WeTried Translations
Translator/Editor: Chen
Discord: https://dsc.gg/wetried
◈ The Martial Genius who Remembers Everything ◈
Chapter 105: The Grand Journey Through Hellish Chaos (4)
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“You look... very tired.”
At Wang Geumsan’s words, Jin Taesan started and touched his face. Was he really in that bad a state?
“You look just like a giant panda.”
“...”
Now that he thought about it, the shadows beneath his eyes had been growing darker by the day.
It was good that the merchant group was gradually getting organized and bringing in more money, but he could not help feeling drained when he considered how much he had been worked to the bone in return.
“But... Estate Lord, you don't look much better yourself...”
Jin Taesan took in Wang Geumsan’s appearance as well. Unlike him, Wang Geumsan wore silk robes and a golden belt, yet he looked painfully thin.
“...You're right. Both of us have suffered no small hardship because of our excellent children.”
A bitter smile touched Wang Geumsan’s lips.
Had Wang Soso’s talent for business truly been that remarkable?
Rumor had it that the Wang Family Estate’s influence in Shaanxi, Gansu, and Qinghai had doubled. It had recently opened new trade routes with the Western Regions, greatly increasing the tribute goods supplied to Beijing. People even said it was making enough money to build buildings out of gold.
“Am I interrupting something?”
Jin Taesan tilted his head at Wang Geumsan’s words.
Whether one belonged to the martial world or held an official post, Wang Geumsan was someone everyone wished to meet. It was difficult to understand why such a man spoke as though he were gauging the mood of a mere Outer Hall Lord from a small sect.
“What are you saying? I wanted to ask you for advice as well, Estate Lord, but I kept putting it off because I thought you would be busy.”
“Ha ha, they say like minds meet. What a relief.”
“Yes. If you ever need anything, please summon me rather than coming all this way yourself. I will come to you personally whenever you wish.”
Wang Geumsan was a man who had given immense sponsorship funds without ever seeking credit for it.
He had helped greatly with developing the iron ore mine, and that was not even mentioning the merchant group. Had he not recently held a modest celebration because Taeul Sect disciples had cleared the third gate?
From Jin Taesan’s perspective, Wang Geumsan was someone he should have welcomed with open arms.
“The reason I came is Soso.”
“Hmm? Is she having trouble at Taeul Sect?”
As far as Jin Taesan knew, Wang Soso already had the children of Taeul Sect firmly in hand. He did not know how she managed it, but unlike with Gye Cheolyeong, there was not a single child who did not follow Wang Soso.
Even Jegal Cheongi, who had recently joined as a lay disciple, and Yuseong, who had gone to the Moyong Clan as an exchange disciple, followed Wang Soso as they would their hall lord.
“No, it is not that. I noticed traces in her movements that suggested she had learned martial arts.”
“Ah...!”
“Do you know something?”
“It is probably because of the Taeul True Scripture.”
“The Taeul True Scripture... You mean the legacy of the Taeul Sword Emperor that was found recently?”
“Yes.”
“Is that safe?”
Because of her illness, Wang Soso could not learn any martial art other than the Taeul Mind Method. If her internal energy became muddled, the nature of her Solar Yang Physique would emerge once more.
“You need not worry. The Taeul True Scripture can be considered a more advanced version of the Taeul Mind Method. Since it is such a profound art, it will make the internal energy in her dantian even purer.”
“Heh heh...”
Wang Geumsan wore a complicated expression.
He looked as though he did not know whether he should be happy or not.
Jin Taesan continued with an apologetic expression.
“I am sorry. I should have told you beforehand so you would not worry, but no one in the sect thought of it.”
“No, it is all right. The fact that you forgot to mention it means there was no problem worth mentioning. Still, does that martial art include footwork that leaves afterimages?”
“Afterimages...?”
“When my child moves, her trail remains behind her.”
It sounded like the Taeul Eighty Thousand Divine Steps. Had her mastery already risen enough for her to leave afterimages?
“Good heavens...”
“W-Why is that?”
Seeing Wang Geumsan’s alarm, Jin Taesan quickly hid his expression.
“Your daughter possesses more than just talent for business.”
Gang Chaeseok, the lord of Taegwang Hall, was said to be the only one who left afterimages when using the Taeul Eighty Thousand Divine Steps. Considering that even Sect Leader Hong Mungi did not leave afterimages while using that footwork, Wang Soso’s mastery had to be greater than Hong Mungi’s.
