WeTried Translations
Translator/Editor: Chen
Discord: https://dsc.gg/wetried
◈ The Martial Genius who Remembers Everything ◈
Chapter 194: The Messenger from the Past (4)
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“Ughh...”
Wang Geumsan frowned as he watched Jin Taesan work, making a strange sound that was neither a groan nor a scream.
With Wang Soso devoting herself to training, the Wang Family Estate's busy affairs had eased considerably.
In the past, Wang Geumsan had regretted every day that he could not spend time with his daughter. Now, though, he was happy that she often used training as an excuse to stay overnight at the Taeul Sect.
Thanks to that, Wang Geumsan had finally caught his breath and looked much healthier.
‘At this rate, he'll work himself to death.’
Jin Taesan, on the other hand, looked terrible.
Bald patches had already begun appearing across his head, and his skin was dry and cracked, as though he did not even have time to wash his face properly.
His eyes were bloodshot, and dark circles hung beneath them. It was impossible to tell when he had last slept.
‘Didn't he say he was building a forge recently?’
Famous smiths from Yueyang and craftsmen from the Tang Clan had been recruited to join the Taeul Sect.
The Taeul Sect had grown at a dazzling rate over the past few years.
It was only natural that they would be busy, yet Jin Taesan still worked himself mercilessly.
“Why don't you take it a little easier?”
“...”
Jin Taesan briefly raised his head, then lowered it again and returned to work as though ignoring Wang Geumsan.
“You'll collapse at this rate.”
“...Are you bored?”
“Hmm?”
“Or did you come here just to tease me?”
“Ahem. I already have more than enough work to keep me busy, so why would I come all the way here just to tease you?”
“Then why did you bring sweets and tea? You're planning to spend the day here, aren't you?”
To be honest, even Wang Geumsan did not know why he had come here on his day off.
He enjoyed teasing Jin Taesan, certainly, but drinking with high officials and the heads of great sects was enjoyable too.
“...I brought them for you to eat. It's not as if I brought them for myself.”
“...I don't have an appetite.”
Jin Taesan lowered his head again and continued working.
The Great Heaven Merchant Group was gradually establishing itself in Hefei.
Its volume of goods continued to grow, and Wang Geumsan had heard that the newly opened merchant branch near Mount Cheonmok was doing so well that it was already complaining of a shortage of staff.
“You can afford to slow down a little. Why are you working as though your life depends on it?”
“...Didn't you criticize young people these days for only thinking about slacking off?”
“Ahem! That was just something I said.”
He had meant to motivate Jin Taesan, but he had not expected him to work this hard.
Jin Taesan, who had been grumbling nonstop, suddenly turned serious.
“I'm doing it because I'm ashamed.”
“Hmm?”
Jin Taesan continued speaking without lifting his head.
“You know how frightening money can be, don't you, Estate Lord?”
“...I certainly do.”
“When you don't have a single coin in your pocket, the world becomes a truly frightening place. Far more frightening than you could imagine.”
“...”
Wang Geumsan had spent his entire life learning how frightening money could be, yet he had never actually been poor.
After all, he had grown up in comfort within the Wang Family Estate.
“It would be more accurate to call it desperate.”
Fine lines formed around Jin Taesan's eyes, as if he were recalling painful memories.
“You constantly have to weigh whether to cut back on the grain your children eat or on the firewood you burn in winter to keep their room warm.”
Jin Taesan set down his brush for a moment and pressed both hands against his aching eyes.
“And no matter how hard adults try to hide that suffering, children feel it. That's why children raised in difficult circumstances grow up so quickly.”
“...”
“My son was the same.”
Thinking of Jin Sowoon, Wang Geumsan carefully spoke up.
“...Would it be too arrogant to say that Sowoon grew into such an outstanding young man because he lived through those circumstances?”
Jin Taesan abruptly raised his head.
“Yes. That would be arrogant.”
His gaze was sharp, his voice firm.
The words could have offended Wang Geumsan, but he did not feel displeased.
