WeTried Translations

Translator/Editor: Chen

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◈ The Martial Genius who Remembers Everything ◈

Chapter 377: The Overflowing Waves (2)

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The harsh cold of midwinter had passed, though the season still carried its lingering chill.

Spring was still far off, but Wuhan was bustling unlike in ordinary years.

It was preparing for the grand event held once every four years.

The Martial Arts Academy's graduation ceremony, held once every four years, was also the time Wuhan's merchants anticipated most eagerly.

Around this time, many paid extra to reserve street stalls as early as the previous year.

There were hundreds of graduates.

Each one was the pride of their sect or family.

To celebrate them, anyone across the country with even the slightest connection to a graduate gathered in Wuhan, including distant relatives several times removed.

'I was admitted to the Academy.'

That alone generally meant someone was either the disciple of an impressive sect or the child of a great family, so their relatives never arrived alone.

They brought countless servants with them, and many even hired escort agencies and wandering martial artists.

The horse handlers they employed traveled with them as well, making the Academy graduation ceremony the greatest business opportunity imaginable for merchants.

Merchants from all over the country gathered to seize that opportunity, while merchant groups gathered to supply them with goods.

Then, once crowds began to form, tourists arrived to witness and enjoy the remarkable sight.

It was practically a population explosion, with people drawing in even more people.

“Wow... I've never seen this many people before!”

Dongryong hopped up and down, his face flushed with excitement.

He was surely happy about being assigned to the Alliance Leader’s Hall, but he couldn't hide his joy at the thought of seeing his parents for the first time in a while.

“They must all have nothing better to do. Why would they come all this way just to watch a graduation ceremony?”

Beside him, Eunho radiated an oddly irritable air as he picked fights with everything around him, as if the whole world offended him.

“Look at this shoddy toy. They think they can make something like this and sell it? Do they even want to make money?”

“Hm... These sweets aren't sweet at all. They ruined my appetite, damn it.”

“Why are there so many people? I wish they'd all just disappear already!”

I grabbed Eunho by the shoulders as he fumed to himself like a boy afflicted with fifteen-year-old syndrome.

“Eunho, anyone can mess up an exam.”

Of course, I'd never messed one up myself.

Still, as a Head Disciple with a heart as vast as the sea, I swallowed the rest of what I wanted to say for my junior brother's sake.

Eunho kept his head lowered in silence for a moment before slowly raising it.

His fierce eyes had become wet.

“E-Head Disciple... What will happen to me now?”

For some reason, Eunho, who'd declared that he would become a “damn cool person,” had applied to the Mantong Office for both his second and third choices based on his idiotic... no, personal logic that “you can't be cool unless you cut off your own retreat.”

Naturally, warnings from the scholars at the Academy Administration Hall came flying in at once, but Eunho refused to back down.

I spoke to comfort him.

“You'll probably be assigned to some remote branch at the edge of the Central Plains as punishment for being so cheeky. You'll only get leave once every three years... By the time your branch service is over, you'll probably come back a broken person.”

“Waaah...”

Eunho shed tears in an unsightly manner.

Served him right. He should've stopped when I told him not to make such a fuss.

They always said that if you listened to your Head Disciple, rice cakes would come to you even in your sleep...

“Head Disciple! Stop teasing him. Eunho, you too! The results aren't even out yet.”

“Do we really need to wait for the results? The answer's practically alrea...”

“Head Disciple!”

By the time Eunho's tears finally stopped thanks to Saryeon's soothing, we arrived at Taepyeong Inn, where the Taeul Sect members were staying.

Since they'd come with Wang Geumsan, I naturally assumed they would have rented an annex, but surprisingly, they were seated on the crowded second floor.

“Geumpyo! Eunho! Dongryong!”

The parents of the three brothers, who had been sitting nervously at a table, brightened and rushed toward us the instant we came upstairs.

“Father!”

“Mom!”

The three of them reverted to being children again, acting spoiled in their parents' arms.

Their father and mother wore new clothes like everyone else.

The sight was incredibly unfamiliar, yet they looked happier than anyone, and a smile naturally spread across my face.

“Hm, let's see...”

Leaving that touching reunion behind, I headed toward the Taeul Sect members.

“Huh?”

There were fewer people than I expected.

I questioned the person I suspected was responsible for this situation.

“Don't tell me you left everyone behind to save money, even on a day like this?”

“Why are you accusing an innocent man, you brat? It's because of that Master Baek you introduced that no one could come!”

