The Martial Genius Who Remembers Everything Chapter 31

[ … words ]

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“When the senior sister asked if I had any thoughts of going to the Murim Academy suddenly, I asked for the reason and found out after hearing that you were taking the regular exam with the Great Senior Disciple.”

It seems Sa-ryeon was looking for a way, even though she knew it wouldn’t work. Should I call this foolish?

Then, I felt something strange at a certain point in the story and tilted my head.

“Of course, it would have been impossible, but why did you refuse?”

The Murim Academy is the gateway of dreams that all young talents desire. If it were Geum-pyo, who had made it to the top 4, it would have been enough to be tempted, but it was strange that he refused it outright.

“The senior sister is the daughter of the Sect Leader, is she not? Even if that weren’t the case, I didn’t think the food at the Murim Academy would go down easily if I sent the senior sister to a place of death.”

“…….”

I was speechless at his words.

We grew up like brothers, but we weren’t real brothers…… seeing how they cared for each other made me feel bitter and grateful, so many emotions overlapped.

“So, please take us.”

“Take us.”

“Take us.”

I came to my senses and shook my head.

“It won’t work. The regular exam is not as easy a path as you think.”

“…….”

The Geum, Eun, and Dong brothers bowed their heads like puppies caught in the rain at my firm words.

“However, if the work I am planning succeeds, and in the meantime, you all complete the assignments I have given you, I will think about it.”

“Really?”

“Really?”

“Really?”

“If you are going to give the same answer, let only one person do it.”

The Geum, Eun, and Dong brothers were as happy as if they had already been admitted to the Murim Academy.

“Every morning, go back and forth to the top of Hwa-un Mountain three times.”

“Yes?”

“Why? Can’t you do it?”

“No! We can do it!”

“And from now on, try to match the sword formation I teach you fifty times a day. The period is half a year from now. You three must fit together perfectly without looking, listening, or speaking to each other.”

Gulp.

The Geum, Eun, and Dong brothers swallowed their saliva at the same time.

“In the midst of that, you must not miss the Gwae-hwa Hall classes either. If you complete the Gwae-hwa Hall course, I will think about it then.”

“…….”

“The Murim Academy exam is an exam where the young talents of the Nine Great Sects and the Five Great Clans fail one after another and get injured. And there are deaths among them too. If you don’t have that level of skill, taking you with me is no different from asking me to carry luggage while taking the exam.”

The expressions of the three brothers darkened.

“So, you must have something more than just the goal of wanting to enter the Murim Academy. The resolve that I will shed blood for the brothers and sisters of the Tae-eul-mun, and the effort for that resolve! Without this, you just need to be protected by me and Sa-ryeon.”

At that time, the youngest, Dong-ryong, hesitated and said,

“Then…… aren’t the Great Senior Disciple and the senior sister shedding blood for us?”

I stroked the kid’s head.

“It’s fine. That is what I must do as the Great Senior Disciple. Sa-ryeon will think so too.”

“……I will do it.”

Dong-ryong said it as if he were making a firm pledge, and then Eun-ho and Geum-ryong said it too.

“I will do it.”

“I will do it.”

The plan to deliberately give them difficult missions and threaten them to make them give up resulted in a strange outcome.

Of course, I don’t think these kids can do all that.

Even so, the very fact that they have this heart is important, so I needed to become the destination of their efforts.

“I understand. Then I will decide after seeing your achievements in half a year.”

“““Yes!”””

“Oh, and this fact must be a secret from everyone. Because the elders in the sect will never allow your participation in the regular exam.”

I said my goodbyes to Sect Leader Hong and my father separately, packed simple luggage, and left the Tae-eul-mun, heading for the Wang estate.

Since it was a schedule for the next half year, I should have packed a lot of luggage, but since I couldn’t rent a horse every time I moved, I had no choice but to choose the path of walking, trusting my internal energy.

“Should I have received a little of the money from selling the Seven-Colored Bead?”

My initial destination is So-ju.

Since I am using body techniques, distance wouldn’t be a problem, but there was no way to relieve the accumulated fatigue.

“Should I dig for treasure or something?”

I know a few treasure maps that are not yet known to the world, but the distance was too far.

“Let’s move first and think about it.”

The Wang estate is a place located on a vast land half a shichen (about an hour) away from the Tae-eul-mun.

Because it was a village built for people related to Wang-ga-jang to live in from the beginning, the structure of the village was very different from a typical appearance.

