WeTried Translations

Translator/Editor: Chen

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◈ The Martial Genius who Remembers Everything ◈

Chapter 7: The Third-Rate Martial Artist Protecting His Sect's Honor

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There was nothing particularly complicated about why the Iron Sword Sect and the Taeul Sect had become enemies.

They had both established themselves in Hefei.

From the Taeul Sect's perspective, that alone was enough to drive anyone mad.

The Taeul Sect was an old institution with nearly five hundred years of history, while the Iron Sword Sect was a fresh sprout that had not even reached a hundred and fifty years.

To the Taeul Sect, they were upstarts whose building pillars had barely dried, yet they strutted about as if they owned the place.

Still, a remarkable figure named Seong Hyeonbaek, the Ghost Sword Immortal Elder, had laid a strong foundation for the Iron Sword Sect a hundred and fifty years ago. Now, the Taeul Sect had been reduced to watching that young upstart sect's every move.

Once you grew large enough, even a hundred-room palace began to feel cramped. The Iron Sword Sect had always wanted to expand its influence, and the Taeul Sect stood in its way.

Holding a position among the One Hundred Eight Peaks meant having the Martial Alliance's backing. No matter how weak the Taeul Sect might be, the Iron Sword Sect could not simply lay hands on it. They had always wanted to push the Taeul Sect aside and take that place for themselves.

"They must have especially hated that they couldn't receive special admission."

The regular entrance examination for the Martial Arts Academy was difficult enough. To an up-and-coming force like the Iron Sword Sect, the benefits of special admission must have seemed like a privilege they could not ignore.

How many of the One Hundred Eight Peaks accepted countless outsiders as lay disciples while the Martial Arts Academy was in session?

Whenever the Taeul Sect, already a thorn in their side, received the benefits of special admission, it was only natural that the Iron Sword Sect would stew over it.

Even so, we attended the Iron Sword Sect Leader's sixtieth birthday banquet at his invitation, and Father knelt.

"But it was strange."

Thinking about it, it was not a major incident.

Hong Saryeon, Gye Cheolyeong, and I attended a tea gathering for people our age that night. The current sect leader's grandson, the Bloody Wolf Iron Sword, suddenly flew into a rage, and we were set to spar the next day.

I knew I would lose, but I was still going to fight to vent my frustration.

When Father found out, he ended the matter by kneeling before everyone at the banquet and apologizing.

"It would've been fine if it had ended with me getting beaten up."

Because of that incident, the Taeul Sect's name was dragged through the mud once more, and the Martial Alliance assigned us a far larger mandatory service quota than usual.

Even now, I didn't think I had done anything wrong that evening.

How was I supposed to dodge a bastard charging at me with a full erection and the momentum of Arched Body, Springing Shadow?

'...Have I spent too long around those Sojeong Unit bastards? My way of talking keeps getting cheaper by the day.'

Realizing I had begun speaking like some street-level Hao Sect informant, I pulled myself together and continued thinking.

They had simply needed an excuse to stomp on the Taeul Sect.

If I had endured it that day, they would have picked a different fight the next day. If I endured that too, they would have found fault with the gifts we brought later.

'The best option is not to attend.'

There were plenty of possible approaches.

I could turn the Taeul Sect upside down with the Ascendant Form of the Lesser Heaven Sword Art, then keep everyone busy rebuilding their martial arts from the ground up.

Or I could return with a plan to make money and divert the hall leaders' attention in that direction.

The problem was that I saw this as a matter of pride.

If I thought about it calmly, spending several days at the Iron Sword Sect causing trouble, then wasting time dealing with the aftermath, was far less productive than finding one more elixir or killing one more monster.

"But if I leave those fucking bastards alone, I don't think I'll sleep well for a while."

I set the matter aside for the moment and headed to Songak Mountain.

Martial World Elixir Compendium marked it as a place where Poison-Horned Fire Pythons appeared. Normally, I would not have bothered hunting one, but thanks to the Azure Dragon Bangle, I could absorb even a venom-filled inner core without any preparation. There was no reason to let it go.

Sssaaaak!

There was no need for an elaborate hunt.

The moment it wrapped its huge body around me and tried to swallow me whole, I only needed to activate the Azure Dragon Bangle.

Kiaaaak!

It let out a strange scream and began shrinking at once. By the end, it had become as pitiful as a shriveled root.

