Chapter 538
Chapter 538
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Translator: Ace
Chapter: 538
Chapter Title: Dark Heaven Village
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Which is more precious?
Obviously, my seven comrades. It wasn't even a question worth pondering. Between strangers and those bound by deep bonds, anyone could see which mattered more. Only a madman would say otherwise.
But I sensed a deeper intent behind Lord Zhuge's question. After a moment of silence, I replied.
"That's a different matter."
Lord Zhuge shot back immediately.
"No, it's the exact same issue. If you set out to rescue those people, we'll inevitably get dragged into a massive incident and swept up in a whirlwind of cause and effect alongside you. That would be no different from you killing us yourself."
"It's a different matter."
I raised my voice slightly as I continued.
"Because you know a way to avoid that!"
A glint appeared in Lord Zhuge's eyes. He leaned forward, staring at me.
"What nonsense is that?"
"Naturally, you seven mean far more to me than five thousand strangers. But I can't just stand by and let those five thousand be sacrificed as living offerings. They'll die horrific deaths, be devoured, and even in death, find no salvation. I can't allow that."
I crossed my arms and added.
"And if you truly wanted me to focus solely on cultivation, you wouldn't have told me about this in the first place. So either you already know a solution, Lord Zhuge, or you're testing me."
"......"
"There's a way, isn't there?"
"Hmm."
"That's the Lord Zhuge I know."
As I spoke firmly, Lord Zhuge gave me a sullen look, clearly displeased. Mang Liang, standing beside him, chuckled and said to Lord Zhuge.
"I told you. Baek Woong isn't the Baek Woong of old."
"Keh. Don't act like you predicted everything. You were just as skeptical, which is why you came with me to gauge his reaction."
"Well, that's true..."
Mang Liang shrugged, and Lord Zhuge turned to me.
"You're right. We have a plan in place."
"So you were testing me after all?"
His voice grew icy.
"Yes. I wanted to see if you'd waver in the face of such obstacles. If you folded too easily, no matter your reincarnation, neither I nor Mang Liang would risk our lives for you."
So that's how it was.
I let out a quiet sigh of relief inwardly, and Lord Zhuge fixed me with a piercing gaze, propping his chin on his hand.
"As you guessed, we two have devised a countermeasure. One that keeps our identities hidden and checks the imperial palace. With the talent, treasures, and wealth we've amassed, it'd be strange if we couldn't manage that much, wouldn't it?"
"Hah, that's a relief..."
Lord Zhuge cut me off abruptly.
"But that question I just asked was real. Answer it."
"What question?"
"You saw through my intent and got ahead of me this time, but as you reincarnate further, you'll face countless such choices. Sentiment or pragmatism? Justice or efficiency? Intervention or observation? Rescue or slaughter?"
"......"
"You've had plenty already. You can't dodge them like this every time, right?"
I nodded gravely at Lord Zhuge's words.
"I know."
After a pause, I said.
"I won't abandon all pragmatism for the ideals in my head. I might have to sacrifice some if necessary. But since I can't do it alone, I believe you and the others will help me."
"Smooth talker..."
"Sorry."
"How did we end up with such a thick-headed lord?"
Grumbling, Lord Zhuge continued.
"Fine, then. Let me explain our countermeasure for the slave sacrifices."
Lord Zhuge began outlining the plan. When I heard it, I was so flabbergasted that my jaw dropped.
"Wha—what?! Isn't that way too extreme?"
"You used a similar tactic before. What's the problem? And you'd be the only one getting your hands dirty."
"Even so, will it work?"
"It'll work spectacularly. Mang Liang will handle the cleanup using his connections in the Half-Heaven Alliance and Luoyang. No need to worry."
Mang Liang, standing nearby, added.
"Using this method, we can buy at least five years. The risk of our identities being exposed is minimal. We'll just need more explosives, so we should ask Lady Miho to procure some from Dongyoung."
"Got it. We'll go with that plan."
"And about Yeon Jong-hwi..."
Mang Liang trailed off, looking at me.
"We can't keep him locked in Jangryeong Valley forever. So, do we fully win him over, or...?"
He means kill him.
