The Martial Genius Who Remembers Everything Chapter 44

[ … words ]

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The regions where the Nine Great Sects and the Five Great Clans were located were always bustling with people, even if they were not major cities.

Whether the places they were based in were the Five Sacred Mountains or small villages, new cities would spring up around them.

Uniquely, there were many processions of scholars and literati in the villages surrounding the Jegal Clan.

It was because, while I didn’t know about studies regarding martial arts, there was no place in the world that could follow the Jegal Clan in studies regarding literature.

Having left Agyang and headed for Yungjung Mountain, I rested for a day and headed straight for the Jegal Clan.

It was a grueling march moving all day, but after washing my body with the primordial energy (Seoncheon-jingi) at Wol-hyang’s tomb, I didn’t really feel fatigue.

“Whew…….”

When I arrived at the Jegal Clan at the foot of Yungjung Mountain, people were already forming a chaotic crowd from in front of the main gate.

“What on earth……”

I searched my mind to see if I had mistaken the date and come even though there was a memorial day at the Jegal Clan, but today was not any special day.

“By any chance…….”

As I was absent-minded, an old man in front of me observed me.

“Did you also come because you have business, Warrior?”

“Me?”

“Yes.”

“That is the case, but.”

“Then you can stand in line here.”

The old man was in shabby attire and was holding the hand of a child who looked like his granddaughter in one hand.

“I see. Do you know this place well, Nosa?”

“Nosa, you say? Absolutely not. Just call me Old Man Heo.”

The old man was startled as he spoke, but his gaze was directed toward the Black Dragon Sword.

“How could that be? This sword is just something I am carrying for self-defense, so you do not need to worry.”

Although I spoke like that, the old man’s attitude remained respectful.

“I have come a few times because there is a big problem in the village. Today is already the seventh time.”

“What is the big problem that requires visiting seven times?”

“An Imugi (great serpent) has appeared in the village.”

“……An Imugi?”

“Yes. An Imugi that appeared a year ago is eating the villagers. I tried calling escort warriors to catch it. But this Imugi bastard’s skin is so hard that neither arrows nor spears could pierce it.”

“Ah…….”

“The escort warriors said that this Imugi is so formidable that it cannot be caught and that we must set up a formation to trap it.”

I know the true identity of the Imugi in the story the old man is telling.

The Great Iron-Armored Black Python (Cheolgab-heukmang-daesa).

An existence that appeared in Joyang, Hobeok Province, and wiped out all five villages in that area, including the slash-and-burn farming villages.

Its skin is as hard as steel, and its size is so huge that it can swallow a cow in one bite.

A demonic creature (Mamul) whose strength is so great that it does not even take a ilgak (15 minutes) to erase a house as big as a palace.

The reason the demonic creature that appeared in Joyang, Hobeok Province, was not caught for a long time was that, unlike other demonic creatures, it did not possess a spiritual pill (Yeongdan).

In the end, only after all five villages were erased and hundreds of people died did the Murim Alliance step forward.

‘At that time, the Seungho Hall Master and the Vice Hall Master were swallowed whole.’

In my previous life, there was an incident where three halls of the Azure Dragon Pavilion (Cheongnyong-gak) were dismantled and the Seungho Hall was reorganized due to this.

It was a group that gathered elite masters, not a place that gathered city ruffians like the White Wolf Pavilion (Baekrang-gak) to which the Sojeong Squad belonged, which was swallowed whole by a single Great Iron-Armored Black Python.

“Oh dear, so what has the Jegal Clan said in the meantime?”

“They said such problems can only be handled after reporting to the Murim Alliance and receiving approval.”

What the old man was harboring was a vain hope.

For the Jegal Clan to step forward meant that the Murim Alliance would ultimately have to pay the cost.

Because the Murim Alliance would never hire the sorcerers of the Jegal Clan, whose price is second to none in the world, just to save a slash-and-burn farming village.

‘In the end, they went out to hunt it directly, not to seal it.’

Even if I knew the answer, I could not tell him the harsh reality as it was, so I casually changed the subject.

“I hope it turns out well. Is this your granddaughter, sir?”

When I looked at the granddaughter and gestured, the child seemed scared, grabbed the old man’s leg, and hid behind him.

The old man looked very unaccustomed to looking after the child.

“My son and his wife were eaten by the Imugi this time, so I brought her.”

“Ah…….”

I tried to lighten the atmosphere, but for some reason, it turned even more somber.

Fortunately, it was the old man’s turn, and when the person dressed as a scholar who was greeting people at the main gate saw the old man, he frowned.

“It’s you again! Didn’t I tell you? I said I would contact you when a decision was made.”

“Sir, the Imugi has appeared again in just half a month and has eaten ten villagers. Please, just let me see the Clan Leader once.”

