WeTried Translations

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◈ Surviving as a Genius on Borrowed Time ◈

Episode 131: Azure Flame (4)

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The Tang Family Head and the Tang siblings were calm.

No one reproached Hyeon Won-chang.

They did not even look displeased. They simply stood there, quietly watching Jeong Yeon-shin.

The Imperial Hero's muttering went ignored.

"It is probably a story you do not understand. Water that captures the moonlight of a full moon several times gains mysterious properties."

Family Head Dang Un-hwang spoke with a faint smile.

The speech that had been laden with the utmost honorifics moments earlier had shifted to respectful speech.

Jeong Yeon-shin had asked them to speak to him more casually at the Desolate Fortress Qizhou Branch.

Even the respectful speech he received from one of the Eight Family Heads felt burdensome.

That was true even though the boy was somewhat detached from the affairs of the martial world.

His status was among the most exalted in the world.

Still, Dang Un-hwang did not speak down to him.

"It is called spirit water. This water can replace the spirituality that settles upon a craftsman only when the heavens align. It is a mysterious substance, like a dragon vein or spiritual vein. The great founding master who opened our family's martial lineage chose to settle here for that reason."

The sound of water flowing down the mountain seemed to wind around Dang Un-hwang's quiet voice.

It was a pleasant place.

Jeong Yeon-shin nodded as he ran his hand over the hilts of his two swords.

"I am simply grateful."

"The divine weapons and rare artifacts our family produces from time to time originate from this spirit water. They are not common, though neither are they especially rare. It is too early to speak of repaying us, so Master, please do not thank us so readily."

He spoke with a faint smile. The thick beard covering Dang Un-hwang's mouth made him seem warm.

He possessed both a naturally cheerful disposition and the air of a ruined avenger.

The image remained vivid in the boy's mind.

When the Tang Family Head had swept away Fierce Sword Gal Sa-ryang and the Thirteen Heavens martial artists with Full Heaven Flower Rain, his movements had been utterly merciless.

Seeing how he treated Jeong Yeon-shin, it was hard to believe he was the same person.

"We will melt it down again after mixing in black iron that has already been soaked in spirit water. Weight and surface area are the issue, but Master’s swords should be within what the spirit water can bear. Both are typical three-foot swords, less than one cun wide. Weapons made for martial artists."

Dang Un-hwang's gaze swept over Jeong Yeon-shin's twin swords.

The Desolate Sword had already revealed its blade before, but he had guessed the Northern Light Sword's shape from its hilt and scabbard alone.

They truly were weapons for martial artists. Three feet was roughly one meter.

For ordinary people who had never trained in martial arts, they were swords that required two hands to wield.

Dang Un-hwang and the Tang siblings' gazes followed Jeong Yeon-shin's fingers as he touched the hilts.

The moment his fingertips brushed the Desolate Sword, Dang Un-hwang spoke again.

"It is common, yet famous. Extremely well made. It makes me curious about its craftsman, though it must be a standard-issue weapon from Desolate Fortress..."

It was the sword that had carried Jeong Yeon-shin's Radiant Sword Flow for so long.

There was a rumor that weapons made by the dwarven race grew alongside their owners. Even if it had been mass-produced for distribution, it had become the sword most familiar to the boy's hand.

At one point, he had believed no sword in the world could suit him better.

That was no longer the case. He had created the Record of the Dharma Light Wheel and temporarily risen to Black Uniform.

He would now face one top expert after another, yet the blade already bore many chips.

'The sword cannot endure.'

It struggled to withstand his enemies' terrifying inner energy and sword force in battle after battle.

Weapons were consumable by nature.

There was a reason the Desolate Sword was called standard issue.

The main fortress warriors received quality weapons whenever they returned from missions.

The experts Desolate Fortress martial artists faced generally possessed methods capable of damaging metal.

There was also a limit to protecting a blade with inner energy.

Shing.

Jeong Yeon-shin drew both swords at once.

Dang Un-hwang's gaze immediately fell upon the Northern Light Sword.

Sunlight rippled along the wave patterns running down its blade.

It was the sword he had received as a reward for his achievements at the Blood Flame Sect's main headquarters.

"A rare treasured sword."

Dang Un-hwang spoke.

It seemed to meet even the standards of the Tang Family Head, a renowned master craftsman.

Jeong Yeon-shin also felt there was something special about the Northern Light Sword's grain. It rode the wind well.

