WeTried Translations
Translator/Editor: Alyo
Discord: https://dsc.gg/wetried
◈ Memoir of a Regressor ◈
Chapter 75: Proposal
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The treasure belonged to the White Spirit Medical Clan, so why had some outsider suddenly come and attained enlightenment?
Ha.
Yang Il let out a hollow laugh. Their irritation vanished at once.
At last, they could put an end to their long obsession.
That alone was enough.
“Seomun Hyeok.”
Seomun Hyeok, who had been waiting nearby, hurried over.
“Yes, Clan Head.”
“Stand guard over this fellow.”
“...Are you all right?”
“I am too all right. That is the problem. From today onward, this fellow is a benefactor of our White Spirit Medical Clan. Guard him as you would guard me. From what I can see... it will not take long.”
“Clan Head, if I leave my post, who will protect you?”
“You worry over nothing. This is the White Spirit Medical Clan. And from now on, I will deploy the Myriad Thoughts Regulation Formation. Who could possibly intrude here? Even the Sect Leader of one of the Eight Great Sects would not find it easy to enter.”
“Clan Head...”
“And when he wakes, bring him to the detached residence. I will be conducting ‘treatment’ there.”
“Yes. I will do so.”
Yang Il would keep that promise.
It would be difficult work, but they were confident.
Smiling, Yang Il headed for the detached residence, while Yi Do sank into a state of selflessness.
* * *
I slowly opened my eyes.
Vitality overflowed through my entire body. I clenched my fist. Strength overflowed from it as well.
I had risen from the middling realm of Heavenly Flowers Scattering to the complete realm of Five Qis Return to Origin.
I was satisfied.
After rising to my feet, I turned my head.
Seomun Hyeok was looking at me with a somewhat dazed expression.
Not much time could have passed.
The enlightenment had come suddenly, but it was still a process I had gone through once in my previous life.
As I gathered my qi, I asked, “Where is the Divine Physician?”
“Busy with treatment.”
“In the detached residence?”
“Yes.”
“I see.”
I started walking. Seomun Hyeok trailed after me closely.
“Excuse me.”
I did not stop walking.
“If you have something to say, say it while we walk.”
“...You seem to care a great deal about that person. Um, you really are Yi Do, the Cruel Demonic Way, right?”
“That is right.”
“And you are seventeen.”
“That is also right.”
Before long, we crossed the courtyard and reached the entrance to the detached residence we had visited earlier. Naturally, I did not stop. Nor did Seomun Hyeok stop talking.
“How could you reach Five Qis Return to Origin at that age? Even after seeing it, I cannot believe it... Who exactly are you?”
I turned my head.
What should I say? Was it a sense of deja vu?
Myeong-hyeon was lying over there, hovering between life and death, yet it was as though Myeong-hyeon were here, wearing a different face. His manner of speaking was remarkably similar.
“Seomun Hyeok.”
“Yes.”
“Did Ak Nan-hyang not tell you?”
It must have sounded completely out of the blue, but not between Seomun Hyeok and me. Seomun Hyeok’s expression hardened.
More precisely, it turned cold.
I spoke calmly. “I have no intention of joining the Radiant Cult. I have no interest in it, either. So stop clinging to me.”
“...My existence should be among the most closely guarded secrets. How do you know?”
“Do you think there are eternal secrets in the martial world?”
“...”
“Do not bother me.”
“...Very well. Please, go inside.”
I turned and silently headed for the detached residence, where I found Yang Il treating Myeong-hyeon, sweat running down their forehead.
I went to a corner of the pavilion and sat down. I set the Cloud Dragon Sword, still sheathed, beside me and watched Yang Il.
With their gaze fixed on Myeong-hyeon, Yang Il spoke.
“You must care about him greatly.”
“He is one of mine.”
“...You are young, yet you have the bearing of a great man. More than anything, I am personally amazed that it is not an act.”
I remained silent.
“Some scars will remain, but his physical injuries can be treated cleanly. The important matter is his qi channels...”
Yang Il wiped away the sweat on their forehead. Then they took out needles and various medicines from the corner and began applying them to different parts of Myeong-hyeon’s body.
