WeTried Translations
Translator/Editor: Chen
Discord: https://dsc.gg/wetried
◈ The Martial Genius who Remembers Everything ◈
Chapter 489: Shadows of the Sunset (2)
──────
There were times when, after fighting to the death on a battlefield, unable to eat and doing nothing but kill whatever stood before me, my body would simply stop moving.
It was a state that came after prolonged battle had drained all my strength and madness had exhausted my mind.
Strangely, once I reached that point, death no longer frightened me.
Enemies would continue pouring in without end, and even if I survived today, I could still end up a corpse on the ground tomorrow.
At times like that, if a comrade did not save me, I would die without fail.
The person who saved me most often was not one of the other fucking bastards in the Sojeong Unit, but Moyong Seol.
She saved me over and over, pulling me back from death each time.
[Stop! Stop! Please, just stop!]
And whenever she did, I grew angrier. I cursed her. I poured all my rage onto her.
I did not know why.
She was the person who had saved me.
Someone far beyond my reach had tried harder than anyone to protect me, yet I had unleashed unbearable fury on her.
[Fuck! Why didn’t you protect the members of your dead clan like that?!]
I did not know what I had been thinking.
I had said something insane to her, even though she carried the same wound I did after the destruction of the Taeul Sect.
Naturally, I expected retaliation. The destruction of the Moyong Clan was practically her untouchable wound.
I thought she might cut off my head or kill me with a single strike.
At one point, I even thought that would be fine.
Yet Moyong Seol calmly said to me,
[Young Master Jin, you have only been defeated by life’s absurdity.]
She said life had no inherent meaning, and that after witnessing death often enough, people came to realize that truth and began to desire a peaceful death over a troublesome life.
[Life is absurd. But that does not mean you should accept death with ease. Precisely because it is absurd, it is important to live freely and give your life meaning.]
I still did not fully understand what she had meant that day.
Why had that memory suddenly come back to me?
“Benefactor Jin.”
Ilgak approached me.
“Weren’t you supposed to travel with Senior Yong Soa?”
“Why would I?”
Yong Soa had left.
“Didn’t he say it was something incredibly important?”
Myoin, the Senior Nun, was the Society Leader of the Left Buddha Society, a prominent Buddhist charitable organization.
With nearly ten thousand members across the country, the Left Buddha Society stood alongside Shaolin Temple and Mount Emei Sect as one of the three great spiritual pillars for disciples of Buddhist martial sects.
I could understand why Yong Soa had run off like a colt with its tail on fire.
‘So that was how that bitch Myoin, the Senior Nun, became one of Yong Soa’s people.’
Of course, she was an extremely important figure to the White Path now. That was a matter for the present.
When I heard Yong Soa was going to save Myoin, the Senior Nun, I was dumbfounded.
Myoin, the Senior Nun, was the one who had fallen for the Demonic Cult’s temptation, learned demonic arts, become the Blood Buddha of the Demon Cliff, and destroyed Mount Emei Sect.
I was already furious, so why would I follow Yong Soa when that bastard was doing something so damned idiotic?
“Are you still angry with Senior Yong Soa?”
Ilgak added cautiously as he watched my expression.
“But Senior Yong Soa had no choice either, did he?”
“Whose side are you taking, you bald bastard?”
“…Huu. I’m not taking anyone’s side. Benefactor Jin nearly died.”
“…”
I knew Song Yesul’s death was not Yong Soa’s fault.
As that unpleasant bastard had said, if there had been a way, he would have been able to save her.
What drove me mad was how unbearably absurd Song Yesul’s death felt.
Why had she been turned into a Demon-Subduing Madman and cast into the martial world?
Why had she loved Hwapung Manor so deeply despite being a Demon-Subduing Madman?
Why had she held such hopeful dreams for the future when she was a tool of the Demonic Cult, someone fated to cause a bloodbath before being used up and discarded?
“What on earth was Miss Song’s life?”
“Pardon?”
“What meaning did Miss Song’s life even have?”
“…”
I wondered whether there had been some meaning to the life of a woman who had died after being used as a tool of the Demonic Cult, a meaning I did not know.
“Don’t you have some good words from Buddha’s teachings? Something about how there is meaning in the life of someone who was used and killed like that.”
For some reason, her meaningless death kept making me look back on the meaning of my own life.
I had crossed the threshold of death over and over to live differently from my previous life, yet in the end, I could not even save Song Yesul.
I had witnessed countless deaths.
So many that they could not even be compared to Song Yesul’s death alone.
And I had told myself it was fine, that it would be fine.
That the ending of this life would be different from the last.
“But it wasn’t.”
“What do you mean, Benefactor Jin…?”
