WeTried Translations

Translator/Editor: Chen

Discord: https://dsc.gg/wetried

◈ The Martial Genius who Remembers Everything ◈

Chapter 10: The Third-Rate Martial Artist Protecting His Sect's Honor (4)

──────

Where had things changed?

In my previous life, Gye Cheolyeong had dragged me to the banquet even without me stepping forward first.

He had wanted to boast about how much more outstanding he was as a lay disciple than the Taeul Sect's true disciples.

What had changed? Was it because I beat Gye Cheolyeong senseless? Because I shut Seong Jutak's mouth?

Would things continue changing like this?

"What are you thinking about?"

As we left the lodgings, Jin Taesan spoke with concern.

"Don't let foolish words wound you."

He was telling me to let whatever they said go in one ear and out the other. But would that solve every problem?

"I was wondering what sort of trap the Iron Sword Sect has prepared."

Seong Moran's face, which had been kind all day, stiffened.

"You think the Iron Sword Sect invited guests only to lay a trap for them?"

"Do you truly know nothing? Or has your acting surpassed your martial arts?"

"Hah. You must have quite an inferiority complex toward the Iron Sword Sect, judging by what you said earlier."

"An inferiority complex?"

Seong Moran's face filled with hostility.

"It's true that the Iron Sword Sect sees the Taeul Sect as a thorn in its side. But wouldn't you understand that if our positions were reversed? That doesn't mean the Iron Sword Sect behaves like petty market swindlers."

"Are you certain of that?"

"...You're crossing a line."

"Let me make a prediction. Before this sixtieth-birthday banquet ends, the Taeul Sect will be dragged out by the Iron Sword Sect and thrown before everyone."

"The Iron Sword Sect isn't that despicable."

"I hope so too."

"..."

Seong Moran did not speak again after that.

The hall Seong Moran led us to was one of the largest.

Unlike the place where we had eaten, large tables stood far apart inside. People sat here and there, elegantly enjoying their drinks.

"Oh! Miss Moran!"

The men seated at the tables all rose at once and began making room.

Seong Moran watched them impassively before saying, "This is Young Master Jin Sowoon of the Taeul Sect."

She introduced me naturally, and I greeted them with a cupped-fist salute. Few returned it.

The ones who at least nodded were decent enough. Others kept speaking to Seong Moran as though they had no interest in me.

Seong Moran headed toward two empty seats, but I left her and sat beside Saryeon, who was seated next to Gye Cheolyeong.

"Why sit here when there are more spacious seats?"

"Someone needs to protect Saryeon from people who get drunk and make a scene."

"Did it not occur to you that I am sitting beside her to protect her?"

"If you intended to protect her, would you have thought to summon Saryeon so late at night?"

"You little..."

Gye Cheolyeong's face turned red, then pale. Saryeon, who had been sitting beside him with a rigid expression, spoke quietly.

"Why are you here?"

"Then why are you here?"

"I came in your place because I was worried you'd cause trouble if you came. The Gwaehwa Hall Lord told you to behave yourself."

"When have I ever caused trouble?"

For some reason, Saryeon stifled a laugh at my harmless words.

"It seems the Taeul Sect's fellow disciples treat one another without much formality."

A man dressed extravagantly in jade-colored silk said this mockingly.

I had met Gong Chusim of Mansu Manor in my previous life.

"We observe etiquette strictly, but we aren't overly formal with one another."

"Many people mistake a lack of etiquette for informality."

Gong Chusim spoke while trying to meet the eyes of the women around him. He wanted their agreement, but none of them met his gaze.

"People don't call a father and son rude simply because they speak comfortably to one another. Nor do they call someone courteous simply because they demand etiquette from a stranger they have just met."

"..."

At my reply, some of the women stifled their laughter.

"Besides, I have to wonder whether someone who cannot even return a cupped-fist salute to a stranger has any right to speak of proper etiquette."

Even the women trying to hold back burst into laughter, and Gong Chusim's face turned bright red.

The expressions of the men seated around us began to change.

They exchanged looks and started setting down their cups.

'Is this where it begins?'

The same thing had happened in my previous life.

Back then, all my attention had been on Namgung San, so I had not understood what it meant.

I gave them time to make their move as I looked at Namgung San.

Namgung San, the Heaven-Opening Divine Dragon, was the eldest son of the Namgung Clan and a member of the Dragon-Phoenix Association. He was called one of Anhui Province's Hidden Dragons.

That also meant he had the greatest influence in this room.

You could tell from the fact that even the Bloody Wolf Iron Sword, who was difficult to distinguish from that unruly bastard, was putting on an uncharacteristically dignified act.

"Come to think of it, it is quite strange. I know the Gyerong Merchant Group has had close ties with the Iron Sword Sect since ancient times, yet you ultimately joined the Taeul Sect. The prestige of the One Hundred Eight Peaks must be remarkable."

"..."

Ouyang Sa, the Bamboo Salt Young Master of Green Bamboo Fort, was the man who had picked a fight with us earlier that day.

