WeTried Translations
Translator/Editor: ZERO_SUGAR
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◈ Surviving as a Genius on Borrowed Time ◈
Episode 306: Xuanyuan
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* * *
“A true divine sword of the realm stands here!”
The term divine sword carried immense symbolic weight in both officialdom and the martial world. All the more so when an Associate Director of the Five Military Headquarters, a Senior First Rank official, used it to praise Desolate Fortress’s Leader of Demon Wings.
A crowd surrounded them.
Many of Shanxi’s martial gentry wore strangely contorted expressions.
The Gongya Family estate was steeped in bleak silence. Even the sound of stone fragments rolling across the ruins could be heard clearly.
Slowly.
Dozens of local experts rose from their prostrations. Their colorful silk robes brushed against walls, roof tiles, and pillars reduced to bare frames, making soft sounds.
As they rose to their feet, each began to radiate a dignity worthy of royalty.
Martial gentry.
They had built their power through inner energy and martial forms. Skirting the eyes of government offices when necessary, they had acted as absolute rulers over the common people.
Shanxi’s martial world had no major faction. Once they had curbed the spears and blades of the military through every manner of social maneuvering, martial families could easily establish themselves as gentry. Nothing stood in their way.
Hummm.
A faint resonance of aura spread among them.
Their inner energies intertwined like threads, forming a multi-person sound transmission. From then on, none of their conversation leaked outside.
“What is this supposed to mean...?”
“He called him a divine sword!”
“So I didn’t hear wrong.”
“I don’t understand. Why is the Associate Director being so friendly? The Leader of Demon Wings damaged the dignity of the Five Military Headquarters...”
“It is how the monsters of Beijing’s political world conduct themselves. The Associate Director must have reasons. There must be something to gain by not antagonizing the Leader of Demon Wings here.”
“That is beyond calculation. The Associate Director is practically trying to befriend him!”
The Zhuge Family Head and the Leader of Demon Wings.
They were martial artists from elsewhere. Seom-ye would soon leave, while Jegal Cheon-sang had crossed the Sanzu River.
The Shanxi martial artists present, on the other hand, would have to keep living on this land.
“I was thinking of asking the Divine Blood Extreme Demon for some instruction, but would that offend the Associate Director?”
“Who knows? From the look of it, the favor seems limited to Seom-ye...”
“Forget it. The Leader of Demon Wings seems to cherish his seniors deeply. With the Associate Director behind him, who knows what he might do.”
“That is true. They say he is of the Desolate Ma family’s bloodline.”
It was the usual talk of martial gentry who pursued fame above all else.
In a martial world suffering through lean times, survival was paramount. Publicizing one’s martial prowess mattered more than following the righteous path. Face came second.
They would challenge a Black Uniform member of Desolate Fortress to a match and display their own exceptional skill.
The instant Seom-ye severed Jegal Cheon-sang’s head, the plan had naturally taken shape. They meant to prevent the names of martial artists from elsewhere from disrupting the established order.
Then they would further secure their interests in land, shops, and livestock.
“What a shame.”
Looking at the three Black Uniform members of Desolate Fortress who had fought in the fierce battle, it was difficult to say there was no chance.
The Divine Blood Extreme Demon, Jin Myeong-jo, seemed to have sustained serious injuries even before the final battle. While protecting the sphere that had trapped the Leader of Demon Wings, enough blood had flowed from his abdomen to fill several gourds.
Now he stood at a distance with his arms folded, but the threadlike wounds carved by the Yin-Yang Divine Whip were healing painfully slowly.
The Desolate Divine Spear was no different. She narrowed her eyes at the Associate Director, and the overwhelming aura that had surged around her had noticeably faded.
Having endured the Zhuge Family Head’s focused countermeasures, she clearly bore severe internal injuries. She likely could not even circulate qi through her minor meridians properly.
“We should give up.”
“Let us smooth things over with the Gongya Family instead.”
“I had planned to buy the cultivation rights to the land in Pingyang Prefecture at a low price, but that is now wishful thinking. The Gongya clan has ties to the Leader of Demon Wings...”
“Did we not treat the Gongya Family too harshly? Our disciples came and went through their storehouses as if they were their own homes.”
“If we apologize first, what can they do? It is not as though the Gongya clan alone can stand against every martial family in Shanxi.”
Their casual conversation continued. Their eyes kept returning to the condition of the three Black Uniform members.
