WeTried Translations

Translator/Editor: ZERO_SUGAR

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◈ Surviving as a Genius on Borrowed Time ◈

Episode 115: Radiant Wheel Technique (3)

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Jeong Yeon-shin landed, naturally lowering his hand. He did not even need to take a few more steps.

The fluttering hem of his blue robe briefly wrapped around his legs before coming free.

‘Demon-Slaying Azure River Hand... It is a natural counter even to masters of the demonic path.’

He had confirmed the effect implied by its name. It possessed an extremely advantageous affinity against the power of the Demonic Sect.

If he limited his opponents to them, perhaps he could contend even against a master a level above him.

“Huu...”

It was an exhalation like air escaping from his lungs. A dying breath.

The Pure Demon Alliance master whose head had been crushed lost his balance.

His body swayed for an instant. His entire body could not withstand the vortex of force waves.

The shoulder cape covering him clung limply to his back.

Whoosh!

Fragments of power he had failed to unleash swirled into a faint breeze. Slowly, the man toppled backward, his eyes wide open.

Thud!

A heavy tremor ran through the fairly steep downhill road. His body slid a short distance downhill before coming to a stop.

He had died instantly.

“...!”

The formation of martial artists rushing after him came to an abrupt halt. There were perhaps fifteen of them.

The legs executing lightness arts tensed at once.

Their faces stiffened. For a brief moment, they looked back and forth between the corpse and Jeong Yeon-shin. Every pair of eyes moved in shock.

Skreeech!

The men who had stopped in a hurry remained ten paces away.

“Young Hero Jeong!”

Hyeon Won-chang's cry rang out from behind him, brimming with delight.

Jeong Yeon-shin turned while keeping the enemies before him.

The ease of a strong man had begun to show in his bearing. The golden embroidery of Desolate Fortress flashed across the enemies' sight before turning away from view.

“What in the...”

Just as one man muttered helplessly, Jeong Yeon-shin, who had his back to him, met Hyeon Won-chang's eyes.

Hyeon Won-chang's eyes widened as though they would split apart. Then he broke into a broad grin.

“It is you! It truly is you! For a moment, I doubted my own eyes!”

Laughing loudly, he ran over. They had only passed each other moments ago, and the distance between them was short. They soon stood face to face.

Jeong Yeon-shin felt inward relief as he looked him over. Above all, Hyeon Won-chang was alive.

“Young Hero Hyeon.”

“What a joy this is! I thought I wouldn't survive today!”

“You don't appear to be injured. Are you suffering from any internal injuries?”

Jeong Yeon-shin asked, forcing down his own joy. Hyeon Won-chang's smile deepened.

“Of course not. This body of mine knows a thing or two about protective qi, does it not? The inner energy shield of this Desolate Fortress Divine Hero would not be pierced by nameless rabble. In any case, you found me! This place is truly a hidden, mysterious place. Yet you really found me. I had been waiting anxiously, of course.”

“That is...”

“Anyway, it appears the main fortress sent reinforcements, which is excellent! I never imagined you would be among them! But what happened to the Namgung Family? Did you defeat Clear Qilin, Young Hero Jeong? You must have, since you are here. Truly remarkable! You, Young Hero Jeong, are a rising talent worthy of being spoken of as a future number one under heaven.”

His delight was impossible to hide. Hyeon Won-chang's face was filled with a smile.

The hero’s headband he usually wore so proudly had apparently been torn off somewhere. The curve of his eyebrows beneath his neatly exposed forehead looked almost comical.

Then he leaned slightly to one side and stole a glance at the Pure Demon Alliance master sprawled behind Jeong Yeon-shin.

“That man over there. No, that bastard is known as the Underworld Palm Killer, a demonic-path master of the Pure Demon Alliance. They say that with one palm strike, he could easily kill three people. Yet he could not withstand a single move of your Hand Arts!”

As he spoke, he took a step to the side.

Tap!

Hyeon Won-chang placed a hand on Jeong Yeon-shin's shoulder. It rested on the boy's trapezius, where his neck met his shoulder at a right angle.

Unable to hide his emotion, he kneaded it as if giving a massage and raised the corner of his mouth in satisfaction.

“Underworld Palm Killer, my foot. He died with the crown of his head wide open.”

“...”

“What a satisfying end.”

Jeong Yeon-shin said nothing. He had already grown accustomed to Hyeon Won-chang's dull senses.

It could not possibly have been a reference to the Baihui acupoint.

The boy turned again.

“More importantly, those men.”

His gaze settled on the people who had been chasing Hyeon Won-chang.

They had not dared move during the two men's conversation.

As though trying to devise a plan against a master they could not oppose, they whispered among themselves.

Hyeon Won-chang snorted and spoke. With Jeong Yeon-shin as an ally, he looked entirely natural acting with borrowed authority.

“They are trash from Sichuan's Hyeongchang Sect. Their sect leader stabbed Senior Baek in the back.”

