WeTried Translations
Translator/Editor: Alyo
Discord: https://dsc.gg/wetried
◈ Memoir of a Regressor ◈
Chapter 35: Descendant of Kunlun
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I had not expected much in the first place.
I was supposed to meet my master about two months from now. I would wander through the mountains, encounter my master by chance, and that would mark the beginning of our bond.
As far as I knew, my master had established a total of eight safe houses throughout the martial world. If my master was not here, there was a high chance my master would be elsewhere.
“I’m quite stunned.”
I raised my head at Cheon Yeo-bi’s words.
“To think that person would take in a disciple.”
I remained silent.
“...It is truly regrettable that we have no time for a deeper conversation.”
“Are you going to prepare a safe house?”
Cheon Yeo-bi blinked, then let out a hollow laugh.
“...I set aside my doubts after seeing you use that person’s martial arts, though I had not abandoned them completely. But if you even know about that... then there is no point in doubting you any longer. Yes, that is correct. I am going to prepare a safe house.”
There were not many people my master trusted in the martial world. Including Cheon Yeo-bi, there were at most four.
“More importantly, your appearance is rather... distinctive.”
I had forgotten that I was still wearing the face I had assumed through the Face-Changing Art.
“If you ever need my help, mention my name to the Heavenly Intelligence Gate and submit a Heaven-grade request. I’ll cover every expense, so do not worry.”
I shook my head.
Then I slowly touched my face. The features altered by the Face-Changing Art returned to normal. Cheon Yeo-bi stared at me, then visibly startled.
“........I’ve seen that face on a wanted poster.”
“Do you know what I did as well?”
“...Of course I do. Aren’t you the one behind the Jangnyeong County massacre that recently threw the martial world into an uproar? I heard you even provoked the authorities... I can handle the pursuers myself. As for the Golden Heaven Divine Sword, they must still be pursuing you. If you give the word, I can lay a trap and bury them for good.”
The loyalty was remarkable. The offer was tempting, but I did not accept it.
Cheon Yeo-bi was not my person. Cheon Yeo-bi was my master’s person. How could I use one of my master’s people as I pleased before I had even met my master?
That was no way for a disciple to show respect to a master. I would rather seize a passing martial artist or two and put them to work.
“I appreciate the sentiment, but that is as far as it goes. This is something I brought upon myself, something that began because of me. I alone must see it through to the end.”
“...As expected of that person’s disciple.”
“There is another favor I would like to ask.”
“Please, say whatever you wish.”
“If you meet my master, could you pass along a message?”
“Of course. What message should I pass along?”
“Tell my master this. ‘Our bond has begun anew by turning back time. I will come see you soon.’”
“I have committed it to memory. I will see it done.”
Cheon Yeo-bi gave a cupped-fist salute and turned away. After a moment, I stopped Cheon Yeo-bi.
“Cheon Yeo-bi.”
“Yes.”
“If you ever become involved with the Yin-Yang Divine Gate, avoid it. There is a high chance it is a trap.”
“...The Yin-Yang Divine Gate?”
“Whether you believe me is entirely your choice, but do not go. You will regret it.”
“...Thank you. Then I will keep my distance from the Yin-Yang Divine Gate.”
“Good.”
“I will be on my way.”
Cheon Yeo-bi descended the mountain.
I breathed heavily.
I had said countless times that everything had its proper time. This was no different.
It appeared that it was not yet time for me to meet my master.
After circulating my qi for a while, I descended the mountain as well.
There were two reasons I had come to Wi County.
One was to meet my master, and the other was to spend money.
I had failed at the first, but not the second.
Once I came down the mountain, I headed straight for the harbor.
As I looked around the port, my gaze stopped at one spot.
An elderly vendor sat behind a street stall.
At a glance, the elder looked like an ordinary civilian, but both the posture and bearing were exceptionally composed. This was not an outrageously powerful martial artist, but one who had clearly reached around the Circulation Realm.
I approached.
The elder raised their head and looked me over.