Jin Taesan lowered his eyes again.
“When I heard that Jin Sowoon had passed the regular examination as the top student, it felt as though my heart were being torn apart.”
“...”
“I did not even want to imagine what he had sacrificed in place of money.”
Jin Taesan's voice trembled.
“I lay awake at night wondering whether I was even qualified to call myself his father.”
“...”
“Even the opportunities the Taeul Sect has gained now were all brought to us by that boy.”
Jin Taesan looked at Wang Geumsan again.
“Estate Lord, may I ask you something?”
“Go ahead.”
“You said there is no such thing as a free lunch in this world, didn't you?”
Wang Geumsan answered at once.
“That's right. That alone is the truth.”
“Then what must a sect with nothing, like the Taeul Sect, sacrifice to enjoy such prosperity in so short a time?”
“...”
This time, Wang Geumsan could not answer immediately.
He had never been in such circumstances. He had never even imagined them.
“I cannot look at that boy and feel only pride. Jin Sowoon is the most precious person in my life.”
“...”
“Yet I cannot stop him, either. If the Taeul Sect becomes poor again, the other children will be thrown back into that cruel world.”
Wang Geumsan silently nodded.
Jin Taesan began moving his hands busily again.
“That is why I cannot rest even for a moment. This is the only thing I can do.”
A faint smile formed on Wang Geumsan's face as he listened to Jin Taesan's heartfelt words.
He let out a small laugh.
Only then did he understand why he had come here instead of meeting high officials or the heads of great sects on his precious day off.
Jin Taesan never ran from his own shortcomings. He simply did all he could with stubborn determination.
Wang Geumsan liked that single-minded but upright man.
“My thinking was shallow. Is there anything I can help you with?”
“Something you could help with, Estate Lord...”
After thinking for a moment, Jin Taesan quickly rummaged through the documents.
Then, as if he had been waiting for this, he began rattling off a list.
“Please classify the goods with price differences between Anhui Province and neighboring provinces, then calculate their profitability...”
“Ah, my apologies. I spoke without thinking. Today is my day off, so I need to rest.”
“...”
Just as Wang Geumsan awkwardly cleared his throat, a servant entered and delivered a letter.
Jin Taesan, who had been glaring at Wang Geumsan, slowly opened the letter and read its contents.
“Gasp!”
Jin Taesan's eyes widened as he sucked in a breath.
Curious about the letter's contents, Wang Geumsan slowly approached.
Normally, Jin Taesan would not have shown him the letter, but for some reason, he could only clutch it and tremble.
The moment Wang Geumsan took the letter to read it, Jin Taesan burst into uproarious laughter.
“Muahahahahahaha!”
“...What's wrong with you?”
“Read it.”
Jin Taesan's lips were stretched into a broad smile.
Wang Geumsan quickly read the letter, then let out a small groan himself.
“To be designated as the Martial Alliance's exclusive supplier... This is truly remarkable.”
“Muahahahahahahahaha!”
“Dozens of merchant groups must have competed for this right. I have no idea how you managed it... Still, congratulations.”
“Of course. I'm also overjoyed that I have another chance to keep you busy, Estate Lord.”
“Hmm? What do you mean by that?”
When Wang Geumsan looked confused, a sly smile appeared on Jin Taesan's lips.
“The Wang Family Estate has wanted regular trade with the Martial Alliance too, hasn't it?”
“!!!”
The memory returned, and Wang Geumsan's hair stood on end.
“N-No, no. We cannot steal such a wonderful opportunity from you.”
Jin Taesan immediately shook his head at Wang Geumsan's feigned humility.
“What are you talking about? Do you expect us to handle every item needed by the Martial Alliance branches all by ourselves? Of course we must work with the Wang Family Estate.”
“No, I said it's fine!”
“It isn't fine with me!”
“I-I won't accept it!”
“Then I suppose I'll have to speak to Soso.”
“...”
Wang Geumsan deeply furrowed his brow.
For the first time in a while, Jin Taesan's hearty laughter made Jin Taesan feel as though all his exhaustion had vanished.