“Congratulations. You truly have an extraordinary daughter.”
“Heh heh... Well...”
Wang Geumsan’s lips twitched as he failed to hide his smile.
“It is all thanks to Taeul Sect’s excellent teachings.”
Jin Taesan swallowed the words, We have not even mastered it ourselves yet.
“What did you wish to see me about, Outer Hall Lord?”
“Ah, right. As we begin operating the merchant group in earnest, I have been giving much thought to how we should organize our trade caravans. Taeul Sect is currently closing its gates, so we cannot handle the escort work ourselves.”
“Hmm... You could hire an escort agency, then assign one or two guards and raise a flag to show that it is a caravan of Taeul Sect.”
“I have also been thinking positively about identifying the caravan as belonging to Taeul Sect later on, but would it not be too early to raise a flag now?”
Wang Geumsan looked as though he could not understand what Jin Taesan meant.
“Why would there be any reason to wait? If you raised the flag now, even the escort agencies might charge lower fees.”
“What?”
Why would an escort agency charge less simply because it was Taeul Sect?
“Did Jin Sowoon not clear the third gate with his junior martial brothers?”
“T-That is true.”
In truth, even after hearing the rumors, Jin Taesan still wondered whether they were real. When Jin Sowoon had left to take the examination, he had shown determination in one way or another, but Jin Taesan had thought they were only words.
How could disciples from an insignificant sect like Taeul Sect take the Martial Arts Academy regular examination without any support from their sect?
Yet somehow, they had cleared the third gate, and only the Great Journey remained.
Still, what did clearing the third gate have to do with lower escort fees?
“Surely... you did not know?”
“Know what?”
“Well... They say that wherever your son goes, the corpses of those who interfere pile up like mountains and blood flows like seas, so people call him the Black Flame Dragon of the mountain of corpses and sea of blood.”
“...”
A mountain of corpses and sea of blood? The Black Flame Dragon of the mountain of corpses and sea of blood?
It was over.
Anyone who heard that would think he was a Black Path madman crazed by blood. Taeul Sect had only just begun to grow and earn recognition as a proper sect, yet now its very roots would be questioned before it could even begin.
“Ah, of course, storytellers have embellished matters because they like to talk, but when you consider how martial artists across the martial world fear Taeul Sect after Wudang Sect was left half-ruined, I believe raising the flag would be perfectly fine.”
“...”
Wang Geumsan could not understand Jin Taesan’s grim expression.
Frankly, was it not better for a martial sect to inspire fear rather than be seen as easy prey?
Or was Jin Taesan worried about placing all of Taeul Sect’s burden on his son, Jin Sowoon? Come to think of it, Jin Sowoon had done far too much for Taeul Sect already.
“Did Taeul Sect not participate with only four people? Because of that, the Geum-Eun-Dong brothers have even gained the epithet Black-Blood Three Dragons.”
“Urk! Cough!”
He had spoken in an attempt to salvage the situation, but Jin Taesan’s face grew paler still.
He looked ready to faint if Wang Geumsan said anything more.
Realizing that something had gone wrong, Wang Geumsan hurriedly changed the subject.
“A-Anyway, saving on escort fees would be a good thing, would it not?”
“...”
Jin Taesan’s gaze, which had been full of goodwill, somehow seemed to have turned cold.
‘I cannot bring it up at all.’
Wang Geumsan had come all the way to Hefei to casually ask what Jin Taesan thought of taking in a live-in son-in-law, but he would be returning empty-handed.
#
“You must be the Black Flame Dragon, the eldest senior martial brother of the Black-Blood Three Dragons. It is a pleasure to meet you.”
“...”
I tilted my head at the epithet that felt full of malice despite the friendly smile.
The Black-Blood Three Dragons?
What kind of horrifying epithet was that?
If they replaced Dragon with Hound, it would immediately bring to mind Black Path lunatics crazed by blood.
“Ah, it is the epithet for the Geum-Eun-Dong brothers.”
Namgung Seonhwa quietly explained, and I frowned without meaning to.
Black-Blood, for kids who had not even reached twenty yet? Were they insane? Which bastard had deliberately given only Taeul Sect disciples such malicious epithets?
“Ha ha ha, Great Hero Black Flame Dragon must have been so focused on the examination that you have not kept up with worldly news.”
“Ha ha ha ha.”
“Ho ho ho ho.”
The tall young man in golden robes laughed, and the seven men and women seated with him in a variety of outfits smiled as well.
