WeTried Translations
Translator/Editor: ZERO_SUGAR
Discord: https://dsc.gg/wetried
◈ Surviving as a Genius on Borrowed Time ◈
Episode 164: Leader of Demon Wings (7)
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What sort of person was Desolate Fortress's Leader of Demon Wings?
It was one of the topics at the center of the Martial Alliance Assembly.
Whenever people considered who would dominate the grand founding ceremony, he emerged as a likely supreme master.
Among the envoys from the great sects gathered at the Martial Alliance headquarters, he was one of the most influential figures. His martial arts and character had to be assessed.
“It might be worth speaking with the White Qilin as well.”
“Namgung Hwa-shin...? His upright character is well known. But he is now a martial artist of Desolate Fortress.”
“He is serving the person who killed his own brother. I think all that talk about his upright character, or the Clear and White Twin Qilins being the greatest brothers in the martial world, was nothing but rumor. Anyone can keep up appearances at a place like the Dragon-Phoenix Gathering, can't they?”
“Perhaps he does not hold grudges? I heard Seom-ye and the Clear Qilin fought a fair life-and-death duel. That is why the White Qilin is something like a symbol of the White Path's orthodox sects...”
“Young Hero Gongsun, you should first learn to distinguish friend from foe.”
Moyong Myeong-jun, Ak Ye-rim, and four others set off.
All of them were young. With two days remaining before the banquet, their destination was obvious.
It was the residence of the blind master who had captured the hearts of countless Martial Alliance martial artists over the past few months.
Miss Ye.
She was the niece of the Ye Clan Sword School's leader and the young mistress of the Ye Clan Merchant Guild.
The merchant guild had provided a vast sum of gold toward establishing the Martial Alliance headquarters. Her standing was exceptional.
She possessed a forthright personality and beautiful looks. Her martial prowess was so extraordinary that the cloth covering her eyes did nothing to diminish her appeal.
Martial artists from great families differed from wandering martial artists. Some valued money more highly than blades.
That meant they understood just how formidable someone with both martial strength and wealth could be.
Anyone could be captivated by her, regardless of gender. Many martial artists had become lovesick over her.
Even among the powerful clans, quite a few kept track of her movements while pretending otherwise.
“The Ye Clan Merchant Guild must receive information of excellent quality. I wonder how Miss Ye will judge Seom-ye.”
“What I want to know most is Miss Ye's name.”
“Isn't it said that her family tradition only permits her to reveal it to her betrothed? Are you showing your true intentions now?”
“That's just how I put it. Why are you reacting so sensitively?”
They conversed as they walked across the beautifully laid stone path.
Miss was an honorific used to show respect to a young woman of a distinguished family.
For the powerful clans of the Eight Great Families, including the Moyong Family and Jegal Family, to sincerely call her Miss Ye meant she was no ordinary person.
It was the respect of those who ruled their territories like royalty. It also proved Miss Ye's standing.
“We're here.”
Moyong Myeong-jun looked ahead.
Even within the headquarters, it was an especially splendid pavilion.
Graceful curves swept down from the outer roof into the rafters.
It rivaled the Leader of Demon Wings' Fragrant Rhyme Residence.
In other words, it was no less impressive than the residence the Martial Alliance Assembly's leadership had provided to draw public attention.
“I sent word to Miss Ye before coming,” Moyong Myeong-jun said to the man standing before the door.
The man had a powerful build and robust aura, nothing like an ordinary attendant. He stood like a gatekeeper, yet there was discipline in his bearing.
The attendant briefly studied Moyong Myeong-jun, then turned his head to the side.
“May I let them in?”
“Yes.”
A concise reply came from within. It was a smooth voice, one that erased any slight displeasure directed at the attendant.
The qi that brushed their ears with that reply was strangely domineering, yet not unpleasant. It was an unusual inner energy.
‘It isn't the Ye Clan Sword School's inner energy. The rumors that she studied under a reclusive master must be true.’
Moyong Myeong-jun thought.
Clunk.
Without a word, the attendant grasped the handle and pulled the door open. Moyong Myeong-jun watched the attendant's hand closely. It was covered in calluses.
