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Three days later, I was finally set to meet a powerful member of the Jeong Clan, known as the most influential family in Gaegyeong. I was led to the Jeong Clan’s separate chamber and sat quietly. The architectural style of Goryeo was vastly different from that of the Central Plains, and the clothing and behavior of the people seemed quite unique, making for an interesting sightseeing experience. While I sat quietly, a middle-aged man entered the room.

“I kept you waiting, my guest.”

I got up and cupped my hands. “I am Baek Woong. It’s a pleasure to meet you.”

I wondered if he understood Central Plains language. As I cautiously observed him, the strong-looking middle-aged man spoke.

“Please, have a seat. I am Jeong Cheol-wook.”

“Yes.”

His fluent use of Mandarin surprised me; I had expected a translator. Apparently, he was quite proficient in it. As he took a seat, Jeong Cheol-wook continued,

“I hear you wish to settle here in Gaegyeong?”

“That’s right. I want to live as a Goryeo person.”

He seemed genuinely surprised. “Hmm, that’s quite unusual… People from the Central Plains often don’t think that way.”

Indeed, the common belief was that China was the center of the world, making my desire to live in a small border country puzzling. However, Jeong Cheol-wook continued without further comment.

“I hear you are an excellent martial artist. What kind of martial skills do you possess?”

“I can manage self-defense.”

I knew it was foolish to brag about my skills in a situation like this; it wouldn’t score points with someone who wasn’t a martial artist. True to form, Jeong Cheol-wook waved his hand with a chuckle.

“Haha, no need to be modest. I actually heard about your exploits from the Lord of the Great Dragon Merchant Association.”

He chuckled, “I also heard you defeated the Blood Blade Group on your own. If that’s true, your prowess rivals the top martial artists of Gaegyeong. I was so impressed that I wanted to meet you.”

“I’m lacking in many areas.”

“Hmm… There’s no issue with your naturalization. The Lord of the Great Dragon Merchant Association will cover the settlement fees and any expenses. However, I would like to propose something.”

“What kind of proposal?”

As Jeong Cheol-wook poured warm tea, he savored its aroma for a moment before speaking again.

“Become a guardian warrior of our Jeong Clan. Additionally, I could also grant you a military title known as the ‘Bunyeo’.”

“Would that allow me to travel freely within Goryeo?”

He chuckled, “Of course! I’ve heard you have a keen interest in exploring Goryeo. If that’s the case, I’ll ensure you have ample opportunities for travel. If you want, you could even leisurely visit Tamra Island.”

At this point, there was no reason to refuse. Refusing could complicate things in the future. So, I nodded and agreed.

“I accept.”

“Fantastic! Starting today, you are now one of our clan’s martial warriors. Don’t worry; I will provide you with the Bunyeo’s insignia later.”

“But I am not fluent in Goryeo speech yet. Is there any way to learn the language and script here?”

“I will assign a mentor for you. In about three months, basic communication should be no problem.”

I felt an unusual sense of anxiety since everything was turning out so well.

‘This is odd. I’ve only been blessed by the Queen Mother of the West; I shouldn’t be getting such excellent fortune.’

Noticing my worried expression, Jeong Cheol-wook tilted his head.

“What seems to be the problem?”

“Oh, I just think things are going too well.”

“Well, haha! The Twelve Joules warriors have been trying hard to join our clan, so maybe you just got lucky.”

I casually let slip my thoughts, “Actually, a fortune teller mentioned I wouldn’t have good or bad luck for the next decade. I haven’t heard anything that would indicate good fortune either, but things have been flowing too smoothly to the point of worry.”

“Hmm…”

Seemingly amused by my story, Jeong Cheol-wook pondered as he sipped his tea. After a while, he continued.

“Then, that’s not luck; it’s ‘ming’ (fate).”

“What does that mean?”

“I’ve studied some fortune-telling, enough to know this: luck is something that influence good and bad outside of a person’s will, while ‘ming’ refers to what you reach through your choices.”

Jeong Cheol-wook adjusted his position in the chair, continuing, “Luck is unavoidable, while ‘ming’ is the ‘process’ that comes from human decisions.”

“’Process’?”

“You could also call it ‘karma.’ From cause to action, from action to result, and that result serves as a cause for further actions. Our choices are continuous, and the consequences of one’s actions always come with unavoidable responsibility.”

“…”

“Haha, did I say too much? In short, it means this:”

As he emptied his teacup, he explained, “If no matter what choice you make, the good or bad outcomes pop up, that’s luck. But ‘ming’ means that you made ‘the right choice’ leading to ‘the right result.’ A huge necessity makes the small coincidences fall out of your control.”

“…!!”

“I don’t know what you’ve been through, but if you haven’t made any major mistakes, you probably won’t have too much bad luck. That feels like a huge stroke of good luck for you.”

“I see.”

It was a perspective I hadn’t considered before, but it began to make sense.

