novelraw Chapter 48
Chapter 48
Chapter 48
『 Translator – Divinity 』
“The important thing is the atmosphere among the followers of the Divine Cult. It's to the point where I wonder if they didn't plan this with that as their goal from the beginning. I have not yet said I would make the adopted sons of the Marquises into Young Supreme Ones, but the followers are openly calling them that. And they speak of you as well, son-in-law.”
“About me?”
As Cheon Ha-seong asked that, he had an inkling.
If the Young Supreme Ones were going to the Central Plains to save the persecuted followers, while only Cheon Ha-seong tried to avoid that danger, a comparison would be drawn.
The followers of the Divine Cult would be able to guess that Cheon Ha-seong, the Cult Leader's son-in-law, would rise rapidly in the succession structure from now on.
Listening to the words the Cult Leader said next, it became even more certain.
He didn't know whose head this had come from, but it seemed they had laid out the board very well.
“Head Instructor Cheon, what do you want to do?”
Seo Hyo-eun asked.
“If the So Demonic Clan said they would do it, then we can just entrust it to the So Demonic Clan. It would be even better if we let the followers know exactly why the So Demonic Clan decided to do it, and on top of that, let them know that the Eighth Elder and the Second Demonic Marquis had been deceiving the Cult Leader all this time. The followers have a right and a duty to know the truth.”
Seo Hyo-eun had not thought Cheon Ha-seong would say such a thing. The Cheon Ha-seong she had seen at the Martial Arts Academy until now had always thought from the perspective of the common followers. So she thought that if he found out what the common followers were saying, he might, even if he didn't want to, get swept up in that atmosphere and try to head to the Central Plains.
If it were up to her, she wanted to stop him, but she had been very worried about whether she would be able to.
But seeing Cheon Ha-seong say it so simply, Seo Hyo-eun thought that she had been worrying for nothing all this time.
“Father, what did I tell you?”
“I wonder. I don't think I heard anything. Could you perhaps tell me what you said?”
Watching the two of them immediately start bickering like that, Cheon Ha-seong also smiled.
“They say even a cornered mouse will bite a cat, but will it be alright to pressure them like this?”
“That mouse must have acted so fearlessly because it had never been through something like this before. From now on, I think I will try to meet that mouse.”
“Are you planning to go and see the Second Demonic Marquis?”
“I plan to do so first. Before that, I'll meet with Cheok Gyo-woon and ask him a bit about So Jeon.”
“I understand. I will take care of the remaining matters. Leave it to me.”
At that, Seo Hyo-eun, not missing her chance, cut in again.
“Father, that was something you were supposed to do in the first place. If you say it like that, it sounds like you're sharing Head Instructor Cheon's workload.”
“Hyo-eun-ah, you're really too much. No matter how you look at it, it seems now that you have a lover, your father is no longer in your eyes.”
Cheon Ha-seong, listening to the two of them talk, smiled, but in his mind, he was thinking about how to handle this matter.
The Cult Leader keenly noticed that and sighed.
“Our son-in-law used to have an innocent side, but now he's become so worldly-wise, wearing a sociable smile like that.”
“First, I will go and meet with Cheok Gyo-woon and find out about the current situation of the So Demonic Clan, Cult Leader. If I learn anything new, I will report it immediately.”
Seeing Cheon Ha-seong in a hurry, both the Cult Leader and Seo Hyo-eun urged him to be careful.
Cheon Ha-seong, while thinking he hadn't been able to talk much with Seo Hyo-eun, also thought that he had to hurry now in order to have more of that time later.
***
There was not a single place that wasn't busy, from each of the Marquis Halls to each of the prestigious Demonic Clans.
Cheok Gyo-woon also spent his busy days coming and going from the Fourth Demonic Marquis's Residence. He too had a premonition that a whirlwind was about to blow through.
Unfortunately, he was also in a situation where he had to attend the Martial Arts Academy, so he was at a disadvantage compared to others.
Passing the Martial Arts Academy was an especially important matter for the influential figures of the Divine Cult.
The direct-line adopted sons of the So and Danmok Demonic Clans had all passed the Martial Arts Academy, and among the adopted sons of the Marquises, he was the only one left.
When Cheon Ha-seong came looking for him, Cheok Gyo-woon was just leaving the Fourth Demonic Marquis's Residence.
“Cheok Gyo-woon!”
“Head Instructor Cheon!”
Cheok Gyo-woon, whose head felt like it was about to explode from thinking about various matters by himself, was filled with the desire to vent to Cheon Ha-seong.
“Head Instructor, why is it so hard to see your face? Before, I could see you a few times if I came here.”
“There was a reason for that.”
Even to Cheok Gyo-woon, he could not yet say that he had received the spiritual elixirs and mastered the Heaven-Shattering Will Art.
Cheon Ha-seong was about to say what he had intended to, but his gaze fell on the book Cheok Gyo-woon was holding.
“What is that?”
It clearly looked like a martial arts manual from the outside, but it seemed to have been bound recently, so he asked. Cheok Gyo-woon looked down at the book and said nonchalantly.
“It's a copy of the Heaven-Shattering Will Art. The mnemonic verses on the wall of the Martial Arts Academy were erased, weren't they? So they made copies and distributed them.”
“The Principal did?”
“That's right. The Head Instructors suffered for several days making the copies.”
Cheon Ha-seong, thinking, 'So that's what happened,' looked at Cheok Gyo-woon again. Now he just had to tell him what he had come to say. But for some reason, his gaze kept going back to the martial arts manual.
“Would you like to have a look? But it's the same as what was on the wall, so there's nothing new. If you'd like a copy too, Head Instructor Cheon, shall I get one for you?”
Cheon Ha-seong did not refuse the martial arts manual that Cheok Gyo-woon held out.
