WeTried Translations

Translator/Editor: Chen

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◈ The Martial Genius who Remembers Everything ◈

Chapter 231: Darkness Within Darkness

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[Honestly. Are you already planning to prepare a weapon for a child who hasn't even been born yet?]

A smile played across the woman's lips as she spoke in the darkness.

Though she spoke as if he were hopeless, Ak Byeongbi playfully went along with her.

[It's our child. They'll probably become the greatest under heaven. It's not too early to prepare for a child like that.]

The woman shook her head as if he were beyond help.

[Just how heavy a burden do you intend to place on our child?]

Truthfully, Ak Byeongbi did not expect anything grand from the child.

He had only wondered what he could give the child soon to be born to express the overwhelming joy in his heart.

Even he thought settling on a weapon was rather pathetic.

The woman lovingly stroked her stomach.

[I only want our child to live a healthy, happy life.]

[Hmm... Then what should I prepare? Should I buy some land or an inn?]

[Honestly...]

Ak Byeongbi liked the sight of her shaking her head as if scolding him for not knowing what truly mattered.

He liked that gaze that looked at him as if he were hopeless.

He simply liked that face smiling brightly at him as though she possessed the whole world.

[You only need to stay by our side.]

Was that truly enough?

Could they live happily with something so simple?

[Yes. That alone is enough for me and our child.]

⦙

⦙

⦙

[But...]

Blood flowed from the woman's lips.

[But... you...]

Blood began pouring from between her legs.

[You can't even do that...]

The woman collapsed to the floor and reached toward him resentfully.

Ak Byeongbi tried to rush to her like a madman, but chains constricted his entire body, leaving him unable to move a finger.

[Hehehe... Useless fool...]

Gu Gyeak stepped in front of the woman, blocking her from view as he looked down on Ak Byeongbi with contempt.

Flames lit in Ak Byeongbi's eyes.

"You...! You...!"

[Live the rest of your life carrying regret and despair.]

"GU GYEAK!!!"

Clank, clank.

He drew on every scrap of internal energy and struggled desperately, but his body would not move.

#

Twitch, twitch, twitch.

Ak Byeongbi began convulsing so violently that the entire bed shook.

The physicians and female healers all rushed in to restrain him, but Ak Byeongbi would not settle down.

"The paralysis acupoint! Strike his paralysis acupoint!"

"It isn't working, Physician!"

"I think he's using innate true qi..."

"Insane!"

They had heard of martial artists using their energy while unconscious, but this was the first time they had heard of someone using innate true qi.

What could make this patient struggle so desperately?

"There's no other way."

At that moment, Dang Seohui, who had been waiting in the role of his guardian, uncrossed her arms and stepped forward.

"I'll try."

The physician shook their head.

"No medicine or needles will work on him right now! Step aside."

"I can see that. But..."

Three small mother-of-pearl bottles and three long needles appeared from Dang Seohui's robes.

"You haven't tried poison yet."

"What? But if you do that, this patient..."

"I'll use only enough that he won't die. So there's no need to worry."

At Dang Seohui's dismissive wave, the physicians and female healers all stepped back at once.

Ak Byeongbi's eyes had rolled back, showing only white. He looked ready to make his true qi explode at any moment and suffer qi deviation.

Dang Seohui began moving her hands with cold, focused eyes.

"We are in a very difficult position. You must not die like this."

The White-Handed Divine Maiden's hands began to move.

The physicians and female healers witnessed firsthand why the words "Hundred Hands" formed part of the White-Handed Divine Maiden's epithet.

#

The second day after the incident.

More people had gathered outside the lodging.

Beyond those already standing guard, others lingered around the hall as well.

There were people from the Yellow Sand Sect, along with people whose presence I had never sensed with my energy sense.

"More and more people are gathering."

Blood Brawl clicked his tongue at my words as he looked over a Go record.

"Those people already had plenty of complaints about the Martial Alliance. A fine spark has been lit."

