WeTried Translations

Translator/Editor: Chen

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◈ The Martial Genius who Remembers Everything ◈

Chapter 6: The Third-Rate Martial Artist Gathering Elixirs (4)

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After the Gyerong Merchant Group had its Snow Plum Pellet stolen,

every trace of the Soul-Chasing Wanderer vanished as well.

It was hardly surprising for a thief to live under several identities, but one detail was strange. No newly risen expert who appeared to have consumed the Snow Plum Pellet ever emerged.

It was not just any treasure, but an elixir pellet.

Even if someone had managed to sell such a precious elixir pellet for a fortune, no promising expert who had clearly taken the Snow Plum Pellet had appeared.

Both the Snow Plum Pellet and the Soul-Chasing Wanderer had disappeared without a trace.

“That makes no sense.”

As I searched through the mission reports in the archive, two names caught my eye.

Gu Ilmu of the Five Swords of Mount Cang.

Jang Hangi of the Five Swords of Mount Cang.

The Five Swords of Mount Cang had originally traveled together, but they gradually began carrying out missions in groups of three and two. Gu Ilmu and Jang Hangi, the pair, had a far higher mission completion rate than the other three.

“So this was where the tragedy of the Mount Cang Twin Swords began.”

This was the beginning of the incident that would eventually split Mount Cang in two and lead the sect to destroy itself.

‘The person who gave them the mission to come to Hefei was also from Mount Cang. This must have been planned for a very long time.’

Now that I knew what had happened, the question was how to steal the pellet.

Even if I knew the Jegal Three Forms and Mount Cang’s martial arts, I could not face two of the Five Swords of Mount Cang alone.

So I chose traps.

No matter how skilled someone was, it was not easy to move while constantly watching their footing.

“You fool. Did you think we’d fall for that so easily?”

Jang Hangi’s foot rose from the ground.

Grass-Tip Flight, one of the finest movement arts.

With Grass-Tip Flight, it was possible the traps would not activate.

But...

“What martial artist can fight while using Grass-Tip Flight? Have you already earned a place among the Hundred Great Masters Under Heaven?”

I poured internal energy into the Three Talents Sword Art and struck without even using a formal move. Unable to move carelessly, Jang Hangi’s body twisted unnaturally to maintain balance.

“You know who we are.”

“Of course I do.”

“Do you not fear the vengeance of great Mount Cang and the Martial Alliance?”

“You think the Five Swords of Mount Cang can report another thief they met while committing robbery?”

“...”

Gu Ilmu finally smashed the trap and spoke.

“That bastard alone knows where the traps are. Hangi, use palm force and tear up the area.”

“Yes, Senior Brother.”

The two exchanged looks, nodded, and leaped into the air at the same time.

Boom, boom, boom, boom!

Clack. Clack. Clack.

The fierce barrage of Falling Petals Palm tore up the surface of the ground. The traps that had targeted their ankles appeared, broken and exposed.

Leaves and branches tangled everywhere under the palm force, completely changing the appearance of the area.

“Now even that bastard won’t know where the traps are.”

Stepping on broken traps, the two rushed forward, their hands unleashing the Sun-Shooting Sword Art.

I did not dare face the Sun-Shooting Sword Art directly and retreated several steps.

“How...!”

They could not hide their shock when I stepped back several paces without setting off a single trap.

“Only step where that bastard stepped!”

“Yes!”

After throwing the area into chaos, they advanced by stepping only where I had stepped.

They were clever enough to earn a place among the Five Swords of Mount Cang.

“Argh!”

This time, Jang Hangi screamed and forcibly broke the trap that had dug into an ankle.

“Didn’t you consider that the trap might activate one footprint away?”

Even if we stepped in the same places, there was one of me and two of them. Naturally, one of them was bound to step into a trap.

“You bastard! I’ll uncover your identity and tear every one of your relatives to pieces!”

“If you can leave here alive.”

Gu Ilmu began to unleash the Sun-Shooting Sword Art with full force.

It was obvious Gu Ilmu no longer cared what happened to the traps, so I used the Shattering Form at the same time.

Clang, clang, clang, clang, clang!

In an instant, we exchanged six moves.

Gu Ilmu’s face contorted while staring down at the sword.

“What in the...”

The Shattering Form was not simply a defensive move that blocked an opponent’s martial art.

It obstructed the flow of their martial art and twisted their energy, leaving them unable to exert their strength.

Anyone facing the Shattering Form would naturally feel their internal energy being cut off and their body refusing to move as intended.

Normally, Gu Ilmu could have forced a way through with sheer will and internal energy. But with deadly traps hidden somewhere beneath their feet, that was no longer possible.

“Do you have time to stand there in a daze?”

Gu Ilmu was shoved back by the Shattering Form, and the other foot landed on a trap.

“Argh!”

“Senior Brother Gu!”

Jang Hangi rushed in with the Platinum Sword Art. I threw a stone at the trap placed where Jang Hangi’s foot would land, activating it and tangling Jang Hangi’s footing.

“Urgh!”

“You shouldn’t take your eyes off me.”

