Survival Guide for the Reincarnated

The two men might or might not have been pursuing the same destination, but one thing was certain—

They were enemies.

There was nothing to gain from remaining close to one another.

It was then that Jeong Docheon entered the room.

“You are the cult leader of the Thunder Demon Cult, correct?”

Jeong Docheon turned his head.

A middle-aged man in his mid-forties stood there.

Seol Unhwi had not come to the Blood Heaven Sect alone.

He had brought two women and one man with him.

This was one of them.

His name was...

“Seong Yangho, was it?”

The corners of Chief Seong’s mouth curled upward.

Unhwi had already told him.

About the kind of man Jeong Docheon was.

A cunning schemer to the core, yet terrified of death, always the sort to leave himself an escape route no matter the situation.

And whenever he dealt with subordinates, he acted like the supreme ruler of the martial world, but in front of those above him, he became endlessly servile. In his previous life, Unhwi had barely considered him human.

Even speaking to him like this was practically an honor from Jeong Docheon’s perspective.

But none of that mattered to Chief Seong.

To him, Jeong Docheon was simply “someone who had tried to harm the Snow Palace.”

There was no reason to treat him kindly.

Tch.

Clicking his tongue inwardly, Chief Seong spoke shortly.

“He is waiting. Go inside.”

“...Mm...”

Jeong Docheon disliked Chief Seong’s tone and attitude immensely, but he had nothing he could say in return.

“Enter.”

Unhwi’s voice came from inside.

Jeong Docheon let out a long sigh before stepping into the room.

The interior was immaculate.

Immediately, he performed a fist salute.

“Jeong Docheon, cult leader of the Thunder Demon Cult, greets the Blood Heaven Arbiter.”

Unhwi merely stared at him in silence.

He did not even return the fist salute. There was not the slightest trace of courtesy. Just as Jeong Docheon was beginning to find the situation strange and was about to lower his hands—

“I am considering something.”

“...Pardon?”

“Whether I should kill you or not.”

Jeong Docheon nearly jumped in shock at those thunderous words—

No, at that complete nonsense.

Was this not completely different from how he had acted earlier in the grand hall?

And why all of a sudden?

“You are a Go stone.”

“...Pardon?”

“At the moment, you are a black stone. However, depending on who picks you up, you possess the extremely troublesome ability to change color.”

“...What exactly are you saying...”

“The Northern Wind Merchant Group. There is no way that was entirely your own decision, but you still profited quite nicely from it, didn’t you?”

Jeong Docheon’s expression stiffened.

He had expected the subject to come up eventually, but this quickly?

What was he supposed to do in a situation like this?

As stated before, Jeong Docheon was cunning.

The kind of man who always created a route of escape for himself.

And—

In front of superiors, he could become more servile than anyone else.

That was how he had survived.

“Blood Heaven Arbiter!!”

The moment he shouted those words, Jeong Docheon immediately dropped to his knees.

“I committed a grave offense!”

Unhwi looked down at him silently.

“Yes! I will not deny it! I used the Northern Wind Merchant Group to bring harm upon the Snow Palace. No—almost brought harm upon them! You ask whether I profited from it? Yes, I did. But the gains were pitifully small! Merely a small amount of gold and a few spiritual medicines! But if you intend to punish me for this crime, I will return everything immediately!”

In the previous life, Jeong Docheon had died by Unhwi’s hand.

Because he was cunning.

Too cunning.

And because he crossed the line.

But now he was confessing first and kneeling for forgiveness?

And if one punished him after that? Anyone who valued face, anyone with status, would ultimately be forced to let it go.

Jeong Docheon’s tactic was an incredibly petty method that made the other party look narrow-minded—

Yet despite that, its success rate was extremely high.

High enough that almost nobody actually dared use it.

Because it required abandoning every shred of pride.

“There was once another man in a situation similar to yours.”

“...Pardon?”

“He too confessed his crimes, knelt, and begged for forgiveness just as you are now.”

“...What... did you do to him?”

“I cut off his arm. So he could never use it again.”

Jeong Docheon swallowed hard.

“I have no intention of recreating the exact same situation. But it does feel remarkably similar.”

Why was Unhwi speaking about “someone else,” yet making Jeong Docheon feel as though he were speaking directly about him?

“And afterward, he committed a similar offense again. That time, I killed him.”

The sensation was bizarre beyond words.

What is this...?

“Stand.”

“Y-Yes!”

“Sit.”

“Yes!”

Jeong Docheon hurried over and sat before Unhwi.

Then Unhwi asked:

“There is something I wish to ask you.”

“Ah... Y-You are speaking to me?”

“It is an extremely important question. And if your answer displeases me, I will kill you.”

Jeong Docheon nearly leaped up in shock.

This lunatic.

Even after lowering himself this far, the man was still threatening to kill him?

Did this bastard not possess even a shred of mercy?

Just as that thought crossed his mind, Unhwi spoke.

And the moment Jeong Docheon heard those words, his entire body froze as though struck by lightning.

“How much do you know about Heaven Beyond Heaven?”

Jeong Docheon rubbed his face.

For a brief moment, he thought carefully.

The Heavenly Wayfarer almost never brought outsiders into the Blood Heaven Sect.

No—

It would be more accurate to say it had never happened.

Yet he had brought this man.

If so, could Seol Unhwi truly be ordinary? No matter how much of a genius the martial world called him, granting him the position of Blood Heaven Arbiter meant he was either—

Someone the Heavenly Wayfarer personally needed.

Or someone he had no choice but to honor.

Perhaps both.

