The Martial Genius Who Remembers Everything Chapter 105

[ … words ]

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“You…… look very tired.”

At Wang Geum-san’s words, Jin Tae-san was startled and smoothed his face. Was he looking that bad?

“You look exactly like a giant panda.”

“…….”

Now that he mentioned it, the dark circles under his eyes were gradually getting darker.

It was joyful that the trading company was being organized little by little and that more money was coming in, but it was inevitable that his energy would drain away when he thought about how much he had been ground down for it.

“But……. The guild leader doesn’t look so good either…….”

Wang Geum-san’s appearance also entered Jin Tae-san’s eyes. Unlike him, he was wearing silk clothes and a gold belt, but he was gaunt.

“……That is true. Both of us are going through a lot of trouble because of our excellent children.”

A bitter smile spread across Wang Geum-san’s lips.

Did they say Wang So-so’s business acumen was that outstanding?

According to rumors, the power of the Wang family, including Shaanxi, Gansu, and Qinghai, had doubled.

Recently, new trade routes with the Western Regions had opened, and the amount of tribute goods delivered to Beijing had increased significantly, so they said it was to the point where they could build buildings with gold.

“Did I interrupt you by any chance?”

At Wang Geum-san’s words, Jin Tae-san tilted his head.

Wang Geum-san was someone everyone wanted to meet, whether they were people involved in the martial world or people involved in government office. For such a person to speak in a tone that seemed to be reading the mood of a mere outer hall master of a small sect, it was quite incomprehensible.

“What are you talking about? I was also intending to seek advice from the guild leader, but I was putting it off day after day because I thought you would be busy.”

“Haha, it is fortunate that our hearts communicated.”

“Yes, whenever you need anything, please do not come such a long way, just call me. I will visit you directly at any time.”

He was a person who had never once made a show of it, even after donating huge sponsorship funds.

He had received a lot of help in developing the iron ore mine, and there was no need to even mention the trading company work.

Recently, hadn’t he even held a modest feast because Jin So-un, a disciple of the Tae-eul-mun, had passed the Third Gate? From Jin Tae-san’s perspective, he was a person who would not be enough even if he welcomed him with open arms.

“It is nothing else, I came because of So-so.”

“Hmm? Is there any difficulty in the Tae-eul-mun?”

As far as he knew, Wang So-so already had the Tae-eul-mun children wrapped around her finger. He didn’t know exactly how that was possible, but unlike during Gye Cheol-yeong’s time, there wasn’t a single child who didn’t follow Wang So-so.

Moreover, Je-gal Cheon-gi, who had recently entered as an outer disciple, and Yu-seong, who had returned after being an exchange disciple to the Moryong family, were serving Wang So-so just like they followed their own sect leader.

“No. It is not that. It is because there is a trace of having learned martial arts in that child’s movements.”

“Ah……!”

“Do you know something?”

“It seems to be because of the Tae-eul-jin-gyeong.”

“If it is the Tae-eul-jin-gyeong…… do you mean the true teachings of the Tae-eul Sword Emperor that were recently found?”

“Yes.”

“Is it okay?”

Wang So-so could not learn any martial arts other than the Tae-eul-sim-beop (Tae-eul Mind Method) because of her illness. This was because if the internal energy became turbid, the nature of the Tae-yang-ji-che (Great Yang Body) would pop out again.

“You do not need to worry. You can think of the Tae-eul-jin-gyeong as an advanced version of the Tae-eul-sim-beop. Moreover, as the study is profound, the internal energy in the Dan-jeon will become even more pure.”

“Hehe…….”

Wang Geum-san’s expression was complex.

It was an expression that he didn’t know whether he should be happy about this or not.

Jin Tae-san continued with an apologetic expression.

“I am sorry. I should have told you in advance so as not to cause worry, but no one in the sect was able to pay attention to it.”

“No, it is fine. Doesn’t that mean there are no problems to the point that I forgot to talk about it? But, is there a footwork technique among those martial arts that leaves an afterimage?”

“An afterimage…… if you mean……?”

“The child moves, but those footprints remain.”

He seemed to be talking about the Tae-eul-pal-man-sin-bo (Tae-eul Eight Thousand Godly Steps), but had her achievement already risen to the point of leaving afterimages?

“Huh…….”

“Why, why are you doing that?”

At Wang Geum-san’s surprised appearance, Jin Tae-san quickly hid his expression.

“It seems your daughter did not just possess business acumen.”

Kang Chae-seok, the hall master of the Tae-gwang-dang, had said that he only left afterimages when stepping on the Tae-eul-pal-man-sin-bo. Considering that Hong Mun-gi, the sect leader, did not leave afterimages when stepping on the footwork, one had to see Wang So-so’s achievement as higher than Hong Mun-gi’s.

