NOVEL NEXT Chapter 871
Chapter 15: The True Martial Home
A tall and nimble guy was standing where the voice came from. He was dressed in casual martial arts attire, and his face bore a striking resemblance to Jin So-cheong, making it pretty easy to recognize him as Jin Cheon-hwi.
‘No way… not like this…’
It wasn’t much different from when I revived Lee Cheong-un. Yet, an unexplainable sense of discomfort made me tilt my head slightly when I heard Zhuge Yulong call out to Jin Cheon-hwi, who then suddenly cast a technique.
Five Elements Turn to Fire!
Pure flames formed a technique that surged toward Jin Cheon-hwi like three spears. There was no incantation or preparation involved, but you could tell the strength of those opposing elements was formidable just by looking. Any ordinary guy would have their heart pierced by that single move, but in that moment, Jin Cheon-hwi nimbly dodged the Five Elements Turn to Fire.
Swish!
Having evaded the technique, Jin Cheon-hwi said, “What the hell are you doing, Yulong?”
“Bind him.”
Boom!
Without stopping there, Zhuge Yulong clenched his fist, causing a pile of earth to surge up and engulf Jin Cheon-hwi. It seemed to be a type of earth manipulation technique, and the suddenness and wide range of it likely meant Jin Cheon-hwi would get buried. However, the moment the mound of dirt appeared, Jin Cheon-hwi burst out, enveloped in radiant qi.
‘Impressive skill.’
It was clear at first glance that Jin Cheon-hwi was at least a Peak Expert.
And then, escaping the dirt, Jin Cheon-hwi shouted with an angry voice, “What do you think you’re doing?!”
“…”
Zhuge Yulong stared at him and said, “Only someone like you, who has mastered the fundamental techniques of Shaolin’s Arhat-moving skill and can wrap themselves in iron armor’s qi, could do what you just did.”
“Were you doubting whether I was the real deal or not?”
“For now, yes.”
Jin Cheon-hwi chuckled lightly. “I don’t quite get what’s happening. I definitely died and was buried back then, so how am I here now?”
“The story is long, you see,” Zhuge Yulong began.
“Cheon-hwi, did you perhaps visit the Afterlife?”
“The Afterlife… I’m not sure. The only memory I have is from the day I was executed by the emperor’s orders. I lost consciousness amidst pain, thinking I was going to die, but then I found myself standing here by the shrine.”
“……”
“Could it be that I was revived by some zombie technique?”
I started to grasp the situation as I watched their exchange.
‘Zhuge Yulong is also suspicious of Jin Cheon-hwi.’
It was indeed strange, and the implications of Jin Cheon-hwi being revived through some power were hard to take at face value. If even I felt that discomfort, there was no way the smartest Zhuge Yulong and Zhuge Sa wouldn’t suspect him. Then Zhuge Yulong replied.
“Not a zombie technique. We should move from here. Staying any longer will draw too much attention.”
“Got it.”
Whoosh!
We all used our divine techniques and headed toward the Inner Imperial Pavilion of the Imperial Palace. As soon as we entered, Zhuge Yulong snapped his fingers, seemingly activating some kind of protective barrier. We felt the space was isolated from the outside, and the oil lamps inside lit up, brightening the room. As we all sat down, Zhuge Yulong spoke.
“Cheon-hwi. I’ll be direct; I suspect you.”
“Seems that way.”
“So, I need to verify you. Before you died, you asked me to fulfill a plan. Can you tell me that plan here?”
Jin Cheon-hwi frowned slightly, looking displeased at Zhuge Yulong’s request. He glanced at the three of us and said, “Who are they? Our plan was supposed to remain secret from everyone else in the world. You want me to spill it in front of these outsiders?”
“They’re trustworthy. One is my sister, Sha, and the other are her companions.”
“Who is that woman?”
“She’s the daughter of the leader of the Shadowless Gate from the Eight Demons of the Demon Path. Her name is Seo Mun-hye.”
Seo Mun-hye slightly bowed her head and silently greeted Jin Cheon-hwi. Although she hadn’t shown much presence until now, she had been on guard with us both in case something went awry. Jin Cheon-hwi surveyed our faces and his eyes lit up when he saw me.