The scholar sighed deeply.

“Do you think the Clan Leader is some local constable? Where does a village chief of a slash-and-burn farming village……”

As the scholar, who was clicking his tongue, signaled to the warriors around the main gate, the warriors tried to take the old man away.

Seeing the old man being dragged away and the granddaughter crying, I could not stay silent.

“Wait a moment.”

“Why are you doing that?”

The scholar said, scanning me up and down.

“This person is my companion.”

The scholar quickly grasped our relationship and chuckled.

“Well, I know it’s because of pity. But don’t meddle needlessly. This person is from a slash-and-burn farming village.”

“What is wrong with a slash-and-burn farming village?”

“…….”

“He will enter with me. Please send a message to the Clan Leader.”

The scholar and the warriors who had gathered around also burst into laughter, finding it absurd.

“Have these guys been drinking since broad daylight…….”

Before he finished his words, I thrust a promissory note in front of him.

“Ha! This kind of promissory note is… what… great… is……”

The mouth of the scholar reading the promissory note shut tight.

The warriors who were laughing around also stuck out their heads out of curiosity, but after seeing the promissory note, their eyes shook violently.

“Th-two hundred nyang of gold!!”

At the words someone spat out as if chewing, fierce exclamations went back and forth, regardless of whether they were people of the clan or guests.

The dispatch of sorcerers from the Jegal Clan is usually about 20 nyang of gold per year.

Two hundred nyang of gold was money that could hire ten such sorcerers for a whole year.

And in the Jegal Clan, there was a rule that for such a big deal, the head of the Artisan Hall or the Clan Leader would come out and handle it personally.

“May I enter?”

“Uh…… Yes, yes. I will guide you.”

The scholar suddenly bowed deeply and pointed to the main gate with both hands.

I said to the old man.

“Let’s go in.”

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If one were to name a martial sect capable of deploying Gimunjinbeop (Formation techniques), the Mosan Sect would be counted, but the areas where the Mosan Sect actually shows more of an advantage are mainly Jema (Demon Suppression) or Bokryeong (Subduing Spirits).

They exert greater power in countering spirit arts or ghost arts used by beings commonly called the Evil Factions.

If one were to pick the best martial sect for Gimunjinbeop, it is definitely the Jegal Clan.

While most sects in the Murim form merchant groups or develop mines to earn profits, the Jegal Clan accumulates wealth that surpasses other Five Great Clans by selling Gimunjinbeop to the sects of the Gangho.

Since Gimunjinbeop itself is extremely difficult to deploy and requires maintenance, except for special cases like the Muryang-bulgoe-myeolhon-jin, if it is not maintained, as time passes, the formation axis twists and shakes, eventually walking the path of being broken.

Because of this, the sects of the Gangho had to continuously pay not only the initial installation cost but also huge costs for maintenance.

Although the huge cost is burdensome, the Gimunjinbeop of the Jegal Clan, which boasts the best efficacy, was not a choice but a necessity for martial sects that have countless enemies in the Gangho.

“You can enter this way.”

The scholar who was in charge of guidance said that after guiding me to the guest room that welcomes guests, he wrote a document regarding the dispatch and delivered the document.

“It will take time until permission is granted and an interview is held.”

“I will wait.”

The scholar observed me, and on the other hand, he seemed quite uncomfortable with the old man being in this space.

“When you meet the Clan Leader, could you not meet him alone?”

“Didn’t I say he is my companion?”

“…….”

If the scholar felt uncomfortable with this situation, the old man was afraid of this situation.

Although he had asked to meet the Clan Leader of the Jegal Clan, it was clear that he had not thought he would actually meet him like this.

Moreover, the warriors in the guest room, including the scholar, were looking down on the old man.

It did not seem easy for a person who even finds it difficult to deal with a young person like me to endure this heavy atmosphere.

“Sir. It’s okay. Please don’t be too nervous. We are just here to talk, aren’t we?”

When I looked at the granddaughter, who was in pain from him gripping her hand too tightly, and spoke, the old man was startled and let go of her hand only then.

“……Oh my. Are you okay, child?”

“…….”

The granddaughter nodded as if reading the situation like her grandfather and grabbed her grandfather’s hand again.

A short while later, two people entered.

One was a middle-aged man in plain attire, and the other was an old man with a flashy appearance, the exact opposite of Old Man Heo standing here.

A plump body and silk clothes.

He was hanging precious jewelry all over, and was entering while waving a fan that imitated the white feather fan that Jegal Ryang held in the past.

That person was none other than Jegal Jeong, the head of the Artisan Hall and the teacher of the formation masters and sorcerers belonging to the Jegal Clan.

Although he was not a direct descendant of the Jegal Clan, he was a not-too-distant collateral branch and was also the cousin of Jegal So-myeong, the Chief Military Advisor of the Murim Alliance.

