WeTried Translations

Translator/Editor: ZERO_SUGAR

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◈ Surviving as a Genius on Borrowed Time ◈

Episode 310: Xuanyuan (5)

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* * *

Mount Mang, near Taiyuan Prefecture.

A small disturbance arose in the lonely valley.

Shaaah.

The camellia trees, standing tall beneath a pale mist, greeted the unwelcome visitors with low cries.

The heat surrounding the intruders' feet scorched the leaves as they raced past.

"The Owol Grand Slaughter Sect was a faction that suffered during the old upheaval at Heavenly Demon's Tomb?"

"That is correct."

The silence of the dark forest unraveled at the signs of people.

The rush of lightness skills through the brush and the voices of those passing through trailed behind them like a comet's tail, accompanied by sharp whistles that tore through the air.

Languid Flame Dragon's lightness skill was loud. Shin So-bin, following in great strides as if flying, was no different.

Their noisy movement stood in contrast to Slayer Hero, who led the group with Flying Over Grass.

Hyeon Won-chang was equally inconspicuous, but could not fully employ the Concealment Art while speaking with Languid Flame Dragon.

"...However, the branches we are visiting now were not entangled in that affair. They survived because the main sect's household members, captured by the Moyong Family and Taimao Mountain Fortress, did not break under torture."

"So that stench of noble families reached here too? Martial-world clans that seek their own prosperity talking about orthodox sects is laughable from the outset. You have no idea how much money they feed the local offices."

"There's no need to console me in a way so unlike you. My mind is already too occupied with the test."

"Comfort you? What nonsense."

"Enough. If I fail after using precious time for a personal matter... I'll have no face to see the manual of the Radiant Art Formation or our Squad Leader. It would be truly shameful."

"It is strange for a branch to decide whether to recognize someone from the main sect."

"The predecessor of the Owol Grand Slaughter Sect, the Geum Family Assassins' Sect, was originally both a family and a sect. To prevent its secret teachings from being lost, its branches each took portions of the mnemonic formulas and lived independently. Some are righteous, while others have been steeped in demonic ways."

"So they are like fragments of the Ming Cult? A sect of gatekeepers for Heavenly Demon's Tomb."

"Something like that. They would be an exceedingly distant collateral line. Even if a new Heavenly Demon were to rise in this age, the Assassins' Sect would not follow them."

"This test isn't something like holding your breath for seven days and nights with the Tortoise Breath Method, is it?"

"It is somewhat different. As you said."

Slayer Hero's pleasant voice sounded from beneath the black hat ahead.

"You'll know soon enough when we arrive... Rather than assassin arts, it will test one's martial prowess. The key is whether you can protect the body that bears the secret teachings. There may be strange mechanism formations like Shaolin's Vajra Bronze Men, or they may test your sword forms."

"Is it all right to tell us that? Matters of the Assassins' Sect should be kept secret."

"I'm not confident I can handle both Seon-hwi and you at once."

Amusement entered Slayer Hero's voice.

"Besides, if you're Seon-hwi's friend, then you aren't distant from me either. The bloodline of the Assassins' Sect is very strong. In the end, it draws one back to their roots. Eventually."

"You make it sound as though our Great Tongue Sword will leave Demon Wings."

"Take it with a grain of salt. This is a faction born on the side of the Demon Cult. Nonsensical talk has filled this place since I was young. In the end, we could not stop the combined attack of the major factions or the abduction of the direct line."

Hyeon Won-chang spoke with rare irritation.

Slayer Hero did not respond. Only a bitter laugh swept through the brush beneath their feet.

* * *

Bright blue sunlight poured down.

The broad marketplace beneath the sky was packed with people. It was an extraordinarily noisy thoroughfare.

"Plant just one of these seeds, and your land will become fertile! These are Sumeru seeds imported from Xinjiang! Ah, just take the chance and wait one year! They're incredibly precious! I'm not lying!"

"Come to the inn with the greatest cook under heaven! We have Dongpo pork better than anything you could eat in Hangzhou!"

"Is the rumor that the Zhuge Family Head died really true? The imperial court's blade has intervened in the Shanxi martial world?"

"They say Lotus Nezha Seom-ye, a Black Uniform of Desolate Fortress whose deeds bordered on supernatural phenomena, killed him in defeat... The surrounding martial world is already in an uproar. The Ha Merchant Group suffered a huge loss too."

"Of course! It wasn't some nobody who died, but Crouching Dragon Rebirth! This can't end in the martial world alone. It's bound to affect commerce as well... Merchants who invested in Wolsung Sect lost their money, but I'm glad I waited a little longer."

"I'm thinking of trying to make connections with Desolate Fortress's Shanxi branch."

