment?”

“Hmph.”

With a slightly sulky expression, Miho said.

“In the past, I lived in the Celestial Realm with Queen Mother of the West. At that time, I trespassed into a forbidden area and ended up killing the Blue Bird.”

“The Blue Bird, you say…”

“It refers to the beautiful bird that serves the Queen Mother of the West. During the day, it transforms into a lovely woman. You could think of her as a maidservant of the Queen Mother.”

“… Why did you do such a thing?”

Embarrassed, Miho turned her head to answer my question.

“For some time, the Queen Mother had been avoiding me and only staying in the forbidden area, which made me jealous. So I went to check what was in the forbidden zone.”

“The Queen Mother only stayed in the forbidden area?”

“Yes.”

It’s clear that Miho viewed the Queen Mother more than just a mother. During such times, it’s understandable to develop feelings of jealousy. However, the fact that it was a specific place rather than a person is rather peculiar.

“Tell me more about it.”

“The forbidden area where the Queen Mother secluded herself was none of the pools, the green waters, or the weak waters. Ah, do you happen to know where the Queen Mother’s palace is?”

“Yes. The forbidden area is where the Peach of Immortality is cultivated. The weak water is said to be something even dragons cannot cross.”

“Correct. It’s also the highest place in Mount Kunlun. I lived at the highest point in the Celestial Realm. Not even a mere Earth Immortal would dare meet my gaze.”

Miho spoke with a bit of pride.

‘She does have reason to be proud.’

The Queen Mother was one of the highest Great Immortals in the Celestial Realm, and even the Jade Emperor and the Three Pure Ones cannot be said to be superior to her. This is because she existed long before the era of the Emperors. She could be considered an elder deity of the Celestial Realm.

Because of such a status, she could build her palace at the highest location in the Celestial Realm, and Miho, living there, had every right to feel pride. It’s likely true that she was treated much better than an Earth Immortal.

I questioned her out of curiosity.

“Normally, people in the world think the Queen Mother possesses the Peaches of Immortality, but did you not commit your sin because of the peaches?”

“Eh?”

“For the longest time, I thought you had been banished for secretly eating the peaches…”

Miho snorted at my words.

“Hmph! I’ve eaten the peaches whenever I pleased. The Queen Mother would give them to me several times a day, and for hundreds of years, I ate them freely without any complaints. No matter how much I ate, they would grow back overnight.”

“……”

“There’s probably no one in this world who knows the flavor of the peaches better than I do.”

Miho gazed at the sky with a distant look.

“I miss those times.”

“So, what happened that led you to invade the forbidden area and kill the Blue Bird?”

“Hmm… I still find it a bit hard to understand even now.”

After hesitating, Miho said.

“The forbidden area where the Queen Mother was sequestered was the deepest part of the palace, and it was gradually transformed into an abyss. Upon entering, there was a pattern of the sun and moon that kept repeating, a design unlike anything I had seen before. Just as I reached near the end of the abyss, I lost consciousness.”

“You lost consciousness?”

“I woke up to find myself imprisoned in the Celestial Realm, being tried for the charge of killing the Blue Bird and invading the forbidden area. As a result, I was sentenced to banishment from the Celestial Realm.”

“……”

“After that, as you know, I roamed the world and ended up charming people in Dongyoung, playing power games.”

It’s certainly a strange series of events. I asked Miho again.

“So you have no memory of killing the Blue Bird?”

“Correct. I have no recollection of encountering it in the abyss.”

“So you were framed.”

“I believe that’s the case.”

“Did the Queen Mother ever tell you why she went to the forbidden area?”

“No. She just told me to stay and play in the realm of peaches, and as decades passed, I grew increasingly angry.”

It seems I’m starting to understand the situation.

‘It was definitely a good idea to hear her out.’

Somehow, I felt that this story would serve as a significant clue for the future.

“Miho, do you remember the patterns of the sun and moon you saw back then?”

“I remember. I couldn’t possibly forget out of resentment.”

