WeTried Translations
Translator/Editor: ZERO_SUGAR
Discord: https://dsc.gg/wetried
◈ Surviving as a Genius on Borrowed Time ◈
Episode 399: Carpet (8)
──────
The mountain road was quiet.
Dry fallen leaves merely rustled as they rolled over soil even drier than themselves.
A breeze brushed Jeong Yeon-shin's skin, carrying the heat and aridity of a famine-stricken summer. Only the brilliant sunlight was clamorous.
“……”
Jeong Yeon-shin looked past the shoulder of the young man who had come to greet him.
The longer he looked in one direction, the hazier his vision became. At its center stood an ancient tree, feebly shaking its bare branches beneath the painfully bright sun in a cloudless sky.
The tangled thoughts in his mind suddenly faded. Was the Squad Leader safe? If the Pact of Mount Hua was fulfilled, whom should the Blue Uniform and White Uniform send...?
An unnatural stillness hung in the air.
A formation so vast that its size could not be estimated concealed all presence beyond it.
It was not as intricate as the arts of the Dark Night Hall or Blood Flame Sect. It was only elaborate enough to deceive the aura sense of lost travelers or wandering martial artists searching for he shou wu.
Still, that would be enough to evade the eyes of the world.
This was an isolated place, nearly as remote as a mountain ravine.
With a sorcery formation vast enough to be called exceptional and land where few people would ever set foot, even a sect's secret intelligence network would struggle to find it.
“...Taemo Mountain Fortress.”
The young man immediately reacted to Jeong Yeon-shin's murmur.
“So you're from that side? I thought you didn't look ordinary... Ah, I mean that in a good way. I make my living under Yeoryeong. I'm not a direct disciple, but...”
Despite his seemingly friendly manner, his expression remained uneasy. Taemo Mountain Fortress differed from the other Thirteen Heavens.
Even among the unorthodox and demonic factions, it was a sect that inspired sharply divided opinions.
The major sect of sorcerous martial arts that had split from Mount Mao Sect was always trailed by strange rumors.
That they offered the blood of commoners at the Guandi shrine to make flesh, or used wicked arts to steal all the mountain qi from famous peaks for bizarre chores.
Step.
The shaggy-haired young man retreated half a step.
“Anyway, you didn't need to come out yourself. As you know, this is Eighth Village. It's quite far from Seventeenth Village, where the trouble broke out, but strange rumors are going around that Daoists from the Nine Sects have appeared in nearby villages... You should be careful too, sir. Whether it's Plum Blossom Sword or Taiji Sword, they never discuss the Dao in front of us, do they?”
He certainly had a long tongue. He was a martial artist from a major faction.
Jeong Yeon-shin silently studied the young man's face. If they had truly arrived at the right place, this was one of the culprits who had to die. He was helping hunt down the Divine Sword Squad Leader.
Jeong Yeon-shin slowly opened his mouth.
“How large is it inside?”
“Hmm? This is a formation made by sorcerers from your side...? Judging by your appearance, you don't seem to be a mere practicing sorcerer.”
The young man voiced his doubts.
Silence followed. His dark, gleaming eyes moved between the Young Hall Master and Jeong Yeon-shin.
Then he looked at the faded member of the elven race and seemed to understand.
He apparently failed to notice the sword hilt at Jeong Yeon-shin's waist twitch faintly on its own.
“Looking at your clothes, it seems this is the distinguished one. That bow, your skin, those ominous calluses... You've come from the Dark Night Hall. Is Taemo Mountain Fortress serving as your guide?”
“...A useless question. How long do you intend to keep us standing here?”
The Young Hall Master urged him in an old-fashioned tone.
He treasured the commoners of his clan deeply.
That was clear from how he had cooperated with Jeong Yeon-shin ever since the Nethercurrent Squad Leader who remained in Guizhou secured the Dark Night Hall disciples.
“Well, pardon me. This way.”
The shaggy-haired young man turned with a grumble. To begin with, no faded elven expert was friendly toward Desolate Fortress.