“Oh… you’re quite an intriguing person.”
“I’m not suspicious at all, Jin Cheon-hwi.”
“What’s your name?”
“Baek Woong.”
“Baek Woong… Baek Woong… Hmm, nothing special to note.”
Jin Cheon-hwi repeated my name, seemingly searching for something special, his expression a mix of confusion. I had no idea why he reacted that way, but eventually, he spoke.
“I’m intrigued not because of your looks, but because I can feel your martial skills transcending the ordinary and nearing the Absolute Realm. Could you be a Half-Transition Master?”
“Not a Half-Transition Master.”
“Hm… then is it possible to reach that level at your age?”
“I’ll tell you my story later. For now, I’d like to follow Zhuge Yulong’s instructions.”
“Alright.”
Jin Cheon-hwi took a moment to choose his words carefully before slowly opening his mouth.
“Yulong, the plan we had was to prevent the End of the World.”
“……”
“Starting from the trivial notion that since we saved the Great Ming Empire, we should try saving the world as well…”
The End of the World?!
“I encountered Dae Jo-young, the founder of Balhae, while waging war against the northern tribes, and he told me of a prophecy about the future of the world, which included the end of it. I knew I had to relay that to you. And you had used your wife’s divine powers to peer into the future to verify if that was true.”
“……”
Dae Jo-young?!
I was astonished at the unexpected reference and looked at Zhuge Yulong. Why was the founder of Balhae being mentioned here? Zhuge Sa also appeared surprised, his eyebrows twitching as all eyes turned to Zhuge Yulong, who nodded solemnly.
“Indeed.”
“We paid a huge price for that. Knowing the prophecy of Dae Jo-young was true, we formulated a big plan to save the world after saving the Great Ming Empire. That was to contact the darkness of the world and gain power to save humanity from the impending apocalypse.”
“……”
“Unfortunately, I had my reasons that prevented me from following through with the plan until the end… So, you planned my death and I accepted it. That’s why I died.”
“Right.”
“Is there anything more to say?”
“… None.”
Zhuge Yulong’s expression shifted from resolute to bitter. That must have been the true feeling he usually kept hidden. Zhuge Yulong then looked at Zhuge Sa and said, “There’s no room for doubt left. He is the real Jin Cheon-hwi.”
“Seems so. But you’ve left out one thing, brother.”
“Is it the reason why I planned the death of my companion, Jin Cheon-hwi?”
“If we’re in the same boat now, I’d like to hear everything, including that.”
“……”
As Zhuge Yulong hesitated, Jin Cheon-hwi spoke up.
“That’s not an easy story for me to tell, but may I take it from here, Zhuge Sa?”
“Go ahead.”
“Both the Celestial Realm and I continuously suspected our alliance. Even after sending heavenly generals to kill Yulong’s wife, we were still classified as high-risk individuals, enduring constant eavesdropping and surveillance. If this kept up, we wouldn’t be able to do anything until our lifespans run out, so we decided to fake an internal conflict, showing the Celestial Realm that we were killing each other.”
“Hmm.”
“That’s when Yulong established a decoy emperor and pretended to be corrupted, while planning to kill me politically. I thought that plan was rational and accepted it, leading to my death.”
Zhuge Sa pondered for a moment before asking, “Was that plan devised by you?”
“Yes.”
“Surely that can’t be the only method available?”
“There may have been alternatives. But I was afraid that the suspicions from the Celestial Realm would extend to my descendants. If they wanted, they could wipe out my entire family line, so I entrusted Yulong with my legacy and accepted my death. Thankfully, it seems Yulong has managed to clear his suspicions and is diligently carrying out the plan.”
“Do you know where your son is and what he’s doing now?”
“I don’t.”
Jin Cheon-hwi’s expression suddenly became fierce.
“Now that I’ve laid everything bare to you, that’s information you must tell me in return.”
As I observed Jin Cheon-hwi’s conversation with the strategists, I felt confused.
‘Jin Cheon-hwi is definitely suspicious. But… it feels like those suspicions are fading away as he speaks.’
