Reincarnated Swordmaster

Chapter Title: Heavenly Realm

After Jin So-cheong awoke, I helped him recover his body, and we set off together for Anhui Province. Mang Ryang said he would move for the greater plan in my absence and rejoin me at Jin Rang Valley as soon as my business was done.

As we walked along the mountain path, Jin So-cheong spoke.

"Baek Woong. Thank you for heeding my selfish request."

"No need. We had to save them anyway."

Morally or otherwise, there was no choice but to rescue them. Exposing the Nangong Family's corruption would undoubtedly aid my path ahead. A thought suddenly struck me, and I asked Jin So-cheong.

"Do we not need to inform Lee Gwang of our movements?"

"I sent word in advance. He won't seek me out for at least a year."

"......"

"My master knows my cultivation has hit a wall. I told him I was embarking on a journey to advance my martial arts, so he should understand."

"I see."

"Baek Woong, is this your first time heading to the Nangong Family?"

I nodded.

"You've been there before, I take it."

"As Nangong Hwan mentioned, my master and the Nangong Family head are in frequent contact. A few years back, I met Nangong Hwan, and visited the Nangong Family then."

"What sort of place is the Nangong Family?"

Jin So-cheong pondered my question for a moment before replying.

"From what I recall, they wield power in Anhui Province rivaling even the provincial lord. It's likely no different now."

"Hmm... At a leisurely pace, three days to Anhui Province; if we hurry, we arrive by nightfall today."

"Let's make haste. I want to save even a single day."

"Agreed."

Thud!

Soon, Jin So-cheong and I unleashed our Annihilation Steps to accelerate. Thanks to the Black and White Lotus Death Pill, his internal energy had surged further, allowing him to keep pace with my monstrous speed. Glancing at him sidelong as we raced faster than horses or arrows, I said.

"Jin So-cheong, I have a question."

"What is it?"

"The women kidnapped by the Nangong Family are indeed in the world's most pitiable position. Rescuing them is necessary. But are they not ultimately strangers? Could you truly stake your life on training for a month for people you'd never even met?"

"......"

Jin So-cheong leaped over a massive tree in a single bound, landing silently on a branch. Pausing there, he replied softly.

"Baek Woong, What do you think my life was like in your first lifetime?"

I flinched.

His unexpected question caught me off guard. After a moment's thought, I answered.

"In my first life, you were recognized as the pinnacle among the Ten Great Masters, hailed as a grand hero. Why do you ask?"

No, that was underselling it. With the years Jin So-cheong had cultivated, becoming the world's greatest master would have been the norm. I never met him personally in my first life, so it was unknowable.

Jin So-cheong gave a wry smile as he replied.

"I believe that future life was the result of complacency and compromise with reality."

"What do you mean?"

"In your first life, the White Lotus Cult endured to the end, did it not?"

"Yes... that's true."

Even when the bizarre cult known as the Nine Lotus emerged, the White Lotus Cult remained secluded in Shin Gang Province, biding its time. Looking back now, it was odd that such a vast power never expanded its influence. In any case, the White Lotus Cult would persist unscathed for another thirty or forty years.

"My master always said it as a mantra: even if he died, he hoped I would revive the Thunder God Style... and exact vengeance on the White Lotus Cult. I'd heard it since I was ten, so I know his obsession well."

I grasped the implication in Jin So-cheong's words.

"You're saying the future Ten Great Master Jin So-cheong abandoned revenge on the White Lotus Cult?"

"Most likely. If he truly sought it, he would have hidden his identity, infiltrated the jianghu to build his own forces, or secluded himself to refine his arts. I don't know what happened, but I think he gave up revenge, so he wandered the jianghu freely, practicing only the chivalry he saw before him. Because that was the easy path."

"......"

I'd never considered that. To me, even the life of Ten Great Master Jin So-cheong shone dazzlingly. Quietly, he continued.

"In truth, I harbored strong doubts about whether revenge on the White Lotus Cult was truly necessary. And a deep nihilism plagued me unbeknownst. It was a viable choice."

