WeTried Translations
Translator/Editor: Chen
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◈ The Martial Genius who Remembers Everything ◈
Chapter 169: The Sea of Blood Spreading Across Sichuan (5)
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‘Something about this is taking a strange turn.’
Cheol Sunjik’s gaze, fixed on Tiger Hall and Jin Sowoon, darkened slightly.
Had it started back in Jingzhou?
Jin Sowoon had been little more than the nominal commander, but he was now leading a force of more than a hundred people.
Gu Jeongryong, the Tiger Hall Master, had even taken a step back and begun following Jin Sowoon’s orders.
Every Martial Arts Academy student had experience taking the regular examination and following orders, but those gathered here were members of Tiger Hall.
The Martial Alliance’s strongest martial force.
Azure Dragon Pavilion.
And within it, a strike force created solely to launch the first attack.
Tiger Hall.
Their skills were one thing, but their temperaments were rough enough to make even wandering martial artists seem tame.
It was said that even Shaolin Temple’s direct disciples came out as thugs after joining this brutal organization, yet they followed Jin Sowoon’s orders without complaint.
No, Tiger Hall’s members went further than that. Instead of going through Gu Jeongryong, they asked Jin Sowoon directly.
“Representative Jin! They say a mountain stronghold is blocking the road ahead?”
Jin Sowoon answered as though it were obvious.
“It was established recently. We’ll break straight through it.”
“Come on, it’s still a mountain stronghold. Shouldn’t we pay the toll before passing through?”
Tiger Hall, the Martial Alliance’s strike force, asking to pay a toll...
Since when had Tiger Hall worked as escort warriors?
The ridiculous remark was clearly meant to test Jin Sowoon, their commander.
“If you’re scared, stay behind. Taeul Sect will clear the way.”
“Ah, then we’d have no choice but to join in. How about giving us two bottles every night instead of one?”
Perhaps it was only natural for them to make such demands after he had treated them so generously.
Cheol Sunjik knew because he had experienced the same thing.
‘That’s why you shouldn’t flaunt your wealth before others.’
In the martial world, the power that mattered was martial strength, not money.
To people who had risen as far as Tiger Hall through their own abilities, Jin Sowoon’s display of wealth could only make him seem like a naive young master from a rich family.
Besides, he had been treating them with Wang Geumsan’s money, not his own.
To people as seasoned in the martial world as Tiger Hall’s members, the whole situation must have looked laughable.
“Bandits ahead!”
At the shout from a Tiger Hall member riding ahead, the member speaking with Jin Sowoon urged him on.
“What will you do? You should decide quickly.”
The other Tiger Hall members must have also felt the liquor had been insufficient. They listened to Jin Sowoon and the member with eager expressions.
Jin Sowoon gave the man a faint smile.
“I’ve been treating you with great respect because I heard you were the Martial Alliance’s strongest. Yet you’re suggesting we pay a toll because you’re afraid of one newly formed mountain stronghold?”
Jin Sowoon’s eyes turned firm.
“From now on, we’ll change horses at horse stations and sleep at Martial Alliance branches.”
“What?”
This wasn’t how it was supposed to go.
Panic crossed the man’s face.
Before he could recover, Jin Sowoon moved first.
“Taeul Sect disciples, forward!”
“Yes!”
The Gold, Silver, and Bronze brothers took position at the front, followed by Hong Saryeon, Namgung Seonhwa, and Seong Moran.
Drawing his sword, Jin Sowoon addressed Tiger Hall.
“None of you are to step in. If you do, I’ll have to put you up in ‘luxurious and comfortable’ inns as well.”
With that, Jin Sowoon ran ahead.
Tiger Hall’s members were the ones who grew frantic.
Curses broke out from all around.
“What the fuck! You bastard! Why’d you have to say something so useless?”
“That bastard’s mouth is always getting him into trouble. Someone knock his teeth out!”
“...”
