WeTried Translations
Translator/Editor: ZERO_SUGAR
Discord: https://dsc.gg/wetried
◈ Surviving as a Genius on Borrowed Time ◈
Episode 50: Dragon-Phoenix Gathering (2)
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A Blue Uniform martial artist of Desolate Fortress had subdued a martial family’s Young Family Head.
The warrior had caught the opponent off guard and even used a method that countered the joint lock. It was an entirely plausible outcome.
Jeong Yeon-shin was also superior in the ability to read and apply combat paths.
“Huh. What just happened?”
“It seems Languid Flame Dragon had an acupoint sealed.”
The others saw it differently. The Dragon-Phoenix Gathering was a martial arts gathering held at regular intervals.
Jeong Yeon-shin was a newly risen expert no one had seen before. The quiet murmurs gradually spread.
“I have never seen techniques like that. His movement art, joint lock, and acupoint sealing. Everything about them is unfamiliar.”
“That Body Movement Scripture was truly mysterious. It was like watching an elder of our sect from the elven race.”
“What sect is he from? How did he do that to Languid Flame Dragon? Even if they only exchanged a single move by surprise...”
The atmosphere, which had seemed ready to explode with Languid Flame Dragon’s madness, eased as though a spring breeze had scattered the killing intent.
Jeong Yeon-shin remained silent.
Jeong Yeon-shin had rendered one of Languid Flame Dragon’s arms useless. They were at extremely close range.
In an ordinary spar, it would have ended there, but Jeong Yeon-shin had no idea what Languid Flame Dragon, who seemed half-mad, might do.
The Sihwa Boundless Fist did not yet include an inch-range strike capable of unleashing power at such close quarters. Jeong Yeon-shin prepared by sharply raising qi.
Then Languid Flame Dragon muttered.
“...I am duller...? Dull?”
“If you cannot even sense that, then so be it.”
Jeong Yeon-shin replied calmly and let go of Languid Flame Dragon’s arm. Jeong Yeon-shin did not release the sealed acupoint. It was left sealed so that Languid Flame Dragon could be subdued if he immediately went on a rampage.
‘If he circulates his qi and regulates his breathing, the acupoint will eventually be released.’
Jeong Yeon-shin had often heard stories about masters who handled yin and yang energy.
Their strengths were clear. Blazing yang energy could easily disperse another person’s inner energy once it entered the body.
Seeing it firsthand was intriguing. It was worth thinking about. Creating flame-like properties through qi? How did one do that?
As Jeong Yeon-shin sank into thought, Languid Flame Dragon spoke again.
“You are not even interested. Who do you think you are?”
Languid Flame Dragon’s reaction was unusual. His anger was remarkably calm. After chewing and swallowing an entire opium poppy, he spoke.
“Gu Gwa of the Chusil Sect. I learned of your talent from that single move. Someone like you will make a name for yourself for a long time. People will speak of you for decades after your death.”
“And?”
They said the finest provocation was to mock an opponent’s most private matters.
Cheong Myeong had taught Jeong Yeon-shin that before the mission. Yeon-shin had quietly waited to see what Languid Flame Dragon would say.
“Do you know what it feels like when your feet move toward the abyss on their own? You are someone who has everything. Your complexion is excellent. What does it feel like to have talent that exacts no price?”
“What?”
Those words extinguished even Yeon-shin’s interest in flame-like qi. They struck Yeon-shin as pathetic.
It might have been better to engage the acupoint-sealed man in close combat instead.
Languid Flame Dragon continued, his fingertips trembling.
“I was born with extreme yang energy. I grew stronger even when I did not train an inner-energy method. My sharply honed senses came with the pain of my acupoints burning. That is the nature of my attainment. I built my martial arts through profound inner-energy cultivation, hoping to change my constitution. You have no right to dismiss me as dull!”
Perhaps because he had acknowledged Yeon-shin’s talent, Languid Flame Dragon rambled as though he were drinking with someone close. It was enough to make Yeon-shin feel embarrassed.
Such behavior was welcome for the mission, yet the strange person before Yeon-shin felt unfamiliar.
The shadow beneath Languid Flame Dragon’s eyes weighed on Yeon-shin. Jeong Yeon-shin slowly opened his mouth.
