WeTried Translations

Translator/Editor: ZERO_SUGAR

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◈ Surviving as a Genius on Borrowed Time ◈

Episode 56: Huangbo Clan (4)

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Desolate Fortress martial robes bore the character for Desolate, stitched across both shoulders and the center of the back.

Those facing them would find it difficult to recognize unless they possessed considerable knowledge.

“Are you the county magistrate of Pingyin County?”

Jeong Yeon-shin asked quietly.

He had been told it was a long-running operation. He had heard a great deal about it.

Desolate Fortress had investigated everything it could before deploying the martial forces under the Divine Sword Squad.

The Huangbo Family's main house and branch families, their members, and the characteristics of their martial arts had all been subject to investigation.

“Can't you tell just by looking? I'm rather well known.”

The elven man replied with a smile.

He was so strikingly handsome that even his official robes appeared noble.

Women attended him with wine as he looked over the unfamiliar martial artists. Even the hand he extended with the cup carried an air of dignity.

Though he was no more than a dandy wearing an official cap, his bearing felt distinctly elevated.

The elven county magistrate's gaze passed over Jeong Yeon-shin and Baek Mir-yeo before settling on Cheong Myeong.

“So, there is another of my race here. Don't tell me you're enjoying this game of chivalry with them. You would be wise not to. Consider this my warning.”

“...”

Cheong Myeong said nothing, wearing an odd expression.

Something about the manor felt off.

The scent of wine filled the air, yet everyone moving about looked at the county magistrate with reverence.

A few even looked at Cheong Myeong in the same way.

‘Han Chinese who worship the elven race may be everywhere, but...’

Jeong Yeon-shin thought. Was this what decadence meant? Even at Jeong Family Manor, he had never encountered such an atmosphere.

He slowly stepped forward and spoke.

“I know the Family Head of the Pingyin Huangbo Branch is your first wife. Bring her here.”

“How rude. Have you never studied Confucian teachings? Is that how your parents raised you?”

The elven county magistrate replied with a relaxed smile.

“A county magistrate colluded with a martial family. That is not the conduct of a gentleman, so why should you expect respect?”

At Jeong Yeon-shin's calm reply, the woman massaging the county magistrate's arm rose to her feet. She looked to be around thirty.

Her languid eyes were striking. An aura suited to the red martial attire she wore gradually rose around her.

“This lady is Geum-rang's lawful wife. Any martial artist of Shandong should have heard of me. I am Huangbo Mi-mi, the Deepwater Sword.”

It meant the county magistrate's surname was Geum. Rang was a term for husband.

With the founding of the Ming dynasty, the elven race had risen to power.

Women often occupied official posts at every level, from the lowest offices to the highest, as well as key positions in Jianghu sects.

He had heard it was completely different under the Yuan dynasty.

That was irrelevant now.

“As the Family Head of the Pingyin Huangbo Branch, I command you to refrain from insolent words and conduct. No, it is already too late. What could have ended with the loss of an arm will now end with your head.”

As the woman's aura grew stronger, martial artists emerged from several halls.

There were more than twenty.

Their words were dismissive, but they did not underestimate the force wave from the fist art that had smashed their gate.

It was fitting for a branch of a prestigious family.

Five warriors of the Pingyin Huangbo Branch began approaching first.

Despite appearing suddenly, each possessed a steady presence. They felt like tempered iron.

Even as a branch family, they seemed to be declaring that their roots lay in the Eight Great Families.

Jeong Yeon-shin did not look at them. He stared at the Deepwater Sword for a moment before slowly speaking.

“Do you know Huangbo Myeong-rin?”

“What?”

“You speak of arms and heads in exactly the same way.”

“So you've heard something. She's an exceptional child, good enough to attend the Dragon-Phoenix Gathering. But...”

A red smile formed on Huangbo Mi-mi's lips, as though she had applied rouge. She continued.

“Did you think I would let this pass because you speak as if you know someone of the direct bloodline? Do not be ridiculous.”

‘What a degenerate age. Martial artists should simply train.’

Jeong Yeon-shin involuntarily recalled the sort of thing elders from various sects would say.

The image of the Lord of Desolate Fortress naturally came to mind as well. Having reached the absolute realm, she was beautiful through her dignity alone, even without adornment.

