WeTried Translations
Translator/Editor: ZERO_SUGAR
Discord: https://dsc.gg/wetried
◈ Surviving as a Genius on Borrowed Time ◈
Episode 281: Inaction (9)
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“What’s that on the back of your neck? I can sense a strange aura. It looks like a fang mark.”
“Hm?”
“Did a spiritual beast bite you? That can’t be right. With a Squad Leader’s senses...”
“Your senses are the problem. I told you to cut back on the opium poppy. A Blue Uniform from the main fortress is seeing things that aren’t there.”
Jeong Yeon-shin replied evenly and left the residence, forcing himself to ignore the vague expression on the Huangbo brat’s face.
Ever since seeing Flame River, the man had been meditating, which did not suit him at all. His senses seemed to have sharpened somewhat.
‘For no good reason.’
As Yeon-shin shook his head, Hyeon Won-chang, who had been leaning against the stone wall, let out a hollow laugh.
“An opium addict meditating, of all things.”
“I heard the Heavenly Pillar Gate has a famous fruit wine. I thought he’d only get drunk on that.”
Shin So-bin, idly swinging her ankle as she watched her Squad Leader, grinned as well.
The Imperial Hero’s headband and White Cat’s long braid swayed blue and black in the wind.
“We’re heading back now, right?”
Shin So-bin stared directly at Jeong Yeon-shin as she asked.
Ever since joining Demon Wings, his junior had never hesitated to meet his eyes.
It was not insolence. She was simply confident by nature. She carried herself like someone raised with the love of a good family. To Yeon-shin, that was what true refinement looked like.
He quietly nodded, thinking Shin So-bin would soon earn herself a fitting epithet as well.
Her Sihwa Boundless Fist was enough to contend for the throne among monkeys.
“We’re leaving.”
It was an order.
The footsteps following him all sounded different.
First came the unhurried presence of someone ambling along, then bold, soundless footwork, and finally the small but powerful steps of someone treading a movement technique. They were comrades bound by the same name.
Step.
Quiet footsteps continued. Dew gathered on the grass wet the soles of their feet.
After passing through the brilliantly green mountain range, they reached the clearing where the group had sparred before.
The exit lay straight across it, but the clearing was now filled with black and golden hair. The Heavenly Pillar Gate’s disciples stood there.
“Leader of Demon Wings.”
An aged voice rang out.
Cheong Bo-hwa stepped forward and raised both hands. Her blue sleeves, woven from fine silk, slid down her arms.
She gave a formal bow, bending at the waist before straightening with respectful composure.
Swish.
A soundless stir passed through them all at once.
The masters of the elven race behind her made the same gesture. A clear breeze blew as though it were ingrained in them from birth.
A wrinkled smile formed on Cheong Bo-hwa’s lips.
“For a while, Dark Night Hall will have to focus on restoring itself. Our sect can breathe again. I’m deeply grateful.”
“I avenged a comrade.”
“Did you settle that child’s grievance?”
Her gaze turned to Cheong Myeong beside him. Her aged eyes held many emotions.
The superior of her great-grandson, who had broken the village’s taboo and left the sect, had foiled Ten Miles One Kill with a lightness skill that seemed to soothe the soul of Cheong-su, who had died after being caught in the sect war.
Cheong Myeong did not say anything. He merely glanced at Jeong Yeon-shin, a faint smile on his lips.
The Blue-Eyed Demon Sword of Demon Wings smiled brightly. The end of his blue headscarf fluttered freely, unconcerned with the gazes around him.
Even when his junior, Jeong Nan-song, who had once hurled sharp words at him, hesitated before him, he showed no particular reaction.
A rueful resignation touched the wrinkles around Cheong Bo-hwa’s eyes.
“One never knows how life will turn out. Not even after living for hundreds of years. Who would have thought I would leave my homeland and come down to this land? Or that a child who left the sect as though determined to settle everything alone would bring you here?”
“What does it feel like to live that long?”
Jeong Yeon-shin asked in passing. Cheong Bo-hwa’s smile deepened kindly.
“It feels as though you are becoming a tree.”
“I don’t understand.”
“You’re better off not understanding. I guarantee it.”
That was how they parted from the Heavenly Pillar Gate.
