Reincarnated Swordmaster

Chapter Title: Heavenly Realm

After seizing the imperial palace, the White Lotus Leader ordered Dugu Jun to rally the Virtue School experts and restore order amid the chaos. Honestly, I doubted whether Dugu Jun alone could fill such a massive power vacuum, but astonishingly, he quelled the turmoil in the palace in a single day.

First, Dugu Jun led the Virtue School to visit the powerful clans and key ministers in Luoyang. Just half a day later, he returned to the throne room clutching a recommendation petition. Over eighty percent of the court officials had signed and stamped it, agreeing to the selection of the next emperor.

With that petition in hand, Dugu Jun soon entered the palace leading a single boy.

[Leader, I've brought him.]

[Hm... Is that him?]

[Yes.]

When I checked the boy's face, my expression turned blank.

"......"

My suspicions were confirmed moments later by Dugu Jun's explanation.

[This is Zhu Zaihou, the legitimate heir to the throne.]

The boy glanced nervously around the room.

He was the brilliant prodigy Jaehu whom Mangyang had brought when I helped the Thunder God School spark their restoration movement in the past! I'd joined the Thunder God School's training camp with Jaehu back then, so I couldn't forget him even if I tried. He was a cheerful, lively kid—not a bad impression at all.

I still vividly remembered our first meeting.

[It's an honor to meet you, Senior Brother Baek Woong.]

[I'm Jaehu, newly initiated into the Thunder God School. I look forward to learning with you.]

[Sa Gong-rin and Jaehu may not match So-cheong, but they possess martial talent enough to dominate the world. I'm confident I can raise them into top experts within a decade. And since we're delving into the Wudang Sect's supreme secrets anyway, it's better to have gifted talents debating together.]

[He's my hidden ace in the hole. I'll reveal his identity later, but know that Jaehu's talent rivals Sa Gong-rin's.]

After that, Jaehu played no major role in my previous life's events. Having been harshly rebuked by the Thunder God School's Lee Gwang, I distanced myself from them, and there were no occasions to involve Jaehu. So I'd completely forgotten.

But Jaehu as the throne's heir?!

As I stared at him in shock, Zhuge Sa spoke up.

[You might not have known. Makes sense—Hyun had no reason to tell a fool like you.]

[What? What's going on?]

[Simple. Remember when Hyun called Jaehu his ace in the hole? Think back to that moment.]

[Hm... Not sure.]

Zhuge Sa chuckled wickedly.

[By then, Hyun was already grooming the Thunder God School, using General Hwang Yeon to stage a rebellion, seize Luoyang, and manipulate the throne. But he never once mentioned giving Hwang Yeon the crown.]

[Ah!]

Come to think of it, that's right. Mangyang only talked about toppling the Demon Subduing Hall's forces in the palace—he dodged any talk of what came after. Naturally, I never heard about the throne plans.

[Hyun had zero intention of handing the throne to a nobody like Hwang Yeon. Sure, he's a patriot and brilliant general, but making him emperor lacks any legitimacy. It'd be a full-scale revolutionary denial of the Ming Empire's lineage—unacceptable for Hyun, who sought 天下 peace. But he couldn't just leave the throne empty either, so he needed a proper alternative.]

[And that alternative is...]

[Exactly. Zhu Zaihou—the highest-ranking imperial heir. You being an ignorant villager, you wouldn't know, but the hereditary Zhuge clan of the observatory knew of him. I did too.]

[......]

[Hyun must have had a close bond with Zhu Zaihou. He believed he could control him even as emperor. On the surface, he recruited him into the Thunder God School as a prodigy, while laying the groundwork to push him as the next emperor.]

Hearing Zhuge Sa's explanation, the full picture clicked into place.

'Mangyang was already plotting that far ahead while grooming the Thunder God School.'

I'd died before reaching that future, so I never learned his true intent. I admired Mangyang's brilliance while feeling a twinge of fear toward Zhuge Sa's insight. Even sharing memories, to instantly read Mangyang's schemes from that era—Zhuge Sa was a genius too.

Zhuge Sa snickered.

[Well, I am exceptional.]

[Ah, fuck off with the bullshit...]

I snapped irritably, then froze.

[Wait. Isn't Jin So-cheong also a throne heir? Higher rank than this Zhu Zaihou, even?]

[Ho. You managed to think that far with your thick skull. Good job.]

[Goddamn...]

[Simple. Mangyang surely knew Jin So-cheong's status. Yet he pushed the plan for Zhu Zaihou anyway. He had no intention of giving the throne to Jin So-cheong either.]

[What? Why?]

I blurted in surprise. Why would Mangyang think that?

Zhuge Sa replied as if it were obvious.

[He could control Zhu Zaihou, but not Jin So-cheong. That's all.]

[Doesn't make sense.]

[Hmph... Let me dumb it down for your skull. Zhu Zaihou's a prodigy in brains and martial arts, but he doesn't compare to Jin So-cheong. And what makes Jin So-cheong truly terrifying is his exceptional mind, wisdom, willpower, judgment, charisma, courage—the works.]

Zhuge Sa continued leisurely.

[What happens if you put a natural-born emperor on the throne? It'd spell doom for you and Hyun. Jin So-cheong is Thunder God School at his core—they could never stick together till the end.]

[......!!]

[Lee Gwang's one lucky bastard, having a genius like that as a disciple...]

His words stirred complex emotions in me.

'At that time, Mangyang had already fully gauged Jin So-cheong's potential?'

Learning these geniuses' schemes and psyches only now—it highlighted how vast the gap was between me and them back then. As an inexplicable sense of defeat washed over me, Zhuge Sa smirked.

[Just grasping my words means you're beyond ordinary. No need to get cold feet.]

