WeTried Translations
Translator/Editor: ZERO_SUGAR
Discord: https://dsc.gg/wetried
◈ Surviving as a Genius on Borrowed Time ◈
Episode 188: Bond (3)
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After unleashing Azure Flame, First Form against the Sword Absolute, Jeong Yeon-shin was left exhausted.
A form was a method of moving the body and inner energy in directions they had never moved before.
Destructive movements came at a price. A one-strike killing technique was bound to bring recoil.
After sparring with the Sword Absolute, the boy's sword forms no longer moved as dynamically as before.
He had overcome every opponent he faced after Cheon Ju-jin with the Jeong Family Youth Technique, forcibly tightening, stimulating, and expanding every acupoint and muscle in his body.
Naturally, many bundles of tendons throughout his body had stiffened. He could no longer fully follow the flow of the Record of the Dharma Light Wheel.
Fortunately, no opponent comparable to a Black Uniform had appeared since Cheon Ju-jin.
The martial world was bound together by grudges and debts. A martial artist had to remain prepared for attack at all times.
On a main road crowded with countless travelers, there was no choice but to heighten his senses.
It was a discipline martial artists called Sensory Training. From the moment he left the Martial Alliance Assembly's main headquarters, Jeong Yeon-shin had been circulating the Light Wheel through the acupoints in his head.
That was why he heard it.
A martial artist with a powerful aura appraising the Languid Flame Dragon.
“So you've been standing there with your guard up like a cat. Interesting child. Would you care to enjoy a drink with me? I am Eon Hwa-ryeon.”
It was a somewhat hoarse voice. Her pronunciation was unclear as well.
Jeong Yeon-shin clearly sensed the muttering of an exceptional master. It was the voice of a woman who sounded like a drunkard.
She sounded as if she were speaking to someone else, but the words were undoubtedly directed at him.
The boy's lips parted slightly.
“Let's go up.”
“Let's do so.”
The Languid Flame Dragon answered with an odd expression. His intuition was uncanny.
The pulse between his ears and eyes was already throbbing red. The flow of qi at the Taiyang acupoint near his temples stood out clearly.
The Scorching Yang qi wielded by the Huangbo Young Family Head drew attention wherever he went. Countless passersby on the main road glanced their way.
It had been like that ever since they left the Martial Alliance Assembly's main headquarters. The Languid Flame Dragon had walked proudly onward without a care.
He had also guessed at Jeong Yeon-shin's condition.
He could not leave all vigilance to the young Squad Leader, even if such precise control of qi consumed a great deal of mental strength.
He had heightened his Sensory Training early on while persuading Jeong Yeon-shin to relax.
The inner energy of the Sun God Meridian was said to burn one's lifespan and surge without limit.
It was a constitution that naturally opened blocked passages in the qi and blood throughout the body, filling them with Scorching Yang qi. In terms of qi storage alone, he surpassed his Squad Leader.
‘I’m just a little slower.’
The Languid Flame Dragon inwardly snickered as he led the young Squad Leader.
You're a little slower. Jeong Yeon-shin had told him that at the Dragon-Phoenix Gathering. Now, he did not deny it.
Swoosh.
He opened the doors of Azure Crane Tower.
It was said to be Hanzhong's finest tavern and inn. The hinges between the walls and doors had been lavishly oiled.
Without a sound, the scene inside unfolded before them.
Orange lanterns hung in rows. People noisily clinked cups and picked at side dishes, while the space above the second floor opened upward in a square.
The gazes that habitually swept over newcomers turned toward the two of them, then froze.
“...”
The place, filled with merchants and martial artists alike, fell silent.
The Languid Flame Dragon had lived as a scion of Shandong's foremost powerful clan, and his bearing was extraordinary. Though he chewed opium poppy so often, refinement flowed from his shadowed eyes.
The presence born from the Sun God Meridian pressured those around him even without intent.
As he strolled inside, even the hem of plain cotton brushing the threshold looked like silk.
“This must be an atmosphere you've never experienced, Squad Leader. This is how liquor is meant to be enjoyed, not in some dull, old-fashioned pavilion of a martial family.”
He smiled lazily and lightly moved a hand from behind his back to the front.
There was something amusing in the way he guided the person behind him. Oddly enough, it suited him.
It looked as though a rare noble young master were escorting a boy.
Jeong Yeon-shin entered wearing a rough black robe. Its fabric had lost its smooth texture after so many battles.
His hair seemed even glossier by comparison. That sheen was natural.
“Those people...”
“They look awfully familiar, don't they?”
People began whispering among themselves. It was common in bustling Hanzhong these days.
He was clearly a young swordsman. His features were striking, as was his unusual appearance. The left sleeve of his Black Uniform long robe had been roughly torn away.
