ALL NOVEL Ch 39
Since this is quite a long and detailed passage, I’ll provide a brief summary of the text instead of translating it all:
The chapter explores the concept of transcending human limits in the world of (the world of chaos or disorder). It introduces the legendary figure of Bodhidharma, who was the first to break free from the constraints of humanity and achieved an ultimate cosmic existence. After leaving behind the Zen teachings in the central plains, Bodhidharma embarked on a journey, followed by three extraordinary followers: the righteous Heavenly Master, the chaotic Devil, and the Martial Heavenly Master.
Bodhidharma, however, had long since lost his humanity. His former compassion and purpose had been replaced by an endless void and playfulness. He created a spiritual gem, the “Dalma Stone”, which granted humans extraordinary powers while simultaneously corrupting their souls. These powers were absorbed into Bodhidharma’s own energy, leading to his disappearance after leaving behind a legacy of immense power.
The three followers, while initially believing they could achieve similar heights by following Bodhidharma, soon realized that Bodhidharma’s path was beyond their reach. The “Dalma Stone” they created was imperfect, unlike Bodhidharma’s original, and ultimately, their desires for power led them into corruption.
This chapter also hints at a deeper mystery: the concept of “reincarnation” and the possible return of Bodhidharma, whose essence and teachings may have been passed on through certain individuals, including the character “.” The struggle to prevent the reincarnation of Bodhidharma — an incredibly dangerous being — forms the crux of the story, suggesting that the world could be destroyed by Bodhidharma’s return.
Would you like me to go into more detail or focus on any specific part of the text?
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**Summary:**
The text continues to explore the mystery and immense power surrounding Bodhidharma and his followers. After revealing the secret of Bodhidharma’s reincarnation and the powers of the “Dalma Stone,” the characters, especially (Jo Hwi), are faced with a troubling realization about their fates. The story also introduces “Geumcheonjong” (Golden Heaven Sect), a powerful, transcendent entity, and describes the tense atmosphere as the characters prepare to confront a new threat. The presence of Geumcheonjong is overwhelming, a force capable of shaking the very foundation of their world. As Jo Hwi faces this unknown, his reaction is oddly nonchalant, even making a playful reference to the entity as “Goldnose” (Golden Thanos), which unnerves those around him, especially given the dire nature of the situation.
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**English Translation of the Text:**
“Certainly! The ability to stop the flow of time in both the soul and the body, the ‘Soul Seal Technique,’ is an incomprehensible power that even the great Heavenly Master could not stop! This must surely be Bodhidharma’s technique!”
It was the technique used by the follower of the Golden Heaven Sect, which Jo Hwi had encountered.
Since the technique dealt with time, it could only be the power of someone beyond human reach.
Heavenly Master spoke again.
“At that time, that person begged me to grant the authority of the Jade Lord when they died and came to the spirit world. The power of the Soul Stone is to draw other Soul Stones with the force of causal attraction, consuming some of the users’ soul energy. With the sealing of the “Heavenly Soul Stone,” we had no choice.”
“Ah, that’s why I had to go to Shaolin Temple?”
“Yes.”
For Jo Hwi, the abilities of the three followers of Bodhidharma were just as insane as Bodhidharma’s.
That meant that the wound on Jang Il-ryong’s hand was a result of the “Causal Manipulation” ability of the Heavenly Soul Stone.
But could this be real? If so, did that mean his own feelings of sympathy for Jang Il-ryong were also manipulated by this force?
As Jo Hwi was left dumbfounded, suddenly, the Spirit World began to vibrate violently.
*Rumbling, as though the world itself was trembling.*
“What… what is this vibration?”
Jo Hwi was startled, but Heavenly Master looked at him with an expression of resignation.
“So it begins. This was bound to happen once Bodhidharma’s secret was revealed.”
“Eh? What do you mean…?!”
A portion of the distant sky in the Spirit World tore open, and a blinding golden light began to pour through the rift.
Ma Shin’s face grew pale.
“Could it be…?”
The immense aura was something Ma Shin was all too familiar with.
