WeTried Translations

Translator/Editor: ZERO_SUGAR

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◈ Surviving as a Genius on Borrowed Time ◈

Episode 156: Knight-Errant (3)

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Yu Hyeon's dry lips moved slowly.

"Yeon... shin...?"

It was as though Yu Hyeon were forcing the sound through a parched throat. A trace of laughter colored the youth's breath as he looked down.

The same went for his lips. Slowly, a smile formed, one revealed only before those with whom he had formed a bond.

"Your eyes aren't clouded, are they? Your attainment in the eye technique hasn't gone anywhere, even if your power seems to have scattered for a while."

"You, those clothes... what are they...?"

The corner of Jeong Yeon-shin's mouth lifted a little higher. Yu Hyeon was no ordinary person.

The first thing Yu Hyeon asked about was the color of his long robe. Anyone could see this was someone born for the martial world.

Yu Hyeon cared first about a friend's martial strength and standing. It was as if the reason Jeong Yeon-shin had come here did not matter at all.

"Are all disciples of the Nine Sects like this? You've got nerves of steel."

Jeong Yeon-shin had formed ties with four major factions among the Nine Great Sects.

Sword Dragon Weiji Myo-hwa, Hidden Dragon Yu Hyeon, Young Divine Monk Gak Jeong, Little Sword Empress Chwi So-ok...

None of them were ordinary.

They had different personalities, but one thing was common between them. Each had a distinct character.

It was the same now. Yu Hyeon stammered slightly.

"Every time I see you, the color changes... How did that happen? Does this mean you've reached the same level as my martial uncle Cheon Ju?"

Cheon Ju of the Mount Hua Sect was better known by an epithet than a Daoist name.

Mount Hua Sword Absolute.

As the leader of the Plum Blossom Swordsmen, Cheon Ju had left behind countless tales. It was said that Cheon Ju had once clashed with the Demon Wings and forced a draw.

"Don't disgrace the Sword Absolute. Don't speak carelessly."

It's because I lived through a slightly different time.

Jeong Yeon-shin buried the truth within himself and gave a vague reply.

As an outsider to the sect, it was enough for the Sword Immortal of Zhongnan and Weiji Myo-hwa to know of his short lifespan.

It was not because he did not trust Yu Hyeon. He simply did not want to say it.

'It seems Grandfather didn't tell Uncle either.'

That was the impression Ma Jin gave. Ma Jin still appeared entirely unaware.

Ma Yeon-jeok had not rashly involved himself in the affairs of his daughter's grandson.

Jeong Yeon-shin did not know what the former Divine Sword Squad Leader was thinking, but he thought this was better.

Hyeon Won-chang, Cheong Myeong, and Baek Mir-yeo supported him now. He did not want to needlessly burden those close to him with worry.

It was a burden on Jeong Yeon-shin himself as well. Perhaps he could speak of it as a joke after obtaining a World Tree fruit and curing his constitution.

"So, how did you get here, Desolate Fortress Black Uniform sir?"

Though Yu Hyeon spoke as if nothing were wrong, Yu Hyeon's eyes kept sweeping over Jeong Yeon-shin's long robe.

Yu Hyeon's stunned expression was rather amusing. Jeong Yeon-shin glanced around.

Three Zhongyang Association martial artists standing guard in the distance had frozen in place.

He had entered after striking their paralysis acupoints and mute acupoints. Now, they were immobile and voiceless.

'Have they gathered their forces inside?'

Languid Flame Dragon, Namgung Hwa-shin, and Hyeon Won-chang had gone to search the other directions.

The island was large, but it seemed Jeong Yeon-shin had found the right place.

Jeong Yeon-shin took a blue jade from his robe and tossed it upward. At the same time, it shattered into fragments that scattered in all directions, refracting the sunlight.

The Spirit-Treasured Jade Ma Se-in had given him.

It was an object that cracked when infused with pure qi. The Demon Wings had just decided to use it as a signal for the new Leader of Demon Wings.

"How did you get captured?"

