WeTried Translations
Translator/Editor: ZERO_SUGAR
Discord: https://dsc.gg/wetried
◈ Surviving as a Genius on Borrowed Time ◈
Episode 283: Lotus (2)
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Only then.
With a heavy thud, dust rose from the ground.
Four headless corpses sprawled in different directions, their heads taken in an instant.
The dry wind that had blown in occasional gusts mixed with the yellow-brown gale sweeping over their bodies.
Dozens of currents circled in place, seeming to flash blurred fangs.
The wilderness was emptied by silence until the Leader of Demon Wings lowered his hand.
Clang.
Four swords tumbled onto the dirt. They lay buried in dust as though they had never been instruments of a divine skill.
Only the scholar standing apart snatched up his sword and stared at the Leader of Demon Wings in disbelief.
“...”
The people of the Blazing Edge Merchant Group froze solid.
The guards merely exchanged whispers, as though raising their voices would invite calamity.
Their voices trembled.
“What was that? Sword control? Didn’t they say something more important? The Divine Sword Corps, that Leader of Demon Wings...?”
“Damn. Damn...!”
Even the Great Merchant who had been singing fell silent. His sharp, clever eyes darted about.
His gaze swept over the intruders, filled with stunned disbelief. Then his face began to pale with despair.
“Who are you?”
The black-robed girl suddenly stepped out of the dust.
She stopped beside the Leader of Demon Wings and stared at him. Her short black hair swayed faintly with her exaggerated breaths.
She was terribly playful. The mischief on her face was plain to see.
“I understand how you sensed the Nethercurrent Squad agent, but how did you suddenly get so fast? That wasn’t ordinary lightness skill. I nearly broke a sweat trying to catch up.”
“Isn’t your breathing uneven?”
“I was too busy looking at your back. The force waves from your footwork were so pretty.”
Her eyes curved with delight, and even the rise and fall of her voice was exaggerated.
The Leader of Demon Wings, Jeong Yeon-shin, deliberately did not turn toward her. It felt as though he had just performed cute antics for a grandmother he had never met.
She was a senior with a young face and a daily habit of acting ridiculous. After all that talk about being his rival, too.
‘It’s a relief Senior Jin is here.’
There were three Black Uniforms from Desolate Fortress. It was a terrifying force, powerful enough to be called invincible under most circumstances, but Yeon-shin had never experienced them together as a group, so it did not feel real.
One of them was the Desolate Divine Spear, famous for her bizarre behavior, which made matters worse.
They needed someone to keep them grounded.
Fortunately, the Divine Blood Extreme Demon was here. Blood Guard Squad Leader Jin was among the most reliable Black Uniforms Yeon-shin had seen.
He was a flawless martial artist, seamless as an unstitched robe. Even the scene before Yeon-shin showed as much.
“Mo Jun-pyeong of the Blazing Edge Merchant Group greets the exalted figures of Desolate Fortress.”
The Great Merchant raised both hands and bowed with polished grace.
Rustle.
The smooth yellow sleeves of his robe flowed down. Every movement carried dignity.
Even his voice had regained its composure, as though he had never revealed his delight while insulting the dignity of Desolate Fortress.
He thoroughly concealed the fact that he had intended to offer the White Uniform of the intelligence-gathering Nethercurrent Squad to the Zhuge Family Head.
“I admit there is no excuse for this situation. That is why I seek a deal.”
They said merchants in troubled times were skilled at navigating the world.
To amass wealth during famine and gather martial artists beneath them, they needed fierce and bold dispositions.
Great Merchant Mo Jun-pyeong had been chosen by the Zhuge Family Head in Shanxi. He would not surrender his life so easily.
Mo Jun-pyeong spoke again, looking at Yeon-shin’s youthful face as though pleading.
“From the look of it, you have discovered what is happening in Shanxi. You can use me to draw out the Zhuge Family Head instead. The government offices in Shanxi are steadily losing their strength. This is no longer the government-friendly land you once traveled through.”
His clear, pleasant voice rang out.
The longer Jeong Yeon-shin and Ak Su-rim watched him, the more cold sweat gathered on his smooth brow. Fear of beings he could not resist seeped from the corners of his smiling lips.
It was more intense than ever.
“But if I support you, before the Zhuge Family Head reveals himself...”
The man who had gained the world after making contact with the Zhuge Family Head continued. He seemed to realize that one foot was already in the Sanzu River.
His voice, which ended each syllable like a song, seemed to be running from death.
It happened in an instant.
He did not seem to notice the shadow passing darkly over him.
Neither did the servants and guards gathered beneath the awnings.
Crunch.
Five pale fingers gripped the Great Merchant’s crown. Blue veins stood out beneath skin so pale it seemed bloodless.
The air above the hand was unnaturally still, and no one reacted until that cold grip suddenly closed around him.
Only Mo Jun-pyeong strained his neck, his eyes widening as though they would split apart.
