Chapter 192
Chapter 192
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Translator: Ryuma
Chapter: 192
Chapter Title: The Grand Elder's Gambit
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Clutching the letter sent by the Demonic Cult Leader, Zhuge Cheong-in rushed to a rear garden located at the northern edge of the Orthodox Murim Alliance headquarters.
It was a garden adorned with quaint stone lanterns, a pavilion, and a small, simple stream.
Hurrying across it, Zhuge Cheong-in arrived at a small building, where he adjusted his clothes and caught his breath.
“Hoo…”
No matter how urgent the matter, he couldn’t just barge in. The person residing in the building was the man he respected most.
“Grand Elder.”
As Zhuge Cheong-in called out respectfully from outside the door, the voice of an old man, seemingly roused from a light slumber, came from within.
“Is that you, Cheong-in?”
“Yes.”
“What brings you here at this hour?”
“I have an urgent matter to report.”
At Zhuge Cheong-in’s words, the old man fell silent for a moment before opening the door himself.
White hair, white eyebrows, white beard.
As if that weren’t enough, the old man was dressed entirely in white, giving him an almost morbid appearance.
But to Zhuge Cheong-in’s eyes, he simply looked noble, the very embodiment of the Orthodox Faction.
The Grand Elder of the Orthodox Murim Alliance, Zhuge Cheon-u.
He was the pride of the Zhuge family, the elder Zhuge Cheong-in most wished to emulate.
Even Dam Un-cheon, who was said to have once conquered the heavens of the Central Plains and earned the name ‘Conqueror of Heaven,’ was no match for his wisdom.
The brush is mightier than the sword, so to speak.
Although he had voluntarily stepped back into the shadows after the incident with the Heavenly Pillar Gate, no one dared to underestimate him.
The Alliance Leader?
That was merely a figurehead position.
The true leader of the Orthodox Faction was him. The one who moved the world was Zhuge Cheon-u.
“Judging by your expression, it seems to be quite a troublesome matter.”
Zhuge Cheong-in nodded with a stiff face at Zhuge Cheon-u’s question, who had come out to sit on the wooden veranda.
“I imagine it has to do with what you’re holding. Let me see.”
“Yes.”
Taking the note offered respectfully, Zhuge Cheon-u maintained a calm gaze. Not a single change flickered across his expression.
“Hmm… Return his disciple without touching a single hair on his head?”
“What should we do?”
Zhuge Cheong-in’s face was filled with impatience, but Zhuge Cheon-u simply placed the note gently on the floor.
“Haha, it seems Dam Un-cheon was quite rushed.”
“…”
“So, what has become of that fellow, the Third Young Master?”
“About that… he suddenly attacked the liaison office in Yanshi.”
“Hmm? Wasn’t he reported to be in Luoyang?”
“That’s right. The report that came in around noon confirmed as much. It said he was tracking the fugitive Neung Un-bi.”
“Hmm… Kunming, Luoyang, and Yanshi…”
Zhuge Cheon-u closed his eyes, picturing the mentioned locations in his mind.
A faint map of the world emerged.
Countless lines connected the places where Neung Un-bi had appeared.
Considering only the times he was spotted, it wasn’t entirely impossible, but that couldn’t be the whole story.
No matter how great his martial arts were, the travel route was nonsensical. Moreover, wasn’t he taking not only his own subordinates but also Yun An-ro and his companions with him?
“From Mengjin to Yanshi… hmm.”
When he went from Kunming to Luoyang, it seemed as if he were fleeing south to escape the encirclement, but now his movements suggested he was heading back toward the Orthodox Murim Alliance.
Why? What on earth was he thinking, doing something like this?
And yet, for some reason, he felt as if he had experienced something similar before.
“Haha, my, my… Does the ghost of that bastard still linger?”
“Pardon?”
“It’s nothing. An old memory just came to mind. Pay it no heed.”
“?”
