Surviving as a Genius on Borrowed Time - Chapter 109

WeTried Translations

Translator/Editor: ZERO_SUGAR

◈ Surviving as a Genius on Borrowed Time ◈

Episode 109: Divine Technique (3)

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“What about me?”

A girl poked her head in with the faint light of dawn.

She had slipped through the bedroom door as quietly as a cat, and Jeong Yeon-shin had nearly struck, thinking she was Shin Bin-bin.

But her eyes were larger. It was Shin So-bin, his immediate junior.

Shin Bin-bin and Shin So-bin. Though they had recently been divided between Demon Wings and the Swift Heaven Wing Squad, they were sisters who had trained together in the Shin Family since childhood.

Their presences were similar. Had Jeong Yeon-shin been more deeply immersed in circulating his qi, he truly would have struck.

Having just finished regulating his qi, he unfolded his legs and rose.

‘We just need to leave right away.’

It was time. Everyone should have gathered as promised.

“Senior Seom-ye, what about me?”

Shin So-bin trailed after him until he left the Demon Wings hall.

Even as the unranked disciples of Demon Wings saw Jeong Yeon-shin off, she watched only his face.

“Hyung, you have to beat them all up and come back!”

“If those country bumpkins from Sichuan get in your way, cut them all down! Show them how profound Demon's Light is!”

“Please bring the other brothers back too. I miss Brother Myeong-myeong and Brother Chang...”

The girl’s voice was plaintive as she mentioned Cheong Myeong and Hyeon Won-chang. Cheong Myeong had been in Demon Wings for a long time.

As a member of the elven race with striking features, Cheong Myeong was called by an affectionate nickname among the unranked disciples.

Hyeon Won-chang was popular as well, thanks to an easygoing nature.

Jeong Yeon-shin silently swept his gaze over the children before stepping outside.

Then Shin So-bin lightly caught his sleeve and followed him.

“Take me with you too. I’ll definitely be helpful.”

“You need to look after the children.”

He answered calmly.

Shin So-bin’s eyes drooped in disappointment, and the Languid Flame Dragon, standing beside Jeong Yeon-shin, chimed in.

“Didn’t you stay behind to care for the children? You were supposed to supervise their martial training too. Well, the youngest is always like that. Ah... I was talking to myself.”

“An unranked disciple is now...”

“A girl as big as a full-grown dwarf.”

“What did you say?”

Even as the two bickered, Jeong Yeon-shin did not stop walking.

Before long, they reached the main gate of Desolate Fortress. Two members of the Swift Heaven Wing Squad approached them.

They were Namgung Hwa-shin and Shin Bin-bin.

“Bin-bin. How far do you intend to follow us?”

Namgung Hwa-shin suddenly turned and asked with an indifferent expression. Shin Bin-bin, however, remained composed.

“All the way to Sichuan, Brother.”

“The unranked children would have tried to stop you.”

“What could they do when I said I was going? The family has brought in attendants and martial artists to care for them, so I’ve clearly done my share. There’s nothing to worry about.”

Her face was full of pride. Yet that imposing attitude ended there.

The instant she saw Jeong Yeon-shin approaching, Shin Bin-bin’s complexion turned pale.

A host of emotions flashed across her face in an instant. There was fear and helplessness, and even shame in the faint flush on her cheeks.

The boy thought she must have heard what had happened from Namgung Hwa-shin.

There was no need to say anything more. Jeong Yeon-shin dipped his head slightly toward Namgung Hwa-shin.

“Young Hero Namgung.”

“Young Hero Jeong.”

Namgung Hwa-shin returned the greeting, then spoke again.

“Young Hero is the commander of this martial force. Discipline must be upheld, so if any of our Swift Heaven Wing Squad warriors disobey orders during the mission, I will step forward and execute them myself.”

A righteous nature did not make one weak. Namgung Hwa-shin was honed like a blade.

Shin Bin-bin kept her head lowered and showed no other reaction.

“...Yes.”

Jeong Yeon-shin answered briefly and passed them by.

At his side, Shin So-bin stared at her sister’s face as though seeing it for the first time, while the Languid Flame Dragon watched Namgung Hwa-shin with an odd look.

“It has been a while.”

“It has.”

Clear Qilin Namgung Se-jin was said to have been a close friend of the Languid Flame Dragon. It seemed Namgung Hwa-shin and the Languid Flame Dragon knew each other as well.

Jeong Yeon-shin suddenly wondered what the Languid Flame Dragon thought of Namgung Se-jin’s death, but pushed the thought aside for now.

Ssssss.

The display of aura filling the open expanse was tremendous.

The moment Jeong Yeon-shin appeared, they released their power and spirit.

All the warriors of Seom-ye’s Lineage had gathered. Though he had arrived before the appointed time, everyone seemed to be present already.

