WeTried Translations
Translator/Editor: Chen
Discord: https://dsc.gg/wetried
◈ The Martial Genius who Remembers Everything ◈
Chapter 494: Shadows of the Sunset (7)
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The Martial Alliance recruited an investigation team for the Sword Tomb, and despite the brief recruitment period, more than a thousand people applied.
The Martial Alliance selected fewer than a hundred people, drawing widespread resentment. However, they calmed public opinion by saying they would recruit more later.
Some sharply accused the Alliance of recruiting applicants merely to absolve itself of responsibility for people acting on their own.
Still, the successful applicants sneered, “A conspiracy theory just because you failed?”
The men who had failed had no interest in making a public issue of it. They were too busy drowning their frustration in alcohol.
The first investigation team, consisting of the Martial Alliance’s combat pavilion and some of the applicants, headed for Gansu Province.
Many people from the Black Path martial world headed there as well.
The Black Alliance had yet to say anything about the Sword Tomb. Since many Black Path martial artists lived as they pleased to begin with, countless wanderers of the Black Path began charging toward it like wild horses, imagining the Sword Tomb as a carrot dangling before them.
As people began flocking to Gansu Province, merchants based there or trading along the Silk Road made enormous profits. Still, not everyone believed the rumors.
“The Sword Tomb? Isn’t it absurd to claim such a thing even exists? How extensively have the Sword Venerable’s descendants and the Black King’s descendants searched for their true teachings?”
“You’re right. Two absolute masters who dominated both the White Path and Black Path martial worlds two hundred years ago vanished at the same time. Do you really expect me to believe they were peacefully laid to rest in a tomb?”
Some denied the Sword Tomb’s existence outright.
“But there are treasure maps. I heard the cipher even contains the precise location.”
“This is driving me mad. These days, everyone and their dog is carrying a treasure map around. What kind of treasure map is that? Why would such an incredible map fall into our hands? Because it’s fake, that’s why.”
“Khahaha. True enough. I hear there are even people making copies at roadside stalls and selling them. They charge a whole silver tael for one.”
As treasure maps flooded the market, many people became even less willing to believe the rumors about the Sword Tomb.
Just as the rumors began to die down.
Boom!
A massive explosion rang out as though it would bring down the entire mountain.
“G-good heavens!”
“I-it’s real! It really existed!”
“The Sword Tomb! It’s the Sword Tomb!!!”
The Sword Tomb had been discovered on Great Snow Mountain in Gansu Province.
#
Around the time the long-vacant Pavilion Master position at Cheonmok Pavilion was filled and the pavilion began returning to normal, the reports that had been delayed for so long came flooding in like a tide.
The chronological order was often mixed up as well. Information that “the observer has reached their destination” would arrive first.
Then, absurdly, a report saying “the observer has departed for their destination” would arrive afterward.
Cheonmok Pavilion had been staying up night after night while processing the accumulated work, and the effects naturally spread to the Mantong Office, making its members suffer as well.
“Eunho, are you all right?”
Seeing Cheol Sunjik’s gaze drop beneath Eunho’s nose, Eunho raised a hand and touched it.
Then he felt something.
“…!”
Warm blood stained his fingers, and Eunho recoiled in alarm.
“Good heavens… I’ve never had a nosebleed this badly, not even during training.”
“…Why don’t you get some rest?”
“Then why are you holding on by doing qi-regulating breathing every two sichen, Brother Cheol?”
“…”
Neither of them looked well, but neither could easily leave to rest.
“Phew… It would’ve been manageable if not for the situation in Gansu Province.”
Cheol Sunjik clutched his head and dropped into a chair.
Fortunately, the Dragon-Phoenix Association had successfully completed its inspection, greatly reducing their workload.
More surveillance would be necessary, but the Inspectorate could handle that later.
Just when they had begun working with renewed hope, a new assignment arrived.
“Now, look at this carefully. These are the treasure maps being spread through the market. They look suspicious at a glance, right? So what should we do?”
That was what Head of the Mantong Office Maeng Juwon had said to the members who were packing up after finishing their work.
In the end, the Mantong Office members had no choice but to curse and unpack again.
They could not simply overlook an unusual phenomenon occurring throughout the martial world.
They had assumed the treasure-map incident was nothing more than someone pulling off a grand scam and fleeing. Then the Sword Tomb was actually found on Great Snow Mountain, turning it into an even more complicated case.
“What? You still haven’t figured out who is spreading the treasure maps, or why? Can you even call yourselves members of the Mantong Office?”
