WeTried Translations

Translator/Editor: Chen

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◈ The Martial Genius who Remembers Everything ◈

Chapter 376: The Overflowing Waves

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Remote object manipulation did not simply refer to invisible physical force.

Its foundation was always a qi technique.

Wherever a qi technique reached, it inevitably created a stagnation that disrupted the circulation of natural qi.

That was why the more finely one could control that force, the higher the level.

Threatening someone by lifting a sword with remote object manipulation was far less intimidating than sending them a cup of wine without disturbing it in the slightest.

Nothing was more effective as a display of martial prowess.

Yet whoever was pressing down on my shoulders and the backs of my knees was clearly not at that level.

My feet had already started to go numb, while my shoulders ached as though they might split apart.

I circulated the Taeul True Scripture as quickly as I could.

Boom! Boom! Boom!

The qi technique pushing outward from within strained against the force of the remote object manipulation until the seams of my clothes tore apart.

Rustle.

Rumble.

The bamboo blinds shook wildly, and the wine cups trembled as though they were about to topple.

The person using remote object manipulation on me widened their eyes, their expression stiffening.

I had secretly hoped they would cough up blood, but there was no sign of it.

“What an ill-mannered child.”

The bald man standing before me, much like Ilgak, flicked his hand.

Tap, tap, tap.

The bamboo blinds that had been swaying in every direction settled back into place, and the overturned cups returned to their original positions.

If not for the spilled wine on the table, it would have been impossible to tell anything had happened. Silence once again filled the room.

“I thought you might have learned something at the Academy, but you’re still as arrogant as ever. They say people don’t change easily.”

I nodded obediently.

“And Monk Hyesung’s preference for holding meetings in a brothel hasn’t changed either.”

“...This is just a tavern.”

Uncomfortable stares turned toward me.

At the same time, subtle energy clashes spread out, constantly trying to probe my body.

‘Not a chance!’

I raised the Taeul True Scripture to block the energy clashes, but all eight slipped deftly through the gaps, trying to examine my internal energy again.

“That wicked tongue of yours remains the same. Since your nature has not changed even through hardship, should I say you are stubborn? Or should I say you were born vulgar?”

They were desperately trying to feel up someone else’s body while casually tossing out questions.

The situation seemed to lay bare their true nature, which only made me less willing to lose.

I pushed the Taeul True Scripture to its limit.

“Even when someone speaks the truth, being accused of falsehood only means the world itself has gone that wrong, doesn’t it?”

Rumble, rumble.

The brazier and table between us shook violently.

There was no wind, yet the flames flickered wildly in every direction.

“The most cunning minister is always the first to call himself loyal.”

Whenever I spoke, the pressure shifted toward them. Whenever they spoke, it shifted toward me.

Clatter, clatter.

Even the tilted wine cups swayed back and forth each time.

“...”

They seemed to be enjoying this situation quite a bit.

I, on the other hand, was finding it harder and harder to block their energy clashes.

“Why aren’t you saying anything? People say that if the Black Flame Dragon falls into water, only his snout will remain floating above the surface.”

At this rate, they would learn the extent of my internal energy and inspect every meridian in my body.

I could not allow that.

I withdrew the internal energy I had been using to block them in an instant.

Just as victorious smiles began forming on the lips of the eight men, I raised the Void-Destroying Fist, unleashed the Sacred Flame Demon-Extinguishing Hand, and drove it into the brazier.

Bang!

Whoosh!

The brazier, which had been burning faintly with five or six logs, suddenly erupted into a huge blaze that scattered in every direction.

The faces of those who had grown accustomed to the darkness were illuminated by the firelight, revealing their startled expressions.

The flames surged so suddenly that they raced across the ceiling and vanished at once, but the energy clashes binding my entire body had already disappeared.

“...”

“...”

“...”

Unable to hide their anger at being outplayed, they glared at me as if they wanted to kill me.

Fortunately, no more energy clashes came flying at me.

Perhaps trying again after already failing once would have seemed disgraceful to them.

“...How did you do that?”

Why did this feel exactly like dealing with the Demonic Cult...?

“What do you mean?”

The person seated at the far right, who had launched the remote object manipulation, asked again.

“What you just did.”

I calmly shrugged.

“Maybe the waiter threw some pinecones in there.”

“...”

Perhaps my answer did not please them, because their brow furrowed deeply.

This time, killing intent flowed out instead of an energy clash.

How generous of them, letting me experience so many different qi techniques in such a short time.

I tore off the sleeve of my half-ripped garment.

Riiip.

Then I spoke calmly.

“Do you intend to continue?”

Considering that the Three Pure Supreme Sword and the Orthodox Society were far from friendly with one another, I had already fulfilled my duty simply by enduring this much at Buk Wonpyeong’s request.

