WeTried Translations
Translator/Editor: Chen
Discord: https://dsc.gg/wetried
◈ The Martial Genius who Remembers Everything ◈
Chapter 388: Ambush (6)
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Boom, boom, boom, boom!
No one needed to take the lead.
The instant our eyes met, we ran toward the outer compound.
There was no way to know what was happening or what had happened.
Even so, my body moved on instinct.
‘First, I need to confirm whether Dam Ak is alive.’
Dam Ak might not have been the one under attack.
The remnants of the Five Ghost Demons and the Heaven-Slaying Unit might have attacked the outer compound to cause havoc after failing their mission.
Yeah. It might be nothing.
No matter how formidable the Heaven-Slaying Unit was, they were assassins at their core.
There was no way they could confront the countless experts of the Martial Alliance head-on when everyone was already on high alert...
Boom, boom, boom, boom!
One ominous blast followed another.
The optimistic hopes I had forced myself to cling to crumbled like sand.
‘Fuck. Since when was I ever this optimistic?’
There were two possible scenarios.
First, the remnants of the Heaven-Slaying Unit, having failed to assassinate Jegal Somyeong, might have tried to assassinate Dam Ak in a desperate attempt to accomplish something.
If Dam Ak died in the Martial Alliance now, the Martial Alliance and the Black Alliance would never be able to work together again.
No, the Black Alliance would seize this opportunity to wage war against the Martial Alliance.
There could be no better justification for securing the Black Alliance’s position than a war with the Martial Alliance.
The second possibility would cause the same turmoil, but it was more dangerous.
‘Dam Ak might have been their target from the beginning.’
In my previous life, the Black Alliance did not exist at this point, nor did Dam Ak, the Black Alliance’s Chief Strategist, come to the Martial Alliance.
Yet Dam Ak was here now.
If so, they could target Dam Ak rather than Jegal Somyeong in earnest.
Security in the outer compound was relatively lax.
‘Surely one of the Seven Demon Wisdom Lords didn’t come here...’
Boom, boom, boom, boom!
The continuing explosions filled me with dread.
I quickly overtook the Alliance members running toward the outer compound.
Then...
Tap, tap, tap, tap.
Rapid footsteps sounded behind me.
When I turned, Dang Seohui, dressed in a blue-green robe, was chasing after me.
And behind her...
‘Why is he following too...?’
I spotted that irritating Yong Soa.
‘How are they keeping up?’
I was not running at full speed, but it should still have been impossible for the Tang Clan’s and Wudang Sect’s martial arts to match the speed of the Peerless Wanderer Divine Art.
I did not know how they were doing it, but the two of them were somehow keeping pace with me.
Watching them reminded me of the time Moyong Gang had unleashed an explosion of qi.
Geniuses were all people who defied the laws of the world in their own ways.
The bastards who had succeeded in assassinating Jegal Somyeong, something I had thought absolutely impossible in my previous life, were the same kind of people.
What if the person who had come for Dam Ak was one of them?
‘We can’t be too late.’
I drew up more internal energy and rushed even faster toward the outer compound.
When I arrived, dozens of Alliance members were guarding the area.
“Stop!”
They had even drawn their swords and formed a tight defensive line.
I stopped directly in front of them.
“What happened inside?”
“Who are you?”
“I’m Jin Sowoon of the Taeul Sect.”
The man’s eyebrows twitched at my introduction, but that was all.
“...An explosion of unknown origin destroyed part of a hall and the garden.”
An explosion powerful enough to blow away a hall and a garden...
Even the Demonic Cult would use such a violent method?
“May I go inside?”
“There may still be intruders. Bongan Hall is under lockdown.”
The outer compound housed guests from outside the Alliance, but because of Dam Ak and the delegation’s visit, the other guests were staying at Songhwa Hall.
In other words, only Dam Ak’s group should have been in Bongan Hall.
Confirming their safety came first.
“That’s fine.”
As I tried to pass them and enter, the man blocked my way.
