WeTried Translations
Translator/Editor: Chen
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◈ The Martial Genius who Remembers Everything ◈
Chapter 381: The Overflowing Waves (6)
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In my previous life, the signs of the Martial Alliance's division began with the Sichuan Bloodbath.
While the Alliance hesitated over whether it should act, the Blood Cult seized complete control of Sichuan.
The flustered Alliance intervened too late, and both it and Sichuan's White Path martial world suffered enormous losses.
From that point on, the conflict between the White Path Society, centered around the Tang Clan in Sichuan, and the Orthodox Society of the Nine Sects One Gang began to escalate.
The tension between the two factions, which had risen to its limit, finally led to a complete split with Jegal Somyeong's death.
The central figure who alone could mediate the rivalry between the factions had vanished.
If Hyeok Mugang was the symbolic figurehead of the Martial Alliance, visible to all, Jegal Somyeong was the one who carefully managed the martial world's intricate web of power beneath that shadow.
Their death brought grief to the entire martial world while also becoming the spark that set off the Martial Alliance's collapse.
The combat pavilion's rise as an independent power, which Jegal Somyeong had tried so hard to stop, proceeded as though it had been waiting for their death.
It eventually went as far as driving members of other factions out of the combat pavilion.
As the combat pavilion became a power unto itself, the Alliance began to resemble a coalition of private organizations rather than a unified power structure.
Naturally, competition both within and beyond the Martial Alliance grew vicious.
By the time the Martial Alliance had been ruined beyond repair, the Demonic Cult revealed itself and began its conquest of the martial world.
‘...So that hellish scene is about to unfold again.’
The graduation ceremony, which should have been a joyful occasion for everyone, ended in great success, but I couldn't spend time with the people from my sect.
Even setting aside my assignment to the White Wolf Pavilion, the fact that Jegal Somyeong's supposedly changed fate of death was moving again left my thoughts in turmoil.
Je Geumhak and the Five Ghost Demons assassinated Jegal Somyeong in my previous life.
But in this life, Je Geumhak was dead. By my hand.
Was Je Geumhak's death alone not enough to change Jegal Somyeong's fate?
Then...
Who would come to replace him now that he was dead?
No, even if no one else appeared, the danger remained immense.
There was the Flame Demon Ghost-Eye Unit I encountered while rescuing Moyong Sangwon.
The Five Ghost Demons were made up only of those within that unit who had succeeded in over a hundred assassinations.
If one of them had appeared, it meant the other four were already here as well.
The greater problem was that I still didn't know what identities the remaining four had assumed.
Fear washed over my entire body. The most important part of the future had not changed, and I might have to accept this hopeless situation.
Just before that growing fear consumed me and left me helpless,
Smack!
I gritted my teeth and slapped both cheeks.
The sting in my face cleared my head.
It wasn't over yet.
No, it hadn't even begun.
‘Not if I have anything to say about it.’
I had no intention of standing by and watching the Martial Alliance split apart after Jegal Somyeong's death.
Why had I come all this way?
I gathered the equipment I had taken off for the graduation ceremony, one piece at a time.
I put on the Heavenly Silkworm Treasure Robe and strapped on the Flying Dragon Claw.
I slipped on the Red Phoenix Bangle, donned the Devouring Gauntlet, and lowered my sleeve over it.
Finally, I fastened the Scarlet Radiance Sword at my waist.
Then I steeled myself.
If they were determined to carry out their plan,
I would be even more determined to ruin it.
I had filled most of my previous life with the poison of despair and regret. There was no way I could lose to them.
I steadied myself once more.
#
Hao Sect's Wuhan Branch.
“If you look here... this is the route the person you asked us to track took over the course of a day.”
The branch leader handed me a surveillance report on one of the Five Ghost Demons.
The moment I spotted him yesterday, I contacted the Hao Sect and asked them to follow him.
Thanks to that, they had already mapped out his movements.
“I'm sorry for making such an urgent request.”
The branch leader waved a hand dismissively.
“What are you saying? Anything requested by a 'guest retainer' is no trouble at all.”
“Even so, thank you.”
I held out a small money pouch, but the branch leader quietly pushed it back toward me and asked,
“...May I ask who this person is?”
Instead of money, he wanted information.
I couldn't answer easily.
I couldn't reveal anything about this man.
If information from the future came from me, if I became its source,
then one day, that information would surely point back at me.
Without a word, I pushed the money pouch toward the branch leader again.
He immediately understood my meaning and tucked it into his robes.
“My apologies for asking something unnecessary.”
“You were only doing what you should. There's no need to apologize.”
As I read the report, several names caught my attention.
“This person... what connection does he have to the Wudang Sect?”
Most of the people the target had met over the day were connected to the Wudang Sect.
The branch leader tilted his head as though surprised I didn't know.
“Isn't the target you ordered us to investigate Song Baekpungsa, a Wudang Sect lay disciple?”
“...This man was Song Baekpungsa?”
“You didn't know?”
I didn't.
This person was Song Baekpungsa.
Song Baekpungsa... was one of the Five Ghost Demons.
Then again, in my previous life, I had only just arrived at the Martial Alliance as a greenhorn. I wouldn't learn of Song Baekpungsa's “disappearance” until several years later.
“If this person is so important, we can assign more people to the task.”
In a situation that had left me with nothing but sighs, the branch leader's words made my eyes light up.
“How?”
“Hmm... It would be somewhat dangerous, but we could follow everyone he meets. Then follow everyone those people meet as well.”
“Is that possible?”
“If that is what you want, Young Master, it is.”
I thought about it for a moment. If Song Baekpungsa was one of the Five Ghost Demons, and he planned to assassinate Jegal Somyeong with the others...
he would surely meet the other Five Ghost Demons and speak with them directly.
