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“I’ve come to realize I’ve been strategizing all wrong,” said Mangnyang after taking a sip of his warm tea.

I had just returned to Jinrang Valley with Mangnyang. “What do you mean?”

“So far, the ‘Mangnyang’ approach was to let you train, moving like a variable, while nurturing the Bancheon Alliance to restrain the Imperial Palace and prepare to ally with the Thunder God Lineage in case of emergencies. With the powerful move of ‘Hwang Yeon’ in our pocket, it was the obvious course. Essentially, we were ready for an opportunity to seize the world at any moment.”

“But now that the existence of ‘Daji’ has come to light, that strategy’s useless.”

“What do you mean?”

He explained, “For example, if in the 14th lifetime, we let the Portrait Immortal go without stealing it from the Imperial Palace, Daji’s involvement wouldn’t have occurred. However, the Portrait Immortal would have been crafted within a few years to the point it could genuinely be used in real combat. If we push on one front, the other flourishes. By staying at this pace, we can’t beat the Imperial Palace in a ‘group versus group’ fight.”

“But when I borrowed the authority of the Old Ruler and assassinated the Emperor, we made it to capturing the Imperial Palace, didn’t we?”

“But you couldn’t fend off Zhuge Bu, our ultimate defense.”

“Hmmm…”

“Even if the situation improved to a point where Zhuge Bu surrendered to us, going for the Imperial Palace would be like attacking the subservient spirits responsible for the offerings to the Old Ruler. It’s only a matter of time before the Old Ruler interferes with our business and sends Daji after us.”

Mangnyang sighed after explaining, “That’s why I said the strategy was all wrong. We had only planned to overthrow the imperial family and establish order before the Old Ruler intervened, but if Daji’s power is this immense, we must revise all our plans. Above all, we’re utterly clueless about what the alchemists intend to do and how they’re casting sorcery for the Demonic Path.”

“…What should we do?”

Mangnyang poured more warm tea into my cup. “Right now, it’s all too much information, making it confusing to decide what we should do. I think your will should take precedence.”

“My will?”

“I have logical solutions in mind, but I can’t confidently propose them to you since there are still many unknown truths. If we push carelessly, we might mess things up like in the past with the premise all wrong, or make a critical mistake.”

Mangnyang stared at me intently as he continued, “That’s why your ‘instinct’ is crucial.”

“But I don’t really have a good instinct…”

“You’ve already gone through reincarnation 15 times. You possess experiences far beyond the ordinary. There must be a tactile sense unique to you.”

Hearing Mangnyang’s words, I fell silent, pondering. Could I really trust my instincts? Up until now, I just went for whatever looked good, judged it on the fly, and often ended up dying, so my instincts felt unreliable. However, given how Mangnyang was putting it, I couldn’t disregard it entirely, so I thought hard.

Finally, I voiced what I most wanted to say. “First, I want to meet Miho before seeking out the Master of the White Lotus Sect.”

Mangnyang seemed taken aback, “The Master of the White Lotus Sect? Why do you think of that?”

I felt a bit shy telling him my instincts, since I didn’t have solid evidence. Rubbing my head sheepishly, I replied, “Well, it wouldn’t be too bad to give the world to the White Lotus Sect.”

Honestly, whether the White Lotus Sect ruled the Jianghu was an irrelevant matter to me. I preferred letting the White Lotus Sect do as they wished rather than causing unnecessary conflict.

There was silence. I started to worry that I had misspoken, but eventually, Mangnyang sighed, “Ah… I can only now fully believe that you are the Reborn Person!”

“Uh…”

“What you said was one of the solutions I had considered, but ordinary folk would never think of such a thing. Moreover, the approach you’re suggesting is entirely different from mine.”

Mangnyang seemed genuinely impressed. Although I’d spent a lot of time with him, seeing this reaction was rare, and it made me feel strangely good. In truth, I hadn’t thought much about what would happen if I gave the world to the White Lotus Sect; it was like a cow taking a backward step and catching a rat.

“Right. To me, that method appears most worth trying. Until now, we tried taking down the Imperial Palace with just our strength, but what if we relinquished our dominance over Jianghu and entrusted everything to the White Lotus Sect? The second-worst choice would be better than the worst!”

