CLS-Chapter 175

Chapter 175

“What did you say happened?”

The man’s brow furrowed to the extreme.

He hadn’t misheard. His ears weren’t that dull. It was just that what he’d heard was something he’d never once imagined could happen, so he couldn’t believe it.

“You said the secret manual is being sold in all directions?”

“…Yes, that’s correct.”

The corner of the man’s eye twitched.

“Tell me exactly what you mean.”

As the man’s voice grew agitated, his sweating subordinate began explaining the situation.

After hearing all the details, the man asked in a bewildered voice:

“So you’re saying that right now, in front of the main gate of the Heavenly Orthodox Martial Alliance, the secret manual is selling like hotcakes?”

“That’s correct.”

“What in the world…”

The plan had been thorough.

And it wouldn’t be an exaggeration to say that all the variables according to that plan were within his calculations.

When undertaking such a grand affair, variables were naturally bound to arise. Rather than trying to control the variables, the man had focused on establishing a system that could respond to whatever variables might emerge.

But this was a situation he’d never once considered. What kind of lunatic would get their hands on a peerless secret manual and then sell it in all directions?

It was something that couldn’t happen by common sense.

“So, so then…”

The subordinate bowed his head deeply. He swore that this was the first time in his life he’d seen this man stutter. It showed just how great the man’s shock was.

“Heh heh heh, I’m at a loss for words.”

The man grabbed his head and shook it.

No matter how many variables existed in the world, he never expected to face such an absurd variable. There were bound to be madmen in the world, and there were bound to be those with strong martial arts. But what was he supposed to do when that madman happened to also be strong in martial arts?

And why did that bastard have to be the one to get his hands on the secret manual? Even if someone behind the scenes was manipulating things to prevent their affairs from going smoothly, such a dramatic situation wouldn’t unfold.

“His name was Wei Yan-ho, you said?”

“That’s correct.”

“Wei Yan-ho, Wei Yan-ho…”

The man trembled with an ominous premonition.

Not only his younger brothers’ affairs, but his own business had begun to go awry after becoming entangled with Wei Yan-ho. It was as if heaven had sent Wei Yan-ho into the world to shatter their plans.

‘I tried so hard not to get involved precisely because I was worried about this.’

The man didn’t believe in fate. But it was an undeniable fact that Wei Yan-ho was mysteriously entangled with them and smashing all their plans to pieces.

The man quietly nodded his head.

“Wei Yan-ho, Wei Yan-ho… Yes, if it’s come to this, there’s no helping it. If we can’t avoid it, we have no choice but to break through.”

A resolute light appeared in the man’s eyes.

The man knew that hesitating indecisively at times like this would surely bring harm.

“You said the secret manual has spread throughout the Central Plains?”

“Yes, that’s correct.”

“Mmm…”

The man let out a groan.

Originally, he had planned to guide the secret manual to the strongest person within reach. The complete opposite of his plan had occurred.

‘But thinking about it, this isn’t necessarily bad either.’

The man stroked his chin.

Stepping back from the shock that his plan had been completely derailed, the situation wasn’t necessarily turning out that badly. While it had become difficult to handle things secretly, thanks to this, the scale had grown larger.

“Things are flowing in an interesting direction. This is why the martial world is such an enjoyable place.”

No matter how much a person did their best, he couldn’t abandon the thought that the outcome of affairs depended on heaven.

That’s why they say “Planning is human, success is heaven’s will.”

The man chuckled quietly and rose from his seat.

“But if it were Father, he would subdue even heaven-sent trials with that sword of his.”

There could be no one else to consult about this matter. The man headed toward his father who would be in the rear garden.

Even after hearing the entire story, the old man gave no answer. He was simply quietly caressing the flowers.

Even though no answer came, the man couldn’t rush the old man. The sight of the old man tending to the flower garden was so natural that he felt reluctant to break that scene.

As if appreciating a painting, the man was slowly being drawn into the image of the garden and the old man.

“Is that so?”

“…Yes, Father.”

The answer came a bit late.

The old man quietly turned his head and looked at the man with a gentle face. Then he walked ahead toward a pavilion located in one corner of the garden. The man silently followed behind the old man toward the pavilion.

“Sit down.”

“Yes.”

When the man sat down, the old man took out tea utensils prepared in one corner of the pavilion and began heating water. The old man silently brewed tea, and the man silently watched the scene.

The old man quietly offered tea to the man and spoke:

“It’s chrysanthemum tea.”

“Thank you.”

“Quietly smell the fragrance.”

The man obediently smelled the tea’s fragrance. A subtle and fragrant aroma filled his nose completely. It wasn’t as good as the finest teas with strong fragrances that could entrance people. But somehow it felt like it put his mind at ease.

The old man turned his head to look at the sky. A blue sky without a single cloud entered his eyes.

“Longjing, Biluochun, Snow Country… I’ve tried all the good teas, but none could match the chrysanthemums I made and dried with my own hands. Do you know why?”

