WeTried Translations
Translator/Editor: Chen
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◈ The Martial Genius who Remembers Everything ◈
Chapter 238: Catching the Hidden Murderer (3)
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Upon receiving the report of Gal Munjeong's death, Cha Seokdu spoke weakly.
“The explosives have been lit.”
Something was bound to explode.
The only question was whether the explosion would come sooner or whether they could buy a little more time.
“So this is as far as it goes.”
The Black Path Alliance.
It had been his long-held dream.
People who shared the same beliefs would gather, build their power, and strive for their common interests.
For the past five hundred years, the Martial Alliance had put down deep roots and established itself firmly, driving back the Black Path.
Because the Black Path had so many free-spirited people, they were often lumped in with criminals and branded as evil.
By the lofty standards of the Martial Alliance's “justice,” the Black Path was something that deserved to vanish.
Black Path martial artists had grown sick of the role of villain forced upon them, a role they had never wanted.
Just when he had thought the moment had come to put an end to that tiresome role.
‘But this is where it ends too.’
They had somehow made it this far thanks to that strange White Path fellow, but perhaps this was the end.
The people who had been lurking in the shadows since before the Black Alliance's founding had struck at its weaknesses as though they had been waiting for this very moment. The Black Alliance had now suffered a wound it could never recover from.
“...I'll conduct an inspection and tighten control over our people. The Alliance Lord has already issued orders, so no one will act recklessly.”
Cha Seokdu stared blankly at Dam Ak as the strategist tried to comfort him.
“...”
Someone as clever as Dam Ak surely knew that the fire already burning could not be put out.
Even so, Cha Seokdu was grateful for the comfort.
Dam Ak's calculations must have already led him to the conclusion that neither Cha Seokdu nor the Black Alliance had any hope left.
“...I'm sorry.”
“What are you saying? I bear much of the blame for failing to assist you properly.”
Cha Seokdu shook his head.
“No, that isn't what I mean.”
Dam Ak bit his lip at Cha Seokdu's sudden words.
Looking ashamed, Cha Seokdu lowered his head.
“I failed to keep my promise to find the culprit.”
The culprit.
Both Cha Seokdu and Dam Ak knew he was not referring to the culprit who had infiltrated the Black Alliance and cornered the delegation.
“...”
Dam Ak struggled to keep his expression under control.
Cha Seokdu could only give a bitter smile as he watched him.
The finest scholar at the academy, a man who had been set to enter the imperial court and claim a high office.
Dam Ak had never been meant to join the Black Alliance, or even set foot in the martial world.
If not for the bloody calamity that had swept through Blue Tile Academy while Dam Ak was in the capital for the metropolitan examination, would Dam Ak have ever entered the martial world, much less joined a Black Alliance filled with brutes?
If not for the Martial Alliance's negligence in failing to protect the academy, and Cha Seokdu's promise, Dam Ak would have been sitting beside the Emperor, not beside Cha Seokdu.
[Find the one who killed my master and friends. If you do, I will grant you anything you desire.]
Cha Seokdu had tried to stop Dam Ak as Dam Ak wept tears of blood.
Having already passed both the provincial and metropolitan examinations, Dam Ak's path to success was guaranteed. Cha Seokdu had told Dam Ak that he could seek revenge personally.
But...
Dam Ak had torn apart the examination decree with both hands.
[Until I gain power, those bastards will continue living comfortably in this world. I cannot stand by and watch that happen.]
Cha Seokdu could not turn away from the deep hatred and resolve in Dam Ak's eyes, so he had made a promise in his own name.
Once the Black Alliance was established, he would use its power to search the entire world and find the culprit who had burned Blue Tile Academy.
That had been the promise...
Yet this was what it had come to.
“...You must stand at the forefront of those who will drive me out.”
Unable to keep his promise, Cha Seokdu decided to do the last thing he could for Dam Ak.
“You have often shown yourself as part of the war faction. Those who know your abilities will not cast aside Strategist Dam so easily. Especially if you show them that you were the one who directly removed me.”
“...”
Dam Ak remained silent.
For some reason, Cha Seokdu thought Dam Ak looked much like he had on the day he tore apart that decree.
Cha Seokdu forced a smile.
“I know what you're thinking. But this isn't your fault, so don't worry. Even if I'm driven from the position of Alliance Lord, I am still Cha Seokdu, Lord of the Four Emperors Association.”
Then he made another promise.