His very skin symbolized the bloodline of rebels who had hindered the founding of the state, so he should have been trusted more than the wandering martial artists inside the formation.
“Keep up. Watch my footwork carefully.”
Scuff.
The young man's footsteps swiftly grew faint. He had activated a lightness skill toward the formation's life gate.
He advanced while releasing faint inner-power ripples through the Yongquan acupoints in his soles, yet no footprints remained on the dirt.
This was unfamiliar ground. Understanding the terrain and situation came first.
Jeong Yeon-shin followed him and spoke.
“I asked how large it was inside.”
“Why ask? If you can, I recommend staying here in Eighth Village. If you go stirring up the other villages, you won't like what happens.”
“……”
“All the wandering martial artists here were invited by Yeoryeong. They were carefully selected and hired, so every one of them knows their way around a blade. They're also red-eyed over salt and meat, things they can gorge themselves on and still never get enough of. Unless you're from your master's generation, they won't even be afraid...”
“I won't say it three times.”
“...It's absurdly vast. This Heavenly Net was made by following that one's route, or predicting it. It's no ordinary size. I think it'll be used as a settlement even after this is over. It's richer than most cities.”
“That one?”
“The bearer of the Divine Sword. The monster with the surname Yong.”
The young man answered casually, then added as if to ensure Jeong Yeon-shin heard, “You'd be in for it if you acted this rudely in the village.”
“……”
Jeong Yeon-shin remained silent.
This, too, was the martial world of the Purple Uniform. They had built more than a dozen outposts to kill a single Divine Sword Squad Leader. It could be called a massive rotating formation.
The Young Hall Master, following behind Jeong Yeon-shin, glanced at him.
They had reached the exact destination. It proved he had not played any tricks with the Gwaehyung Bird.
―Could you relay a message to your Nethercurrent Squad Leader? I sold out the Hall Master to protect the commoners. I deserve to be treated with respect by you...
Jeong Yeon-shin did not answer. Ak Su-rim's voice entered his ear alongside the Young Hall Master's sound transmission.
―You heard all that talk about Eighth Village and Seventeenth Village, right? It looks like they set traps in advance everywhere the Dragon family might pass. They'll force the Squad Leader into them with formations, numbers, poison, peerless masters, every method they have. I think it'd be easier if we split up.
―Do you mean we should form groups?
Jeong Yeon-shin replied by sound transmission.
―Yes! There are twelve of us, so how about four, four, three, and one? Cheonryong, So-so, and I will take the village to your left. I'll tell the rest to handle themselves.
―And the one...?
―You, obviously. The Dragon family did the same when leading the Divine Sword Squad. The Dragon family formed the Divine Sword Squad's First Unit alone.
―...If we scatter, how do you intend to enter the formation? My help...
―What?
The young woman's laugh suddenly tickled his ear. Her voice sounded as though she found him commendable.
―Well, even if it weren't you, Divine Sword Squad Leader Yong would find this unfamiliar. The Dragon family has never led more than ten Black Uniforms either.
―Pardon?
―Bohyeol could break through that just by setting foot on it. So-so or Cheonryong could do it with a single punch too. And So-so even has a World Tree sapling. Among the dharma treasures used in formations, that's the finest under heaven. It can serve as either a wall or a gate.
Ak Su-rim spoke with laughter in her voice.
Jeong Yeon-shin did not listen to the rest of what she said.
He recalled the elegant Leg Arts of Jin Myeong-jo, the Divine Blood Extreme Demon, and accepted it. Anything was possible.
―You've worked hard all this time. This is your final mission before we head to Beijing.
Her whisper scattered on the fresh early-summer breeze. At last, they entered the city of the Heavenly Net that the Lord of Yeoryeong had designed to deceive the world.
Leaving the Divine Sword Squad Deputy Leader's praise behind, Jeong Yeon-shin pressed his footprint into the dirt. After his heavy footfall, the empty mountain path receded into the distance.
* * *
The moment he stepped into the formation spread across the remote mountain valley, a raucous uproar struck his ears.
