Reincarnated Swordmaster

Chapter Title: Heavenly Realm

Returning to our base, Mangryang was waiting there with Zhuge Sa and Cheon Woo-Jin. Just like last time, it seemed he'd half-forcibly dragged Zhuge Sa along, as the man was locked inside the portable dimensional abode with a sullen expression on his face. Mangryang waved cheerfully.

"Did everything go well?"

I nodded and glanced around.

"Is Jin So-cheong still training?"

"Yes. He's been holed up in the nearby great bamboo grove, completely absorbed and forgetting to eat or sleep."

"..."

We still had a few days left until the promised month was up. From what Mangryang said, Jin So-cheong was throwing himself into training with total abandon. He was probably drawing out his own genius based on the martial memories I'd passed on to him.

"By the way, what brought you out this time?"

"Hmm! That's a smart move."

Mangryang gave a sly sidelong glance, and Cheon Woo-Jin grumbled bluntly.

"You keep too many secrets, senior brother."

With that, Cheon Woo-Jin excused himself. I then told Mangryang everything: the events on the way to the Southern Frontier, my encounter with Dongbang Mugeol, my meeting with Nare Su-eon, the Chukyeong tribe, Hwayo's continent, the Saemok folk, and more.

Mangryang listened intently, pondered for a long while, then blurted out.

"You've brought back quite the haul. But how did you think to go looking for Hwayo?"

"I once heard that combining the powers of Suyo and Hwayo could produce a force capable of destroying even gods. Since we lost to a god in my seventeenth reincarnation, I wanted to prepare countermeasures as best I could."

"You've developed quite the judgment and insight now..."

Mangryang, impressed, continued.

"That means you've essentially taken four hostages right now. Dongbang Mugeol's group and one of the Saemok folk."

"That's right."

"If they run into General Hwang Yeon's group, won't they all be thrown into confusion?"

I shook my head at Mangryang's question.

"I can divide and store sections of the Mokpap at will. They're all in separate spaces."

"Impressive... What an incredible demonic artifact."

Mangryang thought for a moment, then said.

"First, let's take a look at the spoils we got from the Saemok folk."

Rumble.

As Mangryang suggested, I dumped out everything I'd taken from their warships into Jinrang Valley: hundreds of rifles and cannons, Western melee weapons, compasses, maps, and all sorts. Since I'd swept up everything without discrimination, there were piles of books and odds and ends too. It was enough that several crates the height of a man wouldn't have held it all.

Mangryang picked up one of the rifles, hefted it this way and that, examining it closely. He stared at one for a good while, then exclaimed in admiration.

"Amazing! What is this?"

He'd already disassembled it using a small iron wire.

"You know a lot about guns?"

"As an astronomer building my knowledge, I studied firearms quite a bit too. In the Great Ming Empire, there probably aren't even ten people who know more about guns and cannons than I do."

I glanced at the rifle. It was definitely the one used by what seemed to be a Saemok commander—single-shot, but with an incredibly fast reload time. When I mentioned that to Mangryang, he replied.

"Take a good look. This is very different from existing firearms. Traditional muskets relied entirely on flintlocks or pans for ignition, or just ramming in black powder. But look at this mechanism, the internals, and the ammunition... It's wrapped in paper. To think of such a concept!"

"...? What's so special about that?"

"In other words, this is like a cartridge—paper casing around the bullet. Integrated with the primer, I'd say? This... it's revolutionary enough to upend everything I knew about guns."

Seeing Mangryang genuinely shocked, I tilted my head. He'd apparently memorized the complex internals in an instant and reassembled it before continuing quietly.

"If these start being mass-produced in the West, the world will change dramatically. Or maybe it already has."

"Is that so..."

"It seems the Western nations are far more advanced technologically than we thought. In my view, this rifle represents the pinnacle of current world technology."

I had no idea.

The reload speed was impressive, sure, but enough to change the world? And what did wrapping bullets in paper even mean? I couldn't grasp it, but if Mangryang said it was amazing, I'd take his word for it.

Finally, Mangryang set the rifle down and said.

"Anyway, that's not urgent for us right now. On another note, tracking down clues for Hwayo will be quite a hassle, I think."

"Hmm. I don't get what 'the sun shrouded in darkness' is supposed to mean..."

Mangryang burst out laughing.