Then his head was ripped upward.
Crunch! Splurt!
Flesh tore apart violently. Bright red blood sprayed high with savage force. It was as though the Great Merchant’s speech had become the steady patter of rain.
The droplets scattered in every direction, filling the wilderness with silence. A moment later, the head that had been pulled free was tossed away like worthless trash.
Swish.
The figure shook his arm once and tucked his hand back into his robe. It was a Body Movement Scripture and joint lock of monstrous refinement.
The tall, slender man was wrapped in a black robe. His appearance and bearing brought to mind an elegant bat folding its wings.
“Desolate Fortress does not negotiate with enemies.”
The voice of Jin Myeong-jo, the Divine Blood Extreme Demon, was smooth and cold.
* * *
Even the guards of the Blazing Edge Merchant Group were wiped out.
The Blood Guard Squad Leader showed no mercy. Apart from the trusted subordinate standing nearest the Great Merchant, every one of them was slaughtered.
The way he casually pressed the fatal acupoints at the napes of those who had dropped their swords and knelt revealed the kind of man he was.
He was like a sword sharpened with frost.
Yeon-shin saw in him the bearing of a great general who drew a clear line between friend and foe.
“It seems Senior Jin dirtied his hands alone. I should have helped.”
The Blood Guard Squad Leader gave a slight shake of his head. He deliberately wiped his spotless hand with a cloth, as though erasing something filthy.
“Pointless talk. No Black Uniform would make the youngest of Wonpyeong One Sword Hall do this sort of work.”
His voice had no rise or fall.
Yeon-shin was impressed.
“I am learning how a senior should behave from the Blood Guard Squad Leader. I will show the same conduct to juniors who join us in the future.”
“...All right.”
Even his reticence seemed admirable. So did the way he kept the fluctuations of his power restrained to the limit.
The Divine Blood Extreme Demon displayed the realm of Return to Simplicity as though it were ordinary.
He gave no sign whatsoever of the martial arts he had cultivated to such strength. Not even a thread of aura connected him to Yeon-shin. That made it difficult to judge his limits.
The White Uniform dressed as a scholar looked at Yeon-shin strangely.
It was a look the current Leader of Demon Wings often received even at the main fortress. Every time he revealed his martial prowess during promotion examinations, people looked at him that way.
The martial artist dressed as a scholar spoke.
“My name is Han Jin. Within the Gongya Family, I use the name Gojin. I owe my life to all of you Squad Leaders.”
He offered another respectful fist salute. Even the sound of his robes folding was neat.
His disguise as a scholar suited him so well that he seemed capable of becoming a tutor to the eldest daughter of a prestigious family.
Yeon-shin shook his head.
“You sent the carrier pigeons regularly and on time. You saved the four of us.”
“I will speak to the county magistrate at the government office who will vouch for my identity. What should I tell him?”
“The Chief Steward’s Office has already arranged it.”
Ak Su-rim smiled to herself as she looked at Yeon-shin, her hands clasped behind her back.
It looked natural for her to shrug her small shoulders once amid the thick smell of blood.
“We need to hide the character Hwang until we cut off the Zhuge Family Head’s head. Three Black Uniforms are a force that cannot be found anywhere else. We also need to keep an eye on the First Fist of the Eon Family, who may be with him, and the Thirteen Heavens, who may be connected to them.”
Everything had already been arranged. She continued.
“From now on, Seom-ye is the young sect leader of the sole-successor Huangcheon Sect. Your name is Geom Un-bi. You are a gifted martial artist who defeated the Green Forest bandits Teacher Go encountered on his way to take the civil service examinations, all in one move. The two of you became acquainted and have kept in touch since then.”
“I understand. Greetings, Sect Leader Geom.”
Han Jin of the Nethercurrent Squad, Gojin of the Gongya Family, offered another fist salute.
His neat appearance made even his brazen conduct seem proper. He was an unusual man.
As Yeon-shin nodded somewhat blankly, Ak Su-rim spoke again.
“Seom-ye, you’ll stay hidden in the Gongya Family. Avoid showing yourself when you can and focus only on making the eldest daughter win. Bohyeol and I will make a wide circuit and observe the surroundings. When we’re on a joint mission, the youngest should get the comfortable bed.”
“The issue is whether the Gongya Family will accept a wanderer named Geom Un-bi...”
Just as Yeon-shin trailed off, Ak Su-rim gently reached out and stroked the ends of his hair.
The sound of black hair rubbing against her fingertips was playful. When the current Leader of Demon Wings recoiled in disgust, a curve formed on her lips.
“You’re a Black Uniform anyone would acknowledge. During this mission, you can act as you please.”
“Did you say as I please?”
“Yep! Seom-ye can handle it. Some of the other Black Uniforms turn an escort mission into a mission to wipe out the other side’s entire clan. They say there’s no need to protect anyone if no one is left to protect. Of course, they get disciplined, but it doesn’t do much... Everyone just accepts it. That’s what being a Black Uniform means.”