Swish swish—

As I pulled out the writing brush and ink from my wooden armor, Miho began to draw the patterns. There was not just one or two patterns, but a total of eighteen different designs, and Miho detailed each one meticulously.

“You have a good memory.”

“I’ve always been smart.”

“… Ah, I see…”

Anyway, this was valuable information. I asked Miho several more questions. Using the Thunder Spirit Classic, I quickly memorized the designs in my mind, then returned to where my companions were gathered. I said to them.

“I plan to actively dig into the Queen Mother’s secrets whenever I have the opportunity. Also, from now on, let’s not discuss Miho’s sin.”

Then Mangnyang stepped forward and said.

“Of course. If it’s merely a case of being wrongfully accused, we as companions should support her.”

After everyone agreed not to pressure Miho about her sin, we began analyzing the designs Miho had drawn. The first to comment was the Sword Demon.

“I don’t know what it is. It looks like a mix of sun and moon patterns with random stars…”

Jin So-cheong seemed disinterested. Zhuge Sa and Cheon Woo-jin also appeared puzzled.

“I don’t recognize it from what I know.”

“Me neither.”

I glanced at them in surprise.

“Have you really never seen anything like this before?”

“Not knowing is simply not knowing. At least, I have never seen anything like it within my knowledge of Demon Sorcery.”

When I looked at Cheon Woo-jin, he spoke with an uncomfortable expression.

“Are you really eager to hear me make such weak remarks?”

“Just a bit.”

Now all that remained was Mangnyang. My hopeful gaze turned to him because he was still staring intently at the patterns, indicating he was working to enhance his memory and cognitive abilities.

Mangnyang observed the patterns in silence before muttering.

“Perhaps the Sword Demon’s observation was correct.”

“Hmm?”

“This might be the ancient Star Map of the Celestial Realm.”

At that moment, Cheon Woo-jin furrowed his brow.

“Older Brother, that seems a bit far-fetched… I’ve seen many charts and books depicting the stars and their movements, but I don’t recall any that looked similar to these patterns.”

“I think the same. Just like sorcerers need to study the movements of celestial bodies, this pattern doesn’t appear in what I’ve seen.”

When Zhuge Sa interjected, Mangnyang’s authority on the matter began to wane. Mangnyang didn’t argue back; instead, he kept staring at the patterns, finally saying.

“Ten Wings.”

“……?”

“The classic texts of the Book of Changes are so simple yet profound that it’s difficult to grasp the explanations of the 64 hexagrams and their judgments. Therefore, Confucius annotated them to ease understanding, and that became the Ten Wings of the Book of Changes, abbreviated as ‘Yikjeon.’ The Ten Wings consist of the ‘Wen Yan,’ ‘Duan Yan,’ upper and lower parts, ‘Xiang Zhuan,’ upper and lower sides, ‘Jixi Zhuan,’ upper and lower parts, ‘Shuo Gua Zhuan,’ ‘Xu Gua Zhuan,’ and ‘Za Gua Zhuan,’ totaling seven texts across ten parts. Hence, we refer to it as Ten Wings.”

I recalled the time I studied the basics of the Ten Wings.

“I’ve studied the basics of the Ten Wings as well.”

“Yes. It’s a fundamental text that greatly aids in both Confucian and Daoist studies.”

Mangnyang continued his explanation.

“With a foundational understanding of the Ten Wings, one can comprehend the Book of Changes fully and become a master of the Eight Trigrams later. However, our Zhuge family has two additional texts.”

“Eh?!”

That was unexpected. When I looked at Mangnyang in shock, Zhuge Sa’s expression became serious.

“Indeed. The works of our ancestor, Zhuge Liang, titled ‘Zhuge Liang’s Collected Works’ and ‘Heart Scriptures.’ Moreover, Zhuge Liang covertly inserted his interpretations of the Eight Trigrams, adding the ‘Two Wings.’”

Zhuge Sa spoke with a hint of scorn.

