Chapter 50
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Translator: 8uhl
Chapter: 50
Chapter Title: A Grand Reorganization
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Cheon Wigang stood before the false being, dead in his own likeness.
The finality of it all sank in.
“You've resolved the lifelong regret I never could.”
The one who had accomplished this was none other than Cheon Muryang.
The Great Young Lord of the Cheon Family, whom he had thought a scoundrel of the age.
“You did this.”
Cheon Wigang and Cheon Seonhak.
The two pillars of the Cheon Family felt an indescribable emotion.
Among the myriad feelings, the one they shared was pride.
“Hmph.”
Cheon Muryang shrugged his shoulders.
Such gazes from the two were unfamiliar to Cheon Muryang as well.
“I merely did what was expected of me.”
*Glance.*
Cheon Muryang gazed at the corpse of the man who had impersonated Cheon Jungho.
With his death, the Demonic Cult's thirty-year grand scheme that had loomed over the Cheon Family had ended in failure.
“They were truly tenacious bastards. It is said a gentleman's revenge is never too late, even after ten years, but…”
“These are no gentlemen.”
“Yes. They are far more tenacious.”
Thirty years.
Their hatred and fury, unchanged over such a long time, were almost respectable.
It meant their feelings had not diluted.
Thus, Cheon Muryang did not let his guard down.
“You both must understand.”
“…”
“Nothing is over yet.”
This was only the beginning.
If their grand scheme against the Cheon Family was thirty years in the making, how many years was their plan for the entire Central Plains?
It could be a plan of a hundred, perhaps even several hundred years.
“How can we possibly rest easy until we've eliminated the source of all this?”
The Demonic Cult.
They were always dangerous.
However, as time passed, the Central Plains martial world forgot its fear of the Demonic Cult, even going so far as to treat it as nonexistent.
“While the Central Plains forgot the Demonic Cult, the Cult never once forgot its hatred.”
They were merely waiting for the right time.
And that time would not be far off.
The threat of the Demonic Cult wasn't some distant, empty prophecy; it was a very real danger, a blade already at their throats.
“Before long, the Demonic Cult will surely make its move.”
He could deduce when.
A thirty-year grand scheme.
Ten years from now.
The day the Cheon Family was annihilated in Nameless's memories was likely the scheduled date.
“The Demonic Cult…”
What they had thought was a mere power struggle within the family turned out to be a dark scheme by the Demonic Cult.
This was by no means an issue for the Cheon Family alone.
It was a matter directly connected to the entire Central Plains martial world.
“You are right.”
“Yes. Their fury and hatred are so great it would not be strange if they burned down this entire world.”
That would be the beginning of the chaos they craved, and the start of a new order reborn atop that chaos.
Hadn't Cheon Muryang seen the beginning of such a future himself?
He intended to stop it.
Perhaps it was the destiny he had failed to fulfill in his past life.
“However, I haven't the slightest intention of just taking it.”
“Indeed. That's how it should be.”
The Cheon Family would change.
There would no longer be a Cheon Family that only suffered.
“Yes. We must prepare.”
Ten years.
Cheon Muryang thought it was enough time.
If it was something that had to be done anyway.
“Of course, in the process, I intend to re-establish the name of the Cheon Family in the Central Plains martial world.”
He would once again make the Cheon Family's name stand tall in the Central Plains.
The world had forgotten the Cheon Family.
But now, they would know it again.
The roar of the dragon that once commanded the heavens.
“…”
Cheon Wigang and Cheon Seonhak trembled with excitement.
“If that is your will, I will follow.”
Cheon Seonhak reaffirmed his resolve.
Hadn't he already decided to become Cheon Muryang's sword and shield?
He had decided to follow, whatever the path may be.
“Do it. The Cheon Family will support your will.”
Cheon Wigang was the same.
Until now, the family had been unable to offer any help.
But from now on, that would change.
“You really are an interesting one.”
The Wandering King, though an outsider, was already irrevocably entangled with the Demonic Cult.
If he didn't rely on the Cheon Family, the Wandering King would surely become their top target.
“What are you planning to do?”
