Myst, Might, Mayhem

Chapter 448 – Arrangement (1)

[Heavenly Concealed Luminous Star Sword Art]

Jin Ye-rin’s eyes widened as she saw the characters written on the cover of the book, one of the two items revealed when the wooden box’s lid opened.

The Luminous Star Sword Art could be considered the exclusive martial art of her family, the Jin clan.

Such Luminous Star Sword Arts existed in various forms, and it was said that the Divine Path Luminous Star Sword Art, known to possess the most perfect sword path and attainable only by reaching the highest realm, was abruptly cut off when the lord of Mushang Fortress, her grandfather, passed away.

But what on earth was this?

‘Heavenly Concealed Luminous Star Sword Art?’

This was a name she had never heard of, even from her father, the Minor Fortress Lord Jin Yeong-in.

Could it be a new Luminous Star Sword Art that he had created?

As she stood there, unable to easily reach out and touch it, Wicked Granny Cheol Su-ryeon spoke with a gentle smile, apparently relieved after a long wait.

“This is what that person left for you.”

“For me? But that person has already…”

“Yes, that person is no longer here. However, he said long ago that when he had cleansed all his karma, his blood descendants would visit this place.”

“…He foresaw that I would come here?”

“Yes, he said that in his later years, he had awakened to the Taoist path and thus became able to read some of the heavenly secrets. he foresaw that great calamities might befall the Central Plains someday, but lamented that he could not intervene as it was a matter of the distant future.”

“So he arranged this?”

Cheol Su-ryeon nodded in response to her question.

“That’s right. This…”

“Arrangement…”

“!?”

Before she could finish her sentence, Jin Ye-rin cut her off.

Then, with a voice tinged with slight disappointment, she spoke.

“…is what you said, but why did he just leave the day of the great calamity alone?”

“The day of the great calamity…”

“On that day, Mushang Fortress and the Blood Sect… Everything crumbled, and his descendants lost their lives miserably. Now you speak of arrangement…”

“Young miss.”

“No. Please listen to me first.”

“…”

Her voice, which had been extremely calm, was gradually rising.

As Cheol Su-ryeon closed her mouth, she continued her words.

“Everyone died on the day of the great calamity, and at best, I’m the only surviving blood relative. What exactly did he intend to protect by leaving this arrangement? If he could read the heavenly secrets, shouldn’t he have at least prevented the destruction of Mushang Fortress and our clan, even if not the worst calamity?”

“…”

-Pak!

She roughly grabbed the secret manual of the Heavenly Concealed Luminous Star Sword Art and shook it, speaking with reddened eyes.

“This can never be called an arrangement. After losing everything, passing on something like this now – how is it any different from urging revenge? This isn’t an arrangement, it’s…”

“The day of the great calamity… Those who came from outside spoke of that day. They said a calamity struck where all sorts of monstrous beings ran wild, causing numerous sects and martial artists to lose their lives.”

This time, Cheol Su-ryeon interrupted her words.

Then, with a deep sigh, she continued.

“Haa. It was truly heartbreaking. While His blood relatives were losing their lives outside, the reality that we knew nothing inside here was so frustrating.”

“That’s…”

“I don’t misunderstand your feelings. You said you lost your blood relatives and survived alone, so how could anyone put that pain into words?”

“…”

“I too am sincerely grieved beyond measure. But on the other hand, it’s like this. How much more should he have done for his descendants to be satisfied?”

“…What?”

“He already left his blood relatives the most powerful martial organization in the murim, passed down the highest martial arts of the era, and even bequeathed outstanding talents as an inheritance.”

“That’s…”

“Yet despite this, did his blood relatives want Him to violate the natural order, remain in the world forever, protect his descendants, watch over them until they grew old and died, and care for them like children?”

“…”

For a moment, she was at a loss for words.

She had spoken out of disappointment upon receiving something said to be His arrangement after losing everything due to the day of the great calamity.

However, when Cheol Su-ryeon coldly pointed out the reality, she could not give any answer.

“He has already watched countless times as his old friends and acquaintances all passed away, and even their children grew old, fell ill, and died. Do you think it would be easy to watch his own children and descendants die like that?”

