WeTried Translations
Translator/Editor: ZERO_SUGAR
Discord: https://dsc.gg/wetried
◈ Surviving as a Genius on Borrowed Time ◈
Episode 123: Samadhi True Fire (3)
──────
The Seventh Apostle’s eyes curved gently. Whether she had seen Jeong Yeon-shin’s lips move, he could not tell.
She took a light step.
With nothing more than a slight turn of her body, she seemed to draw in the night air as she slowly vanished into the cave’s darkness.
Her movements possessed a strange elegance.
The Seventh Apostle turned her head and gave him another wink with one vivid red eye, but Yeon-shin only blinked.
Unsure how to react, he focused solely on the mysterious Body Movement Scripture unique to her.
‘Blood Arts qi surrounds her entire body. Three Flowers Gather at the Crown... Is this the realm where intent becomes one with inner energy?’
Footwork, body movement techniques, lightness skills. He had yet to properly create any of them.
Until now, he had relied on the principles behind Cheong Myeong’s movements and the standard Body Movement Scripture from the Desolate Fortress’s Gold-Piercing Martial Treasury.
Creating the forms for his own steps and movements was another matter.
“We’re leaving.”
Ma Jin spoke.
The Desolate Fortress experts, the Tang Sect, the Beggars’ Sect, and the residents of the City of Master Craftsmen began to move together.
They were leaving the City of Master Craftsmen. The once-solid ground had become soft.
It was the result of the force waves unleashed by the experts.
Crushed stone crumbled beneath their feet, its sound echoing hollowly with every step.
Behind them, the corpses of the Thirteen Heavens experts remained in bleak silence.
Yeon-shin walked beside Ma Jin, lost in thought.
He did not know how to sort out his feelings toward the Seventh Apostle. Their debts and grievances were deeply tangled.
The fact that they had fought without regard for life or death was not the issue. That was the nature of relationships between experts who pursued martial arts.
The Elder Council Head, whose whereabouts had become unknown, was the greater problem.
They had said the Elder Council Head had been pursuing the Seventh Apostle. He needed to question her about it.
Her position as an agent of the Blood Flame Sect Master was no different.
When he had entered the main altar as the Grand Preceptor, the Blood Flame Sect’s Third Apostle had mentioned the Jeong Family Manor.
Since an Apostle knew of it, the one who had approved the order to wipe out the family could only have been the Blood Flame Sect Master.
The nobles of that cult were swords wielded by the Sect Master. He should treat her as an enemy.
If they fought, he needed to strike without hesitation.
Yet what had happened in the City of Master Craftsmen was different.
‘She did save my life. If not for Bodhidharma’s qi back then...’
They would have all been wiped out.
Before refining the Record of the Dharma Light Wheel, Yeon-shin had been weak.
He had been no match for Dokgo Gwang, the Sword Scorpion Demon. He could picture himself enduring a few exchanges before being overwhelmed by Dokgo Gwang’s sword force.
His internal injuries had even left him subdued by the Seventh Apostle.
She could have killed him instead of granting him that fortunate encounter.
If word spread beyond the City of Master Craftsmen that she had given him a fragment of qi containing Bodhidharma’s spirituality, it would bring a storm of bloodshed.
It was the treasure that two major factions of the Thirteen Heavens had sought, even while pressing the Demon Wings to the brink.
Bodhidharma’s Emanation Body treasured artifact.
They said all martial arts under heaven came from Shaolin. It contained the spirituality of the Grandmaster who had founded Shaolin’s Zen sect.
And instead of keeping such a rare treasure for herself, she had given it to Yeon-shin? It was not something an ordinary mind would do.
‘There seems to be no other conclusion.’
Yeon-shin thought.
The Seventh Apostle of the Blood Flame Sect had long asked him to create a Divine Technique for her, and now she had even handed over the Emanation Body. She prioritized completing martial arts over energy. It was the attitude of a practitioner wholly devoted to pursuing the martial path.
Was she truly one of the Blood Flame Sect’s nobles, who indulged in essence absorption and the like? He did not know. She was full of mysteries.
They said one needed a clear mind when dealing with debts and grievances in the martial world.
Kindness and enmity were distinct. What should he do?
“Um... young hero.”
It was a cautious voice.
When he looked up, he saw the small figure of the Poison Dragon, Tang Yeo-hwa, beside him.
The Poison Phoenix, Tang Ryeo-ryeo, walked beside her brother.
Tang Yeo-hwa touched his neck-length hair. His hesitant manner was nothing like when they had first met.
