Reincarnated Swordmaster

Chapter Title: Dark Heaven Village

"What?"

Jin So-cheong's words caught me off guard, so I asked again.

"What do you mean? Why would you want to become the White Lotus Leader's disciple...?"

Jin So-cheong replied.

"After reading your memories, I learned that the 'me' from your past life owed you a debt. But if you think about it, that debt isn't just from a day or two. There were times I helped you, and times you helped me."

"That's true, but..."

"Still, we can't tally up every single exchange and demand exact repayment. Aren't we already comrades striving together toward the same goal? After hearing your story, my heart was moved, and I want to help you—so don't overthink it."

It seemed like Jin So-cheong was talking about his idea of what a 'comrade' meant.

Something about his words resonated with me, and as I fell silent, he continued.

"The reason I want to become the White Lotus Leader's disciple is simple. I want to steal his techniques and pass them on to you."

"Hmm...!!"

Steal his techniques!

It was certainly a bold idea worth trying. Hadn't I myself become the White Lotus Leader's disciple in a past life when the opportunity arose? I could understand his thinking perfectly, but after pondering it, I said:

"But... I plan to challenge Dark Heaven Village soon. At most, in three months, I'll be ready to leave. Since the odds of surviving my first attempt at Dark Heaven Village are practically zero, becoming the White Lotus Leader's disciple might end up being pointless for you."

"That's exactly why I want to do it."

"Huh?"

"You need to save your black plaque for emergencies, and using it to revive Lee Cheong-un in this life would be a waste. So, the fastest way for me to grow is to go under the wing of the White Lotus Leader, who possesses the world's greatest martial arts."

Indeed.

I realized Jin So-cheong's logic made perfect sense.

"The Twelve Laws Ruler is a mysterious figure whose true nature we don't know, so he'd be too risky to approach. But the White Lotus Leader, obsessed with the Thunder God Style's martial arts... he'd likely accept Jin So-cheong as a disciple!"

I'd even seen the Leader marvel at Jin So-cheong's talent with my own eyes. The Leader was someone with a pure passion for martial arts, so Jin So-cheong's plan seemed quite feasible. Still, something nagged at me, so I said to him.

"But three months isn't much time. Do you really think you can gain anything?"

Jin So-cheong replied.

"I'm not boasting, but my talent is decent. If I'm prepared to risk my life, I can surely learn something from the White Lotus Leader."

"Hmm..."

Normally, I'd call bullshit on stealing techniques in just three months, but that was the scary thing about Jin So-cheong—I couldn't dismiss it.

"From what I've seen in your memories, the Leader has tremendous passion and purity when it comes to martial arts. If I sincerely seek to learn from him, he might pass something on."

It looked like Jin So-cheong had made up his mind right then to become the White Lotus Leader's disciple. Feeling his genuine desire to help me gave me a surge of courage. There was no reason to refuse help from a genius like Jin So-cheong. In my past life as the Leader's disciple, I'd only focused on studying the Seven Great Ultimate Arts, but if Jin So-cheong became his disciple, maybe he'd learn something different?

The Leader's personal ultimate techniques, not the Seven Great Ultimate Arts.

They might even hold clues to the Present Calamity and Infinite Sky Measurelessness.

"...Alright! Even if it means delaying my challenge to Dark Heaven Village, I'll make sure you become the White Lotus Leader's disciple."

"Thank you."

It might require pulling out all the stops, but it wasn't impossible. Besides, since this life was meant to be a short-term push toward victory, any future backlash from a strengthened White Lotus Leader wouldn't be much of a worry. I'd never considered putting Jin So-cheong, heir to the Thunder God Style, under the Leader as a disciple before, but if he volunteered, that changed everything.

Even so, three months is too short to gain anything substantial, so maybe I should train myself in the meantime and push back the timeline a bit...

No need to rush. There was no guarantee the investigation into Seo Mun-hye's maternal lineage at the Shadowless Gate would wrap up quickly. I had a gut feeling my challenge to Dark Heaven Village would be delayed longer than expected.

"Let's go."