Mang Liang didn't say it outright, but I understood the context. If word got out that we destroyed the Nangong Family, the power balance would shift dramatically. We couldn't release Yeon Jong-hwi, the sole witness to that massacre. It was either win him over or eliminate him.
Lord Zhuge said.
"I suggested brainwashing him with the Great Soul Separation Technique and turning him into a subordinate, but Mang Liang objected, saying he might become a future comrade. If he remembers being controlled, he'll never trust us. So we're asking your opinion, Baek Woong."
"Control him with the Great Soul Separation Technique or kill him?"
"Bluntly put, yes. What do you want to do?"
I thought it over carefully before replying.
"I agree with Mang Liang. He's one of the future Ten Great Experts, so he might know things we don't."
"But handing him the black obsidian? We have zero trust with him."
"I'll talk to Yeon Jong-hwi myself."
"Do what you want."
Boom.
Shortly after, I entered the secret chamber in Jangryeong Valley. Looking at Yeon Jong-hwi, bound in iron chains, I said.
"Good to see you, Yeon Jong-hwi."
"......"
Yeon Jong-hwi stared at me silently. I pressed the acupoint suppressing his internal energy and released the chains. Once free, he grumbled curtly.
"What's this about? What the hell do you want from me?"
"First things first—you haven't eaten today. Have some of this."
I offered him dumplings, pork ribs, and a bit of water. He took the food and ate in silence for a while. Despite us not skimping on his meals, he devoured it. Surprised at how much he enjoyed it, I asked.
"You're not worried it's poisoned?"
"If it was, you'd have done it already. I can only hope you bastards aren't that vile."
Munch munch.
Watching Yeon Jong-hwi eat so matter-of-factly, I could truly sense it.
'This guy's a real hero.'
Dragged to an unknown place and imprisoned for months, yet his spirit was unbroken—bold, even. Yeon Jong-hwi was no ordinary warrior. Once he finished, I cleared the dishes and said.
"I'll ask a few simple questions. Then we'll decide your fate."
"What questions?"
"First... You were staying with the Nangong Family as a guest retainer but planned to leave. Where were you headed?"
Yeon Jong-hwi replied.
"As I told the others before you, my answer's the same. I was just wandering the Central Plains aimlessly."
"Is that so? Then what sect are you from?"
"The One-Man Succession Sect, the Sun-Shooting Gate."
He's lying.
Everything he's saying is a lie.
That was the consensus from Mang Liang and Lord Zhuge's prior interrogations. Masters at reading people, they could infer his psyche from every tiny reaction and response. By layering dozens of similar questions, they could even approximate his truths.
'Looks like he doesn't trust us at all and is always looking for a chance to escape.'
Can't blame him. Why bare your soul to the ones who massacred the Nangong Family he depended on and locked him up? Especially with no torture or threats so far—he'd naturally hide everything.
But I didn't have the time or leisure for a psychological tug-of-war. With a short sigh, I said.
"The truth is, my comrades and I discussed it at length. We've decided either to kill you or win you over."
Yeon Jong-hwi snorted.
"Ha! If you're gonna kill me, just do it—why all this hassle? And win me over? After locking me up like this? Shameless."
"The problem is, either way, your future's hell."
Yeon Jong-hwi didn't know.
Someone under the Great Soul Separation Technique could be made to see living hell if the user wished. If Lord Zhuge toyed with him, he'd probably prefer death. In a somewhat gloomy tone, I said.
"But I don't want to go that far. You're a promising talent who could become an absolute expert, so I hate treating you like a puppet."
"So what?"
"Last question. Answer honestly, and I promise fair treatment—maybe even freedom."
Yeon Jong-hwi tensed, sensing something grave. Staring straight into his eyes, I asked.
"What do you think justice is?"
"......!!"
Yeon Jong-hwi's face registered shock, then bafflement.
"Th—that's your question? What justice is?"
"Yes. Tell me what justice means to you."
"You're ridiculous. Is that really so important...?"
Calming himself, he said.
"Justice is honing one's martial arts to repel and eliminate those who commit atrocities."
"Does 'eliminate' include assassination? Like sniping with arrows?"
"...You figured it out."
Yeon Jong-hwi smiled bitterly.
"As you think. I've used my archery to take down a few corrupt officials."
