WeTried Translations
Translator/Editor: Chen
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◈ The Martial Genius who Remembers Everything ◈
Chapter 212: An Unwanted Invitation
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I had thought about it before.
What would happen if I honestly told people about my true identity?
What if I told them I had returned from the future to the past?
What if I asked everyone to work together to stop the crisis descending upon the martial world?
‘They'd think I was insane.’
I could say with certainty that no one would agree with me and step forward to help.
I already had enough enemies. If people decided I was mentally unstable as well, I'd only be exposing another weakness.
I would probably end up with my limbs bound, spending my days in the Golden Prison calling actual lunatics my brothers.
...Still, what if I took optimism to the extreme?
‘Hah...’
That would be a problem in its own way.
If word got out that “the ruler of the realm will change” and reached the ears of some high official in Beijing, I might end up becoming the leader of the Yellow Turban rebels[1].
I would go from being an enemy of the martial world to an enemy of the imperial court in an instant.
[You dare say that the ruler of the realm will change?!]
[No! I was only talking about those Demonic Cult bastards!!!]
[Silence, traitor! Dismember him at once!]
Ugh...
It was horrifying just to imagine.
Yet now, my identity was in danger of being exposed.
‘Damn it...’
And not by just anyone.
It was Jegal Somyeong, whose intellect was second to none within the Martial Alliance.
No, they possessed the greatest intellect in the entire martial world.
“What is your true identity?”
I could vividly feel myself swallow.
Of course, Jegal Somyeong was not someone I could evade by nitpicking their words.
The fact that Jegal Somyeong had asked that question meant they had already pieced together most of the picture through their theory of fragments.
All they lacked was one piece to confirm it.
They had clearly dismissed even the formation masters so they could ask that question and find the final piece.
I tried my best to look calm.
“...I am, naturally, Jin Sowoon, the proud Academy Representative of the Martial Arts Academy.”
“...”
But the emotionless look in Jegal Somyeong's eyes only grew heavier.
‘Damn it.’
Their sharp gaze swept over me as if it could pierce straight through my body.
“You should know exactly what I mean.”
“...”
What should I do?
What piece could I offer that would make the picture they had nearly completed take on an entirely different shape?
Jegal Somyeong continued in a grave voice.
“The Dualities Eight Trigrams Myriad Manifestations Formation... I did tell you not to be arrogant, but it is not the kind of formation one can break upon seeing it for the first time. If you truly possessed that sort of ability, you would not have needed to enter the Academy so desperately in the first place, nor would you have needed to risk your life to save your sect.”
Only then did I understand why they had suppressed the formation masters so they would not suspect me before dismissing them.
They had been taking this matter far more seriously.
Jegal Somyeong folded their iron fan and gripped it in one hand.
Naturally, its end pointed toward my vital acupoints.
“Are you... a spy?”
I had wondered why they still carried a fan when a cool breeze had already begun to blow.
So it was meant to threaten my life.
At least they suspected me of being a spy, not someone who could see the future.
‘Should I consider that fortunate?’
I didn't know whether to laugh or cry at being suspected of being a bastard instead of a lunatic.
Still, perhaps thanks to the golden wound medicine Sama Jeong had applied, the bleeding had stopped and my mind slowly began working again.
It really was effective.
I should ask for some later.
I quickly focused and spoke.
“Ahem. What do you mean by that?”
“...If you tell the truth now, I will not harm anyone from your sect who was not involved.”
They would just keep investigating relentlessly until someone admitted to being involved.
And naturally, they would send rotten bastards like Ak Byeongbi to conduct that investigation.
Who did they take me for?
“I've been wronged!”
“Then are you saying that you analyzed the Dualities Eight Trigrams Myriad Manifestations Formation at a glance?”
Honestly, that sounded even more impossible.
The Demon Brain had needed a hundred days, and I had done it in two hours.
If I didn't give them an explanation they could accept now, they would keep suspecting me.