Once again, I could only marvel at the Azure Dragon Bangle's merciless power.

"If anyone catches me using this, I'll become a public enemy of the martial world."

I casually snapped off the Poison-Horned Fire Python's golden horn and tucked it away.

Its horn was a decorative material that could fetch a good price. I could sell it, or have a skilled blacksmith use it to adorn one of my weapons.

'About forty years.'

My internal energy increased again, though only by a small amount.

From now on, I needed to start concealing it.

"If a Taeul Sect disciple has sixty years' worth of internal energy at twenty, people will get suspicious right away."

Fortunately, one of the Sojeong Unit members had a knack in that area that was close to unrivaled under heaven.

"Would that guy be working as an assassin by now?"

After coming down from Songak Mountain, I stopped by the village to buy a bundle of necessities, then headed for the Taeul Sect.

"Senior Brother Jin!"

"Senior Brother!"

"Senior Brother!"

The young disciples, like a flock of chicks, spotted me as they came out of Busaeng Hall and rushed over.

"Senior Brother! Where have you been?"

"Senior Brother! I'm learning the Lesser Heaven Sword Art again!"

"Senior Brother! Have you eaten?"

By the time I had patted each of their chirping little heads, Gye Cheolyeong and Hong Saryeon appeared.

"Where the hell have you been wandering around until now?"

Gye Cheolyeong seemed to be in a particularly foul mood.

"Oh? Senior Brother Gye, you look different. The Snow Plum Pellet must have been incredibly effective. I can feel the aura of a master just by looking at you. I hardly dare meet your eyes. Have you finished digesting the elixir pellet?"

Gye Cheolyeong's face twisted like a demon's.

"That's none of your concern!!"

Gye Cheolyeong barked at me, shoved past the young disciples, and left.

"Why are you provoking him? Didn't you hear that the Snow Plum Pellet was stolen?"

"I did. That's why I said it."

Hong Saryeon sighed.

"What have you been doing all this time?"

"Just going around, eating good things and seeing interesting sights."

"...Where did you get the money?"

"I hunted and worked."

If I told the whole truth, the Taeul Sect would be turned upside down. Still, I had technically answered honestly.

"...The Sect Leader said we don't need to watch the Gyerong Merchant Group's mood anymore. You should come back now."

"Hm?"

"They decided to attend the Iron Sword Sect Leader's sixtieth birthday banquet. And, as you know, the Gyerong Merchant Group has been busy with the Snow Plum Pellet incident, so they barely come to the Taeul Sect anymore. We don't need to worry about them anymore."

Uh... that was a problem for me.

Saryeon seemed to have misunderstood something badly.

I needed to keep wandering outside anyway. That wasn't the urgent issue right now.

"They already decided to attend the Iron Sword Sect Leader's sixtieth birthday banquet?"

"Yes. I think the Gyerong Merchant Group Leader begged earnestly. He asked the Sect Leader to attend, at least for his sake."

"Are you attending too, Little Ryeon?"

"......"

"Hm? You're not?"

"Stop calling me Little Ryeon like that. It's embarrassing, so don't."

"What's wrong with it? I like it."

"...I said don't. Anyway, I'm attending. Senior Brother Cheolyeong is going too."

In my previous life, my attendance had not been part of the plan either. I had begged to go because I wanted to see the Twin Wolf Iron Swords.

"But what's in that bundle?"

"Ah... this."

I called over the disciples whose heads I had been patting and opened the bundle.

"Wow!"

"Wow! Sweets!"

Their tired eyes, dull with sweat and exhaustion, began to shine.

"All right, share nicely. If anyone tries to eat more than their share, they'll get a beating!"

"Yes, Senior Brother!"

The disciples swarmed around the bundle, chirping as they divided the sweets among themselves.

Thankfully, no one tried to take more than the others.

"...Why did you buy sweets?"

"Hm? I thought of them when I went to the market."

"...What money did you have?"

For some reason, Saryeon's expression didn't look very bright.

"Senior Brother, Senior Brother Jin."

At that moment, Dongryong, one of the younger disciples, tugged at my sleeve.

"What is it? Did they not give you any sweets?"

"No, no. It's not that. This."

Dongryong shook his head and held out a bundle of paper that had been folded over and over inside his clothes.

"Hm?"

"You haven't tried this delicious food, Senior Brother."

