WeTried Translations
Translator/Editor: Chen
Discord: https://dsc.gg/wetried
◈ The Martial Genius who Remembers Everything ◈
Chapter 89: The Time of the Hunt (3)
──────
“Prepare for battle!”
Shing, shing, shing, shing, shing!
One hundred and fifty mounted warriors drew their gleaming swords, ready to crush their enemies at any moment.
The opposing side far outnumbered them, but the horses ridden by the one hundred and fifty warriors and the Namgung Clan and Iron Sword Sect emblems they wore overwhelmed the enemy with sheer presence.
“Fortunately, we weren't too late.”
Seong Moran and Namgung Seonhwa came over to my side.
Even now, I couldn't hide my surprise at their appearance.
“Were you in Suzhou?”
“Of course not.”
Seong Moran glanced at Namgung Seonhwa and smiled meaningfully.
“We came all the way from Anhui Province without sleeping for three days. Why did you leave Anhui Province and travel all the way to Zhejiang Province, Young Master Jin?”
I tilted my head, unable to understand what she meant. Namgung Seonhwa simply nodded.
“We can talk later.”
“...”
Namgung Seonhwa and Seong Moran straightened up and looked at Song Baek.
“It has been a while, Song Baek.”
Song Baek wore an awkward expression, neither frowning nor smiling.
“I didn't expect to see the two of you in a place like this.”
Without looking at him, Namgung Seonhwa surveyed the surroundings.
“I heard the Radiant Flower Escort Agency regularly sponsors martial arts schools. Was this why?”
“...An escort agency must never stop sponsoring them if it wishes to recruit excellent escort warriors.”
“No one here looks as though they're taking the Martial Arts Academy regular examination. Am I mistaken?”
“...”
“Does anyone here currently possess a Gate I Token or Gate II Token?”
No one stepped forward.
Song Baek hurriedly continued.
“We have yet to obtain any Gate Tokens, so we are still taking the examination.”
“Is that so?”
“Yes, it is.”
Namgung Seonhwa nodded as if she understood perfectly.
“Are you still planning to continue, then?”
“He took my Gate Token.”
At Song Baek's words, Namgung Seonhwa and Seong Moran looked at me with dumbfounded expressions. Their faces seemed to say, You did that too?
Namgung Seonhwa sighed and continued.
“...Weren't the others here to take Young Master Jin's Gate Tokens as well?”
“...”
“From this point on, you'll have to deal with the Namgung Clan and Iron Sword Sect too.”
Song Baek looked between me, Namgung Seonhwa, and Seong Moran.
“Why is the Namgung Clan taking Taeul Sect's side? And wasn't the Iron Sword Sect on hostile terms with the Taeul Sect?”
“That is none of your concern, Song Baek.”
“Even the Namgung Clan cannot interfere in the affairs of the martial world whenever it pleases.”
“What if the Namgung Clan and Iron Sword Sect are cooperating with the Taeul Sect?”
“...”
“Then we have the right to intervene, don't we?”
“Are you truly going to do this?”
Song Baek's eyes sharpened.
The little goodwill remaining in them seemed to have vanished, leaving only a cold, dry gaze.
“Even the Namgung Clan and Iron Sword Sect cannot disregard the Radiant Flower Escort Agency in Suzhou.”
Song Baek raised his head toward the top of the city wall.
Namgung Seonhwa and Seong Moran followed his gaze.
The magistrate stood there, panic plainly visible on their face.
“...That is true. The Radiant Flower Escort Agency cannot be disregarded in Suzhou. But do you believe the Namgung Clan can be disregarded in the martial world?”
“...”
“If the magistrate's term ends and they are transferred elsewhere, wouldn't the Namgung Clan's influence extend farther there than the Radiant Flower Escort Agency's?”
“!”
“!”
If the Radiant Flower Escort Agency ruled Suzhou, the Namgung Clan held influence throughout the entire martial world.
The magistrate's face turned pale atop the wall.
Unless they intended to be buried in Suzhou, they would eventually complete their term and receive an appointment somewhere else.
“Seeking revenge in the future for something that occurred during the Martial Arts Academy examination would also count as cheating.”
“I never said I would seek revenge.”
“...”