“…”

“Despite this, isn’t it rather a cruel wish towards him, who could be called your ancestor, to expect hHim to solve everything that will happen in the future?”

‘Ah…’

At this piercing rebuke, as sharp as a needle killing with an inch of steel, Jin Ye-rin immediately became dejected.

Deep down, she felt too ashamed.

She had spoken out of momentary disappointment, but she too believed that Cheol Su-ryeon’s words were right.

That person, their ancestor, had already left behind everything he could give and departed.

The day of the great calamity was something that no one could have done anything about from the beginning, so everyone was inevitably caught up in an unavoidable disaster.

Jin Ye-rin held back the tears that were about to fall and opened her mouth.

“…I apologize. It seems I’ve spoken too childishly. Cheol Su-ryeon, your words are correct. he has already left us many things. Nevertheless, faced with the reality of being the only one left among the clan, my heart weakened unnecessarily, and I seem to have committed a discourtesy. Please…”

-Suk!

As Jin Ye-rin was about to bow her head in apology, bringing her hands together in a martial salute, Cheol Su-ryeon stopped her and said.

“No. It’s natural to want to lean on something or vent your frustrations when you’ve lost your entire clan and barely managed to hold on alone.”

-Suk!

Cheol Su-ryeon embraced her and said.

“There’s no need to forcibly hide your pain. If the path you’ve endured alone has been arduous, it’s okay to cry for a moment.”

At these warm words, tears that Jin Ye-rin had been holding back finally flowed from her eyes.

Although she had always maintained a cold demeanor, earning her the nickname “Ice Flower” even among the Imperial Embroided Guards, she had endured the most difficult days alone.

Revenge against the beings who caused the day of the great calamity and destroyed her clan.

And a sense of mission to revive her clan once again.

Bearing all these burdens, she had considered it a luxury to shed tears or show weakness until now, but at this moment, she couldn’t help but be overwhelmed with emotion at Cheol Su-ryeon’s warm comfort.

However, these tears didn’t last long.

That was because,

“There’s no time to keep crying.”

It was due to Mok Gyeong-un.

Cheol Su-ryeon, who had been consoling Jin Ye-rin, glared at him with displeasure, but Mok Gyeong-un didn’t care at all.

“There are still enemies outside.”

At these words, Jin Ye-rin, who had been crying, wiped her tears with her sleeve and said, her face slightly flushed with embarrassment.

“Haa… That’s right. I almost forgot about that.”

“Young miss…”

“It’s alright. Young Master Mok is right. We don’t have time for this right now.”

She quickly tucked the secret manual of the Heavenly Concealed Luminous Star Sword Art into her bosom.

Then, pointing to the rolled-up wooden slips in the wooden box, she asked.

“What is this?”

Cheol Su-ryeon showed a puzzled look at her question.

“That… Hmm.”

“What’s wrong?”

“Actually, I don’t know about this either.”

“What do you mean, you don’t know?”

“He put it in saying that the one who was meant to have it would naturally come to possess it, but he didn’t mention specifically what it was.”

“The one who was meant to have it would come to possess it?”

What could it be for Him to leave such an ambiguous message?

Wondering, she picked up the wooden slips and unrolled them.

To be precise, since they were made of bamboo, it would be more correct to call them bamboo slips.

The bamboo slips unexpectedly contained little content, with only six pieces strung together and rolled up, on which thirty Chinese characters were listed haphazardly.

At a glance, it was completely incomprehensible what they were saying.

Seeing this, she frowned.

‘What on earth is this?’

Meanwhile, Mok Gyeong-un, who was observing from a slight distance behind, caught a glimmer in his eye.

‘That is?’

Mok Gyeong-un recognized at once what the thirty characters written on the bamboo slips were.

It was undoubtedly the formula for the Eight Thought-Shattering Techniques.

However, while the arrangement and positioning of the written formulas might seem disorganized to those who didn’t know, it felt strangely regular.

Moreover, looking at it, there seemed to be something engraved on the side of the bamboo slips, which he wanted to see once.

As if sensing this gaze, Jin Ye-rin asked.

“Young Master, you seem to have a look as if you’ve seen this before.”

