Chapter 14

Even after hearing that the old man was the Military Advisor of Mushincheon, Yeon Woo-jin showed little reaction. The old man’s expression darkened at this lack of awe. He decided he needed to make this child understand his greatness. “You’re not surprised? I said I am the Military Advisor of Mushincheon.” “Yes, you just said that.” “Hmph... Have you not heard the title Manbak Divine Lord (Manbak Singun, 萬博神君)? It’s a title no one connected to Mushincheon could possibly not know.” “This is my first time hearing it.” Manbak Divine Lord, Sima Cheon. While Yeon Cheon-baek gathered people through sheer martial might, it was Sima Cheon who laid the foundation and refined Mushincheon into the powerful organization it was today. In Mushincheon, he was recognized as second only to Yeon Cheon-baek. He was the only person who could speak bluntly to Yeon Cheon-baek, and he was his only true friend. No one in Mushincheon failed to recognize him—until today. For the first time, Sima Cheon encountered someone who had no idea who he was. This unexpected situation lit a competitive fire in him. He resolved to earn the respect he believed he deserved. “What’s your name?” “Yeon Woo-jin.” “So, you’re a child of the Yeom family?” Because of his aging ears, Sima Cheon misheard ‘Yeon’ as ‘Yeom.’ “Don’t call my grandfather that way.” “Haha. So, you’re very fond of your grandfather, I see.” “Yes! He’s the person I love most in the world.” Yeon Woo-jin also misheard, thinking Sima Cheon said ‘Yeon.’ Because Sima Cheon had mumbled, the misunderstanding deepened. Seeing how devoted Woo-jin was to his grandfather, Sima Cheon smiled. “Alright, alright. I won’t call him that again.”@@@@ “Thank you.” It was strange. Even though this was his first time meeting the boy, Sima Cheon couldn’t help but feel drawn to him. “How long have you been here?” “Two months.” Yeon Woo-jin quickly lied. “Two months, huh? So you’re still new. Alright, go back to what you were doing.” “Yes!” Yeon Woo-jin returned to the shelves and resumed dusting. Sima Cheon watched for a moment before turning back to his own search. “Now, where was that book again? Was it over here? Or maybe there?” It seemed he was looking for a specific text. Noticing this, Yeon Woo-jin hesitated before stepping closer. “Are you looking for a book?” “Hm? Haha. Why? Are you planning to find it for me?” “Yes.” “Forget it. You’ve only been here two months. There’s no way you’d be able to find it.” “I’d still like to try.” “Haha, this kid... Should I mess with him a bit?” Deciding to test him, Sima Cheon deliberately named an obscure book. “Alright. Then find the Jaeamjingyeong.” “Oh! Jaeamjingyeong is in row 30, shelf 17.” “...What?” He pointed directly to the location of the book—a text even experienced librarians struggled to locate. Sima Cheon checked, and sure enough, there it was. “Huh...” It had to be a coincidence. “Alright, can you find another book for me?” “Yes.” “Tang Poems 300 (Dangsi Sambaek-su).” “Row 3, shelf 13, fifth slot.” He checked again, and it was right there. “Dongnae Bakui?” “Row 6, shelf 3, sixth slot.” “Wuja Jikhae?” “Row 10, shelf 14, first slot.” Sima Cheon was stunned. Everything he asked for was exactly where the boy said it would be. This was the Second Hall. Could he also know the locations in the Third Hall? It seemed possible. After all, the Third Hall was managed by the Yeom family. Testing further, Sima Cheon named books from the Third Hall. “Find Daranigyeong.” “Oh, that’s not here. It’s in the Third Hall.” Insane. He even knew the locations of books from the Third Hall. “What about Cheonbugyeong?” “That’s also in the Third Hall.” “Jinsanhaegyeong?” That was something Yeon Cheon-baek hadn’t considered. Now that he thought about it, Woo-jin really hadn’t met anyone his age. "An academy, huh..." Indeed, the Military Advisor had sharp insight. "Wait... You said he heard your name? Then he must have realized your surname is Yeon?" "Yes." "I'm the only Yeon in this place. He should've connected you to me right away, so why hasn't he mentioned anything to me?" Yeon Cheon-baek turned to his Heavenly Martial Corps member. "Summon