WeTried Translations
Translator/Editor: Chen
Discord: https://dsc.gg/wetried
◈ The Martial Genius who Remembers Everything ◈
Chapter 160: The Black Flame Dragon Quelling the Chaos (5)
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“Arrgh!”
Serpent Evil screamed as he stared at Sword Evil’s blade buried deep in his thigh.
The Black Blood Sect members were too stunned by the sudden turn of events to know what to do. Sword Evil, who had been flung nearly fifty feet away, rose to his feet, bleeding.
“My IOU... I’ll kill you...”
“Serpent Evil was the one who hit you, so why are you trying to kill me?”
Sword Evil glanced at Serpent Evil, who was writhing in pain.
“...I’ll deal with Serpent Evil later. First, I’ll kill you.”
I nodded.
“That makes some sense. Assuming you can catch me, of course.”
Before Sword Evil and the Black Blood Sect members could move, I used the Peerless Wanderer Divine Art and leaped into the air.
Boom!
The ground rippled like waves, obscuring Sword Evil’s vision as he charged at me. I stepped on the rooftops and escaped the Black Blood Sect in one go.
I heard Sword Evil’s desperate shout as he tried to follow.
“My IOU!”
Why did he keep treating people like objects?
I headed straight for the Hao Sect branch.
Time was short, but there should still have been time before news from the Black Blood Sect reached the Yujang Sect.
Still, just in case, I hurried toward the cloth shop. When I arrived, however, I could only tilt my head.
“Huh?”
I had been prepared to wake the shop owner in the middle of the night, but the cloth shop was already lit, and Haeryeong stood waiting outside.
“What happened?”
“I thought you would come, so I waited.”
As expected, one did not become the Hao Sect Leader’s first disciple for nothing.
“I’m sorry, but I don’t have time, so I’ll get straight to the point.”
“Yes. Please speak.”
“Spread a rumor. Say that the Yujang Sect and the White Path sects have gathered money to hire assassins, and that those assassins are about to begin operating in earnest.”
“Will they believe it?”
“They won’t. That’s fine. I only want it to bother them.”
The White Path would not pay much attention to such a rumor.
The Black Path, on the other hand, considered hiring assassins perfectly normal. From their perspective, it would sound like a reasonable choice and pressure them.
“What do you plan to do after that?”
“We’ve already mounted the tiger. It’s too late to stop the Black Path forces in Yueyang. Instead, I plan to trip them.”
“...Are you thinking of a decisive martial duel?”
“Yes.”
Worry crossed Haeryeong’s face.
“Even if a decisive martial duel takes place, the Eight Evils will likely step forward. The Eight Evils are not easy opponents.”
I knew that from experience. If two people who had worked together for a long time had not let down their guard, Flower-Grafting would never have worked on them.
“I’ve already thought of a way to deal with them.”
“...Understood. Is there anything else you need?”
“Do you know how many people in the Hao Sect can use martial arts?”
“Why do you ask?”
“Several White Path sects have fallen because of this incident, and the Black Path sects will suffer the fallout as well. Isn’t this an opportunity to lead your people in and claim a share of the interests?”
“...Would that be acceptable?”
Haeryeong seemed deeply embarrassed by the thought of adding her own spoon to the feast I had prepared.
If this tug-of-war between the Black Path and White Path was going to continue, it would be better to divide Yueyang into three.
Then neither side would dare act carelessly.
At the very least, the smaller and mid-sized sects would no longer be swept away by the aftermath of these storms.
I deliberately put her at ease.
“Didn’t you agree to share the profits with me? Without this much compensation, I won’t feel like working either.”
#
I returned to the Yujang Sect at a speed that left me breathless.
Unlike when I had left, this time I landed openly inside the Yujang Sect with a loud crash.
Thud!
There was a murmur beyond the sect walls at the sudden commotion, but no one took action.
“Good heavens! Young Master Jin, what have you been doing?”
“Hm?”
“What are all these injuries? Goodness, what happened to your hand?”
Only then did I inspect myself. My left hand was not the only problem. My arms and legs were covered in wounds.
Still, considering I had faced two of the Eight Evils, getting away with injuries like these was not bad.
“It’s nothing. More importantly, what is everyone doing now?”
“We were standing watch and taking turns sleeping, just as you instructed.”
They had at least managed to get some sleep, so their exhaustion should have eased a little.
“Wake everyone and tell them to prepare for battle.”
“What?”
“Tell them not to spread out this time. Have everyone gather here at the Great Training Ground.”
“Is something happening?”
“They’ll move soon.”
Seong Moran went to wake the others, half doubtful, while I gave myself rough first aid.
People gathered, and silence settled over the Great Training Ground.
A short while later, a commotion began outside the walls.
“What kind of nonsense is that?”
“An intruder? A fire?”
“What? Who did you say?”
