The Martial Genius Who Remembers Everything Chapter 41

[ … words ]

***

Visitors lined up as soon as it became known that my body had recovered enough to walk around outside.

“You saw earlier, right? I am Cha Seok-du, the Peak Master of Sahwangbong.”

“I am Gang Maeng-ji, the Leader of the Heuksabang. You must have heard of my name?”

“I am Go Gil-san, the Sect Leader of Saryongmun.”

“The Leader of Hyeolchangpa……”

“Dogapmun……”

Ordinarily, for me, a disciple of Tae-eul-mun, having a seat with some of the most prominent masters of the Dark Murim was a very burdensome situation, but they barged in without paying the slightest attention to my circumstances.

“The Dark Murim owes you a great debt.”

At Cha Seok-du’s words, those gathered together nodded in unison.

“If it weren’t for you, I cannot even imagine what kind of turmoil would have erupted throughout the entire Dark Murim.”

“That is not true. Setting aside my convictions, I merely did what had to be done.”

“No, it is not. We, as well as the hypocrites of the Orthodox Murim, know very well how difficult it is to do what must be done, regardless of those convictions. For instance, the reason the Murim Alliance reacted so tepidly was, in a way, because the majority of the personnel at Maryeong-gowon were warriors of the Dark Murim, was it not?”

“…….”

“Therefore, what you did was a great and tremendous feat that could not be exchanged for anything.”

Cha Seok-du scratched his cheek as if he felt embarrassed.

“Thanks to you, I also learned that there are quite a few decent people even among those hypocrites.”

“Ahaha…….”

I truly did not know whether I should like this situation or not.

Because until the Demonic Cult appeared, the main enemies of the Murim Alliance had been the Dark Murim and the evil factions.

“If I had my way, I would like to invite you and the people of your sect to hold a grand banquet……”

“Yes?”

I screamed without realizing it, and before I even had time to compose myself, Cha Seok-du’s face was filled with regret.

“……If we did that, you would suffer great trouble.”

I quickly spoke up to diminish their grateful hearts.

Because if it were truly known that I had been invited to a Dark Murim sect, it would be a problem if I didn’t go, and an even bigger problem if I did.

“In the sense that the laws of the Gangho were upheld without distinguishing between White and Black, I have already received sufficient compensation. Therefore, further gratitude feels like an excessive courtesy to me.”

Strange emotions were evident on the faces of Cha Seok-du, Gang Maeng-ji, Go Gil-san, and the others.

Whether it was anger at having their goodwill rejected, or joy at not having to pay a price, I could not tell because of their ferocious expressions.

“Uhahahaha. Truly, this is amazing. Amazing. How is it that such talents keep springing up endlessly in the Orthodox Murim?”

When Cha Seok-du burst into loud laughter, the other Dark Murim figures all burst into laughter together.

“……Haha.”

I felt like a piglet caught in front of hunters, not knowing when I would become roasted pork.

“Even so, if we do not repay the grace, it is no different from abandoning humanity, let alone the name of the Dark Murim. Take this.”

What he held out was a token the size of two finger joints.

“Sahwangbong will repay the debt whenever you need it.”

“……!!”

I could only gasp inwardly.

The token he was handing over now was not just an ordinary token; it was close to a Boeunpae (Debt Repayment Token).

Moreover, it was a token handed over by the leader of a faction, staking his own sect’s name.

This was like a promissory note that Sahwangbong would repay the debt at any time.

In the Gangho, even if one were from the Dark Murim, if they did not repay the debt associated with this token, they would be branded as a sect without even the minimum sense of loyalty, making it difficult to survive even among the Dark Murim.

Furthermore, there is no expiration date on a Boeunpae. As long as Sahwangbong remains through the generations, it is a pledge that Sahwangbong must step forward once, regardless of whose hand the token is in. This token was also a symbol of deep trust that could not be repaid with money.

While I was contemplating whether it would be a problem for me, a disciple of an Orthodox sect, to accept this, the leaders of other sects also stepped forward.

