WeTried Translations
Translator/Editor: ZERO_SUGAR
Discord: https://dsc.gg/wetried
◈ Surviving as a Genius on Borrowed Time ◈
Episode 282: Lotus
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Ak Su-rim smiled.
“We’re going to take the Zhuge Family Head’s head.”
The bleak gray stone walls of Wonpyeong One Sword Hall echoed around her.
Her cheerful voice carried words as explosive as a thunderclap bomb. The peerless master known as Crouching Dragon Rebirth had once been one of the Eight Family Heads, though the Zhuge Family Head had been expelled.
The figure had long been renowned as an absolute master of the martial world. Jeong Yeon-shin asked without thinking.
“You mean the Zhuge Family Head?”
“Mm-hm.”
“Why?”
“It seems the Zhuge Family Head intends to found a new sect, and it’s deeply irreverent. Everything is too secretive. You’ve heard the rumor that Yeoryeong wants to unite the Thirteen Heavens, right? It looks like the Zhuge Family Head has a foot in that. It’s a grave threat.”
“How did you learn that?”
“From a White Uniform intelligence operative in the Nethercurrent Squad. They come from a renowned family that was wiped out, so they’ve experienced every station in life. Shanxi has no major sects worth watching, so they were stationed there alone under another identity.”
“Another identity?”
“A writing instructor for the Gongya Family. They’re teaching the eldest daughter, who is our interim objective.”
“There’s a member of the Gongya Family in Demon Wings as well...”
“Deep Hero Fist Gongya Mi-ryeong? I know. She’s that operative’s older second cousin. It isn’t important. The Central Plains are vast enough to make you cough blood, yet surprisingly small. Especially among the upper class.”
Ak Su-rim lightly shook her head and continued.
“They say that if the eldest daughter wins the Shanxi martial arts tournament, she’ll become the joint disciple of the Zhuge Family Head and the First Fist of the Eon Family. The information is only circulating among a tiny number of local influential figures. The Chief Steward’s Office checked it through several channels. They say it has some credibility.”
“I understand the main fortress’s intelligence network has fallen far behind.”
“The Zhuge Family Head was reportedly seen in Shanxi for a short while. We still don’t know what scheme is underway.”
Ak Su-rim stretched with a groan, then smiled despite her frown.
“I’ll be going this time too. It’s about time we let people know the main fortress is still standing strong.”
“Is there a reason to do that?”
“No, no. It’s just that some people forget the main fortress’s strength now and then and start acting up. Besides, that man threatened your life, so we have more than enough justification. I wanted to deal with him at the Martial Alliance.”
She waved a slender hand.
“Anyway, prepare thoroughly. Shanxi is quite far from here. You won’t be bored if you travel with me, though.”
“Will it just be the two of us?”
“The Blood Guard Squad Leader from the Jin Family will come as well. We don’t know what variables might arise. It’s a strange place, and the Zhuge Family Head leaves a bad taste in my mouth.”
“Senior Divine Blood Extreme Demon... That’s reassuring.”
Jeong Yeon-shin readily nodded, then sank into thought.
Jegal Cheong-a weighed on his mind.
She had joined Demon Wings as a guest martial artist and quietly remained with them throughout their time in Shaanxi. Could he really take her father’s head?
‘She was one of those who expelled the Zhuge Family Head alongside the Immortal Dragon, but...’
They needed to talk.
* * *
A yellow-earth wilderness.
The occasional gusts of dusty wind felt bleak.
Winter sunlight spread through the cold. Though it shone brightly and without pause, the wilderness remained hollow and silent.
Only the distant clash of blades from martial artists flitting across the empty ground echoed through the barren land.
Clang! Boom!
Uniforms of every color whipped violently as dozens of sword lights flickered from all directions.
A handsome scholar in white was trapped among their sharp trajectories. It was four against one.
Whenever the encirclement seemed about to break, arrows flew in and cut off the scholar’s path.
“Urgh!”
A man dressed in elegant silk stood with his hands behind his back, watching them. The smooth orange collar of his robe fluttered with the shockwaves from the battle.
A canopy had even been spread above his head as he watched, while nearly twenty guard martial artists stood around him.
He looked like a great merchant. Nobility flowed from his slender face to the golden embroidery on his yellow robes.