“I cannot yet fathom Father’s deep meaning.”

The old man smiled gently.

“Because I made them with my own hands.”

“…”

“If one has strength, power, and wealth, obtaining the finest teas isn’t difficult. But such teas cannot give me inspiration. When I plant seeds with my own hands, give fertilizer with my own hands, prune branches with my own hands and raise chrysanthemums, then harvest them and carefully dry them, my effort seeps into them. Then they produce a richer fragrance and deeper taste.”

The man bowed his head as if he understood.

“All affairs are the same. If you truly want to achieve good results, you must move with your own hands. In the process, you’ll experience countless trials and errors. When you overcome each one and finally see the results, that’s what we live for.”

“I will keep this in mind.”

The old man nodded with a gentle face.

“Too much time has passed since that day. The world has forgotten the Ten Thousand Swords, and we are only spoken of as legends. Now we must let the world know that the spirit of the Ten Thousand Swords still remains.”

“I have not forgotten.”

The old man patted the man’s shoulder.

“I trust you.”

“With Father behind me, what in the world would I fear? Soon the world will remember the name of the Ten Thousand Swords again.”

“It must be so.”

The old man nodded with satisfaction and continued:

“I heard that your younger brothers are currently struggling.”

“…Yes.”

“When I assigned you all different tasks, it wasn’t to compete for succession but to work efficiently in your respective areas. Yet knowing that your younger brothers are struggling, you’ve just been watching.”

The man’s body trembled violently. The man quickly pressed his head to the ground.

“My thinking was shallow.”

Excuses wouldn’t work.

Even if it weren’t true, if his father said so, then it was true. Even if it wasn’t true, it became true.

“Hwimyeong.”

“…Yes, Father.”

“I named you Hwimyeong because I hoped you would recover our lost name.”

“Yes! I have not forgotten.”

“Do not become one who shames your name.”

Hwimyeong.

Baek Hwimyeong repeatedly bowed his head low to the ground as he answered.

“Father’s words, I will engrave them in my bones and never forget.”

Baek Hwimyeong’s body slowly lifted and found its place. Baek Hwimyeong looked at his father with surprised eyes. He hadn’t moved a finger. The old man had lifted his body through Distant Object Manipulation.

Baek Hwimyeong was also someone who could compete for supremacy if he entered the martial world. For someone to move such a person’s body at will without laying a hand on them was impossible unless the old man’s martial learning reached heaven.

Baek Hwimyeong looked at the old man with a face full of conviction.

“And you said his name was Wei Yan-ho?”

“Yes, that’s correct.”

“The Guangdong Wei Family…”

The old man quietly closed his eyes. Then, as if falling into slight contemplation, he kept his mouth shut before slowly opening his eyes.

“It’s not yet time for us to reveal ourselves.”

“…Yes.”

Baek Hwimyeong clicked his tongue with slight regret.

In his thinking, Wei Yan-ho was definitely someone who couldn’t be left alone. When turbulent times arrived, heroes were bound to appear. And Wei Yan-ho was someone with a high probability of becoming that hero.

You could tell just by seeing how he was mysteriously entangled with them as if fate had ordained it.

But the old man’s words were absolute.

If the old man didn’t want to reveal himself, he had to follow those words.

“Until now, that is…”

Baek Hwimyeong raised his head sharply.

He understood what the old man’s words meant.

“They said that person of those days split the heavens with his sword. I thought that was an exaggeration. But having climbed to this level myself, I see that those words were not false at all.”

“Then…”

Baek Hwimyeong’s body trembled violently.

The old man smiled gently and said:

“How could I dare say I’ve reached that person’s level? The place that person reached was so high and deep. But now I understand where that person was looking. With that alone, there should be no one in the world who can stop the Ten Thousand Swords.”

“I offer my congratulations, Father!”

The old man smiled gently.

“Now it’s time to reveal our name to the world. You must advance the plan. Tell the children spread throughout the world to prepare to raise the banner of the Ten Thousand Swords.”

“Yes, Father!”

“And…”

Baek Hwimyeong waited for his father’s next words with a tense face.

“That boy Wei Yan-ho will definitely become an obstacle to our affairs. If we leave an eyesore alone, we’ll eventually have to dig out a handful of flesh when one grain would have sufficed.”

“My thoughts are the same.”

“Eliminate him.”

“Yes!”

Baek Hwimyeong felt as if his chest had been cleared. As expected, the old man couldn’t be unaware of what he knew.

“Being meticulous about all affairs is good, but sometimes you lack boldness. Once you draw your sword, don’t hesitate.”

“I will keep this in mind, Father.”

“Go.”

When Baek Hwimyeong quietly bowed and withdrew, the old man sat quietly in the pavilion looking at the sky.

“Now it’s time to repay the sins you committed. Isn’t that right, Chunha?”

The old man’s eyes, which had been infinitely gentle, harbored faint hatred. The flames of hatred that bloomed in the old man’s eyes began blazing as if they would cover the world.