WeTried Translations
Translator/Editor: ZERO_SUGAR
Discord: https://dsc.gg/wetried
◈ Surviving as a Genius on Borrowed Time ◈
Episode 49: Dragon-Phoenix Gathering
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Jeong Yeon-shin watched the Huangbo Family Young Lord for a moment before turning away.
Huangbo Myeong-rin’s reaction was almost amusing as Jeong Yeon-shin gripped the back of her collar in his right hand.
At first, she merely looked bewildered, as though something impossible had happened to her.
Perhaps because he had lifted her without killing intent, it took her a while to realize what was happening.
“You... filthy wretch...!”
Aura spread from Huangbo Myeong-rin’s right hand. Though she was not as skilled as the one lying on the ground, she had clearly learned a renowned martial art.
She was a martial artist from a prestigious family. He could tell from her refined aura.
As qi from the Jeong Family Youth Technique coursed through his body, Jeong Yeon-shin struck at once.
Smack!
White powder clung to the hand that struck Huangbo Myeong-rin’s face. He did not care.
He struck her three more times, one, two, three. At that moment, he was properly playing the part of a martial artist from a faction between orthodox and unorthodox.
“Ghk!”
Jeong Yeon-shin’s hand, brushed by her startled gasp, carried an internal heavy-hand technique.
The small amount of qi he had put into it must have rattled her skull.
Huangbo Myeong-rin seemed unable to regain her senses. Her expression suggested she still could not believe what was happening.
The aura gathered in her hand vanished in an instant.
“Oh, dear.”
The Huangbo Family Young Lord stepped in. A drunken smile rested on his face.
“This is already becoming troublesome. I can just imagine what the elders at home will say.”
The hand he extended as he spoke moved strangely. It aimed for Jeong Yeon-shin’s arm, the one holding Huangbo Myeong-rin by the nape.
It was difficult to distinguish feints from true strikes, as though he had mastered Drunken Fist.
This was what Jeong Yeon-shin had been waiting for. He caused overlapping True Qi to rise through the minor meridians in his right arm.
With a slight flick of his hand, Huangbo Myeong-rin’s body flopped backward. Leaving her humiliated cry behind, he met the Young Family Head’s attack.
Pow! Pow!
Their hand shadows tangled together. The power contained in the Young Family Head’s arm was immensely heavy and hot.
It was enough to make him wonder how the man could remain fine while carrying such blazing yang inner energy in his blood vessels.
‘This is a supreme martial art.’
Jeong Yeon-shin raised another stream of qi and immediately wrapped his arm in a formless veil.
It was an inner-energy barrier called protective qi. With further attainment, it would become the famed Protective Qi Technique.
The heat against his skin weakened, if only slightly.
Crack!
The exchange changed. Both tried to seize the other’s wrist, but the joint lock techniques were incredibly intricate.
Jeong Yeon-shin had once absorbed and developed Fighting Ghost’s techniques during the Mount Hua Sect’s Purple Cloud Pellet mission.
Even that was not enough. His opponent’s techniques were exceptional, full of ingenuity.
It felt as though he were crossing hands with himself, only with a little more experience.
“Well, I’ll be.”
The Young Family Head spoke with a faint smile. Interest filled his eyes, and a touch of life seemed to return to the shadows beneath them.
“So there’s another one like me?”
He even had room to speak. Their power and experience differed, and Jeong Yeon-shin was gradually being pushed back.
The inner energy gathered in the Young Family Head’s striking hand grew stronger without end.
Boom!
A powerful spinning force wave erupted. Jeong Yeon-shin’s shoulder-length hair scattered behind him.
He could not allow himself to be drawn in blindly, so he detonated the Helix form of the Sihwa Boundless Fist through his palm.
The recoil was immense. Jeong Yeon-shin naturally took a step back.
“You’re attending the Dragon-Phoenix Gathering? Gu Gwa of the Chusil Sect. I’ll remember you. Given enough time, you might become quite a sight. If you keep refining yourself, that is.”
The Young Family Head stood with his weight on one leg and smiled. He had not been pushed back even a single step. He was incredibly strong.
“I won’t get to see it, though. A grave that will cool my body is waiting for me. I’ve already made it large enough, so all I have to do is lie down in it.”
