WeTried Translations
Translator/Editor: Chen
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◈ The Martial Genius who Remembers Everything ◈
Chapter 297: The Black Flame Dragon Shows Himself
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Jegal Cheongi.
A genius who transcended his era.
Yet in the end, he was brought down by human greed.
His clan's ambitions had clipped his wings in his early years, and he had never even entered the Martial Arts Academy.
As a direct-line scion of one of the Five Great Clans without a Martial Arts Academy diploma, he was little more than an awkward burden to both his clan and the Martial Alliance.
Rejected by both, Jegal Cheongi had nowhere to go but among low-ranking martial artists.
As the saying goes, an awl in a sack will always pierce through.
Like a pearl shining brilliantly even in sticky mud, Cheongi revealed his genius time and again. Yet genius displayed from a position with such clear limitations could only make incompetent men in power uncomfortable.
His quick-witted creativity and wondrous strategies were a wish-fulfilling dragon pearl, far too precious to be squandered on the Sojeong Unit.
The dragon that should have soared freely through the skies had its horns and claws torn away, then rolled about on the ground until it died.
‘Was he really this extraordinary?’
Maybe I had never properly seen the true brilliance of that genius who had died so pointlessly in my previous life.
“So... you watched the Lesser Heaven Sword Art and altered the Greater Heaven Sword Art?”
Back when Namgung San visited the Taeul Sect, the children had taken a great interest in the Ascendant Form of the Lesser Heaven Sword Art I performed.
Since I knew every Taeul Sect martial art besides the Lesser Heaven Sword Art was trash, I taught them its Ascendant Form so they could devote themselves to it until I found the Taeul Sword Emperor's martial arts.
That knowledge had been passed along and eventually reached Jegal Cheongi.
‘And this mad genius...’
He had seen through the essence of the Lesser Heaven Sword Art's Ascendant Form and created an Ascendant Form for the Greater Heaven Sword Art.
Considering the Shattering Form naturally came before the Ascendant Form, I could understand why my sword had gone flying so absurdly every time I used the Greater Heaven Sword Art earlier.
The thought made me let out a hollow laugh.
‘How useless was the Martial Alliance in my previous life?’
Even the Sojeong Unit members, who had all been idiots back then, knew Cheongi was a genius.
The carefully selected elites from every sect, including those who had graduated from the Martial Arts Academy, the Alliance's school for officials, could not possibly have failed to notice him.
‘They just didn't like how exceptional he was.’
Had he at least passed the Mantong Office examination, his opinions would have been respected as an Alliance scholar. With his genius, he could have made the Martial Alliance even stronger.
At the very least, he could have helped develop the One Hundred Eight Peaks under the Martial Alliance.
But by then, Jegal Somyeong had already been assassinated, and command of the Mantong Office had passed to someone else.
Once again, Cheongi lost the opportunity that should have been his.
That thought sent chills down my spine.
In the end, a genius bestowed by heaven had been killed by the greed of insignificant people.
Creatures who could not compare to Cheongi had pooled all their strength to destroy him.
For their own desires.
I raised my eyes and looked at him.
“D-Did I do something wrong?”
Cheongi fidgeted with his fingers as he watched my expression.
I must have looked grim while thinking about those idiots.
I quickly smiled.
“No.”
Then I patted his head.
“Not at all.”
Cheongi looked up at me with round, sparkling eyes beneath my hand.
“I-I thought you might be angry because I altered the Taeul Sect's martial arts however I wanted...”
Something tightened in my chest.
I didn't like seeing him watch other people's reactions like this.
Most geniuses realized they were different from everyone else and grew up looking down on ordinary people.
‘Like that bastard Yong Soa.’
Yet Cheongi worried that even a single thing he said might be misunderstood. He watched people carefully.
It was probably because he had spent his whole life being taught that his differences meant he was wrong.
Wasn't it time to correct that?
“Cheongi.”
“Yes, Brother Sowoon.”
For this shining genius to bloom.
“When you interpreted the sword art anew, wasn't it because you believed it would lead to something better?”
“...I wasn't allowed to learn martial arts at home because of things like that.”
I flung open the lock on the cage that had confined him.
“This isn't the Jegal Clan.”
Cheongi's eyes widened, as though he had just seen the sky meant to be his stage for the first time.
“And you're a disciple of the Taeul Sect now.”
“A disciple of the Taeul Sect...”