It was not simply the death of Song Yesul.
‘It was the emptiness of being unable to save even Song Yesul properly.’
The future Yong Soa would create was filled with despair.
The future I was trying to create only felt impossibly distant.
If the future Yong Soa saw came true exactly as it had in my previous life, could anything I did truly have meaning?
The vivid memories of that empty, futile previous life I had already lived through were eating away at my mind.
[Young Master Jin, you have only been defeated by life’s absurdity.]
Perhaps, just as she had said, I had been defeated by absurdity.
Perhaps I was exhausted, having lost all meaning and grown indifferent to everything, no longer afraid of death.
On top of that, that damned monk Ilgak could not give me any answer to my question.
“So life is meaningless after all.”
“…”
Just then, Gwak Susan approached.
“Group Leader, you look tired. Let’s settle down early today and camp for the night.”
I shook my head.
“Solhong Inn is only one sichen away.”
“…Do we really have to?”
“I heard Solhong Wine is incredibly strong. I need to try it.”
Everything was meaningless.
#
The Dragon-Phoenix Association’s inspections had ended.
Only a few sects remained, and none of them had shown any suspicious signs.
They always went to find Jin Sowoon at the end, but Jin Sowoon was drunk and never came out of his room.
The final results of the inspections would not be available immediately, but the Dragon-Phoenix Association’s first operation had been a success.
They had achieved results and made a name for themselves.
“Ahhh… I’m dying.”
Instructor Danmok stretched, easing the tension from their body.
“Phew… It’s finally over.”
“Everyone worked hard.”
“I was worried they would keep sending us around the martial world.”
The Dragon-Phoenix Association’s return had already been decided.
“Judging by the mood, that would be impossible.”
Now that it was known the Dragon-Phoenix Association had taken on the role of inspectors, further visits would only put other sects on edge.
“But is it true? The Sword Tomb, I mean.”
No one knew where it had begun, but news of the Sword Tomb was throwing the martial world into an uproar.
It was spreading so quickly that even the stories about the Dragon-Phoenix Association and the forbidden art had been buried.
“Doesn’t that sound impossible? A tomb for the Sword Venerable and the Black King?”
The Sword Venerable and the Black King had been absolute masters of the White Path and Black Path who ruled the martial world two hundred years ago.
A sudden rumor that their tombs were in the same place had set the martial world buzzing.
“It isn’t completely impossible, though. They say their friendship surpassed even the famed bond of Guan Zhong and Bao Shuya.[1]”
People who loved stories excitedly passed the rumor of the Sword Tomb from one person to the next.
What made the story especially compelling was that neither master’s legacy had been properly passed down.
They had each left behind the Divine Sword Palace and Black King Fort, respectively, but less than ten years after they disappeared, both martial lineages had vanished without a trace.
“If this is real, it will cause a huge uproar in the martial world.”
Instructor Danmok shook their head dismissively.
“Do you know how many ridiculous rumors like that spread every year?”
“…”
“More importantly, where has that damned Group Leader gone now? He’s not causing trouble somewhere again, is he?”
Instructor Danmok anxiously searched every corner of the inn.
“He said there was a famous Wuliangye distillery and went out.”
“No! Why does that man only move when there’s alcohol involved?”
Ilgak, who had been listening quietly, spoke.
“Benefactor Jin’s turmoil has not yet settled. Let us wait a little longer.”
“…Haa.”
Though Instructor Danmok sighed, they did not say anything more.
Jin Sowoon might have staggered around, but he was still handling his responsibilities well.
Besides, incidents of him picking fights at random had decreased recently.
Then a commotion broke out at the entrance, followed by a thunderous crash as both the doorkeeper and the door flew away.
Bang!
The ordinary people inside the inn instinctively leaped to their feet and fled to one side, while the martial artists placed their hands on their weapons.
Sliiide-
Men with an enormous presence, enough to inspire instinctive fear, entered the inn.
-Jamhyang Cheonong and the Five Luminaries Under Heaven!
The Dragon-Phoenix Association recognized them immediately.
They were dangerous enough to have wanted posters and bounties issued by the Martial Alliance.
The members of the Dragon-Phoenix Association exchanged glances after recognizing them.
Before they could decide what to do, Jamhyang Cheonong slowly turned toward them.
“Judging by how you are gathered and the traces of your martial arts, you must be the new Four Seasons Association.”
Jamhyang Cheonong looked down on the Dragon-Phoenix Association by calling them the Four Seasons Association.
“Forget it. If you step up out of competitive pride, you’ll end up in a coffin before you can enjoy your bright future.”
Even the Five Luminaries Under Heaven were renowned masters of the Black Path.