“What am I supposed to do about the truth? It is not as if you possess martial arts that can overwhelm talent.”
“You truly...!”
“I said you were dull because you are dull. There is nothing wrong with that. Only you know your pain. No one understands it.”
By the end, Yeon-shin was speaking about personal experience.
After carrying out many missions, Jeong Yeon-shin had come to realize that people of the martial world, unlike practitioners such as disciples of the Nine Sects, were quick to anger. They did so even when Yeon-shin merely spoke the truth. It was incomprehensible, but Yeon-shin expected the same would happen now. Yeon-shin had tried to provoke a strong reaction.
It was the first deliberate provocation. There was no way it would fail.
“Only I know...? I have never heard that. Everyone said they understood. That Mount Hua Sect bastard just said so.”
The reaction was strange.
Languid Flame Dragon’s lips trembled like a mute speaking for the first time.
He was a genius afflicted with the strange illness called the Sun God Meridian. Anyone would find it difficult to understand his state of mind.
“Someone who understands the trajectories of my combat paths claims not to know me? Are you saying talent destined to die young for nothing is worthless? My family’s elders kept me confined because of their sickening expectations.”
The tension around his eyes eased.
The clear gaze unique to a master trained in orthodox martial arts returned, and the madness visibly faded from his eyes.
His bearing was clear and upright, to the point that he no longer looked intoxicated by liquor and opium.
At last, Languid Flame Dragon’s expression seemed to hold an unprecedented fondness.
Yeon-shin felt a sense of crisis. Mission failure came to mind.
“If I were you, I would sever ties with my family and devote myself to Desolate Fortress. They say the fruit of the World Tree cures all diseases. The Sun God Meridian should be no exception. Talking about life without making that much effort? That is laughable. Even if you live a few more years, you are already too late.”
“Haha! You are worried about me! Are you so sorry to lose someone talented enough to discuss martial arts with you?”
“I said you were duller.”
It was a way of thinking Yeon-shin could not understand. It seemed prolonged pain had driven Languid Flame Dragon mad. The problem was that Yeon-shin had approached him with a provocation that would work on an ordinary person.
‘I will have to try again after some time.’
It was an unexpected obstacle. Yeon-shin immediately turned away.
No provocation appeared useful right now, so Yeon-shin needed the help of Hyeon Won-chang and Shin So-bin, who were watching from afar with peculiar expressions.
‘I cannot sever Languid Flame Dragon’s limbs in the middle of the Dragon-Phoenix Gathering.’
Yeon-shin would easily become a public enemy of the orthodox martial world. That was why provocation had been the goal.
Even the pursuit by the Huangbo Family’s martial force, envisioned as the final mission, would become difficult.
“Where are you going? Have a drink with me. You will do. I will specially treat you to aged Shaoxing yellow wine.”
“Your worthless talent would ruin the taste of the wine. I do not share a table with insignificant people.”
Even after Yeon-shin spat such harsh words, Languid Flame Dragon laughed heartily. He was completely insane. Yeon-shin shook their head inwardly.
Yeon-shin turned and found Yu Hyeon, who had been sprawled in the distance. Yu Hyeon was getting up alone.
It seemed the disciples who had accompanied Yu Hyeon from Mount Hua Sect were nowhere to be seen, and Yu Hyeon looked terrible.
Yeon-shin hurried over and asked, “Where are the elders from your sect who came with you?”
“Ah, it has been a while. As you can see, they decided to send all of us out of the Dragon-Phoenix Gathering. They said we could not comfortably form friendships while the elders were watching. Anyway, thank you. As expected... Um, Gu Gwa.”
Yu Hyeon changed the wording as though having heard Languid Flame Dragon. Yeon-shin saw Yu Hyeon’s eyes shift.
Yu Hyeon was as perceptive as expected. Yu Hyeon had glanced at the Desolate Fortress insignia, covered by another piece of cloth.
Yeon-shin spoke.
“You are not angry, despite my interrupting your spar.”
“It should have ended long ago. We were not on the same level. Compared to that, you...”
“Hm?”
Yu Hyeon was famed as an unrivaled talent of Shaanxi Province. Uncharacteristically, Yu Hyeon’s words trailed off.