Good choices lead to good results!

‘Oh, I get it. While the Primordial Void Ruler’s great fortune would bring me intense luck regardless of my choices, in this life, I’ve simply avoided making wrong choices, leading to the correct outcome!’

When I received the great fortune of the Primordial Void Ruler, I often made foolish decisions that could have gotten me killed ten times over. Yet somehow, I survived and even gained benefits. That’s what they called fortune. But in this life, my good decisions were rewarded with appropriate outcomes. It felt more like cause and effect rather than luck.

At the same time, I realized I had yet to enter a stable life. If what Jeong Cheol-wook said is true, any moment I stray into poor judgment could lead to sudden death.

Then, Jeong Cheol-wook and I discussed my duties as a guardian warrior, working hours, and the required manners and obligations before I returned to my quarters. Starting tomorrow, I would likely be staying in the separate chamber of the Jeong Clan for my meals and lodging.

I bid farewell to the Lord of the Great Dragon Merchant Association.

“Thank you for granting me this valuable opportunity.”

“Hahaha, it’s nothing compared to what you’ve done for me. Without you, I might have been killed or enslaved by pirates by now.”

The Lord of the Great Dragon Merchant Association smiled and assured me, “Don’t worry about our return journey. The Goryeo side has delegated a fleet, and two naval ships will escort us along with the experts from the Twelve Joules. Even if we face an ambush like last time, we won’t be easily defeated.”

“That’s a relief.”

Then, something occurred to me, and I asked him, “Have you heard of the sea seal known as ‘Haein’?”

“Haenin?”

“Actually, I came to Goryeo to find it.”

I figured since I would be parting ways tomorrow, and I felt a significant trust had built up between the Lord of the Great Dragon Merchant Association and me, I could mention this. He, who ran a distinguished merchant association in Shandong, likely had unique information.

Upon hearing this, the Lord of the Great Dragon Merchant Association seemed to recall something.

“I believe there’s a temple of that name in Goryeo.”

“A temple?”

“If I remember correctly, it’s located in a place called Hapcheon, and it’s quite a large temple. I think it’s called Haeinsa.”

“……!! Thank you!”

I realized I had stumbled onto an excellent clue. If I had tried to uncover this information within Goryeo alone, it would have taken ages. I decided that while serving as a guardian warrior in the Jeong Clan, I would definitely visit Haeinsa during my travels within Goryeo.

Next, I bid farewell to the Lord of the Seogung Escort Agency. He too expressed his gratitude, saying, “If you ever return to the Central Plains, I will surely repay you.”

“Thank you.”

“Oh, and it’s nothing major, but I heard an interesting story recently.”

“What kind of story?”

The Lord of the Seogung Escort Agency looked around before leaning closer. “Recently, there were rumors that a phoenix appeared in a place called Seogyeong. A skilled individual from the Twelve Joules told me.”

“A phoenix?”

“Just a rumor. But if your goal is to travel through Goryeo, it might be worth checking out.”

After bidding farewell to the Lord of the Seogung Escort Agency, I fell into thought.

‘A phoenix in Seogyeong?’

This was a story I never expected to hear. A phoenix! It was a legendary creature, almost as revered as a dragon, adorned with feathers and a long tail. More than just a bird, it was often associated with divine beings, serving as a symbol for queens.

Normally, people would dismiss such claims, but having witnessed multiple gods and demonic beasts firsthand, I couldn’t afford to overlook this news. If a phoenix truly existed, it would be huge!

After contemplating my visit to Haeinsa, I decided to head to Seogyeong afterward and then drifted off to sleep. Starting the next day, my life as a guardian warrior for the Jeong Clan began. Although I was now a guardian warrior, I still didn’t understand Goryeo speech at all, so a girl in white attire came to visit me at the separate chamber to start teaching me.

This girl looked to be in her late teens; she appeared older than I was. She was quite tall and was said to have a graceful appearance—definitely someone people would consider a beauty. While not an absolute stunner, she had enough charm to rattle the hearts of many young men. She chuckled at our first meeting.

“Hello! I’m Lee Joo-hee. I’ll be teaching you how to speak and write in Goryeo!”

Her Mandarin was impeccable. She seemed to have a knack for languages, far beyond her young age. It felt odd for her to speak to me in such a casual manner as I looked much older, but I didn’t mind; I preferred not to make a fuss. She oddly seemed to find me cute and patted my head.

“Hey, I hear you’re good at martial arts! Is that true?”

“Indeed.”

“Then teach me martial arts sometime, okay?”

“Uh, sure.”

The girl, with her energetic demeanor, giggled before she got serious and began teaching me with fervor. I started with pronunciation and began learning the Goryeo language, and surprisingly, it wasn’t too difficult. Among my lackluster talents, my language skills appeared to shine a bit.

“Focus!”

“Okay.”