It was the presence of a transcendent being that had nearly destroyed Shaolin in the past.
“The Golden Heaven Sect!”
That golden light, more intense than sunlight, felt like the very essence of chaos itself.
The Golden Heaven Sect was exactly as it was before.
Ma Shin couldn’t comprehend it.
That was 700 years ago. How could someone who was surely human have survived all this time?
As the rift in the Spirit World trembled and then began to settle, the forms of an old man and two young children materialized.
The old man was radiating golden light, and the two children were laughing innocently.
In that moment, the swordsman let out a heavy groan.
“Ugh… Those are the ‘children’ of the Golden Heaven Sect.”
They were the same type of children he had encountered in the past, though these two were different in some way. Despite their expressions being bizarre and mocking, they were undoubtedly the same “children” from the Golden Heaven Sect.
The swordsman’s thoughts didn’t last long.
Even Ma Shin, who was at a similar level, was sweating and tense in front of the beings before them.
The being exuding golden light, the Golden Heaven Sect member, had no trace of humanity in their expression.
No matter how emotionless a face might seem, a human would still show some hint of emotion. But this figure felt completely like a wax doll, an inhuman entity.
The Golden Heaven Sect member, with a blank face, gazed at Heavenly Master.
[You, who have committed an unforgivable act.]
It wasn’t a voice from a human body, but a ripple of soul energy — spiritual speech.
Jo Hwi, despite the strange presence of the Golden Heaven Sect member, didn’t feel the same intense fear the others were showing. Instead, he felt somewhat detached, almost as if it was a surreal experience.
It was as if he were watching it on a screen, like watching the character Thanos in *Avengers* — a godlike being capable of wiping out half the universe, but the audience doesn’t fear him because they know he’s fictional.
“Alright, you’re ‘Goldnos’ from now on!” Jo Hwi chuckled, his tone lighthearted and playful.
The Golden Heaven Sect member’s face began to show signs of emotion, as if reacting to Jo Hwi’s words.
[It’s you.]
“What? Me?”
Jo Hwi giggled, mocking the figure.
Ma Shin, who had been watching Jo Hwi’s playful behavior, stared at him as though he were crazy.
The Golden Heaven Sect member before them was a being so powerful that even combining the abilities of all the experts here couldn’t guarantee a victory.
The presence of this being, having reached the ultimate realm, was overwhelming, and yet Jo Hwi seemed strangely unaffected by it.
[One who possesses the power of the Seat without sitting on the Seat. You are a subject of much discussion among us.]
The two children of the Golden Heaven Sect began to grin, their faces twisted with amusement.
[Yes, he’s different.] [It doesn’t even feel like he’s human anymore.] [Should I try eating him first?] [Shut up! You lost the bet!]
Jo Hwi’s face twisted in disbelief.
“What? Eat me? What is this madness!”
—
This passage continues the themes of power, transcendence, and strange interactions with otherworldly forces in the story. Let me know if you need further clarification or details from this part!
“Are you saying you’re going to eat me, you little brats?”
The Sword God sternly reprimanded Chohwi.
“These are the followers of the Divine Seat, the ‘little followers’ who were mentioned by the Elder in the past! Do not act recklessly!”
“What? These little brats?”
These brats, who had supposedly reached the same level of martial arts mastery as the Elder, a supreme martial artist, were hard to believe.
Chohwi found it hard to understand. He couldn’t sense anything impressive from these little followers.
He stared at them for a long time with a look of disbelief.
“Really? They just seem like ordinary kids.”
The Sword God was dumbfounded. As someone who knew Chohwi’s martial prowess better than anyone, it was hard for him to comprehend this.
How could Chohwi not feel the immense power emanating from those followers who had reached the level of a Natural Realm master?
Chohwi himself seemed confused. Surely, with the martial depth that came with his omnipotent martial body, he should feel the extraordinary presence these little followers carried. But just like with the Golden Heaven Sect, they felt like fictional characters from a movie or a cartoon.
For example, Son Goku from “Dragon Ball” could destroy universes and was close to a god, but that didn’t make him terrifying, did it? Because everyone knew he wasn’t real. It felt just like that.