The Desolate Sword was balanced without flaw as well, but the Northern Light Sword felt sturdier while cutting through the air more cleanly.

He had simply had fewer chances to channel his sword arts through it.

'Because I wielded the Desolate Sword when I created Radiant Sword Flow.'

There had been many urgent situations, so he had kept reaching for the sword most familiar to his hand without thinking.

It was a small vicious cycle. It seemed time to let go.

Jeong Yeon-shin, who had endured countless desperate battles with a standard-issue sword, had now entered a new realm.

No matter how attached he was to it, a divine sword would help him fight his way through the battles ahead and overcome his short lifespan.

"An excellent choice. This one is far better. Its foundation is more precious."

The Tang Family Head accepted the hilt of the Northern Light Sword Jeong Yeon-shin offered.

"A weapon whose blade does not easily break belongs among divine weapons and rare artifacts. It keeps its blade steady and leaves the outcome of battle entirely to its owner's martial arts. Master knows well how powerful a form becomes when one can unleash it without holding back."

"Yes. Forgive me for asking, but how long will it take?"

The boy asked quietly. Dang Un-hwang immediately let out a hearty laugh.

"If you are so cautious, it only makes us feel slighted. Ask anything freely, and I will answer. If you mean the time required to forge a new divine sword, it will likely take a month. I intend to mix in the spiritually imbued black iron as perfectly as possible. I have already sent word to the family's master craftsmen. I will be the one wielding the hammer."

"Family Head, I heard it earlier as well, but did you say you would melt black iron into it?"

The Languid Flame Dragon asked, looking slightly surprised.

It was an exceedingly precious mineral. Some said it was metal taken from a comet that had fallen to the earth.

If it was forged according to the proper formula, as closely guarded as a secret manual, a strong sword that would not break throughout the ages could be born.

Black iron was heavier than ordinary iron of the same volume, yet it was still called a treasure.

For some martial artists, even that weight helped increase their sword force.

Its value could not be measured, even in minute quantities.

That was all the more true of black iron imbued with spirituality for so long by a prestigious family famed for forging.

Once it passed through a master craftsman's hands alongside the Northern Light Sword saturated with spirit water, there was no telling what abilities worthy of a divine sword might settle within it.

Everyone present knew it.

"Enough of that. Master, we will handle the sword ourselves. It is time to discuss something else."

Dang Un-hwang waved a hand, as though trying to ease Jeong Yeon-shin's burden.

As he carefully submerged the Northern Light Sword in the mountain water, Dang Un-hwang spoke again.

"There is a matter as important as the divine sword. I know of the suspicions held by the young hero and the Desolate Fortress experts. The thunderclap bombs."

"..."

"The Successor Beggar gave us a warning as well. They said that was why they had come to the cliffs of the City of Master Craftsmen. A few Blood Masters who had been watched for a long time had come and gone from our main house. They were all bald, they said."

"The Blood Flame Sect...!"

As Hyeon Won-chang let out a low groan, Jeong Yeon-shin spoke.

"The main fortress's Elder Council Head also disappeared without a trace while pursuing an Apostle. We hope to gain even the smallest clue."

"But it will be extremely difficult to uncover them. If someone has communicated with the Blood Flame Sect of all places, they will not be a person of ordinary standing within the main house. It is not easy to hide secrets within the ancient Tang Family Fort."

Dang Un-hwang's expression looked strained.

The Family Head himself was speaking of a possible disgrace within his family.

The boy thought of the Huangbo Family and Namgung Family he had encountered so far.

They would have slaughtered the Desolate Fortress experts standing before them under the pretext of silencing everyone.

The Tang Family Head before him was different.

'He does not have the pure air of the Nine Sects, yet he has integrity. He is a great hero of the secular world.'

As Jeong Yeon-shin inwardly admired him, the conversation continued.

It was a discussion that only made the difficulty of the matter more apparent. Unable to bear it any longer, the Languid Flame Dragon sighed with a bored expression.

"If it is an old snake that has lived in the Tang Sect for a long time, of course it will be hard to find. It must be a terrifying viper, whether in schemes or poison arts."

Hyeon Won-chang looked dumbfounded, but the Tang Family Head instead agreed.

"Little Brother Huangbo is right. The old blood relatives of this family are mostly sinister and deeply calculating. They may be hiding in the shadows and laughing at those searching for them."

"Why would someone from our main house communicate with an evil cult...? I truly cannot understand..."