“No, Village Chief Heo. I heard the story. They say you suffered a big problem in the village?”

Jegal Jeong quickly ran over, grabbed the old man’s hand, and spoke, and the old man called Village Chief Heo was startled.

“D-do you remember me?”

“Of course I remember. We greeted each other once at Geummok Mountain twelve years ago.”

“Ah……”

Village Chief Heo was looking at Jegal Jeong with an impressed gaze.

“I had already heard Village Chief Heo’s story. Knowing that we didn’t give an answer in time even though you told us several times, I scolded them severely.”

“No. No. The warriors have no fault at all.”

Village Chief Heo was shaking his head as if he were flustered.

“Actually, the thing is. Even I, upon hearing that an Imugi had appeared, immediately tried to lead the people of our clan and seal it personally, but originally, a formation cannot be set up recklessly without the permission of the Murim Alliance.”

“Ah…… Th – then what should we do?”

“I will immediately send people again and ask for permission before greater damage appears. If that doesn’t work, I will personally visit the Murim Alliance and get an answer. I will settle this once and for all.”

“Oh my. Thank you. Sir. Thank you very much.”

Village Chief Heo shed tears, prostrated himself on the floor, and even bowed.

Jegal Jeong quickly lifted him up.

“Go up now. Doesn’t the sun set quickly on the mountain? The granddaughter also looks very exhausted.”

“Yes, yes. I should do that. I ask for your kind favor.”

Village Chief Heo bowed to everyone, including Jegal Jeong, the middle-aged man standing next to him, the scholar, the warriors, and even me, and left the guest room.

After he left, Jegal Jeong and the middle-aged man sat down.

And unlike when he was talking to Village Chief Heo a moment ago, he frowned and said.

“You say you are Jin So-un of the Tae-eul-mun?”

“Nice to meet you…….”

“Why are you doing useless things?”

“……Yes. I am Jin So-un.”

Instead of answering, I tilted my head.

“Thanks to you dragging that person in, hasn’t the Jegal Clan come to bear a burden?”

Upon hearing that, I nodded.

“As expected, you were lying.”

“What?”

“The Jegal Clan, whose price is high, wouldn’t do something like free service, would they?”

Permission from the Murim Alliance is needed to install a formation?

In the first place, a formation is not a subject of permission. Who in the world reports to the Murim Alliance one by one every time they install a formation?

In the end, Jegal Jeong passed the responsibility to the Murim Alliance and got rid of Village Chief Heo.

“Kid. Don’t be arrogant just because you have some money. The reason we came out is not because of your money, but because we heard that you helped the Namgung Clan, who is close to us.”

“Ah, I see. It would have been even better if you had come and helped together back then. I suppose you couldn’t help back then not because of money, but because the timing didn’t work out, right?”

“……Kid. Did you come here to argue with me?”

“That is not it. Then let’s talk business.”

“Before that. You.”

Jegal Jeong pointed to the scholar.

“You couldn’t even write a proper dispatch application form and submit this kind of document!”

Jegal Jeong threw the document at the scholar, and the document hit the scholar’s face and fell to the floor.

“You have to write the name and period of the dispatch target!”

“Ah, no, that is, this guest said that he is not on the list here, so he said he would talk about it without writing it down.”

“Not on this list?”

Jegal Jeong looked at hundreds of nameplates placed on one side of the guest room wall.

All the names of the dispatch targets currently active in the Jegal Clan were included.

“Kid, what do you want?”

After looking at the man sitting next to Jegal Jeong, I said.

“Jegal Cheon-gi. The dispatch period is 5 years.”

Twitch.

The middle-aged man stares intently at my face.

Jegal Jeong also seemed to feel the sign, coughed, and continued.

“I don’t know how you know that child, but that child is not a formal sorcerer.”

“It does not matter.”

“……It matters. That does not fit the norms of our clan either……”

“Ah, and the amount of two hundred nyang I wrote was shown to mean that I would pay two hundred nyang per year.”

“…….”

Jegal Jeong loves money.

When he finished his mandatory service at the Murim Alliance and others remained at the Murim Alliance to strive for success, he tried to return to the clan faster than anyone else and take control of the sorcerers. He had known since his youth that the position of dispatching and managing sorcerers handled the most money within the clan.

“I heard you like money.”

Jegal Jeong’s face, which had been blank, turned bright red.

At that moment, the middle-aged man who had been quiet carefully opened his mouth.

“By any chance, may I ask what you intend to use Cheon-gi for?”

He was none other than Jegal Hyeon-un, the current Clan Leader of the Jegal Clan and the son of Jegal So-myeong.

“Please speak comfortably. If the Clan Leader of the Jegal Clan speaks like that, won’t people criticize me?”