The member who had drawn the others’ eager attention moments ago instantly became a traitor. Worried they might have to sleep at a branch, Tiger Hall’s members charged past the Taeul Sect disciples toward the bandits.
“Halt! This is the territory of Akju Stronghold... Huh?”
Alarm appeared on the bandits’ faces.
Some Tiger Hall members were blocked by those in front of them, so they kicked off their horses and leaped directly at the bandits.
“You bastards don’t even know the basics of being bandits!”
“You idiots! When you see the Martial Alliance’s flag, you’re supposed to run. Why the hell are you standing your ground?”
“Hey! Leave one alive! I don’t want to sleep at a branch!”
Every time Tiger Hall’s members unleashed a strike, two or three bandits went down.
Ten men collapsed in the blink of an eye. Only then did the bandits come to their senses and flee in a panic.
By the time the Taeul Sect disciples and Jin Sowoon arrived, the road had already been cleared.
“Representative Jin, we cleared it out nicely. Don’t mind what that fool said earlier. We’ll keep clearing the road for you.”
Jin Sowoon nodded.
“As expected, your skills exceed even what I anticipated.”
“Who do you think we are? We’re Tiger Hall, the Martial Alliance’s strongest strike force.”
“Then we can increase our speed from now on, correct?”
“...”
They were already moving fast enough that the horses would collapse from exhaustion after a full day of riding, and now he wanted to go even faster?
“Or are you only as capable as I thought?”
Dissatisfaction filled Jin Sowoon’s face.
It was the expression of someone asking if this was all they had after daring to challenge him.
“Haha! Haha! Of course! To be honest, the pace has been frustratingly slow until now.”
Only then did Jin Sowoon nod with satisfaction.
“Let’s go. The faster we ride, the longer your rest time will be.”
Every Tiger Hall member glared murderously at the man who had challenged Jin Sowoon.
‘He’s experienced.’
Watching the situation unfold, Cheol Sunjik sighed inwardly.
He was not the only one surprised.
Nam Hwaseong stepped closer and spoke to Cheol Sunjik.
“Brother Cheol, doesn’t this situation seem to be taking a strange turn?”
“...He seems unusually experienced for his age.”
Another member of the Twelve Peak Alliance added, “He seems like a child who is already an adult.”
He was certainly far too experienced to be someone who had only just passed twenty.
Relationships between people were not determined by absolute martial strength and wealth alone.
The process of seeing through another person’s thoughts, taking control, and leading them was not something one could learn simply by being clever.
What mattered was pure experience.
Only when experience accumulated could one develop true authority.
In that respect, Jin Sowoon possessed authority for some reason, despite having been born into the poor circumstances of Taeul Sect.
“He has excellent qualities as a puppet.”
He had been desirable even during the regular examination, but now Cheol wanted him more than ever.
That was why Jin Sowoon needed the Twelve Peak Alliance.
If he tied Jin Sowoon to the Twelve Peak Alliance and presented him to the public, people would surely cheer.
Naturally, Cheol would be the one pulling the strings.
By meeting a master like Cheol Sunjik, Jin Sowoon would be able to rise beyond the position of Academy Representative and stand tall within the Martial Alliance.
Perhaps he would become a new light for their generation, overshadowed by Yong Soa and Ilmyeong...
“Hehehe.”
The unexpected glimpse of Jin Sowoon’s true nature made him laugh.
Then Jin Sowoon suddenly turned and looked his way.
“Academy student Cheol Sunjik! Is that all the speed you’ve got? What are you grinning about?”
Cheol Sunjik wiped the smile from his lips and frowned.
He was not the only one who had been talking. The entire Twelve Peak Alliance had been involved.
Why single him out?
He looked around in disbelief...
Nam Hwaseong and the rest of the Twelve Peak Alliance were already riding far ahead.
What? When did they get that far ahead?
Cheol Sunjik stared at Jin Sowoon with a dumbfounded expression.
