WeTried Translations

Translator/Editor: ZERO_SUGAR

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◈ Surviving as a Genius on Borrowed Time ◈

Episode 224: Radiant Edge Art (4)

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The new Leader of Demon Wings paid no heed to the strange look on the Desolate Shin Family Head’s face. He knew what she had recalled. Her muttering alone made that clear.

‘There are many cases of the reverse as well.’

Shin Seol-ha would have mentioned a son. Since ancient times, leaders of powerful groups had strengthened their influence through marriage.

That was how dearly they valued the family or sect to which they belonged. It did not matter whether they were men or women, as long as they were powerful figures in a chaotic age or martial artists of lofty attainment.

The martial world was ruled by the strong. It was an age when people staked everything on elevating their group’s honor and solidifying its power.

It was not something Yeon-shin needed to concern himself with. All that mattered was making Demon Wings whole.

Family, and home.

The incident in the City of Master Craftsmen in Sichuan had made that clear. He could still see the seniors who had died there.

The sense of loss he had struggled to ignore had been branded into his heart. This incident had made him realize it.

From now on, everyone had to be there. Unless it could not be helped, there could be no empty places.

The warmth he had encountered so late in life was like seawater he had never seen before. They said the more one drank, the thirstier one became. Demon Wings was the same.

They were alive. Unlike the Jeong Family Youth Technique, which followed his mother’s soul, they were real.

‘I won’t lose anyone else.’

The words and actions of Shin Seol-ha, the Desolate Shin Family Head, instead spurred Yeon-shin’s awakening. Within his heart, the makings of a leader of a lineage began to bud like a flower.

Even the absence of a single Shin So-bin had made him reflect on the past. It did not matter that he had never led so many people before.

It was enough that he had been reminded of how precious they were.

‘My seniors, my peers, and my juniors need to grow stronger. So that they remain bound to me of their own will.’

So that none of them would ever leave Demon Wings’ embrace, no matter what.

Jeong Yeon-shin, Leader of Demon Wings, thought.

It felt as if his upper dantian were filling with a faint radiance. He had just resolved, for the first time, to create martial arts for others.

From within his heart, Seom-ye the martial artist put on the outer shell of the Grandmaster Leader of Demon Wings. In that moment, the vessel of a founding master of an age was silently tempered.

After the years at Jeong Family Manor, when loneliness had stretched around him like a swamp, it bloomed like a lotus rising from the mud.

A small spark brought a great change. He suddenly realized that he had never created martial arts for anyone else.

Not once. Until now, his talent had been used only for himself. Even so, he had established a martial lineage.

‘But giving others my martial arts was never about expecting results.’

He sank into thought.

‘From the beginning, it should be a martial art worthy of representing Demon Wings...’

It would be best to weave together the principles of Seom-ye’s martial arts and Demon's Light. Both the veteran martial artists and new recruits of Demon Wings would need to train in it.

It also had to be exceptional. Just as Demon Wings’ masters could stand alongside the Plum Blossom Swordsmen, this martial art should stand on the same level as the Plum Blossom Sword Art. That was what Demon Wings ought to be.

“Squad Leader Jeong?”

Shin Seol-ha’s call broke his meditation.

He raised his head. Her puzzled expression came into view.

“Yes. I’ll take her.”

Yeon-shin spoke calmly.

He rose from his seat. A faint scraping sound spread through the room.

It was the sound of Desolate Fortress’s distinctive stone chair scraping against the floor. It rang especially clearly through the quiet hall.

“...”

A strange light appeared in Shin Seol-ha’s eyes.

She was a founding master of a martial family. She was sensitive to changes in the bearing of those before her.

Yeon-shin’s bearing had changed after that small realization blossomed within him. The aura of a supreme master breathing through a divine art followed the state of the mind.

An unusual dignity had begun to accompany even his smallest movements. He was Seom-ye of Huguang and the Dark King Among Flowers of Sichuan.

As he walked outside, Shin Seol-ha said nothing more. Her instincts, honed as a Family Head, stopped her.

If she added unnecessary words, she would suffer for it. Those of Desolate Fortress knew the dignity of Black Uniform supreme masters best.

Yeon-shin spoke first.

“As Shin So-bin’s superior, I offer my respect. You raised a precious subordinate. I’m grateful.”

“Our family has produced Elder Council Heads of the main fortress for generations. If one is born into the bloodline of the main fortress’s foremost prestigious family, they should at least be capable of that much.”

Shin Seol-ha raised the corner of her lips and spoke in a deliberately light tone.

Yeon-shin did not look at her. On instinct, he focused his aura sense on the empty air. He had just heard her call the family the foremost of the main fortress.

No one seemed to be there. Still, it was meaningless.

If his maternal grandfather was concealing himself, it would be difficult for Yeon-shin to notice. It was enough that nothing had happened for now.

“I’ll send spiritual herbs and medicine for internal injuries to Demon Wings. They’ll be valuable support.”

Shin Seol-ha said this as she walked ahead toward the door. Yeon-shin watched her back quietly.