Especially since the headquarters of the businesses operated by Wang-ga-jang was here, the Wang estate was also nicknamed ‘the village that never sleeps.’

However, for some reason, the entire Wang estate felt deserted.

In the mansion of the Wang-ga Manor Lord at the center of the Wang estate, let alone people related to the merchant world moving about, they were hanging pots, boiling soup, and hanging and roasting meat.

The chief steward who was guiding me said,

“The Manor Lord has cleared all his schedules today because he has an important appointment.”

“Oh? Then haven’t I come here for nothing?”

“Hoho, how could that be?”

While I was agonizing over whether to go back right away or not, the chief steward guided me to Wang Geum-san with a mysterious smile.

“Jin So-un of the Murim lowest grade pays his respects. Have you been peaceful in the meantime?”

In Wang Geum-san’s quarters, not only Wang Geum-san but also his only daughter, Wang So-so, was with him.

“Hehe, I made a mistake to you back then, but I thought I had resolved it a little, but I guess not.”

“What are you talking about? The things you already gave me were so great that I don’t know how to repay them.”

“It hasn’t been resolved. It hasn’t been resolved.”

Wang So-so was covering her mouth and giggling.

I confessed honestly.

“What was the reason you suddenly asked about me? I almost ended up being sold off instead of debt, didn’t I?”

“That’s because I wanted to repay the favor to you.”

“Repaying the favor almost ruined my life.”

“Why is it ruining your life? You are gaining power that you cannot easily possess.”

“……?”

“Is martial force the only power in the world? Financial power can accomplish anything that martial force cannot.”

That is not exactly wrong. In fact, the biggest obstacle to the Demonic Cult dominating the world was the three great wealthy merchants.

The three great merchants that Wang Geum-san disappeared from stuck together and did not succumb to the pressure of the Demonic Cult.

The Demonic Cult destroyed the families of the merchants with stormy momentum, but the remaining retainers did not succumb to it and continued to resist.

The affairs of the world eventually do not run without money.

The Demonic Cult eventually went through the process of negotiating with the three great merchants, and they remained in the world where the Murim Alliance had disappeared.

“However, you seem to have some conviction and are still going your own way. So I thought I made a mistake again.”

“No. Thank you for your concern.”

“Are you thinking of taking the regular exam?”

“!”

The appearance of hitting me with unexpected words from an unexpected place.

Wang Geum-san’s eyes were already full of conviction. Indeed, is the title of the world’s four great merchants not something anyone receives?

“What are you talking about? Father?”

Wang So-so asked, but Wang Geum-san did not answer and just stared at me.

When I also did not answer, Wang So-so’s complexion began to get worse and worse.

“Brother! That’s nonsense. Even I, who have only been home my whole life, know how terrible the regular exam is.”

“So-so. This father is talking about something important right now. Talk about your personal concerns later.”

“…….”

Wang Geum-san spoke firmly, at least this time, even to the daughter he cherished so dearly.

I also couldn’t spoil the atmosphere, so I answered obediently.

“How did you know?”

“You yielded the Baek-pal-bong special admission to your junior sister and are moving urgently at a point when there is half a year left until the regular exam. Moreover, at this important moment when it is unknown how the Tae-eul-mun will stir again. If so, there is only one answer, isn’t there?”

“…….”

As much as Wang Geum-san has his own personal information network, he wouldn’t have inferred it only from fragmentary information.

However, the appearance of predicting even the person’s goal with only the individual’s actions was showing that the wealth Wang Geum-san had accumulated was not a coincidence.

“There is a story that traditionally, the Nine Great Sects use one unit to put one talent into the Murim Academy. In the case of the Five Great Clans, two units. They say there are countless examinees who cannot enter the academy even after doing that. The Tae-eul-mun does not have that capacity. What do you intend to do?”

“The regular exam is originally an exam designed to be passed by the examinee’s own ability.”

“Yes, and as the competition rate for that exam increased, it became this situation.”

“Even so, the big frame does not change.”

“Hmm, are you just going to bump into it?”

In my appearance that seemed to have no countermeasures, regret lingered in Wang Geum-san’s eyes.

“I might fail. No, I will surely fail. Doing it and failing is different from giving up without trying.”

“However, isn’t it too dangerous an exam to do that? That must be why you can’t even talk about it.”