His words and conduct were remarkably uninhibited. He hardly seemed like the Young Family Head of a martial aristocratic family that carried itself like royalty.
His tone differed from Huangbo Myeong-rin’s when she said she would remember Jeong Yeon-shin’s name. He sounded as though he had simply found an entertaining diversion.
“Go easy on my younger brother and sister. In about ten years, they won’t even be able to look you in the face. They’ll have to crane their necks to look up at you. They bring their beatings on themselves... See you later.”
Chewing on opium poppy, he turned and ambled away.
Though his siblings had been beaten badly, he no longer seemed to care.
He acted like someone with no attachment to anything in the world. He did not look like an heir at all.
‘He seems like he belongs in Desolate Fortress. If this was how he intended to live, why didn’t he seek the World Tree fruit?’
Jeong Yeon-shin remained still, feeling Hyeon Won-chang’s hand settle on his shoulder. He was reviewing the Young Family Head’s techniques.
The spectators who had gathered began to disperse, each sharing their impressions.
No one seemed bold enough to speak to Jeong Yeon-shin after he had made an enemy of the Huangbo Family.
It was because of Huangbo Myeong-rin’s expression as she glared at him while leaving. Her eyes held a grudge as cold as frost.
She was Jeong Yeon-shin’s second contingency. If the Young Family Head did not act rashly, Huangbo Myeong-rin would complete the mission.
Jeong Yeon-shin’s attention returned to martial arts.
‘So that is how I can use my senses. I need to recognize when I do not have to remain trapped within the paths of a form.’
Even then, he made another advance. He had grown stronger than he was moments ago.
“Young Hero Gu.”
Hyeon Won-chang leaned closer from beside him. Since they were in a crowded place, the form of address had changed.
“Are you all right? I was thinking of stepping in, but you seemed to be enjoying yourself in a strange way. And when it comes to provoking people, young hero, you’re the most skilled.”
“You saw that correctly. I have no idea what you meant after that.”
“In any case, the Huangbo Family Young Lord seems far from ordinary. There are many rumors that he is a wastrel who roams above the clouds, but his martial ability and temperament seem to match those rumors exactly.”
“I think Senior Brother Gu Gwa is more amazing for being pushed back only one step.”
Shin So-bin cut in. She flicked back her tied hair, exposing the nape of her neck, damp with cold sweat.
“The Huangbo Family Young Lord is called the Languid Flame Dragon. He is considered to have the greatest talent north of the Yangtze River. He conquered the Dragon-Phoenix Gathering at twenty, and another five years have passed since then. He even looks down on the White Qilin, Namgung Hwa-shin, who conquered the previous Gathering. He’s arrogant enough to say he enjoyed watching someone’s little performance.”
“He’s five years past twenty?”
“I thought you were the same age as me, Senior Brother. You still have four years until you reach twenty, right? There’s a nine-year difference between you and the Languid Flame Dragon.”
“Yes. Four years remain.”
Jeong Yeon-shin answered calmly. He had been pleased by his martial attainment, but now his stomach felt uncomfortable.
“You said you received martial arts from the sect leader, Senior Brother Gu Gwa?”
Unaware of his inner thoughts, Shin So-bin chattered on.
“Your greatest shortcoming right now is your inner energy. With the sect leader’s cultivation method, you’ll be able to accumulate qi quickly. It’s one of the world’s peerless divine arts. They say even the imperial clan, who devour every spiritual medicine under heaven, cultivate only that art. In five years, wouldn’t your power rival the Languid Flame Dragon’s?”
“Five years.”
Jeong Yeon-shin shook his head and muttered. The creation of a cultivation method that could drastically accelerate qi storage was urgent after all.
Still, there was a flaw in Shin So-bin’s reasoning.
“He isn’t so far beyond reach that I can’t even approach him. As long as I’m not swept away by a small gesture, I can use superior forms to contend against great power. They say the Taiji Sword of the Wudang Sect, south of Desolate Fortress, is that sort of martial art.”
“That won’t be easy. Your forms would have to be extraordinarily good. I’m not saying yours are lacking, Senior Brother.”
Shin So-bin, though a junior who had entered later, had a bold side to her.