My mind raced harder than it ever had.
Then I remembered someone from the Sojeong Unit.
“Actually, I did not analyze it all at once.”
“...I heard that your visit to the Great Training Ground was your first since the incident occurred.”
There had been a man named Seo Unchang among the unit members. A con artist who had somehow joined the Sojeong Unit despite not knowing a shred of martial arts.
Seo Unchang had said that if you wanted someone to believe a lie, you needed to give them something else to doubt.
Humans could not pour suspicion into two opposing possibilities at once.
That con artist was actually useful for once.
“Of course, that was the first time it became publicly known that I had been there.”
“...Publicly? Then you had seen it before?”
“Yes.”
“Ridiculous. Then you must have seen it at the Jegal Clan...”
Jegal Somyeong tilted their head, puzzled.
I shook my head as I looked at them.
“No. It is true that I first saw it at the Martial Arts Academy.”
“Hm?”
“For the first three days, the Dualities Eight Trigrams Myriad Manifestations Formation was not an arcane formation that threatened people, was it? I was inside it every night for those three days.”
“...”
Then I gave them a small clue to doubt.
“And I am also someone who memorized every endlessly changing formation path within the Boundless Indestructible Soul-Destroying Formation and came out alive.”
Jegal Somyeong's sharp gaze withdrew, and they looked at me with a deep, contemplative gaze.
At some point, the iron fan had shifted from threatening my vital acupoints to tapping against their own head.
They were probably using the final piece I had given them to complete the whole picture.
It was fortunate for me that Jegal Somyeong had shown even a little of the picture they had drawn.
Smart people like them preferred finding answers through small clues like this.
Once they reached an answer, their suspicion would naturally fade.
Sure enough...
“Is it related to how you obtained the Young Cult Leader's head?”
They began suspecting exactly what I intended.
“Yes.”
“...Show me.”
Their suspicion was growing, and they were almost at an answer.
If I could get past this, I would be free of their suspicion.
So...
“No.”
“What?”
“I was able to do those things only because I had never revealed that ability to anyone. If I must be suspected because of that, it can't be helped.”
“Even if you are suspected of being a spy?”
I deliberately raised my chin.
“Didn't the Grand Strategist personally clear the suspicions directed at me?”
“I can take back my word at any time.”
“If that were your intention, you would not have said such things in the first place.”
The corners of Jegal Somyeong's eyes twitched.
It was a familiar look.
The look that said, What kind of bastard is this?
“I have many enemies. I can barely stand shoulder to shoulder with them only by hiding my cards again and again.”
“...”
By this point, even Jegal Somyeong seemed tired of thinking and pressed their temples.
The balance had shifted to my side.
Then it was my turn to press them.
“So what compensation will you give us?”
“What?”
Geniuses like Jegal Somyeong might have more room in their heads than others, but their limits were still human.
I needed to keep giving them things to consider before they could completely let go of their suspicions about me.
Besides, I did need compensation.
My hand hurt like hell.
I leaned forward and spoke.
“Didn't our delegation clean up the incident caused by Jegal Jeonggi?”
“...More precisely, the Academy Head helped as well.”
“You may not know this, but Senior Brother Buk is a lay disciple of our Taeul Sect. In that sense, he is connected to our delegation.”
“Urgh...”
I deliberately spoke faster.
“The Dualities Eight Trigrams Myriad Manifestations Formation was a peerless formation that nearly swallowed close to a hundred people whole. You can't simply let this pass, can you?”
“Seventy-eight people.”
“Don't people normally round up numbers when talking about things like this?”
Jegal Somyeong laughed in disbelief before asking me.
“...What do you want?”
Naturally, I wanted something complicated enough to make your head explode.
I rubbed my hands together and answered.
“So, how much are you willing to pay?”
#
The moment Jegal Somyeong entered the Mantong Office, they felt something strange.
The atmosphere felt heavier than usual.
