WeTried Translations

Translator/Editor: ZERO_SUGAR

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◈ Surviving as a Genius on Borrowed Time ◈

Episode 392: Carpet

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Dark Night Hall.

It was a great sect, rare in all the world.

It gathered members of noble clans that had lost their luster. In secrecy, it rivaled the greatest forces under heaven.

Their art of secretly firing arrows, born from divine arts and ultimate arts, was said to be deadlier than any assassin's strike.

In truth, they made their living through murder. It was a sect that had mastered killing people for wealthy clients.

They were bound to have many enemies. With the secret arts of the elven race, who excelled at creating hideouts, they concealed their sect so thoroughly that they had never once revealed their main headquarters throughout their long history.

It was said that even the Hao Clan and Beggars’ Sect knew nothing of it.

Its very location was like a legend of the martial world. Countless tales born of awe and fear surrounded it.

Some said it periodically descended south from beneath the North Sea Ice Palace. Others claimed it had burrowed into the World Tree's stump in Beijing and hidden there...

"That Dark Night Hall was in our city?"

"No way."

"Who in the world are those people...? Shouldn't we stop standing around and run for it?"

The commoners, who had discreetly hidden behind walls and windows, whispered among themselves.

Jeong Yeon-shin lowered his brows slightly.

As he continuously pushed the Light Wheel qi rising from his heart into the sword blade, the air around him began to ripple softly.

The vibrations of inner power from the blade produced a low hum.

Sword Song.

It was an ultimate technique he had devised after drawing inspiration from the Imperial Grandson of this nation.

He did not activate it at once.

This was the great city of Guizhou. Even on its outskirts, where no walls had been built, many commoners lived here.

Barren fields stretched before him, but clusters of homes stood behind him. He could not immediately unleash Sword Song with civilians at his back. He needed time to regulate his qi.

‘Only forward... This will take a little longer.’

Setting the direction of a wide-area ultimate technique was no easy task. A form was originally a predetermined sequence of movements paired with a method of circulating qi.

Sword Song, which contained the principles of Sound Arts, fundamentally took a form that distinguished neither friend nor foe. Setting the direction of its sound afterward was no different from dismantling Sword Song and remaking it from its mnemonic formula onward.

‘Be still.’

Jeong Yeon-shin murmured inwardly to his sword.

This was utterly different from before, when using the technique itself strained his Baihui acupoint.

After Marrow Cleansing and Bone Reforging and Three Flowers Gather at the Crown had raised him to the realm of a peerless master, he had received into his entire body the years of cultivation amassed by absolute masters who could shake the world.

There was martial art in his hand.

Kiiiiing!

At that moment, the flowing qi rippling through the blade came completely under his control beneath his grip.

Every pulse of vibration born from that movement flowed precisely according to Jeong Yeon-shin's will, like the clear tones of a bamboo flute rising and falling.

Shin Hwang, the Annihilation Squad Leader, studied Jeong Yeon-shin from nearby.

"You've completely confined the aura within the sword blade."

An indescribable emotion crossed his eyes as he folded his arms. He had seen through the art that gathered the inner-power vibrations in a single direction, as though adding variations to a form.

He had seen Jeong Yeon-shin's Sword Song during the mission to annihilate the Huangbo Family. It had been when Seom-ye, who had only just become a Blue Uniform, dared to request a solo mission and revealed his abilities.

‘It's certainly different.’

The difference was like roughly plastered mud and polished porcelain. At least, that was how it seemed in terms of inner-energy control.

This future Purple Uniform had no equal when it came to martial arts launched in a single strike and guiding qi. If the surrounding Black Uniforms provided support in the right direction, they would witness something monstrous.

"How elegant."

"With a face like his, even if he were only playing a grass flute..."

Cheon So-so, the Lord of the Immortal Wood Spirit, and Wi Ji-geuk, the Heaven-Treading Dragon Squad Leader, quietly stepped back with the other Squad Leaders.

Ak Su-rim, who had been smiling fondly beside them, was seized by the nape of the neck by Bukgung A and dragged away.

The senior Black Uniforms merely watched. They appeared unconcerned with whatever a junior of their own rank might do.

They only observed Jeong Yeon-shin's every movement, whether openly or while pretending not to.

Then a middle-aged person stepped out from among the onlookers.