Drunken shouts, metal scraping against whetstones, thunderous snores, and the calls of inn servants soliciting customers.
A proper village lay before them.
Roughly built log inns, taverns sending smoke into the air despite no scent of cooking, martial artists sprawled carelessly across the ground, rooftops, and every other available surface.
Most carried weapons such as sabers, swords, and sickles.
“……”
There had to be money to be made. Food was being produced here as well. Such was the way of the martial world: wagons laden with grain followed great power.
If someone offered mountains of delicacies, contracts and master-servant ties could easily be formed on the spot.
To one side, wandering martial artists sat loosely around a bonfire and discussed the state of the martial world. They paid no attention to Jeong Yeon-shin's group.
“Are you certain Desolate Fortress isn't sending reinforcements?”
“I heard Sichuan is in chaos. It'd take them a while to get here. They'd have to change fast horses several times.”
“What do you know about top masters?”
“Aren't they people too?”
That was when it happened.
Crash!
A man landed before them, flaunting a rough Body Movement Scripture.
He wore deep-blue silk and carried a treasured sword adorned with elaborate tassels. Despite his attire, his savage bearing made him seem no different from a wandering martial artist.
“Why are you only getting back now? I thought something happened!”
“Don't make a fuss over nothing. As you can see, we had guests.”
The shaggy-haired young man turned aside and revealed Jeong Yeon-shin and the Young Hall Master.
The wandering martial artist flinched upon seeing Jeong Yeon-shin, then nodded when he saw the Young Hall Master. He muttered quietly, “Dark Night Hall.”
“Good thing you didn't bring back just any riffraff. There's trouble near Sixth Village.”
“What? Sixth Village? But that one was clearly...!”
“It's not Desolate Fortress's Human Dragon. It's the Nine Sects. Mount Hua and Wudang. They finally caught wind of this and crawled in.”
The wandering martial artist spoke as if chewing his words. The shaggy-haired young man shoved a hand into his hair and scratched the back of his head.
“Damn it... It'll only be a matter of time before the martial world finds out. The sect leaders didn't come, did they?”
“The Starflower Sword God and Wudang's acting sect leader wouldn't be playing at secret intelligence work. The ones causing trouble in Sixth Village before coming here are Plum Blossom Swordsmen. Just as the rumors said, they looked down on us with arrogance.”
“That's hardly good news... Did you clash?”
“We're at a standoff. It's nerve-racking.”
“How many?”
“Five. One is very young.”
“The Lord of Yeoryeong will handle it somehow. Mayflies like us only need to do our jobs. Let's stall for time.”
Jeong Yeon-shin's eyebrow twitched at the young man's words.
Step.
He slowly began walking, silently passing between the wandering martial artist and the young man. The shaggy-haired young man immediately reacted.
“Huh? Don't approach them recklessly. I have a way. If luck is on our side, we can somehow handle five Plum Blossom Swordsmen...”
“How many villages like this are there?”
“I don't know. As you can see, they're all hidden this way. I only know as far as Seventeenth Village.”
Then the wandering martial artist, who had been watching Jeong Yeon-shin with displeasure, abruptly cut in.
“Someone important said it was a trap to catch that one, but it's good for us. In times like these, places deep in the mountains have more to eat than middling cities.”
“A trap?”
“My lips are so dry they won't part properly. You look well supplied. If you have any liquor...”
The sound of smacking lips filled the air. A powerful presence, the fierce inner-power ripples peculiar to a predator, brushed against Jeong Yeon-shin's clothes. Since he was disguised, he wore hemp garments instead of a black robe.
They spoke of the threat from the Nine Sects, then looked for alcohol. Most wandering martial artists were like this. They prowled famine-stricken lands, plundering one day to buy that day's pleasure.
To Jeong Yeon-shin, they were not worth comparing to Demon Wings' opium addict. Unlike Languid Flame Dragon, they were unorthodox martial artists who had willingly taken on the fate of mayflies.
“I wonder what the Lord of Yeoryeong intends.”
