WeTried Translations
Translator/Editor: Chen
Discord: https://dsc.gg/wetried
◈ The Martial Genius who Remembers Everything ◈
Chapter 442: The Aftermath of the Typhoon (2)
──────
Two days before leaving for the Martial Alliance.
I visited Taeul Hall at the Sect Leader's summons.
Though the Taeul Sect had clearly experienced a joyous occasion, the Sect Leader's eyes were sunken, and he looked far thinner than before the reopening.
'Being a sect leader really isn't a job just anyone can do.'
While every disciple of the Taeul Sect dreamed of a glorious future and imagined a path paved with silk, he alone bore a heavy burden.
I knew what the future held, so naturally, I couldn't simply rejoice at every happy occasion.
Yet even though the Sect Leader could have celebrated alongside his disciples, he bore it gravely, conscious of his responsibilities and duties as leader. He looked like a true leader.
“Sowoon, there is something I wish to ask you.”
The Sect Leader carried an enormous burden.
I could hear its weight in his voice as well.
“Did you perhaps say something before the Alliance Leader and the Chief Strategist?”
Huh? What kind of vague question was that?
I tilted my head.
It felt as though he had removed all the important parts, tossed me only a piece of the shell, and expected me to guess what it was.
“What do you mean?”
“That... something very important, something that might place a great responsibility upon you. Ahem... something like that.”
I searched my memories, but I had never said I would take on a great responsibility in front of them.
Besides, the Taeul Sect had little presence even within the Martial Alliance.
What could an ordinary disciple, not even the leader of his sect, possibly say that would lead to such a great responsibility?
“I don't remember saying anything like that.”
“...Is that so.”
The Sect Leader let out a long sigh, as though he had aged several years in that instant.
“Is something troubling you?”
“...No. I was just wondering why things have developed this way... No! Forget you heard anything.”
Like someone carrying a huge problem he couldn't discuss with anyone, the Sect Leader fretted for a while before taking out a long box.
“Open it.”
Inside was a long sword tightly wrapped in cloth.
The moment I saw it, I knew.
“It is the Iron Sword Sect's Ninefold Sword.”
“Yes.”
“...”
Silence filled the room.
The Iron Sword Sect had been the Taeul Sect's enemy for many years.
They had tried to humiliate us, guests at their sixtieth birthday celebration, only to lose the Ghost Sword Immortal Elder's sacred relic, the Ninefold Sword.
This sword was proof that the Taeul Sect had washed away the years of humiliation it had suffered at the Iron Sword Sect's hands.
And the Sect Leader intended to return that proof to them.
“To be honest, I don't want to give it back.”
I had grown close to Seong Moran at the Academy, and the Taeul Sect and Iron Sword Sect now maintained occasional contact.
But that was only in this life.
In my previous life, the Iron Sword Sect had been a hateful enemy that tormented the Taeul Sect until its destruction.
“Our relationship with the Iron Sword Sect won't worsen just because we don't return this.”
The Taeul Sect was no longer the Taeul Sect of my previous life.
Its scale was still nowhere near that of the Iron Sword Sect, but even if they still held grudges against each other, the Taeul Sect would no longer suffer one-sided oppression as it had before.
“I know.”
The Ninefold Sword was a symbol.
A symbol that the Taeul Sect would never be weaker than the Iron Sword Sect, whatever the circumstances.
“Then may I ask why?”
I asked despite my rudeness.
I had no choice. I knew the power symbols held in the martial world...
“Because the Taeul Sect is no longer a sect that clings to symbols.”
“...!”
When I looked up again, the Sect Leader's face had returned to that of the fighter I had seen before.
“One that tramples others, proves its strength, flaunts its victories, and hides its defeats.”
He paused, then added quietly.
“The Taeul Sect is not such a place, is it?”
“...”
I had thought the Sect Leader had changed.
That he had become strong and resolute, unlike his seemingly weak past self.
Seeing him now, I had believed he had spent his former life lying.
After gaining power, he had never once yielded.
But that was not true.
Nothing had changed.
There had been no falsehood in his previous life, either.
He had always been someone with a heart firmer than anyone else's, someone broad enough to embrace others more generously than anyone else.
To him, a symbol of victory meant nothing.
