WeTried Translations

Translator/Editor: ZERO_SUGAR

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◈ Surviving as a Genius on Borrowed Time ◈

Episode 74: Ma Clan (2)

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She had been disregarded by a boy far younger than herself. She was also the woman who had called him "you brat" the moment they met.

Jeong Yeon-shin had assumed that a noblewoman of a prestigious family, especially one with formidable martial arts, would never tolerate it.

"I am that child's mother. My name is Ju Yeon-jeong."

She smiled gently. The sudden change in her expression was somewhat startling.

'Ju?'

Her bearing brought a strange possibility to mind, and Yeon-shin asked at once.

"Are you of the imperial clan?"

"That is correct."

Even after hearing her answer, he found it difficult to understand. Ma Se-in's father was also from a collateral branch.

A man outstanding enough to marry a member of the imperial clan should already have been well known.

Yeon-shin could not imagine what circumstances had led to it.

"You seem confused. Few people in the main fortress know of my background. Please understand."

Her hair was pinned up with jade ornaments, leaving her round Han Chinese ears clearly visible. It meant she carried imperial blood through a distant collateral line.

The Founding Emperor had been the last emperor to take concubines. It was said he had kept more than forty consorts.

The direct imperial descendants were different. They took neither secondary wives nor concubines.

They accepted only a single woman of the elven race as their spouse.

Instead, the countless descendants with no connection to the imperial throne were free to keep wives and concubines.

Ju Yeon-jeong appeared to be the daughter of one such person.

"It is an honor to meet you, Madam Ju."

He paid his respects without prostrating himself. She had married out of her natal family. Even if she carried a trace of the Founding Emperor's blood, that did not change.

She was no longer a member of the Ming imperial household in the Forbidden City. Once she had left Beijing and married, she had become a member of the Desolate Ma family.

She belonged to the martial world.

"What an impudent child."

The corners of Ju Yeon-jeong's lips rose.

Yeon-shin calmly lifted his head. Her reaction was unexpected.

Since she had called him "you brat," he had thought she was desperate to protect her son's right of succession. Perhaps he had been mistaken.

The household retainers around them did not act rashly either. They merely watched Yeon-shin in silence.

"Sit comfortably. This gathering was arranged for you."

"Then... thank you."

After offering a brief bow, he sat at the banquet table. Ma Se-in quietly followed and took a seat beside his mother.

Musicians entered. Perhaps because the hall was so vast, they began playing from a distance.

An ancient melody drifted softly through the room, lending the gathering a sense of dignity.

"I wished to test your character."

Ju Yeon-jeong spoke.

"It has been twenty years since I left Beijing, yet I am still like this. The authority ingrained in my conduct can sometimes wound others. I hope you will be understanding."

"..."

Her words were startlingly frank. Yeon-shin fell silent for a moment.

'What is this?'

It was vastly different from the meeting he had imagined. What was her intention?

As the plucking of strings and the echo of a bamboo flute formed a gentle melody, those seated at the banquet fell silent.

Only the music was gentle. The world of masters was different.

Yeon-shin continually sensed streams of inner energy sweeping over him.

They were so covert that he could barely detect them, even with aura sense beyond the level of his martial arts. He gave no sign of it.

"I'm curious about your purpose."

Yeon-shin asked openly.

Both sides had concealed their intentions. Yet the side that had invited him was the one with something to gain. There was no reason for him to lower himself.

A smile formed on Ju Yeon-jeong's lips.

"I have been accustomed to speaking indirectly since birth, so the way martial artists speak always feels unfamiliar to me. Many have praised you. They say you are fit to become a pillar of Desolate Fortress... It seems the reports were true. They said Seom-ye of the Demon Wings was exceptionally brave."

"..."

"I heard your martial arts are quite extraordinary. They say there may be no one among your peers who can compare. I was curious about many things. The martial arts of Jeong Family Manor are nothing exceptional, so how did you come to possess such skill? And..."

She reached for a white jade bottle and smiled.

"At your coming-of-age ceremony, why did you refuse the position of heir to the main house?"

Ju Yeon-jeong's few words gave Yeon-shin a great deal of information. He confirmed two things at this gathering.

The first was, as expected, martial arts. Many people were curious about the origins of Seom-ye's skills.

He had known that already. It was likely because he had risen to the Blue Uniform rank at the youngest age and in the shortest time.

Yeon-shin had displayed his own martial arts several times before others, and none of them had belonged to the Desolate Ma family.

