The Martial Genius Who Remembers Everything Chapter 92

[ … words ]

***

“What is the dream of a guy with a good memory like?”

On the evening of the Gyemi day of the Mushing month, Jwa-dae-gi asked this while we were finally catching our breath after barely shaking off the demonic cultists.

“What?”

He was a guy who called himself the Six-Style Wolf, claiming he had learned the spear techniques of the Nanjing Yuk Family, a family famous for military households.

In reality, he was a servant of the Yuk family who had been caught secretly watching the young master’s martial arts and had fled after almost being beaten to death.

Because his mouth was so foul, we called him Yuk-si-ral Jwa-dae-gi.

“You know. If you have a good memory, you remember all your dreams, right? You meet beauties in your dreams and remember doing this(?) and that(?)……”

Another guy chimed in immediately.

“Hey, then can you control things in your dreams? Seeing Aeng-aeng, then seeing Yeon-du?”

After the daytime, which went back and forth between life and death, the despair of tomorrow would cover us amidst the rushing fatigue.

“Damn it! So, does only that bastard get to have good experiences(?) every night?”

To overcome the fear of the death that would be waiting right in front of our eyes tomorrow, we used to tell such trivial stories every night.

Actually, it was quite accurate, contrary to what Yuk-si-ral thought.

My dreams were precise and vivid.

In my childhood, there were times that were enjoyable(?), just as Yuk-si-ral said, and there were moments when I looked forward to the night.

However, after I left the So-jeong-dae, I avoided sleep for the rest of my life.

“Huff… huff… huff… huff….”

“Damn it, damn it.”

“Damn, save me!”

The members of the So-jeong-dae were running beside me.

I knew that they were beings in my dream.

Since I had already left the So-jeong-dae and hidden deep in the mountains.

That was why I was not easily shaken by this vivid appearance, by the scene that clearly looked painful.

“Why are you running like this?”

“Damn it! The Demonic Cult bastards are chasing us!”

Because it was just a dream based on my memory, I spoke to them with relief.

“This is just a dream. Stop now.”

“……!”

“……!!”

They, who had been fleeing desperately, looked at me as if to kill me.

“““It’s a dream to you!”””

<><><>

“Huff…… huff. Huff.”

I gasped for air.

A dream I hadn’t had for a while after my regression had come to mind.

“Ar… are you alright?”

I turned my head in surprise and saw Gang Seo-pyo looking at me with a worried expression.

And only after seeing him did I realize that I had woken up from the dream.

“Did you have a nightmare?”

“……Ah. A nightmare…….”

Was it a nightmare…….

Did I see it because I missed it…….

I closed my mouth at an answer that even I didn’t know.

“…….”

He didn’t ask any further either. He set down the food that seemed to be my share and spoke.

“……Fortunately, we are cruising smoothly. I think you can rest a little more.”

“Are there no more pursuers?”

“They must sleep too.”

Looking out the window, the surroundings had already become dark.

It seemed I had slept like the dead because of the accumulated fatigue of the past few days, combined with using the Gwang-cheon-sin-jang for the first time in a while.

“That’s a relief.”

“……Thank you.”

“?”

I raised my head at Gang Seo-pyo’s sudden words.

“I am the one who is grateful. Thanks to you, the Geum-Eun-Dong brothers came safely.”

After joining them, the Geum-Eun-Dong brothers found even more psychological stability. The martial artists of the Namgung Family and the Cheol-geom-mun took care of the Geum-Eun-Dong brothers not as disciples of another sect, but as their own younger brothers.

All of that was thanks to the care of the leaders, Gang Seo-pyo and Cho Mu-bin.

“Aren’t you going through an even harder process because of us for no reason?”

Gang Seo-pyo shook his head.

“Rather, we should be the ones giving thanks…….”

A subtle smile lingered on Gang Seo-pyo’s lips. It was an expression that would have been unimaginable when we first met at the Demon Spirit Plateau.

“After you joined us, there wasn’t a single dropout among us.”

“…….”

I scratched the back of my head, feeling awkward for some reason. Because in my past life, I hadn’t had many occasions to receive words of gratitude from anyone.

Those bastards of the So-jeong-dae wouldn’t have been the type to say thank you, let alone curse at me.

“Thank you once again.”

“Ah, yes.”

“Please sleep a little more. If anything happens, I will let you know immediately.”

“Even so…….”