“What do you mean by that?”

“I am repaying a debt. Squad Leader Jeong has gone out on missions without rest, so I had no chance to repay you. If you had not secured victory at the grand founding ceremony in Sichuan, the Elder Council Head might have suffered a misfortune.”

“Your attitude has changed.”

“It should have. That is separate from So-bin’s matter.”

Yeon-shin did not refuse. Demon Wings’ people would need them while engraving the new martial art into their bodies.

Training in martial arts was a way of wearing down the body.

Good food and fine medicinal ingredients were essential to master a proper martial art quickly, yet this was a time when food and supplies were scarce because of poor harvests.

Even the Chief Steward’s Office found it difficult to supply enough spiritual herbs and medicine for internal injuries to aid recovery.

He had already requested them as a reward for securing victory at the grand founding ceremony, but there was no knowing how much he would receive.

‘The more, the better.’

Because he had to create such a martial art, Yeon-shin thought.

A soft laugh sounded ahead. It was Shin Seol-ha.

“Let us go.”

He stepped through the door she opened. He caught the sound of someone hurriedly stepping back.

Shin So-bin’s delicate aura was strangely unsettled. It seemed she had taken those meaningless words to heart.

“Let’s go.”

He spoke as he looked at her small face. She was a girl with strikingly bright eyes.

Shin So-bin nodded slightly.

“It’s been so long. I’m glad you’re safe.”

“You have refined your body with the Sihwa Boundless Fist. It is well structured. Your bearing is solid.”

“You recognized it right away.”

Her lips curved into a smile. The founder of the martial art had praised her achievement. As a martial artist, it was hard to feel greater joy.

Most Grandmasters of exceptional martial arts had died in the distant past. It was a luxury few could enjoy in their own time.

Behind her, Shin Baek, the Blue Uniform master known as the Clashing Sword, watched them with complicated eyes.

A Blue Uniform martial artist from a branch family had no authority to stop the Family Head’s decision. He did not even feel inclined to do so.

Still, the warm voice that had spoken of a subordinate as though she were his possession lingered in his ears.

‘Rather...’

As he flinched at the thought that arose within him, the Leader of Demon Wings passed by. A black sleeve fluttered lightly at his side.

It was the first time the black robe had felt so vivid to him. This was someone who raced freely through the vast martial world.

The aura of a supreme master swept over the surroundings like a winter wind, then faded. None of the gathered martial artists could move.

“I won’t be gone long.”

Shin So-bin spoke boldly. Her gaze as she looked up at Shin Seol-ha, the Family Head, was steady and clear.

“If you feel you have reached a limit, come ask about the Heaven-Reaching Martial Scripture whenever you wish. It is nothing shameful. No matter how deeply you learn the Seom-ye Martial Lineage and Demon's Light, I will not interfere with that.”

Shin Seol-ha answered with a smile. It was a remarkably gentle smile.

Soft footsteps.

Shin So-bin snorted and turned around. Her steps were light as she immediately followed behind her Squad Leader.

White Uniform and Black Uniform, practitioner and Grandmaster, left the garden together.

* * *

The new Leader of Demon Wings, having recovered his subordinate, shut himself away.

After entering his hall, he did not emerge. He took every meal in the Squad Leader’s residence.

Only Demon Wings servants who carried food into his room saw him. Days passed without him showing his face.

He had secluded himself.

Even Cheong Myeong and Baek Mir-yeo were flustered by this unprecedented event. Yet there was nothing they could do.

Seom-ye was their Squad Leader. They had to obey his order not to admit anyone.

The sun set and rose again and again. The shadows of sunset stretching over the hall passed over the heads of Demon Wings’ masters nine times.

“It’s already the ninth day. Could he have suffered qi deviation?”

“That is possible. They say he fought fiercely at the Shin Family. Perhaps he is treating internal injuries in silence...”

“To keep us from worrying? That sounds like our Squad Leader. He never lets anything show, no matter what it is.”

It was sunset again.

Orange light settled over everything. It was evening, when the clear air used the glow of sunset as a blanket.

Under the high walls that enclosed three sides of the Grand Training Hall, Demon Wings’ masters sparred with their weapons or trained on their own.

Many others watched them from above. Some crouched atop the high wall, while others stood tall on the roofs of the halls opposite.

Those standing on the tiled roofs mostly watched the Squad Leader’s residence. That was Demon Wings’ style. Its atmosphere was the opposite of a prestigious orthodox sect.

There were around thirty of them. Even those who had gone out on solo missions had returned.

“I heard he only faced the Family Head. They say the Squad Leader fought one-on-one with her.”

“Was the Shin Family Head skilled enough to inflict internal injuries on the Squad Leader? I thought she had not reached the Black Uniform level.”

“She is still the head of a prestigious family. She must have a life-saving ultimate move hidden away. Or perhaps she activated a concealed mechanism formation.”

“Enough with the talk of internal injuries. If that had really happened, the Blue-Eyed Demon Sword would have noticed immediately. Forget it. Let’s help them train. He’ll come out when he’s ready.”

