Memoir of a Regressor - Chapter 63

WeTried Translations

Translator/Editor: Alyo

Discord: https://dsc.gg/wetried

◈ Memoir of a Regressor ◈

Chapter 63: Chicken New Year

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Silence fell.

Master said, “I want to hear the full story.”

“You've already put one up, but please add another layer to the qi barrier.”

“Very well.”

The air around us grew heavy.

I slowly continued.

What had happened in the past, my death, and the events after my regression.

As I recounted these events, I asked a question.

I was certain it had been because of the necklace Master had given me. So why was Master not wearing that necklace now?

Master tilted her head instead.

“A necklace? What necklace are you talking about?”

“It had no gem hanging from it. You said it was a keepsake, then gave it to me and said it would save my life once.”

Distrust appeared on Master's face.

To ordinary people, it would have looked completely expressionless. Not to me.

That was why I was puzzled as well.

“...You look as though you don't understand it either.”

“...Yes. I don't. I have always thought that necklace was the reason for my regression. How can you not know about it?”

“Doesn't it occur to you that I may be pretending not to know?”

“No.”

“...It seems you know me quite well.”

“Yes.”

“...Whether the power of fate has intervened, or beings who regard this world as a toy are watching you and me, I do not know. Still, since you say you came back through time, I will let that pass for now.”

My doubts had not disappeared, but there was nothing to be done.

It was something neither Master nor I knew right now.

Someday, it would be revealed. When that time came, I would learn the truth.

What mattered was that Master suspected me.

I had to clear that up first.

Master asked, “I looked into you separately. You have killed a great many people.”

“Yes.”

“And only the weak, at that.”

The weak.

By Master's standards, everyone in this world would be weak.

I answered quietly, “That is different.”

“Not true? How so?”

“I did not kill them because they were weak. I killed them because they had to die.”

“Yet among those you killed in the Yi Clan, there were those who were little more than ordinary people.”

Master was surely talking about the General Stewards.

“I have no regrets. They did things worthy of death, so I killed them.”

I did not make pathetic excuses about how they had disregarded me in the past, or how the Grand Steward, the General Stewards, and even the porters had all looked down on and ostracized me.

They were worth killing, so I killed them.

I had no intention of killing them if they did not cross the line. I had not intended to carry the past with me, but they kept crossing it.

They struggled desperately for me to kill them, so I did.

“What if they had been masters of the Creation Realm?”

“Nothing would have changed.”

I had nothing to be ashamed of.

“Whether I was at the Circulation Realm while they were at the Creation Realm, the Divine Entrance Realm, or the Divine Transformation Realm, I would have swung my sword if they did things worthy of death. If I lacked the strength, I would have laid plans and created the right circumstances. One way or another, I would have settled those debts and grudges.”

“It would be meaningless. How would that be any different from suicide?”

“It would be different.”

“How?”

“Because I would have no regrets.”

“...”

“I do not want to leave behind regrets. If I stopped swinging my sword just because their realm was higher than mine, I would be too ashamed to hold my head high. If that happened, I would go into some deserted mountain and kill myself. I would rather die than stop swinging my sword.”

“That is the difference?”

“Yes. I have vowed to live without regrets, and I will act only in ways I can be proud of.”

A gentle smile formed on Master's lips. It was a smile I had missed terribly, a smile I had longed to see.

“...I think I understand why I accepted you as my disciple.”

“May I ask you something now?”

“Go ahead.”

“Who exactly is your enemy?”

“...”

“In the past, though it would be the future from this point onward, you did not stay at the safe house often for the next ten years. You went somewhere every day and always returned wounded. Whenever I asked what had happened, you never answered.”

“If I did not tell you, would there not have been a reason?”

“I want to know.”

Master looked at me for a while, then shook her head.

“It is improper to begin a bond this way, and it is also improper to continue speaking of things I do not know. Yet the fact that you have come back through time makes it understandable.”

“...”

“That is precisely why I cannot tell you any more.”

“...Do you understand?”

“Understand what?”

“That the Master from my past did not tell me about those things.”

“I understand.”

“...”

“It seems the Master who taught you cherished you greatly.”

“I know that.”

“If you know, would it not be right not to ask any further?”

I shook my head.

“I cherish you just as deeply. That is why I want to know.”

“...This is difficult. Very difficult.”

Master reached out and gripped my shoulder. Strength slowly entered that hand.

“From now on, tell me everything without hiding anything.”

“Yes.”

“When you died, what realm had you reached?”

“The Creation Realm.”

“...What?”

“I was at the Creation Realm, but it was close to the Divine Entrance Realm.”

It had been a long time since I had seen Master truly flustered.

“...My disciple...”

“Yes. I had reached only that realm.”

“...Then you could not have been among the ten greatest masters under heaven.”

I shook my head.

“I was one of the Ten Greatest Masters Under Heaven.”

“...And what realms had the other Ten Greatest Masters Under Heaven reached?”

“All of them were at the Divine Transformation Realm. Some had only entered it, while others had reached its end, but every last one was at the Divine Transformation Realm.”

“...So, while at the Creation Realm, you fought six masters who had reached the Divine Transformation Realm and killed three?”

“Yes.”

“How many rings did you form?”

“Nine.”

Master was greatly startled. The hand on my shoulder fell away.

“...You are insane.”

“...Pardon?”

“You foolish boy. If I had been your Master, I would have told you this. At the Creation Realm, form no more than four rings. At the Divine Entrance Realm, five. At the Divine Transformation Realm, six.”

“You did tell me, but... I was in a hurry.”

Master's expression remained full of amazement.