They were unlike anyone Yeon-shin had ever encountered. Both siblings were.
He watched them quietly.
“What is it?”
“Ah, young hero. No, great hero. I mean...”
Tang Yeo-hwa stammered. Perhaps it was because he had witnessed Yeon-shin defeat and kill the Sword Scorpion Demon and the Pure Demon Divine Hand.
His words and manner were filled with extreme caution.
The eyes that kept stealing glances at Yeon-shin seemed full of admiration. Tang Ryeo-ryeo, who had been watching from beside him, furrowed her brow as though she found him pathetic.
Still, even after lightly stepping forward, she could not easily meet Yeon-shin’s eyes. She only mumbled.
“Young Master Jeong. Would you consider coming to our main house with the people of the Desolate Fortress? If you need many physicians, there are few places in Sichuan that can compare to the Tang Sect. We are also the closest to the City of Master Craftsmen.”
The Sichuan Tang Clan was a martial family of poisons and hidden weapons. A renowned family in the martial world that refined poison arts had no choice but to be proficient in medicine as well.
No divine physician under heaven could separate poison from medicine.
“The Tang Sect? Can the Tang Sect be trusted?”
Hyeon Won-chang abruptly cut in.
It was because of the Demon Wings’ mission. They had been tasked with finding out whether the Tang Sect was manufacturing thunderclap bombs.
Since the Tang Sect was suspected of being traitors, Hyeon Won-chang seemed wary of walking into a tiger’s jaws.
Still, the decision belonged to Ma Jin.
Yeon-shin held out several stone fragments before his uncle.
The pieces were already swirling in a strange pattern through the mnemonic formulas of absorption and release. Bewilderment appeared on Ma Jin’s scar-covered face.
As the Leader of Demon Wings, Ma Jin had broad experience in the martial world. He recognized it as the introductory art of Full Heaven Flower Rain.
“Yes. I suppose something like this could happen...”
With a hollow laugh, Ma Jin spoke.
“Then we should summon the Tang Sect to the Desolate Fortress’s Sichuan branch. Going directly into the Tang Family Fort would be burdensome. Our forces are in this condition, and we have no way of knowing what mechanism formations or poison formations may be hidden there.”
Ma Jin’s expression was bitter as he glanced at the empty space beneath his left shoulder, then at his subordinates.
Yeon-shin silently nodded before looking at the Tang siblings.
“...”
The Tang Sect experts, who ruled over vast Sichuan, were truly being treated as though they were merely physicians.
Yet the siblings could not say anything. An ultimate expert who held Full Heaven Flower Rain stood before them.
A rain of flowers that filled the sky had been the Tang Family’s long-held desire.
No expert would cling to pride before a Divine Technique that symbolized the legitimacy of their martial lineage.
They had no choice but to accept Ma Jin’s request. Tang Yeo-hwa and Tang Ryeo-ryeo chattered while watching Yeon-shin’s expression.
“They will probably come even if they have to carry every medicine and poison they possess. It has been their lifelong wish, you see. Our elders...”
“You may rest assured, Young Master Jeong. The Tang Sect would never do anything foolish while such a peerless secret art is before us. We also distinguish clearly between kindness and enmity. We will receive you without violating the martial world’s principles and laws.”
Yeon-shin thanked them. Before long, his gaze turned behind him.
A middle-aged Blue Uniform expert who had lost her left arm was smiling at him.
O Wol-hyang. His senior from the Demon Wings. She had treated him like a son.
“Yeon-shin, relax that brow. People will not follow someone who looks unpleasant. Even if you are as handsome as Song Yu of Chu, you will not become a great man. You have Black Uniform rank within reach now.”
“...Senior O.”
“Why the sad face? You are a child who will soon grow into a fine man.”
O Wol-hyang came up behind him and stroked the back of his head with her remaining hand.
Her palm was thick with calluses, yet it felt incredibly gentle. It held the warmth of the Demon Wings.
“Father will come in person. We will need to make a human-skin mask.”
The Tang Family Head, who had been silently watching the Tang siblings from one side, muttered.
The title referred to the Supreme Family Head of the Sichuan Tang Clan.
At the same time, a smooth voice brushed against Yeon-shin’s mind.
“Beware the Sect Master, my big and young Grand Preceptor.”
The Seventh Apostle’s sound transmission rang out briefly, then vanished. Her voice was strange. Concern colored it when she spoke of the Sect Master, while laughter lingered in her words about him being big and young.