“The Ink Dragon Asura Art. Among Demonic arts, its side effects are relatively mild, but Demonic arts are still Demonic arts. From what I can see, he often sealed his qi channels... Had he not done so, we might have had to tear apart every one of his qi channels and reconnect them.”
“Can he be treated?”
“Of course. Do you not know why I am called the Divine Physician?”
“I asked just in case.”
“...You brat, listen to the way you speak. He can be treated completely. There will be no problem with his realm, either. But his recovery will take considerable time. It could be a month, a year, or even ten years. If you have an enormous quantity of spiritual medicine, you could shorten that time exponentially... but handle that yourself.”
I only listened in silence.
“And as far as I know, only three martial artists have learned the Ink Dragon Asura Art. Is this fellow truly Yaksha?”
Yang Il’s knowledge was exceptionally broad.
Denying it would be laughable. Remaining silent would be laughable as well.
“He is Yaksha.”
“...You are trying to walk a truly difficult path.”
“Is that wrong?”
“An ordinary martial artist would choose to kill Yaksha rather than save him. Or they might restore him completely to earn the favor of the Emperor Sword Sect and try to forge ties with the Sword Sovereign. But not you.”
Yang Il raised their head and looked at me. Our eyes met.
“You intend to remove his demonic qi and turn him into an ordinary martial artist? That must mean you intend to accept him completely as one of your own.”
“Should I not?”
“...The Ink Dragon Asura Art he learned has fewer side effects than ordinary Demonic arts, but its foundation is still Demonic arts. More than that, he has covertly handled all manner of affairs for the Sword Sovereign. Those traces will not disappear. It is your freedom to accept him, but one day, he will hold you back.”
“Are you worried about me?”
“Should I not prevent the benefactor of the White Spirit Medical Clan from becoming the Martial World’s Public Enemy someday?”
I snorted softly.
“If I become the Martial World’s Public Enemy, it will have nothing to do with his past.”
“...The path you have walked has been harsh, but not enough to make you the Martial World’s Public Enemy. Yet this fellow may make you one.”
“The reverse is possible too.”
“The reverse?”
“I could brand the Emperor Sword Sect as followers of the Demonic Way.”
“...The Emperor Sword Sect is the foremost sect of the Jeok Nation. Is that possible?”
Was it possible or impossible?
That was not the issue.
“They are truly walking the path of the Demonic Way. Do you think I cannot?”
Even Yang Il seemed somewhat surprised by that.
“...How much do you know?”
“More than you do.”
“...”
“If I become the Martial World’s Public Enemy, it will be only the result of my actions. What can I do if people call me that? I will merely do what must be done.”
“...You are so young... Are you really seventeen?”
“Then how old do I look?”
“...If you were some master of the previous generation who had undergone Rejuvenation, then how could I guess your age?”
I laughed.
Time passed.
Two hours, then four.
Ten hours, then twenty.
The sun rose, set, and rose again.
The Divine Physician collapsed backward onto the ground.
“It is finished.”
I held out my hand.
Yang Il grasped it and rose to their feet. I said, “Are you interested in becoming the Pavilion Lord of the Medical Classics Pavilion in the Asura Sword Sect?”
* * *
How should Yang Il put it?
This was absurd.
“The Pavilion Lord of where?”
“The Medical Classics Pavilion of the Asura Sword Sect.”
“...You brat. Why would I go there? I will not go. I have no interest.”
“I see. Then that is that.”
Yi Do simply went to a corner of the pavilion and sat on the railing.
“...What? You only make the offer once?”
“I made the offer, and you refused. What more is there to do?”
“...”
“If I offer again, would you consider coming?”
Heh. Yi Do truly was impossible to understand.
“The White Spirit Medical Clan has been established here for over two hundred years, and you are telling me to abandon it and go all the way to Wisu County? No, brat.”
But as Yang Il met Yi Do’s gaze, they continued.
“...If you come to lead an organization on the level of the Eight Great Sects, then perhaps I might have a little room to consider it...”
Yi Do gave a faint laugh.
“Then I will make the offer again when that happens.”