The Twelve Peak Alliance.
Disciples from eight of its sects had come to the Changgung Merchant Group to find me.
“...”
When I stared blankly at them as they laughed without knowing what I was thinking, they quickly composed themselves.
“My introduction is late...”
“Cheol Sunjik of the Jukhyeon Sect.”
“!”
When I casually spoke his name, a strange light entered his eyes.
My finger pointed in turn at the large man behind him and the others.
“Nam Hwaseong of the Samwon Sect, Ha Yeongyeong of the Cheongeom Sect, Sang Muhon of the Seocheon Sect...”
After I identified all eight of them, everyone in the room could not hide their surprise.
“How... do you know us all...?”
Though they were elite disciples of the Twelve Peak Alliance, they had not been active in the martial world until now. Naturally, they could not help being surprised that I knew who they were.
“So they had been together from this point onward...”
“Pardon?”
“It is nothing. Why did you ask to see me?”
Not only Cheol Sunjik, but Namgung Seonhwa and Seong Moran also looked as though they were dying of curiosity. Even if I told them, they would not believe me.
“Ahem... In any case, disciples of Bifung Sect and Ghost Bow Sect will also join us, and we intend to head to Wuhan.”
“I see.”
Once ten elite disciples of the Twelve Peak Alliance gathered, the force moving with them would number at least eight hundred people.
It was a force so large that no sane person would even consider provoking it.
For us, whose group was on the verge of being halved, it was an enviable situation.
If they had come simply to build ties because they considered themselves as good as having passed the examination, I would not mind cracking their heads open.
Cheol Sunjik looked at Namgung Seonhwa and Seong Moran before speaking.
“My apologies to you two young ladies, but could we speak among ourselves for a moment?”
It seemed my uneasy expectation had proven correct.
If they had come to discuss the examination, there would be no reason to send Namgung Seonhwa and Seong Moran away.
“...Pardon? Ah...”
“...”
As Namgung Seonhwa and Seong Moran rose from their seats with bewildered expressions, I spoke.
“These two have been with me, and they will continue to be. If this concerns the examination rather than a private conversation, there is no reason they should not hear it with me.”
“...”
“Young Master Jin, we are fine.”
“We will wait outside.”
Unlike usual, I ignored their opinions. It was the right thing to do now.
“Please sit. You likely came to speak about the examination.”
Otherwise, I really would crack their heads open.
I had slept less than ten hours over the past week.
“...Why do you think the Nine Sects One Gang and the Five Great Clans of the Martial Alliance use the One Hundred Eight Peaks system to rank sects?”
What he was saying was the kind of thing that would make Namgung Seonhwa uncomfortable, even if Seong Moran did not care.
“To further solidify the Martial Alliance’s structure.”
I answered honestly.
“As expected, you are no ordinary man.”
“Is that not something everyone knows? That is why the Twelve Peak Alliance was created as well.”
The Twelve Peak Alliance was a council formed by twelve sects among the One Hundred Eight Peaks that opposed the martial world order centered around the Nine Sects One Gang and the Five Great Clans.
Since they had drawn a strict line against the Nine Sects One Gang and the Five Great Clans, one might have thought them a group of castoffs. Still, they were a collection of people with enough influence in the martial world that even the Nine Sects One Gang and the Five Great Clans could not ignore them easily.
“There is a clear difference between knowing something and being able to say it aloud.”
“...”
“As Great Hero Jin said, the system of the One Hundred Eight Peaks, the Martial Arts Academy examinations, and the Martial Alliance’s entire structure were all made for only a select few. The rest of us must stand in line before them and eat the scraps they leave behind.”
Cheol Sunjik glanced at Namgung Seonhwa from time to time as he spoke.
He was clearly mocking the fact that, despite being from one of the Five Great Clans, she was in danger of failing the examination.
“...”
Namgung Seonhwa’s face reddened, and Cheol Sunjik soon looked back at me as though he had lost interest.
“We are moving to break down that outdated system. We wish to correct the ills the Martial Alliance has inflicted upon the martial world and build a constructive new martial world.”
“I see.”
Part of what he said was something I had often thought myself, so I nodded. Cheol Sunjik became even more enthusiastic and continued.
“In that respect, what Taeul Sect has achieved in such a short time is enough to astonish us. Of course, I know very well how difficult that process must have been.”
Cheol Sunjik nodded to himself before continuing.