“It may not be enough to make up for it, but I will leave and find the culprit who attacked the academy.”
“...”
“So please carry on my dream after it has fallen.”
Cha Seokdu bowed his head.
“I ask this of you.”
Silence settled over the Alliance Lord's office.
Cha Seokdu remained bowed.
Watching him, Dam Ak bit his lip, his expression hardening.
“I cannot lose a master again.”
Only then did Cha Seokdu raise his head.
“A master... A master, you say. Am I your master?”
Dam Ak nodded, and Cha Seokdu gave a short laugh.
“I barely learned the Thousand Character Classic. How could I possibly be your master?”
“Didn't you tell me?”
Dam Ak clenched both fists.
“As long as I live, I must keep moving forward.”
“...”
Had he ever said something like that?
Cha Seokdu felt ashamed of the arrogant person he had once been.
“This will be resolved. No, I will make sure it is.”
Cha Seokdu could not help wondering how Dam Ak intended to resolve this when he did not yet know the culprit or the force assisting him.
Yet he did not ask.
If he opened his mouth now, even the tiny hope that remained might shatter.
#
Once the fierce clashes of the war's early days ended, the tiresome cycle of battle began.
The Martial Alliance never sent enough troops to overwhelm the enemy, but it also never neglected a unit badly enough to force it into retreat.
One day, they pushed the enemy back. The next, they were pushed back themselves.
The time when they entered battle burning with rage after witnessing a comrade's death eventually passed. After repeatedly watching seemingly good-natured low-ranking martial artists sent as reinforcements die within a week...
Even the emotions a person should naturally feel gradually wore away, until the mind began to turn into a desert.
By the time they fought, ate, and slept by habit with minds dried into wastelands...
Those damned bastards entered the battlefield.
The Double Shadow Demon Brigade.
Jegal Somyeong had described them this way.
[That cunning bastard, the Demon Brain, fashioned that unit in his own image.]
The Martial Alliance held absolute authority over its affiliated sects, but it was not a single unified force like the Demonic Cult.
It was, at heart, a political alliance. That meant the distance between its members could widen or narrow depending on profit and loss.
The Double Shadow Demon Brigade never missed the chance to slip into those cracks.
They did not stop at carrying out assassinations. Disguised as White Path martial artists, they blended into those divisions and made everyone suspect one another.
They imitated the martial arts of White Path sects, leaving behind identical traces to deepen suspicion.
The people forced into war had already lost much of their reason, their minds turning to deserts.
If, while conflicts large and small broke out between sects because of the Double Shadow Demon Brigade's schemes, traces of another sect's martial arts were found on an assassinated comrade's body...
The Demonic Cult no longer felt like the main enemy.
In truth, not many people died directly at the hands of the Double Shadow Demon Brigade.
Countless units vanished after falling into the traps they laid, turning against one another and drawing blades.
What made me hate those bastards most was that they did not target only high-ranking martial artists. They even slipped among low-ranking martial artists as insignificant as our Sojeong Unit and made them slaughter one another.
I would not simply take it in this life.
On the way to the Blood Sword Sect's compound, I asked Gun Yuhyeon, who was walking beside me.
“What kind of relationship did Blood Sword Sect Leader Do Bongsu have with his sworn brothers?”
As expected of Gun Yuhyeon, who was well informed about everything, he answered at once.
“Sect Leader Do was originally one of the men known as the Five Hounds of Seopyeong. In his forties, he became acquainted with the previous sect leader and entered the Blood Sword Sect.”
How had someone who was not even a Blood Sword Sect disciple become its leader?
I knew the answer without needing to ask.
“Did he and his sworn brothers take over the sect?”
In the White Path martial world, that would have earned them condemnation. Gun Yuhyeon only nodded as if it were nothing.
“The Five Hounds of Seopyeong had shared joys and hardships together since their twenties, learning to move as one. The previous Blood Sword Sect Leader's martial arts may have been formidable, but he could not withstand their combined attack.”
If they had traveled together from their twenties to their fifties while keeping the same epithet, they were usually either highly skilled or quick-witted.
Or they could be reasonably capable at both.
“So they know everything there is to know about one another.”
“...That's right.”
Hostile gazes stabbed at us from all directions, but Gun Yuhyeon's face held more curiosity than fear.
“But can you find the culprit with information like this?”
“Who do you think the culprit is, Lord Gun?”