"Haha! That's a solar eclipse, you fool. Forgot about that?"

"Gah!"

I swallowed a gasp.

Now that he mentioned it, the description perfectly matched a solar eclipse. I recalled records and explanations of them in the books I'd studied. It referred to the rare phenomenon where the sun was obscured by darkness.

"I was so preoccupied I overlooked it..."

As I scratched my head, Mangryang continued calmly.

"If that's the case, obtaining Hwayo will be no easy feat. Eclipses occur at different times depending on the continent's location. In other words, we have almost no way to pinpoint it right now."

"Impossible?"

"Not impossible... but we'll need to narrow down likely locations first. Even if we arrive on-site and observe the sun and moon to calculate timings, if the eclipse happens thousands of li away, we won't make it to Hwayo's seal in time."

"I see..."

I let out a groan. Mangryang's brain could probably calculate the date somehow, but it would take considerable time and effort. And pinpointing even a rough location on that vast southern continent, as big as the Central Plains, would be like finding a needle in a desert.

"The Seven Luminaries are truly hard to obtain..."

As I grumbled inwardly, Mangryang said.

"That's not something we can resolve right away, so let's discuss other matters. Dongbang Mugeol and Hwang Yeon."

"Hmm."

"It's a bit tangled, but solvable. Assuming you've perfectly altered Dongbang Mugeol's group's memories."

"The Chukyeong tribe are masters of mental arts, so no worries there."

"Then let's leave Hwang Yeon in Liaodong Castle. Release Dongbang Mugeol back into the Southern Frontier palace, and Nare Su-eon and the others will cover for him."

I'd expected as much for Dongbang Mugeol, so no concerns there. But Liaodong Castle coming up for Hwang Yeon made me cock my head. Liaodong was east of the Liao River, a pass on the land route to Goryeo. I couldn't understand sending him there instead of to the Azure Dragon Martial Hall or under the Semi-Heaven Alliance.

Mangryang explained.

"Liaodong Castle is garrisoned by the Northern Dragon Corps, Hwang Yeon's most loyal subordinates and his strongest power base. It's also home to a large force of elite troops battle-hardened against the steppes. Release him there, and he'll thrive like a fish in water."

"Ah!"

Come to think of it, the Great Ming's elite Northern Dragon Corps were like Hwang Yeon's own limbs. They'd shown tremendous power in past great wars, etched in my memory. But hearing Mangryang's plan, I asked curiously.

"Then why haven't we sent him there until now?"

"Two reasons."

Mangryang took a deep breath, then said.

"First, if the Emperor or the Brocade Guard decide to target Hwang Yeon in earnest, staying in Liaodong won't be safe. It's not publicly declared, but the Emperor could brand him a criminal at any moment. Then Hwang Yeon would have no choice but to rebel with Liaodong's forces—a battle with no grand cause or preparation, and slim odds of victory."

"Hmm."

"Plus, it's questionable if his subordinates could even handle the Brocade Guard. They failed to protect him properly in the first place, allowing the Guard to abduct him and imprison his clan. If the Brocade Guard strikes from the shadows, it'd be extremely tough for him to hold out."

That made sense. The Brocade Guard had plenty of Peak Experts, along with assassins and infiltrators trained for such work. When they committed to covert warfare, they were formidable. As I pondered, Mangryang continued.

"The second reason is that keeping Hwang Yeon under our influence is beneficial. You saw firsthand how successful he can be when mobilizing his army."

Of course. When Hwang Yeon's rebellion nearly succeeded and reached the palace gates, I thought it was all but over. His influence was far greater than we'd imagined. It suddenly struck me, and I said.

"Something feels off."

"What?"

"Back then... we almost took the palace with his forces, right? In my thirteenth reincarnation."

"Yes."

I still remembered it vividly. Recalling that time, I continued.

"Though I had to commit suicide due to the [Ancient Ruler]'s interference, everything went smoothly up to then. Why not just recreate that? We have more talent and greater strength now than back then."

"..."

"Wait, what was Zhuge even doing in my thirteenth life? If he'd intervened, we'd have been in real trouble..."

Mangryang sighed.

"That ties into the true intentions of the Four Divine Beasts' Zhuge."

"True intentions?"