She acknowledged Jeong Yeon-shin, yet still maintained the pride of a cherished child from a prestigious family.
Jeong Yeon-shin did not pay much attention to it. When he gave an order, she obeyed well enough.
That was sufficient. After several bloody battles, such pointless pride would change on its own.
“Let’s go.”
Jeong Yeon-shin collected the travel pack he had left beneath the tree and mounted his horse.
Huizhou, where the Namgung Family would host this Dragon-Phoenix Gathering, lay ahead, directly south of the Huangbo Family’s Shandong Province.
* * *
“The liveliness here feels strange.”
Hyeon Won-chang spoke.
Huizhou was a very wealthy city. They said it had many merchant companies because enormous quantities of goods passed through it.
The roads within the city had indeed been paved remarkably smoothly. People traded and bargained noisily everywhere.
Yet the faces of those passing by were not entirely cheerful. Hyeon Won-chang dismounted and shook his head.
“Has there been a poor harvest here as well? Huizhou tea leaves are famous, yet it may not be easy to taste them.”
“They say many more lands have suffered poor harvests recently. It’s supposedly like that throughout the Central Plains. I wonder what will become of the world.”
Jeong Yeon-shin only half listened to Hyeon Won-chang and Shin So-bin. Even as they headed toward the Namgung Family, he was immersed in martial arts.
The process of studying the paths of forms in one’s mind and gaining martial insight from them was called visualization training.
Jeong Yeon-shin’s training efficiency did not suffer even when he meditated while walking.
From the moment he entered Desolate Fortress, his entire life had consisted of martial arts.
“We’ve arrived. It is certainly large.”
Hyeon Won-chang stood before the Namgung Family’s main gate and sighed in admiration. A trace of bitterness could be heard in Hyeon Won-chang’s voice as well.
The Namgung Family’s complex of halls was as immaculate and massive as its reputation suggested.
It could not compare to Desolate Fortress, but for a family, it was likely a presence rarely seen anywhere under heaven.
“Welcome. Have you come for the Dragon-Phoenix Gathering?”
Even the guards at the gate were restrained in bearing and speech. Jeong Yeon-shin nodded and clasped his fists.
“I am Gu Gwa of the Chusil Sect.”
“...Confirmed.”
The martial artist who took the paper Jeong Yeon-shin offered nodded. It seemed the guest list had been memorized. The guard in blue martial attire spoke.
“My apologies, but this Dragon-Phoenix Gathering will not be held within the family estate. An important matter has arisen in the main house, so the venue has been moved. We ask for your understanding.”
“Then where...?”
“There is a pavilion called Lotus Pavilion north of Huizhou. I will summon someone to guide you.”
Something felt off. They did not seem to regard the Dragon-Phoenix Gathering as important. What had happened within the Namgung Family?
‘Hm.’
At that moment, Jeong Yeon-shin felt something strange. The sensation spread from his head.
The distinctive aura of the Thirteen Heavens, which he had sensed when facing the Tyrant Sword Sect and the Blood Flame Sect, was approaching. It was rough and sinister.
It was within the realm of upper dantian precognition and intuition, something that had begun to come upon him suddenly with increasing frequency.
‘Did the Thirteen Heavens attack them?’
His sharpened senses produced that deduction. Without showing it, Jeong Yeon-shin followed the guide.
He also barely listened to Shin So-bin as she whispered at his side.
They had to walk for quite a long time. It felt far enough that even traveling on horseback would have taken a while.
The mishaps for which the sect hosting the Dragon-Phoenix Gathering should have been responsible seemed to be a secondary concern.
Rather, they seemed more reluctant to expose the family’s interior.
“You may stay at any nearby inn under the Namgung Family’s name. I hope you forge good connections.”
The guide, whose words and conduct showed the refinement typical of a prestigious family, walked away. None of the group saw the departing guide off.
The group had no choice but to turn their heads at once. Powerful energies were surging wildly nearby.
Boom!
Water surged up from the lakeshore. White foam caught the sunlight before falling again.
Beneath a vast, luxurious pavilion built over the water, a handsome young Daoist and the Huangbo Family’s Languid Flame Dragon were clashing swords.
The young Daoist looked familiar. The plum blossom pattern alone made it clear that the young Daoist was from the Mount Hua Sect.