The fine horses snorted and pawed the ground beside them. Every preparation had been completed.

“Founding Master.”

“You have arrived.”

Their clasped-fist salutes moved like a mechanism.

They raised their joined hands and bowed at the same time, reminding him of the Vajra Bronze Men said to stand at Shaolin’s Eighteen Gates.

Despite his lack of experience, he felt they might look something like this. Their respectful bearing was solemn enough to make him think so.

“Hah. So it’s true.”

Grand Chief Steward Im Jin-myeong sighed.

The warriors were not the only ones present. Clerks from the Chief Steward's Office had come to see off the rescue party.

They had received the list of those leaving from Jeong Yeon-shin when he returned the previous night, then granted conditional approval despite their doubts.

If the listed personnel proved genuine, they would recognize them as a temporary martial force.

“Seom-ye Martial Lineage...”

Looking at the bowing warriors, the Grand Chief Steward muttered as he stroked his beard.

Something extraordinary was happening.

Quite a few people had donated martial arts to Desolate Fortress’s Gold-Piercing Martial Treasury, but there had never been so many people honoring one person as their founding master.

The Grand Chief Steward turned toward Jeong Yeon-shin.

“Young Hero Jeong.”

“Yes, Grand Chief Steward.”

“When you return with them safely, and Young Hero’s accomplishments and merits grow even greater...”

What scene had he imagined?

A strange light flashed in the Grand Chief Steward’s eyes, but he ultimately trailed off and shook his head.

“I should not burden you. I will formally authorize this mission.”

“Thank you.”

Jeong Yeon-shin replied at once. The Grand Chief Steward smiled.

“As this is a temporary martial force, let us name it the Returning Wings Squad, in the hope that Demon Wings will return. The best outcome is surviving together with Demon Wings. The next best is... identifying the culprits. I will submit the documents with those two objectives.”

“We should accomplish both.”

Jeong Yeon-shin answered.

Perhaps sensing the killing intent in his even voice, a few people with keen senses flinched.

In truth, the boy had a third objective in mind, one the Grand Chief Steward had not mentioned.

‘Revenge.’

The Grand Chief Steward gave no sign of noticing and nodded.

‘It is also important to show that the main fortress remains strong. Whether this peerless prodigy can accomplish that much, or whether all of them will fall together in Sichuan’s treacherous lands, remains to be seen...’

He was already a Blue Uniform martial artist. His status allowed him to move independently.

On top of that, he was creating a new martial lineage.

The Chief Steward's Office could approve his missions, but it was not in a position to dictate Jeong Yeon-shin’s code of conduct.

His standing had risen beyond measure.

The Grand Chief Steward watched Seom-ye’s back as he moved away.

One by one, the full-fledged warriors followed behind him.

As the hems of their martial uniforms brushed together, only the clatter of sword hilts at their waists rang out.

It was a sight with a fierce, rugged air.

Grand Chief Steward Im Jin-myeong’s lips parted slightly.

“Young Hero Jeong.”

“...?”

Jeong Yeon-shin turned slightly. The Grand Chief Steward continued.

“The Lord of Desolate Fortress is currently in Beijing and sent a message to her disciple. It arrived at dawn today.”

“...Please tell me.”

“Here.”

A rolled sheet of paper emerged from inside the Grand Chief Steward’s robe. He lightly tossed the letter toward Jeong Yeon-shin.

It flew straight, as though infused with inner energy.

The warriors of Seom-ye’s Lineage quickly moved aside.

Jeong Yeon-shin caught the paper and unfolded it. His eyes scanned its contents.

The words were written in neat, flowing regular script.

[Imbue the flow you have created with intent. If you breathe through a Divine Technique, you will rise to the Black Uniform rank.]

“...”

It felt as though her clear voice echoed beside his ears. It was a strange feeling.

“What does it say?”

The Languid Flame Dragon craned his head forward, and Shin So-bin yanked him back by the hair.

Despite the rough gesture, her eyes held sadness as she spoke.

“Senior Seom-ye, be careful and come back safely.”

“Okay.”

Jeong Yeon-shin tucked away the Lord of Desolate Fortress’s second teaching and turned around. At last, they set out.

* * *

Thududud!

The sound of hooves was like thunder. He had grown used to it after hearing it for more than fifteen days atop fine horses.

‘Thank you.’

Jeong Yeon-shin stroked the neck of the horse, whose eyes had rolled back. At the same time, he kicked off its back and leaped into the air.

It was time to change methods of travel. Sichuan’s roads were rugged. From here on, movement techniques would be more efficient.

Crack!

Footprints were stamped into the ground beneath his feet.

The warriors who leaped up and landed behind the boy immediately began using their movement techniques as well.

‘We’re almost there.’

Jeong Yeon-shin thought.

They were racing through Qizhou Prefecture in Sichuan Province. This meant they had reached Sichuan’s threshold from Huguang Province to the east.

