WeTried Translations
Translator/Editor: Chen
Discord: https://dsc.gg/wetried
◈ The Martial Genius who Remembers Everything ◈
Chapter 111: Black Path Night Walk
──────
Thud. Thud. Thud. Thud.
Seong Moran pounded the dirt.
Every time she brought her fists down, clumps of earth scattered. Blood streamed from her hands, yet neither Namgung Seonhwa nor Choe Mubin could bring themselves to intervene.
“Damn it.”
Everyone waited in silence. They all understood that hurting herself was the only way she could vent the rage threatening to burst out of her.
“Haaah...”
Everyone who had heard Yong Soa’s story felt much the same way as Seong Moran.
Being treated like a disposable tool was bound to leave a deep wound on anyone.
“Haaah...”
After tearing open both hands, Seong Moran sat there blankly and caught her breath.
“Young Master Jin.”
“Yes.”
“I’m staying here.”
“...”
Seong Moran pulled a small rattling pouch from inside her robes.
“I know you’ve been pushing yourself too hard, Young Master Jin. So don’t feel guilty if you leave me behind.”
With that, she buried her head between her knees.
No one could point at her and call her irresponsible.
Geumpyo met Eunho and Dongryong’s eyes, nodded, and stepped forward.
“Senior Brother, I think we’ve done enough just getting this far.”
Geumpyo placed their Academy Admission Tokens at Jin Sowoon’s feet and turned away.
“...”
Namgung Seonhwa looked steadily at Jin Sowoon.
“I don’t want it to end like this.”
Dang Seohui’s indifferent words lingered in her ears.
-It wouldn’t be strange if he died at any moment.
More than the helplessness of being unable to do anything for a good person, the guilt of having held him back all this time weighed heavily on her heart.
“Young Master Jin.”
“...”
Jin Sowoon’s expression remained impossible to read.
“Young Master Jin, you could make it to the Martial Arts Academy on your own, couldn’t you?”
With that unfathomable, extraordinary movement art, something the Namgung Clan had never seen before, perhaps he could make it.
“Could you go alone, without borrowing the Dragon-Phoenix Association’s strength?”
She could not bring herself to finish the request, unreasonable as it was. Instead, she placed her Academy Admission Token at Jin Sowoon’s feet.
“...”
A silence colder than ice settled over them.
They had all waited for the examination to end.
Once it was over, they had promised one another that they would sleep for seven days and nights, eat for seven days and nights, then remain drunk for seven days and nights.
Yet even though they knew the examination was over, no one showed the slightest joy.
No one could have wanted an ending like this.
Namgung Seonhwa turned, intending to sit beside Seong Moran.
“Why are you all giving up so easily?”
“...!”
Her head snapped around.
Jin Sowoon casually kicked the Academy Admission Tokens at his feet.
“Did you all run this far just to see an outcome like this?”
“...”
“I won’t go with Yong Soa.”
“...”
“And I won’t go alone, either.”
“...”
Namgung Seonhwa felt her heart beat faster.
His words settled deep in her chest.
He casually rejected the choices she would have considered inevitable.
Selfishly, that gave her an overwhelming sense of relief.
It wrapped her in warmth.
Even though he seemed ready to collapse and die at any moment, it gave her strength.
“...Stop being so stubborn.”
Seong Moran raised her head, her eyes badly swollen.
“You know this isn’t a crisis we can overcome through willpower or effort.”
Namgung Seonhwa nodded in agreement. Her feelings were one thing, but reason still had its own say.
“More than anything, they say your condition isn’t good, Young Master Jin. If Senior Seohui said it, then it must be even worse than that.”
Jin Sowoon looked around at them before speaking.
“...So you want to give up?”
“...”
“I’m asking whether you want to stop here and let it end.”
At his indifferent words, Seong Moran flared up.
“Who wants to give up? After being put through this, after being treated like this, who would want to give up? I want to go, too! I want to clear out those damned examinees, shove aside those looters, and drag the Dragon-Phoenix Association’s name through the mud!”
In the end, Seong Moran could no longer hold back her tears.
“...Hngh.”
She roughly wiped them away, pretending nothing was wrong.
Jin Sowoon spoke to her in the same detached voice.
“Then let’s go.”
“...Haa. Seriously.”
Seong Moran glared sharply at him.
“I told you... this isn’t something willpower can...”
“I’m saying it because there’s another way.”
“...”
“One.”
Jin Sowoon raised his index finger.
“There’s one way left. A way for all of us to reach the Martial Arts Academy safely.”
“You mean making a deal with the people who’ve been chasing us? Do you think they’d accept now? Every one of the Nine Sects One Gang...”
“No. Of course we won’t deal with them. Nor will we deal with the Dragon-Phoenix Association.”
“...”
“...”
“...”
Seong Moran and everyone else stared blankly at Jin Sowoon.
“...Of course, it isn’t something any of you will want to do...”
As Jin Sowoon continued, their mouths slowly fell open.
“...”
By the end, their mouths hung open as wide as large bowls.
