WeTried Translations
Translator/Editor: ZERO_SUGAR
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◈ Surviving as a Genius on Borrowed Time ◈
Episode 307: Xuanyuan (2)
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* * *
“I’m curious, not as an official, but as a martial artist. I, too, was once said to possess martial talent rarely seen under Heaven... at least in my birthplace.”
A faint tea fragrance filled the guest chamber, its wooden furnishings polished smooth.
Sunlight flowed in like rippling water, casting a pale glow beneath the window frame as the refined scent of precious Dragon Well tea drifted through the room.
“You said you were seventeen. I once wondered something while listening to the tales of the first Heavenly Demon and Zhang Sanfeng of the Wudang Sect. It seems a question that might apply to you as well. How did you become so powerful at that age?”
“Living as I have...”
“Yes, it makes no sense. That is precisely why someone like you sits before me. Still, when that Jegal bastard’s Protective Qi Technique shattered, I was truly startled. I have some skill in aura sense, and when I examined it through my upper dantian, the release of that force wave was both exquisite and dreadful. It seeped into Jegal’s inner-energy barrier as though it were fitting itself into every gap. It happened in an instant, so I can’t be certain I sensed it properly...”
The air within the inner chamber was exceedingly still.
So were the strange expressions of the Desolate Fortress Black Uniforms seated around the round table, as well as Associate Director Jiang Suihui’s expression as he seemed intent on praising someone beneath him for some reason.
The Associate Director spoke only of facts, though he mixed in his own knowledge and experience.
His deep, resonant voice blended with a manner of speaking that blurred the line between calm praise and extravagant flattery.
One of the highest-ranking officials in Beijing’s imperial court.
He belonged to an entirely different world.
Jeong Yeon-shin nodded somewhat blankly as he thought of Hyeon Won-chang.
Wouldn’t he have achieved even greater success in the Forbidden City rather than Desolate Fortress? No, that was wrong. Then Demon Wings wouldn’t have its Desolate Fortress Divine Hero.
Perhaps the dull pain from both his internal and external injuries was why such pointless thoughts came to him.
“Have I circled the point for too long?”
The Associate Director quietly watched the Leader of Demon Wings, then smiled.
It was a smile that carried the cunning of age, one that did not suit a face that looked barely thirty. His true age was surely far greater.
“...I intend to kill every powerful clan gathered here. I plan to wipe out Shanxi’s martial world. My first plan failed, so I must move on to the second.”
He spoke abruptly.
This was the point of the meeting.
The collar of Jeong Yeon-shin’s clothes, which had shifted softly with his breath, stilled.
He was not wearing a Desolate Fortress Squad Leader’s uniform. The long robe Ma Jin had passed down to him had been reduced to rags by the Yin-Yang Divine Whip.
The Gongya Family had therefore given him a plain black robe without any pattern.
It bore no character for Desolation. Their family tailor had fled during the chaos, and Young Family Head Gongya Jeong had personally apologized.
Jeong Yeon-shin did not care.
He had another set of clothes besides those he had received from his uncle, but the character for Desolation on them was too large for him to want to wear them.
It made him think of Hyeon Won-chang again.
‘Wipe out Shanxi’s martial world?’
He glanced to either side. Neither senior showed much change in expression.
Ak Su-rim appeared to be forcing strength into the corners of her mouth, loosened by drink, while Jin Myeong-jo kept his eyes slightly lowered as usual, maintaining a cold calm.
Jeong Yeon-shin chose to remain silent for a while.
“People of the martial world have never benefited the realm. They do not create anything. They exploit and destroy. They pay no tribute, yet treat commoners like screens to hide behind or firewood to burn. They are no better than beasts roaming the land...”
It sounded as if he were growling in human speech. The presence of a supreme military official flowed from him.
“There was once a servant boy who returned home after attending to me. He had no education, but he was born with good character. I still remember the bright smile he gave when I paid him generously. Shanxi was his home... Ten years ago, he opened an inn and was caught up in a fight between martial artists. He passed away. Yes, he is dead.”
The more he spoke, the colder the Associate Director’s expression became. He seemed to have immersed himself in his own story.