“Our Heuksabang is the same.”

“Me too……”

Thus, the tokens piled up one by one.

The table was filled with a whopping twenty tokens. Although there were more sects that had actually participated, it seemed they had selected representatives among themselves.

“Uh……”

“Do not refuse even this; doing so would make us out to be heartless beings, even for the Dark Murim.”

After pondering his words for a moment, I nodded and stood up from my seat.

In any case, when the Righteous-Demonic War breaks out, everyone, whether Orthodox or Dark, will die. In front of those crazy Demonic Cult bastards, what does it matter if one is White or Black?

I recalled the teachings of my ancestor that I had stored in my mind.

Wouldn’t the foundation to no longer have to worry about the eyes of other sects gradually be established now?

“Setting aside identity, how could I refuse the goodwill of the seniors of the Gangho? Thank you. I will use it well.”

After all the Dark Murim sects had left, the representatives of the Orthodox sects entered without giving me a moment to collect my thoughts.

Since the number of participating Orthodox sects was relatively low, there weren’t as many as the Dark Murim sects.

“It seems the Peak Master of Sahwangbong has been here.”

Namgung Jin-myeong smiled as he looked at the tokens piled up on the table. While I was wondering whether I should clear them away or not, he waved his hand, knowing my state of mind.

“It’s fine. I told Peak Master Cha Seok-du to do so when he asked me what kind of reward would be good for you.”

The Peak Master of Sahwangbong and the Young Master of the Namgung Clan had exchanged such conversations?

“Thanks to them stirring up Agyang, the work was easy. Those merchant bastards, don’t they take others’ misfortune as an opportunity?”

The situation was like this.

As tens of thousands of people gathered at Maryeong-gowon and supplies became scarce, they had to procure supplies from the nearest city, Agyang.

Merchants took advantage of the opportunity to raise the prices of goods significantly, and just as the Orthodox sects were about to be ripped off, the Dark Murim sects stirred up the merchant groups and escort agencies, threatening them and stabilizing the prices again.

I could only let out a hollow laugh at Namgung Jin-myeong’s words saying it was a perfect joint operation between Black and White.

“Ha… ha……”

The Namgung Clan, which had built up a deep grudge against the Murim Alliance due to this incident, was visibly building relationships with the masters of the Dark Murim.

Could I act as unreservedly as he did? That was not the case.

He was the Young Master of the Namgung Clan, and my sect was Tae-eul-mun.

He nodded as if to tell me not to worry.

“There will be no one who would dare say that you colluded with the Dark Murim based on your actions this time. If such a person exists, I will kill them with my own hands.”

“……Yes??”

“It’s a joke.”

I shut my mouth tightly at his brutal joke, and he chuckled as if it were funny.

“They say you caught the Jewang-geombeop (Imperial Sword Technique) with your hand, but your guts don’t seem that big?”

At Namgung Jin-myeong’s words, a strange light appeared in the eyes of the people sitting around us.

“Great Hero, is that true?”

“Ah, well, that’s what I said. Our San was so surprised. He said he almost dropped his sword on the spot.”

People were looking at me with curious eyes.

I watched Namgung Jin-myeong’s expression to see if his words might be disrespectful to Namgung San, but he was smiling at the corners of his mouth as if nothing were wrong.

“Come, come, there are still people waiting, so let’s clear the seats quickly.”

There were still people waiting?

While I was screaming inwardly, a warrior from the Hyeongsan Sect stepped forward.

“I am Ha Min-jung’s Great Senior Brother. Thank you for saving our youngest junior brother.”

A middle-aged man who looked old enough to be Ha Min-jung’s father cupped his hands and bowed.

I almost pretended to know him.

He, who would become the next Sect Leader of the Hyeongsan Sect, was famous even within the Murim Alliance for being fair and upright.

“It is an honor to meet the Great Hero Chilsal-myeolhon (Seven Killings Annihilating Soul).”

“……Do you know me?”

“I have heard much of your prestige through rumors.”

