WeTried Translations
Translator/Editor: Chen
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◈ The Martial Genius who Remembers Everything ◈
Chapter 295: The Commoner's Return Home (3)
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After leaving Heavenly Cave, the Taeul Sect disciples ran east.
As soon as the incident broke out, the Mount Zhongnan Sect disciples began pursuing them.
Five people had caused trouble in Heavenly Cave, then fled as though running for their lives.
Most of Mount Zhongnan's people assumed they were the ones who had created the third entrance and, at worst, taken the Five-Spirit Flower Dew.
The Mount Zhongnan Sect disciples were eager to interrogate and torture them, demanding to know how they had acquired the Five-Spirit Flower Dew and why they had interfered in Mount Zhongnan's affairs.
Yet even though they had mastered the Milky Way Drifting Steps, a supreme movement art of the martial world, they could not close the distance with the suspects.
‘What kind of... movement art is that...?’
‘Hah, I never imagined footwork like that existed.’
Instead of narrowing, the gap kept widening.
Movement arts normally lost speed in the mountains because of the trees and rough, rocky terrain. Yet those bastards showed no sign of slowing, as though they were running across level ground.
The Milky Way Drifting Steps had never fallen behind another movement art in speed, but every time they crossed a forest or climbed a cliff, the distance grew greater. By the time they had crossed two mountains, Mount Zhongnan had no choice but to let the culprits escape.
News that Mount Zhongnan had lost the culprits soon reached the Beggar Sect, which had watched the entire situation unfold.
“Heh heh, idiots...”
“Did they really think the culprits would let themselves be caught?”
“This is why fools are hopeless.”
Having expected this outcome, the Beggar Sect finally began to move.
The Five-Spirit Flower Dew that Mount Zhongnan had failed to secure no longer belonged to Mount Zhongnan in the first place.
And if it did not belong to Mount Zhongnan, there was no problem with it becoming the Beggar Sect's, was there?
Still, they could not afford to lower their guard.
“They outran the Milky Way Drifting Steps. Stay sharp!”
The Beggar Sect disciples snorted at the Swift Travel Hall Leader's words.
“No matter how good their movement art is, people who don't even know its basics won't be able to bring out its true power.”
“If we catch them this time, will we be the ones outrunning the Milky Way Drifting Steps?”
Known as the Lightning Bolt of the Beggar Sect, the Swift Travel Hall was responsible for delivering urgent information to every corner of the realm as quickly as possible.
The organization had been created in case messages sent by courier pigeons or courier hawks were lost, and they were more confident in long-distance running than any sect or escort warrior in the realm.
“Those who know nothing about movement arts think speed is all that matters. But...”
They could run faster and longer than anyone else.
“This is our chance to show them what real movement arts are. Move!”
The chase began half a day later than Mount Zhongnan's.
Even so, the Beggar Sect disciples found traces of the culprits before a full day had passed.
“Heh heh, they must have sensed us. Their speed is increasing.”
“They'll tire themselves out soon enough. We'll keep our distance and hound them. The more anxious they become, the sooner they'll wear out.”
But things did not always go as planned.
“...Why does the distance keep growing?”
“Huff, huff... I-I think... they're... really pushing themselves...”
At his fellow Beggar Sect disciple's words, the beggar who had asked the question nearly snapped, ‘Aren't you the one pushing yourself?’ But he swallowed it.
If they started fighting now, the pursuit would be ruined.
“It's already been half a day! They'll need to rest soon. We'll keep our distance and follow them, then rest when they do.”
But...
“Huff, huff... You said... we'd rest...”
“I don't know either, damn it...”
The culprits did not rest once.
They ran through the entire night and continued into the second day.
Then the problem began on the Beggar Sect's side.
“H-Hall Leader... the distance is widening.”
“What are you talking about? We're still keeping up!”
“No, not them... us.”
The Swift Travel Hall had gathered the Beggar Sect's fastest and most enduring runners, but there were still differences in each person's proficiency and martial skill.
Those with weaker abilities gradually began to fall behind.
“...Those fucking bastards, just how much internal energy do they have...?”
Using a movement art inevitably consumed internal energy over a long period.
Without qi-regulating breathing while running, it was impossible to use movement arts continuously with limited internal energy.
So what in the world were those insane culprits?
“What should we do, Hall Leader?”
“...Split the members in half. Have them take turns after qi-regulating breathing.”
“Should we tell them to get some sleep too?”
“You crazy bastard...! Why not tell them to go take a bath while they're at it?!”
“S-Sorry!”
“And contact the branch. They're heading east, so tell them to station beggars in advance.”
“Who should I send?”
“Fuck! Seriously! Are you saving the courier pigeons to eat as drinking snacks later?!”
