The Martial Genius Who Remembers Everything Chapter 111

[ … words ]

***

Thwack, thwack, thwack, thwack.

Seong Mo-ran slammed her fist into the dirt floor.

Every time she swung her hand, piles of dirt scattered, and blood dripped from her hand, but neither Namgung Seon-hwa nor Cho Mu-bin could step forward.

“Damn it.”

Everyone waited in silence, knowing that the only way to relieve the burning, explosive anger was to inflict wounds upon her own hands.

“Huu…”

Those who heard the story of Yong So-a were all in a similar state of mind to Seong Mo-ran.

Being treated as useless, disposable goods was bound to be a great wound to anyone.

“Haa…”

Seong Mo-ran, who had covered both her hands in wounds, stared blankly before catching her breath.

“Jin Gong-ja.”

“Yes.”

“I will stay here.”

“…”

Seong Mo-ran took out a small pouch from her bosom that rattled.

“I knew that Young Master Jin had been overexerting yourself all this time. So, even if you leave me behind, please do not feel guilty.”

After saying that, Seong Mo-ran buried her head between her knees.

No one could point fingers at Seong Mo-ran’s actions and call them irresponsible.

Geum-pyo made eye contact with Eun-ho and Dong-ryong, nodded, and stepped forward.

“Sa-hyung, I think we have come far enough.”

Geum-pyo placed the entrance passes they had received at Jin So-un’s feet and turned around.

“…”

Namgung Seon-hwa gazed steadily at Jin So-un.

“I do not want to end it like this.”

The words Dang Seo-hee had spoken with apathy lingered in her ears.

-It would not be strange if you died right now.

More than the feeling of helplessness that she could do nothing for a good person, the sense of guilt that she had been holding him back all this time weighed heavily on her heart.

“Young Master Jin.”

“…”

Jin So-un still had an expression where his emotions could not be read.

“If it is you, Young Master Jin, you could go to the Murim Academy alone, could you not?”

His mysterious movement technique. If it was that incredible technique that she had never even seen before in the Namgung Clan, couldn’t he go? She hoped so.

“Could you go alone without borrowing the power of the Yongbongjihoe?”

She could not finish the sentence, thinking that it was too much even for her own thoughts, and placed her entrance pass at Jin So-un’s feet.

“…”

A silence that felt colder than ice hung in the air.

Everyone had only waited for the exam to end.

They had promised each other that once the exam was over, they would sleep for a week, eat for a week, and be drunk for a week.

But even knowing that the exam was over, no one showed any signs of joy.

Because no one had wished for an ending like this.

Namgung Seon-hwa also turned her body to sit next to Seong Mo-ran.

“Why is everyone giving up so easily?”

“…!”

Her head turned around on its own.

Jin So-un kicked the entrance passes lying at his feet.

“Did you all run this far just to see a result like this?”

“…”

“I am not going with Yong So-a.”

“…”

“And I will not go alone either.”

“…”

Namgung Seon-hwa felt her heart beating fast.

His words settled deep within her chest.

He rejected things that she would have naturally chosen without a second thought.

Such actions gave her a feeling of relief that was overwhelmingly selfish.

It brought warmth.

It gave her strength, even in a situation where she felt like she would collapse and die at any moment.

“…Please, stop being so stubborn.”

Seong Mo-ran raised her head, her eyes swollen.

“You know well that this is not a line of death that can be crossed with will or effort.”

Namgung Seon-hwa nodded in agreement with that opinion. The emotion filling her chest was one thing, but reason had to say what needed to be said.

“Above all, you say that Young Master Jin’s physical condition is not good. If Seo-hee sunbae said it, we have to consider it even more serious than that.”

Jin So-un, who was listening to the conversation, looked around and spoke.

“…So, do you want to give up?”

“…”

“I am asking if you want to stop right here and end it.”

At his apathetic words, Seong Mo-ran burst into anger.

“Who wants to give up? Who wants to give up after being treated like this and suffering such indignities! I want to go too! I want to clear out those damn examinees, push aside those plunderers, and smear mud on the faces of the Yongbongjihoe.”

