The Martial Genius Who Remembers Everything Novel - Chapter 154

Chapter 154
## Chapter 154: The Black Flame Dragon amid Chaos (4)

“Dearest Brother, do you believe the day will arrive when our Yujang Sect can truly hold its head high within the vast Jianghu?”

Faced with this earnest inquiry from his younger sibling, who was preparing to wed into a highly influential household, Jang Woo-jae found himself utterly struck dumb.

He remained the sole individual aware of her hidden truth: that she, far more intensely than anyone else, harbored deep aspirations of forging her own path as a martial artist within the Jianghu.

Despite those secret yearnings, his sister had spoken falsehoods to ease his mind, claiming that by marrying into luxury, her future path would be entirely smooth and free of hardship.

It was solely through that profound act of self-sacrifice on her part that Jang Woo-jae had secured the means to enroll as an Academy Student within the prestigious Murim Academy.

Knowing with absolute certainty that his sibling would rejoice more than anyone over his successful admission, Jang Woo-jae hastened to seek her out the very instant he set foot back within the territory of the Yujang Sect.

Yet, despite his frantic efforts, he was completely blocked from seeing her, and he could find no one willing to share even a shred of information regarding her current state.

The lavish celebratory feast arranged by his kindred offered him no solace.

Even the arrival of the companions he had befriended during his time at the Academy failed to lift his spirits.

Jang Woo-jae dragged himself through each passing day as if trapped in a dense fog.

“What is the meaning of this?”

It was during this period of despondency that he finally crossed paths with the gentleman who had taken his sister as a bride.

Beholding the nobleman lounging contentedly while a courtesan tended to him on one side of the grand gala, all while carelessly crooning a tune, Jang Woo-jae felt his features involuntarily contort with disgust.

The way the man aggressively imposed himself on everyone around him in his drunken stupor, and how he eventually stumbled over to the Academy Students to make a pathetic spectacle of himself…

Confronted by such insufferable arrogance, Jang Woo-jae suppressed his rising fury and forced himself to treat his relative by marriage with civility.

And yet.

“Ah, if only my own wedded wife possessed even half the charm and refinement of this lovely maiden, my life would be infinitely more grand.”

The spark of conflict ignited from that single, thoughtless remark, uttered by the man as he attempted to curry favor with one of the notable Academy Students.

“My companion is entirely devoid of talent, yet her stubborn vanity knows no bounds. I must confess, it has required a great deal of effort on my part to properly discipline her. Ahahaha.”

Though Jang Woo-jae stood as the guest of honor at this gathering, with a mountain of dignitaries awaiting his attention, he turned his back on them all and raced directly toward the estate of the family his sibling had married into.

Brushing past the frantic warnings of the attendants and handmaidens who attempted to bar his path, he charged recklessly into her private courtyard and slammed open the entrance to her chambers.

“Ah…”

His younger sister could only offer Jang Woo-jae a deeply melancholic, fleeting smile.

“Have you been keeping well, Dearest Brother?”

She had clearly applied heavy cosmetics in a desperate bid to mask the discoloration marking her skin, but the trauma inflicted upon her countenance was so severe that it immediately stood out to his sight.

“Word reached me that you returned accompanied by your esteemed peers from the Academy. If that is so, it means our Yujang Sect has finally ascended to become a truly recognized power, does it not?”

On that fateful evening, just as he had done so many times in the past, Jang Woo-jae found himself utterly incapable of uttering a reply.

For he had finally perceived exactly whose agonizing compliance had paved the very ground upon which he now stood.

The reality of her suffering pierced him to the absolute core of his being.

He remained entirely frozen, unable to form a single word.

“…”

Consequently, as he directed his steps toward the sweeping expanse of Dongting Lake, his gaze was consumed by an overwhelming sense of sheer desperation.

He could not afford to falter on this ground.

He absolutely could not permit himself to break down here.

The offerings made for his sake were already far too immense to squander.