“You have become unbelievably strong. It feels as though your very realm is different. I have improved too, but... Hm? Come to think of it, you.”
Yu Hyeon seemed to have belatedly noticed the color of Yeon-shin’s martial uniform beneath the long robe.
Yu Hyeon’s expression became complicated. That was what Blue Uniform of Desolate Fortress represented.
They said Blue Uniform carried a status equal to the finest elites of the Nine Sects. Beneath sect leaders and elders stood masters of the highest level.
Jeong Yeon-shin could consider Yu Hyeon a friend. Yeon-shin had heard it before.
As the sect leader’s youngest disciple, Yu Hyeon dreamed of becoming a Plum Blossom Swordsman of Mount Hua Sect. Blue Uniform was a rank comparable to Yu Hyeon’s goal. Yeon-shin could guess how Yu Hyeon felt.
‘We have different time left.’
Yeon-shin swallowed those words.
Yeon-shin turned. A group was approaching before Hyeon Won-chang and Shin So-bin.
Young men and women with outstanding auras. They were rising talents of the Dragon-Phoenix Gathering who had been in Lotus Pavilion.
‘The orthodox martial lineages have gathered in one place. There is a faction between orthodox and unorthodox among them as well.’
They did not appear as people to Yeon-shin. Their faces, unable to hide their curiosity, seemed like new systems of martial arts.
“I have never seen anyone insult Languid Flame Dragon in my life. I am Wei Wuling of the Changbai Sect.”
“I am Eun Rimyeong of the White Blade Sect in Southern Zhili. Your combat paths were remarkably creative. Where did you learn them?”
“The Chusil Sect, you say. With a young hero such as yourself, it will soon soar. It has been a long time since a dragon rose from a small or middling sect, yet another rising talent like Sword Dragon and Languid Flame Dragon has appeared.”
They gathered one at a time. Perhaps it was because Yeon-shin’s opponent had been Languid Flame Dragon.
They had likely heard Yeon-shin’s words and actions, yet they did not seem greatly repulsed.
As Yeon-shin returned their greetings, the auras of the group could be fully felt.
‘Good.’
Recently, Yeon-shin had been trying to create Static Training. It was a discipline for absorbing energy.
The diverse auras of these rising talents, revealed through qi, were all sources of inspiration.
To increase Static Training’s rate of qi storage, Yeon-shin also had to consider stability. Orthodox martial arts were the perfect foundation.
“Worthless trash without even a proper foundation.”
The sight of Huangbo Myeong-rin glaring murderously from one side pleased Yeon-shin.
The rising talents of prestigious martial families had formed a group around her. None of them approached Yeon-shin.
Then someone said, “I heard Shaolin, Wudang, and Zhongnan Sect also sent people. I wonder when they will arrive.”
Yeon-shin immediately thought of the Young Divine Monk Gak Jeong and Sword Dragon Weiji Myo-hwa. This was the Dragon-Phoenix Gathering of the righteous martial world.
The disciples gathering here seemed to rival thirty percent of the Central Plains’ orthodox martial world.
‘This is getting bigger.’
It was not only the rising talents. The Namgung Family here in Huizhou had already begun fighting the Thirteen Heavens.
To fulfill this mission’s objective, Yeon-shin had to draw in the Huangbo Family as well. The Thirteen Heavens, who had fought the Namgung Family, could not be overlooked.
Yeon-shin had no idea how fierce the tide would become. As Yeon-shin sharpened vigilance once more, a voice rang out.
“This place will do.”
A sinister voice spread through the air. Its resonance was powerful. For an instant, Yeon-shin sensed extremely deep inner energy.
Thud! Thud!
Corpses of warriors in blue martial uniforms flew in from every direction. They appeared to be Namgung Family warriors who had secretly guarded the area.
The rising talents reacted immediately.
Shing!
The sound of swords being drawn rang out as one from all directions. No one was careless enough to ask the intruders’ identities first.
Their eyes gleamed as they stared at the uninvited guests.
“Whenever the Dragon-Phoenix Gathering is held, the unorthodox sects swarm in. It was the same yesterday. Once the Namgung Family locks its doors, every kind of fly clings to them.”
“They are doing this openly, so it is only natural, is it not? My family alone has countless enemies.”
“Let us finish this quickly.”