They and Cheong Myeong did not speak privately. Like currents of wind that met and parted, they treated one another with distant reserve. They were a mysterious clan.
Jeong Yeon-shin received a single gourd from Cheong Bo-hwa. It contained spiritual liquid concentrated from lake water, said to have an immediate effect on internal injuries.
It was more precious than any medicine under heaven. The sect of those noble elves did not repay favors lightly.
“That looks tempting.”
The Divine Sword Squad Leader licked his lips.
They had just left the Heavenly Pillar Gate. No trace of presence could be felt from the Divine Sword Squad Leader’s body.
His scholar-like Purple Uniform robes wrapped around him without stirring, despite the fierce winds blowing through the valley. It was a natural yet transcendent sight.
“It’s time for us to part ways. I must go straight to Zhejiang. In any case, I’m truly grateful. It was also impressive that you earned merit amid all that.”
“Was there urgent business?”
“Purple Uniforms have Purple Uniform business. Wonderfully troublesome business.”
The Divine Sword Squad Leader smiled enigmatically.
“I trust you’ll lend me a hand someday. Take care.”
“Please take care as well, Squad Leader.”
The moment Jeong Yeon-shin lowered his clasped hands, the Divine Sword Squad Leader had already turned away, waving one hand behind him. The Martial God’s steps were remarkably strange.
His steps upon the snow-speckled earth differed from those of the elven race. He seemed to walk at leisure, yet rapidly grew distant.
Jeong Yeon-shin watched his back for a moment before turning around.
“Let’s go.”
The short mission was over.
A clear wind swept over the crown of his head. Winter, too, had already neared its end.
* * *
The white walls of the main fortress spread before him.
Daytime at Desolate Fortress was exceptionally bright. The marble forming its inner fortress made the sunlight streaming down the ramparts paint every scene in sharp relief.
The cheerfully swaying leaves and the people bustling back and forth all looked vivid.
As soon as Jeong Yeon-shin arrived, he stopped by the Chief Steward’s Office.
After reporting the mission’s completion, he headed straight for Wonpyeong One Sword Hall.
No mission given to a Desolate Fortress Squad Leader involved an insignificant matter. They said one only received instructions at the Demon Wings residence or the Chief Steward’s Office up to Blue Uniform.
To take on his next mission, he had no choice but to attend the Squad Leader Assembly.
‘My condition is at its peak.’
Then it happened.
A dull ache ran through his knee. Jeong Yeon-shin paid it no mind and continued forward.
He knew for certain now.
It was a growing pain that would lengthen his reach. A martial artist’s limb length was a major factor in the power of one’s inner energy and Force Projection.
At the same time, it was an omen of death, confirming that he was steadily growing older. Together with the Baihui acupoint in his head, which had lately grown distinctly cold, it made him feel the limits of his lifespan.
Two years and ninety days.
That was the time he had left. He had confirmed it with certainty while restoring his body at the World Tree’s lake.
“Leader of Demon Wings.”
“Squad Leader, you’ve returned.”
“You’re as handsome as ever. It seems the range of your Leg Arts continues to expand.”
“It looks like matchmakers will soon be lining up at the main fortress.”
Whenever main fortress martial artists passed Jeong Yeon-shin, they greeted him respectfully. The achievements earned by Divine Sword Squad Leaders were said to become widely known throughout the fortress.
The current Leader of Demon Wings’ accomplishments had gradually won the favor of the other martial units.
Respect showed in the way they approached him without reservation. Though each differed from Demon Wings in temperament, they showed similar attitudes.
It would become the foundation he would need when he was recognized as Purple Uniform in the future.
Even if he died young, there would be people who remembered his name.
‘Yes. It’s all right.’
Jeong Yeon-shin was slowly becoming detached.
Perhaps it was because Desolate Fortress’s combative spirit had seeped into him. Or perhaps it was the comfort of knowing he would not vanish even after death.
As his wish to remain with them for a long time grew stronger, his heart split in two.
He could go see his mother now. Yet he did not particularly want to die.
Thud.
He planted his foot firmly.
Jeong Yeon-shin hid his feelings behind an expressionless face. He buried his fear and pride within the wheel of light at his heart.
He heard countless whispers.
