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“Looks like there’s something here.”

Yeon Jeong-hong slowly reached out and fiddled with the Phoenix Fragment. After staring at it for a while, he spoke again.

“I think it’s here.”

At that moment, I felt like jumping for joy. I thought we might have to search the entire Central Plains, yet here was a clue already!

Yeon Jeong-hong took a sip of tea and continued, “I think I saw something like this in a family book when I was younger… Yes, if I remember correctly, it’s a sculpture depicting the Phoenix of Danhyeolsan. And it wasn’t a single piece; there were actually two.”

He clearly knows a lot about the fragments!

Yeon Jong-hwi looked surprised. “That’s strange. I think I’ve read a similar book too. Could it be a tale passed down through generations?”

“Hmm… I diligently read that book in my youth. The reason both of us have seen it is that it was probably treasure once owned by the Yeon family. Because the book itself recorded treasures owned by the royal family of each generation.”

“Ah…”

“Although our bloodline has scattered, the important information contained in that book has been passed down to each clan.”

“Do you still have that book?”

“I do. If you want it, I can give it to you.”

I felt like the pieces of the story were finally coming together. Yeon Jeong-hong took another sip of tea and said, “I’m not sure where that Phoenix Fragment came from, but I believe it was once treated as a national treasure. So there should be records about it, and the owner surely knows its worth.”

You mean…

“It’s likely that if we look hard enough, we’ll find out, but the owner probably won’t just hand it over. Keep that in mind while searching.”

Feeling that I had gathered some information about the Phoenix Fragment, I asked Yeon Jeong-hong, “I’m curious about your swordplay. I hear it’s quite esteemed among the Nine Great Sects. Did you manage to master the Zhongnan Sect’s techniques exclusively?”

Yeon Jeong-hong flinched. His expression turned serious, and he replied in a somewhat harsh tone, “Are you hoping to hear that I mixed in some of the Yeon royal family’s swordplay?”

I regretted my words as soon as I said them. “That wasn’t my intention.”

“I respected you as a master of the Half-Transition technique, but your way of questioning is quite petty.”

Yeon Jeong-hong seemed somewhat angry—his expression mixed with disdain.

Seeing the situation spiral out of control, I quickly bowed my head and fumbled, “I apologize. I’ve been focusing all my energy on swordplay lately, so I’ve taken a keen interest in every style, including others. If I’ve offended you, I’m truly sorry.”

“Fine, I accept your apology.”

Yeon Jeong-hong sighed and continued, “I learned the Yeon royal family’s swordplay when I was young. I joined the Zhongnan Sect at the age of twelve, and it definitely helped my martial arts progress.”

“So, you merged the swordplay techniques?”

“Not at all. The essence of the Zhongnan Sect’s swordplay and its profundity is genuine… If I had mixed techniques from other sects, the elders would have recognized that long ago and would never have elected me as a leader.”

He cracked his knuckles. “I believe that our Zhongnan Sect’s martial arts are more refined and powerful than those of the royal family. Some may say our sect is lesser compared to the Huashan Sect or Wudang Sect, but I don’t think so. It’s only a matter of talent and skills; I believe we can someday become the best sect in the world.”

“……”

Listening to Yeon Jeong-hong’s confident reply, I realized he had fully embraced the life of a Zhongnan Sect practitioner.

‘He’ll stick with being a Zhongnan Sect leader till he dies.’

Had Yeon Jong-hwi not shown up, he probably would have lived his life without ever revealing that he was of the Yeon royal bloodline.

Feeling slightly hopeful, I said to Yeon Jeong-hong, “Please keep quiet about our inquiries regarding the Phoenix Fragment. It’s a request.”

“As you wish… If there’s nothing more, please leave.”

Yeon Jeong-hong said this while handing me a small book he had pulled from a corner of his cabin. This had to be a secret record containing a list of treasures owned by the Yeon royal family regarding the Silver Phoenix Fragment. If he was so casual about handing it over, it seemed like he truly wasn’t interested in treasures.

“Understood.”