Should the Yujang Sect meet its demise in this perilous place, then not only would his own future be ruined, but his beloved sibling would likewise be robbed of any chance at a dignified existence.

“I refuse to fall. Regardless of the perils that await, I will endure and prevail.”

Staring out at the vessels drifting across the obsidian, restless currents of Dongting Lake, Jang Woo-jae engraved that solemn oath into his soul over and over again.

‘I am utterly spent.’

Such was the quiet admission passing through the mind of Il-gak.

When weighed against his tenure at the Academy, where every single day demanded grueling, bone-shattering physical conditioning, his recent itinerary within Yueyang had been remarkably slow and leisurely; nevertheless, he found his mental fortitude far more drained than ever before.

His heart’s sole yearning at this moment was to journey back to the Academy at the earliest opportunity, allowing him to throw his entire being into training for his impending martial contest against Jin So-un.

‘Even that simple wish will not be easily granted.’

A journey to the lands of Sichuan would inevitably consume several weeks of his precious time.

This delay was entirely due to the reality that they would be forced to participate in countless empty, tedious traditions designed solely to manufacture grand reputations out of thin air.

They would be obligated to pay respects to associated factions, patch together diplomatic bonds, participate in endless galas, and endlessly cycle through those hollow routines.

In days past, he had comforted himself with the notion that such trials served as a form of spiritual discipline, but the sheer volume of material anxieties crowding his mind had grown too dense for such romantic views.

‘My personal refinement remains sorely deficient.’

Yet, this was the exact trail that an endless lineage of past elders and grandmasters of his order had faithfully trod before him.

Was it not a matter of course that he should follow in their footsteps without complaint?

With a stoic heart, Il-gak silently murmured the sacred name of “Amitabha” thousands, even tens of thousands of times, forcibly locking away his rising discontent deep within his spirit.

“Young master of the cloth, we have arrived at the pier. It is time to step ashore.”

Roused from his internal monologue by the call of the vessel’s pilot, he swiftly collected his senses and noted that their craft had indeed come to rest alongside the landing.

Il-gak disembarked from the wooden deck with a resigned, cooperative spirit.

He fully anticipated that a barrage of fresh briefings would await his arrival at their quarters, but he reasoned that once those obligations were fulfilled, he could finally carve out a brief window for his personal exercises.

Precisely as that comforting thought took root.

“Honorable Master! My name is Jang Woo-jae! I am an active Academy Student of the Murim Academy, as well as a sworn follower of the Yujang Sect! I beg of you, grant us your benevolence just this once!”

Recognizing the name instantly, he snapped his gaze toward the source of the commotion.

Familiar faces were screaming at the absolute limit of their lungs, straining against the physical restraint of the surrounding guards.

“At this very moment, my home order stands on the precipice of ruin, besieged by the ruthless factions of the Black Path! We are in dire need of salvation!”

“…”

As the attention of the gathering crowd shifted entirely toward the desperate figure of Jang Woo-jae, the venerable Hye-seong finally raised a hand, signaling for the guards to permit their approach.

“Ahem.”

The revered Master Hye-seong subtly brought a hand to his face, his brows knitting together in distaste.

A pungent, heavy odor of perspiration billowed from the desperate men as they forcefully clove a path through the gathered onlookers.

“Honorable Master! We stand in absolute, critical need of intervention from the righteous forces of the Orthodox Path, most notably the esteemed Righteous Path Association! I implore you, extend your hand to us just this once!”

Though Il-gak had caught only passing rumors of the local strife, he possessed enough context to accurately deduce the nature of their predicament.

With the martial forces of the Diancang Sect abruptly pulling back their presence, the competitive factions of the Orthodox Path murim and the vicious predators of the Black Path murim had plunged into a brutal, chaotic turf war over the ultimate sovereignty of Yueyang.

Under the ferocious onslaught unleashed by the rising tide of the Black Path, the smaller and mid-sized entities of the Orthodox Path murim were bound to sustain catastrophic casualties.