"Still, Blood Brawl, surely you can handle all of them?"

"Huh?"

What did he mean, huh? Then why was he even here?

"Didn't you come to protect us?"

"That may be the official reason, but isn't the greater purpose to watch you so you can't escape?"

"..."

Even if we both understood the situation, people normally did not say such things outright.

I'd brought it up for nothing and only soured the mood.

Regardless, it was dangerous to remain here waiting.

We had no idea what decision the Black Alliance might make. If we simply waited for it, we might miss our chance to respond.

"Please arrange a meeting with the Black Alliance Lord."

"Hm? Why are you telling me that?"

"Because you're the only person I can ask for help right now."

"Help?"

Blood Brawl smirked but did not take his eyes off the Go record.

"Do you think I have that authority?"

"You're not a fool, Blood Brawl. The Black Alliance may have been formed, but I doubt you'd obediently submit to it. You probably came here at the Black Alliance Lord's personal request."

Blood Brawl's brows twitched.

"Sharp little bastard. Are you really that different from the other divine prodigies?"

After saying something I couldn't make sense of, Blood Brawl asked casually.

"What do you plan to do if you meet them?"

"Solve the problem."

"The problem?"

I had regressed and made it all the way here.

I wasn't even certain I would be granted a third life.

So in a place like this...

"Surely I can't die like this."

"Oh?"

For the first time, Blood Brawl looked directly at me.

"Are you saying that even if you die, you'll struggle until the very end?"

"Why are you already certain I'll die?"

"If not, never mind."

Blood Brawl returned to his Go record and resumed playing as if he had no interest at all.

Was it because this wasn't his problem?

"Then how about making a wager with me?"

I looked at the Go record in his hand.

Blood Brawl looked up at me, seemingly intrigued.

"A wager?"

"If I win ten games of Go, arrange a meeting with the Black Alliance Lord."

"Hehe, I've indulged you because you're cute, and now you're trying to take advantage of me! Then..."

Blood Brawl chuckled, then abruptly stopped laughing.

"What will you give me if you lose?"

I did not avert my eyes.

"What do you want?"

A smile returned to Blood Brawl's lips.

"Your life."

Ilmyeong, who had been performing wall-facing meditation nearby, snapped his head around.

"Benefactor Jin!"

Blood Brawl's cold voice weighed down the air.

"If you don't like that, stay put. Your insolence so far has already put me in a very foul mood."

Ilmyeong hurried over, grabbed my arm, and pulled me back.

I shook off his hand and stepped forward.

"Fine."

"What?"

"Benefactor Jin!"

I raised a hand to stop Ilmyeong from speaking.

"But if I win, you must keep your promise."

"..."

Blood Brawl's expression became more emotionless than ever.

"Do you think I'm joking?"

"Of course not."

"Or do you not know the value of your own life?"

"Neither."

I sat across from him and met his eyes directly.

"I simply have no intention of waiting stupidly for death."

"..."

After arranging the stones, I picked up a white stone.

Blood Brawl silently followed my movements, then leaned forward.

"I don't dislike insolent bastards. But I never let arrogant bastards go unchecked."

Blood Brawl took the white stones from me.

"I won't take your life. Instead, I'll take your left arm."

If my right arm was cut off, I would not be able to wield a sword. If my left arm was cut off, I would lose the Azure Dragon Bangle.

But I had no other choice right now.

"...Understood."

"Benefactor Jin!"

I glanced at Ilmyeong and gave a slight shake of my head before placing a black stone on the board.

The match began in an instant.

Blood Brawl's eyes settled calmly.

"Flame Ghost Consort."

"Yes."

"Hold his left arm."

"Hmm... It can't be helped. Even with one arm gone, my husband will still be my husband."

Shrrrk.

In an instant, the Flame Ghost Consort untied the ornament around her waist. It unfurled with a rustle around my left arm.

Was the thing she wore around her waist a soft sword?

"You can play Go with just your right hand, can't you?"

