WeTried Translations
Translator/Editor: Chen
Discord: https://dsc.gg/wetried
◈ The Martial Genius who Remembers Everything ◈
Chapter 408: The Reason to Live (2)
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Turning back time to when news that the Fierce Tiger Unit had lost Dam Ak at Jukho Mountain reached Wuhan.
“What?”
Qingxiu Zhenren slammed a wine cup onto the table.
“We have the Jukho Mountain area completely surrounded, so we can surely catch him...”
“Fool!”
The cup flew from Qingxiu Zhenren’s hand without spilling a single drop, then shattered against the informant’s head.
Only then did the wine spill, flowing together with the informant’s blood.
“What good is setting a trap after he’s already escaped!”
“...”
Hyesung and the Orthodox Society officials had been listening silently from the side.
Everyone except Qingxiu Zhenren exchanged meaningful looks.
At last, Hyesung spoke for them.
“What do you intend to do now?”
“What else? We’ll pursue him until we capture him.”
“Are you planning to involve other sects?”
“More than thirty sects in southern Anhui Province and northern Hubei Province follow the Orthodox Society’s orders. If we mobilize all of them...”
“Hmm... Since when did Wudang Sect become so powerful?”
Qingxiu Zhenren froze at Hyesung’s words. A sharp glint flashed in Qingxiu Zhenren’s eyes.
“Qingxiu Zhenren, what is that look for? Are you truly planning to drag the entire Orthodox Society into the consequences of your ‘unilateral’ mistake?”
Qingxiu Zhenren asked flatly, “A unilateral mistake?”
“Wasn’t the Black Alliance’s Chief Strategist invited as a guest of the Martial Alliance? Dam Ak suffered an unfortunate incident within the Martial Alliance, and you even attempted to kill someone in distress. Surely that can be called a mistake.”
“Didn’t you just hear the report? The Jukho Mountain area is still completely surrounded...”
“And you were the one enraged by it.”
“...”
Qingxiu Zhenren had been about to continue in anger, but swallowed it down.
Then, with a cold sneer, Qingxiu Zhenren said, “I see now why all of you rushed here together.”
Qingxiu Zhenren’s gaze swept over the Orthodox Society members one by one.
“You want to avoid responsibility and crawl back under Jegal Somyeong, don’t you?”
“Ahem.”
“Hm.”
“Mm.”
Uncomfortable murmurs filled the room.
Hyesung did not let that sway him. Instead, he pressed Qingxiu Zhenren harder.
“The person who committed the act should bear responsibility for it. Why are you trying to shift responsibility for your own actions onto others?”
As if he had found his opening, Hyesung continued.
“Besides, even with Hyeonyeong, whom you trusted so greatly, accompanying the mission, this was the result. Doesn’t that mean the mission has failed?”
“Heh heh heh. You’re all such petty old men.”
A mocking laugh escaped Qingxiu Zhenren’s lips.
“Are you still too blind to see that the Martial Alliance has become this way because you fear Jegal Somyeong and Hyeok Mugang so much?”
“You go too far!”
How laughable.
They held their heads high as though they possessed dignity and authority, yet the moment they feared losing their own share, they trembled in panic.
“Do you know something? Nothing is over yet.”
“...”
“Even if Dam Ak returns alive, war will still break out.”
“Are you alone in your delusions?”
“You’re all mistaken about something. Whether Dam Ak returns alive or dies here is not important. Even if Dam Ak returns alive, time is on our side.”
“...!”
“What do you mean?”
Those who cared only for their own interests had narrow vision.
Those with narrow vision could not see far ahead.
And so they revealed their limits so quickly.
“Wouldn’t it all be over if Dam Ak returned alive?”
“If that’s what you think, why bother asking me?”
The Mount Cang Sect representative’s face flushed red.
Myeonghyeon, the former Society Leader of the Orthodox Society, had fallen from power, and the new representative from Mount Cang Sect was clearly far less capable.
“Listen carefully. The board has already been set. Black Alliance members are staging shows of force at Martial Alliance branches, and tensions between the two sides have reached their peak. What do you think will happen if casualties occur anywhere now?”
“You mean...”
“Even if Dam Ak returns alive, the arrow that signals war has already been loosed.”
“...”
The eyes of those who had looked down on Qingxiu Zhenren until now shook violently.
Hyesung, who had been aiming for Qingxiu Zhenren’s downfall, grimaced as though he had bitten into filth.
“If you want to pull out, do as you please. Anyone can buy time. It doesn’t have to be members of the Orthodox Society.”
Qingxiu Zhenren rose from the seat.
Now that the Orthodox Society members had revealed their true intentions, this was no longer a place safe from Jegal Somyeong.
A smile touched Qingxiu Zhenren’s lips as Qingxiu Zhenren turned away from them.
“Just watch. We’ll see who wins in the end.”
#
It was truly contradictory.
Those who took others’ sacrifices for granted believed their own sacrifice was impossible.
