WeTried Translations

Translator/Editor: Chen

Discord: https://dsc.gg/wetried

◈ The Martial Genius who Remembers Everything ◈

Chapter 265: Brocade-Clad Night Journey (6)

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Dongryong’s sword stabbed sharply toward Geumpyo’s vital points.

Geumpyo desperately twisted aside with the Taeul Eighty Thousand Divine Steps.

Riiip.

His clothes were barely sliced apart, but Geumpyo did not think he had dodged it.

He had seen Dongryong subtly turn his wrist at the last moment.

“Haah!”

Drawing on the Taeul True Scripture, Geumpyo unleashed the Twin Heavens Sword Art.

Shraaaaaa!

Dozens of illusion swords and real swords closed in from all eight directions, surrounding Dongryong.

Anyone would have expected Dongryong to be caught in that storm of blades, bleeding as he was cut apart.

Yet blue sword qi surged upward, cutting through the storm.

Boom! Boom! Boom!

Dongryong folded space and charged through the Twin Heavens Sword Art, which had shattered beneath his sword qi.

He knocked aside the sword qi Geumpyo fired with the short saber in his left hand, closing the gap by the shortest route.

Geumpyo frowned.

Damn Heavenly Killing Star!

“A Heavenly Killing Star whose murderous intent has been perfectly subdued possesses talent beyond the reach of ordinary people.”

A passage he had read in a book from the Ten Thousand Books Repository came to mind.

Even so, an older brother who did not want to lose to a younger brother could deny even the truth.

“Haaah!”

His martial uniform swelled as though it would burst as he pushed the Taeul True Scripture to its limit. Ten Thousand Swords formed in the air, targeting Dongryong’s fatal acupoints.

Shraaaaaa!

The two Ten Thousand Swords created nearly a hundred illusion swords, while the Taeul Eighty Thousand Divine Steps produced more than ten afterimages to confuse the eye.

Among blades honed to such a degree, Illusion and Reality would be impossible to distinguish.

A Heavenly Killing Star driven to such extremes should have had no reason left to identify the real body.

But...

Shraaaak!

The Heavenly Killing Star’s talent was not so shallow.

An instinctive thirst for slaughter.

The efficiency required for the next kill.

A cruel obsession with and desire for killing that crushed all ordinary things.

Like someone seeking water in endless thirst, like someone desperately trying to breathe while drowning.

The desire to kill overcame all of it.

Boom! Boom! Boom! Boom!

Rather than distinguishing between illusion swords and real swords, Dongryong met them head-on. His short saber shot forward by the shortest route, then stopped just before cutting Geumpyo’s throat.

“...Haa, haa, haa.”

The cold blade pressed against Geumpyo’s slender neck.

“Heheh, I won, Brother!”

Returning to his usual foolish self, Dongryong smiled brightly, delighted by his victory.

Idiot. Had he forgotten that he had been winning lately, not just this once?

“Yeah, well done!”

When Geumpyo patted Dongryong’s head, Dongryong happily burrowed deeper into his eldest brother’s embrace.

For a moment, Geumpyo envied Dongryong’s overwhelming talent. Then he smiled.

Because Dongryong was someone he could never hate.

Just then...

“You were all here.”

“Eunho!”

Now that Eunho was an officer in the delegation, Eunho had become difficult to see lately. Dongryong ran over and threw himself into Eunho’s arms.

Then Dongryong looked around for someone.

“Where’s Eldest Senior Brother?”

“He said he had something to pick up from the Mantong Office.”

“The Mantong Office?”

About half a year into academy life, Eunho had realized that ordinary academy students had no reason to visit the Mantong Office.

Around that time, Eunho had also learned how impressive the Mantong Office was, and that most academy students wanted to join it after graduation.

Whenever Eunho saw Eldest Senior Brother constantly coming and going from the Mantong Office, Eunho was amazed. Still, so many unusual things had happened by now that Eunho simply accepted it.

Otherwise, Eunho would never be able to keep his sanity while thinking about the things Eldest Senior Brother went through on a daily basis.

Geumpyo shook off the torn edges of his clothes and asked as though he were used to it.

“What is it this time?”

“I don’t know. When has Eldest Senior Brother ever explained those things to us one by one?”

Eunho grumbled in disappointment.