In the end, Seong Mo-ran could not hide her tears and burst into sobs.

“…Sniff.”

Seong Mo-ran struggled to wipe away her tears, pretending to be fine.

And toward her, Jin So-un spoke apathetically.

“Then let us go.”

“…Haa. Seriously.”

Seong Mo-ran glared at Jin So-un with sharp eyes.

“I told you… now, will or…”

“I am telling you because there is another way.”

“…”

“One.”

Jin So-un raised his index finger.

“One way remains. A way for all of us to safely go to the Murim Academy.”

“Are you talking about making a deal with the guys who have been chasing us until now? Do you think they would accept it now? All of the Nine Great Sects…”

“No. Of course, I am not making a deal with them. Nor am I making a deal with the Yongbongjihoe.”

“…”

“…”

“…”

Seong Mo-ran, as well as everyone else, stared blankly at Jin So-un.

“…Of course, it is not something you will feel comfortable with, but…”

As Jin So-un continued the story, everyone slowly opened their mouths.

“…”

And in the end, they could not close their mouths, which were wide open like large bowls.

“…You crazy bastard…”

Namgung Seon-hwa was surprised by the profanity heard from Seong Mo-ran’s mouth.

She had said ‘crazy’ or ‘not in his right mind’ many times before, but she had never specifically called him a ‘crazy bastard.’

“…”

However, thinking about the story she had just heard, she thought it was a correct assessment.

“…A crazy person.”

And she agreed, slightly softening the term.

<><><>

“It reeks.”

Grind.

So Je-ho, who had somehow ended up with black eyes, ground his teeth.

“Talk from a distance.”

Dang Seo-hee blocked her nose and waved her hand dismissively.

So Je-ho, who was about to say, ‘You’re the one who made me like this!’, pressed down his anger. If he caused another scene here, he might end up having bloody diarrhea for the entire duration of the Yongbongjihoe’s journey.

“They started moving again.”

At So Je-ho’s words, Yong So-a tilted his head.

“Is that true?”

“Isn’t his pride amazing for a guy who has nothing? Hahaha.”

So Je-ho laughed, imagining the gloomy future looming over Jin So-un’s path, but no one agreed with him.

Actually, the fact that he was asking for agreement when only Yong So-a and Dang Seo-hee were there was a stretch in the first place.

“The direction?”

“What does the direction matter? No matter where they go, the enemy will be blocking them anyway. It is truly a situation of being surrounded on all sides (sa-myeon-cho-ga).”

“The stinky one is using idioms.”

Even though he glared at Dang Seo-hee, who had suddenly intervened, she did not seem to care at all.

Yong So-a asked again.

“The direction?”

“The direction has turned southeast again. It was probably to avoid Wudang.”

“Southeast… is that the Dabie Mountains?”

“They have avoided the tiger only to walk into the maw of an imugi.”

“I request a pursuit.”

“I told you to listen to us earlier… huh?”

“The pursuit of Jin So-un’s party.”

“The stinky one’s ears are deaf too.”

“That guy, really! Phew—is there a need to pursue them? They are finished anyway, aren’t they?”

“I am curious about where the entrance passes they have will go.”

“…I understand.”

At Yong So-a’s words, So Je-ho sighed softly and turned around.

So Je-ho disappeared, and only Yong So-a and Dang Seo-hee remained in the scene.

Since both of them were originally taciturn, it was routine for silence to linger when they were alone.

However, for some reason, Dang Seo-hee opened her mouth first.

“My grandfather acknowledged you.”

Even after hearing that she had been acknowledged by the ‘Poison King’ Dang Hyeok-je, Yong So-a’s expression did not change.

“That is why I am moving according to your will.”

“…”

“But seeing Jin So-un, my thoughts have changed. Is what you are trying to achieve really the way to save the most people?”

Words containing apathetic emotion reached the target with an apathetic expression.

One who is apathetic does not have their emotions stirred, even when their true intentions are doubted.