"...Please go easy on me."

Tap. Tap. Tap. Tap. Tap.

Only the sound of Go stones filled the room.

"It isn't known to the public, but I have several identities."

Tap. Tap. Tap. Tap. Tap. Tap.

My speed aside, Blood Brawl was no slouch when it came to placing stones.

"One of them is Daoa, the Imperial Knight."

My hand stopped.

I never expected to hear the name Daoa here, the former imperial Go master who had produced countless remarkable Go records.

Blood Brawl also paused and looked across the board at me.

"Do you know Daoa?"

I had first learned Go from Daoa's records, so there was no way I could forget the name.

"...What a world. Blood Brawl was Daoa... How were you never discovered? Your identity as a Black Path figure should have been discovered immediately."

"They simply couldn't turn me away. My skill was too valuable to cast aside just because I came from the Black Path."

Tap. Tap. Tap. Tap. Tap. Tap.

The pace returned to normal.

Neither Blood Brawl nor I gave an inch in the speed of our play.

Having revealed his identity, Blood Brawl asked me as if granting me a favor.

"Do you understand now who you wagered against?"

"...Yes."

"Apologize now and stay quiet. Then I'll be your opponent in a match and spare your arm."

A Black Path martial artist showing mercy. What a surprise. But...

I shook my head without the slightest hesitation.

"Let's continue the wager."

"...What?"

"As I said, I can't die like this."

Honestly, I had no confidence in beating him in martial arts.

Unless we became mortal enemies and fought to the death.

Escape from his grasp?

It would be easier to escape the Buddha's palm.[1] At least the Buddha would not smash my head in.

But Go was different from martial arts.

"And I happen to be confident in Go as well."

I began pulling out every one of the tens of thousands of Go records stored in the library within my mind.

#

After hearing that Ak Byeongbi had awakened, Hwang Busik headed to the delegation's lodging.

Normally, it should have been reported separately, but he had shown consideration so they could at least offer each other their final farewells.

'In any case, I owe the Black Flame Dragon a debt.'

When Hwang Busik reached the lodging, he frowned at the Black Path martial artists camped nearby, their killing intent spilling out.

People who placed their own feelings above procedure had rushed to establish themselves here before the Black Alliance command had even made a decision.

Those idiots never realized that this was why they were always pushed back by the White Path sects.

"Clear them out."

"Yes."

At Hwang Busik's command, armored warriors dispersed the Black Path martial artists gathered around the lodging.

There had been minor resistance, but no one had openly rebelled yet.

How long would that last?

Gu Gyeak, the leader of the war faction in all but name, was dead. Yet public opinion within the Black Alliance had shifted even further toward the war faction.

Those who had merely watched from behind Gu Gyeak stepped forward one after another to build their own power, while the peace faction was repeatedly pushed aside with nowhere left to stand.

At this rate, a real war might break out.

Hwang Busik shook his head to clear his thoughts and entered the delegation's lodging.

Contrary to his expectation that they would all be waiting for him...

The delegation and their watchers had gathered in one place, huddled together despite his arrival.

'Go?'

Puzzled, Hwang Busik hurried closer.

Blood Brawl and Jin Sowoon were in the middle of a match, while the Flame Ghost Consort had wrapped Jin Sowoon's left arm in her concealed weapon, the Chain Serpent Sword.

Tap. Tap. Tap. Tap. Tap. Tap.

Blood Brawl's skill at Go was famous even in the Black Path martial world, but what shocked Hwang Busik was Jin Sowoon's movements.

Matching Blood Brawl's speed, he placed stones without slowing, as if the two were exchanging a sword dance.

Tap. Tap. Tap. Tap. Tap. Tap.

Hwang Busik knew only the basic rules of Go, but even he could tell that the moves they exchanged were far from ordinary.

'Even so, he cannot defeat Blood Brawl.'

He did not know what had happened, but once Hwang Busik realized that Jin Sowoon stood on the verge of losing an arm, he could not hold back a sigh.

