WeTried Translations
Translator/Editor: Chen
Discord: https://dsc.gg/wetried
◈ The Martial Genius who Remembers Everything ◈
Chapter 185: Rewriting the Sichuan Bloodbath (5)
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To Gu Jeongryong, the alliance structure known as the Green Forest Seventy-Two Strongholds was a strange thing.
They were bound together under the name of an alliance, yet none had the authority to interfere with the others.
Even if the owner of an existing stronghold changed, that stronghold would not be expelled from the alliance of the Seventy-Two Strongholds.
That structure had remained unchanged for a hundred years, ever since the Green Forest Seventy-Two Strongholds first came into being.
Then why did people with no real ties to one another continue to maintain the name of the Green Forest Seventy-Two Strongholds?
So they could fight as a group when danger came.
Because of their trade, bandits often provoked the wrath of others and remained under the watchful eyes of martial artists and government troops.
Never knowing when they might be targeted for subjugation, they had formed their own unique alliance, gathering when necessary and scattering when it was not, all to protect their steady(?) profits.
And now, that alliance had been invoked.
Because of the Martial Alliance or the government troops?
No. Because of a single martial artist.
“Damn it...”
Gu Jeongryong bit down on their lip.
“What should we do?”
“What do you mean, what do we do? Stop the march at once and form a defensive formation! Send the wounded to the rear, then split those still in fighting condition into two ranks!”
“Yes, sir.”
Gam Cheonak hurried off to gather Tiger Hall.
If the Green Forest strongholds had invoked their alliance call, it meant they considered them as dangerous as the Martial Alliance or government troops.
‘We are from the Martial Alliance, but... there are more wounded than healthy people here...’
If three Green Forest strongholds had joined forces, they had to prepare for more than a thousand enemies.
Flower-Strict Stronghold, Red Flower Stronghold, and Black Phoenix Stronghold.
Strongholds notorious for gathering only the worst scoundrels in Sichuan.
“Of all people, why did you have to provoke them?!”
Jin Sowoon answered Gu Jeongryong’s outburst.
“Aren’t they the worst of the lot?”
“...”
To put it plainly, they monopolized the trade routes to Tibet and charged outrageous tolls.
Gu had also heard that whenever small merchant groups tried to open a route to Tibet, the strongholds sometimes attacked the entire caravan.
Gu would have liked to praise Jin for using such people to stop the Blood Cult, but it looked as though they might all die here because of it.
Another voice cut in.
“What are you doing?”
The tone was sharp, but unlike Gam Cheonak’s clear voice, it was higher and raspier, as though phlegm clogged the speaker’s throat.
“Why are you forming a defensive formation?”
Gu turned to find Elder Suheo and Elder Sangwon glaring at them with wide, angry eyes.
“They are bandits who dared block the path of the Martial Alliance. You intend to defend against them? Are you in your right mind?”
“Tiger Hall, famed across the land, trembling in fear over a few bandits? I will certainly make an issue of this!”
Gu Jeongryong’s expression went blank.
Their position as Hall Master was in danger, yet their chest burned like fire, and it felt as if their head might burst from the heat.
They would not suffer a one-sided defeat if they fought, as the elders said.
But what of the casualties?
More than half were wounded, and fewer than two hundred people, including Tiger Hall, could still fight.
Most of those who had barely survived the Sichuan Bloodbath might become wandering ghosts here in the end.
‘Is that truly what you want?’
The anger that had built up over the past few days began to crawl to the surface.
Even if Gu were stripped of the Hall Master position and imprisoned for insubordination, they could not tolerate this.
“Do the Elders truly think that...”
Just as Gu was about to pour out their resentment in a growl...
“Have these old fools lost their minds?”
“...”
The crude voice that suddenly interrupted cooled Gu’s head at once.
Jin Sowoon was walking toward the two elders with the expression of a street thug.
“Y-you! What did you just say?!”
“Fuck, you didn’t hear me? I said you’ve lost your minds!”
“What?!”
The two elders’ faces reddened to a degree that seemed almost impossible.
It was only natural. They had spent their entire lives holding the highest positions in the Martial Alliance.