The youth asked lightly. Yu Hyeon blankly watched the fragments of Spirit-Treasured Jade before lowering his gaze.

"There was a survivor in the village. Some young boy. We came after hearing what the child said, but a martial faction and the Prefect of Yunyang Prefecture are in league with each other. There are hostages too. We were caught completely off guard."

"The Prefect?"

Jeong Yeon-shin asked.

The village boy had begun to seem suspicious, but that could not compare to the presence of a high-ranking official.

"That's the ridiculous part. The Prefect committed acts that violate the Great Ming Code, but if someone from the martial world does anything to the Prefect, it'll be punished as a crime equivalent to treason. A complaint from a handful of martial artists would never be taken more seriously than the Prefect claiming innocence."

"If you are the Desolate Fortress martial artist acquainted with our martial uncle, are you young hero Seom-ye...?"

One of the Mount Hua Sect disciples bound beside Yu Hyeon asked.

She had raised her head at some point. Her unusually large eyes were striking.

Jeong Yeon-shin gave a brief nod and grasped the sword hilt at his waist.

Swish!

A streak of light flashed.

The youth joined the drawing and sheathing of his sword into a single trajectory.

As he drew the blade, cut through the ropes, and returned it to its sheath, he felt for himself how much the Light Wheel Art had improved his sword's speed.

The sensation of the blade cutting the ropes and returning came through with astonishing smoothness. The Northern Light Sword, transformed into a divine sword, had likely played a part as well.

"What kind of fast sword was that...?"

Yu Hyeon sighed. Yu Hyeon alone had caught even a glimpse of the sword path. Without answering, Jeong Yeon-shin fully seated the hilt in the sheath.

Clack.

Only after the sound of the blade being sheathed rang out did the other Mount Hua Sect disciples realize their own situation.

The disciple who had asked about Jeong Yeon-shin's identity stammered.

"Th-thank you, Great Hero."

"Great Hero... Well, calling a Desolate Fortress Black Uniform a young hero would be a little strange too. It feels awfully unfamiliar, though."

Yu Hyeon muttered as he got to his feet, wearing an incredulous expression.

Still, Yu Hyeon clasped both hands in a proper martial salute toward Jeong Yeon-shin.

That neat conduct attested to the bearing of prestigious Mount Hua.

"Thank you. You saved our lives."

"Don't talk about debts of gratitude."

Jeong Yeon-shin turned his head slightly, then his lips paused. He had sensed people emerging from the hall opposite them.

There were more than one or two of them. Some were quite powerful as well. The youth's eyes narrowed slightly.

"I heard a boat had crossed over without fear, so I waited only for corpses."

It was a middle-aged man's voice. A group of people walked out.

A man and woman stood at the front. The man holding a large saber was the one speaking of corpses.

The Zhongyang Association Leader.

It was exactly as Jeong Yeon-shin had heard from the village boy. Yet something he had not heard about entered his sight as well.

'An official really is involved.'

Those following behind were quite a sight. There were twenty people, a mix of martial artists and government soldiers.

Those in light martial uniforms were martial artists. The government soldiers wore cloth armor reinforced with iron plates.

"You're some lowlife imitating the Desolate Fortress. A Mount Hua Sect disciple, perhaps? That Desolate character is quite large. It has a bold charm, but it would suit me better than you."

The Zhongyang Association Leader spoke with a sneer.

A faction leader's laughter naturally spread to the faction members.

Several people eager to earn merit approached Jeong Yeon-shin.

The Zhongyang Association Leader did not bother to stop them. The youth was not even drawing his sword.

"A Black Uniform at your age. You know far too little of the world. You're not a Mount Hua disciple, but you seem like a brat who learned a few moves at some decent martial academy..."

"Without knowledge, even pretending to be someone else is difficult. At your age, even a Desolate Fortress White Uniform would be more than you deserve."

The Zhongyang Association members approached with mocking words.

Rough talk was said to be commonplace among the Demonic Sect.

Despite their contemptuous words, they had taken proper opening stances.