Father huffed indignantly.

Then a plump hand patted his shoulder.

“Anyone could see that you two are father and son. The first thing you talk about upon seeing each other is money. Hahaha!”

At Wang Geumsan's good-natured remark, Jin Taesan shouted.

“How could you say something so cruel?!”

“...”

Cruel? Father was being too harsh.

Was I really someone he was ashamed to show others?

Even so, I couldn't help but chuckle when I saw him scan my face and body, as though he was worried despite his words.

“You have so much money. Why have you gotten so thin?”

“What are you saying? It's because my father, the Hall Master of the Outer Hall and leader of the Great Heaven Merchant Group, hasn't sent me any living expenses. I've been barely scraping by day after day...”

“You think I don't know exactly how much money goes into your hands?”

As always, Father knew the state of my pockets inside and out, even without me telling him.

I hurriedly tried to change the subject, and Wang Geumsan happened to help.

“You... have changed a great deal.”

Wang Geumsan stared at me with an odd look in his eyes.

“You carry the bearing of an expert now.”

“Is that so?”

Before I could exchange more than a few words with him,

“Brother!!!!!!!”

someone charged at me like a bull.

The owner of that intense display of affection was none other than Jegal Cheongi.

“Hah, Brother! I almost couldn't come. Thankfully, because you called for me, I can fill these two eyes with your magnificent, resplendent appearance. I am deeply moved...”

All manner of extravagant praise spilled out of him in a rush.

Master Baek really must have been training them hard.

Among his disciples, only Yuseong and Wang Soso had managed to come.

Looking at Yuseong, it seemed the standard for being allowed to travel to Wuhan had been high... How had Soso been able to come?

“Brother... have you been well?”

Soso, who somehow seemed to have grown taller while I hadn't seen her, tidied her hair with a blush on her face.

She had been beautiful even as a child, but now that she had reached adulthood, she shone so brightly that she was almost dazzling.

I lightly ruffled her hair.

“I have. You've changed so much I barely recognized you.”

“Brother, you've become even more handsome since I last saw you...”

Then,

“Eldest. Senior. Brother!”

A chilly voice cut Wang Soso off.

It was Saryeon.

Soso paused for a moment, then continued with a gentle smile.

“Brother...”

“Eldest. Senior. Brother!”

Wang Soso turned toward Saryeon and smiled sweetly.

“Senior Sister Hong...?”

“If you're a Taeul Sect disciple, you should watch how you address people.”

“My relationship with Brother goes beyond that...”

“Eldest. Senior. Brother!”

An uncomfortable air spread between them, so I quietly slipped away.

No matter what, paying my respects to the Sect Leader was the Head Disciple's highest priority.

Yes, that was sincerely what I thought.

After escaping the two women's sphere of influence, I looked around for the Sect Leader, but couldn't find him anywhere.

Then Father's voice reached me.

“What are you doing? Hurry up and greet the Sect Leader.”

“Where is the Sect Leader?”

“Hahaha, have you lost your mind? You can't recognize him even when he's right in front of you?”

I followed where Father was pointing.

And there...

“...”

A wandering martial artist with the rough bearing of someone who had been through every hardship imaginable was staring at me with gleaming eyes.

No, who the hell was this?

I looked back at Father.

“Who is this...?”

“What are you doing? Hurry and greet him. Have you already forgotten the Sect Leader's face?”

“...”

This man was the Sect Leader I knew?

“It's been a while, Sowoon.”

The wandering martial artist I'd never seen before greeted me as though he knew me.

#

A feast that was not quite a feast unfolded amid the lively commotion.

All kinds of rare dishes and liquor were brought out, but everyone was too busy talking with people they hadn't seen in a long time.

The one showing the most intense emotion was Uncle Lee, the mill owner.

“No, I'm just the owner of a mill... Why are my sons...?!!”

I couldn't tell whether it was joy or a cry of despair, but he seemed overwhelmed that all three brothers had successfully made it through life at the Academy.

If he was already crying like that, what would he do at the graduation ceremony?

The meal, which had begun in the early evening, showed no signs of ending even as the night deepened.

Still, everyone had to prepare for tomorrow's graduation ceremony, so they gradually returned to their rooms.

Saryeon and the three brothers had decided to stay at the inn that night as well.

Late that night, after everyone had gone to sleep, the Sect Leader, Father, Wang Geumsan, and I moved elsewhere.

“...So I refused them.”

I consulted them about my recent meeting with the Orthodox Society.