That had been true even before the Lord of Desolate Fortress taught him martial arts.

The story of his recent mission would likely deepen their doubts as well, because of the way the Lord of Desolate Fortress had appeared upon returning.

'Why did the Lord carry me all the way to the main fortress...?'

His gratitude outweighed everything else, so he could not even complain inwardly.

The second matter was likely the real point.

"You asked about my intent."

Yeon-shin spoke calmly.

"I believe I already made it clear that day. My aspirations lie in the martial world and this main fortress, so I do not wish to bind myself to a prestigious maternal family. Ma Se-in will make an excellent Family Head."

"You have a very generous nature."

Ju Yeon-jeong covered her mouth and laughed. Her bearing was elegant.

Yeon-shin studied her quietly. She was the one who had called the Desolate Ma family the main house.

A distant member of the imperial clan had fully settled into the Ma family and become its mistress.

That was better, if anything. It meant there was no need to make them enemies.

Drawing a line between them would be enough. Yeon-shin parted his lips again.

"Therefore, I hope I will not be involved with your family from now on. What I want is to sever all ties. That would help avoid needless conflict."

"..."

A brief silence fell over the room. The smile vanished from Ju Yeon-jeong's face, and Ma Se-in's expression stiffened as well.

Only the soft melody of the instruments flowed through the silent banquet hall. Their response was strange.

'Shouldn't that be what they want from me instead?'

Ignoring the atmosphere, Yeon-shin continued.

"Did your family not already sever ties with my mother? Please answer me before I speak publicly and tear apart the Ma family's honor."

He deliberately spoke more harshly than necessary. Even then, Ju Yeon-jeong's face held only confusion.

"...How could severing ties be possible? Do you think the martial arts the Lord taught you will guarantee your influence? You are mistaken. Desolate Fortress is not that sort of place."

"I will live wholly as a martial artist of the Demon Wings. I simply do not want the Desolate Ma family's name attached before the epithet Seom-ye. Would that not please you as well, Madam Ju?"

"...You speak of something difficult as though it were nothing."

Ju Yeon-jeong spoke slowly.

"Why is that?"

"You have already stepped into the main house's political struggle. The moment you revealed your talent while carrying the Ma family's blood, it was bound to happen. There are those who say you must be made the heir, those who argue you should be used as the sword that raises the main house's prestige, and us, who do not want you..."

She gave a faint smile.

"Every side is the same. The moment you and the main house sever ties, a great storm will rise over who bears responsibility. To avoid facing that backlash, they will have no choice but to do whatever it takes."

"How laughable."

"Are you not the Lord's direct disciple? Child, your existence is already that significant. Even if you alone speak of severing ties, the main house will cling to your hem and refuse to let go."

"I can no longer remain here."

Yeon-shin stood at once. He turned away rudely, but no one rebuked him.

When it came to politics rather than martial prowess, they were undeniably masters.

The musicians' unchanging performance escorted him out.

* * *

Seven days passed.

He focused on recuperating in the Demon Wings hall. During that time, the faces of Ju Yeon-jeong and the Ma family elders filled Yeon-shin's thoughts.

Their schemes were not shallow. They had drawn him into a kind of conflict he had never faced before.

People of great power were doing everything they could to bind him to them. It was a serious problem.

'What should I do...?'

He lay on his bed, lost in thought. At first, he had intended to provoke them and become an enemy they could never associate with.

He had thought it would be enough if he could experience the martial arts of a prestigious family in the process.

That was no longer the case.

Their sophistication far surpassed Yeon-shin's. They seemed prepared to endure anything.

It was an entirely different kind of conflict.

People with great influence were becoming an obstacle. This was exactly what he had feared.

The time he would spend getting caught up in such matters would far outweigh the support he could gain by accepting the Desolate Ma family.

He briefly considered revealing his constitution and lifespan to his maternal grandfather.

'I can never trust him.'

He immediately abandoned the thought.

He had grown up as a child who did not exist at Jeong Family Manor. His maternal family had never reached out to him. The years of his upbringing proved it.

After entering the martial world, he had seen the conduct of the Huangbo Family.

They called themselves a pillar of the righteous martial world while wielding force for their own benefit.

What about the Namgung Family, called the greatest family among the orthodox sects? Despite the help Yeon-shin had given them, they had tried to have someone else kill him.

There was more. At the Blood Flame Sect, he had seen humanity at its lowest.