“There is also a more important reason.”
“What is it?”
“There is no room in the warehouse.”
The Sect Leader held back a smile as he made the joke.
The moment I saw his face, I couldn't help laughing with him.
His outward appearance had changed enough that he seemed like another person, but he was still himself.
“Then I suppose we have no choice but to return it.”
“Tch. What a boring fellow.”
The Sect Leader pouted as though he were sulking, then composed himself again.
“During the period of closing one’s gates, the Iron Sword Sect helped the Taeul Sect without conditions. They also gave us enough time to prepare. I believe that alone is enough.”
“Have you forgiven them for everything?”
“I forgave them long ago. I simply remember.”
“...”
Forgive, but remember...
“And does our sect not have a disciple who never forgets anything?”
The Sect Leader gazed directly at me with satisfied eyes.
“So why would we need an old sword like this?”
I found myself nodding at the words “an old sword like this.”
“Understood. I will return the sword.”
#
The Iron Sword Sect had once been Hefei's dominant force and had risen as a power in Anhui Province.
The area around the Iron Sword Sect, once crowded with visitors all year round, now felt desolate.
There had once been so many people waiting to enter the Iron Sword Sect that shops lined the road, but every one of them was now closed.
Looking at the area, as empty as a village haunted by ghosts, made me realize just how far the Iron Sword Sect had declined.
The ruthlessness of the martial world always sent chills down my spine.
When I stood before the main gate, the martial artist on watch recognized me and froze.
“Jin Sowoon...”
I understood the awkward emotion in his reaction, neither hostile nor friendly.
“I came to deliver something sent by the Taeul Sect Leader. May I meet the person in charge?”
“The person in charge?”
Even if I had brought their sect's sacred relic, demanding to see the Sect Leader immediately would have been presumptuous, so I made my request politely.
“Please wait a moment.”
The martial artist went inside after saying that.
I waited in the training grounds when voices began to rise around me.
“...Is that Jin Sowoon?”
“Why is the Black Flame Dragon here?”
“Could he be here to take revenge for what happened before?”
The people began to stir.
'That isn't why I'm here.'
I had become quite close to Seong Moran, and the Taeul Sect's conflict with the Iron Sword Sect had largely ended after Sect Leader Seong Cheonwol's apology.
Still, the Iron Sword Sect's martial artists didn't let down their guard around me, like puppies with their fur standing on end.
'I should give them the sword and leave quickly.'
As I waited for the person in charge, worried that further misunderstandings might pile up, the martial artist who had run inside came rushing back with someone beside him.
'No...'
It was Seong Jutak, the Young Sect Leader.
'I'm just here to return something!'
Whether he knew how I felt or not, Seong Jutak approached so quickly that the martial artist who had gone to fetch him fell behind.
“W-welcome. Jin So... Young Master. Have you been well?”
His greeting and awkward smile made me feel even more uncomfortable.
“Yes. I've been well, thanks to you. You didn't need to come out personally...”
“No, I did. Of course I had to come when I heard you were here.”
“Th-thank you.”
Seong Jutak welcomed me as though I were a son he had lost long ago, and it was unbearably awkward.
“Oh, no! Come, come. Let us go see the Sect Leader.”
“The Sect Leader?”
“Yes. I already sent word that you have arrived.”
No, I was just here to return something.
“Young Sect Leader, um...”
At that moment, someone began running toward us from behind a building, kicking up clouds of dust.
Seong Jutak glanced at me, frowned, and shouted.
“Who is it? Who is causing such a disturbance before a guest...”
His words didn't continue for long.
“Young Master Jin! You came! Hahaha!”
The one racing over in a cloud of dust was none other than Sect Leader Seong Cheonwol.
#
“This was sent by the Taeul Sect Leader.”
I immediately opened the box.
Inside lay the Ninefold Sword I had taken from Seong Mohyeon during our martial contest.
“...”
“...”
Despite the return of their sect's sacred relic, both men wore worried expressions.
Having roughly guessed why, I conveyed the Sect Leader's intentions.
“The Sect Leader wished to express gratitude for everything that has happened, but there had been no suitable opportunity. He said that by returning the object that was practically the only symbol of conflict between us, we should put the feelings of the past behind us.”
