Memoir of a Regressor - Chapter 46

WeTried Translations

Translator/Editor: Alyo

Discord: https://dsc.gg/wetried

◈ Memoir of a Regressor ◈

Chapter 46: Influence

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Bang Jeong-cheong, a member of the Medical Classics Pavilion, could only stare blankly at the scene before him.

Where was this?

The headquarters of the Asura Sword Sect.

And yet, the main gate of the Medical Classics Pavilion at the Asura Sword Sect headquarters had been smashed to pieces.

He stared blankly at the scattered wooden fragments before suddenly coming to his senses.

Bang Jeong-cheong shouted angrily.

“What do you think you’re doing?!”

There were two men.

He did not know one of them, but he knew the other. That man had come earlier to collect the Three Phoenix Branch’s cultivation resources and five Asura Pills.

Myeong-hyeon.

That made the identity of the man standing before him obvious.

He had to be Yi Do, the new Branch Leader of the Three Phoenix Branch, a man with the terrifying epithet Cruel Demonic Way.

Bang Jeong-cheong approached him.

“Have you lost your... No, what are you doing right now? You broke the Medical Classics Pavilion’s gate.”

Then he remembered that Yi Do was an unofficial Protector brought in by Great Elder Myo Man-ri.

His position was higher than Bang Jeong-cheong had expected. He should speak respectfully.

Yi Do looked down at him with a smile.

“I received the cultivation resources. Is this right?”

“...Pardon?”

“I completed a red mission and handled it perfectly. Five Asura Pills are all I get?”

Bang Jeong-cheong could understand why Yi Do was angry. Still, this was the Asura Sword Sect.

“...There are only four branch members, including you, Branch Leader. We judged that any additional cultivation resources would be wasteful. Also, although you completed a red mission, you crossed the border and destroyed the Kang Clan. We found that excessive. Considering both the merit of what happened at Seok Manor and the fault of destroying the Kang Clan, we judged it appropriate to give you the standard reward for a red mission.”

At first glance, it sounded reasonable.

But while Yi Do had spent only a few months in the martial world in this life, his previous life had been different. He had trained under his master for ten years and spent another twenty active in the martial world.

He had at least twenty years of experience.

He was no fool.

“Why are you making that judgment?”

“...Pardon?”

“The branch having four members is no excuse. I hear every branch receives cultivation resources for twenty people every fortnight, one way or another. Excluding this case, I was told this is the first time in the Asura Sword Sect’s two-hundred-year history that a branch has received less, aside from three or four cases during difficult times. Did Myeong-hyeon lie to me, then? Or are you lying to me now?”

“...That is...”

“Myeong-hyeon would have to be insane to lie to me. Then it must be you. Second, why does a nobody like you get to judge the merit and fault of destroying the Kang Clan?”

“...Pardon?”

“A mere member of the Medical Classics Pavilion acts as though he can toy with the Sword Sect’s laws. Is your judgment above that of the Sword Sect? The more I think about it, the more absurd it becomes. Those bastards plotted against the Asura Sword Sect. Destroying them was the right thing to do. What happened at Seok Manor and the Kang Clan cannot end with five Asura Pills.”

That was not all.

“Third, the Asura Pavilion Master said the Medical Classics Pavilion had been informed beforehand. Did the Asura Pavilion Master tell you to give us cultivation resources for four people and only the standard five Asura Pills for the red mission?”

That was not the case.

Asura Pavilion Master Sang-gwan Yeon-hwi had clearly said this.

Give them cultivation resources for twenty people, and because they had handled the red mission so perfectly it was worthy of admiration, add ten Asura Pills to the standard five.

Bang Jeong-cheong had overturned that decision.

He was the leading candidate for the next Deputy Pavilion Lord and was very close to the Pavilion Lord. The Pavilion Lord had close ties with Elder Chodong, and Elder Chodong did not care for Yi Do.

Bang Jeong-cheong had acted out of loyalty to Elder Chodong.