After glancing at Seong Mohyeon, he continued.

"In truth, we're in a similar situation, but isn't the selection standard for the One Hundred Eight Peaks rather vague? With such an outstanding orthodox sect as the Iron Sword Sect in Hefei, the fact that the Taeul Sect remains among the One Hundred Eight Peaks makes it seem the Martial Alliance still has a long way to go."

Before Ouyang Sa had even finished, the other men began agreeing with him.

"That is true. The Martial Alliance needs to wake up. How much tyranny do unqualified sects commit beneath the title of the One Hundred Eight Peaks?"

"Exactly."

Every time they spoke, they looked toward Seong Mohyeon. It seemed he had coached them well.

Seong Mohyeon, meanwhile, continued drinking as though it had nothing to do with him.

"The Taeul Sect is present. All of you should restrain yourselves."

Seong Moran spoke coldly, looking flustered, but no one feared her.

They had probably already received Seong Mohyeon's permission.

"To be honest, Miss Moran, don't you feel this is a little unfair too? Across all of Anhui Province, every rising young talent has gathered in the Namgung Clan and Iron Sword Sect. Yet the Taeul Sect gets to enter the Martial Arts Academy without difficulty. I think that should change."

"That's right."

"Do you know how many talents die every time they apply to the Martial Arts Academy?"

As everyone nodded, Saryeon's expression darkened further.

"Let's hear the Taeul Sect's position as well."

At Ouyang Sa's urging, Seong Moran cut in again.

"Stop this. They are guests here."

She was too clever not to realize that the mood in this room revolved around Seong Mohyeon.

Seong Mohyeon was not enough of a scoundrel to cause trouble alone at his grandfather's sixtieth-birthday banquet, so this meant he had already discussed it with the other higher-ups.

Seong Moran earnestly defended me, believing her sect could not be so shameless.

Yes, it could. Your sect had always been like this.

"Moran. Stop interrupting. Isn't this gathering meant for constructive discussion?"

Seong Mohyeon, who had been pretending to be dignified while drinking, frowned as he spoke. Seong Moran answered with an incredulous look.

"You call this constructive?"

Since she had been excluded from the sect's major and minor affairs because she was a woman, she probably did not know the full story.

"Let's hear what the Taeul Sect has to say."

Saryeon tried to speak at Seong Mohyeon's words, but the words would not come easily.

I set down the chicken in my hand and spoke in Saryeon's place.

"I agree with that opinion. A pond can only remain clear when fresh water flows into it."

Namgung San, who had been drinking, set down his cup for a moment.

"Oh? Then the Taeul Sect agrees that the Iron Sword Sect of Hefei should enter the One Hundred Eight Peaks."

Ouyang Sa spoke mockingly. I immediately searched my memories of the Mantong Office archives for information about Green Bamboo Fort.

The Mantong Office also had an organization that gathered information on sects throughout the martial world. Green Bamboo Fort had suffered many turbulent events, and its records had been updated relatively recently, so it did not take long to find what I needed.

"Of course, that is assuming the fresh water is clean."

"What?"

"For example, Green Bamboo Fort here. Green Bamboo Fort is a rising power in Anhui Province and should have entered the One Hundred Eight Peaks long ago. Yet why hasn't it?"

"Because the existing One Hundred Eight Peaks have been groveling before the Martial Alliance."

The men all burst into laughter at Ouyang Sa's words.

"I doubt it. If the Martial Alliance were such a worthless organization, it would have fallen apart long ago."

"Then you're saying there's a reason our Green Bamboo Fort cannot enter the One Hundred Eight Peaks?"

"The Green Bamboo Blood Incident, sixty years ago."

"..."

The people seated around us tilted their heads, as though they did not understand.

Well, it had happened before they were born, and Green Bamboo Fort had desperately suppressed the rumors.

"Do none of you know? Brothers of Green Bamboo Fort drew swords against one another over succession."

The noisy hall fell silent in an instant, as though someone had thrown cold water over it.

"To be exact, the fort lord's second son, who could not inherit the sect, harbored evil intentions, killed his elder brother, and took the position of fort lord. Half of Green Bamboo Fort's martial artists died in the process."

"You bastard!"

Crash!

Gu Jeonggi, Ouyang Sa's grandfather, had killed his elder brother and become fort lord.

To eliminate future trouble, he had killed his brother's descendants and everyone who followed him.

The ridiculous part was that Green Bamboo Fort had returned to primogeniture afterward.

It was one of the stains Green Bamboo Fort hated most.

"Green Bamboo Fort is an excellent and powerful sect. But if you asked me to entrust my back to Green Bamboo Fort in a battle against the unorthodox factions... Well, even if it meant going onto the battlefield alone, I would refuse. Wouldn't the Martial Alliance also feel uneasy about accepting such people as blood allies?"

"Come out! Do you think you can insult Green Bamboo Fort and walk away alive?"

"Look at this. I stated my opinion, and now he wants to draw his sword."

Ouyang Sa's face was so red it looked ready to burst.