"Don't needlessly unsettle people. These outsiders are drawing far too much attention. Grain is scarce enough that the city is already on edge, so why have you drawn swords here and started acting like acrobats?"

The tone was admonishing, and the voice carried weight.

The person wore a luxurious orange long robe over a body that looked as though it had been lightly coated in gray ash. A jade-decorated sword scabbard hung at the waist, clearly marking someone of uncommon standing.

"Clear Judge Sword! We heard you had gone all the way to Guangxi on a trading journey... Yet you returned safely after all. Your reputation speaks for itself."

"I wonder how much profit they made..."

"Thieves will be out again tonight, searching for Clear Judge Sword's carefully hidden storehouse."

Many among the townspeople recognized Clear Judge Sword. Some of the spectators even let out quiet exclamations.

A martial artist with “Judge” in an epithet was usually someone who meddled in everything yet had earned broad respect. It meant they had carved out a name for themselves.

Clear Judge Sword's shoulders straightened. A cough feigning humility followed.

"Dark Night Hall is lurking in our city? I don't know what sort of black-path sect you people belong to, but if you intend to settle here under the pretense of the Thirteen Heavens and suck the commoners dry, you have chosen badly."

Considerable inner power amplified the voice until it nearly swallowed even the sound flowing from Jeong Yeon-shin's sword.

"Even if you truly possess Desolate Fortress tokens that allow you to inspect every corner of the world, it is still a problem. Everyone knows Desolate Fortress has abandoned the common people. Are you trying to stir up a peaceful city and turn this region upside down for no reason? And you dare speak the name of that terrifying Dark Night Hall! How great a disturbance are you trying to cause?"

Voices of agreement rose from all directions.

Clear Judge Sword felt renewed gratitude toward Yeoryeong.

Desolate Fortress's Black Uniforms came and went like ghosts. Few commoners would immediately notice that a Squad Leader had completely left the ranks of the Divine Sword Corps' combat units.

The Thirteen Heavens' Yeoryeong had played a major role. They had quietly spread word far and wide.

If a group bearing the character for desolation on their shoulders passed through, people should watch for black-robed martial artists. Desolate Fortress had cast aside the people's livelihoods for selfish reasons.

Rumors meant to foster distrust were slowly filling the wide world.

It was a year of poor harvests.

People were in such misery that they even resented the heavens. There was no reason for them to look kindly upon those worth hating.

It was no surprise that they had been given an excuse. It was a backlash from the gathering of Squad Leaders.

"This is land barely enduring famine. Yet outsiders suddenly arrive, draw their swords, and perform bizarre arts? The Guizhou martial world, the common people, the authorities, and I, Clear Judge Sword, will watch you closely. Come over here and let us talk."

Clear Judge Sword spoke while shaking a pouch of salt brought back as proof of a trading journey.

It was broad daylight, and everyone was watching.

The attention of a crowd became power, especially for a local martial artist who had lived in Guizhou for many years.

The Black Uniforms did not spare Clear Judge Sword a glance. With their arms folded or their backs straight, they only watched Jeong Yeon-shin as he held his sword lowered.

"That wasn't trade. It was plunder. The scent of blood wafting from the sword hilt is far from ordinary..."

Yu Jeong-myeong, the Burning Abyss Squad Leader, muttered as he tapped the ground with his long legs. The Lord of Martial Extreme Hall beside him smiled faintly.

"He's one of Dark Night Hall's lackeys. Seeing how anxious he is, Lord Cheon's judgment was right on the mark. Let's watch Squad Leader Jeong demonstrate his form. I'm curious to see what comes of it."

Clear Judge Sword, who had meant to give the crowd reason to reject these outsiders with a few words, froze in place.

Despite possessing the hands of a swordsman refined through long years of training, Clear Judge Sword could not rashly draw a sword.

The moment Clear Judge Sword heard the gangly elf's remarks, there was no longer any doubt that this group was no ordinary band.

The reason no separate storehouse was maintained despite regularly going on “trading journeys” was because Clear Judge Sword served as Dark Night Hall's supply agent.

‘A Lord and Squad Leaders. Is it truly Desolate Fortress? Have squad leader-level supreme masters of the Divine Sword Corps really gathered here...?’

Resolve appeared on Clear Judge Sword's face. It was the resolve of a clansman.

It did not matter if death came here. The youngest youth among them had to be stopped from attempting whatever he was about to do.