Blood Brawl was famous for exacting the price of every wager.

Jin Sowoon's arm was as good as severed already.

'Is this as far as he goes?'

Divine prodigies always overestimated their abilities and eventually fell.

It was a great shame that even the Black Flame Dragon, whom he had thought might be different, would follow the same path as the other divine prodigies.

Hwang Busik approached the board to see how things would unfold.

The two played without pause for a long while.

The first to hesitate was Blood Brawl.

'Hm? Huh...!'

Blood Brawl could not take his eyes off Jin Sowoon's face, looking frustrated.

Tremble.

Blood Brawl's body began to shake faintly.

Hwang Busik felt as though he had seen a ghost.

Blood Brawl had already been an absolute master at a level so lofty it seemed distant even when Hwang Busik was a child.

The face that had always been so relaxed had gone stiff.

It was a sight difficult to believe even with his own eyes.

'...He drove Blood Brawl into a corner with Go?'

How many Go players in the Black Path martial world... no, in the entire martial world, could throw into such disarray a man said to have few rivals?

Blood Brawl's angry voice cut through the air.

"How did you do it?"

"I did nothing special. It is simply skill."

Hwang Busik knew little about Go, but he could at least tell from the atmosphere that Jin Sowoon held the advantage.

"..."

After glaring at Jin Sowoon for a long time, Blood Brawl sighed and placed two handicap stones on the board, conceding defeat.

The Chain Serpent Sword unwound from Jin Sowoon's arm, and Blood Brawl lowered his head.

"That makes all ten wins. Keep your promise."

"Fine."

He had not simply won one match but ten?

Jin Sowoon noticed Hwang Busik standing there with a blank expression and spoke.

"Has the Commander awakened?"

"...Hm? Y-yes."

"Can we go now?"

"Ahem. Yes, let's go."

An absolute master stood with his head lowered.

In contrast, the divine prodigy who had only just begun to shine squared his shoulders and walked outside.

For some reason, Hwang Busik found this strange sight perfectly natural.

#

Even without medical knowledge, Ak Byeongbi's condition looked serious to me.

His face was ashen.

His eyelids were darkened, as though scorched black.

According to the physician, Dang Seohui had forcibly awakened someone who should never have been able to regain consciousness.

He certainly did not look well.

Still, now was not the time to worry about this man's condition.

Because of this man, all of us were in danger of dying too.

"Why did you do it?"

Ak Byeongbi weakly raised his head and looked at me with eyes as lifeless as a fish's.

Complex emotions, including remorse, regret, and despair, churned within his bloodshot eyes, their veins spread like a web.

"I..."

He parted his dry lips and forced out a rough voice.

"I didn't do it."

"This is not a situation you can escape with lies."

"..."

I rebuked him again as he pressed his lips shut.

"The Commander is not the only one whose life is at stake. The entire delegation's lives are on the line."

This incident would never end with Ak Byeongbi's life alone.

It would affect not only the delegation but also the Martial Alliance and the warriors dispatched to Sichuan.

He had made one hell of a mess.

"That is the situation we are in."

Ak Byeongbi could barely open his eyes, but he squeezed out his voice.

"Is that bastard truly dead?"

"Anyone could see the traces of the Ak Clan's Blaze Spear."

Ak Byeongbi lowered his head and remained silent for a long time, as though drowning in deep regret.

Then he raised it again.

"If everything can be settled with my life alone, I don't care. But... I truly did not do it."

"..."

At those completely unexpected words, Ilmyeong, Dang Seohui, and I all pressed our lips shut.

"A hundred times, a thousand times, I wished and wished for it. I swore to myself that if the day ever came when I could cast aside everything I carried on my back, I would rush to the Yellow Sand Sect without hesitation, no matter when that day came. But...!"

His dry, cracked voice rang so loudly it grated against my ears like iron scraping steel.

"This time, I truly did not do it!"

"Can you swear it?"