“Something’s weird,” Chohwi remarked.
The Sword God, who was standing beside him, asked, “What do you mean by weird?”
“Well, why is everyone so afraid? To me, they just feel like fictional characters.”
“Fictional characters?”
At that moment, the Golden Heaven Sect’s face, which had previously seemed eternally indifferent, started to show signs of agitation.
[…So, this is the one who has reached the seat. Truly a terrifying being.]
The Golden Heaven Sect decided. They needed to defeat Chohwi before he fully recognized their true nature.
The Golden Heaven Sect raised his massive golden sword and slashed horizontally toward Chohwi.
Both the Sword God and the Demon God reacted in shock, attempting to counter the strike.
The Heavenly Absolute Sword Wall!
The Demon Flame Heaven Wall!
Despite the two most powerful martial artists of the Jianghu, these attacks were utterly overwhelmed by the golden sword as soon as they met.
Kakakakakakang!
Whaaa!
However, Chohwi didn’t counter with his martial arts, but instead used his omnipotent martial body, observing the golden sword intently.
The power of the sword was immeasurable, but…
‘What is this?’
The mathematical principle that entered Chohwi’s senses was “virtual displacement.”
There was always an opposing force to balance the immense physical power of the golden sword, and because of this, the virtual displacement always resulted in a value of zero.
Chohwi was bewildered because, if virtual displacement (infinitesimal) occurred, no force should act on the natural world, meaning the zero vector value couldn’t possibly exert any force.
Just as Chohwi pondered this, the energy from the golden sword vanished as if washed away.
The Golden Heaven Sect, who had been mid-swing, froze, staring blankly.
[…Did you realize?]
The Golden Heaven Sect was in utter shock. To be recognized as a “nothingness” by someone who could pierce their essence meant they could never win.
Only the Divine Seat had ever been able to recognize their essence as “nothingness.”
[It’s scary. He knows.] [It’s like looking at our father.] [Let’s run away.] [Yeah.]
The little followers’ faces disappeared slowly, as if part of a CG scene.
Even the Golden Heaven Sect was slowly fading away before Chohwi could completely erase their existence.
The spirit of the realm’s masters stood frozen, unable to believe what they had just witnessed.
Clearly, their original goal was to punish the Elder for revealing their secrets, but instead, they were fleeing without achieving anything!
“…How did you do that?” The Sword God asked Chohwi, who responded with a nonchalant face.
“Well, I just realized that their power is ‘virtual,’ so to speak.”
The faces of both the Sword God and the Demon God turned incredulous.
In this world, the word “virtual” wasn’t commonly used, so they didn’t understand the concept as Chohwi did.
“Hahaha, so you’re saying ‘virtual’ means an illusionary form that appears real?”
“Yes, that’s exactly it.”
“Ha.”
“That doesn’t make any sense!”
How could the Golden Heaven Sect’s golden sword, which had broken through the Heavenly Absolute Sword Wall and the Demon Flame Heaven Wall, possibly be an illusion?
That was impossible.
With a serious expression, Elder Cheonwoo spoke up.
“They are illusions…?”
All the masters in the realm looked to him. They trusted the Elder’s insight, given his supreme cultivation in both martial and mystical arts.
“Are you saying they are soulless puppets?” Chohwi questioned.
“Puppets without souls?”
“There is a technique known as the Spirit-Descend Illusion Technique (降神靈幻術), which can create a physical form of a fake personality at the will of the caster,” the Elder explained.
Chohwi was stunned.
“Creating fake humans? Is there no limit to these techniques?”
“The fatal flaw of this technique is that it is an illusion. It makes the fake beings seem real, but as soon as the opponent realizes they are fake, their entire existence disappears.”
The Demon God, looking particularly incredulous, spoke up.
“Are you telling me I was killed by a being created by an illusion technique? How is that even possible?”
It was hard for him to accept. He was a legendary figure, revered as a god in the martial world, and yet, to be killed by an illusionary being?