“S-Sorry!”
As the Beggar Sect disciple jumped back in fright, the Hall Leader ground his teeth.
It was infuriating that the Swift Travel Hall was falling behind because of inferior internal energy. Still, he had learned something from it.
‘Judging by the amount of internal energy they have, they definitely aren't from some third-rate sect. If we deduce their destination, we'll figure out which sect they belong to.’
...Of course, that would not prove to be true.
#
On the fourth day.
The Hall Leader had been driven to the brink of dizziness and madness.
His internal energy had reached its limit, but more than that, he had no way to make up for his lack of sleep.
“Haa... haa... haa...”
As the Hall Leader's condition worsened, the other Beggar Sect disciples gradually began to lose their form as well.
“H-Hall Leader, are you all right?”
The Hall Leader looked at his subordinate through dry, cracked lips, his eyes already resembling those of a half-rotted fish.
“T-The branch... any word from the branch...?”
“N-Not yet...”
Their plan to take turns pursuing the culprits had failed when the culprits kept increasing their speed.
Those who had fallen behind could not rejoin the main group, while those chasing the culprits had to keep moving without rest.
“Did the courier pigeons... not arrive?”
After sending the first courier pigeon, they had sent a second and third.
If the pigeons had arrived safely, people would have already appeared to block the culprits' path, or replacements would have come to relieve them.
Yet there had been no response at all. That could only mean the courier pigeons had failed to arrive.
The Hall Leader wondered whether it could truly be a coincidence that all three courier pigeons had failed to deliver their messages, but he stopped thinking about it.
He did not even have the strength left to entertain a small suspicion.
“H-Hall Leader. Why don't you rest for at least a little while? You're pushing yourself too hard...”
Despite the subordinate's plea, the Hall Leader's voice came out like scraping iron.
“Send... send members... Send members to contact them...”
Thud.
The Hall Leader's feet tangled beneath him, and his body rolled across the ground.
“H-Hall Leader!”
As though they had been waiting for it, the Swift Travel Hall members stopped as well.
“Go... go again...”
Having squeezed out his last bit of strength, the Hall Leader finally fainted.
“...”
“...”
“...”
But no one immediately acted on the Hall Leader's final request.
They only watched one another.
“What did the Hall Leader say at the end? I couldn't hear him because he spoke so quietly.”
“...I think he said we should give up since we won't catch them anyway.”
“Right! He was the closest one, so let's ask him.”
The Beggar Sect disciple who had been reporting to the Hall Leader hiccuped as sharp gazes suddenly turned toward him, then raised his voice.
“H-Hall Leader! What are we supposed to do?! If you faint without saying anything, how are we supposed to know what to do... Hall Leader!”
At the Beggar Sect disciple's cry, the Swift Travel Hall members' expressions softened.
The Five-Spirit Flower Dew was not something they would ever get to taste anyway.
No one wanted to suffer like dogs just to find it.
Not far away, Ho Gyewak, manager of the Hao Sect's Xi’an Branch black market outlet, watched the scene and could not hide his admiration.
“Ho ho, does the young master truly see the future? To think he knew the beggars would give up at this exact spot.”
Ho Gyewak had always found it unpleasant to see people who were originally beggars strutting around in clean clothes, pretending to be respectable. After four days of pursuit, they now looked like proper beggars again, and it was a relief to his eyes.
‘They bragged about selling maps, and look at them now.’
It was a little disappointing that they were not the young beggars who had mocked Ho Gyewak in Xi'an, but what did it matter?
What mattered was that the Beggar Sect had been put in its place.
Then...
“Manager, shall we head back now?”
“Hm? Head back?!”
“W-What's wrong?”
“Can you really tear yourself away after seeing such a precious sight?”
The manager took a small flask from his robes.
“They say a great poet is born from great scenery. Who knows? Perhaps you have a poet's talent.”
The disciple who had been stroking Iron Hawk's beak grinned.
“Then shall I prepare something to eat? Iron Hawk brought back fresh game yesterday and today.”
“Ho ho! Thanks to the Beggar Sect bastards, both my eyes and my mouth are delighted.”
Ho Gyewak felt as though a ten-year-old knot in his chest had finally come undone.
#
On the fifth day of running without rest since Mount Zhou Dang, I received word from the Hao Sect that there would be no further pursuit.
“We can finally rest.”
At my words, my junior disciples, who had been gasping for breath, did not ask another question. They collapsed where they stood and fell asleep.
“Aaaah! I almost died...”
“I need... to see Soso...”
Even though they had continuously used qi circulation, it could not dispel the fatigue building up in their bodies.
Their ragged breathing gradually calmed, and without caring what was around them, they fell asleep where they lay.
There must have been countless moments when they reached their limit and wanted to give up, yet my junior disciples commendably never did.