When Jegal Somyeong returned from handling work outside, Maeng Juwon should have come whining and clinging to them. Instead, Maeng Juwon respectfully greeted them.
“Welcome back, Grand Strategist.”
“What? Did you take some medicine?”
Even after being scolded, Maeng Juwon did not so much as frown.
“...What do you mean by that? Is it not natural for a member of the Mantong Office to greet the head of the Mantong Office?”
“What is this...?”
Jegal Somyeong looked at the other Mantong Office staff, but they were all behaving much like Maeng Juwon.
Come to think of it, the inside of the Mantong Office, which was usually just a moment away from utter chaos, had been more or less tidied up.
‘What? Did these bastards all take medicine together?’
Jegal Somyeong already had a headache, and this only worsened their mood.
Then...
“Welcome back.”
“Huh?”
An even more absurd sight awaited them when they entered their office.
Hyeok Mugang was sitting there, drinking tea.
Only then did Jegal Somyeong understand why the Mantong Office staff were behaving in ways they normally never would.
“Grand Strategist... Shall I prepare tea for you?”
Jegal Somyeong looked at Maeng Juwon, who was subtly shaking their head.
The intention was obvious.
They wanted Jegal Somyeong to take the Alliance Leader away.
Jegal Somyeong deliberately nodded broadly.
“Yes, we will be speaking for a while, so brew about three pots of tea.”
A look of panic appeared on Maeng Juwon's face.
“...Then, how about visiting a tea house near the Alliance?”
“Tsk! Are you saying that the Martial Alliance's funds, which must be saved coin by coin, should be spent in a place like that?”
As though seeking agreement, Jegal Somyeong turned to Hyeok Mugang.
“I am sure the Alliance Leader would prefer drinking here over going out. Is that not right?”
“I do not mind.”
Maeng Juwon's face crumpled like a report as they backed away.
Jegal Somyeong clicked their tongue in disbelief.
“Hmph! Damn bastards. They are afraid of the Alliance Leader but not of me!”
Hyeok Mugang, who had watched this, tilted their head.
“What do you mean?”
“Nothing. More importantly, why did you come all the way here? I said I would come to you.”
“Can someone who eats and relaxes in the Alliance Leader's Hall every day order a busy person to come and go? I should come myself.”
“...”
If only Hyeok Mugang handled regular work like this.
The problem was that Hyeok Mugang only bothered to move when something caught their deep interest.
This was not the first time they had shown such great interest, but...
‘They seem even more interested than they were in Yong Soa or Ilmyeong.’
Before the tea had even arrived, Hyeok Mugang already looked full of anticipation.
“Well? Was he a spy as expected?”
Jegal Somyeong looked at the Martial Alliance Leader, who seemed as excited as a child, and said, “It sounds as though you want him to be a spy.”
“That cannot be!”
Jegal Somyeong let out a long sigh.
“Your prediction was correct. He seems to possess a martial art related to concealment.”
“Hoho! Really?!”
Hyeok Mugang laughed loudly as if unable to contain their excitement.
“This is not the time to laugh. It means that the Cheonmok Pavilion has been breached.”
The Dualities Eight Trigrams Myriad Manifestations Formation was considered a highly classified asset of the Martial Alliance.
Even if the Jegal Clan maintained strict security, the Martial Alliance could not simply do nothing.
Hyeok Mugang nodded.
“He is the child who brought back the Young Cult Leader's head from the middle of a Blood Cult unit. It would be too much to expect the Cheonmok Pavilion to handle him.”
“Hoo...”
“Why sigh when we have once again confirmed that the Martial Alliance possesses such an excellent talent?”
Jegal Somyeong groaned at that question.
“Because he excels in unusual areas.”
“Unusual areas?”
Jegal Somyeong nodded and continued.
“I told a lie to the clan's formation masters in front of him. Yet without even a moment of hesitation, he lied on the spot to support my words.”