“...Heh, brat. Do you think leading a force on the level of the Eight Great Sects is easy? Of course, from your perspective, you may intend to swallow the Asura Sword Sect. But you know this well. The road you walk is a road of blood. It is soaked in blood. Even if everything goes well and you seize control of the Asura Sword Sect, no one can know whether it will remain an Asura Sword Sect on the level of the Eight Great Sects or be reduced below that, remaining one of the Eight Great Sects in name only.”
That was certainly not wrong.
One did not need to understand every principle in the world. Knowing even a little was enough to foresee that future.
No one was unaware of the Asura Sword Sect’s situation.
It was divided into factions, and because of that, its legal system operated around those entrenched within it.
They propped up those of lesser ability and pushed out the exceptional.
For now, even divided into factions as they were, they possessed basic martial strength. Their place among the Eight Great Sects was not in danger. But in one year, two years, five years, even ten years, no one could say.
“I have heard all the rumors about you, but seeing you in person has made me understand. Those rumors were not distorted in the least.”
“What do you mean by that?”
“It is nothing. You killed, then killed again. I am not saying that method was wrong, but your sword does not distinguish between ally and enemy. The bloodstorm outside the sect may make it stronger, but a bloodstorm within the sect will weaken it.”
Yang Il had something they wanted to say. Yi Do knew that.
So he simply listened in silence and waited.
“Gather some allies. I mean that you should take in people who share your ideals and bring them under your command.”
Yi Do gave a faint laugh.
“Is that advice?”
“Think of it as counsel from someone who has lived longer than you.”
That was enough. Yi Do asked, “When will he be able to move?”
“He can move as soon as he wakes, but he must rest from circulating his qi for at least two days. He should also avoid strenuous activity. More importantly, are you planning to return to the Asura Sword Sect immediately?”
Yi Do nodded.
“...We cannot simply send away the benefactor of the White Spirit Medical Clan. I will provide two fine horses and a small carriage.”
“I will gratefully accept what you offer.”
“What, will it hurt you to say thank you?”
Yi Do changed the subject.
“It seems there are guests outside.”
Just then, Yang Il’s brow furrowed. As they listened, a booming voice rang in their ears.
“Cruel Demonic Way, come out! We are from the Baekmun Branch of the Full Moon Blade Sect! Should you not explain the disaster that befell the Bright Moon Sword Clan?”
Yang Il gave a small laugh.
“It seems they have come looking not for me, but for you.”
* * *
Not every sect established branches in every region around them, but Baekmun Town was one of the most important regions, located not far from the main headquarters of the Full Moon Blade Sect.
To the north lay the Asura Sword Sect, to the east the Emperor Sword Sect, and to the south the territory of the Southern Myriad Moon Sect.
It was a key region and a strategic stronghold.
And now, word had arrived that the Branch Leader of the Asura Sword Sect had come there and wiped out the Bright Moon Sword Clan.
If the Baekmun Town branch did not act, the name of the Eight Great Sects would lose its luster. Beyond that, the influence of Baekmun Town as a whole would suffer.
They had no choice but to come.
Knowing the rules of the Divine Physician of a Hundred Herbs, they waited outside the gate first.
They shouted loudly.
Yi Do had to come out.
The Cruel Demonic Way had to come out at once and explain the destruction of the Bright Moon Sword Clan.
After some time passed, the gate creaked open.
A man in a rather neat long robe appeared.
He looked quite young.
His tied-back hair was of moderate length, and though he was strikingly handsome overall, his eyes were... terrifying.
He spoke.
“It is late at night. Keep your voice down.”
The brow of No Gye-gwang, the Branch Leader of the Baegam Branch of the Full Moon Blade Sect, twisted sharply.
This bastard.
“...Are you the Cruel Demonic Way?”
“I am.”
“...I am No Gye-gwang. I serve as the Branch Leader of the Baegam Branch.”
“I see.”
“...You told us to keep our voices down, so fine. I will. Then tell me why you wiped out the Bright Moon Sword Clan in Baekmun Town.”
Yi Do rested a hand on the Cloud Dragon Sword at his waist and lazily looked around.
Nineteen in total.
The man speaking before him, who had introduced himself as No Gye-gwang, had reached Three Flowers Gather at the Crown.
He was the strongest one there.
“An explanation...”
Yi Do trailed off, then smiled faintly.