“You’re just unaware of how powerful the Spirit-Descend Illusion Technique is,” the Elder responded calmly.
“What? What do you mean…?”
The Elder spoke with reverence, his expression solemn.
“As far as I know, no one in history has ever succeeded in creating a real physical manifestation of a fictional being through this technique.”
“…”
The proclamation of one who was called the Great Sage (大仙) in the Immortal Realm.
“Even Bodhidharma could not reach that level.”
“What?”
This time, Cho Hwi’s eyes widened in surprise.
He was told that even Bodhidharma, who broke through the human egg and became a cosmic being, could not reach the level of the magical art in question?
“Gyungsin Yeonghwan Sorcery is not a trivial magic. Even though it creates a ‘virtual being,’ as long as one does not realize that it is not real, it could very well be considered a ‘person.’ This is a magical art so close to the creation powers of a god. It truly can be regarded as a divine art.”
“Ah!”
Although it is a virtual existence, the magical art brings a ‘person’ into the present world.
Finally, Cho Hwi nodded his head in understanding.
“So, what exactly are you then?”
“Huh? What do you mean?”
Cheon Woo-ja’s intense suspicion.
“How is it that you can immediately perceive beings born from divine magical arts as ‘virtual’ beings? You… what exactly are you?”
Cheon Woo-ja’s expression shifted from suspicion to a gradual sense of fear.
“How can you perceive that unless you are of the same spiritual realm as the caster of such a magic?!”
Cho Hwi quickly shook his head.
“No, that’s not it. This is just my Cheoncheon Jeongneung Jiche, or…”
The lengthy explanation from Cho Hwi only amplified Cheon Woo-ja’s doubts.
“That itself must be a power close to that of a god! I can hardly believe that you achieved it by your own strength! How could a mere mortal perceive such things with their eyes?!”
Suddenly, Cho Hwi felt irritated.
Everything felt twisted after coming to this spirit world. Hearing strange words like ‘divine thrones’ and ‘creating virtual beings’ had his head spinning, and everything felt confusing.
“Ah, anyway, I couldn’t care less about things like the reincarnation of Bodhidharma. I’m just a person who wants to live a good life through business and eating well, so please don’t ask me to do anything ridiculous.”
At that moment, Jo Jo suddenly called for Cho Hwi.
“I have a request.”
“Hah!”
Just a moment ago, Cho Hwi had said he didn’t want to be involved, yet here Jo Jo was asking him for something!
However, since he was the ancestor of the Jo clan and not some evil force like the Dukgo clan, Cho Hwi responded politely.
“Could you find the descendants of Guan Yu?”
“The descendants of Guan Yu?”
“Yes. Please find them.”
Cho Jo’s use of the word “please” was unexpected. It made Cho Hwi feel the sincerity behind his words.
“Once you find them, what should I do?”
“Just deliver my message to them. I want to help them through you.”
Cho Hwi nodded willingly.
“I will do that.”
Soon, Cho Hwi used Cheon Woo-ja’s magical arts to return to his physical body in the real world.
* * *
The colleagues gathered at the Jo Clan Grand Meeting Hall all looked exhausted.
Jang Il-ryong glanced at Yeom Sang-rok.
“You got to work early? But you look dead tired.”
“Ha… the early bird is always more tired.”
“Mm?”
Although his quote didn’t match the well-known saying, Jang Il-ryong silently nodded, agreeing.
“Well, it’s nice to see you working hard. When would a good-for-nothing who drinks and fools around with women feel such passion?”
“You’re quite the loyal one. You’ll get sick if you keep up that pace.”
“It’ll pass, you bastard.”
Yeom Sang-rok shot a suspicious glance around.
“Don’t trust Cho Hwi too much. If you dedicate yourself like that, you’ll just end up as discarded trash.”
“This bastard, where did you pick up these useless jokes?”
Smack!
Before he could say more, Cho Hwi appeared and smacked Yeom Sang-rok on the back of the head.
“You keep badmouthing me behind my back?”
“What the hell! Did I say something wrong? You damn immoral merchant!”
