WeTried Translations

Translator/Editor: Chen

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◈ The Martial Genius who Remembers Everything ◈

Chapter 291: The Right to Have a Chance (7)

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As the Black Dragon Sword came free, blood sprayed across the cave floor.

But I couldn't stop here.

Gun Cheonji had already regained his stance and was about to counterattack.

This was why I hated experienced bastards.

I seized the opening and rushed at Gun Cheonji.

Slash!

Slash!

Without giving him even a moment to recover, I swung the Black Dragon Sword, leaving two more wounds across his body.

"You coward!"

A Mount Zhongnan Sect disciple fighting my junior disciples spat out a curse, but I ignored him and unleashed the Myriad Blossoms Invincible Fist.

Papapapapapak!

He had been wounded without warning and caught in an ambush.

There was no way he could block dozens of fist shadows.

Whoosh!

Thud!

His body flew backward and slammed into the wall.

When I glanced at the middle-aged Mount Zhongnan Sect man, he picked up his pace, wary of me joining the others.

He intended to take down at least one more person before I could intervene.

But that was a bad decision.

That rule only applied in peaceful times.

I charged at Gun Cheonji and deliberately held back as I swung the Black Dragon Sword.

Boom!

Crack!

Sword qi burst forth, barely grazing the space above Gun Cheonji's head.

On a battlefield, when an ally was held hostage, the side that panicked and backed off first was always at a disadvantage.

So take the bait.

I sent manifested sword qi at Gun Cheonji again.

Gun Cheonji, still on the ground, barely raised his sword and deflected it.

Boom!

Crash!

The redirected sword qi struck the cave wall, showering Gun Cheonji with dirt and stones.

I glanced at the middle-aged man and tilted my head.

Just as I thought.

"Insane bastard!"

The middle-aged man, who had been about to swing his sword at my junior disciples, shot away like lightning.

Clang!

As if I'd been waiting for it, I fired sword qi at him.

"Eek!"

He apparently hadn't expected me to turn so suddenly. He hastily sent out palm force to disperse it.

Boom!

Blood flowed from his hand because he had failed to deflect the sword qi properly, but he somehow managed to get in front of Gun Cheonji.

Gun Cheonji lifted his face, twisted in pain, and looked at the middle-aged man.

I returned his own words to him.

"Do you have the leisure to worry about someone else?"

He looked like he was in a great deal of pain himself.

"You crazy bastard!"

The middle-aged man gritted his teeth.

When I turned my head, I saw Saryeon examining Eunho's wounds. Geumpyo and Dongryong stood on either side of me.

We now held a complete advantage.

As Geumpyo and Dongryong prepared to form the White Tiger Sword Formation at my sides, panic filled the middle-aged man's eyes.

He didn't know how badly Gun Cheonji was hurt or what he should do. His mind must have been in turmoil, especially since he had been wounded himself.

"Cough..."

Then Gun Cheonji, sprawled on the ground, let out a groan, and the middle-aged man shouted urgently.

"Cheonji, are you all right?"

"...Urgh."

Seeing it was obvious he was racking his brains, caught in a situation where he could do neither one thing nor the other, I said,

"How about we both withdraw here?"

"...What?"

"I held back, so the wounds shouldn't be deep. If you treat them now, he should have no trouble lifting a sword again."

"How dare you toy with Mount Zhongnan Sect!"

The middle-aged man's face became as fierce as a murderous ghost.

A tiger's pride was always wounded by even a small scratch.

"Are you saying you'd rather be buried here?"

But even a tiger had to assess its opponent properly sometimes. What looked like a rabbit's tooth could, at times, be a viper's venomous fang.

"If that's what you want."

Clang!

I immediately brought the Black Dragon Sword down on his neck.

Startled, he raised his sword to block.

Rather than pulling back, I raised my internal energy and began forcing him backward through our crossed blades.

"Then I'll grant your wish."

To make an opponent afraid, you had to show overwhelming strength.

Push!

Blood sprayed from the middle-aged man's wounded hand, and his eyes widened like a rabbit's.

"What kind of internal energy is this...!"

I liked that expression.

I'd suffered like hell to build up this internal energy. He should at least make that face.

Screeeech!

My blade pushed toward him in an instant, nearly reaching his body.

Then he flattened his sword and began pushing back with both hands.

But unless he was an expert in external martial arts, there was no way he could overwhelm me in a contest of internal energy.

Screeeech!

With the sound of metal scraping, the Black Dragon Sword touched his neck and opened a wound.

"S-stop..."

Gun Cheonji stopped the middle-aged man with a dying voice.

"Senior Brother, stop..."

"Cheonji!"

"Senior Brother, you saw it too. That bastard... he's dangerous."

Gun Cheonji turned his gaze to me.

"Will you... keep your promise?"

"I've never broken a promise."

"How can I trust someone who hides their face...?"

That was fair.

But what would you do if you didn't trust me?

Screeeech!

As I pushed the Black Dragon Sword again, Gun Cheonji's face crumpled.

