WeTried Translations

Translator/Editor: ZERO_SUGAR

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◈ Surviving as a Genius on Borrowed Time ◈

Episode 60: Imperial Hero (3)

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Xuzhou had always been a large city.

Today, it was livelier than usual. Fresh rumors had spread through the city.

A young martial master from Desolate Fortress had provoked the Blood Flame Sect. It was the sort of story anyone would take an interest in.

They said he was not a White Uniform warrior, but a Blue Uniform master. That only made the rumors spread faster.

“I splashed water on them, and they really were Blood Flame Sect members. Their dye was remarkably convincing.”

“They say he killed the Blood Master in a single move?”

“They said a Blue Uniform warrior of Desolate Fortress was a peerless master, but even so...”

All kinds of stories flowed through the city.

The incident had occurred at a brothel. Since it happened during a banquet of Jianghu martial artists, there had been many witnesses.

Even Jeong Yeon-shin, the person at the center of it, could hear people talking about him.

“Drawing blood without warning. He must think little of us.”

“Do they believe Desolate Fortress is the only force standing against the Blood Flame Sect?”

“It would have been better to join forces.”

The Jianghu was said to contain all sorts of people.

Some could not stand watching someone else make a name for themselves right in front of them.

They were superhuman individuals who carried the mysterious power of martial arts within their bodies. Many acted as if they were the center of the world.

‘They said smaller and mid-sized sects trapped in cramped places were like this.’

Jeong Yeon-shin was still gaining experience in the Jianghu. The battles he had faced so far had mostly been major ones.

He had fought enough life-and-death battles to be promoted to Blue Uniform, but his knowledge of the martial world was narrower than that of most White Uniform warriors.

He spent the night at an inn beside the brothel.

Though he had plenty of silver on him, he had no desire to sleep in a luxurious brothel.

He assumed that if the Blood Flame Sect wanted him, they would find him no matter where in Xuzhou he was.

‘I wasn't hoping for uninvited guests.’

While eating, Jeong Yeon-shin looked up at the people across from him.

“It is an honor to meet a renowned martial artist of Desolate Fortress.”

“I came because I wished to discuss martial arts with you. Is it true that you killed a blood demon in one move? This is my first time meeting someone who has Desolate Fortress as their sect.”

There was one woman and two men. All three carried swords at their waists.

Despite their words, their main interest did not seem to be Jeong Yeon-shin's identity.

To them, the nearby Namgung Family was the foremost power in the Jianghu, more so than Desolate Fortress far away in Huguang.

‘There is no goodwill in their expressions.’

Was it the territorial nature of the local Jianghu?

Jeong Yeon-shin had crushed the Blood Master's head in front of all sorts of sects and martial families.

Destroying the Blood Flame Sect was a great honor for orthodox martial artists. He knew that well, for it was far from his first or second time.

Since he had done such a thing, it was only natural for people like them to come looking for him.

He slowly rose and clasped his hands.

“I am Seom-ye of Desolate Fortress's Demon Wings.”

They had approached and spoken without introducing themselves. Only after seeing Jeong Yeon-shin's courtesy did they introduce themselves in turn.

The names were unfamiliar.

They were Seol Yu-yu of the Eulsso Sword Family, Jeong Cheol of the Flower Sword Sect, and Gwon Chun of the Flying Dragon Martial Academy.

The eldest daughter, a junior sect leader, and the chief disciple.

Jeong Yeon-shin listened carefully to their positions. Asking the authorities about the Blood Flame Sect was not enough.

Martial artists would naturally see things differently.

When martial artists looked at an opponent, they examined build, bodily balance, and gait. Their perspective would be different.

‘Hyeon Won-chang said to flatter people when I needed something. Not too much.’

He recalled the advice Hyeon Won-chang had given him about dealing with people.

“It is an honor to meet the heroes of Southern Zhili.”

Jeong Yeon-shin slightly lowered his head in respect.

“Hmm...!”

The crease between Gwon Chun's brows eased a little. A Blue Uniform master was greeting them with such polite bearing.

The Jianghu might keep Desolate Fortress at a distance, but it could not deny its influence and martial arts.

The martial world was made up of people who risked their lives for their own honor.

No one would be displeased to receive respect from a martial artist whose status was recognized throughout the land.

Gwon Chun cleared his throat and spoke.

“Knowing that our own martial arts are lacking, would you be willing to have a sword discussion with us?”

“A sword discussion?”

Jeong Yeon-shin asked without thinking.

It was a contest where they spoke of martial arts forms and conducted a hypothetical sparring match.

Jeong Yeon-shin had tried it a few times at Desolate Fortress, but had not found it interesting.

He had lost to Hyeon Won-chang several times as well. There was no sword form Hyeon Won-chang could not wield with words.