He should have looked flustered at least a little, but he had shown no sign of it.
Jegal Somyeong had nearly believed that they had truly heard such a thing from Cheongi.
“Furthermore, even after I dismissed everyone and pressured him, he did not say a single word about his concealment art.”
“He is a child with remarkable nerve.”
“I cannot tell whether he is simply confident in himself or exceptionally quick-witted.”
“Hmm...”
“Divine prodigies usually have some innocence to them, some sign that they have not yet been touched by the world. That child has none of that. At times, it feels as though I am dealing with an old Black Path monster.”
Hyeok Mugang nodded.
“In that respect, the Lord of the Four Emperors Association gave him a truly fitting epithet.”
“Exactly.”
Black Flame Dragon.
He was a dragon, but a black dragon.
Unlike other dragons that cultivated the Way among mountains and rivers for the sake of a single Dragon Pearl, the black dragon attained the Way by fighting fiercely across rough seas.
Why did an image suddenly come to Jegal Somyeong's mind, of a gigantic black dragon holding the corpse of an azure dragon in one hand and a phoenix's corpse in the other?
“Are you not worried, Alliance Leader?”
“Well...”
Hyeok Mugang stroked their chin with a finger.
“If that child had acted only for his own benefit, he would never have caught either my eye or yours in the first place.”
“...Tsk. That is true.”
This incident was proof enough.
If Jin Sowoon wished to hide the fact that he had secretly learned about the Dualities Eight Trigrams Myriad Manifestations Formation, his best choice would have been not to step forward to save the White Path Society.
Besides, the White Path Society had been threatening Jin Sowoon's delegation.
If Jegal Somyeong had been in Jin Sowoon's position, they certainly would not have helped the White Path Society.
“His methods may be rough, but was that not only because he needed to overcome the shortcomings of his birth?”
Flowers raised at home bloomed easily, but they were weak against wind and rain.
Weeds raised in the wild did not bloom easily, but even fierce wind and rain could not easily break them.
Jegal Somyeong knew well how brilliantly such wildflowers could shine once they bloomed.
“Now that we know his martial arts are that outstanding, we can grant the Lord of the Four Emperors Association's request.”
Jegal Somyeong considered it for a moment before nodding at Hyeok Mugang's question.
“Well... It was not a place where anything major was likely to happen from the start.”
Even if something did happen, Jegal Somyeong could not imagine that bastard falling for underhanded tactics.
“That is a relief. I was wondering how to refuse a request to send a mere Academy student as part of a delegation. We had originally considered sending the Dragon-Phoenix Association or the Seven Stars, had we not?”
“That is true. The Lord of the Four Emperors Association is unbelievable as well. Asking us to send Jin Sowoon, of all people? Is he mad? Even if we owe them over the Blood Cult matter!”
“At least that much is fortunate.”
“It is not fortunate!”
“Hm?”
Hyeok Mugang raised their head at Jegal Somyeong's firm answer.
“I believe you will need to open the treasury.”
“Hm? What do you mean...?”
“Ah, and you will need to pull some budget from the Alliance Leader's Hall as well.”
“No, wait. What do you mean...?”
“Jin Sowoon sent an expensive bill for this matter.”
Jegal Somyeong took a sheet of paper from their robes and placed it on the table.
As Hyeok Mugang looked over the list, their mouth fell open.
“No, why is this...?”
“I had no choice. I lost in the end. If you find it so unfair, Alliance Leader, you can go and negotiate with him yourself.”
“...”
Yes, there was no need to worry too much even if that bastard went.
Someone capable of fleecing the Grand Strategist of the Martial Alliance would not return after being stabbed in the back by a few Black Path martial artists.
“Damn bastard...”
Jegal Somyeong soothed their aching stomach with a curse whose target was unclear.
[1] Yellow Turban rebels: A Han-dynasty religious rebel movement whose slogan foretold the end of the old order, making the comparison an accusation of treason.
Footnotes:
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