Myst, Might, Mayhem

Chapter 139 – Shadow Clan Master (3)

After nearly a hundred years of constant persecution, few believers of the Baehwa Faith could read the original scriptures, even among the surviving members.

The Shadow Clan Master didn’t think Mok Gyeong-un would be able to read the original text in the Persian language.

Persian was unexpectedly difficult to learn, and experts in it were extremely rare throughout the Central Plains.

‘Ah!’

Assuming all of this, it meant that Mok Gyeong-un already knew the doctrine of the scripture.

-Release!

The Shadow Clan Master hurriedly removed his hand completely from Mok Gyeong-un’s abdomen and said,

“You… Could it be that you’re a believer of our faith?”

‘Believer?’

At the Shadow Clan Master’s question, Mok Gyeong-un’s eyes sparkled.

He had predicted various scenarios of how the Shadow Clan Master would react if he recited the contents of the scripture, and quite an interesting reaction had emerged.

-… Don’t tell me you’re planning to pretend to be a believer?

Cheong-ryeong clicked her tongue and spoke.

She didn’t approve of Mok Gyeong-un getting involved with the Baehwa Faith.

And,

-It’s your choice if you want to deceive him. But how much do you think you can deceive him with just one scripture? A suspicious eunuch like him will quickly see through it.

‘Well, if it’s just that, it might be possible.’

The Shadow Clan Master was in charge of information and spies in the Shadow Clan.

Regardless of his hidden identity, he was a suspicious person, so if Mok Gyeong-un clumsily pushed forward as a believer, he could be easily exposed, as Cheong-ryeong warned.

Deception is a gamble.

The way to increase the probability of that gamble is to base it on as much truth as possible.

With that, Mok Gyeong-un,

“Who knows.”

“What?”

“Although I have received teachings about the scripture, it’s difficult to call myself a believer with just that.”

At Mok Gyeong-un’s words, one of the Shadow Clan Master’s eyebrows arched up.

What was this kid saying now?

He received teachings about the scripture?

“What do you mean by that?”

“It’s exactly as I said. I received teachings about the scripture, but I didn’t become a believer. If I had to specify, should I say I’m a follower?”

“Follower?”

There is a strict difference between a believer and a follower.

A believer is someone who is completely subordinate to the faith and works for it.

On the other hand, a follower refers to someone who believes in the religious group and its doctrine.

‘Follower…’

With that, the Shadow Clan Master asked in a voice filled with suspicion,

“… You said you’re a follower, so who taught you about our faith’s scripture?”

“I don’t know.”

“What? You don’t know?”

What was he saying now?

Mok Gyeong-un shrugged and said,

“The old master who taught me the scripture didn’t tell me his name.”

“He didn’t tell you his name?”

“Yes… He firmly refused to tell me. He said if I knew his name, I would face the same difficulties as him.”

At Mok Gyeong-un’s words, the Shadow Clan Master’s eyes narrowed.

The Baehwa Faith had long been heavily persecuted, so most of its believers were organized in small groups, and sometimes they didn’t even know each other’s identities.

‘There’s some truth to that.’

There was no way he would reveal his true identity to a non-believer.

However, as a high-ranking position of Father, he had some knowledge of the identities of important believers in each base.

“Do you remember the appearance of the old master you met?”

At the Shadow Clan Master’s question, Mok Gyeong-un casually replied,

“He had a face full of age spots and a thick gray beard that reached his chest.”

“Any other distinguishing features?”

It was impossible to identify someone with just that.

Wasn’t what he just described a natural phenomenon of aging that occurs with age?

Mok Gyeong-un shrugged and said,

“His thick beard and long eyebrows covered half of his face, and he had a shabby appearance, so it’s difficult for me to describe any specific features.”

“There’s no way to know who he is like that.”

“Of course not. But would someone who doesn’t even teach his name carelessly show his proper appearance?”

At Mok Gyeong-un’s words, the Shadow Clan Master’s eyes narrowed.

It was definitely a valid point, but he couldn’t trust it.

The Shadow Clan Master spoke in a sharp voice,

“Do you think I would readily believe that you received teachings about our faith’s scripture from an old master whose name and face you don’t even know?”

“Of course, it would be hard for you to believe.”

“Then why would I…”

“I received teachings about the scripture from him in the original language.”

‘!?’

The Shadow Clan Master frowned.

Receiving teachings about the scripture in the original language meant he had learned it in Persian, not Hanyu (Chinese).

If he knew the original text to that extent, he was definitely not an ordinary believer.

But there was no proper evidence.

As if reading his thoughts, Mok Gyeong-un turned his head and pointed to the desk with his eyes.

On the desk were writing tools.

Seeing his intention to write, the Shadow Clan Master glared at Mok Gyeong-un’s face for a moment before releasing his remaining hand that was grabbing his collar.

“… Try writing it.”

Mok Gyeong-un went to the desk, poured water to grind the ink, dipped the brush in the ink, and began writing on the paper.

-Swish!

[من از مرگ و زندگی پشیمان نیستم زیرا این جسد با آتش مقدس سوخته است. بگذارید نور به راهی که می خواهید بروید تابد و شادی و غم همه جز خاک خواهد بود. چه موجود با احساس رقت انگیز]

[This body, burned in the sacred fire, has no attachment to life and death. On the path I wish to take, I illuminate the light. Joy and sorrow shall remain as mere dust. Pity the troubled sentient beings.]

‘!!!!!!’

The Shadow Clan Master’s eyes trembled rapidly as he watched this.