“You are the one leading us now, aren’t you? If you get exhausted, our damage will naturally increase.”

At Gang Seo-pyo, who spoke even to that extent, I nodded.

Although I had woken up from a nightmare, I felt like I wouldn’t have another nightmare even if I went back to sleep for some reason.

<><><>

“Are you alright?”

As soon as the door closed, Gang Seo-pyo’s mouth corners lifted slightly at the voice he heard.

“I told you to bring it yourself if you were that worried.”

“……Ah, b-but, in a room where a man is alone…….”

Although Namgung Seon-hwa’s personality was feminine, she wasn’t that distant with men to this extent.

It wasn’t as if it were a day or two that women of the Jianghu were not distant between men and women. For Namgung Seon-hwa, who had grown up watching such appearances naturally, to feel this much shyness.

‘It’s a good time…….’

Gang Seo-pyo’s raised mouth corners didn’t know how to fall. That young lady had already grown up like this and found a man to give her heart to.

“Come to think of it, I’m a bit worried.”

“Yes?! Wh, what is it?”

A look of surprise that she hadn’t even shown when she was told to take the regular exam with only twenty people.

“It’s because it seemed like you had a nightmare. I’m wondering if your sleep might be restless…….”

“Ye……es?”

“It means there is nothing special.”

“…….”

Namgung Seon-hwa only then realized that Gang Seo-pyo was teasing her, and she wiggled her fingers.

“I’m sorry, but since I think I’ll be a bit tired tomorrow morning, please take care of the Young Master’s meals.”

“……You think you’ll be tired?”

“Yes……. And if I walk into a man’s room abruptly and see him changing clothes or something, I don’t feel good all day long…….”

“…….”

Namgung Seon-hwa’s face eventually turned as red as a ripe persimmon.

Is she that happy?

“St, stop it!”

At the reaction of Namgung Seon-hwa, who finally knew she was being teased, Gang Seo-pyo burst into laughter.

At Gang Seo-pyo’s laughter, Namgung Seon-hwa quickly changed the subject, perhaps because she was shy.

“But what are the Chang-gung-dae martial artists doing with the Geum-Eun-Dong brothers?”

After boarding the ship, the martial artists, who had been lying around resting for a while, began to gather on the deck one by one.

At the same time, they drew their swords to show their movements, or began to demonstrate and talk.

The subject of the conversation was mainly the Geum-Eun-Dong brothers, and the listeners were the martial artists of the Chang-gung-dae and the martial artists of the Cheol-geom-mun.

“They say they are learning a sword formation from the disciples of the Tae-eul-mun.”

“A sword formation…… you say?”

Namgung Seon-hwa tilted her head.

Was there a famous sword formation in the Tae-eul-mun?

No, in the first place, was there a reason for the martial artists of the Namgung Family and the Cheol-geom-mun to learn a different sword formation?

“They said the sword formation learned by the disciples of the Tae-eul-mun is similar to the White Tiger Sword Formation.”

If it was the White Tiger Sword Formation, she knew it too.

The White Tiger Sword Formation that works in conjunction with the White Tiger Sword Technique, the official martial art of the Moorim Alliance.

The name sounded plausible, but wasn’t it just a sword formation that crudely mixed the Three Talents Formation and the Eight Trigrams Formation so that Moorim Alliance members could easily learn and apply it?

“Why on earth the White Tiger Formation……?”

“It’s not exactly the same. I heard it was something Young Master Jin taught them. He said he had them learn it after modifying it himself.”

When Jin So-un’s story came up, Namgung Seon-hwa’s reaction for a moment was interesting. Gang Seo-pyo looked at the martial artists gathered on the deck and said.

“It is characterized by being easy and simple, yet having great usability.”

Namgung Seon-hwa couldn’t understand it even more.

In any case, easy and simple meant that the destructive power was that much lower.

What was the reason for breaking up rest time to learn that?

“That is…… they said it was the escort formation of the White Tiger Sword Formation.”

“……What is?”

“The sword formation the Geum-Eun-Dong brothers use to protect their food.”

“…….”

Namgung Seon-hwa’s gaze turned to the deck.

In the center, surrounded by martial artists, the Geum-Eun-Dong brothers were unfolding the White Tiger Sword Formation.

She wondered why it looked familiar, and it was the sword formation they had unfolded every time they were attacked while eating.

The Geum-Eun-Dong brothers cooked and ate their meals stubbornly even when other martial artists were fed up with the ambushes and didn’t cook anymore.

