The Martial Genius who Remembers Everything - Chapter 281

WeTried Translations

Translator/Editor: Chen

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◈ The Martial Genius who Remembers Everything ◈

Chapter 281: Night of the Greedy (2)

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“Ughhh...”

“Grrrgh...”

More iron rings had been added.

From their wrists to their elbows.

From their ankles to their knees.

“You call that footwork when you're moving so heavily? Why not put up signposts showing exactly where you're going while you're at it?”

Jin Sowoon scolded them whenever deep footprints sank into the ground as they used their movement art.

The four looked at Jin Sowoon with sour expressions.

‘What are we supposed to do when we're this heavy?’

‘Then take off these damned shackles.’

‘Ah, this is hard. So, so hard.’

‘...’

He had made their bodies feel as heavy as mountains, then told them to leap lightly.

What kind of bullshit was that?

Still, they couldn't voice their complaints.

Someone under the same conditions was following their unreasonable Head Disciple's orders perfectly.

Papapapapapap!

Of the roughly three hundred footprints he left behind, only faint traces remained.

It was hard to believe he was wearing so many iron rings.

“Excellent, Eunho!”

“Ah... yes... thank you, Head Disciple.”

“If these brats had followed even half as well as Eunho, we'd have already taken the spiritual medicine, returned through the Death Gate, and come home in glory! Honestly! Honestly!”

As Jin Sowoon openly took Eunho's side, the other three directed their resentment at innocent Eunho.

‘I didn't think you'd be like this.’

‘Junior Brother, I'm really disappointed in you.’

‘Eunho-hyung, you're stupid!’

They were clearly cursing him with their eyes, but there was nothing Eunho could do.

He was sick of being cursed at and beaten.

“Head Disciple, what if you loosen the iron rings a little? We'd be able to move faster. Don't you want to return and see the elders as soon as possible too?”

Eunho spoke as carefully as he could without provoking his Head Disciple.

Ever since he'd been accused of trying to escape a few days ago, he'd been tormented so badly that he had even lost sleep.

At the very least, he had to show that they weren't trying to avoid training.

Jin Sowoon didn't even blink.

“What are you talking about? I've still got plenty of iron rings left to put on you.”

“What do you...?”

“How many iron rings do you think I can fit in this pack?”

Jin Sowoon shook the enormous bundle strapped to his back.

Clank, clank.

The sound of iron striking iron echoed ominously from inside.

Crazy bastard. Just how many was he carrying?

Eunho quickly came to his senses.

He felt sorry for the others, but he needed to back down now.

That damned Head Disciple might lose his mind again and add more rings to him as well.

Eunho skillfully changed the subject.

“Ah! Head Disciple, didn't you say we'd pick up spiritual medicine on the way back to the Taeul Sect?”

“I did.”

“Then why does it feel like we keep heading north?”

“Because our destination is north.”

“What?”

To travel from Wuhan to Hefei, they had to go east, cross Hubei Province, and enter Anhui Province.

North?

“Ah... then the spiritual medicine must be somewhere south of Henan Province?”

As long as they didn't cross Hubei Province, they could take a detour and still reach Anhui Province soon enough.

Eunho desperately forced himself to think positively so he wouldn't upset his Head Disciple.

“No. Our final destination is Xi'an.”

“Xi'an?”

Eunho tilted his head at the baffling answer.

“Was there a city called Xi'an in Hubei Province?”

There were countless cities in the world, and ordinary people couldn't memorize every single name.

Jin Sowoon, who was far from ordinary, smiled meaningfully.

“Maybe there is.”

“O-oh, I'm learning something new again today.”

Eunho forced a smile to flatter his Head Disciple.

Then Jin Sowoon's next words made him frown deeply.

“But we're going to Xi'an in Shaanxi Province.”

Shaanxi...? Xi'an...?

Eunho pictured the map in his head, checked the location, and nearly screamed.

‘You crazy bastard! That's the complete opposite direction!’

Naturally, he couldn't say that aloud.

“What do you think? Excited?”

“...”

He didn't want to be struck by the heavens, meaning his Head Disciple.

Xi'an, Shaanxi Province.

Winter in Xi'an was cold.

The sandstorms blowing in from the desert made it especially difficult to spend time outside.

For that reason, the people of Xi'an rarely went out in winter, and merchants closed their shops early.

Even the pilgrims visiting Mount Hua and Mount Zhongnan stopped coming.

Mount Hua, one of the Five Great Mountains, had rugged slopes that were difficult to climb even in midsummer, so naturally no one was bold enough to climb it in the dead of winter. Mindful of Mount Hua's refusal to receive winter pilgrims, Mount Zhongnan had also turned away guests under the pretext of cold-weather training.

So it was only natural for Xi'an to become quiet in winter.

Yet...

“Why are there so many people coming and going?”

A merchant arranging a stall stopped at the sight of the crowd filling the streets.

“Exactly... It was like this yesterday too, and now it's the same today.”

“...Don't you think there are strangely many people carrying weapons?”

“Hm... What should we do?”

An innkeeper came running from the distance.

