WeTried Translations
Translator/Editor: Chen
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◈ The Martial Genius who Remembers Everything ◈
Chapter 243: Today's Fortune (2)
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The atmosphere in the room fell dead silent.
Everyone kept their mouths shut, but their faces made it clear they were ready to explode with rage at any moment.
“The Black Flame Dragon wouldn't summon us just to make a joke. We should assume he's serious, right?”
The Demonic Path Sect Leader crumpled the paper I had handed over and ground their teeth.
“I can't help thinking we've tolerated too much. He exchanged a few jokes with the Black Alliance Lord and has already forgotten where he is?”
The Demonic Path Sect Leader looked ready to make a scene at any moment.
It was understandable. They'd suddenly been handed a debt they never expected.
The others seemed to be waiting for the Demonic Path Sect Leader to make the first move.
I looked steadily at them.
“Then there's something I'd like to ask. Why do you think the work I did was free?”
“...”
Just as expected from people with a thief's mentality, they took what they received for granted.
“I'm not even part of the Black Alliance, and most of you are trying to wage war against the Martial Alliance I'm affiliated with. I did work for your sake, yet you intend to offer no compensation without the slightest shame?”
“Th-that was for the... what was it... both sides'...”
“The public good?”
“That's right! The public good! That's why you did it!”
They only brought out lofty words when it suited them.
“We only signed a peace treaty. It isn't an alliance. Aren't you expecting too much from someone with whom you've made what is essentially a temporary truce?”
“...”
“Besides, if I hadn't acted properly, not many of the people here would still be alive.”
“...”
I handed the Demonic Path Sect Leader a new contract.
As everyone read it with expressions like they'd bitten into something foul, Wang Jubal, the new leader of the Four Dragon Sect, glanced at Hwang Busik's contract beside him and asked,
“Wait. Why are the amounts different on every contract?”
“Huh?”
“Where?”
That started it. The sect leaders began examining one another's contracts.
Those whose contracts listed larger sums grew more outraged, while those charged half as much looked somewhat relieved.
“What kind of trick is this, Black Flame Dragon?”
I answered as though it were obvious.
“Isn't it natural for those who want war with the Martial Alliance and those who want peace to pay different amounts? I'm no saint. There's no reason for me to charge everyone the same.”
Fairness did not apply in every situation.
Especially at times like this, you had to create differences and make someone move first.
“...Even so, five hundred nyang is excessive.”
At Hwang Busik's words, Ilmyeong suddenly hiccupped in surprise.
“F-five hundred nyang?”
Why were you shocked? I wasn't asking you for it.
Then he sent me a sound transmission.
-Benefactor Jin, what exactly are you thinking?
-I did do the work, didn't I? I'll give Senior Ilmyeong a share too, so don't worry.
-...That isn't what I mean!
If he stayed quiet, I'd have taken care of him anyway.
But the worried bald man continued.
-Do you think they'll hand over that much money so easily?
I wouldn't have started this if I didn't think I could get it.
“Black Flame Dragon. I acknowledge that you worked hard. But even we can't spend five hundred nyang on something like this.”
Once Hwang Busik said that, the others rushed in as though they had been waiting for the chance.
“That's right! Do you think a thousand nyang is pocket change?!”
“This goes too far, even for someone with no sense of reality!”
“You can hire a top-class assassin for fifty nyang, and they'll even dispose of the corpse!”
People always changed their tune once they had gotten what they wanted.
Then again, Black Path scum would be worse than anyone else, not better.
I swept my gaze over everyone gathered there.
“Hmm. It seems your lives aren't even worth that much.”
The war faction, those who had received contracts for a thousand nyang, shot to their feet with anger in their eyes.
“No, what are you suddenly...!”
“Right! Even so, you can't say something like that...!”
I tilted my head.
“Do you think there won't be any more hidden assassins?”
“...What?”
The sect leaders froze.
They were surprisingly naïve for people of the Black Path.
I addressed them.
“I never said I'd caught every hidden assassin.”
“Wh-what kind of bullshit is that?!”
“Y-you clearly said you took care of everything!”
“That's right! We even drank together at the banquet!”
Oh. It seemed there had been a communication problem.
“I said I took care of the urgent matters. The goal was to eliminate those closest to you and after your lives as quickly as possible.”
“Th-then...?”
I gave a light nod.
“Of course there are still hidden assassins.”
The sect leaders trembled as though they had just realized the gambling match in which they'd wagered their homes and land deeds had been rigged.
“How many are there?!”
“Do I need to tell people who may become my enemies in the future?”
“Y-you bastard!”
I looked at the Demonic Path Sect Leader, whose face had gone blank.
“You should have happily accepted when I suggested an alliance. Then I would have handled everything for free.”
“You bastard...”
These Black Path people were more naïve than I'd expected.
Wasn't this the bare minimum?
Everyone in the Sojeong Unit did things this way.
“Well, none of you seem willing to pay, so I'll be leaving now.”
“Where do you think you're going?!”
Crash!
The empty chairs flew through the air, struck the door, and piled up to block the exit.
Wow, did someone just use remote object manipulation?
