The Enigmatic Patterns
“Here, look at this part.”
Though it was a moment that demanded focus, Yeon Hojeong could not hide his surprise.
Spread out before his eyes was a massive detailed map spanning a full jang in both length and width. It included the region where he had fought the Twelfth Martial General and the area where Dang Gwan had clashed with the Fifth Martial General.
What impressed him most was the razor-sharp sense of distance and the meticulous detail. It was precise enough to pass for the work of a professional cartographer.
“Did you draw this yourself?”
“Who else would help with this insane task?”
“It’s remarkable.”
“Enough. Just look.”
Jegal A-yeon pointed to various spots on the map with a grave expression.
“The Shinhwa Sect boldly established an information outpost not far from the Martial Alliance. The terrain made it hard to detect, and its proximity to a village made gathering local intelligence convenient.”
“That’s true.”
“But they didn’t choose this location merely to collect information.”
Jegal A-yeon brought over a sheet of transparent oil paper. On it was a complex diagram drawn with exquisite precision using a fine brush.
“This is the Eight Formation Infinite Diagram, one of the formation scrolls frequently used by my clan. It uses the Eight Trigrams as its framework, incorporates the Four Symbols within, and constructs the paths of life and death through yin and yang inside the symbols. It’s a basic formation.”
Though she called it basic, the diagram looked overwhelmingly intricate to Yeon Hojeong, who had never properly studied formations.
“I drew the Eight Formation Infinite Diagram on this oil paper so I could overlay it on the map.”
Jegal A-yeon placed the diagram over the map. Its center aligned with the Shinhwa Sect’s former information outpost.
Yeon Hojeong’s eyes gleamed.
“Well? What do you see now?”
“The path of death…?”
“Your instincts are sharp, as expected. Correct. When the eight directions are fixed by the Eight Trigrams, the place where you fought the Twelfth Martial General falls in the Xun direction. The distorted Four Symbols positioned Lesser Yang there, which corresponds to the yin path of death in the yin-yang framework.”
“So we fought in a place where it was kill or be killed.”
“Exactly. And the family head and Hu Gae entered from the path of life into the path of death.”
“But…”
“Doesn’t it feel off? Both on the map and in your memory, the region where you fought doesn’t seem like it should be classified as a path of death.”
Yeon Hojeong agreed. The battlefield where he had waged a life-and-death struggle against Gyu Jeok could never have been a path of death given its surroundings. The air had simply been dry and the area wooded, favoring Gyu Jeok’s heat-yang arts. No matter how one tried to force a formation diagram onto it, it was difficult to label the place a death ground under normal circumstances.
Yeon Hojeong tilted his head.
“Is it a difference in the formation scroll? In other words, because we used your clan’s Eight Formation Infinite Diagram, this discrepancy appeared…?”
“Absolutely not. No matter how you modify the Eight Formation Infinite Diagram, that region cannot become a path of life.”
“Yet it wasn’t a path of death either.”
“That’s the problem.”
Jegal A-yeon’s gaze deepened.
“It isn’t just the Eight Formation Infinite Diagram. No matter which formation scroll from my clan we overlay, that place refuses to become a path of life.”
“Could it be because these are Jegal clan formations? If a formation master from another school interprets the equations differently…”
“I can say this with confidence: even if my clan’s formation equations are not the absolute best in the world, they are certainly the most comprehensive. In other words, no one outside my clan can unravel the fundamental principles of even the unorthodox and demonic formation masters.”
If she was willing to state it so firmly, then something truly was amiss.
Watching Yeon Hojeong sink into thought, Jegal A-yeon produced another sheet of oil paper.
“Now, shall we try overlaying this one?”
“What is it?”
“The Tenfold Complete Diagram, encompassing every direction from the Limitless to the Nine Palaces.”
“I don’t follow.”
“Just look.”
The oil paper bearing the Tenfold Complete Diagram was laid over the map.
Yeon Hojeong’s eyes widened.
“Well?”
“It’s still a path of death?”
“Exactly.”
“How strange. It remains a path of death, yet the moment one escapes that single line, it becomes a path of life.”
“…?!”
“See how the sequence flows precisely through the Three Powers, Four Symbols, Five Elements, and Six Harmonies?”
“Oh?”
“No? It is a path of death because it is the yin path of yin-yang, but after that it continues as the human path of the Three Powers, the greater yang path of the Four Symbols, the wood path of the Five Elements, and the eastern path of the Six Harmonies. Isn’t that a path of life?”
Jegal A-yeon clicked her tongue.
“Would you like to learn formations from me when you have time? You seem to have a talent for it.”
“If time permits.”
“You’re right. In the end, that place is a path of life. The issue is that, given the course of the battle, it makes no sense for the Twelfth Martial General to have chosen it as the main battlefield.”
“The air was dry and there were many trees nearby. And it wasn’t only that region. The information outpost itself was the same.”
“Even so, it remains a path of death. You know the reason better than anyone, don’t you?”
Yeon Hojeong’s eyes flashed.
“The riverbank.”
“Sharp as ever.”
Every single member of the Shinhwa Sect cultivated heat-yang arts. The core of those arts was fire, and fire was weak against water. Water overcomes fire. Of course, the Shinhwa Sect’s martial-general-level experts could blast away ordinary water force with their own flame power.
Even so, selecting that region as a battlefield was strange. Gyu Jeok possessed the ability to alter the battlefield environment at will. Any dry location would have favored his heat-yang arts; there was no need to fight specifically there.