“The important thing is the spirit of not giving up. Even if I fail, if this spirit continues, my junior disciples will make more effort to prepare, and the disciples of the junior disciples will make even more effort to prepare. I think this is not a problem of admission to the Murim Academy, but the path the sect must take.”

In my words, Wang Geum-san shut his mouth tightly as if he had eaten honey. Conversely, Wang So-so was opening her mouth wide as if surprised.

Wang Geum-san, who had been silent for a long time like that, said as if muttering to himself.

“They say a dragon can soar regardless of whether it is a stream or the sea.”

Wang Geum-san nodded his head.

“Whether you take the regular exam or do whatever, make sure to come back alive. Even if you lose everything, if you have the heart to start over, that is experience, not failure.”

“Thank you.”

“I called you because I thought I could be of some help to your path.”

When Wang Geum-san nodded while looking at Wang So-so, Wang So-so brought a wooden tray covered with silk from one side.

On the tray, a silver finger-sized token and a small pouch were placed.

“This is called the Silver King Tablet (Eun-wang-pae) that the members of our Wang-ga-jang use.”

I swallowed my saliva at Wang Geum-san’s words. The Silver King Tablet was a kind of credit certificate used only by the dragon-blooded members of Wang-ga-jang.

It was a kind of usage guarantee certificate that allowed one to use the businesses operated by Wang-ga-jang, and of course, also to borrow money on the battlefield contracted with Wang-ga-jang.

“I…… that seems to be too extravagant an item.”

“Hmm? What are you thinking? I intend to bill the Tae-eul-mun for everything if you spend money on the battlefield.”

Wang Geum-san must have the talent to shatter the good mood of the other party in an instant.

“This is given to you to use when using the businesses operated by our Wang-ga-jang. If you are going to poke around everywhere, shouldn’t you at least be able to use the stables freely?”

“Ah……. Yes. Thank you.”

I was full of gratitude, but for some reason, a feeling of regret also came at the same time.

“Oh, that’s because our So-so insisted on it.”

“Ah, Father. When did I insist?”

Wang So-so blushed and bowed her head.

“I thought she might become a bit more mature if I sent her to the Tae-eul-mun, but she’s only grown in body and is still a child. A child.”

I looked at the pouch that was slightly open and opened my eyes wide.

Contrary to the expectation that coins would be inside, the bulging money pouch was full of gold.

“Why? Is it still not resolved?”

“Yes? What do you mean? I have always respected Manor Lord Wang very much.”

Since the money pouch went into my bosom, my tongue rolled smoothly.

Long live the rich.

When I was memorizing the materials of Sim-hyeon-gak of Man-tong-bu in my past life without realizing it, there was a time when my hand stopped abruptly.

-Tae-eul-geom-je (Tae-eul Sword Emperor).

It was natural for my hand to stop at the appearance of an unexpected word.

A legendary master who ruled the world with ten thousand swords and made everyone in front of the sword kneel.

This absurd legend was a story used by martial artists to tease the Tae-eul-mun, which used the same name.

Naturally, when the protagonist of the absurd story that even the Tae-eul-mun members themselves did not believe appeared from the deepest part of the interior of Sim-hyeon-gak, I had no choice but to stop.

The oldest materials in Sim-hyeon-gak.

The name of Tae-eul appeared among materials that had been piling up for hundreds of years because no one could judge their importance now.

-The influence of the Dark Heaven (Am-cheon) intensified and covered the sun.

-The owner of the Ten Thousand Swords (Man-geom) stood before the people willingly.

-The Ten Thousand Swords caused the Dark Heaven to retreat.

-The owners of the sun worry that the Ten Thousand Swords will fill the place where the Dark Heaven retreated.

-The owners of the sun decided to separate the Dark Heaven and the Ten Thousand Swords from the human world.

-Next to the tray of grass (Cho-ui-jaeng-ban). Hell where heaven and earth meet. At that end, they sealed the Dark Heaven and the Ten Thousand Swords. Then the world was at peace.

Stories full of codes that I could not infer anything special about at the time.

Later, when I was stuck in a deep mountain valley and was reviewing the materials of Sim-hyeon-gak for fun, I was finally able to realize the importance of this information.

In the code system of the Murim Alliance, the Murim Alliance is generally compared to the sun.

Conversely, the Demonic Cult is referred to as the Dark Heaven by comparing it to the Heavenly Demon.

If so, who does the Ten Thousand Swords appearing in this code refer to?