Zhuge Cheong-in tilted his head at Zhuge Cheon-u’s words.
An old memory?
“Cheong-in.”
“Yes?”
“It seems you’ve been played by his trick.”
“Pardon?”
“Did you miss anything?”
“If you mean missed…”
“You’re still far from ready. I put you at the forefront, thinking of you as my successor. Tsk, tsk.”
The sound of Zhuge Cheon-u clicking his tongue sounded louder than thunder to Zhuge Cheong-in.
From where did his own nature—casting aside even blood relatives if they proved unhelpful in his calculations—originate?
It was because he sought to be like him. He had imitated him since childhood, hoping to grow into the same man, and the habit had stuck.
Not long ago, due to the incident with the Heavenly Pillar Gate, his own half-brother, Zhuge Cheon, who had always been by the Grand Elder's side, was demoted.
After that, he died away from home at the Fujian branch.
It was said that he couldn't overcome his resentment at the demotion and died from excessive drinking, but Zhuge Cheong-in, knowing Zhuge Cheon-u's character, suspected he was behind it.
Even his half-brother, a direct descendant of the Zhuge family, had met such a fate…
“That man is trying to break the Heaven’s Net.”
“Pardon?”
“According to your previous report, you lost his subordinate who was in Dengfeng County, correct?”
“That is correct.”
“It seems the Neung Un-bi in Luoyang was actually them.”
“Pardon?”
“It’s a feint.”
“A-a feint!?”
“Why are you so surprised? Isn’t that a basic tactic?”
“…”
“He was in Kunming from the very beginning. He deliberately sent his subordinates from Dengfeng to Luoyang to disrupt the Heaven’s Net. His timing was impeccable. It couldn’t have been easy… It’s possible a report was delayed somewhere along the line.”
“…!”
“Truly impressive. If this wasn’t calculated, does it not mean that even the heavens are on his side?”
At Zhuge Cheon-u’s words, Zhuge Cheong-in’s eyes widened to the size of saucers.
He too was a brilliant strategist produced by the Zhuge family. There was no way he wouldn’t understand Zhuge Cheon-u’s words.
“F-forgive me! If you would just give me one more chance…”
Zhuge Cheong-in immediately prostrated himself on the ground, begging for forgiveness.
“Haha, you fool. Did I say anything?”
“…?”
“I will let this matter slide, considering your merit in bringing down Yi Ok-sang.”
“Thank you, Grand Elder.”
“By the way, Dam Un-cheon is not the problem right now.”
“Pardon?”
“Neung Un-bi. That man is the key to this whole affair.”
“…?”
Zhuge Cheong-in didn’t understand what he meant, but instead of questioning him, he remained prostrate, his eyes darting about.
“The Demonic Cult can be stopped with force. Throughout the long history of the Orthodox Faction, the Demonic Cult has risen up several times. Do you think there has never been a Cult Leader like Dam Un-cheon among them?”
“…”
“Yet, we always fought them off and protected our history.”
Speaking calmly, Zhuge Cheon-u looked down at Zhuge Cheong-in prostrated at his feet.
Even if Dam Un-cheon was a master so powerful he was called the Conqueror of Heaven, even if his Demonic Cult possessed unprecedented strength.
Force could be met with force. While the Demonic Cult might be called the strongest single entity, it was no match for the combined power of the entire Central Plains.
Moreover, hadn’t those within the Demonic Cult who were dissatisfied with his rule secretly sent word of their support?
Thinking about it that way, this was actually a good opportunity.
War required strength. People wanted a strongman who could protect their homes, not a reformer who advanced with righteousness.
In other words, the current situation was a chance to return to the center of power.
However, the most important thing was the hearts of the people.
“That bastard…”
Zhuge Cheon-u’s eyes narrowed as he thought of someone.
It was all because of that bastard.
The citadel of power, which had been built up so solidly since his predecessor’s time, had almost crumbled in an instant…
An assassin who, even at the moment of his death, never revealed his name or who was behind him.