“People of the martial world.”
As he spoke of the hidden side of the martial world from outside it, his fingers tapped the table with increasing force.
“Are they not the foremost contributors to the collapse of public order? It becomes worse in times of famine. Rather than helping till the fields, they use martial arts for themselves because they wish to fill their rotten bellies, because they refuse to starve. They plunder while playing the strong. It is because they are human before they are people of the martial world. In a world where lawless men with the skills to kill run rampant... it is inevitable.”
The Associate Director muttered as though chewing over each word.
“The martial world is a place where romantic trash is scattered everywhere. Only a tiny handful of righteous heroes shine with dignity, but that cluster of stars is too small and dim to catch my eye. I intend to erase it with this opportunity. I spent ten years preparing to annihilate Shanxi’s martial world. Because of their elusive Body Movement Scripture, I thoroughly investigated every case that had gone unsolved.”
Swish.
He suddenly withdrew an ornate yellow-green scroll from his robes.
It was an unusually thick document. He immediately extended his arm and handed it to Jeong Yeon-shin.
“I swear that every word written here is true. On my family, office, and honor. It may not look like much, but it is the result of thoroughly coercing Shanxi’s Administration Commissioner, Surveillance Commissioner, and Regional Military Commissioner. Shanxi Province’s Provincial Governor is my elder sister.”
Perhaps because Jeong Yeon-shin was the one who had killed the Zhuge Family Head, the Associate Director seemed to disregard the seniority among the Black Uniforms.
“...”
Jeong Yeon-shin hesitated to accept it. If he fulfilled the Associate Director’s request, it would count as merit greater than most missions assigned to a Black Uniform.
Taking it immediately would be disrespectful to Jin Myeong-jo and Ak Su-rim.
What should he do? His thoughts focused on the dilemma, and the Light Wheel in his heart inevitably loosened a little.
Then it happened.
A black sleeve brushed over the edge of the scroll. The motion carried a trace of aura.
The document rolled toward Jeong Yeon-shin, accompanied by Jin Myeong-jo’s icy voice.
“You beheaded Jegal Cheonsang. Do not hesitate to step forward.”
Having offered his advice, Jin Myeong-jo rose from his seat. He said that moving was difficult and that he would return to his room.
Flutter.
The pitch-black color of his long robe called to mind the back of the Divine Blood Extreme Demon.
It was deeply solitary.
His steps were perfectly natural until he opened the door and left. Jeong Yeon-shin’s chest swelled slightly as he sensed the breadth of his senior.
“Iii... I should watch over our Seom-ye.”
Ak Su-rim grinned drunkenly, her head tilted to one side.
She had said that she was suffering internal injuries comparable to tendon-rending and bone-dislocating.
Jeong Yeon-shin could not bring himself to tell her to use major circulation to dispel the drunkenness.
When he slowly unrolled the document, a report written in archaic script appeared.
[Great Lake Radiance Family.
They maintain a manor on Mount Wuliang in Qinzhou and live by plunder.
They train in both swordsmanship and fist arts, giving them great strength in their hands.
There are rumors that when they cannot procure food from villages, they use people as meat. An investigation into the movements of Family Head Hui Horyang, extending as far as Taiyuan Prefecture, has confirmed this to be true.
Suspicions were raised about this in the past, but the Family Head silenced the unfavorable circumstances by killing the Blood Master, who had been roaming near Qinzhou.
Their manor has a long history, and they hold considerable influence in Shanxi’s martial world.]
[Supreme Bridge Martial Academy.
They accept payment to take disciples in Zezhou, Shanxi.
Adult disciples disappear regularly, but the academy claims to have sent them to Beijing to sit for the martial examinations.
The academy masters possess formidable martial arts and great renown. They protect local villages from violent wandering martial artists and enjoy a favorable reputation in the area.
This year, four children of merchants from Taiyuan Prefecture and three daughters of landowners from Pingyang Prefecture, all accepted as disciples, have vanished.
None of them have been confirmed in Beijing.
The human trafficking is suspected to be connected to the Heavenly Extreme Sect, one of the major Apostle factions known as the Thirteen Heavens.