Song Baek pressed his lips together.
His gaze kept flickering toward the magistrate on the city wall.
The Taeul Sect could be suppressed through the authority of the government, but the Namgung Clan and Iron Sword Sect were not opponents a mere magistrate could handle.
After speaking for a while, the magistrate waved a hand.
The archers began lowering their bows one by one.
Then the magistrate disappeared, while the constables quickly began letting those lined up at the city gate leave.
“It seems to be over.”
The moment the magistrate signaled that they would not involve themselves in the battle, the scales tipped in our favor again.
“What will you do? Return now, or continue?”
Namgung Seonhwa bore down on them with an overwhelming pressure I had never seen from her before.
“...I will consider it if you return my Gate Token.”
Song Baek’s voice dropped to a murmur. Namgung Seonhwa looked at me.
Naturally, I said what had to be said.
“I won't return it. I have no intention of returning it. Go home!”
#
In the end, Song Baek returned empty-handed.
Demanding back something he had lost during the regular examination was no different from a child's tantrum, so even Song Baek could no longer insist.
“Senior Brother...”
Eunho spoke in a low voice.
“Are we going to travel with those two from now on?”
“I don't know...”
Perhaps my voice had grown a little too loud, because Eunho gave me a warning look and lowered his voice further.
“Wouldn't it be better if we traveled together? There's only so much we can do taking watch among ourselves.”
What we needed most right now was sufficient rest and nourishment.
The three junior brothers hadn't slept properly for even a single day since the examination began, and their exhaustion had already reached its limit.
No, judging by how they had acted at the inn, they might have already gone a little mad.
“Where are we going now, anyway?”
“Why have you been whispering this whole time?”
Eunho kept glancing at Namgung Seonhwa and Seong Moran.
“I shouldn't... make them uncomfortable by being too loud...”
“Haah...”
I had wondered why even Geumpyo and Dongryong had been quieter than usual. They were simply tense because Namgung Seonhwa and Seong Moran were nearby.
“Couldn't you treat your senior brother the same way?”
“That's different.”
“...Forget it.”
We immediately headed to the Changgung Merchant Group's Suzhou branch under the escort of Namgung Clan and Iron Sword Sect warriors.
“Before we eat... I think you should wash first.”
Namgung Seonhwa had intended to offer us a meal, but after seeing our condition, she suggested bathing first. Geumpyo, Eunho, and Dongryong were led to the bathhouse with red faces.
“Whoa!”
“How is a bathhouse as large as a Taeul Sect hall?”
“Incredible.”
A huge wooden tub stood in the center of the bathhouse, which appeared to be where escort warriors bathed in groups. Hot water poured constantly from channels in the ceiling.
“Ahh!”
“Ow... hot.”
The three brothers lowered themselves into the bath as if they had reached paradise.
“If I could rest like this for three days, I would want for nothing.”
“Seriously. This is amazing.”
“Ugh...”
Once Geumpyo, Eunho, and Dongryong entered the bath, dried blood, dirt, and all manner of filth began falling from their bodies in horrifying amounts.
Yet the hot water pouring from the ceiling soon filled the tub, quickly replacing the dirty water with clear water.
After enjoying the bath to their hearts' content, Geumpyo seemed to remember something and asked me, “Senior Brother, then sects with branches all over the country will be safe from attacks while they take the examination, right?”
“Probably.”
“Damn...”
Though they were taking the same examination, Taeul Sect disciples were always exposed to attack once they left Anhui Province. No, once they left Hefei.
On the other hand, sects such as the Nine Sects One Gang and Five Great Clans, which had direct or indirect branches throughout the country, could use lodgings without worrying about attacks.
“This examination is seriously ridiculous.”
It was an examination that not only the weak, but even those with considerable strength could not easily pass.
That was why people called the Martial Arts Academy regular examination Hell's Entrance Exam.
Unlike the grumbling Geumpyo, Eunho stared at me after falling into deep thought.
“How did you come to know Lady Namgung and Lady Seong?”
“A lot happened. Why?”
“It doesn't make sense. Aren't they taking the examination too? I don't understand why they would go out of their way to cross provincial borders just to save you, Senior Brother.”
Splash.
I slapped the bathwater, dousing Eunho's face.