Furthermore, such a devastating hammer blow would naturally devastate vulnerable, minor factions long before it ever truly inconvenienced the grand institutions.

Remembering that the lineage Jang Woo-jae belonged to was far from a dominant or legendary house, Il-gak could not help but adopt a deeply sorrowful expression.

“Il-gak.”

Hearing the voice of Master Hye-seong turn to him in a manner that clearly demanded an immediate briefing on the situation, Il-gak closed the distance and softly murmured,

“The individual speaking is indeed an official Academy Student.”

“To which lineage do these young ones belong?”

“They hail from a local collective known as the Yujang Sect.”

“The Yujang Sect, you say?”

Observing the slight, puzzled tilt of Hye-seong’s head, Il-gak hastened to provide more details to elevate their status.

“It is a martial house firmly established within the borders of Yueyang, possessing a remarkably grounded and honorable foundation.”

“I have no recollection of encountering their banner within the grand halls of the Murim Alliance.”

“Their formal contributions within the Alliance framework remain modest at present, yet I am well aware that the local populace frequently commends them for possessing a profound sense of chivalrous righteousness.”

Hye-seong’s discerning gaze shifted back down to rest upon Jang Woo-jae and the accompanying Academy Students who had journeyed alongside him.

He thoroughly assessed the quality of their garments, the craftsmanship of the blades at their hips, their physical bearings, and the precise caliber of the inner energy they displayed.

“Hmm…”

Detecting that low, noncommittal sound from his elder’s throat, Il-gak hurriedly pressed his advantage.

“Furthermore, that young man, Jang Woo-jae, is highly regarded within the walls of the Academy as a leading figure among the unaligned pupils. His personal standing is so prominent that our own Righteous Path Association, the Orthodox Path Association, and even the esteemed Twelve Peak Citadels are actively seeking to recruit him into their ranks.”

Should this crisis in Yueyang proceed unchecked, the young man’s entire heritage might be completely wiped from the earth.

Though the fate of an independent sect held no direct bearing on his own path, Il-gak found an uncharacteristic anxiety gripping his heart.

“Providing him with sanctuary during this dark hour would undoubtedly secure us a powerful asset when the time comes to contest the title of Academy Representative in the future.”

“Is that truly the case?”

“I-Indeed it is.”

Hye-seong fixed his intense, unblinking eyes upon Il-gak.

“You, an individual who typically remains entirely blind to political maneuvers and worldly connections, speak with a surprising amount of strategic eloquence today. What has brought about this change?”

“…”

The venerable Master Hye-seong offered a slow, deliberate shake of his head.

“That impulse, too, is merely another form of material distraction.”

“…”

Stepping past his disciple, Master Hye-seong advanced toward the edge of the platform.

He then cast his voice across the space, letting it ring out with an immense, breathtaking gravity.

“Young seeker, I ask that you rise from the earth.”

“Honorable Master! I am prepared to offer any tribute or fulfill any condition you demand hereafter! Only grant us your salvation this once.”

A fragile, desperate yearning—the frantic hope of an individual gripping onto a fraying strand of rope—etched itself deeply into every line of Jang Woo-jae’s face.

“The enlightened Buddha demands no material compensation from the living. Tell me, have you already conveyed your plight to the local Yueyang Branch of our grand Alliance?”

“I have. I hastened to their gates before all else and begged for their intervention. However, the limited forces stationed at that local branch are utterly insufficient to suppress the full, roaring tide of Yueyang’s Black Path.”

No matter how valiantly that handful of resident peacekeepers attempted to reassert order, their meager numbers would never cause the bloodthirsty wolves of the Black Path murim to waver.

In truth, the syndicates of the Black Path murim were far too wild and unprincipled to display hesitation when presented with a lawless arena where they could plunder and slaughter to their heart’s absolute content.

Jang Woo-jae renewed his agonizing plea with even greater fervor.