“…”

“Do you know what this is?”

Jin Ye-rin held out the bamboo slips to Mok Gyeong-un.

“Young miss! How can you show that to an outsider…”

Cheol Su-ryeon hastily tried to stop her.

However,

“No. Young Master Mok is also a disciple of the Elder, so strictly speaking, he’s not an outsider. And didn’t you say, Cheol Su-ryeon?”

“Ah…”

[He put it in saying that the one who was meant to have it would naturally come to possess it, but he didn’t mention specifically what it was.]

Those were her words.

At this, Cheol Su-ryeon lowered her hand that had tried to stop her.

Then Jin Ye-rin held out the bamboo slips to Mok Gyeong-un again and asked.

“Do you know what this is?”

-Tak!

At her question, Mok Gyeong-un took the bamboo slips and, looking at Cheol Su-ryeon instead of Jin Ye-rin, said.

“If you pass on the forbidden technique of merging souls, I’ll tell you what this is.”

“Huh? What did you say?”

Cheol Su-ryeon was dumbfounded at those words.

Is this guy really the one who received teachings from that old man Moon Evil Sword?

It had been a long time since she’d encountered someone who wouldn’t back down and tried to gain something from her, not since the young days of Him.

But why are this guy and those from outside so hung up on that forbidden technique of merging souls?

As she was wondering, Jin Ye-rin spoke.

“Cheol Su-ryeon.”

“Yes.”

“I too came here to prevent that forbidden technique from falling into the hands of the group behind the great calamity. If it’s alright with you, could you teach it to Young Master Mok here?”

“…”

Cheol Su-ryeon stared intently at Mok Gyeong-un.

Then she nodded.

She didn’t particularly want to teach it, but it was because of the request from Jin Ye-rin, who was that person’s blood relative.

“I’ll teach you, so you tell the young miss what that is.”

“This is the formula for the Eight Thought-Shattering Techniques.”

“What?”

At those words, Jin Ye-rin’s eyes, which had no particular expectation for the bamboo slips, widened.

She had heard about it, not from her father, the Minor Fortress Lord Jin Yeong-in, but from floating rumors.

“Is this the supreme secret manual?”

At that moment, Wicked Granny Cheol Su-ryeon, who was standing beside her, asked in a tone of incomprehension.

“Supreme secret manual?”

“Yes. I don’t know why it was called that, but I heard that at one time, countless people fought and shed great blood to possess this secret manual called the Eight Thought-Shattering Techniques.”

At these words, Cheol Su-ryeon let out a strange sigh.

“Huh…”

“Why do you react like that?”

“So it was called that.”

“Did you know about it?”

Cheol Su-ryeon nodded at Jin Ye-rin’s question.

“I didn’t know that what was in here was what he had mentioned.”

“What do you mean by that?”

“As far as I know, before he left, he spent a long time pondering and left His lifetime of enlightenment melted into the hidden underground secret storage of Mushang Fortress.”

“In the underground secret storage of Mushang Fortress?”

“Yes.”

“But how did it end up here?”

“Rather than how, it seems that he foresaw that this essence of His enlightenment would eventually fall into the hands of others, not His descendants. So, perhaps out of precaution, he put it here as well.”

“Ah…”

At Cheol Su-ryeon’s words, Jin Ye-rin’s expression became strange.

That was because it seemed that he had left many things not only for this arrangement but also for future generations.

Looking at it this way, despite these various arrangements of His, Mushang Fortress ultimately failed to prevent its annihilation.

In the end, even if one can read the heavenly secrets, is an approaching calamity something that cannot be prevented from the beginning?

Her mind couldn’t help but become complicated.

While they were conversing like this, Mok Gyeong-un seemed interested in something else and was examining the patterns engraved on the side of the bamboo slips.

At first glance, they looked like mere patterns, but they were signifying something.

Flowing water, burning fire, this is… earth?

As he examined this, Mok Gyeong-un could be certain of what the five engraved patterns were.

This was the Five Elements.

Fire, Water, Wood, Earth, Metal.

Although he didn’t know why these were engraved on the side, they seemed to be related to the somewhat regular arrangement of the formula for the Eight Thought-Shattering Techniques.