WeTried Translations

Translator/Editor: Chen

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◈ The Martial Genius who Remembers Everything ◈

Chapter 158: The Black Flame Dragon Quelling the Chaos (3)

──────

Daybreak came, and new information arrived through the Hao Sect.

“Phew...”

“What is it?”

Seong Moran had not even washed away the traces of last night’s battle when she asked. Without a word, I handed her the letter.

“Oh my God...”

Her reaction was not much different from mine.

One sect.

Three martial arts schools.

Wiped out.

That was the number of White Path forces that had vanished overnight.

Under normal circumstances, the Yujang Sect would have been included among them.

“What are they thinking? Are they really planning to wage war against the Martial Alliance?”

Most of the targeted sects were small and mid-sized factions with no connection to the Martial Alliance.

That meant they wanted only one thing.

‘To spread fear.’

If Deceit beguiled and deceived its opponents, while Demon overwhelmed and eliminated them, Black fostered fear until its enemies fled.

The fear that there would be no compromise.

A declaration that no mercy would be shown.

The despair of knowing survival was impossible.

Those who became enemies of the Black Path had only two choices: give up or flee.

It was working.

Two martial arts schools had already shut their doors in a hurry because of last night’s events, while two sects had packed only what they could carry and fled.

Fear had swallowed all of Yueyang.

“Representative.”

I turned toward the voice and found the Academy students who were friends with Jang Woojae.

Like our group, they had yet to wash away the grim traces of last night’s battle.

“What is it?”

“...”

A man who seemed to represent the Academy students slowly dropped to his knees.

The others followed him, kneeling one by one.

“...Why are you doing this?”

They looked directly at me despite my attempt to stop them.

“Please do not abandon the Yujang Sect.”

“...”

“We know we have not looked good, always waiting to see what others would do. That is why we want to reflect on our actions and ask this of you. Please do not abandon Woojae, our friend.”

I had assumed their group was no different from any other.

Like the Orthodox Society, the White Path Society, or the Twelve Peak Alliance.

A faction formed by people with no power of their own.

A faction concerned only with its own safety.

“Every one of us owes Woojae a debt. We hope our friend does not die before we can repay it.”

“...”

“We will also do everything we can. Please, Representative, lend him your strength.”

Yet their eyes held too much sincerity for people gathered only by shared interests.

I let out a quiet sigh.

“Please stand.”

“Representative...”

“I intended to do so even without your request. I also made a declaration to the Black Blood Sect last night.”

“...Thank you! Thank you! We will never forget this kindness.”

Although they had been drawn into someone else’s war, they accepted it as though it were their own.

They were like the reclusive masters who emerged into the world when the Orthodox-Demonic War began in my previous life.

They were not cowards who thought only of their own safety.

At that moment, Jang Woojae emerged from the pavilion and slowly approached us.

“Representative Jin. The Sect Leader wishes to see you.”

He was trying to act as though nothing was wrong, but I could sense he was on the verge of breaking down.

I pretended not to notice the feelings he did not want exposed.

“Of course.”

#

Eighty-seven.

That was the number of coffins piled up in the Grand Training Ground.

The Yujang Sect had only three hundred members. A full third had lost their lives in that brief battle.

That was the nature of war, of battle.

It would not matter if I fought and died alone.

But while I fought, the people around me died like this.

That was why I had desperately wanted the Taeul Sect to grow stronger.

Hong Saryeon and the Geum-Eun-Dong brothers followed behind me in silence, as though they too felt the weight of the Yujang Sect’s grief.

“You’re here.”

After only one night apart, the Sect Leader’s face looked as haggard as though he had endured ten years of hardship.

He looked much like Hong Mungi in my previous life.

“Are you all right?”

“...”

I offered the usual greeting, but no answer came.

Instead, the Sect Leader looked at us and Jang Woojae’s group.

“I do not know how grateful I am that none of you were injured last night. We should give thanks to the divine spirits of heaven and earth.”

“...”

“I have a request for Young Master Jin and everyone gathered here.”

“Please speak.”

The Yujang Sect Leader parted his dry lips with difficulty.

“I ask that you all go your separate ways now.”

“...What do you mean?”

“As of today, the Yujang Sect will disappear from the martial world.”

I looked at Jang Woojae.

As though he already knew, he bit his lip until it bled and held back his tears.

“Many of the sects that had planned to respond have sent word that they will leave. We have also decided that leaving Yueyang is the best way to minimize the damage.”

The Sect Leader’s shoulders drooped as he let out a long sigh.

After a while, he raised his head and looked at me, his eyes filled with guilt.

“We cannot put Young Master Jin in danger because of us.”

“I do not mind.”

The Sect Leader nodded.

“You understand chivalry better than any rising martial artist I have seen.”

“...”

“The Yujang Sect will remember the kindness it received today, even if the sect disappears. When Woojae has a child, we will teach that child. When that child has a descendant, we will make sure they remember as well.”