“If there’s something you want, buy it.”
I examined the stall.
There was a sword that looked as though it had been abandoned halfway through forging at some nearby smithy, an axe, armor riddled with holes, and a spear snapped in half.
Anyone who paid money for that stuff would be insane.
“I’d like to buy something proper.”
“There’s proper merchandise right there.”
“Not this garbage. I mean something truly good among the goods brought in through smuggling.”
The elder’s eyes sharpened.
“The Heavenly Forest representative is not due to arrive until tomorrow.”
“I did not come from the Heavenly Forest.”
“...What? You’re a real customer? Well then, where did you hear about this?”
“From a good source.”
“...”
“I will pay generously.”
“...I’ll need to see it first.”
Without a word, I pulled a pouch from my robes. Several hundred Gold Taels gleamed brilliantly inside. The elder broke into a broad grin.
“Hohohoho. You really are a customer. Good. Follow me.”
I silently followed.
The Heavenly Forest the elder and I had mentioned was an organization made up of scattered cells.
What did it do?
It operated black markets.
There were more than several dozen black markets throughout the martial world, and the Heavenly Forest operated around ten of them.
Even I did not know much about this force.
Still, I knew that a black market needed a source of goods to function.
I had come here to intercept some of the goods intended for a black market the Heavenly Forest was about to operate.
“Well... You were not sent directly by the Heavenly Forest, but the fact that you know who I am means you must be someone of note. Hey, ugly fellow.”
At first, I did not know who was being addressed.
“You. You. Why are you pretending you do not hear me?”
It was me.
“First, understand this. I prepared and sent them a list of the goods that were supposed to go to the Heavenly Forest. If some of those goods are missing, they will not sit quietly. So...”
“You want me to pay enough extra to justify the missing goods?”
“Exactly. I will not ask about your identity, so give me a proper share. That is all. Nothing difficult about it, is there?”
“Fine.”
The elder handed me a sheet of paper.
It contained a list of the goods the Heavenly Forest was to receive from this smuggling operation.
I read it from beginning to end.
Then I stopped at one item.
There was no need to think about it.
“I’ll take this.”
“...Five-Hundred-Year Ginseng? You picked something expensive. Can you see the price written there?”
“I can.”
“Two thousand Gold Taels. That would be around forty thousand Silver Taels. But as I said before, those two thousand Gold Taels are what I was supposed to receive from the Heavenly Forest. You will have to pay more than that... Did you not choose something a little too expensive? From the look of that pouch earlier, you have at most two hundred Gold Taels.”
I replied evenly.
“From the entrance to Wi County, look northeast. You will find five trees. Dig beneath the tree marked with a sword cut. There is money buried there.”
“...If you are lying, things may become quite complicated.”
“Send someone to check.”
“...Fine.”
The elder gestured behind them. Three men approached, all of them at the initial stage of the Four Qi-Cultivation Realms, at the Twin Sun Manifestation.
They were martial artists of a fairly high level for someone at the Circulation Realm to command. Yet they carried out every order, showed the elder proper respect, and left.
“It will not take long. Please wait a moment.”
I nodded.
About fifteen minutes passed.
The three men returned carrying a massive chest. After checking inside, the elder was greatly startled.
“...What the hell? Did you rob the imperial palace or something?”
It was a reasonable question.
The chest held roughly sixty thousand Silver Taels, along with around four hundred Gold Taels.
Converted entirely into gold, it amounted to around thirty-four hundred Gold Taels.
It was an enormous sum.
I had swept up all the remaining funds of the Yi Clan and the Hyeokri Clan. I had intended to come to Wi County from the beginning.
Even by carriage, one could not travel far with that much weight.
I needed to go somewhere close.
“That should be enough to pay for the Five-Hundred-Year Ginseng. May I take it now?”
The flustered elder said, “...Listen. Even if you are offering extra, you are going to take just one Five-Hundred-Year Ginseng for all this? Do you have no greed, or are you simply that generous?”
“Let’s say both.”