Besides, the Medical Classics Pavilion held more influence within the Asura Sword Sect than people realized.

Martial artists fought and got hurt all the time, and they were injured while training as well. They needed treatment one way or another. The Medical Classics Pavilion was one of the Asura Sword Sect’s most essential organizations.

Bang Jeong-cheong had trusted in that.

“I apologize, but there is nothing to be done. We will overlook you breaking the gate, so please return to the Three Phoenix Branch.”

Yi Do’s smile deepened.

“And if I refuse?”

“...Then we will have to call people and throw you out.”

“Does it take a long time to call them?”

“...Pardon?”

“It must. I’ll save you some time.”

Bang Jeong-cheong did not understand.

More precisely, he was not given time to understand.

Squelch!

Yi Do’s fist pierced Bang Jeong-cheong’s solar plexus.

“Cough...”

Yi Do immediately pulled his fist out, grabbed Bang Jeong-cheong by the hair, and spoke.

“In your next life, learn when you may overstep and when you may not.”

That was the end.

Yi Do immediately threw Bang Jeong-cheong. His body flew not toward the broken gate, but toward the stone wall beside it.

Craaaash!

A thunderous crash rang out as the wall collapsed.

Bang Jeong-cheong’s body was flung outside with the rubble. His head had burst apart completely, and his body did not move in the slightest.

Yi Do turned.

His icy gaze swept across the Medical Classics Pavilion.

“Is the Medical Classics Pavilion a department important enough to treat the Asura Sword Sect’s laws as a joke?”

For all Yi Do’s reckless behavior, he understood propriety. He had no intention of declaring himself a Protector only days after joining the Asura Sword Sect.

He had planned to start as a Branch Leader, gain experience, learn everything about the Asura Sword Sect’s internal factions, and then make his move.

But that changed things.

How dare they lay hands on what was his?

“What should an organization do for a martial artist who has done his utmost for it?”

Yi Do was serious. He might not know the Asura Sword Sect in detail, but he knew how the world worked.

For a sect to fulfill its role properly, it had to treat its martial artists properly. No matter how divided the factions were or how different their personalities and dispositions might be, once they belonged to the same sect, they had to move forward together, whether they liked it or not.

Even if they wanted to beat each other to death or throw each other out, there were basic lines that had to be observed.

Promises could not be treated lightly. That was how the relationship between an organization and its members ought to be.

It was basic.

Dense killing intent burst from Yi Do’s eyes.

“Bring me the cultivation resources and the proper reward for the red mission.”

He placed a hand on the Cloud Dragon Sword at his waist.

“I will count to ten. If you do not bring them by then, I will consider every one of you the same as that worm outside and kill you all.”

* * *

People changed depending on whether they belonged to a group or stood alone.

Those within the Sword Sect thought of Yi Do, Cruel Demonic Way.

Honestly, it was not an epithet suited to either the unorthodox or orthodox factions.

It was unmistakably an epithet of the Demonic Way.

That in itself proved that his methods were cruel and his disposition decisive, but they thought he would change a little once he belonged to an organization.

He had arrived and resolved the matter at Seok Manor, then dealt with the Kang Clan as well. His work had been incredibly clean.

Yet everyone had assumed that was only how Yi Do dealt with enemies outside the Sword Sect.

No one had imagined he would act that way within the Asura Sword Sect too.

The Medical Classics Pavilion descended into chaos.

The Pavilion Lord was currently away on a journey, leaving only the Deputy Pavilion Lord within the Sword Sect. Yi Ji-seok, the Deputy Pavilion Lord, had personally gone to treat the ailing Elder Dang Seo-han. Just as he finished the treatment and stepped out of the Elders’ Hall, a Pavilion member ran toward him.

“Deputy Pavilion Lord!”

“Lower your voice. This is the Elders’ Hall...”

“The Three Phoenix Branch Leader is turning the Medical Classics Pavilion upside down!”

“What... did you say?”

“Three Pavilion members have already died.”

Yi Ji-seok’s hands began to tremble.