“Blech! Senior Brother! Can't you see this is filthy bathwater?”
“Why did you have to say they went out of their way?”
“Wouldn't it seem that way from their perspective?”
Truthfully, I had wondered the same thing.
The Hao Sect had told me they were attacked from the beginning and had been hiding to avoid their enemies. It was difficult to understand why they had come to save me while they were already busy taking the examination.
“Ah!”
Geumpyo, who had been thinking over Eunho's words, snapped his fingers.
“That must be it. It makes sense now.”
“Hm?”
Eunho gave Geumpyo a suspicious look. He had figured out something Eunho himself didn't understand.
“Love.”
“...”
“...”
“...”
For the first time, only the sound of water filled the bathhouse.
Eunho abruptly stood and shoved Geumpyo's head beneath the bathwater.
Gurgle, gurgle.
“Gah! Wh-what's wrong with you?!”
“You should say something that makes sense. Love? Did you suffer qi deviation in the middle of battle or something?”
I agreed with Eunho.
Gurgle, gurgle.
“Blech! Stop it. Water, gurgle. I'm drinking water!”
“Do you think Senior Brother is worthy of Lady Namgung Seonhwa, the daughter of the mighty Namgung Clan? He has no background, he's not particularly handsome, his personality is strange, and all he has is his damned good memory. Why would Lady Namgung Seonhwa have feelings for him?”
“...”
Eunho's words were becoming strange.
“And Lady Seong Moran? Please! Until a few months ago, they growled at each other like enemies! Is Lady Seong Moran's family beneath the Namgung Clan? Do you think either of them, with their beauty and martial accomplishments, even thinks of our senior brother as highly as the grime beneath their toenails?”
“...Eunho.”
“Yes? Ah, Senior Brother, don't worry. I'll properly educate Brother Geumpyo so he won't spout nonsense in front of the ladies. Please persuade them well so they can travel with us.”
I spoke to the triumphant Eunho.
“...Do you want to drink all the water in this bath?”
“...Hic.”
#
“It is nice to meet you.”
The meal was a modest one.
Only Namgung Seonhwa, Seong Moran, Geumpyo, Eunho, Dongryong, and I sat in a small space prepared in one corner of the dining hall.
“It's, it's an honor!”
“N-nice to meet you.”
“H-hello...”
In the bathhouse, the three brothers had boldly declared that they wouldn't act intimidated. Now, as if that had never happened, they moved as stiffly as wooden dolls.
Namgung Seonhwa and Seong Moran covered their mouths and laughed as though they found them adorable.
“Hohoho.”
“If I had known Young Master Jin's junior brothers were this cute, I would have come to meet them sooner.”
Geumpyo's face was red as he grinned foolishly and kept scratching the back of his head.
Eunho, who had cursed the Iron Sword Sect so fiercely in the past, looked as though he were wagging a tail he didn't have in front of Seong Moran.
Dongryong had turned as red as a carrot and kept his head bowed.
Boys their age would naturally struggle to remain calm around women, but these three were especially bad.
Well, it was Seong Moran and Namgung Seonhwa.
Along with Wang Soso, the two were renowned for their beauty throughout Anhui Province.
That also made something else difficult to understand.
These boys saw Wang Soso every day, so it wasn't as though they lacked resistance to beautiful women. Was it Wang Soso's personality? Or was being used to a woman who dressed up different from being used to one who did not?
“Enough. Sit down.”
“...Yes.”
“...Yesss.”
“...”
Geumpyo and Eunho sat down after giving me looks full of complaint, in a shocking display of disrespect.
I should have made them drink more bathwater.
“You must be hungry. Please eat first.”
Thanks to the Changgung Merchant Group's consideration, eleven dishes had been prepared for a table seating only six people.
The boys who had devoured food like starving ghosts at the inn earlier were strangely using their chopsticks to sample small bites.
Ignoring them, I looked at the two women.
“What happened?”
Namgung Seonhwa and Seong Moran looked at each other and exchanged meaningful smiles.
“Are you not happy we came?”
“Of course I am. Thanks to you, I escaped at the most dangerous moment.”
If not for them, the Radiant Flower Escort Agency would never have withdrawn so easily.