A martial artist was beautiful when their martial arts were profound.

He spoke again.

“I saw the market streets. I heard it is true that you conscripted the common people for private labor. You have extended the power of the martial world into the people's livelihoods. Are you not ashamed as people of the martial world?”

Cheong Myeong and Baek Mir-yeo had remained behind him.

They had said they wanted to broaden the youngest Blue Uniform's Jianghu experience.

They had discussed earlier that they would not interfere unless the situation grew truly dangerous. He had no idea how he could ever repay the kindness of his Demon Wings seniors.

Then everyone in the manor snickered at Jeong Yeon-shin's words.

The county magistrate and the Deepwater Sword laughed loudly without even covering their mouths.

“Child, you've heard too many rumors of the Jianghu. Power is power. You would separate the Jianghu from the people's livelihoods? How could anyone do that?”

The Deepwater Sword spoke with a broad smile. The elven county magistrate added, “A martial family is also a powerful local clan. What is wrong with enjoying luxuries worthy of its history where it has settled?”

“An elf denies the laws of the imperial court. Your first wife's head will roll today.”

Jeong Yeon-shin's answer only drew another round of mockery.

This time, even the warriors who had been slowly advancing burst out laughing.

“You know nothing of refined pleasures. Those who call themselves chivalrous heroes are always like that. Attend me.”

The county magistrate lightly clapped his hands.

“Yes, Lord Magistrate!”

People who looked like musicians poured out from every direction and took their places.

They carried instruments played with strings or breath, including zithers and jade flutes.

The scene resembled an opera performance.

At the county magistrate's gesture, the music began.

At the same time, the warriors of the Huangbo Branch drew their swords and moved closer. It was as though even martial artists cutting one another down was entertainment to them.

‘Remarkable.’

Jeong Yeon-shin stood still.

He recalled stories that could only be heard in Desolate Fortress, where every kind of affair under heaven converged.

They were tales of certain high-ranking figures who had tasted too many pleasures. He had heard that the end of the games they enjoyed was watching people be murdered.

What he saw now was no different.

He knew at once. This had not begun a day or two ago.

“A young swordsman talented enough to break through a manor gate. What a pity to lose such a promising talent.”

“Would that not make it all the more entertaining?”

The Deepwater Sword had returned to her seat at some point, sharing a smile with the county magistrate. They even shared wine.

‘How could they be so different?’

Jeong Yeon-shin remembered entering the outskirts of the village.

He had liked the simple sound of grass blades brushing against one another that had welcomed them. This place was different. It was suffocating.

“I can't bear to listen to this.”

The words escaped him before he realized it.

As the county magistrate had said, the melody spreading through the manor had refinement.

Even Jeong Yeon-shin, who knew nothing of music, could feel it. That made it all the more unpleasant.

Shandong Province was vast, and Jinan was said to be its center.

There must have been many local martial artists, including the chivalrous heroes those wretches spoke of.

“Go peacefully.”

One of them said, raising a drawn sword.

The warrior seemed to feel a small measure of guilt. By then, the distance to Jeong Yeon-shin had closed to around ten paces.

“You seem used to this. I need to rethink the Eight Great Families. Are you not all just scum from unorthodox sects?”

Jeong Yeon-shin said, gripping the hilt of the Northern Light Sword.

There must have been many righteous warriors who had come here in outrage after seeing the people forced into labor.

It seemed they had killed them all. Music flowed naturally past his ears while martial artists approached with measured footwork, as though moving to its rhythm.

He decided to seize the initiative.

Boom! Whoosh!

He stomped down with True Step, and a concentric gust swept outward in every direction.

The power he had raised was deeper than before.

As he continued devising a new inner-energy technique, he had constantly circulated the Moon Spirit Harmonization Formula.

The qi storage capacity of a peerless divine art truly was different. He could already feel a small but noticeable change.

Everyone's expression changed at that single True Step. At the same time, Jeong Yeon-shin leaned forward.

Wind exploded beside his ears, and his field of vision rapidly widened. He moved in an instant.

Waves of qi began spreading from the hand gripping the sword hilt.

Before he knew it, he was right in front of his enemies. He circulated the qi within his body according to the mnemonic formula.

At the end of a drawing strike from the Radiant Sword Flow, dazzling sunlight shimmered.