They had changed horses without rest along the way. Before even reaching the last relay station, the horses that had exhausted themselves had all been left behind.

Crack! Craaack!

Their relentless run was as swift as an arrow, their feet pounding the earth.

He had incorporated the mysteries of the movement Cheong Myeong taught him into his footwork. It was the Body Movement Scripture, tearing through the air like a gale as he raced forward.

The auras of the masters following the boy were equally dazzling. They were Desolate Fortress’s Returning Wings Squad.

After they entered Sichuan’s Shu Road, word began to spread by rumor.

Masters from Desolate Fortress were crossing Sichuan Province with terrifying momentum.

“Hey, Temporary Squad Leader.”

The Languid Flame Dragon suddenly pushed his face in from the right.

With the endlessly increasing power of the Sun God Meridian and his attainment in the Huangbo Family’s ultimate art, which he had trained longer than Jeong Yeon-shin, he looked extremely relaxed even while using his movement technique.

“Speak.”

“We’ll arrive soon, so there’s something you should know beforehand.”

“Tell me.”

At Jeong Yeon-shin’s short reply, the Languid Flame Dragon smiled faintly.

“I’ll speak comfortably, as the Temporary Squad Leader permits. Um, it concerns my circumstances.”

“...”

“As you know, my damned family caused a grand mess, and Desolate Fortress punished the Huangbo Family for treason. Under those circumstances, someone who had been the Young Family Head should not have been able to survive.”

Jeong Yeon-shin had been somewhat curious about that as well.

No matter how promising a prodigy he was, the Languid Flame Dragon was someone whose short life had already been decided.

That fact had even become widely known under the name Sun God Meridian.

“I was captured and waiting for the day I’d die, but I somehow made it out alive. Still, my position remains terribly unclear. Bluntly put, how many people in Desolate Fortress do you think trust me? They trust the Lord of Desolate Fortress’s order, not me. Living out what little time I have left under suspicion? It isn’t pleasant at all.”

“...So?”

“I need to prove my worth. Before our Lord Seom-ye.”

The Languid Flame Dragon’s smile deepened. Looking at Jeong Yeon-shin’s profile, he said, “No matter what I do, don’t be surprised.”

“...”

They raced on for another half day.

Only then did Jeong Yeon-shin understand what the Languid Flame Dragon had meant.

The Returning Wings Squad had arrived atop a cliff swept by blade-like winds.

At the cliff where Demon Wings’ trail had vanished, a group of beggars sat in a circle waiting for them.

“Welcome. We have been waiting.”

One of the beggars scrambling to their feet, a young beggar, spoke.

The beggar’s shabby face gleamed with grease. There was even the smell of meat.

Yet none of the Returning Wings Squad warriors looked down on the beggar. The cord at the waist bore six knots.

“Six Knots. The young master of the Beggars’ Sect. Founding Master, that person is the Beggars’ Sect’s Successor Beggar.”

Red Noon Sword, standing behind Jeong Yeon-shin as if attending him, whispered softly.

The Beggars’ Sect.

It was one of the major factions commonly called the Nine Sects and One Gang.

It was a sect where martial artists among beggars from across the realm had gathered to form a web-like information network.

“Yesterday, the Tang Sect’s twin geniuses came and went. Today, the imperial family’s treasured swords reveal themselves.”

The Successor Beggar said this with an exaggerated spread of both hands.

A martial artist had called them the imperial family’s treasured swords. It was not praise.

The Ming imperial family and Desolate Fortress publicly denied any connection, so it was right to take the words as barbed.

Jeong Yeon-shin did not care. He had no time to pick at words.

“The Tang Sect?”

The boy recalled the Chief Steward's Office report.

It had said traces believed to belong to a Tang Sect ultimate art remained at the end of Demon Wings’ trail.

It was the Full Heaven Flower Rain, a divine technique and ultimate art that martial artists throughout the Central Plains would recognize.

“Oh, White Qilin and the Languid Flame Dragon too. So the rumors were true. White Qilin is more handsome than the facial-feature portrait, and the Languid Flame Dragon’s opium poppy looks fresh as well.”

The Successor Beggar grinned as he looked over the Returning Wings Squad. The manner and tone made it difficult to guess what was being plotted.

Jeong Yeon-shin’s eyes darkened.

Then it happened.

Thwack!

The back of the Successor Beggar’s head snapped down. The Languid Flame Dragon had somehow appeared beside the beggar and was whispering.

“So, who are these Tang Sect geniuses? Why did they come here?”

“What are you...!”

The Successor Beggar’s muffled cry did not fully escape.

The Languid Flame Dragon’s palm immediately struck the beggar’s head again.

This time, scorching heat that distorted even the air surged out.

Boom!

The Successor Beggar’s body slammed flat against the ground like a frog.