Jeong Yeon-shin spoke to himself. The Lord of Yeoryeong could not intend to deal with the Divine Sword Squad Leader using such rabble. It seemed the real force was gathered in other villages.
The surrounding reaction was swift nonetheless.
“What?”
The wandering martial artist's eyes widened. The gazes of those who had paid no heed to the newcomers converged like blades.
Silence fell like an unseen meteor. Only the chilling scrape of whetstones sharpening blades echoed from every corner.
“Hey.”
The wandering martial artist stepped forward.
“What sect are you from? Someone who agreed to join this Heavenly Net can't casually mention the Lords of the Thirteen Heavens...”
Dozens of people slowly rose from all around them.
Dense auras began to rise and mingle with the wind.
Unlike the young man serving as guide, they had been remarkably perceptive from the outset. That was only natural for wandering martial artists who had survived in the martial world without the protection of a major faction.
Jeong Yeon-shin only stood there.
His eyelids were lowered slightly. A faint smile had formed at the corner of his lips.
“His identity is suspicious. Even his bearing is unfamiliar. He can't be a peerless master...!”
A wandering martial artist in blue martial garb suddenly drew a sword.
The draw cracked through the air.
The sword strike changed direction repeatedly as it shot forward. It was an extremely practical variation, immeasurably close to the realm of supreme mastery.
Then.
The trajectory aimed at Jeong Yeon-shin's neck suddenly shook violently. A third party had intervened. A fist drove into the wandering martial artist's side.
Thud!
Purple force waves flickered like scattering snowflakes. The punch drove the flesh at his side into his abdominal cavity. With a crunch, the side of the fist crushed his ribs as well.
Beside the wandering martial artist, who collapsed limply, stood a young Daoist boy.
“You knew our sect had arrived, didn't you? You shouldn't waste your strength here.”
The young Daoist boy grumbled as he shook out his hand once. His white Daoist robe, embroidered with plum blossoms, fluttered.
He had appeared out of nowhere and thrown a punch. It looked as though he had sent it out casually, without much care, yet the fist technique itself was dazzlingly splendid and beautiful.
“What is this all of a sudden...!”
“Hidden Fragrance Drift and Plum Blossom Fist!”
“Mount Hua! It's Mount Hua Sect!”
The sound of weapons being drawn instantly filled the area.
As the young man who had been serving as Jeong Yeon-shin's guide furrowed his brow and hurriedly retreated, an inn servant from a roughly built inn to one side approached with two cleavers in hand.
The young Daoist opened his mouth wide.
What came out was a breath closer to a yawn. It was inner-energy breathing suited to his languid temperament, the ease of a peerless prodigy.
“Mount Hua Hidden Dragon... the youngest Plum Blossom Swordsman.”
“It looks like the front was completely wrecked. I told you not to let your guard down...!”
“This is where that one already passed through. We were only told to watch those passing by, and to poison the water if a scholarly-looking man asked for any. There was no reason to risk our lives over such trifling work.”
“I warn you, Daoist Yu Hyeon! You have thrown yourself into a vast conspiracy! The Dark Night Hall, Martial Dragon Society, and Yeoryeong stand at its center, and this scheme was formed with the support of their subordinate sects and Taemo Mountain Fortress! If you wish to preserve your life, you would do well to heed me!”
As the wandering martial artists whispered and the shaggy-haired young man shouted, Yu Hyeon, the Mount Hua Hidden Dragon, leisurely looked around before turning forward.
The motionless Jeong Yeon-shin met his eyes.
“Yes, I'm the Mount Hua Hidden Dragon. What were you all doing here? Not one of you would answer...”
Yu Hyeon's words stopped.
Purple light scattered from the young Daoist's eyes. It was an eye technique of the Purple Haze Divine Technique. Mount Hua Sect's martial arts were the arts of immortals, standing shoulder to shoulder with Wudang's.
He recognized the features of the friend he had repeatedly recalled as his sole rival, along with the serene, contained air of the Record of the Dharma Light Wheel.
Yu Hyeon stared blankly.
“Who are you...?”
Footnotes:
Join our discord at https://dsc.gg/wetried
