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Chapter 184: Cheonan (Heavenly Eye) [1]

The stories about Cheonan were widely spread throughout the Central Plains.

During the past period, the Shaolin sect leader had predicted countless calamities, and every single one came true without fail.

Not to mention the prediction of the Martial Arts Tournament held across the Central Plains, there were other disasters that Cheonan’s words had prevented.

As such achievements piled up and accumulated, the position of Shaolin within the Central Plains, as well as in the Alliance, became incredibly elevated.

“Cheonan isn’t just one person.”

Thinking about the title “Cheonan,” it was reminiscent of the legendary Six Dragons, or now simply the Divine Dragon.

To be the sect leader of Shaolin, only one who possesses Cheonan could sit in that seat.

This was true for the current leader, as well as the former and the one before that.

They all became leaders because they possessed Cheonan.

There were various stories about how this was possible.

Whether it was transferred to someone among the Shaolin when the bearer of Cheonan died, or they directly passed it on to someone just before their death, rumors were plentiful.

Ultimately, it was a closely guarded secret of Shaolin, making it difficult to know for sure.

What mattered most now, though, was that the Shaolin leader, who possessed such abilities, was looking for me.

“Why are they looking for me?”

It seemed they were specifically calling for me, which meant there must be some business to discuss.

What could the reason be?

“Could it be about the book?”

The book containing the martial arts of Shaolin that I picked up yesterday flashed through my mind. However, if that were the case, I didn’t think they’d go to such lengths to meet me.

“I have no justification to refuse.”

For now, I had none.

To say I came to visit merely for sightseeing wouldn’t suffice, especially since it was none other than the Shaolin leader who made this request.

“Tsk.”

Realizing I had no choice, I spoke to the people around me.

“It seems something has come up, so please head down first.”

Soyeol made a face that subtly suggested her displeasure at my words, but since the person joining us was a great senior from the Central Plains, it seemed unavoidable.

“You too, head down first.”

“Can’t we go together?”

“No.”

I said it firmly, and Seol-Ah pouted her lips, appearing a bit sad, but there was no way around it.

“Take her with you.”

I instructed Hong-Wa, and she immediately pulled Seol-Ah along, placing her beside me.

“You can go ahead without waiting.”

Since I didn’t know how long it would take, I told them to go ahead, and at the same time, I planned to include Nangong Bi-ah in the group.

Nangong Bi-ah also remained quiet and seemed ready to follow along.

But then Cheonjun spoke up.

“The leader wishes to see you along with Nangong Si-Joo.”

At his words, Nangong Bi-ah tilted her head. It seemed she hadn’t expected to be called.

“…Me too, with Nangong So-Juh?”

At my question, Cheonjun nodded.

‘Nangong Bi-ah too?’

I frowned slightly at Cheonjun’s words.

Cheonan, the 23rd leader of Shaolin, was a person involved in discussions about the positions of Rak-Geom and Maehwa Seon.

Although he lacked military strength compared to those three, his influence was overwhelmingly significant.

It was only natural.

The Shaolin leader was, after all, someone who foretold calamities in the Central Plains.

Despite lacking martial prowess comparatively, he held significant power over the Central Plains and the righteous factions, which made sense.

In the end, the alliance leader went to Rak-Geom, but still.

“Sorry for calling you so suddenly.”

A frail, old man sat before me.

His beard was completely gray, and he had spots all over his face.

His body was so frail that it hardly seemed that of a martial artist.

As the faction with the most followers among the Gu Sect, when considering influence, this Shaolin leader appeared to be far too weak.

“It’s alright.”

I hid my true thoughts.

The world wasn’t so naive that I could let my guard down just because of appearances.

“Rather, I should thank you for calling me here. It’s an honor for someone like me.”

[The author is calling him a leader…?]

Noya let out a surprisingly bewildered voice.

‘He does look a bit… off.’

[More than just a bit, right?]

Though his appearance seemed pitiful, thinking of a similar figure like the Sword Sovereign made me wonder if the leader might be hiding something beneath the surface.

I didn’t know much about that person.

I hadn’t met him much in my previous life.

Let alone, he was supposed to die a few years later, with the next person taking that place shortly thereafter.

The leader smiled gently while looking at me.

“You resemble your father quite a bit.”

It started with the mention of my father.

I didn’t expect him to speak of my father.

“First, I must congratulate you; I heard you performed well at the Martial Arts Tournament.”

“Thank you.”

“Jin Ryong… It really suits you well, seeing you in person.”

Though I wondered what he was seeing with his closed eyes, it wasn’t strange to think of an unusual name for an elder.

Scrrrr

A sound came from beside me.

Nangong Bi-ah was sipping her tea, the noise echoing throughout the spacious room.

I quickly nudged her gently with my elbow.

“Uh…?”

She looked at me as if to ask why I was doing that.

I thought about giving her a hint, but the leader stopped me.

“There’s no need for that; it was I who called you here so suddenly. Please, feel at ease.”

“…Thank you for your understanding.”