Only those who believed themselves special and others insignificant could hold such a view.
Yet thanks to that, Jin Sowoon and Dam Ak survived.
The main reason was that Hyeonyeong was far too important to Wudang Sect, and Myeongjin judged Dam Ak was not worth sacrificing Hyeonyeong for.
“Haa... Haa... Haa...”
Covered in blood, Jin Sowoon kept running.
Dam Ak, carried on Jin Sowoon’s back, regained consciousness long after the fighting had ended.
“Did we make it out alive?”
“Fortunately.”
“...It’s truly unbelievable. To survive that situation.”
“Hyeonyeong is that important to Wudang Sect.”
“Even so, shouldn’t they have captured me?”
They must have known that if Dam Ak escaped, the Black Alliance would grow stronger.
Still, to Myeongjin, it was preferable for countless low-ranking martial artists he did not know to die rather than Hyeonyeong.
“Protecting those they consider important... That is the Martial Alliance. That is the White Path sects.”
“How noble.”
“That’s why it’s disgusting.”
Dam Ak became puzzled by Jin Sowoon’s bitter voice.
“What is so disgusting?”
“...How good would it have been if they had extended even a little of that concern to others who shared the same convictions?”
“Didn’t they?”
“They didn’t. Not when my sect was destroyed. Not when all my junior fellow disciples died.”
Destroyed? Died? What was Jin Sowoon talking about?
Dam Ak was about to ask when he suddenly stopped breathing.
For an instant, the face of the man from Dam Ak’s dream appeared over Jin Sowoon, then vanished.
Not the face of a giant, but of a man filled with wounds and doubt.
“...You speak as though you’ve truly lived through it, Young Master Jin.”
Jin Sowoon said nothing.
He simply kept running, his eyes quiet as though they had sunk into deep water.
Dam Ak craned his head to check Jin Sowoon’s condition.
Jin Sowoon’s face was pale, and his eyes could not focus.
“Young Master Jin, are you all right?”
“I’m fine. I won’t die from this much.”
Only then did Dam Ak examine Jin Sowoon’s body closely. Jin Sowoon’s left arm and entire body were covered in wounds.
Blood still seeped from between black scabs and scars.
He had been running this whole time in that condition.
What exactly was this stubborn, relentless man?
“Why don’t we rest for a while?”
“We’re almost there. We can rest once we arrive.”
Could any martial artist survive after losing this much blood?
Even if it was not life-threatening, Dam Ak wanted to stop him.
This foolish man claimed what was his through intelligence and cold judgment, yet at crucial moments, he sacrificed himself without the slightest hesitation.
“Young Master Jin, it’s all right.”
Dam Ak wanted to ease Jin Sowoon’s burden, even a little.
“Let’s rest for a moment. Put me down. I’m tired too.”
How long had this man endured alone?
Could the man Dam Ak saw in the dream truly have been nothing more than fiction?
Countless thoughts churned through his mind.
He wriggled, trying to get down from Jin Sowoon’s back, but Jin Sowoon showed no sign of stopping.
“I’ll bring you back alive. I will.”
“Young Master Jin...”
He clearly was not in his right mind.
No, it was impressive enough that he could stay conscious in this state.
“I’ll bring you back alive. I will.”
Trying to bring him to his senses would only drain more of his strength.
What could Dam Ak do for him right now?
Dam Ak decided to trust Jin Sowoon’s abilities and follow his will.
But then they entered Eunhyeon.
Dozens of martial artists were combing through the mountains and fields as though searching for something.
Dam Ak expected Jin Sowoon to avoid them, but Jin Sowoon ran forward blankly and revealed himself before them.
“Jin Sowoon...? It’s Jin Sowoon!”
“Then the person on his back is... Dam Ak?”
“Capture them!”
The searchers rushed them without hesitation, as though they had found their target.
Jin Sowoon did not stop running.
With a vacant expression, he continued forward and swung his sword.
It was not the dazzling, ever-changing swordsmanship Dam Ak had seen until now.
It was simple and brisk, practical swordsmanship of the sort battlefield warriors might use.
“Aaargh!”
“Urgh!”
“Ghk!”
Fortunately, their opponents were far beneath the level of those Jin Sowoon had faced before. They scattered beneath his sword like leaves in an autumn wind.
Still, Jin Sowoon’s movements had clearly become dull.
He could not properly defend even against opponents slower than himself, and their attacks wounded him.
At times, he reacted too late, and the attacks barely missed his vital points.
Dam Ak watched it all in silent shock.
‘He’s protecting me.’
Blood burst once more from wounds that had only just stopped bleeding, and new injuries appeared over the parts of his body that had remained unhurt.
Yet even amid countless blades, Jin Sowoon somehow continued protecting the person on his back.
Then Dam Ak heard him mutter quietly.
What was Jin Sowoon saying?
“I’ll bring you back alive. I’ll bring you back alive.”
