Chapter 22
If he hadn't looked at the mnemonic verses of the Heaven-Shattering Will Art written on the walls of the Martial Arts Academy without missing a single day for nine years, he would not have been able to read through it so quickly.
And he would not have known the identity of the Pattra Leaves. However, his nine years of experience were telling Cheon Ha-seong one fact with certainty.
‘It's the commentary on the Heaven-Shattering Will Art…’
In the history of the Divine Cult, no one had mastered it to its pinnacle. For that reason, any ordinary commentary would have been meaningless. If it was just the thoughts of someone who likewise didn't know the way, there would be no need to pay any attention to the writing.
However, if it was a commentary written by the person who created the Heaven-Shattering Will Art, then the story was bound to be different.
—I leave this for the Fated One who seeks to master my Heaven-Shattering Will Art.
While reading the commentary that began with those words, Cheon Ha-seong experienced his mind opening up. Though his feet were planted on the ground, it felt as if his body were floating and drifting through a completely different world.
He was reading the characters with his eyes, but it was as if someone were speaking directly into his ear. He understood all of it. This was possible because all the mnemonic verses of the Heaven-Shattering Will Art were completely imprinted in Cheon Ha-seong's mind.
While reading a single line of the commentary, the entire set of mnemonic verses rose up in his mind, repeating several times.
Cheon Ha-seong came to understand on his own how the beginning and the end connected, and for what reason the first technique had to be that way.
Now it felt as if three separate people existed: the one reading the characters, the one speaking them, and the one thinking as he watched.
The depth of his enlightenment deepened to a frightening degree, and things he could never have imagined before came to mind.
The energy in his body moved on its own.
As he read the commentary, he was moving according to the mnemonic verses.
This was not something that could be achieved simply through the level of one's inner power.
A smile unknowingly formed on Cheon Ha-seong's face. Because he had been training alone all this time, moving his energy based on the mnemonic verses, the acupoints of a specific pathway had already been tempered without him realizing it. It seemed that something he had started without intention had guided him onto an important path.
Just then, a clamorous sound was heard from outside.
Cheon Ha-seong wondered what he should do with the Pattra Leaves, then tucked them into his clothes for the time being. As he went outside like that, the Principal and the Head Instructors were arriving one after another. Their reactions were not much different from Cheon Ha-seong's initial one.
When they arrived, Bang Sun-taek had more or less come to his senses.
He began to explain more coherently than when he had first spoken to Cheon Ha-seong. This time, his story omitted the part about him going to the gambling den and being threatened by the Fourth Demonic Marquis's people.
Now he was saying that he had dozed off for a moment and when he came out, things had become like this. It seemed he thought it would be better to say that in order to avoid responsibility.
The other Head Instructors had already heard the story anyway, so he couldn't understand if he thought he could hide it by saying that now. Just then, a telepathic message came.
[Head Instructor Cheon, let's just leave it at that. If you just turn a blind eye this one time, I will be sure to repay the favor. You know that I'm a victim too, right?]
It was the Chief Head Instructor.
Cheon Ha-seong looked at him, then turned his head away. The people who had arrived around the same time as him were standing off to one side with their mouths shut. It seemed they too had been promised something by Bang Sun-taek.
“What were those people after!”
When the Principal asked, Bang Sun-taek immediately answered.
“The mnemonic verses of the Heaven-Shattering Will Art have disappeared.”
Bang Sun-taek now took the lead and guided the Principal. From then on, he moved about busily, as if to show that because he, at least, had survived, he was able to report what had happened.
Cheon Ha-seong mixed in with the others and followed, wondering if anyone would notice that the Pattra Leaves were gone from that place. However, it seemed everyone thought that anything strange about the wall was all the intruders' doing.
Cheon Ha-seong's attention was now focused on the commentary written on the Pattra Leaves. The strange things he had experienced the moment he saw it came to mind, and he wanted to see it again quickly.
He also wanted to talk with someone who knew such things well, to see if such a phenomenon could occur just by looking at a commentary.
Cheon Ha-seong thought he should try to talk about it with Seo Hyo-eun once the situation calmed down. As he was thinking that, someone approached and told him the Principal was looking for him.
Cheon Ha-seong had done nothing wrong, so he went to the Principal's office without any particular thoughts.
“Come and sit.”
The Principal said upon seeing him. Although his tone seemed different from usual, Cheon Ha-seong still didn't think anything was strange.
“I heard you came to the Martial Arts Academy early this morning. There are people who said you were loitering in front of the Academy, Head Instructor Cheon.”
“Yes?”
When he asked what that was about, the Principal explained in detail. Listening closely, it seemed the people who had come with him were the ones who had said so.
Cheon Ha-seong burst out laughing, finding it amusing.
As it was, he had been thinking that Bang Sun-taek didn't seem to be making any active proposals to him. If he wanted to shut his mouth, he should have made some kind of promise, be it money or something else, but there had been nothing of the sort. Of course, even if Bang Sun-taek had promised such things, Cheon Ha-seong would not have accepted.
‘Ahh, was it because he already knew I wouldn't accept? Because he thought that since I didn't accept from Cheok Gyo-woon, he wouldn't be able to give more than him no matter how much he tried to offer?’
When his thoughts reached that point, he could only laugh. So it seemed he had tried to win over the other Head Instructors to make it look like he had some kind of connection with the intruders.
Cheon Ha-seong laughed, thinking that it might have been the best method Bang Sun-taek could come up with.