“Sounds good!”

“But this indicates one essential truth… Are you okay with that?”

“What’s that supposed to mean?”

Mangnyang’s next words made my face stiffen.

“You won’t be able to collaborate with Lee Kwang or receive his teachings in this lifetime. Lee Kwang sees the White Lotus Sect and anyone allied with them as enemies.”

“……!!”

How could I have missed that thought!

If I helped the White Lotus Sect, I couldn’t train with the Thunder God Lineage, who were arch-enemies of the White Lotus Sect. Moreover, I wasn’t sure I’d even have a chance to meet Lee Kwang going forward. Not that I liked Lee Kwang much, but passing up the opportunity to train alongside martial arts geniuses like him or Jin So-cheong would be a pretty severe loss.

As I pondered, I responded, “How about I give the world to the White Lotus Sect and join the Thunder God Lineage to fight together?”

“That’s too self-serving of a thought. Giving the world to the White Lotus Sect means the Master would unleash all their power for a campaign against Jianghu. Do you think the Thunder God Lineage would even stand a chance to survive?”

“……”

“I can assure you that it won’t be anything like facing the once-observant White Lotus Sect. It will be on a completely different difficulty level.”

“Hmmm.”

“It’s not impossible to juggle both sides, but… I’ll leave it to your instincts.”

It felt like I was facing a significant turning point. In the past, when I consulted Mangnyang, he just offered clear directions, but now he was giving me the ‘choice’ which was rare and tantalizing.

As I sipped my tea, I thought for about a watchful moment while Mangnyang silently waited alongside me, also sipping his tea. Soon, I answered.

“I’ll sacrifice the Thunder God Lineage. But I want Jin So-cheong on our side.”

Mangnyang made a bewildered expression. Then he burst into laughter. “Hahaha… you really are a funny guy. Out of the ten possibilities I considered, you chose the most challenging path.”

“Is that not possible?”

“What’s impossible about it? Let’s give it a go.”

“Thanks…”

I felt grateful towards Mangnyang. He said, “Then I’ll prepare while you go fetch Miho.”

“Understood.”

“Oh, and don’t think about visiting that Aokigahara Life Sea right now. It’ll only complicate things.”

“I’ll keep that in mind.”

Mangnyang seemed worried that I might get curious about exploring the Aokigahara Life Sea and end up dead. After all, I couldn’t afford to leap into that magical realm in my current feeble state. I felt that this 15th life was shaping up to be a massive preparation for a grand plan, so I resolved to act with utmost caution.

Eventually, I turned towards Kyoto’s Imperial Palace, utilizing the Golden Lamp technique.

Swish!

‘Miho had requested to be brought directly starting from the next reincarnation.’ I recalled Miho’s request as I walked inside the Imperial Palace. After all, if I didn’t come to receive her, Miho would have to travel thousands of miles just to follow the Queen Mother’s orders.

As I made my way past the separate room in the Imperial Palace towards the grand main court, I suddenly heard a chilling sound.

Keeyiiing –

It sounded like a maddening frequency that disrupted my mind. Knowing how to deal with such sorcery, I closed my ears as much as possible and raised my internal power level. Soon, the dizziness faded, and I could stand still.

Ku-goong! Ku-goong!

Simultaneously, two goblin-like creatures appeared in the distance. Recognizing them, I mumbled, “Front Demon and Back Demon, huh?”

Those were the spirit puppets that nearly wiped out the warriors from the Twelve Joules when I first met Miho! The power of the Front Demon and Back Demon linked to the level of their sorcerers, indicating Miho’s illusion skills were impressive. Even I couldn’t afford to take them lightly now.

The Front Demon and Back Demon merely glared at me without attacking. Suddenly, I heard the words of the mind language.

[Who are you? How dare you invade the Imperial Palace?]

The tone was oddly familiar. I chuckled and responded, “Miho! You were looking for me, weren’t you?”

[……]

“You must have heard the story from the Queen Mother, so let’s get to the point.”

Miho remained silent for a while. Suddenly, she revealed herself between the Front and Back Demons as a half-human, half-fox creature. With an alluring yet sinister gaze, she said, “So it’s true. You are that human spoken of by the Queen Mother.”