‘He has trained in martial arts. He is highly skilled. Since he serves as an attendant without even carrying a weapon, he must be Miss Ye's trusted subordinate... How very strange.’
The group crossed the threshold. Led by the attendant, they passed through the main hall and entered a large study.
A curtain hung before the seat of honor, preventing host and guests from seeing each other's faces.
“I thought you weren't shy around people outside.”
Moyong Myeong-jun smiled and made a joke. The shadow of Miss Ye visible beyond the curtain took his breath away.
She sat with her long legs crossed, leaning back against the chair.
The destructive waves of qi flowing from her figure held a terrifying attraction.
Had there been a demonic aura in those fluctuations of inner energy, he might have taken her for a noble of the Blood Flame Sect.
“Won't you meet us face-to-face? A single layer of silk is terribly irritating.”
“I don't want to look at ugly faces even inside my own home.”
Miss Ye had no intention of drawing back the curtain.
Her unconventional words and conduct suited her perfectly.
Even words bordering on insults became the joke of a spirited hero when she spoke them.
Her appearance, aura, and background, all of which the group already knew, made it so.
“Sister Ye, I'm pretty, so I'm fine, right? Can I come in? I want to see you.”
Ak Ye-rim deliberately acted cute, tilting her head slightly from side to side. The response she received was indifferent.
“Tell me why you came.”
“Ah...”
Ak Ye-rim lowered her head gloomily.
They had traveled together before.
When the major factions of the Thirteen Heavens ran rampant during a famine, Miss Ye had slain the Blood Master who had nearly cut off Ak Ye-rim's head.
She had shattered the Blood Master's head with a strike from the back of her hand. It had been truly shocking.
The Shandong Ak Family was an old orthodox sect. Ak Ye-rim knew how to repay a favor.
She wished to repay Miss Ye, but Miss Ye did not allow anyone within a certain distance of her. The invisible boundary was clear.
That was why the Martial Alliance's young martial artists swallowed their longing. She had an allure unlike anything they had seen, yet no one could truly get close to her.
The same was true even for masters of the Eight Great Families such as Ak Ye-rim, Moyong Myeong-jun, and Jegal Hyeon.
They could not force the matter through strength, either. The Martial Alliance was an alliance formed only recently.
Its sources of income were not standardized. Its budget and accounts were extremely complicated.
Continued support from a major financial source like the Ye Clan Merchant Guild was essential.
‘We're tracing the flow, but we can't discover the source of its wealth. It has been so long since I instructed the main family... When will there be results?’
Moyong Myeong-jun pushed the thought aside and spoke.
“We came to seek your wisdom, Miss. We need something unconventional, something rigid martial men like myself and Sister Ak would never think of.”
“Wisdom?”
The shadow of Miss Ye's head tilted slightly. Her tone rose, and it almost sounded as though she found the notion absurd.
Moyong Myeong-jun's lips curved.
“The new Leader of Demon Wings has come as Desolate Fortress's envoy. You must have heard.”
“...”
“He is a real nuisance. Since Desolate Fortress is the reason this alliance was formed, we cannot simply let him return unscathed. We need to humiliate him somehow... but there is no opening. Instead, he is gaining a reputation by instructing those who visit him. He is certainly an exceptional person.”
“Do you want to die?”
“Hmm? You mean the Leader of Demon Wings?”
Moyong Myeong-jun asked with a snort.
“...”
No answer came. Only the translucent curtain fluttered faintly before them.
The attendant standing by the door flinched for no apparent reason.
The indifferent expression he had shown the powerful heirs of great families, including Moyong Myeong-jun and Ak Ye-rim, had wavered.
“Your words and conduct always exceed my imagination, Miss. But we cannot cut off an envoy's head. A Black Uniform supreme master would never submit quietly, and if he decided to flee, he would not be easy to capture. It is enough to shame him.”
“Sister. He killed my betrothed. I told you last time, didn't I? The Clear Qilin, Namgung Se-jin. Perhaps he fell victim to Desolate Fortress's characteristically ruthless methods. I can't simply let my enemy go. He must be a thoroughly wicked person.”
Ak Ye-rim added.
The boy from the Gongsun Family beside her sighed, but no one turned to look at him.