With that, we left Yeon Jong-hwi and returned to Jangryeong Valley. When we shared what we had learned about the Silver Phoenix Fragment with Zhuge Sa, he pondered for a moment and said, “It’s not totally unproductive. The Yeon royal family is an ancient dynasty, whereas Balhae is a later kingdom. The fact that the Yeon royal family once owned the Phoenix Fragment means at least that it wasn’t made in Balhae.”

“So it’s an ancient artifact?”

“Balhae was established eight hundred years ago, but this seems to be even older. And I didn’t mention this last time, but there’s something else intriguing.”

“What is it?”

“This Silver Phoenix Fragment… It seems to be made of a metal that looks like silver, but it’s an entirely different kind of metal. It’s extremely shock-resistant and flexible. For it to be specially crafted with ancient metallurgy seems too high level.”

Zhuge Sa took the book from me and said, “This should suffice. Using this book along with the ‘Barley,’ we can do our best to locate the remaining portion of the Phoenix Fragment. You should return to your training.”

“Got it.”

I went to Lee Cheong-un. He had been waiting for me at the training ground and said, “Baek Woong. The next movement should likely be after we find the Phoenix Fragment.”

“I think so too.”

“You’ve acquired the Thunder Sword, but there’s still a long way to go. Let’s spar a bit to gauge your level.”

Clack, clack.

We engaged in a sparring match for about five hundred seconds to assess skill. Just when I found it bizarre that our spar was going on for so long, Lee Cheong-un put down his spear. After thinking for a moment, he said, “There doesn’t seem to be anything sharp you can use… You have indeed transcended as a swordsman, but it’s still not enough to pass on the essence of the Thunder Spirit.”

“You mean I can’t pass it on?”

“It’s not because you have a mental block. As you know, the Thunder Spirit consists of dozens of advanced insights compressed into one, so it’s only naturally leading you towards the Heart Demon.”

“I see.”

“Going forward, I think it’ll be more about gradual enlightenment rather than sudden enlightenment. I’d thought about teaching you skills with the sword, spear, or grappling, but perhaps it’s too soon…”

“It’s alright.”

I said confidently, “Training with the wondrous art will surely yield results.”

“Good. Starting today, we shall begin training.”

As I did before getting the Thunder Sword, I started training by linking and applying all the techniques of the Thunder God lineage with Lee Cheong-un. Interestingly, before going to Dokgo Seong, it felt like I was awkwardly twisting my body to learn. But after mastering the sword, my understanding of the basic techniques soared high.

Curious about my progress, I asked Lee Cheong-un about it, and he willingly replied, “Of course. Achieving the Thunder Sword doesn’t just mean you can unleash lightning from your sword. You’ve become among the standout sword heroes in the history of the Thunder God lineage, so naturally your understanding of techniques for application or linking should also come easily!”

“That’s true!”

“The flow is good. Let’s increase your strength to the next level.”

Clank, clang!

About a year must have passed in this way, right?

I felt myself sinking into more profound depths within the martial arts of the Thunder God lineage. It was strange; it felt less like achieving a new level and more like everything I had learned until now had gained weight, naturally bringing me down. The linking of techniques became smoother, and I could trigger them faster.

From time to time, Zhuge Sa seemed to be in deep thought. Recognizing his troubled expression, I asked him what was wrong, and he said, “That ‘Barley’ you gave me… It seems to hold more significance than I expected. So I’m hesitating whether or not to dig further.”

“Don’t hesitate. Just do it.”

“Haha. I’ll consult with Mangnyang.”

After that day, Zhuge Sa didn’t bring up ‘Barley’ again. He merely mentioned that after consulting with Mangnyang, they decided to focus more on the Phoenix Fragment.

Another three months passed.

Around that time, news came from Mangnyang.

“Baek Woong! We finally found the last part of the Silver Phoenix Fragment!”

“Really?!”

“One of the informants from the Bancheon Alliance that spreads across Jianghu managed to figure out who owns it. Thanks to the book we received from Yeon Jeong-hong, we were able to track down its location.”

I felt like everything was smoothly falling into place. I couldn’t suppress my racing heart as I said, “So, we can finally open the door!”

“Well, that’s…”

Mangnyang hesitated and then said, “… We’re short on funds.”