Part of Eunho understood Eldest Senior Brother’s feelings.

Eldest Senior Brother always carried the burden alone.

For their sake, and for the sake of future Taeul Sect disciples, Eldest Senior Brother walked without hesitation along dangerous ground.

Even as Eldest Senior Brother faced the risk of falling into a bottomless mire with one wrong step, Eldest Senior Brother had never once snapped at the junior disciples.

‘It must be because Eldest Senior Brother still doesn’t trust us.’

Perhaps Eldest Senior Brother did not even get angry because there were no expectations of them.

“Whew...”

They still had a long way to go.

Before worrying about the path Taeul Sect and Eunho had to walk, Eunho still had an even longer way to go just to catch up to Eldest Senior Brother.

As Eunho sank into thought for a moment, Eunho suddenly remembered something and held out a sheet of paper.

“What’s this?”

“This semester’s final evaluation results. They were in the dormitory, so I brought them.”

A great deal had happened along the way, but all three brothers had still prepared diligently for their written exams.

Dongryong’s face brightened as he took the results sheet.

“Wow! Brothers, I got two A ratings!”

“Let me see... These are all practical duel evaluations. Didn’t I tell you to study tactics and strategy too? Otherwise, you’ll be at a disadvantage when you receive your assignments later.”

“B-But written exams are hard...”

Eunho shouted.

“What’s hard about them? You just have to memorize exactly what the lecturers point out! Honestly, anyone who receives a Mu rating has rocks for brains. They tell you everything, so how do you still get a Mu rating... People like that should just go home. If idiots like that take command, their entire unit will get wiped out.”

Dongryong’s shoulders drooped. Only moments ago, he had been proudly celebrating his victory over Geumpyo.

“...Okay. I’ll work harder.”

“Remember, only turtle-brains get a Mu rating.”

Eunho furrowed his brow even more as he added, “If anyone in the Yi family gets a Mu rating, I’ll tell Father to strike them from the family register.”

“...Okay.”

Eunho finally turned toward Geumpyo, who had not said a word since earlier.

“Geumpyo. Say something too.”

“Huh?”

“Say something to Dongryong.”

At Eunho’s urging, Geumpyo stared blankly at the results sheet in his hand before lifting his head.

“Ah, me? Is it really all right for me to say something like that to Dongryong, Eunho?”

“...”

A bad feeling came over Eunho. Eunho strode over and snatched the results sheet away.

And on that sheet...

“...This is insane!”

...There were three Mu ratings.

After that, a certain Geumpyo said nothing at all while looking at Yi Eunho.

#

“What did we decide to do with the remaining supplies?”

“For now, we’ll transfer next year’s allotted supplies to the Sichuan branch ahead of schedule...”

“Those bastards will record them as leftover supplies and submit a new request. Close the records ahead of time so they can’t do that!”

“Th-The wounded...”

“I told you to deny the request to transport the wounded!”

“But the wounded say they want to return to the Alliance for treatment...”

“If they want to come back, tell them to walk here on their own! Do you have any idea how much escort agency wagons cost?!”

“Deputy Director, complaints are pouring in from the martial artists currently on the move...”

I knew the Mantong Office was always busy, but today’s atmosphere was completely different.

It felt like the middle of a war.

Still, considering that a command center became busier after a war than during one, this atmosphere was only natural.

‘The Chief Strategist plans to use this atmosphere.’

Seriously, what a schemer.

If I hadn’t lived this life twice, I could have had the wool pulled over my eyes without even realizing it.

‘He calls someone in when he’s at his busiest.’

I had heard that loan sharks used that tactic most often.

Creditors would see how busy the debtor was and feel sorry for them, then get swept up in the mood and fail to collect the money they were owed.

A moment later, Jegal Somyeong stormed inside.

“Those idiots. I’m telling you, there’s no getting through to them.”

“You’re here?”

As the person called Deputy Director approached Jegal Somyeong, Jegal Somyeong threw the report in their hand onto the floor.

“Rewrite this! Make it persuasive enough that those Elder Council bastards will shut their mouths and nod along!”

“Y-Yes, I’m sorry.”

Jegal Somyeong looked around, still unable to calm down. Just as our eyes were about to meet...

“And why is the air so stale? Air this place out!”