“What’s wrong with you? Why are you starting fights this early in the morning?”
“Heh, if the words are nice, they’ll be underestimated.”
“….”
As expected, he was a rogue. The way he twisted every well-known saying showed he was seriously twisted.
At that moment, Jin Ga-hee and Han Seol-hyun entered the meeting hall.
Since Jin Ga-hee reached the peak stage of Hwa-gyeong, her complexion had improved somewhat, but she still had a ghostly look.
“Heh heh, sorry I’m late.”
“Sorry.”
Han Seol-hyun, who had also reached the peak of Hwa-gyeong, looked even more beautiful than before. Her beauty, already the best in the world, shone brighter, causing Jang Il-ryong to be completely captivated.
Jang Il-ryong scratched his red face, unable to stop staring at Han Seol-hyun, when Nam Goong So-So, who was nearby, pinched his thick thigh without mercy.
“Ah!”
“Can’t keep your eyes to yourself, huh? Looks like you were staring at her chest?”
“No, I wasn’t!”
“Heh heh! Il-ryong oppa? Do I look like a fool to you?”
Nam Goong Jang-ho, who had been meditating in a lotus position for the past hour, twitched his eyebrows.
“A virgin can’t say such things. Couldn’t you at least apologize to that young lady?”
Cho Hwi nodded as though agreeing.
Making remarks about someone’s chest right in front of them was the worst form of impoliteness.
“Heh, sorry.”
But even Cho Hwi could tell that didn’t sound like a real apology.
Jin Ga-hee, who shared a common enemy with Han Seol-hyun, approached Nam Goong So-So and crossed her arms.
“Why are you blaming our Nam Goong sister? The sly woman is the one running around showing off her tail everywhere.”
“Ga-hee unnie!”
They embraced and comforted each other, an absurd sight.
Even though Han Seol-hyun was hated, could the righteous and the wicked become so close?
Cho Hwi frowned and suddenly looked around.
“Where is Vice President Je-gal Un? Why is he so late?”
Je-gal Un, who was always the first to arrive and review the previous day’s materials, was unusually late today.
At that moment, Je-gal Un entered the meeting hall with a middle-aged man.
While Cho Hwi looked puzzled, his colleagues immediately recognized the man.
“Greetings, Inspector General!”
Nam Goong Jang-ho quickly stood up and saluted, and Jang Il-ryong also greeted him respectfully.
“Inspector General?”
Cho Hwi tilted his head in confusion.
In the past, Je-gal Un’s official title was Inspector of the Inspection Bureau. Did that mean this person was from the Murim League?
“Wait…”
Now that he thought about it, it was the same person who visited the Jo Clan Grand Meeting Hall with Mu-hwang when Cho Hwi was absent.
Cho Hwi also straightened up and greeted him politely.
“Nice to meet you. I’m Cho Hwi.”
Dan Baek-woo silently nodded his head, scanning Cho Hwi’s colleagues before speaking.
“Heh, looking at this combination, it’s really something remarkable.”
Cho Hwi raised an eyebrow in confusion.
“Combination? What do you mean?”
Dan Baek-woo smiled faintly.
“Representing the righteous sect’s top-tier disciples—Small Sword Master and Small Je-gal—along with the disciples of the Black Heaven Eight Kings from the rogue faction, and even the top-tier disciples from the New Outer Eight Sects… It’s truly something remarkable.”
Cho Hwi flinched in surprise.
Had this person known about Han Seol-hyun’s true identity all along?
After all, she had been producing ice at shops, and many people must have seen her ice abilities.
It would have been strange if the Murim League’s Inspector Bureau hadn’t noticed.
“Then, the Jo Clan Grand Meeting Hall… I mean, now you should be calling yourself Small Sword God. Anyway, you’re also not purely good or evil, are you?”
Small Sword God…
Cho Hwi had already learned that his alias had been spreading around the martial world.
“The martial world, which has fought for centuries, has found peace here,” Dan Baek-woo said, staring at Jo Hwi with intensity.