Only the cuff on his right arm hung long. A small, rough white character for Desolate was embroidered on his shoulder.
Jeong Yeon-shin wore Ma Jin's spare clothing. Cheon Ju-jin's sword strike had ruined his usual martial robe.
His uncle's long robe was slightly roomier and easier to move in. He did not miss his slashed martial robe much.
“This humble one is the Chief Steward of Azure Crane Tower. Today, I have received an honor worthy of three lifetimes. To think the Leader of Demon Wings would grace us with his presence...”
A man who appeared to be in charge came forward with both hands clasped. He was a middle-aged man in fine silk rather than an ordinary server.
The response was remarkably swift. It showed just how well known the young man had become in Hanzhong.
Perhaps it was because he had driven away the Spirit Sky Sword Ghost and the Heart Martial Union's force of martial artists. Along with the fame he gained at the grand founding ceremony, he seemed to have already won the people's support.
‘It'll be useful later.’
The boy thought of the documents he had obtained from the Prefect he killed before.
There was evidence that the Zhuge Family Head had deliberately stood by and ignored the Heart Martial Union's plunder.
To overturn the Assembly, where many unmatched masters of Family Head standing were gathered, and emerge safely, he would need support from several directions.
‘Legitimacy, public sentiment, and a minimum amount of force.’
Removing the Zhuge Family Head. It was a task he had to accomplish as the newly appointed Leader of Demon Wings after obtaining the Great Revitalization Pill.
If he succeeded, it would become a great merit.
Desolate Fortress personnel of Squad Leader rank had the authority to carry out their duties at their discretion. He had to accumulate many achievements to rise to Purple Uniform.
He had often heard it from Cheong Myeong and Baek Mir-yeo, who had formed Ma Gwang-il’s Squad with him. Surpassing Ak Su-rim, the Desolate Divine Spear, would be difficult with ordinary merits.
‘Letting this pass would also be wronging the Languid Flame Dragon.’
The Huangbo Family had been wiped out for using common people for private gain.
The boy had taken the Huangbo Young Family Head as his subordinate. He could not overlook the Zhuge Family merely because the Martial Alliance Assembly was large.
At the very least, the Family Head had to be held responsible. That was the will of the newly appointed Leader of Demon Wings.
“Since a Squad Leader of Desolate Fortress has arrived, we should naturally prepare a seat worthy of your status...”
“The highest floor will do.”
Jeong Yeon-shin interrupted the Chief Steward.
The man's eyes widened at being addressed respectfully by the Leader of Demon Wings, but only for a moment. Then his expression drooped with discomfort.
“There are prior guests. It would be difficult even to reveal their identities to a Squad Leader...”
“I have an appointment with Ak Ye-rim.”
Jeong Yeon-shin spoke after sensing the aura of a rising talent from the Shandong Ak Family. The Chief Steward's face brightened at once.
“Ah! So it was a seat for a handsome young man and a beautiful young lady!”
“A handsome young man and a beautiful young lady. That is not wrong, in its own way.”
A voice tinged with laughter sounded out. It was that same hoarse voice.
The Languid Flame Dragon seemed to recognize the slurred words as well. The Huangbo Young Family Head's dark eyes narrowed.
“I suppose this is your final hurdle, Squad Leader. The First Fist of the Eon Family. They say she uses Protective Qi Technique around her body like fortress walls.”
Jeong Yeon-shin silently nodded. He had not turned away from an exceptional master's invitation to share a table because his eyes saw through many things. Since he was not at full strength, he needed to understand an opponent of such enormous renown first.
Startled by the Languid Flame Dragon's words, the Chief Steward led them to the top floor.
“I hope you enjoy yourselves.”
The Chief Steward of Azure Crane Tower left without even watching the two face the person waiting for them.
It differed from his earlier manner. He was someone well versed in the ways of the martial world.
He knew how insignificant an inn was in the martial world. He had left to protect himself.
“Hanzhong's finest, they said. It truly is...”
The Languid Flame Dragon was muttering when a woman leaning limply against the wall greeted Jeong Yeon-shin. She was half reclined as she lifted her cup.
Across from her, Ak Ye-rim sat with her head lowered slightly. She seemed embarrassed by the person she had been drinking with.
“Ah.”
It was an odd exclamation.
The First Fist of the Eon Family. Fist Exemplar Eon Hwa-ryeon smiled with half-lidded eyes.
“You are even more handsome than I heard. I cannot imagine what you will look like in a few years. It would be a shame for the Eon Family Fist to crush you.”
“You will end up bedridden too. Tomorrow.”
He responded to her casual words in the same offhand way.
Unlike his lips, the boy's brows did not move. He carefully examined Eon Hwa-ryeon with his pitch-black eyes.
She wore a martial robe that left both arms bare. The contours of her biceps and triceps were plainly visible.