"The One Hundred Eight Peaks are not fixed forever, and the Martial Alliance does not simply leave stagnant sects in place. If you are dissatisfied with that, perhaps the problem is not the system but your inability to see your own faults properly."

"I'll kill you!"

As Ouyang Sa tried to rush at me, Seong Moran rose and struck his paralysis acupoint from behind.

The sudden turn of events threw the hall into complete chaos.

"...What do you think you are doing? Ouyang Sa of Green Bamboo Fort is a guest invited by the Iron Sword Sect. Are you disregarding the Iron Sword Sect?"

Seong Mohyeon, who had been stunned silent, spoke coldly. I answered in disbelief.

"Are we from the Taeul Sect uninvited intruders who came to ruin the Iron Sword Sect's banquet?"

"..."

"You forced the Taeul Sect, which did not even wish to come, to attend through the Gyerong Merchant Group, and now you insult us. Is this how the Iron Sword Sect treats its guests?"

"W-what...!"

Seong Mohyeon and everyone who had conspired with him showed hostility, but there was nothing they could do.

Anyone could see that the Iron Sword Sect and its group had started this. Namgung San of the Namgung Clan, an insurmountable wall, was sitting right there, making it difficult to suppress us by force.

"...How dare you insult the Iron Sword Sect in the Iron Sword Sect's own home?"

"Pfft."

After thinking for so long, Seong Mohyeon had only managed to spit out something so absurd that I could not stop myself from laughing.

Just look at Seong Moran's utterly bewildered expression.

"You bastard!"

Seong Mohyeon slammed his hand down on the table, his face red as a ripe persimmon.

The food atop the table jumped a handspan into the air.

"If you were going to act so disgracefully, you should have simply challenged us to a friendly spar. At least then you could have proven that the Iron Sword Sect is stronger than the Taeul Sect."

A lack of logic often brought out anger.

"How dare you! Do you think you can say such things in the Iron Sword Sect and leave unharmed?"

"Ah! Did you think a friendly spar would be insufficient if your goal was to humiliate us, find a pretext to beat us, and strip the Taeul Sect of its place among the One Hundred Eight Peaks?"

"..."

The mood had become a complete disaster, beyond saving.

Seong Mohyeon tried somehow to resolve the situation, but it was impossible. I had clearly refused to play along with their game.

"...Whatever the reason, you have disgraced the Iron Sword Sect. I challenge you to a duel."

"..."

Seong Moran's expression was grim.

She had realized Seong Mohyeon had made a terrible move.

"Ha ha ha ha ha ha ha!"

"..."

The people in the hall who had looked at us with contempt now held an unfamiliar fear in their eyes. It was not unpleasant.

I abruptly stopped laughing and looked straight at Seong Moran.

"In the end, I was right, wasn't I?"

"..."

Seong Moran could not bring herself to raise her head.

"Tomorrow at noon, how about the Central Training Ground? The banquet will be at its height, so the greatest number of people will come."

Seong Mohyeon ground his teeth. "...Fine."

When I rose from my seat, Saryeon followed me. Gye Cheolyeong remained seated without moving, as though making it clear he had nothing to do with us.

"Come to think of it, considering the Central Training Ground has not been set with banquet tables despite the crowd, it seems the Iron Sword Sect foresaw a bloody fight at this sixtieth-birthday banquet."

"..."

Everyone fell silent and looked at Seong Mohyeon.

* * *

Namgung San did not move.

No, he only watched calmly while drinking, as though it had nothing to do with him.

A fight over the One Hundred Eight Peaks was ultimately a squabble among lesser people over their rice bowls.

He must have thought it had nothing to do with his side. Still, it was strange that he had not said a single word. Even if he had attended due to friendship, was he not being too cold?

"What on earth are you thinking?"

Saryeon's face had gone pale.

"So... should I have endured them insulting the Sect Leader and the Taeul Sect?"

"But..."

"Even if I had endured it, it would not have ended tonight. We had to stay here for several more days, and we would have been insulted again tomorrow and the day after that."

In the end, I had exploded on the third day in my previous life, so this had been inevitable. It was not my fault anyway, but I still comforted Saryeon so she would not worry.

"Don't worry. Once I take a good beating, it will all be settled neatly."

I patted Saryeon's head. When younger, Saryeon had liked being patted on the head.

"...Don't."

"I said it was going to happen anyway."

"Don't mess up my hair..."

Now that I noticed, Saryeon's neatly combed hair had become a little disheveled beneath my hand.

"Ah, I'm sorry about that."

Saryeon suddenly lowered her head, shoulders trembling.

"Huh? A-are you crying?"

I tried to fix her disheveled hair, but Saryeon still would not look up.

"D-don't cry. Look, it's back to how it was."

"I said don't... Seriously..."

Saryeon finally sobbed and buried herself in my chest.

My shoulder quickly became damp.

"I-I said I was sorry."

Maybe it was because Saryeon had reached adolescence, but Saryeon's emotional changes were harder to predict than the Iron Sword Sect's schemes.

Footnotes:

Join our discord at https://dsc.gg/wetried