WeTried Translations

Translator/Editor: Chen

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◈ The Martial Genius who Remembers Everything ◈

Chapter 104: The Grand Journey Through Hellish Chaos (3)

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During my time in the Sojeong Unit, we were desperate.

Most of the missions the Martial Alliance originally assigned to the Sojeong Unit were either on the very front lines of battle or bait missions meant to draw the Demonic Cult's attention.

But we made survival our highest priority. To escape the grasp of opponents we could not match strategically, we used every means available to us.

The floodwaters at Mount Jindan were one such method. Terraced reservoirs had been built along the mountain's ridges.

Each reservoir was small, but if they were all breached at once, they could fill an entire valley in an instant.

In my previous life, I had once driven off the Blood Demon Ghost Sword Unit with this tactic while they were pursuing me.

"This is impossible!"

I used the Peerless Wanderer Divine Art and flew toward Hyeonsu in an instant.

"You!"

Hyeonsu spotted me amid his shock, gritted his teeth, and swung his sword. Yet there was no way a sword swung so suddenly could carry its full force.

Clang!

His sword flew from his hand, and I struck his unguarded paralysis acupoint.

"I am Hyeonsu of Wudang..."

He seemed to be trying to say something, but I did not wait to hear it. I filled my fist with internal energy and struck his dantian.

Thud!

"Urgh!"

I sent Hyeonsu hurtling into the torrent faster than I had flown toward him.

Splash!

The other Wudang Sect Daoists were just as confused as Hyeonsu.

"What is that?!"

"A formation? Why is there a flood in a place like this?"

"R-run!"

"No! If it's a formation, we can't run from it!"

The Wudang Daoists wavered between fleeing and standing their ground, then ultimately chose not to move.

"Urgh!"

"Gurgle."

"Fuck! It's real!"

The rocks and trees we had piled up above the valley were swept away by the torrent, crashing madly down from the cliffs.

The Wudang Sect Daoists were struck by rocks and trees alike, unable to regain their bearings.

Once the torrent passed, the Wudang Daoists were too busy gasping for breath.

That was when our attack began.

"Throw!"

Our unit members and martial artists, who had taken refuge in the trees above the valley, lifted nearby boulders and mercilessly hurled them at the Daoists.

"Urgh."

"Damn it! Someone watch above us!"

"Run!"

I leaped down alongside the falling boulders and threw myself at Hyeonmyeong, Hyeonhyang, and Hyeonjin in turn.

Clang!

"How can you do something like this..."

Thud!

I knocked aside the sword, struck the paralysis acupoint, then drove a straight punch into the dantian.

A blow of that magnitude to the dantian would require at least a month of recovery.

By then, the Martial Arts Academy regular examination would be over.

After beating every examinee into a pulp, I immediately used the Peerless Wanderer Divine Art and shot back up the valley.

"What kind of movement art is that? It's like you appear and disappear out of nowhere."

Seong Moran, who had been throwing boulders the size of heads, stared at me with wide eyes.

"It's time to go."

"You mean it's time to run away?"

"Yes."

We had worked alongside the Namgung Clan and Iron Sword Sect for long enough that we did not need many words to coordinate.

"Won't Wudang keep pursuing us?"

Seong Moran sounded regretful that she had not been able to throw the last boulder in her hand.

"The plan worked better than expected."

Half their force had been injured by the reservoir water and falling rocks.

On top of that, those in the rear were still wondering whether the water that had poured into the valley might be part of a formation.

For people who had never studied formations, being trapped in one was more frightening than they might think.

Even the Blood Demon Ghost Sword Unit had hesitated to move forward. There was no way these Daoists would charge in blindly.

"But why did you suddenly go down into the valley?"

Namgung Seonhwa, who had followed me up, asked the question. Seong Moran nodded as if she had been wondering the same thing.

"We need to collect the spoils of war, don't we?"

"Spoils of war?"

I handed two Academy Admission Tokens each to Namgung Seonhwa and Seong Moran.

The two stared at me in disbelief after receiving the Gate I and Gate II Tokens I had taken from the Wudang Sect Daoists.

"Wouldn't you feel wronged if someone pursued you for no reason too?"

"......"

Namgung Seonhwa said nothing.

"You're insane. Seriously..."

Seong Moran clicked her tongue.

#

"Young Master, what are you learning?"

Baek Wongak could not hide their bewilderment.

"It's a sword formation that Brother Sowoon personally refined."

Baek Wongak thought, Of course.

If it involved Jin Sowoon, Moyong Jaehwa would want to do it. Otherwise, why would the young master, who usually neglected even the clan's sword arts, be learning a sword formation when he barely had time to sleep?

Is this something to be pleased about...?

Moyong Jaehwa seemed ready to follow anything Jin Sowoon did without question.

Even as Baek Wongak watched him show such enthusiasm for martial arts, they could not decide whether to be pleased or worried.

Moyong Jaehwa had never liked swordsmanship much as a child.

Although he was the eldest son who would one day lead the Moyong Clan, he spent more time learning miscellaneous arts than practicing the sword.