“I have decided to follow the example of Senior Jin, the Blood Guard Squad Leader. There will be no such thing.”
Grown-up Jeong Yeon-shin spoke with complete seriousness. The corner of Ak Su-rim’s mouth twitched faintly.
“Sure, sure. In any case, the Zhuge Family Head will not appear in public. There is nothing to gain from attracting attention with his sect’s secret arts. The Martial Alliance Assembly has begun to organize itself, after all.”
“You mean the Martial Alliance Assembly?”
“Yeah. At least they are no longer fools who would avoid a combined attack just because the disgrace of the Eight Family Heads was exposed to a Desolate Fortress Squad Leader. They say the anti-Desolate Fortress banner has lost its force beneath the alliance between the Sword Star and the Zhuge Family. Those who might interfere with striking the Zhuge Family Head left long ago...”
“Then he will have to be careful as well.”
“He’ll quietly send word to the winner of the martial competition, whose aptitude has already been proven. He’ll tell them where to come. Founding a new major sect is difficult in the first place.”
“Is there a reason the Chief Steward’s Office chose the eldest daughter of the Gongya Family?”
“First, it is the only Shanxi martial family where a White Uniform from the main fortress has infiltrated. Second, she is a leading candidate to win the martial competition.”
“Then her aptitude must be certain.”
Yeon-shin recalled the monkey sitting in the grand preceptor’s chair.
“Probably? There is a powerful rival, but I heard that person is difficult to locate.”
“Who is it?”
“The young sect leader of the Owol Grand Slaughter Sect. They say he is a refined young master, but as with all people of a Slaughter Sect, his whereabouts are usually unknown. His epithet is Slayer Hero. He only kills martial artists who torment common people.”
“So I have to defeat someone like that for the mission.”
The Leader of Demon Wings regarded success as a certainty.
Anyone who saw the lightness-skill charge of the Demon Wings masters performing the Radiant Art Formation would think the same. It was confidence that came naturally.
“Then I will enter alone. The signal will be the Spirit-Treasured Jade shattering. I will send a strong infusion of power into it.”
“Okay! Good luck, Un-bi!”
“Return victorious.”
He parted from the seniors assigned to scouting. They would meet again when the decisive battle came. That was necessary to keep the gaze of a peerless master in check.
Ak Su-rim and Jin Myeong-jo encouraged their junior in their own ways before departing. The Divine Blood Extreme Demon, the Blood Guard Squad Leader, was especially fast.
Even to Jeong Yeon-shin, who had created Ten Miles of Deep Light, his speed seemed transcendent. They said he had been born with a precious bloodline. His Body Movement Scripture reminded Yeon-shin of the Seventh Apostle.
“Let’s go.”
“Yes, Sect Leader Geom.”
Jeong Yeon-shin set out for Pingyang Prefecture in Shanxi Province, accompanied by the subordinate disguised as the tutor of the Gongya Family’s eldest daughter.
He had to become Geom Un-bi, sect leader of the Huangcheon Sect, for a while.
Until just before he drew out the Zhuge Family Head.
Step.
Blackened ground remained behind their footsteps.
The corpses steaming beneath the wilderness sun looked desolate.
The red blood inside their bodies turned black the moment it soaked into the dirt, like their vital-blood-fueled, law-of-the-jungle ambition.
* * *
Half a day later.
Jeong Yeon-shin arrived at the Gongya Family in Shanxi.
Ancient pavilions stood beneath clear sunlight. The grand manor had an air of freshness about it.
Was it because the site was favorable? Or perhaps the members of the family possessed exceptional energy.
“Who goes there!”
A male and female martial artist guarded the main gate. They wore red martial uniforms that caught the sunlight vividly.
The man on the left held an extremely thick silver spear, while the woman on the right rested an enormous greatsword against the ground.
The graceful lines from their shoulders to their arms showed off the forms of equally well-trained muscles.
A stern presence radiated from their entire bodies. The black hair flowing down their backs seemed to sway on its own.
The family’s discipline appeared strict. They did not neglect either inner or outer training.
These were only gatekeepers.
It was a startling sight. He could gauge the Gongya Family’s power from it.
‘I took Hye-ah’s words too lightly. People really should be humble.’
Yeon-shin’s brows lifted as he walked toward the gate.
He had been lowering his expectations for everything outside Desolate Fortress, but he seemed to have been completely wrong. If the eldest daughter was several levels above these gatekeepers, she would be a formidable master.
That was enough. It was quite encouraging.
“Oh!”
Gojin, walking beside him, waved happily. He seemed to know the guards, so they might not need to exchange needless words.
As famine worsened year after year, powerful clans became more guarded. This was a good start.
“Eldest Daughter! Second Young Master! Why are you out here?”
He called toward the gatekeepers.
Footnotes:
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