WeTried Translations
Translator/Editor: Chen
Discord: https://dsc.gg/wetried
◈ The Martial Genius who Remembers Everything ◈
Chapter 429: Five Hundred Years of Waiting (4)
──────
Hong Mungi had changed.
He no longer used morality as an excuse to hide from his fears.
He no longer used righteousness as an excuse to avoid conflict.
He realized that when Gye Cheolyeong treated the Taeul Sect children harshly, he had wanted to rebuke him.
When the Taeul Sect was humiliated by the Iron Sword Sect, he discovered that he truly wanted revenge.
Through the Sword Demon... no, Baek Haegwang's harsh training, he reflected on himself and faced the shame buried in his past.
And within that shame, he came to understand.
All of it had begun with his weakness and laziness.
Baek Haegwang, who had never lived by rules or propriety, could still protect his family completely.
Yet he, who had spent his entire life watching others' reactions and abiding by the righteous path and proper conduct...
Had driven his disciples into mortal danger.
He had cultivated the Way as a White Path martial artist and tried to live as a gentleman, but he realized it had all been nothing more than an excuse for the weak.
Morality upheld by the powerless was deception, while morality upheld by the powerful was true goodness.
At the same time...
A person willing to lay down their life for their convictions could become one of the strong at any time, in any situation.
[For my disciples, for the Taeul Sect.]
He would gladly offer up his life and perish gloriously whenever the time came.
From the moment he hardened that resolve, Hong Mungi understood that he could become strong.
And from then on...
He had vowed to always live as one of the strong before any opponent or enemy, and he had acted on that vow.
He certainly had.
Until this moment.
“...”
“It’s shabby.”
“...Ah, yes. It leaves much to be desired.”
That was Moyong Gang’s first remark upon entering the newly rebuilt Taeul Hall.
One of the Absolute Ten Venerables.
The Wind-Splitting Sword.
The Clan Head of the Moyong Clan.
None of those titles were ordinary.
As Hong Mungi stood dazed by such an unexpected remark, Moyong Gang naturally moved to take the seat of honor, only for Namgung Taeha to stop him.
“No matter what, I’m your senior in the martial world.”
“Please act your age! Does it make any sense for someone from another sect to take the seat of honor at a reopening ceremony?”
“Hmph! What would a Namgung like you know about it? We’ve already formed close ties, and before long, we’ll practically be one family.”
Hong Mungi had never heard anything of the sort and had no idea how to respond.
“What did you threaten them with this time?”
“A threat? I was about to say, my future in-law’s sec... Ahem. In any case, Jin Sowoon asked me to go to the Martial Arts Academy, and I even gave a lecture there!”
“Everyone has already heard that you went there to beat your grandson, then ended up lecturing by accident.”
“Who’s spreading such ridiculous nonsense?! Damn it! It was that petty bastard, wasn’t it?!”
Namgung Taeha snorted as he watched Moyong Gang grow agitated.
“Besides, if we’re measuring closeness that way, I have the stronger connection. I performed Marrow Cleansing on the Sect Leader’s daughter.”
Hong Mungi knew that story well.
How moved he had been when the Azure Emperor Divine Sword bestowed such a favor on his daughter.
But...
“Is that so? Then you haven’t formed any particular bond with Jin Sowoon. You should nurture your connection with the Sect Leader’s daughter.”
...There was no time to offer his thanks.
Sect Leader Hong’s mind was spinning from the conversation unfolding before him.
Legendary, mythical figures of the martial world were arguing like neighborhood old men.
Namgung Taeha’s face had turned bright red at teasing that did not feel like teasing at all.
His voice, which had at least been more composed than Moyong Gang’s, rose another level.
“Ah, I forgot to mention it. Sowoon saved my granddaughter’s life. Not once, but twice. They have practically crossed the boundary between life and death together, so theirs must be a bond that cannot be severed.”
It seemed to work. Moyong Gang’s face shifted between red and blue.
“T-twice? Ahem! Wouldn’t it be too burdensome for them to be together? Husband and wife should support one another...”
“Hm, didn’t you insist on taking in a live-in son-in-law? If so, it would be difficult for someone who holds the position of Head Disciple.”
“You old bastard, I’ve heard enough...!”
Too burdensome? Husband and wife? A live-in son-in-law?
What in the world were these... no, these esteemed figures talking about?
Unable to follow the conversation at all, Hong Mungi felt faint as their raised voices made the newly built Taeul Hall seem as if it were shaking.
Then...
Bang!
The doors flew open, and a new participant entered the fray.
“Will you all quiet down already? Why are you causing such a scene at someone else’s celebration? How can you act like this at your age? Tsk, tsk.”
The Martial Alliance’s Chief Strategist.
The Greatest Mind Under Heaven.
Jegal Somyeong... Jegal Somyeong?!