For the first time, the Sect Leader clenched his hand as though making a vow.

“...One day, no matter how much time passes, we will not forget. We will repay the debt we owe today.”

Everyone from the Yujang Sect who heard those words shed silent tears.

Their long history had vanished in a single night.

They could not accept that they had lost their home and would no longer be able to remain together.

“Where do you plan to go?”

The Sect Leader slowly looked around.

“Everyone will return to their own homes. Those with nowhere to go will travel with us to Hubei Province, where my wife’s family lives.”

“It will be a long journey.”

“It likely will.”

The Sect Leader’s lips moved as though he wanted to say something, but he could not bring himself to speak.

I broke the silence.

“We will accompany you.”

The Sect Leader nodded, his lips trembling.

“May I ask you to accompany us only until we leave Yueyang?”

His face reddened, perhaps ashamed of asking.

Our group and Jang Woojae’s group had to return to the Academy anyway.

I was about to say we would travel with them when a martial artist rushed in, looking as though they could barely catch their breath.

“S-Sect Leader, there is trouble.”

“...What trouble could there be now?”

“I think you need to come outside.”

“...?”

Starting with the Sect Leader, the hall leaders and our group followed the martial artist toward the main gate.

The shattered gate. The gaping hole in the wall.

The moment we saw the view outside and the people standing there, our group cursed almost at once.

“Those damn bastards...”

Martial artists stood in formation beyond the enormous breach.

I could sense dozens more beyond the wall.

Black Path martial artists had surrounded the entire Yujang Sect.

An elder let out a despairing sigh at their blatant show of force.

“How can people harbor such vicious hearts?”

#

Neither the Yujang Sect martial artists nor our group could take a single step outside the Yujang Sect.

When I finally tried to leave, the man with the scythe from the previous night blocked my path.

“If you move, not a blade of grass will remain in the Yujang Sect.”

“...”

“Did I not tell you that you would have to be prepared?”

“Why are you going this far?”

“Your pitiful chivalry will make more blood flow in Yueyang. We are only acting to prevent that.”

Did Black Path bastards grow more silver-tongued as they gained experience?

“What a noble justification.”

“Will you still go outside?”

“...Forget it.”

If I forced my way out, it was not as though I could not break through.

But I could not handle what would follow.

Even if we fought under favorable conditions, the Yujang Sect would suffer the greatest losses.

On top of that, members of other Black Path sects, not just the Black Blood Sect, were now gathering openly.

They intended to end the battle as quickly as possible with overwhelming numbers.

No matter how hard I racked my brain, I could not come up with a plan that would immediately turn the situation around.

Then a commotion broke out outside.

“Ah! I said move! I have business inside!”

“You cannot enter.”

“Listen. It is fine to fight over control of Yueyang, but there are lines that must not be crossed. Are you certain the Black Path martial world can rule Yueyang after interfering with the work of the Martial Alliance’s Yueyang Branch Head?”

It was a familiar voice.

A moment later, Dang Hyeokjae entered with his attendants.

“Branch Head.”

“Tch.”

The moment Dang Hyeokjae saw my face, he frowned and gestured to his attendants.

They set down the packs they carried on their backs, then moved through the crowd handing out rice balls, wound medicine, and other supplies.

“How did you know to come?”

I had been meaning to contact Dang Hyeokjae, but I had no good way to do so.

Dang Hyeokjae stared at my face before speaking.

“Listen.”

“Yes?”

“Would you relax that face first?”

“What?”

“You look like a murderous fiend.”

“What are you talking about...?”

When I turned to Eunho, Eunho hesitated for a moment, then nodded.

“Are you very angry?”

“...A little.”

“Could anyone be angrier than I am?”

“What?”

“The man who said he would invest in me is about to die. I may have to unpack everything I spent so long packing.”

“What do you mean?”

“Do you know what the Black Path forces in Yueyang have prepared?”

“...There are quite a lot of them.”

“They have gathered not only wandering martial artists from nearby, but five of the Eight Evils.”

No one present could hide their shock at Dang Hyeokjae’s words.

The Eight Evils were called the unmatched masters of the Black Path martial world.

Their presence in Yueyang also meant the Black Path had no intention of stopping halfway through this.

“Are they really planning to wage war against the Martial Alliance?”

“It will not go that far. Still, would they not be able to handle someone like you and clean up the consequences afterward?”

“...”

After investing this much, they clearly had no intention of withdrawing until they had taken as much control of Yueyang as they wanted.

I could not understand it.

“What could possibly make them go this far?”

It was difficult to accept rationally.

This went beyond taking risks. They were dancing on the blade of a straw cutter.

One wrong step would shatter their feet. Another mistake could cost them their heads.

“And even if they gain justification, are they not afraid of the Martial Alliance’s retaliation later?”

Dang Hyeokjae scratched the back of his head.

“It may not play out that way.”

“What do you mean?”

“The influence they gain this time may endure.”

Yueyang was a precious city that great powers with enemies throughout the martial world could never afford to lose.

