WeTried Translations
Translator/Editor: Chen
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◈ The Martial Genius who Remembers Everything ◈
Chapter 76: The Black Flame Dragon Surpassing the Gate (4)
──────
Once the feast began, every villager taken to the Twin-Curtain Strongholds was put to work.
Men and women alike, all those who had been taken away were little more than skin and bone. Not one was free of bruises or wounds.
My companions forgot that we were surrounded by the Twin-Curtain Strongholds' bandits as they ground their teeth at the sight.
“Ahem.”
“Cough.”
Some of Bang Duchil's subordinates began turning pale.
They had suddenly been exposed to killing intent so overwhelming that their entire bodies stiffened.
The source was none other than Dongryong.
No one could believe that a child who had barely left boyhood behind could release such dense killing intent.
I approached Dongryong and placed a hand on his shoulder.
“It's all right. We'll save them.”
“...Ah, yes. Of course. I believe in you, Senior Brother.”
Dongryong did not even seem to realize that he had been radiating such thick killing intent.
“...”
Geumpyo, who knew about Dongryong's Heavenly Killing Star, looked at me anxiously.
-It's all right. His character is upright and his heart is soft. As long as he doesn't let his killing nature consume his mind, there won't be a problem. Once his mastery of the Taeul True Scripture deepens, he won't be overcome by it anymore.
When I reminded Geumpyo of what I had told him a few nights earlier, he nodded despite the unease in his eyes.
* * *
As nearly five hundred people rushed to prepare food at once, the feast was ready in no time.
With steaming dishes before them, the bandits ignored the starving villagers and busied themselves eating and drinking.
“You may take them away, as promised.”
At the One-Eyed Blood Axe's words, the villagers gathered in one place stared blankly.
“Then I hope we can continue doing good business in the future.”
I clasped my fists in salute, but the One-Eyed Blood Axe and the Golden-Faced Buddha Blade had already returned to eating and talking as if they no longer cared.
“You only need to return to your village with us.”
“...What? What do you mean...?”
Even after I spoke, the villagers could not bring themselves to move. They kept watching the One-Eyed Blood Axe and the Golden-Faced Buddha Blade.
“Everything has already been settled. Come home with us.”
“...”
The nearly five hundred people looked shaken by my words, yet they continued watching the two stronghold leaders.
After chatting for a while, the two men glanced at the villagers, snickered, and waved them away as if they were tiresome.
Only then did some people collapse where they stood, as though their legs had given out.
“Sob, are we really going home at last?”
“Thank you, Warrior! Thank you.”
“I will never forget this kindness for the rest of my life.”
The villagers fell to the ground before us, tears streaming down their faces.
Behind them, the Golden-Faced Buddha Blade and the One-Eyed Blood Axe sneered at them.
Many of the bandits enjoying the feast also wore mocking smiles, as though they harbored some sinister intention.
“Wouldn't it be better to thank us after you get home? Don't you want to leave this place as soon as possible?”
At my words, those who had been sitting helplessly on the ground began moving at once, as though they did not wish to remain here another moment.
#
After leading the villagers down the mountain, I spoke to Bang Duchil where the carts had been gathered.
“Great Hero Bang, please head down that path. I'll return by the way we came.”
“...”
Bang Duchil only frowned without answering.
Baek Soryeong, who had been watching from beside him, finally stepped in.
“Young Master Jin, what do you mean by that?”
“There is only one path through Mount Cheonmok. If the bandits flee the mountain, they will have no choice but to use this road. I'll take this side, so please handle the other.”
“Flee?”
Baek Soryeong tilted her head, clearly unable to understand.
“I intend to set all of Mount Cheonmok on fire.”
Baek Soryeong and Bang Duchil gaped.
“...If that is your plan... even so, is there any reason to do it so urgently? At the very least, shouldn't we evacuate the villagers first...?”
“Did you not see the stronghold leaders and their key figures?”
“Yes?”
“They did not drink a single cup of liquor while the feast was underway. They likely won't drag things out for long.”
“...Even so...”
“Besides, we cannot delay our attack beyond today.”
“...What?”
“Just wait. The bandits will come down along the road. No matter how many there are, you can handle them on a narrow path, can't you, Great Hero Bang?”
When I looked at Bang Duchil, he folded his arms and spoke gravely.
“Bandits are good at climbing mountains. That is why they become bandits.”
“Even bandits skilled at climbing mountains cannot cross Flaming Mountain, the ever-burning mountain where the Bull Demon King lived.”
“...”
#
The Golden-Faced Buddha Blade's eyebrows rose as he tore meat from the bone.
“What?”
“Unidentified people have been spreading oil throughout Mount Cheonmok.”