“Until something more interesting than you comes along, I'm thinking of relying on the Cheon Family.”
The Wandering King was not foolish.
Unless he gave up everything and secluded himself in the Shaolin Temple, there was nowhere in the Central Plains he could escape the Demonic Cult's blade.
If that was the case, wasn't the Wandering King the type to choose death in a head-on fight?
“Then, I will formally hire you.”
“Hire?”
“I mean, accept a commission.”
“A commission… Are you saying you'll buy me with money?”
The Wandering King asked with a laugh.
Of course, it wasn't because he was interested in the commission.
*‘Is this all there is to you? You're predictable too.’*
The world was mistaken.
They thought the Wandering King was a man moved by money.
But the reality was completely different.
*‘Trying to win me over with money?’*
The payment for his commissions was merely money.
He was never truly moved by it.
He might demand half a rich man's fortune, but he would also move for three coins from a poor man. That was the kind of man the Wandering King was.
This eccentrically inconsistent standard was why the Wandering King was known as a peculiar man in the Central Plains.
“What is it?”
The Wandering King's smile, though he didn't show it, was filled with disappointment.
But Cheon Muryang, whether he knew this or not, continued.
“A sword for a sword, a saber for a saber.”
“…”
“Our family has no one who wields the saber. You will be the one to face the Saber Lord.”
The Wandering King's eyes changed.
The content of the commission was completely unexpected.
“So, you want me to defeat the Saber Lord with a saber?”
“That's right. That is the commission.”
“Anything else?”
“Do as you please.”
“Your tone seems a little more polite, but you're still as arrogant as ever.”
“What can I do? We got off on the wrong foot. Since I'm the one requesting a commission, I'm showing you my utmost courtesy.”
“Utmost courtesy. You're full of it.”
Cheon Muryang shrugged.
Then he said.
“So, what will you do?”
*Pfft.*
The Wandering King let out a hearty laugh.
What an absurd commission.
It was a commission the likes of which he had never heard of in his life.
“You always exceed my imagination.”
“I'll take that as a compliment.”
“Fine. It's a compliment.”
*Ssk.*
The Wandering King held out his hand.
Cheon Muryang tilted his head.
“What does this mean…?”
“The retainer for the commission.”
“…”
“We have to follow business ethics.”
This was an unexpected reply.
But, thinking it was just like the Wandering King, Cheon Muryang searched his robes.
Fortunately, he found a single coin in the corner of a pocket.
*Grin.*
Cheon Muryang smiled.
He already knew about the Wandering King's eccentricity.
“This is all I have.”
A single coin.
A worn-out coin at that, who knew how long it had been in there.
“Is this really all you have?”
“It is.”
“This isn't profitable at all.”
“So, you're not going to take it?”
“As if.”
The Wandering King took the single coin.
“With this, the commission is accepted.”
“Good.”
The wandering Wandering King.
Until now, the Wandering King had never belonged anywhere.
But that had now changed.
He might come to be known as the Wandering King of the Cheon Family.
This choice was different from the life principles he had adhered to until now, but the Wandering King also knew it was time for him to seek change.
*‘The Saber Lord…’*
All of this was to reach the sky of the saber that the Saber Lord had shown him.
Reaching it wasn't the issue.
Slicing that sky apart—that was the path the Wandering King sought to reach.
*‘I only saw a glimpse, but…’*
Whether it was possible was still unknown.
*Grip!*
The Wandering King gripped his saber tightly.
Leaving him to burn with fighting spirit, the three gathered.
“What will you do now?”
“Before going to the Dragon and Phoenix Assembly, shouldn't we first reorganize the family on a large scale?”
“Yes. We should.”
“Please leave it to me. This scoundrel is going to try wielding the knife properly for once.”
“I'll leave it to you.”
“Yes.”
Cheon Muryang's smile was that of a scoundrel.
But no one thought of Cheon Muryang as a scoundrel anymore.
It was a remarkable development.
“Let's go.”
“Mm.”
“Ah, wait a moment.”
Cheon Muryang seemed to remember something.