The Martial Alliance and the Mount Cang Sect would not simply watch this profitable city be taken from them.

“The Black Path Alliance is being formed.”

“What?”

“Is the Black Path Alliance not being formed with the Four Emperors Association at its center? They are likely planning to join it and make their voices heard. Once the Black Path Alliance is founded, even the Martial Alliance will not dare act recklessly. They must believe it is a gamble worth taking despite the risks.”

My head throbbed.

Only then did the tangled fragments in my mind begin falling into place one by one.

“...Damn it.”

“Yes, damn it.”

“They have no intention of withdrawing.”

This was not a situation where they would simply back down.

When one considered how enormously the founding sects of the Martial Alliance had grown over the past five hundred years, no Black Path faction would refuse the chance to become a founding member of the new Black Path Alliance.

They would start this with the mindset that they could simply repay it after winning, then hide behind the Black Path Alliance.

Then all of Yueyang would remain in their hands forever.

“I have sent a request for aid to the Martial Alliance, but it will take a long time before it is processed and martial artists are dispatched.”

“They will arrive after Yueyang has already fallen into their hands.”

“What will you do?”

“...”

They were probably unable to contain their excitement as they imagined the enormous profits they would gain after this gamble.

A gambler riding a winning streak could not be stopped even if their parents came to drag them away.

“Branch Head, please mediate for us.”

“Do not speak nonsense. Did you not say it yourself? They have no intention of withdrawing.”

“That is why I am asking you. Tell them that we will settle this with a decisive martial duel.”

“...Do you really think they will accept that?”

Even if we sent word that we wished to resolve the conflict through the outcome of a duel, they would only snort at it.

They had already seized the advantage. There was no reason for them to agree to a decisive martial duel.

“If they will not accept, we need to make them accept.”

I only had to use the same method they had used.

#

The Black Path forces, including the Black Blood Sect, were still surrounding the Yujang Sect when evening came.

Like hanging corpses in the middle of a marketplace to prevent others from rebelling, they maintained a perfect siege around the Yujang Sect with no gaps.

I watched the moon.

The moment the bright moon hid behind dark clouds, I activated the Peerless Wanderer Divine Art and shot into the air.

Fwoong.

My movements were greatly muted, so I could not move at full speed, but it was enough to leave the Yujang Sect.

Tap.

I landed about thirty jang from the Yujang Sect and headed directly for the Black Blood Sect.

The taverns throughout Yueyang had all closed early and extinguished their lights because of the strange tension in the city, but the Black Blood Sect’s compound remained brightly lit as though it were midday.

‘They certainly have it easy.’

Music drifted from the largest pavilion, along with the occasional drunken shout.

I sensed two presences of great strength inside the pavilion, so it appeared they were holding a drinking party for two of the Eight Evils Dang Hyeokjae had mentioned.

‘The other three Evils must be at the Black Talisman Palace.’

Gladly donning a head covering, I used the Ghost Breath Movement Art to conceal myself on the pavilion roof.

After some time, people began muttering in their sleep one by one, and the music gradually died away.

I carefully moved, following one presence I had been watching within the pavilion.

After confirming that the presence had entered the deepest part of the pavilion, I carefully released my internal energy and searched for the shadow warrior.

‘As expected...’

There was an old saying.

White Path martial artists died for honor.

Black Path martial artists died for empty swagger.

The Black Blood Sect Leader was someone who faithfully followed that saying.

In other words, an idiot whose head was ruled by vanity.

I removed a roof tile, squeezed through the gap, and entered the room.

The Black Blood Sect Leader was taking off clothing soaked in alcohol when he seemed to sense something strange. He spun around like lightning and drew his sword.

Clang!

“Who...”

But he could not finish.

Thud.

The Black Dragon Sword buried in his chest stopped his heart.

“Y-You...”

I spoke to him through the stench of alcohol.

“Fear is not something only you can use.”

The Black Blood Sect Leader stared with eyes wide open, unable to believe in his own death even as he fell.

“Who is it!”

At that moment, I sensed two massive presences rushing toward me like lightning.

Boom!

I smashed through the roof and leaped into the air.

“Hoho, what an interesting fellow. How did you evade our energy sense?”

My eyes met those of Ak Junghak, the Serpent Evil, said to possess the finest footwork among the Eight Evils.

I immediately filled both hands with the Sacred Flame Demon-Extinguishing Hand, then unleashed the Myriad Blossoms Invincible Fist.

Papapapapapapapapap!

Boom! Boom! Boom! Boom!

The flaming fists I unleashed collided with the leg qi he fired back, scattering explosions of flame in every direction.

“Urgh! Sword Evil!”

The Serpent Evil staggered after taking the flames of the Sacred Flame Demon-Extinguishing Hand head-on.

As the Sword Evil generated a sword wind to suppress the flames, I activated the Peerless Wanderer Divine Art at full power and fled the Black Blood Sect.

Footnotes:

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