“...Can anyone identify the culprit in this situation?”
For a moment, it felt as though the word “delegation...” had nearly slipped out before he swallowed it.
That was probably just my imagination.
I asked again.
“If you had to name someone.”
Gun Yuhyeon thought for a moment before answering.
“...I would investigate the sworn brothers first.”
“Why do you think that?”
“Because this is a very good opportunity.”
Gun Yuhyeon was right.
This was the perfect time to use a scheme of killing with a borrowed knife.
Thanks to the atmosphere created by the Double Shadow Demon Brigade, if someone died and only a few traces were left behind, everyone would blame the White Path.
I nodded.
“I think so too.”
“But suspicion alone is not enough to identify them as the culprit.”
“That is true. We can investigate them, but we cannot interrogate them.”
Of course, unlike Gun Yuhyeon, I was not suspecting them based on suspicion alone.
In any case, the Double Shadow Demon Brigade could not be uncovered through an ordinary investigation and interrogation.
They only infiltrated after gathering every piece of information about the group they intended to enter.
Even after cultivating demonic arts, they did not emit demonic qi.
With Bone-Shrinking Art and human-skin masks, they disguised themselves so perfectly that they seemed more real than the real thing. There was no way to find them.
‘But those Sojeong Unit bastards managed that difficult task.’
Our Sojeong Unit was the first Martial Alliance unit to find a way to identify the Double Shadow Demon Brigade.
The method was rather crude, of course...
We passed it on to the higher-ranking units and the other forces.
But no one could find the Double Shadow Demon Brigade as easily as we did.
Those highborn people, who valued honor more than their own lives, would never use the same method we had.
Well, they died because honor mattered more than their lives, so they probably did not feel that wronged.
By the time I finished organizing my thoughts, we had arrived at the Blood Sword Sect's compound.
The moment we entered, vicious shouts flew at us from all sides.
“The Black Flame Dragon?”
“How dare you come here!”
“Get the hell out if you don't want to die!”
“How long do you think your life will last just because Blood Brawl is here?”
It was not much different from what I had been hearing until now.
Did they think I, an elite of the White Path martial world, would be hurt by such insults?
Too bad for them.
In my previous life, I had shared hardships with Sojeong Unit bastards who were even cruder than these people.
And among those Sojeong Unit bastards...
“Shut your fucking mouths and bring out your leader. Unless you all want your mouths ripped all the way to your ears.”
I had the foulest mouth of all.
The heated mood froze at once.
They wore expressions that seemed to ask what kind of madman I was.
People like these had to be handled at their own level.
“Crazy bastard...”
Blood Brawl stood beside me with his mouth hanging open, staring at me.
Gun Yuhyeon's reaction was not much different.
Then again, I probably did not look like an ordinary White Path martial artist.
Shing.
Clang.
Click.
Several people drew their weapons.
I was already busy enough. This was getting annoying.
I circulated the Taeul True Scripture and released my killing intent.
I had not come here to brawl with trash like them.
“Urgh!”
“What kind of killing intent is this?”
“Hup!”
Soon, I saw them widening their eyes and staggering back.
Some tried desperately to raise their own killing intent, unwilling to yield.
In an instant, the atmosphere turned ready to explode.
Then...
“Enough!!!”
As a booming voice echoed through the building, four middle-aged men appeared on the second floor.
They swept their sharp gazes across the room.
They were Do Bongsu's sworn brothers.
#
“It has been a long time.”
The man who appeared to be the eldest bowed to Blood Brawl on behalf of the group, followed by his brothers giving brief nods.
Even in the Black Path, there was etiquette between seniors and juniors, but that was all the greeting they offered.
After glaring at me, the apparent leader spoke to Blood Brawl.
“Please excuse our lack of courtesy, Senior.”
As expected, it was a gesture made with me in mind.
Blood Brawl waved a hand as though he did not care.
The man fixed a burning glare on me.
“This young man... may I ask what relationship he has with you, Senior?”
Blood Brawl answered without a moment's hesitation.
“No relationship at all.”
That stung a little.
We had traveled to the Black Alliance together and shared hardships for several days.
The concise answer made the man nod as if he understood.
“Then I need not concern myself with you when dealing with this young man?”
Blood Brawl answered at once.
“Do as you please. But unless it is an agreed duel, I will not permit you to kill him.”
“...Understood.”
The man slowly turned to stare at me.