After joining forces with Jin So-cheong, I went straight to Geuk-ho, and with Jin So-cheong's help, I easily persuaded him before handing over the black obsidian.

Wooong.

"Ugh... Urgh."

Geuk-ho looked confused after receiving the memories. Then he said.

"Hey, Baek Woong. So in my last life, I got revenge on Feng Shin-ryu Yong Bi-cheon?"

"That's what I heard."

"That's what you heard? Hey..."

Geuk-ho let out a deep sigh.

"Our deal's off. I've dreamed of cutting off Yong Bi-cheon's head, but hearing it happened so casually like this? It feels like my whole life got spoiled."

"Urk, sorry..."

Geuk-ho suddenly burst out laughing.

"Kekeke! Just kidding. I'm actually relieved."

"Huh?"

"If you'd shown me a vivid memory of my successful revenge, I might've felt good for a moment, but then I'd be left empty. Achieve your lifelong goal ages ago? What motivation would I have to keep living? And it's not like I avenged myself in this life either."

"......"

He had a point.

'Wait. Does that mean fulfilling Geuk-ho's past life's regrets would actually poison his current life's drive?'

Then what should I do?

Caught off guard by the contradiction, I hesitated, and Geuk-ho continued.

"Well... I have plenty of other things I want to do besides killing Yong Bi-cheon, so I won't feel that empty so easily. The problem is, they're all too tough for me right now."

"If I help, it won't be that hard."

"Sounds fun!"

He stretched grandly and said energetically.

"Alright, to celebrate the three of us together, let's grab some drinks! My treat today!"

"Drinks? Dude, we don't have time for that right now..."

I shot back in disbelief, and Geuk-ho snickered.

"You're just gonna grunt through pointless training or wander around doing dumb shit anyway, right? Looks like you've handled most of your tasks, so what's one day of drinking gonna hurt?"

"......"

"Those types who overdo the 'hard work' act never end up well anyway~"

Why does that hit right in the gut?!

Rubbing my temple, I noticed Jin So-cheong smirking beside me.

"Then, to celebrate, let's just have five bottles and call it."

"Urk, five bottles? Who're you kidding?"

"It's just for the vibe, senior brother."

"Tch..."

"......"

Jin So-cheong casually said five bottles of Bamboo Leaf Liquor, but that was no small amount. A normal person would be red-faced and flat-out after two or three, yet Jin So-cheong could drink like a fish.

'Damn it. Why do all the Thunder God Style guys love booze so much...?'

In the end, I drank heavily with the two of them, ate some chicken, and returned to Long Spirit Valley. Jeon-ga-sa spotted me and scowled.

"Where'd you pick up that booze stench?"

"...The last bottle—we agreed not to use internal energy to sober up."

Was it some expert's way of enjoying drinks?

Both Jin So-cheong and Geuk-ho could dispel the alcohol with their internal energy anytime, but we'd tacitly agreed the final bottle would be pure, no cheats. It was inevitable for martial experts—drinking mindfully meant you barely got drunk.

I explained everything that had happened to Jeon-ga-sa and showed him the black obsidian. He stroked his chin with interest and said.

"Hmm. The biggest issue among them is the leakage in your memory capacity..."

"Yeah. Even Cheon Woo-jin said sorcery couldn't fix it."

"That's obvious. The brain is part of the body, so once it hits capacity, memory fades. Sorcery can't solve that at the root."

Jeon-ga-sa replied matter-of-factly, then fell silent in thought. After a moment, he said.

"This is something I need to mull over."

"What should I do now?"

"What else? You haven't even gotten the Fire Dragon Divine Sword yet..."

Jeon-ga-sa snapped curtly, then suddenly froze.

He slapped his knee with a smack and shouted.

"That's it!"

"Wha... What?"

"Baek Woong! Move now. You've already half-solved it yourself, haven't you?"

"......?!"

"First, unseal the Fire Dragon Divine Sword, then do exactly as I say."

Hearing Jeon-ga-sa's words, I realized it could indeed be the key to our current situation. No—why hadn't I thought of it sooner? I said to him.

