WeTried Translations

Translator/Editor: Chen

Discord: https://dsc.gg/wetried

◈ The Martial Genius who Remembers Everything ◈

Chapter 70: Hell's Entrance Exam: Gate 'I' (4)

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“This is proof that you are a guest retainer of our Hao Sect. As long as you carry it, we will be able to find you wherever you are.”

Yeo Mimi held out a small Black Token.

How could they find me with this?

“You will inevitably remain within our sight. Even if you do not, the Black Token contains a concentrated essence of the Hao Sect’s Thousand-League Tracking Incense.”

So that faint scent was the Thousand-League Tracking Incense.

“Every morning, we will deliver newly compiled information to you.”

“...Is that possible?”

Even an information organization had its limits. Every morning?

Besides, how could they send someone every day when they had no idea where I would go?

“How strange. You seem to know our organization better than anyone, yet you also seem to know nothing about us.”

There had been no record of how Hao Sect guest retainers received their information.

Yeo Mimi still looked at me as though I were something fascinating.

“We will do everything in our power to help you achieve what you desire. Our fate has already been placed upon yours.”

“...Please don't suddenly say something so burdensome. I said we should work together. I never asked you to place your fate on me.”

Yeo Mimi and Haeryeong smiled.

I shook my head, then spoke.

“First, there’s something I would like to ask of you.”

“What is it?”

“Spread some rumors about me.”

“Rumors about you? Isn’t the martial world already full of rumors about you?”

“That’s why I’m asking. Spread the word that my martial arts aren’t all that impressive.”

“Hmm... Wouldn’t that be difficult? The rumor that you faced the Dragon-Phoenix Association has likely already spread across the martial world.”

“The Dragon-Phoenix Association won’t spread that rumor themselves. And won’t people need more time before they believe it’s true?”

“Hmm... So you want that rumor to spread a little later.”

“Yes. That’s correct.”

“Very well. Don’t worry. I’ll spread rumors until everyone under heaven believes the Black Flame Dragon is nothing more than an earthworm.”

“...”

I didn’t like the Black Flame Dragon epithet, but that didn’t mean I wanted to be called an earthworm either. Caught between two equally unpleasant choices, I simply kept quiet.

#

After spending the night alone at an inn, I packed a simple breakfast and headed for Huayun Mountain.

I had told them to come down quickly if they didn’t want to spend the night on Huayun Mountain, but there was no way that would happen.

Even the Sojeong Unit, who had been in dire circumstances, had taken fifteen days to master the Taeul Circulating Art.

It would take them at least three days just to leave Huayun Mountain.

Naturally, I expected them to still be sleeping in the forest, unable to even make it down to the middle of the mountain.

“Oh...”

Yet as soon as I entered the foothills of Huayun Mountain, I saw the three miller brothers moving at a fairly quick pace.

“They look like turtles now, at least.”

The Sojeong Unit members would have been stunned by such rapid progress.

“Then again, those brats had terrible comprehension to begin with.”

Geumpyo finally reached me.

“Huff, huff, huff. Senior Brother... You lied when you said we could get down before nightfall, didn’t you?”

“Drink some water.”

Geumpyo was drenched in sweat as though he had been caught in the rain. He emptied the water flask I handed him in a single gulp.

“Did you stay up all night?”

“Yes... Tell me honestly... huff. Senior Brother... huff. You’re using a circulation art too... huff. That’s a lie, right?”

I held out some dumplings I had brought from the inn.

“Want a dumpling?”

“Huff, huff, huff.”

Geumpyo glared at me when I didn’t answer, then snatched the dumplings and wolfed them down in moments.

Once Geumpyo had filled his stomach a little and collapsed to the ground from exhaustion, Eunho arrived. Dongryong came last.

“Huff... huff... huff... Eldest Senior Brother... liar...”

“Huff... huff... You liar.”

The two brothers didn’t even have enough breath to continue speaking. They simply looked at me with resentment in their eyes.

“Do you want water first, or dumplings first?”

I handed them water and dumplings.

* * *

Their walking speed gradually increased. The boys, who had once moved at a turtle’s pace, began walking as quickly as chicks. After that, they reached the pace of a slow ox.