The disturbance, as though they were searching for someone, steadily grew until it sounded like a roar. Their fierce fighting spirit even spilled over the walls and into the Yujang Sect.
Gulp.
Those gathered at the Great Training Ground swallowed hard and gripped their swords tighter as they watched the ominous situation outside.
Crash!
The already half-destroyed wall collapsed, and Black Path martial artists stormed into the Yujang Sect, led by a man holding a scythe.
“Jin Sowoon!”
When the Black Path martial artists immediately began looking for me, everyone in my group, including Seong Moran, turned to stare at me.
Their eyes seemed to ask what I had done this time.
I began gathering the Mad Heaven Divine Palm in my hand.
Rumble. Rumble. Rumble.
“Uh?”
“Th-that is...”
Perhaps because they had already tasted the Mad Heaven Divine Palm once, the Black Blood Sect martial artists hesitated and did not dare move forward.
Only the scythe-wielding man stepped before us without fear.
“Was it truly you who launched a surprise attack on the Black Blood Sect?”
“What are you talking about?”
The scythe-wielding man ground his teeth at my calm response.
“We just received word from the sect. An intruder burned down the Mukjon Pavilion.”
“My, did that happen? Shouldn’t you hurry back?”
“Jin Sowoon!”
“Take one more step, and I’ll let you taste the Mad Heaven Divine Palm again.”
The scythe-wielding man flinched, but did not step forward.
“Do you think one hand can handle ten?”
“Bring your Deputy Sect Leader. I have something to say to him.”
The man’s face suddenly twisted.
“...Why are you looking for the Deputy Sect Leader rather than the Sect Leader? I said there was a fire. I never said the Sect Leader was dead.”
I pretended to be surprised.
“Ah, my mistake.”
“...So it was you who assassinated the Sect Leader.”
At the scythe-wielding man’s words, the Yujang Sect members gasped soundlessly.
Geumpyo, Eunho, and Dongryong looked as though they might faint at any moment.
“Tell the Deputy Sect Leader this. If he does not come tomorrow, then even if the Yujang Sect is wiped out, he will be the next to die.”
Grit.
The tense silence continued for a moment.
The scythe-wielding man glared at me through gritted teeth before eventually turning and leaving.
Once the tension passed, not only the Yujang Sect members but the Taeul Sect disciples also collapsed to the ground.
“Whew... I thought I was going to die of fear.”
At Geumpyo’s words, I withdrew the Mad Heaven Divine Palm and clicked my tongue.
“If you’re frightened by Black Path trash like that, do you think you can survive in the martial world?”
For some reason, everyone’s expressions twisted strangely.
“Huh? What are you talking about?”
“...What?”
Geumpyo stared at me as though I were ridiculous.
“We’re scared of you, Senior Brother. ‘Ah, my mistake.’ What was that? That chilling line? I nearly pissed myself.”
Eunho shuddered and joined in.
“Brother, did you see yourself grinning when you said that? I thought you were a ghost.”
Calling their eldest senior brother a ghost was too much.
“...”
Tsk.
Was it really that strange?
#
At dawn, a small table was placed in the Yujang Sect’s front courtyard.
It had been brought by the Martial Alliance’s Yueyang Branch, and three chairs were arranged around it.
The future of the Yujang Sect would be decided at this plain table.
Early that morning, I had gone to see the Yujang Sect Leader to explain what needed to be said and negotiated that day.
Yet the Yujang Sect Leader firmly refused.
“This is not something I can do. Please take my place.”
“What?”
“If it had not been for you, the Yujang Sect would already have been destroyed, and everyone here would have become wandering ghosts. Therefore, the person who should take that seat is not me, but you.”
Of course, the Yujang Sect Leader was not wrong, but this was a meeting that would determine whether the sect survived.
It was not a place where a disciple from another sect should step forward.
“I do not know how to face Black Path martial artists with overwhelming strength. Yet you struck the Black Blood Sect and even took the Black Blood Sect Leader’s life. You should be the one sitting there, not me.”
“...”
“Do not worry. I will not evade responsibility just because I did not make the choice.”
After the Yujang Sect Leader said that much, I had no choice but to nod.
“Understood. Then I have two questions.”
“What are they?”
I stared into the sect leader’s eyes, which were still wavering with weakness.
“What are you willing to stake?”
“...”
“I need to know what you can stake before I negotiate.”
After considering it for a while, the sect leader nodded once and met my eyes directly.
“...I will stake my life and the Yujang Sect’s signboard.”
“Father!”
“Sect Leader!”
Jang Woojae and the Yujang Sect members stepped forward in alarm, but the sect leader raised a hand to stop them.
“I want nothing. Just make sure that the people of the Yujang Sect do not die simply because they come from the Yujang Sect.”
He still looked worn down, but his eyes burned fiercely.
He looked like a man determined to take responsibility for his position to the end.