It was simply an abyss.

...Distrust. Only distrust remained.

'He has his sights set on becoming Desolate Fortress's Elder Council Head?'

His maternal grandfather was someone who craved power. Despite severing ties with his daughter, he wanted to treat her son as his grandson.

He did so because he saw Yeon-shin's usefulness. There was no telling how he might seize Yeon-shin's weakness and use it against him.

'Should I see the Lord? Is it all right to owe the Lord even more? I need to build merit.'

The sixteen-year-old martial master agonized over it.

Rustle.

He burrowed beneath the bedding. Even the faint glow of the sunset was dazzling now.

The Demon Wings room was his sanctuary. Here, he could set down the bearing of a martial artist without worrying about anyone's eyes.

He did not have to force himself to ignore the fact that his life had a fixed limit.

He slowly curled into himself, as he always did.

He blankly felt the last orange traces of sunlight. How long had he remained that way?

"Young Hero Jeong! Young Hero Jeong!"

A familiar voice stirred his consciousness. It was Hyeon Won-chang.

A boisterous aura surged toward the Demon Wings hall. He also sensed the presences of many seniors.

Those who had seen off the Lord and Yeon-shin first had returned.

Creak.

Three people entered at once: Hyeon Won-chang, Cheong Myeong, and Baek Mir-yeo. Yeon-shin had already risen, and he smiled faintly.

They were the comrades who had come all the way to the Blood Flame Sect's main headquarters to save him. He welcomed them gratefully.

"Is something wrong?"

Hyeon Won-chang studied him for a while, then suddenly asked.

Yeon-shin slowly parted his lips.

What impulse had come over him? If he had to live a life where he could not trust even them, there was no reason to cling to the fruit.

He did not need a drink. The tranquil air of dusk took the place of the aroma of wine and drinking fare.

The moment Yeon-shin spoke a few words, Cheong Myeong and Baek Mir-yeo raised large inner energy barriers. They were aura barriers. No sound could escape.

Yeon-shin told them.

He spoke of his family circumstances, revealed his constitution, and told them of his remaining time and the Desolate Ma family.

"..."

A silence as calm as the sunset followed. At some point, all expression had vanished from Cheong Myeong and Baek Mir-yeo's faces.

Hyeon Won-chang silently shed tears.

The Imperial Hero sniffled once and spoke.

"...Well, let's go to the Ma family first. I have a decent idea."

"What?"

"Listen."

Hyeon Won-chang then whispered for quite a while. Despite the firm aura barriers of two Blue Uniform experts, Hyeon Won-chang still did so.

Hyeon Won-chang looked as though plotting something sinister.

After hearing the plan, that was exactly what it was.

"Let's go!"

Hyeon Won-chang wiped away tears with a white sleeve and rose. The other three stood as well.

At the same time, Cheong Myeong gave Yeon-shin's shoulder a light pat, and Baek Mir-yeo embraced him once from behind.

There was no need for more words. It was the concern of comrades who had shared their lives, and the understanding of masters who treated blades as friends.

Yeon-shin shook his head awkwardly and followed behind Hyeon Won-chang. For a moment, he truly felt like the youngest among them.

The four soon arrived at the Desolate Ma family's residence. Two gatekeepers stepped forward.

"Please state your identity and business."

"Wait. Young Hero Seom-ye is here. You may open the gate."

Hyeon Won-chang ignored the gatekeepers and shouted loudly.

"Yeon-jeong!"

Hyeon Won-chang even infused the shout with inner energy. The tremendous voice shook the night air.

Ju Yeon-jeong had said few outsiders knew of her origins.

There were surely private reasons for that. Yet it was not something the Demon Wings experts needed to consider.

"After all, we're under the Lord. Even the Crown Prince has to tread carefully around the Lord, so what could a collateral imperial relative who married out possibly..."

Cheong Myeong gave a sly smile and lightly kicked the ground. It was already well known that the Blue-Eyed Demon Sword was a pure-blooded member of the elven race.

"What in the world are you doing!"

"Do you know who you are summoning right now?"

The gatekeepers rushed over with flustered expressions. Hyeon Won-chang used a soundless movement technique.

Hyeon Won-chang shook off their hands while repeatedly calling Yeon-jeong's name. An unexpected nighttime spectacle unfolded.

Yeon-shin turned slightly and looked away, pretending he was not part of their group.

Footnotes:

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