‘This will make it easy to humor them.’

He ordered three bottles of liquor and side dishes, then set a place for them.

There were three main ways to obtain detailed news in the Jianghu.

They were the Beggars’ Sect, a sect of beggars; the Hao Clan, which had subordinates working everywhere from brothels to inns; and the local martial artists.

There had to be beggars in Beijing as well, yet he had seen strangely few in Xuzhou.

It was hard to trust the Hao Clan after its repeated entanglements with the Blood Flame Sect. Other than the martial artists settled here, there was no one else to rely on.

“...If you create a horizontal force wave with Sweeping Through a Thousand Armies there, wouldn't that cancel it out? Then, if you unleash Spinning Thread Force, its power and speed will increase further. It seems there is no direction left for you to step into, young hero!”

Jeong Yeon-shin suffered defeat after defeat.

A sword discussion was simply an argument given a grand name by Jianghu martial artists.

The one with less desire to win was bound to lose, and Jeong Yeon-shin naturally learned more about life in the world through this gathering.

Entertaining others was so easy that he wondered if it was always like this.

‘Would this work on the Lord of Desolate Fortress too? If the Lord were in a good mood, perhaps...’

Had they been so pleased to defeat a Blue Uniform master of Desolate Fortress, even if only with words? The three wore bright expressions.

That did not change even after several drinks. Jeong Yeon-shin was newly surprised by the culture of the Jianghu.

‘People can enjoy something like this.’

If the Blood Flame Sect did not come by the end of the day, he intended to go around and investigate personally.

That did not seem necessary. The three, now relaxed after joining his table, told him many things.

“If you had not crushed the Blood Master's skull, we would have done it.”

“We were the ones who brought those blood demons to the banquet yesterday. We never dreamed they were Blood Flame Sect members.”

Seol Yu-yu and Gwon Chun spoke.

Seol Yu-yu, the heir of the Eulsso Sword Family, was a swordswoman whose palms were covered in calluses.

Whenever she won a sword discussion against Jeong Yeon-shin, her stiff-looking eyes softened.

He understood at last. The three had come to restore their own honor.

“That could happen. They seemed skilled at concealing their aura, especially the Blood Master. I could only sense that distinctive presence right before the Blood Master drew a sword.”

Jeong Yeon-shin calmly covered for their mistake.

That was enough. The three answered his careful questions in detail.

First, they told him where they had met those people.

They told him about roads where they had recently seen disguised people with similar bearing, and the hushed rumors within their sects about the Blood Flame Sect in Xuzhou.

The three were rising stars of the city.

The news they encountered and their discernment far surpassed those of government soldiers.

Jeong Yeon-shin gathered the useful information.

Yesterday, he had let the Blood Flame Sect members live, then followed them. Now he could easily identify the places he needed to destroy.

By then, the three Jianghu martial artists were quite drunk.

Perhaps because Jeong Yeon-shin had easily subdued the Blood Flame Sect members the day before, they did not even use inner energy to drive out their drunkenness, as if no one in Xuzhou could do anything to them.

All three had flushed faces.

“This may be a little rude, but are Desolate Fortress's martial arts... all somewhat lacking like that?”

“After having a sword discussion, I do find myself wondering.”

“I do too. It may have only been an argument, but I never expected our Eulsso Sword Family's sword arts to work so well against Desolate Fortress.”

Their words no longer had any meaning.

Their drunken talk could not reach Jeong Yeon-shin's ears. He did not have much time left.

Just as he was about to rise from his seat, a voice spoke from beside him.

“Lacking? How could that be? You have created a new sword art as profound as the secret teachings of the Nine Sects.”

It was right next to him. The clear voice seemed to sweep away everyone's drunkenness at once.

In fact, powerful yet gentle qi was carried within it.

Tap.

She approached with the astonishingly light Body Movement Scripture.

Only then did Jeong Yeon-shin sense her presence. Even if he had been absorbed in the drinking party and lost in thought, this was no ordinary matter.

He turned, his eyes widening.

“Great Hero Sword Dragon?”

Her beautiful features and distinct eyes were familiar.

The feather ornament atop her ebony-like hair, which flowed down her back, remained unchanged.

The hem of her sky-blue clothes fluttered from the recoil of her lightness technique.

A white treasured sword hung from the belt at her waist, decorated with blue-green jade.

It was said to be the divine sword that signified her status as the successor to the Zhongnan Sect leader.

Sword Dragon Weiji Myo-hwa slightly raised the corners of her lips. It was a beautiful smile that left the three at the table staring as if spellbound.

“I was on my way to attend the Dragon-Phoenix Gathering. I came here after hearing that rising stars were being pursued, but...”