“Everyone wanted to learn it somehow…… so they readily said they would teach it…….”

“…….”

This time, Gang Seo-pyo’s face turned red. He knew the martial artists’ feelings, but conveying that directly to his lady was a bit embarrassing.

“They were tired of a life of eating only dried meat……. While the family’s martial arts are powerful, aren’t they lacking in usability?……. Since the White Tiger Sword Formation can be unfolded even by three people…….”

“……Can I learn it a little too?”

“Yes?”

“No, I should learn it too. Because I want to make porridge and eat it with sister Moran.”

“Ah…… let’s go.”

<><><>

Before reaching Sa-hong Port, we stopped the ship in the middle of the river and crossed the water current.

It was to prepare for those who would already be waiting in Sa-hong Port.

“It’s strangely quiet.”

Seong Mo-ran’s story, as she dried her wet martial clothes after causing a bet.

Just as she said, the surroundings were disturbingly quiet, enough to make the journey so far feel meaningless.

“Let’s move for now.”

The Third Gate exam is held in four places in the Jianghu.

Nanyue in Henan.

Dongcheon in Shaanxi.

Chengdu in Sichuan.

Mt. Akbuk in Hunan.

The test sites installed at a distance of two provinces away from Wuhan, where the Moorim Alliance is located, are installed in the east, west, south, and north respectively for the convenience of those taking the exam from the entire Jianghu.

Thanks to this, the movement paths of the examinees were set uniformly, and because of this, examinees often waited on the path to defeat competitors weaker than themselves.

This was also the reason why we had been receiving checks not only from Diancang and Huaying Escort Agency, but also from various other competitors.

Running through the night, by the time the day brightened, we arrived at Sa-hong Port, our original destination.

At the Sa-hong Port visible in the distance, examinees were waiting for the ship.

Namgung Seon-hwa said in a low voice.

“Compared to what I thought…… There aren’t many numbers. Should I say this is good?”

“If it were me, I wouldn’t be in Sa-hong Port, but waiting on the path to Pung-hyeon.”

“I would do that too.”

We bypassed Sa-hong Port as it was and headed in the direction of Suk-cheon.

There were no personnel following us yet.

Chirp-

While chewing on dried meat instead of breakfast, a messenger falcon approached me, making a crying sound.

-Wudang Sect’s Hyeon-jeong and two others, and his martial artists.

-Huashan Sect’s Yeon Woo-mun and three others, and his martial artists.

※Currently waiting on the path to Pung-hyeon.

The newsletter delivered by the Haomun contained the names of the Wudang Sect and Huashan Sect disciples who were currently chasing us.

The strange thing was that the Wudang Sect and Huashan Sect disciples were beings I remembered.

‘Who is it?’

They were not figures who had entered the Moorim Academy in this batch. Even so, it was fascinating that they were being remembered in my head.

Just as I was searching the library in my head, Seong Mo-ran and Namgung Seon-hwa approached.

“What are you thinking about?”

“Because this name is familiar.”

I showed the message to the two people.

Seong Mo-ran, who received the message, nodded as if she understood.

“If it’s Hyeon-jeong, he’s famous as Yong So-a’s junior disciple, isn’t he?”

“Famous as Yong So-a’s junior disciple?”

“Yes. The junior disciple who always followed Yong So-a around when he was at Wudang Mountain. Hyeon-jeong himself also has extraordinary talent, so he is a promising prospect from whom Wudang has very high expectations for the future.”

“What about Yeon Woo-mun?”

“He is the eldest son of the Yeon Family. I heard he entered the Huashan Sect as a secular disciple, so it seems he is taking this Moorim Academy exam.”

If it’s the Yeon Family, it’s a family famous for fist techniques.

A great sect where their unique fist techniques and leg techniques are within the top ten in the world.

But if the eldest son, who has to succeed the family, entered the Huashan Sect to learn the sword, one had to see his talent for the sword as being no less than Hyeon-jeong’s.

“Is that all?”

However, I asked again because I still felt unresolved, but Seong Mo-ran only shook her head.

“They are great opponents to say it’s just that. Opponents you can’t look down on.”

“Hmm…….”

Following that, just as I was about to look for the Simhyeon-gak materials in the library, the Geum-Eun-Dong brothers caught my eye.

“What are you doing, you guys?”

The °• N 𝑜 v 𝑒 l i g h t •° three brothers were playing a prank, stretching out their hands while walking and grabbing each other’s sleeves.