Then, as though I had been waiting for it, I thrust my sword forward.

The Ascendant Form of the Lesser Heaven Sword Art.

It was inferior to the Sun-Shooting Sword Art, but the speed of the Lesser Heaven Sword Art, the foundation of swift swordsmanship, was not easy to evade in such a panicked situation.

Swoosh.

Thud.

“Ghk.”

Blood burst from Jang Hangi’s mouth. With bloodshot eyes wide open, Jang Hangi collapsed to the ground.

“Hangi!”

Gu Ilmu’s body trembled as though Jang Hangi’s death had come as a great shock.

After a while, Gu Ilmu came to their senses and threw the wooden case and secret manual from their robes onto the ground.

“If you let me go, I’ll forget everything that happened here.”

“Fine. I’ll let you go, then.”

I readily nodded and pretended to pick up the wooden case. Gu Ilmu unleashed the Formless Fist and Seven Severing Hands.

At the same time, my sword cut through the fist and hand patterns as though it had been waiting, leaving a deep wound across Gu Ilmu’s throat.

“H-How...?”

“I got sick of seeing how little you bastards keep your promises in my previous life.”

Gu Ilmu fell onto the cold ground with a look of utter confusion.

“Haah, haah.”

Only after my breathing had barely settled did I stare for a long while at the miserable corpses of Jang Hangi and Gu Ilmu.

“I won...”

It was a horrific scene, people dead before me. I knew I would never forget it once it had entered my eyes, but I did not want to look away.

This was the first time I had seen the chosen die instead of third-rate martial artists like me.

Before dealing with the Snow Plum Pellet or the secret manual, I took my time trying to remember the scene more clearly.

#

“Taeul Sect in Hefei?”

Jegal Somyeong wondered whether such a sect even existed, then soon nodded with an “Ah!”

“Isn’t it one of the One Hundred Eight Peaks?”

“There are many powerful martial sects in Hefei as well. Isn’t it about time to replace one of the peaks?”

A martial sect expanding its influence in Hefei... That was where the Iron Sword Sect was located. Namgung Taewon had recently been backing the Iron Sword Sect, so that must have been why.

Jegal Somyeong quietly studied the elder sitting before them, sipping tea and pretending to be refined.

“Did Taeul Sect commit some wrongdoing?”

By principle, once a sect was named among the One Hundred Eight Peaks, it was not replaced unless it committed a grave offense.

That was the meaning of a blood alliance.

“Wrongdoing... Is it not also a grave offense for a blood ally of the Martial Alliance to stagnate day after day without improving?”

Jegal Somyeong held back a response to Namgung Taewon’s words and merely drank tea.

As an elder of the Martial Alliance, Namgung Taewon held one of the mere thirty seats in its decision-making body, which meant he had formidable backing as well as ability.

Jegal Somyeong would not lose to anyone in martial strength or background, but confronting an elder throwing a tantrum like this required sufficient justification.

After organizing their thoughts, Jegal Somyeong spoke.

“If the One Hundred Eight Peaks are declining, then that too is the Martial Alliance’s fault. Hm, then the Martial Alliance... no, I must be doing something wrong.”

Namgung Taewon’s face tightened slightly.

“That is not what I meant.”

Namgung Taewon revealed their true feelings almost immediately.

Seeing that, Jegal Somyeong could not help but wonder.

‘Why did Taeha give this one an elder’s seat?’

The position should originally have belonged to Namgung Taeha, the head of the Namgung Clan.

Though Namgung Taewon shared the Namgung bloodline, Namgung Taewon was still from a collateral branch and could not have taken such a seat easily.

“I also know that the influence of many of the One Hundred Eight Peaks is gradually declining. But the One Hundred Eight Peaks were not created so the Martial Alliance could rank its members. They were established to preserve the meaning of those who fought together during the most dangerous and difficult days of the past.”

“Urgh...”

Namgung Taewon smacked their lips, seemingly deciding the matter was already settled, then spoke again.

“Still, if the One Hundred Eight Peaks remain in unchanging, stable positions, won’t they grow stagnant and rotten?”

“That is why they are continuously managed, even if not at fixed intervals.”

“Hmm... I understand. Still, I have heard that Taeul Sect is selling its special-admission privileges.”

“...”

It was a problem that had existed for a very long time.

There had been no serious side effects, and the One Hundred Eight Peaks were filled with obligations. Without even benefits like that, it was hard to say what would happen, so it had been left alone.

“Ah, I’m only saying that is what I heard. It’s not as though I wish to put some sect into the One Hundred Eight Peaks.”

“Hm. Are you finished?”

“I heard that the Iron Sword Sect Leader in Hefei is holding a celebration for his sixtieth birthday. Since it is a sixtieth birthday, the sect sent an invitation asking whether the Grand Strategist might attend.”

“Ha. Ha.”

Was the Martial Alliance’s Grand Strategist truly so free?

“Of course, I understand that you are busy. But the Grand Strategist should rest sometimes as well. You’ll fall ill at this rate. Why not visit the Iron Sword Sect while investigating the corruption involving the special-admission privileges I mentioned?”