“Oil? Who are they?”
“Unfortunately, they were too quick on their feet.”
“Damn it!”
The Golden-Faced Buddha Blade threw away the meat in his hand.
“Why the hell did I station you there if this is the report you bring me? I might as well have let a dog loose instead.”
“My apologies.”
The One-Eyed Blood Axe, who had been observing the situation, chuckled.
“Brother Song, isn't it obvious?”
“Obvious? Do you suspect someone?”
“Who else could it be but Jin Sowoon of the Taeul Sect?”
“That brat from earlier?”
The Golden-Faced Buddha Blade tilted his head. Jin Sowoon had clearly not wanted to become enemies with the Twin-Curtain Strongholds.
Why would he spread oil around the mountain?
“The person who led them up reported that Jin Sowoon pretended to spill liquor barrels while climbing, then spread oil along the road.”
“What? Don't tell me...”
“Isn't it obvious? He plans to set the mountain on fire.”
“What an ungrateful bastard. I never trusted those White Path bastards, but... he makes a promise, then stabs us in the back right after?”
The One-Eyed Blood Axe wore a mischievous expression at the Golden-Faced Buddha Blade's reaction.
“Weren't we planning to finish this quickly now that everyone is gathered anyway? He has given us justification, so shouldn't we be pleased?”
“Heh heh, what a fool. He should have handed over the money and left.”
They had never intended to release the people they brought from the villages in the first place.
There were a thousand brainless bandits here. The thought of them cooking, mending clothes, and handling daily chores themselves was laughable.
From the beginning, the Twin-Curtain Strongholds on Mount Cheonmok could not sustain daily life without the villagers. Nor could they pay them.
“I was going to let them enjoy a little reunion with their families, but those bastards have tripped themselves up.”
“Heh heh heh. This works better for us. We won't have to wait a day or two.”
“Everyone! Prepare yourselves!”
The Golden-Faced Buddha Blade's resounding shout spread throughout the hill.
The bandits eating meat and drinking water instead of liquor drew their weapons in unison.
#
Village Chief Huh could not collect his thoughts at the sight of the people standing before him.
“Sanggu!”
Although Village Chief Huh had told Sanggu not to, he had prepared something and ultimately brought back everyone taken to the Twin-Curtain Strongholds.
For a moment, Village Chief Huh forgot the fear that the Twin-Curtain Strongholds might harm them again. Upon seeing his son and daughter-in-law for the first time in a year, tears poured down his face.
* * *
The hostages who returned to the village began running toward their homes.
As the commotion at the village entrance grew louder, people came out and saw the hostages descending from the Twin-Curtain Strongholds. They burst into tears and ran toward them.
All around the village, families embraced each other as tears and snot ran freely.
Village Chief Huh, the grandfather of my client, clung to his son and daughter-in-law, weeping like a waterfall.
“Sniff. Sob. Sob.”
Dongryong, standing beside me, had begun shedding tears without realizing it.
“Senior Brother, I truly respect you. Sob.”
Geumpyo and Eunho nodded at Dongryong's words.
“Right. But this is where things truly begin. Do not lower your guard.”
“You said earlier that you would set a fire. Can we really catch them with that?”
“As for that...”
Just as I was about to answer Geumpyo, Eunho, and Dongryong, Village Chief Huh approached me.
“Thank you. Thank you so much. And I'm sorry. The government troops and the Martial Alliance turned their backs on us, so we could not trust anyone either.”
Guilt filled Village Chief Huh's face as he gripped my hand.
I pulled my hand free, then took Village Chief Huh's hand again.
“How could that be your fault? It is the fault of those who did not step forward for the weak.”
“...”
Village Chief Huh's deeply wrinkled face crumpled as he nearly burst into tears again.
“Now is not the time to cry, Elder.”
“That is right... It is time to celebrate. A feast! I will prepare a feast.”
I shook my head.
“This is not the time for a feast either.”
“What?”
“Will you lead everyone away from here now?”
“What are you saying?”
“The Twin-Curtain Strongholds will likely come down soon.”
“What?”
At the mention of the Twin-Curtain Strongholds, Village Chief Huh and the villagers recoiled in shock.
“We paid them, but they never intended to release you in the first place.”
“Th-then what are we supposed to do? We have lived here our entire lives. We cannot go anywhere else.”
“Then leave the village and hide for a while. We will take care of them.”
“...”
Village Chief Huh and the villagers looked at me with distrust.
That was understandable. Bang Duchil and his group had gone to the other side of Mount Cheonmok, leaving only four of us here. I would not have believed it either.
“Please take this.”
I pulled out the note worth five thousand nyang in gold that I had intended to give Yang Gunbaek.
“...I-is this real?”