“It is.”

“Then why did Jin So-un try to go with everyone, and why are you trying to save only Jin So-un?”

“Because he dreams of delusional dreams, and I pursue practical benefits.”

Dang Seo-hee’s brow furrowed.

Her short stature and already young-looking appearance made even that frowning expression look like a cute pout.

However, no one here had their emotions react to her appearance like this.

“He may seem to be saving dozens of people right now, but he has missed the opportunity to save tens of thousands, or perhaps even millions, of people himself.”

Dang Seo-hee, who was nodding as she listened to Yong So-a’s story, muttered.

“That is a big problem.”

“It is not a big deal. What will happen will happen anyway.”

“No, that is not what I mean.”

Yong So-a stared steadily at Dang Seo-hee.

“If Jin So-un enters the Murim Academy leading all of his personnel, does that not become a problem for you?”

“…”

“It ultimately proves that your words are wrong.”

Yong So-a, who had never frowned in his life, seemed to have been furrowing his brow frequently lately.

“That cannot be.”

“Why are you so confident?”

“Because even if I were to enter that group right now, it would be impossible to lead all those personnel to Wuhan.”

Dang Seo-hee took out her white, small hands that had been hidden in her sleeves, put them to her chin, and nodded.

“Hmm, hmm, hmmm. Maybe hmmm… the words circulating in the Gangho (world of martial arts) must be true.”

As Dang Seo-hee muttered to herself, Yong So-a asked.

“What are you thinking?”

“If Jin So-un reaches the Murim Academy with those group members, it will be proven that, as the Gangho says, the ‘Black Flame Dragon’ is far superior to Yong So-a.”

“…What is impossible for me…”

“Jin So-un has already proven it once at the Maryeong Plateau.”

“…”

“There are times when Jin So-un has accomplished what Yong So-a could not.”

<><><>

“Run! Run! Don’t look at anything, just run!”

Gang Seo-pyo, Cho Mu-bin, and Baek Won-gak ran like crazy at the very front.

“Anyone who cannot go, just give up and return to your clan! Because we don’t need you anymore!”

“If they try to search your bodies for the entrance passes, just let them do as they please! Don’t get yourself killed trying to act tough!”

“This is not a war! So you don’t have to risk your lives!”

The three team leaders spoke in turn, but there were no warriors who dropped out in the middle. Everyone chased them like their lives depended on it.

“Damn it, as if that is something you can just say.”

“If the young lady gets into any trouble, who will take the blame for it?”

“It is better to die while chasing after them.”

Of course, they did not forget to mutter, even if only quietly from behind.

It was not just the warriors who muttered incessantly. Moyong Jae-hwa also could not stop muttering.

“If I go back to the clan, I am a dead man.”

Namgung Seon-hwa, who was running next to him, offered words of comfort.

“Still, your grandfather likes eccentric behavior, so there might be room for extenuating circumstances. But I might really be erased from the family register.”

Moyong Jae-hwa reacted violently to the words offered as comfort.

“Noona. How can you say that? Ever since I picked up this bow, I was already prepared to be erased from the family register.”

“Who told you to pick up the bow? You should have just worked hard on the clan’s sword. Why did you do such useless things.”

“Wow… when did you say you were happy because I helped you sleep for two hours… I am truly disappointed. Disappointed! Noona!”

The Dabie Mountains began to appear slowly at the end of the road.

Once they crossed those Dabie Mountains, it would be Hubei Province, but large groups of personnel began to appear faintly on the road along Hubei Province.

“If you two have so much energy, do you want to go to the front?”

“…”

“…”

At Seong Mo-ran’s sharp words, they shut their mouths tightly.

“I am the one who is finished; our clan is scheduled to have its lineage cut off because of my idiot brother and me.”

“…”

“When I first did this crazy thing. I should have run away then.”

Regret is always late, no matter how early it is.

Once you have climbed onto the back of a tiger, you cannot jump off when you want.

“They are coming!”

The people in the front signaled that a clash was expected soon.

The opponents were slowly reducing their speed, preparing a combat stance.

