WeTried Translations
Translator/Editor: ZERO_SUGAR
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◈ Surviving as a Genius on Borrowed Time ◈
Episode 132: Azure Flame (5)
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"Full Heaven Flower Rain! Do not fire any hidden weapons!"
"We must dispose of him quietly... Aaargh!"
Untimely groans and screams rang through the banquet hall.
The returning blades swept through it like a typhoon.
The vast hall was engulfed by brutal force waves.
Amid the spurting blood, no one could bring their martial arts into play.
Having mastered Full Heaven Flower Rain, Jeong Yeon-shin had become the nemesis of hidden-weapon experts. No one could approach him.
He did not even turn around. The Supreme Family Head was a sight to behold.
As though the dharma power of the Record of the Dharma Light Wheel had burned away his inner meridians, he sagged in his chair and groaned.
With his left hand extended to the side, Jeong Yeon-shin seized the ugly old man's nape with his right hand and met his eyes.
"Where is our Elder Council Head?"
The boy asked abruptly. The instant he became certain of the spy's identity, something brushed through his upper dantian.
The closer death came, the more responsive the Baihui acupoint atop his head became.
It still offered spiritual hints whenever it pleased, but their relevance and frequency were gradually improving.
"Heh heh."
The Supreme Family Head laughed. Though he faced Jeong Yeon-shin, his gaze seemed fixed somewhere far away.
"Do you know why the Tang Sect cultivates hidden weapons and poison arts?"
His voice was clear despite his condition. He did not seem to expect an answer.
The old man continued slowly.
"It is because they require fewer sacrifices than crossing swords. There is no clash at the heart of Tang Sect martial arts. It is the foresight of ancestors who feared their family's lives would be cut short by a stray blade. The uncertainties of sword arts are like trembling flower petals. Even if a strong man holds a sword, he may meet his end through the stroke of luck possessed by a weaker man."
"That is another way of admitting it. I know you were involved with the Elder Council Head and the thunderclap bombs."
Jeong Yeon-shin did not listen to the Supreme Family Head's words.
His fingers were already pressed against the nape, striking the paralysis acupoint.
He had to be wary of the poison arts the man had mentioned. The Supreme Family Head could now only move his mouth.
The old man did not seem to care. He simply grinned and continued.
"The heart that thinks of one's family is a great fruit left uneaten. It is compassion, the willingness to endure condemnation for cultivating cowardly methods. Tang Sect martial arts became the will of ancestors who cast aside their desire for the reputation of orthodox sects and wished for the wholeness and prosperity of their descendants."
He was circling around the idea that the ends justified any means.
Jeong Yeon-shin had dealt with plenty of scions from martial families like this. They were masters at dressing themselves up in flattering words.
"You have no shame. My dharma power burned away the Demonic Sect's inner energy. I can prove the power of my qi whenever I wish, so you have only two choices."
The boy spoke calmly. There was no need to say the rest.
Suicide or confession. Those were the only endings a martial artist of an orthodox martial faction who had plotted such a scheme could choose.
The Supreme Family Head's wrinkled lips curled up. At last, his eyes met Jeong Yeon-shin's.
"You do not seem like a foolish child, yet you appear to be in a hurry. There is no composure in your eyes. What is chasing you? You have caught the culprit, and my son is a fine unfilial wretch who chose loyalty over the family's reputation."
"..."
"Ah... I see. You are a child unlike any in ages. You have no time. Heaven is impartial as well."
It was not mockery. It sounded like the monologue of an old martial artist dulled by time.
The moment Full Heaven Flower Rain returned to the Tang Sect, Tang Tae-dok lost the force that had driven him through life.
The fulfillment of his ultimate goal had instead left him drained.
His lifelong wish had been realized through a boy from outside the family, someone with no connection to them.
That, too, was a secret art passed to the son he had resolutely pushed away.
How did he feel? Jeong Yeon-shin did not care. He had only realized one startling fact.