They were being told to uncover the intent behind something whose intent was impossible to grasp. It was enough to drive the Mantong Office members mad.
“Brother Cheol, isn’t this strange? If someone truly had a treasure map, they could just take it into the Sword Tomb alone, find the treasure, or get buried in there. Why would they make copies and sell them?”
Treasure maps had often brought bloody turmoil to the martial world, but they had never been distributed in such quantities that they created chaos. Understanding the current situation was nearly impossible.
“And look at this. They’re selling treasure maps at roadside stalls now. Two maps for one tael in copper coins, apparently. What kind of treasure map is that?”
“It certainly is strange.”
No matter how they thought about it, the situation made no sense.
“To think there could be another person like Hall Master Jin in the world…”
“What?”
Eunho stopped abruptly at Cheol Sunjik’s mutter.
“Hm? What is it?”
“No, what you just said…”
“Hm? Ah! I only said that because I couldn’t predict what was happening. If you think I was insulting Hall Master Jin, don’t misunderstand…”
“No, no!”
Eunho lowered his head and whispered.
“This… Could our senior brother be behind it?”
Eunho’s expression was filled with suspicion, as though he were certain of it.
“…”
Cheol Sunjik’s face became as still as a stone Buddha.
Was Eunho thinking strange thoughts because he was too exhausted?
Or did Jin Sowoon usually act so strangely that it led to thoughts like this?
“Haha, you really are something.”
“Right… Even if he is Senior Brother… No, isn’t it still possible?”
Just how little trust did Jin Sowoon have from his junior brothers?
No, perhaps it was the opposite. They seemed to believe he had done it without question.
“If it were Hall Master Jin I know… I think the moment he obtained the Sword Tomb’s treasure map, he would’ve tried to sneak in alone.”
“Or… maybe he knew it was fake and sold it?”
Though the Sword Tomb on Great Snow Mountain had been found, reports said there was nothing noteworthy inside.
A written dispatch had arrived before the Martial Alliance’s first investigation team could even reach the site, and the Martial Alliance had considered recalling the team.
“…”
Cheol Sunjik could not tell whether Eunho’s distrust came from exhaustion or from Jin Sowoon’s usual behavior.
“You look very tired. Why don’t you get at least a little sleep?”
“No, doesn’t it really seem suspicious? If we report him to the Inspectorate first and torture him in the Golden Prison, I think even Senior Brother, no matter how strange… I mean, how impressive he is, would confess all his wrongdoings without hesitation…”
“?!”
Cheol Sunjik was about to stop Eunho when he spotted someone standing behind Eunho. Startled, he took two steps back.
“Don’t you think so too, Brother Cheol? They say water knows the truth. If he received water torture for just one sichen, he’d probably spill even my grandfather’s habits…”
“Whose grandfather’s habits are you trying to learn?”
“!!!”
Eunho turned around in horror.
“S-Senior Brother!!!”
“What were you doing that you didn’t even notice I’d arrived?”
“Ah, no, it’s just…”
Eunho’s eyes darted toward Cheol Sunjik, then Eunho quickly straightened up.
“What brings you here? The Mantong Office handles confidential matters, so outsiders are forbidden from entering without permission…”
“I’m the Hall Master of Yuseong Hall. It answers directly to the Mantong Office. Of course I’m not an outsider.”
“…T-then what brings you here?”
“When are you going to give me subordinates? I need members to do a Hall Master’s work. I make tea and write reports with my own hands. What kind of Hall Master is that?”
“…”
Jin Sowoon’s demand for subordinates he could use like extra limbs, in the middle of this chaos, was absurd.
No, it even made killing intent rise within Eunho.
Did this damned senior brother know how mercilessly Eunho was being wrung dry by the Mantong Office?
Eunho spoke with obvious displeasure.
“I see. We have already submitted a report, but no suitable candidates have been selected yet. Could you wait a little longer?”
Cheol Sunjik looked at Eunho in surprise, but it could not be helped.
Senior Brother’s fist was faster and more painful than the Martial Alliance’s rules.
“Really? Well, that’s that. Aren’t you sending a second investigation team? Yuseong Hall wants in.”
“Why would you go there?”
“It’s the Sword Tomb. Isn’t it natural to want to see it?”
“…”
Eunho looked at Cheol Sunjik.
Had Eunho’s prediction been wrong?
“There are no plans for a second investigation team yet. We were even leaning toward recalling the first team.”