When would they ever again see the Divine Blood Extreme Demon and the Desolate Divine Spear beaten so badly?
Seom-ye, who had even suffered a piercing wound to the shoulder, needed no mention.
Everyone had seen his martial power weaken drastically the moment he cut down the Zhuge Family Head.
He must have exhausted an enormous amount of inner energy in killing a peerless master.
His slumped shoulders looked unbearably heavy, and the blood still flowing from him seemed to have soaked his entire body.
Had it not been for his face and black robes, he would have looked like nothing more than a boy his age.
Prey for wolves.
There was no need to openly antagonize him.
In an age where courtesy and propriety were losing their meaning, they only needed to politely request a match and show themselves giving a little ground. The gentry present would praise one another.
They could say they had taken the forms of a Black Uniform member head-on.
Shanxi was their land. It would be even better if Desolate Fortress refused the match. The Zhuge Family Head’s appearance had tarnished the gentry’s pride, and this was their chance to restore it.
It would be easy to spread rumors that the Black Uniform members feared exchanging moves with Shanxi martial families.
“Let us watch for an opportunity. They will need a long time to recuperate anyway.”
A middle-aged swordsman wearing a fur coat loosely over his silk martial robes muttered under his breath. Like the other gentry, wealth seemed to flow from his entire body.
A few of the calmer gentry did not join the conversation, which felt like a dangerous gambling table. They only exchanged brief opinions.
“What Seom-ye showed, what he accomplished... He has practically cut down the Zhuge Family itself. It is truly a shocking event. Should fear not come before anything else?”
“That is right. Was the Zhuge Family Head in any ordinary condition?”
“More importantly, are not the Desolate Divine Spear and the Divine Blood Extreme Demon monsters who can stand against ten thousand men with only a handful of strength left? Imagine facing Ak Su-rim’s divine spear without a countermeasure like the Zhuge Family Head’s. Just thinking of it makes my spine go cold.”
After that, they kept their true thoughts to themselves.
What would the repercussions of all this be? Could a match truly end harmlessly? Had they not considered future trouble?
They came to realize it.
This was an age in which hunger and greed had stolen reason, where chivalry was being crushed beneath martial might and losing its fertile ground.
“Before I became Associate Director, I once met the Tyrant Hero... Seom-ye, your face does not greatly resemble his. Your disposition... no, your spirit does seem somewhat similar.”
“What did you say?”
“Ah. It appears I misspoke. Do not look so stern.”
“When you say you misspoke... what do you mean?”
“...”
The martial gentry silently watched the Associate Director and Seom-ye.
They stood upon ground split into countless furrows like Shanxi’s fields, while the distant laughter of the Desolate Divine Spear reached them.
* * *
A grand feast was held.
It was much like the martial arts tournament preliminaries. The Gongya Family, the most venerable family in Pingyang Prefecture, hosted the banquet.
The fragrance of delicacies and fine wine mingled over enormous tables arranged in the shape of a square.
“I did not expect the Associate Director to act so openly. I hear the Heart Martial Union’s martial forces have been causing trouble. Could Desolate Fortress and the military be joining hands?”
“Who knows how Shanxi’s situation will develop from here? How many sects have already decided to join the Wolsung Sect...”
“Sister, try this. The sauce-braised beef has been sliced extremely thin. The knife work is worthy of a swordsman.”
“My junior has found a lead on the location of the assassins’ sect. The chance to wipe them all out will soon...”
Dozens of conversations tangled together like a knot.
The main subjects were accounts of the day the Zhuge Family Head was killed and speculation over the repercussions of the event.
The atmosphere differed from the eve of the martial arts tournament.
The martial gentry spoke quietly behind silk tablecloths, while the three Black Uniform members of Desolate Fortress spoke only among themselves inside a translucent aura barrier.
Despite their serious injuries, all three had appeared.
They had to show that the Squad Leaders remained standing and make up for the damage inflicted upon the Gongya Family. They could not end their mission after bringing only harm to the faction that had helped Desolate Fortress.
They needed to prevent bad rumors from piling up and severely limiting the movements of their subordinates.
Even so, many glances kept slipping toward the Leader of Demon Wings.
He paid them no mind.
Jeong Yeon-shin held his wine cup with the ease of someone familiar with drinking etiquette, occasionally rolling it lightly in his hand.
He was refining his martial arts through discussions with his seniors.
At times, Jin Myeong-jo gave him an uneasy sideways glance while standing with one foot braced at the edge of the aura barrier.