They gripped their sabers and swords tightly. Seeing the faction members behind them struck in their acupoints, they seemed to have grown wary.

That was when it happened.

"Husband. Stay where you are."

The Prefect spoke. Her expression as she looked at Jeong Yeon-shin was grim.

As if she had sensed something, she stretched out a hand to stop the Zhongyang Association Leader.

She opened her mouth as though to say something to the faction members approaching the intruder as well.

Her attempt to stop them came one step too late. The youth, who had been standing still, had already driven out a straight punch.

A colorless wave surged from his outstretched arm.

It was a Force Projection force wave unleashed in an instant without even using True Step.

The second form of Sihwa Boundless Hand, True Barrier.

Boooom!

It was as though a storm had descended in an instant. A dull crash rang out amid the raging wind and dirt. Blood sprayed in all directions like mist.

The bodies of three Zhongyang Association members were swept away by the single strike, then sprawled across the ground with a tremendous shockwave.

The lingering power of the Light Wheel Art's spiraling force wave carved a swirling pattern into the ground, as if mocking the deaths of the three corpses.

"..."

Everyone suddenly froze.

A level of martial strength no one on the island could have imagined had been displayed.

Even the Mount Hua Sect disciples behind him drew in their breaths.

Yu Hyeon, famous as an eccentric despite being a Daoist disciple, was the only one to mutter softly.

"What kind of Force Projection was that...?"

'The common people.'

Jeong Yeon-shin spread the aura of the Light Wheel Art in all directions. It was an application of qi that swept a radius of ten jang.

He felt the presences of powerless common people at once. They were in a shabby annex between the halls arranged in a circle around this Training Hall.

He could tell just by sensing their aura. None had eaten enough to possess any vitality, and their qi was shallow from practicing only the Three Talents Heart Method distributed by the Ming imperial court.

Had they been gathered as hostages to deal with knight-errants?

There was not even a single guard.

Those who controlled the island seemed never to have encountered martial strength beyond their expectations.

The presences of people dry-heaving from hunger contrasted with the well-fed cheeks of the Prefect and her husband.

'They broke apart especially easily under True Barrier's force wave. Their protective qi and their bodies alike.'

The youth glanced at the corpses of the Zhongyang Association members sprawled on the ground. They appeared to be people who had cultivated the power of the Demonic Sect.

He saw no reason to hold back.

"...Husband, that person truly is a Desolate Fortress Squad Leader."

The Prefect spoke belatedly. Her lips trembled slightly.

"Seom-ye Jeong Yeon-shin. They said the new Leader of Demon Wings was very young. It seems that person is him."

The Zhongyang Association Leader urgently spoke after hearing his wife's words. He had sensed there was no chance of victory in a direct clash.

They needed to bring out the worthless things they intended to use in place of oxen to plow their fields.

It was the same as when the Mount Hua Sect disciples had come. They needed hostages.

"At once...!"

His words were cut off.

Whoosh!

The presence erupting from the youth's entire body lifted the black hem of his robe.

Streams of energy flowed out, scraping over the ground and leaving traces like whirlwinds. Silence fell briefly.

The sheer presence of the aura had seized everyone's attention. Soon, the Leader of Demon Wings, wrapped in dust like mist, moved his lips.

"Kill them."

Boom!

Shockwaves erupted from three sides outside the Training Hall. Gray, White Uniform, and Blue Uniform figures leaped in from beyond the grounds.

It happened in an instant. Heat, killing intent, and sword qi tore through the air.

Fwoosh!

Smoke and blood burst up from every direction.

Languid Flame Dragon's Blazing Sun Palm crushed eight people in an instant. Hyeon Won-chang used his unique killing sword to sever five necks in a single strike.

Namgung Hwa-shin unleashed the Azure Firmament Boundless Sword Art and sent ten force waves out with one sword strike.

It did not even take a full breath to clear the area.

The Leader of Demon Wings drew attention with overwhelming aura, and the Desolate Fortress elite rushed in at once.

