WE TRIED TRANSLATIONS x FLAME NOVELS
Translator/Editor: Chen
Discord: https://dsc.gg/wetried
◈ The Former Supreme ◈
Chapter 71: The Prime of Life Comes with the First Snow (1)
──────
The next day, Yeom Hwasin released Baek Socheon as promised.
“You said you’d keep me for five days. Why’d you change your mind?”
“If something happens, I’ll kill them all anyway. What’s the point of keeping you here?”
To reiterate, Yeom Hwasin had no affection for his blood relatives. If anything, the ill fate between him and Baek Socheon often felt deeper than his familial affection.
Yeom Hwasin climbed into the carriage with him.
“I brought you here, so I should see you off too.”
“Aren’t you busy? Then again, since you have so much free time, you’re probably plotting to start a war. Try living a little busier. Pick up a hobby.”
Baek Socheon deliberately spoke to him irritably.
“Are you still sulking over that martial manual? What kind of man does that?”
“You said it yourself. What kind of man does that? If you said you’d give it to me, you should give it to me.”
Yeom Hwasin pretended not to hear and shouted to the subordinate in the driver’s seat.
“Go. It seems our guest misses home, judging by all the complaints.”
The carriage set off at his command.
“Why are you following me? Do you have another woman hidden away somewhere?”
“I wish, but no. I’m coming for your sake. My son won’t let you go without causing trouble.”
“Did he do anything to her?”
Baek Socheon was worried that Cheon Geuk, who had left ahead of him, might have been attacked.
“Don’t worry. That fool knows his own life is precious.”
It meant Yeom Sawon was not bold enough to casually provoke the Assassin Alliance Leader.
In other words, he knew Baek Socheon had no internal energy and would see him as easy prey.
Baek Socheon found the thought utterly pathetic but did not say it aloud. No matter how little affection Yeom Hwasin had for his blood relatives, he could not possibly enjoy hearing his son insulted.
In any case, Yeom Hwasin’s decision had been for Baek Socheon’s sake, but in the end, it had become a decision for his son’s sake as well.
If Yeom Sawon had personally come to kill Baek Socheon with his subordinates, he would have died by Baek Socheon’s hand. Hiding his martial arts was important, but Baek Socheon could not simply let that bastard kill him.
‘This was a choice that saved your son, not me.’
Of course, Yeom Hwasin did not seem like the kind of man who would grieve much even if his son died.
Still, he would invoke vengeance for his son with even greater ferocity, if only to hide the emptiness within him...
“Why don’t you kill me?”
“Would you like me to?”
“Of course not. I was just curious. Before, you knew I had a gu parasite inside me, so I could understand you keeping me alive to harm our Alliance Leader. Why are you letting me live now?”
“Because you’re entertaining to be around.”
One thing had become clear to Baek Socheon through this incident.
Yeom Hwasin was a deeply lonely soul. That was why he was dangerous.
He had chosen war to fill that loneliness. It felt far more dangerous than starting a war for power.
Even if he won the war, would that unstable soul truly be filled? Baek Socheon did not think so. An even greater emptiness might swallow him whole.
Perhaps a tragedy greater than war would begin then.
Yeom Hwasin let Baek Socheon off at the border between Hunan and Hubei Province.
“Go safely.”
“Take care.”
“Hey, Socheon.”
Baek Socheon turned back.
“The day you die by my hand isn’t far off. Set your affairs in order beforehand.”
He could tell Yeom Hwasin meant it. Perhaps he wanted to personally take the life of the man who had stabbed his heart.
Baek Socheon thumped his chest.
“I don’t know where your heart is, but mine is here, so finish it in one blow.”
“I will.”
Baek Socheon turned and walked away.
‘Sorry, but I’m not finished yet.’
After parting with Yeom Hwasin and confirming that no one was following him, Baek Socheon began training in Wind God Traverses the Sky.
A lightness art had to be trained by running and running.
Wind God Traverses the Sky was not a lightness technique used alongside martial arts. It was a lightness art meant purely for running.
It was said that once Wind God Traverses the Sky reached full mastery, one could move faster than birds. Its instantaneous acceleration was also extraordinary.
In the blink of an eye, he would become a dot and vanish from sight. Movement as fast as light itself.
As soon as he began learning it, Baek Socheon found Wind God Traverses the Sky easier to understand than the other three Greatest Martial Arts of All Time.
The martial art suited him well. There was compatibility between every martial art and its practitioner, and this one fit him exceptionally well. The extreme physical training he had undergone helped with all martial arts, but it seemed it would help most with Wind God Traverses the Sky.