Before Hong Mungi could even react, Jegal Somyeong ignored him and sat across from Moyong Gang.
“You claim to be busy every day of your life, yet you never even visit your own clan. What brings you here?”
Moyong Gang glared, and Jegal Somyeong puffed out their chest.
“My grandson’s sworn brother, who will one day inherit the Mantong Office, is holding a reopening ceremony for his sect. Of course I should attend.”
Moyong Gang and Namgung Taeha reacted at the same time.
“Bullshit...”
“That’s the most ridiculous thing I’ve ever heard.”
...By this point, Hong Mungi was beginning to wonder if he was dreaming.
Where was this? Who was he?
And what exactly were these great figures talking about?
Feeling as though someone might be split into thirds if this continued, he tried to say something.
“Ha! This is why people say old men ought to die. You say ‘bullshit’ and ‘ridiculous’ to the Martial Alliance’s Chief Strategist? Perhaps you need to be dragged to the Inspectorate and learn how foul Golden Prison food tastes before you spit out the filthy rag in your mouth.”
“Try it if you can. Though there won’t be an organization called the Inspectorate in the Martial Alliance afterward.”
“Hmph! The Mantong Office lost its power long ago, yet you’re still trapped in your delusions. Tsk, tsk.”
Even Namgung Taeha, who had seemed comparatively refined, sharpened his words. Hong Mungi wanted to run out of Taeul Hall immediately.
[For my disciples, for the Taeul Sect.]
He had certainly been prepared to risk his life for those precious to him.
“...”
But at this moment, he honestly wanted to bring the person at the center of their argument here and run away.
“Frankly, it should be enough that the Alliance Leader is attending. Why would someone like the Chief Strategist attend?”
“Someone like the Chief Strategist?”
“Ah, my apologies. I meant to say ‘hanger-on.’”
Rumble, rumble, rumble.
Three elderly men were merely having a conversation, so why was the entire newly built Taeul Hall shaking?
Creak, creak, creak.
As Hong Mungi watched the joints in the roof tremble, he thought,
‘Will I... make it out without getting hurt?’
The people before him would not suffer so much as a scratch even if Taeul Hall collapsed entirely.
As he began worrying about how much it would cost to rebuild the Taeul Sect and where he would stay until then, a savior finally appeared.
“Hoho, it seems everyone is pleased to meet again after so long.”
One of the Absolute Ten Venerables.
The Martial Alliance Leader.
Hyeok Mugang.
The arrival of someone who could put an end to this dispute brought a brief lull.
But...
“If Sect Leader Hong permits it, I would like to teach Sowoon as well.”
The very man Hong Mungi had counted on dealt him a blow. His words sounded the opening signal for war once more.
“What kind of bullshit is that?!”
“Mugang, have you even considered the chaos that would follow if you chose a successor now before you start flapping that snou... no, your mouth?”
“You’re the ones talking so much nonsense that even the Alliance Leader is acting like that!”
The war of a four-sided relationship centered on Jin Sowoon had begun in earnest.
Hong Mungi tightly shut his trembling eyes and thought of Jin Sowoon.
‘Save me, you bastard!’
#
Huangfeng, Jiangxi Province.
Located across Poyang Lake from Nanchang, Huangfeng was a city that anyone traveling toward Zhejiang Province or Fujian Province had to pass through.
Where people and goods gathered, cities naturally grew. And in those larger cities, powerful sects naturally rose.
The Four Heavy Sect of Huangfeng was one such sect.
Among countless competing factions, the Four Heavy Sect stood tall, wielding enough power and influence to occupy the sixty-seventh peak of the One Hundred Eight Peaks.
The Four Heavy Sect had steadily expanded its influence over two hundred years.
It had five hundred disciples, with one hundred of them recognized as master martial artists.
It was the ruler of the Huangfeng region.
Hwa Jeongsan was walking toward the Four Heavy Sect when he folded the letter and spoke.
“This is surprising. The Four Heavy Sect obtained the Blood Cult’s martial art?”
Ilmyeong shook his head with a grave expression.
“Excessive greed has brought disaster upon them.”
“Everyone who went to Sichuan must have seen at least a glimpse of the Blood Cult’s martial art. How could they still seek to obtain it? Isn’t this crackdown a little excessive?”
The Blood Cult’s main headquarters had been the site of horrific experiments and countless attempts.
Most White Path martial artists who witnessed those scenes must have been terrified by the Blood Cult’s cruelty and endless greed.
At the same time, they must have understood that the Blood Cult was something they could never coexist with.
“They went one step further.”
Yet as was always the case in this world, there were people who saw the same thing and came away with different thoughts.
The yearning to possess that powerful, overwhelming strength.
The desire to rise even higher.
The arrogance of believing they would be different.
All of it had created this situation.
“If not for the Black Path protesters in Nanchang, we would never have thought to investigate the Four Heavy Sect.”