At a glance, it could be seen as a force with ten thousand people, but if so, it does not match the seal.

In the code, there was clearly a designation called the owner of the Ten Thousand Swords.

I trembled as I deciphered the code up to this point.

“Was the Tae-eul Sword Emperor real?”

The Tae-eul-mun entered Baek-pal-bong (108 Peaks) at the same time the Murim Alliance was established.

And for the past 500 years, it has never been excluded from Baek-pal-bong.

Such a thing was only possible for characteristic sects like the Gang-cheon-mun or the Mo-san sect, which had strong forces comparable to the Nine Great Sects.

However, even though the Tae-eul-mun had almost no development, it had never been out of Baek-pal-bong for 400 years.

I started to think that the legend of the Tae-eul Sword Emperor might actually be true in this part.

‘Perhaps they placed the Tae-eul-mun inside Baek-pal-bong in preparation for the owner of the Ten Thousand Swords who might emerge again someday.’

That is the reason why I am looking for the Tae-eul Sword Emperor, skipping spiritual medicines and treasures, at the point where I have half a year left until the Murim Academy regular exam.

The first location specification was not that difficult.

-Tray of grass (Cho-ui-jaeng-ban).

A tray is often used to mean a lake.

The tray of grass means that the tray itself has representativeness, and if you think about a place called Cho (Chu) that has a representative lake, you could think of the Chu state during the Spring and Autumn Warring States period.

In the end, the answer is to point to Hu-nam province where Dong-jeong Lake is located.

“But it won’t be easy…… because this time will be when Hu-nam province is the noisiest.”

In this period of the past life, Mi-ta-seong-su, the rare spiritual medicine, is discovered in Hu-nam province.

This spiritual medicine, which has the nature of extreme yin (cold), was so cold that even an ordinary person would get frostbite just by touching it and have to cut off their entire arm.

However, if a martial artist takes it in a special way, it has the function of bringing about the same effect as rebirth and at the same time, the opening of the energy channels.

Moreover, although it has the nature of yin, it is a spiritual medicine that anyone who has learned martial arts covets because both men and women can consume it.

“Thanks to that, many people also died.”

Among the personnel who entered the underground valley of Ma-ryeong-go-won to find Mi-ta-seong-su, a whopping five hundred died.

It is an excessive number even if you think about the blood wind blowing every time a spiritual medicine appears in the world.

Moreover, the reason this incident became famous nationwide is because Nam-gung-se-ga’s people and Nam-gung Seon-hwa, the granddaughter of the current clan leader, were included in these five hundred people.

That is also the reason why I am not attempting it even with the internal energy of one gapja (60 years).

If I enter alone into a place where the elite protecting the young lady of Nam-gung-se-ga entered and did not return alive, can I even preserve my life?

“Should I have told them?”

Nam-gung-san suddenly came to mind, but I shook my head immediately.

“Forget it, if you take one wrong step, you might end up becoming a Taoist priest (Wudang).”

Saving people who will die in the future can only be done within the limit of moving myself.

“Hee-ing.”

While I was lost in thought, the horse I rented from the stable neighed, wanting to run.

“Do you want to run too? Let’s run excitingly for once.”

I held the reins of the kid tightly and turned the horse’s head to Ak-yang (Yueyang).

After arriving at Ak-yang, I first stopped by a stable operated by Wang-ga-jang to leave the horse.

Because it had run a long distance, the horse was covered in dust and was quite exhausted. Seeing such a horse, the owner of the stable clicked his tongue.

“Tsk tsk, what was so urgent that you worked the horse so hard?”

“Because the schedule is tight.”

“I’m sorry, but I can’t exchange your horse for another one.”

“Ah, I just came to leave it……”

“Eh?”

The owner of the stable scanned me from top to bottom and clicked his tongue again.

“If so, wouldn’t it be better to go to another place? Our stable is famous for being expensive in downtown Ak-yang.”

“Ah, I don’t intend to pay.”

“Whaaat!”

The eyes of the stable owner turn sharp.

I quickly showed the Silver King Tablet I received from Wang Geum-san in my bosom.

“The Manor Lord said I could use it however I wanted if I showed this.”

The eyes of the stable owner who saw the Silver King Tablet widened, and he hurriedly bent his waist in half.

“A, ah, I, I am sorry. I did not recognize a precious person.”

Seeing his attitude change rapidly, he is a person who will succeed.

