WeTried Translations
Translator/Editor: Chen
Discord: https://dsc.gg/wetried
◈ The Martial Genius who Remembers Everything ◈
Chapter 400: Personal Revenge (10)
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Our counterattack had crippled half the pursuing force, so the pursuers widened the distance between us.
Daybreak had likely played a part as well.
They could see us clearly even from afar now.
“What should we do about them?”
Saryeon asked with a worried expression.
“Should I go deal with them myself?”
“No. Leave them be.”
Even if we killed every last pursuer now, another force would latch onto us.
Besides, if we reacted too strongly, they would become even more convinced Dam Ak was with us.
There was no need to give them that certainty yet.
Yes, it would be better to confuse them for now.
“Stop the carriages.”
“Huh? Now?”
“Yes. We need to eat anyway.”
The enemy was already on edge.
An unexpected move would throw them into confusion, just as it had during the regular examination.
When a wide clearing beside the main road came into view, the speeding carriage gradually slowed.
It was a resting place where other carriages often stopped as well.
I made the Taeul Sect members and Dam Ak remain inside the carriages.
Only a few people, including Saryeon, the masked Black Path martial artists, and me, prepared the meal.
All we had to do was set up a pot, add water, dried rice, jerky, and dried vegetables, then boil it. It did not take much work.
When I spotted a few people trying to approach, I fired several arrows at them. Like startled cats, they quickly retreated.
“It feels like a rope slowly tightening around our necks.”
That was Saryeon’s brief observation.
Even as she watched them retreat, her complexion did not look any more relaxed.
Unlike the Gold, Silver, and Bronze Brothers, Saryeon was probably experiencing such a breathless pursuit for the first time.
Being the prey put immense pressure on a person.
The Black Alliance guards were no different.
They had more experience in the martial world than Saryeon and had likely received thorough training, yet they could not properly eat the porridge they had been served.
“I can’t eat either.”
Dang Seohui suddenly held out her bowl, still more than half full.
I looked at her in disbelief.
“No sweets until you finish your porridge.”
“...When you’re being chased, you’re supposed to eat only jerky and sweets.”
Jerky, sure, but why were sweets included?
“If you don’t finish it, there won’t be any sweets next time.”
Dang Seohui pouted and took back the bowl. I left her behind and headed for a carriage.
I opened the door only slightly so no one could see inside, then entered. Someone else was not eating their porridge either.
“You should eat first. We’ll be leaving soon.”
“You don’t need to worry about me. I’ll drink it all at once after it cools.”
Dam Ak spoke while desperately writing something.
Two newly completed books were already piled beside him.
Judging by the look of things, he had been writing continuously throughout the journey.
“What are you writing?”
“You can think of it as a will.”
“...Didn’t you ask me to help you escape?”
He paused his rapidly moving brush, glanced at me, then turned away and resumed writing.
“I asked you to help me escape, not to save me.”
“...”
Dam Ak, who had kept hold of his brush the entire time, looked directly at me for the first time.
“So don’t push yourself too hard. I don’t want to incur another debt I can’t repay along the way. Young Master Jin, you’ve already done more than enough.”
Despite his cold words, Dam Ak wore a faint smile, and I could not bring myself to say anything else.
I knew he was trying to spare me, yet it still left an unpleasant feeling in my chest.
Instead of answering, I slammed the carriage door shut.
#
The pursuers, who had been following us from a distance, resumed their attacks as reinforcements gradually joined them.
Wary of poison and concealed weapons, they began attacking from afar with bows and spears. Layer upon layer of arrows flew in, and before long, the carriages looked like hedgehogs.
“Urgh!”
There were casualties too.
“The Black Alliance...”
Absurdly, a guard struck in a vital spot by a stray arrow died in a comrade’s arms while calling the name of the Black Alliance he belonged to.
Just like those idiots from the Sojeong Unit in my previous life.
One enraged guard from the delegation ran into the forest, saying he would chase down the pursuers, but he never returned.
Two people died pointlessly like that, leaving only seven members in the delegation.
Three of them were scholars, including Dam Ak.