“Congratulations. You truly have a magnificent daughter.”

“Hehe…… This, really…….”

Wang Geum-san’s lips twitched, and he could not hide his laughter.

“It must all be thanks to the excellent teachings of the Tae-eul-mun.”

Jin Tae-san swallowed the words, ‘Actually, even we haven’t learned it all yet.’

“Why were you trying to see me, Outer Hall Master?”

“Ah! Right. I have many worries about how to organize the escort group while operating the trading company in earnest. It is because the Tae-eul-mun is currently closed (Bong-mun) to do the escort work directly.”

“Hmm…… How about requesting an escort agency, but setting up a flag with one or two martial artists to let people know that it is an escort group of the Tae-eul-mun?”

“I also think positively about letting people know that it is the Tae-eul-mun later on, but wouldn’t it be a bit early to set up a flag now?”

Wang Geum-san had an expression asking what on earth he was talking about.

“What reason is there to let them know later? If you set up a flag now, the escort agency will make the escort fee cheaper, right?”

“Yes?”

What on earth is the Tae-eul-mun that they would make the escort fee cheaper?

“Didn’t Jin So-un pass the Third Gate with his junior disciples?”

“Th-that is true.”

Actually, for Jin Tae-san, it was a story where he was curious about the truth even after hearing the rumors. He had shown this and that resolve when he sent him away saying he would take the exam, but he had thought it was just words.

Actually, is it possible for a disciple of a worthless sect like the Tae-eul-mun to take the Moorim regular admission exam without any support from his sect?

Anyway, he heard the news that for some reason he had passed the Third Gate and now only the Great Journey was left.

But what does passing the Third Gate have to do with lowering the escort fee?

“By any chance…… didn’t you know?”

“What are you talking about?”

“That…… they call him the ‘Mountain of Corpses, Sea of Blood, Black Flame Dragon’ because they say that wherever your son goes, the corpses of the obstructionists pile up like mountains and blood flows like a sea.”

“…….”

Mountain of Corpses, Sea of Blood? Moun-tain of Corpses, Sea of Blood, Black Flame Dra-gon?

It was over.

Isn’t this a lunatic of the Evil Path who is crazy about blood, no matter who looks at it? He had just barely managed to raise his sect and get recognized for legitimacy, but now his roots were being doubted before he even started.

“Ah, of course, the gossips who like to talk added some flesh to it, but considering that people of the Jianghu fear the Tae-eul-mun due to the incident where the Wudang sect was half-destroyed, I think setting up a flag is a sufficiently good thing.”

“…….”

Wang Geum-san was puzzled about Jin Tae-san’s expression not being good.

Honestly, if you are a martial arts sect, isn’t it better to give fear than to look easy to the opponent?

Or is it that he is burdened by the thought of making only his son, Jin So-un, bear the burden of the Tae-eul-mun? Come to think of it, it was true that Jin So-un had done too much for the Tae-eul-mun in the meantime.

“That Tae-eul-mun, didn’t only four people participate? Thanks to that, the Geum, Eun, and Dong brothers have also gained the nickname, ‘Three Black-Blooded Dragons’.”

“Ugh! Gah-ack!”

He had spat out words to handle the situation, but Jin Tae-san’s face was turning pale.

If he had said just a little more, he looked like he would faint.

Wang Geum-san thought something went wrong, so he quickly changed the subject.

“W-well, anyway, isn’t it a good thing that the escort fee is saved.”

“…….”

Jin Tae-san’s gaze, which had been full of goodwill, seemed to turn cold for some reason.

‘I can’t even get a word in edgewise.’

He had come all the way to Hefei to casually ask what he thought about a son-in-law, but Wang Geum-san had to return without even finding his principal.

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“So, you are the Black Flame Dragon, the Hyeong-nim (older brother) of the Three Black-Blooded Dragons. Nice to meet you.”

“…….”

Contrary to the favorable smile, I tilted my head at the nickname that felt full of malice.

Three Black-Blooded Dragons?

What kind of nickname is so creepy?

If you just take the character ‘Dragon’ and replace it with ‘Dog’, it reminds me of the lunatics of the Evil Path who are crazy about blood.

“Ah, it is the nickname they call the Geum, Eun, and Dong brothers.”

At the story Namgung Seon-hwa delivered quietly, my expression naturally crumpled.

‘Black-Blooded’ for kids who aren’t even twenty yet, are they crazy? Which bastard is sticking such malicious nicknames only on the Tae-eul-mun disciples on purpose?

“Hahahaha, the Black Flame Dragon, you were insensitive to the stories of the world because you were engrossed in the exam.”

“Hahahahaha.”