And on top of that, while she was learning with me, she also insisted on picking up some martial arts. It wasn’t too much of a hassle, so I decided to teach her the fundamentals of the True Qi Manipulation Technique and basic swordplay. Since the True Qi Manipulation Technique was a part of the True Sect Mastery, it blended well with other internal energy cultivation techniques, and I preferred not to be in debt to Joo-hee.

For now, they didn’t seem to ask me for guardian warrior duties, so I was allowed to stay cooped up and learn Goryeo language with Joo-hee for about five months. Eventually, after half a year, I could awkwardly communicate with Goryeo people.

To my surprise, Joo-hee also turned out to be quite talented in martial arts. In that half a year, she made rapid progress as she learned swordplay, quickly grasping all the basics I taught her. If she had a proper sword master, she’d likely be impressively skilled within a decade.

Then one day, a middle-aged warrior came to see me.

“I hear you can speak a bit now? Then come to Pingzi Hall tomorrow morning.”

I managed to understand that much. It was the result of six months of grueling language training. I nodded in response.

“What will I be doing?”

“You’ll see when you arrive. Joo-hee will accompany you, so just listen quietly.”

“Understood.”

Joo-hee? I found it strange that he was speaking to me so formally. The energy of the middle-aged warrior radiated a power at the peak expert level, and given his skill, it made sense he was leading the Jeong Clan’s guardian warriors. He was likely a former Twelve Joules warrior, but why would someone of that caliber speak so politely to a young girl like Joo-hee?

However, the next day, I was surprised when Joo-hee joined me. She wasn’t in her usual white garb but wearing fine silk robes. This implied that she had a significant status within Goryeo as a noble.

“Hehe, surprised?”

As Joo-hee smiled cutely, I questioned her, “You’re a noble?”

“Yup! The Lee Clan is a business partner of the Jeong Clan. Our clan leaders are sworn brothers, so I also stay at Cheol-wook uncle’s house.”

“The Lee Clan, huh…”

“Just treat me the same way, okay? Hehe!”

I followed Joo-hee into Pingzi Hall. Upon entering, I saw Jeong Cheol-wook waiting in the grand hall, flanked by the Jeong Clan’s guardian warriors.

“@&&#&@@….”

In that atmosphere, Jeong Cheol-wook addressed me in Goryeo. Naturally, I barely understood his words.

‘Hmm? He should be fluent in Mandarin, so why use Goryeo…’

As I wondered, Joo-hee promptly translated for me.

“There’s a royal ceremony tomorrow in honor of King Gongmin, and you’ll be attending as one of the guards.”

I glanced at Jeong Cheol-wook, and he spoke again, with Joo-hee interpreting.

“During the event, you’ll engage in martial arts sparring with the Goryeo warriors, so please maintain your decorum.”

“……?!”

What on earth was this about? I was taken aback, but there wasn’t much I could say in that situation.

As the gathering broke up, the guardian warriors moved outside, and Jeong Cheol-wook finally relaxed and spoke to me in Mandarin.

“My apologies, Baek Woong. I shouldn’t use Mandarin in front of the subordinates; it undermines my authority.”

“It’s alright; please feel free to speak comfortably.”

“As explained before, there’s a royal ceremony for King Gongmin tomorrow, and you’ll be part of the guard. After the ceremony, the royalty and nobles will host a banquet, and you’ll have to spar with the Goryeo warriors to entertain them.”

“……”

So, in other words, I was to display martial arts as entertainment for the Goryeo nobles?

Stunned, I gaped as Jeong Cheol-wook sighed, “I’m sorry, but this is unavoidable. The Twelve Joules leaders insisted on this.”

“The Twelve Joules?”

“They don’t have a favorable view of you, the peak expert from the Central Plains. Some even suspect you to be a spy. Therefore, they insisted on confirming your skills, and they chose this occasion to challenge you.”

“But, aren’t you the most powerful figure in Goryeo? Isn’t the martial world here quite weak?”

Jeong Cheol-wook chuckled. “Haha! Naturally not. I trust your abilities, which is why I accepted their request. If a Twelve Joules martial artist can’t handle my guardian warrior, it would be quite comical, wouldn’t it? I believe you can handle this!”

It dawned on me what was happening.

‘While he says he trusts me, Jeong Cheol-wook clearly wants to verify my capabilities.’

It was a win-win for him; if I won, great. But if I lost, it would confirm that my skills were subpar, and I’d be slighted within the Jeong Clan. After mulling it over, I had no choice but to nod in agreement.

“I will do my best tomorrow.”

Jeong Cheol-wook encouraged, “This isn’t luck; it’s ‘ming.’

“If I have the power to achieve the right results, it will ultimately lead to good outcomes.”

Lucky for me, it was a sparring match, so I wouldn’t die.

It was a perfect chance to see firsthand the capabilities of the Twelve Joules and their martial world.

 

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