The old man knew this body's constitution.
His grip tightened around Tang Tae-dok's wrinkled nape.
The boy's calm eyes lifted slightly.
'The Blood Flame Sect was behind this.'
The Elder Council Head of the main fortress was a Purple Uniform peerless swordsman.
They said the Elder Council Head was an old expert comparable to a sect leader of the Nine Sects.
Their martial attainment was not so low that they could disappear from the martial world against their will.
Now he understood. The Blood Flame Sect Master was fully alive and had joined hands with Tang Tae-dok.
The intuition from his upper dantian, the Elder Council Head's disappearance, the Demonic Sect inner energy Tang Tae-dok cultivated, and the suspicion that the Tang Sect had manufactured thunderclap bombs all unraveled at once.
At the same time, the Full Heaven Flower Rain raging through every corner of the banquet hall began to subside.
No one remained standing.
The Tang Sect experts struck by the Divine Technique of their nemesis lay scattered about with serious injuries.
Some remained on one knee, but none were in any condition to move easily.
The dancers and musicians in the center had also been Tang Sect martial artists. They had fallen after being struck by the very hidden weapons they had drawn.
Tang Tae-dok glanced past Jeong Yeon-shin's shoulder from the seat of honor, and his smile deepened.
"Talent unmatched in ages... Child of Desolate Fortress. You are truly like a comet."
"You have lost your mind."
The boy's quiet reply did not stop Tang Tae-dok's muttering.
His identity as a spy had been exposed, and the wish of his life had been fulfilled in vain.
His aimless voice rang out, old and hollow.
"You are fated to shine through martial arts, then be consumed by time. Now that I see you from so close, it is clearer than ever. The Counter-Origin Three Yang Art distinguishes medicine from poison even at a distance. That anatomical diagram was wrong. Yours is a body that walks through two hundred years of time in twenty. Through you, the impartial laws of heaven are made plain. What truly beautiful martial talent."
"..."
"I understand why the spawn of heretical sects covet you. Anyone who leads a sect would do the same. The Lord of Desolate Fortress, a woman like the nine-tailed fox from the Classic of Mountains and Seas, must be very protective of you. How soft is her embrace?"
"She is my master. Do not speak of her."
Tang Tae-dok chuckled.
"It is the way of the world that a child like you struggles to grow up properly, yet you are truly remarkable. In any case, you are right. There are not many ways left for me to conduct myself. If I think of the main family, I should beg for leniency. Would it not be disastrous if word spread that the Tang Sect had colluded with the Blood Flame Sect?"
"Speak. Where is the Elder Council Head?"
"You speak of their location without asking whether they are alive or dead... Your tone is so unyielding, so full of certainty. Fascinating, fascinating. That must be another ability of the upper dantian, yes? I want to open your head and see. I desperately need to study blood channels."
Madness shone in his aged eyes. He truly had lost his mind.
This was beyond what Jeong Yeon-shin could handle.
He could not torture the Supreme Family Head of a martial family in the heart of that family's estate.
"Enough. Do not say anything."
Without hesitation, the boy dragged the old man by the nape.
Tang Tae-dok, who had been disabled after directly receiving the Record of the Dharma Light Wheel, was pulled out without resistance.
Step.
Jeong Yeon-shin passed the groaning experts under the Supreme Family Head's command.
No one tried to stop him. He carried the bearing of a Black Uniform expert who stood in for the leader of a sect's elite martial artists.
Tang Tae-dok's golden robe dragged beneath Jeong Yeon-shin's hand.
This was not the time to act with complete disregard for everyone else.
Jeong Yeon-shin sat Tang Tae-dok down at an angle beneath a pillar of the banquet hall.
The old man gave a rasping laugh and looked up at the boy.
"Your methods are decisive, but you understand how to conduct yourself. You are not an idiot who trusts only in your martial talent."
"Be quiet."