“You make me more embarrassed……. I heard that my junior brother said nasty things to you. Nevertheless, thank you for saving him without discrimination.”

“Think nothing of it. There were no words that would particularly hurt me. Please tell him to recover quickly.”

Chilsal-myeolhon Song Jeong-mu looked at me with a strange gaze.

“You are…… a surprising person in many ways.”

After saying words of unknown meaning, Song Jeong-mu took something out of his bosom.

“……This is a gift the Sect Leader asked me to deliver to you.”

What he handed over was a thick leather pouch a little larger than a palm.

“This is……!”

“It is one hundred Bokmabu (Demon-suppressing talismans) made by our sect.”

“!”

“!”

The others who were listening to the story were more surprised than I was.

The demon-suppressing efficacy of the Hyeongsan Sect’s martial arts was famous even before the Righteous-Demonic War occurred.

The Bokmabu were the most effective talismans among the Hyeongsan Sect’s secret techniques, and they had the effect of driving away Masayodok (Demonic Poison).

However, it was said that making these talismans was so difficult that there was a rumor in the Gangho that the number of Bokmabu was smaller than the actual number of Sohwandan (Small Transformation Pills).

“Is it really okay for you to give me this much?”

One Bokmabu has the value of 10 nyang of gold.

If there are a hundred such talismans, not just one or two, it means they brought all the Bokmabu that had been made from the past.

“Originally, we brought them to break the formation. But it was such a powerful formation that we didn’t even think about using them. The Sect Leader said not to be stingy with you, who saved his disciple from within that formation.”

Is there any need to refuse when they give it without burden?

Moreover, when the Righteous-Demonic War breaks out, Bokmabu will have a significant effect on the Demonic Cultists, and their value will jump up to 100 nyang of gold per sheet.

“I will gratefully accept it.”

“Would you like to come to Hyeongsan sometime?”

“……?”

“No, wait. It seems it will soon be time for you to come to the Murim Alliance as well.”

“……I suppose so.”

“Yes, then let’s see each other at the Murim Alliance.”

Following Song Jeong-mu, people from the Shandong Ak-ga and Yang-ga-jang left tokens.

“I heard from Ji-ryang that you are very interested in Gimunjinbeop (Formation techniques).”

I had been thinking about Gigwan-jin-sik (Mechanism formation) and Gimunjinbeop for the defense of Tae-eul-mun.

When the Righteous-Demonic War broke out, the difference in damage between sects where Gigwan-jin-sik and Gimunjinbeop were installed and those where they were not was enormous.

However, leaving aside the fact that the Gigwan-jin-sik or Gimunjinbeop themselves cost a tremendous amount of money, there were only a handful of places capable of installing them, so it was common for it to be difficult to install even if one had the money.

So, I had cautiously asked Yu Ji-ryang, with whom I had built a relationship this time, about the installation cost of Gimunjinbeop and the necessary materials, and it seemed that had reached the ears of the person above.

“So, I am thinking of installing Gimunjinbeop at Tae-eul-mun, what do you think?”

My mouth fell wide open.

“Are you serious? It was something I wanted to ask for first. However, I understand that the cost of installing Gimunjinbeop is quite high. How much should I expect?”

I had already secured funds for Gigwan-jin-sik by hiring Jegal Cheon-gi, but I hadn’t thought about Gimunjinbeop.

“About that cost. How about exchanging it with the things you obtained from the Muryang-bulgoe-myeolhon-jin……. inside there?”

“The things I obtained, you say?”

“You said you stepped on the wrong path once?”

It seemed that the story I had casually mentioned to Yu Ji-ryang had also gone up.

In any case, I had nothing to lose, and if the Gimunjinbeop to be installed at Tae-eul-mun could be made more powerful with the Muryang-bulgoe-myeolhon-jin, that would be even better, wouldn’t it?

“I understand. I look forward to your help.”

“No, rather, we should be the ones asking for your help.”

With Yu Ji-ryang as the last, people left, and only Namgung Jin-myeong and Namgung San remained in the room.