That bastard.

“Let us go at once.”

When Yi Ji-seok arrived at the Medical Classics Pavilion, he saw a man holding a bundle full of cultivation resources and a pouch.

The bundle contained roughly enough resources for a branch to use for fifteen days, and the pouch appeared to hold around fifteen Asura Pills.

Then Yi Ji-seok saw four Pavilion members cut in half, two with their hearts pierced, and one with his head blown apart and limbs grotesquely twisted, embedded in a pile of rocks.

Every Pavilion member was kneeling and trembling.

Yi Ji-seok’s beard quivered.

He had heard three people were dead.

There were seven.

“You... insane bastard! What have you done?!”

Yi Do stared at him for a moment before abruptly asking, “Are you the Deputy Pavilion Lord of the Medical Classics Pavilion?”

“Yes! I am! You mad bastard, you killed members of the Medical Classics Pavilion! What did these innocent people do wrong?!”

“Do you not know what they did wrong?”

“...What?”

“Time spent training is not the only thing martial artists need to raise their realm. They also need cultivation resources and spiritual medicine to shorten that time. Yet the Medical Classics Pavilion did not give the Sword Sect’s martial artists their proper rewards. On top of that, it made its own judgment about their merits, as if it stood above the Asura Sword Sect’s laws. Does that not suggest another motive?”

“Another... motive?”

“There is a high chance that goods belonging to the Sword Sect have been diverted elsewhere. It is enough to make me think a large-scale inspection is needed.”

“What are you even talking about...?!”

Yi Do brushed back his hair and slowly walked toward Yi Ji-seok.

Blood dripped from the Cloud Dragon Sword onto the ground.

“Deputy Pavilion Lord Yi Ji-seok.”

“...A mere Branch Leader dares speak to me...”

“I am not here as a Branch Leader. I am here as a Protector.”

“...”

“Kind words beget kind words. How can I speak kindly, only to receive words like that?”

Yi Ji-seok swallowed.

He was the Deputy Pavilion Lord of the Medical Classics Pavilion, but his martial realm was not particularly high. Branch Leaders of the Asura Sword Sect were appointed only from masters at the Three Flowers Gather at the Crown Realm or above.

Honestly, when it came to martial prowess, Yi Ji-seok was like a candle flame in the wind.

“If you mouth off one more time, I will tear you apart and kill you. Do you understand?”

“...Yes. I understand.”

“Good. Fortunately, the Pavilion members understood quickly. I was able to settle this by killing only seven worms who were harming the Asura Sword Sect’s property.”

“...”

“Do you have anything to say about that?”

Yi Ji-seok was about to voice the thoughts on his mind, but Yi Do’s cold eyes seemed to pierce his heart.

...No. This was not right. He could not do it.

Unlike some people, Yi Ji-seok was quick to judge a situation.

“...It seems there was a misunderstanding.”

“A misunderstanding?”

“The Asura Pavilion Master instructed us to provide fifteen Asura Pills and enough cultivation resources to feed twenty branch members for a fortnight. It appears the message became distorted while being passed along.”

“Is that so?”

“Yes. Or perhaps, as you said, Bang Jeong-cheong had other intentions without my knowledge. But the fault of a subordinate is also the fault of his superior. First, I would like to apologize for causing you trouble.”

Yi Do’s expression relaxed.

“That is fortunate.”

“Yes. Please wait a moment. You there, go bring three more Asura Pills.”

The Pavilion member who had been pointed out immediately hurried to the storeroom and returned with three Asura Pills.

“How could a martial artist apologize with words alone? I have not reached a great realm in martial arts as you have, Yi Do, so I will make amends with what I do best.”

Yi Ji-seok accepted the three Asura Pills and handed them to Yi Do.

“I hope this helps ease your displeasure.”

A smile formed at Yi Do’s lips. It was different from the killing-intent-filled smile he had shown until now.

It was quite warm.

