WeTried Translations
Translator/Editor: Alyo
Discord: https://dsc.gg/wetried
◈ Memoir of a Regressor ◈
Chapter 22: The Thousand-Faced Assassin
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Yi Won and Lady Yun, who entered the bedchamber a beat later, could see it.
The first thing they saw was a man lying on the bed.
His bloodshot eyes were wide open, yet he did not move in the slightest. As though he had vomited a considerable amount of blood, several places around him were stained red.
It was Yi Se-geuk.
He was clearly dead.
Yi Do was looking down at him.
Though they could see only his back, the two knew what Yi Do had done before entering this bedchamber.
The Jang Clan martial artists who had occupied the Yi Clan numbered two hundred in total.
Yi Do had killed fifty of them alone.
He had cut them down mercilessly on his way to the Clan Head's Hall, and now, here...
Someone swallowed hard.
Two more corpses lay nearby.
Jang Mak-su and Jang Un-ryong.
...It was not the right time for such a question, but one came to mind.
Who had killed Yi Se-geuk?
Lady Sang had poisoned him, but could the one who finished him off possibly have been the youngest son standing there?
The dead could not be held accountable for their crimes.
Which meant there was no choice but to see the Clan Head's death as Yi Do's unilateral decision.
Without even turning around, Yi Do spoke quietly.
“Is everything settled?”
“...Yes. It is.”
“You did well, Second Mother.”
“...Speak.”
“As of today, Second Brother is no longer the Young Clan Head. He has become the Clan Head of the Yi Clan.”
“...”
“Please prepare the succession ceremony.”
“...I will.”
Yi Won, who had remained silent, asked, “What will you do with the Jang Clan?”
As if wondering why he even had to ask, Yi Do answered, “We’ll wipe them out.”
“...”
“Tell the martial artists to rest for four hours.”
“...Will that be enough?”
Yi Do turned his head.
His cold eyes fixed directly on Yi Won.
“The road here was difficult, and they have already fought one battle. If they immediately fight another, it will not be a proper battle.”
“...”
“But this is not the time to stop. Four hours is more than enough. I will circulate my qi for a while, so go and encourage the soldiers. You are the Clan Head of this family now, are you not?”
There was no doubt that he would become Clan Head.
Yet somehow, it felt as though he was Clan Head without truly being Clan Head.
Yi Won did not show it.
“Understood. I will do so.”
Yi Won and Lady Yun left the room.
Left alone, Yi Do rose, then paused.
A ledger lay on the floor.
He picked it up.
He was somewhat curious.
The Yi Clan was undoubtedly wealthy, yet it had always been strangely stingy with its spending. Yi Do had wondered whether they were hiding all their money in some vault, so he silently opened the ledger.
He skimmed through it.
“...Material costs?”
Like Jang Mak-su, Yi Do sensed something strange.
The amount made no sense.
It was deeply suspicious, but he set it aside for now.
He could investigate it after dealing with the Jang Clan.
He sat down cross-legged.
He emptied all the spiritual medicines brought from the Sang-un Trading Company into his mouth, along with the Golden Pellet Elixir he had acquired while raiding the Sang-un Trading Company before.
He could delay no longer.
His body and mind were already prepared.
Using the spiritual medicine’s energy, he would force open every remaining blocked meridian and enter the Four Qi-Cultivation Realms.
Four hours would be enough.
He closed his eyes.
About seven and a half minutes passed.
A masked man in tight-fitting clothes slipped silently into the bedchamber.
He looked at Yi Do, seated cross-legged, then concealed himself against the wall.
* * *
While all of Jangnyeong County was in an uproar, the Hyeokri Clan was grimly quiet.
Hyeokri Wonpyeong looked at his second son, who lay in the bedchamber as if dead.
He was breathing.
He was simply asleep.
The question was fundamental.
Why had Hyeokri Wonpyeong not joined the Jang Clan in attacking the Yi Clan?
He was cautious by nature, but the Yi Clan had practically been empty. If the Jang Clan’s forces and the Hyeokri Clan’s strength joined together, they could have swept away not only Yi Do but every remaining force in the Yi Clan.
Even if they came up empty-handed, it was worth trying. Their chances had been far too high.
Yet Hyeokri Wonpyeong had canceled every plan.
He had no choice.
A man had paid him a visit.
The man had approached without a sound and held a blade to Hyeokri Wonpyeong’s throat.
Hyeokri Wonpyeong had asked who he was.
The man had answered that it did not matter, then told him this.
“Leave the Yi Clan alone.”
His voice was deep and heavy. Even from behind him, Hyeokri Wonpyeong could feel an overwhelming presence.
“...Who are you, sir?”
“I said that does not matter. Hyeokri Wonpyeong, I do not want Jangnyeong County to become any more chaotic. Cancel every plan. In other words, do not make an enemy of him.”
“...But our chances of victory are high...”
“Do you truly think your chances are high?”
“...”
“Even I cannot gauge his limits. Unlike you, who have frozen in fear, he regarded my killing intent as a joke. You and he are fundamentally made of different stuff. You act differently. You think differently.”
Hyeokri Wonpyeong could not understand what he was saying.
He swallowed hard.
He wanted to live.
The man behind him continued in an emotionless voice.