Once that old junior brother learned how much I had put up with, he would probably want to come in and drag me out himself.

“That’s enough.”

At that moment, a calm-looking middle-aged man seated beside Hyesung slowly drank from his cup and spoke.

“It is natural for an elder to be curious about a child’s accomplishments. You should let go of your anger as well.”

His attitude did not shift in the slightest, as though his view were naturally the right one.

He was the same in this life as he had been in my previous one.

I met his gaze without looking away.

“There isn’t a chair for me.”

His patient gaze and slow manner carried a distinctive authority.

What should have seemed stifling felt completely natural on him.

‘Perfected Master Cheongsu.’

He had been a divine prodigy from my father’s generation, and now he was one of the leading figures guiding the Martial Alliance.

He was also the ambitious schemer who would one day hand the Martial Alliance over to Yong Soa.

Without the slightest change in expression, his lips moved slowly.

“We cannot permit you any more discourtesy.”

“Does Wudang not even offer its disciples a chair?”

I looked around.

A chair that appeared to be for servants waiting nearby sat beside the pond.

I sent out the Flying Dragon Claw and tied Heavenly Silkworm Thread around one of its legs.

Whoosh.

With the fierce whirring of its mechanism, the chair flew through the air along the Heavenly Silkworm Thread and landed neatly in my hand.

I sat down, crossed one leg over my knee, and reached for a cup and the wine bottle.

“Pouring your own drink is a way to make yourself look shabby.”

Whoosh.

The bottle I had been holding flew straight into Perfected Master Cheongsu’s hand.

“No matter how fine the wine may be.”

When he lightly tipped and shook the bottle, exactly enough wine for one cup flew over and filled my cup.

Then his unhurried voice followed.

“You can only truly appreciate wine when you pour it for each other.”

It was a move that displayed such a lofty realm that it was almost tiresome.

“...”

“What are you doing? Why aren’t you drinking?”

I emptied the cup I had been staring at in one gulp.

It had a fragrant aroma, but it tasted more bitter than ordinary Bamboo Leaf Liquor.

“I hear you still haven’t found where to submit your application.”

“Has that news reached the Orthodox Society as well?”

“A few of our children are waiting because they are following your lead.”

“I didn’t tell them to do that. Don’t think of blaming me.”

Perfected Master Cheongsu shook his head.

“Martial artists are creatures who occasionally make such foolish choices.”

“...”

His flat voice held the silence for a moment.

Whoosh.

Then, along with the fragrant wine, it reached me again.

“Apply to Azure Dragon Pavilion.”

Although the cup had been in a different position from before, the wine filled it precisely.

Not a single drop spilled.

I took in every detail of that elegant demeanor.

“I gave up on that long ago because it isn’t a place that suits me.”

“You are thinking of the Taeul Sect disciples, aren’t you?”

The hand holding my wine cup froze.

Perfected Master Cheongsu slowly emptied his own cup.

“You applied to White Wolf Pavilion with such good results because you were planning for the future.”

“...I’m not someone who looks that far ahead.”

“Enter Azure Dragon Pavilion. If you do, I will bring the Taeul children who later perform compulsory service under the protection of the Orthodox Society as well.”

Perfected Master Cheongsu’s words made my head throb.

“...What do you mean?”

Perfected Master Cheongsu nodded as if it were obvious.

“Yes. Join the Orthodox Society.”

The offer came before I could even set down my cup.

“...”

I had roughly expected it, but hearing it directly made my head ring.

“I am not telling you to join as before and do menial work. I am saying that I will accept you as a true member of the Orthodox Society.”

No one had released a qi technique since Perfected Master Cheongsu began speaking, yet now the weight of his words pressed down on my shoulders.

“This is not a matter concerning you alone. Taeul Sect will be included as well.”

If this had been my previous life.

If the person sitting here had been Gye Cheolyeong instead of me.

He would have bowed his head to the floor the moment he heard this.

Because it was what Gye Cheolyeong and Taeul Sect had wanted so desperately in my previous life.

“You know well how safe the Orthodox Society’s protection is in a martial world that is growing more turbulent by the day.”

If Gye Cheolyeong could have received such an offer, he would have been grateful even if he had to hand over the entire Gyerong Merchant Group.

“To avoid being swept away by a storm like this, you must hold tightly to a great tree.”

It was worth that much.

It was not an opportunity just anyone could obtain.

“You understand, do you not?”

“...”

When I did not answer, Perfected Master Cheongsu’s eyebrows rose for the first time.

“Why aren’t you answering? Surely you are not weighing the offer?”

His tone made it clear he had never even considered the possibility of an objection, vividly reminding me of the influence held by those seated here.

There were only eight of them, but the sects each of them led numbered in the tens of thousands.