“Yes! You, Cheol Sunjik! Are you going to pick up the pace or not? Do you want to sleep at a branch?”
“...”
Nam Hwaseong added, “Brother Cheol! Hurry up already. We’re getting scolded because of you.”
“...”
No, you were the one who started the conversation!
“...Crunch.”
Cheol Sunjik gritted his teeth and pulled harder on the reins.
#
‘I’m an idiot for expecting anything.’
The five groups had all gone through Mount Emei, Mount Ming, and Mount Qingcheng. Some had even stopped by Nine Dragon Valley before moving on.
There were fewer people than in my previous life, yet they had scattered in every direction.
They consisted solely of disciples from the Nine Sects One Gang and their affiliated sects, so they moved insanely fast. By the time the Hao Sect’s information arrived, they had already changed locations again, leaving the reports in complete disorder.
After tearing through Sichuan like this, there was no way the Corpse Mountain Blood Cult, which had cast its web across the province, could remain unaware.
It was a situation where a trap capable of swallowing people whole could spring at any moment.
“We’re going even faster!”
“Pant! Pant! Pant!”
“Senior Brother, we need to stop soon. At this rate, everyone’s going to die...!”
“Even Tiger Hall hasn’t said a word for several hours now.”
We had done our best to avoid exhausting ourselves, but we had been moving so quickly that everyone was worn out.
My party and the Twelve Peak Alliance were one thing, but Tiger Hall carried combat supplies and provisions as a matter of course, so they tired more easily than the others.
Without Tiger Hall in the first place, moving safely would have been impossible.
“Chengdu is close. Let’s slow down a little.”
Even Namgung Seonhwa said that with a worried expression, so I could not push everyone any harder.
‘What should I do?’
Judging by the timing, no matter how fast we moved from here, some of the groups would still encounter the Corpse Mountain Blood Cult.
If we moved together, we might fail to prevent losses that could otherwise be avoided.
In the end, the only choice I had was for us to split up just as they had.
“Tiger Hall, rest and regroup in Chengdu before moving out again.”
There would be no point in bringing Tiger Hall all this way if they collapsed before the Elder Council, let alone the Corpse Mountain Blood Cult, when they had to carry out the Mantong Office’s directive.
“I thought I was going to die.”
“It’s the first time in my life I’ve pushed myself this hard.”
“My ass is completely chafed.”
Tiger Hall’s members each let out a breath of relief.
I looked at my party and Cheol Sunjik.
“While Tiger Hall regroups, the Twelve Peak Alliance and our group will divide into five teams. We’ll locate the Orthodox Society’s people and maintain contact as we move.”
Cheol Sunjik tilted his head at my explanation.
“Representative Jin, what exactly is the purpose of this operation?”
“To stop the event and have them return to Chengdu.”
“With only us?”
Elders were attending the Orthodox Society’s event.
Unless a force like Tiger Hall stepped in, they would not be easily moved.
“Then wouldn’t it be better for us to move with Tiger Hall as well?”
Cheol Sunjik continued with a slight frown.
“What is the point of going ahead by ourselves to deliver a directive that won’t even be carried out?”
“If the Orthodox Society refuses to listen until the end, we’ll only bring two people back.”
The faces of Cheol Sunjik and the other Twelve Peak Alliance members stiffened.
“Two people? Who are you referring to?”
“Moyong Jaehwa and Eun Seollan.”
“...Haha!”
Cheol Sunjik’s gaze darkened. A cold sneer formed on his lips.
“Are you saying you didn’t come here to save the Orthodox Society, but to secure those two?”
“Yes.”
“Moyong Jaehwa and Eun Seollan... You are acquainted with both of them, aren’t you?”
Cheol Sunjik wore an inscrutable expression.
“So you stopped the Academy schedule, mobilized Tiger Hall, and came all this way for those two?”
“...”
He kept pressing on the points I would rather avoid.