"If I want to negotiate with that guy, I'll need to offer something in return. Will platinum be enough?"

"More than enough. Go, now."

Paat!

I headed to the underground chamber of the Sanggwan family where the Fire Dragon Divine Sword was sealed. Using the transmitter, I summoned Yeo Dong-bin, informed him of the sword's location, and she immediately lent me her power to save her master. Once the Fire Dragon Divine Sword revived, I slipped it into my neck pouch and teleported to the Da Du Kingdom.

In the Da Du Kingdom, I went straight to where the Westerners were staying and bellowed.

"Matteo Ricci! You there?!"

Infusing my voice with internal energy, I soon saw the Westerners emerging one by one. Matteo Ricci appeared with his soldiers, standing before me. He spoke fluent Central Plains tongue.

"Who are you?"

"I'm Baek Woong, here to trade treasure with you."

"Treasure? But you don't seem to be carrying anything but that sword..."

Before he finished, I yanked a platinum ingot from my neck pouch and showed it to him. Its brilliant glow lit up the room, and the soldiers murmured in awe. But Matteo Ricci seemed more intrigued by something else.

"Pulling a large item from a small neck pouch... This is... magic? Are you a sorcerer?"

"No."

I moved us to a quieter spot, gave a rough explanation of the situation, and expressed my desire to trade the silver phoenix fragment and platinum ingot. Matteo Ricci pondered, then said.

"You seem to know the value of that item... Are you perhaps a descendant of the dynasty?"

"That doesn't concern you. Just know this trade benefits you."

"......"

After a moment, Matteo Ricci nodded.

"Very well, I'll accept."

I handed over all the platinum chunks from the Byeokyang Mountain Cave to Matteo Ricci and received the silver phoenix fragment. Matching it with the one from the Taegyeong Village Hwa family made a perfect pair. With both phoenix fragments in hand, I headed straight to Balhae's ancient capital.

Paat.

Inserting the phoenix fragments into the door allowed me entry. Reaching the Tomb of the Kings at the end, I told the spirits of the kings that I'd rightfully obtained the fragments and entered.

"...So please, let me know the full story."

By slyly framing it as wanting to know Balhae's fall, they seemed to buy it. Then, Geum King In-seon summoned a massive silver phoenix statue from his bosom and offered it to me.

[May it be of help...]

"Of course."

After leaving the Balhae Kings' Tomb, I returned to Long Spirit Valley and presented the silver phoenix to Jeon-ga-sa.

"Got it."

"...You're one hell of a guy. A normal person couldn't get the silver phoenix in a lifetime of chaos, yet you snag it like it's nothing."

"Huh? Well, I had prior info from my past lives..."

"Kekeke."

Jeon-ga-sa chuckled oddly, then slowly lifted the silver phoenix with both hands. Staring at it, he said.

"This might be the answer to your memory leakage. I can't say for sure yet, but I'll study it."

The silver phoenix!

This was a far superior memory storage device to my black obsidian, used by past Balhae kings to pass down their knowledge and experiences. The ultimate treasure for memory transmission—Jeon-ga-sa figured it would help.

As he spoke, Jeon-ga-sa glanced at me.

"Oh, and we should check your current condition with medicine too. While you're at it, go see Hwa Seo-myeong for a full medical exam."

"Got it."

I went to Goryeo, contacted Hwa Seo-myeong, and offered funds to bring his clan there. This time, since I needed an exam, I was relatively honest about my situation, admitting I hadn't used the Rejuvenation Pill but was quite old. I also revealed my memories were fading and asked for a diagnosis. Hwa Seo-myeong readily agreed.

"Good. To thoroughly examine you, it'll take three weeks—take this Ma-pye hyang-tang to cleanse your internal energies first."

"Yes."

Soon, clad only in thin robes, I underwent Hwa Seo-myeong's full Hwa family medical arts exam, including acupuncture and decoctions. After three days straight of examinations, on the final evening, Hwa Seo-myeong summoned me.

"Hmm... I don't even know how to put this..."

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