“I give you my word. If the Hyeokri Clan interferes in the Yi Clan’s fight, you will certainly die. Your second son lying over there was only struck in a sleeping acupoint, but next time, he will die without me even needing to strike a fatal acupoint. I will leave it to your imagination who will kill him.”
The blade at his throat withdrew.
Hyeokri Wonpyeong turned around.
There was no one there.
Then the man’s voice pierced his mind.
“Remember this.”
And just like that, he disappeared.
That was why Hyeokri Wonpyeong had canceled the plan.
His hands trembled.
What kind of formidable master would defend the Yi Clan?
“...Myo Man-ri? No, it cannot be him.”
He clutched his head.
Then who was it?
His head began to ache.
* * *
I opened my eyes.
At the same time, I turned my head.
I looked toward a wall that appeared empty and casually said, “Didn’t you say you would never return to the martial world?”
A man slowly emerged from the shadowed wall, where nothing had been visible.
He wore a mask. His entire build was remarkably slender. If I had not known his identity, I would have believed he was someone else entirely.
“I did not intend to return, but the first disciple I ever accepted begged and pleaded with me.”
He did not remove his mask, but his voice was unmistakable.
Hwang No-baek, the Thousand-Faced Assassin.
“Jo Hyeon?”
“Yes. He made such a fuss, begging me to go help you... Tch. So I moved for the first time in a while.”
“Is that so? Thank you for standing guard while I cultivated. I will reward you generously later.”
“There is no need. You already gave me enough money to open the inn, so I will consider this repaying that favor.”
I slowly rose to my feet. Hwang No-baek continued.
“You may not know, so I should tell you. I dealt with the Hyeokri Clan, who had been plotting alongside the Jang Clan.”
“You did something unnecessary.”
“...Good grief. How much blood do you need to see before you stop?”
I ignored him and examined the wound on my abdomen.
It had not healed perfectly, but it was far better than before.
That was only natural.
I had now opened my Ren and Du meridians. That was not all. Another small dantian had formed in the middle of my solar plexus, and with that, I had fully entered the Four Qi-Cultivation Realms.
As I opened my Ren and Du meridians, I used the remaining spiritual medicines to heal the wounds within my body, as well as the external ones.
Naturally, my internal injuries had been more severe than my external ones, so there had not been enough medicinal energy to heal every external wound. Even so, I was satisfied.
“It defies common sense, but... congratulations on reaching the Four Qi-Cultivation Realms.”
“Thank you.”
“But are you not seventeen this year?”
“I am. Is there a problem?”
“A problem... Yes, there is. I have never heard of a rising martial artist entering the Four Qi-Cultivation Realms at that age.”
I laughed.
“Just because you have never heard of it does not mean such people do not exist. I know someone who entered the Four Qi-Cultivation Realms at twelve and the Four Realms of Heaven and Earth at eighteen.”
Hwang No-baek was greatly shocked.
“...Such a person exists?”
“They do.”
“...”
“By the way, do you truly have no intention of returning to the martial world?”
“If I do, it might interfere with my cooking.”
“I see. Then that is enough. I will visit the inn before long, so go.”
“...Honestly, you are impossible to understand. Then I will be going.”
Just as Hwang No-baek was about to leave, he paused as if he had forgotten something and spoke to me.
“One of the Emperor Sword Sect’s people has visited the Jang Clan.”
“So?”
Hwang No-baek shook his head in exasperation.
“...If you provoke the Emperor Sword Sect as well, even I will not be able to help you. If the Emperor Sword Sect floods into Jangnyeong County, then no matter how much Jo Hyeon asks, I will turn away.”
I adjusted my clothes and spoke in a low voice.
“Hwang No-baek.”
“Yes, Young Master.”
“Have I ever asked you to help me?”
“...No.”
“I never will. What I do has nothing to do with you. Jo Hyeon is one of my people, but he is also yours. There will be bloodshed around me, so I will not stop you if you wish to step into this, but I will not force you. Do you understand what I mean?”
“...”
“If the Emperor Sword Sect chooses to meddle in the debts and grudges that have already taken shape, I will destroy the Emperor Sword Sect as well. They may have started the fight, but whether it ends or not is for me to decide. And I will not stop until I have crushed the sprouts.”
“...Young Master. May I say something?”
“Say it.”
“A sword that is too straight will inevitably break someday.”
“If I bend, I will be left with regret.”
“Would it not be better to live with regret than to die?”
I shook my head.
“How can I bend when I seek to live without regret? Even if I break and shatter, I will never bend. That is my martial path.”
“...You may walk the Path of Hegemony and fall into the Demonic Way.”
“If I have not fallen, what does it matter whether it is the Path of Hegemony or the Demonic Way?”
As if he had gained a great realization from those words, Hwang No-baek let out a strange sound of admiration.
“...You are clearly seventeen, but are you perhaps an old master who has undergone Rejuvenation?”
The absurdity of it made me laugh.
“If you are going to say nonsense, then leave.”
“Yes, I will. Honestly... I do not know either. Come to the inn when everything is over. I will make you the Dongpo pork I meant to serve you before.”
“Very well.”
Hwang No-baek disappeared.
I began walking slowly.
The Yi Clan martial artists stood ready.
Yi Won was there as well, his expression somewhat flushed with excitement.
“Are the preparations complete?”
Yi Won answered in a slightly excited voice.
“Yes, they are.”
“Then let us depart at once.”
Our destination was the Jang Clan.
Footnotes:
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