When I considered how the influence of their words would spread through lay martial sects, the Martial Alliance, and the entire martial world, it would not have been an exaggeration to call them the martial world itself.

That was why a favorable offer was also a noose tightening around my neck.

The consequences of refusal would not end with a few middle-aged men throwing a fit.

But I knew.

“Of course I have to weigh it. I can’t know what is good or bad otherwise.”

“...”

This choice would not take responsibility for us to the very end.

If I chose them, I would ultimately be unable to fight the Demonic Cult to the end.

I would not be deceived by the despair approaching beneath the mask of opportunity.

“Hmm... No matter how I think about it, there is only one conclusion.”

“...”

“I refuse.”

Perfected Master Cheongsu’s eyes twitched.

“Have you already promised to join the White Path Society or the Twelve Peak Alliance?”

“This is the first I’ve heard of it.”

“And you still reject the Orthodox Society?”

To begin with, it was absurd for a White Path sect to refuse to join the Orthodox Society.

Still, just because something was absurd did not mean I had to follow it.

“Do you have another ulterior motive?”

“I don’t know about any other ulterior motive. I just don’t like that Wudang is the one making this offer.”

“...”

I brought up the past.

“You know, when a certain Wudang disciple fled alone from Demon Spirit Plateau and left thousands of people behind. We trusted and followed them too...”

I looked straight into Perfected Master Cheongsu’s utterly unshaken eyes.

“What if we are betrayed like that?”

He did not offer a clumsy excuse or explanation.

“...”

He simply remained quiet, forcing the other person’s mouth shut through silence.

He was the very image of a battle-worn martial artist of the martial world.

Crackle. Crackle.

The sound of wood burning filled the pavilion.

By the time the burning wood split apart and gray flurries of ash rose into the air...

“Are you confident?”

“Of course I am...”

“Confident that you can face the Orthodox Society.”

His voice instantly pressed down on the air.

“...”

I had heard similar words countless times.

The sentence would not have felt out of place if the Orthodox Society had been replaced with the White Path Society or the Twelve Peak Alliance.

Yet the words coming from Perfected Master Cheongsu carried a different meaning.

“I asked if you are confident you can survive alone.”

It sounded as if the Orthodox Society itself would become the attacker.

Could anyone truly avoid crumbling beneath this pressure?

Even so, I forced myself to overcome the desire to simply rely on them.

No matter how frightening or difficult it became, I could not choose an ending that I already knew would fail.

After letting out a long breath without showing it, I answered as calmly as possible.

“I am.”

#

On the way back after leaving the pavilion, Buk Wonpyeong was staring quietly at the pond.

“Is the conversation... over?”

“Would I have returned midway through otherwise?”

“I thought our senior brother might have done that.”

Though I was in a thoroughly foul mood, Buk Wonpyeong looked strangely detached.

“Did you truly... refuse?”

“Did you think I would accept?”

“...”

He looked at me with complicated eyes for a long time.

“Anyone can make that sort of boast in ordinary times. Yet there are not many who can make that choice when the opportunity is actually placed before them.”

“How can I protect my freedom by relying on someone else?”

Buk Wonpyeong’s shoulders drooped.

“Heh... Is that so? Was my choice wrong after all?”

“What are you talking about?”

“I mean our senior brother is better than this old junior brother.”

“...”

“Twenty years ago, when I received the same offer, I made a different choice.”

His voice was weaker than usual.

“And I paid dearly for it.”

“You must have paid a high price.”

Buk Wonpyeong chuckled at my words.

“Yes. I paid handsomely with the freedom you spoke of.”

Buk Wonpyeong gazed at my face with a pleased expression for a moment, then his expression hardened as he asked, “You know it will not end with refusing the offer, do you not?”

They were people who believed that anyone who was not their hands and feet was their enemy.

Since we had refused to become their hands and feet, only one category remained for us.

“I’m not half-witted enough to miss that.”

Buk Wonpyeong nodded and patted my shoulder as if to comfort me.

“Still, don’t worry too much. This old junior brother has built up some strength of his own while paying a harsh price for all those years. I will not let Taeul Sect, a lay martial sect, disappear just like that.”

“We haven’t disappeared yet. Don’t say unlucky things.”

“Ah, my apologies.”

I snickered and stretched.

“If you’re sorry, buy me a drink. That place ruined my appetite.”

“Then shall we go to Cheongbinru?”

Hah. Where did this old junior brother learn to cut corners?

I firmly shook my head.

“Let’s go to Songhwa Pavilion.”

“Tch, what a cruel senior brother you are.”

Before leaving the garden, I looked back at the pavilion where I had just been.

I did not know what kind of conversation was taking place behind the bamboo blinds, but one thing was certain.

A harsh wind had begun to blow through the martial world in earnest.

Footnotes:

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