As their pace picked up, I chose a mountain trail rather than the main road.

The three brothers immediately slowed again.

“Hurry up. At this rate, the Martial Arts Academy regular examination will be over before we arrive.”

“Haa... haa... Then why not take the main road? We were just getting used to walking.”

A mountain trail was different from a main road.

They had to use both hands and feet, and their movements were constantly restricted.

Trying to circulate their energy at the same time would be enough to drive anyone mad.

We began climbing before sunrise, yet by the time the sun stood high in the sky, we hadn’t even traveled ten li.

“If you don’t reach the summit, you’ll skip lunch as well.”

“...!”

“...!”

“...!”

Killing intent rose in the eyes of the three miller brothers.

“Oh, you’ve already learned to release killing intent without me teaching you? As expected, your eldest senior brother’s grace is as high as the heavens and as vast as the sea.”

They looked as though they had plenty to say, but the three brothers tightly shut their mouths.

Was it because of that? Their pace slowly began to quicken.

Screee!

At that moment, a black bird cried as it soared through the sky.

Its cry carried so far that all the birds in the forest took flight at once, while the squirrels that had been watching us curiously hurried into hiding.

“What is that?”

When I looked through the trees, I saw a massive hawk flying as though it ruled the sky. After circling through the heavens, the hawk suddenly began diving toward me.

“Oh? Does it hunt people too?”

At my words, the three brothers flinched and looked up.

They had seen the hawk, its wings larger than a person’s arm, plunging down at frightening speed.

“Senior Brother, I think it’s coming this way.”

“Y-Yes. That... that thing... Senior Brother!”

“Tsk! Keep circulating your energy!”

When I released a faint trace of killing intent toward the boys, who were trying to stop their circulation art and flee, they stiffened like animals startled by a predator’s gaze.

Unable to run or dodge, they tightly closed their eyes.

Then the huge hawk suddenly spread its wings, slowed, and gently approached me.

“What is this?”

It seemed to want my shoulder, so I offered it one. The hawk landed neatly on it.

The three brothers blinked at the strange sight. I noticed a small bamboo tube tied to the hawk’s ankle.

“Huh. They don’t use carrier pigeons, but courier hawks? Wait...”

The hawk, which had never seen me before, rubbed its feathers against my head, then tapped at my chest.

That was where I kept the Silver Wang Token Wang Geumsan had given me and the Black Token I had received from the Hao Sect.

“Impressive. Did you train even courier hawks to recognize Thousand-League Tracking Incense?”

When I took out the Black Token and stroked the hawk, it began fawning over me as though it had found its owner.

I promptly removed the materials sent by the Hao Sect from the bamboo tube on its ankle and began reading through them.

“Senior Brother, what is going on?”

“It seems the person who promised to provide me with information sent this.”

When Geumpyo approached the hawk in fascination, its eyes turned fierce and it let out a harsh cry.

“...It’s extremely vicious.”

“Unlike carrier pigeons, courier hawks don’t have their wild nature erased. They’re difficult to train, but that also means they’re less likely to be hunted. Don’t touch it carelessly. It seems to be an Iron Hawk, and it could cut off a person’s finger in an instant.”

Geumpyo withdrew his hand with a pale face.

“Hmm...”

After reading all the materials, I took out my writing supplies and wrote down several additional pieces of information I needed. Then I placed the note in the bamboo tube tied to the Iron Hawk’s ankle.

As though it understood what it had to do, it immediately took flight again.

“What was in the information?”

Eunho looked curious about the materials I had received.

“A brief report on the current situation. It says that 2,400 of the mountain strongholds marked by the Martial Alliance have already disappeared.”

“Already?”

Considering that only three days had passed since the regular examination began, that was an astonishingly fast pace.

“This is what happens when you don’t hurry up and learn the circulation art properly! Will you take responsibility if I fail the Martial Arts Academy examination because of you?”

Geumpyo and Eunho looked at me in disbelief.

Dongryong, at least, still had venom in his eyes. It sounded like he muttered something along the lines of, “I’ll kill you...”

I assumed he meant our competitors.

The kind Dongryong who had waited days for me just to share a piece of rice cake wouldn’t dare say he would kill his eldest senior brother.