“That isn’t all. The place where the family head of the Tang clan fought the Fifth Martial General is also the narrow yin path that escapes the path of life only to return to the path of death.”
After a moment of silence, Yeon Hojeong spoke.
“It could all be coincidence. It may seem odd to someone who solves equations, but battle is inherently…”
“I know. The problem is that it’s far too coincidental to be mere chance.”
Jegal A-yeon produced yet another map.
“This is where the First Martial General Beon Jak was, the site of the life-and-death struggle between the Martial Alliance experts and the Shinhwa Sect’s martial generals. It isn’t very detailed, so keep that in mind.”
After examining the map and then the overlays of the Eight Formation Infinite Diagram and the Tenfold Complete Diagram, Yeon Hojeong’s face had hardened completely.
“This really is strange.”
“Isn’t it?”
“Do you have the architectural plans for that building?”
“No. How could we?”
Yeon Hojeong closed his eyes for a moment, replaying the battle and the movements of the martial generals at the time.
It was not easy. No matter how exceptional Yeon Hojeong’s mind was, the fight had taken place months ago, and countless crises had erupted since then, leaving him mentally exhausted more than once.
Still, a few details remained clear. Because it had been a battle fought with their lives on the line—one of the most perilous encounters since his regression—the memories of each moment lingered.
“Well? Do you remember anything?”
“No. But…”
When Yeon Hojeong opened his eyes again, his face was filled with disbelief.
“The individual movements of the martial generals, and even their overall strategy, feel as though they were all structured within a single framework.”
“Are you certain?”
“Not certain. It’s just a feeling.”
“A feeling strong enough to create a sense of dissonance, then.”
Jegal A-yeon swept all the maps aside.
“No matter how I look at it, something feels wrong. Establishing an information outpost so close to the Martial Alliance? That’s bold. They say a lamp casts no light beneath itself, and their audacity in actually using that principle deserves praise.”
“It does.”
“The problem is that if they had even one strategist among them, they never would have set up an outpost there. They would have infiltrated the Alliance itself rather than risk exposure in such an ambiguous location.”
Yeon Hojeong had always found this puzzling as well. Yet because the Three Sects had seemed so fanatical, he had dismissed it as possible.
But that was not the case.
“They move with uncanny precision. They’re following the movements of a crude diagram whose formation is impossible to guess.”
Jegal A-yeon looked at Yeon Hojeong.
“If what you say is true, then that grotesque diagram’s movements are also embedded in the martial arts they practice.”
“……”
“Isn’t it astonishing? They’re like puppets faithfully carrying out orders from above. Even insects wouldn’t behave this way.”
Yeon Hojeong fell into thought once more. Does this make sense? He recalled the Shinhwa Sect’s martial generals again—their movements, their methods of releasing power, even the moments when their emotions flared.
Now that I think about it… Yeon Hojeong calmly assessed his own martial prowess. Back then, even with the enlightenment from my previous life, did I truly possess the skill to drive the enemy that far?
It was impossible to say. Battle could not be judged by realm alone. Countless factors—mental and physical state, environment, variables—intervened.
In other words, no one could guarantee victory or defeat in any fight. To be honest, Beon Jak had clearly been a master so formidable that even Yeon Hojeong and Yeon Wi combined would have struggled to capture him.
Of course, the tide of battle had been against him, and having achieved his objective, he had chosen not to push further. Moreover, the combined sword techniques of Yeon Hojeong and Yeon Wi had exceeded expectations. Momentum and willpower were indispensable in combat.
Still… Thoughts chased one another.
Eventually Yeon Hojeong shook his head. It’s already in the past. And it was undeniably a fight for our lives. Beon Jak was clearly struggling against our combined assault. There was no need to doubt even the elements one could confirm.
Yet one thing was certain.
“If this is true, we may have seized their most critical weakness.”
“Yes—if we can confirm it.”
Yeon Hojeong asked Jegal A-yeon, “How long would it take to obtain the architectural plans for the building where the martial generals fought their life-and-death battle?”
“I don’t know. It isn’t something we can handle on our own. Without the Martial Alliance’s intelligence division or the Beggar Clan’s help…”
“Then we’ll have to do it. We need to find out somehow.”
“And persuasion?”
“I’ll handle it. Don’t worry about that.”
Yeon Hojeong sank back into thought. Many ideas seemed to be stirring within him. It was understandable.
Jegal A-yeon waited patiently for him to speak again.
After some time had passed, he asked, “Have you ever been inside the Martial Alliance’s council chamber?”
Jegal A-yeon tilted her head.
“Once, I think? We went together before, didn’t we? When the Myeolsa Army returned and had to report to the higher-ups.”
“Ah, that’s right.”
Yeon Hojeong gave a cold smile.
“You’ll need to go in one more time.”
“What? Alone?”
“Alone or with a superior. Of course, we’ll have to inform the military advisor.”
Yeon Hojeong rose from his seat.
“Wait here. I’ll bring back an entry permit from the military advisor.”
“You’re not coming with me?”
“No. I won’t be going with you. I’ll explain what you need to do to the military advisor separately, so don’t worry.”
“Then what will you do?”
“I’m going to check whether the Shinhwa Sect really moves according to a fixed pattern, just as you discovered.”
Jegal A-yeon looked bewildered.
“How will you check that? And who will you ask?”
“The person involved.”
“What?”
Yeon Hojeong’s eyes gleamed.
“One of the martial generals we captured back then is rotting away in the Martial Alliance’s dungeon.”