“You mean Senior Baek Mir-yeo?”

Jeong Yeon-shin's voice sank. Scenes he had seen through the visualization in his upper dantian flashed through his mind.

Many seniors had been slashed and stabbed in the back. He also remembered Baek Mir-yeo's unusually pale skin.

Cheong Myeong's distinct abdominal muscles had also been split apart by sword wounds.

It had not been foresight. It seemed to have shown him the current state of the City of Master Craftsmen.

“How could that happen? With Senior Baek's martial ability, she could destroy several minor sects alone. Was it betrayal after all?”

“What betrayal?”

Hyeon Won-chang snorted. It was not directed at Jeong Yeon-shin.

It was a mocking laugh aimed at the enemies frozen before them.

“Who else would the main fortress trust? Even Young Hero Jeong suffered at the hands of those Namgung Family bastards. And if it is a faction between orthodox and unorthodox, would it not be strange for our side to place trust in them?”

“Then?”

“We never trusted them from the start. It was obvious they came to act as servants of the Thirteen Heavens. The only problem was that we were attacked from three sides at once. The Pure Demon Alliance and the Ten Perfect Sect, two of the Thirteen Heavens based in Sichuan, struck from both sides. How could we have had the leeway to defend against the other bastards' forms? A few of our less capable seniors had no choice but to expose their backs.”

He was not truly cursing them. By the end, his voice had sunk into gloom.

“Senior Cheong Myeong and Senior Baek... were wounded by swords while saving me. Because of one useless member of the Demon Wings...”

It was only natural that he would blame himself. Jeong Yeon-shin did not try to offer clumsy comfort.

He vividly remembered the Imperial Hero standing barehanded before the people of Xuzhou, shielding them from the Blood Flame Sect followers.

Hyeon Won-chang was a man of chivalry. It meant his inner self was stronger than anyone else's.

“Why were you being chased alone? Where are the other seniors?”

Jeong Yeon-shin asked quietly.

“I should begin by telling you that the City of Master Craftsmen is divided into four districts.”

Hyeon Won-chang answered, his smile gone.

“Spring, summer, autumn, and winter. They are separated in a single line, and this is the Spring District, the entrance. The Demon Wings are heading toward the Winter District.”

“Did you remain behind alone?”

“Has it not been quite some time since we set out on this mission? Those outside would eventually notice that the Demon Wings had vanished, so someone had to guide any reinforcements that might come. I was unsure whether they would come, but... we are Desolate Fortress.”

The pride contained in that single sentence was immense. It suited a man who called himself the Desolate Fortress Divine Hero.

“As it turned out, I waited for you, Young Hero, so how could things have gone better? I hid near the entrance to the Spring District all this time. But the bastards trying to force the Spring District's smiths into labor found me, and I ended up running all over the place.”

“Is there a reason the Demon Wings headed to the far end of the City of Master Craftsmen?”

“I hear that wandering troupes in Haedong have a curse they use like this.”

“...?”

“They say, ‘Feed them taffy.’ It means to interfere with someone. Senior Cheong Myeong said that and proposed it to our Squad Leader. Since two of the Thirteen Heavens are after something in the Winter District of the City of Master Craftsmen, should Desolate Fortress not seize it instead?”

Blue-Eyed Demon Sword Cheong Myeong, a swordsman counted among the best of the Blue Uniform.

Jeong Yeon-shin could imagine Cheong Myeong smiling gently despite being wounded while hurling venomous words.

“The Ten Perfect Sect, the Pure Demon Alliance, and even the Sichuan factions between orthodox and unorthodox have joined forces. They are after this City of Master Craftsmen and the Tang Family Head. We only became entangled in this filthy matter because we asked the Tang Family Head a question. From the cliff up there to this place.”

Hyeon Won-chang pointed toward the towering ceiling.

“That is why we can no longer turn back. Are the Demon Wings an ordinary force? Masters beyond control have gathered at the enemies' destination, so there was no chance the Demonic Sect bastards would let us leave peacefully.”

“...”

“At first, they attacked because of a misunderstanding. But once blood was shed, it was already ruined. It was not as if we only took their blows, either. After that, well, their side naturally had no choice but to keep pressing forward without care...”

Hyeon Won-chang trailed off. They had advanced from the Spring District toward the Winter District, partly of their own accord and partly under enemy pressure.

It was no different from saying they had fought without rest. How many would be wounded or die along the way?

His words sounded like a joke, but that was what the unorthodox sects and the martial world were like.

“What was the nature of the fighting?”

“Whenever it seemed to ease into a lull for about an hour, they attacked again. Even I only barely managed to break away. Two seniors were wounded in the process.”

Hyeon Won-chang's expression darkened once more. Jeong Yeon-shin slowly nodded.

‘All right.’

He understood the situation. Now, he had to move forward.

That was when it happened.

“H-Hey.”