“...Well, I may be a merchant, but this will not do. When one gains too much, disaster is bound to follow.”
“So?”
“What do you mean, so? I should give you more.”
The elder began searching through a corner of the warehouse.
Then they glanced at me.
“What weapon do you use? A sword? Spear? Axe? Saber? Fists?”
“I’m not particular, but I use my fists and a sword.”
“...Fists and a sword... Hmm.”
After muttering to themself for a while, the elder headed into the warehouse across from us. They returned with a long object wrapped in cloth and tossed it to me.
I caught it and checked inside.
For the first time in a long while, I was deeply surprised.
...Why was this here?
It was about five feet long from hilt to tip.
The hilt was ordinary, but the blade was anything but. One side bore a dragon soaring into the sky, while the other showed a dragon plunging down to the earth.
I knew this sword’s name.
“The Cloud Dragon Sword.”
The elder was startled again.
“...You have exceptionally broad knowledge. That is right. It is said to be the sword once wielded by the Great Elder of the fallen Great Kunlun.”
Could coincidences truly overlap like this?
At this point, it had to be fate.
In my memories, the Cloud Dragon Sword was used by Bang Ju-hon, the Eight Immortals Sword and an Elder of the Emperor Sword Sect.
I had vaguely heard that Bang Ju-hon acquired it after killing some demonic martial artist... It seemed that a similar chain of events had occurred before Bang Ju-hon later acquired the sword.
I was about to intercept it without intending to.
I had no reason to refuse.
The Cloud Dragon Sword was a famed blade.
“That should make the price about right. What do you say?”
“I never expected to see this sword in a place like this, but fine.”
The elder handed me another bundle. Inside was ginseng glowing red.
It was unmistakably Five-Hundred-Year Ginseng.
“That concludes our deal.”
I nodded and turned around. As I opened the warehouse door to leave, the elder called after me.
“Take care, ugly fellow.”
I gave a faint chuckle.
Then I stopped dead.
The elder behind me stopped as well.
It made sense.
Before me, approximately thirty meters away, stood a masked man.
Like me, he wore a black gat, and his clothing was unusual as well.
His black robes were torn all over and stained here and there with blood.
Some of it was dried, and some was fresh.
He had clearly killed more than ten people at different times before coming here.
His eyes turned to the Cloud Dragon Sword in my hand.
“...Hand over that sword.”
I did not bother replying. Behind me, the elder muttered in a low voice.
“...Blood-Blood Asura... That damned bastard... Did he follow us all the way here?”
Only then did I remember.
Blood-Blood Asura.
He was the demonic fiend whom Bang Ju-hon, the Eight Immortals Sword of the Emperor Sword Sect, had pursued and eventually beheaded.
I could roughly see what had happened.
Blood-Blood Asura had originally attacked Wi County, seized the Cloud Dragon Sword, and wandered the martial world until Bang Ju-hon hunted him down and took the sword.
No wonder such excessive rewards had fallen into my hands when I had not even expected them.
I spoke to the elder.
“Did you not say that gaining too much brings disaster?”
“...That I did. Why?”
“You were right. You have escaped disaster today.”
“...?”
“Just remember that much.”
I showed the Cloud Dragon Sword to Blood-Blood Asura.
“Do you covet this sword?”
“I don’t covet it. It’s my sword. Bring it here.”
There were too many people around.
Hmm.
“Fine. Come take it.”
The instant I finished speaking, I sprang away.
Not forward, but backward.
“You bastard...!”
Blood-Blood Asura chased after me.
I kept running.
Once I entered a deserted forest, I looked around.
There was no one. Not even a wild animal.
I drew the Cloud Dragon Sword and swung it behind me.
Startled, Blood-Blood Asura drew his own sword and swung it as well.
BOOM-!!!
I slid one step back, while Blood-Blood Asura, who had blocked my sword, was driven back two steps. As if his hand were numb, Blood-Blood Asura clenched and unclenched it, then stared straight at my face.
He said, “...You really are damn ugly.”
Footnotes:
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