Still, he met countless people in a single day. Checking every one of them would be a waste of manpower.
The quickest, most efficient way to find them...
“Then exclude the Wudang Sect's direct disciples for now. Do the same for high officials who have advanced to central office and their children.”
“Would I be considered tactless if I asked whether Song Baekpungsa isn't really Song Baekpungsa?”
“...”
“It seems you wish to identify people whose positions would make it easier to conceal their identities.”
Was this the kind of insight one could expect from a Hao Sect branch leader?
It wasn't especially sensitive information, so I nodded.
“That's right.”
“I don't know the details, but this must involve a dangerous person or situation.”
“Yes. So please tell them not to push themselves. I don't want innocent people getting hurt.”
“We will take every precaution.”
#
I had asked the Hao Sect for help, but I didn't expect the Five Ghost Demons to be caught in their surveillance net.
Instead, I feared that while I focused on that net, Jegal Somyeong might die through a lapse in my attention.
Their unpredictability had always exceeded the Martial Alliance's expectations.
The most frustrating part was that I alone knew of this tragic future, yet I needed at least ten hands to stop it.
‘Should I just pretend I've gone mad and stick to the Chief Strategist's side?’
Of course, staying beside them for all twelve watches would be the safest option, but I didn't think that would be possible.
They wouldn't believe their life was in danger, and even if they did, they wouldn't keep an Academy student at their side.
To put it bluntly, when Jegal Somyeong died, no one believed an outsider could have been responsible.
Countless formations guarded the Martial Alliance, thousands of masters lived there, and hundreds of guards stood watch throughout all twelve watches.
On top of that, more than four guards remained close to Jegal Somyeong at all times. Who would dare think it was murder by an outside intruder?
It only became a catalyst that made everyone suspect one another.
The only way I could spend the most time with Jegal Somyeong was to enter the Mantong Office...
But it would be absurd for me, who hadn't even taken the test because I said I wouldn't join the Mantong Office, to stay there constantly.
Even if Eunho somehow managed to enter the Mantong Office despite botching the examination, he wasn't strong enough to face the Five Ghost Demons.
As one unsolvable problem after another piled up and my head felt ready to burst,
“What are you worrying about so much?”
An unexpected voice reached me.
“...Senior Dang? Mmph!”
A sweet was suddenly shoved into my mouth.
“Something sweet helps when your head hurts.”
“...What are you doing here?”
“I'm congratulating you on your graduation. Be sure to chew it well.”
A sweet as a graduation gift.
Only Dang Seohui could get away with something this odd...
‘Huh?!’
At that moment, lightning flashed through my mind.
“Senior Dang!”
“...Why are you looking at me like that?”
As though she had sensed something, Dang Seohui, like a wary wildcat, backed away from me by a couple of steps.
Right, I was too excited.
She was someone who could be persuaded into taking action if I spoke to her calmly.
“Senior Dang. What do you think a true hero is?”
“A hero?”
Dang Seohui stopped short at my serious tone.
“Can someone who merely throws chopsticks at thugs picking a fight at an inn be called a true hero?”
“...Are you saying I'm not a hero?”
“No. You are a hero, Senior Dang. You're simply not a ‘true’ hero.”
“...”
I told the sulking Dang Seohui about Shattering Bow from my previous life, Moyong Jaehwa.
“He... burned himself away for everyone without saying a word, where no one could see him. Isn't someone like that a true hero?”
“...”
The moment I saw the faint warmth rising in Dang Seohui's eyes, I became certain. She had become so engrossed that she had forgotten about her sweet.
‘This might work.’
My joy at the ridiculous persuasion succeeding lasted only a moment.
I quickly made my expression serious again.
Then I waited.
For Dang Seohui to want to become a true hero.
Sure enough.
Dang Seohui, who no longer had any thought of eating her sweet, looked at me with calm, shining eyes and asked,
“What must I do... to become a true hero?”
I barely held back the smile tugging at my lips and answered with deliberate emphasis.
“From now on, you must not leave the Chief Strategist's side for even a moment.”
“Why?”
“I can't tell you. It's confidential.”
Dang Seohui's eyes flickered with uncertainty.
I grabbed both her shoulders and stared directly into her eyes.
“A true hero burns themselves away without a word, even when they don't understand everything.”
Dang Seohui's clear eyes soon regained their resolve.
I tightened my grip on her shoulders.
“Are you ready to be reborn as a true hero?”
“Yes! Yes!”
Dang Seohui nodded several times.
“...”
Tsk, why did I feel uneasy?
No one would find it strange if Dang Seohui clung to Jegal Somyeong's side.
After all, she was the one singular, remarkable person crazy enough to throw that kind of tantrum... Ahem.
Her skills were beyond question as well.
In other words, Dang Seohui was the best safeguard against an assassination attempt by the Five Ghost Demons.
No matter how I looked at it, Dang Seohui was the only solution right now.
‘Yes, Senior Dang is the one.’
I cast aside my worries and patted Dang Seohui's shoulders.
“Our martial world will never forget Great Hero Dang's heroic deeds!”
“Great... Hero...?!”
“We will never forget them! Great Hero Dang!”
“As you command!”
Dang Seohui had taken perhaps five proud steps toward the Mantong Office when she abruptly stopped.
What was it? Could it be that she didn't know the way...?
“...Where do you think you're going?”
A cold voice called out.
She glanced at the man blocking her path.
“I-it's a secret...”
“I heard you were going to the Mantong Office.”
Dang Seohui looked at me with a flustered expression.
How could a great hero make it so obvious she was panicking?
I sighed and spoke to the man.
“I'd appreciate it if you didn't interfere in other people's business.”
That obnoxious face hadn't changed at all.
“Yong Soa.”
Footnotes:
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