“I heard you two were hiding because you had suffered heavy losses as well.”
“You heard that too?”
I remembered clearly because it was surprising that someone had dared provoke the Namgung Clan and Iron Sword Sect groups after Gate I ended.
“Moran went through much more hardship because of me.”
The circumstances were as follows.
Namgung Taeha and Namgung San had not appeared before the regular examination began, so Namgung Seonhwa had no choice but to take the examination with only twenty warriors.
Fortunately, Seong Moran did not abandon Namgung Seonhwa and chose to take the examination alongside her.
The two had barely passed Gate I thanks to Seong Moran's warriors, but they had immediately begun to face attacks.
“It turned out to be our collateral branch.”
Only the Namgung Clan could attack the Namgung Clan.
They had relentlessly pursued Namgung Seonhwa and Seong Moran without even considering Gate II. In the process, the few warriors they had left had to be sent back because of their injuries.
“Still, we were incredibly fortunate that Grandfather returned.”
After completing the Firmament Cloud-Guarding Sword Art, Namgung Taeha had immediately summoned every collateral branch and reorganized the clan.
The reason the Namgung Clan's collateral branch had relentlessly pursued Namgung Seonhwa immediately after Gate I was to stop Namgung Taeha.
Once Namgung Taeha had finished setting the clan in order, he sent Namgung Seonhwa eighty additional Namgung Clan warriors along with elixir pellets.
“We had just started to catch our breath when we heard that Young Master Jin had become a target of the Wudang Sect, Mount Hua Sect, and Mount Cang Sect.”
“...What?”
“...Pardon?”
“???”
Geumpyo, Eunho, and Dongryong reacted as though this was the first they had heard of it.
Namgung Seonhwa asked me, “You didn't know?”
“I knew. I just didn't think there was any need to tell them.”
“...Crazy...”
“...No, Senior Brother...”
“...”
Complaints broke out.
“Would bathwater make a good dessert?”
“...”
“...”
“...”
Namgung Seonhwa looked confused as Geumpyo, Eunho, and Dongryong immediately fell silent again.
I lightly changed the subject.
“Did you come because you heard that?”
Namgung Seonhwa and Seong Moran nodded firmly.
“Of course. We had to come.”
“Isn't that obvious?”
I felt strangely apologetic.
“I wonder whether I have burdened you both for no reason. Still, you saved my life.”
“Of course we did. You saved our lives too.”
“Twice for me, Sister.”
The two laughed brightly, while Geumpyo, Eunho, and Dongryong looked at them without understanding.
“Ah... You didn't tell them that either?”
“...There wasn't time to tell them. They were probably too busy training as well.”
“Still, they should know what kind of person their senior brother is.”
Then they told them about what happened at Demon Spirit Plateau, what happened on the way to the Namgung Clan, and more.
Geumpyo, Eunho, and Dongryong forgot about their food as they listened to every word.
“That is what happened.”
“...”
“Senior Seonhwa and Senior Moran were both at Demon Spirit Plateau?”
The three brothers' mouths fell open when the two women nodded.
They seemed to know some of what had happened at Demon Spirit Plateau because Black Path sects had showered the Taeul Sect with gifts, but they apparently did not know who had been there.
After sorting it out in their minds, the three brothers stopped acting awkwardly dignified and shouted together.
“As expected of Senior Brother! There was a reason for everything!”
“See, Brother? I told you there had to be a reason.”
“Could it be that while you were being rescued at Demon Spirit Plateau, feelings of love... Mmph!”
When Dongryong tried to say something strange, Eunho quickly covered his mouth.
Then he shot to his feet.
“We seem to be a little tired. May we go upstairs first?”
“...? Ah, yes. Rest well today, and we will see each other tomorrow.”
Once the three left, a servant brought in tea.
By the time the thick steam rising from the tea had slowly faded, Namgung Seonhwa spoke with a grave expression.
“You don't seem as worried as I expected?”
“Worrying will not solve anything.”
Namgung Seonhwa let out a sigh of disbelief.
Seong Moran continued.
“Wudang, Mount Hua, and Mount Cang, those three...”
Then she looked at me intently.
“If they are targeting Young Master Jin alone... I am sorry to say it, but it is already as good as over.”