“You have no idea what might happen inside! Can you take responsibility for that?”
“...”
While I stared at the martial artist blocking me, Dang Seohui and Yong Soa arrived a little later.
One by one, martial artists running toward the outer compound also began to appear in the distance.
“Why aren’t we going inside?”
“They say it’s under lockdown.”
“Under lockdown? What does that mean?”
Dang Seohui tilted her head and looked around.
“An incident just happened, and it’s already under lockdown?”
Dang Seohui asked, but no one answered.
Then Yong Soa stepped forward.
Swish.
The martial artists blocking us began moving aside one after another.
“Looks like we can go in.”
“...”
My expression would not relax because I felt strangely disgusted, but that was not important right now.
The moment we passed them and entered Bongan Hall, a pungent fishy stench pricked my nose.
The cause was the ornamental pond to one side.
The recent blast had completely destroyed and overturned it.
Crucian carp flopped about outside the water, opening and closing their mouths.
When I turned toward Bongan Hall, part of it had been completely blown away.
‘...This much damage?’
At that moment, the martial artists who had guarded Bongan Hall entered with the Alliance members.
I could hear the report they gave.
“What about the damage? How much damage was there?”
“Two martial artists standing guard were attacked and knocked unconscious.”
“What about the delegation members?”
“The full extent of the casualties has not yet been confirmed.”
“What do you mean it hasn’t been confirmed?”
“Two bodies have been found. They appear to be guards, but the remaining people... could not be located.”
“What in the world does that mean?”
Before the martial artist could answer the frustrated Alliance member, Yong Soa spoke first.
“It’s because of that.”
Yong Soa was looking toward a small hall behind Bongan Hall.
A black mist surrounded the small hall. The only sign that a hall stood there was a portion of its roof, rising high enough to remain visible.
“The black mist appeared as soon as the incident occurred. Since none of the other delegation members have been found... they are probably inside it.”
Several Alliance members approached and shouted toward the formation.
No answer came from within the formation surrounded by black mist.
“...”
The Martial Alliance’s Chief Strategist had been exposed to an assassination attempt, while the Black Alliance’s Chief Strategist had hidden himself inside a formation.
Faced with this unprecedented situation, no one knew what to do.
#
The attack on the Martial Alliance.
This unprecedented crisis in the Martial Alliance ended in an unimaginable outcome.
An additional attack on Bongan Hall.
The two attacks that struck in a single night cast a chill not only over the Martial Alliance, but across all of Wuhan.
Jegal Somyeong had ordered the emergency declaration lifted, but every martial artist assigned to the inner and outer compounds had been urgently deployed to reform their lines and stand guard. The combat pavilions that had been waiting on standby had also mobilized.
Everyone was on edge.
Though the emergency had technically been lifted, security remained at its highest level. Yet the Martial Alliance’s defenses had still been breached.
At dawn, the Martial Alliance thoroughly investigated Jegal Somyeong’s residence and the area around Bongan Hall in search of evidence of the culprits.
Furthermore, every intelligence department, including Cheonmok Pavilion, poured into the streets and turned all of Wuhan upside down.
The Beggar Sect’s beggars, who normally lounged about collecting alms, vanished entirely. Investigators and martial artists visited every inn and tavern in Wuhan, conducting relentless, intensive questioning.
As a result, taverns and brothels closed their doors, while inns stopped selling alcohol late into the night.
Fifteen days passed as though the entire city was holding its breath.
Yet even after fifteen days of investigation, not a single clue revealed who had carried out the attacks.
During that time, news of the assaults on Jegal Somyeong and the delegation reached the distant Black Alliance. The Black Alliance sent an official letter to the Martial Alliance, seeking confirmation of the facts and information about the delegation’s safety.
Jegal Somyeong, one of the victims, visited the Alliance Leader’s Hall to respond to that letter, which could trigger a war between the Black Alliance and the Martial Alliance if mishandled.
“Are you feeling well?”