“Hohohoho.”

Following the laughter of the handsome young man wearing a golden robe, seven men and women in various attires who were seated with him laughed together.

12 Bong-seong.

Among them, disciples of 8 sects came to find me at the Changgung Trading Company.

“…….”

As I stared blankly at them laughing without knowing my inner thoughts, they soon recovered their expressions.

“My introduction was late…….”

“Cheol Sun-jik of the Juk-hyeon-bang.”

“!”

As I spat it out, a strange light appeared in their eyes.

My finger pointed in order starting from the giant behind their backs.

“Nam Hwa-seong of the Sam-won-mun, Ha Young-young of the Cheon-geom-bang, Sang Mu-hon of the Seo-cheon-mun…….”

As I pointed out all 8 people liked that, everyone in the venue could not hide their surprise.

“Huh…… How did you know all of us…….”

Even if they were elite disciples of the 12 Bong-seong, since they had no activities in the Jianghu in the meantime, they couldn’t help but be surprised that I knew of their existence.

“You have been together since this time…….”

“Yes?”

“It is nothing. For what business did you ask to meet me?”

Not only Cheol Sun-jik, but also Namgung Seon-hwa and Seong Mo-ran had expressions as if they were dying of curiosity. Of course, even if I told them, it was not something they would believe.

“Ahem…… Anyway, besides them, disciples of the Bi-pung-mun and Gwi-gung-mun will also join us, and we intend to go to Mu-han.”

“I see.”

If ten elite disciples of the 12 Bong-seong gather, the number of moving personnel will be at least eight hundred.

It is a scale that even a sane person would not even think of touching.

For us, whose unit is on the verge of being half-destroyed, it is a situation that is nothing but enviable.

Since they have practically passed the exam, if they came to share fellowship, it would be fine to crack their heads, right?

Cheol Sun-jik looked at Namgung Seon-hwa and Seong Mo-ran and said.

“I am sorry to the two ladies, but could we talk amongst ourselves for a little bit?”

For some reason, the uneasy prediction seems to be hitting the mark.

If they came to talk about the exam, there would be no reason to send Namgung Seon-hwa and Seong Mo-ran out.

“……Yes? Ah…….”

“…….”

When Namgung Seon-hwa and Seong Mo-ran were about to rise from their seats with dumbfounded expressions, I said.

“These two are people who have been with me, and they are people who will be with me in the future. If it is a story related to the exam, not a personal private conversation, there is no reason why they cannot hear it together with these people.”

“…….”

“Jin Gong-ja, we are fine.”

“We will go out.”

Unlike usual, I ignored their opinions. Because right now, that is the right behavior.

“Please sit down. Since you probably came to talk about the exam.”

Otherwise, I will really crack your heads.

I haven’t slept even five hours in the past week.

“……Why do you think the Moorim Alliance’s Nine Sects and One Gang and the Five Great Families are lining them up in the system called the 108 Peaks?”

The story he is telling is a story that Namgung Seon-hwa might feel uncomfortable with, let alone Seong Mo-ran.

“It is to solidify the system of the Moorim Alliance even more.”

I spoke honestly.

“As expected, you are a person who is not ordinary.”

“Isn’t it a story everyone knows? That is also the reason why the 12 Bong-seong was created.”

The 12 Bong-seong is a consultative body created by gathering twelve sects of the 108 Peaks that oppose the Jianghu situation that revolves around the Nine Sects and One Gang and the Five Great Families.

Since they don’t have any connections with the Nine Sects and One Gang and the Five Great Families, I wonder if they are just dregs, but it is a combination of guys who can make some noise in the Jianghu in their own way, so the Nine Sects and One Gang and the Five Great Families cannot easily ignore them.

“Isn’t there a clear difference between knowing and being able to spit it out with your mouth?”

“…….”

“Like Jin Dae-hyeop’s words, the system of the 108 Peaks, as well as the Moorim Academy exam and the Moorim Alliance’s composition system, were all made for only a few. And besides that, we have to line up in front of them and eat the scraps of food they left behind.”

Cheol Sun-jik looks at Namgung Seon-hwa in the middle of his story.

It is clearly mocking the fact that she is a child of the Five Great Families, yet she is in danger of failing the exam.

“…….”

Namgung Seon-hwa’s face turned red, and Cheol Sun-jik soon looked at me again as if he had no interest.

“We are going to break down that old-fashioned system. It is to improve the evils that the Moorim Alliance has committed against the Jianghu so far and to build a constructive new martial world.”

“I see.”

In part, his words were things I had always thought about, so I nodded. Then, Cheol Sun-jik became even more excited and started to talk.

“In that sense, the things the Tae-eul-mun has achieved in a short time are enough to surprise us. Of course, I also know very well that the process was very difficult.”