Their master, Jamhyang Cheonong, was far beyond the level the Dragon-Phoenix Association could handle.
-What should we do?
-Let’s watch for now.
If it was a dispute between martial artists, perhaps they could let the two sides settle it themselves.
Jamhyang Cheonong withdrew his gaze from the Dragon-Phoenix Association and swept his eyes across the inn.
Then his gaze stopped on the group of ordinary people.
“So you were hiding there, you rat.”
As Jamhyang Cheonong moved toward the ordinary people, the Dragon-Phoenix Association members visibly panicked.
-Shouldn’t we stop this?
Before they could even settle on a decision, Ilgak stepped in front of Jamhyang Cheonong.
-Damn it, why does everyone keep moving without saying anything?
With Instructor Danmok’s mental shout, the Dragon-Phoenix Association took their places beside Ilgak.
“Amitabha. How can someone who calls himself a martial artist seek to oppress the weak?”
“Bald monk, this is not Shaolin Temple.”
“I know. But I cannot turn a blind eye to wrongdoing.”
“Do you know that I gouged out one eye of a bald monk named Hyejin?”
“I know very well.”
Jamhyang Cheonong looked at Ilgak curiously when he did not react even to that provocation.
“You look young, yet have you already attained ‘Immovability’? You’re no fun to provoke.”
“…Amitabha.”
It was praise Jamhyang Cheonong could only offer because he had no idea how thoroughly Ilgak had been trained by Jin Sowoon’s mockery.
“You’re an interesting fellow, so I’ll tell you. That man hiding among those commoners has learned martial arts.”
When Jamhyang Cheonong pointed at the person wearing a bamboo hat, the people moved aside and revealed the man.
Jamhyang Cheonong’s lips curled coldly as he looked at him.
“And he stole my treasure.”
“…What treasure are you referring to?”
“It is a treasure passed down through my sect for generations.”
At Jamhyang Cheonong’s words, the bamboo-hatted man stepped forward indignantly.
“Cheonong! Are you not ashamed? How can you lie and call another person’s belongings a family heirloom?”
“Cackle, cackle. Do you think the Dragon-Phoenix Association is your lifeline? These youngsters have no intention of risking their lives for you.”
“Ha! The Martial Alliance protects the justice of the martial world! It protects it! It practices it! It teaches chivalry! It proves chivalry! The Martial Alliance, which embodies oneness with all creation, would never ignore injustice!”
The Dragon-Phoenix Association members all turned to look at the bamboo-hatted man without realizing it.
“…”
“…”
“…”
Then they quickly began exchanging sound transmissions.
-Doesn’t it feel like we’ve gotten involved in something wrong?
-Someone who conned me once had that exact same air about them.
The bamboo-hatted man gave off an unmistakably thick stench of a con artist.
-I think that man might be from the Black Path too… Shouldn’t we withdraw?
-Ilgak, what do you think?
Ilgak examined the bamboo-hatted man, then asked him,
“May I ask what treasure you possess?”
“Venerable monk! This is unjust! I acquired it from an antique shop.”
“Yes. So if you could tell us what the item is…”
“I have an elderly mother, a sick wife, and three children starving at home. Please, do not turn away from me in the boundless mercy of Shaolin Temple.”
“…”
This son of a… No, this Jin Sowoon-like… No, what sort of lay benefactor was he?
Ilgak lowered his hand.
“I do not believe this is a matter we should interfere in.”
When Ilgak said that, Jamhyang Cheonong waved his hand dismissively.
“Didn’t I tell you? Move aside already. That slippery bastard might run at any moment.”
“Venerable monk! Great Hero! Young Lady! Please do not abandon me!”
The bamboo-hatted man cried out desperately.
“Isn’t the Martial Alliance meant to protect the martial world’s righteous spirit, preserve peace, establish order, and help the weak? Please, do not abandon me!”
In some ways, he was an impressive man.
Even in this situation, he kept talking instead of preparing for a fight.
The Dragon-Phoenix Association members thought the situation had fortunately been resolved.
“Tha’s righ’!! Those are some mighty fine words.”
…Until the scent of powerful liquor filled the inn.
“That is exactly what the Martial Alliance is.”
Jamhyang Cheonong turned his head toward the voice.
“Hic-”
Jin Sowoon stood there, swaying crookedly with a jar of liquor in one hand.
“The righteous and brave Martial Alliance doesn’t forgive bad Black Path scum. Hic.”
At that sight, every member of the Dragon-Phoenix Association clutched their heads.
[1] Guan Zhong and Bao Shuya: Chinese statesmen famed for their enduring friendship and mutual trust.
Footnotes:
Join our discord at https://dsc.gg/wetried