The scholars could no longer hide their growing anxiety at the bad news.
Dam Ak, on the other hand, was not particularly shaken.
Only the movement of his brush grew faster inside the swaying carriage.
Like someone burning the final flame of his life, he wrote book after book as if possessed.
What kind of will had to be written in a moment like this?
And why did it contain so many words?
The questions grew, but there was no time to think about them for long.
Screech!
New information arrived from the Hao Sect’s courier hawk.
- Wudang Sect’s Fierce Tiger Unit approaching
- Mount Cang Sect’s Taehwa Unit approaching
The main forces were beginning to move, not just special-operations units.
That was an extreme reaction to the Yuk Family Spear Forms.
Had something happened inside the Martial Alliance?
The original plan had been to reach Namjeong at the very least before carrying out the final operation.
We would have to move it up.
“Whoa, whoa.”
I pulled the reins, and the carriage gradually slowed.
As our carriage at the very front came to a stop, the line of carriages behind it slowed as well.
After stopping the carriage, I headed to the one carrying the Taeul Sect members.
When I opened the door, the Sect Leader was holding his sword as if he had expected this.
“This is sooner than you said.”
“They moved a little more quickly than expected.”
“Is that so?”
The Sect Leader stepped down from the carriage and followed me to the carriage carrying the Black Alliance delegation.
Upon seeing me standing with Sect Leader Hong Mungi, Dam Ak nodded and continued moving his brush.
The hands of the two scholars who had been grinding ink throughout the journey were stained black.
“We’ve just finished here as well.”
Dam Ak completed five books, picked them up, and slowly stepped down from the carriage.
The scholars moved into the Taeul Sect’s carriage, while the remaining Black Alliance guards abandoned the carriages and saddled their horses.
“We’re ready.”
From this point on, we would part ways with the Taeul Sect and move separately.
When I looked at Dang Seohui and Jegal Cheongi and gestured, Dam Ak shook his head.
“You should go with the Taeul Sect as well.”
Dam Ak was saying something completely different from our planned operation.
“Chief Strategist...”
“If you come with me, you will certainly die.”
At Dam Ak’s calm words, a Black Alliance guard stepped forward as if ready to lunge at him.
“You can’t!”
Dam Ak slowly but firmly shook his head.
“There is no need to accept any more meaningless deaths. Tell the Alliance Leader that I apologize for failing to keep my promise.”
Dam Ak handed the five books he carried to a guard.
“In these books, I have compiled everything about the future course of the war after my death, as well as methods to bring down the Nine Sects One Gang... Deliver them to the Black Alliance’s Strategy Department, and they will prepare everything.”
What he had called a will was preparation for the Black Alliance’s future, which would otherwise vanish with his death.
“No! You can’t do this!”
“No. I must die here. Only then can the Black Alliance, and all of you, survive.”
He had not learned even a single martial art, yet the force he gave off was difficult to face.
The guards could not even bring themselves to deny his words.
“The Black Alliance’s revival will surely begin with my death, so leave without delay.”
What was this man going on about?
I walked up to him and suddenly tapped his sleep acupoint.
Tap. Tap. Tap.
Dam Ak’s eyelids slowly closed as he was speaking.
“J-Young Master Jin...”
He tried to force his eyes open and glare at me, but someone who had never learned martial arts could not withstand a strike to the sleep acupoint.
“W-what is... this...?”
“You were being too loud.”
“That doesn’t even... make...”
Dam Ak collapsed with those words.
I caught him, then placed him on my horse’s saddle.
When I turned around, the guards stood there with blank expressions.
“What are you doing? Aren’t you leaving?”
“Pardon?”
“Even if he has resolved to die, you should keep him alive and take him with you. Isn’t that a guard’s responsibility?”
“...Ah, yes.”
The guards wore expressions that asked whether it was really all right to handle things this way, but they soon mounted their horses one by one.
I looked at Dang Seohui.
“I’m counting on you, Senior Dang.”
“You don’t need to worry.”
Dang Seohui nodded, pulled her mask back up, and sprang away.