“It is truly fortunate that the Deputy Pavilion Lord of our Medical Classics Pavilion is such a reasonable man.”

Yi Do placed a hand on Yi Ji-seok’s shoulder as Yi Ji-seok smiled awkwardly.

“Still, as you said, the fault of a subordinate is also the fault of his superior. How terribly must you have managed them for a subordinate to make decisions on his own? More importantly, with the Pavilion Lord absent, all responsibility falls upon the Deputy Pavilion Lord. Am I wrong?”

“You are... completely correct.”

Yi Do might have been reckless, but he had enough sense to judge matters reasonably.

Based on what Myeong-hyeon had told him, the Medical Classics Pavilion had factions as well.

The Deputy Pavilion Lord before him was an exception within those factions. He had attained his position through ability alone and stood opposed to the Pavilion Lord.

Yi Do could not hold even a man like that responsible.

But he could warn him.

“Good. I will let this pass for now, but if anything like this happens one more time, I will kill you first without considering anything else.”

“...”

“You will have plenty to say, but I will not listen. I will simply kill you. Then I will kill the Pavilion Lord of the Medical Classics Pavilion too. Changing rewards however one pleases because one does not like someone? They would have no grounds to complain even if they were killed. Do you understand what I am saying?”

“...I understand.”

“Good. Then go clean up that trash. A sacred place like the Medical Classics Pavilion should not be tainted by the stench of such worms. Would you not agree?”

“You are... correct.”

Yi Do patted Yi Ji-seok’s shoulder.

“I was worried the position of Deputy Pavilion Lord of the Medical Classics Pavilion might become vacant today as well.”

Yi Ji-seok could not stop swallowing.

What was this absurd pressure?

Myeong-hyeon, who had silently watched the situation unfold, unconsciously wiped a hand over his face.

Thinking about it, Yi Do was certainly reckless, but he was not without justification.

His methods were excessive, but they were undeniably the most effective.

Holding people accountable with death, when that method was paired with firm principles, eventually became influence.

No matter how impressive the Medical Classics Pavilion was, it was only one of the Asura Sword Sect’s many departments.

It was the Medical Classics Pavilion, not Yi Do, that had crossed the line today.

That was clear.

Procedure was important too, but not in this case.

The Asura Pavilion Master had already informed the Medical Classics Pavilion. Fifteen Asura Pills and cultivation resources for twenty people.

Who had completely ignored that?

It was better for the Medical Classics Pavilion to end the matter here.

If they truly followed the proper procedures, they would have to face not Yi Do, but the Asura Pavilion Master. They might even have to face the Sect Leader himself.

Myeong-hyeon could guarantee that if it went that far, the Medical Classics Pavilion might be torn apart entirely.

He glanced at Bang Jeong-cheong, embedded in the rubble.

That bastard had trusted Elder Chodong too much.

He had apparently thought Yi Do would submit and bow to Elder Chodong’s influence, but it had been a truly stupid choice. No matter how great Elder Chodong’s influence was, it did not stand above the Asura Sword Sect’s laws.

What an unusual man.

Myeong-hyeon felt strange.

As a hidden Shadow of the Emperor Sword Sect, he had seen the ugly sides of famous figures again and again. He looked at Yi Do with a peculiar expression.

To put it bluntly, compared to those people, Yi Do was practically a saint.

At least Yi Do acted openly because he had nothing to hide. Those people moved in the shadows, plotting in secret.

Myeong-hyeon imagined it.

The Asura Sword Sect was clearly in turmoil. It valued the Path of Hegemony, but few actually walked that path.

It was full of problems from within. What would happen if Yi Do resolved them?

The position of Junior Sect Leader of the Asura Sword Sect had been vacant for a long time.

What if Yi Do took that position?

And what if he eventually became the Sect Leader of the Asura Sword Sect?

...I do not know.

He was a man Myeong-hyeon could not understand, no matter how much he tried. His next move was impossible to predict.

Myeong-hyeon gave Yi Do, who was approaching him, an awkward smile.

“Let us go.”