As she continued slowly, her smile deepened.

“Rumors of Seom-ye of Desolate Fortress's Demon Wings have spread all across Xuzhou.”

“You came here in person?”

Jeong Yeon-shin asked after recovering from his surprise.

Weiji Myo-hwa tilted her white neck slightly downward. Her attitude was ambiguous.

“I heard that you killed the Blood Master in a single move. The rumors must have spread faster than my lightness skill. So fast that it is strange the Blood Flame Sect has remained still.”

“They must have some scheme. I am glad to see you again, but I have no time to wait. Young Hero Hyeon has been captured.”

“Ah.”

She let out a brief sigh and nodded.

“I will help. The Zhongnan Sect owes you two young heroes a debt.”

Those who spoke of the romance of the Jianghu would likely have loved this moment. She had the bearing of a beautiful Great Hero.

By early evening, Jeong Yeon-shin had gained the strength of an army. He did not refuse.

After paying the inn attendant, he left the inn with Weiji Myo-hwa.

The three remained behind, muttering “Sword Dragon” and “Zhongnan Sect” with vacant expressions.

The pursuit rapidly gathered speed.

“We may have to track them for quite some time. Will this be enough?”

Weiji Myo-hwa twisted slightly, as though telling him to look at her belongings.

One sword and a small travel bag on her back. She traveled lightly, as expected of a disciple of the Nine Sects.

Jeong Yeon-shin shook his head.

“We may not need to take that long.”

* * *

The martial world was vast. It was as vast as the Central Plains, endlessly expansive.

That was why even the schemes of strategists, which were not especially ingenious, worked against opposing forces.

The Blood Flame Sect was a force that could not be infiltrated with spies. It was said that the moment someone accepted the Blood Arts, they became a fanatical believer.

It was the realm of sorcery arts. That was why anyone entangled with the Blood Flame Sect was helplessly pushed back in an information war.

Things were different now. Jeong Yeon-shin was the one running rampant.

Bang!

The force wave of True Barrier, the second form of the Sihwa Boundless Fist, exploded against the gate of a certain house.

Fragments scattered in every direction as if struck by a typhoon. Amid them stood Jeong Yeon-shin, his sky-blue gaze already flashing.

Boom!

The force wave of the Demon-Slaying Azure River Hand swept through the safehouse of a Blood Flame Sect branch. As Jeong Yeon-shin brought down his hand on the last cultist’s head, he thought,

‘Is this fate?’

At that moment, the precognition of his upper dantian flashed, like lightning suddenly striking down from a clear blue sky.

It felt as though fate itself was approaching. It seemed to be the recoil from widening his Baihui acupoint through overstraining himself with the Sword Song.

Perhaps Weiji Myo-hwa, who possessed a mysterious energy, had stimulated it from beside him.

This was already the fifth time. Every place they entered was a Blood Flame Sect branch.

‘There are four more.’

The information he had gathered from various authorities and martial artists merged with the precognition of his upper dantian.

His pursuit was impossibly fast, as if he had been possessed, and his martial strength had transformed into that of a Blue Uniform warrior.

Even Weiji Myo-hwa, whose cultivation ran deep, could not hide her shock.

“Let's go.”

Jeong Yeon-shin glanced at the sprawled Blood Master and Blood Flame Sect members, then kicked off the ground.

There was no room for Weiji Myo-hwa to intervene.

Jeong Yeon-shin's short-burst lightness skill, layered with Ultimate Realm qi, was fast enough to rival hers, but the Demon-Slaying Azure River Hand was on another level.

Against the Blood Flame Sect alone, it displayed power that bordered on invincibility.

‘I just need to avoid an Apostle.’

He thought of the Blood Flame Sect's Seventh Apostle, who would hold a grudge against him.

At the same time, the energy of heaven passing through the crown of his head whispered mischievously.

There was no need to worry today. Whether that would truly be the case remained to be seen.

“Sixth.”

Jeong Yeon-shin murmured as he faced an ordinary-looking pavilion.

Martial artists of Desolate Fortress did not concern themselves with the authorities.

It was bound to cause a noticeable uproar. It was a truly enormous disturbance.

A Blue Uniform warrior of Desolate Fortress raced through Xuzhou with a beautiful young master.

In the wake of their bold attacks, shattered Blood Flame Sect branches were exposed for all to see.

Victims shriveled from having their qi drained, and corpses with crimson hair.

“Crazy... So this is why everyone talks about Desolate Fortress.”

“Is that not practically a monster?”

“Watch your words. That is a Great Hero.”

Xuzhou was said to have many Jianghu sects and martial schools. One by one, those who had come out to see what was happening began following them.

The gathering crowd continued to grow.

Footnotes:

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