"Hmm..."

"But now it's different. Now, I can live without turning from chivalry. Because you accepted me as a comrade."

With those words, Jin So-cheong fixed me with a fierce gaze.

"It's not just for them. This rescue will be the starting point for me to walk a new path in life."

"I understand."

That explained why Jin So-cheong had staked his life on a month of grueling training.

It tied to a shift in his heart. Somehow, I felt I understood the man Jin So-cheong even better. Possessed of unparalleled talent and intellect, yet tormented by nihilism because of it—that was him. Now, he had resolved to pursue chivalry without hesitation.

Before long, we reached Anhui Province. Entering the city, we saw bustling streets lined with carriages and merchants everywhere. Given its prime location for commerce, such prosperity was expected.

We entered a nearby inn to rest, and Jin So-cheong spoke.

"The Nangong Family is about sixty li from here."

"Isn't the Nangong Family in Hefei?"

"They lived in Hefei but relocated their base closer to the provincial seat."

"Relocated? Why?"

Seated at a table, Jin So-cheong picked up a dumpling and replied.

"Hefei has traditionally been agricultural, thriving on rice, beans, and cotton. The Nangong Family originally profited from distributing farm goods there, but I believe they moved nearer the seat to dive into Anhui Province's major commerce proper."

"Hmm!"

His words rang true. I looked at Jin So-cheong with profound respect.

'Jin So-cheong's sharp-minded too.'

It seemed simple at first glance, but his analysis required insight into practical trends, commerce, and a family's driving forces. He must have meticulously interpreted various intel on the Nangong Family via the Divine Maiden Sect.

I said to Jin So-cheong.

"Let's head near the Nangong Family, then go to the Shadowless Gate. We need more details from Nangong Hwan on the internal mechanisms and the women's locations."

"......"

"Jin So-cheong?"

He didn't reply, lost in thought quietly. After a long pause, he spoke.

"Baek Woong. What punishment do you intend for the Nangong Family?"

"Huh?!"

His question flustered me slightly.

"Punishment... The Nangong Family is powerful in itself, and they're a subordinate force of the White Lotus Cult's Incarnation Style. Touch them rashly, and things could spiral badly."

"But Mang Ryang said to go wild as we please."

"Well... true."

Before we left for Anhui Province, Mang Ryang had said we could raze the Nangong Family as much as we wanted. I was curious about his thinking, but he wasn't one for meaningless bluster.

'Can we really strike the Nangong Family?'

It seemed the Nangong Family wasn't crucial in Mang Ryang's 'grand plan.' Did he have the confidence to negotiate with the Incarnation Style even if we hit them? As I pondered, Jin So-cheong said.

"Baek Woong. Rescuing those women from the Nangong Family is an earth-shattering event that will upend the righteous martial world. From what Nangong Hwan said, the secret chamber holding them is in the family's deepest core, so we can't resolve it quietly."

"What are you getting at?"

"Since we're doing it, let's do it thoroughly. Enough to ensure they never harbor wicked thoughts again..."

"......"

"When things blow up too big, no one dares touch the eye of the storm."

His words intrigued me. Unlike most comrades urging caution, Jin So-cheong advocated seizing the momentum. An old memory surfaced.

'It reminds me of the Mount Zhongnan Sect incident.'

Back then, Jin So-cheong's reckless rampage had terrified me. But it worked out perfectly—he'd calculated everything before unleashing chaos. Jin So-cheong never attempts failure.

I decided to follow his lead.

"Alright, let's do it. Frontal assault, right?"

"Of course."

"Understood. Let's coordinate one last time with the Sword Demon."

Flash!

Using our flight techniques, Jin So-cheong and I arrived at the Shadowless Gate. We headed straight to the torture chamber, where Nangong Hwan lay blood-soaked and half-mad.

He'd clearly endured further torment. The Thunder God Style's methods inflicted little physical trauma, so the holes and burn marks riddling his body didn't add up. Glancing at a Shadowless Gate expert, he grinned.

"Torture truly begins once the spirit breaks."