When I unfolded the paper, it revealed a rice cake so hard it had clearly been sitting there for days.

"The other senior brothers said it was really delicious."

Saryeon, standing beside me, covered her mouth.

"Senior Brother Gye handed these out."

"...And you didn't eat yours?"

"I'm fine. I ate a lot of meat that day."

How hard was it for children from poor families at that age to refrain from eating?

Dongryong looked up at me with bright, expectant eyes.

I put the hard rice cake into my mouth with the same anticipation I felt when taking an elixir.

"How is it? Is it good, Senior Brother?"

"Yes. It's delicious. It's so delicious that I have to eat it all myself. Dongryong, go have some sweets."

"Yes. I'm fine with just sweets."

Dongryong ran off toward the sweets, looking satisfied.

"...Isn't that old and hard?"

"It's like a rock... but it tastes good."

"...Honestly."

"There's no way a wonderful martial sect like this should be humiliated by a bunch of thugs, right?"

"...What are you talking about?"

"It's nothing. I can go to the Iron Sword Sect too, right?"

"...Do you want to go there?"

"I want to see the Twin Wolf Iron Swords, and people from the Namgung Clan will be coming too, won't they?"

When I gave the same reason as in my previous life, Hong Saryeon shook her head.

"Do whatever you want. The Outer Hall Lord is attending anyway."

* * *

The Gyerong Merchant Group's procession of carriages heading for the Iron Sword Sect was extravagantly splendid.

When Gye Cheolyeong first began learning martial arts, the Iron Sword Sect offered him a position as a lay disciple. Still, a lay disciple position without special admission was not especially appealing to Gye Cheolyeong or Gye Yeonseok.

Even so, a merchant based in Hefei could not ignore the Iron Sword Sect's wishes. The price for that was this splendid procession of golden carriages.

As we drew near the Iron Sword Sect, Gang Chaeseok, the leader of Gwaehwa Hall, leaned in with a fierce expression.

"There is something you must observe at the Iron Sword Sect."

"What is it?"

"Do not act rashly, no matter what."

"I don't act rashly."

"Tch. You're already acting rashly."

Gang Chaeseok glared at me.

"You know what I mean."

"I want to endure it, but what if people keep provoking me?"

"That's exactly what I'm telling you not to do!"

Normally, Father, Jin Taesan, would have been responsible for this sort of nagging. For some reason, though, he couldn't shake his heavy expression.

"I understand. But what if they keep picking fights with me?"

"You brat!"

"Ah, I understand. Even if they insult our sect and disgrace our patriarch, I'll endure it and let it pass."

"...Is this your rebellious phase?"

"What do you expect me to do?"

If we went to the Iron Sword Sect, the Taeul Sect being humiliated was inevitable.

There was no such thing as a flawless subordinate under a superior determined to find fault.

"Act like a gentleman as much as possible, and don't step in shit if you don't have to."

"Yes, yes, I understand."

"......"

A massive crowd had already formed at the Iron Sword Sect's entrance, waiting to enter.

The line for people without luggage was divided into several queues and wasn't particularly long, but there was only one line for carriages. It stretched on and on.

We joined the carriage line and had no choice but to wait for quite a while.

"They said the Iron Sword Sect's influence was impressive, and they were right."

Jin Taesan's words were filled with bitterness.

"How is this the Iron Sword Sect's influence? The Martial Alliance's Grand Strategist and elders are attending. These people came hoping to make an impression on them."

"Hehe, could we invite this many people to our Sect Leader's sixtieth birthday banquet?"

"Heh heh. Could an Outer Hall Lord handle a crowd like this?"

"Even if we couldn't, I'd like to experience it once."

As we talked for a while, another carriage procession came racing in from the distance, kicking up a cloud of dust.

"Excuse me. Move aside so we can join the line."

At the sudden demand, the Gyerong Merchant Group Leader shouted in anger.

"Don't be ridiculous. Go to the back and line up. Do you know how long we've been waiting?"

"The fellow standing in front of you is a bodyguard of our Jacheong Merchant Group. If you insist on being so uncooperative, this will not be pleasant."

Martial artists in matching blue uniforms stood beside the person who appeared to represent the Jacheong Merchant Group.

Judging by their bearing and presence, they were no ordinary escorts.

The person who seemed to lead them stepped forward and gave a cupped-fist salute.