"A-all right. I understand."

I slowly withdrew my sword.

The middle-aged man still didn't lower his guard.

Well, look at this.

"Does Mount Zhongnan Sect intend to break its promise?"

"...!"

At my shout, Gun Cheonji called out to the middle-aged man.

"Senior Brother!"

The middle-aged man looked back and forth between Gun Cheonji and me for a long time before sheathing his sword.

He immediately supported Gun Cheonji.

"Cheonji, are you all right?"

"I-I'm fine. Ah, don't grab me there."

As the two of them stumbled toward the cave exit, tangled together, I stepped in front of them.

"...What is it? Is there something else you want?"

I looked at the Mount Zhongnan Sect disciples, who were trying to leave without doing the obvious, and spoke.

"You should leave your swords behind."

"..."

"And whatever is in your pouches."

Ah, was this their first time having something like this happen to them?

#

"Are you all right?"

At my question, Eunho looked at me with a complicated expression.

"Did you really think about emptying their pouches in the middle of all that?"

His face was hidden beneath the mask, but I could tell from his gaze that he was being extremely disrespectful.

"Your mouth is still working, so you seem fine."

Kids grew better after getting knocked around a little.

Eunho answered calmly.

"I think it'll be difficult to swing a sword."

"That's fine. I never expected swordsmanship from you in the first place."

"What? What do you mean by that? ...Senior Brother? Wait, answer me. Senior Brother! Hey! Answer..."

I tapped the noisy Eunho's mute acupoint and searched through the belongings the Mount Zhongnan Sect disciples had left behind for pills.

Naturally, disciples of the Nine Sects One Gang and Five Great Clans carried emergency medicines.

Sama Jeong's golden wound medicine was probably better, but a Vitality-Replenishing Pill was another matter.

After breaking off a small piece of the Vitality-Replenishing Pill and tasting it, I put it in Eunho's mouth and applied golden wound medicine to his injuries...

Wait, did this guy just call me "hey"?

Press!

"Mmph! Mmph! Mmmph! Mmph!"

Though he had to be in terrible pain, Eunho endured it quite well.

He was smart, so he probably understood that making noise would reveal our location quickly.

"Senior Brother, can you really apply it that carelessly?"

"Isn't Eunho enduring it well?"

"...I don't think he's enduring it voluntarily."

"Don't underestimate Eunho. Eunho is a smart kid."

"Mmmmmph!"

After roughly treating his wounds, Geumpyo and Dongryong helped Eunho to his feet and supported him.

"Senior Brother."

I turned and saw Saryeon looking at me with strangely cold eyes.

"Why... didn't you help our side?"

Ah, perhaps she still wasn't used to this side of me.

I answered calmly.

"Because it was the right thing to do."

"...What do you mean?"

"It was the right choice in that situation. That's all."

"..."

This wasn't something she could accept just because I explained it.

There was no way for everyone to survive on a battlefield while considering every individual's feelings.

Even if they couldn't understand, it was enough if they survived.

That was why, despite knowing what Saryeon would think, I deliberately offered no further explanation.

No explanation would make her accept it.

Trying to understand meant that, eventually, she would find it difficult to follow.

"...Is that all you have to say?"

"Yes."

Saryeon bit down hard on her lip, then let out a sigh.

She seemed to think this wasn't the time for an argument.

As if trying to change the mood, Saryeon turned the conversation to Eunho's arm.

"When did you learn this? You're too skilled for someone who's only done it once or twice."

"..."

Come to think of it, I'd learned this after the Orthodox-Demonic War.

"...I've traveled through the mountains a lot, haven't I? I happened to learn it along the way."

"Then why did the bleeding stop so quickly?"

She really was quick to notice things.

The best way to escape an awkward situation was to direct attention elsewhere.

I smiled warmly and raised my hand.

"Eunho wasn't seriously hurt. It's fortunate that it ended here. Isn't that right, Eunho?"

"Mmmmmph!"

When I roughly patted Eunho's head as he looked at me like I was his mortal enemy, the subject quickly shifted to Gun Cheonji and his group, who had fled.

"Still, is it really all right to let them go?"

She was probably worried that they would pursue us again.

"As I said, Mount Zhongnan Sect must not shed blood here."

"No, I mean, shouldn't we have at least captured them?"

"Oh? Our Saryeon has become a true martial artist. Since we can't shed blood, you want to bury them alive."

"No! When did I ever say that?"

Saryeon shuddered as though the thought alone gave her chills.

"Don't worry. It'll take them a long time to return to their people and explain the situation, and they won't bother pursuing us."

"Why not?"

"Because Heavenly Cave is already filled with other people."

Mount Zhongnan Sect's mistake was that all the people who should have been outside were inside Heavenly Cave.

I understood why they feared that lay disciples might obtain the Five-Spirit Flower Dew, but that had weakened their defenses outside.

The third entrance had already been breached. Could the martial artists of Xi'an remain still after learning that people had entered?

The three entrances were probably in complete chaos by now.