“Ahem. I understand. What do you intend to use Cheon-gi for?”

“There are currently no defensive facilities at Tae-eul-mun. I intend to entrust that part to him.”

“But…… Cheon-gi’s study of Gimunjinbeop is low.”

That cannot be.

Jegal Cheon-gi is a genius on the same level as Yong So-a in the field of literature.

It is just that he does not study because he is not interested. It was clear that even if Jegal Cheon-gi started studying now, he would be equipped with skills superior to any formation master of the Jegal Clan in the shortest possible time.

“What I intend to entrust to him is not Gimunjinbeop, so you do not need to worry.”

“…….”

“…….”

Jegal Jeong and Jegal Hyeon-un look at each other.

Then Jegal Jeong frowns and says.

“By any chance, are you trying to install mechanisms? No! That foolish thing is a device that hurts people.”

Currently, the perception of Gigwan-jin-sik is devalued to a trivial level compared to Gimunjinbeop.

And the new concept that will change that perception in the future is Jegal Cheon-gi’s Gigwan-jin-sik.

“Moreover, that child is imprisoned in the Geum-ok for the crime of seriously injuring a person with a mechanism. Therefore, I cannot dispatch him even more.”

“Isn’t it natural for injuries to occur during the process of experimentation? Does one get imprisoned in the Geum-ok for such things?”

Jegal Cheon-gi had said that the reason he was imprisoned in the Geum-ok was because all the formation masters within the clan hated the Gigwan-jin-sik he was making. I was pinching this part.

Jegal Jeong’s expression began to reveal displeasure more and more.

“Even if casualties occur because of the Gigwan-jin-sikJegal Cheon-gi makes at Tae-eul-mun, Tae-eul-mun will take responsibility for everything. If you want, I will also write up a contract.”

“…….”

Jegal Jeong looked at Jegal Hyeon-un as if to tell him to say something.

However, for some reason, it felt like Jegal Hyeon-un was taking my side.

He continued to observe me and then said to Jegal Jeong.

“Judging by the story I’ve heard so far. As the Clan Leader, I don’t think I can refuse.”

“Clan Leader!!”

“Actually, isn’t it natural for injuries to occur during the process of experimentation? In the Sichuan Tang Clan, dozens of people are poisoned by toxins every month, too. If there are no such trials and errors, won’t we eventually become stagnant water?”

Jegal Hyeon-un looked at me.

“Moreover, if we can conduct experiments on Gigwan-jin-sik through Tae-eul-mun, it would be an opportunity for us to broaden our base as well. As for me, I don’t think there is anything I cannot accept……. Since the final decision authority for dispatch lies with the Supreme Elder, I ask that you only take this as a reference.”

Although he used words like ‘reference’ and ‘ask’, Jegal Jeong could not easily overlook it.

The Clan Leader had already presented the justification, and in addition, Jegal Cheon-gi’s trip to the Geum-ok had been decided by the unanimous consent of the Elder Hall, but Jegal Cheon-gi was Jegal Hyeon-un’s youngest son anyway.

“Ahem…….”

Jegal Jeong was rolling his eyeballs and squeezing out thoughts.

“If the Clan Leader speaks to that extent, then I must do so. However, our Jegal Clan only accepts clients who meet the criteria, right? Unfortunately, Tae-eul-mun does not meet that criteria.”

Jegal Jeong, who is acting relaxed while waving the fan made to imitate the white feather fan.

I asked, even though I knew about that criteria.

“What is that criteria?”

Jegal Jeong said with a sneer.

“Must be an existing client of the Jegal Clan.”

This was one of the reasons why the name of the Jegal Clan is counted as the best under heaven.

The Jegal Clan even chose the people who would pay them money.

“That is an absurd and contradictory criteria.”

“If you met the criteria, an invitation would have already gone out from the Jegal Clan.”

People of the Gangho often use the invitation of the Jegal Clan as one of the yardsticks to gauge the strength of a martial sect.

They were making their name more valuable than the price of gold in this way.

“Hmm…… Then Tae-eul-mun will have to wait a bit longer.”

“Well. An invitation hasn’t gone out for the past five hundred years. Will there be any reason for one to go in the future?”

“That is also true. Then how about you give me one opportunity?”

“Opportunity?”

“Yes. If I accomplish a task that even you, Elder, can be convinced of, please allow the dispatch of Jegal Cheon-gi.”

“Heoheo, what task could there be that would make me acknowledge you?”

“How about the Great Iron-Armored Black Python? The Imugi you lied about to Old Man Heo earlier.”

“Hmm?”

“If I catch that, how about we count it as passing the criteria?”

Not only Jegal Jeong but also Jegal Hyeon-un’s two eyes widened.