He answered mildly.
Jeong Yeon-shin had cared about his reputation from the moment he entered Desolate Fortress.
It was because he intended to rise to the position of Divine Sword Squad Leader. The old man was right that he knew how to conduct himself.
The boy had no intention of creating an unfavorable situation with his own hands.
Creak.
He opened the doors and stepped out alone. Servants carrying wine jars and dishes stared at him in alarm.
They seemed to have lingered outside after hearing the fierce battle and force waves raging within.
Jeong Yeon-shin spoke calmly.
"Please summon the Family Head. An unfortunate incident has occurred."
"Y-Yes, understood!"
No one dared to look inside.
The Tang Family Head, who had received instruction in the entry-level art of Full Heaven Flower Rain, had declared it.
Seom-ye of Desolate Fortress was the master of the Sichuan Tang Clan.
That meant he was not an outsider to the family.
The Tang Sect family precept of repaying kindness twice over and grudges tenfold meant clearly distinguishing between gratitude and enmity.
Having gained high standing within the Tang Sect, Jeong Yeon-shin had become a difficult figure for the family servants to deal with.
His special status as a martial artist of Desolate Fortress had become almost irrelevant.
Two servants hurried away.
Rustle.
Jeong Yeon-shin leaned against a doorpost.
He only tilted his head up slightly and remained motionless for half a quarter-hour.
The boy stared blankly at the summer sunlight sinking into the gathering dusk.
A pale glow spread with the dimness.
Like a translucent blanket, it covered Jeong Yeon-shin's entire body and dyed his hair a faint reddish brown.
Shadows fell across his high-bridged nose.
The remaining three servants stood respectfully while stealing glances at him.
They maintained the elegant conduct expected of servants from a prestigious family, yet somehow kept looking his way.
"..."
Jeong Yeon-shin's bearing had changed after he took the Light Wheel into his body. With each passing day, his presence became more distinct.
The same was true of his features. He was a boy still growing.
The blood of Jeong Ban-ak, the lord of Jeong Family Manor called Ban-ak, and of Ma Yeon-sang, the mother whom such a man had fallen for, was growing more pronounced.
Jeong Yeon-shin knew his appearance was fairly good.
It did not stir much feeling in him, but it was true.
If it would help him rise to the seat of Divine Sword Squad Leader, he was willing to make use of this face as well.
Just as he had learned to entertain guests through sword discussions.
'She told me to grow my hair out once I became an expert.'
Perhaps because of the servants' glances, the Lord of Desolate Fortress's words suddenly came to mind, then faded.
The boy shook off the stray thought inwardly. He had only stored it away in his mind. It was an idle distraction now.
Then.
'Ah.'
He sensed people approaching from afar. Jeong Yeon-shin immediately lowered his gaze.
Three slight figures were coming toward him. They seemed to have deliberately sent their attendants away.
The Tang Family Head and the Twin Dragons and Phoenixes of Poison siblings.
They had become fairly familiar to Jeong Yeon-shin by now.
Rumors had begun to spread that the siblings were entering a succession contest, so the family was returning to normal.
Their expressions alone made that clear. Their delicate faces were calm, yet full of life.
"Benefactor, what brings you...?"
Jeong Yeon-shin glanced at Tang Ryeo-ryeo, who asked demurely, then cupped his fist toward the Tang Family Head.
He had to cast a stone into the peace they had found. It was unfortunate.
―The Supreme Family Head was a spy for the Blood Flame Sect.
He sent a sound transmission. Poison Commander Dang Un-hwang's eyes widened as though they would split apart.
* * *
Supreme Family Head Tang Tae-dok had been an exceptionally accomplished martial artist.
To disable him with a single clash of palms, without relying on the principle of mutual restraint, required at least the realm of Purple Uniform.
That was simply common sense.
The dharma power of the Record of the Dharma Light Wheel.