He approached the rotting corpse of the Demonic Cult member.
“…”
Along with a terrible stench.
On the corpse was a strange orb emitting a brilliant light.
*‘There's definitely something to this.’*
He had to know.
So, Cheon Muryang put the orb into his robes.
An eerie feeling washed over him for some reason.
***
The Cheon Family faced a great upheaval.
The power of the Council of Elders was completely annihilated by Cheon Muryang's inspection team.
The corruption committed by the Council had already been grasped by the Heavenly Watch Corps and Geumsan, who had been the black merchant.
In the process, all those who had betrayed and corrupted the family were purged.
“You can't do this!”
“Yes. I can.”
“Do you think the Grand Elder will stand by and do nothing?”
Cheon Muryang sneered in their faces.
At their foolishness for not realizing the times had changed.
The era of the Third Elder and the Grand Elder was over.
“He's dead.”
“W-what are you talking about!”
“The Third Elder and the Grand Elder, they're both dead.”
“W-what do you mean!”
“Just accept it.”
There was no one left who could leech off the authority of the Council of Elders.
Those who needed to exit with the changing times simply had to exit.
Of course, they would have to pay the price for the corruption they had committed.
“Hoo…”
The Council of Elders had been involved in so many things that after purging them all, the inside of the Cheon Family felt rather empty.
“Fortunately, there's no one resisting?”
He had wondered if there would be any backlash.
But, aside from their clear crimes, all those purged were people with poor reputations within the family.
“Tsk. So it wasn't a lack of talent after all.”
The expelled members had thought the Cheon Family wouldn't function without them.
Some might have even expected the family to realize the void they left and ask them to return.
“They were just blinded.”
But, like Nameless, those who had silently protected the family remained steadfast.
In fact, when given authority and positions befitting their abilities, their efficiency improved.
“Still, we'll have to recruit new talent.”
“I have something to say regarding that.”
“Ah, you're here, Lord of the Golden Pavilion.”
Cheon Muryang greeted Geumsan.
Geumsan had become the Lord of the Golden Pavilion.
And so, with the sharp insight that had uncovered the corruption, he was eliminating irrationalities and ensuring funds were managed efficiently.
“Thanks to you, we can provide better supplies to more people. That's a relief.”
With no money being siphoned off, the Cheon Family's funds went entirely to its members.
Not only did their base pay and bonuses increase, but the quality of the training uniforms and swords provided to the trainees also improved remarkably.
And that wasn't all.
Thanks to a complete overhaul of the training grounds, they were even able to furnish individual training rooms.
“It was something that should have been done.”
“But, you said you had something to tell me?”
“Yes. It's about talent…”
Geumsan's expression wasn't very bright.
“Please, speak.”
“What we have now is sufficient to maintain the Cheon Family. However, I assume the Great Young Lord's goal is not to maintain the status quo.”
“That's right.”
“Therefore, I wanted to mention that to acquire talent for the future, there is also the option of nurturing such talent.”
Cheon Muryang's eyebrows rose.
It was interest.
“Nurturing?”
“Yes. For example, the children who were captured by the black merchants and rescued by the Great Young Lord.”
Cheon Muryang understood what Geumsan meant.
“Ah. That's a good idea.”
“If we take those children in, they will surely become talented individuals.”
“Excellent.”
Cheon Muryang nodded.
They could be taught administration from a young age, as trainees.
“That's a great idea. May I entrust it to you, Lord of the Golden Pavilion?”
“Yes…”
“Before that, show them to the Wandering King one by one. There may be children with talent in martial arts.”
“I will do so.”
Cheon Muryang smiled.
What was lacking could simply be filled.
Cheon Muryang sensed that it was finally time to leave the family estate.
*‘Before leaving for the Dragon and Phoenix Assembly… I think the time is about right.’*
It was then.
“Great Young Lord.”
“Oh. You're just in time.”
The leader of the Heavenly Watch Corps arrived.
“It was just as you said, Great Young Lord.”
“As expected.”
Cheon Muryang smiled, picked up the Heavenly Light Sword, and rose from his seat.
It was time to go outside the family grounds.