Ordinarily, it might have been fortunate that he had not sunk into wine, women, and gambling like the wayward children of prestigious clans. But that could not be said when his sister was Moyong Seol.

She had developed her own dantian using the Breath-Absorbing Method taught to her for her health, then watched the clan warriors train and learned swordsmanship by herself. Compared to her, Moyong Jaehwa had always seemed far too carefree.

When he said he would not take the Martial Arts Academy regular examination, Jincheon Pavilion had been thrown into chaos. The Clan Head, the Wind-Splitting Sword himself, had even gone looking for Moyong Jaehwa with a club in hand.

It was an open opinion within the clan that things would have been far better if Moyong Seol and Moyong Jaehwa had been born with their genders reversed.

Had it been after he returned from being dragged along on the Clan Head's peculiar expedition? From then on, Moyong Jaehwa began to change little by little.

He made time to practice swordsmanship himself and even came on his own initiative to spar with the Moyong Clan warriors.

He still practiced miscellaneous arts alone, but the sight of him seriously considering the sword and training diligently could not help but make everyone in the clan proud.

Still, he spoke about Jin Sowoon and the Taeul Sect every day. He would sometimes say that he wanted to join the Taeul Sect as a lay disciple, which gave everyone in the clan a fright.

He's the hero in the young master's heart.

Didn't everyone carry a hero in their heart when they were young? For Moyong Jaehwa, that hero was Jin Sowoon.

Baek Wongak had been deeply disappointed when Moyong Jaehwa first said he wanted to give up his own examination and join Jin Sowoon's group. But he admitted that he was not skilled enough to seize a Gate III Token, and said it would be shameful for the eldest son of the Moyong Clan not to do even this much for the man who had saved his father's life.

In the end, they had no choice but to agree.

"Learning martial arts has been so much fun lately."

Whenever Baek Wongak saw the young master's bright smile, they thought it would be fine even if the Clan Head or the Young Clan Head scolded them later.

Life was long.

Even if he failed to enter the Martial Arts Academy, he would still be the Moyong Clan's eldest son. If this allowed him to grow further, that would be good too.

Still, was the White Tiger Sword Formation really necessary?

"Young Master, haven't you already learned the clan's excellent Central Wave Blazing Sword Formation? You should get at least a little sleep now."

"The Namgung Clan and Iron Sword Sect warriors have all learned it too."

"That? Why would they?"

"They said learning it means you can eat hot meals."

"Who said that?"

"The Changgung Unit Leader of the Namgung Clan."

Baek Wongak had interacted with Gang Seopyo during their compulsory service in the Martial Alliance. Gang Seopyo had seemed like a serious, careful person with a solid presence, yet had made such a pointless joke to the innocent young master.

"I didn't think Gang Seopyo was that kind of person. What nonsense."

Baek Wongak clicked their tongue, but it did not take long to learn that it was not a joke.

Five days later, the carriages finally stopped. Jin Sowoon gave them a full hour to eat, and everyone was rejoicing at the thought of cooking even warm porridge instead of eating only dry rations and jerky.

"Ambush!"

Just as someone was about to lift a spoonful of porridge, roughly flavored with softened jerky, to their mouth, those damned pursuers rushed in from every direction.

The enraged Moyong Clan warriors drove them back with everything they had. Thankfully, they suffered no losses, but when they returned to the meal site, they could not hide their despair.

"My food...!"

"Goddamn it!"

The pot had tipped over during the melee, mixing the white porridge with dirt.

"See? I told you that learning it would let you eat hot meals."

When Baek Wongak turned around, Moyong Jaehwa was eating hot porridge with Geumpyo and the others.

"......"

It was not just Moyong Jaehwa. The porridge of the Namgung Clan and Iron Sword Sect warriors was completely intact. Only the Moyong Clan's porridge had been mixed with dirt.

"......"

"Are you all right?"

Gang Seopyo and Choe Mubin approached, each carrying a half-full pot.

"Why was only our clan's pot overturned?"

"Well, that's only natural. We used the White Tiger Sword Formation as a guard formation and made protecting the food our first priority."

"......"

Baek Wongak nearly blurted out, You learned a guard formation for the sake of food? But the sight of steam rising from the porridge made them swallow the words.

From that day onward, the Moyong Clan warriors gave up even their brief rests to learn the White Tiger Sword Formation.

###

"W-we made it!"

"I actually made it! Buddha! Jade Emperor! Supreme Lord Lao, thank you!"

As soon as Jin Sowoon's group arrived at the Changgung Merchant Group in Zhengzhou, they collapsed in the Grand Training Ground.

The merchant group staff had heard that the Namgung Clan, Moyong Clan, and Iron Sword Sect were coming, so they had expected to see proud and imposing martial artists. Instead, they were left dumbfounded by the sight of people who looked like a defeated army.

"......"

"Branch Manager, it's been a while, hasn't it?"

"Lady Seonhwa... It seems you have suffered greatly..."

"Right? I heard Brother San wasn't like this."

"Y-yes. There is a very, very large difference."

"Haha."

