WeTried Translations
Translator/Editor: Chen
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◈ The Martial Genius who Remembers Everything ◈
Chapter 54: The First-Rate Martial Artist Who Amazed the Divine Sword (2)
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I decided to travel with the Namgung Clan martial artists.
I had originally planned to visit the Namgung Clan before returning to Taeul Sect, but Namgung San refused to back down.
“You must come with us. Grandfather was furious that we let you go so easily.”
So, in the end, I agreed to accompany them.
“It'll be hard to see you for a while.”
At the moment of parting, Moyong Sangwon let out a heavy sigh.
“I'll visit the Moyong Clan when I have time.”
Though I tried to reassure him, Moyong Sangwon shook his head.
“No. How can I keep telling a busy man to come and go? I'll visit Taeul Sect myself.”
“...Uh, I'll probably be away from Taeul Sect often because of various matters.”
“Is that so? Even better.”
“Pardon?”
I had no idea what he meant, but Moyong Sangwon suddenly asked another question.
“Ah, right! Is there a type of woman you dislike?”
I tilted my head at the unexpected question.
“Well, I've never dated anyone.”
Sadly, I had never been in a relationship in either this life or my previous one.
A sudden wave of self-contempt washed over me. What was I doing with my life?
“I-Is that so? Then would you be uncomfortable with a woman much stronger than you?”
There was no woman my age stronger than me now.
Moyong Sangwon's question, asked without knowing the extent of my martial prowess, only made me smile bitterly.
“More than that, I think a kind heart is what matters most.”
“Ho ho! Then there's nothing to worry about.”
“...?”
I couldn't understand what he was saying, but Moyong Sangwon nodded with satisfaction. Leaving him behind, we headed toward Anhui Province once more.
Traveling with the Namgung Clan martial artists was incomparably comfortable.
For one thing, no one dared block our path.
A hundred riders traveled together, with a standard-bearer at the front holding the Namgung Clan flag high.
Mountain strongholds notorious for demanding exorbitant tolls vanished without even showing their faces.
In medium and large cities, the Namgung Clan operated merchant groups or teahouses, so there was no need to find lodging separately.
If there was nothing nearby, the Namgung Clan advance party rode ahead and rented out an entire inn.
Moreover, every room assigned to me was on the same level as Namgung San's and Namgung Seonhwa's.
It was the most comfortable journey I had ever experienced, across both my lives.
One day before arriving at the Namgung Clan, we came before Goueom Mountain, the final mountain pass we had to cross. Namgung Seonhwa rode closer.
“Do you really not mind if a woman is stronger than a man?”
After traveling and eating together throughout the long journey, most of the formality between Namgung San, Namgung Seonhwa, and me had faded.
“What are you talking about?”
“...Well, you know. What you said to the Young Clan Head at Cheongmyeong Escort Agency...”
“Ah...”
In my previous life, most female martial artists had been stronger than me.
For one, Hong Saryeon had attained a higher level of martial arts than I had. Moyong Seol, whom I would meet later, had been so far above me that the gap was almost impossible to measure.
“What does it matter who's stronger and who's weaker when a man and woman love each other?”
“Still... men don't really like women who are stronger than them.”
“Wouldn't that be even better? There'd be nothing to worry about wherever I went. If she stepped forward to protect me, I think that would be better still.”
“Hm...”
Namgung Seonhwa made a strange sound and nodded.
“But is it true that you've never dated a woman?”
There had been a slightly awkward incident at Cheongmyeong Escort Agency, but after we became closer, Namgung Seonhwa seemed to have forgotten it and treated me warmly.
I had never found it easy to deal with women, but she always asked questions and started conversations, so I didn't feel too burdened.
There was one uncomfortable part, though. Namgung Seonhwa was so beautiful that whenever she spoke with me, I could hear passing martial artists and travelers muttering insults.
“Hah! Looks like that bastard has a fox tail attached to him.”
“He must be rich.”
“Seeing how the Namgung Clan's daughter follows him around, his family must be impressive.”
I couldn't say anything since they were speaking among themselves. Besides, I had been just as jealous as them in my previous life, so I didn't feel much anger toward them.
“I grew up in Taeul Sect all my life. How could I have met anyone? And if I said I was from Taeul Sect, any woman interested in me would probably run away.”