“That is why we came here. We would like to offer you some help. Please travel with us to the Martial Arts Academy.”
“!!”
“!!!”
The elite disciples of the Twelve Peak Alliance and the eight hundred or so martial artists they led. No one would readily approach them, no matter how much they coveted Taeul Sect’s Gate Tokens.
For the first time, it was a chance for us to finish the examination in comfort.
Yet rather than answer positively, I stared directly at him.
“Is something wrong?”
“An attractive offer naturally comes with conditions, does it not?”
The Cheol Sunjik I knew was not someone who showed generosity or acted out of sentiment merely because his political views aligned with another’s.
“Ha ha, it seems the epithet Black Flame Dragon is not an empty one. I could not be happier to meet someone who understands me so well.”
Did he know? In my previous life, he had hated me fiercely because I had foiled every strategy he put forward.
“Of course, there is a condition, but it is nothing significant. You will part ways with those accompanying you now and each proceed along your own path.”
“...”
“...”
Namgung Seonhwa and Seong Moran’s expressions hardened.
“They were never people who would travel with Taeul Sect from the start. Besides, for their own reasons, they have not been able to offer Taeul Sect much help. Is that not so?”
He was likely pointing out how the other factions of the Nine Sects One Gang and Five Great Clans had built large forces to travel with.
Because a branch line had risen to power within the Namgung Clan, Namgung Seonhwa had struggled even to gather one hundred martial artists. As for the Iron Sword Sect, Seong Mohyeon had been imprisoned in the Golden Prison, leaving no one in the sect able to set out.
“I hear Great Hero Jin possesses overwhelmingly more Academy Admission Tokens than the other candidates. You will enter the Martial Arts Academy as the top student and show the world that the One Hundred Eight Peaks stand equal to the Nine Sects One Gang and the Five Great Clans.”
Cheol Sunjik’s eyes shone as though he were already watching the Academy’s entrance ceremony alone.
-Young Master Jin.
At that moment, I heard Namgung Seonhwa’s sound transmission.
-...We are fine. I think it would be right for you to travel with them for now.
Seong Moran nodded faintly as well.
Though Cheol Sunjik saw Namgung Seonhwa’s lips move, he pretended not to notice and continued.
“We plan to depart once the disciples of Bifung Sect and Ghost Bow Sect arrive in Zhengzhou two days from now. Why not move to our lodgings first? We can discuss the details there.”
I turned back to Cheol Sunjik.
“I refuse.”
“Then, for now... Pardon?”
“!!!”
“Young Master Jin!”
“Young Master!”
Cheol Sunjik’s face stiffened. It was satisfying to see that face, which had acted so superior in my previous life, change like that.
“I said I refuse. Is there a problem?”
“But... No, why?”
“Must I explain why I am refusing?”
There was no reason for him to be so curious. I knew exactly what they would do from here on.
Some sects did not properly take the examination because of the fundamental differences in their martial arts.
The most representative were the Bifung Sect and Ghost Bow Sect he had just mentioned.
Their primary arts were throwing sword arts and archery, both of which put them at a disadvantage in the Martial Arts Academy regular examination. They did not seriously take the examination from the beginning.
They loafed around and wandered until the third gate examination ended, then bet everything on the final Great Journey.
After we joined them, they would probably shower us with sweet words and suggest sharing the Academy Admission Tokens, as though that were the best possible course.
How did I know so well?
Because that was what they had done when they forced the Sojeong Unit onto the front line.
Creating a political atmosphere to pressure people was Cheol Sunjik’s greatest specialty. Four people among eight hundred? Even if I did not, the Geum-Eun-Dong brothers might take out their Academy Admission Tokens and offer them up of their own accord.
In any case, I had run into Cheol Sunjik, an enemy from my previous life, by chance. I had no intention of simply letting him go. At the very least, I wanted to leave him in a foul mood.
What reason could I give to make Cheol Sunjik choke on it?
Something as irrational and unreasonable as possible...
“Would it not be better to travel with these two than with a group of dreary-looking people?”
“...”
For the first time, Cheol Sunjik’s eyes trembled as though he could not believe it.
“Are you... serious?”
“Yes. I place great importance on aesthetics. May these two come along as well?”
“...”
“That would not be possible, would it?”
Cheol Sunjik said nothing and pressed his lips tightly together.
It was a shame I could not punch him in the face, but seeing him look as though he had been beaten by a few words was enough for today.
Footnotes:
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