#
Yayul Geuk would die.
The first reason I reached that conclusion was Yayul Jae.
At this point in my previous life, Yayul Jae had said he lived like a ruined man.
He never explained why. He only said that he had spent several years drowning himself in alcohol.
Yayul Jae was not someone who gave up easily.
If he had been, he could never have spent years wandering as a martial vagabond after becoming an adult, training in martial arts and sending every coin he earned back to his sect.
That naturally suggested something had happened during that period, something that made him live like a ruined man.
Second, Yayul Jae had never mentioned his blood relatives.
He neither spoke about them nor showed any sign of visiting family. By the time he joined the Sojeong Unit, he must have either fallen out with his siblings or lost them.
If his relatives had died, and he could not easily speak of their deaths...
‘...Then their deaths must have shocked him deeply enough to burden him for the rest of his life.’
Even after a long time had passed, painful memories would float back to the surface, carried by his longing.
The fact that he still could not bring himself to speak of them meant he had forcibly suppressed that longing.
In other words, the deaths themselves had not been natural.
Not an accident or a chronic illness...
Something so painful that it filled him with guilt and torment whenever he remembered it.
Third, after completing the Flowing Cloud Divine Art, he had repeatedly regretted it in overwhelming guilt.
That naturally connected the Flowing Cloud Divine Art to his siblings' deaths.
The fourth reason was that he hated someone simply for being from the Martial Arts Academy.
Putting it all together led to one conclusion.
‘Yayul Jae tried to complete the Flowing Cloud Divine Art through Yayul Geuk. Yayul Geuk was trapped in an unbearable situation, isolated and beaten every day, and then...’
I abruptly stopped my train of thought.
This was only speculation.
Even so, it felt as though I could not breathe.
“What a mess of brothers!”
I began searching the classrooms in the main building.
“Who is running around so carelessly on sacred academy grounds?”
“Stop right there!”
The instructors and academy officials tried to stop me from running through the academy, but I used the Taeul Eighty Thousand Divine Steps to create afterimages and evade them.
“Young Master Jin!”
At the sudden call, I turned to see Seong Moran, Namgung Seonhwa, and Hong Saryeon staring at me in surprise.
“What are you doing? Why are you running around in such a hurry?”
I urgently asked them.
“Please find Yayul Geuk.”
“Who is that?”
“Please, just do it.”
After leaving those words behind, I immediately ran on.
I searched every classroom in the main building, then the west and east buildings as well.
I checked the rooftops just in case, but Yayul Geuk was nowhere to be found.
‘I need to find that bastard.’
The academy officials and instructors were chasing after me from behind. They were shouting something, but none of it reached my ears.
I gathered my internal energy again and rushed toward the four-person dormitory.
The moment I entered the hallway, everyone standing outside their rooms turned to look at me.
I passed them quickly, taking in each face.
“Jin Sowoon?”
Then I met the eyes of Nam Hwaseong, who was leaving his room drenched in sweat.
Confusion crossed his face.
“What are you doing here?”
“Do you know what room Ak Jupyeong lives in?”
“Ak Jupyeong? Why are you suddenly asking about him?”
“Do you know or not?”
He flinched at my cold voice.
“Room thirty-eight.”
“Is that so?”
“Hey, what is going...”
Ignoring Nam Hwaseong's question, I flew up to the third floor and found Room Thirty-Eight.
Bang.
Fortunately, the door was not locked, so I smashed it open and entered.
A commotion broke out at once.
“...W-What?”
“J-Jin Sowoon?”
The four people inside appeared to have been exchanging jokes, unable to wipe the smiles from their faces.
I immediately found the bastard's face.
“Ak Jupyeong.”
He leaned back slightly and looked at me with interest.
With a blank expression, I asked him, “You were with Yayul Geuk yesterday, weren't you? Where was it?”
“Yayul Geuk? He said he had no connection to you.”
“I don't have time for word games. Where is Yayul Geuk?”