Evidence is included in the attached documents. Among the Heavenly Extreme Sect’s “surviving disciples,” there are natives of Shanxi.
Those who failed to become disciples are believed to have been massacred.
Originally, they targeted only the children of poor families who had spent most of their wealth on admission fees. Yet the poor harvest appears to have made them indiscriminate about the origins of their disciples.
It is presumed that they attended the Shanxi Martial Arts Tournament to take in those who failed to enter the Zhuge Family Head’s school.]
Rustle, rustle.
Jeong Yeon-shin turned the pages one by one. The contents of the reports were largely similar.
They described the appearances, martial arts, and crimes of martial artists who had gathered forces. Evidence such as drawings and ledgers was attached to the following pages.
“So there was something that needed to be done.”
Jeong Yeon-shin murmured slowly.
“I know you need to recover, but... please help me. They will never gather as they have today again. If we touch them carelessly and they flee with those vaunted lightness skills of theirs, we will only increase the number of Green Forest bandits. We need extraordinarily powerful lightness-skill mobility and formidable martial strength.”
The Associate Director’s voice continued at his side.
“I have no intention of offering payment and tarnishing your reputation. Just grant me this request. It seems I have already received your answer.”
“...”
“When appointments to Purple Uniform rank are decided at Desolate Fortress, His Majesty and the Lord of Desolate Fortress exchange letters through spiritual beasts. It is a highly honored discussion. During that process, His Majesty usually hears the opinions of the highest-ranking officials. They discuss how well a candidate’s character and martial temperament suit the affairs of the realm. As an official who has met you, I will surely be asked. Though it seems unnecessary to say such things to you...”
“I have read everything. These people are all close to being regional notables. How will you handle the backlash when they are all exterminated?”
Jeong Yeon-shin rolled up the scroll again, handed it back, and asked.
The Associate Director’s lips curved into a smooth arc.
“There is more evidence. When I impose further punishment on their corpses, I intend to make it known to all.”
* * *
The Gongya Family Head had yet to regain consciousness.
The Gongya Family Head had suffered terribly at the hands of the now-dead Zhuge Family Head. It was a stroke of fortune that the Family Head had not died on the spot.
“I did not expect you to request such a meeting during the banquet.”
Eldest daughter Gongya Jeong spoke.
She had no choice but to act as Family Head. That was why she sat in the seat of honor in the wide room, with the family elders seated to either side.
As the direct heir of the Gongya martial lineage, she was responsible for receiving the honored guests before her.
Every powerful clan of Shanxi gathered there carried an extraordinary presence.
The lakeside pavilion belonged to a secluded villa of the Gongya Family.
It was some distance from the main manor. The powerful clans had requested it out of concern for the Desolate Fortress Black Uniforms’ attainment in Sensory Training, saying they had urgent matters to discuss.
“Can we waste time without purpose?”
A person of enormous stature replied with a sly smile.
Mountain-Collapsing, Cloud-Cleaving Hui Horyang.
She was a woman with a massive greatsword strapped across her back.
Though it was the dead of winter, she wore only a single hemp garment, exposing the huge muscles of both arms. Translucent aura rippled through every knot of sinew, befitting the Family Head of Shanxi’s renowned Great Lake Radiance Family.
Even the gaze fixed upon Gongya Jeong’s eyes was far from ordinary.
“Family Head Hui is right. Why should we remain when the stars of the banquet have disappeared?”
Three people dressed identically sat beside Hui Horyang.
They were triplet swordsmen with long limbs.
The masters of the Supreme Bridge Martial Academy.
After the Goga Sword Gate leader, the Water-Moon Sect Leader, and the Shanxi Gwi Family Head had each been killed by the Zhuge Family Head and the Slayer Hero, they had effectively taken the lead among the powerful clans.
The sharp light in their wide eyes and the formless sword qi they gave off without even drawing their swords made it inevitable.
Gongya Jeong could barely handle either side.
When her father had drawn his sword to face the Zhuge Family Head, the family elders had become parts of the sword formation and aided their Family Head.
That was why those seated beside her now wore such dark expressions.
‘This is my burden to bear.’
The eldest daughter thought.