“This is purely a personal feeling of mine, but even if the martial world holds negative opinions of you, Jo Hwi, I see hope for the martial world in you,” Dan Baek-woo confessed, causing an odd expression to appear on Je-gal Un’s face.
Je-gal Un knew Dan Baek-woo as a person who was extremely stingy with praise. He was not the type to speak kindly like this.
‘He’s trying to win Jo Hwi’s favor,’ Je-gal Un thought.
Dan Baek-woo was a person known for his cold and calculating demeanor. He had probably already made his judgment about the power of Jo Hwi and the Jo Family’s Grand Conference. He must have concluded that Jo Hwi couldn’t be controlled by the orders of the alliance.
However, Je-gal Un couldn’t help but smile knowingly.
His judgment was correct, but Dan Baek-woo didn’t know Jo Hwi at all.
If it were any other late-stage power, they might have been flattered by the compliment of such a high-ranking official like the Alliance’s Inspector-General. But for Jo Hwi, it was of no concern.
Jo Hwi was not someone who could be easily swayed.
“I’ll take that as a compliment. But what is it that you need?”
Jo Hwi’s sharp gaze didn’t leave Dan Baek-woo.
Je-gal Un smiled, looking pleased with himself.
‘Ah, why did I…’ He now felt as though he were admiring his lord’s exceptional traits.
Was Je-gal Un already considering Jo Hwi his lord?
“What’s the matter? I came to have a cup of cold tea at the Jo Family’s Grand Conference,” Dan Baek-woo answered with a slight grin.
Jo Hwi silently mocked him in his thoughts. Could it really be true that the Alliance Inspector-General traveled all the way here to drink tea without any other reason?
“Feel free to speak. Did you bring any orders from the alliance?” Jo Hwi asked.
Dan Baek-woo chuckled lightly. “Ha, really. I said I just came to have tea.”
Yes, yes, we get it.
Jo Hwi, growing irritated by Dan Baek-woo’s refusal to show his true intentions, called over the servant who was cleaning.
“Bring me a cold tea,” Jo Hwi ordered.
“Yes, Chairman,” the servant responded.
As the servant left, Jo Hwi turned his attention back to Dan Baek-woo.
“Then, after you’ve had your tea, you can attend to your business. We have a meeting to continue,” Jo Hwi said loudly, signaling for the meeting to begin.
His colleagues, while unsure if they should leave such an important person like the Inspector-General standing there, followed Jo Hwi’s instructions.
“Understood,” they responded and took their seats.
Once everyone was seated, Jo Hwi looked at Je-gal Un.
“You don’t look well. Are you having any problems?” Jo Hwi asked, concerned.
Je-gal Un sighed deeply.
“Are you serious? You know I haven’t been able to sleep for more than two hours lately, right?” he replied.
“Two hours?” Jo Hwi asked, perplexed. Two hours was roughly four hours in modern terms.
“You can’t be that busy,” Jo Hwi said, still confused.
Je-gal Un gave him a look of disbelief.
“Are you kidding me? Do you really not know what’s going on at the Jo Family Grand Conference?”
The Jo Family Grand Conference had grown to become a massive force, spanning two provinces and dominating the business world like a small country.
As the Black Sky Alliance was collapsing, many of the former powers were being replaced, and now numerous bureaucrats, martial sects, and aristocratic families were trying to form connections with the Jo Family.
Despite becoming such a powerful force, it was impossible to ignore the numerous requests and petitions coming from these influential figures.
Even though the Jo Family Grand Conference had grown into a giant organization, they couldn’t simply dismiss the demands from such powerful figures.
On a daily basis, they received at least thirty requests for meetings, and most of these were proposals to establish trade deals.
The most unreasonable requests came from the bureaucracy.
Often, government officials would demand goods be delivered without any negotiation, and Je-gal Un had to spend a great deal of effort trying to appease them.
After hearing Je-gal Un’s long explanation, Jo Hwi clenched his teeth in frustration.
“What? These bastards!” Jo Hwi shouted.
Even if it were the ignorant military bureaucrats from aristocratic families, to hear that scholars and their families were resorting to such gangster tactics was shocking.