“So martial artists of Desolate Fortress are said to be envoys of the martial world. I can finally see why. He’s facing my sword masters alone, despite looking like some worthless scholar.”
The servant beside him bowed.
“He won’t last long. If the Merchant Group Head moves a finger, that man’s head will fly.”
It was true.
The great merchants of these chaotic times possessed both wealth and martial power. With a single gesture, they could command dozens of swords, and every one of them was powerful.
It was a famine so harsh that even begging for food was difficult. Exceptional swordsmen flocked to those who provided exquisite food and luxurious lodgings.
The man spoke with an indifferent expression.
“This is entertainment as well. Where else could one watch a watchdog of the imperial court perform tricks while acting proud of being the Emperor’s sword? Desolate Fortress martial artists are rare, high-quality prizes to begin with. They are difficult to find even in black-market fighting pits.”
“My apologies for spoiling Your Excellency’s amusement.”
The servant lowered their head. The man raised one corner of his mouth slightly before speaking again.
“Is there anyone here who can guess the origin of that fellow’s martial arts?”
It truly was entertainment.
They enjoyed capturing respected martial artists and playing with them. Among the masters who wielded superhuman power, few dared to disregard the Great Ming Code and Desolate Fortress.
In an age where countless masters ran rampant and public order was in ruins, those who had amassed great power wished to stand above everyone else.
Two swordsmen stepped forward.
“His scholar’s appearance made me think it might be the Swift Heaven Wing Squad’s White-Wall Radiant Sword Force, but there is little trace in his sword trajectories. It doesn’t seem so. He pursues finesse rather than forceful swordsmanship.”
“Aren’t those loose swings of his blade completely unpredictable? It might be Demon Wings’ Demon’s Light. I hear it is a combat art that extends by instinct.”
The great merchant did not answer.
He simply crossed his arms and watched the man’s desperate struggle within the combined-attack formation.
The honored people of Desolate Fortress had been reduced to the talk of their inferiors. They were no different from fish on a chopping block. That was enough for him.
Boom! Clang!
To those who pursued power, the Divine Sword Corps of Desolate Fortress was an object of both love and hate.
In places where martial sects ran rampant, people revered and sought the Emperor’s swords. Yet in regions like Shanxi, where there were no major sects to speak of, they feared them.
The region had its own native martial order. They had an order of their own.
Shanxi had long possessed powerful officials and military forces, and martial artists of Desolate Fortress were treated with greater honor than ordinary officials.
Powerful local landlords and merchant groups had to hold their breath before the fearsome word “Desolation.”
Then a peerless master secretly reached out a hand, proposing a new order.
The Crouching Dragon Rebirth, the Zhuge Family Head.
The great merchant had gladly joined hands.
He was not the only one. Vast Shanxi had secretly responded long ago. They were prepared.
They poured out silver to bribe officials and, through their extensive information network, recruited martial talents of confirmed identity and ability. At the same time, they screened out prying eyes.
He had been lucky.
While touring the mountains with his subordinates, he had witnessed something strange.
A renowned scholar had released two carrier pigeons from the foot of a mountain below.
The scholar had been acting as a guest retainer of the Gongya Family. Learned but without connections, the scholar had worked as the eldest daughter’s writing instructor.
The county magistrate had certified the scholar’s identity as a retired scholar. The scholar was said to be a jinshi who had passed the metropolitan examination.
The power of those with wealth had begun to pierce the sky. They could do anything.
‘I had coveted him too, since he had no connections.’
The great merchant had been out for a stroll at the time, so he ordered one of his subordinates to shoot down a carrier pigeon with an arrow.
It was purely heaven-sent luck. The timing had been perfect, and the letter tied to the bird’s leg hinted at the scholar’s true identity.
Even an official martial artist of Desolate Fortress was only human. He could not withstand sword masters and a rain of arrows alone.
They drove him out to the fields beyond the city. The Blazing Edge Merchant Group skillfully controlled the battle’s course and brought it to this deserted wilderness.
‘There are too many wolves inside the city, so do not contact anyone. This achievement is mine. The Zhuge Family Head will be pleased.’
The great merchant’s eyes gleamed.
It was an age where strength replaced status. He had accumulated wealth and climbed into the ranks of the strong. He had become so immersed in slaughter that he frequently watched fights at black-market arenas.