“...You formed nine rings at the Creation Realm? Impressive. I am more surprised that your body endured it.”

“Is that praise?”

“It is.”

“Thank you.”

Master gave a small laugh and took a step back.

With an interested look, Master watched me closely.

“Are you still curious?”

“I was curious until the day I died. I still am.”

A small smile formed on my lips.

It was a little awkward, but a smile was still a smile.

“However, you must have your reasons for not telling me. I will not ask again.”

Master stared at me with an odd look, then said casually, “In Jeok Nation, there is a festival held without fail on the day before the new year. Do you know of it?”

“Yes, I do. The Chicken New Year Festival. To drive away the dark energy of the old year and prepare for the coming new year, people slaughter and eat chickens.”

Lighting her pipe, Master continued slowly.

“The imperial palace's keepers feed the chickens at the Hour of the Snake every day. What do you think the chickens believe? Since feed arrives at the Hour of the Snake each day, it becomes an absolute truth to them.”

I did not understand what Master meant, but I listened.

“Among the chickens were those who wielded blades, those who wielded swords, those who wrote, those who bought and sold goods, and all the rest. Their chicken emperor said he had discovered the truth that food came down every day at the Hour of the Snake. The next day, feed fell from the sky at the Hour of the Snake. The day after that, it was the same. And the next day, and the day after that. It became an absolute truth, the law of the chickens' world.”

“...”

“It was an ordinary day. When the Hour of the Snake came, the chicken emperor told everyone that food would soon descend, so they should prepare themselves. But that day was the last day of the year. Instead of feed, blades came down and cut off the chickens' heads. Every single one.”

Master wore an expression of genuine pity.

“Do you understand what I am trying to say?”

“Are you saying I should not be deceived?”

Master smiled.

“You are clever. It was not the answer I wanted, but it was an answer beyond it. Yes, do not be deceived. Walk your path and do not bend your resolve. Do not doubt it. See it through.”

“...I want to hear more.”

“No. I cannot tell you anything beyond this.”

“Would it be enough if I prove myself?”

“Prove yourself?”

“The reason you will not tell me the truth is because I am weak, is it not?”

“No.”

“This is frustrating.”

“Even so, there is nothing to be done. This is solely my mission, and it is something only I can do.”

“...”

“In exchange, I have been called the Martial World's Public Enemy and left without a place in this world. But that is all right. Even if everyone else in this world does not know the reason, you will.”

“Is it because you do not wish to have regrets?”

“That is right.”

Master's smile was warm.

“I find myself curious about something. What was my end like?”

I closed my eyes.

I could still remember that day vividly.

“It was a rainy day. On a day of torrential rain, you entered the safe house in Yonggwang Town, Yan Kingdom, covered in wounds.”

“Wounds?”

“Yes. Your dantian had been shattered. You had lost one arm, four toes from your right foot, and one eye. Reduced to an ordinary person, you shivered from the cold in my arms.”

“Was that my end?”

“From that day onward, you lived with me in the safe house for exactly five days before passing away.”

“What was I like? Was I smiling?”

“Yes. You said you were satisfied, that you had lived without regrets. And you told me to conceal your death and, as much as possible, hide the fact that I was your disciple.”

A bright smile spread across Master's lips.

“You... really were telling the truth.”

It was not as though I had failed to notice that Master had continued to suspect me. But that was Master's freedom. I understood it well enough.

Some stranger suddenly appeared and claimed to have regressed. Who would believe that?

From the moment I told Master about her final days, all suspicion vanished completely.

“That is enough. This meeting with you has been a great help to me. I was a little tired, but... I feel invigorated again.”

Master looked at me quietly. I looked back.

“It is not because I do not trust you. You and every other martial artist in this world would have a difficult time if you learned that truth.”

“Is that so?”

“It is. And... you are harboring something interesting in your dantian.”

When I explained that it was a spiritual medicine I had acquired from the Yi Clan, Master was greatly surprised again.

“To be honest, that was one reason I had not entirely cast aside my doubts. But now that I see it... it is fate.”

“Do you know what this is?”

“I do. But find out for yourself. There is a special pleasure in learning it little by little.”

I tilted my head.

I did not think so.

“Let us meet every year on the last day of the year, the day people eat chickens.”

“Will you come find me?”

“Yes. Wherever you are, I will find you. There are still many things I want to hear.”

“There is much I still need to learn from you.”

“No, I do not think so. You have learned everything I have to teach. You merely made a few foolish mistakes.”

“...”

“Remember this. At the Creation Realm, no more than four rings. At the Divine Entrance Realm, five. At the Divine Transformation Realm, six. If you exceed those numbers, your upper dantian will cease communicating with the world and close itself off. Your growth will stop.”

Master brushed a hand over my still shoulder.

“Remember this as well. Do not make Natural Qi your primary force. You must make only Properly Aligned Qi your primary force.”

“Why?”

“It has to do with the laws.”

“...”

“In this false world, where possibilities are limited, the only truth is Properly Aligned Qi. Never doubt Properly Aligned Qi. See it through to the end. Do you understand?”

“Yes, Master.”

“And the Asura Heaven-Breaking Five Arts...”

“I have learned them all, and I can even manifest them.”

The smile on Master's lips deepened.

“I want to tell you an interesting fact.”

“I am listening.”

“In nearly six hundred years, only two martial artists have reached the Limitless Realm.”

I nodded. Master tilted her head.

“It appears you already knew.”

“Yes, I did.”

“One of them is me. The other is Jeok Mu-je, the founder of Kunlun.”

Master placed a hand on my shoulder.