WeTried Translations

Translator/Editor: ZERO_SUGAR

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◈ Surviving as a Genius on Borrowed Time ◈

Episode 111: Divine Technique (5)

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While Jeong Yeon-shin countered the ambush with a seemingly casual move, the two geniuses of the Returning Wings Squad moved just as swiftly.

Whoosh!

Namgung Hwa-shin and the Languid Flame Dragon scattered as if their forms had winked out.

They closed the distance before Poison Dragon and Poison Phoenix could react, as though they had stretched a fleeting instant into eternity.

Shing!

Namgung Hwa-shin drew his sword and held it to Poison Phoenix's throat.

White Qilin's Desolate Sword gleamed bluish. As Namgung Hwa-shin's expression hardened, clear aura rose in coils from his body.

The Languid Flame Dragon placed a hand on Poison Dragon's nape.

Not a trace of his usual heat leaked out, yet the energy quietly surging within him testified to tremendous strength.

Their movements had, from the outset, assumed that Jeong Yeon-shin would not be the one harmed.

That was true of them both. Thanks to it, they had caught the short siblings completely off guard.

"Should I kill them?"

The Languid Flame Dragon asked lazily.

"Kill us? You're going to kill us?"

Poison Dragon asked. His fair, smooth face had gone pale.

'Are they of mixed dwarven blood?'

Jeong Yeon-shin thought, struck by the attackers' unusual builds.

Little people.

They barely came up to his shoulders. Their heads and bodies were proportionate to their height, with narrow shoulders and small heads.

Rumor had it that the hidden weapons made by the dwarven race at the Tang Sect's manor were nearly divine weapons. It seemed that was more than an empty rumor.

As Jeong Yeon-shin remained silent, no one answered. Poison Dragon cried out as if he had been wronged.

"That person! That person mentioned thunderclap bombs first, while talking about the Tang Sect! Who wouldn't lose their head when someone is trying to pin treason on their family? Our family has never violated the Great Ming Code!"

If that was true, even their immediate use of hidden weapons could be understood.

If the imperial army moved against them, even the Tang Sect would have to hide in the deepest mountains. Their entire home would be swept away.

"..."

"We didn't put much qi into those flower darts! We only meant to subdue you first! You blocked them, so you must know that...!"

His plea poured out without pause, every word sounding reasonable. He spoke like a commoner desperately protesting an injustice.

Yet his appearance was truly unexpected. His small frame came with an almost childlike side.

"The Tang Sect?"

Jeong Yeon-shin asked briefly. He had already suspected it.

"They are the Twin Dragons and Phoenixes of Poison."

From a distance, the Successor Beggar of the Beggars’ Sect nodded. He had been staring at Jeong Yeon-shin with a somewhat dazed expression.

'Has he trained in hidden-weapon arts?'

Jeong Yeon-shin had casually received the attacks of the Tang Sect's strongest rising talents.

The footwork he had displayed had nearly reached the realm of divine skill.

That responsiveness and precision. Martial arts aside, no one could even attempt such a move without innate instincts.

Who could manipulate inner energy that way?

Not even the few veteran masters who had stepped into Three Flowers Gather at the Crown could do so.

'An inner energy realm only affects the depth of qi and the speed of its use.'

Another master would have evaded with the Body Movement Scripture or countered with a swift sword.

Kicking a pebble and turning it into precisely divided hidden weapons? It meant he possessed exceptional technique and instinct.

To an extent that was hard to imagine.

'Seom-ye. I had received reports, but... he truly is someone to watch. I should make sure his name is added to our sect's registry.'

At present, upper-middle. In the future, exceptional among the exceptional.

That was the Successor Beggar's assessment of Jeong Yeon-shin's current and future value.

His reputation for martial prowess and the talent he had just shown already placed him in the upper ranks.

It meant he had begun to surpass the level of ordinary rising talents.

The Successor Beggar had considered his current position and standing, the faction he belonged to, his talent, and even his martial lineage.

The assessment could change at any time.

What else would he show? The Successor Beggar's innate curiosity rose beyond simple interest.

'Now all the fuses of the Sichuan martial world have gathered. It will explode soon enough. It may be worth following them for a while.'

Lost in thought, the Successor Beggar forgot one thing.

More accurately, he had carelessly overlooked it while assessing Seom-ye of Desolate Fortress.

The Tang Sect would never have sent the two of them alone when its treasures, the twins, were traveling.

Saaa...

Killing intent spread like clouds and mist. The intent carried by their martial power was venomous.

Figures in green robes emerged behind them. They were martial artists releasing sharply honed aura.

Some wore swords, others gauntlets, and some had rows of daggers hanging from their bodies. There were only seven, yet none could be taken lightly.

The killing power of the Tang Sect's poison arts had revealed itself many times throughout martial history.