Yeon-shin did not try to search for her.
The Wheel had told him it was a sound transmission sent from beyond the range of his aura sense, like a bat’s cry.
‘I need to focus on qi storage.’
Yeon-shin mulled over the Seventh Apostle’s words.
* * *
Qizhou Branch of the Desolate Fortress, eastern Sichuan.
A man stood atop the roof of a pavilion with his hands clasped behind his back, looking out over the city.
He wore a Blue Uniform martial robe, savoring the feel of its hem snapping in the wind.
The attire, emblazoned with the bold black character for Desolate, drew admiration even from afar.
A group of children walking through the streets with candied fruit in their mouths stared up at him blankly.
‘Nothing had better happen.’
Jang Il-do, the Qizhou Branch’s only Blue Uniform expert, paid them no attention.
He was the branch head.
He accommodated the experts of the Divine Sword Squad’s Seventeen Squads who came from the main fortress and, within the limits of the branch’s strength, attended to the welfare of the region entrusted to it.
When the name Jang Il-do, the Towering Excellence Sword, was mentioned, every sect in Qizhou Prefecture of Sichuan received him with the utmost respect.
Often, the sect leader would rush out barefoot to greet him. Even if the Qizhou Branch’s strength could not compare to the martial forces of the main fortress, it made no difference.
With the Desolate Fortress behind the branch, such respect was only proper.
‘The signs have been strange lately.’
The attitudes of martial-world sects had changed in a peculiar way in recent days.
It might have been after rumors spread that the Namgung Family’s direct line had been slaughtered by a junior prodigy of the Desolate Fortress and the Divine Sword Squad Leader.
Or perhaps it had begun after the Huangbo Family’s destruction.
There was nothing he could do about it at once.
He had been content with life as a native of Sichuan who had become a Blue Uniform martial artist of the Desolate Fortress.
Then the main fortress experts, including the Demon Wings, had arrived, and he had been utterly shocked.
Few among them could walk without injury. It was also astonishing to see members of the rare dwarven race accompanying them.
‘The main residence is a complete mess.’
As he hurried out, he instructed the servants and subordinates to attend to them with the greatest care.
After sending a dispatch requesting physicians from the Sichuan Tang Clan, he had become somewhat tense.
The branch would have to serve both the experts of Sichuan’s foremost family and martial artists from the main fortress. It was an extremely troublesome affair.
Yet there was another reason he stood alone atop the roof that curved down at the edges. A letter had arrived from the main fortress.
“The martial world is in turmoil, so I have donned the Purple Uniform’s long robe. The Qizhou Branch Head should prepare to receive the former Divine Sword Squad Leader. You must also remain especially vigilant of the riffraff from the Tang Sect and the Thirteen Heavens.”
The moment he read it, his nerves went taut.
A forgotten legend was coming in person. Today was the appointed day of arrival.
Even with outstanding figures below in the clusters of pavilions, including main fortress experts, members of the dwarven race, the Tang Sect’s direct descendants, and the Successor Beggar of the Beggars’ Sect, they did not occupy his attention.
The boy called Seom-ye had greatly intrigued him, but this was no time to think about that.
Jang Il-do anxiously bit his lip.
It was not an attitude he had shown even when facing the Leader of Demon Wings, nor when meeting the Supreme Family Head of the Sichuan Tang Clan.
This morning, the instant pure white sunlight settled on the highest roof, he stepped onto its glitter.
It was to welcome the person who had once been the second most honored in the martial world.
Was it imagination? A terrifying presence came from the road stretching beneath the clear sky. Yet it was an exceptionally clear day.
“What are you doing here?”
“Hng...!”
Jang Il-do’s body jolted. He tried to draw his sword, only to be subdued before doing so.
A stiff sensation spread across the back of his neck. Only his eyes could move.
An old man stood beside him.
His straight white beard fell to his solar plexus.
The purple long robe over his sturdy-looking body had an upright collar.
It suited the old man’s vigorous, sharp features remarkably well.
“Has anything happened at the branch?”
Ma Yeon-jeok asked slowly. Sharp light gleamed in his pitch-black eyes.
He had reached a realm where concealing energy was possible, yet it felt as though he deliberately chose not to.
Jang Il-do’s eyes moved up and down. Cold sweat ran down the back of his neck.
At last, a figure too lofty to approach had arrived at the branch. The martial power pressing against his skin was overwhelming.
Combined with past renown, it felt as though he faced an irresistible storm.