“Merchant Lord! Young Master Cheolyeong is in a strange condition!”

“What?”

At the familiar voice and name, we all turned toward the main road below the mountain.

A caravan of roughly a hundred wandering martial artists was traveling there, with Gye Yeonseok at its head.

Gye Yeonseok had moved to the rear alone at someone’s call, and Gye Yeonseung, who had once been the master of our Busaeng Hall, stood beside him.

“Could they be setting out on a trading journey?”

The Gyerong Merchant Group did not conduct escort work, as it had no escort agency of its own and only held the final distribution rights for goods.

There were only three cargo wagons in the caravan as well.

Gye Yeonseok and Gye Yeonseung approached an iron carriage positioned between the wagons.

When Gye Yeonseok knocked on the window, Gye Cheolyeong emerged from within, his face twisted in an unnatural direction.

“Good heavens...”

“What...?”

“Why...?”

They had spent nearly five years together, so the three brothers recognized Gye Cheolyeong at once despite his grotesque appearance.

“Ahh, ahh. Ah...”

Gye Cheolyeong could not even speak properly.

“Bear with it a little longer. Once we cross this mountain, there will be a village. We’ll rest there for a while.”

“Ahh, ahh. Ahh.”

Drool streamed from between his twisted lips.

Gye Yeonseok wiped the drool from Gye Cheolyeong’s mouth.

“Don’t worry. You will enter the Martial Arts Academy. You absolutely will!”

Gye Yeonseok returned to the front and led the group onward.

Long after they had passed, the three miller brothers stood frozen in place.

I was not much different.

Watching Gye Yeonseok lead his ruined son to take the Martial Arts Academy regular examination was like seeing his chilling ambition made flesh. It gave me goosebumps.

“...Do you really have to take the examination even in that state?”

For the first time, Geumpyo looked as though he truly understood what kind of examination he was taking.

“The hierarchy of the martial world has long been established around the Martial Alliance and the logic of strength. It’s only natural for Gye Yeonseok, who desires greater wealth and power, to want his only child to enter the Martial Arts Academy.”

“But... can he take the examination in that condition? No, even if he takes it, can he attend the academy?”

Ridiculously, the Martial Alliance placed strict restrictions on helpers but hardly any restrictions on the examinees themselves.

Life after entering the academy was another matter, but once someone was admitted, they could receive free medical support from the Martial Alliance.

Even if his martial arts could not be restored, he might still obtain some position in the Martial Alliance if he completed the academy’s program successfully.

From that perspective, Gye Yeonseok’s choice might not have been wrong.

“This is not the time to worry about them. Didn’t you see the people in that caravan?”

“...What do you mean?”

“The people standing at the front with Gye Yeonseok were Yama Axe Yeon Chuak, Windless Demon Fishing Rod Han Geumtak, and Three-Handed Ghost Ape Dam Cheolgak. All three are considered elite wandering martial artists, even among wanderers.”

“...Windless Demon Fishing Rod Han Geumtak... Isn’t he a Black Path martial artist?”

His ultimate technique involved hooking the skin of a person’s nose with his strange fishing rod, spinning them through the air, and killing them. Even Black Path martial artists feared it.

“He only operated in the Black Path as a wandering martial artist. Give him money, and he can turn to the White Path whenever he wishes.”

“Senior Brother, I heard that first-rate masters or higher could not participate as helpers.”

“That’s the problem. Since they are wandering martial artists, their strength hasn’t been accurately assessed. The Martial Alliance also tends to regard those without affiliations as a level below their true ability, so it may have judged them to be first-rate masters.”

“What nonsense...”

“That’s why you should hurry up and learn to walk properly. Competition is already becoming more difficult, yet we’re getting slower because of you.”

I pressed the three brothers, but this time, the light in their eyes did not fade easily. If anything, they were burning with determination.

Their pace began to increase again.

#

To avoid crossing paths with Gye Yeonseok’s caravan, we passed through two villages without stopping. By then, our pace had risen to that of ordinary people crossing a mountain.

As I watched the three brothers gradually adapt to the circulation art, I led them back down to the main road.

“We can take the mountain trail now.”

“Of course. We’re confident!”