A man with no remarkable martial skill had tried to expose their dirty secrets to the world.
That was far more dangerous than the stirrings of the Demonic Cult.
Why was the Orthodox Faction called orthodox?
If their reputation, which must always be seen as righteous in the hearts of the people, were to fall into ruin, the walls they thought were solid would crumble like a sandcastle.
That was why, at the time, they had put everything else aside and spent years trying to catch him.
In truth, at first, they had thought of him as just a single loach muddying the stream.
But in the process, hadn't they only exposed more of their own flaws by rushing things?
It was only much later that he realized it was they themselves, scrambling to catch the man, who had turned the stream into a muddy mess.
Was that all?
They eventually caught him, but a huge crack had formed in his power as a result.
The unremarkable assassin ultimately achieved nothing and perished on the executioner’s block, but that became the seed for a new beginning.
People like Yi Ok-sang were prime examples.
Afterward, he had spent thirty long years secretly searching for the man behind the assassin.
And he had finally found them.
Yun An-ro, and the group that sympathized with him.
But then, things went awry at an unexpected moment. Just when he thought he had captured them, Neung Un-bi had suddenly snatched them away.
He felt his blood boil, but Zhuge Cheon-u quickly calmed himself.
He could not let the past repeat itself.
He had finally reached the threshold of power again; he could not afford to waste another thirty years.
He had to catch Neung Un-bi, like a ghost from the past, before he could become a seed of dissent.
Even if it meant going to war with the Demonic Cult, even if it meant setting the Central Plains ablaze.
“Cheong-in.”
“Yes, Grand Elder.”
“It will probably be Mengjin.”
“Pardon?”
“If Neung Un-bi, who vanished from Kunming, reappeared in Mengjin… he may be aiming for the northern waterways.”
“The north…”
“Contact the sects located in the north of the Central Plains to form a defensive line, and mobilize all nearby Beggars' Sect members to pursue him.”
“Then the Heaven’s Net…”
“Inform everyone of Dam Un-cheon’s letter and tell them to prepare for war.”
“Pardon?”
“I trust you know what to say to everyone. Take all those mobilized for the Heaven’s Net and blockade the northwestern border immediately to prevent the Demonic Cult’s invasion.”
“…!”
“Also, inform the Demonic Cult that the Orthodox-Demonic Pact is hereby nullified.”
“Understood.”
At Zhuge Cheon-u’s words, Zhuge Cheong-in bowed so low his forehead touched the floor.
“Then, which warriors should I send after Neung Un-bi?”
“That… I will handle myself.”
“Y-you, personally?”
“He deserves at least that much courtesy. After all, he’s the one who has thrown the Central Plains into such chaos.”
“Understood.”
Zhuge Cheong-in replied once more and respectfully withdrew.
Gazing at his retreating back, Zhuge Cheon-u’s lips twisted into a bitter smile.
“Tsk, can’t do anything on his own. It’s time to discard him as well. I can’t entrust a major task to the one who let things get this out of hand… The one called Min, who devised the plan to take down Yi Ok-sang, would be better.”
Zhuge Cheon-u had already decided on Zhuge Cheong-in’s successor and went back inside his room.
*Swish, swish.*
Ink was ground, and a paperweight was placed on a crisply spread sheet of paper.
Zhuge Cheon-u wrote five letters, each addressed to a different person.
The time had come to summon them again.
Those who had once stood with him at the center of power.
He would give a chance for revenge to the few survivors among those who had once proclaimed themselves the masters of the Central Plains, before they were brought down by Dam Un-cheon.
However, not to the men themselves, but to their disciples.
In truth, wasn’t that a fine revenge in itself?
He would be able to see Dam Un-cheon shedding tears of blood over the impending death of his beloved disciple.
Furthermore, this would completely erase their own blemishes.
As spotless as his own white robes.