Though I finished my account quickly, the three of them could not easily speak because of the seriousness of the situation.

“The Orthodox Society extended a hand to you...”

Wang Geumsan was the first to murmur.

As a merchant who always had to remain neutral, he had likely experienced situations like this many times, and he understood my concern more deeply than anyone.

“It shows just how much you and the Taeul Sect have grown.”

It wasn't only because of my accomplishments.

The Taeul Sect and the Great Heaven Merchant Group had been growing faster than ever, and that had also influenced this matter.

“But attention can turn into hostility at the same time.”

In my previous life, no one paid attention to the Taeul Sect.

It had only struggled to find somewhere to stay amid the raging storm.

This life was different.

The Taeul Sect, gradually growing into a great tree, had to prepare for the jealousy and restraint of others before facing the storm.

Only after avoiding their sharp axes would it finally confront the tempest.

A long silence settled over the room even after I finished speaking.

“Do you think I made the wrong choice?”

Father kept emptying his cup, while the Sect Leader did not even do that and remained still, deep in thought.

How much time passed like that?

Perhaps tired of drinking any more, Father looked toward the Sect Leader.

Wang Geumsan remained silent, likely believing this was not his place to step in. After a long silence, the Sect Leader finally asked,

“Did you make that choice only because of your pride?”

“...”

It was true that I had tried hard not to bend my pride, but I hadn't made the choice because of it.

I firmly shook my head.

“No.”

The Sect Leader's gaze fixed on my eyes.

His eyes burned as though they were on fire. I had never seen that look before, not in this life or the last.

I had only a moment to marvel at how unfamiliar it was before he continued.

“Even if you had made that choice because of pride, I would not have blamed you.”

“...What?”

His unexpected words left me dumbfounded.

Honestly, I had expected him to blame or scold me.

I had even prepared reasons for refusing them and ways to deal with the consequences, so I felt somewhat foolish.

As I stood there blankly, he continued.

“I did not grant you the position of Head Disciple only so you would take responsibility for the other disciples while I was away.”

Then his heavy voice reached me.

“While I am absent, you are the one who leads the Taeul Sect.”

“...!”

[Lead the Taeul Sect.]

For some reason, the Sect Leader's words made my chest tingle.

“So.”

His unwavering gaze pierced my eyes.

“Whatever choice you make, I will support it. And if you must bear responsibility for it, isn't it my duty to bear that responsibility with you?”

For the first time that day, he smiled with the corners of his eyes and lifted his cup.

I watched quietly as he slowly took a drink with his posture perfectly straight.

Come to think of it, despite everything that had happened in my previous life, I had never once resented the Sect Leader.

He had always been fair and broad-minded, caring for others first no matter how much he suffered.

No matter how much his appearance had changed, the Sect Leader was still the Sect Leader.

Seeing him like this, I felt relieved. He really was the Sect Leader I knew.

“I would likely have said the same thing if I had been in your position. I know as well as anyone how dangerous it is to take a side in the current martial world.”

“Thank you, Sect Leader.”

After that serious discussion, everyone felt a little lighter as we shared drinks.

Then Wang Geumsan grumbled quietly.

“Still, wouldn't it be better not to let your guard down too much? Since you refused their proposal, they will surely use underhanded methods to force the issue...”

A rare shadow crossed Wang Geumsan's face.

“The Wang Family Estate has suffered through such things countless times. Only now have they grown too large for others to touch, so people have shifted from hostility to seeking mutual benefit... But their schemes have nearly brought the family to ruin countless times.”

Even the mighty Wang Family Estate had endured such hardships, and Wang Geumsan, known as a great merchant, was worried.

I couldn't even imagine how vicious their methods were.

When no one answered, the worry on Wang Geumsan's face deepened.

“They may even directly harm the Taeul Sect. These days, incidents like that have been happening often...”

Then,

Rrrrrrr.

Before Wang Geumsan could finish, the table began to tremble.

The cups and dishes on it soon began shaking as well.

Startled, I followed the source of the energy.

And there...

“Hmmm...”

Hong Mungi, the Sect Leader, was releasing a rough, brutal killing intent.

His voice was colder and more level than ever.

“Tell them to try it as much as they please.”

Rather than steeling himself, he seemed to be hoping the other side would cross the line first and give him an excuse.

The sight was so unfamiliar that I couldn't say anything.

“I'll show them what it's like to be torn apart until they're sick of it.”

“...”

No, seriously, who the hell are you?

Footnotes:

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