“Preservation means keeping the teachings. You diligently hone what you have learned and make it your own. Do you know what comes after that?”
Cheongi nodded, as though he already knew.
“Breaking. It is the stage where one creates original applications suited to one's own individuality.”
How could this child be so clever?
“That's right. Then comes the final stage, Transcendence. It means entering a new realm of divine skill, unbound by anything. No matter what path you take, you will eventually walk that road. So if you faithfully pass through these stages...”
He would be able to spread his wings and fly wherever he wished.
“No matter where you are or what path you walk, you don't need to watch anyone else's reactions. Do you understand?”
Cheongi's eyes shone brightly.
Eyes that truly looked alive.
What an incredible and ador-
“Brother Sowoon! I've made up my mind!”
“Hm? About what?”
What was he suddenly talking about...?
“I've decided never to leave your side for the rest of my life! Is that all right?”
I had opened his cage and told him to fly as freely as he wanted, yet he wanted to stay by my side.
Was that all right?
Of course it was.
I didn't know whether the Jegal Clan would sit quietly and accept it, but he wanted to stay. What could I do? They had cast him out in the first place.
“Do as you wish.”
“Waaah!”
Cheongi cheered as though he had received what he had wished for his entire life.
But why was he so happy?
“Anyway, pick up your sword again.”
“What?”
“I still have something left to teach you.”
The third of the Jegal Three Forms.
Demon-Subduing Form.
I had worried about how to apply the Jegal Three Forms to the Taeul Sect's martial arts I had recovered. At this rate, it would be as easy as swimming with my feet on the bottom.
Our Cheongi would handle it all for me.
#
After handing Cheongi, who had collapsed from practicing the Demon-Subduing Form, over to Yeongyeong, I headed straight for the Taeul Sect's guesthouse.
There waited the Sword Demon, once one of the greatest masters of the Black Path. No, he was neither this nor that anymore, just an unemployed bum through and through.
“You're here.”
Baek Haegwang had been waiting for me.
“You look like you're living well.”
“...Ugh. Being a guest retainer is more uncomfortable than I thought.”
“Why? Aren't they feeding you three proper meals a day?”
“They feed me too well. That's the problem.”
He really wasn't used to receiving things from others.
“What's uncomfortable about being treated well?”
“The Great Heaven Merchant Group is building me a sect, and the Taeul Sect has given me a place to live. How could I not feel uncomfortable?”
“Isn't that because Master does nothing but eat and rest?”
“...Who said I was your master?”
“Anyway, being a guest retainer isn't a position where you just eat and loaf around.”
Baek Haegwang frowned, then cautiously glanced at me.
“Then... what does a guest retainer do?”
See? He had the will and common sense to earn his keep.
I shrugged.
“Do what you can. Normally, you would crush anyone who starts trouble with the Taeul Sect or act as a problem-solver, but we're closing our gates, so there's no real need for that. Please oversee some training.”
“You want me to interfere with the children's training?”
“Not just the children. The adults too. It hasn't been long since they recovered their martial arts, so everyone is struggling to improve.”
“Is that all right?”
How had someone with such a cautious personality ever become a Black Path martial artist?
“What wouldn't be all right about it? Didn't you become the Sword Demon by doing whatever you pleased in the first place?”
“Damn brat, calling me the Sword Demon again...”
“Anyway, just do it. Nobody will object much.”
He had exchanged life-and-death duels with sect leaders from great sects, then become a leader of the Black Path.
No one would dare refuse Baek Haegwang's instruction.
After listening to me, Baek Haegwang nodded for a long time.
“By the way, how far have you mastered the Three White Moon Heaven-Subduing Forms?”
“I've completely mastered Extreme Swiftness.”
“Already?”
“Something urgent came up.”
“No... Even so, only half a year has passed. You're not Yong Soa, so how could you have mastered it?”
“...”
Why was he suddenly bringing up Yong Soa to compare us?
I briefly explained how I had mastered Extreme Swiftness.
“You crazy bastard...”
“Calling your disciple a crazy bastard is a bit...”
His response was fierce.
“Who would take a madman like you as a disciple?”
“You're hurting this disciple's feelings.”
“Hah... You fitted your body to your memories? Do you have two lives or something? What did you think would happen?”
“My memory is pretty good, you know.”
Fortunately, I had also gained experience fighting Je Geumhak afterward. There was no serious problem for now.
Still, Master sighed and stared closely at my face.
“...The urgent matter isn't the Taeul Sect. It's you.”