“Ah……. That is. We learned some Geum-na-su (Grappling techniques) from the Namgung Family martial artists.”

“Geum-na-su?”

“Yes. They said a martial artist should at least know simple Geum-na-su.”

The Geum-na-su unfolded by the three brothers is the Thirteen Geum-na-su that I also know well.

It is not as popular as the Three Talents Sword Technique, but it is a Geum-na-su that anyone who has experience in learning martial arts goes through at least once.

The three Geum-Eun-Dong brothers were filling in the martial arts that were not in the Tae-eul-mun and the Tae-eul-geom-je’s true inheritance by themselves.

“……Is it something we shouldn’t learn after all?”

Geum-pyo noticed the mood.

Usually, sects would often forbid learning martial arts from other sects or martial arts found in the marketplace.

I shook my head.

“It doesn’t matter. No, rather, learn it diligently.”

“Really? But the martial artists said if we do it too diligently, it might affect our original martial arts…….”

“Don’t you guys have nothing to do that diligently?”

“……Sahyeong…….”

“I’m joking. Do you know what the greatest martial art among the Tae-eul-geom-je’s martial arts is?”

“……Um, it’s the Man-hae-cheon-ji-geom-gyeol (Ten Thousand Sea Heaven and Earth Sword Conclusion).”

Geum-pyo said as if it were natural, and Eun-ho and Dong-ryong also nodded as if agreeing.

“That is just the strongest martial art. It is not the greatest martial art.”

“Then what is it?”

“Tae-eul-jin-gyeong (Tae-eul True Scripture).”

If one were to pick the greatest study among the Tae-eul-geom-je’s martial arts, it is definitely the Tae-eul-jin-gyeong.

“The essence of the Tae-eul-jin-gyeong is the realization of the truth of all things in the universe.”

“……Yes?”

“And all other martial arts are just the Tae-eul-geom-je’s interpretation through the Tae-eul-jin-gyeong.”

The Geum-Eun-Dong brothers still had expressions of not understanding.

“It means that if you only have the Tae-eul-jin-gyeong, the Tae-eul-mun’s martial arts will continue even if all other martial arts are gone.”

“I don’t understand.”

“The Man-hae-cheon-ji-geom-gyeol, the So-cheon-geom-beop (Small Heaven Sword Technique), the Dae-cheon-geom-beop (Great Heaven Sword Technique), and the Man-hwa-mu-jeok-gwon (Ten Thousand Flowers Peerless Fist), they are all just forms and sequences.”

“But if there are no forms and sequences, isn’t that not a martial art?”

“Tsk. Do the absolute masters of the Jianghu subdue their opponents with great forms and sequences?”

“…….”

“Forms and sequences are just ladders to make the process of realization easier to learn. In the end, if you rise above that, you just don’t need forms and sequences at all.”

Only then did the three brothers have expressions of understanding little by little.

“Above all, put effort into the training of the Tae-eul-jin-gyeong. And learn various martial arts diligently. If you do that, a day will come when you yourselves will be able to create your own forms and sequences.”

“Us?”

Eun-ho, who was usually most interested in the depth of martial arts, asked back with delight, and I nodded.

“Yes. That is the reason why the Tae-eul-jin-gyeong is a great martial art.”

With my words, the three brothers began to spur their internal energy circulation (Haeng-gong) even more.

“You guys! If the running speed slows down because of that, how will you take the exam!”

Only then did the three brothers regain their speed.

<><><>

“There is nothing happening here either.”

When passing through Seo-ju, we were on high alert.

We took a rest to relax our tension because there was a Chang-gung Trading Company branch in Seo-ju, but once that happened, we could no longer hide the attention of the pursuers.

However, even though we left Seo-ju and were almost at Pung-hyeon, the examinees were not seen.

“This is the first time peace has been this unsettling.”

We deliberately left traces and cooked rice by lighting a fire in an open space in the evening.

Nevertheless, there was no pursuit.

We searched the places where they could be hiding on the path to Pung-hyeon ourselves, but no people were seen.

“What happened?”

If only Huashan and Wudang were plotting something, they could show unified movements.

But the competitors are not only them.

Just as countless examinees aimed for our gaps when Huaying Escort Agency was chasing us, there had to be other competitors appearing in the gaps where Wudang and Huashan were aiming for us.

Chirp-

I raised my head with the sound of a falcon.

