WeTried Translations

Translator/Editor: ZERO_SUGAR

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◈ Surviving as a Genius on Borrowed Time ◈

Episode 201: Demon Wings (2)

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Jegal Hyeon's fan technique was enjoyable.

It was a form of play Jeong Yeon-shin had never experienced. The movements of his body felt unfamiliar.

The sensation of his body moving on its own, entrusted to an outside force, was wholly foreign to Jeong Yeon-shin, who had always had to act alone in everything.

He had only watched the Jeong Family Manor brothers mingle with the children of Xinye County.

A little of the loneliness he had felt then was filled by the Jegal Family's lofty fan technique. Even he found it strange.

He had once envied the swings ridden during the Dano Festival, when people prayed to the elven earth god for a bountiful harvest. That old envy had faded, if only a little.

Back then, he had not even been allowed near toys. They said it would bring defilement.

What he had wanted then was affection, not a Dano Festival swing.

'I have received help from the Immortal Dragon in many ways.'

Jegal Hyeon had also been the one to reveal the first clue to the Thunderclap Flash-Ridge Sword Art. He was far more of a gentleman than the Languid Flame Dragon.

Of all the people he had befriended at the Martial Alliance Assembly, this was perhaps his most valuable connection.

"If you return to Hanzhong, I will show you how the Jegal Family has changed."

Jegal Hyeon spoke.

His younger sister, Jegal Cheong-a, had given up her right to succeed the Family Head, unlike Ak Ye-rim.

Because she had focused so intensely on cultivating the eye technique known as the Deep Still Eye, her overall martial ability had fallen behind.

A Family Head needed overwhelming martial attainment. The heads of martial families were extraordinary people who governed their families while possessing martial arts lofty enough to command respect.

So Jegal Hyeon would inherit the position.

He had the talent and comprehension to reach the level of a Family Head in time.

The Immortal Dragon had always been well regarded. He simply had not met the Jegal Family's standards. Now, though, Crouching Dragon Rebirth had become almost a taboo phrase within the family.

He would be able to receive his Family Head training without trouble.

Jeong Yeon-shin silently nodded. He had just been thanked for taking on Jegal Cheong-a's burden.

He had finished all his farewells inside. He would see Cheon Ju-jin, Yu Hyeon, and Tang Family Head Dang Un-hwang again someday. All that remained was to return.

"We will meet again."

"There are plenty of unorthodox sects in Liaodong! If you come to subjugate them, please visit our family!"

A woman with a blank expression and a sharp aura, and a boy whose black eyes sparkled.

The Little Sword Empress and Gongsun Min.

His connection with them was no light one either. His upper dantian's aura sense seemed to say so, lightly pricking his mind with a refreshing sensation.

He had not yet had the chance to experience the Little Sword Empress Chwi So-ok's Four Escapes Sword Art, but he had a feeling that someday, he would broaden his understanding through the Jeomchang Sect's thrusts.

It was likely a feeling he could trust. His Baihui acupoint had grown by an autumn's worth.

'Will the day come when I can use the power of premonition in battle?'

No answer came to the question that had suddenly arisen. Jeong Yeon-shin slowly turned around.

The two people standing far ahead and watching the Black Uniform junior gave a slight nod.

Ak Su-rim and Xiahou Wi-jin. Their bearing openly showed that they had no wish to associate with the Martial Alliance Assembly.

Jeong Yeon-shin began walking slowly. The Black Uniform long robe trailing beneath him shifted.

Rustle.

Jegal Cheong-a and Miss Ye followed.

The blue and white hems of their trousers brushed softly against the ground. They would accompany Jeong Yeon-shin as far as Desolate Fortress.

They were part of a return envoy delegation. The Martial Alliance Leader wished to pursue friendship with Desolate Fortress.

Jegal Cheong-a spoke of repaying a personal debt as well. She hoped to become a guest martial artist of Demon Wings under Jeong Yeon-shin.

According to Hyeon Won-chang's guess, she had noticed Jeong Yeon-shin's constitution.

If she was walking into it of her own accord, Hyeon Won-chang said, she likely knew the value of her life.

'Is it sympathy?'

He could not sense any sinister scheme. Jegal Cheong-a's disposition was clear and transparent.

It had been that way from the moment she spoke of joining. It was only difficult to read her inner thoughts properly.

If so, he should leave the judgment to Desolate Fortress's Chief Steward's Office.

She would be a great help to Demon Wings, which lacked strength. An expert in eye techniques would help him navigate many situations.

"Do not approach the Squad Leader carelessly."

"That is right. You two should keep your distance. You will make things tiresome for no reason."

Hyeon Won-chang and the Languid Flame Dragon passed Jegal Cheong-a and Miss Ye. Namgung Hwa-shin also silently passed them and took up a position behind Jeong Yeon-shin.

Their steps pressed slowly into the earth. The escort was quite reassuring.

Jeong Yeon-shin felt Miss Ye and Jegal Cheong-a's gazes. They seemed to be quietly watching his back.

They had a different nature from the Sword Star, who had said he would not come out to see him off in such a crowd.

'What I gained at the Assembly was swordsmanship and people.'