Seeing them like that made my heart ache, and harsh words slipped out.
“Tch, they should at least do some qi-regulating breathing before sleeping so they can recover from their fatigue.”
Perhaps... the rest of these children's lives would be a continuation of running like mad.
Those born with nothing could only barely reach where they wanted to go by swimming against the current.
Even so, I could not tell them not to fight the current, to stop and rest.
The moment they stopped moving, they would repeat the same lives they had lived in my previous life.
As I looked at my junior disciples alive before my eyes, my chest tightened for no reason.
“Mm...”
Saryeon began scratching her face wildly, as though her tangled hair was tickling her.
Her sleeping habits were awful too.
I snickered and reached out to tidy her hair.
“...”
Then I froze.
When I turned my head...
“...”
The three brothers looked even worse.
Seeing my junior disciples' faces streaked with so much grime that even Beggar Sect beggars would have stepped back, I thought perhaps I did not need to have them rolling around in filth like this already.
“...We should clean up a little before going. The sect elders will have a fit if they see us.”
With that, I started thinking of inns and taverns we could stop at on the way back to the Taeul Sect.
They deserved some reward for everything they had endured.
But...
“What are you talking about?!”
Saryeon, who had slept for a while and still looked like a beggar, glared at me with fierce eyes.
“The whole realm is on edge because of the Five-Spirit Flower Dew. You want to stop at an inn?”
Spittle stains and eye gunk covered her face.
The Geum, Eun, and Dong brothers, who looked just as much like beggars, nodded at Saryeon's words.
“I oppose it too, Senior Brother. What if we run into people and have to go through another chase like this... Ugh...”
“Me too! It's better to avoid people's eyes and sleep outdoors in the mountains.”
No, well... you aren't wrong, but...
Growing a little desperate, I added, “Look at yourselves... Do you really look human right now...?”
“What's wrong with how we look? It means we won't draw people's attention. It's much better.”
Were they seriously saying that?
“...I think you'll draw even more attention.”
“Anyway, I absolutely oppose it. If possible, I don't want to meet anyone until we reach the Taeul Sect.”
Saryeon hugged the Five-Spirit Flower Dew tightly, her expression firm as though she would never let anyone take it from her.
She looked like a beggar guarding a bowl of alms from being stolen... Ahem.
‘Tch... I don't know anymore.’
Besides, what was the use of returning home in splendor? We were bringing back something more precious than gold.
#
“Master Jang! Master Jang!”
At Wang Soso's call, Jang Dowon stopped just as he was about to fill his pipe with tobacco.
“What is it? Have you run out of iron coins again?”
Their first connection had begun when he saw her throwing coins around while claiming she wanted to learn concealed weapons. Irritated, he had made iron coins of the exact same weight and size himself. Since then, Wang Soso had visited Jang Dowon's forge every day to collect iron coins.
“Oh, Master. I can tell where my iron coins have flown to now.”
“Is that so... Good for you.”
“By the way, did you hear the news?”
“What?”
Jang Dowon casually lit his pipe, but the story that followed made him stop.
“Brother Jin is coming back!”
“Brother Jin... Jin Sowoon?”
“Yes! I was worried he might not come back during this break either, but he's coming this time!”
“...Hmph. What does that have to do with me?”
Despite his curt words, Wang Soso gave Jang Dowon a sidelong glance when she saw him fidgeting with his pipe.
“Honestly, Master Jang. You've been waiting for Brother every day.”
“It's only because that bastard keeps sending me ridiculous materials!”
“Anyway, he's coming to the Great Heaven Merchant Group this evening. Everyone from the Taeul Sect is preparing a welcome party too. You'll come, won't you?”
“Hmph! Why would I go out to greet him just because some pretty-faced brat is coming? If he needs me, he'll come himself.”
Men really were terrible at being honest.
Wang Soso got to her feet.
“Ho ho! You're coming anyway. I'll send you new clothes, so wear them when you come.”
“Clothes?”
“Brother, Senior Brother, and Senior Sister are returning home in splendor. We should dress for the occasion too.”
“What a nuisance...”
“See you later!”
Jang Dowon let out a quiet chuckle as Wang Soso ran off with a bright smile.
He had worried that the only daughter of the Wang Family Estate would be prim and delicate like other girls, but she was remarkably lively.
“Is that just her nature, or does everyone become like that after joining the Taeul Sect...?”
It had only been half a year since he settled in the Taeul Sect.
Yet everyone in the Taeul Sect made him feel so comfortable that he sometimes forgot he was an outsider.
Then one person's face rose in his mind.
“So that bastard had his reasons for cherishing his sect.”
After lighting his pipe and exhaling a long stream of smoke, Jang Dowon looked toward one side of the forge.