A Supreme Master of the Desolate Fortress had come to Sichuan.
The major factions of Sichuan had yet to make their move.
* * *
“Step down from your position as Leader of Demon Wings. You should return to your main family.”
Ma Yeon-jeok spoke. Jeong Yeon-shin and Ma Jin were with him.
A faint tea fragrance filled the cozy room.
Ma Yeon-jeok sat before a wooden tea table and continued.
“You did well to annihilate the riffraff of the Ten Perfect Sect and the Pure Demon Alliance. Still, we cannot leave a gap in our fighting strength. The Demon Wings should preserve the martial lineage of Demon's Light, but it must be reorganized.”
“The master craftsmen of the dwarven race said they would make a prosthetic arm, one of the divine weapons and rare artifacts that responds to inner energy.”
Yeon-shin answered quietly. For the first time, Ma Yeon-jeok furrowed a brow.
Unable to say anything harsh to his grandson, Ma Yeon-jeok turned on Ma Jin as though scolding him.
“You lost your left hand. That means the acupoints of the Hand Taiyin Lung Meridian, which ran from that arm through your whole body, are completely gone. It will have a tremendous effect on the circulation of your inner energy throughout your body. With the Central Plains martial world in such an uncertain state, how long will it take you to recover your former ability to wield inner energy? Is it not better to focus on rehabilitation than remain a Squad Leader in such an incomplete state?”
“...”
Ma Jin did not argue.
Ma Jin merely closed his eyes once, expression heavy. Ma Yeon-jeok did not look pleased either.
Silence lingered for some time. Even the scent rising from the teacups felt loud.
Slowly, Yeon-shin reached into his robes.
He soon took out a small booklet. The paper was exceedingly old.
Jeong Family Youth Technique.
The handwriting was messy, like that of a child.
Jeong Family Youth Technique.
The small booklet carefully pushed aside the three teacups on the table.
“I think this may help both you, Uncle, and you as well, Grandfather.”
Yeon-shin spoke.
“It is a martial art that is good for strengthening the body. I planned to donate it and earn merit anyway, so it does not matter if you both read it first.”
“...!”
Both Ma Yeon-jeok and Ma Jin realized that was not the truth.
Their long experience in the martial world made it obvious. He was not showing it to them because he planned to donate it anyway. It was the other way around.
Ma Jin slowly parted his lips.
“Is this not the martial art that established your foundation?”
“Yes. I am certain of its effects.”
At his nephew’s answer, Ma Jin gave a low, contemplative hum.
As Ma Yeon-jeok’s eyes widened, Ma Jin struggled to continue.
“It is a great contribution. Along with your martial prowess and all your past achievements... you have enough to rise to Black Uniform rank, even without earning more merits.”
“It will not be too late to discuss that after you have read the manual. I should leave now. The intent behind the mnemonic formula resembles a diary.”
He expressed embarrassment in stiff words. Soon afterward, the boy sprang to his feet, abruptly opened the door, and left.
Ma Jin watched him go before opening the manual to its first page with one hand.
Ma Yeon-jeok’s shoulder touched Ma Jin’s from beside him. At some point, the old man had shamelessly squeezed into the seat next to him.
Their eyes passed over the mnemonic formulas of the Jeong Family Youth Technique, beginning with the words at the start.
[Those who sleep are dead, for they have forgotten life.
If the qi accumulated through breath training falls asleep, then inner energy withers as well. I cannot understand it.
Stagnation is death. Why stop circulating qi? Inner energy in every meridian throughout the body must move without rest.
From the dantian to the Foot Jueyin Liver Meridian, it must form a circle that circulates without end.
Then qi becomes like a mother.
Even when I cannot see it, even when I am asleep and cannot feel it, it embraces my whole body. It holds me very warmly.
So that I need not seek warmth elsewhere.
If I caress the Qihai acupoint in the lower dantian with a mother’s intent, the qi that has swept through my body returns through the Mingmen acupoint on my back.
As it does, it strengthens the bones and muscles and firmly kneads the acupoints. Because it moves without rest, it is a moving art.
The heart that guides qi must hold this intent for it to be effective.
Though I may resent it, I am a Jeong. I had a mother, even if I never got to meet her. She must be looking down on me from the heavens.
Because you chose the Jeong Family Manor.
Then this should be called the Jeong Family Youth Technique.]
“...”
A deathly silence swept away even the fragrance of tea. Neither man could speak for a long while.
Footnotes:
Join our discord at https://dsc.gg/wetried