“It’s fine. Stop getting up.”

“……Ah, yes. T, thank you.”

At my sudden informal speech, the stable owner’s expression changed into a strange shape that was neither laughing nor crying.

“Can I just leave the horse?”

“Ah, by any chance, is there a room for me to stay in the stable?”

“Yes?”

“Why? Can’t I?”

Originally, I intended to catch an inn, but his appearance of ignoring me because I had no money from the first meeting was offensive, so I intended to stay here.

“…….”

“Why? Can’t I?”

“Ah, no. I will serve you myself. Please come inside.”

“Let’s go in.”

After relieving my travel fatigue at the stable operated by Wang-ga-jang for three days and handling a few things, I left the stable.

Ak-yang looked as vibrant as I had seen in my past life.

Countless people were walking around the street, and many merchants in front of the stalls were raising their voices to sell their goods.

I passed by those quite decent shops for a while and entered an alley a little away from the street.

There were shops that looked lower in quality than the decent shops I had seen before.

And I stood in front of a cloth shop between those shops.

Ha-ssi Cloth Shop.

“Cheap martial arts clothes and long gowns have arrived. Look around.”

The owner of the cloth shop was showing cheap cotton and soliciting customers.

I approached the owner and said,

“I am looking for special clothes.”

“What kind of special thing are you looking for?”

I looked straight into the owner’s eyes and whispered low.

“It would be good if it were the darkest and deepest cloth.”

The owner hardened his expression for a moment, then corrected it immediately and smiled brightly.

“I happen to have cloth that came in from the West, but I haven’t been able to unfold it yet. Would you like to come inside?”

“Of course.”

As I followed him inside, a small corridor appeared.

The owner who was guiding the way stopped for a moment in front of the door, then blocked my way with an attitude that only had minimal courtesy.

“Ah, before that, excuse me, but may I check if you have money?”

“Of course, I have enough, so don’t worry.”

In an instant, the owner’s eyes change.

“That is not a correct answer.”

He straightened his face with a cold-filled voice and drew a sword from his waist, and at the same time, swords flew from all directions to form a flower pedestal.

I calmly explained.

“I know. It’s just that I came in first because I don’t have a black tablet.”

“If you don’t want to die, go back.”

“While soliciting customers to sell unsold cloth, are you not soliciting customers for an important client?”

The owner lets out a snort as if it were ridiculous.

“Because most of the guys who say that are guys with nothing to see.”

“I will put my hand in my bosom for a moment.”

I carefully took out the Silver King Tablet from my bosom and showed it.

Then, the owner’s eyes flashed open.

I shrugged my shoulders looking at him.

“Is this enough to be an important client?”

This place, which looks like an ordinary cloth shop.

It was the Ak-yang branch of the Hao-mun (Hao Sect).

The place where I was guided by the owner who was using stairs going to the basement at the end of the corridor of the cloth shop.

As I went down the stairs, a large room appeared, and in the room where there was not even a hole for light to enter, a night-luminescent pearl was shining instead.

“I did not recognize a precious person. Please understand that it took time to confirm.”

He is talking about the time it took to send a transmission pigeon to check the authenticity of the Silver King Tablet and receive it.

Since it hadn’t even been a week since the Silver King Tablet was issued at Wang-ga-jang, it would not have been easy to know the authenticity of the Silver King Tablet in advance, no matter how few owners there were.

“I can’t say it’s a substitute, but please give me one black tablet. I think I will use it often.”

“Are you talking about this? I will prepare it as a special-grade black tablet.”

There were strange devices and weapons in the room.

There were items that could not be easily obtained on the market, poisons, mechanical devices, and precious swords that seemed to have been taken from someone.

“What do you need? We have everything from hidden weapons to spiritual medicines. If it’s not here, I will search the world and bring it.”

“I know well about the rumors. But what I need right now is information.”

“Ah…… information sometimes requires greater value than a precious sword.”

The owner rubbed his palms once and said.

“What information do you want?”

“Find me a place where the name ‘Hell where heaven and earth meet’ would fit in Hu-nam province.”

Because it was too simple a clue, I expected it to take time. But…….

“The amount is 20 nyang of gold.”

“Eh?”

At the too-fast answer, I tilted my head.

Then the owner also tilted his head.

“Weren’t you here to find Mi-ta-seong-su?”

What is this?

At the appearance of a word that should not have come out of his mouth, my eyes flashed open.

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