Mang Liang's guess was spot on. Using his intelligence network, Mang Liang investigated Yeon Jong-hwi's past and noticed officials dying mysteriously along his path. Muttering inwardly, I pressed.
"That's murder, regardless. You killed strangers based on their reputation. Is that your justice?"
"Yes!"
Crossing his arms, he continued.
"I believe the utterly damned deserve death. They wield power to oppress the powerless commoners. They beat civilians to death in broad daylight or rape women, and the yamen can't touch them because of their influence. Waiting a hundred or a thousand years won't make them drop dead on their own. With money and power, they live luxuriously till the end."
"......"
"They indirectly slaughter the masses with their power. That's demonic tyranny, so by killing them, I uphold justice—protecting the weak."
"I see..."
Hearing Yeon Jong-hwi, I understood exactly what kind of man he was.
A warrior who ignored the unspoken rule separating court and江湖, punishing the powerful!
It hit me why the Palace King—supposedly unparalleled in the world—rarely showed himself. Even after gaining fame, he'd continued assassinating tyrannical officials tormenting the people.
'He's righteous. And strong.'
To assassinate officials like that, the Embroidered Uniform Guard or Eastern Depot would pursue him relentlessly. Yet Palace King Yeon Jong-hwi remained the world's top expert fifty years from now, standing alone atop the martial world. Undoubtedly a great hero of the rivers and lakes.
I felt drawn to him and said.
"My comrades and I also pursue our own justice. Mang Liang must have told you why we punished the Nangong Family. We met you by chance amid that."
Yeon Jong-hwi scoffed.
"Hmph! Why believe the culprits? You might've done it for your own greed, punishing the innocent Nangong Family."
"If that's what you think, come with me to meet the victims—not the perpetrators."
"What?"
Thud thud.
With swift hand movements, I released his sealed meridians. He could use internal energy again, and his face showed bewilderment. Standing, I said.
"Ask them yourself."
"What if I run?"
Whoosh.
I tossed him his black bow, left by the door, and said.
"If you refuse to see the truth with your own eyes, I'll be disappointed in you."
"...Acting the great hero, huh. Fine!"
I took Yeon Jong-hwi to a secluded spot in Jangryeong Valley. Women abused by the Nangong Family were recovering there, body and soul. I'd planned to release them once ready, but as Yeon Jong-hwi spoke with them, he looked deeply shaken.
About half a shichen later?
Finishing up, Yeon Jong-hwi came out and said.
"I can't fully trust it, but the Nangong Family are utter bastards."
"Exactly. But do you know no force in the martial world could punish them?"
As Yeon Jong-hwi glanced at me, I continued, sitting by the door.
"Not even the Five Great Families or the Nine Great Sects dared intervene in Nangong affairs. The Eastern Depot and Embroidered Uniform Guard turned a blind eye, deeming it a martial world matter when lesser clans were crushed. In this world, who could save those pitiful women?"
"......"
"You claimed to uphold justice but missed the evil right under your nose. If we hadn't saved them, they'd have rotted in those chambers, abused until death."
Yeon Jong-hwi sighed.
"Truly horrific..."
Standing, I took his hand and said.
"I want you as our comrade. Isn't fighting the world's colossal evils together better than pursuing justice alone?"
"......"
"But our enemies dwarf the Five Great Families. Foes beyond compare to assassinating corrupt officials will emerge."
Yeon Jong-hwi fell silent for a long time, then sighed deeply.
"Give me one day. I need to think."
"Fine."
Instead of returning him to the cell, I took him to a regular room. The next day, when I visited, Yeon Jong-hwi hadn't fled despite his seals being undone. He sat in a chair, eyes bloodshot from an all-nighter.
As I entered, he clasped his fists in salute.
"I've decided. I'll join your righteous cause!"
"Good choice."
I handed Yeon Jong-hwi the black obsidian containing memories. As they flowed into him, he shuddered, his face filled with shock.
"The... the world?! Such a vast realm..."
Smiling faintly, I said.
"I'll die fighting mighty foes over and over. But I believe we'll win in the end."
"......"
His mouth agape, he suddenly prostrated before me.
"I, Yeon Jong-hwi, 53rd descendant of the Yan Royal House, pledge to serve you, Baek Woong, as my lord!!"