For them, being cursed at by a disciple who had only just entered the Martial Arts Academy, and one from an insignificant sect like the Taeul Sect, was surely a novel experience.
“What? The Martial Alliance’s procession? Afraid of a few bandits?”
Thump. Thump.
Jin did not stop there. He began shoulder-checking the two elders.
“It seems you still haven’t grasped the situation.”
Too stunned by the absurdity of it all to react, the elders staggered back two or three steps.
“If you want to fight so badly, go fight them yourselves.”
“Y-you insolent brat!”
Unable to endure any longer, Suheo and Sangwon began raising their internal energy.
Their martial robes swelled as if about to burst beneath storm-like waves of energy, while their long hair and beards floated into the air.
The situation stood on the brink of violence.
Yet even amid the overflowing killing intent, Jin Sowoon’s voice continued to ring out.
“Ha. You sacrificed so many precious lives for the sake of that damned dignity, and it’s still that important to you?”
“...”
His voice struck like thunder.
From the Academy students and Tiger Hall members forming the defensive formation to the wounded groaning in pain, everyone looked toward Jin and the two elders.
“If dignity matters that much, the two of you go out and fight.”
“...”
Jin Sowoon’s cold fury froze the surrounding air in an instant.
“Use all that Martial Alliance ingenuity of yours and try fighting a thousand people.”
Without raising his internal energy or even drawing his sword, Jin patted their shoulders again.
“...”
“...”
The two elders, who had raised their energy with such fury, could not strike.
Jin looked at them as if they were insects, then turned toward the rear.
“Kunlun Sect! Mount Zhongnan Sect! Come out!”
Then he shouted at the top of his lungs.
“Your elders want to fight those Green Forest strongholds, so go fight for them and die like blades of grass!”
“...”
Everyone’s gaze turned to Kunlun and Mount Zhongnan.
Their sect elders were being humiliated by a mere Academy student, yet no one stepped forward.
The elders gritted their teeth as they looked at their motionless disciples.
“Grrrk...”
“Those bastards!”
The people watching began to look at the two elders differently. Their eyes held unmistakable contempt and disgust, along with anger demanding to know why they wanted to throw lives away so carelessly.
Jin’s gaze returned to them.
“Why can’t the two of you fight alone now that even your disciples will not step forward? Is the Martial Alliance’s dignity not so important when weighed against your own lives?”
Suheo and Sangwon could only tremble, unable to open their mouths.
Too many innocent people had already suffered, and the Orthodox Society had failed to resolve any of it.
In such a situation, it was clear that only disciples from their home sects would follow their words.
Yet even those disciples’ loyalty had begun to crack.
Quiet anger flickered in Sowoon’s eyes.
“With resolve that weak, were you planning to throw away your disciples’ lives so easily?”
Jin Sowoon rebuked the elders wrapped in the hollow shell of dignity and righteousness, hoping that shell would be torn to pieces and that, unlike in his previous life, the weak would not fall as innocent sacrifices.
“If you are not willing to step forward yourself, shut your mouths and stay out of the way!”
“...”
“...”
Blood began to trickle from Elder Suheo’s mouth, perhaps from the sheer force of their anger.
At last, unable to contain it, Suheo began to raise a hand.
Gu Jeongryong stepped in.
“Enough. In an emergency, command of the unit falls under the authority of the Martial Alliance’s combat pavilion. The Elders do not have command authority, do they?”
At Gu’s words, the elders’ eyes shifted uneasily.
“Jin Sowoon... Just wait.”
“Do not think this is over.”
Leaving behind words befitting villains, the two turned sharply and walked away.
Gu Jeongryong let out a sigh of relief.
That was enough.
If things had gone any further, there was no telling what retaliation Jin might have faced.
Gu was deeply grateful that Jin had stepped forward in their place.
Thanks to that, the elders could not lay a finger on Jin, who had righteousness on his side.
It was a clear justification only the current Jin Sowoon could possess.
“Thank you. You helped us through a dangerous moment.”
“...”
Jin still appeared unable to let go of his anger as he watched the elders’ backs.
Worried, Gu said, “Don’t get any other ideas. No matter what, they are people who rose to the Elder Council through the power of their respective sects.”