In fact, this was the turn I was looking forward to the most while receiving these gifts.

What would the Namgung Clan, which occupied one seat among the Five Great Clans, have prepared?

Clearly, when they gave me the Daeyeon-sindan (Great Connection Spirit Pill) last time, they said they wouldn’t wipe their mouths clean with just that. Would it make me look too much like a thief to expect more than that?

While I was lost in such thoughts, Namgung Jin-myeong handed me an envelope.

‘Is it a promissory note?’

In fact, even if I received tokens as Boeunpae, how well would I be able to utilize those tokens?

Especially since if I received help from the Dark Murim, I wouldn’t be able to get past it easily.

In that sense, the token of the Namgung Clan was the same.

In times like this, a clean cash payment isn’t bad either.

“Already have given me the Daeyeon-sindan……”

I pretended to refuse once, just slightly. Of course, if they took it back here, I planned to curse them for life.

“Didn’t I say it then? Would the Namgung Clan of the world pretend not to know the debt with just one Daeyeon-sindan to the benefactor who saved both my daughter and my warrior?”

“Haha, that’s right.”

While saying that, I pulled the envelope slightly, and wasn’t the paper visible between the slightly opened envelope a bit different from a regular promissory note?

Perhaps noticing my reaction, Namgung Jin-myeong let out a hearty laugh.

“Pu-hahaha, you can check it.”

“……Ah, that is.”

“Actually, the message I have to deliver is something you can only know if you look at that.”

I became anxious and quickly took out the paper from the envelope.

It contained content completely different from what I had expected.

【……Please, be sure to visit.】

The contents were not a promissory note but a letter. An invitation from the Clan Leader to visit the Namgung Clan.

“My father said he really wanted to see you once.”

“…….”

If it were Namgung Jin-myeong’s father, that would be Namgung Tae-ha, the Changje Sin-geom (Divine Sword of the Creation Emperor), the Clan Leader of the Namgung Clan.

Leaving aside the fact that he had reached a high level that I could not compare with, even looking at the hierarchy of the Murim, this was not a position where he would send an invitation.

In such a case, the appropriate method for the hierarchy would generally be to send the invitation to the sect and have the representative of that sect order the subordinate.

But it was none other than the Changje Sin-geom who had lowered himself as much as possible and sent an official invitation to a disciple of Tae-eul-mun.

“Uh, that is……”

I had received a tremendous invitation, but instead, the burden had increased.

“I am sorry. While my actions were correct, I do not think I am worthy of receiving such an invitation from the Changje Sin-geom.”

I said it as humbly and politely as possible, but Namgung Jin-myeong and Namgung San still did not lose the smiles on their lips.

“Ah, there is no need to be so burdened. My father said he had separate business to see you about.”

“Yes?”

I had never met the Changje Sin-geom once in my life or in the past.

Clearly, if that were the case, how did he know me and want to meet me?

“You took my father’s treasure, the Chilchae-boju (Seven-Colored Precious Orb), right?”

“!!”

At the sudden story, I glared at Namgung San to get an answer as to what on earth the situation was, but this guy Namgung San suddenly looked at the ceiling and started whistling.

“Ah, no, th-that is……”

“Moreover, my father almost fainted when he heard that his grandson had been stripped of everything from the Daeyeon-sindan to the Cheonjam-sa (Heavenly Silkworm Thread).”

The story was becoming increasingly spectacular.

“So, please visit without burden.”

Is this guy joking right now?

“Oh, right. If you don’t visit, my father said he would personally come to find you.”

If you don’t come and get hit, I’ll chase you and hit you. Is that it?

At that chilling story, I answered quickly.

“I will be sure to visit as soon as I finish my urgent business.”

At the very least, if I go and get hit, I’ll get hit one less time.

Namgung Jin-myeong nodded, looking satisfied at my words.

Namgung San was also looking back at me. As I was glaring at him and demanding an explanation, Namgung Jin-myeong opened his mouth again.

“And I have one request for you.”

“Please speak.”