"You tortured Nangong Hwan again? Why?"

"I merely followed the sect master's orders to extract more intel. Opportunities to torture the Nangong Family's young heir are rare."

"Hmm... Tell us what you learned."

He shrugged.

"Only with the sect master's command."

"Got it."

We then sought the Sword Demon. To my question about torturing Nangong Hwan, he confirmed it.

"Of course. Nangong Family intel is worth its weight in gold."

"Share it with me too."

"I will. But don't rush."

The Sword Demon eyed us warmly.

"Your business here isn't just that, is it?"

I explained our intent: we'd rescue them, but via frontal assault. He looked at Jin So-cheong with interest.

"Intriguing. We have a chance of victory. I see what you're thinking, Jin So-cheong."

"Yes."

"But executing it demands overwhelming force."

Muttering that, the Sword Demon continued.

"You're saying you can defeat Sword King Nangong Myeong, the Nangong Family's famed Nangong Eight Swords, the top righteous force squads Heavenly Sky Troop and Earthly Sky Troop, plus hundreds of Nangong Family blade-for-hire experts?"

His words daunted me. Vaguely aware before, but hearing the Sword Demon list them made their might clear. The Nangong Family's power surpassed even minor orthodox sects. No wonder they claimed primary in Anhui Province.

"Of course."

"Hoh, not afraid of Nangong Myeong?"

"If we fear him, how will we fight ahead?"

The Sword Demon chuckled wryly.

"Haha, fair point. Give it a go, then. If it goes south, I'll prepare an escape route."

"Yes."

He seemed to read Jin So-cheong's intent. There was reason behind Jin So-cheong's bold push. The Sword Demon then shared all the intel extracted from Nangong Hwan.

"Like it or not, that lecher's fate is sealed. Taking him?"

"Yes. He'll be useful."

"Take him."

I knocked Nangong Hwan out and stowed him in my spatial pouch.

With Shadowless Gate business done, we returned to Anhui Province and reached near the Nangong Family. From a hill about a hundred zhang away, the Nangong Family grounds sprawled enormously, befitting a great house. Occupying ten times a typical family's land, it teemed with warriors and servants.

Even more astonishing, nearby buildings seemed additional Nangong holdings. Combined, it dwarfed several villages. Awed by the scale, I muttered.

"I've never seen such a massive martial house."

"Baek Woong, Do you know why the Nangong Family grew so vast?"

I looked at Jin So-cheong. His gaze seemed indifferent at first, but seethed with deep fury beneath.

"Not really."

"As they grew, they competed with rival families that could challenge them. Victory brought their current prosperity. But it bred immense grudges."

"Grudges?"

"Competition was common among the Five Great Families outside Nangong. What set them apart: they utterly ruined foes, then brutally cleaned up. Destroying everything and slaughtering all to swiftly claim their wealth and connections."

Stunned, I countered.

"Cleaned up? And they stayed in the righteous faction?"

Cleanup meant obvious: night raids or ambushes for total annihilation. Common in the jianghu, but the Nangong Family was openly righteous. Righteous factions uphold minimal justice and morals—no room for such acts.

"The current Righteous Heaven Alliance is rotten. They know the Nangong Family's rot but can't curb it. Those bearing grudges for sect exterminations fled to the unorthodox, becoming demonic heads or honing their blades."

"Ah."

Now I recalled the Sword Demon mocking the Alliance's corruption. Back then, his scorn puzzled me, but now it made sense. So decayed, it must amuse someone of the Sword Demon's bent.

Jin So-cheong drew his spear.

"In your first life, the Nangong Family never stepped down as predators. Leave them be, and dozens more will suffer their exploitation for decades."

"......"

He meant the women victimized by Nangong Hwan's perversions, and their loved ones. Thinking of the weak enduring such torment for decades was dire.

"Baek Woong, I ask you: join me in enacting the jianghu's chivalry."

I felt the sincerity in his plea. A desire to right the world's injustices he once knew but couldn't touch. And that frustration resonated with me more than anyone, so I easily aligned with him.

"Understood. Let's go!"

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