“Hey! What are you all doing? Of course we need to keep doing business!”

“Come on, there aren't that many people...”

“I just came from the South Gate. People trying to enter Xi'an are lined up all the way along the gate!”

“Really?”

“Why would I say something so ridiculous if it weren't true!”

At the innkeeper's words, the others reopened their stalls and called back the attendants they had sent home.

The sudden overtime was exhausting, but the smiles never left their faces.

The merchants weren't the only ones delighted by the unexpected crowds.

“Let's go!”

“Yes!”

At O Sam's command, the beggars formed ranks and began following him.

Four knots hung from his waist, and his clothes were clean for a beggar.

Passersby couldn't hide their surprise when they caught sight of the knots at his waist.

Perhaps because of that, O Sam felt his steps grow prouder and his shoulders straighten.

‘Hmph. I'm young for a Four-Knot Beggar.’

Others his age were still Two-Knot Beggars, so he was practically rising through the Beggar Sect's ranks without resistance.

‘Soon I'll become a Five-Knot Beggar, and then...’

He might even become the youngest branch leader.

Of course, he would have to complete his mandatory service in the Martial Alliance first.

The thought made him frown.

‘Tsk... If only I'd gone to the Academy.’

Mandatory service only counted as experience working as a low-ranking martial artist.

The period was short, but everything from the monthly stipend onward was clearly better in the Martial Alliance.

Besides, being a graduate of the Martial Arts Academy was a symbol of success in the current martial world.

Even in the Beggar Sect, anyone who returned after graduating from the Academy could skip ahead by two ranks. Staying in the Martial Alliance and working for it wouldn't have been bad either.

If it were him, he would have reached at least the position of Great Hall Master.

‘Those old fools with knots for eyes.’

O Sam had been certain he had the talent to enter the Academy.

His martial arts had improved quickly, and since he was based in Xi'an, Shaanxi Province, he had a background that would not leave him behind anywhere.

Yet for some reason, O Sam had been excluded from this Academy examination.

There might have been no restrictions on taking the regular examination, but what madman entered it without a faction's support?

Instead, some useless Beggar Sect bastards had enrolled in his place, and he'd heard they hadn't even managed to take control of the Academy properly.

Without Yong Soa, Ilmyeong, or Dang Seohui, what was so difficult about controlling that Academy?

When he heard that Jin Sowoon of some unheard-of sect called the Taeul Sect had become the representative, he had been as shocked as if the sun had risen in the west.

“Bunch of idiots.”

“Yes?!”

“Nothing.”

Maybe it was for the best.

One day, he would meet Jin Sowoon and defeat him, proving that he was superior to those who had attended the Academy.

O Sam had long wished to meet the man with the ominous epithet Black Flame Dragon.

“A greenhouse flower like him would never come all the way here. Tsk.”

There was no point thinking about something that would never happen. It only made his head hurt.

Things in Xi'an were already far from ordinary.

O Sam shook off his thoughts and ordered his subordinates.

“Record everything carefully. One of the people who came here will surely secure the Five-Spirit Flower Dew.”

“Um...”

“What?”

“Wouldn't it be better for us to go in and secure it ourselves?”

O Sam snorted at the beggar's absurd question.

There were idiots everywhere.

“Do you even know what the Five-Spirit Flower Dew is, and you're saying you'll go look for it?”

“If you send me, I will definitely...!”

O Sam smacked the beggar on the head.

“You idiot! Have you forgotten the Demon Spirit Plateau Incident? Even without that, every time a spiritual medicine appears, the whole world is thrown into turmoil. How do you think someone like you could obtain one?”

“...S-sorry.”

“Of course, the best approach is to take it before anyone knows. But if you go in after a spiritual medicine with a known appearance date, like the Five-Spirit Flower Dew, you're dead for certain. Understand?”

The thoroughly cowed beggars answered together.

“““Yes!”””

“Besides, there isn't just one or two spiritual medicines appearing this time. If we go searching for them one by one, we'll miss the others too.”

As O Sam spoke with a snort, the beggar who had been cautiously watching his mood asked a question.

“...Th-then why are you telling us to record everything? If we aren't going in, it won't be easy to secure them anyway.”

“Tsk, tsk, tsk... That's why you only have two knots.”

O Sam glared at the beggar in disgust before continuing.

“What kind of organization are we?”

“Well, one that practices fellowship in the martial world...”

Smack.

“Not that. What's the biggest thing we actually do?”

“...Th-that would be gathering information.”

O Sam clicked his tongue in exasperation.

“Right. We're an information organization. Our comrades are spread throughout the world, and we have eyes and ears everywhere. So no matter who comes out carrying spiritual medicine, they'll eventually fall within our sight. That's what I'm saying.”

“...Ah, then we'll use some underhanded method to take the spiritual medicine from them afterward...”

Smack!

The beggar couldn't continue after another burst of pain struck the back of his head.

“Watch your mouth. That's called a strategy, a strategy!”

“I-is that so?”

“That's right.”

The beggar who asked the question still hadn't received the answer he wanted, but he didn't say anything else. Otherwise, the back of his head wouldn't survive.