Enforcement Hall members had noticed something strange when they saw the corpses of dead Black Path martial artists rotting black. They investigated the Four Heavy Sect, and the sect’s crimes came to the Martial Alliance’s attention.
“It’s truly absurd. The Martial Alliance’s main enemy ended up revealing the enemy within.”
Wasn’t the world always like that?
If you wore new clothes, it rained. If you brought an umbrella, the sun came out. And when Black Path martial artists died, forbidden arts sometimes came to light.
Ilmyeong continued.
“This is a warning. A warning that tells the Martial Alliance what line it must never cross.”
“But isn’t the timing all wrong for that? Right next door in Anhui Province, the Taeul Sect’s name is resounding.”
“That is why this is a good time.”
“...To put everyone on alert.”
The higher one rose, the more one realized that the power that moved the world was not limited to martial strength alone.
Even the seemingly obvious subjugation of the Four Heavy Sect involved countless political interests.
“By the way, will we really be enough?”
Hwa Jeongsan did not think it was impossible.
Yong Soa of Wudang Sect.
Ilmyeong of Shaolin Sect.
Jang Taeha of the Jongnam Sect.
Hwangbo Yeon of the Hwangbo Clan.
And himself.
The Four Heavy Sect might be formidable, but it had no one capable of dealing with such an uneven force.
He was only concerned about the injuries and hardship that would come during the subjugation.
“This is the sort of thing the Alliance should handle.”
“The Inspectorate has stationed martial artists throughout the area. They will uproot every last trace and ensure no future trouble remains.”
“That’s exactly why I’m saying it will be difficult.”
Ever since he took up a sword, he had overcome the guilt and fear that came with killing people. That did not mean killing countless people sat easily with him.
Still, whenever a forbidden art designated by the Martial Alliance appeared in the martial world, it led to disaster. He could not simply look away.
There were plenty of familiar stories, after all.
A boy watches his clan be exterminated from beneath a stove, survives with a martial art, and takes revenge on the entire martial world.
In novels, that martial art is a secret art of the righteous path. In reality, it is a forbidden art.
In novels, the protagonist awakened and eventually became the Martial Alliance Leader. In reality, they became Mad Demons, Killing Demons, or Lust Demons, created countless innocent victims, and were eventually subjugated.
Hwa Jeongsan shook his head. The longer he dwelled on it, the more muddled his thoughts became.
“Whew... By the way, I heard the Taeul Sect plans to hold an Infinite Martial Contest. Did you hear?”
To take his mind off things, Hwa Jeongsan brought up the topic that had recently stirred the martial world.
“I think it is a proud and admirable response. Amitabha.”
Unlike Ilmyeong, who answered calmly, Hwa Jeongsan clicked his tongue.
“Tsk, it’s recklessness. How many people in the Taeul Sect could even be called masters right now? And considering they cannot kill their opponents, it is practically harder than us handling the Four Heavy Sect.”
“It is likely meant to show their resolve. In the martial world, those who always retreat are often the ones who suffer.”
“Hmm, is that so?”
As they spoke about the Taeul Sect, the two reached the Four Heavy Sect.
Jang Taeha and Hwangbo Yeon had already arrived nearby.
But...
“What? Has Yong Soa not arrived yet?”
Yong Soa had never once been late for an appointed time.
It was strange that someone like him was nowhere to be seen.
Hwa Jeongsan tilted his head.
“...”
“...”
Jang Taeha and Hwangbo Yeon, who had arrived first, only pressed their lips together tightly.
“No, what happened? We said we would move together.”
“...He arrived.”
Jang Taeha’s lips barely moved, as though even answering was difficult.
“And he went in first.”
“What?”
What was that supposed to mean? He went in first?
It was not as though they had come as guests.
Come to think of it, the surroundings were strangely quiet.
And the Four Heavy Sect’s gate stood slightly open.
“...”
Hwa Jeongsan slowly pushed the gate open.
Then...
“...!”
The thick stench of blood filled his nose.
Corpses lay everywhere, starting from the entrance and covering the entire Grand Training Ground.
The buildings, halls, and rooftops were all filled with bodies, no matter where he looked.
Red blood flowed across the ground, while those who had tried to escape over the walls hung dead in the very positions they had taken.
Mountain of corpses and sea of blood.
There was no other way to describe it.
The world had yet to create words that could express such a horrific hellscape.
And at its center...
“You’re late.”
Yong Soa stood like a painting beneath the pale moonlight, dressed in a spotless white robe.
“...”
At that chilling, horrifying contrast, Hwa Jeongsan’s body trembled without his realizing it.
Yet the alien being who had created that dreadful imbalance asked in his usual emotionless tone.
“What did you say Jin Sowoon was going to do?”
“...”
Hwa Jeongsan felt a fear whose source he could not understand.
Footnotes:
Join our discord at https://dsc.gg/wetried