For some unfathomable reason, they stood precisely before the life gate of the Nine Provinces Tablet Radiance Formation that concealed Dark Night Hall.

There were thirteen Black Uniforms.

What could they possibly fail to do?

Dark Night Hall's Nine Provinces Tablet Radiance Formation had once deflected even a heaven-and-earth-splitting kick from the Beggars’ Sect Leader, the Great Wilderness Divine Beggar. Yet with thirteen people, each at the level of a sect's founding master, there was no telling what bizarre method of breaking it they might devise.

‘That man is clearly circulating qi. If I can disrupt even a single hair's breadth of it...’

Clear Judge Sword's eyes studied the young man's profile in the distance. His looks brought to mind the old tale of Pan Yue, a famously handsome man. If the rumors were true, he was Seom-ye, the Leader of Demon Wings.

They said his aura sense was sharper than that of most elves. To interfere with his qi circulation even slightly, Clear Judge Sword would need to use an exceptionally secret technique.

Fortunately, a spiritual artifact rested within Clear Judge Sword's sleeve.

A feather from a Gwaehyung Bird, a strange ominous bird that could find the Dark Night Hall Master no matter where in this land the master might be. In the hands of forcibly captured dwarven artisans, it had been transformed into flying needles that rivaled Tang Sect concealed weapons.

‘Dark Night Scattering Needle Art.’

It was a throwing art that crossed a medium distance without the slightest sign of its use. It was why, despite never learning archery, Clear Judge Sword could pose within Dark Night Hall as a direct successor of the sect.

The problem was the aura sense of Desolate Fortress's Black Uniforms. Could a finger be moved while deceiving the senses of supreme masters whose presence reached across the world? That was something that could only be left to heaven's fortune.

The odds were not nonexistent.

Dark Night Hall's divine art, which had advanced with every step, boasted extreme concealment in its opening strike alone.

Even in this age, when martial artists had reached the height of power, the current Dark Night Hall Master was acknowledged by all as the greatest assassin under heaven.

Clear Judge Sword casually raised an arm.

"Will you not even answer? Are my words truly so insignificant?!"

An incredibly thin flying needle slipped naturally from the sleeve. It moved as though seeping into the finger pointed directly at Jeong Yeon-shin.

Pride entered Clear Judge Sword's eyes. There was even something faintly solemn in that gaze.

‘I may die here, but I will fulfill my heaven-ordained duty by sounding the alarm for the young Hall Master...!’

Crack!

The sound came from inside Clear Judge Sword's body.

A sensation as hot as karmic flames began at the Mingmen acupoint on the back and spread through the whole body. No, it was hot enough to burn the acupoints, yet cold beyond all extremes.

The only thing Clear Judge Sword properly understood was that the entire body had frozen in an instant.

‘Ice Arts!’

Clear Judge Sword barely shifted their eyes to the side. White breath scattered past the shoulder.

As the senses rapidly faded, the delicate presence of a woman could vaguely be felt.

The tremendous frost qi made it possible to guess her identity even without seeing her. It was Cheon So-so, the Lord of the Immortal Wood Spirit.

"You're an example."

Her crystal-clear voice continued in a low whisper.

"The Leader of Demon Wings is exalted. You fallen people must not touch him."

Her voice gradually grew quieter. Before long, Clear Judge Sword could hear nothing at all.

Vision blurred as though fog had filled it. The Leader of Demon Wings extended his sword toward the Nine Provinces Tablet Radiance Formation across the wasteland.

Sunlight flowed over the young man's black hair. The sight felt strangely detached from reality.

‘Not... so easily...’

Clear Judge Sword's field of vision suddenly widened above and below.

Colorless ripples spread from the Leader of Demon Wings' sword tip, as though it had touched the surface of a lake. The air shattered along the endlessly spreading concentric circles.

Transparent sunlight forced its way through the cracks, then suddenly illuminated a cluster of trees and pavilions that had appeared upon the plain.

"...!"

With a single sword strike, he had shattered an ancient formation.

Clear Judge Sword could not comprehend its principles.

A cry that should have burst from the throat echoed only within the heart. It was directed toward one person, words the young Hall Master, nobler than any elf in the world, would never hear.

Hide the Gwaehyung Bird bound for the Hall Master first.

Run.

‘Even if Ten Miles One Kill has been prepared in ten overlapping layers, you must never confront them...’

Eyes wide open, Clear Judge Sword froze to death.

Footnotes:

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