Yet brave men appeared elsewhere.

“But, Boss...”

“What now?!”

Another beggar began cautiously, looking confused.

“Um... Should we make records for beggars too?”

“You crazy bastards, Beggar Sect beggars aren't going in to look for spiritual medicine, so why would we...”

“No, that's not what I mean. They don't seem to be Beggar Sect beggars...”

O Sam's brow furrowed deeply.

How dare someone beg without belonging to the Beggar Sect?

How many begging bowls had their predecessors broken to establish this territory?

And they dared to encroach on it?

“Where? Where are those insolent beggars daring to trespass on Beggar Sect territory?”

“Th-there...”

The beggar timidly pointed ahead.

Five figures were approaching through the hazy sandstorm.

They really did look like beggars O Sam had never seen before...

‘Huh?’

As the figures drew closer, O Sam unconsciously faltered.

Even to someone with his unmatched experience as a beggar, their appearance was extremely strange.

Their clothes were covered in dirt, and their faces were caked with grime as though they hadn't washed for days.

Their hair was disheveled, and dried drool clung to it.

‘Crazy, what are those things hanging from their limbs...?’

More than anything else...

Strange iron rings hung from their arms and legs like shackles.

Every time they took a step, they left footprints all around them. Yet despite the effort they put into making those prints, they barely covered any distance.

They looked like they were throwing a ridiculous fit.

‘They're in pretty bad shape, even for beggars.’

No beggar these days kept themselves that unhygienic.

It disgusted people while begging and lowered their earnings, and more importantly, it could spread infectious diseases.

The first rule for modern beggars was hygiene. Hygiene!

Still...

‘And what's with that guy...?’

Unlike the other four, one person walked calmly.

He walked normally as if he had nothing to do with the other four, while the four struggling along glared at him as though they wanted to kill him.

‘A slave trader?’

As O Sam reached a rough conclusion about the suspicious people, a beggar asked him.

“Boss, what should we do?”

“Bring them over first. We need to talk.”

If they were actual beggars, they needed a thorough lesson. If they were slave traders, they needed to be beaten to death on the spot.

How many commoners became slaves to bandits every year?

O Sam's heart burned fiercely, and it felt as though his Dog-Beating Staff had grown hot.

“...”

Yet when the beggar approached the suspicious group and spoke to the apparent slave trader, the slave trader waved a hand as though annoyed.

After trying to speak to him a few more times, the beggar hurried back.

“Um... He says to leave them alone.”

This idiot... He just came back because the man said that?

“Did you tell him who I am?”

“Ah!”

Ah?

What did he mean, ah?

How was he supposed to deal with these idiots?

O Sam gritted his teeth to contain his rising anger.

“...Grrk. Go tell him right now.”

“Y-yes!”

Realizing that O Sam was in a bad mood, the beggar quickly ran back and delivered the message again.

After hearing it, the apparent slave trader looked between the beggar and O Sam, then waved his hand again.

The beggar hurried back once more.

‘Th-that idiot...!’

Unable to endure any longer, O Sam pulled out his Dog-Beating Staff and strode toward the apparent slave trader.

“B-Boss!”

Thud!

“Stay out of this, idiot!”

O Sam sent the beggar flying with one punch, then stood before the apparent slave trader with a fierce look on his face.

“You little bastard, do you know who I am?!”

“...”

The apparent slave trader gave no response to O Sam's threat.

Then he narrowed one eye and glared at O Sam.

Damn it. His eyes were clearly dry and dull, so why did O Sam's knees feel weak?

His pride wounded, O Sam drew in a deep breath, puffed out his chest, and shouted.

“I'm O Sam, Boss of the First Star Division in Xi'an, Shaanxi Province, you bastard!”

He deliberately thrust his four knots forward.

With an introduction like that, any martial artist would normally be unable to hide their surprise and turn serious.

Yet the apparent slave trader grimaced as though he had tasted shit.

“What the hell is this beggar bastard from Xi'an going on about?!”

“...”

What was this reaction?

O Sam was dumbfounded.

The man carried a weapon, so he had to belong to the martial world. Did he not know the Beggar Sect?

If he knew the Beggar Sect, he should certainly know not to treat one of its beggars carelessly.

The Beggar Sect's power came partly from its hundred thousand beggars, but its true strength was the information gathered by those hundred thousand beggars.

In the end, this man might have learned some martial arts, but he clearly knew nothing about the ways of the martial world.

You could tell just by looking at his face. His skin was smooth as though he had never suffered a day in his life.

“You damned brat...”

“Hey, beggar. Get lost while I'm asking nicely, before I smash that Dog-Beating Staff or whatever it is, along with your bowl.”

The apparent slave trader waved a hand dismissively.

O Sam's patience finally reached its limit.

“Today, I'll catch one son of a bitch and set justice right in the martial world.”

“What is this idiot even saying?”

O Sam poured internal energy into his Dog-Beating Staff and swung it at once.

He would make this clueless fool learn a painful lesson...

Thud!

“?!”