“...That crazy bastard...”
Namgung Seonhwa was startled to hear the curse leave Seong Moran’s mouth.
She had often called him crazy or out of his mind, but she had never specifically called him a crazy bastard before.
“...”
Still, after considering what she had just heard, Namgung Seonhwa thought Seong Moran had a point.
“...A madman.”
She agreed in a slightly gentler manner.
#
“Something reeks.”
So Jeho, whose eyes were black and blue for some reason, ground his teeth.
“Stand farther away when you talk.”
Dang Seohui held her nose and waved a hand in front of her face.
So Jeho swallowed the words, You’re the bitch who did this, and forced down his anger. If he caused another scene here, he might spend the entire Dragon-Phoenix Association journey shitting blood.
“They’ve set off again.”
At So Jeho’s words, Yong Soa tilted his head.
“Really?”
“A man with nothing going for him has some impressive pride, doesn’t he? Hahaha.”
So Jeho laughed as he imagined the bleak future awaiting Jin Sowoon, but no one joined in.
Then again, expecting agreement when only Yong Soa and Dang Seohui were present had been unreasonable from the start.
“What direction?”
“Why does the direction matter? Enemies will block them no matter where they go. They’re surrounded on all sides.”
“The stench is using fancy words.”
So Jeho glared at Dang Seohui for suddenly cutting in, but she did not seem to care in the slightest.
Yong Soa asked again.
“What direction?”
“They turned southeast again. They were probably trying to avoid Wudang Sect.”
“Southeast... the Dabie Mountains?”
“They avoided the tiger only to walk into a dragon-serpent’s maw.”
“Track them.”
“That’s why I told you to listen to us sooner... Hm?”
“Track Jin Sowoon’s group.”
“The stench has gone deaf too.”
“You little... Hoo. Is there any need to track them? They’re finished anyway.”
“I want to know where their Academy Admission Tokens will end up.”
“...Understood.”
So Jeho gave a small sigh and turned away.
After he disappeared, only Yong Soa and Dang Seohui remained.
Neither of them was talkative by nature, so silence was normal whenever they were alone.
This time, Dang Seohui spoke first.
“My grandfather recognized you.”
Yong Soa’s expression did not change, even after hearing that the Poison King, Dang Hyeokje, had acknowledged him.
“That is why I have been going along with your wishes.”
“...”
“But after seeing Jin Sowoon, I’ve changed my mind. Is what you seek truly the way to save the most people?”
Words spoken without emotion reached someone with an equally emotionless expression.
Though his sincerity had been questioned, Yong Soa remained unmoved.
“It is.”
“Then why did Jin Sowoon try to go with everyone, while you only tried to save Jin Sowoon?”
“He dreams empty dreams. I pursue what is practical.”
Dang Seohui frowned.
Her small stature and youthful appearance made even that frown look like a cute complaint.
Still, no one there reacted to the sight.
“He may seem to be saving dozens right now, but he has thrown away the chance to save tens of thousands, perhaps even millions.”
Dang Seohui nodded as she listened, then muttered.
“That’s a serious problem.”
“It isn’t. What is meant to happen will happen.”
“No, that is not what I mean.”
Yong Soa looked steadily at Dang Seohui.
“If Jin Sowoon manages to bring his entire group into the Martial Arts Academy, wouldn’t that be a problem for you?”
“...”
“In the end, it would prove that what you said was wrong.”
Yong Soa, who had never frowned in his life, seemed to have been doing so often lately.
“That will not happen.”
“How can you be so certain?”
“Even if I joined that group myself, it would be impossible to lead all of them to Wuhan.”
Dang Seohui took a tiny white hand from her sleeve, placed it against her chin, and nodded.
“Mm, hm, hmm. Perhaps the words spreading through the martial world are right after all.”
When Dang Seohui muttered to herself, Yong Soa asked, “What are you thinking?”
“If Jin Sowoon takes those people all the way to the Martial Arts Academy, it will prove that the Black Flame Dragon is far superior to Yong Soa, just as people in the martial world say.”
“What is impossible for me...”
“Jin Sowoon already proved it once at Demon Spirit Plateau.”
“...”
“Jin Sowoon has accomplished something Yong Soa could not.”
#
“Run! Run! Don’t look at anything, just run!”
Gang Seopyo, Choe Mubin, and Baek Wongak ran madly at the very front.
“If you can’t keep going, give up and return to your clans! We don’t need you anymore!”
“If they search your body for an Academy Admission Token, let them! Don’t act tough and get yourselves killed for nothing!”
“This isn’t a war! There’s no need to risk your lives!”
The three Unit Leaders spoke in turn, but no warriors fell behind. Everyone chased after them with everything they had.
“Fucking hell, how can they say that?”
“If something happens to the young ladies, who’s going to take responsibility?”
“I’d rather die chasing after them.”
Of course, they did not forget to mutter under their breaths.
The warriors were not the only ones who kept muttering. Moyong Jaehwa could not stop either.
“I’m dead once we get back to the clan.”