‘...Everyone will know she’s from the Tang Clan because of that blue-green robe anyway.’
She must have liked the mask quite a bit.
Dang Seohui moved to clear out the pursuers.
I headed to Sect Leader Hong.
“The Wudang Sect’s Fierce Tiger Unit and Mount Cang Sect’s Taehwa Unit are coming this way.”
Even after I mentioned the Wudang Sect and Mount Cang Sect, the Sect Leader’s expression did not change.
“Don’t worry. Take care of yourself.”
“Yes.”
Then, just as I was about to greet my father, who stood at the very back of the Taeul Sect members, something flew at my face.
I caught it.
“What is this?”
When I looked down, I recognized the item. I looked at my father again.
“Isn’t this the Heavenly Silkworm Treasure Robe?”
“Put it on. I heard yours was damaged.”
It seemed he remembered hearing that mine had been ruined recently.
“You should wear it, Father. I’ll be fine.”
If someone was in greater danger in this situation, it was not me but my father.
Just as I was about to throw the Heavenly Silkworm Treasure Robe back to him...
“If you go without wearing that and end up dying, I will die as well.”
“...”
The grave seriousness in my father’s voice made the Taeul Sect members turn around in shock.
I was equally taken aback.
The person who said it, however, continued calmly and firmly.
“I trust the people of my sect. That is why I came along. If you feel the same, look after your own safety first.”
I could not dare give the Heavenly Silkworm Treasure Robe back after hearing that.
Pop! Boom!
A moment later, Dang Seohui’s signal flare rose into the air, announcing that she had dealt with all the pursuers.
“Go.”
At my father’s simple words, I said,
“Take care of yourself.”
Then I pulled the reins and rode off.
#
Even after Jin Sowoon, Dam Ak, and their group left, the carriages did not deliberately slow down.
Dam Ak was supposed to be riding in this carriage, after all.
The Black Alliance scholars and Jin Taesan hid inside the carriages, while all the Taeul Sect disciples waited outside.
Hong Mungi looked at his daughter, who had grown into a fine young lady, and asked,
“Were there many times like this?”
“Ugh... Don’t even get me started. Every day felt like walking a tightrope.”
Saryeon answered in a grumbling tone, but her face was full of worry.
At the same time, her eyes were full of trust.
Seeing how her words differed from her expression, Hong Mungi felt that his child had truly grown up.
Come to think of it, when had Jin Sowoon grown so much that he had reached the point of looking after the adults?
Hong Mungi reproached himself for having been too complacent until now.
Despite facing so many hardships, Sowoon had not confided in the adults. That meant he had endured all that pain and loneliness alone.
Hong Mungi could not suppress his guilt.
“It is because we failed to act like adults.”
“Huh? No, it wasn’t like that...”
Hong Mungi patted the embarrassed Saryeon on the shoulder and reassured her.
“Don’t worry. From now on, we’ll share Sowoon’s burden.”
The conversation went no further. Since earlier, people emitting powerful waves of qi had been heading their way at an absurd speed.
They were not simple scouts or pursuers.
They were elites.
Elites at the level of those who would operate at their sect headquarters or within the Martial Alliance.
“Speed up the carriages.”
The carriages accelerated, but the distance from their pursuers showed no sign of increasing.
“None of you are to respond.”
These were not opponents who could be handled carelessly.
They were people who had to be confronted head-on.
‘Wudang Sect and Mount Cang Sect?’
No matter where they came from, they would not be easy opponents.
As expected, the pursuers closed in on the carriages and soon began to overtake them.
At the same time, they landed on the ground.
The cloud of dust rising around them suddenly fell straight down, as though something had seized it.
The sight gave Hong Mungi a sense of familiarity.
Soon, he recalled when the Dragon-Phoenix Association had visited the Taeul Sect.
‘...When I first saw it, I thought it was truly remarkable.’
He raised his head and looked straight ahead.
Around thirty people blocked the main road.
Unlike the pursuers until now, they did not wear masks.
The patterns embroidered on their martial uniforms immediately revealed their affiliation.