Many men and women watched the spar from the pavilion and its surroundings.
Some sat with their feet on the railings, while others stood tall atop the pavilion roof.
There seemed to be more than thirty of them already. They were all young, yet carried the air of masters.
The rising generation.
It was an unfamiliar sight to Jeong Yeon-shin.
He had fought repeated bloody battles on missions. This was the first time he had taken in young disciples from so many different sects.
Seeing several people his own age felt strange.
“Did they say he was the Mount Hua Sect leader’s disciple? That Daoist named Yu Hyeon has truly deep power.”
“They say he consumed a Purple Cloud Pellet. Even so, doesn’t that seem dangerous?”
“The Languid Flame Dragon’s eyes have gone wild. He drew his sword for the first time in a while.”
“He’s older than the other. Does he have no shame?”
The expressions of those who seemed relatively older, including children of great families, Daoists, and monks, were grave.
Jeong Yeon-shin understood at once.
Perhaps because of the blazing power he emitted, the Languid Flame Dragon’s eyes were bloodshot as he chewed on opium poppy.
He was completely different from when he had faced Jeong Yeon-shin. Madness lurked in his smile.
He looked as though he had discarded his family and reputation alike.
“A man with such miserable talent dares lecture me? If you were me, what could you leave behind? It’s pointless!”
It seemed there had been an argument. His arrogant shout rang with a tremendous wave of qi pounding against everyone’s ears.
Yu Hyeon, who had received the Purple Cloud Pellet’s energy from Jeong Yeon-shin, grimaced. Fear had even appeared on Yu Hyeon’s face.
Yu Hyeon kept retreating, blood flowing through the slashed Mount Hua Sect robe.
No one seemed to dare stop them. Huangbo Myeong-rin and her older brother were no exception.
Whenever sword strikes erupted, those whose inner energy seemed shallow flinched.
The Languid Flame Dragon’s martial ability was on another level. The paths of his forms were exceptionally instinctive as well.
“What do we do?!”
“Young Hero Baek went to call someone!”
Great families were rooted in the secular world. It was a gathering filled with successors from many sects and families.
They had enough influence to send the elders away and enjoy the company of their peers. With the Namgung Family in poor condition, the young people who had been restrained by their families had broken loose.
Jeong Yeon-shin stepped into the midst of that premature collapse. He had not even introduced himself or exchanged greetings yet.
Just as the rising generation belatedly noticed him and widened their eyes, he was already standing beside the Languid Flame Dragon.
“Why are you here again? You’re still a worthless wretch!”
Madness danced in the Languid Flame Dragon’s eyes.
Killing intent overflowed from the eyes that snapped toward Jeong Yeon-shin. They blazed fiercely enough to seem lit with mad light.
Boom!
It sounded like military artillery fire. Yu Hyeon, who had barely blocked the man’s sword strike, was flung away.
At the same time, there was not the slightest mercy in the hand the Languid Flame Dragon sent toward Jeong Yeon-shin. Accompanied by a tremendous wave of qi, it came crashing down toward his head.
Crash!
It was not the sound of force waves colliding. Jeong Yeon-shin’s hand drew a strange trajectory.
He knocked the arm aside with his forearm, then pulled the wrist downward.
In an instant, he caught the inner joint of the man’s arm in the space between his spread thumb and four fingers.
‘So this works.’
He clenched down at the same time. True Qi, layered through the Ultimate Realm, filled Jeong Yeon-shin’s grip.
He pressed the Neiguan acupoint at the bend of the arm and wrapped it in inner energy. It was a point strike. The strength drained from the arm completely.
The difference in their power remained unchanged. Jeong Yeon-shin had surpassed him in the paths of their forms. The Languid Flame Dragon’s expression went blank.
“What...”
Their movements stopped. Jeong Yeon-shin silently looked at him before speaking.
“You called it talent. You are not like me.”
“What?”
Jeong Yeon-shin had stepped close to the man’s chest. It was a distance where even close combat would be difficult.
He could feel the heat radiating from the Languid Flame Dragon’s entire body. It did not feel difficult to bear.
“You are a little slower.”
Jeong Yeon-shin whispered, his tone holding no particular emotion.
Footnotes:
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