“The delegation's mission is over, so I'll return to the Martial Alliance.”
“You're leaving like this?”
“Of course.”
At my matter-of-fact response, the Demonic Path Sect Leader finally calmed down.
“...What you said. Was it true?”
“Do you think I'm lying?”
“It could be a lie!”
The Demonic Path Sect Leader seemed to have grown agitated again without realizing it.
“Isn't lying every time they open their mouths the nature of the White Path?!”
“Do you truly think so?”
“...”
The Demonic Path Sect Leader stared at me like a gambler trying to find the red bean beneath one of two cups.
I didn't avoid their gaze.
“Are you certain it's a lie?”
All sorts of shouting had been exchanged, but it was simple in the end.
“If you think it's a lie, don't pay. If you think it's true, pay.”
A simple fifty-fifty choice.
The problem was that their lives were the stakes.
No gambler in the world would start a game by wagering their own life.
If there were such a person, they would be a true gambler.
I broke the silence that had settled over the room and took a step forward.
“Are you truly certain it's a lie?”
“...!”
The Demonic Path Sect Leader, who had been glaring at me with wide eyes, finally lowered their head.
Once one person broke, the rest became easy.
I looked at the other sect leaders one by one.
“If you're certain it's a lie, there's no need to waste time in this battle of nerves with me.”
Each time our eyes met, another sect leader lowered their head.
“Are you certain it's a lie?”
Amid the silence that had fallen over the room again, the Demonic Path Sect Leader barely managed to speak.
“...We can't prepare a thousand nyang right away.”
Just as I thought!
I suppressed the smile that tried to rise to my lips and answered calmly.
“I accept goods and banknotes as well.”
There was not a single true gambler in this room.
#
Once the false accusations against the delegation had been cleared, it became easier for the Black Alliance Lord to meet with them. Still, they did not meet often.
The major forces of the alliance, which had been glaring fiercely as they sought to pull Cha Seokdu down from the position of Black Alliance Lord, fell silent after the hidden assassins appeared. Seizing the chance, Cha Seokdu exercised his authority over personnel as he pleased.
He had once faced endless interference even when appointing a single Pavilion Master. Now, with Dam Ak's help, he began placing his own people in positions that formed the pillars of the Black Alliance.
He had narrowly avoided losing his position as Black Alliance Lord to opposing forces, then made a dramatic recovery and firmly secured his place.
The Black Alliance was finally beginning to take shape as a proper organization.
And the person who had made all this possible was not someone from within the Black Alliance, but Jin Sowoon, a member of the Martial Alliance delegation.
“...”
“Kuahahahaha. How much is all this?”
Ilmyeong watched Jin Sowoon count banknotes with the gaze of someone performing wall-facing meditation.
The front of Jin Sowoon's robe bulged with the banknotes, rare medicines, and treasures he had extorted from the Black Path leaders.
Even that was only a portion of it. They had said they would bring the remaining balance to the delegation's lodgings tomorrow.
It was truly a strange sight.
The great figures of the Black Path were handing over their wealth and bowing their heads as they said, “Please take good care of us.”
How many people in the history of the martial world had ever witnessed such a scene?
Ilmyeong barely drove away the troubling thoughts invading his mind.
“Benefactor Jin... may I ask you something?”
Jin Sowoon flinched and covered the front of his robe with both arms.
“I said I'd share, but I can't give you more than a hundred nyang. I earned this, after all.”
“...”
What exactly did this person take him for?
Jin Sowoon guarded himself even more tightly with both arms.
“You're not saying you don't need it.”
“...I'll use it somewhere good, in keeping with Buddha's will.”
“Tch.”
Jin Sowoon clearly looked disappointed, but Ilmyeong continued.
“Why did you extort... no, receive money from them? It was something you had to do anyway. Wouldn't doing it for free have been better for the relationship between both sides in the long run?”
“Could I really come all the way to the Black Alliance, suffer through all this hardship, and return empty-handed?”
“...”
Ilmyeong's eyes were about to grow even duller.
“Ah, of course! There was another reason too!”
Jin Sowoon made a fuss, waving both hands.
The little expectation Ilmyeong had left dwindled further.
Whether he knew that or not, Jin Sowoon lowered his arms and said,
“Don't we need to weaken the Black Path bastards a little?”
“Weaken them?”
Thanks to Jin Sowoon's efforts, the unstable Black Alliance had been able to secure its footing even more firmly.
Could that really be called weakening them?
“To be precise, I mean the war faction. From the beginning, aren't they the sort who'll keep clamoring for war as long as they aren't afraid of their opponents?”
“...Didn't you only make them angrier?”
“People are funny. The pain of a thorn under their own fingernail feels worse than the pain of seeing someone else's arms and legs cut off.”
The smile had vanished from Jin Sowoon's face.
“Do you know who dies first when war breaks out?”
“...The people on the front lines.”
Jin Sowoon shook his head.
“No. The weakest people. And the ones who die last are the people who started the war.”
“...”
“When people think they'll never suffer any harm themselves, they can drive thousands, no, tens of thousands of people to their deaths for their own benefit.”