How much money had the Iron Sword Sect given Namgung Taewon to invite the Martial Alliance’s Grand Strategist?

This must have been Namgung Taewon’s purpose from the start.

There were a hundred reasons Jegal Somyeong could have given to refuse, but they decided against it.

There was no point talking to this fool all day. The one who had put this fool in that position was the one who needed to be dealt with.

“Hm, it’s not a bad idea. So when is the sixtieth birthday?”

#

The Orthodox-Demonic War had been hell itself.

Demonic warriors, each one a monster, and low-ranking martial artists who charged at them and were ground down without end.

There were no contingency plans or strategies.

The Martial Alliance used its absolute influence over the martial world to gather martial artists, then pushed them onto the battlefield.

Low-ranking martial artists, driven to the front with vague hopes of earning merit and rising through the Martial Alliance, watched their swords break helplessly and realized how naive they had been. By then, it was already far too late.

Compensation for the martial artists who had been ground down like that?

There was none.

At least those already registered as members of the Martial Alliance had notices of their deaths sent home.

Even that only happened during the early days of the war.

Countless people had belonged to the Alliance, yet no one ever learned where they had died.

And the Martial Alliance that should have been held responsible had relocated to the Northern Sea.

The Five Swords of Mount Cang would have held ranks around fifth or sixth grade within the Martial Alliance.

Their disappearance would be taken seriously by the Alliance, and Alliance members would be dispatched across Hefei to find their traces.

So I dug a deep hole not far from where the Soul-Chasing Wanderer was buried and placed Gu Ilmu and Jang Hangi inside. Then I threw in an animal I had caught in the mountains and packed the soil down.

At the very least, their corpses would not be discovered because of the smell.

To recover from the exhaustion of fighting the Five Swords of Mount Cang and absorb the Snow Plum Pellet, I rented a room at an inn and stayed there for several days.

Whenever I went down to the dining hall to eat, people were busy discussing the Snow Plum Pellet the Gyerong Merchant Group had lost.

As in the past, the head of the Gyerong Merchant Group and Gye Cheolyeong wailed, while the Mount Hua experts pushed responsibility onto Gye Yeonseok and returned to the Mount Hua Sect.

The fate of the missing Snow Plum Pellet made excellent drinking talk.

Who would not be fascinated by a precious treasure disappearing without an owner, even if they could not possess it themselves?

They simply could not imagine that someone was struggling to absorb that very Snow Plum Pellet upstairs while they drank.

“Phew.”

When I slowly opened my eyes,

deep darkness had settled around me.

My eyes had adjusted to the darkness so well that I could see even the dust piled in a corner of the small room, despite the lack of a single ray of light. As I moved my arms and legs, not even the sound of muscles brushing against one another could be heard.

My stomach felt empty after spending several days in meditation, but I was not hungry.

‘A little over half a gapja[1].’

The internal energy in my dantian had grown from the size of a single finger to the size of two fingers.

It was the amount of internal energy I had accumulated over an entire lifetime in my previous life.

I had gathered it quickly, but every bit of it came from precious spiritual medicines and elixir pellets. Thanks to the pure Taeul Mind Method, much of the impurities in my body had been expelled.

“Ugh. The smell.”

When I scraped my skin with a finger, black grime immediately came away. Startled, I headed straight for the bathhouse.

“You’re awake?”

The young inn attendant who had been guarding the dining hall all night had been nodding off, but quickly came to their senses and shook their head.

“You hadn’t come out for days, so I thought something might have happened.”

I had paid the lodging fee in advance and even given extra compensation so that my absorption of the elixir pellet would not be interrupted. The attendant’s manner could not have been more respectful.

“Is there anything to eat now?”

“We can make wheat noodles and dumplings.”

“I’ll have that.”

A short while later, steaming wheat noodles and dumplings were placed before me.

“Is it normally this empty at this time?”

The dining hall was exceedingly quiet.

“No. Until a few days ago, there were even more people than usual because the Gyerong Merchant Group suddenly canceled its banquet.”

“Ah...”

“You know why, don’t you?”

“I heard they lost something.”

“Yes. Whoever it was, they were incredible. They stole an elixir pellet from such a crowded place without anyone noticing. The Martial Alliance sent investigators, but they said the trail went cold quickly, so they couldn’t find the culprit.”

“Is that so? What a shame.”

“Right? We thought we might win back some of the customers we lost because of that, but now the Iron Sword Sect is holding another banquet.”

“The Iron Sword Sect?”

“Yes. The Iron Sword Sect Leader is celebrating his sixtieth birthday, so they say there will be a feast for seven days and nights along with all sorts of events. Every drinker from the nearby villages is heading to Hefei.”

“Ah, is it already that time?”

“You didn’t know?”

How could I not?

The Iron Sword Sect Leader’s sixtieth birthday celebration.

At that crowded gathering, my father and I had knelt before the Iron Sword Sect Leader and begged forgiveness.

[1] gapja — A sixty-year calendrical cycle, used here as a measure of sixty years’ worth of cultivated internal energy.

Footnotes:

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