Slash!

The instant a streak of light flashed, two heads flew off at once. They could not even scream.

‘It isn't over. There are many enemies.’

Aura exploded from Jeong Yeon-shin's body.

Part of the force surging in every direction reached the Northern Light Sword and became a chilling sharpness.

He used True Step again, and the aftershock of his horizontal sword strike scraped across the ground.

The sensation of the blade cutting through another enemy's neck traveled all the way to his grip.

Spurt!

Jeong Yeon-shin's swordsmanship had now reached the point where blood spurted a breath after the cut.

He shouted from within the steadily rising dust.

“The Demon Wings of Desolate Fortress will punish you!”

The shout carried inner energy.

Everyone in the manor recoiled in horror. They looked as though their souls had fled their bodies.

Three corpses had appeared in an instant. It had taken less than a blink.

The lively music stopped at once.

“Desolate Fortress...! Wait, wait!”

The elven county magistrate sprang to his feet and waved his hands.

Cold sweat had appeared at some point, making his handsome face glisten.

“I have committed a very, very grave offense! Please forget everything I said! I am of the elven race! How could I possibly commit acts that disrupt the order of the imperial court?”

His eyes darted about. He looked first at Jeong Yeon-shin, whose shifted posture revealed the character for Desolate beneath his shoulders.

His gaze also fell upon Baek Mir-yeo and Cheong Myeong, who stood impassively.

Something akin to resignation appeared on the county magistrate's face. Seeing Cheong Myeong, another elf, seemed to have convinced him.

“...My wife acted under orders from the main house, and as a county magistrate in Jinan, I too could not defy the Huangbo Family's power.”

“Do you even hear yourself? Are you not ashamed of trying to take back everything you said and did?”

“Please show mercy. As I understand it, you cannot kill an imperial official. If the branch family's members and I join forces, it will not be easy for you to leave here unharmed.”

Aura spread from the county magistrate's right hand as he finished speaking.

His inner energy was so deep that it was clear at once that he had undergone considerable training.

“Now you are threatening us instead.”

“You are turning the blame around.”

Baek Mir-yeo and Cheong Myeong finally stepped forward.

“You must have come knowing all this if you are from Desolate Fortress. I have no choice either, do I?”

The county magistrate's smile had regained its ease.

He lightly tapped the shoulder of the Deepwater Sword, his first wife, who was glaring fiercely at Jeong Yeon-shin.

“My wife.”

“...Yes.”

Huangbo Mi-mi, the Deepwater Sword, snapped her fingers.

The sound rang out as though imbued with inner energy.

More than thirty martial artists poured out from halls throughout the manor.

Since Jinan was such a massive city, even a branch family governing a single county possessed martial strength befitting its role.

“...”

The silence that blanketed the manor did not feel like silence. The presence of the Huangbo Family warriors filled the grounds.

“Would it not be better for you to leave now?”

The county magistrate said, looking at Cheong Myeong, who had come to stand beside Jeong Yeon-shin.

His robes were already fluttering, as though he had raised the inner energy throughout his body. His persuasion came across as a threat.

“You spoke of refined pleasures.”

Jeong Yeon-shin looked over the warriors who had begun slowly circling them.

“I have also been perfecting a melody lately.”

As he spoke, the Northern Light Sword began to tremble. Its sword resonance steadily grew stronger.

Jeong Yeon-shin circulated all the inner energy in his body at full force and glanced at Baek Mir-yeo and Cheong Myeong. The moment they gave a slight nod, a long cry rose from the blade.

Wheeeeeee!

Invisible waves of qi rippled outward and swept in every direction.

“Hup!”

“Ugh...?”

It was a truly unreal sight.

Dozens of people collapsed in every direction with brief groans. Heavy thuds rang out all around.

The sword resonance quickly faded, but its aftereffects did not.

The entire encirclement collapsed. Warriors of the Huangbo Branch lay across the ground in all manner of positions.

Their eyes were wide open as they stared emptily at the sky, dead.

Only a small number remained standing, including the county magistrate and the Deepwater Sword.

“Scum from unorthodox sects do understand refined pleasures.”

Jeong Yeon-shin looked around slightly and spoke.

“You must have been quite moved.”

He sheathed the Northern Light Sword.

Footnotes:

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