"In my view, the Emperor's life isn't that important to Zhuge. To him, the Emperor is just a useful pawn. In the thirteenth reincarnation, when the tide turned against them due to Hwang Yeon's rebellion, Zhuge Yuryong simply abandoned that board."

My face twisted in disbelief.

"Abandoned it? That's insane! Why..."

Mangryang flicked his Five Fire Seven Fan.

"Because Zhuge Yuryong can just wait for the next power holder and co-opt them again... It's low-risk and safe, without exposing himself, right?"

"...!!"

"Rather than forcing a win on a lost board, he prefers starting a new one. After all, his loyalty not to the Emperor, but to the Great Ming Empire."

Mangryang grumbled on.

"His son, Zhuge Bu, approached you—the real power player—for negotiations instead of clashing head-on with Hwang Yeon. Consider Zhuge Yuryong behind him. All those moves were laying groundwork for the future."

Mangryang's words sent chills down my spine.

"Just... how far do these schemers see ahead?"

The thought alone was terrifying. Even if I hadn't refused the [Ancient Ruler]'s call and suicided back then, Zhuge would have struck from the shadows soon after. Even now, with my enhanced abilities, facing Zhuge is tough; back then, I'd have been utterly played. If he'd gone after Suyo, stopping him would have been impossible.

Mangryang said.

"Anyway. Sending Hwang Yeon to Liaodong has been my plan for a while. Without wanting ties to Yi Gwang, we can't entrust him to the Azure Dragon Martial Hall. So while grabbing Zhuge Sa, I did some maneuvering."

"What kind?"

"I met the Twelve Rites Lord."

"Gah!"

I was stunned. Mangryang had met the Twelve Rites Lord?

As I stared at him in shock, Mangryang chuckled.

"I've indirectly gauged the Twelve Rites Lord through your past lives. I was confident in negotiating."

"You're okay? No traps or anything..."

"That's why I brought Cheon Woo-Jin. Even against the Three Masters, he could drag me to safety. Sure enough, the Lord didn't try any nonsense and heard me out seriously."

Mangryang said.

"The deal: if we send Hwang Yeon to Liaodong, the Twelve Rites Lord will protect him. He's also promised to block any moves from the palace against Hwang Yeon. With the implicit protection of the Twelve Rites, gathering strength, even the Emperor won't touch him. Messing with the Twelve Rites—who effectively control Goryeo—risks all-out war between nations."

Bringing in the Twelve Rites Lord!

It was a blindside idea, and I was a bit surprised. The Lord was deviously powerful—safe to pull into this game? When I voiced that, Mangryang replied.

"Of course, the Twelve Rites Lord doesn't do favors for free. I convinced him how much we could check the Great Ming by propping up Hwang Yeon, and offered the silver phoenix fragment you gave me as payment."

"Ah!"

I'd given Mangryang the phoenix fragment from Taegyeong Village's study, thinking it might help. He'd used it as stake in this negotiation.

"He accepted just that?"

"It's no trifle. From that silver phoenix fragment, my past self unlocked secrets of the Earthly Pivot Eight Trigrams Chart. Far from ordinary treasure. I offered it with confidence, and it hooked him."

Mangryang continued.

"I think enlisting the Twelve Rites' aid this life is wise. It lets us paint on a grand canvas."

"Hmm... I'll follow your lead."

I had no clue what "grand canvas" Mangryang meant. He'd explain if asked, but I might not grasp its scale. Still, knowing he always schemed with utmost effort, I trusted him.

Mangryang stood.

"For now, let's handle other tasks until the time comes."

"Got it."

I rose with Mangryang. Now, use the Dimensional Gate to return Dongbang Mugeol's group to the Southern Frontier palace, and drop Hwang Yeon at Liaodong. The aftermath wrapped up quicker and smoother than expected—especially at Liaodong, where the castellan welcomed him warmly.

"I've already spoken with the Rites Lord. Rest easy; we'll treat the general well."

Flanking the Liaodong castellan were already numerous Twelve Rites experts. Liaodong, close to Goryeo, was firmly in their sphere; the castellan couldn't defy them.

"I'll leave him in your hands."

With matters settled, I returned to Jinrang Valley and quietly waited for Jin So-cheong's training to end. Since he'd made the promise, as a friend, I had to see if he'd keep his word.

Jin So-cheong arrived precisely at dawn on the last day of the month.

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