“That’s correct.”

“But the goddess has just received a message this very day. How could you come to find me so swiftly?”

“How about you dismiss those puppets first? I can’t talk when I’m frightened.”

“Hmph…”

With a wave of her hand, the Front and Back Demons vanished into thin air. Miho walked toward me and stated, “You seem to be a martial artist from Jianghu. Please explain the situation.”

“Of course. That’s why I came to find you. But you have to believe what I say.”

“Hmm… Trusting is the most challenging thing in the world.”

“If you don’t want to trust me, that’s fine. After all, your tasks won’t change regardless.”

Miho wagged her tail, grinning mysteriously. “You’re a curious fellow. Why do you speak to me as if we’ve known each other before?”

“That’s because I’ve been reincarnated.”

“What?”

And like I had just done with Mangnyang, I spent about a watch sharing my experiences over my 14 lifetimes with Miho. I started to grow weary relaying such lengthy tales, but Miho seemed fully engaged, listening intently and never appearing bored.

I showcased the Golden Lamp technique and the Wooden Armor to enhance the credibility of my words. Upon witnessing the abilities of both, Miho gasped, “Goodness… This is a demonic artifact! Incredible!”

“Now can you believe me?”

“What a fascinating story.”

Miho then fired a barrage of questions my way. I answered to the best of my abilities. After about a watch of this Q&A, Miho sighed.

“It does seem real. You don’t look particularly clever, yet none of your story’s details seem to mismatch.”

“……”

I felt a twinge of hurt at her remark about my intelligence. My expression darkened, and Miho quickly tried to ease my mood.

“Ah! No, I was just trying to confirm the truth of your words.”

“What do you mean?”

“No matter how much someone fabricates a story, they usually trip up over intricate details, causing discomfort or contradictions. But in your case, I don’t sense that at all. Thus, I believe it to be true.”

“Well, that makes sense. Expecting you to believe this right away would be unreasonable.”

Miho playfully patted my cheek. “Hehehe, Baek Woong. So were you sent here to save me from my troubles in Jianghu?”

“That was your request after all.”

“Hmm… Since we’re on the topic, how about just living here? I could easily place you on Dongyoung’s throne instead.”

I immediately shook my head. “I’m sorry, but I can’t let the Imperial Palace fall; that would cause tremendous tragedy.”

After saying that, a thought suddenly occurred to me, and I asked Miho, “By the way! Have you ever heard of a Great Demon like Daji? They said it was a Nine-Tailed Fox like you.”

“……”

Miho appeared hesitant at my question but eventually replied, “I haven’t been on the surface for long. I’m originally from the Celestial Realm, and since the Silver Age is of ancient times, I didn’t even exist back then. This is the first time I’ve heard of such tremendous Nine-Tailed Fox Demon.”

“Hmm… But aren’t Nine-Tailed Fox Demons rare? You yourself are a heavenly fox.”

After I questioned her, Miho responded, “There are various types of fox demons scattered about. Some may cultivate and earn nine tails to reach a heavenly fox’s level. Perhaps Daji is also a consequence of prolonged cultivation since the Silver Age.”

Miho’s reasoning sounded plausible. Like humans, demons could also cultivate to gain powers, meaning prolonged training would yield corresponding strength. I nodded and said, “Alright, let’s go. I’m counting on you going forward.”

“Ah! Wait a moment.”

“What is it?”

“Hearing your words, I want to take my royal guard with me. They’d likely contribute significantly to this Mangnyang’s plan.”

“Royal guard…?”

“Yes. After seducing the Emperor in Dongyoung, I’ve marked some candidates.”

Curiosity piqued, I thought, ‘Surely Miho intended to travel to Jianghu with her royal guard, having not considered it before.’ With the Golden Lamp being a convenient means of transport, she must want to bring her guards to Jianghu now. I gladly nodded, knowing that having more helpers was always better.

“Sounds good! Who are they?”

Miho chuckled amusingly. “I plan to bring just two of them.”

“So who are they?”

Miho confidently replied, “Miyamoto Musashi and Hattori Hanzo.”

 

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