Those speaking in various poses turned their heads.

Their gazes gathered in one direction.

Kang Chang-mu, holding a greatsword, was sparring with Wi Ye-ryeong, who had a bow slung over one shoulder. One was a large-built Han Chinese man, the other a nimble master of the elven race.

As their footwork intertwined, a blade brushed against blue robes.

The Blue Uniform masters known as the Dawn Tree Sword and Moon-Shooting Bow Ghost were using the Radiant Sword Flow and Phantom Wing Step.

Boom!

Kang Chang-mu’s greatsword struck downward. The force wave from the straight sword strike split left and right before Wi Ye-ryeong’s legs.

Only dust touched her feet. Her Phantom Wing Step had reached its peak.

The Dawn Tree Sword Kang Chang-mu’s Radiant Sword Flow was the same. A faint glow surrounded his blade.

He immediately swung the downward-struck greatsword back up. The sound of the sword strike tearing through the air was tremendous, as though stone fragments had burst in every direction.

“This is where it splits.”

Wi Ye-ryeong muttered with her hands clasped behind her back.

She did not move. Standing proudly, she received the force wave of the sword strike with her eyes held wide open, courage worthy of ears that rose like sword tips.

Whooosh!

A fierce wind swept over her face. Wi Ye-ryeong’s blue eyes flashed with an icy gleam. It was not a sharp sword wind.

Kang Chang-mu, who had lowered his sword, slightly raised the corner of his lips. It was not from pleasure. It was a hollow smile.

“According to my study of Demon's Light, striking upward is the proper move...”

“I know. It’s difficult to continue the sequence of strikes.”

Wi Ye-ryeong answered with her arms folded.

Clack!

Kang Chang-mu lowered his head and sheathed his sword in the case on his back. It was an incredibly fast motion, even though he did not turn around.

For an instant, the blade moved in a blur and vanished. It was a sheathing technique that had reached the realm of a master, proof of his exceptional swordsmanship as well.

He spoke.

“You did not seem capable of repeatedly using the Phantom Wing Step either.”

“That’s right. I need to spread my power up and down from the Taixi acupoint near my ankle, but I had already used it once. My minor meridians did not respond immediately. In a real battle, I would have used my own martial arts.”

“My sword path was blocked as well. It was difficult to extend it further. The issue is not the acupoints, but the muscles in my forearm. To continue the chain of strikes, I must make fine adjustments and produce internal Force Projection. Only once that becomes possible can I speak of the Radiant Sword Flow’s full mastery. In the end, that Huangbo bastard was not wrong.”

Kang Chang-mu spoke as he glanced upward.

Languid Flame Dragon lay at the edge of the roof, chewing on opium poppy. He seemed to have made the tiles of the Leader of Demon Wings’ hall into his bed.

Since sparring with Kang Chang-mu, he had not even glanced at the practitioners of the Seom-ye Martial Lineage.

He merely looked utterly relaxed, as though standing guard over Jeong Yeon-shin.

Wi Ye-ryeong unfolded her arms.

“All of Seom-ye’s martial arts are like that. Since they place importance on a single powerful strike, they are limited to one use at a time. Only the Squad Leader can use them consecutively. It is the difference in talent. You only realize it after learning them to a certain extent...”

Her voice trailed off.

Terrifying auras pressed in from beyond the wall of the Grand Training Hall. Their magnitude could not be measured by the standard of Blue Uniform achievement.

For an instant, an immense pressure sliced through every direction.

There were people in the martial world who could manifest power no human body could resist.

Those who belonged to Desolate Fortress wore black long robes. They were Black Uniform supreme masters. Their distinct presence spread from beyond the wall.

“He is here, right? How can he ignore messages so thoroughly? Is he still bothered that I called him an enemy? What if he really is?”

“If he is in closed-door training, it would be right to turn back.”

“Don’t be ridiculous. So-yu, you were the one who wanted to come. You were all worked up over that pa... No, the book. Blood demon, say something too. Our adorable youngest skipped the assembly as well.”

“It has nothing to do with me. I am only curious about the welfare of the subordinates sent to Demon Wings. I heard Squad Leader Jeong had secluded himself...”

“Are you afraid of our Seom-ye?”

“I only respect my junior’s private time.”

Everyone knew those voices and ways of speaking.

The Divine Sword Squad Deputy Leader, the Law Enforcement Squad Leader, and the Blood Guard Squad Leader had arrived. The Demon Wings masters, who had been lounging about freely, slowly rose.

They could not greet the Squad Leaders of other martial units in such lax postures.

Then it happened.

Perhaps it reacted to the powerful auras of the Squad Leaders.

A faint ripple of inner energy arose. It stirred from a crack in the door of the grandly built Squad Leader’s hall beyond the wall of the Grand Training Hall.

It was as if a spark of radiance had suddenly bloomed. It even pierced through gaps in the roof tiles where Languid Flame Dragon had been lying.

Then streams of light formed from force waves began to flow out like smoke.

Footnotes:

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