He had a good feeling that he might achieve full mastery of it sooner than the other three Greatest Martial Arts of All Time.
Baek Socheon circulated his internal energy according to the martial formula for Wind God Traverses the Sky and ran without stopping. The more he ran, the faster he became.
Training Wind God Traverses the Sky all the while, Baek Socheon returned to the Murim Alliance.
Once he arrived in Wuhan, he visited Cheon Geuk’s Daru before entering the Alliance.
There were quite a few customers inside, but surprisingly, she was in the kitchen preparing tea.
When Baek Socheon appeared, she spoke as if it were nothing.
“You’re here? Bring that tea set over here.”
“This one?”
“No, the one beside it. Yes, that one.”
Baek Socheon brought her the tea set beside it.
She had been busily steeping tea, but her hands stopped, and she let out a sigh. She had tried to work while acting composed, but she could not hide her concern for Baek Socheon in the end.
From that sigh, Baek Socheon could feel how much she had worried about him.
“You work here yourself?”
“Whenever I want to clear my head from Alliance business, I come down and work for a while. It’s nice because working without thinking helps clear away stray thoughts. Go wait outside. I’ll bring the tea out.”
“Alright.”
Baek Socheon sat by the window. An attendant explained the situation to the customers, sent them all out without taking payment for the tea, and shut the door. Then the attendant disappeared somewhere as well.
Cheon Geuk prepared tea in the kitchen and brought it out.
“This is a new tea that came in. I saved it for when you returned. It tastes good, and the fragrance is wonderful too.”
Baek Socheon breathed in the aroma and nodded.
“It is.”
“You came back earlier than I expected.”
“He let me go. He thinks he can kill me whenever he wants.”
“That’s a relief.”
“Were you worried?”
“I wasn’t. You’re not someone who’d die there anyway, are you?”
Rather than dying, he had returned after learning even the greatest lightness art of all time.
If Yeom Hwasin had given him the martial manual for Wind God Traverses the Sky, Baek Socheon would have taught it to her as well.
Since Yeom Hwasin might check, Baek Socheon would have had no choice but to teach her. Yet he could not do so now, since Yeom Hwasin believed he had not memorized the martial formula yet.
Once Yeom Hwasin died, Baek Socheon decided he would at least pass this lightness art on to her. After all, he had only managed to obtain the martial manual because of her.
“I’ll be here for a while. I’ve set up the Assassin Alliance headquarters here at Daru.”
“An Assassin Alliance headquarters set up right in front of the Murim Alliance’s main gate. People will be talking about that for generations.”
“Does that make me a historical figure? I like that.”
She smiled, and Baek Socheon smiled with her.
The wind blowing in from outside was quite chilly. Looking at the view beyond the window as it began to wither, she said,
“Winter is coming.”
It would be the last winter before the war.
He had to find a way to stop the war somehow this winter.
There was one swift and certain method.
Kill the Black Heaven Alliance Leader and the Blood Cult Leader.
If only those two died, their respective organizations would fall into internal conflict over their successors.
Of course, unforeseen circumstances could arise. Someone like Yeom Sawon might start a war immediately, claiming he would avenge his father. But that would not be a problem. If Baek Socheon could kill Yeom Hwasin, killing Yeom Sawon would not be difficult either.
There could be other variables as well. Someone from the orthodox faction might argue that they should not miss this chance to strike the Black Heaven Alliance.
“Would you like to meet on the day the first snow falls? It may be our last first snow.”
“Alright. I’d like that.”
Baek Socheon rose from his seat.
“Be careful until then.”
Her reply came from behind him.
“You too.”
Baek Socheon left Daru and headed toward the Alliance.
* * *
Baek Socheon told Ak Sogun and Zhuge Hyeon exactly what had happened in the Black Heaven Alliance.
The two, who had thought he had gone off to train in martial arts, were startled.
“That was far too reckless!”
Zhuge Hyeon still did not know that Baek Socheon had regained his internal energy.
Even Ak Sogun, who did know, scolded Baek Socheon. Zhuge Hyeon’s shock was all the greater.
“Strategist Zhuge is right. You were reckless this time.”
“I apologize.”
Of course, both understood that Baek Socheon had not had much choice.
If he had refused, Baek Socheon’s life might have been in danger. The Black Heaven Alliance Leader had personally come all the way here to ask him, so if Baek Socheon tried to kill him instead, Yeom Hwasin might have borne a grudge.
Zhuge Hyeon lowered his head to Ak Sogun.