Then one of the Supreme Bridge Martial Academy masters opened his mouth.
“Arrange a meeting with the Leader of Demon Wings. He does not even treat Shanxi’s powerful clans as people, but regardless, we must ask him to teach us a move or two.”
“Do you mean a spar?”
“Precisely.”
“The Leader of Demon Wings cannot move much. The Blood Guard Squad Leader and the Divine Sword Squad Deputy Leader are the same. It would be best to travel to Xiangyang, where Desolate Fortress’s main fortress stands, after spring has passed.”
Gongya Jeong narrowed her eyes as she spoke.
Her red robes then surged upward as she stood.
The oppressive atmosphere in the room wavered for an instant. It was not behavior appropriate before a gathering of formidable founding masters.
“You will not leave simply because I ask you to, so we will go. If you wish to enjoy the banquet, return to the main estate.”
Boom!
Gongya Jeong immediately led eight retainers out of the room.
Aura from their lightness skills spread in every direction beneath their feet. They looked ready to smash through the tightly constructed doorway.
Whoosh!
That was exactly what happened. Their sprint looked more like flight.
How would martial artists react upon seeing such an abrupt escape? Predatory birds with strength would have no choice but to pursue first.
Hui Horyang frowned as the powerful clans rose one after another.
“Their behavior is suspicious. We did not even question them at swordpoint...”
“What are they trying to turn innocent people into?!”
“They must be trying to frame us before the government offices and Desolate Fortress!”
Two of the Supreme Bridge Martial Academy masters kicked off the ground, heading for the doorway Gongya Jeong had burst through.
Their pursuit of the Gongya Family quickly began to carry a violent urgency. The room was shattered in an instant by the powerful driving force of their auras.
Rumble!
A chase took shape.
Eight sets of red robes from the Gongya Family raced across the ground ahead, while dozens of Shanxi clan masters rapidly closed the distance with their lightness skills.
Every one of them was the head of a sect or family. Shouts ordering them to stop swept across the earth.
Then it happened.
Boom! Boom! Boom!
A thunderous roar came from the side. Explosions too great to be made by human bodies.
The expressions of the powerful clans changed as they glanced over. Dozens of pitch-black spheres were flying through the air toward them.
Anyone with even a little experience would recognize them. They were thunderclap bombs, infamous even in the martial world.
“Disciples, keep pursuing them! It seems the Gongya rabble have pulled a trick on the Associate Director!”
“You too, follow Family Head Hui’s orders!”
Four figures shot into the air toward the thunderclap bombs.
Hui Horyang and the three masters of the Supreme Bridge Martial Academy.
They were founding masters who had fought for dominance over Shanxi’s martial world, a region rivaling even Shandong, once ruled by the Huangbo Family.
All of them stood near the highest level of mastery. They were capable of applying the principles of Harmonizing Force to the fire bombs, deflecting the incoming objects away.
Then suddenly.
The eyes of the four founding masters, who had gently extended their swords toward the thunderclap bombs, widened. So did those of the powerful clans passing behind them.
Whoosh!
The wilderness was drenched in a glow resembling dawn.
Where had he leaped from?
A figure in black robes rapidly grew larger, bleaching the surroundings pale.
Rising in a straight line amid a faint radiance, he approached with the overwhelming force of part of a constellation.
Jeong Yeon-shin, the Leader of Demon Wings, slipped into the swarm of thunderclap bombs.
An incomparably powerful current spiraled from his raised hand, forming a vortex.
Force waves that sent out attraction and repulsion in flowing streams took control of dozens of thunderclap bombs in an instant. At that moment, the Desolate Fortress’s Myriad Flowers Rain, wielded by the imperial sword, revealed itself.
Hummm.
A barrage of thunderclap bombs, rather than hidden weapons, mixed into the peerless technique and transformed into unpredictable variations. The swords of the powerful clans cut uselessly through empty air.
“Leader of Demon Wings!”
“Surely he is not...!”
Their cries, swiftly spoken through lip-speech, were soon drowned by the ensuing chorus of explosions.
The black Myriad Flowers Rain left no witnesses.
Kwararararara-boom!
Footnotes:
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