It was a tactic that any sect would be bound to fall victim to once. The only question was how much damage they took in that one exchange.

For the Zhongyang Association, that one exchange was the end.

The government soldiers were no different.

They had suffered a blow close to annihilation.

The sounds of corpses falling rang out everywhere, mostly around Hyeon Won-chang and Namgung Hwa-shin, who had used swords.

Languid Flame Dragon, who had already dusted off his hands, drew his brows together slightly.

"They don't grow opium poppies? Are these really unorthodox scum?"

"..."

Only the Zhongyang Association Leader and the Prefect remained standing.

The face of the Zhongyang Association Leader, who had been called husband, looked as though his soul had left him. The Prefect's expression was difficult to read.

She only stared calmly at Jeong Yeon-shin.

"As expected, there was no need for Jeomchang to come. It was right to have them look after the child."

Hyeon Won-chang spoke as he walked among the dead.

Hyeon Won-chang prodded the corpses with a scabbard, checking whether anyone was playing dead using the Tortoise Breath Method.

The Desolate Fortress was a faction like a military camp.

It did not negotiate with those who harmed the people's livelihoods.

Nor did it offer mercy.

After reaching the target and finishing the mission, it left behind only ruins.

Aah.

A strange groan sounded.

It came from Languid Flame Dragon stretching with both hands clasped behind his neck.

After yawning broadly, he grinned at Jeong Yeon-shin. There was something oddly irritating about it.

"Young Squad Leader, you said something when you sparred with me this time, didn't you? What a shame. You said you were going to create a sword art, but these fellows weren't worth even a single move or half a form."

"I'm not creating something separate. I'm trying to add a new flow to the Radiant Sword Flow, so no one can strike at its weakness like the Law Enforcement Squad Leader."

Jeong Yeon-shin answered as though only half-humoring him. If he did not answer, Languid Flame Dragon would keep talking.

He had suffered enough of it in the ruined village. It felt as though calluses were forming around his ears.

Perhaps it was because Languid Flame Dragon had been born with the peerless talent of the Sun God Meridian. His interest in Jeong Yeon-shin, whose martial talent surpassed even his own, was immense.

'Not as much as the Seventh Apostle, though...'

A red smile flickered through his mind.

Together with the Prefect before him, it gave him another problem to consider.

What should he do?

Then Languid Flame Dragon continued, a relaxed smile hanging around his lips.

"Either way, now you'll have no choice but to experience real combat at the Martial Alliance. If you get the chance, why not exchange sword strikes with the Alliance Leader? The Sword Star is a peerless swordsman said to rival the Divine Sword Squad Leader."

"Even if I don't want to, it will likely come to that."

Jeong Yeon-shin answered in an even tone.

They said victory at the grand founding ceremony of the Martial Alliance Assembly would grant two special rewards. The first was a Great Revitalization Pill.

The second was instruction from the Sword Star, who had been elevated to Alliance Leader.

Both rewards were enough to excite martial artists across the land, but the Chief Steward's Office of the Desolate Fortress believed there was a trap in the second reward.

The Martial Alliance was an interest group. It had united under the cause of the Huangbo Family's destruction and the slaughter of the Namgung Family's direct line.

What would happen if a faction not part of the Martial Alliance Assembly won the grand founding ceremony?

Especially if the victor were a Desolate Fortress master.

'They said they'd give me a Great Revitalization Pill and humiliation together.'

Jeong Yeon-shin set aside his thoughts as he lightly grasped the hilt of Northern Light, his divine sword.

He needed to decide how to deal with the Prefect before him.

At the same time, Languid Flame Dragon sidled closer and whispered.

"Let's kill her and remove future trouble first."

"Get lost."

Jeong Yeon-shin answered indifferently and shoved him away with an elbow.

At the same time, the pure-white blade of the Northern Light Sword rose upside down, and white lightning flashed from the neck of the Zhongyang Association Leader, who stood there in a daze.

Swish.

It was the sound of every blood vessel being crushed and bone being severed.

Footnotes:

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