A cruel smirk spread across his face.
“Why should I answer you?”
“So your bones remain intact.”
“What?”
Ak Jupyeong wiped the smile from his face and stood.
Even though I was fairly tall, his eye level was slightly higher than mine.
He looked down at me as if he were about to charge.
“Do you think you can do anything to me with that pitiful authority as Academy Representative?”
“Do you think I'm afraid of the Ak Clan's pitiful power?”
“You bastard...!”
Crack.
The instant he moved, I gathered energy at the tip of my foot and struck his shin.
“Guhk...!”
Ak Jupyeong's shin bent in a direction it never should have. His eyes widened as he repeatedly sucked in breaths.
I decided to give him one more chance.
“Where is Yayul Geuk?”
“Aaargh!”
The pain must have finally reached him, because Ak Jupyeong screamed.
Just as I was about to bend his remaining leg the other way...
“J-Jin Sowoon! Aren't you afraid of making enemies of the White Path Society?”
I turned toward the voice behind me.
“The White Path Society, the Orthodox Society, and the Twelve Peak Alliance are already my enemies. What exactly should I be afraid of?”
“Th-That's...”
I bent Ak Jupyeong's remaining leg the other way.
“Arrrgh!!!”
Ak Jupyeong rolled his eyes back and foamed at the mouth.
I had completely ruined his joints. Even if he recovered, he would probably never be able to use his footwork as perfectly as before.
“Y-Yesterday was the last time I saw Yayul Geuk...! I really haven't seen him since then...!”
One of Ak Jupyeong's lackeys answered.
“I asked where.”
“H-He was near Mount Yangsan.”
“When was that?”
“I-It must have been around Pig Hour[1].”
“...How badly did you beat him?”
“...Gulp.”
The lackey swallowed hard.
“Do you want joints as unusual as Ak Jupyeong's?”
Fear filled his face.
“H-He was definitely breathing.”
“He was breathing...?”
He added quickly, nearly breaking into tears.
“Y-Yes. He was definitely still alive.”
“Did you check whether he returned to the dormitory?”
“...”
The lackey swallowed again.
“Yayul Geuk did not return to the dormitory yesterday.”
“...!”
Hearing Ak Jupyeong's screams, academy students began gathering one by one.
Nam Hwaseong was among them.
“You crazy bastard... What the hell did you do?”
“Nam Hwaseong. You've bullied kids plenty of times, haven't you? Especially weak ones.”
Nam Hwaseong looked dumbfounded at the sudden question.
“H-Huh?”
“Mount Yangsan was where you usually bullied them, right?”
“W-What are you...?”
“Was it?”
After hesitating for a moment, Nam Hwaseong finally pointed in one direction.
“Y-Yeah. It's hard to climb, and the academy officials can't see you there.”
It was autumn, but the temperature would have dropped at night.
“Fuck.”
Every piece fit together.
It was no longer speculation.
At that moment, the voices of academy officials rose among the academy students. The dormitory supervisor seemed to be coming as well after hearing the screams.
“Nam Hwaseong, clean up this mess.”
“What? Hey! You bastard!”
I opened the window and jumped out.
Then I raced across the Martial Arts Academy toward Mount Yangsan.
The academy officials and instructors pursuing me panted heavily as they chased after me.
I kicked off the ground, leaped onto the buildings, and began running as I jumped between their rooftops.
Once the buildings ended, I ran through the trees.
After running for who knew how long, I finally reached the entrance to Mount Yangsan and headed straight for the clearing where they usually stole other people's money pouches.
There, I saw an ominous doll-like figure.
“Damn it. ...Damn it, damn it, damn it, damn it, damn it, damn it.”
It was Yayul Geuk.
There was no color in his face, and his body was cold.
Was I too late after all?
I had been so confident that I could change the future after what happened in Sichuan, yet I had failed to save my companion's brother so pointlessly.
“You fucking bastards!!!!”
[1] Pig Hour: the traditional Chinese time period from 9 to 11 p.m.
Footnotes:
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