[Huh?]

[Ah, focus on the present.]

I felt bewildered. Did this guy just encourage me?

Anyway, as Zhuge Sa said, now was the time to focus. Snapping back, I saw Zhu Zaihou had stepped forward to stand ten paces from the Leader.

"......"

After a long silence, Zhu Zaihou spoke clearly.

"You brought me here to make me a puppet emperor?"

To boldly confront the White Lotus Leader like that!

The White Lotus Leader replied calmly.

[You know well.]

"Did you assassinate the emperor?"

[Indeed.]

"Then why not take the throne yourself instead of propping up another?"

Gazing quietly at Zhu Zaihou, the White Lotus Leader responded.

[Because I have no desire to be emperor.]

"......!!"

Zhu Zaihou's face registered shock. Undeterred, the Leader continued.

[You seem quite talented. Swear loyalty to the White Lotus and never defy its authority, and I'll make you emperor.]

Zhu Zaihou gritted his teeth.

[And if I refuse?]

[I'll send you home. I don't want to stir more chaos in the capital now.]

The White Lotus Leader issued a gentle yet veiled threat, like soothing a child.

[But I can't guarantee the next emperor candidate I summon will leave you be.]

"......"

Fair point. Even as a puppet, a top throne heir like Zhu Zaihou would be seen as a threat. No one in the world could protect him from the Leader's displeasure. He might survive today, but execution for treason—torn limb from limb—loomed later.

Zhu Zaihou pondered deeply. Then he knelt before the White Lotus Leader, head bowed.

"Make me emperor, White Lotus Leader."

He chose reality.

[Very well. From this day, you are the emperor of the Great Ming Empire.]

"Thank you."

[Then get moving with this petition now.]

With a flick, the White Lotus Leader tossed Dugu Jun's petition to Zhu Zaihou. As he caught it, the Leader spoke coldly.

[Visit the court officials and inform them of my choice. Set the date for the ascension ceremony and reorganize the bureaucracy. You can handle that much.]

"Understood."

[Go. I'll assign Virtue School experts as your guards—call on them when needed.]

"Yes."

Zhu Zaihou bowed and left the throne room.

Watching, I was inwardly stunned. Handled like roasting beans in lightning? I couldn't fathom how Dugu Jun got that petition so quickly. Zhuge Sa commented.

[Not strange at all. The emperor's just another power holder. The Leader wants to preserve the system and vested interests while becoming the shadow ruler. The officials' domains stay intact, so they grudgingly accept him.]

[The Leader could just kill them all...]

[Idiot. Think the previous emperor spared them due to weakness? Did you ignore Lee Gwang's words? These officials aren't just noisy fools—they're the pillars upholding the Ming Empire, elite talents from across China. Killing them brings insane chaos. Why bother?]

Scolding me pityingly, Zhuge Sa continued.

[The Leader's surprisingly wise despite appearances. Ruling openly as emperor is too troublesome and provocative. Better a puppet—minimal bloodshed too. Honestly, his handling was flawless.]

[Ugh...]

[And getting that petition so fast means plenty of high officials were pre-recruited by the White Lotus. They had a hit list ready. The Leader always planned to take the palace.]

[I see.]

[Remember: True revolution and destruction don't exist. Just the head swaps out.]

Food for thought.

As I mulled it over, the White Lotus Leader addressed me.

[Baek Woong.]

"Yes."

[Go to the Shangguan Clan and bring their patriarch, Shangguan He.]

What command was this? As I eyed him questioningly, he added.

[It's crucial. Escort him respectfully.]

"Understood."

Whoosh.

I dashed out of the palace. The interior felt starkly silent, Virtue School experts detaining officials and controlling information. Pondering the route to the Shangguan Clan, I recalled the Twin Gate Scholars' intel.

'The Shangguan Clan... next to the Zhang Clan along the Twin Gate Scholars, I think.'

Probably nearby. Sprinting with Shadowless Step, I wondered why the order was to fetch the patriarch so respectfully.

'Shangguan Clan... Ah, right.'

I'd attended the Wind God School's slave market as Shangguan Jeong. I was posing as their young master then. I hadn't thought much of the Leader's fake identity, but it seemed the Leader and Shangguan Clan were closely tied.

Zhuge Sa chuckled, reading my thoughts.

[Not bad... you grasped eighty percent. Lacking twenty.]

[What's missing?]

[The World's Five Great Physicians.]

He continued calmly.

[Eastern Invincible Healer, Medicine King Huang Bo-yun, Hua Tuo's descendant Hua Se-myeong, Henan Supreme Kang Jeon-gil. You've met four so far. Know who the fifth is?]

It hit me.

[Divine Physician Shangguan He!]

[Right. Among the World's Five Great Physicians, Divine Physician is Shangguan He. You ignored them since they seemed irrelevant.]

Zhuge Sa teased, but I wasn't in the mood.

Divine Physician!

That title was constantly on my medical mentor Hua Se-myeong's lips. He saw Kang Jeon-gil as a rival and respected Eastern Invincible inwardly as the best, but always spoke thoughtfully of the Divine Physician.

Because the Divine Physician embodied the benevolent art of saving lives more than anyone, and Hua Se-myeong admired that mindset. While others specialized in one area, the Divine Physician excelled broadly in all medicine, earning fame. Even when the Hua Clan boasted as Hebei's top medical family, Hua Se-myeong exchanged letters debating medicine with Shangguan He.

In short—the most upright, true physician among the World's Five Great Physicians! At least, that's the Shangguan He I knew.

[Wh-what? Why does the Leader want the Divine Physician...]

[I think I know.]

[What?]

Zhuge Sa said.

[Quit yapping and go. This way, you'll have met all the World's Five Great Physicians!]

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