“On the contrary, I’m the one who should be grateful for you accepting such a sudden call.”

It was a broad, empty room.

So spacious that even the slightest sound seemed to resonate throughout.

I took a few sips of tea to quench my throat, and amidst that, my mind began to churn with thoughts.

‘It doesn’t seem to be about the book.’

It appeared that Cheonan couldn’t just see everything.

While trying to manage my expression and keeping an eye on Nangong Bi-ah, the leader spoke up again.

“You might be curious about why I called you so suddenly today.”

I turned my gaze back to the leader.

“Have you heard the name ‘Yuseong’ from your father?”

The leader’s words made my eyes widen slightly.

It was a name I had indeed heard before.

It wasn’t from my father.

“The Sword King.”

That’s right, the name of Nangong Cheonjun, known as the Sword King, was mentioned by Nangong Jin.

I glanced at Nangong Bi-ah, but she still had a puzzled look, simply sipping her tea.

“I’ve heard of it.”

I decided it was safer to answer affirmatively.

“How much have you heard?”

“Just that such a person exists.”

The leader chuckled at my words.

“I thought Ho-Hyeop wouldn’t tell his child, but I see I was mistaken.”

He thought my father wouldn’t tell me…?

Why would he think that?

“The reason I called you is that I hope you can work together with Yuseong.”

“…Yuseong, you mean?”

At the leader’s proposal, I narrowed my eyes.

Yuseong, a name whose meaning eluded me.

It was strange to accept it as it was.

Yet, when I sought a different meaning, I found myself unable to discern.

I quickly composed my expression.

“Thank you.”

“Mm?”

“Since you seem to think highly of us, you must want to propose something.”

The leader nodded his head at my words.

Is he smiling? His long eyebrows and beard made it hard to see his eyes and mouth clearly.

“However, there’s something I’d like to ask first.”

“Please, feel free to ask.”

“I want to know what Yuseong is.”

It was something I had never heard of in my previous life.

Of course, in this life, there were countless things I had learned, but still, not knowing something was a problem.

‘It’s tough to deal with.’

Maybe it was okay if it was just one or two things, but there were far too many, and even their scale was considerable.

It was hard to believe I had lived without knowing such things.

“…That is something I cannot disclose…”

After my question, Cheonjun, who had been standing guard, spoke instead.

But in the middle of his reply, Cheonan raised a hand to intervene.

“Leader…?”

As he gestured to halt, the leader began to speak to us.

“Yuseong is a small organization created by the Alliance to prepare for the future Blood Calamity.”

At the leader’s words, Cheonjun showed a shocked expression.

For someone who appeared so impassive, I didn’t expect him to show that kind of expression. Was it such a secret?

I focused on the leader’s words.

!

..

‘Blood Calamity.’

This was rather surprising.

It was a term that couldn’t precisely pinpoint the many accidents that had recently occurred.

Yet if the leader mentioned the Blood Calamity in relation to the Heavenly Demon—

‘Does that mean they were preparing for it?’

Basically, it meant that they were expecting the Heavenly Demon to make an appearance and were already preparing in advance.

‘…But wasn’t this a bit of a blunder?’

Of course, even if they were preparing, the results had not been too favorable.

What mattered was that they were preparing.

“If it’s the Blood Calamity…”

“It might still be a few years away, but it will surely come sooner than later.”

The words came from no one else but Cheonan.

Just the fact that Cheonan was saying this added weight to his words.

I pretended to swallow a dry gulp… while asking the leader.

“…I’m curious why you wish to involve us in such an important organization.”

No matter how much we stood out during the Dragon Meeting, we were ultimately still the late bloomers of the current martial artists.

It was incomprehensible that the leader would personally wish to include us in an organization aiming to prevent the Blood Calamity.

The leader answered, seemingly anticipating the question.

“Because I see greater value in talented stars like you than in the martial artists currently at their peak.”

‘Talented/Stars?’

He mentioned a few years’ duration, suggesting he might want to nurture late bloomers.

But he must have known that elevating them to the level of peak martial artists in just a few years wouldn’t happen.

It would be quite difficult for the current late bloomers to reach the status of the top White-Grade Masters in the Central Plains in just a few years.

‘Then, there must be another reason behind this.’

While it was an organization created to thwart the Blood Calamity, I wondered what could be the underlying reasons for not knowing about this.

“Yuseong has the potential to offer you much more.”

“Much more?

Clarification about what, like medicine or something?”

“If you wish, it can provide you with a glimpse into a broader world.”

A broader world. I was bewitched by those words and asked the leader.

“…Does the Holy One also belong to Yuseong?”

The Holy One was a nickname recently awarded to Jang Seonyeon after the Martial Arts Tournament.

‘Is Jang Seonyeon a part of Yuseong?’

The question seemed elaborate since the circumstances surrounding it suggested that it might be true.

The leader looked at me quietly.

He silently watched but merely shook his head.

“You will understand once you join.”

That answer was neither positive nor negative.

I realized I could find the answers within.

 

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