I was waiting because there was no news of the message that arrived every morning until noon.

The messenger falcon, which reached my shoulder and slowed down, held out its right foot, and I put a piece of dried meat in its mouth and opened the message.

-Wudang Sect’s Hyeon-jeong and two others, and martial artists.

-Huashan Sect’s Yeon Woo-mun and three others, and martial artists.

※Currently untraceable.

“…….”

“…….”

“…….”

Namgung Seon-hwa and Seong Mo-ran, who were looking at the message together, could not continue their words. The thing we were most worried about had happened.

“It must be a group of at least five hundred units.”

“Can they disappear without a trace all at once like this?”

It is the same for us, but hiding one’s body while taking a large number of personnel is never an easy task.

Considering that the number of people moving at the same time by those who commit assassination or robbery does not exceed ten, it is too natural in terms of logic.

However, they disappeared completely from the eyes of the Haomun, who compete for the top spot in information power alone.

“We must see it as definitely hiding somewhere, right?”

“Leader Cho, Leader Gang, please strengthen the guard.”

“…….”

When Namgung Seon-hwa and Seong Mo-ran were pulling the strings of tension while looking around like that.

I finally discovered the names of the two people in the deepest place of the library in my head.

“!”

I looked at the position of the sun.

The sun hanging on the western mountain is about to set slowly.

I hurriedly turned back to the two people.

“From now on, we will run at full power.”

“Yes?”

“Knowing when the ambush will come?”

I also said to the Geum-Eun-Dong brothers.

“From now on, stop the Haeng-gong and run at full power.”

“……?”

“…….”

“……Yes.”

At my urgent voice, the martial artists of the Namgung Family and the Cheol-geom-mun also raised their tension tightly.

“Perhaps a more terrifying opponent than Wudang and Huashan might be waiting for us.”

“Yes?”

“What is that……”

Perhaps it was already late.

Since there had been no one around while coming from Seo-ju to Pung-hyeon.

“Young Master Jin, please explain a little!”

“Move first.”

“…….”

As I started to move urgently without explanation, starting with the Geum-Eun-Dong brothers, the martial artists of the Namgung Family and the Cheol-geom-mun also started to move.

We have to get into the village as quickly as possible. If my guess is correct, the darkness and the night belong to them.

Thump-

Thump-

My heart started beating violently.

It is not by my intention, not by my emotions.

I have already experienced one life, and in this life, I have even learned the Tae-eul-jin-gyeong, so I can maintain the state of a clear mirror more than anyone else.

“……Young Master Jin, please explain something. I’m getting nervous for no reason.”

Therefore, this violent beating of my heart was caused by the outside.

“…….”

Even if I identified the opponent, what could I say?

No, in the first place, would they even be able to believe it? When they first appeared in the world, no one believed them, not even the Moorim Alliance.

“They are the enemy.”

“The enemy?”

“Yes.”

The deepest place in the library in my head.

A place I had never searched even in the place where the Simhyeon-gak materials were gathered because I wasn’t interested.

The names of the two people were written there.

[Unsolved Case Report]

-Wudang Sect’s Hyeon-jeong

-Huashan Sect’s Yeon Woo-mun

※Annihilated together with the junior disciples.

Presumed to be a surprise attack by professionally trained personnel.

※Characteristics: Some of the bones of the excavated corpses appear to be discolored black.

The pieces of information were too far apart from each other.

In addition, I never imagined that they would be active here right now.

“They are a group specialized in assassination and surprise attacks.”

Something is caught in the spirit sense (Gi-gam) I extended in all directions.

“Get down!”

As soon as my words ended, the martial artists bowed their heads in surprise. However, black hidden swords were stuck in the abdomens of the martial artists who reacted a little late, spewing blood.

“What is this…….”

It was a spirit sense that I, who had learned the Tae-eul-jin-gyeong, felt faintly.

A situation that could only be more surprising to them.

“I didn’t feel anything.”

Namgung Seon-hwa and Seong Mo-ran look at the forest with eyes that cannot believe it.

Before long, the shadows of the forest lengthened, and twenty black human shadows appeared, one by one.

“…….”

Everyone just opened their mouths at the bizarre scene they saw for the first time, unable to say anything.

“What is it…… who are they……?”

Am-heuk-jeol-hon-dan (Dark Severed Soul Group).

They were the beings called the most terrifying swords of the Heavenly Demon Cult.