Dam Ak listened closely, then found himself speechless as emotion surged into his chest.
‘Why... Why go this far...?’
Just as he had used others as pieces on a game board, Dam Ak had used himself as one too.
He had prepared himself for that much, but more than anything, there had been no reason left for him in this life.
‘What... am I worth?’
Even while not fully conscious, Jin Sowoon was throwing his entire body into protecting him.
Dam Ak’s grip on him tightened without his realizing it.
More and more martial artists gathered from all directions.
There were people in all kinds of clothing, along with wandering martial artists who looked as though they had been hired temporarily.
Jin Sowoon, who normally would have broken through the encirclement with swift footwork, only stood there blankly and dealt with the martial artists charging at him.
Eventually, he began suffering the attacks one by one.
Clang! Slash, thud! Thud, thud!
One of those attacks finally struck Jin Sowoon squarely in the temple, flinging him sideways.
The two of them tumbled to the ground as though their strings had been cut.
He had faced countless enemies alone, run while carrying Dam Ak, and was now being attacked by a large group at once.
No matter how exceptional he was, he could not help growing exhausted.
“Young Master Jin...”
Dam Ak looked down at the man’s back, which still shielded him firmly.
This mission had been impossible from the beginning.
The fact that they had come this close to success was extraordinary in itself.
Jin Sowoon’s wounded body and pale face were unbearably pitiful.
And the cause of all of it was Dam Ak himself.
Had such a bond truly formed between him and Jin Sowoon?
No, even if it had, could anyone do this much for another person?
When Dam Ak’s master and fellow disciples had died at the hands of the killer, Dam Ak had asked for help. Every person who had once claimed to be Dam Ak’s close friend quietly stepped away.
Those who had sworn they would tear out their hearts for Dam Ak after Dam Ak found success in the imperial court ignored him once there was nothing left to gain from him.
Dam Ak had not been deeply disappointed.
The world was simply that kind of place.
‘It was supposed to be that kind of place...’
Yet how long had Jin Sowoon even known him? They did not even belong to the same faction, so why was Jin Sowoon doing this much?
“I’m sorry, Young Master Jin. I should never have dragged you into this from the beginning.”
Was it because Dam Ak had seen that wretched Jin Sowoon in the strange world that might have been a dream or a memory?
He felt even more sorrow for the man before him.
That wretched figure had not been Jin Sowoon. But the Jin Sowoon of the present could not have been a giant from the beginning either.
Dam Ak did not know where Jin Sowoon’s life had begun, but the desperate years wrapped around this young-faced man pierced Dam Ak’s heart like needles.
His chest ached at the thought that Jin Sowoon had ultimately become this desperate for someone other than himself.
Dam Ak quietly looked up at Jin Sowoon’s face.
It no longer mattered whether the dream Dam Ak had seen was fiction or not.
“I’ll repay the debt I owe you in my next life. If that isn’t enough, then in the life after that as well. So...”
He carefully wiped the blood-crusted face before him and made a vow.
“When that time comes, please become my friend.”
“...”
At that final moment.
A long saber rose, ready to cut down both Dam Ak and Jin Sowoon at once.
Ziiiing-
Sunlight reflected from the blade stabbed painfully into Jin Sowoon’s eyes.
At the same time, his eyes flew open.
“Young Mas...”
“What the hell is this? Who are these bastards?”
Jin Sowoon bared his teeth and snarled as though he had become a completely different person.
As the saber fell, Jin Sowoon’s fist strikes surged like a storm.
Bang! Bang! Bang! Bang! Bang!
The martial artists were crushed into pulp and sent flying all at once.
“Aaargh!”
Boom!
Jin Sowoon’s martial robe swelled as though about to burst, and red sword force rose from his blade.
“What’s with these weaklings? Are you all that desperate to die?!”
Shrrrrrrr!
Sword force poured from his blade in a blinding red radiance, striking in every direction and devastating the area.
After sweeping away the attackers in one strike, Jin Sowoon snapped at Dam Ak in an incredulous tone.
“How did things get this bad?”
“Well, Young Master Jin...”
“No, if things were this bad, you should’ve quickly figured out what was happening and solved the problem! You’re the Chief Strategist of the Black Alliance! Seriously, tch.”
What was this? Had Jin Sowoon come back to his senses?
Every word Jin Sowoon spoke drained away Dam Ak’s affection.
“And what were you doing at the end? It looks like I passed out at some point. Don’t tell me... Were you loosening the Heavenly Silkworm Thread so you could run away alone? Seriously.”
“...”
“And why is my face so itchy?! Did something weird brush past it? Tch.”
They said a man’s word was worth a thousand gold.
As a scholar who had always treasured the sayings of the sages of old, Dam Ak wanted to fiercely deny that saying for the first time.
He regretted the words he had said to that man only moments ago.
So much that he would have paid a vast fortune just to take them back.
Footnotes:
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