Cheol Sun-jik nodded to himself and continued.

“So now, we came to find you because we want to help you a little. Accompany us to the Moorim Academy.”

“!!”

“!!!”

The elites of the 12 Bong-seong and the eight hundred martial artists they led. No matter how coveted the Tae-eul-mun’s gate token is, no one will be able to approach it easily. Then, from our perspective, it was the first opportunity to finish the exam comfortably.

But instead of a positive answer, I stared at him intently.

“Why are you doing that?”

“There will naturally be conditions for a sweet proposal, right?”

The Cheol Sun-jik I know is not a person who grants tolerance or moves by humanity just because political intentions match.

“Haha, the nickname ‘Black Flame Dragon’ was not vulgar. It is delightful to meet someone who communicates so well.”

Does he know? That he hated me so much because I countered the strategies he put out every time in my past life.

“Of course there is, but it is not much. From now on, you will part ways with the people you are with and go your own way.”

“…….”

“…….”

Namgung Seon-hwa and Seong Mo-ran’s expressions stiffened.

“In the first place, they were not people who were going to be with the Tae-eul-mun. Moreover, they are not even being of much help to the Tae-eul-mun due to their own circumstances. Isn’t that so?”

He must be mocking the fact that other Nine Sects and One Gang and the Five Great Families built large forces and moved.

Due to the rise of the collateral line, it was difficult for Namgung Seon-hwa to fill one hundred martial artists for the Namgung family, and for the Iron Sword Sect, there was no one to participate within the sect as Seong Mo-hyeon was trapped in the Geum-ok.

“I heard that Jin Dae-hyeop possesses overwhelmingly more entrance tokens than other examinees. You should enter the Moorim Academy as the top student and show the world that the status of the 108 Peaks is not inferior to the Nine Sects and One Gang and the Five Great Families.”

Cheol Sun-jik was sparkling his eyes as if he were watching the academy entrance ceremony alone.

-Jin Gong-ja.

At that moment, Namgung Seon-hwa’s Jeon-eum (telepathic message) was heard.

-……We are fine. For now, I think it is right to go with those people.

Seong Mo-ran also nodded slightly.

Cheol Sun-jik continued to speak, pretending not to know even though he saw Namgung Seon-hwa’s lips moving.

“We intend to depart when the Bi-pung-mun and Gwi-gung-mun arrive in Jeong-ju in two days. First of all, how about moving your lodging first? Let’s also share detailed stories.”

I turned my head again and looked at Cheol Sun-jik.

“I will refuse.”

“Then, for now…… Yes?”

“!!!”

“Jin Gong-ja!”

“Gong-ja-nim!”

Cheol Sun-jik’s face stiffened. It is refreshing to see the face that used to pretend to be so great in the past life change like that.

“I told you I would refuse. Is there a problem?”

“But…… No, why?”

“Do I also have to reveal the reason why I will refuse?”

It is not something to be that curious about, because I can clearly see how they will act in the future.

There are sects that do not properly take the exam due to the fundamental difference in martial arts.

The representative sects are the Bi-pung-mun and Gwi-gung-mun that I just mentioned.

These guys, whose main martial arts are hidden sword techniques and archery, do not properly take the Moorim regular admission exam, which is disadvantageous to them, in the first place.

They just wander around until the Third Gate exam [N O V E L I G H T] ends and bet everything on the final Great Journey.

After joining them, they will probably spout all sorts of honeyed words and talk about how we can divide the entrance tokens. As if doing so is the best direction.

Why do I know so well?

‘Because that is what they did when I was driving the So-jeong-dae to the front lines.’

Creating a political atmosphere and driving people is Cheol Sun-jik’s best specialty. Only four people among eight hundred? I don’t know about me, but the Geum, Eun, and Dong brothers might take out the entrance tokens from their own bosoms and offer them.

Anyway, since I met Cheol Sun-jik, with whom I had an ill-fated relationship in my past life, by such a coincidence, I didn’t intend to let him go easily. At the very least, I wanted to make him feel unpleasant.

What kind of reason should I give to feed Cheol Sun-jik a yeot (insult)?

The most irrational, and most senseless…….

“Isn’t it better to be with these two people than to be with gloomy people?”

“…….”

As if he cannot believe it, Cheol Sun-jik’s eyes tremble for the first time.

“Are you…… serious?”

“Yes. I consider aesthetic things very important. Can these people also come along?”

“…….”

“It won’t be possible, right?”

Cheol Sun-jik kept his mouth shut without saying anything.

It is regrettable that I couldn’t slap his face once, but since I saw his expression as if he had been beaten with a few words, I should be satisfied with this for today.