Namgung Seonhwa, running beside him, tried to comfort him.
“Your grandfather likes eccentric behavior, so there may be room for leniency. I might actually be struck from the family register, though.”
Moyong Jaehwa reacted fiercely to her attempted comfort.
“Sister, why would you say that? From the moment I picked up this bow, I was already prepared to be struck from the register.”
“Who told you to pick up a bow? You should have diligently learned the clan’s sword arts. Why did you have to do something so pointless?”
“Wow... When you were happy that you got to sleep for four hours thanks to me... Seriously, I’m disappointed. I’m disappointed, Sister!”
The Dabie Mountains slowly came into view at the end of the road.
Beyond those mountains lay Hubei Province, but large groups of people could already be seen along the road leading through it.
“If you two have so much energy, why don’t you go to the front?”
“...”
“...”
They tightly shut their mouths at Seong Moran’s sharp words.
“I’m the one who’s really finished. My clan’s line is going to end because of my idiot brother and me.”
“...”
“We should have run when we first started doing something crazy.”
Even the quickest regret came too late.
Once someone climbed onto a tiger’s back, they could not jump off whenever they wanted.
“They’re coming!”
The people ahead announced that a collision was imminent.
Their opponents slowly reduced their speed and prepared for battle.
“Pick up the pace!”
People were not horses, so they could not simply run faster because someone urged them to. Yet strangely enough, Jin Sowoon’s group all began to increase their speed little by little.
The instant the massive force collided with the smaller one, dozens of sword fragments flew in every direction, and screams rang out from all sides.
Clangclangclangclangclang.
The Taeul Sect group desperately swung their swords, while the Mount Hua Sect and Mount Cang Sect martial artists maintained their sword formation without straining themselves at all.
They were elite martial artists already guaranteed admission to the Martial Arts Academy.
The other side was nothing more than wounded beasts, chased for weeks without proper sleep.
“Turn!”
Jin Sowoon’s voice rang out.
The warriors confronting the sword formation immediately changed direction and headed toward Daemang County.
Clangclangclang.
Knowing they had to pass through the road occupied by the Mount Hua Sect and Mount Cang Sect to reach Hubei Province, those blocking the route hesitated.
Their hesitation grew even greater because Daemang County was home to three Black Path sects.
They seized that brief opening and ran for their lives.
Swish, swish, swish.
Elites were elites. They sent flying swords through that narrow opening and still managed to wound them.
“Urgh!”
“Hey, are you okay?!”
“I-I’m fine!”
“If you aren’t, just drop out!”
“No, you bastard!”
It was the last chance created by that brief opening.
Namgung Seonhwa, Moyong Jaehwa, Seong Moran, and the Geum-Eun-Dong brothers put aside every concern that had burdened them until now. They squeezed out even the last remnants of strength left in their souls and ran toward their destination.
“Huh?”
“C-Catch them!”
“Pursue them!”
The elite martial artists reacted too late, then chased after them with lightning speed.
My feet felt painfully slow compared to theirs, but there was only one thing I could do now. I could not look back. I could only keep forcing my feet forward as though my life depended on it.
Still, running in a frenzy meant that even a small stone in front of you could make you fall.
Thud.
Crash!
Namgung Seonhwa rolled across the ground, her entire body covered in dirt. Even the Namgung Clan warriors had gone too far ahead to stop for her.
“Go! Just go!”
The Mount Hua Sect martial artists caught up and were about to descend upon Namgung Seonhwa.
Shwaaa.
Jin Sowoon threw himself backward and spread the Black Dragon Sword like a fan.
As dozens of swords appeared around him, the Mount Hua Sect martial artists bloomed hundreds of plum blossoms.
Each time a plum blossom touched one of the illusion swords, it vanished helplessly.
The sword shadows that seemed to fill the air disappeared in an instant, while the hundreds of plum blossoms remained and bore down on Namgung Seonhwa.
“Ahh!”
Pop, pop, pop, pop!
With the sound of blood and flesh bursting, Namgung Seonhwa felt her body lift from the ground.
Then she saw Jin Sowoon before her, bleeding as he carried her in his arms.
Her heart swelled at the sight. Unable to decide what she should say, she blurted out the first thing that came to mind.
“I told you to just go.”
“You may have come in as you pleased, but you don’t get to leave as you please.”
Jin Sowoon himself staggered several times. He was not as fast as before.
Even so, the Mount Hua Sect martial artists could not catch him.
“You crazy bastards! That way leads to Black Path sects, the White Path’s greatest enemies!”
“What, what are they doing? Have they all gone insane?”
“Hey! You’ll all die if you go that way!”
The Mount Hua Sect martial artists screamed desperately behind them.
“Let’s go.”
After catching up with the group, Jin Sowoon moved to the very front and smashed through the gates of the Four Emperors Association, one of the strongest Black Path sects, without hesitation.
Boom!
The White Path sect warriors watching Jin Sowoon’s group all gaped at once.
“This is insane...”
Footnotes:
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