“Increase your speed even more!”

Even though they were not horses, there was no way they could increase their speed just by urging, but strangely, Jin So-un’s party all began to increase their speed little by little.

The moment the huge unit and the small unit collided.

Dozens of sword strikes flew in all directions, and screams rang out from everywhere.

Clang, clang, clang, clang, clang, clang.

While the party of the Taeeul Sect swung their swords desperately, the warriors of Hwasan and Jeomchang were unfolding a sword formation and not overexerting themselves at all.

Elite warriors who were already guaranteed to pass the Murim Academy.

On the other hand, the others were just wounded beasts that had not been able to sleep properly for weeks and had been chased.

“Change direction!!”

Jin So-un’s voice rang out loudly.

The warriors who were facing the sword formation immediately changed direction and headed toward Damong-hyeon.

Clang, clang, clang, clang, clang.

Knowing that they had to pass through the road occupied by Hwasan and Jeomchang to go to Hubei Province, those who were blocking them flinched.

“Run!”

Moreover, knowing that Damong-hyeon was a place where three Black Path sects were concentrated, their hesitation in action grew even greater.

Taking advantage of that short gap, they ran like hell.

Shu-shu-shu-shuk.

Elites are elites. Flying their swords through that short gap, they finally inflicted wounds.

“Ugh!”

“Hey, are you okay?!”

“I-I am okay!”

“If you are not okay, just drop out!”

“I don’t want to, you bastard!”

The last opportunity created by a short gap.

Namgung Seon-hwa, Moyong Jae-hwa, Seong Mo-ran, and the Geum-Eun-Dong brothers all put aside every worry they had been concerned about and squeezed out even the last bit of energy left in their souls to run toward their destination.

“Huh?”

“C-catch them!”

“Pursue them!”

The elite warriors, who reacted belatedly, chased after them with lightning-fast speed.

Compared to the opponents, my feet felt very slow, but all I could do now was just step forward without looking back, running like hell.

However, running in a daze meant that one could fall even over a small stone in front of one’s eyes.

Thump.

Pa-ba-ba-bak.

Namgung Seon-hwa rolled, covered in dirt from head to toe, but the warriors of the Namgung Clan had already gone too far to stop for her.

“Go! Just! Go!”

The moment the Hwasan warriors, who had caught up in an instant, were about to engulf Namgung Seon-hwa.

Swoosh.

Jin So-un, who had thrown his body backward, unfolded the Black Dragon Sword like the ribs of a fan.

With dozens of swords appearing in all directions, the Hwasan warriors bloomed hundreds of plum blossoms.

Every time a plum blossom touched the illusionary sword, the illusionary sword disappeared helplessly.

The sword shadows that had appeared as if filling the empty air disappeared in an instant like that, and hundreds of plum blossoms tried to cover Namgung Seon-hwa as they were.

“Kyaa-!”

Pa-ba-ba-ba-bak.

Along with the sound of blood and flesh bursting, Namgung Seon-hwa felt her body floating in the air.

And she saw Jin So-un bleeding and holding her in his arms in front of her eyes.

Namgung Seon-hwa’s chest filled with emotion at his appearance, and without being able to choose what words to say, she just blurted out anything.

“I told you to just go.”

“…You can come in as you please, but you cannot leave as you please.”

Jin So-un’s martial spirit staggered several times. His speed was not what it used to be either.

Still, it was not enough to reach the Hwasan warriors.

“You crazy bastards! That side is the Black Path sect, the arch-enemy of the White Path!”

“W-what, what is this? Are those guys collectively crazy?”

“Hey! If you do that, you will all die!”

The frantic shouting of the Hwasan warriors could be heard from behind.

“Let us go.”

Having caught up with the party, Jin So-un stood at the very front and unhesitatingly smashed the main gate of Sahwang-bong, which was called one of the strongest sects of the Black Path.

Bang.

The warriors of the White Path sects who were watching the appearance of Jin So-un’s party opened their mouths wide at the same time.

“Crazy…”