"...On the honor of the Ak Clan..."

I looked steadily down into his bloodshot eyes.

"No, not that. Swear on something more precious."

Ak Byeongbi glared at me as if he wanted to kill me.

Crunch.

Grinding his teeth, he barely forced out the words.

"...I can swear on my dead wife and the child who was never born."

It looked as though blood might spill from his lips at any moment.

"...This worthless father could not carry out his revenge with his own hands."

He wore the expression of someone who would rather have carried out the revenge himself.

Seeing him like that, I could no longer doubt him.

"Then what happened to your wound, Commander?"

"I don't know. I thought you bastards had returned, so I was drinking alone. Then my side suddenly burned, and I collapsed."

If Ak Byeongbi's words were true, someone had separately attacked Gu Gyeak and Ak Byeongbi, making everyone believe Ak Byeongbi had ambushed Gu Gyeak...

Was that even possible?

It made more sense that Ak Byeongbi had picked up his spear out of vengeance and put a hole through Gu Gyeak's chest.

Yet for some reason, I trusted the words of Ak Byeongbi, who had only shown me this pathetic side of himself.

"This is driving me mad."

Ilmyeong and Dang Seohui looked no different from me.

Those two were smart enough to understand the severity of this situation better than anyone.

Then Ak Byeongbi spoke.

"If the situation cannot be resolved, place all the responsibility on me."

"..."

"And find some way to ensure the Martial Alliance suffers no harm. You can do it."

What was this man even saying? How was I supposed to do something that difficult...?

Ak Byeongbi lowered his head.

"...What are you doing?"

"I'm asking you. If you do that, I'll speak to my clan and make sure you receive sufficient compensation."

What was with this old man suddenly acting unlike himself?

"If you were attacked, someone else set a trap to frame you, Commander. Don't you feel wronged?"

"Can I put all of you, the Martial Alliance, and the warriors in Sichuan in danger just to clear my own grievance?"

Ak Byeongbi looked me directly in the eyes.

"Besides, whatever the circumstances, my revenge was carried out in the end. I have no lingering attachment to life anymore. So pin the blame on me and move forward."

"That's a horrible thing to say."

"Jin Sowoon!"

He called out to me with all his strength, then spoke in a heavy voice.

"You cannot move forward by resolving every injustice and contradiction in the world. At times, there are things you must simply carry with you. And..."

His eyes flashed.

"Now is one of those times."

"..."

"So move forward. Neither I nor the Ak Clan will resent you or hold you responsible for this."

I had hated this man enough to be sick of him. A few words like this would not suddenly make him look lovable.

In the first place, I had no intention of moving forward while resolving every injustice and contradiction in the world, just as he said.

But...

"I'll consider doing that when a bigger problem arises."

"Jin Sowoon!"

I patted the shoulder of Ak Byeongbi, who could barely keep himself standing.

"Isn't this a matter that can be resolved if we find the culprit who ambushed both you and Gu Gyeak?"

I wasn't about to start choosing only the easy road.

That could not possibly be the right answer.

"So don't worry. I swear that I'll catch the culprit."

"..."

I declared my firm resolve.

"On my grandfather's honor!"

Ak Byeongbi ground his teeth and sharply turned his head away.

"..."

As I was about to leave Ak Byeongbi to compose himself, Dang Seohui, who had watched in silence, tilted her head.

"Was Jin Sowoon's grandfather a famous diviner?"

"...No, he worked as an escort warrior in Anhui Province."

Her head tilted even farther.

"...Then why did you swear on your grandfather's honor?"

I shrugged once.

"Because he's the only somewhat famous person in my family."

"..."

Ak Byeongbi, who had turned away, and Ilmyeong looked at me as if I were ridiculous.

Tch.

Why ask something so unimportant and ruin the good mood?

[1] Buddha's palm: An allusion to Journey to the West, in which Sun Wukong fails to escape the Buddha's hand. It signifies an inescapable grasp.

Footnotes:

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