“……?”

“The one who owns it is a bit of a special character… We need a lot of money.”

What on earth does that mean?

Confused, I asked, “We must have plenty of treasure looted from pirates, right? There should be a ton of it!”

“Exactly. You’ve amassed a huge fortune in your previous life. Every penny spent operating Jangryeong Valley and Jinrang Valley has gone into growing the information network in Jianghu and boosting the Bancheon Alliance. However… I can’t be sure if that would be enough to buy the Silver Phoenix Fragment.”

“What exactly are you saying?”

Mangnyang sighed as if deflating. “It’s held by the trading group of Lee Ma-do.”

“Lee Ma-do?”

“He’s a name he uses arbitrarily in the Central Plains, but he’s really a Westerner.”

“What? A Westerner?”

I was shocked and responded, and Mangnyang continued, “Matteo Ricci. He has formed a massive trading group in Guangdong Province and the Kingdom of Duke Du, spreading his influence wide. Plus, he can move around freely with the Holland fleet, so we can’t just mess with him.”

“……!!”

Hearing that made me gasp.

“He was the one who showed up when we attacked the Imperial Palace back then…”

“Exactly. He was the Westerner who appeared before you and Lee Kwang back in that past life when the gods descended and eliminated the Master of the White Lotus Sect.”

Mangnyang sat down in a chair and said, “The more I investigate Matteo Ricci, the more remarkable he seems. He promotes Western religion around Guangdong while simultaneously building a trading group to seize control of trade in both Guangdong and the Kingdom of Duke Du. He could even incite a rebellion against the Great Ming Empire by riling up the local lord and prince if he wanted to.”

“The Kingdom of Duke Du?”

“Ah, Baek Woong, I see you don’t know well. It’s quite a remote area.”

He cleared his throat and explained, “There’s a gigantic island further to the east of Guangdong, near Nanhai. It may be called an island, but it’s a massive piece of land, comparable to a whole nation. That island’s civilization is pretty underdeveloped, with indigenous people living there. They’ve been developing their own civilization, but recently Westerners have been occupying it. That’s what we call the Kingdom of Duke Du.”

“I’ve never heard of that.”

“They’re often ignored in discussions about the Ming Empire. Although they nominally submit to Ming, the regional lord’s control barely reaches that area. It’s not a place that common people would know much about.”

I was piecing the context together. So, he was a Western cleric but also a merchant?

“He has a good relationship with the current emperor and even seems to receive assistance. It seems like the emperor has plans to engage in exchanges with the west through Matteo Ricci,” Mangnyang said in a serious tone.

“The issue is that our sources say he might know about the value of the Phoenix Fragment. So there’s a good chance he’ll try to bring it back to his homeland.”

“……”

If the Phoenix Fragment were to end up in the West, that would be serious trouble. If he truly knew its worth, he wouldn’t be inclined to sell or relinquish it easily. Moreover, the price he would likely demand was bound to be enormous, which explained Mangnyang’s dilemma.

I offered my thoughts. “Then let’s track down Matteo Ricci’s main base and sneakily retrieve it.”

“Of course, that method crossed my mind too. But we only know he owns it; we have no idea where he’s keeping the Phoenix Fragment.”

“Then we can just kidnap and torture him…”

“That’s outright the idea of a murderous thief. What crime has he committed?”

“……”

People often resort to kidnapping and torture when desperation strikes, so my mind naturally went there. Mangnyang chuckled bitterly and said, “Naturally, Zhuge Sa proposed that first. But the more you think about it, the more you realize there’ll be quite a backlash if we mess with a figure like him. Forcing ourselves to crush his influence or torturing him to get the Phoenix Fragment will surely cause a massive upheaval, exposing our presence across the world. Touching him is the same as poking the hornet’s nest of the Kingdom of Duke Du and the Western powers.”

“So, you’re saying it’s better to just buy it through negotiation?”

“Precisely. That way, we avoid future troubles and buy you some time to train.”

Mangnyang nodded and added, “We need money. At least a handful of gold coins! For that, you need to take action.”

“Understood!”

I grinned and stood up. “That amount should be easy to gather in no time.”

 

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