"The Sichuan Tang Clan...!"

The Successor Beggar groaned, looking as though he had just realized his oversight.

"Release them."

One of the men stepped forward. He was large and wore thick gauntlets, and he appeared to lead the Tang Sect martial artists.

"If even a single hair falls from the young master's or young lady's head, I will take all of you down with me."

Jeong Yeon-shin could sense the Tang Sect's nature from that one sentence. Their closed nature was clear from the way he mentioned even a single hair.

Yet the words about taking them down together also meant that he had judged the enemy's strength.

He understood that he had no chance unless he was prepared to die.

The Sichuan Tang Clan. The Sichuan Tang Family. Or Tang Family Fort.

The martial world called them by many names. They were said to be frightening people.

A favor repaid twice over, a grudge repaid tenfold. That was an expression from the Tang Sect.

They recognized the actual balance of martial strength, yet held enough pride in their direct-line siblings to place them above all else.

Jeong Yeon-shin had heard that this contradictory nature bred their vicious martial strength.

"It smells as nasty as they say. My hands are shaking with fear."

The Languid Flame Dragon smiled faintly.

Heat rose from the fingers lightly stroking Poison Dragon's nape. It was a provocative threat.

"You bastard!"

The man who had spoken of taking them down together shouted and stepped forward.

"Stop."

It was the small woman with her throat exposed to Namgung Hwa-shin's sword.

She did not seem to care that her older brother beside her had also been seized.

Her pitch-black eyes stared at Jeong Yeon-shin. The Sichuan Tang Clan martial artists stopped moving.

"We will apologize, but we cannot beg forgiveness. The claim that our family makes thunderclap bombs... was news to us as well."

Poison Phoenix moved her small lips. Her voice was nearly a whisper, yet every word came through clearly.

"You would have reacted as we did, would you not? If someone you had never met was muttering something that could bring ruin upon your family."

"Your words are harsh. Did you know that? Our Squad Leader and I have something in common. His family has already been destroyed."

The Languid Flame Dragon tossed out the words. Poison Phoenix's eyes widened.

Jeong Yeon-shin stared at the unranked disciple who seemed to know everything. The corner of the Languid Flame Dragon's mouth lifted slightly.

Still, when their eyes met, he subtly turned his head away. It did not suit the Young Family Head of the Huangbo Family, who had dominated the Dragon-Phoenix Gathering time and again.

"...I apologize for my careless words."

Poison Phoenix spoke demurely, though she seemed flustered. She even lowered her head with Namgung Hwa-shin's sword at her throat.

A fair and graceful lady. Her conduct called to mind a line from the Book of Songs in the Four Books and Five Classics. Was that how a well-raised young lady of a great family ought to appear?

It was funny that she spoke of apology in that situation.

Poison Dragon, who also looked like a boy because blood of the dwarven race ran through him, was much the same. The siblings gave off a rather strange impression.

Jeong Yeon-shin drew his brows together slightly. He felt an odd sense of kinship, not toward the Languid Flame Dragon, but toward the Tang siblings.

'What is this?'

He could not identify the feeling. It was as if the spirituality passing through the Baihui acupoint in his mind was whispering something.

"Squad Leader."

A clear voice rang out. Namgung Hwa-shin had called to him calmly.

The gaze they exchanged was heavy. Namgung Hwa-shin was asking what should be done with the siblings.

Jeong Yeon-shin did not answer. Instead, he kicked the ground once more.

Tap!

This time, pebbles split in two and cut through the air.

Thud!

Small gasps escaped the siblings.

The stones had lightly struck the Yinjiao acupoints above their dantians.

The acupoints were located directly above the Qihai acupoint of the dantian. They were also the intersection of the body's yin meridians, which split into three branches.

Jeong Yeon-shin's qi, carried by the stones, became obstacles in the flow of their martial power.

It was a method adapted from the Seventh Apostle's Blood Arts acupoint strike. It completely blocked the smooth circulation of inner energy.

"Look at how carelessly he kicks. I would feel awful if that happened to me."

The Languid Flame Dragon muttered.

"This way."

Jeong Yeon-shin gestured calmly. Namgung Hwa-shin and the Languid Flame Dragon gave the siblings' backs a light shove.

The Sichuan Tang Clan martial artists began to step forward as though they might erupt, then flinched.

Sharp, invisible sword qi rained down around them.

Whoosh!

It was White Qilin Namgung Hwa-shin's Boundless Firmament Sword. Fine dust rose as long grooves were carved into the ground.

"You were the first to attack, even if you did not intend to kill."

Namgung Hwa-shin's tone was cold.

Namgung Hwa-shin had certainly changed. With such exquisite swordsmanship, he looked as though he would not hesitate to kill anyone.