Tang Ryeo-ryeo's brows drew together. She had looked uncomfortable throughout the conversation.

Poison Dragon Tang Yeo-hwa was the same. He had cultivated Tang Sect martial arts with talent everyone admired.

He had never known want, even briefly. The Tang Sect's power was not weak either, making it even harder to understand.

Dang Un-hwang smiled at his daughter.

"I know that your martial talents have bloomed with astonishing brilliance. But it has been far too long since Full Heaven Flower Rain was seen within our main house. Perhaps someone sought an alternative. They may have coveted a Blood Arts formula that would let them accumulate power apart from the Counter-Origin Three Yang Art, or joined hands with them to pursue something else..."

"It may be both."

Namgung Hwa-shin suddenly spoke. Yet it was a matter that offered no answer.

Like an incident sinking deeper into a swamp, the first day at the Tang Sect came to an end.

* * *

"Your younger generation is truly astonishing. Desolate Fortress has been blessed beyond measure."

"Are you speaking of the White Qilin...? Or Seom-ye?"

It was a deep cave prison. Aged voices echoed through the darkness.

"Both have come. That brat Seom-ye was the first to be honed. Into nothing less than a Black Uniform."

"Heh, hehehe..."

An old laugh came in broken bursts.

"Black Uniform... I saw him before the martial duel with Namgung, during the competition. I thought he overflowed with talent... He was truly blooming... Astonishing. Astonishing."

"He fulfilled my lifelong wish on his first journey to Sichuan. Heaven Hears Not. I appealed to the heavens my entire life, begging them to grant me inspiration for Full Heaven Flower Rain, yet my worthless son has claimed the wish of my life. That younger talent of yours, Seom-ye... he is extremely dangerous. He was born with the talent to bring divine techniques and ultimate arts down into the realm of skill."

Those words put robust strength into the previously listless voice.

The voice that had only answered with difficulty became remarkably clear.

"That is astonishing as well. I do not wish to hold him back any further. Why do you keep this old body alive?"

"Because it is still not enough. My grandsons' bodies are strange. They clearly recreated much of Seom-ye's anatomical diagram, yet the results are unsatisfactory. My grandsons cannot wield talent like that boy. We have also examined your body thoroughly with the qi of Blood Arts and the Three Yang Art."

Laughter erupted at once.

"You do not understand the word genius. It means talent bestowed by heaven. How dare humans attempt to trespass upon it through acquired means? It is a futile struggle. Be content with what you have."

"Say whatever you please, Elder Council Head of Desolate Fortress."

* * *

The next day.

Jeong Yeon-shin was invited to a banquet hosted by the Supreme Family Head of the Sichuan Tang Clan.

It was expected. The conflict between the Family Head and Supreme Family Head had not ended.

It was a martial family where blood and power changed hands.

The Supreme Family Head, who had once gripped all authority, would not easily relinquish that power.

The banquet hall was extravagant.

Its interior was as large as a decent Training Hall.

The clamorous cries of summer cicadas mingled with the scent of grass drifting through the windows.

The old wooden tables arranged in a square were equally antique.

Ten people sat along each side.

Dancers performed in the center while musicians played zithers, adding to the mood. The banquet had already reached its height, glowing like red lanterns.

People lifted cups, picked at delicacies, exchanged greetings, and discussed martial arts.

Some debated the situation in Sichuan.

"They say those young Demonic Sect brats gathered at the Patrol Office. These truly are the last days. Unorthodox sect trash walk around openly in broad daylight, calling themselves younger talents."

"I have also heard that Qingcheng Sect's sect leader has passed away. They say a peerless swordsman killed them."

"The Crimson Haze Sword Venerable? What nonsense... The rumor that the Jeomchang Sect's Little Sword Empress has entered the martial world with disciples from Ami and Qingcheng Sect is far more believable and interesting. Our family's Twin Dragons and Phoenixes of Poison should suppress them at least once."

Jeong Yeon-shin had already accepted several cups of wine. They had all come from the Supreme Family Head's people.

He had learned how to entertain guests through sword discussions in Xuzhou.

Simply responding appropriately made them smile.

Then it happened.

"It is becoming tiresome to keep circling the subject. You there."

The Supreme Family Head sat beside Jeong Yeon-shin. He wore the same golden robe as when they had first met.

His eyes narrowed as he studied the boy from the corner of his gaze.

Had he allowed himself to become drunk without dispelling the alcohol? Or was he merely pretending to have clouded eyes?