‘Mount Cang Sect.’
The person standing at the front raised a sword and stopped the carriages.
“W-what should we do?”
At the driver’s question, Hong Mungi nodded. The driver pulled the reins and slowly stopped the carriage.
Creak.
The carriage came to a stop with a groan from its joints.
“There will be an inspection.”
The Mount Cang Sect martial artist did not even introduce himself, only stated his business.
“An inspection?”
“A traitor to the Martial Alliance has escaped from prison, and we are pursuing them. Cooperate with us!”
The Mount Cang Sect martial artist strode toward the carriage.
At that moment...
Screech!
Sword qi burst from Hong Mungi’s sword and carved a line into the ground at the martial artist’s feet.
“What are you doing!”
Clang!
The Mount Cang Sect martial artist glared murderously and raised his sword.
Hong Mungi looked down at him and spoke in a relaxed voice.
“You expect me to stand by while people who have not even identified themselves try to open our carriage at will?”
“You madman... Can’t you recognize this insignia?”
The man pointed at the pattern embroidered on his chest, acting as though no one existed above him.
Hong Mungi gave a bitter smile inwardly as he watched him.
‘In the past, I accepted it as natural.’
Their rudeness, their discourtesy.
He had thought it was a natural phenomenon, something that was bound to happen.
He had not realized that the humiliation came because the Taeul Sect was weak.
“Who is your master?”
“M-my master?”
Hong Mungi pointed at the small flag attached to the carriage roof.
“Did your sect not teach you whom that symbol belongs to?”
“...I know. But is that a reason for you to threaten me?”
“Do you know the Taeul Sect?”
“I do. And I also know that your sect is helping a traitor.”
“Then bring the command order.”
“...”
Instead of answering, the Mount Cang Sect martial artist glared at Hong Mungi as if he wanted to kill him.
But Hong Mungi’s angry voice overwhelmed everyone present.
“Did you really behave so rudely without even a command order? How are you any different from the Black Path ruffians you despise so much!”
Grit.
The Mount Cang Sect martial artist ground his teeth, and his sword shook roughly as if it would strike at any moment.
Then, one of the people blocking the road stepped forward and offered a cupped-fist salute.
“I am Jang Sopyeong, Unit Leader of the Taehwa Unit. May I ask your name?”
“I am Hong Mungi of the Taeul Sect.”
Jang Sopyeong seemed to search his memories for a moment, then gave up with a sigh.
“I do not know who you are. What position do you hold?”
“I am the Sect Leader.”
“...I see.”
Although a disciple of one sect had behaved rudely toward the head of another, the Mount Cang Sect members did not even look troubled.
This was the reality of the Taeul Sect, and the truth Hong Mungi had avoided facing all this time. He shuddered slightly.
Jang Sopyeong continued with a more relaxed expression.
“Then you must be well aware of the wrong your sect has committed.”
“What wrong has my sect committed?”
“As I said, we are pursuing a traitor. We also received information that your sect is helping that traitor.”
Hong Mungi did not yield easily either.
“You have been calling someone a traitor this entire time. Who exactly are you talking about?”
“...”
“You claim to be carrying out official business, yet you cannot even name the person?”
“It is confidential.”
Confidential, my foot. Anyone could see they were being deceptive.
In the past, Hong Mungi would have opened the carriage door himself and even lifted his robe to expose his belly, all to prove their innocence.
Yes, he certainly would have.
He would have justified it to himself by saying that opening the carriage door was no great hardship.
But he knew now.
This was not simply a matter of opening a door or refusing to do so.
“How laughable.”
“What is laughable?”
“I have realized that what you take for granted is not something that should be taken for granted. How could I not laugh?”
Jang Sopyeong drew his sword.
“So you refuse to cooperate.”
Hong Mungi gave a faint laugh.
“Then achieve what you want through the show of force you enjoy so much.”
At the same time, around thirty people drew their swords.
In the past, his legs would surely have trembled in fear, and strength would have left his hands.
“Come!”
But Hong Mungi’s heart was calmer than ever.
Footnotes:
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