At Hyeok Mugang’s question, Jegal Somyeong shook their head as if it were nothing.
“Is this old body important at a time like this?”
“...Don’t say that. Do you know how worried I was?”
“I wasn’t joking either. I am not what matters right now.”
Their ordinary exchange ended more quickly than usual, and they moved directly to the point.
“The official letter from the Black Alliance. How should we answer it?”
Normally, Jegal Somyeong was the one who gave the answers.
This time, even they had to ask Hyeok Mugang.
Jegal Somyeong asked again.
“We need to make a decision.”
Ominous movements among Black Path factions had begun to surface in Shanxi Province, Chongqing, Jiangxi Province, and Guangxi Province.
They might be preparing for any eventuality, but the Martial Alliance also had to consider the possibility that all those people would converge on Wuhan.
Hyeok Mugang groaned and looked at the Chief Strategist.
“...There is still no response from inside Bongan Hall?”
He desperately wanted new information.
“There is none.”
That hope quietly crumbled.
“Hmm...”
From the day after the incident, the Martial Alliance had repeatedly told those within the formation activated at Bongan Hall that it was safe outside.
No response came from within the black mist.
Fifteen days had already passed. It was enough to make one wonder whether the people inside were even alive.
“Is formation breaking impossible?”
“Even without summoning a formation master from Jegal Somyeong’s clan, the people within the Alliance are already unmatched throughout the martial world. If they cannot carry out formation breaking, then no one will be able to do so in a short time.”
“...”
“If we simply destroy it, that can be done.”
“Then... what about the people inside?”
“They would likely die.”
“...”
Jegal Somyeong had only mentioned that absurd solution because they were just as frustrated.
They needed to confirm whether Dam Ak was alive before answering the Black Alliance’s letter.
Yet there was currently no way to determine whether Dam Ak was alive or dead.
“Have we found the culprit who targeted Strategist Dam?”
Jegal Somyeong’s attackers had mostly been identified.
Their methods, the kind of qi they used, even the iron components commonly used in the Central Plains.
That only made the situation more frustrating.
“Nothing has been found. It was truly... perfect.”
There was not a single clue that could be used to infer who had attacked Dam Ak’s residence.
The Alliance Leader finally voiced the uncomfortable truth.
“Strategist Dam... may think we are the culprits?”
Dam Ak would not know about the attack on Jegal Somyeong, so it was a misunderstanding he could reasonably make.
And if that misunderstanding continued to build inside the formation...
‘...It’s horrifying just to imagine.’
The situation was more likely to become even more tangled.
“If I were in his position, rather than gamble on odds I could not know, I would prepare a certain course of action.”
“Do you think there is a chance that he will come out on his own?”
“If he’s that determined, he likely will not come out.”
“This is a serious problem.”
Silence settled over the Alliance Leader’s Hall. After thinking for a while, Hyeok Mugang finally made his decision.
“For now, let us reply that the situation is not urgent.”
“Will such an evasive response resolve anything?”
“What choice do we have? There is nothing we can resolve right now. We can only focus on escaping this crisis.”
Jegal Somyeong could not offer any rebuttal.
“For now, make sure there is no shortage of food and supplies sent into the formation.”
Hyeok Mugang continued.
“At the very least, Dam Ak must return alive and well if we are to arrange a truce, even if war breaks out.”
An unexpected war had taken a great stride toward them.
Since reaching the highest positions in the martial world, Hyeok Mugang and Jegal Somyeong had never felt as powerless as they did now.
#
“Word from the Tang Clan says Black Path factions have also increased their purchases of weapons.”
I looked at Dang Seohui, who was boldly eating a sweet pastry, and said, “I know that already. There is no need to go all the way to Sichuan. The price of iron swords has risen sharply throughout Hubei as well.”
Dang Seohui paused, then popped another sweet pastry into her mouth and began chewing.
“A war might break out between the Black Alliance and the Martial Alliance.”
“I could tell that without hearing it from you.”
“...”
“Did you come here to tell me that?”