“I have no excuse for allowing that bastard to come right up to us.”
Ak Sogun shook his head.
“If a Black Heaven Alliance strike force had infiltrated this place, you would deserve reprimand. But there was nothing to be done if it was the Black Heaven Alliance Leader himself. If he decided to move in secret, no one in the world would know.”
The same was true for Ak Sogun. If he set his mind to it, he could reach the front gate of the Black Heaven Alliance. That was the resolve of those contending for the top of the Martial World Ranking Record.
“Thank you for your generosity.”
“Don’t worry about it.”
Baek Socheon told them, “The Black Heaven Alliance Leader is not someone to be taken lightly. Even after learning that the Blood Cult had planted a gu parasite in him, he accepted an alliance with them.”
Then he shared another piece of information.
“There is a possibility that the Black Heaven Alliance Leader has achieved the Indestructible Vajra Body.”
“What!”
Ak Sogun shot to his feet.
“Are you certain?”
“My instinct tells me it is.”
“This is troubling.”
Ak Sogun dropped back into his chair. If Yeom Hwasin had truly achieved the Indestructible Vajra Body, Ak Sogun was not confident he could kill him.
In this situation, Zhuge Hyeon felt that his own role was crucial.
“I will find a way to drive a wedge between the Black Heaven Alliance and the Blood Cult, no matter what.”
“Please do.”
This time, Baek Socheon brought good news.
“There is one more thing I learned.”
“What is it?”
“From what I saw this time, Yeom Hwasin’s son is someone who cannot hide his temper.”
Baek Socheon had put it kindly, but Zhuge Hyeon understood he meant Yeom Sawon was an utter scoundrel.
“I understand. I will keep it in mind.”
It would surely be useful in the future.
Once their discussion of what lay ahead ended, Ak Sogun said to Zhuge Hyeon, “Could you leave us for a moment?”
“Yes.”
After Zhuge Hyeon left, Ak Sogun told Baek Socheon about On Byeokhwa.
“I see. Congratulations.”
“I’m embarrassed.”
To be honest, Ak Sogun was embarrassed before Baek Socheon. He was over seventy, yet here he was speaking of love. Baek Socheon had not even married yet.
“That is why I want you to become the Secret Pavilion Master again.”
“My current position is fine.”
“It is not fine for me. Besides, that person wishes to step down as Secret Pavilion Master anyway.”
“Then please give me a little more time. I still need more training.”
If he became the Secret Pavilion Master, he would likely draw even more attention from Yeom Hwasin and the Blood Cult.
“I understand what you mean. We will do as you wish.”
“And once we stop this war... I have something I would like to ask of you, Alliance Leader.”
Baek Socheon intended to leave the Murim Alliance for good.
He planned to leave the Alliance and wander freely through the martial world. If he found a place he liked, he would settle there for a while, then shake it all off and leave again. Ak Sogun and Zhuge Hyeon would surely not want to let him go, but Baek Socheon had already made up his mind.
Ak Sogun nodded.
“I also have something to tell you. We shall speak of it then.”
Ak Sogun had made a decision as well. He intended to pass on the position of Murim Alliance Leader to Baek Socheon. He believed there was no one but Baek Socheon who could inherit his position.
As Baek Socheon was about to bow and leave, Ak Sogun handed him a box.
“Here, take this.”
Inside were two Thousand-Year Fleeceflower Roots.
“I cannot keep accepting something so precious.”
“This is as much as I can do for you.”
Even as the Alliance Leader, he could not spend limitless funds on a single person. Besides, these days, obtaining top-grade spiritual medicine was as difficult as plucking stars from the sky.
“I’m sorry to say this, but it is an investment for my sake and the Alliance’s. It is also an investment in the future of this martial world. I’m a bad man, aren’t I?”
“No, Alliance Leader.”
Even without Ak Sogun showing him such consideration, Baek Socheon would not leave the martial world behind while it was in danger. This was a tremendous kindness.
Baek Socheon respectfully accepted the box Ak Sogun offered.
“Thank you.”
After leaving the Alliance Leader’s Hall, Baek Socheon headed toward the Hidden Land of the Heavenly Dragon.
Growing stronger was always welcome, but the burden on his shoulders was growing heavier by the day.
Still, if he could not avoid it, he had no choice but to enjoy it.
That was how he decided to think of it.
It was a trial fate had given him so that he could become stronger.
“Stay strong, Socheon!”
Encouraging himself, Baek Socheon entered the Hidden Land of the Heavenly Dragon.
Footnotes:
Join our discord at https://dsc.gg/wetried