“The Clear Qilin?”
Miss Ye repeated the title. There seemed to be an odd interest in her voice. Ak Ye-rim's face brightened.
“Yes, yes. At the hands of Seom-ye, Jeong Yeon-shin...”
“It must have meant a great deal.”
Miss Ye cut her off, her voice carrying a strange anticipation.
“The summer when he was sixteen. That was when the Leader of Demon Wings entered the Namgung Family's sparring match, wasn't it? It's an age when one would take anything seriously. Also, my int... secret intelligence network says the young Leader of Demon Wings is a bewitchingly cruel and chillingly arrogant person. Mention the Clear Qilin directly. I can't do it myself.”
“You mean he sounds like the Blood Flame Sect? As expected... The Ye Clan Merchant Guild's secret intelligence network truly seems immense. Surely your agents aren't as capable as the Beggars’ Sect? But... what do you mean, you can't do it?”
“It means get out now. There's something I wish to savor while lying down.”
* * *
“I am Ak Ye-rim of the Shandong Ak Family.”
Ak Ye-rim's heart beat with hatred as she spoke to the Leader of Demon Wings, who wore a fairly decent-looking face.
This boy had taken from her the man she had loved all her life. After receiving word of Namgung Se-jin's death, she had spent a long time refusing food and drink.
Paradoxically, the reason she began eating again and cultivating martial arts was because she believed she would see Seom-ye Jeong Yeon-shin again.
“Jeong Yeon-shin, Leader of Demon Wings.”
The boy answered.
She knew. She knew very well. She had long ago burned his facial-feature portrait into her mind, to the point where he appeared even in her dreams.
The rising talent who had slain Clear Qilin Namgung Se-jin.
She had expected that they would meet somehow in the upper ranks of the martial world.
Her prediction had been right. They had finally met, only after he had risen to a position where she could not immediately point a sword at him.
She resented the heavens. What if the Martial Alliance had declared a sect war against Desolate Fortress at the moment it was founded?
She would have mobilized every resource of the Ak Family and avenged her beloved.
“I understand that you were present at the Clear Qilin's death. I was his betrothed.”
Ak Ye-rim spoke slowly.
A sadistic urge rose in her as she looked down at the boy sitting there with dignity.
Did he know the value of the person he had killed? His noble character and outstanding appearance could have made him a symbol of the White Path's orthodox sects.
After he sent his younger brother, Namgung Hwa-shin, away from the family, did he know how sorrowful it had been to feel Namgung Se-jin's tearful face against her embrace?
“The man I knew was a hypocrite. He was always busy hiding his family's shame beneath behavior that made him appear fair and upright.”
The man who would have become a great knight-errant had become a lonely soul at his hands. What did he think of him?
Had it ended as nothing more than a great achievement for which Desolate Fortress had praised him? How satisfied had he been after killing him?
Even Desolate Fortress, which would turn killing a knight-errant into an achievement, was laughable.
“I am curious what you think, young hero. You shared a life-and-death duel as martial artists of the highest caliber. You must have understood Namgung Se-jin's character more deeply than anyone.”
Her emotions nearly surged out as she spoke. She had no choice but to whisper the last words.
If he agreed with her story, Ak Ye-rim of Shandong would think infinitely less of him.
It was the powerless revenge of an orthodox martial artist who walked the White Path. He was merely a wandering martial artist with exceptional martial skill.
This was how distinguished families took revenge. They began by lowering their opponent's dignity.
After all, every martial artist at this assembly knew.
Ak Ye-rim was not truly disparaging the Clear Qilin. She was only testing him.
She was giving the Leader of Demon Wings an excuse to rationalize the outcome of his life-and-death duel.
Several martial artists, including Moyong Myeong-jun, watched with interest from nearby.
“You. You speak of the Clear Qilin too carelessly. You are damaging his stature.”
Unbelievable words came from the Leader of Demon Wings.
Ak Ye-rim looked at the boy's face.
His dark, distinct brows had drawn together. He looked genuinely angry.
“I am not curious about the thoughts of weaklings.”
The Leader of Demon Wings slowly rose from his seat. Fluctuations of inner energy began to rise, sharper than anything.