Only then did Jin relax his expression.
“I have no intention of doing anything right away. Still, someone must be held responsible for this.”
“Responsible?”
“They are the people who led this whole event, aren’t they? I won’t let this pass.”
“...”
He would not let it pass?
Was that possible against elders of the Elder Council?
As Gu Jeongryong sank into that fundamental question, Gam Cheonak approached again.
“Hall Master, the Deputy Stronghold Leaders have arrived from their side.”
“Only the Deputy Stronghold Leaders?”
“Yes. They say they wish to meet our representative.”
“...”
What could people bristling with killing intent, gripping weapons, and prepared for battle possibly wish to discuss?
Since they were not in a position to fight at once, Gu nodded.
“Fine. Jin Sowoon, you come as well.”
“Me?”
“... Right now, I can’t think of anyone else who can go out there. Come with me.”
#
After giving Moyong Jaehwa and the others instructions, Jin Sowoon followed Gu Jeongryong.
Between the Green Forest stronghold alliance and the group from the Martial Arts Academy stood fierce-looking men who seemed as though they had the word “bandit” written across their faces.
‘This won’t be easy.’
That was Gu Jeongryong’s first impression of them.
Gu did not entirely lack the tendency to look down on them as bandits, but their attainments were not much lower than Gu’s own.
If the Deputy Stronghold Leaders were at that level, it was impossible to guess how strong the stronghold masters leading them might be.
‘If this goes wrong, this could become our grave.’
Gu Jeongryong sharpened their focus and spoke.
“It is a pleasure to meet you. I am Gu Jeongryong, Hall Master of Tiger Hall under the Martial Alliance’s Azure Dragon Pavilion.”
Gu deliberately emphasized Azure Dragon Pavilion and the position of Tiger Hall Master, but the Deputy Stronghold Leaders did not react.
“Flower-Strict Stronghold, Red Flower Stronghold, and Black Phoenix Stronghold. We heard you are people of the Martial Arts Academy and the Martial Alliance. Is that correct?”
The Green Forest men already knew, yet they asked again.
“Heretical martial artists appeared in Sichuan, and we were carrying out a mission. We have no intention of harming the strongholds.”
Gu Jeongryong feigned ignorance.
The Deputy Stronghold Leaders’ expressions did not ease.
“But you have already caused harm.”
So they knew everything after all.
“Your people deliberately dragged our strongholds into battle and inflicted enormous losses on us.”
Gu answered quickly.
“It could not have been intentional. We were carrying out an urgent operation. If there were losses, we will compensate you fully.”
The Deputy Stronghold Leader of Flower-Strict Stronghold bared their teeth.
“You would do well not to think of denying it. We have no intention of letting this pass.”
One of the Deputy Stronghold Leaders glared at Gu as if ready to kill them.
“Who was it? Who caused this? Or was it not an individual act, but the intention of the Martial Alliance?”
“...”
Gu Jeongryong swallowed hard.
It was a dead end.
If Gu claimed it was the Martial Alliance’s intention, they would kill everyone here.
If Gu said Jin Sowoon had done it personally, they would never forgive Jin.
“If you deny it, we will kill every last one of you and console our fallen comrades’ spirits.”
“...”
Should they fight or not?
In that moment of hesitation...
Boom.
A signal flare burst in the eastern sky.
Jin Sowoon saw it, stepped forward, and spoke.
“It was me.”
“Jin Sowoon!”
“...”
Gu Jeongryong and Gam Cheonak cried out and tried to stop him, but the words had already left Jin’s mouth.
The Deputy Stronghold Leaders glared at Jin as though ready to kill him on the spot.
“According to the witnesses, there were two people.”
“Ah, Nam Hwaseong is a disciple of Samwon Sect. He only followed my orders, so if you want to hold someone responsible, hold me responsible.”
“Haa...?”
The Flower-Strict Stronghold Deputy Stronghold Leader’s face trembled.
“Are you saying you want to die?”
“Um, not really. There is one problem, though. I intend to take responsibility, but a little later.”
“What?”
At that moment, a commotion rose from the strongholds’ side.