Seong Jutak blinked rapidly, while Sect Leader Seong Cheonwol closed his eyes and fell into thought for a long time.
“Truly...”
Only a few years had passed since the Demon Spirit Plateau, yet he was already as pale as a candle that had burned down to its wick.
“He is a man of great breadth and generosity. What shameful things have we done all this time...”
His shoulders slumped as if every bit of strength had left his body.
Then he carefully bowed his head.
“I am ashamed and sorry. When I think of all the things the Iron Sword Sect has done... I am ashamed even to say that I am sorry.”
A sect leader was bowing to an ordinary disciple.
I hurriedly replied.
“Isn't it fortunate that we understand each other's positions now?”
Seong Cheonwol's eyes shook with complicated emotions.
“...I heard you have been taking good care of Moran.”
It seemed strange to him that I traveled with his granddaughter.
“She is my precious companion.”
“...So character is passed down as well.”
“...?”
Seong Cheonwol repeated those incomprehensible words, then carefully added.
“Can you forgive Mohyeon for what he did as well?”
My body stiffened at the name that left his mouth.
Could it be...
“Is he still confined in the Golden Prison?”
“Of course. Even if the Taeul Sect was our sworn enemy, claiming that you had learned a forbidden art wasn't something he could say carelessly.”
“...”
It felt as though something heavy had settled in my chest.
Seong Mohyeon hadn't been entirely wrong. And he had been confined in the Golden Prison all this time.
“I have forgiven him. Please let him return home now.”
Seong Cheonwol firmly shook his head.
“No. Your forgiveness and that child's punishment are different matters. He must pay for his crimes longer.”
“...Isn't it time for us to move forward together? They say a person's sins are not atoned for through punishment, but by correcting their actions.”
Seong Cheonwol's eyes shook violently at my words.
“Is that truly... what you believe?”
“...Yes. If he makes the same mistakes again, wouldn't it be for the two of you to correct him? Making an example of someone is important, but repentance, becoming a new person, and contributing to the martial world are important matters as well...”
Drip. Drip.
Seong Jutak suddenly began to cry.
Before I could even figure out what to do, Seong Cheonwol looked up at the ceiling and muttered.
“What an extraordinary man. Before you found your secret legacy and now... There was a reason we were never your equal.”
Seong Cheonwol abruptly rose from his seat.
“Come. If you are going to forgive him, then forgive him yourself.”
“No, I...”
“Shouldn't that child know exactly who has forgiven him?”
I screamed inwardly.
'No! I said no! This is uncomfortable!'
With Seong Cheonwol all but forcing us along, the three of us headed for the Golden Prison.
Inside the Golden Prison was Seong Mohyeon, his hair and beard grown long, dressed in tattered old clothes, his eyes gleaming.
When he spotted his father and grandfather, he shook the iron bars like a beast.
“Grandfather! Father! I did nothing wrong... You, you!”
Then he saw me, and his expression changed completely.
“H-how dare you come here! Grandfather! Father! Get that bastard at once!”
Seong Cheonwol clicked his tongue.
His voice carried disappointment, and an even deeper despair.
“As you can see, he is in this state. Do you truly think this can be resolved?”
“...”
I looked down at the man drooling on himself for a moment.
His eyes, stained with evil, glared back at me.
“Could you give me some time? I will try to reason with him.”
Seong Cheonwol looked at me with half concern and half curiosity.
“Will you truly do that?”
“Yes. Leave it to me.”
“Very well. I will trust you with it.”
Once Seong Cheonwol and Seong Jutak left the Golden Prison and we were alone, Seong Mohyeon gnashed his teeth and screamed.
“The day I leave this place! I'll make sure you...!”
Click.
When I sent out a finger wind and broke the lock, Seong Mohyeon stopped speaking.
Then I casually entered the Golden Prison.
“W-what?”
“What are you going to do?”
“Huh?”
His eyes widened in shock.
I kicked him in the head.
“You said that when you got out, you would definitely do this and that, so I came in. What are you going to do now?”
“Grr!”
“Do you have a restriction too?”
After I struck several of his acupoints and removed even the restriction, his ragged clothes swelled dramatically.