In truth, Yi Do was not so lacking in courtesy. Nor did he enjoy bloodshed. He simply never hesitated when there was someone he had to kill.
Yi Do could fully understand why the branch of the Full Moon Blade Sect had come. That was why he calmly opened his mouth.
“The Bright Moon Sword Clan was a subordinate force of the Emperor Sword Sect.”
“...What nonsense is that? The Bright Moon Sword Clan is subordinate to our Full Moon Blade Sect. Their protection payment is about a tenth share higher than those of other sects. A clan that loyal to the Full Moon Blade Sect is a force of the Emperor Sword Sect? Are you trying to sow discord between us?”
“I think you misunderstand me.”
“...What?”
“I do not engage in such acts as sowing discord between others. Whether you believe me is your matter, but I will give you several clues. Look at the bookshelf in the Bright Moon Sword Clan Head’s bedchamber. You will find a secret space behind it. There will be evidence there that they exchanged letters with Bang Ju-hon, the Eight Immortals Sword of the Emperor Sword Sect. If that is still not enough to convince you, examine the ledgers. You will find evidence that all their commerce and funds flowed into the Emperor Sword Sect.”
“...Are you saying that is truly... the truth?”
“It is the truth. I apologize for causing a disturbance in Baekmun Town.”
“...Could you come with us to Baekmun Town?”
Yi Do shook his head.
“I have something to do.”
No Gye-gwang sighed.
“...We have our own position to consider, and you have yours, but we cannot withdraw like this.”
“You need justification.”
“...”
“You are troublesome.”
Yi Do drew the Cloud Dragon Sword from his waist.
Qi slowly imbued the Cloud Dragon Sword.
A brilliant white concentrated force aura extended from the blade.
It was more than a jang in length.
The branch members of the Baegam Branch were greatly startled.
“F-Five Qis Return to Origin...”
The realms of Three Flowers Gather at the Crown and Five Qis Return to Origin were clearly different.
And the greatest difference was this.
In a situation such as this, Yi Do could solve the matter without having to use much strength.
“Go. Investigate, and if you find anything amiss, send a letter to Jangam County.”
With that, the Baegam Branch had justification to withdraw.
Yi Do had reached Five Qis Return to Origin. Their strongest martial artist had only reached Three Flowers Gather at the Crown. They had no way to bring Yi Do in. Rather, they could all die.
Now they had a reasonable reason to withdraw.
No Gye-gwang swallowed hard and gave a cupped-fist salute.
“...Thank you for giving us the opportunity. We will withdraw now.”
The martial artists of the Baegam Branch began to retreat.
Yi Do returned the Cloud Dragon Sword to its sheath.
Yang Il, who had been watching from behind, casually remarked, “You resolved that neatly.”
Yi Do turned his head.
“Brat. By reaching Five Qis Return to Origin, you have become a true master in both name and fact. Now, masters worthy of comparison will become your enemies.”
Yi Do silently listened as Yang Il continued.
“If you are injured, come here. If you cannot come, send a carrier pigeon. I do not know whether I will have the time, but once or twice, I may go to you under the pretext of traveling.”
“I heard I was to be treated as a benefactor. Should you not come every time I call?”
“Ha, you prickly brat. Be satisfied with once or twice. The carriage is ready. Go.”
Yang Il waved a hand dismissively and returned to the White Spirit Medical Clan. Before long, Seomun Hyeok approached with the carriage and horses.
“I heard you were leaving.”
“I am.”
“Still, I wish to ask one more time. What do you think of establishing ‘formal relations’ with the Radiant Cult?”
It seemed Seomun Hyeok had not given up on Yi Do.
Yi Do watched them for a moment, then spoke calmly.
“As I have said repeatedly, I have no intention of joining the Radiant Cult. Nor am I interested in working alongside them. But.”
Yi Do paused, then continued in a firm voice.
“If the Radiant Cult comes under me, the matter will be different.”
“...”
“If you are prepared to offer absolute loyalty, approach me. If not, do not approach me. Is that enough?”
“It is.”
Seomun Hyeok gave a cupped-fist salute.
“Travel safely.”
Yi Do boarded the carriage and departed.
His destination was Jangam County.
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