A dark red blade faintly caught the sunlight through the window.
He had created it after a long period of labor, using the strange materials Jin Sowoon had sent him and fulfilling the absurd orders that came with them.
No, calling it a work was not enough. It was an object worthy of being called a divine weapon.
“Silent Radiance. You'll finally meet your master.”
With equal parts regret and joy, Jang Dowon chuckled softly.
#
Hong Mungi could not easily relax his stiff posture, as though the clothes he wore were uncomfortable.
Wang Geumsan smiled warmly at the sight and asked, “Sect Leader Hong, are your clothes uncomfortable?”
“Not at all. Aren't these clothes tailored by the finest fabric shop in Hefei?”
How much had it cost to have even one outfit made from silk?
Remembering the tailor's words that even a modest set cost as much as two months' wages for a successful escort warrior, Hong Mungi shook his head.
“My apologies. My daughter is rather lively. She said she wanted to show Sowoon that the people of the Taeul Sect no longer had to suffer.”
If they wore fine clothes while the people of his sect wore shabby ones, the sight alone would weigh on Sowoon's heart.
After hearing Wang Geumsan's words, the silk clothes that had felt uncomfortable became a little easier to wear.
“Soso may be young, but she has a thoughtful heart. I suppose she takes after you, Clan Head?”
“Ha ha ha! You think so too, Sect Leader Hong? It's already hard enough for a child to live when she's so beautiful, but she's clever too. It's truly a great concern, ha ha ha!”
As Wang Geumsan burst into hearty laughter, Jin Taesan approached with a frown.
“Why did you have to bring that up, Sect Leader? Once the Clan Head starts boasting about his daughter, we'll be trapped here for half a day.”
“Ahem! When have I ever boasted for half a day?”
After clearing his throat, Wang Geumsan spoke again.
“Still, why is Sowoon arriving at night? If the timing did not work, he could have slept and come tomorrow.”
“...Exactly. Who knows what he's been up to again?”
Jin Taesan shook his head as though he could not make sense of his own son.
Then a servant rushed in, out of breath.
“Merchant Group Leader... Um... someone has arrived.”
“Hm? At this hour?”
“Yes. They say they are Jin Sowoon...”
The servant already knew Jin Sowoon was Jin Taesan's son.
More importantly, everyone gathered here was waiting for Jin Sowoon and his fellow disciples.
Yet the servant's reaction was strangely lukewarm.
Not understanding why, Jin Taesan spoke again. “What is the problem? Just tell him to come in...”
“W-Well...”
Then Hong Mungi stepped forward.
“No. It would be improper for us to greet a disciple returning home in splendor from in here. Right! Let's go out to meet them.”
“Oh! A good idea!”
Wang Geumsan agreed with Hong Mungi, and those waiting in the main hall began walking toward the gate one by one with eager steps.
They walked faster and faster to welcome him, someone's son, someone's disciple, and someone's fellow disciple.
“Sowoon is finally coming!”
“That's right!”
He was the pride of their sect, the one who had recovered martial arts their sect had forgotten for years, challenged the impossible for its sake, and ultimately succeeded.
The moment they stepped forward to see the person they had missed and awaited so dearly...
“Nooo! I'm the son of the Great Heaven Merchant Group Leader! I'm the Taeul Sect's Head Disciple too!!”
Along with a voice that sounded strangely unruly, they saw the backs of servants sweating nervously.
“I-I'm telling you, please wait just a moment. We need to confirm it inside...”
“No! What are you confirming?! I contacted you in advance, and I'm telling you, we're all Taeul Sect disciples!”
A young man arguing with the servants.
And beside him, four men and women similarly claiming they were Taeul Sect disciples.
But something about their appearance was deeply strange.
“...”
“...”
“...”
As everyone from the Taeul Sect stood frozen and speechless, Wang Geumsan was the first to speak.
“Um, just asking in case... Is the Taeul Sect a lay martial sect of the Beggar Sect?”
At that question, Jin Taesan let out a low groan.
“...The Taeul Sect belongs to the Taoist tradition.”
Right? We were Taoists, weren't we?
Then...
“...What in the world is that sight?”
The Taeul Sect disciples whom they thought had entered that difficult academy and would return home in splendor...
“Could there have been... some circumstances?”
“Surely not! Were academy students robbed?”
...Were trying to enter the Great Heaven Merchant Group looking so filthy that even Beggar Sect beggars would shudder.
Then...
“Ah! Father! It's me, me! Jin Taesan's proud son, Jin Sowoon!”
The only thing shining on that blackened face covered in grime was his bright gaze.
More than ever, Jin Taesan wanted to pretend not to know that bright-eyed madman, no, his son.
Footnotes:
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