“Once open conflict with the syndicates erupts, all hope will be lost. We stand in need of immediate, physical intervention, Honorable Master.”

Swept up in the sheer desperation of the moment, Il-gak found himself interjecting without thinking.

“The youth speaks the truth, Master. Should the Murim Alliance delay its advance until after the syndicates of the Black Path murim have completely locked down Yueyang, the smaller factions will be utterly…”

Master Hye-seong slowly turned his neck, fastening a piercing gaze upon Il-gak.

“…”

That completely blank, unreadable countenance carried the crushing, terrifying weight of the legendary Four Heavenly Kings, causing Il-gak to involuntarily catch his breath and swallow dryly.

“…I-I have overstepped. Forgive me.”

Turning back to the crowd, Master Hye-seong resumed speaking in a profoundly solemn tone.

“The dark shadow of the Black Path’s cruelty plunging our realm into chaos is a tragedy of long standing. It brings this simple monk nothing but sorrow that the illuminating grace of the Buddha has not yet enveloped every corner under heaven.”

At this point, not only the gathered Academy Students but every single soul present—from the townspeople who had flocked to catch a glimpse of the masters representing the Nine Sects and One Gang to the casual travelers waiting near the docks—held their breath, their eyes locked entirely onto Hye-seong.

“Furthermore, the enlightened Buddha never turns a deaf ear to suffering mortals who cry out for deliverance.”

As he spoke these words, Hye-seong’s eyes drifted away from the kneeling students, sweeping across the vast assembly of ordinary citizens.

“Whenever and wherever a soul seeks the merciful intervention of the Buddha, even if they find themselves cast into the lowest depths of the Ninefold Hells, the compassionate hand of the enlightened one will inevitably reach out to save them.”

The multitude hanging on Hye-seong’s every word erupted into a thunderous, unified roar of adulation.

“””Waaaah!”””

Once the wave of public fervor had gradually subsided, Hye-seong turned back to Jang Woo-jae, his features softening into a warm, fatherly expression.

“Therefore, young seeker, I bid you return to your halls and set your anxious spirit at rest.”

“D-Does this mean you are granting us your physical protection?”

“Did my words not just make it clear? No matter where your path leads, the boundless benevolence of the Buddha will surely encompass you.”

Confronted by these ambiguous, sweeping assurances, Jang Woo-jae pressed his forehead low toward the ground once more, adding urgently,

“We have received intelligence that the brutal Mukhyul Gang is preparing to launch a total assault upon our fortress in the immediate future.”

Hye-seong offered a serene nod of understanding.

“The very moment I return to the grand headquarters of the Murim Alliance, I shall summon an extraordinary council and ensure this crisis is addressed as our absolute highest priority.”

“What did you say?”

Jang Woo-jae’s countenance instantly warped with shock and despair.

If the matter were handled through such bureaucratic channels, how did this grand promise differ in any practical way from leaving it to the powerless Yueyang Branch of the Murim Alliance?

“H-Honorable Master! The existence of our Yujang Sect is balanced precariously upon the very peak of a hundred-foot pole! If you relegate us to councils and debates…”

“Young seeker.”

A dense, staggering surge of inner energy saturated Master Hye-seong’s voice.

It was the manifestation of the Golden Word Command—a formidable psychological technique that seized control of an individual’s cardiac rhythm, imposing a suffocating, physical weight upon the listener’s spirit through the sheer resonance of speech alone.

The surrounding onlookers likewise felt the terrifying authority radiating from Master Hye-seong’s proclamation, plunging the entire dock into a breathless, absolute stillness.

“Did this simple monk not declare it plainly? There exists no abyss deep enough to escape the reach of the Buddha’s hand.”

“…”

“Yet, all movements under heaven must respect a proper, established sequence.”

His entire frame wracked with uncontrollable tremors, Jang Woo-jae forced his jaws apart to make one final, frantic attempt.