“You can extend your reach further. You can enjoy the wine afterward.”
The Divine Blood Extreme Demon spoke coldly.
Jeong Yeon-shin briefly fell silent and compared his height to his senior’s.
“...”
Jin Myeong-jo was at least a head taller than him.
After a while, Yeon-shin silently set his cup down at the corner of the table.
Regret lingered in the fingertips that left the cup. If he was destined to die young, he would not get to enjoy it for long.
“In any case, Senior Jin’s Claw Arts have limitless directions for Force Projection. I thought you could form a short formation through instantaneous Force Projection. There were many such formations in the main fortress’s Gold-Piercing Martial Treasury.”
“Hm.”
“I believe it would be better to use the Eight Trigrams rather than the six directions as the foundation. If it is you, Senior...”
“You mean the version that can create more variations is better. I should be able to control it with my aura sense.”
Jin Myeong-jo spoke while cold sweat ran down his back. Taking the initiative was his specialty, even in conversation.
If he cut off the other person’s words before they could continue, they could not branch out any further. It made preserving his dignity easier.
An experienced Black Uniform member was always prepared for every situation.
‘As expected of Senior Jin.’
The corners of Yeon-shin’s lips rose slightly. It felt as though he was speaking with someone for the first time in a while.
“You are right, Senior.”
He enjoyed the brief rest granted after the fierce battle. He had the strong feeling that he would remember this day someday.
“Drink up today! You can pour it down your throat, understand?! Who did our Seom-ye kill?! That Zhuge Hound who committed a crime so vile even the Jade Emperor would be startled and fall backward! He killed Zhuge Hound, that is what I am saying!”
A strong scent of alcohol rose from beneath his chin, accompanied by slurred words.
She was the culprit who had made Yeon-shin endure pain and raise the aura barrier before they began discussing martial arts.
Ak Su-rim reached out with her small hand as though she might pat his backside.
Yeon-shin dodged with practiced ease.
“His sword work was art, absolute art! He sliced through the Protective Qi Technique and dantian at once, huh? Hah...!”
“Grandmother.”
“She is using intoxication to forget the pain in her minor meridians,” Jin Myeong-jo said.
“The Zhuge Family Head’s countermeasure against the Ak Family Spear was exceptionally vicious. It was a method worthy of the Zhuge Family, renowned for eye techniques. It seems they researched the Shandong Ak Family for a long time.”
“Then the reason Senior Ak’s aura is unstable is...?”
“He focused on severing qi rather than breaking forms. The Yin-Yang Divine Whip is a secret sorcery art that can interfere with the foundation of inner energy, so the backlash must have been considerable. While protecting you, she endured torture comparable to tendon-rending and bone-dislocating.”
“Tendon-rending and bone-dislocating, my ass! It was nothing!”
Ak Su-rim smiled brightly and held out her hand.
She was shorter than Yeon-shin. Raising her palm high, she seemed to be trying to stroke her junior’s head.
Yeon-shin did not dodge.
With an amused snort, she only patted his back.
“You did well, our youngest! You have become my strongest competitor. Myeolseom and Yeo-ui will have to be on guard.”
The three Squad Leaders of Desolate Fortress.
From the outside, it looked as though there was no room to force one’s way between them.
Not only the Shanxi martial gentry, but even the Gongya Family’s eldest daughter and Second Young Master could only watch from afar.
‘It was a difficult mission.’
Yeon-shin thought of the companions who would become his shield when the Squad Leaders were exhausted.
The reason factions existed.
At that moment, he remembered both the letter sent by an unknown person and Languid Flame Dragon’s letter.
[The Huangbo Family’s wastrel, the bastard of the Owol Grand Slaughter Sect, and the treasured jewel of the Desolate Shin Family are with me. The moment the Leader of Demon Wings reads this letter, come to Taiyuan Prefecture and drive your Northern Light Sword into the largest gravestone on Tomb Mountain.]
[A letter full of nonsense will probably arrive, so wait a little. If the Squad Leader steps in again like in Shaanxi, those Demon Wings old-timers will come bury me.
Anyway, I found a clue to releasing Great Tongue Sword’s inner energy restriction. Honestly, I did not think this thing would really exist.]
At that moment.
Step.
The Associate Director approached, his gray fur coat fluttering beneath the brim of his black official hat. He swept a cold gaze over the martial gentry around them.
“Leader of Demon Wings, I have something urgent to discuss with you.”
Footnotes:
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