As he did so, he flipped through the pages and confirmed that it was a direct copy of the mnemonic verses written on the wall.
‘Right. They wouldn't have pulled any foolish tricks with something like this. Since it would be easy to find out who was behind it. It seems that because so many strange things have been happening lately, I've started to suspect everything.’
If he had thought that, he should have just closed the book and given it to Cheok Gyo-woon. But he couldn't. Instead, he kept flipping the pages as if he were going to read the whole volume right on the spot.
Cheok Gyo-woon thought it was strange, but he waited by his side without rushing him. It was because of the thought that among the things Cheon Ha-seong had done until now, nothing had been without a reason.
He didn't know what was suspicious that was making him act like this, but he thought he should wait, even if he didn't end up finding anything.
For a while, Cheon Ha-seong's hands just rhythmically flipped the pages. The speed was incredibly fast, but Cheok Gyo-woon believed that Cheon Ha-seong was reading through it without missing a single character.
Since he had likely looked at the mnemonic verses carved on the wall almost every day for nine years, it would be possible for him to read at such a speed.
Just as he was having that thought, Cheon Ha-seong's hand suddenly stopped.
Then, he looked at Cheok Gyo-woon. His eyes were a mixture of astonishment, rage, and terror.
“Why… what is it, Head Instructor Cheon?”
“We have to collect these copies at once. Not a single person can be allowed to do this, Cheok Gyo-woon! Mobilize everyone you can right now and collect the martial arts manuals. The mnemonic verses are wrong. This can only be said to have been written incorrectly on purpose. If anyone moves their internal energy according to this, they will definitely fall into Qi Deviation!”
Cheok Gyo-woon wondered what he had just heard. But he couldn't just stand around leisurely asking questions just because he didn't understand.
He said that if one moves their internal energy according to the copy's mnemonic verses, they will fall into Qi Deviation.
The number of candidates at the Martial Arts Academy who had received it was close to a hundred, and it was possible that some of them had already looked at the manual.
“What must be done?”
Cheok Gyo-woon said, flustered, then ran into the Fourth Demonic Marquis's Residence.
Cheon Ha-seong, for his part, ran towards the Cult Leader's Hall.
The Cult Leader was wondering why Cheon Ha-seong, who had said he was going to meet Cheok Gyo-woon, had returned so quickly, when he noticed his unusual expression.
“What is it, son-in-law?”
Then the Cult Leader's gaze naturally fell on the martial arts manual that Cheon Ha-seong was holding.
“What is that?”
Cheon Ha-seong went straight to the Cult Leader and handed it to him.
“I met with Cheok Gyo-woon. And he said that at the Martial Arts Academy, they had distributed copies of the Heaven-Shattering Will Art to replace the mnemonic verses carved on the wall. I checked it, thinking it wouldn't do for the verses to be written differently, and there was a problem.”
The Cult Leader looked at him with a face that said, 'No way.'
Cheon Ha-seong found the incorrect mnemonic verse he had discovered and opened the book to show him.
The Cult Leader realized why Cheon Ha-seong had run over so frantically.
“If one moves their internal energy according to this, they will fall into Qi Deviation!”
“That is why I told Cheok Gyo-woon that the martial arts manuals must be collected as quickly as possible, and was on my way here.”
“I must send the Honor Guard first.”
Cheon Ha-seong thought that perhaps this was what the one who had distributed the incorrect copies had been aiming for. However, it would have been difficult for them to think that the fact the copies were incorrect would be exposed so quickly.
“I will also take Gi Mun-yong and a few others and go.”
“Yes. Do so.”
It was a situation where whenever one incident occurred and he tried to resolve it, another one would keep popping up in the middle. However, if he postponed this matter, an eager candidate could fall into Qi Deviation, so he could not just let it be.
Cheon Ha-seong moved more urgently than ever before to find Gi Mun-yong.
Gi Mun-yong hadn't thought Cheon Ha-seong was looking for him, but he was flustered when he ran straight towards him.
“The copy of the Heaven-Shattering Will Art distributed at the Martial Arts Academy is incorrect. Someone has intentionally written the mnemonic verses incorrectly, and if one follows it, they will fall into Qi Deviation. We must mobilize everyone we can and retrieve the martial arts manuals that the candidates have!”
Gi Mun-yong was shocked as he heard the thunderous words coming from Cheon Ha-seong's mouth, but he moved with the speed of light.
Cheon Ha-seong, feeling a little relieved that several people were moving at once, headed for the Martial Arts Academy from then on.
Although he hadn't been able to go for a while, it was the place where he had spent all his time for nine years, nurturing his dreams.
When Cheon Ha-seong arrived, there were almost no candidates left at the Martial Arts Academy. However, the Head Instructors were still there, holding a meeting about the day's events.
Cheon Ha-seong knew where to go at this time to find people.
When he went to the Head Instructors' meeting room, the gazes of the numerous Head Instructors gathered there all turned to Cheon Ha-seong at once.
The Principal, who was sitting at the head seat, also looked at him with a surprised face. The Principal had also guessed that Seo Hyo-eun was the Cult Leader's daughter and that Cheon Ha-seong now had a different status than before.
However, since it wasn't official, he didn't know what he should call him and hesitated. Just then, Cheon Ha-seong strode towards him.
Although he had given the martial arts manual he had received from Cheok Gyo-woon to the Cult Leader, there were more of the same manuals there. It seemed the Head Instructors had all received one as well.
“Principal, who made this copy? Who was it that suggested making copies of the Heaven-Shattering Will Art and distributing them to the Head Instructors and candidates?”
The people looked at each other with bewildered faces, wondering what Cheon Ha-seong was talking about, having appeared so suddenly.