As I looked into his eyes, I felt strongly that today would not be the end of the Yujang Sect.
The leaders of sects that had endured even after the Orthodox-Demonic War had mostly possessed eyes like those.
Then Jang Woojae, standing beside us, spoke with the same look in his eyes as his father.
“Then I’ll stake myself too!”
“Woojae!”
“Father! I cannot let you walk into danger alone. Representative Jin! I will take responsibility with him.”
Jang Woojae’s attitude and gaze were so resolute that the sect leader could no longer try to stop him.
“Understood. I accept both of your lives as stakes. Now, for my second question.”
I took a breath.
This was a question that might upset not only the Yujang Sect Leader, but every member of the Yujang Sect.
“Can you defeat a Black Blood Sect master?”
Asking a martial artist to state the measure of their strength was an act that struck at the foundation of their pride.
It was the sort of vile provocation that Black Path martial artists and street thugs used when they wanted to upset someone.
“...”
As expected, the Yujang Sect martial artists did not look at me kindly.
Even so, I had to ask.
A strategy could only be perfect when based on accurate information.
“...Who must I face?”
The sect leader spoke as though he already understood what I planned.
He was quite sharp.
“The Deputy Sect Leader.”
“...!”
The Black Blood Sect Leader had died because arrogance had gone to his head, but that did not mean I could underestimate the Black Blood Sect Leader or Deputy Sect Leader.
They were the leaders of a Black Path sect that had endured for fifty years in Yueyang, a city ruled by the Wudang Sect and Mount Cang Sect.
The faces of the Yujang Sect members turned gray, as though even they thought it was impossible.
‘As expected, it’s difficult.’
The decisive martial duel had to be fought by the parties involved as much as possible.
The moment every position in the decisive martial duel was filled by members of the Eight Evils, the outcome would practically be decided.
Even if I gave those from the Eight Evils only the minimum number of positions, it would still be a serious problem if the Yujang Sect’s people lost.
As the sect leader gave no answer, I looked at Namgung Seonhwa.
The second card I could use.
At the very least, they could not object to a decisive martial duel in which Namgung Seonhwa participated.
While I considered several different plans, the Yujang Sect Leader broke the silence.
“I can win.”
“What?”
Ah, I was too surprised.
I tried to recover from the words that had slipped out without thought, but the sect leader nodded as though it did not matter.
“It is fine. The world believes that my martial arts are not particularly impressive. Yet I possess a secret art that I have hidden for my entire life.”
The sect leader paused and looked at the people of the Yujang Sect.
After taking a breath, he spoke in a firm voice.
“Make your plans believing that I will win.”
The air around us changed in an instant. The Yujang Sect members’ faces filled with excitement.
I nodded.
Had he spent his life following the martial world saying that one should always hide thirty percent of one’s skill?
The Yujang Sect Leader looked different to me now.
“Then that settles it. If we can get one more person from the Yujang Sect...”
“Representative Jin!”
As expected, Jang Woojae was the first to answer.
He looked at me with unwavering eyes and gave a small nod.
He was certainly not strong, but his eyes and actions were filled with courage and confidence that did not fear danger.
It was no coincidence that those without a faction at the Martial Arts Academy followed Jang Woojae.
“Then that settles it.”
The moment I nodded, a Martial Alliance official approached and told us everyone had gathered.
Just as I was about to head to the negotiation table, the sect leader asked in confusion.
“Wait, isn’t a decisive martial duel fought by three people?”
I stopped and looked back at him.
“I’ll be participating.”
#
The Black Blood Sect, Black Talisman Palace, Ghost Sword Pavilion, Spear Ghost Sect, Blood Serpent Sect, Western Evil Sect...
Nine Black Path sects that had led this affair in Yueyang had gathered.
Nearly three thousand people had assembled around the Yujang Sect alone.
Nearby merchants cleared away their stalls, and those who had opened their windows shut them tightly in case they made eye contact with anyone.
The funny thing was that some of them had gone through the events at Demon Spirit Plateau with me.
They waved and raised their swords as though they had run into an old friend, making sure I noticed them.
‘Bastards.’
I slowly approached the table.
Dang Hyeokjae sat in the seat of honor with a deep frown on his face. Across from him, a man who appeared to be the Black Blood Sect Leader bared his teeth and growled.
Behind him stood Sword Evil and Serpent Evil, whose leg was wrapped in bandages.
Beside them stood the Black Talisman Palace Lord, Spear Evil, Tiger Evil, and Axe Evil.
It was an obvious signal that they would wipe out the Yujang Sect if this meeting went wrong.
“Where is the Yujang Sect Leader? Why is a brat like you coming out instead?”
“The sect leader transferred all authority to me. Besides, wasn’t I the one you wanted to see?”
The Black Blood Sect’s Deputy Sect Leader, So Gyeongchu, wore the expression of a demon.