“Why would we do training that isn’t difficult? Let’s try using footwork while circulating our energy now.”

“...”

“...”

“Using footwork while circulating your energy has more than one benefit. Taeul Eighty Thousand Divine Steps in particular is an unparalleled footwork art that also possesses the qualities of a movement art. Once you master it, you’ll be able to escape an enemy’s grasp and run without rest.”

“...Senior Brother, we’ve been sleeping outdoors for a week and haven’t even washed. Could we not travel normally today?”

“Is that so? It can’t be helped. Let’s rest at a decent inn.”

The mouths of the three miller brothers stretched wide with joy.

“Then we’ll return to the Taeul Sect. As the eldest senior brother, I can’t put you in danger. If you don’t wish to train, we have no choice but to return together. Oh dear, Saryeon will have such a hard time supporting all of us.”

The lips of the three brothers trembled.

“...”

“...”

Dongryong, the youngest, finally could not hold back any longer.

“Eldest Senior Brother!”

“What is it?”

“Is this how we step when using Taeul Eighty Thousand Divine Steps?”

Dongryong asked as he stepped forward. Geumpyo and Eunho’s eyes trembled as though they were furious at his betrayal.

“No. I’ll show you again. Dongryong seems willing to continue, but will Geumpyo and Eunho return?”

“...Of course we’ll go with you.”

“Yes! And I like sleeping outdoors!”

As the three brothers muttered to themselves and followed the footprints I had left behind, I spoke.

“Once you can freely use Taeul Eighty Thousand Divine Steps as well, I’ll get us rooms at the best inn in the next village.”

“What?”

“Really?”

“Senior Brother, you don’t have any money.”

Geumpyo, Eunho, and Dongryong spoke in turn. I took out the money pouch Wang Geumsan had given me earlier, which was filled with gold coins.

“Who says I don’t have money?”

Clink, clink.

The moment they saw the yellow gold, the children’s eyes became sharp again.

This was the carrot-and-stick method.

The boys’ desire to eat luxurious food at a fine inn and soothe their tired bodies in hot water was intense. In less than three days, they reached the point where they could use Taeul Eighty Thousand Divine Steps while circulating their energy.

It was already the tenth day.

After sleeping outdoors day after day, the children could not be distinguished as Beggar Sect or Taeul Sect disciples. I supposed I should be grateful that they at least wore black martial uniforms like mine.

“Senior Brother! Senior Brother! I checked. That inn is the best value in this village!”

As soon as we arrived at Mount Huang, Eunho asked around and found the most cost-effective inn. He pointed at the Silver Palace Inn.

“It is classified as a high-class inn, and a room costs one tael of silver per night.”

I pointed at the new-style building beside the Silver Palace Inn.

“Is that not an inn too?”

“It is called the Gold Palace Inn, but a room there costs a full five taels of silver.”

“Is that so? Then let’s go there.”

“What?”

“Didn’t I promise to get rooms at the best inn in this village?”

“B-But, Senior Brother. For four people, that’s twenty taels of silver.”

Eunho’s voice shook as he spoke.

“Whenever your training bears results, you’ll be able to enjoy such luxuries again. For now, focus only on recovering from your fatigue and training hard once more.”

When I headed toward the Gold Palace Inn, the three hesitant boys scampered after me.

“Welcome!”

The waiter approached with a bright smile, but the waiter’s expression slowly crumpled upon seeing the state of the three miller brothers.

I swiftly took out one tael of gold and handed it to the waiter.

“The children have been sleeping outdoors for weeks, so they look terrible. Please prepare rooms, bathwater, food, and new martial uniforms.”

The waiter’s twisted expression immediately blossomed into a wide smile.

“I will serve you well. Would you like to eat first?”

“Please.”

“This way, please.”

Just as I was about to follow the waiter, Eunho grabbed the hem of my clothes.

“Eldest Senior Brother, over there...”

Eunho pointed toward the railing on the inn’s second floor.

“...”

Gye Yeonseok, his eyes bloodshot, and Gye Cheolyeong, his face twisted in an unnatural direction, were looking down at us from there.

“Taeul Sect...”

It felt as though I could hear Gye Yeonseok grinding his teeth all the way from the second floor.

Footnotes:

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