“I am trying to introduce someone, and I would like you to hear that person’s story once.”

Who on earth could be a person significant enough for Namgung Jin-myeong to refer to as ‘that person’?

Moreover, a person whose story I necessarily have to hear?

To the unidentified target, I just nodded, and when an old man and Seong Mo-ran carefully entered through the door, I could understand why he had said such a thing.

“It has been a while.”

He was none other than the Cheolgeom-munju (Iron Sword Sect Leader).

“Have you been peaceful in the meantime?”

I replied with a Pogyon (cupped hand salute).

“…….”

The Cheolgeom-munju just stared without answering.

Compared to when I saw him last time, the person looked very haggard.

The flesh on his entire face had sunken in, and his two eyes were hollow and sunken, making that nasty-looking face appear even more spiteful.

“I have not been peaceful.”

“Ah…… I see.”

“The grandson who should have inherited the family went into the Geum-ok, the Gujung-geom (Nine-Fold Sword) was taken away, and the name of the Cheolgeom-mun (Iron Sword Sect) has fallen to the ground, so how could I have spent it peacefully?”

Perhaps it was different from what they had discussed beforehand, but Namgung Jin-myeong showed a look of embarrassment for the first time.

“……However, those are all my flaws, all due to my mistakes. If one were to call it your mistake, it would be that you merely uncovered them.”

Namgung Jin-myeong’s hand, which was about to stop him, slowly lowered.

“But the object of that resentment saved the life of my only remaining granddaughter. If this is the case, is it not the case that I can no longer resent you?”

He continued to talk, and it was impossible to tell whether he was blaming the other or blaming himself.

“When I heard that Mo-ran was trapped inside the Myeolhon-jin (Soul-Annihilating Formation), I swore to the heavens. If only you returned Mo-ran to me, I would give my life.”

The Cheolgeom-munju suddenly knelt and prostrated himself on the floor.

“!”

“!”

“!”

It was not just me in the room; Namgung Jin-myeong, Namgung San, and the granddaughter Seong Mo-ran were all together.

I was startled and quickly tried to lift the Cheolgeom-munju.

“Please stand up. I merely did what was natural.”

“Even if it is a natural thing for you, it is not for me. Even when I risked my own life, what does it matter to kneel?”

He said in a mournful voice.

“I apologize to my benefactor. Please, I beg you to forgive the sins committed by this old man in the past.”

People who had been frozen by the sight of him putting down the fame and weight of the years he possessed could not say a word.

I nodded and said.

“……I will accept your sincere apology, Sect Leader. So please, stand up. If you keep doing this, wouldn’t it become a flaw that I saved Young Lady Mo-ran?”

“Please do so, Sect Leader. If you impose such a burden, wouldn’t the relationship between Tae-eul-mun and Cheolgeom-mun remain awkward in the future?”

Only when Namgung Jin-myeong stepped in did the Cheolgeom-munju finally rise from his seat.

He took out a token from his bosom, just like the others, and placed it down.

“From now on, I will not infringe upon the position of Tae-eul-mun in Hapbi. Furthermore, I will make an effort for the two sects to build a good relationship in the future.”

“I am grateful for your words alone.”

As I raised my Pogyon salute, the Cheolgeom-munju also raised his Pogyon at the same time and bowed his head deeply.

Seong Mo-ran seemed to have something she wanted to say, but overwhelmed by the enormous weight shown by her grandfather, she could not open her mouth easily, and instead, she looked toward me the whole time they were leaving.

“Whew. Truly, it is amazing.”

Namgung Jin-myeong sighed as if he had broken into a cold sweat.

“That is what I mean.”

In my words, Namgung Jin-myeong said as if asking what I was talking about.

“I was talking about you.”

“Yes?”

“Where else would you find a person who, at the age of just twenty, can receive Boeunpae from not only Orthodox sects but also masters of the Dark Murim, and receive a deep bow from the Cheolgeom-munju? Leaving aside my son, even Yong So-a only made a name for himself with his martial arts at your age. Isn’t that right?”

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