“Then why do the people who arrived at the Martial Arts Academy around the same time as me say they came so early? I'm talking about the people who arrived not long after I did.”
The Principal frowned as he watched Cheon Ha-seong speak confidently without the slightest fear.
“Then are you saying the Chief Head Instructor lied?”
“What he said to me and what he said to you, Principal, are completely different, so what else can I say? I'm just surprised he thought he could get away with it by silencing a few people. It seems he knew that you do not usually like me, Principal, and tried it, banking on that.”
“Well, that's…”
The Principal, as if he hadn't expected Cheon Ha-seong to say such a thing so directly, wore a flustered expression.
Cheon Ha-seong looked at him with amusement.
“I am fine, Principal. It's not the first time. In any case, the Chief Head Instructor is lying. And I came with Head Instructor Seo. We came early to train at the Martial Arts Academy. I don't know what he's trying to explain away with that. It does seem that he was in such a state of shock that he probably couldn't meticulously fabricate a lie.”
The Principal let out a sigh.
Seeing his expression, it seemed he was upset because his hope of getting rid of Cheon Ha-seong with this opportunity had vanished.
“Principal, please do not hate me so much. In the Martial Arts Academy, isn't it that I'm the only one you can trust?”
The Principal looked at Cheon Ha-seong with a face that asked how he could be so shameless. From then on, Cheon Ha-seong told him everything about the scene that had unfolded when he arrived at the Martial Arts Academy, and what Bang Sun-taek had said.
“And he shamelessly said such things in front of me? Why would he do something that would be exposed so quickly?”
“Since it is up to you, Principal, to decide whose words to believe, wasn't he trying to stake his fate on that?”
The Principal shook his head as if in disbelief.
“I understand, so be on your way!”
“I will take Cheok Gyo-woon and go first. This is likely not the doing of the Fourth Demonic Marquis's Residence. What kind of fool would cause such an incident and then obediently reveal who they are? In the current situation, the most innocent person is likely the Fourth Demonic Marquis. I will tell her what has happened and ask if she knows anything about this matter. There's a limit to what we can find out from the Martial Arts Academy alone, so wouldn't it be good to borrow the power of the Fourth Demonic Marquis's Residence?”
The Principal was dazed for a moment, then hurriedly nodded.
It had seemed like he had reached a dead end, but after hearing Cheon Ha-seong's words, it seemed that would be the way to go.
“Yes. That should work. Hurry and go.”
Now it was the Principal who was more hurried.
Cheon Ha-seong was a little anxious that the Pattra Leaves might be discovered if he stayed there any longer, so he left the place at once and looked for Cheok Gyo-woon.
Cheok Gyo-woon was in a state where he had no idea what stories were circulating. So he was just talking with the other candidates and gauging the atmosphere, and he had a bewildered face when Cheon Ha-seong approached.
Even so, he didn't think for a moment that Cheon Ha-seong had come because he had business with him.
“Candidate Cheok, follow me.”
“Yes, Head Instructor.”
Although he had no idea what was going on, he followed him for the time being.
“The Fourth Demonic Marquis's name came from the Chief Head Instructor's mouth.”
“What does that mean?”
Cheok Gyo-woon asked with a tense face.
Cheon Ha-seong told him the story he had heard upon arriving at the Martial Arts Academy, and the expression on Cheok Gyo-woon's face became a sight to behold.
“That man must be crazy! Why would my mother cause such an incident? This must be a scheme to dare and frame my mother and our Cheok family. What do we gain by doing that? Isn't all that happened the murder of the Head Instructors and the erasure of the Heaven-Shattering Will Art's mnemonic verses? If they had at least stolen the martial art, I could understand, but why would they take such a risk just to erase the verses?”
Cheok Gyo-woon's mind worked fast, and he grasped the situation well.
“I think the same. Therefore, it seems we must inform the Fourth Demonic Marquis of this matter as quickly as possible. It seems to be a plot by someone behind the scenes to cause trouble and shake the Fourth Demonic Marquis and the Cheok family.”
“Can you come with me, Head Instructor?”
At Cheok Gyo-woon's words, Cheon Ha-seong nodded.
While listening to the stories Seo Hyo-eun told, he had learned that there was a lot of information one could access by being in the Divine Cult's leadership.
However, what was visible to the Cult Leader's daughter and what was visible to a Marquis would be different.
Having decided to go with Cheok Gyo-woon, Cheon Ha-seong had him wait for a moment and went to see Seo Hyo-eun.
“Head Instructor Seo, I'm going to the Fourth Demonic Marquis's Residence with Cheok Gyo-woon. It would be uncomfortable for you to come along, right?”
“It would be a little… I'll be with my father, so don't worry and go take care of your business.”
Cheon Ha-seong felt a sense of regret, thinking that he needed to get Gi Mun-yong ready quickly.
Seo Hyo-eun also noticed that Cheon Ha-seong had something on his mind.
“What is it?”
Cheon Ha-seong, thinking he had to tell her at some point anyway, told her about Gi Mun-yong.
“He's a candidate who came to the Martial Arts Academy before but didn't pass, and he hasn't neglected his martial arts training in the meantime. You know how difficult that is for people like him.”
“Right. But why?”
“I was wondering what you'd think about raising him to be your personal bodyguard.”
“Is he that good?”
More than anything else, Seo Hyo-eun was grateful that Cheon Ha-seong had remembered that at a moment like this.