“I-If that is so… could you not at least grace our sect with your physical presence? Even a brief excursion by your esteemed self, Honorable Master, would strike immense terror into the hearts of the Black Path murim, forcing them to halt.”

Witnessing this display, Il-gak could not suppress a jolt of profound inner astonishment.

Hye-seong’s Golden Word Command was universally recognized as one of the most closely guarded Ultimate Arts within the legendary Shaolin Temple, yet this unaligned youth had somehow found the strength of will to speak through its suppression.

In a harsher light, it served as a stark testament to just how utterly hopeless and terrifying Jang Woo-jae’s current circumstances truly were.

“…”

Aware of the agonizing truth unfolding before him, yet utterly powerless to alter the course of events, Il-gak felt a wave of profound self-directed disgust wash over his soul.

“…It would please my heart to do so, yet I must ask for your understanding. I cannot make such a journey because a matter of catastrophic urgency—one where every fleeting second dictates life or death—presently demands my immediate, undivided attention.”

“H-Honorable Master!”

“Cast aside your doubts. You and your martial family will undoubtedly find security within the overarching grace of the Buddha.”

The very instant Hye-seong concluded his decree and began to pivot his body away from the youth.

“What sort of pathetic, deceptive performance am I witnessing here?”

A sharp, mocking voice pierced through the heavy stillness of the harbor, echoing clearly across the wooden platforms.

“Do people genuinely fall for this kind of cheap parlor trick in this day and age?”

A small gathering of youthful men and women, appearing to be around their early twenties, stepped forth from the shelter of the docks.

As the youth leading the vanguard carelessly swept his hand through the open air, the suffocating psychic pressure that had been wordlessly throttling the breath from the crowd vanished in an instant, allowing the townspeople to let out deep, ragged gasps of relief.

“…”

Hye-seong’s sharp gaze snapped over to lock onto the newcomer who had so effortlessly unraveled the authority of his Golden Word Command.

The young man possessed a countenance that bordered on the sinister, paired with a distinct, mocking sneer.

Furthermore, he exuded an aura of absolute, unshakeable tranquility that seemed entirely decoupled from his youthful years.

He was a figure whose identity was intimately familiar to Hye-seong.

The stranger stared directly back at Hye-seong, his voice dripping with sarcasm as he inquired,

“When you boldly claim they’ll find security within this vague Buddha’s grace of yours, does that mean if these boys just chant their prayers with enough fervor, the cutthroats of the Mukhyul Gang will suddenly experience a change of heart and walk away of their own accord?”

“…”

The speaker casually sauntered forward, placing his physical frame directly between Hye-seong’s entourage and Jang Woo-jae’s trembling group before continuing his critique.

“No, let us be entirely realistic here. If screaming out Amitabha possessed the magical power to resolve every crisis on earth, what purpose does the grand Murim Alliance serve, and why do the syndicates of the Black Path still hold dominion over so much of the Jianghu?”

The youth turned his mocking gaze across the entire assembly of onlookers.

“Are you suggesting the monks of Shaolin Temple simply failed to pray hard enough?”

In an instant, the color drained not only from Hye-seong’s immediate followers but from the faces of every citizen in attendance as they stared at the reckless youth in unadulterated horror.

“Who in the world is that madman?”

“Has he completely severed ties with his sanity?”

“To speak with such blasphemous disrespect to the venerable Master Hye-seong, a high-ranking elder of the great Shaolin Temple…”

Terrified murmurs rippled through the gathered masses as they observed the stranger.

Who could this individual possibly be, possessing an audacity so boundless it seemed he had not only grown reckless, but had completely abandoned all sense of self-preservation?

Then, completely catching the crowd off guard, the answer was forced from the lips of Master Hye-seong himself.

“Young master Jin So-un…”

The swordsman addressed as Jin So-un instantly pinched his eyebrows together, his expression twisting into one of intense irritation.

“I have corrected you on this matter previously. I must ask that you immediately cease addressing a direct pupil of a Daoist martial sect as ‘young master.’ It is truly grating.”