Though he had not even touched his sword hilt, it felt as though he were releasing a sword-strike force wave without the aid of a blade.
“Why this Squad Leader was invited, and whatever you find so entertaining to watch, both are insignificant beside the Clear Qilin. Even if I become Purple Uniform, he will remain my equal. Let me make that clear now.”
The new Leader of Demon Wings' black robe fluttered.
It was an aura that made them recall the meaning of the Black Uniform robe. They said only Squad Leaders of Desolate Fortress enjoyed that rank.
“From today onward, rising juniors are not to speak to me. It lowers my standing.”
The boy's lips moved, and a sword entered Ak Ye-rim's sight.
Whoosh!
Its blade was descending straight toward her.
How close was it? She did not even know when he had drawn it.
The sharp line dimmed every color around her. Her vision was filled entirely by that single sword blade.
Her heart pounded violently. Every sense in her body seemed to tell her that it was real.
Even the sword wind that chilled her skin was real.
For a moment, she could not believe it. Was he going to kill her here? Kill her?
Whoosh!
Ak Ye-rim reflexively collapsed to the ground. It was the worst response a martial artist could show. The sword strike had simply overwhelmed her that completely.
But.
Nothing happened.
A single breeze through the window gap merely brushed the silence of the banquet hall.
Blankly, she raised her head. The boy stood with his hands behind his back as though he had never drawn a sword in the first place, and her eyes met his.
His bearing was proud enough for her to understand what Sister Ye had meant.
Bewitchingly cruel and chillingly arrogant. He was exactly as Sister Ye's secret intelligence network had described.
“The Clear Qilin remained standing.”
The Leader of Demon Wings brought his hands out from behind his back, then stroked his sleeve and lowered his eyes slightly.
He looked as though he were recalling something. Was it a memory of the Clear Qilin? Or perhaps he was reviewing the technique he had just used.
Ak Ye-rim's eyes widened.
‘That was a feint? That?’
She suddenly became aware of her surroundings. She was not the only one affected. Several others had been caught by it as well.
Moyong Myeong-jun had even drawn his sword halfway and lowered his stance deeply.
It seemed that his recognition had come later than Ak Ye-rim's, who had been looking directly into the Leader of Demon Wings' eyes.
“What...?”
“How many people were caught just now? Could that have been a heart sword?”
The banquet hall stirred at last.
The Leader of Demon Wings kept doing the unexpected. Both his conduct in defending the Clear Qilin and the technique he had just displayed were unconventional.
As gifted members of the White Path's orthodox sects, they could not accept it immediately.
It did not feel real, even when a handsome swordsman opened the banquet hall doors and entered.
“Squad Leader.”
The White Qilin, Namgung Hwa-shin, walked in with an imposing bearing. Was it etiquette toward his Squad Leader?
He immediately dropped to one knee before the Leader of Demon Wings and clasped his fists.
Many people there knew him, yet he paid them no attention. It suited a young man more noble than anyone else present.
“He looks remarkably like the Clear Qilin. They look so alike, it is hard to tell elder from younger.”
“More than that, those meticulous formalities... Is the White Qilin truly the Leader of Demon Wings' sword?”
Those unaffiliated with any faction murmured.
The White Qilin did not mind lowering himself. Yet he was a master from a distinguished family, one of the foremost among young martial artists.
It was another blow to those who had hesitantly risen around them.
Across the room, Moyong Myeong-jun, who had straightened his back, furrowed his brow.
Namgung Hwa-shin did not even glance at him.
Then he spoke.
“I waited until the matter was settled.”
“You did not need to.”
The boy's stern eyes softened considerably.
The difference was like heaven and earth from how he treated Languid Flame Dragon and the other martial artists from great families. Namgung Hwa-shin smiled faintly.
“The Sword Star has requested a meeting.”
“The Sword Star, the Martial Alliance Leader?”
The boy asked.
“Yes.”
At that moment, Hyeon Won-chang suddenly rose from his seat.
After glancing around, he walked to his young Squad Leader and brushed the character for Desolate from his shoulder.
Then he looked between Ak Ye-rim and Moyong Myeong-jun before smiling.
“Enjoy yourselves.”
Footnotes:
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