“You bastard! I will definitely kill you for learning a forbidden art...!”
The moment his strength returned, Seong Mohyeon rolled back his eyes and rushed at me with Bow-Arrow Flickering Shadow.
I was quite pleased by that.
“You won't be talking about forbidden arts anymore.”
“Die!”
“Because I will educate you properly.”
#
I left the Golden Prison with Seong Mohyeon, who had become a proper person.
“...?!”
“...?!”
Seong Cheonwol and Seong Jutak stared back and forth between Seong Mohyeon and me, their faces blank with shock.
I smiled faintly and clasped my hands in greeting.
“After speaking openly with each other, we came to ‘understand’ one another.”
“I-is that true?”
Seong Cheonwol looked back and forth between Seong Mohyeon and me again with disbelief in his eyes.
I immediately poked Seong Mohyeon's side.
“Eek! N-no! Jin Sowoon... no, Young Master Jin has not learned a forbidden art! It's true! Young Master Jin has nothing to do with forbidden arts, and the Taeul Sect has nothing to do with forbidden arts either! It was entirely my misunderstanding and my fault! Young Master Jin truly has not learned a forbidden art!”
“...”
It was a little awkward, but I thought we had communicated well enough.
It had been a very productive conversation. Yes, it certainly had.
“We agreed to continue meeting from time to time and discuss what lies ahead.”
When I put an arm around Seong Mohyeon's shoulders with a satisfied expression, his body flinched.
“Eek!”
“Eek?”
“N-no. With Young Master Jin, who has not learned a forbidden art, yes. Um, we will meet often. Eek, yes. Hic! That is what we agreed.”
“T-that is good...”
The process aside, wasn't it fortunate that everyone had reached a happy ending?
Seong Cheonwol, his face flushed with excitement, said he would hold a banquet. I told him that I had to leave for the Martial Alliance the next day and asked for his understanding before returning to the Taeul Sect.
The afternoon sun was beginning to set over Hefei as night approached.
Looking at that scenery, a strange feeling rose in my chest.
Nothing about Hefei itself had changed, but the positions of the Iron Sword Sect and Taeul Sect had reversed.
People's perceptions had changed, and the future ahead would change as well.
The greatest change of all was this.
Yong Soa had visited the Taeul Sect twice.
'What did it mean?'
Do not interfere with my business.
This time, I will eliminate you.
Taken at face value, they sounded like the words of a mindless fool, but I couldn't simply dismiss them because of the Void-Destroying Fist.
The primary reason the Void-Destroying Fist was used like a concealed weapon was not its destructive power, but its secrecy and unpredictability.
Yet he had prepared for the Void-Destroying Fist, something difficult to block even for those familiar with it, as though he already knew it was coming.
That clear, natural movement threw my thoughts into chaos.
The Void-Destroying Fist and his words.
As everything whirled through my mind in confusion.
“Huh?”
An utterly unexpected person appeared before me.
“Young Master Jin...”
My body froze for a moment.
“No, what brings you here...?”
What shocked me more than the unexpected visitor was...
“Why do you look like that...?”
His wretched appearance.
There were signs that he had spent several nights sleeping outdoors, and he looked exhausted from the unfamiliar hardship of life on the road.
'No money? That can't be it!'
Since his sect began researching the Boundless Indestructible Soul-Destroying Formation, it had wielded greater influence than the Jegal Clan in arcane formations.
I had heard that it now dispatched more spirit practitioners than even the Jegal Clan.
There was no way it lacked money...
“Please help me, Young Master Jin!”
“What is the matter?”
“My sect... my sect is on the verge of destruction.”
“What kind of nonsense is that...?”
The Mount Mao Sect had to exist during the Orthodox-Demonic War.
Its importance was no less than that of the Hyeongsan Sect or the Jegal Clan.
Yet his sect was on the verge of destruction.
“Have you informed the Martial Alliance? How can the Mount Mao Sect be on the verge of destruction?”
At my sharp questioning, the shoulders of the man barely clinging to my arm began to tremble.
At last, a voice thick with tears came out.
“The one responsible... is the Martial Alliance.”
“...!”
Yu Jiryang of the Mount Mao Sect clung to me as I stood frozen and burst into tears.
Footnotes:
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