"I am Liu Wenchong, commander of Green Bamboo Fort's Blood Bamboo Unit, from Nanjing. The long journey has left us exhausted, so we sent someone ahead. I hope you will understand."

At the mention of Green Bamboo Fort, Gye Yeonseok's eyes shook violently.

Green Bamboo Fort was one of the most renowned sects in Nanjing, Jiangsu Province.

Roughly speaking, it was like the Iron Sword Sect of Nanjing.

"......"

As Gye Yeonseok hesitated, unable to decide what to do, a young man pushed past Liu Wenchong and spoke in a provocative tone.

"Hey! You look like some tiny merchant company. If you don't want to see those baggage carriers beside you get hurt, get the hell out of the way."

His gaze never left Hong Saryeon's face.

A smug sneer spread across his lips.

'That bastard knows.'

I could be certain.

He knew who we were and which sect we belonged to.

It could not be a coincidence that no sect weaker than ours stood before us.

If I dismissed this as coincidence, I would never survive in this martial world full of schemes.

In a world where swords came before the law, who stretched out their legs without first checking whether there was room to lie down? That was a good way to get an ankle cut off.

Things were a little different from my previous life, but if we showed weakness from this point on, we would get nowhere once we entered the Iron Sword Sect.

Besides, I already knew that insolent bastard.

As I stepped forward, Gang Chaeseok stopped me.

"Didn't I tell you not to act rashly?"

"No, they're insulting our Taeul Sect right now. This is when we have to step in."

"No, it isn't as if you can handle him in the first..."

I didn't listen to the rest of Gang Chaeseok's words and walked forward.

Ouyang Sa, the Bamboo Salt Young Master of Green Bamboo Fort.

Right now, he was only a brat who couldn't tell shit from piss. Later, he would go to the Martial Alliance, where his arrogant personality would suit Gye Cheolyeong perfectly. The two would run around like sworn brothers, becoming a pair of hopeless scoundrels.

Naturally, he had treated Taeul Sect disciples like they were his personal subordinates more than once.

At his current level, his martial arts were only slightly better than Gye Cheolyeong's.

"The Gyerong Merchant Group may be a worthless beggar company, but we're not people who can be looked down on by some Purple Bamboo Fort, or whatever you call it."

"How dare you!"

As if he had been waiting for it, Ouyang Sa uncrossed his arms and immediately reached for his sword.

I moved one step ahead of him. Using the Lotus form of the Flowing Cloud Sect's Transplanting Flowers, Grafting Trees Art, I pushed his sword back into its sheath and spun him around to face the opposite direction.

"Wow!"

"Oh! Which sect is that young man from?"

The people who had been waiting in boredom let out cries of admiration, grateful for something to watch. Ouyang Sa's face reddened in equal measure.

Just as Ouyang Sa tried to draw his sword again, I spoke.

"Are you planning to spill blood at someone else's celebration? I suppose you really do belong to a sect with no proper roots."

"You... how dare you..."

Ouyang Sa had stopped halfway through drawing his sword. He was about to rush forward, apparently willing to settle this with his fists if necessary, when a clear voice rang through the crowd.

"Stop."

A radiant beauty emerged as the crowd parted.

Dressed in splendid formal robes and makeup, she was so captivating that no one could look away. It was Seong Moran, the younger of the Twin Wolf Iron Swords.

"It's the Beautiful Wolf Iron Sword!"

"Is the Bloody Wolf Iron Sword here too?"

The Beautiful Wolf Iron Sword, Seong Moran, looked over the crowd before speaking to Ouyang Sa.

"Did you come to spill blood on my grandfather's birthday?"

"Ah... w-well, that..."

The rowdy young man from moments ago was nowhere to be seen. With his face red, he could only stammer.

"Also, the Iron Sword Sect has no rule allowing people to reserve a place in line ahead of time. Go to the back and wait your turn."

She was not even twenty yet, but her words carried great weight.

The Jacheong Merchant Group and Green Bamboo Fort slumped their shoulders as if they had been harshly reprimanded, then headed to the back of the line.

"I heard you are from the Taeul Sect and the Gyerong Merchant Group."

The Beautiful Wolf Iron Sword, Seong Moran, slowly swept her gaze over us.

"I apologize for what just happened. It is not much of a substitute, but may I escort you inside?"

Everyone standing in the long line looked at us with envy.

Footnotes:

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