What impact would news of an attack have in the middle of all that?

They probably hadn't even identified all the intruders inside yet.

"What if they do follow us?"

"Then we'll make sure they can't."

There was a reason we had no choice but to choose this route.

I struck the ceiling we had passed beneath with the Great Yang Palm.

Rumble!

Crash! Crash!

The cave was quickly sealed by dirt, rocks, and rubble pouring down from the ceiling.

"If we block this place, they'll have to take a long detour to reach where we're going."

There was a reason I'd gone through the trouble of opening this route.

It was the fastest path to the Five-Spirit Flower Dew.

We were one step closer to it.

#

After passing through the cave where Gun Cheonji had been, we sealed several more caves.

Now, anyone heading toward where the Five-Spirit Flower Dew would emerge would have to take a long way around.

After passing through several caves, we encountered no more Mount Zhongnan Sect disciples.

"There aren't any Mount Zhongnan Sect people on this side."

"They've probably all gone to stop the people who entered through the third entrance."

Saryeon nodded.

This was the northeastern outer edge of Heavenly Cave.

Considering that the Five-Spirit Flower Dew had always appeared in the southwestern part of Heavenly Cave, their watch over this area was bound to be looser.

Perhaps because of that, as we went deeper into the caves, the torches Mount Zhongnan Sect had installed gradually grew fewer until places without a single torch began to appear.

We each took a torch and continued inward.

"Wait..."

At my signal, my junior disciples stopped and hid their torches behind rocks.

The light illuminated the area around us, but didn't leak into the other caves.

"Hurry! Outsiders are getting in!"

"What are you talking about? We were guarding the entrances!"

"It's those damned lay disciples!"

Once the footsteps of the Mount Zhongnan Sect disciples running off while cursing had faded, we slowly rose again.

It seemed the martial artists who had entered were doing their part well.

Mount Zhongnan Sect now had a fire at its feet.

Outsiders had entered just as the Five-Spirit Flower Dew was nearing its emergence. They had no choice but to panic.

"But Senior Brother, don't we need to split up to find the Five-Spirit Flower Dew?"

I shook my head at Geumpyo's question.

"The place where the Five-Spirit Flower Dew will emerge is fixed."

"What?"

"The energy of the Five-Spirit Vein repeats in a cycle. When one side declines, the other fills. The Five-Spirit Flower Dew has appeared on one side three times over the years, so it will emerge on the opposite side next."

Of course, that was only a theory written in the Myriad Herbs Compendium. The place I was heading toward was the exact location recorded in the Martial World Elixir Compendium.

The cave was not particularly large compared to the ones we had passed through.

"Extinguish the torches."

"What? Is Mount Zhongnan Sect here again?"

"No. It's time to put out the lights."

‘Mount Zhongnan Sect lost half the Five-Spirit Flower Dew because they didn't know this.’

When we put out the torches, the surroundings filled with darkness without even an inch of light.

Before long...

"...Huh?"

"Ah!"

"Mmmph! Mmmph!"

The ceiling slowly began turning red, as though sparks had caught on it.

The red glow gradually spread, soon shining far more brightly than any torch. The room, which had been dark as night, became bright enough for us to see each other's faces as though it were midday.

"What is this?"

The sudden bright light made everyone, whose eyes had adjusted to the darkness, frown and squeeze their eyes shut.

I took out my water flask and walked toward the center.

Yellow heat gathered like dew on a blunt protrusion that resembled a tree root.

I quickly held out the flask and collected the yellow dew as it fell.

Drip.

Drip.

Drip.

A strange fragrance spread through the area whenever a drop of dew fell.

"Senior Brother, that's..."

Geumpyo could not close his mouth in amazement.

I looked at him and nodded.

The thing Mount Zhongnan Sect desired so desperately, and the Beggar Sect still coveted as it waited for an opportunity.

"That's right. It's the Five-Spirit Flower Dew."

=======

Greetings, fellow companions of the martial world.

This is Jeokseolmok.

I hope you had a pleasant Lunar New Year in the newly begun Year of the Water Rabbit.

I would like to take this opportunity to thank everyone who has consistently subscribed to the Martial World Newsletter.

We recently received courier hawks from fellow companions who pointed out strange details in the Chapter 289 and 290 newsletters. With the Mantong Office's help, we conducted a thorough analysis and discovered that certain information differed somewhat from events that actually occurred in the martial world.

The scholar who had been writing the newsletter suffered an upset stomach after dining out instead of eating the prescribed fried dumpling meals. Afraid of returning to the dumpling diet, he forced himself to continue working and ultimately delivered incorrect information.

We will work to ensure that no incorrect information appears in the newsletter going forward.

Thank you, as always, for taking the time to join us.

We will continue striving with gratitude for the valuable interest you have shown.

If you have not yet received the Martial World Newsletter, you will receive the newly revised edition.

If you have already received it, please discard the newsletters you have received so far and subscribe again to receive accurate news.

May this year bring you continued success and high income.

Thank you once again.

Footnotes:

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