Unable to hide her flustered expression, Dang Seohui suddenly grew angry.
“All the other sweet shops are closed!”
“Who would want to do business in this tense atmosphere?”
“...I deserve to eat Junior Jin’s sweets.”
“A true hero does not seek payment.”
Dang Seohui flinched and stared at the sweet pastry in her hand.
Her violently wavering eyes made it clear that she was facing the greatest dilemma of her life.
I decided to stop teasing her and pushed the plate of sweets toward her.
“Since you are a true hero, I’ll treat you. Eat without worrying.”
“R-really?”
“Yes. I’ll keep supplying you with Hong Family sweets from now on. For free.”
“...I-I’m touched.”
Dang Seohui looked as though she might burst into tears at any moment.
After she had eaten around four sweet pastries, Dang Seohui spoke while chewing.
“Don’t you also think there is no way to make them come out?”
The biggest problem right now was whether Dam Ak was alive and what was happening inside the formation.
Nothing could be resolved until that matter was settled.
“They cannot come out unless they want to.”
“But something is a little strange.”
“What is?”
Dang Seohui’s cheeks bulged as she casually said it.
“I mean the martial artists around Bongan Hall. There are far too many for a routine guard shift.”
“...”
Like Dang Seohui, I had strong suspicions about that matter, but I had not voiced them.
“The Martial Alliance happened to be under emergency alert then. It must be a coincidence.”
“Anyway, something terrible will happen if the Black Alliance’s Chief Strategist does not come out of the formation.”
“What terrible thing?”
Was she worried about war between the Martial Alliance and the Black Alliance too?
When had she grown so much...
“We will not be able to eat Hong Family sweets.”
“...”
“Why are you looking at me like that?”
“It’s nothing. Have some more.”
Dang Seohui’s words actually contained a very important point.
War, whether large or small, destroyed the foundations of people’s lives and brought their daily routines to a halt.
So, for the sake of Hong Family sweets alone, I could not allow war to break out.
‘But there is no particular way to stop it.’
While I was spending time with Dang Seohui, someone came to visit, and I went outside the dormitory.
A boy who appeared to be a waiter stood there, slightly taller than Dang Seohui and carrying a small bundle.
“Ah, are you the great hero Black Flame Dragon?”
“...No.”
“What? You are not? I was told I could find you if I went to the Martial Arts Academy representative’s dormitory.”
Fuck, who said that? Who was it?
“Are you looking for Jin Sowoon?”
“Yes!”
“Then you have the right person.”
“What?!”
The waiter stared at me as though I had said something ridiculous.
“If you are looking for Jin Sowoon, that is me. But I am not Black Flame Dragon.”
“...Ah, is that so?”
The waiter adopted a more businesslike tone and held out the bundle.
“This is an item ordered for Great Hero Jin Sowoon.”
“For me?”
“Yes. The customer was strange. They said not to deliver it if they returned, but to deliver it if they did not.”
“Who was it?”
“I do not know. They did not reveal their identity. There should be a note inside.”
I accepted the bundle from the waiter and returned to the dormitory.
Dang Seohui, who had been eating sweet pastries, showed interest in the bundle’s contents. Then she saw a few bottles of alcohol and some drinking snacks, and immediately lost interest.
After checking the contents, I quickly searched for the note.
When I unrolled the leather rolled up like a scroll, I found numbers densely written across a piece of leather as wide as two palms.
(1, 2, 10...)
Dang Seohui looked at the incomprehensible string of numbers and asked, “What is that?”
Of course, I did not know what it meant either.
The numbers were not even written in orderly rows. They were scattered around at random.
Then the Boundless Indestructible Soul-Destroying Formation suddenly came to mind.
Its Living Gate and Death Gate had been determined entirely through mathematical calculations.
I carefully placed the leather on the table.
This somehow...
“It may be a clue to stopping the war.”
“What... do you mean?”
I told Dang Seohui not to touch the alcohol and left the dormitory.
Footnotes:
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