“It was Zhuge Liang’s arrogance. He thought he surpassed Confucius in the achievement of the Eight Trigrams. As a result, the descendants of the Zhuge clan study the Eight Trigrams of the Book of Changes through ‘Twelve Wings’ rather than ‘Ten Wings,’ leading to faster accomplishments.”

“……!!”

I was astounded to learn this.

I asked Mangnyang.

“Mangnyang, when you taught me for three years, why didn’t you mention this?”

“It’s not that I didn’t teach you; it’s that I couldn’t. The interpretations in Zhuge Liang’s collected works and heart scriptures are advanced courses meant for those who have devoted their lives to studying the Eight Trigrams. They weren’t things I could show you when you were just beginning to learn.”

“……”

As my mouth closed, Zhuge Sa spoke.

“So, what of the Twelve Wings? Either way, we have all studied that; as far as I know, no such patterns are recorded in the Twelve Wings.”

“Uncle, do you know about the existence of the thirteenth text?”

“… What?”

Zhuge Sa’s expression turned distorted. Mangnyang spoke calmly.

“It exists. The Zhuge family has recently produced an interpretation of the Eight Trigrams called the Thirteen Wings.”

“What kind of nonsense is this? If that existed, I would certainly know of it.”

“No, you wouldn’t know. You despise the author of that book the most in the world.”

“What…?”

Zhuge Sa stared at Mangnyang, following an expression of realization. Then he let out a mix of annoyance and fury.

“I see. It was that damned brother of mine.”

“Correct.”

What in the world are they talking about?

Mangnyang turned to me to explain.

“The Vermilion Bird, Zhuge Yulong. He is my father, your Uncle, and the greatest master of the Eight Trigrams in the current Middle Plains. He authored the interpretation collection named ‘Thirteen Wings,’ which encapsulates the essence of Eight Trigram interpretations.”

“……!!”

“I received personal instruction on the ‘Thirteen Wings’ during my brief time as an Astronomer, thanks to my father’s favor. Because of that, even without talent in sorcery, I was able to become proficient in the secret methods of sorcery and the Eight Trigrams in a short time. Of course, the Thirteen Wings don’t grant you supernatural abilities in sorcery comprehension, so I remained weaker than I’d like.”

“What’s the title of the Thirteen Wings?”

“Yuhyunji.”

I never expected such a secret existed.

I asked Mangnyang hopefully.

“Could you teach me the Yuhyunji as well? I want to become a master of Qimen Dunjia.”

“If you can comprehend all 64 hexagrams and can manipulate intermediate-level formation techniques freely, then it’s okay to enter then. It requires a solid understanding of mathematics, astronomy, and fate, so it’s still a long way off for you.”

“Hmm…”

That’s right. I could manage basic techniques like the Mangyun Formation, but my experience with formation techniques is short, making it impossible for me to handle advanced techniques just yet. I’d at least need to dedicate three years to this.

“Anyway, I vaguely recall having seen these patterns in the Yuhyunji.”

Zhuge Sa frowned.

“The cause and effect are strange. How could the patterns inscribed in the most secretive forbidden area of the Queen Mother exist in the Yuhyunji too?”

“I’m unsure of that as well; I was rummaging through my memories at the moment.”

Mangnyang gestured widely with one hand.

“In the Yuhyunji, these patterns served to explain the movements of the constellations. In the vast cosmos of red and yellow, there are specific constellations, and it was said that when those constellations reach a certain period, they undergo great transformations.”

“Constellations.”

Cheon Woo-jin, who had been listening, spoke.

“Older Brother, there is definitely some powerful magical significance in those patterns. And Zhuge Yulong certainly didn’t originate that knowledge; he must have learned or observed it somewhere.”

“……”

Mangnyang pondered for a moment before saying.

“First, let’s ask someone who knows the Yuhyunji better than I do.”

“Who do you mean? We don’t know the current status of Zhuge Yulong.”

“There’s another person.”

He smiled wryly.

“There’s someone who studied the Yuhyunji longer than I have, possesses talents in both sorcery and martial arts, and once led the sorcerers of the Imperial Palace as a Grand Astronomer, and that person is tied to this Jangryeong Valley.”