Jeong Yeon-shin raised his head. One of the Hyeongchang Sect men had called to him. It seemed they were trying to negotiate.

“Young master of Desolate Fortress. There is no need for bloodshed. We will withdraw.”

The man in a dust-covered silk martial uniform continued.

“If you bear golden embroidery, you must be of noble standing. We are guilty only of obeying the Pure Demon Alliance's coercion. Please show us mercy.”

It was a strange attitude. Though begging, the man stood with his back straight, as if trying to preserve his pride.

The distinctive closed-mindedness of Sichuan's martial world showed through.

“...”

Jeong Yeon-shin's eyes swept over them once.

Not one could meet his gaze. They all turned their heads slightly aside. They looked accustomed to the martial world's law of the strong devouring the weak.

‘They said they were factions between orthodox and unorthodox.’

There were many Middle Way factions in the world. They moved according to their sect's interests, standing at the boundary between orthodox sects and unorthodox sects.

Cheong Myeong had said they could be thought of as unorthodox sects that watched the authorities' reactions.

Jeong Yeon-shin slowly parted his lips.

“You chose the wrong side this time. You crossed the line.”

“Shall I kill them?”

Languid Flame Dragon's voice came from behind him.

He did not need to turn to know.

The masters of the Returning Wings Squad stood in formation behind him. They had arrived the moment Jeong Yeon-shin began speaking with Hyeon Won-chang.

That was why the Hyeongchang Sect martial artists, who had not known what to do, had finally stepped forward first.

Hyeon Won-chang had also been glancing behind him while explaining the situation to Jeong Yeon-shin. Seeing Languid Flame Dragon, he gaped in shock.

“The Huangbo Young Family Head...?!”

“You know me. I do not know your name. I remember only your face, vaguely.”

“What is this? What is going on?”

The boy spoke calmly.

“Young Hero Hyeon.”

“Young Hero Jeong, but who are these people...?”

“How severe are the Demon Wings seniors' injuries? I mean the worst of them.”

“...Senior O lost her left arm.”

In that instant, Jeong Yeon-shin felt sharp pain in his lower lip. Without realizing it, he had bitten down on it.

O Wol-hyang, the Blue Uniform senior, immediately came to mind. She was the middle-aged woman who had treated him like a son.

“Returning Wings Squad.”

The boy called out as if reciting a verse.

Saaaaa...

For an instant, Hyeon Won-chang saw an illusion of Seom-ye's blue robe turning red.

It was as though he wore the Pure Blood Robe of the Blood Flame Sect's Grand Preceptor.

‘His inner energy realm is advancing to the next stage...!’

Hyeon Won-chang thought, deeply shocked.

The aura of Mara Roaring Blood Art spread irregularly from Jeong Yeon-shin's body.

Colorless haze rose bewitchingly in intermittent bursts.

He had stirred it deliberately to gain a tyrannical bearing.

He had to move forward, but the City of Master Craftsmen was a closed city.

Leave enemies behind them? Anyone would call that foolish, regardless of their number.

It was the moment he had to make a decision as a Desolate Fortress Squad Leader.

Slowly, Jeong Yeon-shin opened his reddened lips.

“Kill them. All of them.”

Step.

Having given the order, the boy began walking down the road alone.

He headed toward the village where homes gathered in the Spring District of the City of Master Craftsmen, far in the distance.

He walked straight beneath the soft lighting of the underground city, and no one hindered him.

Slash! Splurt!

“Urgh!”

“You bastards...!”

The air grew hot. Languid Flame Dragon leaped forward at once and smashed the enemies' heads with his fists.

A warped gust of wind burst outward. Within it, the colorless sword qi of White Qilin Namgung Hwa-shin soared in every direction.

It was the Azure Firmament Boundless Sword Art, brought to the peak of mastery.

As the sharp sword winds of the Returning Wings Squad masters swept in and cut down the enemies, the Tang Clan martial artists, including Tang Ryeo-ryeo and Tang Yeo-hwa, along with masters of the Beggars’ Sect, stared blankly at Jeong Yeon-shin's back.

The road was opening wide. Only the boy's footsteps, passing through its center, rang out clearly.

“Returning Wings Squad, Seom-ye.”

Successor Beggar murmured slowly.

Elsewhere, far away.

“Ah.”

The voice was crystalline. It was an exclamation close to a moan.

Upon a towering stone wall, the Seventh Apostle of the Blood Flame Sect swept her long black hair over her shoulder.

She had completely concealed her terrifying aura.

Reclining sideways on a rock that jutted far outward, she watched her young sect master with an entranced expression.

“You have changed again, my Grand Preceptor.”

Her ruby-like lips moved softly.

She remained still for a long while, watching her own young Grand Preceptor with red eyes.

Savoring his flawlessly cultivated body, the truly noble aura of his Blood Arts, and the way he stepped forward calmly after ordering a massacre.

Footnotes:

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