Ilmyeong thought Jin Sowoon's face looked like that of someone who had lost all emotion.
“What's more, those people stood at the pinnacle of the Black Path martial world, wielding absolute power and martial strength. That's why they needed this experience. The shock of realizing they might be powerless, the fear that they might suffer losses.”
Then Jin Sowoon's eyes shone brighter than anyone else's.
“After that, they'll hesitate when they speak of war.”
At that moment, Ilmyeong felt something crack in one corner of his mind.
The face that had looked devoid of emotion now seemed detached and radiant, like the face of someone who had understood everything.
...If not for the bulging front of his robe.
Ilmyeong finally voiced the disconnect he felt.
“If you hate war... wouldn't it have been enough not to create the Black Alliance?”
He knew the full story of the Night March of the Black Path Jin Sowoon had carried out, and its results.
At the final gate of the regular examination, Jin Sowoon had reached out not to Yong Soa, but to the Black Path.
Not everything could be blamed on Jin Sowoon, but it was an undeniable fact that he had greatly influenced the founding of the Black Alliance.
Jin Sowoon fell silent for a moment before answering Ilmyeong's question.
“Senior Ilmyeong, do you think the Martial Alliance is righteous?”
Ilmyeong stopped short.
It was a question he had never doubted, no, one he thought he should never doubt.
It was simple, but its implications were anything but simple.
“...I think it strives to move toward justice.”
“The perspective of someone who has only walked flower-strewn paths is brilliantly optimistic.”
The words flew at him like sharp thorns.
As Ilmyeong fell silent, unable to find a response, Jin Sowoon's cold voice continued.
“The Martial Alliance I saw is nothing like that.”
Strangely, the attack did not hurt.
Rather, Ilmyeong felt as though Jin Sowoon was pulling thorns from his own body and showing him the wounds they had left.
“To the weak, the Martial Alliance can feel more heartless than the Black Path and more despicable than heretical martial artists.”
“...”
“The Martial Alliance has stagnated for too long. That is why it is slowly rotting.”
What was this person thinking?
Did he even see himself as the Martial Arts Academy's representative and an elite destined to lead the Martial Alliance?
Or did he truly intend to take the position of Vice Alliance Lord, as he had joked at the banquet?
The bulging front of Jin Sowoon's robe swayed as he leaned forward.
“Do you know what I heard most often after entering the Martial Arts Academy?”
“Wasn't it that you were extraordinary?”
His achievements truly were extraordinary.
Yet Jin Sowoon slowly shook his head.
“They said I would bring chaos. That chaos would throw the martial world into disorder and topple justice.”
It was regrettable, but understandable.
To those with privilege who did not want their wealth and power taken away, Jin Sowoon was no different from a thorn in their eye.
Yong Soa had also intended to use Jin Sowoon to clean up the Martial Alliance's internal affairs.
“Even so, how can creating the Black Alliance be justified?”
Jin Sowoon shook his head at Ilmyeong's question.
“Did you know that the imperial palace has a great pond where rare fish from across the land live?”
It was an abrupt change of subject, but Ilmyeong silently listened, captivated by Jin Sowoon's profound voice.
“...I've heard of it.”
“When they brought fish to that pond, the greatest concern was their survival. No matter how much care they took, the fish all died before reaching the imperial palace.”
Creatures that lived in water were sensitive enough to die from even a slight change in water temperature.
Ilmyeong knew that as well, yet he was already absorbed in the story.
“The solution was to place the fish's natural predator in the tank with them.”
“...Their predator?”
Jin Sowoon let out a small laugh.
“Strange, isn't it? Putting rare fish, not one of which could be allowed to die, together with their predator. Yet once they did that, not one of those valuable fish died before they reached the imperial palace.”
“...”
“They kept moving to escape their predator, and survived.”
Ilmyeong trembled as he listened.
A new realization, one he had never felt from the Buddhist scriptures, struck his mind like thunder.
Jin Sowoon then leaned back and stretched.
“Of course, the Black Alliance's true reason for existing is not limited to purifying the Martial Alliance. Still, for now, it will have a positive influence on the Martial Alliance.”
“You mean there's another reason?”
“...I'll tell you later.”
“...”
The moment he saw Jin Sowoon's unwavering eyes, Ilmyeong became certain.
As Ilgak had said, Jin Sowoon truly was an Enlightened One.
There was no longer any reason to doubt his actions.
He saw the world from a different perspective.
Ilmyeong could not even begin to imagine how great an enlightenment he would need to see the world as Jin Sowoon did.
“Then are we returning to the Martial Alliance now?”
Jin Sowoon answered at once, as though it were obvious.
“No. I still have something to do.”
“...”
Of course, it was deeply worrying that he might cause yet another incident.
Whether he understood Ilmyeong's thoughts or not, Jin Sowoon grinned.
“I need to catch a cunning fox bastard.”
“...”
Well, wasn't he an Enlightened One who saw the world from a different perspective?
‘I don't know anymore. ...Amitabha.’
For some reason, Ilmyeong felt that his capacity for the Way of No-Mind was growing after coming to the Black Alliance.
Footnotes:
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