And for either of those possibilities to exist at all, Seol Unhwi would need to know the Heavenly Wayfarer’s greatest secret.

Heaven Beyond Heaven.

Only by knowing of it could one explain why a man like Seol Unhwi had come to the Blood Heaven Sect.

That was it.

This had to be the answer.

Jeong Docheon’s expression brightened slightly.

If his assumption was correct, then he could redefine his relationship with Seol Unhwi.

Because Jeong Docheon was an extremely useful person to Heaven Beyond Heaven’s plans.

A necessary man.

If so, how should he answer Unhwi’s question?

That part was simple as well.

“I know more than those who know nothing.”

“Be specific.”

“...Specific... Hmm... I’m not quite sure how to phrase it.”

Unhwi let out a quiet laugh.

Even sitting still, the sound of Jeong Docheon desperately turning his thoughts over seemed loud enough to fill the entire room.

“Suppose this were the case.”

“...Yes.”

“If the Blood Stones you create are not made from corpses, then you will unquestionably die by my hand.”

“......”

“Though before I could even touch you, this seat would likely kill you first.”

Why had Unhwi died in his previous life?

Simply put—

Because he could no longer find any reason to continue living.

He had followed the Heavenly Wayfarer, but that did not mean the man had explained many things to him.

Especially regarding—

Blood Stones.

And the Peach Blossom Garden.

He had explained absolutely nothing.

Instead, he had turned away from those matters again and again, as though desperately hoping Unhwi would never learn the truth.

So Unhwi investigated it himself.

The truth had been simpler than expected.

In the martial world, countless people died every single day.

Martial artists and commoners alike.

The number was impossible to count.

Then what happened to all those corpses?

Some people recovered them.

Others discarded them.

Within the Blood Heaven Sect, there were groups specifically tasked with collecting the corpses of martial artists.

That responsibility belonged to the Thunder Demon Cult.

Most such matters were handled by them.

When a martial artist died, the energy they possessed in life scattered outward.

And if it scattered—

That meant it could be gathered again.

The internal meridians and similar structures remained preserved to some extent, even after death.

Likewise, innate energy and true energy—

Those things also lingered behind in one form or another.

Gathering them together allowed the creation of something similar to a spiritual pill.

That was a Blood Stone.

The Thunder Demon Cult specialized in that field.

And Jeong Docheon, in particular, possessed skill in creating Blood Stones that surpassed all others.

His appearance may have been rough and savage, but his craftsmanship was delicate and meticulous.

Without question, he had been an extremely important figure within Heaven Beyond Heaven.

In the previous life, Jeong Docheon had crossed the line.

Without the Heavenly Wayfarer’s knowledge, he experimented on living people and created Blood Stones from them.

Unhwi discovered it.

And killed him.

He discovered the Peach Blossom Garden as well.

And burned it to ashes.

Then he left the Blood Heaven Sect.

Could one truly claim those events were unrelated?

Had the Heavenly Wayfarer been enraged?

Or had he merely smiled because someone else had handled the problem for him?

What meaning had there been in the poison he gave Unhwi?

Had he foreseen this very moment?

Unhwi did not know.

But someday, he would.

There were still many things even Unhwi did not understand.

Especially what Heaven Beyond Heaven intended to accomplish with Blood Stones.

He truly had not known.

But after witnessing Zhuge Xian’s case, he had begun to suspect something.

So he asked.

“Do you know why Blood Stones are being created?”

“I... do not know very much.”

“Can I trust that answer?”

“O-Of course! If I truly knew something, I would naturally tell you. But this seat did not even explain it to the Blood Heaven Arbiter—”

“Jeong Docheon.”

Jeong Docheon swallowed hard.

“...Yes?”

“Even now, are you still trying to extract information from me?”

“Ah... That...”

“So you can deliver it to the Vice Leader afterward?”

“No! Absolutely not!”

Unhwi smiled faintly.

“Of course not. Surely you are not stupid enough for that.”

Jeong Docheon’s face turned pale.

This madman.

“Let me change the question. At this moment, who is managing the Peach Blossom Garden?”

“...That would be Great Elder Cheol Jinseok of the Thunder Demon Cult.”

“As I understand it, the administrator changes periodically.”

“That is correct. Great Elder Cheol Jinseok has managed it for the past three years, and soon Elder Han Hojang will replace him. After another three years, it rotates back to the Great Elder again... though... why are you asking...?”

“Must I explain even that?”

Jeong Docheon hurriedly shook his head.

“And irregularly, one of the Six Great Elders of the Blood Heaven Sect inspects the Peach Blossom Garden.”

“...That is true. Usually once every three or four months, with different elders taking turns.”

“And the master of Heaven Gate?”

“...I have not seen him in nearly five years.”

“And the Maitreya Brahma Sect?”

“They visited once last month. After checking the progress of the work, they left.”

“Did the sect master come personally? Or the vice sect master?”

“...The sect master himself came. The Undying Maitreya.”

“Anything unusual?”

“There was noth—”

Jeong Docheon suddenly trailed off, as though recalling something.

Unhwi’s eyes flashed.

“So there was.”

“...Yes. There was... something.”

“Speak.”

Swallowing hard once more, Jeong Docheon answered quietly.

“Gun Mugeol... came there.”

Unhwi’s brows twisted sharply.

He had expected a new name.

But this was far beyond unexpected.

“Gun Mugeol? The leader of the Murim Alliance?”

“...Yes.”

“And who came with him?”

“...He came together with the Undying Maitreya.”

A hollow laugh escaped Unhwi’s lips.

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