"We prepared a feast after hearing that you were coming, but..."

The branch manager glanced at the martial artists lying spread-eagled across the Grand Training Ground, looking as though they could not move even an inch.

"If it's all right, could you have it prepared here? None of us have slept even once. We've been running for an entire week."

"Good heavens... I did wonder why you arrived so quickly, but you haven't slept for even a day?"

"That's right."

The shocked branch manager immediately had the staff prepare food in the Grand Training Ground.

Pots were set over fires, and food sizzled on their lids. One by one, those who had collapsed rose and began shoveling food into their mouths.

"Are they Beggar Sect disciples or warriors of the Five Great Clans...?"

"Shh, be quiet."

The staff had expected elite warriors of the Five Great Clans. The primitive sight before them was enough to make even the Beggar Sect seem refined by comparison.

"What exactly happened?"

"It's a long story..."

Namgung Seonhwa's eyes were drooping as she spoke.

"Ah, I've talked too long. You should rest first."

"Yes... And..."

"Please, go ahead."

"Could you bring food to our rooms too?"

"...Ah, of course."

After Namgung Seonhwa and Seong Moran returned to their rooms, they did the same as the other martial artists. They ate, collapsed, woke up, practiced qi-regulating breathing, ate again, and collapsed again.

"I finally feel like I've recovered my senses."

"Tell me about it. On the last day, I must have thought ten thousand times that it would be better to give up the examination."

"...I thought the same."

Being born as daughters of prestigious clans did not mean they had never endured hardship.

If anything, as daughters of martial families, they had undergone grueling training from childhood that ordinary girls their own age would never experience.

Yet they had been pushed far beyond their limits, enough to shatter all their former pride.

Still, they could avoid feeling ashamed because even male martial artists nearing thirty had struggled just as much.

"...Can we really keep going?"

Once they finished resting and preparing, they would have to leave again. Over the next month, they would experience what they had endured during the past seven days all over again.

"I wonder if we're only getting in the way..."

Namgung Seonhwa spoke hesitantly, and Seong Moran unconsciously nodded.

For some reason, Jin Sowoon was barely any different from when they had left Nanyue.

He even took watches and conducted searches in place of others. During meals, he would go far away to keep watch alone.

For the Great Journey, people generally chose one of two methods. They either moved secretly with a small elite force or traveled as a group.

But with Namgung Seonhwa and Seong Moran joining him, Jin Sowoon seemed to have ended up caught awkwardly between the two.

They had joined to help Jin Sowoon and the Taeul Sect, but now they were clearly becoming a burden to him.

"Should we ask him to split up and move separately, even now?"

"......"

Namgung Seonhwa spoke, but Seong Moran did not answer.

If they separated from Jin Sowoon now, there was a high chance they would fail to complete the Great Journey.

Knowing that, Namgung Seonhwa could not press Seong Moran for an answer.

While the two remained silent, a maid knocked on the door.

"Lady Seonhwa, you have visitors."

"Visitors?"

#

Twenty Moyong Clan warriors had collapsed.

None of them had suffered serious injuries, but they had been moving so frantically that they did not even realize they were wounded. They neglected those wounds, and their conditions worsened.

"What should we do, Brother?"

Moyong Jaehwa lowered his head as if he had committed some terrible crime.

"Of course they need to rest. If they die while helping us, how could I face Elder Wind-Splitting Sword?"

"...I'm sorry."

"This is not something you should apologize for. Instead, check carefully to see whether the other warriors have been injured too."

"All right."

Moyong Jaehwa ran off to examine the Moyong Clan warriors. Then Namgung Seonhwa and Seong Moran approached me.

They had washed up and changed into clean clothes, making them look completely different from the day before.

Yet Namgung Seonhwa kept staring at me.

"What is it?"

"Young Master Jin, did you sleep?"

"Yes, I did."

I had slept for about four hours the night before. I could not sleep any longer because I had to review the new information sent by the Hao Sect that morning.

"You didn't sleep properly again because you were checking information, did you?"

A pursuit was a battle of information.

Knowing the enemy's movements was more important than running well.

After spending the last week eating and sleeping alongside me, the two of them had begun to understand my routine perfectly.

Seong Moran let out a long sigh.

"So, how does it look?"

"Not good."

I answered honestly.

Even crossing one province was far more difficult than ordinary escort work.

The only thing we could do was keep moving without rest, as we had done to reach Zhengzhou. But I was not sure whether everyone could endure it.

"......"

Perhaps my words had burdened them unnecessarily, so I smiled.

"Don't worry. There are plenty of ways."

Even after I said that, neither of them looked much brighter.

Namgung Seonhwa hesitated for a long time, looking as if she had something to say. Finally, she spoke.

"There are people who want to meet Young Master Jin."

"Me?"

I could not think of who would want to meet me at this point. There was no chance they had found companions in Zhengzhou whom we had failed to recruit in Nanyue.

"You know about the Twelve Peak Alliance, right?"

"...?"

The Twelve Peak Alliance was the strongest alliance of sects among the One Hundred Eight Peaks.

"They want to meet Young Master Jin."

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