There were murmurs, curses, and clattering sounds.
Then, with a boom, the bandits flew into the air all at once.
“W-what is this?!”
“An attack?!”
“You want a fight?!”
The three Deputy Stronghold Leaders gripped their weapons and prepared to charge.
“No. For now, you will need to deal with that person first.”
“What?”
The Green Forest bandits split apart to either side, and a group of hundreds began walking forward.
They wore clothing little different from that of the existing Green Forest alliance.
For a moment, Gu Jeongryong wondered if more of their people had arrived.
Yet the new group pushing through the bandits clearly carried a different presence.
Especially the two people at the very front.
A huge man riding a black horse, and a beautiful woman riding a white horse.
Ignoring the killing intent released by the three Deputy Stronghold Leaders, the pair calmly passed them and approached Gu Jeongryong.
The black horse itself was far larger than an ordinary horse, yet the man riding it had a body as enormous as Mount Tai.
The huge man casually turned his gaze toward Gu’s side and spoke.
“Little brother, it’s terribly difficult just to see your face once.”
Jin Sowoon smiled and answered.
“This little brother has been busy with public and private matters, so I had to make a difficult request of you, Brother.”
A lovely voice slipped between their words.
“Young Master Jin, am I invisible to you?”
Jin Sowoon clasped his hands and smiled brightly.
“Sister-in-law. Have you been well? I was worried that I had made you travel such a long way because of me.”
“Of course I have. Besides, thanks to you, I got to travel all the way to Sichuan. It’s been nice.”
The woman answered with a smile as bright as a flower in bloom, leaving even the Deputy Stronghold Leaders of the Green Forest unable to move in a daze.
The three appeared to know each other as they exchanged greetings.
Then the huge man glanced at Gu Jeongryong.
“Little brother, is that person your superior?”
“Yes, I should have introduced them sooner. They are Great Hero Gu Jeongryong, Hall Master of Tiger Hall under Azure Dragon Pavilion.”
The huge man swiftly dismounted despite his massive body.
Then he strode toward Gu Jeongryong.
Each step felt as though it sent a faint tremor through the ground.
“It is good to meet you. I am Bang Duchil!”
“Bang Duchil... the Green Dragon King?”
“You know me?”
Gu had heard the rumors.
Strange things were happening in Zhejiang Province.
People had appeared who were subjugating the Green Forest Seventy-Two Strongholds one by one, despite it being nothing more than a loose alliance.
The two dragons who had wiped out the Twin-Curtain Strongholds, which had committed countless evils on Mount Cheonmok, and taken their place were responsible.
One of them was the Green Dragon, Bang Duchil.
‘Unlike the other one, who is shrouded in mystery, he is said to act openly...’
Gu had wondered how arrogant someone had to be to reveal his identity while being nothing more than a bandit.
But the impression from meeting Bang in person was completely different.
No, Gu understood why Bang moved about openly.
‘H-he is overwhelming...!’
It was not just about Bang’s outward appearance.
The immense, overwhelming qi he possessed was as massive as Mount Tai.
It was the bearing of someone who ruled like an emperor.
Gu Jeongryong lowered their head without realizing it.
“I-I have heard much about you.”
They said Bang would one day unite the Green Forest Alliance, and that was no exaggeration.
“Is that so? Ahahahaha!”
Bang patted Gu’s shoulder, and Gu’s bones seemed to thump with every blow.
The laughter was so loud that it felt as though the whole area shook.
As Gu struggled to ignore the pain in their shoulder, a word Bang had said flashed through their mind.
“But just now, you called him ‘little brother’...”
Gu asked again to make certain they had heard correctly.
Little brother. Bang had definitely said little brother...
Bang Duchil’s gaze slid toward Jin Sowoon as he watched Gu’s confused expression.
For some reason, Jin was frowning and faintly shaking his head.
Just as Gu Jeongryong’s confusion was about to deepen further...
“Ah! I am Jin Sowoon’s sworn brother.”
Bang Duchil laughed heartily.
“What?”
“We are sworn brothers who vowed to die on the same day and at the same hour.”
Gu Jeongryong’s brow furrowed deeply.
Footnotes:
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