He had done the exact same thing to his superiors on the battlefield in my previous life.
I could tell Cheol Sunjik was trying to display his specialty.
Questioning a commander’s morality, seizing their weakness, and acting as he pleased.
A commander who lost the trust of their subordinates could no longer wield authority. To avoid tarnishing their morality, they had no choice but to act according to Cheol Sunjik’s intentions.
In my previous life, Cheol Sunjik had always used that method to keep the Twelve Peak Alliance from being pushed out of the forefront during the Orthodox-Demonic War.
But I wasn’t a fool who would be manipulated even when I knew what he was doing.
“Yes.”
Cheol Sunjik’s lips trembled at my answer.
The Twelve Peak Alliance members also frowned.
I drove the point home.
“I came all this way to protect my people.”
I could roughly guess why Cheol Sunjik had volunteered to accompany us when we left the Academy.
Watching the Orthodox Society repeatedly make mistakes and the Academy Representative disregard the Academy schedule, he must have thought it was finally the Twelve Peak Alliance’s turn.
He intended to seize a weakness during this journey and put the finishing touch on his plan.
I could play along with whatever he wanted.
“If you dislike my intentions, you’re free to return at any time.”
As long as you pay the proper price.
“But if you wish to remain, you must keep the one promise, as I said from the start.”
“...Absolute obedience.”
“Yes.”
At my firm answer, a chill spread through the Twelve Peak Alliance.
“Do you understand that what you’re doing now could threaten your position as representative?”
“I do.”
“Then why are you pushing ahead?”
Why...? Why, indeed...
Because Moyong Jaehwa and Eun Seollan would become major heroes in the Orthodox-Demonic War?
That was true as well.
But before that, they were people with whom I had formed a connection in this life.
Moyong Jaehwa, who had even given up the regular examination for me.
Eun Seollan, who was like a blood sister to Saryeon and treated me like her own older brother.
They were people I could never trade for anything in this life...
“Because they’re my people.”
Perhaps I wanted so desperately to protect them because I had failed to protect even one of my people in my previous life.
And perhaps such surface-level truths made some people uncomfortable.
Nam Hwaseong cursed, his eyes blazing.
“Are you fucking kidding me? You’ve caused all this trouble just to save your friends?”
He could curse me for my selfishness and spit at me if he wanted.
More than anything, I never wanted to see my people die in vain again because of someone else’s incompetence.
No matter what price I had to pay.
“May I take issue with what you just said?”
Cheol Sunjik’s words made me snort.
“The Orthodox Society, the White Path Society, the Twelve Peak Alliance. Aren’t you all the same? Wouldn’t you do whatever it took for your own people?”
“I would prefer it if you didn’t change the subject.”
I looked Cheol Sunjik directly in the eyes and smiled.
“By all means.”
One corner of Cheol Sunjik’s mouth rose slightly at my answer.
It was his habit whenever he had a bad thought.
“Very well.”
As Cheol Sunjik nodded, Nam Hwaseong was the one who panicked.
I asked Nam Hwaseong, who wore a blank expression, “What will you do, you bastard? Are you going back?”
“...Why are you suddenly speaking informally...?”
“I never asked you to follow me in the first place. Speak. Are you leaving, or are you staying?”
Nam Hwaseong looked at Cheol Sunjik as if seeking a decision, but Cheol Sunjik only stared at me.
In the end, Nam Hwaseong nodded as though he would stay.
“From now on, we’ll divide into five teams.”
I arranged the teams by skill and told everyone except the vanguard where they needed to head.
Nam Hwaseong looked back and forth between Cheol Sunjik and me.
“W-wait, I said I’d stay too!”
Nam Hwaseong shouted in alarm.
I said I was going to save my people, and he cursed at me for it?
There was an immediate cure for someone like him.
“Nam Hwaseong, you’re coming with me.”
I’ll teach you what real hardship is.
Footnotes:
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