Those who had accompanied him from the start, and those newly joining him.

Fallen leaves piled along the road cushioned his soles as softly as cotton.

They said that leaves scattered across the martial world represented the ties and time that had built up, layer upon layer.

With every mission, his life grew fuller along with his Baihui acupoint.

The name Jeong Yeon-shin would remain behind, even if he could not accept the World Tree fruit.

'Where will the next mission be?'

He left the main gate of the Martial Alliance Assembly behind.

It truly was over.

* * *

Desolate Fortress's Chief Steward's Office.

The long desks stretching across the room were exceedingly antique. Made from rosewood, they shone with a reddish-brown luster.

Scribes seated far apart from one another wrote with their brushes. A rich scent of ink filled the air.

There were dozens of scribes at the desks. The atmosphere was as stern as that of any group of martial artists.

The seat of honor stood at the far end.

A burly man in a brown long robe sat there. He was middle-aged, with a thick black beard, and a presence like steel flowed from his entire body.

The Grand Chief Steward of Desolate Fortress. The Black Uniform supermaster standing before the seat looked frail by comparison.

"Is that from the Eastern Depot? It was tossed aside, so I wondered what it was."

The Black Uniform supermaster facing the Grand Chief Steward spoke.

Jin Myeong-jo. He was Desolate Fortress's Blood Guard Squad Leader.

He had pale skin and fine facial features. The aura around his body gave his black robe a cold texture.

He briefly gestured with his chin toward a letter lying on one side of the Grand Chief Steward's desk. That small motion carried a strangely sinister air. It was simply his natural presence.

The Grand Chief Steward glanced at the letter tossed carelessly onto the corner of the desk. Then he slowly opened his mouth.

"Eunuch Myeong Yeo sent a protest. Since the Prefect's head flew off from the very outset, he must have thought the road ahead looked quite bleak. To be honest, I did not expect things to go that far either."

The corner of his mouth rose as he continued.

"The eunuch pressed me for answers because he could not say anything directly to Young Master Jeong. I could feel the woes of the Eastern Depot eunuchs in his handwriting. Personally, it feels immensely satisfying to see them bow and scrape whenever even the slightest connection to the imperial family is involved. Those are the same people who used to struggle for power with the Squad Leaders."

Grand Chief Steward Im Jin-myeong was someone who berated even Black Uniform martial artists over matters of personnel and budgets. His martial attainments were high as well.

That was why he spoke casually to Squad Leaders younger than himself.

Only the Leader of Demon Wings, who had been granted the Lord of Desolate Fortress's martial arts, was different.

Blood Guard Squad Leader Jin Myeong-jo accepted the Grand Chief Steward's casual manner naturally.

"I have heard much about the new Leader of Demon Wings. I was acquainted with the Yunyang Branch Prefect as well."

"Her ambition was too great. She would have come to ruin one way or another. She merely had the bad fortune of meeting Young Master Jeong's sword, and much earlier than expected."

"I heard Young Master Jeong immediately took her head."

"Young Master Jeong's methods have suited the main fortress from the moment he entered. You could call him the embodiment of Desolate Fortress. His blade is most noble. Is not a sword strike without hesitation the virtue of a main fortress martial artist?"

The Grand Chief Steward spoke with a pleased smile. At the same time, Jin Myeong-jo's head tilted slightly to the side.

His brows narrowed lazily.

"There are rumors that the new Leader of Demon Wings has the Imperial Grandson's favor. It seems the story is not entirely without basis. I thought it was only gossip."

"How would I know? Who could know?"

"Either way, I hope that person does not return."

"Hm? Why?"

"Is Demon Wings not short on strength? To replenish its numbers, several martial units will have to make sacrifices. Our Blood Guard Squad alone has four or five practitioners of the Seom-ye Martial Lineage. It is quite a troublesome matter."

"I understand they are distributed fairly evenly across the Seventeen Squads."

"I do not want to give them up."

"Who would? Accept it. This is not the first time it has happened."

"Then I must fight in a martial contest again."

"Is that not because you do not want to hand your subordinates over willingly? Be grateful for the martial contest system. Without it, the personnel would have been assigned like the army, by force."

"Please do not compare it to the army. I have always thought it was a system out of step with the times. This is not some martial contest to win a bride. Why should I have to hand over the subordinates under my command if I lose a wager?"

"You are something else. You do not want to lose your subordinates, and you cannot be bothered to fight either."

"Am I the only one?"

"You are. The other Squad Leaders are eager, not because they do not want to hand over their subordinates, but because they see it as a chance to exchange blows with the newcomer."

"..."

"Are you not curious about the new Leader of Demon Wings? That person is the Grandmaster of the Demon-Slaying Azure River Hand you dislike so much. The Heaven-Treading Forest Squad Leader and the Lord of the Immortal Wood Spirit are practically waiting for him. They find it remarkable that someone outside the elven race can handle such an auspicious hand technique."

"They are not waiting to challenge him. They are looking forward to it. Are they not people of noble bloodlines?"

"You really are something."

"It seems I will have to meet them again over this matter. I have been avoiding them because I do not want to watch them look down on me and tell me to join the Blood Flame Sect."