“What?”
“How many days did you say your rest period would be?”
“Um...”
“No, it doesn't matter how many. Rather than watch you go mad while learning my sword art, I'll put you through intensive training.”
“What does that...”
“Don't worry. It will be much better than the mad thing you've done.”
Why was he suddenly acting so frightening...?
#
“...ther Sowoon?”
What was that?
“Brother Sowoon! Why are you sleeping here?”
Did I faint again?
And this old man had left me behind again?
“Ugh... I thought I'd improved at least a little over the past half year...”
Wang Soso tilted her head.
“What? What do you mean?”
“Nothing. It's something like that. What's all that?”
Wang Soso was holding several books against her chest.
“Oh, these? They're documents. The Great Heaven Merchant Group's account ledgers.”
“You handle those?”
“Yes. Since the Wang Family Estate and the Great Heaven Merchant Group do a lot of business together, I'm the only one who knows both sides' accounts.”
Analyzing both sets of accounts and reconciling them was work so complicated that even scholars would be overwhelmed.
Yet she handled it alone.
...Just who had I saved?
“I'm heading to the Great Heaven Merchant Group now. Would you like to come with me?”
Old Master Jang Dowon had told me to stop by the forge... Well, it wouldn't matter if I went tomorrow.
“Sure.”
“Yay! Come on, Brother Sowoon!”
A wondrous subtlety entered Wang Soso's steps as she suddenly pressed close to my side.
Before I could react, she had linked arms with me and was dragging me along.
“Let's go, Brother Sowoon!”
...What was this, seriously?
What on earth had been happening at the Taeul Sect?
#
On the way to the Great Heaven Merchant Group, the sun that had hung over the western mountains finally set, and darkness fell around us.
Only when I realized I was out on the street with Wang Soso did I feel something strange.
“Do you go to the merchant group at this hour every day?”
“Not every day, but usually. Between training, work, and going to the merchant group, time is tight.”
“...Alone?”
“I'm with you today, Brother Sowoon.”
“No, I mean normally.”
After her kidnapping, Lord Wang had always sent an escort with her whenever she came to the Taeul Sect.
“Oh, I told them I wanted to go around alone.”
“Why?”
“When I'm at the Taeul Sect, I feel like I'm the only one who doesn't fit in.”
Most of the Taeul Sect children came from poor families.
Among them, Wang Soso, the only daughter of the Wang Family Estate, was bound to stand out.
Just as Gye Cheolyeong once had.
Still, I had been grateful enough that she didn't throw her weight around under the pretext of sponsorship money like Gye Cheolyeong did.
Wang Soso had thoughtfully cast off the trappings she possessed so she could fit in with the Taeul Sect.
“Even so, it doesn't seem like Lord Wang would have agreed easily.”
“Yes! So I beat my escort warrior.”
“What?”
Had I heard that wrong?
As I stared at her in surprise, she smiled sweetly.
“He said I wouldn't have to travel with an escort anymore if I beat one.”
...Was that even possible? An escort assigned to Wang Soso should have been quite skilled.
“Oh, I mean I beat them by running away. I discovered I have a talent for running!”
She had shaken off her escort with the Taeul Eighty Thousand Divine Steps, and it wasn't even a full-fledged movement art yet.
...What was she?
As we talked about this and that, we soon arrived at the Great Heaven Merchant Group.
“Father! We're he-”
Wang Soso rushed into the courtyard, as if announcing her presence, then abruptly stopped.
Coldness radiated from her entire body.
“...Why is that person here?”
The girlish manner she had shown moments ago was nowhere to be seen. Her expression was now filled with hostility.
Who could it be?
At the end of Wang Soso's gaze stood a woman in a red court robe decorated with gold ornaments, smiling with alluring grace.
“I clearly said I would refuse. Besides, you have not even stamped the contract yet.”
Wang Soso spoke with open hostility, but the woman wasn't looking at her.
Her gaze was fixed on me.
“I wasn't sure whether the person himself felt the same way. Have you asked him?”
Wang Soso bit down hard on her lip at the woman's question.
As though she had expected that answer, the woman slightly curled her lips.
“So you haven't asked him after all.”
A servant beside the woman held up a lantern, illuminating her feet.
She approached with two graceful steps.
A sweet fragrance spread in her wake.
“You are Young Master Jin Sowoon of the Taeul Sect, aren't you?”
A woman I had never seen before was acting as though she knew me.
Footnotes:
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