The most honored young lord of the main fortress, the undefeated Squad Leader, a peerless talent capable of challenging the Ming Cult’s Young Sect Master, the one beloved by the Lord of Desolate Fortress... These were the words of officials, merchants, martial artists, and retainers, each spoken in a different tone.
The last words hit home.
Dying really would be a waste.
“Seom-ye! You look so much better!”
Lost in thought, he found himself inside the enormous stone chamber of Wonpyeong One Sword Hall. Ak Su-rim greeted him with a bright smile.
“Looks like the water there was good for you. I shouldn’t have let that Dragon family bastard have it.”
“I report to the Divine Sword Squad Deputy Leader that I have returned safely. As for the Squad Leader...”
“I know, I know! Still, don’t you seem taller? You’re at the age when ordinary people would be getting married. When should I marry you, then?”
“Let’s think about that after I become Purple Uniform.”
He had come here thinking of death. Jeong Yeon-shin accepted his senior’s teasing without discomfort.
Ak Su-rim stared blankly at him for a moment, then snickered.
She brushed aside the ends of her short black hair and touched the nape of her white neck. Her bold, martial disposition created an unusual atmosphere.
Her gaze traveled over Jeong Yeon-shin’s body without any sense of rudeness.
“So you want to compete to become the next Squad Leader?”
Ak Su-rim curled up the corners of her lips.
Whoosh.
The air changed.
A wild yet cheerful feeling brushed against his skin. It was as though the broad blade of a sword, spread wide like a blanket, swept across his skin.
Jeong Yeon-shin felt Ak Su-rim’s intent within her qi. She idly fiddled with her spear shaft like a mischievous girl, yet it carried the boredom of the strong.
She was an extraordinary master worthy of being called the closest to the position of the next Divine Sword Squad Leader.
There had been no competition when advancing from Blue Uniform to Black Uniform. Cheong Myeong, the leading candidate, had set aside his accomplishments and reputation and given up.
Purple Uniform was different.
“Our Seom-ye has grown at an absurd pace. Before, I could see a certain victory, but now I can’t gauge you very well. You’re hiding something, aren’t you?”
She leaned in with her small face, chattering away. Jeong Yeon-shin pulled his head back slightly.
Ak Su-rim did not know about his lifespan. That made her an even stronger opponent.
She could only loom before him as an immense wall.
Having created Ultimate Thunder and reached a state that would not fall behind Three Flowers Gather at the Crown, he had to begin competing for merit in earnest.
Jeong Yeon-shin changed the subject.
“The assembly hall is empty. Is it only you, Senior Ak?”
Whoosh.
Ak Su-rim withdrew her presence, a strange smile on her face.
“Ah, the Blood Guard Squad Leader was here until just now. Jin Myeong-jo, that is. As soon as he heard the report that you had returned, he left. He said he remembered urgent business with his main unit.”
“Ah.”
Regret appeared on his face.
Divine Blood Extreme Demon Jin Myeong-jo was the senior most worthy of emulation in the Divine Sword Squad. Yeon-shin had not seen him in a long while since they had traveled together to Shaanxi. The Blood Guard Squad Leader was a perfect martial artist.
“Our Seom-ye really likes his seniors, doesn’t he? Good. Do you want to head out quickly on the next mission...”
“Anything is fine. I’ll leave immediately.”
Ak Su-rim gave a short laugh at Jeong Yeon-shin’s immediate answer.
“Yes, then there’s something we can do together. Want to hear it?”
“Yes.”
“We need a small elite group. It won’t require bringing all of Demon Wings. I’ll distribute missions and send them out beforehand...”
After trailing off for a moment, she stared at her junior.
“Are you good at teaching? The goal is a peerless master, so the intermediate stage may be a little troublesome. We need to draw out a very sly bastard. The job is to make the eldest daughter of the Gongya Family in Shanxi Province win a martial arts tournament. Can you do it?”
“I will prepare for a battle against a peerless master.”
Jeong Yeon-shin answered calmly.
He did not even answer the question about teaching. It was an expression of confidence. Whether he could do it was not even a question.
He had lowered himself to the level of monkeys and considered their senses. At the Heavenly Pillar Gate, he had broadened his knowledge through elven slowpokes. There was no way anything existed beneath that.
‘My luck is good.’
The Leader of Demon Wings thought.
Footnotes:
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