The Languid Flame Dragon's words came to mind.

A terrifying viper.

"You there, Seom-ye. What are you thinking so deeply about? Worry is written on your face, even though you are a younger talent who possesses the whole world."

"..."

"Is that not so? Black Uniform expert of Desolate Fortress."

The Supreme Family Head asked quietly. Something abyssal seemed to cling to his aged breath.

Silence had settled over the banquet hall before anyone realized it.

The sharp gazes of the experts gathered there focused wholly on Jeong Yeon-shin.

"Nothing in particular."

The boy spoke calmly.

"I was curious about your purpose. You just mentioned circling the subject, did you not?"

"Ah... That is true. Naturally, you would be."

The Supreme Family Head's lips curled upward.

It was a smile touched with subdued madness, a movement that looked as though it might tear his face apart.

"I called you because I was curious. That day, did you not pass the art of Full Heaven Flower Rain to my son? It was a form I found truly difficult to understand. You only took his hand and released it, so how did our Family Head come to scatter flower petals? As a martial artist, I tried not to ask. Yet as a martial artist, I was too curious to endure it."

The banquet hall was filled with experts who attended him on either side and before him.

Even words that were not a demand became pressure in such a place. The Supreme Family Head asked quietly.

"Can you tell this old martial artist? Apart from Full Heaven Flower Rain, which has already entered our family's possession, I am deeply curious about your martial skill. Is that too shameless a request?"

"...No. It is not difficult."

Jeong Yeon-shin spoke slowly.

"It is the request of the most venerable person in the house that is helping me. If there is someone of the highest standing in the Tang Family, there can be no one but the Supreme Family Head, can there?"

"No, no. The young people who uphold our main house are the ones who are truly venerable."

The Supreme Family Head shook his head slightly in modesty, a smile still on his lips.

Small cheers rose from the experts seated in the banquet hall.

"Then."

Jeong Yeon-shin held out his hand to the Supreme Family Head.

At the same time, he operated the Record of the Dharma Light Wheel.

The Supreme Family Head of the Sichuan Tang Clan was unlike the Thirteen Heavens martial artists, who had witnessed Jeong Yeon-shin kill the Saber Fist Demon at close range.

The dharma power of the Record of the Dharma Light Wheel was not conspicuous enough to be noticed from afar.

He had built the foundation of the Divine Technique's formula from passages of the Diamond Sutra and Caigentan.

It was heavy within the body and subtle beyond it.

The nature of a Divine Technique cultivated by an expert from a major faction was extremely valuable information.

Every Thirteen Heavens expert who noticed the dharma power of the Record of the Dharma Light Wheel had died.

Only the Ten Perfect Sect was likely to have learned of it through Extreme Moon Sword So Jin-rang.

Yet Sichuan was vast, and there was a limit to the speed at which information traveled.

He had recovered every possession, including the spiritual beast that had been in So Jin-rang's care.

Other than the Demon-Slaying Azure River Hand, which had already become known, the abilities of the Record of the Dharma Light Wheel remained a complete secret.

Swish.

A wrinkled hand and a young hand met.

Even so, the boy thought inwardly that, no matter what, it could not be the Supreme Family Head of a family.

"Aaargh!"

The groan came from the Supreme Family Head.

"...?"

Jeong Yeon-shin was rarely flustered. Hyeon Won-chang and the Languid Flame Dragon spoke within him at the same time.

Was there another martial family under heaven as much of a mess as this one?

"You bastard!"

"Take your hand off at once!"

Those seated on both sides sprang to their feet. Their reactions were incredibly fast, their hands shooting out like flashes of light.

At some point, the Supreme Family Head's martial artists had drawn weapons from their robes.

As though there was no need to hesitate, they threw them without restraint.

Hidden weapons and silver threads rushed in from every direction like rays of light.

Jeong Yeon-shin extended his left hand. Aura of suction and release spread from the Laogong acupoint and Shaofu acupoint at the center of his palm.

The rotating force wave of the Radiant Wheel, which began to whirl in an instant, moved with it.

In the room where cups, plates, and furnishings rose into the air and shook violently, the formula of the Divine Technique stirred with the pulse of genius.

'Full Heaven Flower Rain.'

Whoosh!

The incoming hidden weapons stopped briefly, then whirled as though they would scrape the entire room clean.

In an instant, their owner changed. Amid a storm battering the air, every ray of light flew back the way it had come.

Footnotes:

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