The gaze that had been filled with disbelief until before Mok Gyeong-un started writing changed in an instant.

‘How can this be?’

This wasn’t a handwriting that could be written by clumsily memorizing the shape, but one that required proper learning.

If one drew the strokes like a picture, it couldn’t be written like this.

The Shadow Clan Master, who had studied the Persian language for a long time, was even more certain of it.

‘He must have learned from a believer of at least Father level.’

Otherwise, there was no way he could write Persian so skillfully.

The Shadow Clan Master, who had been looking at the scripture written in Persian with amazement, turned his gaze to Mok Gyeong-un.

This could be definitive proof.

Why would Mok Gyeong-un, a 17-year-old from a renowned martial arts family in Anhui Province, learn Persian and use it for anything?

‘Ah…’

Cheong-ryeong clicked her tongue as he witnessed this scene.

Thanks to Gyeong-un proficiency in Persian, that suspicious eunuch was gradually lowering his guard.

After all, unless one was a merchant or an interpreter authorized to trade across the Western Regions, there would be no reason to learn Persian.

It was truly a coincidence that he had learned it from his so-called grandfather.

At that moment, the Shadow Clan Master spoke,

“The believer who taught you Persian must have been at least a Father.”

“Father?”

“A high-ranking believer who can give teachings about the scripture in our faith.”

“Ah… Is that so?”

“Yes. Those who can teach in the original language are few now, so it would have been better if you knew his name.”

The Shadow Clan Master clicked his tongue as if genuinely regretting it.

Then he asked,

“Did he only teach you the scripture and Persian?”

At this question, Mok Gyeong-un hesitated for a moment as if he had been waiting for it and opened his mouth,

“Ah… Now that I think about it, he seemed to be searching for something.”

“Searching for something?”

“Yes. My memory is hazy, but at that time, I heard him clearly say… Ah, right. He said he was searching for the incarnation of Ahriman.”

At those words, the Shadow Clan Master’s eyes widened in surprise.

Mok Gyeong-un had anticipated that the Shadow Clan Master would react this way.

That’s because,

[اهریمن]

That sentence at the beginning of the paper inserted between the original scripture.

That word was Ahriman.

He hadn’t even told Cheong-ryeong about the interpretation of it, but,

[Beware, for the incarnation of Ahriman may appear in this world.]

It had a sentence of warning written on it.

It seemed to be some kind of revelation within the Baehwa Faith.

He thought this also had value in using it, and judging by the Shadow Clan Master’s reaction, it seemed successful.

It was then.

-Grab!

The Shadow Clan Master grabbed Mok Gyeong-un’s shoulder and spoke, unable to hide his excitement,

“I think I know who taught you the original text.”

“Hmmm?”

What?

He knows who taught this?

It was truly an absurd situation to say he knew who a non-existent, imaginary person was.

However, Mok Gyeong-un didn’t show it.

Regardless, the Shadow Clan Master had a completely excited expression.

‘Only two Guardians, including myself, have heard the revelation of the Holy Fire that he prophesied. Among them, only Guardian Jang is over sixty years old.’

If what Mok Gyeong-un said was true, it had to be Guardian Jang.

He had been discouraged, thinking that both Guardians had died after his disappearance.

But if this was true, it was a great relief.

“If you received teachings from him, you can’t be considered a mere follower. You also have the qualification to be a Father.”

‘Hmm?’

He has the qualification to be a Father?

Who did he guess it was to have this reaction?

Although puzzled, Mok Gyeong-un casually expressed humility.

“I only learned the scripture, so how can I have the qualification to be a Father? But you said you think you know who it is…”

“Since he kept it a secret from you until the end, it’s difficult to tell you right away. But one thing is certain: he is a very high-ranking person in our faith.”

“Ah…”

“Do you happen to know where he went after teaching you the scripture?”

“… I apologize, but I don’t know. He suddenly disappeared one day.”

“Ah…”

At Mok Gyeong-un’s words, the Shadow Clan Master couldn’t hide his disappointment.

Still, he thought he should find solace in the fact that the Guardian, whom he had thought dead, was alive.

As he was thinking that, Mok Gyeong-un spoke to him in a low voice,

“But before the old master disappeared, he left something behind.”

“He left something behind?”

“Yes.”

“What is it?”

The Shadow Clan Master asked in a voice filled with anticipation, thinking it might be a clue.

“It was a sentence written in Persian, but it was so vague that I couldn’t understand its meaning.”

“He wrote it in Persian? Try writing it.”

With that, Mok Gyeong-un picked up the brush and wrote a word.

[شمشیر روح]

‘!?’

Seeing this, the Shadow Clan Master frowned.

Then he soon opened his mouth and muttered,

“Blade of the Soul?”

That’s what it would be if directly translated from Persian.

What does this mean?

After pondering for a moment, he spoke as if he had realized something,

“Ghost… Blade?”

The Blade of the Soul could also be called the Ghost Blade.

If it was according to the sentence he had left, the only thing that immediately came to mind was the Ghost Blade, one of the Eight Stars who was called the current supreme master of the martial arts world.

At the Shadow Clan Master’s speculation, the corner of Mok Gyeong-un’s mouth curled up.

‘Ha!’

Seeing this, Cheong-ryeong sincerely clicked her tongue.

What a truly absurd guy.

He created a plausible lie based on the information he knew, matching the Shadow Clan Master’s reactions, and now he was leading the situation as he intended.

‘… He intends to make this ball-less search for the Ghost Blade.’