'I should talk to him after the mission ends.'

Jeong Yeon-shin watched them silently.

Soon, the four drew near.

The youth slowly parted his lips, pointing at the marks left by hidden weapons on the ground.

"The trail of Demon Wings from the main fortress ends here. And this, is it not the trace of a Tang Sect secret art? Tell me what you know."

He got straight to the point. The Languid Flame Dragon added from beside him.

He showed no hesitation in treating the direct bloodline of a great sect roughly.

"Don't try anything. You probably haven't been tortured with Scorching Yang qi before."

"..."

"We do not know for certain either."

Poison Dragon spoke after Poison Phoenix fell silent for a moment.

"We only assumed they were traces left by our father."

"The Tang Family Head?"

Jeong Yeon-shin asked.

It was already well known that the man who served as both sect leader and Family Head of the Sichuan Tang Clan was wandering the martial world.

His wife had been killed by the schemes of two of the Thirteen Heavens in Sichuan, but the Supreme Family Head would not permit an all-out war between factions. So the Tang Family Head cut ties and left home.

It was regarded as an admirable tale that he intended to destroy a major faction alone.

"...The marks that were originally here were not ours. They were left by Father's martial arts. We recognized them the moment we saw them. Other than us, only our father could have mastered Myriad Flowers Rain."

Poison Dragon finished bitterly. Poison Phoenix then spoke.

"We hurried to erase Father's traces and waited endlessly, in case he returned."

"Yes. While concealing it from our grandfather."

"But we can guess why the paths of Demon Wings from Desolate Fortress and our father crossed."

Jeong Yeon-shin's eyes flashed at Poison Phoenix's words.

"Speak."

Poison Phoenix's face turned pale under the sudden pressure. She slowly moved her lips.

"We do not know exactly what happened, but we heard that the forces of the Ten Perfect Sect and the Pure Demon Alliance, two of the Thirteen Heavens, passed through this area. We cannot rule out the possibility that they clashed with Demon Wings. We believe Father may have intervened in the conflict..."

"So the Tang Family Head may know the full details of this incident."

Namgung Hwa-shin spoke. The Languid Flame Dragon tilted his head slightly.

"You're telling us very readily. It doesn't suit the Tang Sect, said to be the most venomous orthodox sect under heaven. What are you planning?"

The Tang siblings turned their eyes toward Jeong Yeon-shin. Poison Phoenix slowly parted her lips.

"...Because you have the talent to understand us."

At the same time, Poison Dragon beside her began to grin. He was an unpredictable boy.

Perhaps someone had handled his head too roughly when he was young, because his childlike side suddenly emerged.

"Everyone else seemed so slow that the two of us drifted away from them. The whole world started to look easy only to us. When we talk about martial arts, no one can keep up."

"It is only difficult to begin Myriad Flowers Rain. You seem like you would make a good companion for conversation, as long as you do not bring up thunderclap bombs that even we know nothing about."

Poison Phoenix spoke with the manner of a young girl. Her black eyes shone.

Jeong Yeon-shin remained silent for a moment before speaking.

"I have heard many oral accounts of Myriad Flowers Rain. It may be the martial art whose form is best known. The hidden weapons fall like rain according to the user's will."

"That's right, that's right!"

Poison Dragon agreed excitedly.

"If that is true, I can guess the key principle. The only issues are hidden-weapon technique and the level of inner energy. Supreme realms like Three Flowers Gather at the Crown and Five Qi Return to Origin. Those seem to be the key to the art's strength. The mnemonic formula itself is not difficult."

"What did you just say...?"

Poison Phoenix asked, her words trailing off.

Jeong Yeon-shin bent down and picked up fragments of stone.

If he understood the phenomenon clearly, that was enough.

Whoosh!

A sound came from above his head. The youth worked backward, just as he had after seeing Ma Se-in's powerful fist, when he realized that it could produce such a force wave and grasped the mnemonic formula of the Sihwa Boundless Fist.

Now, it could not even be compared to then.

As the Baihui acupoint opened on its own, the power of his upper dantian had also grown. It was an ability that grew alongside Jeong Yeon-shin's despair.

"Based on what I have heard, shouldn't inner energy be used like this?"

Crack.

The stone fragments crumbled finely in his hand. They became fully saturated with the qi of the Jeong Family Youth Technique.

Then the shards began to whirl in an orderly fashion. A small vortex formed.

"You will know once you see it. Is this right?"

The Twin Dragons and Phoenixes of Poison did not answer. Jeong Yeon-shin spoke again.

"I hope your discernment is good. We do not have time."

"..."

"It is an easy mnemonic formula. It only needs a little technique. If you still do not understand after seeing it, I will teach you. In exchange, explain everything about the Tang Family Head."

The siblings remained frozen in silence.

Footnotes:

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