Blue veins faintly showed beneath her skin, pulsing with powerful inner energy.
Her body was strikingly different from that of Baek Seo-gun, the Spirit Sky Sword Ghost. A fist fighter's body differed from that of a complete swordsman.
Eon Hwa-ryeon's lips curved upward. Had she mastered a Face-Preserving Art?
She was said to be in her forties, yet there was not a trace of a wrinkle around her smiling mouth. She could have passed for Ak Ye-rim's older sister.
“Desolate Fortress boy, what are you looking at?”
“What.”
The boy's answer was short.
It was easier to give brief answers to rivals. Lately, he had become more and more like this.
Eon Hwa-ryeon's smile deepened. She seemed pleased by the young Leader of Demon Wings' manner.
Her lowered lashes trembled with aura. It was the wave of inner energy from an exceptional master whose competitive spirit had been stirred.
“Your eyes are awfully sinister. You would do well to abandon any ulterior intentions, unless you possess the skill to look down on me as an inferior. I am in no position to take just anyone as a husband. I may soon become Family Head.”
Like the Languid Flame Dragon, she tossed out frivolous jokes.
‘The next Family Head.’
Several months ago, the Heart Martial Union Leader had snapped the Eon Family Head's neck. It had been a major incident.
Together with the Tyrant Sword Sect Master's killing of the Qingcheng Sect leader, it had been the talk of the martial world.
The Chief Steward's Office of Desolate Fortress had also classified it as a Purple Uniform-level incident.
The First Fist of the Eon Family.
Fist Exemplar Eon Hwa-ryeon's other title was a desperate measure by the Jinju Eon Family. They had deliberately elevated her reputation to preserve the family's established influence.
The Eon Family was part of the Eight Great Families. It was renowned throughout the realm as a distinguished fist-art family.
Martial families were powerful clans that acted like royalty wherever they went.
Each was said to be enormous in scale. Ordinary prestige was not enough to maintain their mighty influence.
‘The fame and authority of martial sects... are said to come from symbolic masters. Like the Lord of Desolate Fortress at the main fortress.’
The boy thought.
The matter of the Jinju Eon Family was already widely known. Eon Hwa-ryeon had taken the place of the dead Family Head.
It meant she was, at the very least, an exceptional master with martial prowess comparable to a Black Uniform. That was why he had approached rather than avoided her.
If the other party was his equal, he had to know her. At higher levels, even the flutter of a butterfly's wings affected the precision of a sword form.
‘The Great Revitalization Pill is one step away. Eon Hwa-ryeon is the last one.’
Ak Ye-rim's eyes moved back and forth between Eon Hwa-ryeon and Jeong Yeon-shin. They were wide open.
The way they suddenly spoke to each other as equals was unfamiliar. It was a sight the orthodox sect martial world would not readily accept.
It was all the more so because Jeong Yeon-shin was much younger.
If not for Desolate Fortress's custom of letting rank determine precedence, distinguished elders would have rebuked him long ago.
‘This is the boy Namgung Se-jin acknowledged...’
Regardless of her thoughts, the meeting between the two exceptional masters had taken place.
It was bound to affect the grand founding ceremony as it raced toward its conclusion.
The Leader of Demon Wings and the First Fist of the Eon Family. It was one of the greatest events happening in Hanzhong at that moment.
Eon Hwa-ryeon, who had been sprawled out, felt around the drinking table before grabbing and lifting a jade bottle.
The way she grinned made her look exactly like a drunkard. It seemed true that no exceptional master lacked eccentricity.
“I would like to be served by a handsome child. Will you pour me a drink?”
She held the bottle out to the boy. The Languid Flame Dragon's lips twisted upward.
“It seems Aunt Eon has suffered qi deviation. Her behavior is even freer than mine.”
“About as much as you. It's fine.”
The young Leader of Demon Wings replied.
The boy quietly stepped forward and accepted the jade bottle with one hand. Eon Hwa-ryeon, almost beaming, held out her cup.
She lifted her chin as if daring him to try something improper.
Tap.
Jeong Yeon-shin silently began pouring the drink.
At the same time, inner energy flowed from the wheel at his heart. It raced straight into the center of the palm holding the bottle.
Hummm.
The Dukang Wine within the jade bottle filled with a heavy aura. Over drinks, the Leader of Demon Wings' power began testing his opponent.
The world of exceptional masters unfolded amid the charm of Azure Crane Tower's highest floor, where a cool breeze flowed in.
In deathly silence, a low vibration swept through the autumn wind.
Then.
Eon Hwa-ryeon's arm trembled faintly. The veins on the back of the hand holding the cup twitched.
The boy slowly spoke.
“This Squad Leader is pouring you a drink. Observe drinking etiquette.”
Footnotes:
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