Village Chief Huh looked dazed upon seeing a note worth five thousand nyang in gold for the first time in his life.
“Go to Hangzhou for now and watch how things unfold. If we lose, use this money to establish yourselves somewhere else. If we win, return after buying the supplies you need. There will be many things necessary to restore the village, won't there?”
“...”
“...”
The villagers who heard my words could only stare at me silently, their eyes filled with complicated emotions.
They looked as though they had something to say.
In the end, Village Chief Huh spoke.
“Why... Why are you going this far for us? We have... never even met you before...”
Those who had spent their entire lives without anyone to rely on would first become suspicious when someone showed them kindness.
I knew that well because I had once been the same. At times like this, there was no need for many words.
“Because I am different.”
“What do you mean...?”
“I am different from the Martial Alliance and from other warriors. That is all.”
“...”
As Village Chief Huh and I spoke, Yang Gunbaek arrived with fifty Hao Sect members.
“Sowoon...”
Their clothes were covered in leaves and dirt.
They had gone to carry out the task I asked of them.
“My apologies. The Twin-Curtain Strongholds discovered us.”
“I see.”
I had asked them to spread oil throughout Mount Cheonmok.
Yet the mountain was enormous, and its upper slopes overlooked everything below. It seemed the task had not gone as smoothly as planned.
“I think we should flee for now. The Twin-Curtain Strongholds are taking up weapons and preparing to come down the mountain.”
At Yang Gunbaek's words, I looked at Village Chief Huh.
“You heard that, didn't you? Please leave so we can fight freely.”
“Ah, all right.”
At the news that the Twin-Curtain Strongholds were coming down, the villagers ran off in a rush without even having time to gather their belongings.
“Sowoon, I understand you are planning to use fire, but Mount Cheonmok is not suited for setting the entire mountain ablaze.”
Mount Cheonmok was thick with undergrowth because the Twin-Curtain Strongholds had kept people from cutting timber, but it also had many valleys and springs.
I knew that well.
Instead of answering, I looked to the sky.
The clouds were beginning to move faster and faster.
“Will you prepare fire arrows?”
“...Do you truly intend to do this?”
The oil was only a small spark to begin with.
“Yes. Today, I intend to throw every last member of the Twin-Curtain Strongholds into a sea of flames.”
“...”
“Once you light the fire, you may leave.”
“How could we do that? We will return together.”
Yang Gunbaek finally nodded toward the Hao Sect members after seeing my resolve, and they began preparing fire arrows.
“Waaaaaah!”
From the mountain peak, I could clearly see people filling the road as they came down with weapons in hand.
“Fire!”
At Yang Gunbaek's shout, fire arrows fell throughout Mount Cheonmok, creating small sparks everywhere.
“Senior Brother... Are you planning to burn Mount Cheonmok with that fire?”
“This area has suffered an especially severe drought since the year before last. This year has been worse than ever.”
“Yes?”
“And the thing one must fear most in autumn is a forest fire.”
From the library in my mind, I pulled out a report from the Martial Alliance's Hangzhou Branch.
It was the damned report that gave me such a hard time because it had omitted the fact that Bang Duchil rescued the hostages.
Still, there was nothing to be done about it. The writer's subjective judgment naturally found its way into reports.
Yet even then, there were portions where subjective judgment could not be allowed.
[Martial Alliance Hangzhou Branch Daily Report. Gengzi Month, Jiayin Day.]
[Weather - Violent northwesterly winds suddenly blew, causing natural forest fires throughout Zhejiang Province.]
Whoooosh.
An ominous wind swept across the area. It was so fierce that it swept those in loose martial uniforms several steps away.
“The oil is only a spark.”
Black smoke began rising from the forest where the fire arrows landed.
“But when a small spark meets a strong wind, it can easily burn down an entire mountain.”
The flames spread in an instant. The forest, where only faint black smoke had risen, turned into a sea of fire.
Yang Gunbaek looked at me in shock as the fire spread faster than expected.
“Sowoon... Don't tell me...”
Boom!
Boom, boom, boom!
The oil barrels Yang Gunbaek had hidden throughout Mount Cheonmok caught fire, further accelerating the blaze.
The bandits coming down the road hesitated as thick, choking smoke suddenly rose before them.
“You idiots, what are you hesitating for? Break through!”
At the repeated shouting, one bandit after another ran through the smoke.
“Argh!”
“The fire is already this close?”
“W-we can't get through!”
Yet after passing through the smoke, a massive wall of flames stood directly before them.
Whooosh.
“Senior Brother... Over there...”
Eunho recognized the spot where barrels had fallen from the carts they had been transporting and shattered. He looked at me in disbelief.
Footnotes:
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