His brothers bared their teeth as well, making no effort to hide their hostility.
“You were looking for me?”
“That is right.”
“For what reason?”
“Because I found the culprit who killed your sect's leader and your eldest brother.”
“...”
The man stared steadily at me.
“We also know who the culprit is.”
“You aren't going to say it was a daughter of the Tang Clan, are you?”
The man gave a hollow laugh.
“Wouldn't it be stranger to say it wasn't?”
“Then you are being played by the real culprit. Are you planning to seize someone who is not the true culprit and satisfy yourselves by calling it revenge?”
“Brother! We don't need to listen to this bullshit...!”
“Quiet.”
The man calmed his protesting brothers before asking me, “...Who do you believe the culprit is?”
I gave a light shrug.
“Obviously, one of you.”
“...”
Subtle currents of qi began creeping toward my vital points.
It was a declaration that they were ready to strike at any moment.
The man growled low.
“If you came here to provoke us with nonsense, you'd do well to stop. We lost both our sect leader and our brother. We have no patience for games.”
“And if it isn't a game?”
“Are you... prepared?”
“Of course.”
“Even to stake your life?”
My life...
Since I began this life, I could count on one hand the times I had not risked my life.
I nodded at once.
The man stared at me for a moment, then stepped back.
“Fine. If you speak nonsense, I will challenge you to a duel. You will have to bear the rage of all my brothers at once.”
Mindful of what Blood Brawl had said earlier, the man shamelessly declared that they would join forces.
“Fine by me.”
When I agreed so readily, the man looked surprised.
Then, as if to confirm it, he asked Blood Brawl.
“Senior, we've agreed to this.”
“Handle it yourselves.”
Blood Brawl answered curtly, as if it had nothing to do with him.
Now that the stage was set...
I clapped my hands, drawing everyone's attention.
“If we've sorted that out, may we begin?”
“Begin.”
I looked over the Five Hounds of Seopyeong.
“From now on, I will ask questions. You must answer immediately.”
“...”
I had tried to ease the tension with a little banter, but none of them smiled.
What a stiff bunch.
“First question. Where did the five of you become sworn brothers?”
“Saepacheon.”
“Saepacheon in Seopyeong.”
“Seopyeong's Saepacheon.”
“It was Saepacheon.”
They acted as though I had asked something obvious, so I continued.
“Second question. When is the second brother's birthday?”
Three men answered at the same time, excluding the man I had indicated.
“The Month of the Earth Rooster, Day of the Metal Horse.”
“The Month of the Earth Rooster, Day of the Metal Horse.”
“The Month of the Earth Rooster, Day of the Metal Horse, at the Hour of the Rat.”
It seemed that after traveling together for thirty years or so, people came to know each other well.
“Third question. What is the third brother's ultimate secret technique?”
“...”
Perhaps because the question concerned martial arts, none of them answered easily.
“Please answer. What is the ultimate secret technique?”
“I cannot answer that.”
“Is it more important than your sect leader's death?”
As I locked eyes with the man, the third brother glared at me fiercely.
“Brothers, just tell him. Once this is over, I'll split this bastard's head in half.”
At the third brother's murderous words, the others finally opened their mouths.
“...Raging Torrent.”
“Raging Torrent.”
“Raging Torrent.”
They had hesitated, but no one had faltered in answering my questions so far.
“Then, the fourth question...”
“How long do we have to keep doing this idiotic nonsense?!”
The man who had been speaking with me cut me off, but I continued.
Now it was time for the question the Sojeong Unit had used to expose the hidden assassin.
“Fourth question. What sort of women did your dead sect leader go crazy for?”
My crude question made the man's eyes blaze.
“You...!”
“Answer. It is the last question.”
The furious second brother gripped his saber's hilt tightly and spoke.
“He liked women so voluptuous they could be called fat.”
“He liked fat women.”
“He liked fat women, so it was difficult to visit brothels together.”
They gave identical answers, as if they had rehearsed them.
But...
“...He, he liked fat women.”
There was one person.
One person had answered late.
“...”
“...”
“...”
Three of the Five Hounds of Seopyeong stared at the fourth brother in disbelief.
The fourth brother waved both hands, looking flustered.
“W-What are you thinking, brothers? I, I...!”
The fourth brother looked genuinely panicked, as though he were innocent.
A victorious smile naturally spread across my face as I watched him.
“Got you!”
Peekaboo, you bastard!
Footnotes:
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