That old man. Was Jegal Somyeong pretending not to see me?

“Yes, sir!”

At Jegal Somyeong’s thunderous order, the Mantong Office staff sprang into action as though lightning had struck.

Jegal Somyeong was about to handle another matter, then frowned as if they had only just noticed me.

“You’re here... Ah, was it today?”

That sly old fox.

Still, I wasn’t lacking when it came to navigating people and testing wills.

I politely bowed my head.

“If you’re busy, shall I come back another time?”

“No. I’ll only become busier from here on out, so it would be better to finish this quickly today.”

Jegal Somyeong shut the door roughly and sat down.

After rapidly reading the report in their hand, stamping it, and pushing it aside, Jegal Somyeong spoke.

“I’m busy, so let’s get straight to the point and finish this simply.”

“Yes. I have no wish to interrupt you either.”

“What do you want?”

Jegal Somyeong spoke while reading documents without even looking at me.

So far, this matched exactly what Hwang Giyeong of the Sojeong Unit, a former loan shark, had told me.

They said that if a debtor deliberately acted dismissive like that, the creditor would be overwhelmed by their presence and find it difficult to bring up the money.

Sure enough, I could not easily voice the demands I had considered.

“What I want is...”

“Briefly. Don’t add unnecessary words.”

“Ah, yes.”

Fortunately, Hwang Giyeong had a knack for collecting debts, and I had heard about his past countless times over drinks.

The first step in dealing with an irritating debtor like this was to make them understand exactly how much they owed.

And the best way to make them recognize the amount owed was...

“Please let the Great Heaven Merchant Group handle the supplies for the Martial Alliance branches in Jiangsu Province, Zhejiang Province, and Jiangxi Province. Also, I want the Azure Dragon Sword from the Golden Jade Treasury.”

To demand more than the amount one was actually owed.

Jegal Somyeong froze.

“...Have you lost your mind?”

“What do you mean?”

“Do you even know what you just asked for?”

I calmly shrugged.

“You told me to say what I wanted.”

“Ha! Why not ask for the position of Martial Alliance Leader while you’re at it?”

“Can you give it to me?”

“Don’t be ridiculous!”

“I simply considered what would be an appropriate reward for what I have done.”

“A reward for what you have done?”

When a debtor was asked for more than they had borrowed, they would choose to sit at the negotiating table themselves.

Otherwise, they might end up paying for money they had never even used.

“What you did was admirable. But it was not enough to swallow up three entire provinces.”

Just as Jegal Somyeong did now, setting aside the report and glaring at me.

“Then what would you consider appropriate?”

Jegal Somyeong pondered for a moment before speaking.

“I heard the Great Heaven Merchant Group has expanded its influence around Mount Cheonmok. I will let you handle supplies for the Hangzhou branch.”

“That isn’t a reward. Even if you leave us alone, the Great Heaven Merchant Group can reach the Hangzhou branch through its own efforts.”

“Doing the Martial Alliance’s work is only natural for an Alliance member.”

“Strictly speaking, I’m not an Alliance member. I went to the Black Alliance in exchange for working for the Mantong Office.”

“Even so, you know that the Golden Jade Treasury is out of the question, don’t you?”

The other party would endlessly deny the account I had presented.

“Why is it out of the question? To be honest, Chief Strategist, didn’t you know from the beginning that the task given to this delegation was impossible?”

“Yes. It was impossible, and you ultimately failed. An alliance with the Black Alliance was not formed.”

“You mustn’t forget that the Black Alliance gave us a relic as a token of friendship.”

“From the start, it was an item they could not handle carelessly. They took the chance to shove off something that was more trouble than it was worth.”

“But now that this troublesome item has fallen into your hands, Chief Strategist, won’t it become more valuable than gold of the same weight?”

Once you drew a high line, though, the negotiator would use that high line as their benchmark.

Then came the moment to strike at the other party’s intention in one blow.

“To be frank, aren’t you also planning to use that troublesome item to move the Nine Sects One Gang and the Five Great Clans?”

“...”

Jegal Somyeong looked at me with complicated eyes.

The look of someone asking how the hell I knew that.

“It was obvious just from the fact that you haven’t yet announced that the item returned to the Martial Alliance.”

“Are you threatening me?”