Dang Un-hwang had placed his hand directly against Jeong Yeon-shin's palm and received the technique from him.
He knew the sacred sensation within the Record of the Dharma Light Wheel's qi. Once he saw the force wave displayed before his eyes, the matter became even clearer.
"Imprison the Supreme Family Head... and prepare to punish his grave crime by beheading."
Poison Commander Dang Un-hwang's order was absolute.
He did not conceal it. He fully revealed the sins of his father, the family's disgrace.
Though he expressed gratitude for Jeong Yeon-shin's consideration in informing him through sound transmission, he did his utmost to uncover the full truth of the incident.
Poison Commander.
It meant a gentleman skilled in poison arts. True to his epithet, he was a great hero.
The Family Head's conduct instead drew the Tang Family martial artists together.
The Supreme Family Head's authority collapsed, and the Tang Family Head once more governed the household.
Everything proceeded without delay.
The Tang Sect experts obeyed the Family Head's order. Dozens of elite martial artists searched the surrounding area.
They were looking for the cave prison where the Elder Council Head was being held.
The elusive Heaven-Treading Nine Heavens Body Technique flashed everywhere.
They were experts who had cultivated the Tang Sect's secret eye techniques. Even the distinctive senses of the Counter-Origin Three Yang Art were brought into use.
Once the Tang Family Head decided not to conceal the incident, the Supreme Family Head's hiding place would soon be discovered, despite his silence.
During that time, Jeong Yeon-shin received various medicinal pills through the servants. It was Dang Un-hwang's repayment.
The boy immediately had Namgung Hwa-shin and Hyeon Won-chang carry the medicine.
It was for the seniors who would be lying in beds at Desolate Fortress's Qizhou Branch.
"Take care of yourselves until we return. The Ten Perfect Sect Master may not know yet, but who knows how the Pure Demon Alliance Leader will act? I will promptly unlock seventy percent of my true strength."
It was Hyeon Won-chang's farewell before they parted for a while.
He was right.
With Ma Yeon-jeok's whereabouts unknown, there was no expert in the Tang Sect where Jeong Yeon-shin remained who could withstand a lord of the Thirteen Heavens.
The Pure Demon Alliance Leader and the Blood Flame Sect Master had to be expected to appear one way or another.
Tang Family Fort was filled with both life and tension.
Even the sunlight brushing brightly across the rafters seemed to weigh heavily on the shoulders of the family members.
'I have to become stronger.'
Jeong Yeon-shin focused on qi storage while circulating the Light Wheel.
At the center of the Training Hall, where stone staircases stretched out in every direction, wind carrying dirt and leaves swirled toward the boy's body.
The stability of the Record of the Dharma Light Wheel, which carried the benefits of dynamic practice, was beyond comparison with ordinary cultivation methods.
Whoooong!
Simply circulating the Light Wheel gathered energy unlike anything before.
As he did so, Jeong Yeon-shin broke down the martial arts of three major factions in minute detail.
The Blood Flame Sect, Pure Demon Alliance, and Ten Perfect Sect.
He had already experienced enough of them.
There was precedent for him gambling on a single move from a Tyrant Sword Sect elder and succeeding with a counterform.
Then what would happen if he prepared from the beginning?
Never in his life had he taken a stance in advance and focused completely on countering martial arts.
He did not know how well it would work against peerless experts like the lords of the Thirteen Heavens. Still, Jeong Yeon-shin did his utmost.
'Even against someone two or three moves above me, if I strike at an opening, I can make up nearly one move of the difference in skill.'
He broke down, one by one, the force waves of the qi arts they had shown, the movements of the Body Movement Scripture, and the forms of their Hand Arts and sword arts.
It was the process of newly establishing Force Projection to tear open gaps, and consolidating how and in what flow he should unleash the Record of the Dharma Light Wheel's force waves against each opponent.
The upper dantian within his head frequently burned white.
He sensed a short, decisive battle ahead.
Footnotes:
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