Blood Guard Squad Leader Jin Myeong-jo spoke sharply. He made no attempt to hide the mockery in his voice, but the Grand Chief Steward did not bother to point it out.

A Black Uniform master of Desolate Fortress was not beneath the head of the Chief Steward's Office. That remained true regardless of Im Jin-myeong's casual speech.

"This is irritating. I should have accepted any mission and run away..."

He meant it when he said he hated it. The pale young man roughly raked through hair even whiter than his face.

Irregular ripples spread between his slender, long fingers. His aura was bewitching yet refined.

The Grand Chief Steward, who had been watching him with an impassive expression, curled his lips upward.

"Do not worry. The world is in turmoil, so you will have to leave again soon enough."

"After I fight the Leader of Demon Wings in a martial contest."

Jin Myeong-jo replied listlessly, still mocking him. The Grand Chief Steward nodded shamelessly.

"Did you not return only recently? The missions assigned to Black Uniform martial artists are decided through the Chief Steward's Office's careful calculations. The state of the martial world, the flow of events, the opponent's and Squad Leader's martial prowess, the composition of the martial unit... Even after considering everything and assigning a mission, something always goes wrong. That is the martial world. It cannot help taking time."

"Yes, well, I hear your pay was reduced over the Demon Wings incident in Sichuan. The Elder Council Head gave you quite a scolding, did they not?"

"Enough of that. In any case, a clash of divine arts..."

The Grand Chief Steward smiled as he took tea leaves from a desk drawer.

"It will be a feast for the eyes."

* * *

Jeong Yeon-shin had to keep three of his subordinates at a distance.

"Seom-ye. Come here."

"The newcomer should take the lead."

Ak Su-rim and Xiahou Wi-jin called out to the new Leader of Demon Wings.

They were the Black Uniform seniors who had saved Jeong Yeon-shin from the Zhuge Family Head. He could not refuse them.

Leaving the Blue Uniform masters of Desolate Fortress's Heaven-Treading Forest Squad behind, he found himself accompanied by the curious gazes of supermasters.

The three of them walked side by side along the broad road.

Jeong Yeon-shin first had to endure Ak Su-rim's chatter. She raised her chin and looked at her junior, black lightning flashing in her eyes.

Her gaze alone revealed the frightening depth of her inner energy.

"You said it was the Thunderclap Flash-Ridge Sword Art, right? Are there no unnamed forms among its component techniques? I mean, are there any left?"

"The one I received from the Sword Star was the last."

"How many forms are there?"

"Three sword forms."

"More will appear, right? There is no way it ends with three. The sword art will grow as much as you do. Once you have laid the foundation, something that follows will surely emerge."

"There is something I wish to ask."

"Hm? Ask anything."

Ak Su-rim answered with a smile. Jeong Yeon-shin gave her a respectful nod, then slowly parted his lips.

He was thinking of his maternal grandfather, who had once lain half-dead.

"Does Rejuvenation affect the Baihui acupoint as well?"

"Hm? Why are you curious about that?"

"If my grandfather takes the Great Revitalization Pill, his inner energy may be renewed. He recently learned a worthwhile cultivation technique, so if fortune favors him, I wondered whether he might reach the state of age reverting to youth. But this junior does not know much about the state where essence, qi, and spirit become one. I wonder whether purified qi also affects the head."

"Hm?"

"Before Senior Ak regained her youthful appearance, did she speak and act much as she does now? There is no other meaning behind this question, so I hope you will not take it the wrong way."

It was a sincere question.

The current Desolate Divine Spear suited her light manner of speech. She was a supermaster who had turned back the time of her body.

She possessed a very unique aura. Her appearance, at odds with her power, created an unfamiliar impression.

Still, Ak Su-rim would not have maintained the same speech and conduct before undergoing Rejuvenation.

People of the martial world valued dignity and honor above all else.

Even the supermasters of the Demonic Sect carried themselves in ways that suited their own auras.

Ma Yeon-jeok was his only grandfather.

If the Jeong Family Youth Technique, the Great Revitalization Pill, and heavenly fortune came together to turn back the years, that would be enough.

But if Ma Yeon-jeok was no longer the same person as before, he thought he might feel a little sad. That was why he asked.

Ak Su-rim's small lips closed.

"Hahaha!"

"What a bold brat! To say that to the Desolate Divine Spear!"

The laughter burst from Thousand Fists, Dragon-Powered Divine Official Xiahou Wi-jin.

He had been looking down at the two of them with a sullen expression, then burst out laughing the instant he saw Ak Su-rim's reaction.

Perhaps because of his enormous body and inner energy as deep as an abyss, his booming laughter sounded like thunder.

"So you are telling her to act her age! For a Han Chinese, you have quite the tongue! You must have a talent for provoking people as well!"

"No. I do not know much about provoking people either."

Jeong Yeon-shin answered calmly.

Someone choked behind him. He could clearly sense the presence without turning around.

The Languid Flame Dragon, who had been walking with his hands behind his back, stopped chewing opium poppy and spat it out. A laugh tinged his exhale.

The Leader of Demon Wings furrowed his brows.

What?

Footnotes:

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