I had to drive the other party where I wanted them, but I could not hurt their feelings in the process.

I shook my head respectfully.

“Of course not. I only want a fitting reward for my contributions.”

“That is what a martial artist of the righteous path should naturally do.”

I needed to logically impress upon them the damage they might have suffered.

“That would be true for ordinary matters, but something this significant is different.”

“Different?”

“Yes. If an ordinary martial artist had been sent to the Black Alliance, they would have either died there or escaped and informed the Martial Alliance of the incident. Afterward, war between the Black Alliance and Martial Alliance would have been inevitable. A war fought while the Blood Cult had not been properly dealt with would certainly have dealt the Martial Alliance a grave and serious blow.”

Once the high line had been drawn, I had to keep defending it as long as possible.

Until that enormous amount became engraved in the other party’s mind as something that might, perhaps, be appropriate.

“Countless Martial Alliance martial artists would have died, and eventually the Martial Alliance would have collapsed and vanished without a trace.”

“What nonsense! In the Martial Alliance’s five-hundred-year history, do you think this is the first or second time something like this has happened?”

“Of course, I’m only giving an example. An example. In any case, if someone who rendered such great service doesn’t receive a fitting reward...”

If I gave it a justification as well, the balance would tilt completely in my favor.

“Will other Alliance members still be willing to break their bodies and bones for the Martial Alliance?”

Jegal Somyeong hesitated briefly before speaking.

“Your itinerary this time will not be made public anyway.”

“Of course, I know. Still, if the Martial Alliance doesn’t pay fitting compensation, all its members will pursue only their own interests.”

“...”

Once it seemed that the other party had accepted the impression that the high line was not such an unjust demand...

“...”

I had to wait leisurely without pressing them further.

Until the other party spoke first.

“...I will give you the Flying Dragon Robe from the Silver Jade Treasury, along with distribution rights for the Zhejiang Province branches.”

They were nearly convinced.

I hid the smile that was about to rise on my lips.

The Flying Dragon Robe was an excellent artifact, useful for both attack and defense.

Still, there was no immediate use for it even if I obtained it now.

That did not mean I could reveal that outright. I had to use it as a tool to gain the upper hand somehow.

I took a step back and made Jegal Somyeong feel that they had made a concession.

“As I said earlier, the Great Heaven Merchant Group is already working with the Wang Family Estate, so we will expand into Zhejiang Province on our own anyway. Give us distribution rights in Jiangsu Province as well. Instead, I’ll take an item from the Martial World Treasury.”

“The Martial World Treasury?”

“Yes. I’ll take the Vajra Shield from there.”

Martial artists who had never experienced war did not know the usefulness of a shield.

Some even considered carrying one shameful.

That was likely why an incredible artifact like the Vajra Shield had been left in the Martial World Treasury, one level below the Silver Jade Treasury.

My suddenly lowered demand made Jegal Somyeong’s brow crease.

“A shield?”

“Yes.”

I had mentioned the Golden Jade Treasury at first, so of course they would find it strange.

“What do you intend to use a shield for?”

It was nearly useless now, but during the war, the martial artist carrying the Vajra Shield had survived the longest.

I deliberately answered as though it were nothing.

“Isn’t it just a solid lump of black iron? If I melt it down to make swords, how many blades do you think I could get?”

“...”

Jegal Somyeong stared at me as they weighed their thoughts.

I could feel them constantly balancing their interests against mine within that small head.

If they believed they stood to gain, they would accept. If they believed they would lose out, they would surely refuse under some other pretext.

Should I drive in one more nail here?

“If that doesn’t suit you, I want the Azure Dragon Sword from the Golden Jade Treasury, as I originally said.”

I had heard that pushing back a little to help the other party make up their mind was also an excellent debt-collection tactic.

“...”

Sure enough, just as Hwang Giyeong had said, the debtor who believed they stood to gain nodded.

“Fine. I accept.”

“Thank you, easy mark.”

Ah, I got excited and let it slip...

“Easy mark? What does that mean?”

“Ah! I heard it refers to a wonderful person who is generous and firm of purpose.”

“Is that so?”

Jegal Somyeong nodded as though they rather liked the title.

Well, there was no way they would know slang used by back-alley lenders.

That took ten years off my life. Whew.

Footnotes:

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