“Were any women interested in you?”
“...”
For some reason, I felt as though I was being interrogated.
“I don't think there were.”
“...'You don't think?' Didn't you say you never forget anything once you remember it?”
I didn't know why I had to keep answering her questions, or why I kept doing so, but I certainly felt more at ease with her than when we had first met at Demon Spirit Plateau.
‘What should I do...?’
I looked at Namgung Seonhwa with conflicted eyes.
I had saved her at Demon Spirit Plateau, but her life was still in danger.
The Namgung Clan would face a great war after losing Namgung Seonhwa.
They would destroy the sects involved with the Mita Sacred Water, and the clan would be greatly shaken in the process.
Amid that chaos, the Namgung Clan's collateral branch would attack Namgung San.
Namgung San's skill was exceptional enough that he would not die, but he would suffer deep internal injuries in the process and become unable to properly use his internal energy for the rest of his life.
The Namgung Clan's collateral branch intended to use that as a pretext to isolate the direct line and seize control of the entire Namgung Clan.
Although all external affairs had long been entrusted to the collateral branch, they believed the direct family had taken all the rights for themselves.
Yet there was one thing they had not expected.
The Divine Sword would eventually draw his sword.
They relied on the fact that they, too, were members of the Namgung Clan.
They foolishly believed the Divine Sword would never personally kill his own blood relatives and drag both the clan's honor and his own through the mud.
But when the truth was uncovered by chance and the culprits identified, the Divine Sword finally drew his sword and slaughtered every member of the collateral branch who bore the surname Namgung.
The Namgung Clan's power declined sharply because of that incident. In the end, it could not withstand the Demonic Cult's military might and was destroyed.
The collateral branch's scheme had not even begun yet. To signal the start of their plan, they would surely target someone from the direct line.
‘If they're going to target someone, it'll be Namgung Seonhwa instead of Namgung San.’
Though family matters kept Namgung San from being active, he belonged to the Dragon-Phoenix Association, which accepted only Martial Arts Academy graduates with the finest records.
Targeting someone who had already surpassed the first-rate realm and was nearing the peak realm would burden even the Namgung Clan's collateral branch.
In the end, Namgung Seonhwa would surely be their target.
It pained me that I knew this but couldn't tell her.
“Why can't you answer? Do you remember but refuse to say it?”
“Miss Seonhwa.”
“Yes?”
“We're about to enter Goueom Mountain. We need to stop talking for a while.”
A smile spread across Namgung Seonhwa's lips.
“You're good at getting out of things. What mountain stronghold would dare attack after seeing the Namgung Clan flag?”
Despite her confidence, my energy sense detected people hiding within Goueom Mountain.
‘About five hundred?’
I couldn't sense every one of them precisely, but around that many people were concealing their presence as much as possible.
Their behavior differed greatly from what I had sensed when we crossed other mountains.
Before, they had watched us from as far away as possible to conceal themselves.
Now, they were like tigers crouching in wait for their prey.
Once we properly entered Goueom Mountain, the broad road gradually began to narrow.
When I looked behind me, the Namgung Clan martial artists had relaxed and were talking among themselves.
‘They haven't noticed yet.’
I was considering what I could do to raise their guard when, fortunately, Namgung San seemed to notice something. He raised his clenched fist.
“Stop.”
Neigh!
The horses whinnied as they abruptly halted.
“Stay alert. Someone is watching us.”
The instant Namgung San finished speaking, the Namgung Clan martial artists began to radiate fighting spirit.
They truly were martial artists of a renowned clan.
“Move slowly.”
The horses began moving again. The path grew narrower until only two horses could barely pass side by side.
Then a massive boulder appeared, blocking the road completely.
“Draw your swords!”
Shing, shing, shing, shing, shing!
At Namgung San's shout, the Namgung Clan martial artists drew their swords in unison.
They also knew there was something suspicious about the boulder ahead.
A brief silence followed.
Then came the sound of bowstrings being drawn.
I shouted at once.
“Arrows!”
Swoosh, swoosh, swoosh!
Before my words had even finished, arrows began pouring down from the cliffs like rain.
“Argh!”
“Urgh!”
Martial artists struck by arrows without warning tumbled down the far side of the road.
The others had no time to rescue them. They abandoned their horses and scrambled behind cover or desperately deflected the incoming arrows.