"Even so, that place is a bit... Isn't the branch head a newly appointed Blue Uniform martial artist? They're certainly strong enough, but it would be better to seek out powerful families in Beijing. The Shanxi martial world is abandoned land. Those Black Uniforms who came to punish the Zhuge Family Head will turn back before long."

All sorts of people mingled there.

People of obvious wealth and status were everywhere. It was fitting for the capital city of Shanxi Province.

The effects of the drought had not yet reached Shanxi's greatest city. It was like Xiangyang, where Desolate Fortress's main fortress stood.

Fine inns lined the streets, and the view from one window was lively despite the early hour.

"Everyone must flee! War! Civil war! The martial-world clans have raised troops!"

"Are the Imperial Army and Desolate Fortress blind? What absurd nonsense... Here, have some mooncakes."

"It is the Heart Martial Union! They'll come to claim you, me, and our farmland as their own! It's true!"

"Even so, only martial-world people will lose their heads. This is Shanxi. Beijing is close at hand. Only wandering martial artists without identity tallies will die. Even the Heart Martial Union cannot do anything to common folk who pay tribute."

Swish.

Jeong Yeon-shin rested his elbow on the yellow-brown table. He had only just arrived in Taiyuan after a long journey.

The wood against his dust-covered sleeve was hard. When he casually propped his chin on the back of his hand, he looked every bit the part of a wandering traveler.

A few passersby below glanced up at him through the window, but Yeon-shin silently looked them over without a trace of embarrassment.

The boy who had tried to join Desolate Fortress without understanding the ways of the world was gone.

'The Heart Martial Union... It was a major faction with martial forces.'

From his sunny seat on the second floor, he could take in countless lives at a glance.

Inn servants following pedestrians to solicit customers, merchants who spread out their wares and discussed the state of the world, self-proclaimed connoisseurs loudly sharing rumors of the martial world...

They did not need to pretend at leisure like the current Leader of Demon Wings. Nor were they likely to suffer deep internal and external injuries like Yeon-shin.

Still, their hardships must have been great. Living as the weak in a world where martial arts ran rampant could not be easy.

How much worse would it be now, with a drought approaching like a calamity?

Would they too exploit those weaker than themselves, like the martial artists who had recently been plundering food?

Tap.

Yeon-shin's right index finger tapped the table.

He suddenly thought of the herbalist, Jang Sun-il.

The boy who had helped him save his niece Jeong Hye, received the Comprehensive Guide to Annihilating Evil Demons, and spoken of avenging his family against the Demonic Sect.

Had he perhaps died away from home somewhere along the way? The world grew more dangerous by the day.

"Young Master, what would you like to order...?"

It was a boy who appeared to be an inn servant. He approached lightly, but cautiously glanced at the Northern Light Sword hanging at Yeon-shin's waist.

Curiosity showed more strongly than fear.

Yeon-shin's expression softened. His aura had weakened so much that he drew no suspicion.

When he handed the boy a small pouch of salt from his robes, the boy's face brightened.

"Bring me a bowl of thin noodles and two or three dumplings."

"Um, we're all out of those. Everyone orders them so often..."

"Do you have shredded pork in Beijing sauce?"

"We can't make pork dishes because there is no pork."

"Kung Pao chicken."

"We have chicken! The cook will stir-fry it well for you! Would you like liquor too?"

"Bamboo Leaf liquor... No, just food."

"Yes!"

The cheerful inn servant turned and hurried away.

By now, even an inn servant held a position of some value.

An inn that could still serve food was said to be no different from a tavern several years ago.

Food had become difficult to obtain, and inns had to employ guards against outside raids. This inn was no different.

It was an age when even dozens of copper coins were insufficient for food and lodging, and one needed salt or silver.

It meant that an ordinary person could not casually greet the martial artists standing guard at the door.

"Sect Leader Gwi has arrived. Young Hero Jeon as well."

"Yes. Keep up the good work."

A woman's voice sounded from downstairs. Her unrestrained footsteps struck the floor with particular force. Both arrivals were like that.

Their waves of inner power, proof that they belonged to the martial world, each had a different character. Yet they shared the same feeling, as if they regarded the marketplace as their own front yard.

"Inn servant, is this the place?"

"Yes?"

"I heard an extraordinary beauty came in."

"Uh... A noble young gentleman did come in."

"All right, move aside."

The sound of heavy footsteps climbing the stairs echoed all the way to the second floor. They were not frivolous footsteps so much as the stride of a victorious general.

The guests seated around Yeon-shin flinched and lowered their heads over their bowls. It was as though a monster from the Classic of Mountains and Seas, one that must never be met eye to eye, was climbing the stairs.

Thud.

The hand gripping the railing at the end of the second floor was small and rough. Even at a glance, it seemed to belong to someone who had trained tremendously.

The same went for the black hair that soon came into view. Instead of shining, it shed dust and bits of stone.