An even more casual reply came in response to the rising talents’ calm reactions.
“The informant was right. Even the fledglings of the hypocritical orthodox sects are here. This pleases me greatly.”
“Their reactions are good. Yes. This is common in the martial world.”
Many figures approached without a sound. Black strands mingled with their blood-red hair, and sinister auras emanated from them.
There were around twenty Blood Masters. Their crimson eyes were fixed on Jeong Yeon-shin.
They had appeared almost as soon as Yeon-shin entered Huizhou and began spending time in Lotus Pavilion. It seemed deliberate.
Yeon-shin had already heard Ma Jin’s words.
Having revealed martial arts that would become the Blood Flame Sect’s nemesis, Yeon-shin would have become their highest-priority target for execution.
‘So it was true.’
Yeon-shin had learned this while carrying out multiple missions.
The Blood Flame Sect’s influence had grown to a bizarre degree.
Such a massive evil cult was mobilizing all its power to kill Jeong Yeon-shin.
As an unorthodox faction whose martial power rested on sorcery arts, the longer Yeon-shin spent in the martial world, the easier it would be for them to track the youth.
Tracking people was part of their sorcery arts.
If the Dragon-Phoenix Gathering had been held inside the Namgung Family estate, this would not have happened. Even Desolate Fortress had not expected it.
“The Blood Flame Sect?”
“Insane.”
“That many Blood Masters... How many branch halls gathered?”
Many people let out low groans. Even Jeong Yeon-shin, who had little experience in the martial world, had encountered them enough to grow sick of them.
The rising talents who had roamed the martial world before Yeon-shin would be the same. To them, the Blood Masters must have seemed a terrifying force.
Huangbo Myeong-rin’s face, visible in the distance, had also turned pale.
Languid Flame Dragon’s expression was grim as well, still unable to release the acupoint Yeon-shin had sealed.
This was the martial world. It was a place where inevitability and chance intertwined to suddenly create corpses.
Driving away a third-rate sect yesterday did not mean a great sect would not arrive tomorrow.
Perhaps even the Namgung Family, who had locked their gates, had been dancing in the Blood Flame Sect’s palm.
Everyone would die.
It was an old tactic of the unorthodox sects. If they massacred the successors of hostile orthodox sects, even their senior masters would inevitably be affected.
In a world where the slightest difference mattered to masters, it created a brutal psychological gap.
“...”
Only the sound of flowing water, endlessly reflecting sunlight, echoed.
Had the river beneath the pavilion drawn closer to the Sanzu River? Some of the young rising talents swallowed hard.
‘Good.’
Jeong Yeon-shin circulated qi according to the mnemonic formula.
Sacred Buddhist dharma power soon rose throughout the body.
Yeon-shin wrapped inner energy around the right hand and anticipated their countermeasure. The Blood Flame Sect’s Seventh Apostle had lost an eye to this martial art.
Yeon-shin hoped they had brought a countermeasure.
If Yeon-shin could counter that countermeasure once more, there would be something to gain from it.
This was a life in which Yeon-shin had to grow stronger quickly. Any means had to be used.
“You.”
One of the Blood Masters stepped forward. This one had the most black hair among the group.
They said the martial strength of Blood Masters varied wildly. Even the aura this Blood Master gave off was extraordinary.
“In a bustling city like Huizhou, there is nowhere beyond our sect’s eyes. Even knowing that an execution order had been issued for you, you crawled in here. The fools of the orthodox sects knew nothing. You are...”
“Then you must have come knowing this as well.”
Jeong Yeon-shin spoke.
A pale blue current gathered around both lowered hands. It was a unique martial art found nowhere else in the world.
The instant the Demon-Slaying Azure River Hand emerged upon a watery light that seemed to have swallowed the sun, a majestic aura spread from Yeon-shin’s hands.
Wooooong!
It was energy purer and more upright than anyone else’s here. A wave like sky-blue mist spread in every direction.
Was it because Yeon-shin had accumulated a considerable amount of qi storage while trying to devise an inner-energy method?
Without even swinging the hands, Yeon-shin pushed back the Blood Masters’ aura in its entirety. They were utterly incompatible.
For a moment, no answer came. A question crossed Jeong Yeon-shin’s face.
Footnotes:
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