Rumble! Crash! Crash!
Behind us, a landslide thundered down and a huge mass of rocks blocked our escape route.
The enemies standing atop the cliffs fired arrows madly while keeping behind cover, making it difficult to scale the cliffs as well.
“Damn it! Abandon all the horses!”
Most of the horses had already been struck by arrows and were dying.
The Namgung Clan martial artists pushed the horses down the slope and barely managed to clear some space.
Namgung San tried to break through the rain of arrows and climb the cliff, but it was far from easy.
I quickly spoke to him.
“Senior. Please buy me a little time. I'll go up.”
“You?”
“Yes. I have a way.”
“...Very well.”
Namgung San sheathed his sword and gathered internal energy into both hands.
“Raaah!”
Then he unleashed the Heavenly Wind Palm Force.
Boom, boom, boom, boom!
The air exploded as part of the cliff collapsed, and the attackers who had been firing arrows from that section began to fall.
Whoosh!
Taking advantage of the opening, I drove the Flying Dragon Claw into a crevice in the cliff, kicked off the wall, and leaped onto the top in a single bound.
“U-Up there!”
Startled by my sudden appearance, several archers fired arrows at me. But they couldn't hit me as I retrieved the Flying Dragon Claw, launched it again, and landed on the ground.
“Argh!”
The moment I no longer needed to worry about the Namgung Clan seeing me, I scattered the Twin Heavens Sword Art like the ribs of a fan.
“Urgh.”
“Ghk!”
“Puhk!”
Fifteen phantom swords appeared in an instant and claimed the lives of five archers.
Sword-wielding martial artists tried to push past the archers lined up along the cliff, but the tightly packed archers blocked their way.
How many archers could draw their bows when their lives were in immediate danger?
Blood rained over me as I moved freely among the archers.
Once the martial artists began approaching one by one and clashing swords with me, I could roughly gauge their level.
‘Their skills range between second-rate and first-rate. Their martial arts seem to belong to the Black Path. Are the archers retired soldiers?’
There were no major Black Path powers in Anhui Province because the Namgung Clan was already firmly established there.
That meant these people had come from outside the province, yet they had carried out an attack despite knowing they faced the Namgung Clan.
‘Has the collateral branch already begun moving?’
In my previous life, the Changgung Merchant Group had already been active by the time Wang Soso died, Wang Geumsan gave up his salt merchant’s license, and the Changgung Merchant Group acquired the right to it.
If anything, their actions now were late.
“Young Master Sowoon! Are you all right?!”
Once the rain of arrows stopped, Namgung Clan martial artists climbed up the cliff.
“I'm fine. Are the casualties below severe?”
“They are manageable for now. But as soon as the arrows stopped, enemies who had been lying in ambush below the slope began coming up.”
They had blocked us front and back and attacked from both sides.
Even against the martial artists of the great Namgung Clan, five hundred enemies gave the attackers a fighting chance.
“I'll deal with the archers first.”
“Please do.”
The Namgung Clan martial artists didn't seem to expect much from me. They readily left it to me and went to confront the sword-wielding enemies.
I moved along the edge of the cliff, dealing with the archers. I also fired the Flying Dragon Claw at those climbing up the cliff and pulled them up.
“Thank you, Young Master!”
There was no time to ask how such immense strength could be contained in such a thin wire.
Once enough people gathered, they immediately formed the Firmament Sword Formation.
“Activate the formation!”
Once the Firmament Sword Formation formed, even the enemies who had appeared to have overwhelming numbers could not easily defeat the Namgung Clan martial artists. Instead, they risked becoming wandering ghosts beneath the formation's sharp swords.
After quickly dealing with the archers hanging from the cliff, I immediately looked below.
If I were part of the Namgung Clan's collateral branch and had prepared this attack, I would surely want to kill either Namgung San or Namgung Seonhwa.
As expected, the attackers were risking their lives to prevent Namgung San and Namgung Seonhwa from joining the sword formation.
While the Namgung Clan martial artists maintained a somewhat stable formation, the two of them were in grave danger.
Around Namgung San, the attackers who approached had piled up in layers of corpses.
Namgung Seonhwa, on the other hand, continued to accumulate wounds.
I immediately threw myself from the cliff and fired the Flying Dragon Claw.