Jo Hwi let out a harsh laugh.
“Isn’t there a good example? Starting today, the Jo Family Grand Conference will only accept customers with gold, silver, copper, and clean sheets!” he declared.
Je-gal Un’s voice grew frantic as he tried to stop Jo Hwi.
“No, that’s only possible for the Namgung family, who hold overwhelming prestige among the righteous faction. We can’t do that. We’re still seen as a business, and aristocrats and martial artists look down on merchants. We don’t have the status to do that yet.”
Je-gal Un was trying to explain that the acceptance of the Namgung family’s prestige and their ability to handle such things were because of their centuries-old tradition, while the Jo Family Grand Conference wasn’t there yet.
But Jo Hwi was having none of it.
“What? The one who freed this place from the clutches of the Black Sky Alliance is none other than me!” Jo Hwi shouted.
Je-gal Un looked at him with a resigned expression.
“You really are a fool sometimes,” he said with a sigh.
“What did you say?” Jo Hwi snapped.
Je-gal Un was getting more exasperated. “Do you think the Black Sky Alliance was a bunch of idiots? They held power in Jiangxi for over fifty years. It wasn’t just by sheer luck.”
Jo Hwi snorted. “They probably used martial arts to threaten people.”
Je-gal Un shook his head in disbelief. “You really don’t get it. The Black Sky Alliance was better at handling officials and bureaucrats than anyone else. They knew how to deal with the high-ranking officials, and those officials actually preferred having factions like theirs rather than righteous factions.”
Jo Hwi raised an eyebrow. “Hmm?”
“They didn’t care about saving face like the righteous factions. They were direct and honest, making sure to give benefits in exchange for turning a blind eye to the smaller matters. That’s the kind of ruthlessness you get from the underworld!” Je-gal Un explained, recalling how the Black Sky Alliance had operated.
Jo Hwi was silent for a moment, then turned to look at Namgung Jang-ho.
His intense gaze made Namgung Jang-ho flinch.
“What is it you’re trying to say?” Jo Hwi asked.
“Jo Hwi!” Namgung Jang-ho exclaimed, pulling his hand away in a hurry.
Jo Hwi’s colleagues now knew his character well enough to sense that something ominous was about to happen.
“I’m going to leave if there’s no other matter for the meeting,” Namgung Jang-ho said.
Jo Hwi’s expression darkened as he mulled over something. He wanted to offer something to Namgung Jang-ho, but the righteous man was impossible to please.
As Namgung Jang-ho was about to leave, Zhang Il-ryong asked, “What’s keeping you so busy lately?”
“I’m working on refining my martial arts,” Namgung Jang-ho replied.
“Oh?” Zhang Il-ryong responded, intrigued.
At that moment, Jo Hwi’s eyes gleamed like a hawk’s.
“Hm, if it’s martial arts, I might be able to help you,” Jo Hwi said.
Namgung Jang-ho, about to grasp the door handle to leave the meeting room, suddenly froze.
“…You would teach me martial arts?” he asked in disbelief.
In truth, Jo Hwi was the perfect martial arts master from Namgung Jang-ho’s perspective. First, Jo Hwi was the head of the family, so he wasn’t an outsider and could freely discuss martial arts. Most importantly, his level of skill was unparalleled and transcendent!
“But there’s a condition,” Jo Hwi added.
Namgung Jang-ho frowned.
“A condition?” he asked.
“Yep! Convince the family head for me!” Jo Hwi replied.
“Convince my father?” Namgung Jang-ho’s eyes widened in surprise at Jo Hwi’s next words.
“The Namgung family’s relocation! Anyway, with the increase in opportunities in Poyang Lake, isn’t it possible to turn the city of Hefei into a secondary base?” Jo Hwi suggested.
If the reputation of the Jo Family Grand Conference couldn’t do it, then they could rely on the Namgung family’s reputation.
Je-gal Un was left speechless at Jo Hwi’s shallow reasoning, which was to move the Namgung family’s base simply because he was too lazy to receive guests.