"Let us see."

No one around them complained. Although only wealthy and noble people sat there, none dared look at the woman who climbed to the second floor and grinned at Yeon-shin.

"Ah, it's this one. Good heavens."

Step.

"Since this chance meeting is also fate, perhaps we could share a table..."

She spoke as she strode toward him in long steps. The hem of her yellow trousers swayed without restraint.

She was a beauty with a large saber strapped to her back. Her eyes drooped gently, but her expression did not.

As she walked while staring straight at Yeon-shin, the way her lips soon curved in empty amusement revealed an overbearing temperament.

"Huh?"

The sight of her shaking her head at herself was somewhat ridiculous.

"A man. He's a man. I picked through the rumors and came all this way, only to be disappointed."

"Very few marketplace rumors are trustworthy. Besides... What woman would take Sect Leader Gwi seriously in the first place? Rather than waste time like this, perhaps you should wash. You reek of wild boar."

The man who approached her spoke.

He was a handsome man with sharp features, holding a fan. His well-pressed white sleeves suited the crane-wing fan remarkably well.

Yeon-shin's eyes had not moved when he saw the saber-wielding woman called Sect Leader Gwi, but they narrowed slightly as he glanced at the fan.

The woman and man's conversation continued.

"I came from Henan to Taiyuan. I'm undergoing closed-door training in my own way. If I'm to cut off my brother's head, I must save every moment."

"Then why do you flirt with young ladies you've never met? This is why the Alliance Leader exiled you as the shame of the faction. They even made you an outcast, as though you were no child of theirs."

At that moment, Yeon-shin examined the aura barrier surrounding the two.

Its gaps were even more careless than the remnants of the Zhuge Family Head's Yin-Yang Divine Whip, allowing their voices to carry clearly. Yet it seemed they were still speaking in secret.

"What is wrong with a woman liking women? It is the destiny I was given."

"I'm saying you should choose one. The blade or women."

"As you know, my ambition doesn't allow that. I'll have it all. First, I'll drag down that scoundrel of a brother."

"Which one of you is the scoundrel..."

"Could I possibly be worse than that madman said to have flirted with the Sword Venerable? No matter how lacking I may be."

"...That is true."

The woman snorted and stepped through the aura barrier. Sect Leader Gwi then dropped into the seat opposite Yeon-shin.

The saber on her back jutted up slightly, but she did not seem to care.

"Gwi Yun-rin."

"Are you mad?"

After blurting it out, Yeon-shin regretted it a moment later. He did not show it, but he recalled Jeong Hye's rebuke.

His speech had grown rough from dealing with martial-world people, among whom few were not ruffians. He had to restrain himself. He did not wish to unconsciously foul the ears of the niece he would meet again.

'My words and conduct seem to run opposite to the cultivation of my mind. I should be careful.'

"Pfft!"

Gwi Yun-rin, who had worn a blank expression for a moment, burst into laughter.

"Right! I can see why you'd think that! I was terribly rude for a first meeting, so may I buy you a drink? I wish to admire that rare face for a while. Regardless of your gender, it is a rare sight."

"I'm abstaining from alcohol."

"Not because you can't drink? You look rather young, too."

A muscle twitched beneath Yeon-shin's eye.

"It's tiresome to reply. Leave."

That was when it happened.

Whoosh!

"Judging by the precious sword you wear, you seem to be the child of a rather distinguished martial family. Then surely you know the saying that one must die if one cannot judge people while traveling the martial world."

A fan pointed at Yeon-shin's brow. The scholarly-looking man was glaring at him.

"Not knowing the young lady is one thing, but I have never heard that someone like you was in Taiyuan. Your aura is quite refined for your age... I am curious about your identity."

"..."

The entire inn had fallen silent.

Though it was an incident in the corner of the second floor, all eyes from above, below, and every side focused there. In one corner, the inn servant boy, who had come upstairs at some point, looked at Yeon-shin anxiously.

Though he was eating his fill during a famine and had every reason to be arrogant, his feelings showed plainly on his face.

They said some practitioners attained great enlightenment from trivial matters.

Yeon-shin suddenly remembered.

‘They said the secret of sword-control techniques was Unity of Sword and Spirit.’

The sword and the mind.

It was a realm of supreme transcendence. Just as essence, qi, and spirit could be united, one could unite the mind and sword as well.

When he first heard the gentle teachings of the Spirit Sky Sword Ghost, Baek Seo-gun, he had not understood them at all. It had seemed like a method separate from aura sense.

Now was different.

A secret Divine Technique: Dragon Fan Treading Flowers.

What would happen if he imbued a weapon with the upper dantian's sense of synchronization?

Hummm.

The chopsticks in Yeon-shin's hand suddenly trembled. At the same time, Gwi Yun-rin's eyes widened.

Footnotes:

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