Using the recoil from the Flying Dragon Claw, which had lodged lightly in a tree, I changed direction. I kicked off the tree, dropped to the ground, and pierced the necks of two attackers who had been about to strike Namgung Seonhwa from behind with my sword, using the Lesser Heaven Sword Art.
“Th-Thank you.”
She noticed the attackers after seeing the blood splattered across her face.
“You can thank me later.”
I swiftly unleashed the Lesser Heaven Sword Art.
Swoosh!
Another attacker collapsed.
But we couldn't secure any space. A new attacker immediately filled the gap.
The attackers were concentrating on Namgung San and Namgung Seonhwa.
Furthermore, because the two were gathered in one place, there were far too many enemies for three people to handle.
“Miss, excuse me for a moment.”
“Yes?! What do you mean...?”
I wrapped an arm around Namgung Seonhwa's waist, fired the Flying Dragon Claw, and flew upward on its recoil.
“Kyaaaah!”
I fired the Flying Dragon Claw at a great tree once more and lifted Namgung Seonhwa to the top of the cliff. Then I used sound transmission to speak to Namgung San.
- Senior, can you take cover behind the boulder?
Namgung San seemed too busy fighting to use sound transmission, so he only nodded as he fought.
- I'll give you a signal.
At the same time, I pulled something resembling a silver flower bud from inside my robe.
It was an item Yang Gunbaek, the proprietor of Yueyang's black market outlet, had given me instead of a friendship fee.
‘The ghosts of Sichuan won't stay quiet after this, but I can probably smooth things over if I put the Divine Sword forward.’
The Hundred-Feather Fire Tube.
It was one of the forbidden concealed weapons made by the Sichuan Tang Clan, masters of poisons and hidden weapons.
I didn't know how it had ended up for sale at a black market outlet in Yueyang, but it was the only thing that could save the Namgung Clan martial artists and me now.
Namgung San was being swept away by the tide of people, and his figure was nearly hidden from view.
- Now!
No matter how hard one struck the Hundred-Feather Fire Tube, it would never activate.
But if one used internal energy in a specific way to press the petals around the bud, it would activate from even a small impact.
As Namgung San launched himself behind the boulder at my words, I lightly struck the Hundred-Feather Fire Tube as it flew through the air with the Flying Dragon Claw.
Chrrrr!
The petals surrounding the bud unfolded all at once, and Feather Needles scattered wildly from within.
Swoosh, swoosh, swoosh, swoosh, swoosh, swoosh, swoosh, swoosh, swoosh!
The Feather Needles fell like rain, just as the attackers' arrows had.
Unlike arrows, which could be clearly seen, the concealed Feather Needles were so subtle they were barely visible.
The attackers struck by them began falling like bundles of straw.
“Urgh.”
“Ghk!”
“Huk!”
“S-Save me...”
When nearly fifty people suddenly died without being able to resist, silence swept through the area for a moment.
Then Namgung San leaped out from behind the boulder and roared with a thunderous lion's roar.
“Anyone who wishes to see this through with the elite of the great Namgung Clan, stay where you are! We do not take enemies alive!”
The attackers hesitated, then began jumping down the slope. Those atop the cliff fled backward.
The surviving Namgung Clan martial artists shouted.
“Waaaaah!”
When I descended the cliff with Namgung Seonhwa, who still had not recovered her senses, Namgung San approached us.
His eyes were filled with complicated emotions as he looked at me carrying Namgung Seonhwa.
“Thank you. ...I owe you again.”
“Think nothing of it.”
Namgung San quickly shook his head clear, then looked over the wounded martial artists.
“Still, who could be bold enough to do something like this? Has the entire Green Forest gone mad?”
Namgung San still did not seem to understand.
“From above, I saw that they were particularly determined to stop you and Miss Seonhwa from joining the sword formation.”
“Hmm?”
The two still looked dazed.
“...This is only my thought, but I believe this attack clearly targeted the two of you.”
“!”
“!”
I made the implication clear.
“But something is strange. How could anyone dare consider attacking the Namgung Clan's direct line in Anhui Province? And how did such a large force of five hundred avoid the Namgung Clan's eyes and ears scattered across the entire province?”
“...”
“...”
The two looked at each other, their faces stiffening.
Footnotes:
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