“Hm, is that so?”
At that moment, Jin Sowoon pulled a document from his robes.
“What is this?”
“You could call it a report on the Sword Tomb. It briefly describes the strange things happening now and what will happen next.”
“Briefly?”
“Pass it along to the higher-ups. And choose some subordinates for me soon. I’m tired of going back and forth to boil water every time.”
Jin Sowoon had said his piece and was about to leave.
Then Jin Sowoon’s gaze landed on a document atop the desk, and Jin Sowoon scanned it as though he could bore a hole through it.
Then.
“These bastards! They dare make illegal copies? It doesn’t even cost that much!”
The document Jin Sowoon picked up was a report about copied treasure maps being sold at roadside stalls.
“…!”
“…!”
Cheol Sunjik and Eunho exchanged looks, and just as they were about to call out to Jin Sowoon:
“Two maps for one tael in copper coins? Fine. Let’s see how low they’ll go!”
Leaving behind words neither of them understood, Jin Sowoon vanished like the wind.
“The Inspectorate…”
“Let’s pretend we heard nothing.”
“But…”
“If we report this, we’ll have to conduct another complicated investigation. Are you all right with that?”
“…”
Swoosh.
Eunho stopped in his tracks. The two exchanged looks, then nodded to each other without either needing to speak first.
They were far too tired to passionately uphold justice.
#
“Have you heard of the Demon-Subduing Madmen?”
The martial world was still abuzz with news of the Sword Tomb, but chaos continued elsewhere.
It had not been made public, but stories had recently begun to spread that Demon-Subduing Madmen were occasionally being discovered.
“It’s truly frightening. Our clan is quietly investigating it internally as well.”
In my previous life, they had not shown even the slightest sign before the Orthodox-Demonic War. The events of this life were clearly unfolding differently.
The situation seemed to be growing quite serious, particularly among prominent sects.
It was bad enough that they were accepting unverified people and tarnishing their reputations. They were even falsely accusing one another of being Demon-Subduing Madmen, causing internal conflicts to worsen.
‘Could this be what they’re aiming for?’
Division within the White Path would only become delicious nourishment for the Demonic Cult.
I thought I had obstructed their plans many times, yet there was still no sign that their momentum was weakening.
Of course, I was not one to break. I would keep trying until they broke.
I had already sent a report to Jegal Somyeong, so all I could do was wait for them to take the bait.
“I see. Then Senior Dang isn’t a Demon-Subduing Madman?”
Dang Seohui, who had been eating sweets, put down her skewer and stiffly turned her head.
“Do I… still look like Senior Dang to you?”
She lowered her voice, but it was not frightening at all. If anything, her long sleeves looked cute.
I neatly folded her sleeves and spoke.
“I’m busy now, so could you leave once you’ve finished eating? I’m about to receive a guest.”
Yuseong Hall had finally gained its first lackey… No, member.
I was deeply dissatisfied that there was only one, but still, this was better than nothing.
I no longer needed to go out and boil water every time or buy snacks myself.
Why?
Because I was a Hall Master with a lackey… No, a member.
“A guest? I heard Yuseong Hall has not begun operating properly yet.”
“Hehehe. It’s not an outside guest today. More accurately, it’s an internal guest. Today, the lackey who will wipe my ass… No, run errands for me, is arriving.”
“??? …You mean a hall member?”
“Well, if you insist on calling them that.”
It was truly moving.
A subordinate.
In my previous life, I had been nothing more than a lackey wherever I went.
After living through two lives, I had finally gained a real lackey of my own.
‘Hehe, I’ll work them hard and treat them well once in a while. What if they quit otherwise?’
I hurried Dang Seohui along.
“Come on, go back already. I don’t have time to play with you today.”
Then.
“If it is a hall member, they already arrived earlier.”
Her calm words froze my body as though I had been struck by ice arts.
“…D-don’t tell me…”
Dang Seohui nodded as though it were obvious and sat down again.
That confident expression…
Surely, surely not…
“I am Dang Seohui, a member of Yuseong Hall.”
“…”
“It is too sweet, so my mouth feels sticky. Would you give me some tea?”
The lackey… No, senior, tilted her head and blinked at me.
“Is this… real…?”
While I refused to accept reality, Dang Seohui repeatedly tapped her empty teacup against the table, urging me on.
“Hall Master, what are you doing?”
“Hahaha…”
I could not believe that was how a hall member acted toward their Hall Master.
What kind of hall member was this?
Footnotes:
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