“After daring to do that to the Black Blood Sect, do you think negotiations are even possible?”
“Then why did you crawl all the way here?”
“C-crawl here...?”
Dang Hyeokjae, who had been frowning, let out a startled cry and sent me a sound transmission.
-Can’t you choose your words more carefully?
Of course not. Especially not at a time like this.
I ignored the sound transmission and continued.
“You all came here because you realized something was going wrong too.”
“...Watch your words, brat. We may just wipe every last one of you out right here.”
“As if you could.”
“What?”
“If you stop acting as separate sects and begin moving as a group, the Martial Alliance will step in for real. The Black Path Alliance has not even been founded yet. Do you think you can wage war against the Martial Alliance?”
“...”
Dang Hyeokjae’s face turned pale.
“Furthermore, the Black Path Alliance will find it difficult to accept you as founding members after having provoked the Martial Alliance. The Black Path Alliance cannot ignore the Martial Alliance, after all.”
So Gyeongchu’s face stiffened.
Bang!
So Gyeongchu flinched at the sound of my hand striking the table, then glared at me with resentment.
Everyone’s eyes turned toward me.
“You’re all stuck in a damned situation. That’s what I’m saying.”
“...”
I could feel the initiative gradually falling into my hands.
Leaning back, I changed my tone and spoke leisurely.
“I’ll give you an opportunity. Let’s end the war between the Black Blood Sect and the Yujang Sect through a decisive martial duel.”
“You think we would accept that?”
I silently watched So Gyeongchu.
“...”
I clasped my hands before my mouth and continued staring until he grew uncomfortable.
“I am in a very foul mood right now.”
I looked over the people from the Eight Evils and the leaders of the Black Path sects one by one.
“You mercilessly attacked opponents who had declared surrender, then hunted down and killed those who had lost their will to fight.”
Tap. Tap.
I paused and tapped the table twice with my fingers.
“...Right now, you don’t look like people to me. You look like animals.”
“You bastard!”
“Hey! Watch your mouth!”
So Gyeongchu and the leaders of the Black Path sects showed their displeasure, but I did not care.
The reason I had wanted to create the Black Path Alliance was to prepare together for a greater evil, not to swallow rotten apples and endure the taste.
“If the Yujang Sect is ultimately destroyed by the Black Blood Sect, I’ll put everything else aside and kill every Black Blood Sect Leader, Deputy Sect Leader, Hall Lord, and Deputy Hall Master I can find. Just like I killed your sect leader.”
“...Do you think the Black Blood Sect is that easy to deal with?”
“You’ve seen it, so you know. My concealment art is difficult for anyone to detect, and no one in the Black Blood Sect, not even Serpent Evil, can catch up to my movement art. You will spend the rest of your lives sleeping in discomfort and fear.”
“...”
So Gyeongchu turned to look at Serpent Evil.
Serpent Evil only glared at me as though he wanted to kill me. He did not say a word.
It was practically proof that I was right.
“If you do something like that, it will be difficult for you to remain active in the Martial Alliance too.”
I snorted.
“If I worried about remaining active in the Martial Alliance, would I have started something like the Night March of the Black Path in the first place?”
“...”
So Gyeongchu glared at me for a long time before swallowing a groan.
“What are the terms of the decisive martial duel?”
“If the Yujang Sect loses, it will hand over its grounds, sect itself, signboard, and businesses, then leave Yueyang. No one will ever hear the name Yujang Sect again. If the Black Blood Sect loses, it will compensate the Yujang Sect for the losses it suffered from this war and provide condolence money to the families of the dead.”
“...”
“Do not spew any nonsense about this being unfair.”
“You have a filthy mouth.”
I pointed at Serpent Evil and Sword Evil with my chin.
“If those two had not been there, it would not have been only the sect leader who died yesterday.”
“...”
“Do not think of filling all three positions with the five members of the Eight Evils you invited. At least two positions must be filled by Black Blood Sect martial artists. Do not forget that this is a war between the Yujang Sect and the Black Blood Sect.”
So Gyeongchu looked at the scythe-wielding man.
The man gave a small nod.
“Fine.”
“The match will take place here in one week.”
“It will take place immediately.”
“Do you not intend to even clear away the Black Blood Sect’s corpses?”
“...Then it will be here in three days.”
Three days... Three days...
No matter how I considered it, that was a tight schedule.
Still, judging by those Black Path martial artists’ dissatisfied expressions and murderous gazes, even that much time seemed barely possible.
I nodded.
“Fine.”
I rose and began walking toward the Yujang Sect, then turned back and pointed at Serpent Evil.
“By the way, why did you bother bringing that crippled bastard with the bad leg?”
Serpent Evil glared at me as though he wanted to kill me.
What are you looking at? What are you going to do about it?
Footnotes:
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