him." "Yes, sir!" The subordinate responded and then looked up at the ceiling. "Come out and explain what happened here in detail." The Heavenly Martial Corps member, who had been hiding and guarding Woo-jin, revealed himself and spoke. "Did you hear what happened here?" "Yes, sir. I did." "Explain everything." "It seems there was a misunderstanding about the surname." "A misunderstanding?" "Yes. The Military Advisor appears to have misheard the surname as Yeom instead of Yeon." "Yeom?" "Yes, sir. There's a librarian here with the surname Yeom. The Military Advisor likely assumed Woo-jin was Yeom's grandson. He even referred to him as 'Yeom-ga,' so it seems certain." "Ha..." Sima Cheon was someone who strictly separated public and private matters. He might have acted differently in private, but he would never carelessly call the Heavenly Lord by his name in public. Calling him 'Yeom-ga' instead clearly meant he'd mistaken Woo-jin's surname. That explained everything—the suggestion about the academy and the recommendation to study the Four Books and Five Classics. It was all because he thought Woo-jin was a librarian's grandson. And that also meant— 'That man is eyeing Woo-jin.' He was laying the groundwork to make Woo-jin his own. Yeon Cheon-baek gazed intently at Woo-jin. "Woo-jin, what do you want to do?" "Um... I’d like to give it a try." "You want to give it a try?" "Yes. I want to make friends too." But if he revealed he was Yeon Cheon-baek’s grandson, Mushincheon would erupt into chaos. Could he even make friends? The academy wasn’t just for anyone. Only those affiliated with Mushincheon could attend. 'Wait... Didn’t he say they thought he was Yeom-ga’s grandson?' "Is Yeom-ga here?" "Yes, sir." "Bring him." While waiting for the subordinate to fetch Yeom-ga, Yeon Cheon-baek spoke to Woo-jin. "If you’re going to attend the academy, you’ll need to hide your identity. Are you okay with that?" "I don’t like lying... but it’s not like I’m not your grandson." "That’s right! Of course you are. Honestly, I don’t feel good about this either. But please understand. Because of the current succession issues in Mushincheon, I can’t let your identity be exposed." "I understand. If people find out, the succession fight will get messy, right?" The moment it was revealed that Yeon Cheon-baek had a grandson— Woo-jin would automatically become the strongest candidate for the Heavenly Lord’s successor. Naturally, those who wanted to bring him down would resort to every dirty trick imaginable. Yeon Cheon-baek couldn’t bear to let Woo-jin see that kind of ugliness. "Exactly. It’s the complicated affairs of adults. I just don’t want you to get caught up in such filth." In truth, Yeon Cheon-baek wished Woo-jin would become the Heavenly Lord. Mushincheon was his life’s work, drenched in his blood and sweat. If someone were to inherit it, he wanted it to be Woo-jin. But Yeon Cheon-baek also saw Woo-jin as fragile. If his identity was exposed and enemies targeted him, he might get hurt—or worse, killed. Yeon Cheon-baek couldn’t bear such a thought. It might even lead to the downfall of Mushincheon. Woo-jin not becoming the Heavenly Lord wouldn’t destroy Mushincheon. What mattered was strength—whoever led Mushincheon needed to be powerful enough to protect it. He had considered sending Woo-jin to an academy outside Mushincheon’s influence. But that would only distance them further. Maybe this was for the best. If Woo-jin attended a local academy, they’d still be close, and Yeon Cheon-baek could see him often. The biggest problem was Yeom-ga’s status. In Mushincheon, which revered martial strength, librarians were considered the lowest rank. Would other students look down on Woo-jin if they thought he was a librarian’s grandson? Should he find someone else instead? As Yeon Cheon-baek wrestled with the dilemma, Woo-jin grabbed his hand. "It’s actually better this way. I won’t have to worry about others watching me too closely. And if I act properly, they won’t look down on me." "Do you really think so?" "You’re worried that disguising me as the grandson of someone with such a low status will be a problem, right?"