“...”
“You know very well what will happen after Gate III, don't you?”
The Grand Journey of Pandemonium.
Once the final gate was passed, the true Hell's Entrance Exam would probably begin.
There would be far more casualties than the number of people killed during Gates I, II, and III.
There were also people who had not participated in the examination and were simply waiting for Gate III to end.
On top of that, three sects of the Nine Sects One Gang were openly declaring that they were targeting me.
“I know well. That is why I ask...”
Namgung Seonhwa and Seong Moran had each obtained one Gate I Token and one Gate II Token.
At this rate, they would pass Gate III and pass the Martial Arts Academy examination.
Then they could follow the path already laid out for them.
“Are you planning to travel with us?”
Even after hearing about my danger, they could offer a few concerned words, then force themselves to ignore it and continue along their own paths. Then they could follow the future already laid out for them.
But if they stepped forward recklessly out of pride or a sense of justice, the course of their lives could be completely changed.
“If you travel with us, it may become difficult for you to pass... No, the chances of you failing will probably be higher.”
“...”
“...”
I was truly grateful that they wanted to repay the debt of saving their lives, but I had never done it expecting payment, so I had no intention of forcing them.
Besides, I had already received more than enough compensation.
If they felt obligated to do so, I was telling them they did not have to.
The price was too great to pay simply because of youthful passion.
“It is enough for me that you two think this way. No, I would rather you not travel with us. If something terrible happens to you because of me, I would not be able to face the Divine Sword or the Iron Sword Sect Leader.”
“...”
“...”
I quietly drank the cold tea.
If I held Namgung Seonhwa and Seong Moran in my hand, there were endless strategies I could devise.
Even so, unlike Yong Soa or the Martial Alliance, I had no desire to use them as tools.
There was a difference as vast as heaven and earth between regarding someone entirely as my own and taking responsibility for them, and using them as tools for my benefit.
They still stood on the boundary between tools and my own people.
“Truly...”
After a long silence, Seong Moran parted her red lips.
“That is exactly what Young Master Jin would say.”
“Sister, didn't I tell you Young Master Jin would say something like that?”
The two women met each other's eyes and nodded, as though they found something amusing.
“The moment we heard your news, we said the same thing. So don't think of this as repaying a debt or returning a favor.”
“That is right. We wanted to be with Young Master Jin from the beginning.”
The scales tipped to one side.
Their words made my own decision firm. Instead of answering, I nodded.
“I look forward to working with you.”
“We look forward to working with you again.”
The tense atmosphere vanished in an instant at Namgung Seonhwa's playful words.
“But why are the Wudang Sect, Mount Hua Sect, and Mount Cang Sect specifically targeting Young Master Jin and the Taeul Sect? I heard there was conflict with disciples from the Mount Hua Sect and Mount Cang Sect when the Dragon-Phoenix Association visited the Taeul Sect. But why the Wudang Sect?”
Before I could answer, Seong Moran continued.
“It is because of that bastard Yong Soa, isn't it? He was the only one who escaped the Soul-Destroying Formation. Because of that, he was criticized while Young Master Jin was praised.”
“I cannot say that had no influence, but the exact reason is probably the Gate Tokens I possess.”
Namgung Seonhwa and Seong Moran tilted their heads at the same time. They looked entirely different, yet their actions made them seem like sisters, even twins.
“You didn't know?”
“Know what? Don't you have one Gate Token each?”
“...?”
“I have nine Gate I Tokens and six Gate II Tokens. Ah! I took one of each from Song Baek earlier, so I now have ten and seven respectively.”
“What?”
“What?!”
Namgung Seonhwa and Seong Moran's mouths fell open as though they had been struck by lightning.
“From the beginning, I have assumed that not only the Wudang Sect, Mount Hua Sect, and Mount Cang Sect, but the entire martial world is targeting us.”
“...”
“...”
The two looked utterly stunned.
Did they really come without knowing?
I quickly added, “Thank you again for the promise you made to travel with us, staking the honor of a warrior and your clan's name.”
“I never staked a warrior's honor...”
“Um... Sister, did I stake our clan's name earlier...?”
Once a card is played, it cannot be taken back.
Once you have let go, it is over.
Footnotes:
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