He seemed to be only relaying the truth. I wasn’t the only one sensing this; everyone seemed unable to discern the hidden truths behind Jin Cheon-hwi’s words. Even if I wanted to suspect him further, I could no longer regard him as anything but human due to the overwhelming humanity he radiated. It seemed impossible for a chaotic entity to mimic a human so flawlessly.
Zhuge Sa finally spoke.
“You mentioned hearing a prophecy from Dae Jo-young. Could you tell us what it was about?”
“Of course…”
Jin Cheon-hwi began reciting a prophecy composed of 192 characters. The verses were laden with abstraction and ambiguous implications, but they often hinted at the End of the World, sang of the return of the Old Ruler, and even detailed the calamity wrought by evil spirits and the Divine beings of the Eight Parts of the Divine, all while portraying the humans who developed scientific civilization as adversaries.
‘It’s real.’
I could tell that the prophecy from Dae Jo-young was authentic. Other humans might dismiss it as nonsense, but having experienced the apocalypse first-hand, I knew every last word was true. Zhuge Yulong’s ability to endure the memorization of the Obsidian was likely because of his prior knowledge of that prophecy.
“What kind of person was Dae Jo-young, the founder of Balhae? Was he a divine being?”
“He was a being of spiritual transformation. I met him in the northern snow-capped mountains, and he didn’t have even a trace of a physical body left. It seemed he wandered the world with immense power and delivered the prophecy to me before leaving.”
“Hmm.”
It was then that, seemingly lost in thought, Zhuge Sa suddenly used the Suspicious Fishhook to speak to me.
[Baek Woong. Listen closely. From now on, any mentions related to your rebirth should be as limited as possible. And refrain from speaking based on that premise as well. It would be better if you just kept quiet.]
[What?]
[Don’t give it away. The game has just begun.]
……?
What was Zhuge Sa talking about?
But since he said to keep it under wraps, there had to be a reason, so I decided to trust him.
“Now it’s your turn to tell me. What happened to my son?”
Noticing that Zhuge Sa seemed to be organizing his thoughts, I answered in his stead.
“Your son, Jin So-cheong, has been raised by Lee Kwang and is now a fine young martial artist. He has also become the successor of the Thunder God Lineage.”
“……”
At those words, Jin Cheon-hwi showed a truly peculiar expression.
“… Lee Kwang? Really? Him…”
“Indeed. After becoming embroiled in political strife, he retired without marrying, focusing solely on raising Jin So-cheong, and is currently serving as the leader of the Azure Dragon Martial Arts School in Guanzhong.”
Jin Cheon-hwi exclaimed, “Oh! I can’t believe it… that’s unexpected.”
Zhuge Yulong, who had been standing by, opened his mouth.
“I tried to intervene to protect him, but Lee Kwang was unexpectedly determined to safeguard Jin So-cheong, so I couldn’t step in much. Not long after, he moved to the countryside with young Jin So-cheong, but it seemed he had no ulterior motives, so I just let it be.”
“Hm… I never thought Lee Kwang would be someone like that; it’s truly surprising.”
“I also couldn’t have predicted such a thing.”
Listening to the conversation between the two, I felt baffled.
‘They called themselves friends, but did they look upon Lee Kwang as someone who could raise a child?’
I somewhat understand—when considering the personality of Lee Kwang at the height of his glory, it’s not surprising it could be this way.
‘But… what was Lee Kwang really thinking?’
If his closest friends viewed him this way, it wouldn’t be something that could be attributed to a mere change of heart. What on earth compelled Lee Kwang to take care of Jin So-cheong from infancy to adulthood all by himself? In this era, even a highly honored widower having never married would be seen as a disgrace, making Lee Kwang’s actions contradictory.
While I was contemplating Lee Kwang, Jin Cheon-hwi spoke up.
“I believe I now have the right to hear the circumstances. What on earth is going on?”
Honestly, having reached this point in confirming the facts, there was no longer a need to conceal anything from Jin Cheon-hwi. Just as I was about to speak, Zhuge Yulong said.
“Cheon-hwi, I’m sorry.”
At Zhuge Yulong’s ensuing words, the atmosphere in the room stiffened.
“From now on, we will seal you. Please cooperate.”