The pleasure of toying with a precious disciple of Desolate Fortress with a brief gesture of his hand was immense. He was truly strong.
“Slowly. Subdue him slowly. Do not kill him.”
His order was issued.
Clang!
The sword trajectories of the four swordsmen in formation grew denser. Arrows carrying force waves flew between them, thoroughly controlling the scholar’s movements.
Fine droplets of blood sprayed from wounds across his body. The scholar’s swordwork grew hurried as his white clothes turned red.
He had realized that they intended to exhaust his inner power and stamina.
“Judging from his martial ability, he is certainly a White Uniform martial artist, but our merchant group’s martial strength is not on the level of some petty sect. If we intend to roam this chaotic martial world, shouldn’t we be capable of subduing at least one man in white with a sword?”
The great merchant spoke as though idly singing a tune.
“If you wish to protect the people’s livelihood, fill our bellies first. Your common sense is terribly burdensome. We hire the common folk and grant them grain and salt generously, yet you look down on us. Whenever martial arts become involved in protecting our interests, you immediately think of punishment. My uncle in Henan suffered greatly at your hands.”
After saying that, he muttered to himself.
“Not something worth saying to a mere White Uniform martial artist.”
“Words fit only for a peaceful age... You people piled up gold and forced your way into the martial world!”
The scholar shouted while deflecting the combined attacks and arrows. He had disrupted his own battle rhythm. His face was full of fury.
The great merchant smiled.
“What delightful words. Now you’re finally worthy of being a plaything. You will be the one to have my son accepted as the Zhuge Family Head’s disciple.”
The battle continued until sunset. The sun resting on the horizon spread a faint orange glow.
It stretched through the cool air with the texture of silk, accompanied by the gradually weakening sounds of blades clashing.
Then, without warning, the scholar’s sword faltered.
It lasted only an instant.
Whoooong! Boom!
Someone landed beyond the encirclement.
The recoil was tremendous. It was as though the person had leaped from a distant ridge.
A soft halo spread over the ground, racing across earth that shook as if an earthquake had struck.
It seemed as though starlight were driving away the desolate sunset. It was so mysterious that it hardly appeared real.
“What...?”
The great merchant and his guard martial artists stirred. They could not react properly.
Boom! Boom!
Two dark figures crashed down like meteors on either side.
Cracks erupted from the ground and raced in every direction with violent shockwaves, while a faint cloud of dust rose.
One was a young woman holding a long spear shaft. The other was a man exuding a sinister aura.
The aura surging from them like wildfire was overwhelming. For an instant, it felt as though they filled the entire world.
“Where do you esteemed masters come from?”
The great merchant put on a calm expression as he asked.
The first figure to arrive raised a hand. The hair thrown upward by the landing’s impact had not even settled.
A typhoon-like force of attraction rose from the hand and warped delicately.
At the instant the force waves of attraction and repulsion collided, ripping through the air like lightning, the scholar’s sword and the swords of the four swordsmen sprang from their owners’ hands.
Then sword light flashed.
Slash!
It was the sound of flesh and bone being cut apart.
Pale lines remained across the necks of the four swordsmen who had formed the combined-attack formation.
Spurt!
The four heads struck the ground with dull thuds.
Four bloodstained swords and one unblemished sword floated in the air. The sword in the center belonged to the scholar, swimming through the sky alone with a lofty air.
The sudden surge of inner energy was immensely powerful. The headless corpses swayed within the storm of force waves as though they were alive.
Amid it all, the scholar with sharply defined black-and-white eyes spoke.
“...I have been dispatched for so long that I do not know your honored name.”
The scholar used an honorific for the name. The long robe made the other’s status clear.
Rustle.
The black hair of the person who had extended a hand settled in a long sweep. A numinous air lingered in that black hair and led down to a sharply defined jawline.
A singular bearing emanated from the newcomer, even while red lips parted.
“White Uniform martial artist.”
The scholar brought both hands together and raised them. The gesture was neat and proper.
“I greet a Black Uniform martial artist of the main fortress.”
“You belong to the Nethercurrent Squad.”
“...Yes, that is correct.”
“I am the Leader of Demon Wings.”
The newcomer spoke.
Footnotes:
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